R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
PROTEST PLANNED: The state unit of CITU and other unions will hold a four-day dharna in front of the office of the Labour Commissioner at Chandigarh. Mr Jagtar Singh Karampura, state convener of CITU in a press note here on Sunday said trade unions would hold the dharna against privatisation and unemployment and in support of their demands, which include inter-state labour security, implementation of labour laws, industrial policies.

PLEA TO BOLLYWOOD STARS: The Akal Purakh Ki Fauj led by Mr Jaswinder Singh with Mr Kuljit Singh as co-ordinator here on Sunday urged Bollywood personalities to show Sikhs in the right perspective. In a press note here on Sunday, they said Sikhs had made huge contributions for the country, but it hurt the sentiments of Sikhs when they were presented in wrong way.

GOLDEN TEMPLE STATUS: Ms Bhaswati Mukherjee, Ambassador and permanent delegate of India to UNESCO, in a communiqué to the Director UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mr Francesco Bandarin expressed misgivings of several Sikhs across the globe on the possible impact of granting world heritage site status to the Golden Temple.

Hoshiarpur
BODY FOUND: The body of Joga Singh (50) son of Mr Gurbachan Singh of Deriwal was found near Khurdan village on Sunday. Joga Singh went to Saint Paul Convent School Dasuya on October 4, 2004 and did not come back. His brother suspected that he was murdered by Ms Rashpal Kaur wife of Amarjit Singh of Nihalpur over the distribution of committee money, the police said. A case has been registered under Sections 302, and 201 of the IPC against Ms Rashpal Kaur.

ORGANISED: A seminar was organised by the District Legal Aids Authority to observe the World Mental Health Day at Zila Parishad’s hall here on Sunday. Mr Harbans Lal, District and Sessions Judge, explained the legal rights of mentally challenged persons and their legal heirs. He said free legal aid was being given to mentally challenged persons by the District Legal Aids Authority. Mr G. K. Sabharwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Dr Kuldip Singh, former president, Indian Medical Association, Punjab, and others also spoke.

PULSE POLIO: Dr D.S. Virk, Director Family Welfare and Social Security, Punjab, inaugurated the fourth round of the pulse polio campaign by administering polio drops to children below five years of age at Shakti temple here on Sunday. Dr Virk said instructions had been given to the District health authorities to cover all children under the pulse polio programme. Dr Y. C. Markan, Civil Surgeon, said 25 teams for outer areas and 23 teams for far-flung areas of the district had been deputed for the purpose.

Pathankot
BIRTH CENTENARY: To mark the birth centenary of Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, founder-president of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, a number of saints gathered here on Sunday. The spiritual leaders highlighted the role of the founder in spreading message of tolerance.

Patiala
INVITED: Dr Manjit Singh Bal, a Punjabi writer, professor and Head of the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Patiala, has been invited to participate in the 25th congress of the International Academy of Pathology, being held from October 10 to 15 at Queensland, Australia. He will present papers on ‘Malignant tumours of gastrointestinal tract report of 160 cases’ and ‘Cerebral amoebic abscess — a case report’.

SEMINAR: A seminar was organised at Hari Ram Pingla Ashram, Samana, on World Mental Day. People were told about legal rights of the mentally ill at the seminar. The seminar was organised under the directions of the Punjab Legal Services Authority by the District Legal Services Authority, Patiala. It was presided over by Mr Vinod Kumar Goyal, Additional Civil Judge, Samana. Mr Rakesh Kumar Soni, Assistant District Attorney (Legal Services), also spoke on the occasion.

WORKSHOP: In its effort to boost rural industrialisation in Patiala through the District Rural Industries Project (DRIP) launched by NABARD, a three-day workshop was organised for primary landing institutions. Mr J.S. Brar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), inaugurated the workshop. He appreciated the steps taken by NABARD in organising series of workshops in the district to create awareness among the bankers and government development agencies. Mr J.P.S. Bindra, Assistant General Manger, NABARD, also spoke on the occasion.

Phillaur
CONDEMNED: Punjab Youth Congress president Raminder Singh Awla has condemned the objectionable remarks of the Gujarat Chief Minister against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said the Youth Congress would burn effigies of Mr Modi and organise a state-level rally against the BJP and its leaders.

CHANDIGARH

SCIENCE EXHIBITION: The State Science Exhibition is being organised by the State Institute of Education and Department of Science and Technology, Chandigarh, at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, on Tuesday. The Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, will inaugurate the exhibition. Mr Saroj Saini, Director of the Stat Institute of Education, said due to bad weather, exhibits of the participants had been kept in rooms. The exhibition could be postponed, if rain continued, she added.

Mohali
OFFICE BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Dr B. R. Ambedkar Welfare Club: president—Mr Manjeet Singh Mann; vice-president— Mr Shankar Dass; general secretary — Mr Prem Chand and; finance secretary - Mr Jaspal Singh.

Panchkula
DECLAMATION: An inter-house declamation contest was organised at DAV Senior Public School, Surajpur, on the topic “Catching the bureaucrats young can make a difference”, on Monday. A portrait-making contest, flower making contest and drawing contest was also held on the occasion.

Polio campaign: As many as 9,200 children between the age of 0-5 years, were administered polio drops during a door-to-door campaigning of the Health Department on Monday. Civil Surgeon, Dr Satvir Chaudhary, said the drive was launched to target those children who could not get the polio drops on Sunday. Meanwhile, members of the Inner Wheel Club set up a booth for administering polio drops at Rajiv Colony. 

HARYANA

Fatehabad
Confederation’s rally: The state general secretary of the All-India Confederation of Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Backward Classes, Mr Sooraj Bhan Rathi, on Sunday claimed that hundreds of employees from this district would participate in the October 14 rally of the confederation at Chandigarh. Mr Rathi said the confederation had invited prominent leaders of all political parties to attend the rally. He said the confederation would ask all political parties to include their demands in their election manifestoes for the forthcoming assembly elections. He said the confederation would extend its support to that political party which promised to include its demands in its manifesto.

Power staff meeting: The Haryana State Electricity Board Workers Union, affiliated to the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh has expressed resentment over the inordinate delay in disposal of routine service matters in the local division and subdivision offices of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. A meeting of the local unit of the union was held here on Sunday. Mr Karam Chand Sardana, president of the local unit who addressed the meeting, said the union had decided to hold division-level conventions to press for the demands. He said a convention of the union would be organised at Rohtak on October 20, where the union would announce its future course of action. He also nominated Mr Rakesh Gandhi as Press secretary of the union.

Panipat
Suicide bid: A resident of Kishan Pura locality here tried to commit suicide by consuming a poisonous substance allegedly due to some domestic problem. He has been identified as Raju, son of Mr Bishan. Raju was taken to the local Civil Hospital for his treatment.

Samalkha
Accused held: The police arrested an accused wanted for the past eight years, here on Saturday. Satish, alias Kuldeep, of Burshaam village, was nabbed when he had come to his village. An FIR under Section 377 of IPC had been filed against him eight years ago.

Sonepat
ARRESTED: Amritpal, a resident of Mani Majra, was arrested by the Murthal police near a dhaba on the G.T. Road here on Sunday. The police recovered 1.5 kg of poppy husk from his possession. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act.

KILLED: Manju (16) sustained 90 per cent burn injuries when a stove burst here on Sunday. She was preparing tea in her house at Rai village. She was admitted to the Civil Hospital from where she was referred to Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, where she succumbed to her injuries.

INJURED: A group of armed persons barged into a house at Giaspur village, about 15 km from here, on Sunday. They injured four members of a family, including Tale Ram, Satpal, Jagdish and Chander Bhan. The police has registered a case. In another incident, at least six persons, including three women, were injured in a clash that took place between two groups at Bhigan village, about 10 km from here, on Sunday. The injured persons were Jai Bhagwan, Ram Mehar, Aarti, Bimla, Jai Kishan and his wife, Kela.

MAHA PANCHAYAT: The district unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union is going to organise a maha panchayat on October 14 at Khubru village. They will chalk out the future strategy on the SYL canal issue and remunerative price of foodgrains. Mr Ranbir Singh Malik and Mr Brahm Singh Dahiya, president and general secretary, respectively, of the district unit, criticised the leaders of the Congress, the INLD, the BJP, the HVP and the Ekta Shakti Party and charged them with misleading the people of the state on these issues.

Yamunanagar
POWER PLANT MODEL: A model of 'Tidal Power Plant' made by two students of Sant Nischal Singh Public School has been selected to be displayed at Jawaharlal Nehru National Science Exhibition to be held at Delhi and INTEL Science Discovery Fair at Chennai. Indu Shekhar (Class XII) and Nitin Bhudhiraja (ClassXI) have developed this model.

Seminar: A seminar on technology and management was organised at the Tilak Raj Chadha Institute of Management and Technology (TIMT) here on Sunday. Prof O.P. Kalra of the computer science department, Panjab University, spoke on ‘Memory Management Techniques’ and ‘Role of System Analyst in Industries’. A former professor at the University Business School, Dr Girish Jaiswal spoke on ‘Intellectual Property Management’. Director of the institute Vikas Daryal said that the purpose of such seminars was to educate students about the professional situations and new technologies of the future.