R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
APPOINTED: The Home Ministry has appointed Dr H.S. Bedi, Professor and Dean (Languages) of the Hindi Department of Guru Nanak Dev University, as Hindi expert for delivering lectures to Central Government officers.

DATE EXTENDED: Guru Nanak Dev University has extended the last date for admission to postgraduate diploma in printing technology and management to Tuesday. A university spokesman said candidates having passed BA/B.Com/B.Sc or any other equivalent examination with 45 per cent marks were eligible for admission to the course.

SAPLINGS PLANTED: Government Medical College, in collaboration with an NGO, planted saplings on the GMC campus here on Monday.

Hoshiarpur
FOUNDATION DAY: The foundation day of the Student Book Bank Branch, Hoshiarpur, was celebrated by its governing body here on Sunday. The chief aim of the branch is to promote education among economically backward students, Mr Ashok Sud, president of the governing council, said.

Jalandhar
ARRESTED: The police has arrested six persons and recovered stolen goods from their possession. According to the police, a case was registered on Monday on the complaint of Jasbir Singh of Chitti village who alleged that some robbers had taken away mobile sets, money exchange cards and mobile cash cards from his shop.

Nawanshahr
COPS SUSPENDED: Mr Arun Pal Singh, SSP, has suspended Amarik Singh and Surjit Kumar, both Sub-Inspectors, for their alleged bid to change a bag containing havala money seized during a police naka at Banga, about 12 km from here. The havala money amounting to Rs 7.47 lakh was seized from Mohinder Singh and Avinder Singh who allegedly persuaded the cops to change the bag.

Sangrur
CRAFT EXHIBITION: A four-day art and craft exhibition organised by the local Prime Art and Craft Institute on its premises concluded here on Monday. More than 150 oil paintings, pencil sketches and clay models were displayed.

CHANDIGARH

Panchkula
APPOINTED: Ms Renu S Nagar Poswal has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Haryana State Social Welfare Board by the state government. 

Urged: Ms Manveer Gill, municipal councillor, Sector 12, has urged upon the Muncipal Council authorities to release the payments for maintenance of public parks. In a press release, she said the payment had been stopped because of a pending inquiry on overpayment for parks maintenance. The parks are no longer being maintained because of non payment, she contested. 

Awarded: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has awarded certificates of merit to four students of Satluj Public School. The Principal, Mr Krit Serai, said the students who have been awarded certificates are Monika Nath, Suryakant Chauhan, Shaurya Gilhotra and Nikita Garg.

HARYANA

Faridabad
POWER BILLS: As many as 1.75 lakh power bill defaulters have paid an amount of Rs 5 crore.This was stated by the Chairman Haryana Power Transmission and Distribution Corporations, Lt Gen (retd) O.S. Lohchab, here Wednesday. The department had decided to extend the last date of the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) of power load to July 31, he said.

Fatehabad
WEAPONS: A party of the Delhi police on Thursday recovered two pistols and 10 live cartridges from a house at Kharakheri village in this district. The police had arrested Bhal Singh, a resident of Kharakheri, and Surinder Bishnoi, a resident of Sarangpur (Hisar), for kidnapping and murdering a youth at Hisar and a boy in Delhi. The police had brought Bhal Singh to his residence for the recovery of the weapons.

ONE CONVICTED: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr R.K. Sondhi, on Friday sentenced a person to 30-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 for keeping illegal arms. The convict will have to undergo further imprisonment of six months if he fails to pay the fine. The judge acquitted five others in this case. The police had arrested six persons, including Ram Mehar of Chhatar in Jind district, at Tohana in this district on June 29, 2003. The police had recovered a pistol and some live cartilages from his possession.

VOCATIONAL COURSES: The Haryana Government has given permission for five new vocational courses in the local Government College for Women. The Principal, Ms Popil Sehgal, said that the Financial Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary of the Education Department had communicated to the college authorities the decision of the government to permit the college to start five new vocational courses, bachelor of journalism and mass communication (BJMC), bachelor in management (BIM), PG diploma in human resources management (PGDHRM) and bachelor in tourism (BIT).

REFUND ORDERED: The District Consumers Protection Forum on Friday directed the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam to refund the penalty recovered from an electricity consumer for unauthorised use of electricity. Dr Rahul Batra, a local electricity consumer, had filed a complaint before the forum that the local office of the DHBVN imposed a penalty of Rs 26,430 on him on some alleged inspection. The District Consumer Protection Forum president, Mr Jagwant Singh, found the DHBVN guilty of deficiency of service in imposing unwarranted penalty on the consumer and asked the nigam to refund the money to the consumer.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DERA BASSI
TELEPHONE  NUMBERS: More than 530 “fixed wireless telephone” numbers, being catered by the Dera Bassi Telephone Exchange, have been changed. The first three digits 215 of the series of telephone numbers have been replaced with 254. The numbers have been changed since July 1, he clamed.

Dharamsala
LABOUR ROOM: The labour room of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital, Dharamsala, will be given a facelift to make it more comfortable for pregnant mothers and new-born babies. The chairperson of the hospital welfare section of the District Red Cross Society, Mrs Vatsla Khera, said the hygienic conditions in the labour room would be improved. She added that an inquiry room was also being set up in the hospital, next to the emergency unit.

Kangra
WINE: The Kangra police on Thursday seized a truck full of wine at Gajraida near the Samerpur Tunnel and arrested two persons in this connection, the police said here on Thursday.

Solan
SUSPENDED: A beldaar, Nand Lal, employed with the Silviculture Department of Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, was suspended on Thursday after an enquiry conducted by the department indicated him for outraging the modesty of a woman employee. The woman had made a written complaint about his misbehavior a month ago to the Dean, Forestry, Dr V.K. Mishra.