Regional Beat — Chandigarh

Concern
Fatehgarh Sahib: Director Health Service Punjab, Dr Puran Singh Jassi, while addressing a seminar here yesterday, showed great concern over the decreasing birth rate of females in the state. He said in Punjab the birth rate of girls was 882 against 1000 boys while on a national level there were 927 girls against 1000 boys. Jassi disclosed that recently a survey was conducted in ten districts of the state out of which three districts of Amritsar, Bathinda and Faridkot had very low female birth rate.

Dr P L Goyal, Civil Surgeon Fatehgarh Sahib, Dr Rajesh Jindal, Dr P C Singla, Dr S Singh and Swaran Singh Chanarthal, president Akali Dal (Badal) also addressed the gathering.

Summoned
Kharar: Kharar Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Neelam Arora has summoned Ranjit Kaur, a resident of SAS Nagar, under Sections 463/467/120-B IPC on April 24 on the complaint of her husband Major (retd) Harmohinder Singh. In a complaint filed through his counsel, Major (Retd.) Harmohinder Singh had alleged that his wife Ranjit Kaur, dispossessed him and his mother, Karam Kaur forcibly from their residence in SAS Nagar on October 12, 1993. Then in 1997 she got a telephone connection which had been applied for by his mother, by misrepresenting herself. He said his mother had never authorised the accused to act on her behalf. He added that a departmental probe was conducted on an application moved by his mother on getting knowledge of the forgery, which revealed that the telephone connection had been installed after submitting forged documents.

Boycott
Kharar: Punjab SC/BC Revenue Patwar Union has decided to boycott the strike call given by the General Patwar Union in Punjab for February 11 and 12, describing it as illegal and uncalled for, according to a press release issued by Union general secretary.

Pledge
Kharar: As many as 32 members of the newly-formed Kharar Lions Club pledged to donate their eyes at the inauguration ceremony of Kharar Lions Club at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, here today. District Governor of Lions Club Ravinder Parkash Goyal inaugurated the branch of Lions Club at Kharar while charter president Bali Ram Anand and his team was installed by the district chairman membership N.K. Grover. Roopnagar Member of parliament Satwinder Kaur Dhaliwal was the chief guest of the function and K.K. Sawhney was the guest of honour.

Boys escape
Hoshiarpur: Two teenaged boys, including a `Pakistani national,’ today escaped from children detention centre at Ram Colony camp on the city’s outskirts, police said.The centre’s watchman Sarup Singh and Punjab Home Guard jawan Som Nath, who were on duty at the time of escape of Javed Ahmed and Santokh around breakfast time, were also found missing and their complicity in the boys’ escape was not ruled out by the police. Javed Ahmed, who described himself a resident of Lahore, was caught after he had infiltrated into the country from Wagah border on September 3 in 1996, was later convicted and sentenced to six months’ imprionment.

However, Pakistan authorities had refused to accept him, saying he was not their country’s national. Santokh, a resident of Jalandhar city, was facing trial in a case of theft. Both were aged around 15 years.

Police have registered a case under Sections 223 and 224 of IPC on the complaint lodged by centre superintendent Satwinder Kaur.