Modi to address rally in Goa
Panaji: As part of BJP’s campaign in run up to the Lok Sabhs polls, the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Goa in the second week of January. The exact date of the rally would be announced later but it will be held in the second week of January, BJP Goa President Vinay Tendulkar said today. The public meeting is part of Modi’s plan to address 100 rallies across the country ahead of the general elections likely to be held in April-May 2014. Tendulkar said BJP expects around one lakh people to attend the event, where BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu will also be present. The Gujarat Chief Minister was appointed BJP’s 2014 election campaign chief at a party event held in Goa in June his year. This would be Modi’s first public event in Goa after being nominated the Prime Ministerial candidate. (PTI)
Safe containing hundreds of coin recovered
Baharampore(WB): A safe containing hundreds of coins, some dating back to the Mughal period, was recovered from the banks of Mayurakhi river in Murshidabad district, official sources said today. A villager first noticed the safe at the bank of the river at Ghilera village. He then with the help of this family members dug out the safe and took it home, the sources said. On getting information about the recovery of the safe with coins the police went to the villager’s house to take custody of the safe and coins yesterday, the sources said. After opening the safe it was found that there were around 6228 coins dating back to the Mughal period. The coins were of copper and silver, they added. (PTI)
Constable attempts suicide
Jalandhar: A constable, posted as a security guard for Jalandhar’s Inspector General Balbir Kumar Baba, attempted suicide by shooting himself here today. “The constable shot himself in the guard room constructed over Inspector General’s office here in the morning. He fired three times. He was admitted to Sadar hospital from there he has been shifted to a private hospital,” DSP Jasbir Singh Rai told PTI. The constable who attempted suicide has been identified as 45-year-old Jagtaar Singh, Rai said. Jagtaar, resident of Kapurthala district here, was posted as security guard in Balbir Kumar Baba’s escort vehicle, Rai added. The victim’s condition is serious but stable, the official said. (PTI)
Man kills brother over property dispute in UP
Bareilly: A man was shot dead by his elder brother over property feud in Bithrichainpur area of the Uttar Pradesh district late last night, as per police on Saturday. Sher Singh and his sons opened fire upon his younger son Chokhelal last night and fled away. The profusely bleeding died on way to hospital. Police have lodged a case Sher Singh and three others and started investigation. (UNI)
First snowfall in Darjeeling
Darjeeling: The tourist town in the Darjeeling hills has received the season’s first snowfall with the 3,636 meter Sandakphu covered in a white blanket. Areas near Sandakphu like Tonglu and Phalut also received snowfall on Friday, according to the MeT office at North Bengal University. Darjeeling last witnessed snowfall on 11 January, 2012, at Tiger Hill and also at Ghoom and Jorebunglow. (PTI)
Fire at Srinagar hospital
Srinagar: Fire broke out Saturday in a block of the bone and joint hospital here but was soon controlled, police said. All the patients were safe. Smoke was seen coming out from the out patients’ department (OPD) block of the premier hospital situated in Barzalla area, three km from city centre Lal Chowk, Saturday afternoon, a police officer said. “Fire tenders were immediately pressed into service and the blaze has now been controlled. All the patients inside the hospital are safe,” the officer said, adding that the cause of fire is being ascertained. (IANS)
Annual elephant rejuvenation camp from next week
Chennai: Tamil Nadu government today announced that its annual elephant rejuvenation camp, a pet initiative of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, will be held for 48 days starting next week in which 43 pachyderms will be treated. Jayalalithaa has allocated Rs 78 lakh for this year’s exercise which will be held at the Bhavani river bed in Coimbatore, a release from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department here said. The initiative, started in 2003 following complaints that the jumbos were not treated properly in temples and mutts, involves providing the elephants a combination of rest, nutritious food and medical treatment, besides training the mahouts to deal with the gentle giants with compassion. The release said that the camps were not held from 2006-11 during the DMK regime, and the idea was re-initiated after Jayalalithaa took over in 2011. This year, a total of 43 jumbos belonging to temples and mutts will be part of the special camp commencing from December 19. Further, the Chief Minister has directed that elephants unwilling to be moved from their existing locations or those unable to do so on health grounds, be offered the same facilities at their original locations, it added. (PTI)