R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Free watch service camp: Ethos Swiss Watch Studios has announced a free watch service camp at all Ethos studios. The free service camp will offer expert watch care and service of all Swiss watch brands available at Ethos. This includes free battery change, accuracy checking, minor adjustments and cleaning.

Faridkot
UGC recognition to Baba Farid varsity: The University Grants Commission on Tuesday gave approval to recognise Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, under Section 12B of the UGC Act, 1956. Vice Chancellor of BFUHS Dr SS Gill said that after accessing the physical and academic infrastructure of the university, the UGC had declared it fit to receive Central assistance.As many as eight medical, 14 dental, 12 ayurvedic, 78 nursing, 11 physiotherapy, four homoeopathic, one sports medicine, five medical lab technology and three BSc medical colleges are affiliated with this university. 

Hoshiarpur
LPG crisis: District Magistrate, Hoshiarpur, Dharam Dutt Tarnach had ordered owners of restaurants, dhabas, tea stalls etc. not to use domestic cooking gas cylinders at their business establishments. He has banned on carrying all types of weapons in the marriage palaces during functions. These orders would remain in force up to July 11, 2011. He has further ordered all the government, private and cooperative bank branches and petrol pumps in the district to install CCTV cameras at their respective unit. These orders would remain in force up to July 12, 2011.

Rs 1 lakh snatched: Three unidentified motorcycle-borne youth snatched a bag containing Rs 1,26,440 from Rakesh Kumar of local Pur Hiran, while he was going on a bicycle at the local Bal Krishan Road today. According to the police sources, Rakesh was going on a bicycle to deposit the cash collection of the local Easy Day multi-purpose store in the local branch of the ICICI bank. On the way, three unidentified youths on a motorcycle suddenly appeared before him and snatched the bag containing the aforesaid cash and fled on their vehicle. The city police is investigating the case. 

Smack seized: Continuing their drive against anti-social elements, the Bulhowal police has arrested Sukhwinder Pal of Talwandi Kanoongo and seized 20 gm smack from him, while carrying out checking at Badowal. According to the police sources, he had been arrested under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.

Nakodar
2 hurt in accident: Two motorcycle-borne persons were seriously injured in a road accident when a speeding Scorpio hit them near Beas Satsang building here in Shahkot today. Dharampal and Gyan were immediately taken to a private hospital from where they were referred to Jalandhar.

Phagwara
Man commits suicide: Amar Chand (70) reportedly committed suicide by consuming poison at his house in Malikpur village today. He was under deep mental stress, it is learnt. The body was kept in the hospital mortuary for the post-mortem examination.

Shop, dental clinic gutted:Goods, including 24 inverters, four refrigerators, 10 voltage stabilisers and entire furniture, worth lakhs of rupees were reduced to ashes in a fire which broke in an electronic goods shop and a dental clinic at nearby Panchhat village in the wee hours on Sunday.Fire tenders from Phagwara worked hard to control the fire. The exact cause of fire could not be known.

Sangrur
12 devotees  injured in attack: Twelve devotees, including women and children, received injuries after a group belonging to a particular community attacked them late Monday evening at Sati Shiwala Temple at Sunam. The two communities - one represented by the managing committee of the temple and other the Kamboj sect - are fighting a legal battle for the land on which the temple is built. The management of the temple has reportedly secured a status quo. Suspecting that the victims were trying to take possession of disputed land, the assailants attacked them with sharp-edged weapons and fled away. The victims were rushed to the Sunam civil hospital.

Tarn Taran
Dharna staged: Workers of the Sikhya Karmi Adhyapak Union (SKAU) staged dharna at the office of the Deputy Commissioner here today. They demanded regularization of their services. A large number of other teacher organisations and mass organisations extended their support to the SKAU. District president of the SKAU Gurpreet Singh Noordi condemned the state government for ignoring their genuine demand. The union warned the government to face intensified agitation in case their demand was not met. 

CHANDIGARH

Mohali
Hanspal’s effigy burnt: Activists of the Mohali unit of Youth Akali Dal on Sunday burnt the effigy of Congress leader HS Hanspal. They raised slogans against the Congress leader for allegedly playing with the emotions of the Sikhs. They also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. 

HARYANA

Ambala
148 donate blood: A blood donation camp was organised at the Emax Group of Institutions in association with the Red Cross Society and Rotary Club, Ambala, in which Deputy Commissioner Sameer Pal Srow was the chief guest. As many as 148 units of blood was collected after due screening and medical check up by a team of doctors headed by Dr Virender Bharti from General Hospital, Ambala City.

KAITHAL
Lineman shot at: A lineman of the UHBVN, Pawan Kumar, was shot at by a resident of Batta village on Tuesday. The victim, who suffered serious injuries, was shifted to the PGI in a serious condition. The police has registered a case. The accused is at large. 

2 die in mishap: Two persons were killed in a road accident in Pundri town of this district on Monday night. Sudama and Suresh, both residents of Pundri, were going on their motorcycle when a canter allegedly being driven rashly, hit their bike. Both victims fell from the bike and reportedly died on the spot. The canter driver fled from the accident site.

Man kills wife: A man, Mahavir, allegedly killed his wife with an axe at Dhuderheri village in the district on Tuesday in a fit of rage. He later surrendered before the police. On a complaint lodged by Ranvir, brother of the victim, of Kapro village,the police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC.

KARNAL
Girl ends her life: A 22-year-old girl ended her life by hanging herself at her residence in Sector 7 here on Tuesday. The girl, a BTech student in a Sirsa college, had come home on holiday when she took the extreme step. Her father works as a conductor at the Karnal depot. Sources said the girl was in depression as she had met with an accident in her childhood which had resulted in a handicap in her hand due to which she was rejected for marriage. 

KURUKSHETRA
Lok adalat: Sixteen cases were settled on the spot at a rural lok adalat organised by the District Legal Services Authority at Gobind Majra village, 15 km from here, on Tuesday. The lok adalat was presided over by JMIC Amrinder Sharma. 

REWARI
Man arrested: The police has arrested Sunil, a resident of the Dharuhera Chungi area here, who, along with six others, had allegedly kidnapped and murdered Krishan Sharma, son of Pushpa Sharma, a clerk in the ADC’s office here. Sunil was on Monday produced in a local court, which remanded him in judicial custody for two days. His six accomplices are still at large. 

In-laws booked: Following the death of Asha Yadav (27), who reportedly ended her life by jumping before a running train on the Rewari-Jaipur track here on Monday, the Government Railway Police here has booked her husband Sandeep Yadav, father-in-law Suresh Yadav, mother-in-law Prem Devi and sister-in-law Poonam Yadav, all residents of Mohalla Bara Talab here, for dowry death. A case under Sections 498-A and 304-B of the IPC has been registered against them on a complaint lodged by the victim’s brother, Pawan Yadav, a resident of Rampura village in Jhajjar district.

ROHTAK
Research journals: The Department of Maxillary Surgery of Government Dental College, Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, has achieved the distinction of getting 20 articles published in reputed national and international research journals like “J-Oral Maxillofac Surgery”, said the Principal of the college, Dr Sanjay Tiwari, here on Monday. 

Sirsa
Road rage: In a case of road rage, some car-borne persons beat up three brothers travelling in a tractor-trailer and later opened fire when the victims tried to run away from their clutches near the Khairpur area here on Monday night. While none sustained bullet injuries, the victims, Preet Singh, Baljinder and Kashmir Singh, have been hospitalised. 

Youth killed: A youth from Bihar, Mohammad Zakir (22), engaged as a contractual worker with LS Cables India Private Limited at HSIIDC, Bawal, was crushed to death when a portion of a tin shed of the factory abruptly collapsed following a storm that hit the area on Sunday evening. 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Youth killed in road accident: Shiv Kumar (18) of Kaahali-Deoth village, near here, was killed on the spot and his uncle, who was on the pillion, was injured seriously when the scooty they were riding was suddenly hit by a truck on National Highway No.21 at Bamta village, near here, Monday evening. The injured was immediately rushed to the Regional Hospital here and said to be stable. The police has registered a case. The body of the deceased was handed over to the family after the postmortem examination.

CHAMBA
4 killed in mishaps: Four persons were killed in three separate mishaps in Chamba district during the past 24 hours, according to official reports at the district headquarters on Tuesday. Two youths Kheti Ram and Jagdish were killed on the spot when their bike swerved off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Balala village in Churah subdivision on Monday evening. In second incident, Sobia Ram died on the spot when he slipped from a hillock and fell into a gorge near Banikhet. In the third incident, Mathu Ram succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital when he was hit by debris which fell on him from a hillock near Badka village of the district. 

KULLU
Man gets jail: Rakesh Chaudhary, Additional District and Session Judge-cum-Fast Track Court Judge, sentenced Yog Raj of Faridabad in Haryana to three-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a case of charas smuggling under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (ND&PS) Act. Yog was apprehended by a police party at the Bajaura checkpost, while he was travelling from Kullu to Chandigarh in a bus on April 29, 2008, with 750 gm of charas. The accused was also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 and in the event of nonpayment of fine, he would further undergo one-year simple imprisonment. 

NURPUR
Man found murdered: The Jawali police on Tuesday found the body of Shonki Ram (46), son of Ranja Ram of Nana village, bearing grave injuries on his head and other parts of the body. An FIR under Section 302, IPC, has been registered. The deceased was returning home on Monday evening when some unidentified assailants attacked him with some sharp-edged weapons. The body was found about 100 m away from his house. The police has sent the body to the Civil Hospital here for postmortem examination. 

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Srinagar
Building of R&B Dept set on fire: Miscreants set on fire the building of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department in Kargil, damaging all official records on Tuesday. “The office building of the R&B Department in Suru division, Kargil, falling under the jurisdiction of Sankoo police post, was set ablaze by miscreants. All official records in the building were damaged,” a police spokesman said.

Leh
Councillor joins Cong in Leh: A councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Tundup Spalzang, joined the Congress, the ruling party, at a function organised by the District Congress Committee (DCC), Leh, on Tuesday. Spalzang, who contested the LAHDC elections as an Independent last year, was earlier associated with the LUTF. With his joining the Congress, the party now has 21 seats in the 30-member general council of the LAHDC, Leh.

DEHRADUN

Protest by viklang sangathan: The Pradeshik Viklang Sangathan took out a protest rally from Clock Tower to Gandhi Park in support of their long-pending demands. Earlier, they had planned to take out their rally till the Civil Secretariat, but were stopped by the police at Gandhi Park, which assured them of talks with the administration. In the afternoon, they held talks with officials of the Social Welfare Department, who gave them an assurance to look into their demands, said Basant Kumar Thapliyal, president of the association.

House burgled: Miscreants allegedly barged into a locked house on Old Mussoorrie Road on Sunday night and decamped with some valuable items worth Rs 25,000. According to the police, the owner of the house, Nand Kishore, was in Delhi when the incident took place. When he returned, he found the house burgled. A case has been registered.

MUSSOORIE
Balaji Temple: A large number of devotees on Monday gathered here to celebrate the fifth foundation of Balaji Temple near Dhumman Ganj. A team from the Mahila Jagrit Manch recited bhajans on the occasion. Mussoorie Municipal Council President OP Uniyal, BJP Mandal President Roop Singh Kathait and others were also present.

Cyclist killed: A cyclist was killed when he was reportedly hit by a truck on Haridwar Bypass Road in Rishikesh on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Bhag Singh Panwar. The driver of the truck fled the spot. A case has been registered.

Kumaon Briefs

Quarrying on Gaula riverbed to resume soon:The final clearances for restarting quarrying operations on the Gaula riverbed have been given by the Centre and subsequently by the Uttarakhand Government. The quarrying operations will shortly resume under the supervision of the Uttarakhand Van Vikas Nigam. In a statement issued here, District Magistrate of Nainital Shailesh Bagauli has ordered the Divisional Forest Officer (Terai East) to ensure that the quarrying operations are carried out in accordance with the norms and as per the orders issued by the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment along with the state government.

Students hold march against use of plastic bags:Students of various schools in Almora took out a march to generate awareness on effects of the unbridled use of plastic bags and their improper disposal. The students gathered at the Rajkiya Balika Inter College from where they started a march to the Gandhi Park at Chaughan Pata. They distributed pamphlets to people en route. Almora is facing a major problem on account of the improper disposal of the plastic bags. The administration has also initiated a campaign to discourage people from using these bags and go in for the use of cloth and paper bags instead.

Textbooks yet to reach govt schools:The students studying in various government schools across the region are faced with the problem of unavailability of the books that are supplied by the Education Department. According to the reports, the books are yet to reach the schools even after 20 days of the commencement of the current academic session. At several places, the children are being taught with the help of old textbooks. The unavailability of the textbooks is also contributing to the absenteeism in the schools and it is on the rise. It was learnt that the delay is at the level of the Directorate of School Education.

Youth held on charge of illegal felling of trees:Officials of the Forest Department have nabbed a youth on the charges of illegal felling of sagaun trees and trying to smuggle timber. The accused, Rinku of the Daundafarm area in the Sitarganj region, was nabbed in the Barakauli range following a tip-off. The officials have seized a tractor containing wood of the illegally felled five trees along with some implements like an axe and a saw.

Agitation by vikas nigam:The employees of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) have launched an agitation in support of their 11-point demand charter. The employees of the KMVN have been holding demonstrations at the KMVN Headquarters in Nainital for the past two days. They have charged the state government with being indifferent towards their genuine demands. The employees are also demanding that steps be taken to improve the economic health of the nigam.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)