R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

DORAHA
40 SAPLINGS PLANTED : Saplings were planted in ward number 3 and 5 of Doraha on Wednesday. Mr Gurmit Singh, former political secretary of the Congress inaugurated the programme. He appealed to people to make the town beautiful and pollution-free by planting more and more saplings. Among those present on the occasion were Mr Sudarshan Kumar Sharma, president, Municipal Council, Doraha, Mr V.K. Mehta, executive officer, Mr Tarsem Lal, Mr Thekedar Krishan Kumar Gupta, Mr Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Nirdosh Kumar. 

KAPURTHALA
RESIGNS: Mr Paramjit Singh, Vice-President of the local Municipal Council, on Wednesday resigned from the post. Talking to mediapersons, Mr Paramjit Singh said he had submitted his resignation to avoid any confrontation among the councillors and to maintain mutual trust. Sixteen councillors had pleaded for convening a meeting to consider the no-confidence motion against Mr Paramjit Singh.

LUDHIANA
IDOL INSTALLATION: A four-day idol installation ceremony got under way at the Shiva temple in New Madhopuri here on Wednesday under the guidance of Pandit Lal Chand. A shobha yatra was taken out in which school children and women, carrying water “kalash” on their heads, participated in large numbers. Idols of Laxmi Narayan, Ganesha, Durga , Hanuman and the Shiva family will be installed on May 27 at the temple.

GYAN YAJNA: Shrimad Bhagwat Amar Katha Gyan-yagya is being held from April 27 to May 5 at Shri Prem Mandir in Tilak Nagar on the Chauri Sarak, according to a spokesman of the temple management. Dharamacharya Baba Rijak Dass ji Maharaj from Saharanpur will narrate katha from 9 am to 11 am and then from 8pm to 10 pm every day.

BANK BRANCH: The Bank of India has opened its 23rd office and second extension counter in the district on the premises of the Sahnewal Co-operative Marketing Society at Grain Market in Sahnewal near here. The extension counter will be attached to the Industrial Area Branch in the city. Mr R.L. Kalsia, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, formally inaugurated the counter. He exhorted the bankers to be responsive to the diverse needs of the people and to be customer-friendly in their outlook and day-to-day working. The Branch Manager of the Industrial Area branch Mr M.L. Digra assured best services to the customers from this counter. Mr J.S. Arora, officer-in charge, conveyed a vote of thanks.

BSP PANEL: The BSP has set up a five-member panel to select party candidates for the forthcoming municipal elections in the city. The committee formed by Mr Harbhajan Singh Sarinh, chairman and Dr Mohan Singh Phallianwal, president of the state unit of the party, comprised Mr Om Parkash Chauhan, Major Pritpal Singh, Mr Inderjit Singh, Mr Gurmel Singh Pehalwan and Mr Abdul Shakoor.

MANSA
DEMANDED: Mr Radhey Sham, general secretary, District Congress Committee, has complained to the Deputy Commissioner that Mr Jatinder Singh Saggu, Tehsildar, and Mr Jai Chand Parinda, Naib Tehsildar, have been registering ‘‘under-valued’’ sale deeds. He has given instances of 19 such sale deeds for which they got huge amounts as ‘‘bribe’’. Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, he demanded their suspension .

REMANDED: Mr Subash Chand Aggarwal and Mr Baljeet Singh, Block Development Panchayat Officer and Panchayat Officer, respectively, Jhunir, who were allegedly caught red-handed while taking Rs 1,500 as bribe from Mr Jasbir Singh, former Panchayat Secretary, were produced in the court of Ms Gurdarshan Kaur, Judicial Magistrate (Ist Class), on Wednesday. The Magistrate remanded them in police custody.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local unit of Indian Medical Council: president — Dr S.P. Bansal; secretary — Dr Raj Kumar Jindal; and treasurer — Dr Ranjit Singh Raipuri.

MOGA
ARRESTED: The police has arrested Gurjant Singh of Wander village, under the Baghapurana police station, on the charge of carrying 1 kg of opium near Bambiha Bhai village. This was stated in a press note issued here on Wednesday. A case has been registered under Sections 18, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.

BOOKED: The police has registered cases under Sections 75,76,80,420,465,468,471 and 120B, IPC, against Raj Kumar, Diwan Chand, Vijay Kumar and certain residents of Kot Isa Khan village in this district on the charge of defrauding a bank of Rs 16 lakh allegedly in connivance with its employees. This was stated by SSP Virender Kumar here on Thursday. Cases have also been registered against employees of the bank namely Mr Baljinder Singh, District Field Officer, Mr Resham Lal, Assistant District Field Bank Officer, and others in this connection.

SEVA BHARTI: As many as 159 blind persons in the district have regained eyesight following corneal plantation done with the help of the local Seva Bharti during the past one-and-a-half years. This was stated by the general secretary of the organisation, Mr Vishva Mitter Dada, here on Thursday. Residents of the town, Zira and other places donated eyes, he added. 

PATHANKOT
CHEATED: On a complaint of Mr Bachan Singh, the police on Wednesday presented a challan in a local court against Dharam Pal and his father, Thuru Ram, for allegedly cheating him. Kanta Devi, daughter of the complainant, was engaged with Dharam Pal, but the marriage was cancelled without assigning any reason and was fixed with another girl. 

PATIALA
LADIES CLUB: The Maharani Ladies Club celebrated “husbands’ Nite” at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) here on Thursday. Ms Preneet Kaur, MP, was the chief guest. She released a souvenir of the club and also presented memento to Ms Pratibha Jain, the outgoing president of the club.

SAMRALA
MAHAVIR JAYANTI: Mahavir Jayanti was celebrated here on Thursday in Jain House at Durlabh Nagar-Samrala. On this occasion industrialist and social worker Padam Jain congratulated the Jain Bhaichara, including citizens of Samrala. Mr Surinder Bhalla, president of the Ashtam Furosh Union, Punjab, gave Rs 2,000 for the installation of a handpump in the tehsil complex.

CHANDIGARH

STONE DETECTION CAMP: The Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midtown is organising a free prostrate and urinary stone detection camp for senior citizens on April 27 and April 28. Top urologists, Dr V.K. Kapoor and Dr Anshuman Kapoor, will provide their services at the camp. The camp will be held at Kidney and Urostone Centre, SCO 70-71, Sector 20-C, Chandigarh.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Technical Teachers Training Institute Workers Union : president — Mr S.C. Shukla; vice-president — Mr Mamu Ram Goyal; general secretary — Mr Jasbir Singh; joint secretary — Mr Jogdhian Singh; and cashier — Mr Udai Raj.

PANCHKULA
ELECTED: Following persons have been unanimously elected as office-bearers of the Panchkula Welfare Association: president Mr R.P. Malhotra; senior vice-president — Mr P.N. Khanna; vice-president — Ms Jagdamba Gupta; general secretary Mr D.R. Sharma, finance secretary — R.C. Goel; and secretary — Dr Kamla Thukral. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
TANKER OVERTURNS: A tanker carrying Ammonia Nitrate liquid overturned near the milk plant at Ambala City on Wednesday which disrupted traffic on the Delhi road. The vehicles were diverted via Baldevnagar and the road remained closed till the liquid was cleared from the road. According to information, the tanker overturned when it was hit by another vehicle. Two fire brigades controlled the leakage of ammonia. the traffic could be restored only after three hours. In another incident, a minor fire broke out in bushes near the ammunition dump centre at Ambala Cantonment on Wednesday. The fire was immediately controlled. 

BHIWANI
2 KILLED: Jai Bhagwan of Durga Colony here was killed when his motorcycle skidded near Sangha village on Wednesday. In another incident, Bahadur Singh of Lajpat Nagar died after he consumed some wrong medicine. He died in the Civil Hospital.

FATEHABAD
REVIEWED: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr O.P. Indora on Wednesday reviewed wheat procurement operations at the local grain market. The SDM and administrator of the Market Committee, Mr R.K. Chauhan, the District Food and Supplies Controller, Mr I.D. Khan and the District Manager, Hafed, Mr Sandip Singh were also present. Later, Mr Indora told mediapersons, that the government procurement agencies had procured 3.59 lakh tonnes of wheat in the district.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
MUDDY WATER: Residents of the Baba Bangali area have been forced to consume muddy water for the past two days. Owing to heavy rain, muddy water of several nullahs have reportedly overflowed into tanks meant for the storage of potable water.

CHAMBA
DEMANDED: The Chamba Welfare Association has demanded the widening of old bypass and roads connecting the bus terminus and the Sheetla bridge via PWD Rest House and Kasakada Mohalla besides roads connecting the Zonal Hospital and the Baloo bridge. The association submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rahul Anand, in this connection here on Wednesday.

MANDI
KILLED: Pratap Singh, driver of the local SDM, was killed near Gutkar on National Highway 21 on Tuesday when a truck the tail door of his Jeep crushing him to death. He hailed from Chauntra village of Jogindernagar subdivision.