R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
BODY FOUND: A headless body was found floating in a canal near Danewala Satkosi village of this subdivision here on Saturday. The body was taken to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Later, the MC staff cremated it. No identification mark was noticed.

Bathinda
VACCINATION CAMPS: The Civil Surgeon, Dr Yashpal Singla, said here on Saturday that about 1,150 vaccination camps would be organised in various slum areas of the district till February 14. At the inaugural function of the special drive, a camp was organised at Beant Singh Nagar. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr KAP Sinha, said with the help of the Indian Medical Association, the vaccination for hepatitis-B would also be provided.

GET-TOGETHER: All veteran officers on Saturday were invited to the local Chetak officers mess for a get-together on the occasion of Army Day. Liet-Gen Nandrajog, GOC, Chetak Corps, informed the officers about the welfare measures undertaken by the corps at the local level.

Ferozepore
ADOPTION: The local Arya Anathalya has decided to adopt at least 50 children who were orphaned in the of tsunami disaster. Ms Santosh P.D. Chowdhry, manager of the Anathalya, said the All-India Arya Pradeshik Pratinidhi Sabha had already written to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, besides Lt=Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in this connection.

Hoshiarpur
MAN DUPED: Mr Manjinder Singh, son of Jagjit Singh, a resident of Karion Patti, Amritsar, on Saturday lodged a complaint against Raju Kaushal, his wife, Shashi Kanta, and brother Ashutosh of Garhshanker. Mr Manjinder Singh has alleged that they duped him of Rs 4.50 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. However, they neither sent him abroad nor returned the money.

DEAD: Kamla Devi and her one-year-old son, Ramesh, sustained serious burns when a kerosene lamp fell on her at her residence in Sunder Nagar Mohalla here on Saturday. They were taken to the local Civil Hospital where her son succumbed to his injuries.

Ludhiana
DISCOURSES: Acharya Shri Kumar Swami will visit the city on January 22 to give spiritual discourses for the second time. He will continue his discourses on January 23 also. The arrangements for the discourses are being made by Shri Lakshmi Narayan Dham. People from all over Punjab are expected to attend the discourses. This was stated by Mr Ajay Deol, director of Lakshmi Narayan Dham, at a press conference here today. Mr Rakesh Kumar, chief organiser, said the Swami would conduct discourses at the heaven resort on both days. He would tell the devotees how to get rid of diseases and tension.

Nawanshahr
SCIENCE CONGRESS: A team of the local Government Senior Secondary School has participated in the 12th National Children Science Congress held in Guwahati. The team presented its project “save water save life”. Mr Balihar Singh Bains, District Science Supervisor, said students got an opportunity to meet the President, Mr APJ Abdul Kalam, and scientist Prof Yash Pal.

REFLECTORS: The local Lions Club has launched a drive to affix reflectors on tractor-trailers. Mr R.L. Jassal, District Transport Officer, inaugurated the drive at a local sugar mills here on Saturday. Mr Iqbal Singh, president of the club, said 300 reflectors were affixed.

PATIALA
INAUGURATED: Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Swarn Singh Boparai on Monday inaugurated an exhibition of books donated by Prof. Bakhshish Singh, former Director of the Department of Correspondence Courses, from 1968-1984. The collection includes some of the sources and reference material pertaining to distance education . It also includes books written by Prof. Bakshish Singh and the research articles published in various journals. Some important directories, journals and reports of various committees are also a part of this collection.

APPOINTED: Dr. Ravneet Kaur of the Department of Correspondence Courses and Dr. Mohammad Idris of the Department of History have been appointed NSS programme officers of the campus NSS units. Giving this information, Dr. Baltej Singh Mann, Director, NSS, said NSS students would be provided with an opportunity to work with people creatively and constructively. 

Seminar: A seminar on “Job opportunities in finance management and IT” was organised by ICFAI university, Patiala branch, at Khalsa Colege, Patiala. More than 100 students of BCA, B.Com, B.Sc from the college participated in the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Abhishek Tyagi, Territory Manager, ICFAI university, gave tips to the students on how to assess and do basic preparation for their career. 

Honoured: The Vishav Jagriti Mission honoured Mr Pran Sabharwal, a social activist and theatre personality, at the “moorti sthapana” ceremony of Shiv Mandir at Sher Majra village, 5 km from here. The mission’s district unit president, Mr Kuldeep Singh Bhattal, presented a shawl, bouquet and gift pack of Sudhanshu literature and cassettes to Mr. Sabharwal at the felicitation session of the function. 

Phagwara
DISTRIBUTED: The Phagwara Scooters Association distributed woollen clothes and books among 30 meritorious and poor students. A tricycle and sewing machines were given to a physically challenged person and four poor women, respectively, at a function here on Sunday.

SAMRALA
POLICE PHONE: Telephone of the local police station has been repaired and its number is 01628-261328, according to SHO, H.S. Brar, here on Sunday. But the number 100 has not been repaired as yet, he added.

RALLY: A conference and rally will be organised by the Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) on January 20 in front of the SDM courts, according to Mr Sher Singh Mushkabad, Executive Member of the BKU. Demands of the BKU workers is electricity for 10 hours a day, payment of sugarcane and price of sugarcane at Rs 155 per quintal and repairs of link roads, he added. 

ASSUMES CHARGE: Mr Jagdev Singh Aujla took over as Soil Testing Officer-cum-Block Agriculture Officer here on Monday. He succeeds Mr Satnam Singh Swaitch who has been transferred to Khanna.

CHANDIGARH

Mohali
APPOINTED: Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Monday announced the appointment of Dr T. S. Mahant as Executive Director, cardio thoracic and vascular surgery, at Mohali. He takes charge from Dr Achintya Moulick who has moved to the newly opened Fortis Hospital at Noida to lead the CTVS programme there. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
ELECTED: Dr Rita Jaspal, a member of Indian Medical Association, Ambala City, has been declared elected as senior vice-president of the Indian Medical Association, Haryana State for 2005-06. Dr K.K. Bhatia, president, IMA, Ambala City, on Monday said Dr Rita Jaspal was elected unanimously in the working committee of IMA Haryana State at Rohtak. He said she was the first woman doctor to take over as senior vice-president of IMA, Haryana. 

Rewari
DONATION: The Deputy Commissioner has said social organisations, individuals and various departments have donated Rs 3,47,126 towards the tsunami relief fund so far.

Sonepat
INJURED: Geeta, a student Class XII, sustained serious burn injuries when a stove burst at her house in Janata Colony here on Sunday. She was taken to the local Civil Hospital from where she was shifted to the PGIMS, Rohtak for treatment. It is stated that she was boiling water on stove when the incident occurred.

RAPED: The local Civil Lines police claims to have arrested Narinder of Maqimpur village in connection with an alleged kidnapping and rape of a woman of the village. It is stated that the youth lured the woman and took her away to Uttar Pradesh where he raped her repeatedly.

BODY FOUND: The Kharkhauda police has found the body of an aged man lying near a canal at Jhinjholi village, about 25 km from here. The cause of death could not be ascertained. The police sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

INJURED: A youth, Sanjay of Bayyanpur village, was seriously injured when he was attacked with lathis by car-borne youths at Sandal Khurd village, here on Monday. When he raised the alarm, the youths fled. A case has been registered.

KILLED: A farmer, Pramod (24), was killed when he fell down from a tractor-trailer which overturned at Mehmoodpur village, about 45 km from here, on Sunday. He was returning home when the incident occurred. The police sent his body for a post-mortem examination.