R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
Sikh clergy meet on Jan 22: The Akal Takht Jathedar has called a meeting of the Sikh high priests on January 22 to resolve the tension between Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh and the management committee. Sources said the Jathedars of four Takhts would hold discussions pertaining to the clash in Patna on Gurpurb on January 7.

chandigarh
PPCC protest from today: The PPCC will begin its second phase of protest against the government, demanding a CBI probe into the multi-crore drug racket, from Sunday. State party president Partap Singh Bajwa is scheduled to sit on a hunger strike at Punjab Congress Bhawan on Sunday. Party workers said other leaders would join the protest from Monday. Two Congress MLAs and 22 workers would take turns to sit on a hunger strike daily.

PPCC protest from today: The PPCC will begin its second phase of protest against the government, demanding a CBI probe into the multi-crore drug racket, from Sunday. State party president Partap Singh Bajwa is scheduled to sit on a hunger strike at Punjab Congress Bhawan on Sunday. Party workers said other leaders would join the protest from Monday. Two Congress MLAs and 22 workers would take turns to sit on a relay hunger strike.

Muktsar
CM honours kin of Akalis: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday took pride in Akalis who sacrificed their lives or were jailed during struggles to uphold democracy. Badal honoured families of such party workers during a sangat darshan programme in Gidderbaha constituency.

Rice mill owner booked: The police booked a rice mill owner for allegedly siphoning off 9,702 bags of paddy stacked in his mill. A police officer said Gudas Brar, owner of Khalsa Rice and General Mill, had been booked under Section 406 of the IPC as during the inspection by Pungrain, nearly 3,400-quintal paddy was found missing from the stock.

patiala
Ex-serviceman shoots self:  70-year-old ex-serviceman allegedly shot himself with his licensed gun at his Charan Bagh residence here on Friday night. The police have registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPc. The victim, identified as Amrik Singh, is survived by his wife and five daughters. The police said Amrik Singh was reportedly depressed since he was not keeping well for the past few years.

Ex-serviceman shoots self: A 70-year-old ex-serviceman allegedly shot himself with his licensed gun at his Charan Bagh residence on Friday night. The police have registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPc. The victim, identified as Amrik Singh, is survived by his wife and five daughters. The police said Amrik Singh was reportedly depressed since  he was not keeping well  for a few years.

Ropar
SSP awarded: The National Science Research Institute, Mumbai, has honoured SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar with “Special Police Service Award 2013” for performing his duty  with dedication.

sangrur
RTS activists launch helpline: The state government is not serious in implementing the Right to Service (RTS) Act in a proper manner, claim RTS activists here on Saturday. The activists started a campaign to educate the masses on the Act in the city. They also launched a helpline (no. 9501242148) for those facing problems in getting their works done.

RTS activists launch helpline: The Punjab Government was not serious in implementing the Right To Service (RTS) Act, claimed RTS activists here on Saturday. The activists started a campaign to educate the masses on the Act in the city. They launched a helpline (9501242148) for those facing problems.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Kupwara
CRPF jawan commits suicide: A CRPF soldier from 162 Battalion committed suicide at Zangli near Kupwara town on Saturday. Constable Abdul Majid, a resident of Banda district of Uttar Pradesh, shot himself dead with his service rifle (Carbine) around 9 am on Saturday. Sources said the soldier had an altercation with his officer on some issue. A case has been registered.

Pulwama
Hunger strike ends: Residents of the Littar area in Pulwama district on Saturday called off their hunger strike after the intervention of the district administration. They have been demanding the grant of tehsil status to the area. Reports said Revenue Department officials met the protesters on Saturday and told them that no decision had so far been taken in this regard by the Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC). “We told them that it will take the CSC three more days to take a final call on the issue,” said a senior official of the district administration.

Srinagar
IGP reviews security: A meeting was held on Saturday to review security arrangements in the Valley ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. It was presided over by Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, AG Mir. Senior officers of the police, CRPF, security agencies and the civil administration attended the meeting, an official spokesman said. The IGP discussed various security arrangements for the smooth R-Day celebrations.

DEHRADUN

Almora
Marriage season kicks off: Banquet halls, band parties and pundits in the Kumaon region are likely to have a good time as auspicious days for marriage as per the Hindu traditions and belief started on Saturday. According to astrologers, the wedding season comes with the advent of the month of Magh, as the month of Paush is not considered good for Hindu marriages. Pundits say that as the highly auspicious days for wedding fall on January 22 and 28 and February 4, banquet halls, band parties and pundits are having advance bookings in Almora city. “We are receiving two bookings every day for marriages,” said Mohammad Hanif, owner of Sony Band, Almora.

dehradun
Protest warning: The Junior High School Shikshak Sangh has threatened to stage an agitation from January 20 if their demand for better pay and perks is not fulfilled immediately. State general secretary of the sangh Surat Singh Tomar accused the state government of befooling teachers. He said teachers had done several agreements with the state government but the latter had never fulfilled its promise.

Theft reported: Thieves decamped with cash, gold and other valuable items from a house situated on the Pritam road here. According to the police, house owner Rajendra was away to Nasik along with his family when the incident took place. When he returned on Friday, he found the lock of the main door broken and gold, cash and other valuable items missing.

Smack seized: The Patelnagar police on Saturday arrested one Anita with 5.5 gm of smack. She is a resident of Shimla Bypass Enclave. A case has been registered.

Stir postponed: Bank employees across the state have postponed their stir after bank unions in Delhi were assured of prompt redress of their concerns by the Indian Bank Association.

Nainital
Snowfall in Nainital: The cold conditions intensified as Nainital and its surrounding hills witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall on Saturday. The snowfall in high Himalayan hills and rainfall in adjoining valleys triggered a cold wave in the Terai region. One person died due to cold in Kashipur subdivision of Udham Singh Nagar district. “The rain is good for the rabi crop in hill areas and in plains. The rain and snowfall on Saturday compensated for the meager rain last week and gave hope to the farmers of a good rabi crop this year,” said RK Singh, an agricultural scientist at Pantnagar university.