R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amloh
Unsafe mineral water: Water samples of 9 brands of mineral water having purity label have been found contaminated and unsafe for drinking. Mr Harmit Singh Happy, senior activist of Youth Congress of Fategarh Sahib district, in statement has urged the government to confiscate the property earned through the sale of such water and take legal action against those selling such water.

Amritsar
MEDICAL CAMP: The district unit of Art of Living on Thursday organised a medical camp at Citizen Forums’ Vidyamandir School in the Maqboolpura locality on the outskirts of the city here. Medicines were distributed free of cost.

Batala
Held for assault: Dr Jatindra Kumar Jain, Senior Superintendent of Police, said here on Thursday that one more assailant, name Labha (19), a son of Mr Tarsem Lal of Adarsh Gali, involved in an attack on Mr Ajay Kumar Mahajan at his shop at Mohalla Chittaurgarh on July 9, was arrested on Thursday. Further raids are being conducted to nab the remaining culprit Mangu, son of Mr Ashwani Kumar of Adarsh Gali, Batala. Mr Ajay Kumar Mahajan is lying in the serious condition in the Civil Hospital.

Body found: The police recovered a body from Hansli Nullah on Thursday. Dr Jatindra Kumar Jain, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Batala, said here on Thursday that ASI Harkirat Singh, Police Station, Urban Estate, along with his team while on patrol near Baring Union Christian College, recovered dead body from Hansli Nullah in a very bad condition. The body was sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

WATER SHORTAGE: Residents of Mohalla Khajuri Gate, Gobindgarh, Valmik Mohalla, Barrian Mohalla, Guru Teg Bahadur Colony and Gopal Nagar have not been getting water supply for the last two days due to closure of the pump house at Khajuri Gate. Residents threaten protest demonstration if the situation does not improve.

Hoshiarpur
Invited: Dr Rakesh Mohan Sharma, Principal, SPN Postgraduate Degree College, Mukerian, has been invited by Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio, USA, to conduct research in vocational education. Jeanne F. Jacobs, vice-president for Instruction and Bob Keener, coordinator, International Education, State of Ohio, Sinclair Community College, have accepted Dr Rakesh Mohan’s research proposal project “Developing a re-structured reference model of vocational education based on conceptual and realistic working of community colleges in US for India”.

Protest rally: Members of the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees Joint Forum of city division unit staged a protest rally in front of the office of the Subdivisional Officer here on Thursday to lodge their protest against the police and the board’s authorities for not taking action against Lokesh Sharma and his four accomplices of local Mohalla Krishna Nagar who misbehaved and attempted to assault Jai Dev, SSA, at 11 KV Mal Road complaint centre on July 11, while he was on duty.

Jalandhar
DHARNA: Members of the Jalandhar unit of the All-India Passport Employees Union held a protest in front of the local Passport Employees Union held a protest in front of the local Passport Office here on Thursday. The protesters led by Mr Hari Om and Mr Shamsher Bahadur Singh said employees were given a promise in 2004 that their demands, including, postings in foreign countries, provision of uniform, revision of pay scales and transparency in the transfer policy would be accepted and implemented, but, nothing had been done so far.

Ludhiana
Awarded: Secant Technologies, a local IT company, has been conferred with the ‘Best Channel Partner’ award for 2004-05 by Cyber Media Publications. Mr Paramjit Singh Juneja, director of the company, informed that the award was presented at a function held in Delhi recently. The company was earlier included in top 50 performers in India by Microsoft, Mr Juneja said.

Launched: LG Electronics India today launched new home theatre systems- LG Theatron. The new system comprises of an LG flat TV, a DVD home theatre with built-in digital amplifier and five external speakers. A company press note issued here today said that the prize of LG Theatron ranges from Rs 19,990 to Rs 39,990.

Counselling camp: Swani Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and Technology (SVIET) began a two-day counselling camp at a hotel here on Friday. Mr Manmohan Garg, Chairman, SVIET, said the institute was providing information regarding various courses and also assured that financial aid would be provided to the needy students who wish to pursue professional courses. 

Phagwara
KILLED: A cyclist, Hardial (55), of Madhopur village, was killed by a tractor-trailer on the GT Road near Sapror village on Wednesday. The cyclist was returning from a Phagwara factory after work when one of the poles loaded on the tractor-trailer hit him.

Tarn Taran
DEFRAUDED: Jagir Singh, a class IV employee posted at the Primary Health Centre, Dhilwan, defrauded an amount of Rs 3.79 lakh from the Health Department by submitting wrong information. The Civil Surgeon, Amritsar, brought the matter to the notice of the local district police which registered a case under Section 420, 465, 466, 467, 468, 471, 120B, IPC at the local city police station against the suspect who is said to be absconding.

CHANDIGARH

Mohali
Elected: The following have been elected as office-bearers of the Mohali District Twenty Twenty Cricket Association: President — Mr G.S. Sindra, vice-president — Mr Raman Mahajan; sr vice-president — Capt Amarjeet Singh; secretary — Mr H.C. Katoch, treasurer — Mr M.S. Kang, press secretary — Mr Prabhjit Singh; and legal adviser — Mr Sartaj Singh Gill.

HARYANA

Hisar
UPGRADED: The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) authorities have augmented the capacity of its two 33 KV substations at Bhuthan and Teliwada villages in Fatehabad district at a cost of Rs 45 lakh. An official DHBVN spokesperson said here on Thursday that the existing capacity of the substations was inadequate given the increased number of power connections and enhanced agricultural load.

Panipat
AUCTION: The auction for allotting on lease 200 kanals and six marlas situated at Sitamath village in Nigdhu will be done at Sita Ram Temple here on Wednesday at 10 am. This was stated by Nilokheri Tehsildar in a press note issued here.

Sonepat
THEFTS: Two cases of theft in broad daylight were reported in the Shastri Nagar area of Ganaur town, 16 km from here, on Friday. Thieves broke into the house of a school teacher, Mr Sarwar, and decamped with Rs 2,000 and other valuables. The thieves broke the locks of the house of Mr Sube Singh and decamped with gold ornaments and other valuables from the house.

THREAT: The Gram Panchayat of Panchi Jatan village on Friday threatened to lock the government school in the village if the district administration failed to transfer a teacher who is involved in a scandal of mid-day meals. The schoolteacher, Satish Kumar, has allegedly sold the wheat in the market which was to be distributed among the schoolchildren as mid-day meals.

KILLED: A canter driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a truck on the GT Road Rai village, 13 km from here, on Friday. The deceased was identified as Rajesh of Samstipur district in Bihar.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Nurpur
CHALLANED: The SDM, Dr N.K. Lath, on Thursday conducted a raid at Jassur, near here, and challaned four shopkeepers for using the banned
polythene bags. They were fined Rs 7,500 under Section 8 of the Anti-Polythene Act, 1995. There are complaints of rampant use of the banned polythene bags by shopkeepers in the rural.

Shimla
ADALAT: A mini pension adalat for defence pensioners will be held at Mandi on August 4. Defence personnel of Mandi, Kulu and Lahaul-Spiti drawing pension through the Mandi office can send their complaints in advance for an on-the-spot decision.