Regional Beat 8212; Chandigarh

Batala: A woman died after being bitten by a snake at Kigi village under the Quadin police station yesterday. According to the police, the woman was cleaning her house when the mishap occurred. She was immediately taken to Civil Hospital, Harchowl, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Donation
Amritsar: Major General Avtar Singh, VSM GCO, Panther Division, today presented a special chair, palki, to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, for the benefit of senior citizens who are unable to undertake parikarma on foot. Avtar Singh paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and was honoured with a siropa by the SGPC.

Pleas
Gurdaspur: Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner S. K. Sandhu yesterday called upon the social organisations and social workers to check the growing tendency of the youth to consume intoxicants. He was addressing a general meeting of the district Red Cross Society at Panchayat Bhawan here. Saying that the district administration would further intensify the propaganda against the use of intoxicants, he urged the heads of schools to make the students aware of the effects of consuming drugs.

Shimla: A deputation of the Dhalli Beopar Mandal, Shimla, and representatives of local tyre companies have urged the Chief Minister to reconsider the hike in sales tax on tyres and tubes from nine to 12 per cent. In a memorandum, Beopar Mandal president B.R. Dogra said when the sales tax was reduced to nine per cent from 11 per cent, the revenue receipts had grown three times. The Beopar Mandal chief said that if the proposal was enforced, the sale of tyres would divert to neighbouring states because of the low rate of ST.

Denial
Gurdaspur: Civil Surgeon Dr A.S. Sandhu has refuted reports in a section of the press that cholera had claimed two lives in Shahpur Jaggan village in the district. Denying reports, he said no such case has been reported. A 50-year-old woman, Beero, had died of chest infection and six-year-old Akki of gastroenteritis in the village, he said.Dr Sandhu said he received information of some reported cases of gastroenteritis in the village on Thursday afternoon and he immediately sent medical teams to the area.

Crime
Batala: The police recovered the body of a woman, Darshan Kaur, from Dharamkot village under the Ghoman police station in Batala district today. According to the police, Darshan Kaur was allegedly killed by the four youth who had reportedly kidnapped her son two days previously. She had gone to rescue her son, who managed to evade the kidnappers and escape. Her body was brought to the Civil Hospital here for a post-mortem.

Odds and Ends
Palampur: Shanta Kumar, MP, representing the Kangra-Chamba Lok Sabha seat, today sanctioned Rs. 10 lakh from his discretionary funds for construction of a sarai in sub-divisional hospital here. In a statement, he pointed out that relatives of the patients who visit 100-bedded hospital for treatment have to face many hardships as there was no provision for their stay. The sarai would be constructed on the government land available near the hospital.

Patiala: On the second death anniversary of cricket enthusiast M. L. Markan, a memorial charitable trust named after him was formed at a function organised here yesterday. Lifesaving instruments worth Rs 1.40 lakh were presented to the Department of Cardiology, Government Rajindra Hospital and 10 children belonging to a local orphanage were awarded a scholarship of Rs 1,200 each. Prominent doctors, senior citizens and bank officials participated in the function.

Regular principal for school sought
Palampur: Expressing concern over the deteriorating standard of education in DAV Public School here, the citizens of the town have urged its management to post a regular principal in order to improve academic atmosphere of the school. In a meeting held here under the chairmanship of Sawraj Kumar Bali, pointed out that many posts of teachers were also lying vacant including that of principal who had been elevated to the post of director of the management committee. Lack of staff was adversely affecting the performance of students which was evident from the fact that only 23 out of a total of 42 students could get through plus two examination, lamented Bali in a statement released here today.

Decision on Neugal project hailed
Palampur: Hailing the state government8217;s decision to go ahead with the Neugal hydel project and ropeway project, both proposed near here, Palampur BJP mandal also thanked Shanta Kumar MP and Suresh Chandel, MP and State BJP president for nominating Shiv Kumar, a former BJP MLA to the state executive committee. It also urged state IPH Minister Ramesh Chaudhry to open the proposed departmental circle at Palampur which provides irrigation facilities to nearly 15,000 hectares of land at present.

Regularisation hailed
Nahan: The Government Primary Teachers Association, Surla unit president Jaipal Singh Chaudhary today welcomed the decision of the state government for regularising the volunteer teachers from August this year and hoped that union demands would get proper place for consideration.