R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
REOPENED: Mr Sunil Jakhar, Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, on Wednesday reopened the Maujgarh sub-canal. It was renovated at a cost of Rs 15 lakh. Mr Surinder Kumar Jakhar, Chairman, IFFCO, said all farmers in Maujgarh and Gidderanwali village command areas would be getting equal share from the canal water.

Amritsar
TELEMEDICINE: The Subdivisional Civil Hospital, Ajnala, will be linked with the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, through Telemedicine. This was stated by Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner here on Wednesday. He said besides Mata Kaushalya Hospital, Patiala, Civil Hospital, Dasuya in Hosphiarur district would be linked with the PGI.

DHARNA: Activists of the Federation of Rationalist Association will hold a dharna in front of Parliament on April 18 demanding a legislation separating religion from politics. Mr Balwinder Barnala, senior vice-president of north zone, said here on Wednesday that workers of various Tarksheel Societies from different states would participate in the dharna.

BOOKED: The police has booked Ashok Kumar, a resident of Basant Avenue, and his two sons, Sagar Mehama and Mahav, for allegedly defrauding Rakesh Kumar of Chowk Farid here. A case under Section 420, IPC, has been registered. The complainant, Mr Rakesh Kumar, alleged that they took Rs 2.65 lakhs from him for sending him abroad. However, they neither sent him abroad nor returned the money.

Batala
COMPENSATION: A compensation cheque for Rs 2.50 lakh was handed over to the mother of Narinder Singh by Mr Parneet Bhardwaj, Subdivisional Magistrate, here on Wednesday. The order of compensation was passed by the Punjab Human Rights Commission. Narinder Singh (20) had died in police custody in 1990.

Bathinda
BODY FOUND: The body of Darshan Kaur of Rampura Phul was fished out from the Kaile Bandar distributary head, about 20 km from here on Wednesday.

Gurdaspur
DEMANDED: The local Municipal Council has raised the demand for a railway over-bridge for the Gurdaspur town. The president of the Gurdaspur Municipal Council, Mr Raman Behl, said the state had got 40 railway over-bridges under a Central scheme.

Hoshiarpur
URGED: The local Taxation Bar Association has urged the Excise and Taxation Commissar, Punjab, to extend the date for furnishing stock statements in Form V-I up to June 30, 2005. The lawyers have sought this relief, on account of the introduction of VAT.

BAN ON THRESHING: Mr DK Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner, has banned threshing of wheat with combines from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the district. The order will remain in force till May 15.

Kapurthala
ARRESTED: The district police has arrested three persons for duping an NRI of Rs 1.74 crore by allegedly forging property documents. Mehar Singh, an NRI, has filed a complaint against five persons for cheating him by showing fake documents regarding the purchase of land and other property. Subhash Chander, a resident of Kala Sanghian village, Tejpal Singh and Jarnail Singh, both residents of Jallowal and Avtar Singh of Ladhewali in Jalandhar were arrested. Swaran Singh, also an accused, is still at large.

Nawanshahr
ARRESTED: Mr M.F. Farooqui, SSP, in a press note said here on Wednesday that the police had arrested Navjot Sehdev, a resident of Apra village, under the Arms Act and recovered a country-made pistol and 10 live cartridges from his possession. Mr Farooqui said he was travelling in a car and fired in the air near Kangna Bet Bridge on the Nawanshahr-Chandigarh road at 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
SENTENCED: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr R.K. Sondhi, sentenced two poppy husk traffickers, Chand Singh and Sukhpal Singh, to 14 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh each and another traffickers, Darshan Singh, to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Tuesday. The Judge also decided to send the matter of a minor to the juvenile court in the same case.

Jhajjar
KILLED: Mahender, a resident of Sankhol village, was knocked down to death by a Maruti van on the National Highway No 10 near Bahadurgarh here on Wednesday. He was returning to his village when the van hit the rear of his cycle.

Jind
FLYOVERS: Mr Jai Parkash, Member of Parliament from the Hisar parliamentary constituency, here said on Wednesday that a flyover would be constructed on the Jind-Hansi road near the local milk plant. Another flyover would be constructed in Uchana town and the third on the Dablain road in Narwana town. He was here to listen to peoples grievances.

Sonepat
INJURED: An autorickshaw driver, Neeraj, sustained knife injuries when he was allegedly attacked by another driver, Jasbir, at Baga village, about 25 km from here, on Thursday. According to a report, he was immediately hospitalised and stated to be out of danger. A case has been registered.

ARRESTED: The Kharkhauda police here on Thursday claimed to have arrested Sham Lal of Kanwali village in connection with the alleged murder of his sister, Reena. According to a report, the police had earlier arrested Budh Singh, Sanjeet and Sunder in this case. Reena wanted to marry with a boy of her choice but they had opposed the marriage. Therefore, she was shot dead when she was asleep in her house.

SHIFTED: Three accused Balbir Singh and his two sons, Krishan and Ranjeet Singh, have been shifted from district jail here to Ambala jail following the non-availability of a separate cell for them as required after awarding death sentence. 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
GANGS BUSTED: The police has busted two gangs of vehicle thieves. The Additional Superintendent of Police, Mr Santosh Patiyal said here on Wednesday that the police arrested Nand Lal (20) and Rajnish (21) who had stolen a truck of Ms Satya Devi of Bilaspur town. Another youth, Vinod Kumar, alias Ghungharoo of Auhar, was also arrested in connection with theft of a car and a truck. Mr Patyal said 10 criminal cases in Bilaspur district and 11 criminal cases in Hamirpur district were registered against him.

Kumarhatti
SEIZED: The police seized 604 bottles of country-made liquor in two separate cases on Wednesday night. The 422 bottles were seized from a vehicle at Kandaghat. The driver of the vehicle, Anup Kumar of Aanji, was arrested. The 182 bottles were recovered from a jeep near Bagheri village under Barotiwala police station. The driver of the jeep, Chanchal Kumar and other occupant, Gian Chand, were arrested in this connection.