R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
Veteran Urdu writer passes away: A veteran Urdu writer, Sarwan Kumar Verma, passed away this morning. He was 80 years' old. A resident of Parag Das chowk, Verma has penned five books on short stories and three novels. He also penned as many as 250 short stories during his five-decade-long literary journey. The Language Department, Punjab, had honoured him with the Siromani Sahitkar Award for his contribution to Urdu language in 1993. The turning phase in his career came in 1953, when his story appeared in an Urdu magazine ‘Afkar’, a reputed monthly published from Karachi (Pakistan). 

Burglary at Ranjit Avenue residence: An unidentified person decamped with Australian dollars, cash and gold jewellery from the residence at Ranjit Avenue here. The police has registered a case following the complaint lodged by house owner Gurdev Kaur. Gurdev Kaur alleged that she had returned from Australia on November 19 and next day she had gone to a dentist in the area. On Tuesday, when she checked her briefcase, she found 600 Australian dollars, Rs 2500 cash and gold jewellery missing. A case under Section 380 of the IPC has been lodged.

Chandigarh
Allowance hiked for NCC cadets: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday approved to enhance the refreshment allowance for NCC cadets from Rs 6 to Rs 20 per cadet involving an additional annual expenditure of about Rs 3 crore. He said the state government had also enhanced the messing allowance of Associate NCC Officers (ANOs) who undergo training at various academies from Rs 65 to Rs 213.

Kenya seeks help on transport reforms: Governance reforms initiated by the Punjab Government got a thumbs-up from the Ministry of Transport of Kenya which has sought to replicate computerisation of the state Transport Department in Kenya. In a communiqué to the Secretary Transport, Punjab, Francis Meja, Registrar of Motor Vehicles, has sought assistance from the state government and its agencies for automating their road transport sector. 

Moga
Moga-based realtor commits suicide: A property dealer allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at Baghapurana town in the district on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Paramjit Singh Pamma, son of Darshan Singh. Sources said Paramjit's body was recovered from the fields on the outskirts of the town. He was reportedly depressed due to health problems for the past couple of years. The police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.