The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

NEWS AND VIEWS

PUNJAB

HARYANA

JAMMU & KASHMIR

HIMACHAL

REGIONAL BRIEFS

NATION

OPINIONS

LETTERS

BUSINESS

SPORTS

WORLD

SPECIAL COVERAGE

CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

ABOHAR
Appointed: Jagdish Bhateja has been appointed as member of the newly-constituted Small Traders’ Board by the state government, Arun Narang district secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party said in a press release.

AMRITSAR
Smack seized: The police arrested Dilbagh Singh of Patti Behniwal, Arvinder Pal Singh of Rama Nand Bagh and Yugesh Singh of Dawinder Nagar Sultanwind and recovered 10 gm smack and a Zen from their possession. A case has been registered.

Council officials die in mishap: Surjit Singh Randhawa and Mohan Lal, president and vice-president of Ramdass Nagar Council, died in a road mishap when their car went out of control and struck a tree near Hardowal village here on Tuesday killing them on the spot. Both were coming from Amritsar to their native Ramdass village. Surjit was driving the vehicle.

New course at varsity: The Guru Nanak Dev University will introduce a new course of master in planning (Infrastructure)-degree course under UGC's Innovative Programmes in its Guru Ramdas School of Planning from the ensuing academic session 2008-09.

Parro Punjab project: An emergent meeting of the district management unit of “Read Punjab” (Parro Punjab) project under the Sarav Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) would be held at the SSA office on Ajnala road here on April 25. Jasbir Singh Jas, district secretary of the unit, in a press statement here, said new methods for teaching in primary schools would be discussed in the meeting. Sukhwinder Singh, district education officer (elementary education), being the chairman of the unit, would preside over the meeting while co- chairman Devinder Pal Singh Dhillon and other officials would also attend the meeting.

Technical training: The state government is providing one-month technical training for 200 unemployed people under its skill development initiative scheme (SDIS), to make them self dependent. The training would be given at the ITI, Lopoke for house wiring and basic electronics and the interview for admission would be held on April 24. A stipend of Rs 400 would be given to the selected candidates.

Free IIT entrance coaching: Sumeet Sahota, student of St Francis School, will get free coaching for the IIT-JEE entrance examination. He has been awarded a 100 per cent scholarship by FIIT-JEE on the basis of his performance in the selection test, Fortunate 40, conducted by the institute. The programme aims at helping students build a strong academic foundation, enhance their IQ and analytical ability to crack the IIT exam. The names of 40 students were declared last week by the FIIT-JEE head office in Delhi. “It’s a good opportunity for me to realise my engineering dreams,” said Sumeet.

Writers’ meet: Punjabi Writers Cooperative Society Limited has called its executive committee meeting on May 4 at the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana.Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, managing director of the society, in a written statement issued here on Tuesday, said matters like the holding of the annual general conference and organisation of a seminar on ‘importance of books in the electronics era’ would be discussed in the meeting.

ANANDPUR SAHIB
Pak jatha at Kesgarh Sahib: A jatha from Pakistan paid obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Kesgarh Sahib here on Tuesday. Comprising 151 persons, including 15 women and 10 children, the jatha is on tour in India from April 18 to May 12.

BATHINDA
Award for CBI ex-chief: The People’s Forum, Bargadi, Punjab is going to honour Joginder Singh, former director of the CBI, with the Living Legend award. Leading Punjabi poet, Gurbhajan Singh, has been chosen for the Waris Shah award, 2008 and Vijay Goel, of the Sahara Jan Sewa, will be awarded with the Waris Punjab award. The forum has also selected Jatinder Singh Aulakh, commandant of the Punjab Armed Police, and Dr Bhola Singh Sidhu, director of the Parvati Devi Memorial Hospital, for the Pride of Area award. The award giving ceremony will be held on April 24 at the Shenshah Palace, Kotkapura.

Earth Day celebrations: To create awareness about our planet, Earth Day was celebrated by the Punjab Agricultural University Regional Research Station (PAURRS), Bathinda, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences today at the Government Senior Secondary School, Jodhpur Romana, here. Harmandar Singh, district science supervisor, was the chief guest on the occasion while Dr Gurmit Singh Buttar, director, PAURRS, presided over the function. As many as 92 students from the school participated in the painting competition held to highlight environmental concern.

Pulse polio: A pulse polio campaign will be held here from April 27 to April 29. Ajitpal Singh, district immunisation officer, informed that 16,023 booths besides 69 mobile teams would be pressed into action for the pulse polio drive. He advised the people to bring their children in the age of 0-5 years for getting polio drops administered at their nearest centre.

Historic haveli: Thanking Kirpal Singh Badungar, chairman of the Sikh History Research Board for initiating the caretaking of the Deewan Todar Mal Haveli near Fateh Garh Sahib, Chiranji Lal Garg, vice-president Shiromani Akali Dal (B) issued a press release, on Tuesday. In the press note, he mentioned the historical background of Todar Mal Haveli.

CHANDIGARH
Writers’ deaths condoled: Punjab Education and Languages minister Upinderjit Kaur on Tuesday expressed shock at the death of Punjabi story writers, poets and novelists Prof S. Soj and Santokh Singh Safri, who expired after brief illnesses.

Hoshiarpur
4-year-old raped, murdered: The Hariana police on Tuesday booked Dinesh Kumar of Alua Mahi, Partapgarh district ( UP) and Sandeep Kumar of Bassi Balo for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl at Sujadpur village. According to information, farmer Ravinder Kumar sent his servant Dinesh Kumar to deliver tea in the fields for labourerst. His four-year-old daughter also accompanied the accused. She was reportedly murdered here after rape. In the morning her body was found dumped in the bushes.

Gurdwara cash stolen: Some miscreants stole Rs 5,000 cash from a golak (cash box) of a Gurdwara at Behalpur village on Sunday night. According to police sources, when head granthi Sandeep Singh visited the gurdwara on Monday morning, he noticed that the lock of the golak was broken and the cash kept in it was missing.

Mansa
CPI (ML) foundation day: The CPI (ML) observed the party’s foundation day at the Baba Bujha Singh Bhawan here on Tuesday. On the occasion, the party flag was unfurled at the state party headquarters here. Addressing the function, state secretary of the party, Rajwinder Singh Rana, informed that the party was formed on April22, 1969, in Calcutta to fight for the rights of the poor. State secretary of the Punjab Kisan Union, Ruldu Singh, district secretary Balkaran Singh Balli, party leaders- Bhagwant Singh, Sukhcharan Singh, Gurjant Singh and Gurnam Singh also addressed the function.

Compensation: District president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta) Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha on Tuesday demanded compensation against the burnt wheat. Releasing a statement here he alleged that wheat was gutted due to the negligence of electricity department because loose wires of electricity became the main cause of fire. He said wheat crop standing on nearly 1,400 acres was gutted till now. The union demanded from the government a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre.

PATHANKOT
Poppy husk seized: The Dhar Kalan police arrested Karnail Singh of Dadwana police station, Bilawar,Kathua district of J & K, here on Tuesday and seized 200 gm of poppy husk from him. A case has been registered.

Theft case solved: The police claims to have solved a case of theft which was registered on Thursday. Kartar Chand of Shastri Nagar had lodged a complaint with the police that his motor cycle (PB-06-E-7484) had been stolen from the outside of a marriage palace.The police recovered the vehicle at a naka laid at the Chakki bridge and arrested Prince Kumar of Friends Colony here.

Demonstration held: Over 200 residents of Basant Colony demonstrated here on Tuesday against the Municipal Council for inadequate supply of drinking water. They alleged that the colony was not getting drinking water for the past seven days.

SANGRUR
Protest fast: Members of the CPM, Punjab, started a 24-hour hunger strike against the rising prices outside the district administrative complex here on Tuesday. Prominent among those participating are a member of state secretariat of the party Bhim Singh Alampur, district secretary Gajjan Singh Duggan and secretary of Dhuri Tehsil unit Amar Singh Mimsa.

HARYANA

BHIWANI
Man duped of Rs 1 lakh: The police has registered a case against three persons, including a woman, on the charges of duping a man of Rs 1 lakh in the name of transferring a plot. Rajiv Goyal, of local Sanjeev colony, said in his complaint that he had given Rs 1 lakh to Kapoor Singh, Bhateri and Rambir of Shiv colony, against a deal, but the trio did not transfer the in his name even after lapse of a year.

Trader gets threat call: A factory owner of the local industrial area received an anonymous threatening call on Tuesday. The police has registered a case on the complaint of the victim, Abhishek, a factory owner. Abhishek tried to know the name of the caller but failed. Later, he informed the police.

Driver looted: About six youths attacked a Tata Sumo driver near the Pipli Wali area on Monday night and snatched Rs 1 lakh from him. According to a report, Karan Singh of the Pipli Wali area was going home in his car when armed youths stopped his vehicle and attacked him. After looting they fled the incident site, a case has been registered.

CHANDIGARH
IAS officer bereaved: Rajeshwari Paul (75), former head of Geology Department of Mahila Mahavidayala, Lucknow, died after a prolonged illness here today. She was the mother-in-law of Haryana special secretary, environment, Vijai Vardhan. She is survived by three daughters. Haryana Governor A. R. Kidwai and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda have mourned her death.

SONEPAT
Woman dies in mishap: A 62-year-old woman Parvati of Nahra village died on the spot and her husband Daya Nand was injured when their scooter was knocked down by a car on GT road near Rai on Tuesday. After post-mortem examination, the body of the deceased was handed over to family members and Daya Nand had been admitted in civil hospital here. The police has impounded both cars and a case has been registered at the Rai police station.

Youth run over: Sandeep, a youth from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh and at present residing in the local Baba colony, was run over by a train, while he was crossing the railway track near the colony on Tuesday morning.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Central school for Ghumarwin: Rajesh Dharmani, Congress MLA from Ghumarwin constituency, said Ghumarwin would soon have a central school to cater to the needs of the district. Addressing mediapersons here yesterday evening, Dharmani said the issue of opening of a central school in Bilaspur district had been lingering on since long and the matter had been pending with the Central and state governments.

HAMIRPUR
Burns victim cremated: Anita, a married woman who died on Sunday due to burns suffered by her on April 14, was cremated on Tuesday morning at Karah village here after the police got the post-mortem examination report. Maternal uncle and other relatives of Anita had stopped her cremation on Monday asking to wait for her the post-mortem report. The woman had received 80 per cent burns and police had arrested her husband and mother-in-law on the complaint of her parents.

Kumarhatti
Liquor seized: The Barotiwala police nabbed a man along with illicit liquor near Bhooranwala chowk on Baddi Road on Tuesday evening. Jagdev, who was going in his Santro car, was stopped at a routine naka by the police. During search of the car, 372 bottles of English liquor were seized. The accused hailed from Hamirpur district. A case has been registered.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Mercury soars: The mercury level touched 37.6 degress Celsius in Srinagar on Tuesday, official sources said. However, despite some decline in the temperature after fresh snowfall on the upper reaches of Doda and Kishtwar districts and a spell of rainfall in the Jammu region last week, the mercury level has risen and it touched 37.6 degrees Celsius.

World Earth Day: On the occasion of World Earth Day, a national environment awareness campaign on the theme of “Biodiversity Conservation” was launched on Tuesday. Former principal chief conservator, forests, and chairman, environment impact assessment authority, P.P. Sharma, presided over the function. The function was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature India. Chairperson V.P. Sharma gave a brief description of the planet Earth. Two books, one of which was in Hindi, entitled “Geet Paryavaran Ke” by O.P. Sharma were released. Prof K.C. Bhagat from SKUASTT gave a lecture on biodiversity conservation.

Fee structure committee: The committee for fixing fee structure on Tuesday directed all unaided private educational institutions imparting degree and diploma professional courses to submit their proposed annual fee structure for consideration by May 9, 2008, to the chairman, Fee Structure Committee, civil
secretariat.

SRINAGAR
One ultra killed: One militant was killed, while a hideout was busted, after an encounter in the Kashmir valley on Tuesday, official sources said. They said the encounter took place between militants and security forces at Dever Margi in Lolab during a search operation. However, the militants managed to escape. The security forces recovered arms and ammunition, rice and sugar from the hideout. Meanwhile, security forces arrested a militant at Parnew in Budgam.

District court complex: Minister of state for R&B Gharu Ram inspected the Rs 54 crore district court complex, presently under construction, at Momin Abad Tengpora bypass in Srinagar on Tuesday. He also inspected the Rs 10 crore Bemina bridge which would be thrown open to the public shortly.

Rs 75.66-cr for 104 roads: About 104 roads to be constructed at a cost of Rs 75.66 crore in Uri sub-division are under execution under the R&B and PMGSY sectors. This was stated by minister for consumer affairs and public distribution and animal husbandry Taj Mohi-ud-Din, while addressing a public meeting at Garkote area of Uri after inaugurating the 5.5 km road to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2.12 crore. He said 16 bridges were taken up for execution at a cost of Rs 6.57 crore, of which 10 bridges had been completed at a cost of Rs 4.67 crore.