Patna: An 80-year-old man was beaten to death with bricks allegedly by his son in the Malsalami police station area on Saturday. The victim, identified as Vijendra, succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital. Police arrested the prime accused, Ramesh, within six hours of the incident. Preliminary investigation suggests the murder stemmed from a land dispute. Ramesh, who has a criminal history, and the victim worked as munshis at different brick kilns, police said.PU makes key appointments: Patna University on Saturday appointed Birendra Kumar of Patna Law College as officer-in-charge of its outsourcing cell. He will also continue as professor-in-charge of PU’s legal cell. In another appointment, statistics department teacher Kumar Satyeendra Yadav was named officiating superintendent of the PU press, in addition to his existing duties, according to a university notification.PMC speeds up drain desilting: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has intensified drain desilting and manhole cleaning to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon. The additional municipal commissioner inspected all circles on Saturday to review progress. The second phase of desilting, which began on Feb 15, will continue till April 30, with day and night shifts deployed. Over 53,000 manholes and 41,000 catchpits are under repair, while major drains are nearing completion.Property owners urged clear dues: Patna Municipal Corporation has urged property owners to clear outstanding taxes by March 31 to avail benefits under its one-time settlement scheme. Interest and penalties will be imposed after the deadline. Tax counters are now operating daily from 7am to 9pm, including holidays. Enforcement teams recovered Rs 50 lakh from major defaulters on Saturday. Payments can also be made through the PMC portal, WhatsApp chatbot and UPI apps.Lok Adalat settles Rs 2.11 cr accident claims: Lok Adalat organised at the Patna high court on Saturday settled accident claims worth Rs 2.11 crore. Of the 280 cases referred, 198 were disposed of, including 28 motor vehicle accident cases, resulting in compensation of Rs 2,11,31,425 for deaths or disablement. Besides, 146 contempt cases against govt officers and 15 cases related to payment of retirement dues of govt employees were also settled.
