The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

Barnala
Teachers meet DC : To explain about the hardships being faced by teachers in the Zila Parishad elections, and to avoid its repetition in the ensuing Gram Panchayat elections, a delegation met DC Barnala R.L. Mehta on Tuesday. The delegation presented a memorandum enlisting their main demands. DC Mehta assured them of cancelling the duties of pregnant and other needy women teachers. He said no female teachers would be deployed as presiding officer as per their demand. He assured that after the election process was completed, special buses would be run from Tapa, Mehalkalan, Shaina and Barnala to take the employees home. He also said adequate security arrangements would be made while carrying the election material and depositing the ballot boxes.

Dera Bassi
Woman hurt: A 47-year-old woman sustained serious burn injuries after a stove burst at Trivedi village, near here. The injured has been admitted to the GMCH-32. Her statement has been recorded by the police.

Jalandhar
MC seals two showrooms: Restarting its sealing drive after over three months, the town planning section of the municipal corporation Jalandhar on Tuesday sealed two showrooms in the Model Town area. MTP Murari Dutt Sharma said the owners of two shopping centres Poshak and its adjoining building Modella CTC Mallet, near Masand Chowk, faced the action as they were violating building bylaws.

Reliance store: Reliance Fresh opened its ninth store in the city at Gujral Nagar yesterday. A kids’ carnival was also launched on Friday evening at the store during the opening. Harbaksh Bhullar of corporate relations of the company said soon three more stores of the company would also be opened in the city.

Kharar
Dead woman identified: An expectant woman, whose body along with that of her two-year-old child was found five days ago, has been identified. Raj Jinder Kaur, a resident of Amlala village in Dera Bassi, was found dead on the Kurali-Mianpur railway track on May 15. Her husband, Lakhbri Singh, owns JCB machines. The police is investigating the case.

Ludhiana
Lightning strikes plastic unit: Plastic material worth Rs 80 lakh was destroyed after lightning struck a plastic manufacturing factory at Shimla Puri after midnight. Raw material stored at the plastic factory caught fire after the lightning struck the factory at around 2 am. The guard on night duty informed the owner, Parveen Kumar, about the fire.

Tailor ends his life: A tailor allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at Kochar Market here this afternoon. Gurdeep Singh (45) hanged himself with a rope tied to a ceiling fan in his shop. He was found dead by some shopkeepers when they found that the shop had not been closed properly. The police has sent the body for a postmorte. The police found a suicide note which stated losses in business as the reason for the suicide. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Muktsar
Sanjay Raj Singh Garg Muktsar boy tops in ISC exam : Sanjay Raj Singh Garg of Little Flower Convent School, Muktsar, has broken records in the region by securing 97.2 per cent marks in the ISC 10 + 2 examinations. He also secured the first position in the state. The all-India topper is from the Doon School, Dehradun, who secured 99 per cent marks. Sanjay’s father Rajinder Kumar Garg, an advocate, mother Neelam Garg and younger brother Raj Anmol were delighted while his school principal Sister Flower Therese was joyous over his achievement.

MANSA
Arrest of ‘rapist’ sought: Some organisations have demanded the immediate arrest of a person allegedly an accused in a rape case. Issuing a statement here on Tuesday, state president of Punjab Kisan Union, Ruldu Singh, state secretary of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Bhagwant Singh Sammaon, and district secretary of Democratic Employees Front Jaspal Singh Kokhar, informed that although the Boha police had registered a case against Gurcharan Singh, son of Banta Singh and a resident of Bakhrial village of this district, but he had not yet been arrested. The leaders demanded the arrest of the accused.

Zirakpur
Eye camp: Over 210 persons were examined at a free eye camp here on Tuesday. The camp was organised by N.K. Sharma Group. The patients were examined by Dr B.K.S. Pannu.

Booked: The local police has booked Ashutosh Sharma and Pushpinder Singh, both residents of Pehowa (Haryana), on charges of cheating. In his complaint, Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Lohgarh, had alleged that he had given around Rs 5 lakh to the accused to purchase a plot, but the two neither got the registry done nor return the money. A case has been registered. TNS

Theft: Thieves took away mobiles worth Rs 25,000 and Rs 4,000 in cash from a department store at Panchsheel enclave on Tuesday. The police has registered a case.

CHANDIGARH

Mohali
Theft in temple: Ornaments and cash were stolen from Shiv Mandir in Phase IX here on Monday night. According to reports, the theft came to light when the temple priest came for prayers in the morning. The thieves took away a silver crown, silver “shatars” and two gold “nathnis” apart from Rs 20,000 in cash from the “golak”. A case has been registered.

Liquor seized: The police seized 51 boxes of liquor from two checkpoints on Monday night. At least 25 boxes of liquor were seized from a car near Deri village. Also, the police seized 26 boxes of liquor being illegally transported in a car near Landran.

HARYANA

REWARI
2 die in accidents: Two persons were killed in road accidents in the district on Monday. A man from Uttar Pradesh, who worked in a factory in the Bawal area, was reportedly crushed to death by an unknown vehicle on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. In another incident, Virender Singh (18) of Khori village, 10 km from here, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding on was reportedly hit by an unknown vehicle on the Jaipur-Delhi highway near Shahjehanpur.

Man commits suicide: Mam Raj Yadav (32) reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the fields at Gokalpur village, 8 km from here, on Monday. After holding an inquest under Section 174 of the CrPC, the police said unsavoury situation caused in the family due to his addiction to liquor apparently led him to the extreme step.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Chamba
1 dies in bridge collapse: Fatiya of Punjab was killed when an old bridge across the Doomeil nullah collapsed while he was crossing it along with his livestock, including buffaloes, in the remote Charda panchayat on Monday. A buffalo was also killed in the incident. The body was handed over to next of kin after a postmortem examination

Charas smuggler arrested: The Tissa police arrested Ashwani Kumar of Jalandhar (Punjab) with 1 kg of charas at Jassorgarh. A case has been registered. The accused has been remanded in police custody for four days.

DALHOUSIE
1 killed, 2 hurt in mishap: One person was killed and two were injured when a jeep rolled back from the road and fell into a 300-m-deep gorge, near Hadsar, about 15 km from Bharmour, in Chamba district on Tuesday. They were on their way from Bharmour to Sandhi village.The deceased was identified as Rinku of Sandhi. The injured were Purshottam and Kuldip, both residents of nearby villages.

2 houses gutted: Two houses were burnt in Riyali village in Motla panchayat of Bhattiyat subdivision in the district rendering two families houseless. Officials provided an immediate relief of Rs 2,500 each to these two fire-affected families and effort were on to rehabilitate them.

KUMARHATTI
Workers’ strike: Workers of the Torrent Pharmaceutical unit at Malkhumajra, near Baddi, went on strike on Monday in protest against the alleged over-deductions from their wages. Led by the AITUC, the workers gathered at the main gate of the unit and raised slogans. They alleged the management made PF and ESI deductions from their wages in violation of the rules. The management said there was some confusion over salary hike, but the matter had been solved now.

Nahan
Crushed to death: Home guard Pramod Kumar, a resident of Kotri Vyas village under Paonta subdivision, was crushed to death at Majra bypass by a truck [UP 20 N 0092] on Sunday night. He was on his way home in a bus after completing his duty at the Yamuna barrier. As soon as he stepped down from the bus, a truck coming from the opposite direction crushed him to death. The driver was arrested.

SOLAN
School fete: DAV Ambuja Vidya Niketan, Darlaghat, Solan district, organised a school fete on May 17. Rakesh Sharma, chairman, SLMC, was the chief guest. Officials of Ambuja Cements Ltd were other dignitaries present on the occasion. Principal P.C. Purohit thanked parents, participants and the organisers.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Pak national held: The BSF arrested a Pakistani youth along the Indo-Pak border in Samba district on Wednesday. The youth, who was mentally challenged, strayed into the Noorpur forward belt of Ramgarh sub-sector in the district, official sources said. He was handed over to Pakistani Rangers at a flag meeting.

SRINAGAR
Annual plan approved: An annual plan of Rs 32.45 crore has been approved for Srinagar district for the year 2008-09, an official spokesman said on Wednesday. He said the plan was approved by the District Development Board meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig. The annual plan constitutes Rs 27.93 crore capital and Rs 54.52 crores revenue components. Baig said agriculture would get Rs 20.4 crore, rural development Rs 7.7 crore, industry Rs 2.4 crore, communication Rs 5.40 crore, power Rs 40 lakh and social and general services Rs 23.60 crore.

Hailstorm claims life: A girl was killed, while two others were wounded and 26 houses damaged due to heavy storm and floods in the Kashmir valley on Tuesday night, official sources said. Two girls Maimoona and Shabnam were washed away. However, Shabnam was saved, while the body of Maimoona was fished out at a distance. Heavy winds blew up the rooftops of about 26 houses in Pulwama and Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

Girl electrocuted: Marufa (5) was electrocuted in north Kashmir on Tuesday night, official sources said. They said Marufa, daughter of Bashir Ahmad, came into contact with a live wire at Harchek Dargam, Baramulla.

Soldier commits suicide: A soldier committed suicide in the Kashmir valley by shooting himself with his service weapon in an Army camp at Hyground Anantnag in south Kashmir on Wednesday, official sources said. Suresh Chandra Kapri, a soldier of the First Rashtriya Rifles (RR), succumbed before he could be shifted to a hospital.

Bear kills man: A bear killed another person in the central Kashmir district of Budgam on Wednesday, official sources said. They said the bear appeared at Paharthen in when people were busy working in their fields. However, before they could do anything, the bear attacked and seriously injured one Ghulam Mohiuddin Reshi, a resident of Muqam. He died before he could be shifted to the hospital.