Illegal mining endangers bridge
From Bipin Bhardwaj
From Our Correspondent

BHANKHARPUR, July 8 — Certain contractors have been indulging in illegal mining on the bed of the Ghaggar, endangering the bridge on National Highway No.22 near here.

While the Punjab Mining Department is losing revenue to the tune of crores of rupees, the practice of unchecked mining has become a boon for contractors. They are making a quick buck by mining scores of truckload of soil, sand and gravel everyday.

The mining on the bed of the river can be witnessed from afar and the workers are now digging and inching towards the spans of the bridge. The pillar-wells are hardly at a distance of 10 feet from the pits dug by the violators of the mining Act.

According to sources, the contractors dealing in the supply of sand and gravel are having a field day, allegedly in connivance with officials of the Mining Department.

Besides labourers, JVC machines are also being used to dig and lift the soil. Thousands of cubic feet of soil is being lifted and loaded from this particular site everyday.

The deep open pits near the supporting pillars could damage the foundations, especially with the monsoon setting in.

If the bridge is damaged, it will affect the traffic on the highway as it is the only approach road to Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Thousands of commuters cross this bridge daily.

Mr Ramji Dass, a contractor, said that he had given Rs 20.5 lakh as contract money in lumpsum to the Mining and Geology Department. "Now, I have sub-contracted the work to someone else and I'm charging money on each truck loaded", he said.

Mr Dass further added that the soil is being lifted with the consent of the PWD authorities.

He denied that sand or soil was being lifted from near the bridge-wells with JVC machines. However, the role of some mischievous persons in lifting soil with the help of machines during night could not be ruled out, he admitted.

Meanwhile, the PWD authorities clarified that no one had been permitted to mine near the base of the bridge-pillars, which is a restricted zone. The authorities said that the river had gathered a thick silt-bed under the bridge which was hindering the equal flow of water across all the spans between the pillars. To make the water flow equal, it is necessary to remove the silt-beds. However, they denied that permission to clear the silt beds had been given to any contractor.

According to the Mining Officer, Mr S. P. Singh, no mining could be undertaken within a 50 to 60 metres from the edge of the bridge either upstream or downstream. If there is any, then it is a violation of the mining Act.

Expressing ignorance of mining, he said, "I have been newly appointed here and I am not much aware about the actual position of mining on the bed of the river anywhere."

40,000 new voters in UT
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — The voter list of the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency has swelled with the registration of a significant number of new voters this year and the increase is relatively much more in the UT as compared to other parts of the country.

While at the national level, the average increase in the number of new voters has been recorded at a rate of only 2 per cent to 3 per cent, Chandigarh alone has registered an increase of 8 per cent to 9 per cent.

According to official sources, this year as many as 40,000 new voters, including those who have attained the age of 18 years and are bona fide residents of the city, will be added to the electoral rolls being revised currently. With this increase, the number of voters which presently stands at 5,34,000 will jump to 5,75,000.

This follows the special exercise which was undertaken by the UT Election Commission in two phases for updating the rolls on the guidelines issued by the Election Commission.

Besides receiving requests for the issuance of new voter cards on the basis of revised electoral rolls during the drive, the administration entertained the claims of the residents for correction, alteration, deletion or inclusion of entries in the already existing rolls.

Sources attributed the increase in numbers to the motivation of people by the administration to get their names included so that they could avail themselves of the benefits associated with it.

They maintain that a voter I-card has become a source of identity for getting benefits of various government schemes. For instance, it is sufficient proof for getting ration cards and allotment of dwelling units and flats under housing board schemes etc. These cards also help the migrant population of the city to claim themselves as the bona fide residents of a particular area where they reside.

The other reason could be the proximity to the general election as the political education of voters appealing them to get themselves registered also has an impact, particularly on those residing in colonies and rural areas.

Though the exact figures are not available, the number of claims received from the migrant population was the maximum. As a result, the number of new voters from this segment is likely to be more in the voter list.

After the scrutiny of forms, 11 assistant electoral registration officers decided the claims submitted. The work of data entry of these lists has been given to Hartron, the state-level agency for this constituency. The revised list so prepared will have the integration of all the supplementary rolls with the mother roll of 1995, when an intensive revision had been undertaken. The new list, which is to be displayed by July 21 will contain the revised rolls of 1996, 1998 and 1999. With the addition in the number of voters, the number of polling stations will also be augmented. While at present there are 615 polling stations, including the auxiliary polling centres, the number is likely to be increased to 650.

Meanwhile, the department has asked the Medical Officer Health to give them a data of the people who have died in the city during the past five years so that their names could be deleted from the rolls.

MBBS (II) results out
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Panjab University declared the results of MBBS Part II examination for the final professional year of the course here today. The results will be available at the new enquiry building of the university.

The results of the entrance test conducted by the university from June 19 to June 21 for admission to M.Sc. (Hons) and the M.Sc. two-year course will also be declared tomorrow, according to a press note issued by the Controller of Examination.

The result gazettes will be available at the new enquiry building from 10 am to 5 pm. Enquiries about the results can also be made on telephone numbers 541053 and 541441 (extension 1104) and on the internet at the address http://www.puchd.ac.in/result.

The university is likely to declare the results of the final-year examinations of B.A., B.Sc. and B.Com. this week. Last year, the results for the final-year examinations of B.A. and B.Com. were declared on July 6 while the result of B.Sc. was declared on June 30. This year, despite the conclusion of examinations 32 days behind schedule, the university is making efforts to stick to the tentative schedule of the declaration of results.

Most of the work in the examination branch is concentrated on compiling the results for final-year classes, which is being given top priority to enable students who have appeared in other examinations to seek admissions and placements in other universities.

Remove red lights by Monday, DC told
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Chandigarh, Mr Ram Sekhar, to get red lights atop all private vehicles removed by Monday.

This oral order was issued by Mr Justice Swatantar Kumar while hearing arguments on a few applications filed, among others, by Mr G.S. Tohra, a former president of the SGPC, seeking exemption for wearing helmets for Sikh women.

Earlier the judge quizzed the Deputy Commissioner, who was present in the courtroom, why zebra crossings had not been printed until now. “Let me know which VIP had the permission for red lights? Why no action had been taken by the Administration to implement the high court judgement handed down on July 9 last year when the Supreme Court had upheld it? Why had the two shops raised in the middle of the road in Sector 24 not been demolished so far? Why appropriate measures have not been taken to curb the sale of helmets in the blackmarket?”

“You are a young officer. Either comply with the orders (of the high court) or be prepared for the consequences,” the judge warned.

Adjourning the case to Tuesday next, Mr Justice Swantantar Kumar observed that the Advocate-General of Haryana and the Deputy Advocate-General of Punjab prayed for time to file status report (about the implementation of the High Court judgement). “Let the status report be filed and order on which the stay has been vacated by the Supreme Court he complied with,” he said.

In its order the High Court had issued various directions to the Punjab and Haryana Governments and the Union Territory of Chandigarh about the enforcement of traffic regulations. These included use of helmets by pillion riders, five years’ experience for school bus drivers and a ban on cycle rickshaws in Sector 17.

Mr Justice Sat Pal (since retired) and Mr Justice Swantantar Kumar, who had given the judgement, had directed that all users of two-wheelers and pillion-riders, including women, should wear helmets. This order was, however, not to be applicable to Sikhs wearing turbans. This order was to be enforced within 15 days. That the Supreme Court had stayed the operation of this order on an SLP preferred by the Chandigarh Administration was a different matter.

The Bench had also directed that owners of school buses would have to obtain permits, certificate of roadworthiness, get the vehicles insured and not engage drivers with less than five years of experience. The drivers would have to wear uniforms with nameplates. Schools were directed not to engage any driver who had committed more than three traffic violations. The traffic police was ordered to maintain only one-way traffic in front of each school.

The judgement had also banned the use of blue or red lights atop private cars. Escorts and pilot cars of VVIPs were not allowed to jump red lights.

Among other directives issued by the court were a ban on power or musical horns, removal of black films from vehicles, except those which faced security risk, removal of all neon signs, hoardings and boards on main roads, particularly the GT Road, one-way traffic in Sectors 27 and 17, setting up of pollution centres in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, and taking of samples of petrol from different stations and conduct of necessary tests.

Any violation of these directives, the Bench had ruled, would entail proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act.

Tough tasks await new Commissioner
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Managing the affairs of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) is going to be an arduous task for Mr M.P. Singh, an IAS officer of the 1986 batch of Punjab cadre, who assumed charge as the Commissioner of the civic body today.

He has joined at a time when the civic body is unable to generate its own resources and is virtually fund-starved. Its record of providing basic amenities has been lacklustre

Mr Singh has held important posts in the field, including that of ADC at Abohar and Bathinda and DC at Jalandhar, besides that of Managing Director of Sugarfed. He will have his hands full tackling various problems of city residents who want all facilities without paying any extra taxes.

The functioning of streetlights, disposal of garbage, repair of roads and working of storm water drainage system leave much to be desired. The stray cattle menace and erratic water supply, particularly in summer, have brought a bad name to the civic body. The problem of encroachments and providing basic amenities to unauthorised slums will be a challenge for the new chief executive.

During a brief talk with TNS, he said knowing the priorities would be his first priority.

Raising the resources for various development works to be undertaken by the corporation will be an uphill task for the new Commissioner. The implementation of the resolutions passed by the house of the civic body will not be an easy task, keeping in view the opposition from vested interests.

The decision to levy property tax and sewerage charges, revision of water tariff, introduction of paid parking system and removal of encroachments are some of the issues which have wide political implications with Lok Sabha elections round the corner. Implementation of any of these will invite opposition from various quarters, including the ruling group owing allegiance to the former MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain.

So far the corporation has been surviving on grants by the Chandigarh Administration and has not taken any major decision to raise its own resources. The only major decision, to levy parking fee in Sectors 17 and 8, taken last year when Mr Gian Chand Gupta was Mayor, had to be scrapped due to opposition from government employees and traders.

Mr Singh will have a hard time in convincing various quarters, including the 29-member MCC, about the need to impose new taxes. Particularly difficult will be effecting the revision in water tariff, which had not been taken up by the finance and contract committee of the civic body despite repeated efforts by officials.

The Central Government had virtually scrapped the revised fourth phase of the Kajauli water works till the MCC took a number of steps, including the revision of water tariff.

D.S. Saroya is DPI (S)
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Mr D.S. Saroya, PCS, has been appointed Deputy Secretary, Education, and Director, Public Instruction (S), consequent upon his joining the Chandigarh Administration on deputation.

A 1990 batch officer, Mr Saroya has already had stints with the administration. He held the post of Sub-divisional Magistrate ( Central) -cum-Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner.

Mr Daljit Singh Mangat, a PCS officer of the 1991 batch who held the post of Under Secretary, Education-cum-DPI ( Schools), has been repatriated to his parent state of Punjab. Mr Mangat, who was relieved today handed over charge to the new DPI. His new posting is yet to be decided.

Mr Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal, another PCS officer, is yet to join the administration on deputation .

Meanwhile, the Home Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain, has been given additional charge of Administrative Secretary of the Department of Labour and Employment and the Finance Secretary, Mr Rakesh Singh, the charge of Administrative Secretary, Department of Environment , Cooperation and Forest.

Both these charges were earlier held by Mr S.K. Gathwal, Municipal Commissioner, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, whose services have been placed at the disposal of the Delhi Government.

Few takers for com stream
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Admissions to Class XI in the science and commerce streams continued even as the admissions to the arts and vocational courses commenced at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, here today.

In the commerce stream, a total of 74 students were admitted to GMSSS-35 while in GMSSS-16, 47 students sought admission. A total of 172 candidates were admitted to the commerce stream in the nine colleges. However, the government school in Sector 23 is yet to open its account for the session. There are only 19 vacant seats in GMSSS-35 and 43 in GMSSS-16. The vacant seats meant for reserved category will also be converted to those of the general category.

Dr Gulzar Singh, coordinator for the commerce admissions, observed that the response was not as was expected. "There seems to be a saturation as far as the job position goes and there seem to be few takers for the seats,'' he said. Better response is expected tomorrow with admissions for students with 60 per cent and above scheduled to be interviewed. The Education Department has received over 550 forms from students seeking admission.

In the arts stream, 10 students were admitted in the general category in three schools. Eight out of the 10 students were admitted to GMSSS-16 and a student each was given admission in GMSSS-35 and GGSSS-18. A student scoring 91.2 per cent, the highest for the day, sought admission to GMSSS-16.

In the reserved category, there was a lukewarm response to the admission process, with most of the students not turning up for the interview. Keeping this in mind, it was decided to carry over admissions of students from the reserved category to tomorrow also.

In the science stream, there are about 30 seats vacant in the non-medical stream in GMSSS-20 and GHS-Mani Majra. However, there are about 10 seats in each of the government schools at Mani Majra and Sectors 15, 21 and 27.

More donations for Kargil soldiers
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Contributions for the welfare of soldiers wounded at Kargil continue to pour in.

The Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) has donated Rs 3 lakh to the Kargil Martyrs Welfare Fund. A cheque for the amount was presented to Ms Vineeta Rai, Adviser to the Administrator by Mr Satish Chandra, MD. The amount included one day's salary of the staff and an equal contribution from CITCO.

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has contributed Rs 1 lakh to the Punjab and Haryana Chief Minister's Welfare Fund for the welfare of troops fighting at Kargil, according to Mr N.S. Sitta, Honorary Secretary of the council.

Members of the managing committee of the GGDSD College, Sector 32, teachers and non-teaching staff, have contributed Rs 53,803 towards the Army Central Welfare Fund. A sum of Rs 5,000 was contributed by Mr Mohan Lal, President of the managing committee, and a similar amount was donated by Prof Anil Kumar of the college.

A cheque for Rs 50,000, on behalf of the Chandigarh Cement Dealers Association, was presented to the Adviser by Mr Satya Pal Jain, former MP.

Shopkeepers of Sadar Bazar, Sector 19, have contributed Rs 35,000 for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. A cheque for the sum was handed over to the Adviser to the Administrator here today, according to Mr Amrit Pal Singh, a shopkeeper.

The Garhwal Sabha has donated Rs 21,000 to the Army Central Welfare Fund for soldiers fighting in the Kargil sector, according to Mr D.D. Sundriyal, General Secretary of the sabha.

The Jat Sabha has donated Rs 21,000 to the Army Central Welfare Fund, according to Mr R.K. Malik, General Secretary of the sabha.

Employees of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute have donated Rs 21,000 to the PM's Relief Fund.

Members of the Lions Club Chandigarh Vishal have contributed Rs 17,545 for the welfare of jawans fighting at Kargil, according to Mr Sanjay Mehndiratta, Secretary of the club.

Employees of the Food and Supplies Department have donated a day's salary to the PM's Relief Fund.

Employees of the regional office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, have donated one day's salary to the Army Central Welfare Fund.

Employees of the Association of Survey Technologists of the Survey of India, have donated a days salary to the Army Central Welfare Fund, according to Mr C.R. Uniyal, President of the employees' union.

Members of the SDE's Association of the PWD (B and R) have contributed two days' salary to the fund, according to Mr K.S. Rao, a member of the association.

Members of the UT Powermen Association have also donated one day's salary to the fund.

Staff of the UT Hospitality Department have donated Rs 9,100 to the fund. The Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Sector 32-B has donated Rs 11,000 to the Army Central Welfare Fund.

Members of the Retired Railways Pensioners have donated Rs 7,000 to the fund, according to Mr Pritam Singh, Honorary Secretary of the body.

Music programme: The Payal Musical Club will stage a musical programme, 'Vande Mataram', based on patriotic songs on July 11 at Tagore Theatre, in order to pay homage to heroes of Kargil. The programme will be staged in collaboration with the Build India Group and the Lions Club, Chandigarh Plaza.

Lady constable's gesture: A lady constable of the Chandigarh Police, Ms Lajwanti, has donated Rs 5,000 towards the Kargil Martyrs Fund. She paid the money out of her meagre resources and salary. She is said to have been motivated by her 14-year-old daughter to do something for jawans fighting in Kargil.

DERA BASSI

Hospital staff's donation: Staff members of Baba Prithavi Singh Memorial Civil Hospital, Lalru, have sent Rs 5,100 for Kargil heroes. According to Mr Daler Singh Multani, the members have donated their one day's salary for the welfare of soldiers fighting on the Line of Control (LoC).

Dog trainers to raise funds for Kargil heroes

THE Northern India Dog Trainers and Handlers Welfare Association will organise an unusual march of about 25 dogs, their owners and a large number of dog lovers on July 10 to raise funds for Kargil heroes. The Solidarity March will start from Sukhna Lake at 6 p.m. and will conclude at Sector 17.

According to Mr Shiv Kaushal, General Secretary of the association, almost all major species of dogs, including German shepherds, cocker spaniels, great Danes, rotweilers and German spitz, will participate in the march along with their masters for raising funds for the war heroes. During the march, four members of the association will carry boxes for collection of funds.

Every dog owner will contribute Rs 500 towards the fund being raised for families of Kargil martyrs. The money will be handed over to the army authorities at Chandi mandir, said Mr Kaushal. He appealed to dog lovers to join the march to make it a success.

Appointment of Deans deferred
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 —The appointment of the the three Deans, namely the Dean, Student Welfare, Dean, Foreign Student, and the Dean, Alumni Relations, has been hanging fire for over three months and the meeting scheduled for July 10 has been re-scheduled for July 15. The Vice -Chancellor, Prof M.M. Puri, says that this has been done because of certain administrative reasons which require immediate attention.

Initially, a committee was constituted by the Syndicate at its meeting held on March 17 and there was a general feeling among the faculty that the meeting would be held before the meeting of the Senate scheduled for March 28 since the term of the deans occupying office was to expire on March 31. However, no meeting of the seven members under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor could be held.

On April 19, the first meeting of the committee was held but no consensus candidate could emerge and the meeting was deferred for another day due to ``paucity of time''. In May, no meeting of the committee could be convened and most members were of the opinion that the appointment of Deans was being kept in abeyance on account of the absence of Dr K.S. Chugh who was not in the country.

Finally, a meeting was scheduled to be held on June 17 but this was not to be. The meeting could not take place because all members of the committee failed to meet at the appointed time. However, the members who had arrived 15 minutes late said that the office of the Vice -Chancellor was informed of their delay in arrival but the remaining members left the venue. The version of the other side is that the four members had failed to arrive even after a wait of half an hour.

As of now, the university authorities have given the additional charge of the three Deans to the Dean, University Instructions, who has been carrying out the duties since the expiry of the term of the three Deans.

Again, there is speculation that the rescheduling of the meeting from July 10 to July 12 comes in the wake of the absence of Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, a member of the committee, who is abroad and is likely to return in a couple of days. His presence, like that of any of the seven members, will weigh in favour of a particular candidate being appointed or rejected.

A member of the committee opines:``The announcement of the meeting for the tenth of this month was made to placate the various students' organisations who were pressing for the appointment of a regular Dean. The announcement has satisfied the students' organisations who feel they have at least got the ball rolling and it is only a matter of time before regular appointments are made.''

The members of the committee are Prof V.K. Bansal, Dr Rabindranath Sharma, Dr K.S. Chugh, Mr Ashok Goyal, Mr Rajinder Deepa and Mr Rajinder Bhandari while the meeting is to be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.

Garbage litters Sector 46
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Residents of Sector 46-D are at the receiving end owing to presence of heaps of garbage in an open space in the locality for more than six months, with the Municipal Corporation authorities looking the other way.

According to the residents, in spite of a number of complaints to the civic body authorities, no one has bothered to clear the place of garbage and heaps of construction waste lay unattended for a couple of months.

"Our complaints have yielded nothing except promises," said Ms Chaturvedi, a resident. She said heaps of garbage have even started spilling on to the road, thus obstructing the natural flow of rain water.

"The garbage has rendered the rain water drainage system inoperational, due to which the street gets flooded even after a slight rain and we have to trudge through knee-deep water," complained another resident, demanding immediate removal of trash from the green strip in the area.

Technocrats hold rally
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Members of the Agriculture Technocrats Action Committee, Punjab, held a rally in Sector 17 in support of their demands, which included removal of pay disparities and withdrawal of false cases registered by the vigilance bureau.

The protesters from various departments related to agriculture demanded more facilities for the technocrats so that the states could emulate the professional services provided by a country like Israel. The deepening crises in the farm sector could also be solved by pursuing the policies selected by them.

Dr Balwinder Singh and Dr Satnam Singh, President and General Secretary of the organisation, condemned verification of the subsidised sale of phosphatic and potashic fertilisers. Their members had been put behind bars for suggesting change in the process at the behest of fertiliser manufacturers.

The protesters resolved not to verify the subsidy of the fertilisers till the cases were not withdrawn. Similarly, only those subsidised agriculture inputs would be verified which would be routed through the departments concerned.

Dr Sukhdev Mann and Dr Hazara Singh Cheema, senior leaders, said the technocrats working in the feed and fodder wing of the agriculture departments should be treated at a par with veterinarians. They demanded focus on proper feeding and treatment of cattle.

The problems being faced by the technocrats of the soil conservation department in regard to time-bound promotions and scales were also highlighted.

The agitators passed another resolution demanding proper implementation of various farmer-friendly schemes being run by the department by setting up a revolving/reserve fund by providing Rs 10 crore Rs 2 crore, Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore for agriculture, feed and fodder wing of the animal husbandry and soil conservation departments, respectively.

They also said the ground spray scheme, which was a boon for cotton growers, should be revived and restored under the new scheme.

A special reference was made of the problems being faced by fresh agriculture graduates. They do not find employment as persons with higher qualifications were available.

The protesters also decided to contribute one day’s salary for the welfare of the jawans fighting in Kargil.

SNIPPETS

Special chance for Class XII students
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR July 8 — In view of the Khalsa Panth tercentenary celebrations, the Punjab School Education Board has decided to give a special chance to all Class XII candidates who appeared in the examination during this year and who were desirous of improving their marks in one of the subjects.Sources in the board said such candidates could appear in the supplementary examination to be held in September.

‘Help Subedar’s family’
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, July 8 — The Panchayat and Naujwan Sabha of nearby Sohali village has urged the Union and Punjab Government that a resident of the village, Subedar Kuldeep Singh, who died in a road accident near Alwar village in Rajasthan a few days back, should be declared a war martyr and his family should be given all benefits worthy of a war martyr’s family.

Mr Kuldeep Singh along with his battalion was going to participate in the Kargil was when the road accident occurred and he died on the spot. He was cremated in Sohali village on July 3.

The Sarpanch and the Naujwan Sabha demanded that the government should immediately take a decision on this and all possible financial help should be given to the family of the deceased.

4 held for assault on woman
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, July 8 — The local police has registered a case under Sections 354, 356 and 34 against four persons on the charge of outraging the modesty of a married woman of nearby village Chaju Majra.

According to the police, a lady of the village has complained to the police yesterday that she was caught by two persons when she went to answer the nature’s call. They assaulted her and when she cried for help, her relatives came there and the accused ran away. She complained that they took away her gold ornaments also.

The police has started investigations and have registered a case against the accused, Jagtar Singh, Billa, Harjit Singh and Jaswinder Singh but no arrest has been made so far.

Admission test on July 19
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Panjab University will hold an entrance test for admission to MA Part I (English) on July 19 at 10 a.m. at the Department of English. This was stated in a press note issued by the Chairperson of the Department of English, Dr Pushpinder Syal.

Power failure in Kharar
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, July 8 — Residents of Kharar and surrounding villages had to face a sleepless night till 1.15 a.m. today after the supply of electricity was suspended at about 7.30 p.m. yesterday. The supply was restored at about 1.15 a.m. today.

The SDE of Kharar of the Punjab State Electricity Board said that the supply was suspended because of some technical fault in the 132 KV Station at Bhago Majra.

Meanwhile, a delegation of some advocates of Kharar led by Mr Sukhdev Kaushal met the Additional Executive Engineer of Kharar of the PSEB yesterday and complained about the erratic supply of electricity in the town.

They told the official that a transformer near Grewal Hospital was not in a working condition since June 30. They also said that the complaints were not properly handled by the staff. The official asked them to give a written complaint about a particular person.