R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
FINE IMPOSED: The BSNL has slapped a fine of Rs 500 to recover Rs 2 from Mr Sumit Batra because Rs 2 was lying as balance. Mr Batra said he had availed a mobile phone connection and surrendered the same on May 15, 2004. He said he paid the bill for Rs 182. Now, the accounts office of the BSNL issued a supplementary bill directing him to deposit Rs 2 along with the fine.

DHARNA: The Technical and Mechanical Employees Union, Balluana branch, staged a dharna at the office of the SubDivisional Engineers (SDE) here on Thursday. They shouted slogans and alleged that the SDE had been staying preferably at his residence at Fazilka instead of official headquarters here. They criticised the SDE for not redressing their grievances and threatened to intensify the stir by laying dharna regularly from March 11.

Hoshiarpur
HELD: The police here on Wednesday arrested a proclaimed offender Balkar Singh, son of Amrik Singh of Mahnowal village. He was wanted by the police in a case registered against him.

CASE REGISTERED: A case of cheating was registered in the Sadar police station here on Tuesday. In a complaint, Mr Tulsi Ram of Salwara Mohalla, alleged that a travel agent, Bhagat Amarjit of Haripur, had duped him of Rs 55,000 on the pretext of sending him abroad. He neither sent him abroad nor returned the money. A case has been registered.

LUDHIANA
AWARD: Mr Ravinder Bhattal, General Secretary, Punjab Sahit Akademi, in a press note said the Kartar Singh Dhaliwal Award will be presented on March 5 at a function to be held in Punjabi Bhawan. Mr Gurdyal Singh will be presented the award of Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a shawl for being selected the best literary writer for the year 2005-6. Besides him, Mr Amrik, Mr Tejwant Singh Gill, Dr Kuldip Singh Dhir, Mr Om Parkash Gasso, Mr Gurdev Singh Rupana, Dr Amtoj and Gurbhajan Singh would also be given a citation and a prize of Rs 21,000 each. Dr J.S. Grewal, Chairman, All India Institute of Advanced Sciences, will be the chief guest. 

Elected: The following were elected office bearers of Pharma Distributors Association : Mr Santoskh Singh — president, Mr Rakesh Dhawan — secretary, Mr Deepak Gupta — cashier, Mr Ritesh Gupta, Mr Nishant Chopra, Mr Pankaj Chhabra, Mr Sanjay Sood, Mr Mohit Sharma — members of executive committee.

Gynaecology wing: Dr D.N. Kotnis Health and Education Centre, Salem Tabri has decided to open a gynaecology wing in the institution which will be inaugurated on March 5 by Minister of State for Science and Technology Mr Rakesh Pandey. Mr Madan Lal Bagga, councillor, Ward No 4 would preside over the function.

Pathankot
DHARNA: Employees of the All-India BSNL Executive Association and the Sanchar Nigam Executive Association jointly staged a dharna here on Thursday in front of the local telecom district office against the privatisation and the promotion policy of the department.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Pathankot Wholesale Chemists Association: president—Mr Rajesh Kumar Arora; secretary—Mr Dapinder Kumar and treasurer — Mr Sonu Vij.

PATIALA
ELECTED: Mr Deep Chand Gupta has been elected president of the Bharat Vikas Parishad for the year 2005-06. According to a press note on Thursday, Ms Seema Joshi had been elected secretary of the parishad and Mr Bal Mukand Bansal is treasurer.

SAMRALA
SEMINAR: Under the Sarav Sikhya Abhiyan, a seminar started of Government Senior Secondary School here on Thursday. The group leader of the resource persons, Mr Niranjan Sukham, said Ms Shashi Trehan of Ludhiana spoke on the motives of the education scheme. Students were enlightened on health and environmental issues. The Principal, Mr Swaran Singh, was also present.

APPOINTED: Mr Amrik Singh Kahlon, Secretary, National College for Women, Machhiwara, has been appointed adviser, grievances committee of the PSEB, Samrala division.

ZIRAKPUR
INAUGURATED: Ms Manisha Malik, vice-president of the Zirapur Nagar Panchayat, inaugurated a deep bore water tubewell in Ekta Vihar colony in Bartana village, here on Thursday. Sunk by the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board at a cost of over Rs 10 lakh, the tubewell would supply potable water to more than 1,500 families residing in different colonies of the area.

CHANDIGARH

Panchkula
BAIL PLEA: The parents of Dr R. Saini, main accused in the Nidhi suicide case, Mr Balwant Singh and Ms Prakash Kaur, and his sister, Savita, today filed for an anticipatory bail in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge here. The court, while reserving the order, issued a notice to the state for March 5. 

RESENTMENT:The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) has condemned the proposal for withdrawal of concessional rate of 60 per cent of normal rate with CENVAT credit up for clearance upto Rs 1 crore. In a press note, Mr Vishnu Goyal, general secretary of the HCCI, said with this, the higher limit extension to Rs 4 crore did not make any difference except the documentation part. 

HARYANA

Sonepat
PROCESSION: A large number of workers affiliated to the Socialist Unity Centre of India took out a procession here on Thursday to register their protest against the anti-people provisions in the Budget. Carrying placards and raising anti-government slogans they marched through the main bazaars of the city.

ENCROACHMENT REMOVED: Officials of the district administration removed all the encroachments made on the public land at Kharkhauda town, 19 km from here, on Thursday. According to a report, they also cleared the way to an Idgah which had been encroached upon by the people. Muslim residents of the area hailed the action of the administration.

INJURED: At least five persons, including a police constable and a woman were injured in various accidents in this district. The injured were identified as Promila of Kot Mohalla, Anil and Satish of Chitana village, Sham Lal Yadav of Madhubani district in Bihar and Rajinder of the local Jain Bagh Colony.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Baddi
SEIZED: The police here on Tuesday arrested Hila Ram, a resident of Galot village, and seized 1 kg of poppy husk from his possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

Hamirpur
BSNL executives: Executives of the BSNL posted here staged a day-long dharna and held a demonstration outside the office of the General Manager (Telecom) in support of their various demands here on Thursday. They raised slogans and demanded immediate implementation of the already agreed demands. The dharna was led by Mr Sudershan Kumar, the circle secretary of the association.