R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

Regional potpourri
Doctor fired up for higher mission
Dr Zora Singh , a paediatrician, had desired to actualise the dream of his father. After MBBS from Government Rajindra Medical College, Patiala, in 1980, he became PCMS officer with Punjab government in Ferozepur district.

• Painting for social cause
• Shot-putter of promise
• Landscapist honoured

PUNJAB

95 examined at ortho camp: Local orthopaedic surgeon Parmod Gupta examined 95 persons at a free bone mineral density (BMD) test and orthopaedic check-up camp here on Sunday. The BMD test, which is very costly, is very important for elderly people to know their bone strength. Dr Gupta said during the camp a majority of the elderly persons and women above 40 years had been found suffering from calcium deficiency. Patients, who were examined at the previous camp some months ago and taking calcium tablets regularly, had shown improvement.

CHANDIGARH

ABVP rally at PU: ABVP activists took out a rally within Panjab University at 7 pm on Sunday. More than 100 students gathered in support of the party. Party president Aswathy Rajan, vice-president Ratan Negi, secretary Kunal Kumar and joint secretary Rita Gupta headed the rally.

HARYANA

JIND
Sarpanch booked: The police has registered a case of cheating against the sarpanch of Jamni village in the district. The case has been registered on directions of a court. It is alleged that the sarpanch had pocketed the pension of a widow and a differently abled person of the village by fake thumb impressions of the victims himself and without their knowledge.

SIRSA
Rally on health: “My India, Healthy India”, a rally of the Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Mahavidyalya that started from Dehradun on August 19 reached here on Sunday. The rally comprising 10 doctors led by Dr Ram Parkash and Dr Laxmi conveyed the message of healthy India to the local people through speeches and presentations. The rally will move to Fatehabad on Monday. “Five such rallies started from different corners of the country, including Trivandrum, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Lucknow,” said Jai Shree, media in charge of the rally. She said the rally had been spreading the message of drug de-addiction, ill effects of wrong food habits and changing life style amongst people.

Blood donation camp: As many as 450 units of blood were collected at a blood donation camp organised by the Shah Satnamji Green S Force of the Dera Sacha Sauda here on Saturday. A team of doctors from Indian Armed Transfusion Centre, New Delhi, led by Captain Alok Sen collected blood units from the donors, said a note issued by the dera. A medical check-up camp was also organised on the occasion, where medicines were given free of cost to patients.

YAMUNANAGAR
3 girls recovered: The police on Sunday recovered three girls of class X of a local school, who went missing since Saturday, from Amritsar. The girls were handed over to their parents. DSP Ashok Kumar said the police recovered the girls from Amritsar after tracing the mobile phone calls of girls. The girls had gone to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple fearing poor results in exams.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Jammu
Grenade defused at PDP worker’s house: A blast was averted today in Poonch district with the police defusing a grenade planted allegedly by militants outside the house of a PDP worker. Militants had fixed a grenade at the front door of PDP worker Nissar Ahmed’s house in Gursia village in Poonch, the police said today. The grenade was attached to the door with a rope, they said, adding that it would have exploded if the door was opened. The militants had knocked the door and fled from the spot, while local people informed the police after they saw it this morning. Meanwhile, the PDP worker and his family escaped from back door of the house and took shelter in the nearby grass field. However, the grenade was defused safely.

Transparency in tax payment needed: BL Razdan, Commissioner, Income Tax, Jammu and Kashmir circle, has emphasised on building cordial relations between chartered accountants (CAs) and the Income Tax Department to ensure transparency in tax payment. He also stressed upon creating healthy atmosphere for the income tax assesses and income tax officers.

Bodies recovered: The police on Sunday recovered two bodies from Jammu bus stand here. The bodies were recovered from a corner of the stand during a routine checking, it said. While one of the dead man has been identified as Ram Dass, identity of the other is yet to be ascertained.

2 Kashmiri Pandits awarded: A noted poet and a renowned social activist have been awarded Sharda Puraskar by a leading Kashmiri Pandit organisation. Social activist and founder of the Sanatan Dharam Yuvak Sabha Pandit Hargopal Koul (posthumously) and noted poet and writer Arjun Dev Majboor have been conferred with the award. Three books ---Shaheed Prem Nath Bhat, Brief History of Kashmir Struggle and Sharda Puraskar Recipients Introduction (2000-2008)--- were also released at the award function.

Srinagar
Woman ends life: A young woman committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance in Anantnag district of South Kashmir on Sunday morning, the police said. Fehmeeda (21) took the extreme step at her house at Larkipora, 65 kms from here. The police is investigating into the motive behind the woman taking her own life.

Udhampur
Awareness camp: The Civil Defence Organisation organized an awareness camp to educate people about preventives measures required to be adopted for the prevention of swine flu. The camp was especially designed to sensitise the people in general and the labour class in particular about the measures to be adopted in the case of any disaster. The participants during the camp were informed about the types of disasters, their causes and management. They were made aware to meet any exigency like floods, fire, earthquake, accidents etc. Udhampur deputy CMO Chander Prakash gave a detailed lecture on symptoms and preventive measures required to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Regional potpourri
Doctor fired up for higher mission

Dr Zora Singh , a paediatrician, had desired to actualise the dream of his father. After MBBS from Government Rajindra Medical College, Patiala, in 1980, he became PCMS officer with Punjab government in Ferozepur district. Thereafter doing DCH, he started as child specialist at Muktsar. After serving 15 years as such, he thought of repaying society, which had given him so much. He set up Desh Bhagat group of institutes in 1996 in the memory of late father Lal Singh, a Tamar Patra awardee, and associate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Dr Zora Singh, also president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Chandigarh state branch, for three years in a row set up Desh Bhagat Group of Institutes, first institute of which Desh Bhagat Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh was established in 1996.

The group, pioneer in imparting quality education, has 16 professional colleges imparting instruction in engineering, hotel management, tourism and hospitality, computer applications, business management, media and entertainment, journalism and mass communication, fashion technology, art and craft, ayurveda, nursing, and dental sciences etc.

The group has state-of-the-art infrastructure like well-equipped libraries and separate modern hostels for boys and girls. It owns 25 buses to ferry students and staff.

Besides Mandi Gobindgarh, the group has dental college and hospital at Muktsar and Cambridge Group of Institutes in Moga and Desh Bhagat Institute of Competitive Studies in Chandigarh.

The group’s courses are approved by the All- India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and affiliated to Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, and Punjabi University, Patiala.

Dr Zora Singh said nearly 5,000 students were on rolls for various courses in his institutes. He said the group was certified by the ISO and is the first in the private sector to get ISO certification.

The group has placement cell to ensure placement of its students. The students are involved in extracurricular activities to honing communication skills. To what spurs him Dr Zora Singh, said his wife Tajinder Kaur, who is also vice-chairperson of the group.

Dr Zora Singh is on the panel of several social and educational fora in Punjab, besides being member of the Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society. Rashtriya Rattan Award” was conferred on him by the Citizens Integration Peace Society, New Delhi, recently.

Painting for social cause

Sanjeev Kalra with paintings of Lord Ganesha at his house in Sirsa

Sanjeev Kalra, a Sirsa-based mathematics teacher, has been popularising eye donation by writing messages on paintings and sketches of Lord Ganesha prepared by him.

In 10 years, Kalra (45), a lecturer in Government Polytechnic for Women, Sirsa, has made over 5,000 paintings and sketches of Lord Ganesha with “Donate Eyes, Live Twice” message written on these artworks.

Kalra uses brush, oil paints and glitter pens for the sketches.

Sirsa’s social organisations have organised exhibitions of his paintings.

His paintings depict Lord Ganesha in different poses.

One work shows Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva in one body.

Kalra takes 10 minutes to prepare a pen sketch.

He has motivated 14 families for the donation of eyes of deceased kin and several persons to fill eye pledge forms.

“I keep one hour a day for hobby so that my main avocation and family do not suffer because of this,” Kalra says adding his wife and two daughters give him cooperation in his endeavour.

He spends over Rs 1,000 every month on the hobby but people’s compliments inspire him to continue.

Kalra did not receive formal training in painting or sketch making.

“I used to draw sketches while teaching mathematics which helped me pursue my hobby effectively,” Kalra adds.

Several organisations in the district have honoured him. He organised an exhibition recently on the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi at his house.

Shot-putter of promise

Navpreet Singh

Navpreet Singh of Doraha won gold medal in shot-put at recently concluded World Police games in Vancouver (Canada) where more than 10,000 cops participated. Born in 1979 at Doraha near Ludhiana (Punjab), he had been interested in sports since school days.

An achiever from the day he started, he won medals while representing his alma mater Guru Nanak college Doraha, Panjab University and state of Punjab. In 2002 , he participated in 42nd inter-state athletic championship in Karnataka and won silver medal in shot-put. In 2003 at national games in Hyderabad he won gold for Punjab by putting the shot to 18.19 metres and Maharaja Ranjit Singh award was conferred on him. In 2004 at the 10th national federation championship in Delhi he won gold putting the shot to 19.57 metres. In 2006 at the 46th inter-state championship he again won gold and thereafter breaking all records, won gold medal for fourth time in a row at the 33rd national games in Guwahati in 2007.

In Asian athletic championship in Jordan in 2007 he won gold by putting the shot to 19.70 metres. The Punjabis there celebrated the event with ‘bhangra’.

Navpreet did the Punjab Police proud by winning honours at 53rd All-India Police Games in Kolkata in 2004. Last year while practising he was injured but still took part in World Police games in Canada in August and returned with gold in shot-put.

He won three gold medals in Asian Grand Prix meet, five silver and five bronze at international level. Navpreet has done his employer, the Punjab Police, proud who, appreciating his dedication , should consider him for promotion.

Landscapist honoured

Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga

Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga, Executive Engineer (horticulture) landscape officer , Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar municipal corporations was honoured by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Independence Day in Ludhiana for improving environment of three cities.

Dr Bilga did Ph.D. in floriculture from Guru Nanak Dev University and M.Sc in landscaping and floriculture from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana. He was appointed landscape officer, Municipal Corporation, Amritsar in 1980. In 1999 he was posted Executive Engineer (horticulture), Ludhiana, Municipal Corporation and till 2002 he tried to improved the city’s landscape by introducing public-private partnership scheme and park management committees with help from Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The scheme was discontinued when he and Dr Sandhu were transferred. The scheme was revived in 2007 with his posting in Ludhiana Municipal Corporation again.

Dr Bilga looks after landscape work of three municipal corporations of the state. In Ludhiana he organised 29 flower garden and baby shows to create awareness about significance of environment for human existence. He has to his credit 32 research papers on floriculture and landscaping.

Contributed by Sanjay Khurana, Sushil Manav, Joginder Singh Oberioi and K S Chawla