R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FATEHGARH SAHIB
HIP SURGERY: A team of doctors, led by Dr Vinod, joint replacement surgeon and former Registrar of the PGI replaced a fractured hip of Mr Janak Raj Sharma at Mahesh Hospital, Sirhind, on Sunday. Dr. Vinod said the hip-replacement surgery had been done for the first time in this area and after the surgery the patient could walk the very next day.

Jalandhar
INSTALMENT: The Rs 250 crore first instalment of the Rs 1850-crore World Bank scheme for supply of drinking water to people of the rural areas of Punjab will be made available to the Punjab Government by November. This was disclosed by Mr Avtaar henry, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Punjab, while inaugurating a Rs 10 lakh tubewell scheme for providing drinking water to the Moti Mohalla locality here on Sunday.

Ludhiana
VANA MAHOTSAVA: The Maharishi Balmik Nagar (Block C) Welfare Association, in collaboration with the Bharat Vikas Parishad, Vivekanand Branch, Ludhiana observed Vanamahotsava here yesterday. Mr Balkar Singh, Councillor, planted a sapling in the park adjoining Shaiwal Public School. Others who planted trees including Prof. ML Anand, Mr Raj Kumar Walia, Mr ML Kapoor, Prof Deepak Chopra, Prof RK Puri, Mr OP Malhotra, Mr Rajesh Chowdary, Mr Ranbir Pahwa, Mr Radhey Shyam Gupta, and Mr SC Gupta and others.

LITERACY MONTH: Inner Wheel Club of Ludhiana celebrated the literacy month. It’s president, Ms Anju Kapur, secretary Manisha Gupta and other club members organised a function at Govt Senior Secondary School, Model Town, Ludhiana. The president delivered a speech for students on the importance of education in life. The club adopted 11 poor children. The club has decided to make the school library well equipped. The school children welcomed the club members. Principal Subash Arora thanked the club president.

TALENT SHOW: In a ceremony held at a hotel here, Jaycees held a talent show Boogie Woogie 2005 for kids . The principal of KVM School Mr S.C. Saxena, was the chief guest and gave away awards to participants.

PATIALA
Book released: Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana, chairperson of the Punjabi Sahit Akadmi, released an autobiography of renowned scholar Dr Rattan Singh Jaggi at a seminar held at Government College for Girls here on Monday. The seminar on the importance of religion in life was organised by the college in collaboration with the akademi.

Journalists’ meeting: A meeting of the Patiala Journalist Association was held here on Monday. Gurkirpal Singh Ashk, the newly-elected president of association, said a screening committee had been formed to select members for the association. A seminar-cum-workshop would be organised on August 12 to discuss ethical issues. Those selected for the screening committee included Jaspal Singh Dhillon, Parvesh Sharma, Sanjay Verma, Bupesh Chatha and Sarabjit Singh Bhangu. 

Elected: Dr Harjit Singh was elected president and Mr Premjit Singh, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (retd) was elected secretary of the gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, here on Sunday.

WELCOMED: The 12-member team of Budha Dal Public School, which won the prestigious 12th International Space Settlement Design Competition at Nasa Kennedy Space Research Centre in Florida, received a warm welcome on their return to the city on Monday. This was their second consecutive victory in the international competition. 

Samrala
Broadband service: Broadband service has been commissioned here which has the capacity to transit a large amount of data at a speed 256 kbps, according to Er S S Dhami, Divisional Engineer (Phones). Talking to mediapersons in a local rest house, Mr Dhami said now the BSNL B-fone customer did not need to take extra for data one connection rather it would be provided on the existing phone line. Dhami also said no money for telephone call charged to access Internet but the modern ADLS would also be provided by BSNL at affordable cost.

CHANDIGARH

BLOOD DONATION: A blood donation camp will be organised at the Municipal Corporation’s committee room on Tuesday. The camp begins at 10 am. 

Panchkula
DHARNA: A delegation of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, on Monday staged a dharna outside the DC office, demanding action against cops who had lathi-charged protesting Honda Employees at Gurgaon. They also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding that all protesters arrested by the police be released.

Extended: The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has extended the last date for the Electricity Bill Waiver Scheme till August 31. This has been done for employees who had not deposited their bills in the first billing cycle, commencing June 17.

Vanamahotsava: The Vanmahotsav month celebrations organised by Eco Club of Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1, Chandi Mandir, concluded on Monday. Mr Manjit Singh, Education Officer, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, planted a sapling on the occasion. A cultural programme was also organised, informed school Principal Narender Mohini.

HARYANA

AMBALA
YOGA CAMP: The SP, Mr Rajbir Deshwal, inaugurated a yoga camp in Police DAV Public School at Ambala City on Monday. Swami Shushil, a yoga coach of Gurukul Kangri, would give training at the camp for one week. Addressing the students, Mr Deshwal said besides academic education, the students should actively take part in sports and other physical activities like yoga. His wife Ms Kaomudi Deshwal, later inaugurated a table tennis hall on the school premises.

Panipat
AID: The District Red Cross Society has given Rs 25,000 each to the families of two martyrs, sepoy Yash Pal of Rohna village and Subedar Sat Narain Singh of Baroda village. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Suresh Kumar Goyal, went to Rohna village on Sunday and gave the amount to the widow of Yash Pal. Earlier, he participated in the rasam pagri of Subedar Sat Narain Singh at Baroda village and handed over Rs 25,000 to his widow through the SDM, Gohana.

Rewari
Financial help: The Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman of the District Red Cross Society, Mr Mahender Kumar, presented here on Saturday a cheque for Rs 22,000 as financial assistance to a poor and talented student, Mahipal, of a nearby Sulkha village to enable him to seek admission in the MBBS course in the medical college at Rohtak.

PROTEST: BJP activists led by senior party leader Randhir Singh Kapriwas held a demonstration protesting against the erratic power supply at Dharuhera on Manday. They demanded remission of electricity dues being charged from them on the basis of standardised minimum consumption for the past two months during which, they asserted, power supply to them by the DHBVN authorities was negligible.

Sirsa
COP SUSPENDED: Following allegations by villagers of being beaten up by policemen, the district police chief has suspended Dilbag Singh, Chowki in charge of Deeng police post. According to the villagers who had gathered at the district police headquarters here on Monday, Dileep Singh and two other residents of Deeng village were taken to the police post and beaten up by the chowki in charge. Five persons were picked by the police. 

Sonepat
CASE REGISTERED: The Sadar police has registered a case against a death of a student, Prashan, of Jat Joshi village, last month. The police has impounded the jeep and launched a hunt to apprehend the driver.

ELECTROCUTED: A youth, Naveen Kumar, was electrocuted while repairing the cable wire in his house at New Kabirpur village on the outskirts of the city on Sunday night. The deceased was watching the cricket match on the TV set when the cable wire developed a fault. When he was repairing it, an electric current came in the cable wire which resulted in his death.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Shimla
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Welfare Association: president — Mr Jivanand Jeevan; senior vice-president — Mr K.C. Malhotra; vice-president — Mr J.K. Nadd; general secretary — Mr D.R. Parwalia; treasurer — Mr Bishwa Mitar Mahajan; and joint secretaries — Mr Ram Swaroop and Mr Jagdish Attri.