R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
Afghan Sikhs to construct inn:Members of the Sikh community who migrated from Afghanistan to settle in India on Saturday took an initiative of constructing Baba Gurditta Ji Niwas, a ‘sarai’ (inn) having 64 rooms, to facilitate the stay of devotees visiting the Golden Temple.

muktsar
800 students get degrees:As many as 800 students were awarded degrees at the 37th annual convocation of the Guru Nanak College for Girls here on Saturday. Forest Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani was the chief guest. He announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the college. Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal, former principal of the college and chairperson, Punjab School Education Board, was also present on the occasion. Tarlochan Singh, Education Secretary, SGPC, said the committee would soon open 15 more educational institutes across the country.

Nawanshahr
Man held with heroin:The police on Saturday arrested a drug peddler, Varinder Kumar (alias Katta), a resident of Ravidas Nagar, after recovering 260 gm of heroin worth Rs 1.30 crore from his possession. Superintendent of Police Satpal Singh Bhangu said Varinder was arrested from Bhangal Kalan area. He said his accomplice Tirath (alias Billa), however, managed to escape.

phagwara
Migrant booked:The Phagwara police has registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against a migrant youth, Sunil Kumar, for allegedly abducting a minor girl (14) from Hargobind Nagar on January 23. This was confirmed by HPS Khakh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Phagwara. The missing girl's father Ashrafi Bhagat, in his complaint to the police, said his daughter had disappeared on January 23. He alleged that Sunil abducted his daughter on the pretext of marrying her. The SP said the police had registered a case against Sunil on a complaint by the girl’s father. Further investigations were on, he added.

Phillaur
Curbs on parole likely:The Punjab Government may soon ban the release of inmates imprisoned facing rape charges on parole. Punjab Cabinet Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur said this at a function organised by the Women's Welfare Organisation here on Saturday. He stressed the need to educate women on their rights.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
Mom, 3 kids jump in canal:A woman along with her three daughters jumped into a canal near Baropal village in Fatehabad on Saturday . Pooja Arora (35) was saved by some onlookers while there is no clue of her two daughters. The six-year-old’s body has been fished out. Pooja of Dhani Dhaka village in Fatehabad was married to Vijay Arora, a grocery shop owner in Sanga village of Punjab. She and her three daughters aged 10, 8 and 6 and the four jumped into the canal reportedly after an altercation with her husband. TNS

Kurukshetra
Marriages of 10 girls solemnised :On the eve of Maha Shivratri, marriages of 10 girls were solemnised by the Shree Sthanu Sewa Mandal, Kurukshetra, on the premises of the Shree Sthaneshwar Mahadev Mandir today. 

Man booked:On the complaint of Assistant Registrar, Kurukshetra University, the police has registered a case against Sandeep Kumar, for allegedly changing marks in the result of BSc -III of April 2012.

DEHRADUN

Dehradun
Annual convention:The sixth annual convention of the Diploma Veterinary Service Association was held in Dehradun on Saturday. It presented an eight-point charter of demands to Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Minister Preetam Singh Panwar. The main demands of the association included recognition of their services as frontline veterinary workers, giving power to issue death and medical certificates of animals to them and formation of a diploma veterinary health council in the state. Panwar has agreed to look into their demands.

Staff stage dharna:The dharna being staged by class IV employees in Uttarakhand in support of their demand for better pay and perks entered sixth day on Saturday. The agitated employees said they would garner support for the March 18 rally. President of the Uttarakhand Class IV Employees’s Association Govind Singh Negi accused the state government of doing little to address the concerns of the class IV employees of the state.

Mahashivrati celebrations:The Shiva temples in Dehradun have been decked up for the Mahashivratri celebrations falling on Sunday. Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple, Shri Prithvinath Mandir, Shri Sidheshwar Mahadev and Jangam Shivalaya have been beautifully decorated for the Mahashivratri celebrations.

Kothiyal elected president:Former DGP SS Kothiyal has been elected president of the Former All-India Police Services Officers’ Association. NS Bhandari has been elected vice-president, DS Faraswan general secretary and Anand Singh Negi treasurer. Election of the association was conducted by RS Nautiyal.

ABVP boycotts function:The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has decided to continue with their boycott of the ongoing students’ union week celebrations at DBS College, Dehradun. Manisha Kothiyal of the ABVP said the students’ union week celebrations had become a sole show of the National Students’ Union of India and did not reflect collective celebrations of the students of the college.

CCTVs in Corbett:Close circuit cameras will be installed on every gate of the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. This was decided at a meeting of the Corbett Tiger Foundation. The foundation also decided to provide Rs 2 lakh each to eco development committees working in the periphery of the reserve.

Ex-servicemen protest:Resenting the unconcerned attitude of the state government, ex-servicemen in Uttarakhand have decided to stage a protest rally in Dehradun on March 15. According to Col Ganga Singh Rawat (retd), a large number of ex-servicemen will be taking part in the rally. He accused the state government of neglecting the ex-servicemen of the state.

Kashipur
President’s visit:Preparations are on at IIM, Kashipur, for the forthcoming visit of President of India, which is scheduled on March 17 this month. “The President will remain in the institute for 45 minutes during which he will interact with the faculty and students of the institute,” said an IIM source.

Pantnagar
Kisan Mela:The four-day Pantnagar Kishan Mela was jointly inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor of the university Subhash Kumar and a progressive farmers’ forum on Friday. Addressing the gathering Subhash said though the university had changed the terrain in the last five decades, the hill areas were yet to benefit from the Green Revolution point of view. “We will have to change the fate of that 70 per cent of barren land in the hill region which is bereft of crops due to lack of irrigation facilities,” said Subash Kumar.

(Compiled by BD Kasniyal)