Kolkata, Jul 4 (PTI) Following are PTI's top stories

Following are PTI's top stories from the eastern region at 9.30 pm. CAL8 OD-LD RATHYATRA Lakhs of devotees throng Puri to participate in Rath Yatra Puri: Lakhs of devotees participated in the annual Rath Yatra festival of Lord Jagannath held on Thursday amidst tight security in the temple town of Puri.

CAL4 AS-ENCEPHALITIS 45 Japanese Encephalitis deaths reported in Assam Guwahati: Forty-five people have died till July 3 since the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in Assam, the National Health Mission said Thursday. CAL5 BH-RJD-TEJASHWI Tejashwi offered to resign, we turned it down: RJD MLAs Patna: RJD legislators claimed on Thursday that Tejashwi Yadav had offered to resign as the leader of the legislative party, in wake of the drubbing it received in the Lok Sabha polls, but the bid was vociferously turned down by party MLAs.

CAL7 BIRLA-CREMATION Emotional farewell to industrialist B K Birla Kolkata: Members of the Birla family bade an emotional adieu to its patriarch B K Birla as his last rites were performed in the city on Thursday, on the auspicious day of Rath Yatra. CES7 WB-BLAST Blast damages building in health centre premises, no casualty Suri: An abandoned building in the compound of a primary health centre (PHC) collapsed in an explosion on early Thursday in Birbhum district of West Bengal, police said.

CES9 WB-ASSEMBLY-MUNICIPAL-BILLS WB Assembly passes bills to increase tenure of administrators in municipalities Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly Thursday passed two amendment bills which will enable the state government to extend the tenure of administrators in municipalities from the current six months to one year. CES10 MN-EXPLOSION Bomb explosion near BJP MLA's house in Manipur, none hurt Imphal: A powerful bomb suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near the residence of BJP MLA Leishangthem Susindro Meitei alias Yaima at Khurai Sajor Leikai in Manipur's Imphal East district on Thursday, police said.

CES12 WB-ASSEMBLY-BILL-PROPERTY TAX Bill passed to exempt property tax on afforested city land Kolkata: To encourage people to plant trees in the municipal area of Kolkata, the West Bengal Assembly Thursday passed a bill for exemption of property tax on land where afforestation is done..