R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

CONDEMNED: The New Majitha House Residential Society, has condemned the order given by Mr B.R. Banga, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, for fencing the disputed park land which would lead to the blocking of the only passage to the colony. However, the MC staff who had come to install grills around the park could not do so due to protest put up by residents.

BATHINDA
NOMINATED: Mr Tarsem Chand Goel, a city resident has been nominated trustee of the local Improvement Trust as per orders of Secretary, Local Government, Punjab.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the district unit of the Punjab Police Pensioners’ Welfare Association: chairman — Mr Harchand Singh; senior vice-chairman — Mr Sukhdev Singh Palta; vice-chairman — Mr Harbans Singh and general secretary — Mr Mahinder Singh.

INVITED: Dr J.S. Anand, a city resident, has got the rare honour to be invited for International Society of Poets Convention and Symposium to be held in Florida in March 2002 by International Library of Poetry. Dr Anand’s latest collection of poems ‘Beyond Life Beyond Death’ was appreciated by critics for its uniqueness.

GURDASPUR
NON-PAYMENT: Farmers, arhtiyas and rice millers in the district are a worried lot in view of the non-payment of amounts against the lifting of levy rice by the procurement agencies. The arrears in this regard stand at Rs 20 crore.

JAGRAON
SABHYACHARAK MELA: The Shaheed Manpreet Singh Goldy Yaadgari Trust held its first Sabhyacharak mela in the new grain market here on Friday. Mr Bhag Singh Mallah, MLA, was the chief guest and Mr Balbir Singh Kalyan presided over the function. Sukh Chamkeela and Kamaljot and group presented folk songs on the occasion. In spite of the chilly weather and dense fog, hundreds of people turned up at the function. Another such mela, in the memory of Jagrup Singh Gagra, was organised in the local Municipal Park.

LIQUOR SEIZED: The Sidhwanbet police arrested Jaswinder Singh of Kulgehna and Jaswant Singh of Parjan Bihari, and seized 40 bottles of illicit liquor from their possession. The police has registered a case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.

KHARAR
SANCTIONED: Mr Lajpat Rai, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab has sanctioned a sum of Rs 2 lakh for the construction of a community centre Shri Ram Bhavan here out of his local area development fund. The sum was received here on Thursday by the organisers of Shri Ram Bhavan.

DEMANDED: The BJP mandal here has demanded that the seat of Kharar Assembly constituency should be allotted to BJP this time and a BJP candidate should be fitted here as SAD-BJP candidate talking to reporters here on Thursday Mr Om Parkash Aggarwal, president, BJP, Kharar, said that last time this seat was won by a SAD candidate with a huge margin but two years back she shifted her loyalty to Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. He said that if this seat was allotted to the BJP then it would be easy for SAD-BJP combine to win the seat. He said they would meet the BJP high command on this issue. 

LUDHIANA
SHOW: Singer Sonu Nigam along with stars Deepti Bhatnagar, Ria Sen and Nethra Raghuraman will entertain members of the Sutlej Club on the New Years Eve.

EXHIBITION: A solo photo exhibition, “Europe 2001” will be held at the Sutlej Club on Saturday. The exhibition will display photographs of Mr Surkhab Shaukin Singh. The collection will include photos from England, Switzerland and Venice. Mr S.K. Tuteja, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, Small Scale Industries, Government of India, will inaugurate the exhibition.

MACHHIWARA
STRIKE: The pen-down strike by the employees of the local Block Development and Panchayat Office, which started on December 23, continued for the sixth day on Friday. The employees are protesting against the non-payment of their salaries for the past three months. According to Mr Davinder Singh, president of Panchayat Secretaries and Block Samiti Karamchari Union, the local authorities are responsible for delay in disbursal of their salaries.

TRIBUTES PAID: Rich tributes were paid to Satpal Bansal, a prominent social worker who died a few days ago. Thousands of people paid homage to the deceased in a “shraddhanjali samaroh” organised in the local Grain Market on Thursday. Prominent among those present on the occasion were Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha; Mr Surinder Kundra, President, Machhiwara Block Congress Committee; and Mr Anil Sood, President, Nagar Council. Mr Atwal said that Bansal was gem of a person who worked for the welfare of the mankind. He added that void created by the death of Bansal could never be filled.

PANCH SAMMELAN: A conference for panches and sarpanches of the nearby villages was organised at the public health centre here on Thursday, in connection with another phase of pulse polio campaign on January 20, 2002. Mr Darshan Singh Mithewal, a senior Akali leader, inaugurated the programme which was presided over by Dr Neelam Bassi, District Family Planning Officer. Mrs Daljeet Kaur, CDPO, was the guest of honour on the occasion. The programme started with National Anthem which was followed by a variety of cultural items by students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Public High School. Addressing the gathering, Dr Bassi spoke about the Health Department’s achievements in eradicating polio. He also expressed concern over the declining female-male ratio. He warned that any doctor or diagnostic centre found to be recommending ultrasound scan for sex determination would be severely punished. The doctor concerned, the pregnant woman and her relatives making her undergo the test would be imprisoned for three years and each of them would be fined Rs 10,000, he added. 

MALERKOTLA
SAHIT SANGAM: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Sahit Sangam : president — Mr Dharam Chand Vatish; vice-president — Mr Harbans Lal Sharma; general secretary — Mr Rahat Zafri; secretary — Mr Jang Singh Gill; and treasurer — Mr Tarsem Singh Rana.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Mandir Sudhar Committee, Amargarh: president — Mr Ashwani Joshi; vice-president — Mr Rajinder Jaidka; general secretary — Mr Surjit Singh; secretary — Mr Krishna Kumar; and treasurer — Mr Dharam Pal Singla.

NAWANSHAHR
THREATENED: The Berojgar Adhyapak Front has accused the state government of foul play in appointments of ETT teachers and, threatened to launch an agitation if the government failed to issue appointment letters against the remaining 70 posts of ETT teacher in Nawanshahr district by December 29. This was stated by Mr Bhupinder Pal Singh, district general secretary of the front, in a press note here on Wednesday.

SAMRALA
RESIGNATION DEMANDED: Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, national general secretary of Bharti Kisan Union, has criticised the state government for failing to announce the sugarcane price for the current year though over 40 per cent of the total sugarcane produced in the state had already been crushed in the sugar mills till now. He was speaking to mediapersons at the Civil Rest House here on Thursday. Mr Rajewal said that the sugar mills were still paying to the farmers at the rate of Rs 100 per quintal of sugarcane, which was fixed four years ago, despite the fact that the cost of cultivation had increased manifold during this period. He lamented that though the cooperative sugar mills in the state were facing losses to rampant corruption, inefficiency, over-staffing and huge overhead costs, Mr Pritam Singh Kaunta, Chairman of Sugarfed, Punjab, had given a clean chit to corrupt bureaucrats and issued statements to the effect that sugarmills were suffering losses due to ‘high’ price of sugarcane. Terming these statements of Mr Kaunta as ‘anti-farmer’, Mr Rajewal demanded his resignation on moral grounds for failing to protect the interests of the farmers.

ALLEGED: Mr Parminder Singh Gill, general secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (legal cell), has alleged that the SAD-BJP government had caused harm to almost all state organisations, including the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). He was speaking to mediapersons at the Civil Rest House here on Thursday. He criticised the government for appointing a defeated BJP candidate from Chandigarh in 1989 Lok Sabha elections as the Lok Pal, and that too, towards the end of its five-year term. Mr Gill said that the government had unnecessarily increased the number of advocates in the office of Advocate-General to more than 55, causing a burden on the public exchequer. He lamented that the government had ignored the employees and farmers committing suicides due to indebtedness. He appealed to the Governor to personally intervene in the matter.

BLACK DAY: The All India Ex-Servicemen Action Committee has decided to observe January 1 as Black Day. The ex-servicemen will hold a protest march, holding black flags, from Chattar Singh Park to the Mini Secretariat in Ludhiana. This was stated by Mr Gurbhajan Singh, general secretary of the action committee, here on Thursday. He added that the Supreme Court decision regarding ‘one rank-one pension’ was implemented only in the case of senior officers, and lower rank ex-servicemen and their widows were facing hardships.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Bar Association Samrala: president — Mr Anil Kumar Gupta; vice-president — Mr Jaspreet Singh; secretary-cum-treasurer — Mr Ramandeep Singh.

TARN TARAN
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC) Naushehra Pannuan subdivision: president — Mr Gurpal singh Banti; secretary — Mr Paramjit Singh Dugri; senior vice-president — Mr Baldev Singh Rasulpur; vice-president — Mr Lakhwinder Singh Dhotian; joint secretary — Mr Gurtej Singh and treasurer — Mr mansarowar Singh.

HARYANA

NOMINATED: Mr Randeep Surjewala, President of All-India Youth Congress Committee, has nominated Kuldip Singh, former president of local Vaish College, as the President of the District Youth Congress.

FATEHABAD
THREE ARRESTED: Three drug traffickers were arrested and 6 kg of opium were seized from them on Thursday. According to police sources, Mahaveer, Matu Ram and Mala Ram were going on a scooter when they were stopped at a naka near Chindhar village. Packets containing opium were seized and the vehicle impounded.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

NURPUR
CRITICISED: Mr M.R. Goma, president, Kangra District Congress Committee has criticised the state government’s decision to reduce 666 posts in the Agriculture Department of the state. While talking to mediapersons on Wednesday, Mr Goma said the state had only one agriculture university in Kangra district and that the government’s decision would adversely hit the interests of agriculture graduates.