The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

Abohar
Balram Jakhar to visit Abohar on Nov 3: Madhya Pradesh Governor, Balram Jakhar, will visit his hometown on November 3. He would meet his old friends and other citizens at his residence in South Avenue. Jakhar would attend the annual prize distribution function of Bhag Singh Hayer College for Women on November 4 as the chief guest, sources said.

Cong committee to observe Sankalp Diwas: The city Congress committee plans to organise a meeting in the new grain market here to observe Indira Gandhi's martyrdom day as Sankalp Diwas on Friday. City president B.L. Nagpal informed that legislator Sunil Jakhar will address the gathering.

Govt staff stage sit-in: The Class IV Government Employees Union today staged a dharna outside the divisional office of the irrigation department in canal colony here in support of their charter of demands relating to GPF and increments. Harji Ram, chairman of the union, said the executive engineer first postponed the meeting by three hours and then refused to consider the demand. Resultantly, representatives of the union staged a walk- out and sat on an indefinite dharna. They shouted slogans against the XEN and the state government.

Batala
Intoxicant powder seized: A person was arrested with some intoxicant powder here on Thursday. According to SHO police station Sadar, Batala, Surinder Singh Paddam and ASI Chowki in charge laid a naka at the T-point of Gillanwali village. The police party noticed a suspicious-looking person and stopped him. His search yielded 170 grams of intoxicant powder. The accused has been identified as Narinder Singh of Doleshah village, falling under police station Dinanagar. A case under NDPS Act has been registered against the accused.

Fazilka
Child dies of burns: Surjeet (4), son of a migrant labourer Monu, died of burn injuries today. According to sources, Monu was working as a labourer in a kiln. His son fell in a ditch containing straw which was on fire. He sustained serious burn injuries. He was rushed to local civil hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Pharmacists meet: Office-bearers of the Punjab State Pharmacists Association, Ferozepur, today mourned the demise of former state committee president Surinder Kumar Ghai at a meeting which was presided over by Shashi Kant. Ghai (56) had also been co-convener of para-medical and health employees union and district general secretary of Punjab Subordinate Services Federation. A crusader and a social activist, Ghai had pledged to donate his eyes and body. His body was donated to DMC, Ludhiana.

Jalandhar
BSNL offer: BSNL has announced special festive offer for its broadband and cellular mobile customers.In a press note issued here, BSNL PRO said the broadband customers of all plans, who have subscription continuously for the last six months, can avail double download usage benefit in the month of November.

Nawanshahr
Devp aid: Local MLA Jatinder Singh Kariha today distributed cheques worth Rs 1.12 crore for carrying out various development works in 63 villages of Nawanshahr assembly segment.

Vishwakarma Day: The staff and students of vocational education department of Government Senior Secondary School, Nawanshahr, celebrated Vishwakarma Day by paying obeisance to Lord Vishavkarma. Among others, deputy district education officer Swarn Singh and officiating principal Krishan Kumar were also present on the occasion. Sweets were also distributed among the staff and students.

SANGRUR
Vir Chakra awardee dies: Former Naik Shingara Singh (83), Vir Chakra, was cremated here on Thursday. He died after a prolonged illness on Wednesday. Lt -Col D.S. Sidhu, deputy director, Sainik Welfare Department, Sangrur, laid a wreath on his body, while a number of ex-servicemen also mourned his death. The Government of India honoured Shingara Singh on January 13, 1948 with Vir Chakra for bravery, shown by him in the battle ground. He was one of 21 Vir Chakra winners of the Sangrur district.

Cop killed in road mishap: A police head constable Jaswinder Singh, posted at Police Lines, Sangrur, was killed in a road accident when he was reportedly on his way from Mehlan village to Khadial village in the Sunam area on Thursday. The accident took place when his motorcycle and a mini-bus collided. Sunam DSP Joginder Singh Sandhu said Jaswinder had been promoted as a head constable just a month ago, after 16 years of service in the force. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, he added.

HARYANA

CHANDIGARH
Legal services authority: Harinder Singh, District and Sessions Judge, joined as Member Secretary of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, here on Thursday.

GURGAON
Rehearsal for poll duty: The rehearsal for district officers and other staff workers, who had been put on duty for the elections to be held in the Jammu Kashmir Vidhan Sabha, will be held on Friday and November 3 at Dronacharya Auditorium here. Gurgaon DM Deepti Uma Shankar said as many as 350 persons would participate in it. She said the officers and the workers from Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat, Nuh and Rewari had been appointed for the election duties.

REWARI
1 held for rape attempt: The Dharuhera police has arrested Ajay (25) for allegedly making a bid to rape his neighbour’s five-year-old daughter in a colony of Dharuhera on Wednesday. Sources said when the girl was playing her friends, the accused lured her away to a secluded place, where he attempted sexual exploitation. However, when the girl raised the alarm, the accused fled away. Subsequently, on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, the police registered a case under Sections 376, 511 of the IPC and arrested Ajay, who is a resident of Uttar Pradesh and is employed in a factory at Dharuhera.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
YC state secretary: Liyakat Ali Khan of Chamba has been appointed as the state secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress (YC), according to an official communiqué issued by the Youth Congress this week.

HAMIRPUR
Honesty praised: Naresh Kumar, additional assistant engineer of the HPSEB posted at Mattan-Sidh, has appreciated the honesty shown by HRTC conductor Balbir by returning back his mobile phone, which he had left inadvertently in the bus while travelling from Hamirpur to Shimla. He has also requested the Chief Minister to honour Balbir for showing honesty during his visit to Hamirpur and pay cash award donated by him to the HRTC employee.

Baby show: Baby show and flower show would be held for the first time during the Hamir Utsav on November 1 and 2 at Hamirpur. Giving this information to mediapersons here on Thursday, chairman of the organising committee of the Hamir Utsav and Hamirpur DC Abhishek Jain said in the baby show on November 2, two categories of children from 1 to 3 years and 3 to 5 years would be included. He said similarly single flower and bouquet competition would be the categories in flower competition. Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal would be the chief guest on the concluding day.

Annual conference: The Sarvakalayankari Sabha would organise its eighth annual conference at Sujanpur on November 16. Giving this information to mediapersons here on Thursday, president of the sabha Rajinder Rana said Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal would be the chief guest in the conference. He said 10 persons would be given Hamir Gaurva award and Hamir Ratan award would also be given on this occasion. Ten toppers in Hamirpur district schools and 35 toppers in class XII and matriculation examination in Suajnpur block would also be honoured in this programme.

NURPUR
Two injured: Three vehicles collided on Talwara-Jassur road near here on Thursday injuring two motorcyclists. According to the police, a private bus was boarding passengers on a road near Jassur. A Maruti Zen was also stranded behind the bus in order to overtake it when suddenly a speeding HRTC bus (HP38-3919) coming from back dashed into the stranded vehicles. In this collision, the private bus changed its direction and hit against a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. Motorcycle riders, Umedh Singh and Tarsem Singh of Laroonh village, were seriously injured and were referred to the Tanda Medical College by the local Civil Hospital. A case has been registered against the HRTC bus driver, who fled from the scene after the mishap. Ravi Kumar, driver of the car, also sustained injuries in the collision.

SUNDERNAGAR
Singh joins labour ministry: V. K. Singh has recently joined as the director, on deputation, in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, New Delhi. Singh, an Indian Forest Service officer of 1986 batch, was serving in the state till now. He was posted as the conservator of forests (Wildlife) at Dharamsala.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Jammu
Social body gets state chief: Jammu Kashmir Utthan Manch chief patron K.P. Sharma appointed Vikas Sharma as president of the state chapter of the organisation here on Sunday. K.P. Sharma claimed that till now the organisation has adopted three poor children whom it will support financially to carry out their academic pursuits.

Pugwash secy-gen feted: The Jammu and Kashmir Forum for Peace and Reconciliation felicitated Paolo Cotta Ramusino, secretary-general of Pugwash Council on Science and World Affairs, here on Thursday. Ramusino said peace was necessary in the disturbed state, which had been witnessing terror and bloodshed since long. "The period of conflict will not eliminate itself. It has to be eliminated by the leaders of India and Pak", said Paolo. He said Pugwash had been active all over the world for the past 60 years for maintaining peace in the disturbed regions.

Jawan commits suicide: An Army jawan on Thursday allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at a unit of 16 coprs headquarters in Jammu district. Sepoy Vikas took out his rifle during guard duty and fired three shots piercing through his neck, official sources said. The police has registered a case in this regard.

4 killed in road mishaps: Four persons, including an Army man, were killed and three others injured in separate road accidents in Poonch and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kahsmir, the police said on Thursday. Bichatar Singh and Tilak Raj were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a scooterist and later rammed into a tree in Kathua district. In another incident, an Army jeep hit a scooter on the Jammu-Poonch highway at Khuja village, resulting in the death of army personnel N.N. Chamatakari and scooterist Inder Singh.

3 held in fake currency racket: Three persons were arrested in connection with a fake currency racket in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, official sources said. The accused have been identified as Mohmmad Rasheed, Narinder Sharma and Majeed Hussain, they added. They have been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre, and more recovery of fake currency and arrests are likely in the border district.

Woman attempts suicide: A woman, who was raped, attempted suicide by setting herself afire before the house of her alleged rapist in Jammu district here, the police said on Thursday. Shamsher Lal, a plumber, went to his friend’s house in Dabbad village in Bishnah teshil of Jammu district and raped his wife on Wednesday, they said. He snatched gold chain and some rupees from her before fleeing the house, they said. Later, the police arrested Lal and registered a case against him.

2 Bangladeshis held: Troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended two Bangladeshi nationals when they were trying to ex-filtrate to Pakistan from Indo-Pak International Border in forward village of Makwal in Niki Tawi area of Jammu sector, official sources said here on Thursday. They have been identified as Mohd Suman, 16, a resident of Kachuva Bazaar and Janaluddin, 18, a resident of Meena Bazaar, Tanop, Bangladesh.

DEHRADUN

Fire in apartment: A fire broke out in a flat in Windlass Apartment on Curzon Road at 3.45 pm on Thursday. According to fire officials, the refrigerator and air-conditioner caught fire due to a short circuit. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the firemen controlled the fire within ten minutes. No person sustained any injuries.