R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
2 booked for raping minor: The police have booked Pawan Kamboj and Raj Kumar for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl. A medical examination of the girl confirmed the rape. The girl was allegedly abducted by the accused while she was on her way home from school in Khuyiansarwer village. They took the girl to an isolated place and raped her.

Five nabbed with smack: The sub-divisional police seized 83-gm smack from Pragat Singh, Shamsher Singh, Zora Singh, Gurbhej Singh and Sandeep Kumar. They were intercepted in different areas and have been arrested under the NDPS Act.

Hoshiarpur
Man booked on NRI’s complaint: The NRI police have booked Bhagwant Singh on cheating and forgery charges on the complaint of his brother, who lives in the UK. The complainant, Harbans Singh, alleged that his brother had forged a self-declaration document to get an electrical connection transferred from their father’s name in his own name at their ancestral Bassi Maruf village.

patiala
Trust accounts sealed: The Income Tax Department has sealed the accounts of Patiala Improvement Trust after it failed to pay Rs 13 crore out of its total tax of Rs 21 crore. The tax was levied on the funds that the trust raised from selling some of its properties.

DEHRADUN

Haldwani
Better facilities at hospital: People of Haldwani town staged a dharna at Buddha Park on Saturday in support of their demand for better management of the Shusheela Tiwari hospital and provision of basic facilities to outdoor patients coming from far-off areas of the state. The protesters threatened that if the hospital administration failed to take notice of their memorandum submitted to it on December 26 last year, they would start an agitation on the hospital campus.

Kashipur
3,000 youths to get jobs: The 69 new factories proposed to come up in the Kashipur industrial belt will provide jobs to nearly 3,000 youths. Rajesh Shah, assistant manager at the DIC, Kashipur, said the proposed medium and big units included food processing plants to paper factories at Mahuakhers, Kundeshery and the Aliganj road near the town. “We believe at least 3,000 youths will get employment in these industrial units this year,” said Shah.

Nainital
Govt order on docs rejected: The Nainital High Court has rejected the state government’s order for the appointment of dental surgeons in district hospitals in place of physicians to tide over the shortage of doctors. The high court hearing a PIL accepted the plea of the petitioners that while a physician was authorised to treat general patients, a dental surgeon was not competent to give general treatment. “The court has ordered the Director General, Health, that it should again invite applications for vacant posts of physician in the state,” said Vishwa Deepak Visain, the petitioner.

Rudrapur
Severe cold in Terai The Terai region is in the grip of a cold wave following snowfall in the higher reaches of the Kumaon region a few days ago. The minimum temperature in the region has fallen to 7.4°C and it may dip further due to dense fog. “The visibility on the highways is very low due to dense fog,” said a Weather Department spokesman at Pantnagar University.

(Compiled by BD Kasniyal)