R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Addict dies in a scuffle with wife@@Moga: A "drug addict", Harmesh Singh, died allegedly in a scuffle with his wife, Hardeep Kaur, in Moga on Friday. Hardeep, who also sustained injuries in the fight and is admitted at a hospital, alleged that her husband used to abuse her daily. She alleged that while she was preparing tea in the kitchen, her husband attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon. As she tried to escape, Harmesh chased her and the couple got engaged in a scuffle. Harmesh fell on the floor and died due to a head injury. Police is investigating the case. — TNS@@Rs 64-cr projects for Fazilka district@@Fazilka: Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced development projects worth Rs 64 crore for the district on its first anniversary on Friday. He laid the foundation stone of a five-storey District Administrative Complex to be constructed at a cost of Rs 37 crore in Fazilka. The Deputy Chief Minister also dedicated two crucial bridges, a school building and a stadium to the people of Jalalabad (his home constituency) subdivision. He also inaugurated a Rs 59 lakh computerised fard kendra at Fazilka, Rs 3.15 crore 66-KV Power Grid Station at Theh Qalandar village and a Rs 2 crore high-level bridge over Jalalabad main drain at Mandi Ladhuka. — TNS@@Dubious land deal charge on SGPC @@Amritsar: The Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front on Friday accused the SGPC of indulging in a dubious land deal. Addressing mediapersons, front chairman Col GS Sandhu (Retd) alleged that the SGPC was taking 10 marlas of land at Vaan village from a religious leader in lieu of giving him 22 acres of land belonging to Gurdwara San Sahib at Gill Basarke village. He alleged that the 10 marlas of land, which the SGPC was getting at Vaan village, did not even belong to the religious leader, though he claimed to own it. “It is a disputed land and the matter is subjudice,” he said. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, however, denied the allegations. — TNS@@Fresh postings 
for five officers@@Chandigarh: The Punjab Government on Friday ordered fresh postings for five IAS officers. The postings are: Raj Kamal Chaudhry, additional charge of Project Director, National Rural Health Mission, and Commissioner, Ayush; JM Balamurugan, Secretary, Local Government, and GMD, Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Corporation; Dilip Kumar, additional charge of Secretary (Planning); S.K. Sharma, Special Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation and Inderjit Singh Sandhu, additional charge of Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies. — TNS

CHANDIGARH

HARYANA

Dalit woman dies@@@@SONEPAT: A Dalit woman (42) of Sisana village 
was found unconscious and seriously injured in fields on Thursday. The victim succumbed to her injuries on the way to the PGIMS, Rohtak. The woman had reportedly gone to the fields for bringing fodder for the animals. While a case has been registered, the Sonepat SSP, Arun Singh, has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for providing an information about the accused. — OC@@@@Labourer killed@@@@Jhajjar: A labourer was crushed to death by a Haryana Roadways bus on the NH-10 in Bahadurgarh town on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Shakti of Vikas Nagar. The police has registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the bus driver. — OC

HIMACHAL PRADESH

One killed in road mishap@@CHAMBA: One person was killed and five others were seriously injured when the van in which they were travelling fell downside the road near Chatoli in Chamba district Wednesday night, according to police report received here on Thursday. The deceased had been identified as Prakash Chand of Chamba. The injured had been rushed to a nearby hospital. They all were going to attend a marriage. A case against the driver of the van has been registered. — OC@@@@Miscreants set 3 kiosks on fire@@CHAMBA: Three kiosks (wooden structures) were set on fire by some miscreants at Bhatoli village in Chamba district on Wednesday night, according an official information. The owners of these kiosks were Mohammed Sheriff, Saleem and Latif, all of Punel village of the surrounding area. A loss caused due to the fire had been put at more than Rs 30,000. — OC@@@@195 kg nag chhatri seized@@MANDI: The Kullu police on Wednesday seized 195 kg nag chhatri from Leeladhar of Madana in Sainj Kullu when he was taking the consignment in his car (HP 49A-0444) to Kullu. He was on way from Neuli from the Great Himalayan National Park when the police stopped his car at Notinala. The police has booked the case. — OC@@@@Mystery shrouds girl’s death@@KANGRA: An 18-year-old girl from Gumarna Aerla village of this subdivision died under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday. The police said Mamta Devi was found unconscious and rushed to the DRPGMC, Tanda, where doctors declared her brought dead. The body was sent for postmortem to ascertain the cause of her death. — OC@@@@SFI opposes fee hike@@Kangra: The Students Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest outside MCM DAV College here on Friday against fee hike, privatisation and ‘commercialisation’ of the educational system in the state. Abeshek Chandel, unit secretary of the federation, criticised the state government for adopting ‘double standards’ in the educational sector and ‘patronising’ a few business families to set up private universities in state. The protesting students demanded that fee hike be reversed. — OC@@@@Panel to review grade pay demand @@Nurpur: The state government has formed a high-level committee to review grade pay demand of its employees and will try to accept this demand before the Assembly elections. This was stated by Ghansham Sharma, vice chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Employees and Pensioners’ Welfare Board here on Friday during a civic reception organised for him and local MLA Rakesh Pathania by the Nurpur sub-divisional unit of the Non-Gazetted Employees Association. He sid the government after constituting the committee would try to accept this demand before the Assembly poll. — OC

JAMMU & KASHMIR

2 Vaishno Devi pilgrims dead
Katra:Two Vaishno Devi pilgrims died of cardiac arrest en route to the cave shrine, police sources said here today."A pilgrim identified as Ram Bali (79), a resident of Bihar, fell unconscious this morning when he was on his way to the cave shrine to pay obeisance," sources said. The pilgrim was taken to a nearby health center but was declared brought dead. Another pilgrim from Maharashtra, Asha, died of cardiac failure. — OC

DEHRADUN