R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Bathinda
Government to constitute Teachers’ Recruitment Board soon: Minister: Education Minister Sikendar Singh Maluka has said the government will soon constitute a Teachers’ Recruitment Board for appointing teachers on a regular basis. Vice chancellors, reputed academicians, educationists and other renowned personalities will be made members of the board to ensure that all selections are done in a transparent manner, he said. Maluka said the services of the board might be utilised for the selection of schoolteachers as well as college teachers. By doing this, burden on the state exchequer could be reduced by not constituting separate boards. Maluka said the government would soon start the recruitment process to fill all vacant posts in schools and colleges. He also reiterated that the transfers of the teachers would be made rationally. 

Muktsar
Lok Adalats on April 28: Monthly Lok Adalats would be held on April 28 at the courts complexes of Muktsar, Malout and Gidderbaha. District and Sessions Judge JS Kular said anybody who wants that his case be taken up at the Lok Adalat may apply to the court where his case is pending. 

Patiala
Procurement in mandis delayed: In Sangrur and Patiala mandis , procuement has been delayed. Finance Minister PS Dhindsa, who hails from Sangrur, has ordered a special girdawri. Farmers at Dhuri said that their crop had been flattened . “The damage will be 5 per cent of the total produce in Sangrur villages,”official sources said. Kalian Singh from Bhadson said: “The grain has lost its sheen and will fetch a low price in the market. 

Rajpura
Commission agents’ meet: A commission agents' meet was organised by the State Bank of Patiala at its local Grain Market Branch here on Thursday. MR Jayesha, DGM, Agriculture, of the bank, conveyed to commission agents that the bank had launched various new schemes and had modified the existing schemes for the benefit of customers. He said the interest rate on credit facilities being extended to the commission agents had been reduced. NK Sehgal, AGM, Region-II, Patiala, explained various schemes of the bank. 

HARYANA

Fatehabad
Youth dies: A youth was killed and another was seriously injured when their car hit a tree near Dhani Chanawali village on the Sirsa road on Thursday. The victim, Gurpreet Singh, of Amritsar and presently living in Rohtak was going to Sirsa with his cousin, Baldev. He lost control over the vehicle due to drowsiness. 

Chandigarh
New A-G takes charge: Mohinder Singh has taken over as Principal Accountant-General (A and E), Haryana. An IAS officer of the 1984 batch, he would be responsible for preparation of the state’s annual finance and appropriation accounts and have jurisdiction over the maintenance of GPF, loan and advance accounts of employees. Mohinder Singh was Director (Finance) in the Haryana power utilities for more than seven years. 

Karnal
Unit unearthed: The police unearthed an illegal liquor mixing unit at Bahadur Chand Colony here on Monday night. During the raid on a house in the colony, the police found that the accused, Govind, used to mix locally made liquor with branded English whisky bought from CSD canteens. He used to sell it at lucrative rates to individuals, local bars and liquor stores. The police said a cache of 500 bottles had been seized and a case registered against the accused.

Jind
Six jail inmates booked: At least two mobile phones, a battery charger and a SIM card were recovered from two barracks, No. 9 and 10, in the district jail here on Sunday night. Six jail inmates have been booked in this connection. The police said the mobile handsets were recovered after a raid was conducted after a tip-off that some inmates had kept mobile phones hidden inside the barracks

Rewari
Youth’s body identified: The body of a slain youth that was recovered from the Garhi Bolni road here on Tuesday has now been identified as that of Dalip Singh (26), who was engaged in tent-pitching work in Vijay Nagar Colony here. A case of abduction and murder against the deceased’s co-workers, Charan Singh, Rohit and Anipal has been registered on a complaint of the deceased’s father Ramesh Kumar. Ramesh said the trio had taken his son Dalip on some errand on the night of April 9.

DEHRADUN

Dehradun
Alva greets people on Baisakhi: Governor of Uttarakhand Margaret Alva has greeted the people of Uttarakhand and the country on the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi. In a message on the eve of the festival, the Governor said: "I extend my greetings and good wishes to all residents of the state, especially those associated with agricultural activities. May this harvest festival spread the message of prosperity and peace to all our people." 

Kumaon Briefs

Encroachment along the canal comes to light
A drive carried out by personnel of the Irrigation Department in Kashipur has led to the discovery of 200 encroachments along the canal adjacent to the Lakshmipur Patti in the town. The Irrigation Department had carried out the drive following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea filed by a local resident in the Uttarakhand High Court. It was alleged in the litigation that the width of the canal that passed along Katoratal, Kazibagh, Main Market and Lakshmipur Patti had been reduced to a mere six feet from its original width of 26 feet.

20 mango trees axed
A case of illegal felling of 20 mango trees has come to light at Isai village of the Lamachaur area of Haldwani. Sources say that owner of the orchard Jeetendra Singh Kuriya had got the trees chopped off with the help of heavy machinery without taking any permission to do so. The matter was brought to the notice of the Forest Department by the villagers on Wednesday. It is learnt that the department has decided to impose a fine of Rs 20,000 on Kuriya.

Body recovered from railway track
An unidentified body was recovered from the railway tracks near the Shivnagar locality of Kashipur. It is learnt that the deceased, whose body was discovered on Wednesday, was in his mid-thirties. A list of mobile numbers was found from his pocket on the basis of which the police is trying to get him identified. It is being assumed that he died after being run over by a train.

Pig menace in Champawat
Residents of the Majbunga area of Champawat have demanded the intervention of the administration in dealing with the pig menace in the locality. The residents handed over a memorandum to Executive Officer of the Nagar Panchayat Anurag Arya on Wednesday stating that immediate steps should be taken to check the menace of pigs that were being reared by some people of the locality. They have complained that pigs are making the locality dirty and disease-prone.

House gutted in Bageshwar
A double-storey house was reduced to ashes in fire reported from Pachar village of Bageshwar district. It is learnt that the house belonging to Bhuvan Chandra Pandey was engulfed by fire on the night of Wednesday while his family was asleep. The cause of the fire is yet unknown. The residents of the house managed to escape unhurt in the incident. The losses incurred in the incident are being pegged at Rs 10 lakh by the family members.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)