R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

• Regional Potpourri

PUNJAB

Abohar
Archery champions: LRS DAV Senior Secondary Model School here has won overall trophy at the 51st Punjab School Archery Championship. Ms Saumya Jain won five gold medals in different categories. Mr Vishesh Batra won two gold three silver, Ms Anurag Kanwal one gold four silver, Mr Akshay Satija two gold one silver, Ms Yashmeet Kaur three gold, Mr Navdeep Singh Brar two silver one bronze, Ms Karmanyta Ranade won two silver and a bronze medal in different categories. 

Two pilgrims die: Two local pilgrims died on the way to the Salasar temple on Saturday. Dinesh Chopra, a young resident of the Nai locality, died outside the temple during the annual fair. Mahipal another unmarried youth, collapsed during cycle yatra near Sadulshehar town, Mahipal had migrated here from Charkhi Dadri town of Haryana three years ago. The body was being taken to Charkhi Dadri for cremation. 

Cops son excels: Mr Vikram Duggal, son of Mr Kashmiri Lal Duggal a police officer, here has topped in the Central Police Force Assistant Commandant Test held last year. Result was announced on Saturday night. He will be eligible for appointment in the Central Industrial Security Force. 

AMRITSAR
Assurance: The Punjab Finance Minister, Mr Surinder Singla, assured that the state government would soon take up the issue of repealing the disturbed area tag with the Central Government. He was addressing a session of the CII here on Saturday. Mr Singla said it was very important in view of the SAFTA agreement being implemented from next year.

Visa fee: Aspirants of pilgrimage to Pakistan on the occasion of birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev should deposit visa fees to the SGPC or representatives of the committee. This was stated by SGPC secretary Dilmegh Singh here on Saturday. He said the aspirants could deposit visa fee from October 18.

HOSHIARPUR
Camp held: An awareness camp was organised at Asha Kiran, a school for mentally challenged children under the directions of the State Legal Services Authority, Punjab, at Jahan Khelan, 8 km from here, on Saturday. The camp was organised to observe World Mental Health Week from October 10 to 16. Mr Jaspal Singh, in charge, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, presided over the camp.

Patiala
WARRANTS ISSUED: Mr S.K. Alhuwalia, Commissioner, MC, on Thursday said warrants had been issued to attach/auction of moveable and immovable properties of about 41 persons, who had made default in payment of water and sewerage charges after they were issued notices in that connection. He said the MC authorities had given one week to those consumers, who had not been issued notices for payment, to deposit their dues concerning sewerage and water charges.

PHILLAUR
‘Amend’ Food Adulteration Act: Milkmen and Dairy Union, Punjab, has urged the state government to amend the Food Adulteration Act 1952 to give some relief to milkmen from inspectors. This demand was made by the union president, Mr Subhash Kakkar while addressing a meeting of the union here on Saturday. The union demanded complete ban on the import of milk. Leaders of the union condemned the decision of the government to make licence compulsory for all the milkmen.

Drive planned: The Punjab BJP will soon launch a statewide awareness campaign against ‘anti-people policies’ of the state government. This was stated by a former Punjab Foods and Supplies Minister, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, and the Punjab BJP president, Mr Avinash Rai Khanna in two different press notes here on Saturday.

CHANDIGARH

Jagran held: A jagran was held at the Tribune Model Gram, Bartana, on Saturday. Capt Kanwaljit Singh, former Punjab Finance Minister, was the chief guest. Mr Narinder Sharma, president, Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat,, lit the `jyoti’. A large number of devotees from all walks of life thronged the pandal. A jagran was also held at Saini Vihar, Phase-II, Bartana, on Saturday.

HARYANA

Ambala
AWARENESS CAMP: An AIDS awareness camp was inaugurated by Ambala Deputy Commissioner J.P. Kaushik here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kaushik stressed that people must become aware about AIDS and efforts must be made to reach out to different sections of society, a press note said. 

MOURNED: A prayer meeting was held on Friday to mourn the death of founder member of Jan Sangh Vijay Mittal (81). He died on October 5. He was an RSS pracharak and former BJP state secretary. Among others, Dr Suraj Bhan, Mr Anil Vij, Mr Faqir Chand Aggarwal and Mr Ratan Lal Kataria were present at the meeting.

BHIWANI
4 booked for dowry: The Buwani Khera police arrested four persons, including a woman in a dowry case. A case had been registered against Paras, Anil and Sunehri of Rodha village and Dharmpal of Siwani for dowry. The four accused were produced before the court which sent them to judicial custody. 

HISAR
Information Act: All gazetted police officers as well as Station House Officers and officers in charge of police posts in the district were given a detailed account of the Right to Information Act here on Saturday. While addressing a meeting of police officials, Mr Arshinder Singh Chawla, SSP, exhorted them to provide information sought from them as per the provision of the Act.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

NAHAN
One held: A team of forest officials of Kolar Forest Range led by Mr Pardeep Kumar Sharma, Range Officer, on Friday raided forest area in Jatonwala village under Paonta subdivision in order to nab four villagers who were cutting Sal trees. Three persons escaped. While a resident of Dhaulan Kuan was caught. A case under the Forest Act has been registered. 

Kumarhatti
Accident: Two persons were hurt when a truck (HP-65-0546) hit a parked private school bus on the Barog bypass near here on Sunday morning. The accident took place at 3.30 am when the truck hit DAV School Bus (CH-01E-0783). The injured were taken to Zonal Hospital, Solan for treatment. A case has been registered.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Performing a feat, single-handedly

You’ve got to hand it to him: Hisar-based Navneet Chahal claims he can clap with one hand.

You cannot clap with one hand, goes a popular saying. But Navneet Chahal is an exception to this rule. This 23-year-old resident of Hisar claims he has the unique talent of being able to clap with a single hand.

Navneet discovered this ability when he was a child. He recalls the precise moment when it happened for the first time. “I was in Class III then. I had just washed my hands and was jerking off the excess water when I heard one hand make a clapping sound. After that incident, I repeated the feat before my friends and teachers at school,” he says.

On being asked to give a demonstration, he is only too willing to jerk his hand to produce a clap. He can clap loud and clear with either hand, and with both hands separately, at the same time.

Navneet has worked for an export house and wants to be a human resource professional. His father is an advocate and mother a retired schoolteacher. He is the youngest among his siblings, including two sisters and a brother. He is fond of playing and watching cricket and listening to music.

While Navneet was pursuing MBA in international business from Guru Jambheshwar University, he performed at a cultural event. “After the function, one of my teachers, Tilak Sethi, prompted me to approach a records book for registration,” he says.

Navneet recently came across a newspaper write-up on another person who also claims to be an expert in single-hand clapping. “However, according to the report, this person used to practise regularly to improve his performance. That’s when it occurred to me that my talent is natural as I did not have to put in any effort,” he states.

He has applied for registration with the Guinness Book of World Records and is completing formalities. He had also approached the Limca Book authorities, but has not got a response from them so far.

Navneet says the motive behind applying for a slot in the record books is to shatter the myth that one cannot clap with a single hand.

Light of Truth Awards

The Dalai Lama will present Holocaust survivor, writer and peace activist Elie Wiesel with the International Campaign for Tibet’s (ICT) Light of Truth Award during his visit to Washington in November this year.

The Dalai Lama will also present the award, which honors individuals and institutions who have made significant contributions to the public understanding of Tibet, to correspondent Lowell Thomas Jr, one of the first westerners to visit Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion in 1949, and Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy .

According to sources, the awards ceremony would take place on November 15 during the Dalai Lama’s high-profile 10-day visit to Washington. He is expected to meet US President George Bush, Secretary of State Condolezza Rice, and various Congressional leaders.

In a communique, John Ackerly, President of the ICT, said recently: “This is the 10th anniversary of the Light of Truth Awards, so we are particularly proud to honour three individuals who have achieved so much for the Tibetan cause — a great moral leader, a staunch proponent of democracy and a ground-breaking correspondent. The event is all the more meaningful because of the Dalai Lama’s long-standing and unique friendship with all three award-winners.’

According to Ackerly, the Light of Truth Award consists of a Tibetan butter-lamp symbolising the light that each recipient has shed on the Tibetan struggle.

The ICT works to promote human rights and the democratic freedom of the people of Tibet. Founded in 1988, it is a non-profit organisation with offices in Washington, Amsterdam and Berlin.

Past recipients of the award include Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic; Claiborne Pell, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; the people of India (honour was accepted by Rabi Ray, former Speaker of Parliament); and Richard Gere, actor, disciple of the Dalai Lama and a Tibet supporter.

Monumental neglect

Sign of neglect: The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park in Ropar, where a no-war treaty was signed during British days, is in an unkempt condition today.

The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park in Ropar, which was built to commemorate the no-war treaty signed between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Lord William Bentick on the banks of the Sutlej river, is today lying in a state of neglect. More than being a recreation spot for the public, it has become a site for staging rallies and dharnas.

There are no proper signboards to inform visitors about the significance of this spot. The administration has done little to cash in on its historicity to draw tourists.

The park was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 28, 1997. A war memorial was also built in the park at a cost of 20 lakh, and comprises the 12 Sikh ‘misals’ that fought wars. This memorial has 12 compartments, each having an inscription on granite, to denote a ‘misal’. Red and white stone has been used for the war memorial, which is lying closed for the past few years.

Contributed by Sunit Dhawan, R.K. Prashar and Kiran Deep