R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
ARRESTED: In a major crackdown on gamblers the district police on Tuesday arrested as many as 63 persons for betting and gambling and recovered more than Rs 63,000 from them. A case has been registered against them.

GURDASPUR
UNEARTHED: The police has unearthed a private distillery at Rajuwal village and recovered 120 kg of lahan. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, told newsmen here on Wednesday that three stills were also raided. Shinda Masih and Stephen Masih were arrested whereas Sabhi, one of their accomplices, escaped. A case under the Excise Act has been registered at Dhariwal police station.

HOSHIARPUR
SEIZED: The Sadar police on Wednesday seized 108 bottles of the IMFL from Raman Kumar and Inderjit of the Malka Chowk Mohalla. In another case the Mahilpur police has seized 175 kg of poppy husk from Deesho, wife of Jit Ram and Shakuntla, wife of Mohinder Ram, all residents of Mugopatti and Bhajan of Srhala. They have been booked under the NDPS Act.

MEETING: A joint meeting of police officers of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh will be held at Talwara on August 9. According to a spokesman of the police, SSPs of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Una, Kangra, Chamba, Jammu, Kathua and Doda will participate in the meeting alongwith DIGs of all adjoining police ranges of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

SNATCHED: Raju Bhaia Behari, a labourer working at Amrik Singh’s farm, allegedly snatched ear rings from Kamro, wife of Bhanna Ram while she was cutting fodder in her fields at Shamchaurasi 20 km from here on Wednesday. The Hariana police has registered a case in this regard.

LUDHIANA
SEMINAR: The National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA), Ludhiana, will organise a seminar on management of gallstones and urinary stones on Saturday at Hotel Marriot. Dr Surendra Gupta, secretary of the association, in a press note on Thursday requested NIMA graduates in Ludhiana district to attend the meet. Dr Rajesh Thapar, president, NIMA, said the association would organise educational seminars regularly so that members could be updated about new trends in the field of modern, as well as ayurvedic system of medicine and surgery.

APPOINTED: Capt S.K. Datta, convener of the Human Rights Department of the Ex-servicemen Cell of the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee, has nominated Mr Sita Ram Malik as district convener of the Ludhiana (urban) unit. In a communication to this effect, Mr Malik has been authorised to nominate office-bearers of the unit at the block, the ward and the booth level and give a shape to organisational set up to fight against violation of human rights against ex-servicemen.

TRAINING COURSE: An advanced training course on ‘Nutrient and water management in crops and cropping systems’ organised by the Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology, Punjab Agricultural University, concluded here on Wednesday. Dr J.S. Kolar, Director, Extension Education, said the course was timely as the water table was declining at an alarming rate, particularly in the central districts of the state. He said the southern districts were facing water-logging problems, besides poor quality of irrigation-water. Dr M.S. Tiwana, Dean, College of Agriculture, stressed on ill-effects of imbalance of nutrients and their adverse effect of the crop productivity. He also emphasised on the need to reorient education under the changing agricultural scenario.

SUNAM
NOMINATED: Mr Surinder Goyal, press secretary, Akali Dal (Amritsar), has been nominated member of the Telephone Advisory Committee for the Sangrur circle.

HARYANA

AMBALA
LIQUOR BOTTLES SEIZED: Around 1,100 liquor bottles that were being transported in a mini truck were seized by the police on Wednesday night. The truck was going from Ambala to Yamuna Nagar when it was pulled over at a nake at Dosarka chowk.

HIKE IN PENSION MONEY: The monthly pension to widows of former soldiers has been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 400. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr D.D. Gautam, said the pension, being given through the Zila Sainik Board, had been doubled and the widow pensioners concerned should submit their living certificate attested by the Patwari within 15 days, according to a release.

MEETING: A meeting of the Haryana Vikas Party was held under the leadership of the general secretary, Mr Jitendra Singh, on Thursday. The meeting was attended by activists from Ambala City as well as Ambala Cantt. They decided to undertake an awareness campaign on the policies of Mr Bansi Lal. A meeting would also be held at Matheri Sekhan on August 14.

PROTEST: The president of the district Congress committee (urban), Mr Ashok Jain, on Thursday said they would start a protest against the declaration of colonies in Mahesh Nagar area as unauthorised next week. He said initially around 100 forms were distributed in the area to assess the situation. He said people had been residing in the colonies for past several years and would protest the move by the government.

ECOLOGY FAIR: A fair on environment was held at the local Army School on Wednesday. Principal of the school said various facets of environmental science were shown with the help of charts and models prepared by its students. He said the aim of the fair was to ensure the involvement of students in the conservation of environment, according to a press note.

FATEHABAD
PATROL DUTY: The District Magistrate, Mr R.B. Langyaan, on Wednesday issued orders under the Punjab Villages and Small Towns Patrol Act 1918 making it compulsory for all able-bodied males to patrol all canals and distributaries in the district for preventing the theft of water. He has directed the District Development and Panchayat Officer, Fatehabad, to ensure the implementation of the order.

INJURED: Eleven jawans were injured when their truck over- turned near Daryapur village in the district. The injured were taken to general hospital, Fatehabad. They were discharged after first aid. Doctors attending on them said none of the soldiers had any serious injury. According to reports, the jawans were going to Mandi Dabwali in an Army truck, when it overturned near Daryapur village. The injured identified as Vikram, Suresh, Dayanand, Balbir Singh, Sardar Singh, Surender Singh, Balwant Singh, Ram Phal, Uttam and Tal Mal were injured in the accident. They belonged to the Garwal area of Uttaranchal.

HISAR
TWO KILLED: Two persons were crushed to death by a truck near Shankri village on the Hansi-Tosham road in the district on Wednesday, the police said on Thursday. According to the police, Ram Kishan, a security guard in the Union of India, Hansi Branch, was returning to his native village Shankri along with Munshi Ram when the truck hit their motor cycle from behind and killed them on the spot. A case has been registered in this regard.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DISTRIBUTED: Food items worth Rs 18.42 lakh have been distributed till July under the Sampurn Gramin Sawrojgar Yojna. This was stated by the ADC, Mr Sharbh Negi, while presiding over the meeting of officers of the Rural Development Agency here on Thursday. He said 851 houses had been constructed under Indira Awas Yojna.