R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Dera Bassi
Man killed in mishap: A resident of Panchkula died after his motorcycle was hit by a truck near here on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Dilavar Singh. He was on his way to Barwala when the accident occurred. Driver of the truck fled the spot. A case has been registered in this connection.  

Faridkot
Three surrender in murder case: Ten days after the dead body of 26-year-old Rohit Chawla was found lying in the fields on the Sadiq road in Faridkot, three suspected youths in this gang-rivalry murder surrendered in the court of Ilaqa Magistrate on Wednesday. The youths were one time associates of the victim. Though the police had registered a murder case against unknown persons in this case, the involvement of the surrendered youths was suspected. Police sources said the victim and the youths were involved in many crimes and the murder was believed to be the fallout of a split in the gang after some differences.

Ferozepur
Sand mining racket unearthed: The Forest Department on Wednesday unearthed an illegal sand mining racket in a protected forest area close to the Indo-Pakistan border near Bareke village here. Sanjeev Tiwari, DFO, said officials from the Forest Department raided the area where certain people were carrying on illegal mining. He said it was observed that several trees had also been cut and hundreds of plants damaged by these people to make way into the forest area to carry out the unlawful activity.

Jalandhar
SP Oberoi to be honoured: To recognise the services of Dubai-based businessman SP Singh Oberoi to seek freedom for 17 Punjabis lodged in Dubai jails, the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Foundation has decided to honour Oberoi with a gold medal. "Oberoi has relentlessly pursued cases of Punjabi youths in the courts of Dubai. Now, it is our turn to honour him for his fight for justice," said foundation president KK Bawa in a statement. He said the foundation would be honouring Oberoi during his next visit to Punjab.

Muktsar
7-year jail for rape accused: The court of Additional Sessions Judge has announced seven-year imprisonment to two persons after finding them guilty in a rape accused. A fine of Rs 5,000 each was also slapped on the convicts. A resident of Doda village in Muktsar had filed a complaint with the Kot Bhai police alleging that Gobind Singh of Doda village and Gurmeet Singh of Dhoolkot village had abducted and raped his wife and two minor daughters after administering them some intoxicants when he was not at home.

Pulse Polio drive from Feb 19: At least 1,27,596 children will be administered polio vaccine drops under the National Pulse Polio Programme (NPPP) from February 19-21 in the district. About 1,848 functionaries of various departments will be deployed to cover all children below five years under the campaign. Reviewing the arrangements, SDM Dalvinderjeet Singh stressed the need for inter-departmental coordination to make the campaign a success. 

CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh
BTech student held with smack: A BTech student of the Doaba College of Engineering and Technology at Kharar was arrested with 20-gram smack at Dhanas village here this evening. According to the police, Harpreet Singh, a resident of Mohali, was during a ‘naka’ at the Mullanpur barrier near the village. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against him

HARYANA

Chandigarh
Power stations: The state government has prepared a plan for improving power infrastructure in Gurgaon at an investment of Rs 437 crore. Under the plan, 12 new power substations will be set up while six existing ones will be upgraded. Of the 12 new power substations, work on four is nearing completion.

Faridabad
Car thieves: The police arrested four members of an inter-state gang of car thieves in Sector 62 on Monday and recovered seven cars from them. Three pistols and cartridges were seized when they were checked while travelling in a car stolen from Ghaziabad. The arrested persons are Ravinder, Rohit, Akhilesh and Kallan.

Corrupt practices: Minister for Food and Supplies Mahender Pratap has cautioned that government officials charged with indulging in corrupt practices while providing ration cards and voter identity cards would be penalised. Residents of the Badkal Assembly constituency, which is represented by the minister, complained to him that some officials demanded bribe to process the cases regarding rations cards and voter identity cards.

Hisar
Panther scare: The Wildlife Department has despatched a team to Kadma village in Bhiwani district to capture a panther, which had killed a calf near the village on Monday. Shakti Singh, DFO, appealed to the villagers not to get panicky as the animal was unlikely to enter the village as there was enough prey in the jungle beyond the village. He said the calf had strayed into the forest area and was killed by a large animal, probably a panther.

Sulabh Complex: The city’s second Sulabh Toilet and Bathing Complex near the Nagori Gate Gurdwara was opened to the public here on Wednesday. Built at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, the complex has been built jointly by the Panchkula-based Sulabh International Social Service Organisation and the Hisar Municipal Corporation. The organisation has been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the complex for the next 30 years. 

Bolero stolen: A Bolero jeep was stolen from outside the Agrasen Bhawan here on Tuesday where the owner had gone to attend a marriage. In a complaint, the owner said a bag containing Rs 2 lakh in cash was also lying in the jeep. He said he had received the cash as advance for a property deal.

Jhajjar
Three jailed: The District and Sessions Judge has sentenced three, including two brothers, to seven years’ imprisonment each after holding them guilty of killing an elderly man of Vazirpur village in 2009. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 each on them.

Karnal
Six booked: The police on Wednesday booked six persons for attempt to murder. The accused armed with lathis and iron rods attacked Sunder Lal, Satbir and Satpal, injuring them seriously. Satbir, who was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, succumbed to his injuries.

Sirsa
Life term: Additional District and Sessions Judge Neelima Shangla has awarded life imprisonment to three persons for murdering a man and destroying evidence of the crime. Accused Bhajna, Radhey Sham and Shankar strangulated Subhash Fauji of Rajgarh to death with a rope in Nathusari Chopta village on the night of February 23, 2009. While awarding life imprisonment to the accused, the court also ordered them to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 each, which will be paid to Fauji’s widow. 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Chamba
Vacation extended: In view of a heavy spell snowfall in high-altitude ranges of Chamba district, the state government has extended the vacation of the snow-bound schools in Chamba district from February 12 to 18. According to official sources, the decision has been taken to give respite to students from the biting cold.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Jammu
Farm technocrats stage protest: The Jammu and Kashmir Agricultural Technocrats’ Association (JKATA) staged a one-day protest here today against the state government for not framing their regularisation policy.

DEHRADUN

DEHRADUN
Shahryar remembered: The state unit of the CPM has mourned the death of renowned noted Urdu poet and Jnanpith awardee Akhlaq Mohammed Khan, popularly known as Shahryar. Party members remembered his contributions for the Urdu literature. Those who attended the condolence meeting included party secretary Vijay Rawat, Surender Singh Sajwan, Virender Bhandari, Indu Naudiyal, Anant Akash, Lekhraj and Jyoti Thakuri. 

Ban on stir by teaching staff:The state government has banned the staging of any stir by both teaching and non- teaching employees. Principal Secretary, School Education, Om Prakash said such ban would be in force for a period of six months and was applicable to all services linked to all departments that fall under the jurisdiction of the State School Education Board. 

Kumaon Briefs

Liquor trader duped of RS 10.30 lakh: A liquor trader from Haldwani has allegedly been duped of Rs 10.30 lakh by some miscreants. According to information, someone allegedly used six cheques that were not given by the complainant, Nain Singh, to withdraw the said amount from his bank account. The complainant had requested for a cheque book in December which was supposedly sent to him by the bank but he never received it. Later, he again made a request and got a cheque book. He said there was a possibility that the cheque book sent to him earlier had fallen into wrong hands and was used for the crime. He came to know of the withdrawal when he obtained a bank statement for his account. The matter is being investigated by the Haldwani police.

Statehood activist Tewari dead: Prominent statehood activist from Haldwani Manmohan Tewari died while he was on his way to Dehradun. Tewari is best remembered for having thrown pamphlets in support of the demand for a separate state of Uttarakhand in Parliament in 1994. He was a lawyer by profession. He was going to Dehradun in connection with a case when he fell sick near Chiriyapur. He died on way to hospital. The last rites were performed at Chitrashila Ghats at Ranibagh on Tuesday evening.

Man killed in mishap: One person was killed when his motorcycle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer in the Hatima area of Udham Singh Nagar district. The deceased, Govind Singh Bhandari of Shripur Bichuva village, was employed with Assam Rifles. He had come home on leave. The driver of the tractor-trailer fled the spot after the accident.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)