R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Barnala
Two truck drivers killed in road accident: Two truck drivers were killed on the Barnala-Moga highway near Mallian village, 20 km from here, on Tuesday in a head-on collision between the two vehicles. One of them was killed on the spot while the second driver succumbed to his injuries later. The deceased are Gurnaib Singh and Parkash Chand.

Chandigarh
Survey on out-of-school children: The state government has asked officials concerned to complete the survey on out-of-school children between 6 to 14 years of age by December 26. State Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the objective of the survey was to provide basic education to all the out-of-school children in the state. He said it was the mandate of the state government to provide free and compulsory education to all the children up to class VIII. He said during the survey, the teams of Education Department would go to areas such as brick kilns, railway stations, slums and habitations of migrant labourers.

Patiala
Convict booked for jumping parole: A case under Sections 8 and 9 of the Punjab Good Conduct Prisoner Temporary Release Act, 1962, has been registered against a convict for jumping parole and evading arrest thereafter. Kuldeep Singh, who was lodged in the Central Jail, Patiala, was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping, abduction and rape on August 26, 2009. He was released on parole on January 4, 2013, but he went missing and did not return to jail.

Ropar
Rs 1.5 cr for restoration of Kachi Garhi: An amount of Rs 1.5 crore will be spent on restoration work at Kachi Garhi in Chamkaur Sahib, said Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar here on Tuesday. Makkar, who was here to inaugurate the restoration work, said the kar sewa at the site will be done by Sant Baba Bachan Singh and it will take nearly two years to complete. Kachi Garhi has historic and religious significance for the Sikhs as it was used by Guru Gobind Singh as a temporary citadel during the battle of Chamkaur Sahib on December 7, 1705.

Tarn Taran
Cop burnt to death in accident: Paramjit Singh (35), a policeman, who was a resident of Mallhia village, was burnt to death when his car caught fire after it was hit by an unknown vehicle. A case has been registered against the driver of the other vehicle.