The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

NEWS AND VIEWS

PUNJAB

HARYANA

JAMMU & KASHMIR

HIMACHAL

REGIONAL BRIEFS

NATION

OPINIONS

LETTERS

BUSINESS

SPORTS

WORLD

SPECIAL COVERAGE

CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
Minors raped; 2 detained: Two minor girls aged five and six years were allegedly raped by school-going boys in Abohar and Sriganganagar. Both the culprits committed the crime after finding the victim alone in their houses. The duo has been rounded up, the police said.

Lovers in suicide pact, 1 dies: A young couple allegedly attempted suicide by consuming an insecticide at Sherewala village here. While the 16-year-old girl Suman died, 21-year-old Vijay Kumar is battling for his life at the Civil Hospital in Faridkot. The police have booked Vijay, a resident of Sadulshehar in neighbouring Rajasthan, on the complaint of deceased’s father Krishan Kumar.

Chandigarh
Names sought for awards: The Punjab Government has invited recommendations for the Padam awards from the departments concerned. The awards will be announced on Republic Day in New Delhi. The departments have been asked to send the recommendations before June 22. Names have been sought for the highest civilian awards — Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

Scholarships to students: Muskan Verma of Fazilka, who stood first in Class 10 by securing 99.56 per cent, will be honoured with a scholarship of Rs 1 lakh. Daizy Garg of Sangrur, who bagged the second position with 98.22 per cent maks, will get Rs 75,000. Charru of Malout will be given Rs 50,000 for securing the third rank. She scored 98 per cent marks.

Property tax date extended: The Local Bodies Department on Friday extended the last date to file property tax after availing rebate and outstanding house tax sans interest till June 30. The earlier last date was March 31. The municipal corporations, municipal councils and panchayats have also been asked to organise awareness campaigns to disseminate information on filing property tax.

Wheat procurement: The Punjab Government has procured 1,17,23,044 tonnes of wheat till Thursday as against 1,10,65,888 tonnes procured on the corresponding day of last year, a press release stated. The procurement process is underway in 1,757 procurement centres across the state. A spokesperson said instructions had been issued to pay farmers within 48 hours of lifting the produce.

SAD leader hits out at Bajwa: SAD leader Maheshinder Grewal today urged PPCC chief Partap Bajwa to look into his own alleged misdeeds, including “grabbing village common land”, before holding Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia accountable for anything. In a statement here, the SAD leader said it was surprising that Bajwa was levelling allegations against Majithia. Bajwa had demanded that Majithia should quit due to his alleged involvement in the drug racket.

Ludhiana
Dharna by auto welfare society: The LPG and CNG Auto Welfare Society staged a dharna today. They accused Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Resham Singh of harassing auto drivers. Members of the union said the ASI was unnecessarily creating problems for them. Jaspal Singh, a union member, alleged that the ASI manhandled an auto union member, Mandeep Singh, last night. Jaspal Singh claimed that the official used unparliamentary language and challaned him. The union members demanded that the ASI should be transferred. They said they would intensify their agitation, if their demand was not met.

Mansa
Cop fires at his 2 wives: A head constable posted at Budhlada city police station, Beera Singh, allegedly fired at his two wives from a rifle while suspecting them of having extra-marital affairs. He fired four to five rounds at Kamlesh Rani and Sukhjit Kaur. Both have been hospitalised in a serious condition. Beera (35) reportedly stole the rifle from the police station. He has been booked.

Patiala
Pbi varsity postpones exams: The Punjabi University on Friday postponed the exams that were scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Girl students on Thursday had protested poor facilities at a hostel and demanded that the exams be postponed. Dr Kulbir Singh Dhillon, Dean, Students Welfare, said the university had accepted their demands.

Tarn Taran
3 booked for murder: Three members of a family belonging to Maddar Mathra Bhaggi village have been booked for killing a woman. The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, his brother Gurpreet Singh and their mother Paramjit Kaur. The deceased was Kulbir Singh’s wife Jasbir Kaur (27). She had been missing since May 2. A case has been registered.

Youth shot, 11 booked: Shamsher Singh (23) died, while his wife Ranjit Kaur got injured in a shooting in Bhojranwala village, 20 km from here, on Thursday. Ranjit Kaur has been admitted to a private hospital. Dilbag Singh, his brother Sahib Singh, wife Palwinder Singh, son Sonu and seven unidentified have been booked. Sources said there was old enmity between the assailants and the victims. No arrests have been made so far.