Regional Beat — Chandigarh

65-yr-old man killed
Batala: One person was allegedly killed with an iron rod at Kot Santokh Rai village under Kalanaur police station in Batala police district on Friday night. According to the police, some unidentified persons entered the house of Joginder Pal Singh Bedi (65) and killed him while he was asleep. SSP Lok Nath Angra claimed that the alleged culprits had been identified but they were still absconding.

NSS camp
Patiala: An interschool NSS camp of the local schools, including Senior Secondary Girls Government School, New Power House Colony, and Shakuntala Girls Senior Secondary School was organised at the New Power House Colony government school on the directions of the Directorate of Youth Services, Punjab. The 10-day camp was inaugurated by Tarjeet Kaur Walia, principal of the host school. Kharag Singh Cheema, District Education Officer presided over the concluding function.

Office-bearers
Patiala: The following have been elected office bearers of the Punjab Dental Association. President elect Dr B.S. Parhar; vice presidents — Dr Gajinder Singh, Dr R.C. Sharma and Dr Vinod Kapoor; general secretary — Dr Ajay Shahi; and treasurer Dr Bali as treasurer.

2 killed in mishap
Una: Two persons were killed and 21 were injured, seven of them seriously, when a tractor-trolley rolled down a gorge near Chintpurni temple, 45 kms from here, today. The trolley, carrying 30 persons, reportedly met with the accident when it detached itself from the tractor. The deceased were identified as Sanjeev Kumar and Rajani from Mukerian in Punjab. The injured were immediately rushed to the local hospital, while district police and civil officials reached the mishap site to supervise rescue operations.

Youth festival
Una: A day-long youth festival was organised by the Youth Activities and Sports Department at the Government Post Graduate College here yesterday. As many as 11 youth clubs, besides teams from senior secondary schools and colleges participated in various contests. District Youth Activities and Sports Officer Ved Prakash Upadhyay was the chief guest at the function.

Fire
Kullu: Vast tracts of the forest land adjoining Jagatsukh and Bhanara villages across the Beas river were destroyed in a fire on Saturday. Though the cause of fire could not be ascertained immediately, forest fire has been known to cause extensive damage in Soyal, Fojal valley, Bijli Mahadev, Dhama Shani recently. Forest officials and residents have expressed deep concern over the frequent forest fires.

Women’s camp organised
Nahan: A camp was organised to educate the women about their rights at Jamata, about 13 kms from here, yesterday. As many as 30 rural women participated in the camp which was held by the volunteer organisation, Yamudha. The women were educated through video films and slides and legal experts were also invited on the occasion.

Dry spell damages crops
Bilaspur: The persistent dry spell has caused extensive damage to the rabbi crop, grown in about 30,000 hectares in this district. The crops, including wheat, gram and pulses, have started turning pale for want of moisture and the seasonal fruits are also being threatened.

Police recruitments between Jan 22-25
Bilaspur: Open recruitment for the Third Batallion of Himachal Pradesh Police will be undertaken between January 22 and 25 here, according to district police chief Anurag Garg. He said here today that 23 persons, including two women constables and two drivers, would be recruited. While the age limit for general category would be between 18 and 22 years, that for the reserved category would be between 18 and 24 years. The minimum qualification would be Class X and VIII, respectively, for general and reserved categories.

HRTC employees awarded
Bilaspur: As many as 15 employees, including drivers, conductors, mechanics and electricians belonging to the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation here, were give cash awards of Rs 200 each along with commendation letters for the valuable service performed during the previous year. Deputy Divisional Manager Shyam Prashad Chatterji said that the scheme had been launched to bring in efficiency in the working of HRTC.

SBI branch manager plea on pension
Kullu: A retired branch manager of the local State Bank of India Hari Krishan Khanna has complained that his revised pension has not been released and has urged the authorities to do so immediately. He has alleged that after completion of all formalities the concerned papers had been sent by the bank’s Mumbai headquarters to the Chandigarh office, but that they were not being sent to Kullu for necessary action.

Paper bag industry revived
Bilaspur: The ban on use of polythene carry-bags has revived the cottage industry involved in the making of paper bags in Ghumarwin, Talai and Nainadevi areas. Many families, numbering about 50 and living just above the poverty line, who had been engaged in the making of paper bags, had been hit with the surging popularity of polythene bags. With the return of paper bags, the price of newspaper waste has also risen and jute bags too are making a comeback in the region.