R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Ludhiana
Quiz contest: A quiz was organised at Guru Nanak Public School, Model Town extension. Headmistress, Dr Harjit Kaur Dua, commended the efforts of the students and expressed that such competitions assess the overall awareness of a child and promote learning in depth.

Chess meet: The ongoing Ludhiana Sahodaya Schools Complex Chess Championship 2012 concluded on Saturday at Green Land Public School, Jalandhar bypass, with the host school bagging maximum points. About 15 CBSE schools participated in the event.

SBI officials as poll observers: Three officials from the State Bank of India, Jagraon, have been appointed as micro observers during the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. Yesterday, during the election practice, they carried out a mock drill at a poll booth. The responsibilities of micro observers include checking if polling started and ended on time, ensuring that only authorised persons cast their vote, and reporting any other discrepancy during polling. They will submit their report to the election observers. VK Sharma, chief manager of the Jagraon branch, said that although officials from his branch have been assigned election duty, the bank’s public dealing will not get affected.

Spark Punjabi on air: The BIG-CBS joint venture has made foray into regional television by launching its first regional channel in India, Spark Punjabi. The channel is available across the region comprising Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. The new channel is airing the latest seasons of international shows such as “Jerry Springer”, “Hawaii Five-O”, “America’s Next Top Model” and “Masked Warriors”, all dubbed in Punjabi. Samir Verma, Regional Head, Spark Punjabi, said: "We are proud to offer our viewers extremely popular global content.”

HARYANA

Kurukshetra
600 blankets: On behalf of Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, 600 blankets were distributed among needy persons by District Congress Committee president Jai Bhagwan Sharma on the premises of the Sadhu Mandi on Saturday. On this occasion, Sharma appreciated Jindal for rendering social service to the needy persons through various social activities launched by Jindal under the auspices of the Om Prakash Jindal Gramin Jankalyan Sansthan.

Husband booked: The local police has registered a case against a husband for allegedly teasing his wife for bringing less dowry. Priyanka, wife of Rajeev, a resident of Kurukshetra University campus, in her complaint has alleged that she was married with Rajeev of Rohara village on September 25, 2005, but now her husband has started torturing her to bring more dowry. A case has been registered.

Rewari
Earrings robbed: Two motorcycle-borne miscreants looted gold earrings from two elderly women in Mohalla Kaziwara here on Saturday. The miscreants mercilessly tore off their ears and left them injured. Firstly, they robbed Swaranlata Kapur, who was basking in the sun outside her house, and then another woman who was passing by.

SONEPAT
Two arrested: With the arrest of Praveen and Pankaj on Friday from Rangrooti village in Karnal district by a CIA team, the number of arrests in the murder of Mukesh, sarpanch of Bhainswal Kalan village in May last year, had gone up to 10. The police has also seized a Santro car from their possession. The car was used by the accused in Mukesh’s murder and also of Mukesh’s uncle Balraj in November last year.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Shimla
TV channel launched: Expressing concern over the disturbing trend of paid news, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said neutrality in filing news reports was the biggest asset of the media, which needed to be adhered to for winning trust of the masses. He was speaking on the occasion of the launching ceremony of “Himachal Aajkal” here last evening, organised by the Tara Business Group. Dhumal congratulated the group for launching the channel from Shimla, which would go a long way in projecting the state perspective. He said the media would have to play a significant role in showing the way by unveiling the truth before people.

DEHRADUN

Dehradun
Exit poll banned: The Election Commission of India has imposed a ban on exit poll in view of the Assembly elections in five states. State Chief Electoral Officer Radha Raturi has said the Election Commission has notified the period between 7 am on January 28, the first day of the polling in Manipur, and 5:30 pm on March 3, the last day of polling in Goa and Uttar Pradesh, during which exit poll and the dissemination of their results would be prohibited.

Kumaon Briefs
Schoolboy crushed to death in Udham Singh Nagar: A schoolboy was crushed to death in the Chakarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar. The accident took place when Kamal (7) of Jhadi Naula was returning home. According to eyewitnesses, the truck was being rashly driven when the accident occurred. Kamal died on the spot.

Water crisis in Shivalik Vihar area: Nearly 50 families living in the Shivalik Vihar area of Haldwani are facing a water crisis for the past several days. According to information, the water supply has been disrupted due to the breaking of a pipeline during the execution of an ongoing project for covering a canal. The residents are being forced to spend a major part of the day procuring water for daily needs. The people have threatened to launch an agitation if the pipeline is not repaired at the earliest.

50 litres of liquor seized: As part of a drive against the illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor, the Jaspur police has arrested one person and seized 50 litres of liquor from his possession. Following a tip-off the police raided the house of Preetam Singh in Kilawali village and seized the liquor.

Wild animal kills cow: A cow was killed by a wild animal in the Barakoli forest range near Sitarganj. The cow belonged to Rattan Hazra. The carcass was found near Jalpaniya Puliya. It is being assumed that the bovine was killed by a leopard. Forest Department officials are investigating the matter.

Monkeys damage computer hardware: A group of simians created a ruckus in a government office in Bageshwar town. Just when officials had gone home after locking the doors of the District Resources Centre, monkeys managed to barge into the building and destroyed computer hardware. The officials were stunned to find monitor screens cracked and scanners, tubelights and a printer totally damaged. According to information, the loss caused by the simians has been pegged at Rs 50,000.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)