R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
ENERGY CLUB: The local Delhi Public School set up an Energy Club here on Friday. The Chief Engineer, PSEB, Mr R.C. Jaiswal, inaugurated the club, according to Ms Sangeeta Singh, Principal of the school. The school has taken the initiative to create awareness among the children about the conservation of power and energy.

EXHIBITION: A handicraft exhibition by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation opened here on Friday. Ms Hemlata, manager of the corporation, said wide range of handicrafts in bronze, brass ware, sandalwood, and rosewood carving besides art pieces of Tanjore paintings were on display at the art gallery.

CRITICISED: The Citizen Forum has criticised the state government's decision to develop a separate area here to establish a multi-product special economic zone worth over Rs 500 crore. Mr Brij Bedi, president of the forum, said this district already had three industrial areas, which even lacked basic facilities like roads, sewerage and street lights.

WATER SAMPLES: The local Municipal Corporation in a press note here on Friday contradicted the claims of Health Department that three water samples out of five taken by the department had failed. Mr A.S. Dhaliwal, Superintendent Engineer (O&M), said water samples of three tubewells from where water was supplied to Gurbux Nagar locality had been taken and found fit for human consumption.

Batala
URGED: The local Municipal Council has no permanent Executive Officer. Mr Davinder Pal, president, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Gurdaspur district, said here on Friday that salary for the month of February, 2005, would be disbursed on Monday. He said only the Executive Officer of the council had the powers to withdraw the salary amount from the bank. He urged the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and the Minister for Local Bodies, Mr Jagjit Singh, to issue an order for the appointment of a permanent Executive Officer.

Faridkot
RECOVERED: The Muktsar police has arrested a gunman of the local DSP, Mr Baljinder Singh Chhapa. It recovered 1 kg of opium from the car which he was driving. The occupants of the car were identified as constable Lakhwinder Singh, the gunman of DSP, and Kuljit Singh, a resident of Dongar Basti. A case has been registered.

Malerkotla
ARRESTED: A team of the CIA staff of Bahdur Singh Wala here on Friday arrested one more kidnapper, namely Vikrant Tyagi, alias Vicky, son of Mr Rajvir Singh Tyagi, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. It had earlier arrested Solhan Sikandar of Sahnewal village and Pritpal Singh of Alamgir in this connection. They had allegedly kidnapped Mr Davinder Singh Banni (20) of Ahmedgarh on December 17. They were allegedly demanding Rs 1.50 crore from his parents for his release. They released him on December 20.

Nawanshahr
BOOK RELEASED: Dr S.S. Johl, Vice-Chiarman, State Planning Commission and Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, GND University, Amritsar, released a Punjabi book 'Manovishleshnatamak Sahit Chintan' (psycho-analytical literary theory) at a function organised on the campus of Amardeep Singh Shergill Memorial College here on Friday. The book is authored by Dr Gujant Singh, Head of the Punjabi Department of the college.

ROPAR
WOMEN’S DAY: The Institute of Engineering and Technology has decided to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 on the college campus. A number of teams from various institutes, women and sarpanchs will participate in various contests to be organised on the occasion, informed the Principal of the college, Prof I.K Kataria. Giving details, he said a kite-flying competition was also scheduled as parallel activity on this day and a blood donation camp would also be organised. — TNS

CHANDIGARH

RELIEF SENT: Trucks containing relief material for the tsunami affected were flaged off by the SDM, Mr M.L. Sharma here on Saturday. Among the items that have been sent to Chennai are 100 quintals of rice, 9.5 quintal pulses, 50kg milk powder, 22 boxes of biscuits, nine boxes of new clothes, one box of tea leaves, etc.

Panchkula
VISIT: The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today visited Mata Mansa Devi shrine here on Saturday and sought blessings before he went to the Haryana Raj Bhavan for his oath -taking ceremony. Accompanied by his wife, Ms Asha, and close confidant, Mr Venod Sharma and latter’s spouse, Ms Rani Sharma, Chief Minister, reached the shrine at around 2.30 pm. He was received by the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam P. Kasni, City Magistrate, Ms Vandana Disodia and DSP Headquarters, Mr Desh Bandhu. After he paid obeisance at the shrine, he went to the Bhandara and had prasad, before he finally went off for his oath-taking ceremony.

Blood donation: Eighteen officials of the State Bank of India (SBI) donated blood during a blood donation camp organised at the SBI Training Centre here on Saturday. A team of doctors from Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir, facilitated the camp. It was inaugurated by Mr S.S. Gupta, Assistant General Manager of the SBI Training Centre. 

HARYANA

Bhiwani
FIR REGISTERED: The Haryana Financial Corporation has registered an FIR against its two defaulters, Khajan Singh and Krishan Kumar of Tosham. They had availed loan from the corporation but failed to deposit the instalments.

CASE REGISTERED: A case has been registered against two farmers of Sangwan village for stealing irrigation water from a canal in Tosham. The Sub Divisional Officer of Nigana Water Services Division alleged that Ujala and Gaura, sons of Mangli Ram of Sangwan village, were stealing water.

Panipat
Transformer burnt: Fire broke out in a switch gear of the 6.6-KV transformer (unit number one) of Tau Devi Lal Thermal Power Station on Friday. It took nearly one hour for thermal fire station personnel to extinguish the fire. 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Hamirpur
HELP: Mr Rajendra Rana, president of the Himachal Pradesh Sarv Kalyankari Society, on Friday gave Rs 7,500 to three families of Chowki and Dodroo villages whose houses were burnt recently. He assured them help by the society in future also.

Shimla
URGED: The Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation Employees Federation has urged the state government to streamline the functioning of the corporation and ensure direct supply of timber to the Railways and other government departments who procure timber through the Director-General of Supplies. It stressed that the floor price of timber should not be based on the previous auction and the base rate for the "B" grade timber. It urged the management of the corporation to diversify the activities by taking to bamboo cultivation, marketing of herbs and medicinal plants and eco-tourism.