R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
JUSTICE SOUGHT: The Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) and Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists (CPUJ) has sought action against Punjab police personnel who had allegedly manhandled a senior staff correspondent of an English daily near Gehlewal village near Ludhiana. The CPUJ has threatened to take up the issue with the Press Council of India if the justice is not delivered.

ALLEGED: Mr Surinder Arjun, president, Durgiana Temple Committee, has alleged ‘bias’ by the district administration in not including Durgiana Temple in the itinerary of the visits of VIPs. He said that the Golden Temple is a “collective heritage of all Punjabis”. Similarly Durgiana Temple should be considered the collective heritage of all.

DERA BASSI
BLOOD DONATION: As many as 134 units of blood were donated by students and staff members of the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology at a camp organised with the help of the Blood Bank Society, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, here on Wednesday. Dr I M N Soi, Principal of the institute, after inaugurating the camp, said the students and the staff donated blood. The donors were also given refreshments on the occasion. 

DORAHA
COMPETITION: An essay writing competition was organised by the English Literacy Society of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, on Tuesday. Nineteen students participated and expressed their thoughts on various topics like “Life is a tale told by an idiot”, “How English should be taught to rural students?” and “Cowards die many times before their death”. Tejinder Kaur of BA (III) was declared first, Anudeep Sharma of the same class declared second and Ramandeep Kaur and Premdeep Kaur of BA (II) were declared third. Amandeep Kaur and Mandeep Sharma, both of Class XI, Navneet Kaur of BA (I) and Raman of BA (III) were given consolation prizes.

JALANDHAR
RALLY PLANNED: Perturbed over the failure of the state Education Department to implement the already accepted demands, the Government School Lecturers’ Union, Punjab, has decided to hold a black flag rally in front of the residence of Punjab Education Minister at Gurdaspur on Sunday.

LUDHIANA
MEETING: A state-level meeting of the National Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation and the All-India Samaj Parvartan Sabhyachar Manch was held under the presidentship of Prof Gurnam Singh Mukatsar here on Tuesday. Mr Resham Sidhu welcomed the office-bearers of the federation and the manch. Mr Makhan Singh Bhai Roopa, Mr V.S. Dayal and Mr Joginder Lal Rai attended the meeting, among others. Prof Mukatsar approved the appointment of Mr Bir Singh Sangowal as president of the federation, Fatehgarh Sahib unit, Mr Shinder Singh and Mr Devinder Singh, president and secretary, respectively, of the manch, Ludhiana district unit.

MUSHAIRA: The Ninth All-India Sahir Memorial Mushaira will be organised by the Kala Smriti at the Government College for Boys here on Saturday at 8 pm. Afzal Mangluri, Nazar Etvi, Mohinder Ashk and Sardar Panchhi will present on the occasion, among other poets. The DGP, Punjab, Mr A.A. Saddiqui, will be the chief guest.

SEMINAR: A seminar on parental empowerment will be organised at 500 G, BRS Nagar, here on Sunday at 10 am. A large number of educationists are expected to participate.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of Madhuban, an association formed in the memory of T.V. artiste Ashwani Mahajan; president — Mr Vinod Mahajan; general secretary — Mr Vijay Deewan; and project chairman — Mr Surinder Chopra.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
STIR BEGINS: A dharna by farmers and employees of the Bhuna Cooperative Sugar Mill against the closure of the mill began here on Tuesday. Twentyone farmers and mill workers led by Mr Mohan Singh Diwana, a director of the mill, staged a dharna. Several prominent farmers and political leaders went to the dharna site and offered their support to the agitationists.

KAITHAL
PDS: Various steps were being taken by the district administration to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) to ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices to the consumers. Stating this here on Tuesday, The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Agarwal, said that licences of two depot holders were cancelled and the security deposit of two others was forfeited for committing various irregularities in September. He said that at present 350 depots were functioning in the district of which 278 were functioning in the rural and 72 in the urban areas.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
DISSOLVED: The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) has dissolved the Chamba Congress Steering Committee, according to an official communique received from the HPCC secretary here on Tuesday. The communication said there was no such provision in the constitution of the Indian National Congress for the formation such committees.

CANNABIS: In a special drive against drug abuse and addiction, the district police burnt about 30 quintals of cannabis plants uprooted from 22 villages of Churah subdivision in Chamba district on Tuesday. This was stated by Mr Ajay Yadav, Superintendent of Police,

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the employees’ union of the District Primary Education Programme: president — Mr Mausam Din; senior vice-president — Mr Yogesh Chona; vice-presidents — Mr Ajij Din and Mr Virender Kumar, general secretary — Mr Tilak Singh; press secretary — Mr Kamlesh Kumar; and cashier — Mr Manoj Gupta.