R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Hoshiarpur
On cloud nine: Aastha Bagga of Hoshiarpur and student of the Lovely Institute of Law, who stood first in the LLB (II) integrated course examination of Guru Nanak Dev University by securing 395 out of 600 marks.

Aastha Bagga

Jalandhar
Mishap claims biker’s life: Potholes on the Jandiala-Nurmehal road claimed the life of a Guru Nanak Pura-based resident near Nakodar today. According to the police, Palwinder Singh lost control over his bike while negotiating a pothole. Palwinder sustained head injuries and was rushed to the nearby hospital where the doctors declared him as brought dead. 

Rail engine derailed: The engine of a goods train derailed when it was shunting wagons of a train at the railway station at Dhuri, 13 km from here, on Wednesday. However, no one was injured.

HARYANA

FARIDABAD
Youth’s body found: The body of a youth identified as Manoj was found lying on the Palli-Dabua road near here on Tuesday. The deceased, who used to sell packets of potable water, had been missing since Monday evening. He reportedly told his brother that he would return soon. Residents of Dabua Colony informed his family members that his body was lying on the road. The police intervened and has so far rounded up three persons in this connection. 

KARNAL
Sugar mill: The Karnal cooperative sugar mill has been adjudged as the second in the country in sugarcane development by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factory for its performance during 2007-08. The managing director of the mill said the union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, would give the prize to the mill management on September 29 in Delhi. The mill had won several prizes in the past in areas like technical know-how, financial management and sugarcane development. 

REWARI
In-laws booked: The Model town police has booked Gurwinder Kaur’s husband Inder Pal, father-in-law Gurnam Singh, mother-in-law Jaswinder Kaur and two others, all residents of Bharatpur town of Rajasthan, on a charge of harassment for dowry. In her complaint, Gurwinder Kaur, daughter of Joginder Singh of Krishna Nagar colony, alleged that she was persistently subjected to cruelty for dowry by her in-laws. Gurwinder Kaur got married to Inder Pal in June, 2007. 

SIRSA
Kathakali programme: The Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youths (SPICMACAY) will organise a programme of kathakali in the CMK National PG Girls College here on September 19. It will be performed by a cultural troupe Kalamandalam Gopi from Kerala. Meanwhile, a seminar on Feministic Perspective in the Works of Indian Writers in English will be held in the college from September 19 to September 21. Haryana finance minister Birender Singh will inaugurate the seminar.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KANGRA
Cong claim: The Congress is set to win all parliamentary seats from the state in the next general election. Stating this in a press statement here on Wednesday, newly appointed Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary B.D. Chaudhary said under the leadership of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and HPCC chief Kaul Singh, the Congress in the state will emerge stronger and united after its recent recast. 

Awasthi appointed: Head of the Department of Orthopaedics of Dr. R.P. Government Medical College, Tanda, Bhano Awasthi has been appointed as the medical superintendent of the medical college and assumed the charge on Tuesday evening. The post was lying vacant for the last three months. Awasthi is supposed to continue as HOD of the Orthopaedics Department and deal with patients too, besides that he would work as the medical superintendent. 

MANDI
Woman assaulted: Surju Devi (52) of Surohi village under the Sadar police station on Wednesday alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Mohan Singh of the same village while she was returning to her home on Tuesday evening. In her complaint, Surju alleged that she was alone when the accused assaulted her. A case of an attempt to rape has been registered against the accused but was yet to be arrested.

NAHAN
Body found: The Paonta police on Wednesday recovered a body of an unidentified youth from the Yamuna river on the information given by residents of Kotri Vyas village. The Paonta DSP said the body of about 35-year-old youth was found tied in a gunny bag that was recovered from the left bank canal of the Yamuna river. There is no visible injury mark on the body. The body has been sent for postmortem. A case has been registered.

NURPUR
Battalion site examined: The land for the proposed Central Disastrous Management Battalion (CDMB) at Kopra near here was examined by ITBP commandant Ashwani Kumar on Wednesday. He also examined the revenue papers and sketches of the land. The local SDM also gave revenue records to the commandant for final approval of the proposed site by the National Disastrous Management Authority (NDMA), Delhi. 

JAMMU & KASHMIR

SRINAGAR
Rs 9 crore for tourist villages: Under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme 50 villages have been identified in the state for the development as tourist villages and as per the Rural Tourism guidelines, each village will get Rs 70 lakh from the Centre for the development. An amount of Rs 3.98 crore has been incurred on the development of nine tourist villages, out of the total allocation of Rs 9.55 crore for the purpose. Thirty five schemes have been sanctioned by the Centre for the development of three tourist circuits, Jammu-Lakhanpur-Bani-Sarthal, Bhaderwah-Kishtwar-Sarthal-Srinagar and Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch. An amount of Rs 3.4 crore have been utilised so far on these schemes, out of Rs 17.42 crore released for the three projects. The total cost envisaged for the development of three circuits amounts to Rs 21.79 crore.

34 grid station under construction: Under the first phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Viduytikaran Yojna (RGGVY), 34 grid stations with a capacity of 3,250 MVA are presently under construction in Doda, Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Pulwama, Kathua, Udhampur, Anantnag, Kupwara and Baramulla districts. Under the programme, an amount of Rs 418 crore has also been sanctioned for improving the power transmission system in the state. Under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme (PMRP), 29 power development schemes at a cost of Rs 739.58 crore are presently in progress, which are aimed at improving, upgrade and modernisation of the transmission system. Scores of grid stations, receiving stations, sub-stations are being constructed under the programme, besides installation of transformers, erection of electric poles and transmission lines. So far, Rs 130.23 crore has been spent on these schemes and 16,000 transformers have been installed.

Agri meet held: The 24th zonal research and extension advisory council (ZREAC) meeting for Rabi - 2008, was held at SKUAST-K Shalimar on Wednesday. The meeting was headed by Prof G.M. Wani, director, extension education, SKUAST. Wani said due to adoption of scientific methods, maize production in the state had increased from 1.9 tonnes to around 25 tonnes per hectare. Double-cropping of foodgrains especially wheat, rice rotation conducted by SKUAST had shown encouraging results, Wani said. The meet stressed upon seed treatments and other strategies to check cases of blast. Wani said the efforts of agriculture department to hold awareness camps had yielded good results.

2 die in mishaps: Two persons were killed, while two others were injured, in different road accidents in the valley on Wednesday. One person died and another was injured when two load carriers collided at Harnag in Anantnag. In another incident, a scooterist died in a collision near the Lalpora crossing. Meanwhile, a boy, Bilal Yousuf Dar, was injured after being hit by a Tata Sumo at Kanilwan Chowk in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag. Bilal later succumbed to his injuries. 

Body found: Panic gripped Bagna Bijhama in north Kashmir, when the body of Farooq Ahmad Najar (24) was found at the roadside on Wednesday. The police was immediately informed about the incident and the body was taken away for identification. The cause of his death was not known. The police has registered a case and started investigation.