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R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

Regional potpourri

Delivering results
 Pedal pushers

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
Seminar on ideology of Baba Bhakna: A seminar on the life and ideology of freedom fighter Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna was organised at Baba Sohan Singh Senior Secondary School in his native village, Bhakna Kalan, here Saturday. It was a part of the series of programmes to be organised by the Punjab government to commemorate the 150th year of the Kuka movement, led by Satguru Ram Singh Namdhari. Minister for sports Gulzar Singh Ranike paid tributes to the martyrs of the Kuka movement. 

Pilgrims for Gurdwara Panja Sahib: Pilgrims keen on visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Pakistan on the occasion to Baisakhi as part of a jatha should get their passports deposited with the Yatra Vibhag of the SGPC before February 5, said a press note issued here on Saturday. 

BASSI PATHANA
Function: A massive function was organised here on Sunday to celebrate the elevation of Sukhbir Singh Badal as the SAD (B) party president. Hundreds of party workers and delegates from the area attended the function. Every speaker congratulated Sukhbir Badal as well as chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Later, sweets were distributed among the public. 

Bathinda
 Accident: In order to save a stray animal, a car banged into Bibiwala Chowk around 3:30 am on Sunday. Occupants of the car were seriously injured and were shifted to the civil hospital soon, a press note from the Naujwan Welfare Society informed. The injured have been identified as Rajat Bhatia and Pawan Kataria, both residents of Abohar. The menace of stray cattle has been troubling residents of the city for a long time and attention of the authorities has been drawn to the problem. Still, action in this regard is awaited. 

Injured: One labourer, Devraj Sharma, got injured while cleaning a water tank in the Jain Sabha. He slipped and fell on a shed, which also broke down and he fell on the floor. On getting the information, the volunteers of the Naujwan Welfare Sabha shifted the injured to the civil hospital. His condition is said to be out of danger. 

Blood donation: Volunteers of a social welfare organisation, Naujawan Welfare Society, organised a blood donation camp for a patient, Soma Devo, a resident of Bank Bazaar, here on this week. The Sabha has also been instrumental in helping blood banks meet their requirements by organising blood donation camps. 

CHANDIGARH
Badal felicitates Hans Raj Hans: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday felicitated Punjabi folk singer Hans Raj Hans for being conferred Padam Shri award on the Republic Day in Delhi. In a telephonic congratulatory message to Hans, the Chief Minister described him an icon of classical and Punjabi folk singing. 

FATEHGARH SAHIB
Placement drive: Dolphin (PG) College of Life Sciences at Chunni Kalan held a placement drive on the college campus on Sunday, during which Kandhari Beverages Ltd visited the campus. A number of industrial microbiology and microbial and food technology students from the Chandigarh campus of Dolphin Group of Colleges participated. Company officials shortlisted five students and also offered their services for the project work being undertaken by fourth-semester MSc students. 

Hoshiarpur
Dowry demand lands 2 in soup: On the complaint of Harpinder Kaur of Fatehgarh, the Mehtiana police booked her husband Sukhwinder Singh and mother-in-law Surinder Kaur of Harta village under sections 406 and 498-A of the IPC on Saturday evening for allegedly torturing and maltreating her for more dowry. 

Jalandhar
372 examined at eye camp: The Lions Club Noormahal organised a free eye check-up camp here at the Rajan Hospital. As many as 372 people were examined, 244 were provided spectacles by the club and 44 people were operated upon for cataract. National Safai Karamchari Commission chairperson Santosh Chowdhry distributed fruits among the 44 patients. 

PATHANKOT
Woman held under Arms Act: The Purana Shalla police arrested Rajinder Kaur, wife of late Pargat Singh, resident of Tibri Cantt,Gurdaspur, under Section 4/5, Explosive Act, and Section 25/54/59, Arms Act, here on Thursday and recovered 4 cartridges of 7.62 pull switch, electronic detonator and four slabs of PRK explosive kerki (100 gm each) from her. 

PATIALA
Campaign against drugs: The youth wing of the Students Organisation of India (SOI), a unit of Shiromani Akali Dal, would launch a statewide campaign against drug abuse, said SOI president Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna here on Sunday. Khanna said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal would flag-off the campaign during a function to be held at Punjabi University on February 5. Under this campaign, health awareness camps would be organised in some districts and villages of the state. A helpline would also be launched. 

Seminar: A seminar under National Environment Awareness Campaign was organised at the Government Inservice Training Centre on Sunday. Around 60 participating teachers were provided with the resource material on the occasion. The importance of biodiversity was discussed during the seminar. After the seminar some medicinal plants were planted in the campus and many wooden houses were clipped on the trees for the birds. 

Phagwara
PSEB officer’s house burgled: Thieves broke into the house of PSEB junior engineer Malkit Ram’s house at Preet Nagar here and decamped with 2.5 tolas of gold jewellery, a mobile phone and Rs 1,000. The thieves struck when nobody was at home. 

SANGRUR
New timings for schools: In the light of the on-going cold wave in the region, deputy commissioner V. K. Ohri has fixed new timings up to February 9 for the opening and closing of all government, recognised and private schools of the district with immediate effect. The schools will now open at 10 am and close at 3 pm daily. 

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CHANDIGARH

PANCHKULA
Police custody: The court of chief judicial magistrate Anshu Shukla sent the two accused — Raju and Satyawan — in the Barwala dacoity case in police custody for six days on Sunday. The duo was arrested from Kala Amb in Himachal Pradesh yesterday. The accused, belonging to Bawaria community, along with six accomplices, had allegedly injured 11 persons and looted four houses at Batod village, near Barwala, on the intervening night of October 7 and 8. One of the injured, Telu Ram, had later succumbed to his injuries at PGI Chandigarh. 

Khaitan counters: Entering into the retail sector in the region, Khaitan Electricals Limited inaugurated its counters - Khaitan City and Khaitan Fantasy - at Sector 8 on Sunday. While Khaitan City would be the one-stop shop for all Khaitan electrical and non-electrical products, Khaitan Fantasy outlets would provide a complete range of premium under light fans. 
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HARYANA

Kurukshetra
Blood donation camp: A blood donation camp, which was organised by the NSS wing of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, with the support of LNJP Hospital here, was inaugurated by NIT director Dr M.N. Bandopadhaya on NIT campus here on Sunday. According to NIT spokesman Dr Dixit Garg, at least 100 students donated blood. Bandopadhaya laid stress on the need of blood donation. 

Demonstration held: Members of the INLD women wing took out a procession and held a demonstration in protest against the black marketing of kitchen gas and shortage of electricity here on Friday. Hundreds of women party workers raising slogans converged at Jat Dharamshala and marched in a procession up to the old bus stand here, where they burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA president Sonia Gandhi. The protesters led by the state president of the INLD, women wing, Kailasho Saini, submitted a memorandum to additional deputy commissioner Narender Singh addressed to the Haryana Governor. 

REWARI
Student killed: A girl student, Madhu (13), was killed when the bicycle she was riding was reportedly hit by a trailer near Gujarghatal village, 22 km from here, on Saturday. The mishap occurred when she was returning home from school. The police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC against the trailer driver, who reportedly absconded after the accident. 

Birth anniversary: A function was held under the auspices of the Youngmen’s Association of India to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Ben Weider, founder president of the International Federation of Body Building and Fitness, here on Saturday. Sangeeta Yadav (music), Dr S.K. Sharma (education), Dr N.S. Yadav (pediatrician), Prof R.C. Sharma and Satyavir Naharia (literature) Ram Nath Mahlawat (journalism), Davender Poswal (sports) and several others were honoured with Dr Ben Weider award on the occasion for their distinguished work in their respective fields. 

Medical survey: Dr S.K. Chugh, senior cardiologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi, has said according to recent medical survey, one person among every four persons was a heart patient. He stated this on the occasion of initiation of super specialities of cardiology, neuro surgery, plastic surgery and joint replacement in Arvind Yadav Hospital here on Saturday. He opined that this upward trend in heart ailments was mainly due to the fast changing lifestyle as well as lack of physical exertion. 

Memorandum submitted: Bharatiya Jain Milan (BJM), a voluntary organisation of Jain Samaj, has taken a strong exception to the inclusion of egg in the list of articles of food to be supplied to children at anganwaris in Haryana. Seeking its immediate exclusion from the children’s menu, a deputation of the BJM submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner here on Thursday. The activists, led by BJM’s regional secretary Ajit Prasad Jain, said according to foreign food analysts, the consumption of egg, which was something alien to vegetarian diet, often led to incurable ailments. 

SONEPAT
Youth’s body found: The half-burnt body of a youth was recovered from outside Nuran Khera village in the district on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Balkishan. According to information, the deceased, after renouncing his family, had consumed liquor along with one Ranbir of the same village. However, an altercation took place between them, following which Ranbir allegedly assaulted him with an axe. He allegedly torched the body and fled from the spot. A case has been registered against Ranabir. 

YAMUNANAGAR
20 get degrees: Twenty graduates of the TDTRD DAV Institute of Physiotherapy here were awarded their degrees during the institute’s second convocation and decade celebration function held at DAV Girls College on Friday. Dr Kishen Chand was the chief guest at the function. Others who were present on the occasion included Dr Sushma Arya, principal of DAV Girls College, Dr Jitender Sharma, principal of DAV College of Physiotherapy, Jalandhar, Dr Vimal Miglani, director, MDM General Hospital, Vijay Kapoor and Dr I.K. Pandit, principal of the institute. 

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HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Bus service: BJP Kisan Morcha vice-president Ram Krishan Sharma and representative of various panchayats have thanked the Chief Minister, the transport minister and the local MLA for launching a bus service from Namhole to Delhi via Jukhala. They said this would facilitate easy carriage of their cash crops and greenhouse products like off-season vegetables and flowers to the markets of Chandigarh and Delhi. 

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REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Delivering results

Manisha Bajaj
 Manisha Bajaj

This family planning activist delivers results of another kind too. President of the Family Planning Association,Yamunanagar branch, Manisha Bajaj, took up studies after 12 years and came out with flying colours, topping the Kurukshetra University in MA (social work) this year. “I had been associated with social work for over a decade and then I thought: why not have a degree in the same?” says Bajaj, who implemented the Ford Foundation-sponsored programme of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), London, on ‘reproductive rights and community action: an exercise in social accountability’ in 23 villages of the district.

“The project was successfully implemented and I made a film funded by the IPPF, ‘Kadwa Sach,’ based on the reproductive rights of women which has now become a tool for all 150 member countries of the federation,” says Bajaj. This mother of a 12 year old and wife of charted accountant Himanshu Bajaj has become a known face among the women living in 655 villages of the district.

Besides taking care of her family, working among the rural masses and interacting with civil officers for the implementation of FPA programmes, Bajaj is busy these days preparing for her presentation to be given at all-India NGO submit to be held in Banglore later this year.

She has represented India at a ‘methodology workshop on reproductive rights of women’ at New York, USA, and was also elected vice-president of the FPA.

Regarding her experience with the villagers, Bajaj, daughter of an army officer, says: Rural folks are just like blank sheets, you have to just fill the right figures on it and they will understand. She is of the view that it is easier to educate the rural population about female foeticide, girl child education and hygiene than the urban people.

“A majority of the urban people think themselves to be educated, smart and aware about social crimes, but they are the ones more responsible for the declining sex ratio. Theirs is a close-minded approach,” adds Bajaj.


Pedal pushers

The students of several colleges took out a cycle rally at Hisar to mark 2008 as the Year of the Cycle. The rally was organised by the local Brahma Vidyalaya, Rotary Central, Save Earth Save Humanity Mission (SESHM) and the National Service Scheme units of the local colleges.
Students taking out a cycle rally at Hisar to create awareness on social issues.
Students taking out a cycle rally at Hisar to create awareness on social issues. —  Tribune photo by P. L. Munday

The idea behind the event was to spread awareness about pollution and social evils such as consumption of liquor. The idea originated after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda donated Rs 1 lakh to the Vidyalaya to buy bicycles for its students so that they could go to nearby villages and help spread word about vedic culture. About 150 students joined the rally which started from the Brahma Vidyalaya and ended in Model Town.

The students carried placards urging people to shun liquor, save petrol and 
use bicycles. The rally was led by Rattan Dev Jangra, who has created many records by covering hundreds of kilometres walking backwards.

Additional deputy commissioner Ashima Brar was the chief guest at the concluding function.

She said fossil fuel stocks would be finished one day. At that time people would have to use bicycles. So, it was better to make a beginning right now and help reduce pollution also. Besides, cycling was a great exercise to keep physically fit.

Contributed by Nishikant Dwivedi and Raman Mohan


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