New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm.

These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm. DEL25 PB-2NDLD BLAST Batala firecracker factory illegal, police say; victims' families demand action against officials Batala (Punjab): Tempers ran high at the government hospital here over the deadly blast at a firecracker factory, which the police Thursday said operated illegally.

DES35 PB-TRAFFIC-ACT Motor Vehicle Act: For now, old penalty to continue in Punjab Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Thursday put on hold the implementation of the amended Motor Vehicle Act in the state. DES22 PB-SUICIDE Two live stream suicide on social media in Punjab's Sangrur Sangrur: A young man and a woman shot themselves dead here, streaming their suicide live on social media, police said Thursday.

DES63 HR-CONGRESS-BJP Change in leadership won't help Haryana Cong in polls: BJP Chandigarh: The BJP on Thursday said the change in the Haryana Congress leadership will not help the opposition party in the upcoming assembly polls, reminding that both Kumari Selja and Bhupinder Singh Hooda had lost the recent Lok Sabha elections. DEL11 JK-LANDLINES 19 more telephone exchanges restored in Kashmir Valley Srinagar: Authorities in Kashmir have restored 19 more telephone exchanges, a month after telephone services were snapped following abrogation of provisions of Article 370, officials said on Thursday.

DES32 UNESCO-RJ-HERITAGE UNESCO, Rajasthan govt join hands to promote state's intangible cultural heritage New Delhi/Jaipur: UNESCO and the Rajasthan government joined hands on Thursday to promote music, art and craft forms, and other intangible cultural heritage of the state to spur socio-economic growth of several artist communities, officials said. DES46 RJ- MURDER-TENSION Tension in Jaipur locality over murder Jaipur: A local resident allegedly killed a hawker with an axe on Thursday, triggering communal tension during which at least seven policemen were injured when they faced a stone-pelting mob.

DES55 UKD-DENGUE Dengue spreads in Uttarakhand: Over 1,000 affected Dehradun: Dengue fever continues to spread unabated in Uttarakhand this season, with over 1,000 people affected by the vector-borne disease so far and six killed..