Rain hailstorm lash Punjab Haryana mercury dips at several places
Chandigarh: Rain coupled with hailstorm lashed most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, bringing down the maximum temperatures below the normal levels, according to the meteorological department. Several areas, including Chandigarh, Mohali, Moga, Ludhiana and Kapurthala received hail along with showers. Chandigarh recorded 26.6 mm of rainfall, while Ludhiana received 26 mm rain. Amritsar, Patiala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Faridkot, and Mohali among other places in Punjab and Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Bhiwani in Haryana received rainfall. Following rains, maximum temperatures dropped a few notches below the season's average at these places.
Shimla receives season's first snowfall
Shimla: Moderate to heavy snowfall continued in high hills and tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday while the state capital received the first snowfall of the season bringing cheers to residents, tourists and farmers. Shimla was wrapped in a thin blanket of snow on Thursday while the 5-km stretch between Kufri and Fagu was entirely covered in snow. Braving the cold, tourists and residents thronged the Mall Road and Ridge in the heart of the city to enjoy the snow. Over 240 roads, including six national highways, in the state have been closed for vehicular traffic and 677 transformers got disrupted following heavy snowfall and rain, according to the state emergency operation centre. A maximum of 165 roads remain blocked in tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, the centre said. The vehicular traffic in the upper Shimla area beyond Dhalli came to a standstill as the roads got blocked due to heavy snow in Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda.
e-Bhoomi portal brought transparency in land purchase: Khattar
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said the land acquisition process has shifted from direct acquisition to transparent purchasing through the initiation of the e-Bhoomi portal. He said that farmers can now submit their land details on the portal to sell it at the collector rate and market rate. Aggregators encourage landowners to participate in the buying and selling of land. They are given a commission of Rs 2000 per acre, based on collector rates, which vary across different districts. If the collector rate is higher than the market rate, relevant authorities should be informed in writing, said the Chief Minister while chairing a meeting with the over 100 registered aggregators invited for the land purchase process on the e-Bhoomi portal in Chandigarh.
Four SPs in Haryana promoted to rank of DIG
Chandigarh: The Haryana Government on Thursday issued orders to promote four IPS officers from the 2010 batch to the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) from Superintendent of Police (SP). The promoted officers include Sangeeta Kalia, Sulochana Gajraj, Rajesh Duggal, and Surinder Pal Singh.