C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Business | Education

Courts | Culture | Lifestyle | Health | Sports | Administration

TOP STORIES

HC notice on stay in Rent Act case
Chandigarh, December 20
Admitting a bunch of petitions challenging the Rent Act notification on grounds that it would enable landlords to pressurise tenants to increase the rent, besides other factors, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice regarding stay.

Visually impaired beaten up by bus conductor
Damage bus, disrupt traffic at ISBT
Chandigarh, December 20
Two members of the Netraheen Jagriti Sangh Haryana were allegedly beaten up by a conductor of a Chandigarh-bound bus of the Haryana Roadways near Panipat this evening. The Sangh members, in retaliation, damaged the bus at the Inter-State Bus Terminus in Sector 17 and raised slogans after disrupting traffic at the ISBT in the late hours.

Raid on marketing firm
7,000 persons defrauded of Rs 8 crore
Chandigarh, December 20
The Chandigarh Police today raided the office of Tvisha Diamonds, a multi-level marketing scheme company, in connection with the alleged cheating of more than 7,000 persons across the region of over Rs 8 crore. The police seized more than 20 computers and records from the Sector 34 office of the company. The company was earlier known as Artexe.com Pvt. Ltd.

Suspended PGI Director joins duty
Chandigarh, December 20
Following the latest court order, the PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma, who had been placed under suspension, today resumed office, three months after he was asked to proceed on leave by the Health Ministry, till the inquiry against him was completed.

V-C’s tenure should not exceed five years, says Prof V.P. Dutt
Chandigarh, December 20
The tenure of University Vice- Chancellors should not be more than one term extending to a maximum of five years so that they put in their best. The politicians also need to evolve a consensus that they will not meddle with the affairs of the universities. Rather they should concentrate on improving the standards of education in the universities.

Ghazals not for consumption of every listener: Chandan Das
Chandigarh, December 20
Ghazal has no adversaries. Even when a flood of music forms, jumbled in experimentation with the images on television screen, dominate the scenario, ghazal continues to hold its pristine position.

Delightful performance by Chandan Das
Chandigarh, December 20
Mellifluous rendering of ghazals by Chandan Das warmed up the hearts of a select audience on a rather chilly evening at Hotel Shivalikview here this evening. Balanced with flawless diction, the master of the lesser attempted genre of music, gave a delightful performance.

Panchayat poll today
Chandigarh, December 20
Voters can bring any evidence in support of their claim for identity while casting their votes in the gram panchayat elections tomorrow, the State Election Commissioner, Mr M.P. Tyagi, said today while addressing mediapersons on the eve of the poll.

COMMUNITY

Good ties with USA, Russia advocated
Chandigarh, December 20
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visiting Pakistan next month to participate in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit has been advised not to ignore security preparedness while negotiating peace with the neighbouring country.

Final decision on Ranbaxy tomorrow
Mohali, December 20
The last meeting of the local municipal council of this year, scheduled to be held on December 22, will take up important issues which were kept pending during the earlier meetings.

Freedom fighter’s statue ready for installation
Mohali, December 20
Final touches were given here today to the more than nine-foot-high bronze statue of freedom fighter Prabodh Chander which will be unveiled by the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh in Gurdaspur on December 23.

People ignorant of consumer rights
Chandigarh, December 20
Only 10 per cent people are making use of the consumer rights while the remaining 90 per cent are either not aware of the rights or does not bother to make use of them, said Mr K.K. Sharma, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards, Chandigarh, in his address during a consumer awareness programme organised by the BIS and Grahak Panchayat, Chandigarh, here.

Ex-servicemen’s panel to pool resources
Chandigarh, December 20
In a bid to create an effective pressure group and make their voice heard in the establishment, various ex-servicemen’s organisations have proposed to launch a coordination committee to pool resources and streamline their efforts.

Ex-Services League to observe Dec 22 as ‘black day’
Chandigarh, December 20
The All-India Ex-Services League has decided to observe December 22 as a “black day” to protest the apathetic attitude of the government towards their long-pending demands. Protest rallies at the state and national levels will also be organised.

Freedom fighter dead
Chandigarh, December 20
A well-known freedom fighter and veteran sports educator, Mrs Prabhavati Azad, 86, wife of the legendary revolutionary Bawa Prithvi Singh Azad, passed away last week here. Born on January14, 1917, in a Gujarati family of Bhavnagar, she was drawn into the national movement at an early age.  During her student life, she assisted the Gadar party’s revolutionaries by operating their underground communication system. 

101 stray cattle sent to Delhi
Chandigarh, December 20
After a gap of more than five months the municipal corporation today re-started its stray cattle catching drive while the Mayor, Mr Subhash Chawla, in a separate development flagged off the first batch of 11 trucks carrying 101 stray cattle to Delhi.

Fog delays trains Chandigarh, December 20 Dense fog continued to play havoc with flight schedules and train timings. None of the flights to the city could land at the airport here and a majority of the trains arriving here were delayed by several hours. FOGGED UP: The city remained enveloped in a thick blanket of fog on Saturday morning, hindering the visibility for hours. — A Tribune photograph

Major electrocuted
Lalru, December 20
Son of a retired Major D.P. Singh, Major Amit Kumar, was electrocuted to death while he was trying to open the tap of his bathroom in his official residence within Ammunition Depot Dappar, near here on Thursday late night.

CRIME

NRI robbed of passport, valuables
Panchkula, December 20
It is certainly not a vacation that Sydney based Mr Baltej Singh and his family would like to remember. On a short visit to the township to visit their friends, they were robbed off goods worth Rs 1.25 lakh, besides important documents. Since Baltej’s passport was also stolen, he cannot go back to Australia tomorrow, as planned.

Two arrested for ‘kidnapping’ tenant
Mohali, December 20
A doctor running a private clinic in the township today alleged that he was kidnapped and later robbed by at least six men including his landlord, on Thursday. Alleging that he was tied and blindfolded by the assailants, the victim, Dr Paramjit Singh Walia, lodged an FIR with the police. The police has arrested the landlord and his son.

Two held for gambling
Chandigarh, December 20
The police has arrested two persons allegedly for gambling at a public place, while another person has been arrested smuggling liquor here yesterday.

BUSINESS

PNB honours 200 employees
Chandigarh, December 20
More than 200 staff members of Punjab National Bank were honoured for their “outstanding performance in their respective fields” at “Prerna Divas” function organised here today.

Road show by bank
Panchkula, December 20
The Sector 11 branch of Allahabad Bank today held a demonstration in front of the premises of three of their non-performing asset defaulters (defaulting borrowers), asking them to pay back the loan taken from the bank.

EDUCATION

High-level body to probe falling research standards
Chandigarh, December 20
Abysmal fall in research standards, particularly in the doctoral research, has sent heads of the academia at Panjab University into a state of introspection. The university will soon constitute a high-level body with leading lights from different arenas to look into the details and suggest remedies.

Interactive session of NSS functionaries
Chandigarh, December 20
An interactive session of NSS functionaries with various development agencies was organised by the District Education Office, UT, in collaboration with the NSS Regional Centre in Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, here today.

Scintillating performance by Henderson school kids
Kharar, December 20
Students of Henderson Jubilee Senior Secondary School gave a scintillating performance at the annual Christmas-cum-prize distribution function held here yesterday.

Xmas celebrations
Chandigarh, December 20
Christmas was celebrated with gaiety and enthusiasm by students of Dutt Vishesh School, Sector 26, here today. The students decorated a Christmas tree on the occasion with delightful creations made by them. The entire school was decorated and wore a festive look.

Sports, cultural events mark annual function Chandigarh, December 20 Vibrant hues — an annual sports-cum-cultural function was organised at St Joseph Senior Secondary School in Sector 44-D. About 1,200 students participated in it. The Director of kindergarten, Ms Simar Grewal, read out the annual report.
Students of St Joseph Senior Secondary School in Sector 44, Chandigarh, perform a three-leg race at the annual sports day on the school campus on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Baby show at school’s annual function
Zirakpur, December 20
Students of Strawberry Public School, Bartana, presented an impressive cultural programme to mark the annual day function and baby show here today.

• Aggrieved parents to meet DPI

• Funny games at school

HIGH COURT
Proving charge of mala fide
Chandigarh, December 20
The burden of proving the charge of mala fide is on the person making the allegations — a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held in a significant judgement.

• Promotion plea dismissed

• Notice of motion issued
  
  

• Court issues notices

CULTURE

M.S. Randhawa yadgari mela begins Mohali, December 20 State-level bhangra and folk song competitions marked the beginning of the two-day Dr M.S. Randhawa Yadgari Sabhyacharak Mela at Dashera Ground here today. A dance group performs at a bhangra competition at Dasehra ground in Phase VIII, Mohali, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Film Review ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ should click HERE is a specialised advice for the MBBS doctors from our Munnabhai (Sanjay Dutt), a small time sensitive gangster, who is on the way to acquire the medical degree from a prestigious Mumbai college — the patient is much more than a subject of study. Bear up him with “Jhappi” (hug) and the cure is not far behind. Sanjay Dutt in “Munnabhai MBBS”. Fun missing in “Fun2shh”

City women go for Vodka

Students present musical extravaganza
Students of Strawberry Fields School participated in a musical extravaganza at the Nehru Bhavan, Sector 24, here on Saturday. The Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma, was the guest of honour during “Strawberry Fields Sporty Musical Soiree”.

It’s my life
My family encouraged me to sing
Deep Kataria (16) is a student of class XI of C.L. DAV Public School Sector 11, Panchkula. ‘‘I started singing at the age of 4 and playing on the harmonium on my own without any guidance. I performed on stage for the first time when I was eight.”

Elocution skills to the fore
More than 800 students of Saint Soldiers International Convent School here participated in the elocution day on Saturday in Mohali. Speaking on the occasion, the school Principal V. Tiwana said every year an inter-class competition was organised in elocution and stress was laid on correct pronunciation and voice modulation.

HEALTH

300 attend health awareness camp
Chandigarh, December 20
More than 300 persons attended a health awareness camp organised by the Servants of the People Society in collaboration with Municipal Corporation, at Mauli Jagran Colony.

• 41 labourers examined at camp

SPORTS

Mehar Academy triumph Chandigarh, December 20 Mehar Academy, Kurali, outplayed Government High School, Sector 26, 2-0 in the Ist Kanwar Harbans Lal Memorial Football Tournament played here today at the Sector 17 Football Stadium. Players of Mehar Academy, Kurali, and Government High School, Sector 26, in action in the first Kanwar Harbans Lal Memorial Football Tournament in Chandigarh on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

• Cricket tourney

• Sunil Dutt wins gold

• Badminton meet

• LIC XIin last four

Hardware shop raided by ST officials
Mohali, December 20
Officials of the mobile wing of the Punjab Sales Tax Department raided a hardware shop in Phase IX here today. The account books being maintained by the owners in the shop were impounded to ascertain tax evasion if any.

SP rejoins duty
Panchkula, December 20
Mr Ranbir Singh Sharma today joined back as Superintendent of Police after completing a training course. In his absence, Mr Mohammad Akil, Superintendent of Police, Ambala, had been holding additional charge as SP, Panchkula.