MANSA
DCC PROTEST: The District Congress Committee (DCC) led by its president, Mr Sher Singh Gagowal, staged a dharna at the district courts complex on Thursday in protest against the reinduction of Mr George Fernandes into the Council of Ministers. The speakers criticised the Vajpayee government for the reinduction at the time when the Justice Venkataswami Commission constituted to inquire into the Tehelka scandal was yet to give its finding. They also criticised the reinduction of Mr Harin Ramchandra Pathak as the Minister of State for Defence Production when he was facing a criminal case relating to 1984 riots.

KISAN CAMP: Wheat crop will be sown in 1,60,000 hectares as against 1,63,000 hectares during the last year in the district. The area under gram, barley and oilseeds is being enhanced, stated Ms Raji P. Srivastva, Deputy Commissioner, while inaugurating the district-level kisan training camp on Thursday. She stressed the need of holding such camps in every village to apprise the farmers of latest techniques of cultivation. Dr Balbir Singh Sidhu, Joint Director, Agriculture, said. Punseed had received Rs 5 crore for the supply of good quality seed to farmers. The corporation would supply 85,000 quintals of certified seeds at the rate of Rs 1100 per quintal.

OCTROI ABOLITION: The Mansa unit of the Punjab Municipal Workers Union has opposed the abolition of octroi in the state. The union members said it would create unemployment and deprive the people living in the urban areas of basic amenities. They further said that with the income derived from the octroi, the civic bodies not only paid salaries to their employees but also maintained basic amenities like sanitation, sewerage, street lights, roads and water supply etc.

APPOINTED: Capt Amarinder Singh, President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), has appointed Mr Tej Pal Malwa, a senior Congress leader of the district, as special invitee to the executive committee of the PPCC.

PROCUREMENT: The deputy commissioner on Friday said that so far various government agencies had purchased 1,62,562 MT of paddy in the district as against only 64,005 MT purchased during the corresponding period last year. She further said that 81 per cent of the paddy had already been lifted from the purchase centres. A sum of Rs 44.94 crore has already been paid to the farmers, she added.

ALLEGATIONS: Mr Baldev Singh, block president, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta), alleged that no inspector of any government agency had visited the Aila Kalan purchase centre of paddy. He stated here on Thursday that the farmers were waiting for 20 days for the sale of paddy. He further alleged that the commission agents were not issuing “pucca bills” for the purchase of paddy and only “kachi parchi” was being given.

PATHANKOT
DOWRY CASE: The police has booked Kuldip Singh, husband, Karnail Singh, father-in-law and Surinder Kaur, mother-in-law, residents of Dhanna Cheema village at Qadian police station for allegedly misappropriating the dowry articles of Baljit Kaur. The police has registered a case against the in-laws under Section 406, 498A, 34 of the IPC.

PATIALA
QUIZ CONTEST: S.K. Gupta, general secretary, on Friday said the Indian Association of Biology Teachers (Colleges) in collaboration with Government Mohindra College will organise the 5th Punjab State Inter-College Biology Quiz Contest at Government Mohindra College here on Saturday. 

EMPLOYEES UNION: The Class-IV Government Employees Union has decided to observe Black Day on Tuesday in protest against the callours attitude of the Punjab Government in implementing demands of its employees stating this here on Friday general secretary and president of the union, Mr Roop Lal Bagha and Mr Darshan Singh Labana, respectively, said a procession would be held to mark the protest.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Dr Manjit Singh has been elected President of the Punjab Professional Social Workers Association at a meeting held here on Friday. Other elected members are; vice-president — Mr Sukhminder Singh; secretary — Mr Jupiter Sharma; press secretary — Dr Dharam Pal Singh; and treasurer — Mr Hardeep Kaur.

ROAD TAX: The Private Bus Operators Union on Friday demanded that various categories of the Special Road Tax (SRT) should be reduced keeping in view the route permits allotted to bus operators. Giving this information, senior vice-president of the Union, Mr Manjit Singh, said a delegation of the union met the Punjab CM, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, on Friday and demanded reduction in the SRT.

ROPAR
ELECTORAL ROLLS: Electoral rolls in the district would be revised from November 3 to November 29. Anyone who has attained the age of 18 on January, 2002, can apply for enlistment as voter within the said period. The district election officer, Mr Gurinder Singh Grewal, gave this information in a press note issued here on Thursday.

MARRIAGE PERFORMED: The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Women today solemnised the marriage of Ms Devi Kaur with Mr Balvir Singh. The girl belongs to the weaker section of society.

Ms Poonam Sharma , president of the society, urged social organisations to help arrange such marriages as these would help in curbing the evil of dowry and casteism. She also urged NGOs to create social awareness about female infanticide and female foeticide as the declining female-male ratio was a dangerous development which should be checked.

PANCHKULA
DISTRIBUTED: About 40 sewing machines were distributed to needy women at Sultanpur and Paploha villages by the Minister of State for Social Welfare, Mr Risal Singh, here on Friday. The women were also given certificates for tailoring course. 

SANCTIONED: The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for Lalchand Research Library, DAV College, Chandigarh, for scientific preservation, repair and restoration of sanskrit manuscripts. The library has more than 10,000 manuscripts dating back to the 14th century on paper, palm leaf and berch bark and 9,000 old and rare books on a variety of subjects.

SAS NAGAR
BABY SHOW: The local unit of the Ranbaxy Community Healthcare organised a healthy baby show at Sahaurran village in Ropar district, near here on Friday. During the contest the mothers were informed about the health status of their children, hygiene, nutrition and immunisation. Dr R.S. Saggu, Chief Medical Officer, Ropar, honoured the organisers of the show. A team of doctors headed by Dr J.S. Thakur from GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh, examined the participants. 

BILASPUR
LEGAL CAMP: A “Legal literacy camp” was held at Ghumarwin, near here, on Wednesday. It was prsided over by Mr S.K.Chaudhary, member secretary, HP State Legal Services Authority. Mr Chaudhary appealed to the people to launch an awareness campaign regarding free legal aid being provided to the weaker sections in the state. The participants were also addressed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr S.L. Sharma, the Additional CJM, Mr Purender Vaidya, the Ghumarwin Bar Association President, Mr Gianchand Rattan and the SDM , Mr Subhash Nanda.

27 ARRESTED: Twentyseven Congress Seva Dal leaders drawn from various parts of the state, including their chief organiser, Baldev Thakur, and five women members, were arrested by the police here on Wednesday under Sections 107 and 151 of the Cr PC while they were trying to demonstrate against the BJP “vikas yatra rally”, which was addressed by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal. Two policemen received injuries as the leaders resisted the arrest.

KANGRA
CAR RECOVERED: The Kangra police on Wednesday night arrested four teenagers for stealing a Maruti car from Kotwali Bazar in Dharamsala and recovered the stolen car from them. The additional police chief, Mr N.D.Sareen, said the car (no HP 02-5101) was stolen on Wednesday evening. Those arrested are Jai Shanker, Bhola Shanker and Sunil Kumar, all residents of Bhadoi village, near Dharamsala, and Sanjoo of Dadno.

KULU
CONGRESS DHARNA: The District Congress Committee activists held a dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here on Thursday on a call given by the All-India Congress Committee against the reinduction of Mr George Fernandes into the Council of Ministers. They submitted a memorandum to the President of India, through the Deputy Commissioner. Mr Satya Prakash Thakur, spokesman for the party, said they also demanded a judicial inquiry into the lathi charge on the Congress workers at Bilaspur on Wednesday.

NAHAN
HUSBAND HELD: Raksha Devi of Paonta Sahib died on Wednesday. The police has arrested her husband, Lal Singh, on the complaint of her brother, Mr Dharam Pal Sharma. It was alleged in the complaint that Lal Singh used to harass the deceased by demanding money from her.

SHIMLA
CULTURAL FUNCTION: The Student’s Central Association (SCA) organised a cultural function on the Himachal Pradesh University campus here on Thursday. Folk dances from Himachal Pradesh and Punjabi bhangra drew a loud applause from the students. Mr Narinder Bragta, Horticulture Minister, was the chief guest.