On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a drive will be launched from June 1 to take action against illegal occupation on government lands.

The drive will be launched to free all the illegally occupied government lands. CM Mann has set a deadline for all the illegal occupants asking them to vacate themselves by May 31.

Meanwhile Punjab Rural Developement and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday ordered all the District Development and Panchayat Officers (DDPO) of the state to free all the illegally encroached government panchayat lands across the state by June 10.

Dhaliwal stated that last year during the first phase of the drive to clear the illegal encroachments, a total of around 9,400 acres of government lands were freed. While, in the second phase he said 469 acres of lands were freed from illegal possession.

He further added directing that the lands, whose matter is in the court, apart from that all other government panchayat lands should be cleared from possession by June 10.

While addressing a meeting of the DDPOs of the state, Dhaliwal said Chief Minister Mann has given a clear direction for all departments of the the state for providing a transparent and corruption-free administration to the state.

Dhaliwal directed the officers that following the chief minister’s order, no recommendation of any political leader or any influential personality should be entertained during the process of bidding of the land and it should be done in a completely transparent manner.

The Minister said that a minimum amount of Rs 15,000 is fixed for the bidding of Shamlat lands and the money to be accepted by the bidder will be in the form of cash.

He further informed that afforestation drive would be launched across the state from July 1 to put the lands into utilization, the lands which would not be given for lease.

A third-year student at a university in Greater Noida is suspected to have killed his female friend on campus on Thursday before killing himself, according to police officials. Both of the victims, who were both 21 years old, were Shiv Nadar University third-year BA sociology students. Sneha Chaurasia, the victim, is a resident of Kanpur, and Anuj Singh, the accused, is from the Amroha region.

The administrative personnel at Shiv Nadar University received a complaint on thursday around 1:30 pm that a male student had shot and murdered a female student outside the dining hall. According to SM Khan, deputy commissioner of police for Greater Noida, the female student was taken to Yatharth Hospital as soon as possible, where she was later declared dead.

Further investigation revealed that the University had been on summer vacation since May 17,but both students had remained in their hostels because their convocation was approaching. They were about to receive their diplomas from the university as the student’s session came to an end. The incident was captured on camera by the dining hall’s CCTV system, he continued.

The glass doors to the dining room, according to the officer, are locked. The two students came together in front of it around midday. The boys and girls hostels are located on either side of the hall. On CCTV clip, the students can be heard talking to each other,and the male student seems to be giving the female student something-possibly a gift. However the girl resisted,and the student shot her in the abdomen as a result.She tried to fight the boy ,but she was shot again ,knocking her out. The boy then turns and walks towards the boys hostel.

The Shiv Nadar University expressed their sadness and heartbreak at the tragic deaths of two students. The incident is being investigated by the authorities, who were closely monitoring everything.  All other students living on Campus are safe.

They also emphasised that their top concerns were the safety and well being of the faculty, students, and the general community. In every manner they were assisting the authorities with their investigation. The scene of the crime had been sealed for forensic examination

In an unconventional move, the Punjab government’s recently implemented new office timings for the state government offices and departments has shown positive outcomes for traffic management in Mohali resulting to the reduction of traffic congestion.

On April 8, the Punjab government took a decision to announce new office timings for the state government officials working in various offices and departments across the state starting from May 2.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann informed that the working hours for government officials would be from 7.30 am to 2 pm, and the changes in the timings would remain in place until July 15.

Reports have claimed that the difference in the timings between the government offices and the private offices have reduced the load on the traffic in Mohali and has helped has shown results of a smooth traffic management avoiding any kind of congestion.

It is also being reported that the decline in accidents have also been evidently noticed.

A study conducted by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre has revealed a significant reduction in traffic congestion on the Airport Road due to the difference in the office hours between government and private sector.

Dr Navdeep Asija, the Director of Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre while speaking to a private TV channel stated that the results were noticeable in real-time data and the change in timings divided the rush into two slots which has led to reducing traffic commotion during morning and evening peak hours

Asija further stated that earlier, with both public and private offices closing at the same time in the evening after 5 PM, the traffic movement was substantial, which was resulting to long traffic jams and chaos. Asaji added, the revised office timings have declined the load and is being managed smoothly.

The Road Safety Director added the timing changes have not only resulted in declining traffic congestion but also has reduced accidents along the 18 km stretch of Mohali Airport Road.

 Asija said that previously, the 18 km stretch had lower vehicular movements in the afternoon leading to over-speeding by the commuters that resulted to accident but as the vehicle movement in the stretch has increased in the afternoon after changes in the time, have now shown a decline in the number.