The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, October 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India

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

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
PROTEST RALLY: The district council of the Private Colleges’ Non-teaching Employees Union, Punjab and Chandigarh, held a protest rally at DAV, College of Education for Girls, Amritsar, here on Wednesday to protest against the ‘apathetic’ attitude of the Punjab Government. Mr Devinder Sharma, district secretary, while addressing the rally, said if the government did not accept their long-pending demands, including the release of revised pay scale arrears in one instalment, the struggle would be intensified.

ATTACK: An armed gang of four to five persons attacked the family of Mangal Singh at Bharaliwal here on Tuesday night. Six members of the family were injured in the attack. Parkash Kaur, who sustained a head injury, died here on Wednesday. The assailants took away gold jewellery and clothes. A case has been registered under Section 460 of the IPC.

HOOCH RECOVERED: The police recovered 40 kg of hooch from Nirmal Singh, a resident of Cheema Khurd. A case was registered at Sarai Amanat Khan police station here on Wednesday under the Excise Act.

TWO BOOKED: Ranjit Singh of Bal Khurd has been arrested and 6 gm of smack seized from him. In another incident, Sultanwind police has arrested Savinder Singh and recovered 2.5 gm of smack from him. Cases have been registered under the NDPS Act against the two.

LIQUOR SEIZED: Three persons have been arrested under the Excise Act in the district in separate incidents. About 6000, 7500 and 7500 ml of illicit liquor was recovered from their possession. The accused have been identified as Harwant Singh of Jandiala, Mangal Singh of Ajnala and Kishan Singh of Ramdas.

BATHINDA
CA’S DEMAND: The Punjab Chemists Association (PCA) has urged the government to levy uniform tax on medicines, but exempt the life-saving drugs. Mr R D Gupta, president of the union, said on Tuesday that medicines were being smuggled from one state to another due to disparity in taxes levied.

POWER CUT: Power supply will remain suspended in some areas of the city from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 19 due to some repair going on in power supply lines originating from 11 kv Ganesha Basti feeder. The areas include Basant Vihar, Harpal Nagar, Aggarwal Colony, Ganesha Basti, Sooraj Basti, Namdev Nagar, Prajapat Nagar and Sarabha Colony.

DORAHA
DHARNA: The non-teaching employees of Guru Nanak National College here staged a dharna on Wednesday on a call given by the Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees’ Union, Punjab and Chandigarh. They were protesting against non-acceptance of their long-pending demands by the Punjab Government. Mr Sohan Singh Malhans and Mr Sukhpal Singh Dharni, president and secretary of the Doraha unit of the union, criticised the the government’s dilly-dallying attitude in this regard. The main demands of the employees include implementation of pension-cum-gratuity scheme, amendment in the house rent allowance and release of arrears with effect from January 1, 1996.

FARIDKOT
SCHOOL OPENED: The Central Government has opened Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Kauni village in the district. In a press note issued here on Wednesday, Mr Venu Prasad, DC, said children born between May 1, 1989 and April 30, 1993, would be able to get admission in the school. The admission forms, which would be accepted by November 9 next, can be had from all primary schools, the Block and District Education Officer and from the Navodaya Vidyalaya institution, he said.

KHANNA
FERNANDES'S APPOINTMENT FLAYED : Mr Surinder Khanna, Chairman of the Khanna Vikas Club has criticised the re-appointment of George Fernandes as Defence Minister of India before the completion of inquiry by the Venkatswami Commission. Others those who criticised his re-induction into the Union Cabinet included Mr G.D. Joshi, vice-president, DCC (rural), Mr Dharam Pal Angrish, president, Punjab Trade Union Federation, Dr Gora Lal, former president, Doctors Cell, Punjab Congress, and Mr Anil Shukla, Cashier, Block Congress.

APPOINTED: Mr Amar Singh Chaunda, Chairman, District Economic and Planning Cell of the Congress, has been made a special invitee to the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee by Capt Amarinder Singh, President, PPCC.

BLOCK INAUGURATED: The Commerce Block of the AS College for Women was inaugurated by Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, Member Parliament, here on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, he announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh to the college for developmental purposes. The college also organised an exhibition of paintings and old articles based on Punjab culture. The students also presented a cultural programme.

LUDHIANA
PNB FESTIVAL BONANZA: The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has decided to offer concession in the rate of interest and processing fee under “PNB Festival Bonanza” to all customers, who avail loan from October 15 to 31. The general manager of Punjab zone of the PNB, Mr P.N. Khurana, said in a press release issued here on Wednesday that the customers would be offered a rebate of 0.5 per cent per annum in rate of interest under its housing , consumer and personal loan scheme and a complete waiving off of processing fee under its housing, car, consumer, pensioners’ and personal loan schemes. The bonanza is in continuation of several measures initiated by the bank in the recent past to meet public demands in its various retail lending schemes towards making the same more customer friendly.

BMS DEMANDS: Mr A.C. Atwal , Chairman of the Bhartiya Masihi Sanstha, has asked the Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, to pay adequate attention to the deplorable condition of the downtrodden classes in Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. According to the sanstha, this situation prevailed due to non-implementation of the reservation policies framed by the Central Government and the state government from time to time. The chairman alleged that the anti-scheduled caste minded administration set aside all the Acts, Laws and instructions issued for the reservations of these classes. The sanstha has also written to the President and the Prime Minister in this connection and sought their interference to set things right.

MARRIAGE OF POOR GIRLS: Shri Gyan Sthal Mandir Sabha would marry off two poor girls on Wednesday at a function at the temple, according to a press note issued by the temple body here on Thursday.

MACHHIWARA
RESTRUCTURE EXAMINATIONS: Hailing the decision by the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, to restructure its exam system, prominent educationists of the town have urged the Punjab School Education Board to review its examination system as well. In a press note Mr Hardial Singh, a retired Principal, requested the board authorities to adopt restructured examination system of the CBSE especially for classes X and XII. In the meeting held here on Wednesday, the educationists condemned the education board for not providing syllabi and books of certain subjects for the session. They added that it was unfortunate that incomplete syllabi were being sold at book depots.

RAMLEELA BEGINS: The Sarv Hitkari Sabha began the staging of Ramleela on Tuesday night. The programme, which is likely to continue for 12 days, will throw light on the life history of Lord Rama.

PHILLAUR
SBI FUNCTION: A mass loaning function was organised by the State Bank of India’s main branch at Punjab Police Academy here on Wednesday. The Additional Director General of Police, Mr D.R. Bhatti, presided over the function and Mr D.L. Manwani, General Manager (D and PB), SBI distributed loans among the PPA staff. Mr Manwani appraised the audience of various loan schemes of the bank. Mr Bhatti praised the customer service provided by the bank. Mr D.S. Bengali, Deputy General Manager, SBI, zonal office Ludhiana, and Mr Bharat Bhushan, Assistant General Manager, Phillaur branch, were also present at the function.

PATHANKOT
EYE CHECK-UP CAMP: A free eye check-up camp was organised by the Ambedkar Club here on Wednesday. District Congress Committee president Raghunath Sahai Puri inaugurated the camp. A team of doctors performed the operations after check-up.

STRIKE: The local Bar Association observed strike on Wednesday to protest against the inadequate security in the court complex. A delegation of lawyers led by Mr Inderjit Verma, president of the association, met Ms Bhawna Garg, SDM, over the issue on Tuesday.

PATIALA
SHATROOPA: The Song and Drama Division of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is set to present a sound-and-light programme titled ‘Shatroopa’ based on the theme of women’s contribution and their condition to the contemporary society. Directed by Prem Mitiyani, the two-hour programme will be staged at Chandigarh, Raipur, Delhi and Lucknow.

CAMP: The Income Tax department on Thursday organised an awareness camp regarding the 1/6th scheme, introduced recently by the department, at Government Girls High School, Anardana Chowk. The camp, organised in collaboration with the Bir Dasondhi Ram Foundation and the Lions Club, Patiala Fort, was inaugurated by Ms Sukhminder Khanna, Additional Commissioner, Income Tax.

CELEBRATIONS: Woollen clothes were distributed to orphans residing at Shakuntla Girls Higher Secondary School in the Gandhinagar area of the city as part of the celebrations of ‘aatam sakshartar divas’ (Self-realisation day) of Shri Asaram Bapu held here on Thursday. Hundreds of devotees took part in the celebrations along with the representatives of the Shri Yog Vedant Seva Samiti.

BREAST CANCER: Women of the region are more prone to breast and cervix cancer, while the males are susceptible to oral cavity and intestinal cancer. This was stated by Dr Manjit Singh Bal, Professor and Head of the Pathology Department, Government Medical College, while delivering a lecture on cancer and its related aspects organised by the Rotary Club here on Thursday. Dr Bal stressed the intake of green vegetables and fibre rich diet for the prevention of intestinal cancer. He said early detection of breast cancer can be made through ‘breast self-examination’ and needle tests. He added that oral cancer was common in individuals who take tobacco in one or the other form. It can be prevented by reducing the intake of pan masala, gutkas and reduced smoking.

PRTC UNION: The General Secretary of the PRTC Workers’ Union (AITUC), Mr Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday said slogans such as ‘Save PRTC’ would be started from the month of November to protest against the corrupt atmosphere prevailing in the department. Giving this information here, Mr Dhaliwal appealed to various organisations working under the PRTC to work unitedly against the corrupt practices of the government. Mr Dhaliwal lamented that negligence on part of the authorities has led to the non-payment of arrears to the workers for the past three years.

TARN TARAN
KRISHI CARDS: As many as 104 Krishi Cards worth Rs 32 lakh were distributed among farmers of the area at a function organised by the local branch of Panjab National Bank. The function was presided over by Mr S.S. Arora, Chief Manager, Senior Regional Manager Office, Amritsar. More than 300 farmers attended the function.

BOOKED: About 1 kg of opium was seized from the possession of Charan Singh, a resident of border town of Khemkaran and a case under Sections 18, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act registered, the police said here on Wednesday.

WOMAN DIES: Balbir Kaur (60), a resident of Booh Havelian village, who was injured seriously by three persons of the same village two days ago, succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday in an Amritsar hospital, the police said on Wednesday. A case has been registered against Hoshiar Singh, Partap Singh and one of their relatives. Her husband, too, was injured by the assailants.

HARYANA

AMBALA
CUSTOMER MEET: A customer meet was recently organised by Ambala Cantonment and Ambala City branches of UCO Bank. Bank’s chief officer V.K. Sharma gave details about different deposit and advance schemes to customers. he said emphasis was laid on the bank’s new credit schemes like UCO Trader, UCO Shelter and the bank’s education loan scheme. He said the bank offered one per cent additional interest to senior citizens on term deposits.

HUNGER STRIKE: Congress municipal councillors of Ambala Sadar on Thursday held a day-long hunger strike outside the Municipal Council office against the new house tax policy. The Congress municipal councillors, Mr Hira Lal Yadav, Dr Ved Prakash, Mr Sudhir Jaiswal, Ms Anita Trehan, Ms Neelam Sharma, Ms Sunila Vig, Ms Suresh Ran, Ms Chanchal Kumari and Ms Mahindro Devi sat on hunger strike. Meanwhile, at a meeting of the block Congress Committee, Ambala Cantonment, the call for “Haryana bandh” on November 2 given by the HPCC was welcomed. The activists at the meeting said the bandh would mark the protest against the anti-people policies of the state government.

BHIWANI
BEATEN TO DEATH: A person was beaten to death allegedly by six persons at Devsar village, 10 km from here. The police has registered a case under Sections 148, 149 and 302 on the complaint of the brother of the deceased. The SP, Dr Suman Manjri, said here on Wednesday that the victim, Madan had been attacked by Padam, Raj Kumar, Uttam, Upender, Devinder and Nar Singh when he was going to fields in the morning. Madan, succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday night.

FATEHABAD
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT DAY: The district police organised a function at the local Government College for Women on Wednesday under its week-long programme to commemorate the Women Empowerment Day. The Inspector-General of Police, Hisar Division, Mr John P. George, was the chief guest. Mr George asked women to feel free to visit police stations to seek justice. The police stations would soon have complaint boxes installed in front of them, he added.

OPIUM SEIZED: The police recovered 1.5 kg of opium from a person, Dalip Singh, at the old bus stand in Rattia town on Wednesday. The SP, Mr Hanif Qureshi, said the accused was bringing the contraband from Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. The accused has been arrested under the NDPS Act. The police also arrested six persons under the Excise Act and recovered 127 bottles of illicit liquor and 50 polypacks of liquor from their possession.

SUICIDE BY COUPLE: A farmer and his wife committed suicide by consuming a pesticide at Khabra Khurd village in the district on Tuesday evening. The victim’s relatives said Subhash and his wife Rekha had sown cotton on 10 acres of their land. The crop was damaged due of the American bollworm. Subhash was upset and so he took the extreme step. On seeing her husband struggling for life, Rekha, too, consumed the pesticide.

HISAR
CASE REGISTERED: A case has been registered against 15 relatives of local Congress leader and former president of the local Municipal Council Bihari Lal Rara for grabbing property of an 80-year-old widow. The Judicial Magistrate, hansi, Mr Jai Bhagwan Gupta, had directed the police to register a case against them on a criminal complaint filed by ms chandrawali Devi, a close relative of the Raras. In her complaint, she said she had inherited property worth crores after the death of her husband. The accused had made her sign some documents at gunpoint and got her property transferred, she alleged.

ROHTAK
RE-ELECTION DEMANDED: Residents of eight villages have threatened to block traffic on NH-10 if the re-election for the post of Director, Meham Sugar Mills, from Zone number 2 is not conducted within a week. The election from the zone at Madina was cancelled following reports of irregularities on October 10. A delegation of people from Madina, Mokhra, Nidana, Girawar, Ajaib, Bharan, Kharkara and Balambha villages met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, on the issue.