R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
Office-bearer elected: A local resident KS Khurana has been unanimously elected as the president of the Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers Association (IPMA) for the second time. Khurana said with more than 250 units engaged in making machineries for printing, packing and binding machineries here, the holy city presently fulfilled 50 per cent demand of the packing machinery in India.

Chandigarh
School timings to change from Oct 16: The Punjab Government has changed the timings of all government and aided senior secondary and primary schools from October 16, an official statement said here on Sunday. Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the new timings are from 9 am to 3.20 pm.

Vets on protest from tomorrow: At least 400 veterinary officers working in Punjab's 582 Civil Veterinary Hospitals in rural areas have decided to boycott from October 1 the work related to artificial insemination with AI straws provided by Punjab's Animal Husbandry Department. In a statement, officers’ union president Dr Navdeep S. Khinda said, "To avoid inconvenience to the farmers, we had given adequate time to the zila parishads for making alternate arrangements to store and disperse AI straws. But, the required measures were not taken.”

CHANDIGARH

SSA teachers to dwell on RTE: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers’ Welfare Association is holding a conference to deliberate on the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, at Tagore Theatre on Monday. Over 1,200 junior basic and trained graduate teachers working under the SSA, Chandigarh, will attend the conference. They will discuss problems faced by them.

Panchkula
Energy conservation: The Tulsi Eco Club of New India School, Sector 15, celebrated Energy Conservation Week. Slogan-writing and drawing competitions were held. The winners were honoured by principal Sharda Gupta.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DALHOUSIE
Cow killed in lightning: One head of cattle perished and four others were reported half burnt when lightning struck a cowshed at Maun village of Salooni tehsil in Chamba district on Saturday. The livestock belonged to Munshi, a farmer of the village. District officials rushed to the incident site to carry out relief and rescue operations.

KANGRA
Girl dies of burn injuries: A 17-year-old girl studying in Class XI and resident of Bhankhandi village succumbed to her burn injuries at the DRPGMC, Tanda, on Sunday. She has been identified as Diksha. The victim received the injuries when her clothes caught fire while she was working on a stove in her kitchen on September 26. She was rushed to the hospital where she died.

DEHRADUN

Leopard found dead in Lal Tapar area: The carcass of a leopard was found in the Lal Tapar area of Doiwala block here today. The forest authorities said the leopard might have met with an accident and died. The carcass of the leopard has been sent for a post-mortem examination.