R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
DESTROYED: The local Custom Department destroyed 5 kg heroin worth Rs 5 crore in international market and psychotropic substances worth Rs 10 lakh under the supervision of Mr D.P. Singh, Commissioner of Customs, on Wednesday. The contraband was seized by the department during anti-smuggling operations across the Indo-Pak border.

ADMISSION: Guru Nanak Dev University has decided to start admission in various courses here and its regional centres, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur, for the session 2005-06 from June 30. While admission in Arts, Science and Social Sciences College will be done till June 30.

WEBSITE: The Association of Practising Civil Engineers (APCE) has launched its website www.buildpunjab.com for all persons who are associated with the construction industry in Punjab and Chandigarh. Mr P.S. Sandhu, president, APCE, said Dr M.P. Kapoor, patron of the association, inaugurated the website. He said it would be a common platform to the civil engineers of the area working in private and government sectors. He said Punjab and Chandigarh fell in seismic zone IV therefore it was important for people to use appropriate technology before executing construction works.

DORAHA
INVITED: Dr K.S. Kular, a laproscopic surgeon and consultant, Kular Hospital, Bijas, has been invited to attend the spring meeting by the FACS organisation of the USA at Hollywood in Florida to be organised from April 16 to 19, Dr K.S. Kular has been invited to the spring meeting of the American College of Surgeon that provides opportunities for postgraduate continuing education. 

Gurdaspur
ORDER: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Vivek Pratap Singh, has directed the owners of all the existing and upcoming marriage palaces in the district to obtain no objection certificate (NOC). Before securing the NOC from the DC office, they would also have to secure the NOC from the local municipal council, fire control authority and the local SDM. They would have to secure the NOC 15 days in advance from the DC office if failed action would be taken against defaulters.

CAMP: A drug de-addiction camp was organised by the district Red Cross here on Thursday. Mr Ishwar Singh, SSP, presided over the camp. While speaking on the occasion, he said, besides, educating the youth, the police was also taking strict action against the sellers of drugs to check the menace of drug addiction.

Hoshiarpur
CASE REGISTERED: The Tanda police has registered a case against Sharanjit Singh of Kapurthala, Balbir Singh and his wife, Satya, of Badalpur for allegedly duping Mr Hardeep Singh of Miaini. Mr Hardeep Singh alleged that they had duped him of Rs 2,80,000 on the pretext of sending his son abroad. They neither sent his son abroad nor returned the money.

PROTEST: Joint forum of the PSEB has decided to observe strike on April 19 and 20 throughout the state in protest against the proposed privatisation of the board or its conversion into a corporation. This was stated by Mr Om Parkash, general secretary, Ministerial Services Union of PSEB, here on Thursday. He said leaders of the joint forum would meet ministers of Punjab and leaders of Opposition on March 18 at Chandigarh and submit their charter of demands. 

Ludhiana
HONOURED: P.M.Tutorials organised a function at Basant Resorts on Thursday to honour their students. Director Pardeep Makkar gave awards to meritorious students who excelled in academics. The achievers included Neha Midha, Abishek Jain, Nishant Garg, Varun Bansal, Priyanka Beri, Puneet Dhawan and Ms Ruchi. 

FAREWELL FUNCTION: A farewell party was organised by students of Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan Campus, Model Town, here on Thursday. Principal Manju Chawla was the chief guest. The students of B Com II bid adieu to the final year students. 

Samrala
organised: The annual function of M.A.M. Public School was organised in school premises here. Children presented cultural items on the occasion. 

Tarn Taran
DEMONSTRATIONS: Hundreds of powermen here on Wednesday organised a demonstration at division headquarters in protest against the move of the state government to privatise the PSEB. The powermen also organised demonstrations at Patti, Bhikhiwind, Beas, Chabal and Jandiala Guru.

SEIZED: The police has seized 64 kg of poppy husk from two persons. Police sources said 62 kg of poppy husk seized from Lakha Singh of Vain Poin village and 2 kg from Jagtar Singh of Gaggu Bua village. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

PROTEST: Residents of Doblian village here on Wednesday held a demonstration in front of the SSP office against the alleged misbehaviour with a woman by the SHO of Chabal.

HARYANA

Jhajjar
CASES REGISTERED: The Bahadurgarh police has registered cases of power theft against 15 persons of different villages here on the complaint of the local HBVN office. The accused were Balwan, Suresh of Dulhera village, Jagbir of Chhudani village, Sher Singh and Om Prakash of Goyala village, Bharat Singh, Om Prakash, Munshi Ram, Ashok, Satbir, Ramkaran, Hariram, Ramkaran, Nafe Singh and Karambir, all residents of Daboda village.

INJURED: Three persons were injured when their motor cycle rammed into a mile stone along National Highway No 10 near Asaudha village here on Thursday. One of the injured, Vijay, was referred to the PGIMS Rohtak while Ashok and Sumit were taken to Civil Hospital, Bahadurgarh.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
STRIKE: Employees of Postal Department, including members of other employees unions, will start indefinite strike from March 15 on a call given by the All-India Postal Employees National Federation. This was declared by Mr M.R. Bhardwaj and Mr R.R. Sharma, state senior vice-president and general secretary, respectively, of the union. They were addressing a joint meeting of postal unions at the Head Post Office premises here on Thursday. Their demands included, implementation of Agreement of 1998, filling of vacant posts, merger of 50 per cent D.A. in basic pay and scrapping of Fast Track Promotion Scheme.

Kumarhatti
SEIZED: The police has seized 612 bottles of illicit liquor during the past 24 hours. The 384 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 108 bottles of country made liquor were seized from a Max pick up van at Darlaghat on Wednesday night. The driver of the van, Sudhir Kumar of Gaura village, was arrested in this connection. In another incident, 120 bottles of country made liquor were seized rom a Maruti van near Darlaghat on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway. The driverof the van, Vikram of Vikas Nagar and Naresh Gannahatti in Shimla district, were arrested in this connection.

Shimla
Councillor dead: A sitting councillor and former Deputy Mayor of the local Municipal Corporation (MC), Mr Nand Kishore Mehta (59), died at Jalandhar on Friday after prolonged illness. The HPCC chief expressed grief on his death.