R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
Contests mark school prize distribution function: The St. Alphonsa Convent School organised its prize distribution function on Wednesday. Harinder Singh, DSP, was the chief guest. Parry of class I delivered the welcome speech and Trisha expressed words of gratitude. Hardik Batra anchored the function. Competitions were conducted in spelling, English prayer song, rhymes, speech, paint ing, solo song and fancy dress. Principal Jijoe Augustian said the competitions are aimed to develop the personality along with bringing out the inborn talents of a child. Chief guest Harinder Singh gave away the prize to winners.

CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh
2 die in mishaps: A 32-year-old resident of Dhakoli was killed as a truck hit the two-wheeler he was riding near the Chandigarh-Zirakpur barrier today. Vipul was on way to Zirakpur when the truck, being driven by Paramjeet Singh of Singhpura village, hit him from the rear. He was rushed to the GMCH, Sector 32, where he was declared brought dead. A case was registered. Ravinder (30) of Azad Colony, Panchkula, died when an unidentified vehicle hit his motorcycle near the Ghaggar bridge tonight. He was scheduled to wed this month.

Panchkula
Two killed in accident: Two youths were killed and two others injured when their mortorcycle rammed into an oil tanker near the Nada Sahib gurdwara here late this evening. The deceased were identified as Hemant (25) of Kot and Sunil of Madanpur. The injured were Manpreet (17) of Madanpur and Dinesh (25) of Sector 26. The injured were shifted to the PGI in Chandigarh as their condition was critical.

DEHRADUN

DEHRADUN
Stampede victims’ death mourned: The CPM has mourned the deaths of the victim’s of the Haridwar stampede. It has blamed the administration and the organisers for the incident. Meanwhile, members of the Uttarakhand Rajya Nirman Sainani Manch condemned the state government for not making adequate safety arrangements. Manoj Dhyani, president of the manch, also demanded an apology from the government.

Foundation Day: Officials and employees of Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited celebrated the state and UJVNL Foundation Days in a simple manner and cancelled all cultural events on the directions of the state government.

Kumaon Briefs
Class IV employees threaten stir: The Class IV employees of various government departments held a massive rally in the Tallital area of Nainital. Observing the statehood day as a black day, they attacked the state government for failing to keep its promise of paying them their arrears with regards to the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report since September, 2008. The employee leaders assailed the government saying that the agreement that was arrived at following a 27-day strike some months ago is yet to be implemented by the state government. They have threatened to launch a major agitation if the government fails to keep its promise.

Traffic jam due to landslide: The Khairna-Almora highway once again witnessed a massive traffic jam on Tuesday evening following a landslide near Jaurasi. It is learnt that the landslide that took place in late afternoon led to the closure of the road. It was with great difficulty that the rubble was removed with the help of an excavator. The vehicles that had been stuck were then allowed to pass through the stretch one at a time. The road leading to Almora had been devastated in the rains last year. It is only with the taking over of Chief Minister’s office by Major-Gen Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri (retd) two months ago that the pace of work for repairs has picked up.

Bus burnt at Haldwani: A bus being operated by the Kumaon Motor Operators Union (KMOU) was burnt under suspicious circumstances at Haldwani on Tuesday night. It is learnt that the bus had been parked near the house of its owner when people saw flames rising from it late at night. They managed to bring the fire under control following a collective effort. The owner of the bus, Pradeep Singh Chauhan, has alleged that the bus had been torched by miscreants after spraying it with petrol. He has alleged that petrol drops were seen at the site. Police investigations are on in the matter.

Teams formed to check overloading: The Transport Department has constituted seven teams to check the overloading of trucks and other transport vehicles in the Kumaon region. The teams would be carrying out surprise checks at different spots, particularly on the routes leading to the hilly areas of the region. The officials have underlined that the department is committed to implementing the Supreme Court orders with regards to overloading of vehicles and the guilty would not be spared. The department has also started a helpline to check the practice and complaints can be made at 05946-260207.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)