R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

REGIONAL  POTPOURRI

• Debris from hills makes road risky

• Kulu MC’s lack of public concern

• Kurukshetra students’ feat

   

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical and eye camp will be organised by the Jan Kalyan Sangam on October 14. Dr Rakesh Bharti, Dr Arun Verma, Dr S.P. Gupta and Dr S.Kapoor will examine patients. This was stated by Mr Ashwani Mehra, president of the association.

DEMAND: Mr Satya Pal Dang, veteran CPI leader, has demanded registration of case against Ms Kanchan Rai of Chheharta for allegedly duping some local women of large amounts in the name of committees.

BARNALA
PRIZE DISTRIBUTION: Mr Kanwarjit Singh Sandhu, SSP, Barnala police district, presided over a prize distribution function at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Dhanaula, about 10 km from here, on Monday. He gave prizes to meritorious students. Seema Rani and Gurdip Kaur were given mementos.

BUDHLADA
BKU (E) DHARNA: Activists of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) will stage a dharna in front of the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Budhlada, on October 15. They are demanding arrest in the case of attack on local commission agents Kulwant Singh and his son Khushwant Singh.

GURDASPUR
EYE CAMP: More than 400 patients were examined at an eye camp held at Behrampur on Tuesday by the Rotary Club, Midtown and Innerwheel Club here. According to Major S.S. Kaundal, President, Rotary Club Midtown, 71 persons have been selected for cataract operations.

CREDIT CARDS DISTRIBUTED: Panjab National Bank, Dorangala, at a function held on Tuesday in Dorangala distributed credit cards to 327 farmers involving a amount of Rs 2.06 crore, said the Manager, Mr Kuldip Gupta.

HOSHIARPUR
TWO KILLED: Jamit Ram of Purana Bhangala died on the spot when a Punjab Roadways bus of the Pathankot depot hit his cycle near Chhani Rani village on Tuesday night. The driver fled after the accident. The Mukerian police has registered a case. In another mishap, Gurmit Singh of Neela Naloya was seriously injured when a scooter hit his cycle near Janauri on Tuesday. He succumbed to his injuries at Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur.

LUDHIANA
AWARDED: A team of veterinary surgeons comprising Dr Narinder Singh Saini, Dr J.P.S. Gill, Dr S.N. Sharma and Dr V.K. Sobti from the College of Veterinary Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, have been awarded the Dr C.G. Bhaskar Memorial Medal for their publication, ‘A skin scrubbing procedure for orthopaedic surgery- a medical valuation’. Dr S.N. Sharma, Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Surgery, said the procedure of orthopaedic surgery mentioned in the publication has proved useful in controlling surgical infection in equines. He said the team had made significant contributions in areas of diagnosis, anaesthesia and surgical management of small and big animals.

PAPER PRESENTED: Dr Ajaib Singh Bansal, Director of the Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology and former Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Punjab Agricultural University, participated in an international congress on acoustics at Rome last week. Dr Bansal presented a paper on ‘Free wave of motion in periodic systems with one of the constraints displaced’. He also visited the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton in the UK. Earlier, Dr Bansal had been awarded the Emeritus fellowship by the All-India Council for Technical Education.

LABORATORY OPENED: A regional disease diagnostic laboratory for animal diseases has been established on Ladhowali Road, Jalandhar. Giving this information, Dr R.P. Saigal, Dean, College of Veterinary Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, said the laboratory would provide quick and accurate diagnostic facilities to farmers. He said the laboratory would also issue certificates of quality and standards of various products. Dr Saigal said the university would provide research, education and training support to the laboratory.

MANSA
PADDY NOT PURCHASED: Paddy has not been purchased by any government agency at the purchase centre in Hamirgarh Dhaipi village in the district during the past four days as a result of which huge stocks of paddy have piled up. A deputation of farmers told Ms Raji P. Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner, that no Punsup official had come to purchase the paddy for the past four days.

NAWANSHAHR
DISBURSED: About Rs 85 lakh have been disbursed among 1,666 newly married girls belonging to the SC and the Christian communities while Rs 20 lakh has been spent on the construction of eight new Dalit dharamshalas and repair of the existing 24 in the district during the current financial year, said the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Jagjit Singh, here on Tuesday.

PATWARIS POSTED: Mr Jagjit Singh, District Collector, in an order issued here on Tuesday posted revenue patwaris Sucha Singh, Jarnail Singh and Kuldip Kumar to Urapur, Chakli Sujat and Garupur villages, respectively. They were dismissed by the then District Collector on July 9, 1999, during a statewide strike by the revenue patwaris. The Finance Commissioner (Revenue) reinstated them on September 25.

VETERINARY CAMP: The Lions Club (Banga Mehak) and Lions Club (City Smile) organised a veterinary check-up camp at Gobindpur village on Tuesday. More than 200 cattle were examined and medicines were given free of cost, Mr Surinder Parkash Nayyar and mr Hardip Singh, presidents of the respective club, said.

SEMINAR: The SC and BC Welfare Department, Punjab, in collaboration with Amardeep Singh Shergill Memorial College, Mukandpur, (Nawanshahr) will organise a state-level seminar on ‘Status of Dalits in Punjab’ on the college campus on Friday. Dr Joginder Singh Puar, former Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, will inaugurate the seminar and Mr Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Social Welfare Minister, will be the chief guest.

PATIALA
PROCESSION: Employees of the General Category Welfare Federation led out a procession under the leadership of Amrik Singh followed by representatives of the federation. The procession started from the over bridge in front of the local railway station and after passing through Sheranwala Gate, Dharampura bazar, Adalat bazar, Anardana chowk, Lahori Gate, the procession terminated at Deputy Commissioner’s office. Procession was organised to seek the implementation of their demands including the abolition of ‘constitution review commission’. The leaders also demanded ban on the caste based reservation seats.

RALLY: The Class IV Government Employees Union observed a protest rally on the call of state committee in front of the Chairman’s office of the Punjab Pollution Control Board here on Wednesday. They asked for the implementation of their demands pending since long time. These demands comprised of giving bonus before Divali, issuance of promotion scale after 4,9 and 14 years of service, regularisation of ad-hoc and daily wagers and at least Rs 30,000 for the marriage of children of class IV employees. 

CLEANLINESS WEEK: Public Health Minister Raja Narinder Singh inaugurated the cleanliness week organised by the NSS volunteers of Government Ripudman College, Nabha, held at Maharaja Hira Singh Park here on Wednesday.

DEMANDS: The Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association submitted a memorandum to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, on Wednesday asking for providing provisions of drugs and essential equipment , redesignation of posts of medical teachers as per norms of the Medical Council of India, filling of vacant posts in state medical colleges and implementation of government notification regarding allowances. Giving this information, the Association Secretary, Dr B.S.Sohal, said the post of Director Research and Medical Education has been lying vacant since February, 2001, and demanded that the posts should be filled as soon as possible as it hinder in the working of the medical department.

PHAGWARA
THEFTS: A gang of young women posing as attendants was caught stealing cash and other articles at a private hospital on Tuesday. Three women, including one holding an infant, tried to steal Rs 4,000 from an attendant, but were caught by the hospital staff and thrashed. They were later let off with a warning.

GRIEVANCES: Ten grievances were redressed during a subdivision-level grievance committee meeting held under the chairmanship of the SDM, Mr Amarjit Paul, according to a press note issued here on Tuesday.

SAMRALA
PROTEST: Trainee students of the local ITI took out a protest march in main bazaar of the town against the incidents of burning of holy Birs of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The effigy of Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala was also burnt in front of the ITI.

ANNUAL FUNCTION: The local Pal Rang Manch, will organise its third annual drama fair on Saturday, according to Mr Parneet, secretary of the manch. He said a Punjabi drama “Naseeb” will be staged at Government Senior Secondary School, here. Besides, giddha, bhangra, skits, choreography and other light and sound programmes will also be staged. 

CULTURAL PROGRAMME: The Sath Barwali Di, a cultural organisation, will hold its third annual programme on October 28 at Barwali Khurd village, 10 km from here, according to Mr Malkiat Singh Sarwarpuri. Awards in the memory of Kartar Singh and Harnam Kaur will be given to a local folk singer Jaswant Singh Chaman of Khatra and Dr Gurdev Singh Pandohal. Gurdeep Singh Kang, secretary of the Sath, said a Kavi Darbar will also be organised.

HARYANA

YAMUNANAGAR
TABLETS DISTRIBUTED: The District Health Department distributed 50,239 chloroquine tablets under the national malaria eradication scheme in September. This was stated by Mr Rajiv Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, here on Tuesday. He said blood test for the diagnosis of malaria was being conducted free of cost. About 9,000 blood strips had been prepared during September, he added.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
LIQUOR SEIZED: The Himachal Pradesh police intercepted a vehicle and recovered 240 pouches of Patiala Orange, 72 bottles of English wine from the possession of Akshay Kumar, resident of Bhanala village (Kangra), under a drive launched in the district. Mr S.R. Ojha, SP, said the police had also seized 1.3 kg of charas from the possession of Rikhi Ram, resident of Bhatori village.

KUMARHATTI
LOSSES TO GROWERS: The depression in the local tomato markets for the past two months has resulted in huge losses to growers of the region. The situation is more critical in the interiors of Bholi, Anhech, Neri Kalan and Kabakalan panchayats. The growers of the region are paying additional charges for transporting their produce to the local terminal markets.

NAHAN
PUBLIC MEETING: The Minister of State for Cooperation, Mr Rikhi Ram Kaundal, said the process of land reforms in the state had commenced. He was addressing a public meeting at Neghata in the Shillai constituency. The ban on the export of raisin would be beneficial for the farmers of Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts, he said.

FARMERS’ PROTEST: Five hundred farmers under the banner of the Sirmaur Kisan Mandal held a procession from Badripur to Paonta Sahib here on Tuesday in protest against the rigid attitude of the state government towards their demands. Led by the president of the Kisan Mandal, Mr S.S Gill, they staged a dharna in front of the SDM’s office at Paonta Sahib and also gave him a memorandum containing their demands.

REGIONAL  POTPOURRI

Debris from hills makes road risky

Heavy rain has affected the Subathu-Wacknaghat road badly. The flow of debris from the hills and the accumulation of rain water in the numerous potholes on the road have virtually made it unpliable for motorists. The most affected is the stretch between Subathu and Thari that was mettaled about two years ago.

After a spell of rain, this stretch virtually becomes a cesspool as it lacks proper drainage. The rain water and slush that have accumulated on the road, make it accident-prone.

During the rainy season the road is invariably blocked and often the local residents have to clear the debris themselves, says Mr Ajai Kansal, a shopkeeper of Thari village.

The road is repairs only when a VIP travels on this road, says Mr Kansal, who heads the local Handicapped Sabha.

A visit to the road reveals that the residents are themselves to blame for the bad condition of the road to some extent as they often used the road to unload the raw material for construction work. Most of the sand and rubble have accumulated on the road and rain water makes movement risky.

Kulu MC’s lack of public concern

Kulu’s Municipal Council has gone to such an extent of commercialisation that it has started converting the roadside public conveniences into shops to earn rent. The rain shelter near the LIC office at Dhalpur (see photograph) has been converted into two shops.

The eyes of the elected body are on other public facilities in the town.

The area adjoining to this rain shelter had been earmarked for a parking place which has also been converted into shops.

There is not even a single roadside public toilet from Badah, the entry point of the town to Dhalpur, for about three kilometers covering Shastri Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and parts of Dhalpur. The public as well as tourists face problems. At times, women were seen requesting local residents to allow them to use toilets. The Municipal Council should consider their problem and take appropriate steps to solve that.

Kurukshetra students’ feat

Gita Niketan Awasiya Vidyalya, Kurukshetra, had added one more feather to its cap when 11 students of this school successfully cleared the prestigious National Talent Search examination, conducted by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) this year. This school has earned the rare distinction of winning 11 of the 39 scholarships clinched by Haryana. This is a record for a single school in this state.

The school principal, Mr Rishi Goel, says that successful students, who brought laurels are — Amandeep, Anuj Bhatia, Aastha Chauhan, Raghu Gandhi, Rohit Garg, Rahul Sharma, Sushen Chopra, Shaveta Bansal, Vaibhav Garg, Varun Chopra and Vineet Singhal. ‘‘The credit of this remarkable achievement goes to our hard-working students, industrious teachers and cooperative parents, especially our able guide and coordinator, Dr Kanta Gupta’’, he adds.

The work-culture of the school, marking all-round development of the students, has played a major role for the present success. These students were specially prepared for this scholarship in three phases. At the first stage, the tests were held at the school and Kurukshetra University. Thus 24 students succeed in reaching the state level of which 16 students passed the national-level written examination at the second stage. Ultimately, 11 of them got through the national-level examination and interviews.

This school has been able to get this scholarship since 1993-94 with varying numbers. But, the present success is an all-time record. It will certainly encourage students of the other schools too.

The selected students will benefit by merit certificates, free books and scholarships by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, besides preference in admissions at the colleges and the universities.

He stated that another student, Mashal Dhir, of this school, brought laurels by securing the first position in the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education in May.

Contributed by Jagmeet Singh, Subhash Sharma and D.R. Vij