Himachal Guv & CM felicitate people on Raksha Bandhan

Shimla: Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday congratulated the people of the State on the joyous occasion of Raksha Bandhan.  The Governor in his message said the festival not only plays a pivotal role in strengthening the bond of love but also play a significant role in creating a cordial atmosphere in the society as a whole.  Chief Minister said that the ‘Raksha Bandhan’ symbolizes the love and affection between brother and sister and expressed the hope that it would strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. He said this occasion was an opportunity to promote peace, harmony and brotherhood in the State and the country as well.

Debris disposal along fragile slopes, unplanned drainage system behind Shimla rain damage: Official

Shimla: Disposal of debris along fragile slopes, unplanned drainage system and unscientific excavation of hills are the reasons behind the immense damage in Himachal Pradesh’s capital city Shimla during the recent incessant rains as per the preliminary assessment, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said.  Saxena, who presided over a meeting with the team constituted to review the damage, said Shimla received 552.1 mm of rain in August this year as compared to 514.30 mm in the corresponding period in 2022. He said to reduce the risks related to disasters, special attention should be paid to well-planned construction with proper drainage system as unplanned buildings and diversion of waterways due to choked drains did the maximum damage. He said emphasis should also be laid on safely disposing of the muck excavated during the construction.  The senior official asserted that there should be a thorough assessment of disaster-sensitive areas of the hill state and emphasis should also be laid on adopting and strictly implementing the Model Building Rules in all urban and rural areas.  Various measures related to safe construction of buildings in rural areas, regulating construction near rivulets, nullahs and on slopes with steep gradient were also discussed in detail.

Punjab VB arrests Ludhiana-based travel agent’s aide accepting Rs 20k bribe

Chandigarh: Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested an aide of Ludhiana-based travel agent while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from one Sukhdeep Kaur Gill, resident of New Sodhi Nagar, Moga. Spokesperson said that Gill approached Ludhiana VB’s Economic Offences Wing (EoW) and lodged a complaint that the accused travel agent Kamal Goel, whose office ‘Travel Club’ is situated near Passport Sewa Kendra Ludhiana, demanded Rs 20,000 to rectify the names and renew the passports of her daughters.

Driver caught pilfering 22 ltrs diesel from govt bus in Pb

Chandigarh: Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar on Tuesday informed that a driver has been caught pilfering diesel from a government bus. “During a checking at Ravi Dhaba near Satnaur (Hoshiarpur district) on Monday night, the Minister’s Flying Squad caught driver Rajwant Singh, of Pathankot Depot’s bus, red-handed while he was pilfering diesel from government bus. Total 22 liters of diesel has been recovered from his possession. Bhullar informed that the Flying Squad, during a checking in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, has also caught conductor Nitish Kumar of SBS Nagar Depot’s bus for not issuing tickets despite collecting fares from passengers. He charged Rs 325 from passengers but did not provide them with tickets. Conductor Gurjeet Singh of bus of Jalandhar-1 depot was also caught for embezzling passengers ticket money of Rs 60 by not issuing them tickets for the same amount during checking in Raipur Khalyan.

Punjab VB nabs SHO Dasuya, his driver while accepting bribe of Rs 20,000

Chandigarh:  Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday nabbed an SHO, Balwinder Singh (Inspector), of Police Station Dasuya and his driver ASI Yograj while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 and also recovered Rs 60,000 during the search of the SHO’s house. The accused police officials have been arrested on the complaint of Balwinder Singh resident of Saidowal Kalan in Gurdaspur district.  An official spokesperson said that Balwinder Singh lodged a complaint that the accused Inspector had demanded Rs 1 lakh as a bribe for not adding section 326 in FIR no. 126 dated 08-07-2023 registered under sections 324, 506 and 34 of IPC against his brother Lakhwinder Singh and his cousin Gurnam Singh at Police Station Dasuya and the deal was settled at Rs 50,000. The complainant alleged that the accused SHO already took Rs 20,000 from him and was demanding the remaining amount of the bribe.  A team of VB unit Hoshiarpur laid a trap and arrested the SHO and his driver while accepting the bribe of Rs 20,000 from the complainant in the presence of official witnesses.

Three Haryana MLAs get Best Legislator Award

Chandigarh:  On the last day of the Monsoon session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, three MLAs were awarded for their exceptional involvement in legislative proceedings and for raising pertinent public issues. While earlier only two MLAs used to be awarded under the ‘Best Legislator Award’ initiative, from this session, the number of awardees was increased to three.  The recipients of the award this session included BJP’s Ambala MLA Aseem Goyal, who secured the first prize, followed by JJP’s Barwala MLA Jogiram Sihag in the second place and Congress’s Dabwali MLA Amit Sihag in the third place. The awards comprised a shawl, citation, Vidhan Sabha memento and a monetary reward of Rs 101,000, Rs 71,000 and Rs 51,000 for the first, second and third places, respectively. After receiving the honours, all three MLAs extended their gratitude to the House. “Being recognized as the best legislator in the House is a profound achievement for any public representative. Such acknowledgment serves as a source of motivation for all members, encouraging them to deliver their best in the service of the people,” said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.