R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
SEMINAR: The All-India Sikh Educational Conference in collaboration with the Institute of Development and Planning will hold a seminar to discuss the crises facing the agricultural sector. Agricultural scientists and economists will attend the seminar which would be held in the first week of October, a press note said on Friday.

WARRANT ISSUED: An arrest warrant against Tarsem Lall Hans, travel agent, was issued on Friday in connection with the bouncing of cheques several months ago. A police team has left for his arrest.

BATALA
‘PROMOTE’ SANSKRIT: Mr Davinder Kumar, convener of the Sanskrit Parao Sangarsh Samiti, Punjab, and Mr Vinod Sharma, Sanskrit intellectual, in a written statement here on Friday criticised the government for not promoting Sanskrit and converting posts of Sanskrit into other languages.

FEROZEPORE
PANELS FOR SCHOOLS: The district administration has constituted eight-member committees in 1330 government schools in the district. The district administration has received a sum of Rs 5 crore for the project. The committees will include principal/headmasters, two panchayat members, one PTA member, ex-servicemen among locals. The project would continue till 2010.

HOSHIARPUR
TAXI STOLEN: Some persons took away a taxi at gunpoint near Bankhandi on the Hoshiarpur-Una road on Friday. According to the police, a taxi was hired from Amritsar for Peernigaha. When it reached Bankhandi, the occupants made the driver of the taxi get down and escaped. A case has been registered.

KAPURTHALA
BOOTLEGGERS HELD: The police arrested seven bootleggers and poppy husk smugglers on Wednesday. As many as 40 bottles of illicit liquor and 370 kg of poppy husk were seized.

DRUG ABUSE MENACE: The district administration has formulated a plan to check the menace of drug abuse, according to Mr Rakesh K. Verma, Deputy Commissioner. In a press note on Friday, he said a meeting held under the aegis of the District Red Cross Society with NGOs representatives and chemists discussed a three-pronged strategy in this regard.

KHARAR
INAUGURATED: Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Sports Minister, Punjab, on Thursday inaugurated a water supply scheme constructed at a cost of Rs 29 lakh at Kanjlan village near Morinda. Mr Kang said on Friday that the villagers of Kanjla, Bangian, Kalaran and Boothgarh would get clean drinking water once the project was implemented.

CHEQUES DISTRIBUTED: Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang on Thursday distributed cheques among eight villages of this subdivision under the Employment Assurance Scheme for the reconstruction and disilting of ponds at a function organised in Khizrabad village. He said a sum of Rs 17.50 lakh and 18,000 quintals of wheat would be given for this purpose.

LUDHIANA
HONOURED: Dr Rajneesh Calton, Professor and Head, Department — Cardiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), was recently honoured by the Rotary Club, Towanda, northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. He was invited to address a gathering of Rotarians from five Rotary clubs in Towanda district. Dr Calton was also the guest of the faculty of the CMC Alumni Association of North America at Atanta, USA, and gave a lecture on coronary artery disease in Punjab.

AWARENESS CAMP: The Sahyog Welfare Society (regd), Ludhiana, will organise a pollution awareness and free check-up camp at Monga Tyres, GT Road, near the Sherpur Chowk from September 24 to 26. This was stated by Mr Sukhpreet Singh Grewal, spokesman of the organisation.

NSS CAMP: A one-day camp by NSS volunteers (boys and girls) of A.S. College, Khanna was organised at Government Primary School, Rahoun on Thursday. The camp was inaugurated by Dr C.L. Narang, programme coordinator, NSS, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Mr Tarsem Bahia, Prinicipal, addressed the school children and NSS volunteers.

‘PRIVILEGE CARD’: The much awaited Majestic Park Plaza ‘privilege card’ became a reality and the management issued first instalment of 201 cards at function organised here on Thursday. The majestic Privilege Card offers exclusive dining and accommodation to its members.

INJURED: Three persons, including a policeman, were injured in two accidents on Thursday. Constable Parminder Singh and his friend Jaswinder Singh sustained injuries when their motorcycle collided with a tempo at Chaheru on the GT road. In another incident Kalu was injured when an oil tanker and a tractor-trailer collided near Chachoki village on the GT road.

HARYANA

AMBALA
RALLY: The third phase of ‘sarkar apke dwar’ programme will start from October 2. The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, said this while addressing INLD workers of the district. Mr Chautala exhorted the workers to turn up in a large number for a state level rally to be organised in Jind on September 25. 

ELECTED: The office-bearers of the Ambala Central Cooperative Bank were elected on Friday. The chairman, Mr Mam Chand, and the vice-chairman, Mr Raghvir Singh, were elected unanimously. The elections were held in the presence of Mr Ratan Singh, Joint Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Haryana. Among others, Mr Risal Singh, a minister, Mr Jasbir Mallour, MLA, Mr Balwant Singh Kotkachua, Mr Surjit Singh Sondha, Mr Avtar Singh Kesri and Mr Balwinder Punia were also present. 

COIN MELA: The State Bank of Patiala will organise a coin mela at its GT Road branch in Ambala City on September 22. The mela, from 10 am to 2 pm, will also have the facility of exchanging soiled and mutilated notes.

RESENTMENT: Residents of Sectors 8, 9 and 10 of Urban Estate, Ambala City, expressed concern over the closure of a road passing below a railway bridge near Model Town. The road is a short cut to approach Ambala Cantt and people would have to now travel for at least 5 km extra to reach GT Road. The Railway Department is reconstructing the old bridge. Members of the Urban Estate Welfare Society have sent a memorandum to the railway authorities in this regard. The president of the society, Mr H.S. Sekhon and the general secretary, Mr Pradeep Sharma, urged the authorities that at least two-wheelers be allowed to pass through this road till the construction of the bridge was completed.

SPORTS MEET: The thirtyseventh Haryana School Sports competitions begin here on Friday. About 2000 students from 22 districts of the state are participating in the meet. The Education Minister, Mr Bahadur Singh, while inaugurating the function said the games should be played with sports spirit and the state government was providing every possible facility to its players. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam Pardeep Kasni, the City Magistrate, Ms Pratima Chaudhry, and other officers of the Sports Department were present on this occasion.

WOMAN DEAD: A woman of a nearby village of the Naggal constituency succumbed to burn injuries in the local Civil Hospital here on Friday. According to a report, Sudesh was seriously injured when kerosene stove in the kitchen burst. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

EMPLOYEES: Mr Gopal Das Verma, president, National Federation of State Government Employees, on Thursday said Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has ordered an inquiry into the incident in which the Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, had laid the foundation stone of NGO Bhavan again.