R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
Farm labourers flay govt: Member of the Punjab Khet Majdoor Sabha on Monday criticised the SAD-BJP alliance for backtracking on the promises made in their election manifesto during Vidhan Sabha elections, at a rally held at the Nehru Park here. National committee member Rishipaul, district joint secretary Surjit Lamochad, block secretary Wazir Chand and local AIYF president Krishan Lal alleged that the alliance government was playing into the hands of feudalists and its senior workers were trying hard to misappropriate the funds released by the UPA government under various welfare schemes.

Preparations for CM visit: Legislator Gurtej Singh Ghuriana held meetings at several villages, including Burjmuhar, Tajapatti, Kundal, Gobindgarh, Muradwala Dal Singh, Kuharianwali, Burj Hanumangarh and Ghuriana on Monday to mobilise people for attending the rally to be addressed by CM Parkash Singh Badal at village Balluana on December 30. He assured that the problems of poor availability of canal water for irrigation would be taken up with the CM.

Amritsar
Jatha chief cremated: Bhai Surat Singh, also known as ‘Puran ji’, chief of Akhand Kirtani Jatha, was cremated here today. He was 83-years-old and passed to eternity yesterday evening. His bhog and antim ardas would be performed at Manji Sahib in Golden Temple on December 28. A special diwan started with Asa di Vaar would be organised which would continue till noon.

Chandigarh
No family member in fray: Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said today that no member of her family was in the fray for the election to the post of president of the Punjab Youth Congress, elections to which are being held tomorrow.

Hoshiarpur
Seeds distributed: Around 28,000 quintal certified seed of wheat has been given to farmers in Hoshiarpur district under Centre’s National Food Security Mission, said mission nodal officer Yadwinder Singh here today. Subsidy of Rs 500 per quintal had also been given to farmers for the purchase of this seed, he said and added zinc sulphate, gypsum etc would be supplied on 50 per cent subsidy to those farmers who are sowing wheat in their fields.

Jalandhar
Joining of VC: Punjab Technical University’s new vice-chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora is likely to join the office by Wednesday. Dr Arora said he received a copy of notification of his appointment this evening. “I am planning to go to Guru Nanak Dev University tomorrow to get relieved of my charge as dean alumni. Then on, I plan to join the PTU,” he said.

Nawanshahr
Man booked: The police has registered a case against Balbir Chand of Jadla Road, Rahon, on the basis of a complaint lodged by Desh raj of Nai Abadi, in which he has has accused Balbir Chand of duping him of Rs 35,000 on the pretext of sending his son to Dubai.

Patiala
Pensioners flay PSEB authorities: The Punjab Pensioners Welfare Association at a meeting today condemned the move of the Punjab State Electricity Board to stop the biannual LTC allowance to pensioners. The executive also took serious note of the delay tactics of the state government in obtaining and implementing the recommendations of the Punjab Pay Commission. The executive warned the state government that the pensioners would next year start an agitation.

Fire-fighting skills demonstrated: The security wing of the Punjab State Electricity Board demonstrated the use of fire-fighting equipment and educated employees on ways to handle any eventuality. The demonstration was conducted by DSP (vigilance and security) Darshan Singh along with Assistant Commandant Ajaib Singh Malli.

CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh
BJP to hold medical camp for elderly on Dec 25: The pharmaceutical cell of the local unit of the BJP will organise a free medical camp for senior citizens on December 25. The camp will be organised in the community centre, Sector-21, from 10.30 am to 1 pm. The medical camp to be organised on the occasion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday will cater to senior citizens suffering from sugar, blood pressure and joint pains.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
One held on graft charge: The State Vigilance Bureau has caught red handed Prem Chand, a subdivisional engineer of Serva Siksha Abhiyan, who had the charge of Sirsa and Fatehabad districts, while he was accepting illegal gratification of Rs 20,000 from Lilu Ram, head teacher of Government Primary School, Alikan of this district. While giving this information a spokesman of the Bureau said a case had been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act against them and further investigation was in progress.

Sirsa
Three killed in road mishap: Three persons were killed in an accident between a car and tractor near Jeewan Nagar in this district last night. According to reports, the car was coming from Dabwali and was going towards Ellenabad, when it collided head on with a tractor near Namdhari Rice Mill at 9 pm. Raghubir (25), who was driving the car, died on the spot. The tractor also overturned after the accident and its driver Devi Lal (30) and Surjit (36), who was sitting along with the driver, were crushed under the tractor.

Two pickpockets held: The police today arrested two children on a charge of picking the pocket of a villager at Dabwali town in this district. The accused, aged 10 years and 12 years, are siblings. The two were nabbed after they had picked the pocket of Vinod in Gole Market of the town. The wallet contained Rs 22,000. The children told the police that they had come from Madhya Pradesh.

Sonepat
Villagers block highway: In protest against the disruption in the supply of electricity and drinking water, the Sonepat-Rohtak state highway was blocked for around two hours today by agitated residents of Rohat village. The villagers alleged that they had been facing the problem of disruption as a transformer in the village got burnt many a days ago. It had neither been repaired nor replaced even after repeated pleas to the bijli nigam authorities.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
Probe sought: Several government employees and officers who are deprived of government accommodation in the government residential complexes have sought probe into the allotment of quarters. Keeping anonymity, certain employees revealed that some officials were occupying the quarters without their entitlement. They were of the opinion that the employee’s accommodation should not be allotted to officers and vice versa; and if any it should be got vacated.

Dharamsala
Power cut in McLeodganj: There will be no power supply in McLeodganj from 9 am to 5 pm on December 24. In a press note issued here, the HPSEB authorities said power cut was being imposed for maintenance of the 11-KVA line supplying power to the area.

SHIMLA
Pulse-polio campaign: Over 6.04 lakh children below the age of five years have been administered polio drops during the pulse polio immunisation campaign in the state. A spokesperson of the Health Department said 5.63 lakh children were administered polio drops during the last pulse polio campaign on February 10. As such, there had been an increase of 7.16 per cent in the number of children as compared to the previous campaign, he added.

Cong meeting: The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a meeting with all its district and block presidents and chiefs of its frontal organisations here on Wednesday. The aim would be to chalk out the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. General secretary of the HPCC Kuldeep Rathore said the meeting would be chaired by state party chief Kaul Singh Thakur. The main agenda would be to highlight achievements of the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress regime in the state.

Value-based education: Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal on Monday said the government would promote value-based education in the state. He was speaking at the concluding function of the orientation programme for education in human values organised by Brahm Kumaris at Om Retreat Centre, Gurgaon, for principals of government schools. He said the government had sponsored five batches of school principals for the programme during the past one year and all teachers would be provided training in a phased manner in human values.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Rest house manager  found dead: A manager of the Manokamna rest house of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board was found dead in his quarter on Sunday at the bhawan situated on Trikuta Hills in Katra town of Reasi district, police sources here Monday said. “According to his colleagues, the manager identified as Gurjit Choudhary of Vijaypur returned to his room in the night after performing his duty,” police sources said and added that on finding the room locked from outside, the police was called by the shrine board staff. The police rushed to his quarter and on opening the door found him dead under mysterious circumstances. A case has been registered.

RAJOURI
Brown sugar seized, 4 held: Four drug peddlers have been reportedly arrested and brown sugar worth Rs 5 crore has been seized from their possession. Intelligence sources said on specific information, the police arrested two drug peddlers on Friday night from the Badhal area of Kandi here and seized 1 kg of brown sugar from their possession. The duo also claimed the involvement of two more persons in the trafficking of brown sugar. The accused have been identified as Iqbal, Jehangir (both of Kandi), Abdul Sattar of Marah Darag and Abdul Ghani of Drow in Kalakote.

SRINAGAR
5 cows killed in landslide: Five cows were buried alive under a huge landslide. However, the owner and his family escaped unhurt in north Kashmir, sources said on Monday. They said recent heavy rains triggered landslide at Dardkot in Uri sector in Baramulla district when people were sleeping in their houses. Hearing some sound, people rushed out of their houses shortly before a landslide hit cowshed of Ghulam Hassan, damaging it completely.

Girl killed in accident: An 8-year-old girl was reportedly killed in a road accident in south Kashmir on Monday. A vehicle hit and critically wounded Nazia Akhter at Yaripora in south Kashmir district of Kulgam. She was immediately rushed to the district hospital, Anantnag, where she died.

DEHRADUN

Dehradun
21-day hockey camp begins: With a view to promote hockey, Karamchari Kalyan Samiti, ONGC, today started a 21-day hockey camp at Ambedkar Stadium, in which 60 boys and 10 girls will be getting coaching tips. Kharag Bahadur and S Nadeem will be the coaches. Samiti secretary BV Negi said that purpose of the camp was to improve the standards of hockey at the state and national level in order to produce good players.