Amritsar, November 2
Chairman of Dental Council of India, Dr Anil Kohli, referring to the low factuality ratio faced by the two state-run dental colleges has said the colleges may face de-recognition if the government pays no heed to their adviceof filling vacant posts.

Talking to newsmen at the opening of All India Dental Students Conference held here today, Dr Kohli said DCI has already cut the post graduate seats in both the colleges due to a shortage of teaching faculties in both the dental colleges.

He said the government must intervene immediately to save these colleges. The DCI had adopted a lenient approach in view of careers of budding doctors studying in these colleges, he added.

Belying fears of DCI, the minister for medical education, Tikshan Sud, has asserted that the government was aware of the shortage of staff and assured the colleges that the government would soon fill the posts and provide funds to improve infrastructure of the medical colleges in the state.

He said his department has prepared both short and long term plans to upgrade the institutions to match the best in the private sector. Sud lauded efforts of the government in rendering excellent medical services despite the shortcomings.

Phagwara, November 2
Stepping forward in a large-scale campaign against social evils like drugs addiction, female foeticide and dowry, Kapurthala deputy commissioner J.M. Balamurugan has launched a special project to create awakening among the people with the help of social organisations.

Giving details of the project, Phagwara SDM Amarjeet Paul said here this afternoon that 15 functions would be organised on November 14 at Phagwara to educate the youth to stay away from these social evils. He said in the first phase the concentration would be on the drug de-addiction campaign and all the 15 functions would be attended by the DC himself. The SDM said the first function would be organised with the assistance of the Phagwara environment association at the local Guru Hargobind Nagar ground. The DC would inaugurate the function which would be followed by a declamation contest organised by the Rotary Club Phagwara South-East and an on-the-spot painting competition organised by the Rotary Club Phagwara Central. An essay writing competition would be organised by the Lions Club Phagwara Kohinoor at the Guru Hargobind Nagar ground. The Swatchatta Abhiyan Manch would organise a “discussion on drug abuse” at SDKMV School.

Jalandhar, November 2
Dancing to the beats of “dhol”, youths enthralled the audience with their power-packed performances on the first day of the sixth PTU Zonal Youth Festival: 2007 (Zone 2), held at the DAV Institute for Engineering and Technology here today.

The festival, which was inaugurated by deputy commissioner Ajit Singh Pannu, began with a classical dance competition followed by Indian group song, “bhangra” and one-act-play competitions.

Hoshiarpur, November 2
On a tip-off, the district drug authorities today raided Sunil Medical Store at Paldi village and seized a huge cache of illegally stored drugs. The raiding team, led by district drug inspector Gurwinder Singh, searched the chemist shop following complaints that the psychotropic drugs were being sold in the area without prescription.

The raiding team seized 450 phials of cotin syrup, 300 intoxicating injections, 1,500 intoxicating capsules and 10,000 intoxicating pills from the shop. At the time of raid, shop attendant Balbir Kaur was present. She failed to produce the bills of these drugs. Proceedings under sections 18 C and A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1944, for illegally possessing drugs. — OC