The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, August 22, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

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

PUNJAB

ABOHAR
DEAD BODY: The police has recovered the body of a man from the fields of Jeet Singh situated on the Fazilka road. A slip, which bore the name Putan Lal Bhai Sewak Pandit, was found in his pocket.

FARIDKOT
CRITICISED: A meeting of the Excise and Taxation Ministerial Staff Association held here on Monday criticised the Punjab Government for its alleged failure to review the promotions of senior assistants and accountants, keeping in the view a judgement of the Supreme Court of India. It also demanded the release of the final seniority list of the ministerial staff as per the decision of the high court.

JALANDHAR
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab State Employees Federation (Congress wing): president — Mr Hardip Singh Patti; senior vice-president — Mr Dilbag Rai; vice-presidents — Mr Didar Singh and Mr Nirmal Singh Mahi; general secretaries — Mr Bhagwant Singh Bedi, Mr Manjit Singh Kamboj and Mr Raj Kumar; organising secretaries — Mr Panna Singh and Mr Baldev Singh; treasurer — Mr Sukhjit Singh Bedi; and secretary — Mr Nirmal Singh Kalsi.

KHARAR
FAKE COKE, PEPSI: The local police registered a case against two persons, Sanjiv Kumar and Rajiv Kumar, on Monday on the charges of preparing fake Coca Cola and Pepsi. According to the police, a complaint was received that someone was preparing fake Coca Cola and Pepsi and selling it and people were falling ill after consuming it. The police, after raiding the premises in Khanpur, took into their possession the machines used for this purpose. A case has been registered under Section 420, IPC, against them and Sanjiv Kumar has been arrested by the police.

LUDHIANA
MEETING HELD: The Gayatri Ladies Club on Monday held its monthly meeting to mark the Independence Day celebrations at Hotel Baron. The function started with a speech which was followed by a game, ‘Friendly Fortunes’. It was the fifth meeting of the newly founded club, which was attended by over 150 women. Sonal Virmani and Vipin Mahajan compared the stage. The members were introduced to the office-bearers, including the President, Ms Indra Wadhwa, the Secretary, Ms Mala Kumar, the Treasurer, Ms Aruna Gupta ad Executive members — Surinder Dhiman, Neena Basan, Sudesh Virmani and Kikky Behl.

WEBSITE LAUNCHED: The website of the Lions Club, Ludhiana, was launched here on Sunday at a colourful function attended by several members and former district governors of the club. According to a press note, the function, ‘Ekta 2000’, was organised at Taksonz Palace under the chairmanship of its President, Dr Sandeep Chauhan. The website http://ludhianvis.com/lclc was launched by former district governors Rajiv Lochan Mahajan and Charanjit Singh. Dr Chauhan said the site contained information about the club, its motto, projects, membership roster, office-bearers and the district cabinet. The website can make the club accessible to any person in the world.

CONGRESSMEN SUPPORT GHALIB: Several Congress functionaries, including councillors and office-bearers of the district Congress Committee (rural), taking strong exception to charges levelled against the party MP, Mr Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, by certain elements, have lent support to him. In a statement issued to press, the Congressmen have asserted that Mr Ghalib was not a member of any sub-committee, set up for the allotment of the party ticket for the nagar panchayat elections in Mullanpur, Malaud, Sahnewal and Machhiwara in this district, nor had he interfered in this matter. Mr Ghalib had campaigned for the party nominees and had ensured a reasonably good victory. However, the party could not capitalise on the electoral win due to factional fighting and leg pulling that followed. The signatories to the statement were Mr Om Parkash Angrish, Mr Balkar Singh, Mr Santokh Singh Gill, all councillors, Mr Rajinder Singh Bajwa, former councillor, Mr Joginder Singh Sarhali , General Secretary of INTUC, Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, General Secretary, Mr Jaspal Singh Shankar and Mr Karnail Singh Koom, both Vice-Presidents of the District Congress Committee (rural).

MEMENTOS PRESENTED: Mr Chamkaur Singh Parmar, Chief Secretary, LIG Flat Owner’s Welfare Association, presented mementos to the members of the Jagran Party, who had performed in the third Bhagwati Jagran. The jagran was held at the main park, LIG Sector 32.

PLEDGE TAKEN: Members of the Akal Youth Federation (AYF) have taken a pledge to work under the guidance of the International Sant Samaj for social service and dharam prachar (religious propagation). According to the AYF President, Mr Manjit Singh, a meeting of the federation was held at Gurdwara Mastuana Sahib, Dugri Road, in the city, which was attended by the Sant Samaj President, Sant Shamsher Singh Jagera. The federation has decided to organise free medical camps, de-addiction camps and religious congregations and help poor girls and destitute women.

NAWANSHAHR
CELEBRATED: Devotees of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, organised “satsang” and “naam charcha” to mark the birth anniversary of the master of the Dera, Sant Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, here at Nayyar Vihar Colony on Sunday. A blood donation camp was also organised.

CRITICISED: Mr Darshan Singh Mattu, general secretary, Kandi Sangharsh Committee, in a press note issued here on Sunday, criticised the PSEB authorities for “depriving” eight villages falling under Garhshankar and Balachaur subdivisions of uninterrupted power supply. Recently, the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, inaugurated a 24-hour power supply scheme for 104 villages of the Kandi area but these villages were again left out, he alleged.

PATIALA
ELECTED: The Arhtiya Association , Punjab, unanimously elected Mr Bal Krishan Singla, as president at a meeting held here on Monday. Addressing the meeting which was attended by nearly 1900 delegates from 137 mandis, Mrs Satwant Kaur Sandhu, Cabinet minister, Punjab, assured help co-operation to the association. — FOC.

DHARNA: The BKU held a dharna in protest against the Centre for not announcing the minimum support prices for paddy, cotton and other Kharif crops, here on Monday. Addressing the gathering, the Patiala district president, Mr Pawitar Singh, and the Sangrur district president, Mr Jaswant Singh Kattu, said that the government should announce the prices taking 1966-67 as the “base year” as “wholesale price index.” Issuing a press note they said that FCI and the CCI should prepare to buy the paddy and cotton from markets. The price for paddy has been fixed at Rs 636 per quintal and Rs 3000 per quintal for cotton and oil seed. — FOC

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr M.J. Walia has been elected as chairman of the Associate Banks Officers Association. The other office-bearers of the association are: vice chairman — Mr S.S. Sidhu; secretary — Mr Amar Singh; organising secretary — Mr Rakesh Jasra; and treasurer — Mr Chaman Lal Singla.

CRICKET TOURNAMENT: Budha Dal Cricket Academy (BDCA) beat Star Eleven by 20 runs in the Club-16 trophy league match for under -14 cricketers played at the BDCA sports complex here today on Monday. Brief Scores : BDCA -123 for 7 (Sushil Kumar 23, Sumit Kumar 21, Upinder Singh 16,Ravinder Kaler 16, Karandeep 5 for 18 and Ramanpreet 2 for 10); and Star Eleven- 103 all out (Kanwaljit 17, Navdeep Chandi 4 for 23, Vishal Bir Singh 2 for 9 and Upinder 1 for 9,Ravinder Kaler 1 for 4).

INAUGURATED: Ceat Ltd inaugurated their sales office here on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, the Sales Manager, North II, Mr R.M. Gera, said the company had added new products in it’s range of truck tyres.

PHAGWARA
JUDICIAL CUSTODY: A former DSP, Gurmit Singh, was remanded in judicial custody till August 28 on Saturday. He was arrested by the local police on a complaint of Paramjit Singh, who alleged that Gurmit Singh along with a travel agent had duped him of money.

CHANDIGARH

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Zee Interactive learning system Ltd (ZILS) here on Sunday invited 36 schools from the region to demonstrate how the computers can be used not only for education but also for advanced learning. In an interactive session, students and teachers from Chandigarh, Kurukshetra, Patiala, Karnal and Ambala learned to inculcate ZILS in their schools for advanced learning. According to Mr Partho Kumar, branch manager, ZILS, the basic aim of today’s session was to demonstrate how the programme can make the teaching and learning of subjects an easy and more enjoyable process for both students as well as the teachers. The students also learned how to operate and handle the system. Quite a few of them felt that the system provided a platform where asking question became a more enjoyable experience.

RAMLILA MAHA SABHA: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Chandigarh Kendriya Ramlila Maha Sabha, Chandigarh: chairman — Mr C.D Singla; president — Mr Subash Kataria; general secretary — Mr Sabor Singh Brisht; senior vice-president — Mr I.D. Singla; vice president — Mr Bikram Singh Bisht; finance secretary — Mr Satish Joshi; auditor — Mr Khushal Singh Pundir; organising secretaries — Mr Suresh Bakshi and Prem Singh Gosain.

BAIL DENIED: The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge on Saturday rejected the interim bail application of a Dadu Majra resident in the NDPS case. The accused had filed an application for releasing her on interim bail for three days, as she had to attend the marriage of her relative. The police had recovered 12 gm of smack from her possession on July 23, 1998. The judge observed that she would run away, if released on bail and would not surrender so she could not granted interim bail.

CELEBRATED: The Photographic Society of Chandigarh organised a show of slides by photo journalists, Sanjay Kaushal and Sanjeev Sharma , as part of the 161st World Photography Day celebrations which concluded here on Monday. World photography day is celebrated on August 19 every year as it was on this day in 1839 that photography was invented. According to Dr S.S. Bhambra, president of the society, India’s population has crossed one billion mark and a photo exhibition on the subject will be organised in October to make people more conscious about the problem.

JUVENILE WELFARE BOARD: The Director, Social Welfare, Ms Madhavi Kataria, has said that the administration, as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, has constituted a Juvenile Welfare Board. The board will expand the range of the welfare activities from the delinquent to the neglected juveniles as well. An integrated approach as per the Act is the guiding principle. A multipurpose child care and development home is being formulated whereby observation home, special home , juvenile home and also a rehabilitation centre may be housed under one roof, she added. The Juvenile Home, Sector 15 has received 177 inmates over a period of 11 years since its inception in 1989.

HARYANA

AMBALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: A meeting of non-teaching employees of Haryana private affiliated colleges, Kurukshetra zone, was held at Sanatan Dharam College, Ambala Cantonment, under the chairmanship of Mr Digvijay Sharma of D.N. College, Hisar. More than 25 colleges participated in the meeting. The following office-bearers were elected unanimously: president — Mr Digvijay Singh, DN College Hisar; vice presidents — Mr Kirpal Singh, MLN College, Yamunanagar; Mr Sham Lal Sharma, S.D. College, Ambala Cantonment; and Mr Mohinder Kumar, M.N. College, Shahabad (M); general secretary — Mr Love Kumar, S.L. DAV College of Education, Ambala City; joint organising secretary — Mr C.R. Sharma, SD College, Ambala Cantonment; and treasurer — Mr S.S. Bakshi, DAV College (Lahore), Ambala City.

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED: The Citizens Council, Ambala Cantonment, has submitted a memorandum to the Minister for Local Self Government, Mr Subhash Goel, in connection with the formulation of policy for levying of house tax. The memorandum states that the recent amendments made in the Haryana Municipal Act and the proposal for levy of the house tax by incorporating the fixed formula on the pattern of the Faridabad administration is “tedious, discretionary, discriminatory and complicated”. The present formula should be outrightly rejected. “The inhabitants paying taxes to the government directly and indirectly, practically for all means by levying more particularly on the purpose of a house or a plot approximately 20 per cent of the total costs is paid by way of stamp duty and registration charges etc. and thereafter on the sanctioning of the plan the holder of the plot of the house is required to pay the sum on account of development tax. In addition to this, he is further required to pay the tax for sanction of the site plan and various other taxes for removal of malba etc. and thereafter, the levy of house tax on the yearly basis is unjust,” the memorandum states. The provision for the exemption from house tax of the widows and the ex-defence personnel should be continued but the exemption should for their entire life and they should not be required to apply time and again in this regard, the memo states.

FATEHABAD
PROHIBITION: The Justice J.S. Chahal Commission of Inquiry, set up by the government to look into various aspects of implementation of prohibition in the state, will listen to the public in the PWD Rest House here on August 26. In a press note issued here on Saturday, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, said the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had constituted the commission to look into irregularities committed by persons holding high positions.

KAITHAL
DEAD: Jarnail Singh, one of the three labourers rescued from a well, the walls of which caved in at Kheri Gulam Ali village, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The Deputy Commissioner, Dr Mahavir Singh, has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10,000 to next of kin of the deceased and said the aggrieved family members would be provided more assistance by the Agricultural Marketing Board.

PANIPAT
PAINTING COMPETITION: At least 500 students from various educational institutions participated in a district-level painting competition organised by the District Child Welfare Council at Bal Bhavan here on Saturday. Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated the competition.

SIRSA
LIBRARY: A library for the inmates of the district jail on its campus was inaugurated by the District and Sessions Judge, Mr M.S. Sular, here on Sunday. The library has been opened with the help of a local social organisation Samadhan.

SONEPAT
CAR STOLEN: A Maruti car belonging to Mr Ashok Kumar Arya was allegedly stolen from Mohalla Kalan here on Sunday. An FIR has been lodged with the police in this regard.

NSS CAMP: Mr Ashok Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated a one-day NSS camp organised by the NSS unit of Hindu College on the campus of the Judicial Complex here on Sunday. According to Dr Puran Mal Gaur, programme officer of the unit, 190 students took part in the camp and planted saplings, besides cutting congress grass.

SUICIDE: A youth, Bharat Singh, allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in his house at Silana Village, about 15 km from here, on Sunday. According to the police, a family feud is stated to be the cause of the suicide.

RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among ration card holders here and most of the villages in the district against the non-availability of rationed sugar at fair price shops. Many consumers alleged that they had made complaints to the authorities concerned in this regard, but no action had been taken so far. Several panches and sarpanches have also protested against the irregular supply of rationed sugar and other commodities, particularly kerosene.