Regional beat 8212; Chandigarh

Insurance staff meetPatiala: A joint meeting of the women workers of General Insurance Corporation GIC and Life Insurance Corporation ...

Insurance staff meet
Patiala: A joint meeting of the women workers of General Insurance Corporation GIC and Life Insurance Corporation LIC was held here today under the auspices of Northern Zone Insurance Employees Association, Chandigarh division. The meeting was held to discuss the various problems being faced by these workers. They were also briefed about the adverse8217; impact of the proposed privatisation move of insurance sector and its effect on the future of the employees, the country8217;s economy and self reliance. The association has decided to hold such meetings every month.

Coaching for civil services
Patiala: The I.A.S. and Allied Services Training Centre at Punjabi University, Patiala, is going to start coaching for the second batch of P.M.T./C.E.T. for general and SC/ST category candidates from April 1. Dr G.S. Bajwa, director of the centre, said that the candidates are required to report at the Centre for hostel accommodation and complete other formalities by March 31. The SC/ST candidates will be provided free coaching and stipend as per rules. The fee for general category candidates is Rs 10,000 for the entire course, added Bajwa.

Dalit leader warns of stir
Patiala: Minorities and Dalit Morcha president Satwant Singh Mohi yesterday condemned the Union government for bringing up in Lok Sabha the memoranda barring reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and also ending the special recruitment drive to clear the backlog of vacancies. He warned of a nationwide dharna by Dalit organisations if the memoranda was not withdrawn.

0Welfare body panel meet
Patiala: The Patiala Colonies Welfare Association has called a special meeting of its executive committee on March 21 to discuss the problems faced by the city residents. Association president Avtar Singh Brar said here yesterday that the meeting would discuss problems regarding roads, water, sewerage, sanitation, encroachment and traffic.

Karamcharis plea
Patiala: The Punjab Karmchari Dal today appealed to the state government to adjust the nearly 1,000 work-charged SYL employees in other government departments. The appeal was made by Dal president Hari Singh Tohra while observing that the organisation was taking serious note of the state government8217;s statements regarding the Sutlej-Yamuna link canal project SYL. He said that these employees were facing a tough time because they had to go without salaries for the past three months and urged the government to order the release of salaries and other facilities.He also urged the government to check arbitration cases to save the wastage of money.

Recounting of votes stayed
Chandigarh: Following the grant of a Special Leave Petition by the Supreme Court of India, the Punjab and Haryana High Court did not undertake the counting of votes of the Gharonda assembly seat. The recounting had been ordered after a petition was filed by Ramesh Kumar Rana challenging the election of BJP candidate Romesh Kashyap as MLA from Gharonda in Haryana.

Sant Khalsa march
Ludhiana: The namdharis will organise a Sant Khalsa march from Gurdwara Bhaini Sahib to Anandpur Sahib on March 28 to celebrate the Khalsa tercentenary. Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Bhai Manjit Singh and Damdama Sahib Jathedar Bhai Kewal Singh will receive the march at Keshgarh Sahib, while Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will accompany the march from Kiratpur to Anandpur Sahib.

Story continues below this ad

Blood donation camp
Chandigarh: Sant Darshan Singh Maksudra organised a blood donation camp yesterday at Tapoban Dhakki in Ludhiana district in which 5,000 persons donated blood. As many a 23 teams of doctors from various blood banks in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi offered their services to collect blood. Punjab Governor BKN Chibber inaugurated the camp, according to a press release.

Bitta alleges misuse of SGPC funds
Jalandhar: Former All India Youth Congress President Maninderjit Singh Bitta today demanded the setting up of a judicial commission to probe the quot;misutilisationquot; of funds by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee SGPC during the tenure of former SGPC president, G.S. Tohra. Talking to mediapersons here, Bitta alleged that there had been widespread misutilisation of the funds collected by the SGPC from the public. The funds, he said, had been collected for the spread of religion and education during Tohra8217;s tenure.

Impersonator booked
Gurdaspur: Pathankot Sadar Police have booked Sanjiv Kumar alias Chhajju, resident of of the city for impersonating as a Panjab police constable. Giving this information SSP Gurdaspur Varinder Kumar said the accused was arrested by the police while he was checking the vehicles and extorting money from the drivers in a fake police uniform on the G.T. Road near the Jammu highway close to Sundarchak village yesterday. The SSP said that during the search, the police recovered an identity card No. 2592 issued to an ex-constable, Sukhdev Singh who was dismissed from service on May 10, 1995.

Tercentenary celebrations
Amritsar: The Army8217;s Western Command has decided to extend a helping hand to residents of the holy township of Anandpur Sahib on the occasion of the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations to be held next month. According to a press release issued by the local Panthers Division here today, the first step in this direction has already been taken by the Jalandhar-based Vajra Corps by constructing bridges over the Sirsa river near Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib in Roopnagar district.The bridges were constructed in a record time and were made functional on March 5, the release said.