R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
YATRIS FLEECED: Ms Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, BJP’s state vice-president has criticised the J&K government for demanding unreasonably high charges from Amarnath and Vaishno Devi pilgrims where facilities were poor. She wanted that funds for the pilgrimage and their utilisation be publicised.

VARSITY PROJECT: Dr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Reader, Punjab School of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University has been sanctioned Rs 3.57 lakh by he Indian Council of Social Science (ICSSR), new Delhi for “Analysis of the Impact of Education, Health and Nutrition on the level of living in the Border villages of Punjab.

Bathinda
FAKE BT COTTON SEEDS: High Grow Biotech Private — a Hisar-based company and Gurdarshan Singh of Lakhewali village have been booked for cheating under Sections 420, 120 of IPC by for selling fake Bt cotton seed. Mr Baljinder Singh purchased Bt cotton seeds from the Naruana village bus stand for Rs 2100 per bag of 750 gm. He purchased 15 bags. When he sowed the seed it was found to be spurious.

HELD FOR FRAUD: Vishal Bhatia, who allegedly defrauded Canara Bank here by using alleged by a fake cheques of a US-based bank was arrested on Tuesday. He was remanded in police custody till August 6 by a court here on Wednesday. Vishal Bhatia, a resident of Jalandhar posed as an NRI and opened an account with the bank and withdrew more than Rs 10 lakh from the bank. He had committed the fraud with the help of Bhinder, Rinku and Raju. They are yet to be arrested.

Hoshiarpur
PANEL FOR COMPLAINTS: Flood control rooms at tehsil headquarters in the district will also deal with complaints of water and electricity supply. Farmers can make complaints in these rooms on power supply, damage to transformers and unavailability of water from canals. Committees in all subdivisions headed by SDMs had been constituted to deal with complaints. The committees will meet daily to dispose of complaints.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner, said here on Wednesday that Health Department employees would visit houses to deliver birth certificate at the doorstep of concerned. He added the government had empowered panchayat secretaries to issue birth and death certificates in Punjab from January 1, 2004.

SOLDIERS REMEMBERED: As many as 81 Army personnel of Hoshiarpur district sacrificed their lives from January 1, 1999 till today. Mr Gopal Krishan Sabherwal, additional Deputy Commissioner disclosed it at a meeting of the District Sainik Welfare Board here on Wednesday. Earlier homage was paid to those who died fighting for the nation.

SAVERA: Dr Avnish Ohri was elected president of ‘Savera’ on Tuesday, the organisation has set up a cell under Dr Sardul Singh and Mr Harish Saini to create awareness about cancer.

LUDHIANA
office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab Jail Guards Association, Central Jail unit: patron — Mr Gurjit Singh Penta; president — Mr Mahesh Lal Attri; vice-president —Mr Kamaljit Singh; cashier —Mr Gian Chand; secretary— Mr Hakam Singh; and chief adviser — Mr Kuldip Singh.

kirtan samagam: The gurdwara management committee and the Gurmat Ragi Sabha will organise an ‘amrit varkha kirtan samagam’ at Housing Board Colony in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar here on Sunday. Langar will be served on the conclusion of the kirtan darbar.

Sangrur
RETIRES: Mr Harbhajan Singh Cheema, General Manager of the Sangrur Milk Plant was given a farewell party by his colleagues on his superannuation on Tuesday.

HARYANA

Bhiwani
KARAMCHARI MAHASANGH: The Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh on Wednesday observed the ‘Demand Day’ and sought adjustment of retrenched employees of the Haryana Tubewell Corporation. They demanded an end to privatisation and contract system in the department, changes in medical and house allowances, removal of anomalies and revised wages from January 1996 for employees of the Harijan Kalyan Nigam.

APPOINTED: Mr Mahender Yadav, general secretary of the Janata Dal Youth Wing has been appointed state president of the organisation according to Mr Gobind Yadav, national president of the party.

Kaithal
BLOOD DONATION: Sixty-seven units of blood was collected at a blood donation camp organised by the District Red Cross Society here at the Co-Operative Sugar Mill on Wednesday. Mr Pankaj Yadav, ADC, who inaugurated this camp, was among the donors.

REDRESSED: Fifty-seven public complaints out of 62 were redressed at an open durbar presided over by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pankaj Yadav on Wednesday. Mr Yadav directed Municipal Council Executive Officer to order construction of a road at the Udyog Marg and provide sanitation and streetlight in Adarsh Nagar.

SP’S WARNING: Any one lodging false complaint with the police will be strictly dealt with. Superintendent of police, Ranbir Sharma, said here on Wednesday that people making false complaints with the police to settle personal scores wasted time of police officials and gave out negative impression of the police.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Chamba
HAILED: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) hailed the decision of Himachal government for declaring Chamba, as “heritage Town”.

Kumarhatti
UPGRADED: The Government primary school here and the middle school at Chewa near here have been upgraded to middle and high level, respectively. Besides this, a veterinary dispensary at Kheel Barser has been opened. Mr Ramesh Chauhan, panchayat pradhan, Mr Ashok Sood, vice-president of the Solan District Congress Committee and traders here thanked Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister for this.

Shimla
PROMOTED: Mr R.N. Sharma, Superintending Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health, Hamirpur, has been promoted and posted Chief Engineer, South Zone, Shimla.

CM’S ADVICE TO POLICE: Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh underlined coordination between various wings of the police for maintaining law and order. Reviewing police functioning at a high-level meeting here on Wednesday, he said efforts be made to ensure that there was no law and order problem in the state.