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Padiala remanded in
police custody Mohali, July 7 The shootout had claimed lives of two Akali activists and left three others wounded. Padiala surrendered before the Kharar police last night. He was produced in the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Poonam Ratti at Kharar this evening. While rejecting the prosecution plea for the seven-day police remand, she gave only two-day remand and directed that he be produced in the court on July 9. The seven-day police remand was sought on the plea that it was required for recovering weapons and ascertaining the whereabouts of the absconding accused in the case, including youth Akali leader Kiranbir Singh Kang. Though a pistol had been recovered from Padiala, other weapons were yet to be recovered, the prosecution contended. Kiranbir Singh Kang, the second main accused in the case, is still absconding after he escaped from the police custody on July 2 at the PGI, Chandigarh. He was taken there for treatment of a gunshot injury that he had allegedly suffered in the clash. Youth Akali Dal state vice-president Harvir Singh and Paramjit Singh, son of an Akali leader from Mandi Ahmedgarh, were killed in the crossfire. Kharar DSP Jasdev Singh said Padiala had surrendered with his three licensed firearms — one .315 bore rifle, a .32 mm revolver and a .12 bore gun.
Kang’s car found The black Lancer car (PB 65B 6565) belonging to Kiranbir Singh Kang that had been allegedly taken away by ‘policemen’ from Kang’s house on July 2 midnight has been found by the police. According to sources, the car was found abandoned near Mouli Baidwan village on July 5, but was without a number plate. It was identified as Kang’s car
today. |
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Accused in Kang case held Chandigarh, July 7 He has been brought to the Sector 11 police station. The Chandigarh police also got the Zen car used in the escape from the Punjab police. Mangat told the police that he was one of the persons who had gathered in front of the Emergency Ward of the PGI where Kang was brought for treatment. Parminder Singh had been active in the student politics and was running finance business in Mohali. Parminder Singh, however, denied that he was in the car that was used to free Kang from the police custody. Parminder Singh had confessed to that he was among the group of youth who had gathered in support of Kang and that he was raising slogans. |
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6 cases of cholera confirmed Chandigarh, July 7 Officials said emergency measures had to be taken last night as three suspect cases of cholera were tested positive. As a precautionary measure the authorities decided to keep all persons with any symptoms of diarrhoea under observation over night. Meanwhile, the positive cases of cholera were investigated by the nodal officer along with members of the rapid response team yesterday. “We have undertaken control measures in the area. Officials are taking rounds to make sure that the message of cleanliness reaches people,’’ said Director, Health Service, UT, Dr
C.P. Bansal. Water samples have been collected for biological examination. An ambulance and mobile dispensary van was requisitioned at the colonies for carrying those suffering from diarrhoea to the hospital. In wake of spreading of the water borne disease, health department officials took rounds of various areas to ensure that things were under control. The officials claim that a comprehensive strategy has been chalked out to control cholera under which special teams would be deployed to collect water samples from different areas. The officials have, however, pointed out that from the cases reported in GMCH, Sector 32, the PGI and the GH Sector 16, no other case of cholera had been confirmed. The Health Department has said the consumption of water drawn from hand pump is the main reason for cholera cases that have surfaced in the city. In a press statement, the department has said the hand pump installed at the construction site by a private contractor had led to the disease among the dwellers. While most of the cases have been reported from the construction site near Sector 51, the area had been provided with a tanker by the municipal corporation for drinking water. “We have been telling people not to have water from the hand pump and are pressing for chlorinated water, but the situation cannot improve as long as the hand pump water consumption continues,’’ remarked a Health Department official. |
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S.K. Khanna appointed MC Chief Engineer Chandigarh, July 7 Meanwhile, the current duty (temporary) charge of the post of Chief Engineer given to Mr K.B. Sharma, Superintending Engineer has been withdrawn. In September Mr Sharma had been given the temporary charge of Chief
Engineer, MC. The appointment of Mr Khanna is subject to the final outcome of the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench, in the case titled K.B. Sharma versus Union of India and others. This means if the tribunal gives a judgement in favour of Mr Sharma, the new appointee will have to relinquish the post. Mr Sharma has petitioned the CAT, saying that he should be posted as Chief Engineer. The appointment of Mr Khanna has been approved by the UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma. |
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Finance Secy told to
continue Chandigarh, July 7 Had the MHA not sent this letter, the FS would have returned to his parent cadre of Punjab tomorrow morning. This would have rendered the post of FS in Chandigarh vacant. Ironically, the FS, had proceeded on a three-day leave on Monday morning. His leave period ended this evening. Mr Karan Avtar is also Secretary IT and is associated with IT-related activities in collaboration with IT giant Infosys. The Administration had asked the MHA to allow Mr Karan Avtar Singh to continue till someone was appointed to replace him. Meanwhile, well-placed sources said the MHA was likely to reject the panel sent as possible successors. The MHA will officially send its reply in this regard. The names of Mr Jagpal Singh Sandhu, Dr G. Vajralingam and Mr S.K. Sandhu were on the panel. The Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, had interviewed the three officers and given the name of Dr G. Vajralingam as his preference. Sources pointed out that the MHA has looked into the previous record of Dr Vajralingam and his sudden transfer from Chandigarh when he was posted as FS about five years ago. The then Adviser Mr Jagdish Sagar had reportedly complained against him to the MHA. Chandigarh being a UT, all postings and transfers are controlled by the
MHA. |
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Ex- Tehelka journalist cross-examined Chandigarh, July 7 Referring to yesterday's decision of the GCM trying Major-Gen P.S.K Choudhary on similar charges in the same case, Colonel Sahgal sought that a deliberate decision be taken by the GCM in his case so that the proceedings can be sustainable in high court where the matter is pending for final adjudication. General Choudhary's GCM accepted the defence plea that the trial has become time-barred and has sent its decision to the court's convening authority for confirmation. Seeking adjournment of his GCM till the convening authority gives its decision, Colonel Sahgal maintained that there could not be an inequality of decisions in the same matter and same cause of action. The prosecution counsel, Mr Arvind Moudgil, sought time form the court to file his reply to the application. Earlier, former tehelka.com journalist, Mr Aniruddha Bahal, who deposed as a prosecution witness before the court yesterday, was cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr K Ramesh. The defence counsel asked the witness if he was aware about the dimensions of the tapes on which the alleged actions of the accused have been recorded and the dimensions of the bank lockers in which they had been kept for safe keeping. Mr Bahal had deposed yesterday that the tapes, containing over 100 hours of footage, had
been stored in two bank lockers. The court also questioned the witness about the identity of the call girls allegedly used to entertain the accused, to which he replied that they had been arranged by another person, who is now dead. The court also sought details about the recording equipment used by the investigating team. Mr Bahal said that briefcase cameras and miniature cameras set in ladies purses were used. |
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Kidwai to focus on
education, says family Chandigarh, July 7 Proud to see him assume office today, members of his family who had flown in with the newly appointed Governor from Delhi, say Dr Kidwai is a simple man, with wide ranging interests in science and technology, culture, literature, social work and modernisation of education. They say that not only is Dr Kidwai an educationist and an eminent scientist, but has also been involved in social welfare activities during his earlier stints as Governor of Bihar (1979-85 and 1993-98), and as Governor of West Bengal ( 1998- 99). His youngest grandchildren, Samya and Osman, said they were proud of their grandfather. “Most people like to take things easy. But our grandfather is full of verve and even encourages us never to give up,” they say. Their mother and the younger daughter-in-law of the Governor, Ms Ameena Kidwai, who teaches at the Jamia Millia Islamia, says Dr Kidwai has championed the cause of the poor and weaker sections of society. Ms Nazli, the eldest grandchild of the Governor says,” We were very young when he first became Governor. But now that we are grown up, we realise how he has worked to reach the pinnacle of success.” She informs that Dr Kidwai is fond of sports like hockey and athletics, and walking and gardening are his favourite pastimes. Dr Kidwai, had been staying with his elder son, Mr M.R. Kidwai, who is working as the Additional General Manager in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, New Delhi, before his appointment as Governor. “He will now move here, and we will visit him here off and on. Since our mother passed away two years ago, Dr Kidwai’s younger sister, Ms Habiba Kidwai, will most likely stay with him here,” says his elder son, Mr M.R. Kidwai. Ms Habiba Kidwai, who is a member of the All-India
Congress Committee, and managing committee member of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, told TNS that during Dr Kidwai’s earlier stints as Governor he and his wife had been actively involved in social work. “ As Governor of Haryana he will be promoting education and welfare activities in the state, and I will be helping him discharge his official duties,” she says. Dr Kidwai’s younger son, Mr Anees Kidwai, his elder daughter-in-law, Ms Sahiba Kidwai were also present at his swearing-in ceremony. |
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People hoping for another ‘dream Budget’ Chandigarh, July 7 Associated with the “dream Budget” presented some years ago, Mr Chidambaram, has through his assertions, raised the expectations of the common man and the industry. The industry expects a growth-oriented, reformist Budget. Nearly 30 per cent of the total population in the country belongs to the middle class and it alone contributes 85 per cent of the total revenue. Advocating their case, the Resident Editor of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr P.K. Verma said more sops should be made available to the industry in terms of higher depreciation and development rebate, which in turn would generate more funds for investment, besides creating employment opportunities. While home loan rates for construction in the urban areas should not be changed, loans in the rural areas should be given at much lower interest rates of 4-5 per cent, he said. He was of the view that people whose income was Rs 1 lakh per annum should be exempted from income tax and the money earned though the sale of shares should be kept out of the ambit of income tax. Chartered Accountant Rajesh Jindal is looking forward to this Budget. The Finance Minister might be forced to increase few taxes to cover the fiscal deficit but it assumes significance in the wake of an increased in the budgetary allocation for defence. Industries facing stiff global competition should be given some exemption in the payment of indirect taxes, he said. He was of the view that a deduction in the interest rates on small savings and saving bank accounts, besides scrapping the tax exemption under Sections 80 and 88-L would have a direct bearing on the service class and trusts, hence the income tax exemption limit should be raised to Rs 1 lakh. Mr Arjun Singh Doda, a retired bank employee, said: “To ensure better fiscal management through the Budget, it was not difficult to achieve an economic growth of 6-7 per cent per annum. Reforms in tax management can also be brought about without any increase in taxes, and the revenue will still increase.” He also voiced the need for private investment in the public sector, which would go a long way in ensuring agricultural growth and rural area development. Mr P.C. Sood, a senior banker of a nationalised bank, is hoping that the Budget would be 100 per cent pro-employee .Keeping in view the previous Budget presented by Mr Chidambaram, he said the interest of the middle class would be taken care of and some more relief would be announced in the income tax exemption limit. He also expects a hike in standard deduction. Prof S.P. Singh of the Department of Economics, Panjab University, said if VAT was implemented across the country, the government would be able to collect so much revenue that the income tax exemption limit could even be raised up to Rs 5 lakh. The Managing Director of a hotel in Sector 35, Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, said service tax of 8 per cent should not be increased. “An increase in service tax from 8 to 10 or 12 per cent would not only affect consumers, but also the hotel industry in a big way.” While various sections of society have pinned high hopes on the Budget, labourers and rickshaw-pullers are not concerned about the income tax exemption limit or the prices of petrol and diesel. All that they are worried about is that the price of cigarettes should not be hiked. Housewives are keeping their fingers crossed that the prices of essential commodities like LPG, which was recently hiked by Rs 20, should not go up further. |
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Congress leaders call for immediate meeting Chandigarh, July 7 In a letter to Mr Bahl here today, the members said ever since the elections got over almost two months ago, no party meeting had been called. They said certain issues, including the recent demolitions and water scarcity, needed immediate discussion. The letter, signed by the senior vice-president of the party, Mr Ram Pal Sharma, former Mayor, Subhash Chawla, and Senior Deputy Mayor, Pradeep Chhabra, among others, states that a meeting should be called by the president immediately “in the interest of the party”. In Congress circles, the letter is being seen as the first indication of a revolt brewing against the local leadership of the party. Sources said at the meeting, the Congress leaders may even seek a change of leadership. Serious differences had emerged between Mr Bahl and local MP Pawan Bansal over the inclusion of Mr Davinder Singh Babla into the Congress. Mr Bahl had
expressed his displeasure over the joining of Mr Babla from Mr Harmohan Dhawan’s Chandigarh Vikas
Manch. |
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Scrap new periphery Act, say Cong leaders Panchkula, July 7 In a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam P. Kasni, Congress leaders led by MLA Chander Mohan and district Congress president R.S. Chauhan, demanded that the Act should be withdrawn. The Congress leaders also apprised her of other problems being faced by residents of the Kalka constituency. They highlighted the problem of illegal mining from the river bed of various streams in the district, and the illegal royalty being charged from miners, leading to huge financial loss to the government. They demanded the setting up of a technical training institute at Nanakpur village; sinking of 48 tubewells in hilly areas of the district; and speedy construction of link roads between Panchkula and Chandigarh. The problems of power and water shortage in the district, poor drainage system and traffic management were also brought to light. The Deputy Commissioner assured them that the problems would be looked into. |
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Sewing centre for poor inaugurated Mohali, July 7 The centre was inaugurated by Mrs Seema Jain, Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, at Government Elementary School, Haveli Kalan. She said the district administration would provide cooperation to the BSS for this noble cause. She said the District Red Cross Society would bear the expenses of running the centre for a year and handed over a cheque of Rs 5,000 to Mrs Karamjit Kaur, district BSS chairperson, as financial assistance. The District Red Cross Society would open such centres in rural areas. She also announced a grant of Rs 1.20 lakh for the extension of the school building under the Sarv Sikhiya Abhiyan. She also gave way text books donated by the Ropar Lions Club to needy students. Former district BSS president Khilari Ram
Budhiraja, Punjab Bharat Sevak Samaj secretary Harbans Singh, former Gurdwara Singh Sabha president Harjit Singh Haveli and district BSS working president Bahadurjeet Singh also spoke on the occasion. Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner Surjit Singh, SDM Daljit Singh, District Red Cross Society secretary Sanjeev
Budhiraja, former MLA Giani Rajinder Singh and municipal councillors Sudarshan Lal
Saraf, Purshotam Lal Sehgal, Shakuntala Devi and Sheela Narang were also present on the occasion. The Deputy Commissioner also distributed sweets among the students. |
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Traditional furniture stages a comeback Chandigarh, July 7 The traditional designs have a lot of variety to suit our craving to have a good and different drawing room. Rajasthani traditions continue to inspire designers to explore their creativity. Furniture made of fibre and wood based on these designs is in
vogue. A simple low-lying sofa with silk cushions is the best bet. A side table and centre table carved in wood with glass tops are much sought after these days. Study tables come mostly with wooden top and are sleek plain and yet elegant. But it is only the mirror which can give the drawing room an attractive and flamboyant
touch. There are so many varieties of mirrors that choosing these for your drawing room can really pose difficulty. In some mirrors ancient technique is used and hand-painted finishing touch is given to enhance the stately
look. Then there are mirrors in metal finish. If you want to relive the royal grandeur, jharokhas are must. A jharokha is a frame which gives the illusion of a palace window. These are beautifully carved. An example of finest craftsmanship, it is a perfect example where beauty and tradition meet. Statues are another kind which are catching on in the city. Those people who love antiques can find a lot of variety in market. Rajasthani statues are in demand. They are a bit expensive but make your room special. These are used in centre tables, side tables, study tables and even in phone holders. Bean bags are also getting popular, especially kids like it very
much. These are stuffed bags and are very comfortable to sit. |
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Upkeep of parks given to resident welfare bodies Panchkula, July 7 The decision was taken during a meeting of the representatives with the municipal council president Seema Chaudhary today. The MC has offered to develop the parks in various sectors and then hand these over to the Resident Welfare Associations
(RWAs) for maintenance. The MC, after removing wild growth and malba, and installing swings and lights in these parks, will pay the associations at the rate of Re 1 per sq m of the park area. There are about 115 parks within the municipal limits of the township. The MC had earlier proposed the privatisation of the maintenance of these parks by inviting residents to set up
committees for the purpose. However, in most sectors the committees were not formed, and it was decided to hand over the maintenance of the parks to the
RWAs. The representatives of the associations brought to light various problems regarding sanitation, rain water drainage, and defunct streetlights. |
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Punwire union
stages protest Mohali, July 7 The protesters said that the government would not be allowed to sell Punwire at any cost and the employees were ready to make sacrifices in this regard. It is learnt that two prospective buyers had inspected the Punwire unit today. Mr Shahid Ahmed, president of the union, said a convention would be organised in Phase III B-2 on July 11 to discuss the line of action in case Punwire was not revived. The organisations that had given support to the Punwire union during the ongoing agitation, municipal councillors and political leaders would be called to the convention. A protest had also been organised by the employees in front of the factory gate yesterday against the presence of the official liquidator and the inspection of the premises by parties intending to purchase the unit. A six-day inspection of Punwire units by prospective buyers started here yesterday. |
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720 register for
Amarnath Yatra Mohali, July 7 The branch manager, Mr Raman Koushal, said the registration of all pilgrims under the given quota was completed today. The registration started on July 5. He said 192 registrations were for the Baltal route, while 528 pilgrims were registered for Chandanwari route. Pilgrims from places like Ambala, Sirsa, Ropar, Kurali, Kharar, Mohali and Chandigarh had approached the bank for registration. He said the pilgrims had been given a life insurance cover for a nominal amount of Rs 22. The registration fee was only Rs 15 per head, he added. |
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Driving test venue changed Chandigarh, July 7 The Registering and Licensing Authority, Mr Naresh Narwal, said here today that the Motor Vehicle Inspector, Chandigarh, would now conduct test for checking the competence of drivers before issuance of permanent driving licences to them on the newly assigned site. Earlier such tests were conducted on the ground adjoining the main building and the head office of the State Bank of India , Sector 17. However, the venue for conducting test of competence to drive transport vehicles would remain at the Industrial Area, Phase II, Chandigarh. |
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Man’s body found; wife suspects foul play Mohali, July 7 Meanwhile, Nirmal Singh’s wife alleged that Nirmal Singh had been killed by his creditors whom he owed large sums of money and who were harassing him to return it. The SHO Sohana, Mr Vinod Sharma, said they had started inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the IPC, but if any new facts into the investigations revealed that Nirmal Singh was murdered as alleged by his wife, the FIR would be changed. The SP Mohali, Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, visited the spot. Sources added that although there was a mark of injury on the victim’s leg, it seemed to have been the result of Nirmal Singh falling off his cycle rather than being hit. The police is now awaiting the post-mortem report and is also questioning the victim’s creditors. Tejinderpal Kaur, a resident of Phase XI here, complained to the police that a young boy on a scooter snatched her gold chain in Phase 3B2 here today. Tejinder Pal Kaur, who runs an NTT school in Sohana, had gone to Phase 3B2 to meet her relatives. Tejinder Kaur was on her kinetic scooter when at the T point near Hanuman temple, she was hit by a scooterist. She fell and he immediately got off the scooter and snatched her 50 gm gold chain. The police has registered a case. |
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Man elopes, takes his
children along Lalru, July 7 The complainant, Mrs Preeti, alleged that her husband Hira Lal was working as a foreman with JCBL, and was staying with their three children in a rented accommodation at Lalru village for the past 10 years. During this period, he allegedly developed relations with a woman of the same locality which soured the family atmosphere, she said. After some arguments over the issue, Preeti left for her parental home. Her son and daughter with Hira Lal. Later she found her husband and two children aged about eight and two-and-a-half years that were missing from home. “To trace them, I made a call to Hira Lal on his mobile phone but he threatened me of dire consequences,” he said.
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2 held for collecting dues against
fake receipts Chandigarh, July 7 Ram Kishan of Sector 56 complained to the police that Sanjiv Kumar had taken Rs 2,000 in cash and his mobile set to settle a pending bill totalling Rs 5,000 of the former. The complainant was allegedly issued a receipt against the payment. After it was verified from the company, the receipt was found to be fake. Sanjiv Kumar allegedly handed over the fraudulently procured mobile phone to Kishori Lal. The police seized a book of fake receipts from them. |
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Assault victim dies, murder case registered Mohali, July 7 Harbans Kaur of Raipur Kallan died about two weeks after she had been allegedly injured in an attack by three persons of the same village. Gurvinder Singh, Daljit Singh and Jasvinder Singh had been booked on charges of voluntarily causing hurt and house tresspass. But the Sections in the case were converted to Section 302 of the IPC after the death of Harbans Kaur. The husband of the deceased, Mr Charanjit Singh, had approached the police to get a murder case registered against the three persons who he alleged had attacked his wife, injuring her seriously. A dispute over a wall was reportedly going on between Mr Charanjit Singh, Mr Gurvinder Singh and others. |
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One
killed in road accident Lalru, July 7 According to the
police, Rajesh Kumar was riding a motor cycle on his way to his home
when a vehicle knocked him down. He sustained severe head
injuries. Some passers-by informed the local police station and he
was rushed to the PGI in Chandigarh where he died. The police has
handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem examination and
the motor cycle has been impounded. A case has been registered under
Sections 279, 337 and 304-A, IPC. |
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Jewellery, cash stolen Chandigarh, July 7 Shubham Kaushik has complained that his father H.K. Kaushik, mother and he had gone to their respective offices when the incident took place. Mr
H.K. Kaushik is employed as a Senior Office Assistant with DAV School, Sector 8. The theft was noticed by Shubham’s mother who returned home around 2 pm. She found a window of the house open. She entered the house opening the lock of the main door on the second floor and found cash and jewellery missing. |
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Punjab Roadways checker held with fake tickets Chandigarh , July 7 A case was registered at the Industrial Area police station against Amarjit Singh on a complaint of an Inspector of the roadways, Mr Rajiv Dutta. The police today produced Amarjit in a local court and took him on police remand for further investigation. |
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XEN’s house
burgled Chandigarh, July 7 A case has been registered on a complaint of a brother of XEN Prithpal Singh Chhabra. Mr Chhabra was out of town when the burglary took place. |
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Worker booked for stealing cash Chandigarh, July 7 Raju Yadav hails from Jharkhand. The manager of the petrol station had complained to the police in this connection. A case has been registered. |
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Divya Jaitely to inaugurate store Chandigarh, July 7 A well-known face on the ramp, Divya has worked extensively with choreographers like Lubana Adma, Mark Robinson and has modelled for designers like Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, Russel Sage and Mona Pali. The new outlet will offer article of brands like Estee Lauder, Gucci, Channel, Davidoff, Hugo etc. A variety of diamond pieces from Cygnus, Ishis, Nirvana and Diamart Diamond will also be available. |
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Admn defers decision on ‘Sunday shopping’ Chandigarh, July 7 The decision was taken following a meeting of traders of Sector 17 with the Administration, sources said. Just three days ago traders of Sector 22 had rejected the proposal of “Sunday shopping” and even questioned the validity of such an order. The Sector 17 traders were divided on the opening of shops on Sunday. |
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Market Pulse Chandigarh, July 7 The store spread over an area of 2000 sq m, will also offer value-added services like 24-hour response at the store. SHOWROOM:
A jewellery showroom, Kangan, opened at NAC in Mani Majra today. The showroom also has a garment section. It offers variety in formal, bridal and casual dresses. LAUNCHED:
Footwear brand TSF has launched its “Monsoon Collection 2004”. TSF claims the footwear to be a top of the line product with skin-friendly leather base. The designs represent a blend of European
fashion and Italian design. The collection is available in more than 65 styles and in different colour combinations. |
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Sources in the hospital said the person was brought “almost dead” to the hospital and pellets were discovered in his thigh after an operation was performed.
