R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
STRIKE: Classes were disrupted for a second day on Thursday at Khalsa College due to the strike call given by the Students Welfare Association, Khalsa College (SAF). The students raised slogans against the principal, Dr J.S. Dhillon.

ELECTIONS: Justice J.S. Sekhon (retd), Chief Gurdwara Commission, alleged that the central government had failed to ensure free and fair elections of the SGPC even as “bogus votes”, including that of Muslims, were detected during scrutiny.

FRAUD ALLEGED: Ms Usha Kalia, an NRI, alleged that the State Bank of India, Amritsar cantonment branch, had defrauded her of Rs 2.20 lakh. She said she had lodged a complaint with the RBI office in Chandigarh which had conducted an enquiry. However, according to her, they did not make sincere efforts to trace the missing money.

Batala
QUIZ COMPETITION: The Department of History, R.R.Bawa DAV College for Girls, Batala, organised a quiz competition on Thursday. Six teams participated in the competition which had questions based on Indian as well as world history. The principal, Mrs V. Watni, appreciated the efforts of the students and members of the Department of History for organising the event.

DERA BASSI
CYCLIST HURT: Cyclist Surinder Singh of Issanpur village, was injured when a motor cyclist knocked him down on the intersection of the busy Kalka-Ambala highway and the Dera Bassi-Barwala road opposite Saini Bhavan, on Friday. He was shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, after his health deteriorated. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 427 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code against the motor cyclist.

FRESHERS PARTY: Vrvesh and Tulika were adjudged Mr and Ms Freshers while Ankur Gupta and Shivani bagged the title of Mr and Ms Personalities in the freshers party organised by the second year students and staff members of the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dera Bassi, here on Friday. The winners were adjudged over performance and personality in introduction, talent and question-answer rounds on the college campus. The enthusiastic students also participated in various cultural items including solo and fusion dances besides the Punjabi favourites including bhangra.

PATIALA
RAIDED: A team led by the Civil Surgeon, Dr Hardev Singh, raided Sona Masala manufacturing factory on the Ambala-Chandigarh road here on Friday. The team has seized the packets of the masala bearing the manufacturing date from September 24 to October 2. Dr Hardev Singh said the samples of these packets have been sent to a Chandigarh laboratory.

CASH COUNTER: To make the university inquiry more effective Punjabi University Vice-ChancellorSwarn Singh Boparai has directed that the cash counter at the information centre would be opened during the office hours. The information and fee counters would remain open on holidays as per need.

Nawanshahr
INAUGURATED: Mr Ajit Ram Khaitan, District Education Officer, inaugurated a two-day district level ‘training workshop’ for incharges of ‘eco clubs’ organised by the Ministry of Environment, New Delhi, and the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology here at Doaba Arya Senior Secondary School on Thursday. As many as 150 school teachers participated in the workshop.

TRAINING CAMP: A district-level farmers’ training camp-cum-oilseed seminar was organised at Karawar village on Thursday by the Agriculture Department. Mr Balwinder Singh Multani, ADC, inaugurated the camp in which more than 1000 farmers participated. The farmers were familiarised with the latest techniques and know-how for diversification in agriculture, judicious use of irrigation water, fertilisers, pesticides etc.

TREE PLANTATION: The Union Bank of India, Banga, organised a tree plantation function at Government Elementary School, Mazari, on Thursday. Mr B.K. Malhotra, AGM, Jalandhar region, inaugurated the tree plantation by planting a saplings. As many as 50 saplings were planted.

Sangrur
LIONS CLUB: District 321-F of Lions Clubs is committed to control blindness through its “sight first” programme. This was stated by Mr Jaswant Rai Garg, District Governor, 321-F of Lions Clubs, at the installation ceremony of Lions Club Sangrur’s new president Dr Surinder Singla and his team for the year 2004-05, here on Thursday night.

RURAL CREDIT: The Malwa Gramin Bank (MGB), a sponsored bank of the State Bank of Patiala, will double its rural credit (loans to farming community) from Rs 72 crore in the year 2003-04 to Rs 144 crore by the end of financial year 2005-06. This was stated by Mr G.S. Multani, Chairman of Malwa Gramin Bank, at a farmers’ meet, held at Hareri village on Thursday.

CHANDIGARH

MOHALI
SEMINAR: Knowledge, skill and attitude are the three ingredients of success, but it’s the attitude which is its gateway. These views were expressed by Asit Ghosh, a renowned scholar, during a seminar on attitudinal motivation held at the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Phase-2, here on Friday. Students of the institute took part in an interactive session. Mr J.S. Bedi, Chairman of the institute proposed the vote of thanks. 

MEDICAL CAMP: The Police Department would organise a free health camp for its staff and their families at the Cheema Medical Complex, Phase IV, here on Sunday. Various medical specialists would examine the visitors to the camp. 

INAUGURATED: A gymnasium was inaugurated by the Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Mr K.B.S. Sidhu, at PUDA Bhavan here on Friday. Addressing the function, Chief Administrator A.S. Chattwal said the facility had been provided with a view to improving health of the people. Several other PUDA officials were also present. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
DISTRIBUTED: The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee deputy spokesperson, Dr Pradeep Chauhan, on Friday distributed foodgrains to flood affected families. Dr Chauhan said they provided foodgrains to 500 families in Valmiki Basti, Dera Batti and BC Bazar. He said the residents of Samalheri village had collected the foodgrains for the flood victims. 

BLOOD DONATION CAMP: A blood donation camp was held at Station Medicare Centre, Air Force Station, here on Friday. The camp was inaugurated by Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Ambala, Air Commodore L.K. Malhotra. A team from the Armed Forces Transfusion Centre, New Delhi, headed by Lieut-Col Sunil Arora collected the blood units for their blood bank. The camp was attended by a number of people including, Mrs Anuradha Malhotra, president of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association (L).

DEMAND: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati on Friday demanded the resignation of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Talking to mediapersons here, Uma Bharati said if Ms Sonia Gandhi does not resign within 48 hours, then the Left parties must withdraw support from the UPA. “I challenge Ms Sonia Gandhi to disassociate the surname `Gandhi’ from her name and then contest election. People vote for her out of reverence to Gandhi name,” she said. 

PRESENTATION: The career guidance and placement cell of Arya Girls College on Friday organised a presentation in the college auditorium. The college Principal, Ms Bedi, said a power point presentation was delivered by Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training to generate awareness about the various job avenues. Handouts containing information about the training programme were distributed among the students.

Sonepat
Suicide: Young housewife Reena (18) was reported to have committed suicide by sprinkling kerosene on her body and setting the clothes on fire at her in-law’s house at Sisana village, about 25 km from here, on Thursday evening. The police broke open the door of the room and took the body for a post-mortem examination. The police has also registered a case.

assaulted: Mr Anil, a junior engineer of the Panchayati Raj institution, was injured when he was assaulted by a member of the block samiti at Kheri Manajat village, about 10 km from here, on Friday. Mr Anil had gone to the village for inspection of the development work being carried out by the gram panchayat. Mr Anil, was rushed to the local Civil Hospital wherefrom he was shifted to the PGIMS at Rohtak.

Clash: At least six persons, including two women, were injured in a clash between two groups at Chaulka village, about 20 km from here, on Friday. all the injured persons were hospitalised.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
FABRICS UNIT: Himachal Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur, laying the foundation stone of a Rs 32 crore steel division unit of Suraj Fabrics Gwalthai, 80 km from here, on Wednesday, said the factory would employ 500 youths of the area.

SENTENCED: Additional District and Sessions Judge R.L. Azad at Ghumarwin has sentenced Parveen Kumar of Dabhla village to five years rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 3,000 under Section 366, IPC, for kidnapping a 14 years old girl student.