The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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Regional potpourri
Man looking for parents, identity

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
Practical exams postponed: Guru Nanak Dev University has postponed practical examinations of BA/BSc part I, II and III scheduled for March 4 and 5 due to administrative reasons. Stating this Dr Gurnam Singh, Registrar, said fresh dates would be notified later.

Tractor hits train, one hurt: A tractor-trailer hit the Bandra Express today evening at Vallah level crossing here. The tractor driver was injured seriously. Senior police and railway officials reached the spot to probe. Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, SSP, who was at the spot, said the gatekeeper had failed to close the gate, which led to the accident. The tractor driver was taken to hospital.

Remembrance: The GS Sohan Singh Artist Memorial Trust on Saturday observed the 10th death anniversary of the painter, after whom the trust was named. Among his best art pieces, ‘Hemkund visualised’ depicted the Hemkund Sahib in the lofty ice peaks, where Guru Gobind Singh has shown in communion with the eternal Master. The trust aimed to set up a museum in the vicinity of the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, the Golden Temple complex.

Chandigarh
Badal expresses grief OVER Barnala bus mishap: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal yesterday expressed grief over the bus accident near Barnala in which 10 were killed and 37 others were injured. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy CM, also mourned the deaths in the mishap. He praised local people and NGOs for removing the victims from the accident site.

Hoshiarpur
ZP passes budget: The first meeting of the newly elected members of the zila parishad was held under the presidentship of Surinder Kaur here recently. The estimated budget of Rs 8.15 crore for 2009-10 was passed unanimously. Members said they should be given the authority to distribute cheques among panchayats for the various development works. They also demanded to take their opinion while doing transfers of the staff working in schools and dispensaries being governed by the zila parishad.

Jalandhar
Medical camp: A free medical camp for people suffering from cardiac problems and diabetes, was organised by Jalandhar-based NGO Pahal in association with Oxford Hospital at Sainpur village at Gurdaspur today. In all, about 300 people (also from the neighbouring villages of Abul Khair, Mirpur, Ghulla, Dharochakk, Matma) were checked, treated and given free medicines on the occasion.

Ludhiana
Clarification: The class X examination of the Punjab State Education Board
will start from March 6 and not on March 2 as reported in the news item, "State
school education board budget passed," in the columns of The Tribune today.
The error is regretted.

MALERKOTLA
Ride Safe programme: The Ride Safe programme was organised by Venus Automobiles with the help of Hero Honda Limited at Thandi Sadak here on Saturday. Malerkotla SDM Gurloveleen Singh Sidhu was the chief guest during the function. According to organiser of the programme Vinod Mehra, two-wheeler riders were given safety tips. The SDM said if all two-wheeler riders obey traffic rules, chances of accidents would be negligible.

NABHA
Police-public meetings held: The police has started meetings with the general public in the subdivision to ensure better ties and support to keep a check on miscreants, particularly drug sellers. During a meeting with villagers at nearby Chhintawala Chowki, DSP Arshdeep Singh Gill urged parents to keep a check on the activities of their wards.

Blood donation camp: The Jan Sewa Society (Regd) organised a blood donation and eye check-up camp at Kakrala village. Dr Mahesh Ahuja and ophthalmic officer Hardeep Randhawa examined more than 500 patients and operated on 30 for cataract. Twentyfive volunteers donated blood in the camp. Civil Surgeon Kulddep Kaur Sahni and ACS Parshotam Goel appealed to people to donate eyes after death.

SANGRUR
Workers burn effigy: Activists of the Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatha Mazdoor Union on Sunday burnt the effigy of the Badal government at the traffic lights chowk here in support of their demands, including the scrapping of cases registered against 51 arrested brick-kiln workers and activists of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha. Meanwhile, their indefinite dharna in front of DC’s office here entered the third day.

Scholarship exam results: The district unit of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), Punjab, on Sunday declared results of scholarship examinations conducted by it on February 8 for students of classes V, VIII and X. District president of the DTF Tarsem Lal said 3,050 students appeared in the scholarship examinations this year.

Gold medalist honoured: The local Sahara Foundation at a function here on Sunday honoured power-lifter Manjit Kaur of Ghabdan village (near Sangrur) for winning a gold medal in power-lifting in the All-India Inter University Competitions held at Vishakhapatnam recently. Foundation chairman Sarbjit Singh Raikhy said Manjit had won a gold medal in a power-lifting Asian championship held in Uzbekistan.

HARYANA

Kurukshetra
KU staff work on holidays: Over 2,500 non-teaching employees of Kurukshetra University worked on both the holidays -Saturday and Sunday - to compensate for the loss of work due to four-day strike observed by them from February 25 to 28 for their demand of implementing the Sixth Pay Commission scales.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
‘Root out’ copying: The State Promotee School Lecturers Association has declared that it would support call of the HP State School Board that all teachers and parents should co-operate in ensuring that the evil of copying is rooted out from the annual examinations. The decision was taken in the state executive committee meeting of the association presided by its president Ram Murti Lath at Ghumarwin near here on Sunday.

MANDI
Woman molested: One Chuni Lal allegedly entered into the kitchen of a widow, Laxmi Devi, a resident of Matwehar Baldwara under Sarkaghat police station, and molested. One Netar Singh of the same village saved her from his clutches. The police has registered a case of criminal trespass, simple hurt and molestation under Sections 452, 323, 354 of the IPC.

SHIMLA
CM’s meeting cancelled: Chief Minister PK Dhumal could not address the scheduled public meeting at Haripur Dhar in Sirmaur on Sunday, as his helicopter could not land at the venue. After addressing public meetings at Arki and Kunihar in Solan district he took off in the three-seater helicopter for Haripur Dhar in the afternoon. However, the small aircraft could not land at the site because of the strong winds and high air pressure. He returned to Shimla instead. He was accompanied by BJP candidate from Shimla Lok Sabha seat Virender Kashyap.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Vision Kashmir meeting: Vision Kashmir, an organisation of the migrant Kashmiri Pandits, held a meeting on Saturday to express their deep concern over the statement of senior NC leader and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, where he talked about missing the presence of Pandits in the state Assembly. Convener Sunil Fotedar termed it a cruel joke with the displaced community. Ashok Kaul, organising secretary, Vision Kashmir, said, “We have already been sidelined in a milieu where even the government does not sincerely recognise our necessity of rehabilitation.”

Teenager hurt in explosion: A teenager got critically injured in detonator explosion in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, police sources said. “The victim identified as Imran, 13, son of Khadim Hussain, resident of Dhariarlout, sustained injuries when a detonator he picked from the roadside exploded in his hand at Dhariarlout in Manjokote area,” the sources said. The PWD authorities in connection with some roadwork have exhausted the detonator, the police said, adding that the injured was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.

SRINAGAR
Special cell: The University of Kashmir has recently set up a ‘special cell for the physically challenged students’. The centre is authorised to cater the needs of such students with special needs especially with regards to human rights, rehabilitation and education. The cell would work under the direct supervision of the dean, students welfare and facilitate admission of physically challenged students besides providing counselling and guidance to them, spokesman for the university said.

Regional potpourri
Man looking for parents, identity

Sant Ram alias Harinder Singh

He has been seeking justice for over three years but none has been able to understand his agony. Desperate to know his identity Sant Ram alias Harinder Singh, resident of Gurdaspur, sans means,has been fighting for his rights with help from some kind-hearted persons.

Disappointed at the attitude of police officials and the the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC), Sant Ram has written to President of India, the Prime minister, Punjab Governor and other authorities, praying for justice.

Earlier certain members of the commission helped Sant Ram identify his mother who turned out to be Sahi Shanti,a resident of Sangrur.

She had lost balance and was deserted by a few men in Amritsar. Shanti reportedly was rehabilitated in the After Care Home at Amritsar and later shifted to the State Protective Home, Jalandhar.

Following directions of the PSHRC, the Jalandhar police deputed DSP Sharam Singh Uppal to look into the matter and report to the commission.

The DSP said Sahi Shanti was sold by certain Sangrur-based men nearly 35 years ago. The woman was resold and purchased a couple of times following which Shanti lost her balance . In the meantime she gave birth to a child, Sant Ram.

Sources said the police had also identified certain influential persons involved in the case who figured in DNA tests.

Following the DSPs report, Sant Ram has requested for scrutiny of DNA tests to identify his biological father.

Father of three daughters, Sant Ram wanted to know his identity after he was removed by Nirmal Singh, a resident of Ali Nangal village near Gurdaspur, after eight years of service.

He was renamed Harinder Singh by Punjab Police cop Gurwinder Singh who allegedly smuggled him out of Hoshiarpur-based juvenile home. Sant Ram worked as domestic help in Gurbinder Singh’s house.

“My employers, Gurwinder Singh and his brother Nirmal Singh, attacked me when I demanded salary. They threw me out of their home. This shocked me and I decided to search for my parents,” Sant Ram claimed. — Bipin Bhardwaj