R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
SUICIDE: Ravinder Kumar, a Rural Water Works worker, reportedly committed suicide at Jandwala Hanwanta village in this subdivision on Tuesday. The body was found hanging from the roof of a room in his house on Wednesday. Sources said the victim had been booked under Section 377 of the IPC for allegedly abusing a mentally challenged 13-year-old boy of the same village sexually. The parents of the boy had alleged that Ravinder had taken the boy to the building of a government school and abused him. Since then Ravinder Singh had been trying to evade the police.

MARRIAGE PALACE RAIDED: The city police raided a marriage palace’, near the Bhagat Singh Chowk, and arrested Mahesh Kumar, manager of the palace, and Aman Kumar, owner of a DJ sound system, for violating the prohibitory orders. The marriage palace is located near the official residence of a Judicial Magistrate and staff quarters of the state government. Although the District Magistrate, Ferozepore had prohibited the use of loudspeakers, at high volumes, keeping in view the annual examinations in schools, the marriage palaces were defying the ban regularly.

Amritsar
Traffic chaos: Encroachments hinder traffic on the city roads and violators have a field day breaking all rules as the traffic police looks the other way. This was pointed out by Mr Brij Bedi, president of the Citizens Forum in a press release here on Wednesday. He said overloaded buses and pressure horns were a common sight. Most of the buses and mini vans carrying schoolchildren do not possess proper documents. In such a scenario, the police remains a mute spectator, he alleged. He demanded that harsh penalties be imposed on violators and action against the police personnel who fail to perform their duties.

AWARENESS CAMP: An awareness campaign on women’s legal rights, social role of women and the right to live with dignity was held at Tarn Taran by the All-India Women conference in collaboration with the state Social Advisory Board, Chandigarh and the Vikas Manch. This was informed in a press release here on Tuesday.

GATKA COMPETITION: A gatka competition will be organised at Khalsa College here by Akal Akhara International from Saturday. Mr Gurmit Singh Bobby, press secretary of the organisation in a press release here on Tuesday said gatka teams from Canada, Haryana, Himachal, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra would participate.

ORDERED: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Raminder Singh, has asked police officials to identify sensitive and very ‘sensitive’ polling station in the trouble-prone areas to step up security and ensure peaceful conduct of elections.

Batala
CONVOCATION: The annual convocation of R.R. Bawa D.A.V. College for Girls, Batala, will be held on Friday on the College campus according to Principal Mrs Veena Watni. She said here today that Mr D.R. Gupta, Director (Colleges) D.A.V. College Managing Committee. New Delhi would preside over the function and give degrees to students who had cleared their papers last year.

Hoshiarpur
FLAYED: Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, former MP of the Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency, criticised the BBMB authorities for their proposal to demolish residential quarters at Talwara township. In a press release issued by his office here on Tuesday Mr Channi said the BBMB authorities had earlier prepared a scheme to demolish the residential quarters at Talwara township. But he took up the issue with Mr Anant Gangaram Geete, Union Power Minister, who intervened and disallowed the BBMB authorities from demolishing these residential quarters.

Jalandhar
CRITICISED: The former SGPC chief and SAD spokesperson, Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, on Tuesday criticised the Congress for supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Bill, which sought to deny property rights to the girls marrying outside the state. In a press statement here, Mr Badungar alleged that though the Congress and the PDP were headed by women they had failed to safeguard the interests of women.

Nawanshahr
INSPECTED: Ms Gurbinder Kaur Chahal, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, presided over a meeting of the district officials at the Deputy Commissioner’s office and inspected the newly constructed district administrative complex here on Tuesday. Talking to the mediapersons, she said the government had planned to bring all district level civil, police and judicial offices under one roof for the convenience of people.

CHANDIGARH

Panchkula
blood donation camp: About 50 persons donated blood at a camp organised by Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited at Sector 5 on Wednesday. According to a press note, the camp was organised in association with Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. It was held under the supervision of Dr Sabita Basu, Reader-cum-acting Head of the Department of Immuno Hematology and Blood Transfusion, GMCH, Sector 32.

Food adulteration: A meeting for launching a special campaign to create awareness about food adulteration among food vendors, besides dhaba, hotel, restaurant and sweet shop owners at Behlana village on Wednesday. The meeting was addressed by the UT local health authority Dr Satbir Singh, and Food Inspector Balbir Singh. According to a press note, “food handlers” were made aware of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
EXHORTED: Mr Resham Singh, IG, Hisar Range, on Tuesday exhorted police personnel to be prepared for the ensuing parliamentary poll. He was addressing police officers from Sirsa, Hisar, Jind, Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts in the Police Lines here. The SPs of all five districts of the range were present at the meeting. He also reviewed the success of ‘Operation Capsule’ that concluded on Tuesday.

Hisar
CHEQUES GIVEN: Ms Deepti Uma Shankar, Deputy Commissioner, on Tuesday gave cheques amounting to Rs 52.25 lakh as ex-gratia to the dependants of 21 employees of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) here. Mr V. Uma Shankar, Managing Director, DHBVN, Ms Chanda Saini, Director (Projects), and several other senior officers of the nigam were present.

DECIDED: Haryana Agricultural University here has decided to inform the parents of students about the classroom conduct of their wards on a regular basis. Presiding over the monthly meeting of officers of the university here on Tuesday. Mr M.K. Miglani, Vice Chancellor, directed the Deans of constituents colleges of the university to intimate the attendance position to the parents of those students who fall short of attendance twice in a semester.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
AWARDED: The SP, Mr Chander Shekhar, on Tuesday honoured Balraj and Sunil Kumar here for helping the police arrest a thief. The two were given appreciation letters and cash award.

Hamirpur
DEPUTED: Mr P.L. Thakur, SP, has deputed DSP, Krishan Gopal Kapoor to inquire into the circumstances which led to the death of Mahant Shiv Gir of Baba Balak Nath temple on February 5.

Kangra
RAPE ALLEGED: A 19-year-old unmarried girl gave birth to a child in Baijnath Hospital on Monday. She told the police that she was raped by a youth at Venva Khad, nine months ago. The police said here on Tuesday that the girl belonged to Sehal village and complained to the police that Rahul had forcibly raped her. A case has been registered under Section 376 of the IPC.

Mandi
KILLED: Amit, a student of KG, was killed while boarding a bus at Bhararu village near Jogindernagar on Monday. He was rushed to Civil Hospital, Jogindernagar, where doctors referred him to Dharamsala. He died before reaching the hospital.