The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, August 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMLOH
SAD CONFERENCE: Mr Randhir Singh Bhambri, senior Akali leader, stated in a press note here on Saturday that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would hold a conference at Mandi Gobindgarh on Tuesday. The conference would be addressed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee, and Capt Kanwaljit Singh, former Finance Minister.

AMRITSAR
LOK ADALAT: As many as 445 cases of civil, matrimonial, Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), rent nature were settled by compromise and Rs 34.34 lakh was awarded as compensation at a lok adalat organized by the District Legal Services Authority on Saturday. Mr M R Batra, District and Sessions Judge, supervised the five benches of the Adalat.

RESIGNATION SOUGHT: SGPC member Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Mr Onkar Singh Sharifpura and Mr Gurinder Singh Shampura on Saturday sought the resignation of Mr Lal Singh, Finance Minister Punjab for his remarks on Guru Gobind Singh and his family.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: The district unit of the Congress Sewa Dal on Sunday celebrated 59th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi at Tarkhan Majra. Dr Harbans Lal, MLA, and Mr Vaid Hari Krishan, president, DCC, in their address appreciated the good work done by Rajiv Gandhi for the country, particularly in the field of information technology and communications. They said it was Rajiv Gandhi who gave the right of vote to the youth. Mr Jai Singh, district president, Congress Sewa Dal, Ranjit Singh, member, block samiti, Manjit Sharma, chairman, Congress Sewa Dal, Samsher Singh, chairman, Environment Protection Committee, O.P. Tangri, Ajaib Singh, sarpanch of the village, also addressed the gathering. Saplings were planted and widows were given sewing machines on the occasion.

HOSHIARPUR
CASES SETTLED: As many as 61 civil and criminal cases were settled at a Lok Adalat organised by the District Legal Services Authority at Sessions Court Complex here on Saturday according to Harbans Lal, District and Sessions Judge Cum Chairman District Legal Services Authority Hoshiarpur.

SURPRISE CHECK: Four teams of senior doctors were constituted on Saturday to check of civil hospital, community health centres, primary health centres and mini primary health centres of the district. The team found one Senior Medical Officer in charge civil hospital, 11 medical officers, seven class III and the four class IV employees absent from duty. Absentees have been told to explain the reason for absence.

KHANNA
ART OF LIVING: A six-day Gyan, Yoga and Sadhna camp, organised by Art of Living, concluded at Shiv Puri Mandir on Sunday. Mr Vivek Sharda trainer of the organization, ran the camp.

LUDHIANA
PTA OFFICE-BEARERS: A general body meeting of the Parents Teachers’ Association was held at Government College for Women yesterday. The following office bearers were elected unanimously: president — Dr Inderjit Gill Vashisht (Principal); sr. vice-president — Dr Amrit Pal Singh; secretary — Mr Satnam Singh Ghai; treasurer — Prof Jaswant Singh; joint secretary — Prof Parmjit Kaur; vice-president — Prof Narinder Kaur Sekhon; Bursar — Prof Dr Harprit Kaur Gill.

LAUNCHED: Mr M.S. Bhogal, Group Chairman, Bhogal Sons, has launched Plka and Brio, both models of mini-cycles with suspension. These foldable cycles have been made for the first time in India, claimed Mr Bhogal. He said the cycle could be stored in a little space.

WORKSHOP CONCLUDES: A week-long workshop of fine arts, organised by the Fine Arts Department at Guru Nanak Girls College, Ludhiana, concluded on Friday. The programme started with introduction note by Ms Manjeet Randhawa, Head of the department. Ranjana from Camel Colours took session on various branches of arts such as ceramics, glass painting and fabric painting. A competition was also organised on Friday. The principal distributed prizes among students.

MANDI GOBINDGARH
NIRWAN DIVAS: The 61st Nirwan Divas of Dev Puri Ji Maharaj Ji, founder of the Puri sect, was celebrated with great fervour at Dera Hari Sar at Kilaraipur village near here on Sunday. Thousands of devotees attended the celebrations.

NAWANSHAHR
SEMINAR: Several trade unions organised a seminar on 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendment and labour laws at JSFH High School on Saturday. The delegation of powers to panchayats to run the affairs of 29 public welfare departments was termed anti-people. Mr Kulwinder Singh Warraich, State Committee member, AIFTU, Ms Gurbaksh Kaur Sangha, president, Istri Jagriti Manch, Mr Tarsem Bains (PUNSUP), Mr Surinder Bains, state committee member Kirti Kisan Union spoke at the seminar.

VIOLATION: Dr Kiranjti Kumar, Civil Surgeon, said here on Saturday that a complaint had been filed in a court at Balachaur for the violations of the PNDT Act against the Radha Swami Ultrasound Scan Centre in Balachaur town in the district on Friday.

LOAN CAMP: Oriental Bank of Commerce, organised a agriculture credit camp here on Friday and loans of Rs 1.10 crore were disbursed among 120 farmers of Nawanshahr, Balachaur and Kariam areas.

PLANTED: The Doaba Social Welfare Society organised vanamahotsava on Saturday at Government Elementary School, Mehandipur, 5 km from here. Mr Lilly Chaudhary, District Social Security and Welfare Officer inaugurated it by planting a sapling. As many 100 saplings were planted said Mr Vasdev Pardesi, secretary of the society.

PATIALA
CAMP: A free cardiac and multi-speciality health check-up camp was organised by Fortis Heart Institute here on Sunday. Around 500 people from the city and nearby places attended the camp. A team of doctors gave free diagnosis and consultation to the patients. Besides this, tests such as echo, ECG, blood grouping and blood sugar were also provided free of cost to the patients.

PHAGWARA
ARRESTED: The Police arrested Avtar Singh of Bhagatpura Mohalla here on Saturday for bid to make a passport in duplicate name. He was booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 272 and 120 of the IPC for applying for a passport in the name of Jagtar Singh though he already had a passport in his original name.

ROPAR
AMBUJA CEMENTS: The Gujrat Ambuja Cements Ltd (GACL) has decided to increase its cement manufacturing capacity from the present 1.5 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes. Besides a power plant with 24 MW capacity was also being planned in the Ropar-based plant of the GACL. The general manager of the GACL, Mr Sunil Duggal, gave this information in a press release issued here on Sunday. To outline the achievements of the company, a programme was organised. The chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Mr K.P.S. Rana, chaired the programme.

SAMRALA
ELECTION: The election of the district unit of the Punjab Rice Millers Association was held here in Bharti Palace on Saturday. Mr Tarsem Saini, state president of the association, was also present on the occasion. Mr Gurdial Singh Diali of Khanna and Mr Tejinder Singh Teji were elected president and general secretary of the unit, respectively.

AWARDED: Mr K.S. Bahra, Deputy Chief Engineer, PSEB, Southern zone, awarded 12 employees for their good services here on Saturday. Those awarded included the president of the TSU, Mr Jaswant Singh. Mr Bahra also planted saplings to celebrate vanamahotsava on the occasion.

CHANDIGARH

INTRODUCED: Corporate beauty manager of the VLCC and renowned cosmologist and tricologist Satya Pokhriyal introduced dermascope (VDS) facility at VLCC Centres on Sunday. Informing about the machine, Ms Pokhriyal said the VDS was an analytical device that helps to analyse skin and hair conditions on screen. With a similar function as an x-ray machine, the VDS could give precise diagnosis of hair cuticle, hair roots, hair follicle, pore of skin, acne, pigmentation, freckles and wrinkles.

PERFORMANCE: The Central Reserve Police Force band from the Western Sector, Mumbai, played at the Sukhna Lake here on Sunday. A statement issued here said the aim of the performance was to entertain visitors to the lake. During the week, the CRPF had its inter-sector band competition at Group Centre, Pinjore, near here. The band team from Group Centre, Gandhinagar, was adjudged as the best team, followed by the aforementioned team. The show here was organised by the CRPF’s 30th Battalion based near the airport. The battalion, which comes under the administrative control of the Western Sector, was earlier deployed on counter insurgency duties in Jammu and Kashmir, where it was adjudged as the ‘Best Operational Battalion’ in the Srinagar sector.

PROTEST: The Joint Platform of the Mass Organisations (JPMO), Chandigarh, held a mass convention of workers on Sunday on the premises of the Assistant Labour Commissioner Officer (UT) to protest against the recent verdict of the Supreme Court on workers’ right to strike and anti-people policies of the Centre and state governments. Addressing the workers, Mr Bhag Mal Rana, Convenor, JPMO, said, ‘‘The present policies of the government are depriving the workers from the rights that were achieved after determined struggles. The recent judgement of the SC to deny the right of strike to the employees as a major attack on the working class”. Among others, Mr Inderjit Singh Grewal, president, CITU, Chandigarh, Mr Surinder Pal Singh, general secretary, Co-ordination Committee of the Central Government Employees also participated at the meeting.

PANCHKULA
RALLY HELD: Members of the Eco Club and the NSS volunteers of Chamna Lal DAV Senior Public School, Sector 11, organised a rally to promote the cause of keep Panchkula green and clean. The rally was flagged off by Executive Officer of Municipal Council, Mr O.P. Sihag, and 400 students participated in this rally.

HAVAN: A havan was organised by the House Owners Welfare Association , Sector 4, in order to pay homage to Maj Deepinder Bhuchar on his seventh martyrdom day. Maj Bhuchar, a recipient of Veer Chakra, had laid down his life on August 23, 1997, while fighting the enemy in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.