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Flesh trade racket busted; eight held
Panchkula, August 14
The Security Branch, Panchkula, along with the Sector 20 police busted a flesh trade racket operating in Sector 15 here and arrested eight persons, including five women. The racket was being run from a guest house here.

Kohli has 2 murder convicts for company
Chandigarh, August 14
High-profile criminal, Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, accused of raping and killing British teenager Hannah Foster, has out-of-the-ordinary company inside Burail Jail. His two cell mates, who are convicts, are said to be deeply religious persons, who pray regularly inside the cell.

Rights body seeks to provide Kohli legal aid
Chandigarh, August 13
The Lawyers for Human Rights International (LHRI) today decided to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for demanding an interview with Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, suspect in the rape and murder of British teenager Hannah Foster, with a view to providing him legal aid.

Kohli discharged in criminal case
Mohali, August 14
Maninderpal Singh Kohli, accused of the rape and murder of British teenager Hannah Foster, was today ‘released’ by a Kharar court in the criminal case registered against him at Mohali.

Police sharp shooters for I-Day function

Chandigarh, August 14 Keeping in mind the security threat, sharp shooters of the police will be positioned on top of main buildings surrounding the parade ground in Sector 17 during the Independence Day function here.   A policeman keeps vigil as labourers erect the ‘pandal’ for the Independence Day function at Parade Ground in Chandigarh on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Harbhajan, Gursevak, 118 teachers to be honoured
Mohali, August 14
Punjabi singer-actor Harbhajan Mann and his singer brother, Gursevak Mann will be given special awards at the Independence Day celebrations in Mohali tomorrow. The two, both residents of the township, will be honoured for their role in preserving and promoting Punjabi culture internationally.

Tehelka case: Col Sahgal seeks leave for daughter’s marriage
Chandigarh, August 14
The Army is yet to respond to an application submitted by Col Anil Sahgal on July 3, seeking leave to attend his daughter's marriage later this month. Colonel Sahgal is being tried by a general court martial here in the tehelka case.

COMMUNITY

More noise, less debate in House
Chandigarh, August 14
While the divide within the Congress councillors was clear at yesterday’s meeting, a striking feature of the House proceedings was that most of the time was wasted on futile discussions. As against approving three items in six hours, five items were passed by the House in 20 minutes.

Suris get their car back following compromise
Chandigarh, August 14
The car impounded following the beating of Amit Suri by policemen four days ago was today returned to the family following a comprise with the cops yesterday. Both the parties have taken back the complaints filed against each other, following which the car driven by Amit Suri on that day was returned.

Ramgarh Fort door tallest in country

Chandigarh, August 14 It is official. The door of the Fort at Ramgarh is the tallest door in the country higher than even the gate of Fatehpur Sikri near Agra.  The door of Fort Ramgarh near Chandigarh which has been listed as tallest door in the country by the Limca Book of Records. — A Tribune photograph

MC decision on tax draws flak
Chandigarh, August 14
The decision of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh to impose 3 per cent property tax on commercial property has come in for severe criticism from different quarters.

Mohali MC to have 5-storeyed building
Mohali, August 14
The architectural plan for the new main office building of the local Municipal Council has been cleared and tenders are being invited for the construction work. The building will have, apart from a basement, five floors above the ground floor, built on a 1.10 acre plot in Sector 68 here.

Panchkula Diary
Book on Osho released
Panchkula, August 14
Mr R. S. Chaudhary, former Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, released a book, “Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic” by Osho, at a simple ceremony at Osho Dhara this evening.

CRIME

Cattle menace claims another life
Chandigarh, August 14
The stray cattle menace led to the death of a scooterist last night. Deepak, a resident of Sector 37-D here, was returning to his home late in the night when his scooter, it is learnt, collided with some stray cattle near his home. He was taken to the PGI where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Three car thefts reported
Chandigarh, August 14
The city police has registered three cases of car theft, according to a press note released today. Rati Gupta, a resident of Sector 23-C, filed a complaint that her black Scorpio jeep (CH-03-P-7006) was stolen from her residence on August 12. A case of theft under Section 379, IPC, has been registered at Sector 17 police station.

BUSINESS

Mubarikpur industrialists face PSIEC apathy

Mubarikpur (Dera Bassi), August 14 More than 50 industrial units in the Industrial Focal Point here have been facing indifferent attitude of the Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation (PSIEC) for the past many years. Certain industrialists of the area alleged that the PSIEC had failed to provide them basic civic amenities like adequate water supply, proper sewerage, good roads, streetlights, proper dumping place etc. They alleged that there had been an acute shortage of water for the past three years. A majority of the industrial units have been suffering huge losses since these need gallons of water a day. An overhead water tank that had been lying non-functional for the past over two years because of a defected sluice valve in Industrial Focal Point, Mubarikpur, near Dera Bassi. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Bank denounces defaulters publicly
Mohali, August 14
In a novel method to recover loans, employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank today resorted to public announcements and sloganeering against their defaulting creditors. Whether or not this leads to the defaulters paying up, it certainly led to serious public humiliation and embarrassment for the defaulters.

Patriotic spirit at Sector 17 Plaza
Chandigarh, August 14
The patriotic fervour gripped the city residents at weekend cultural show at Sector 17 Plaza on Saturday evening. Duplicate of Shahrukh Khan, Nana Patekar and Sachin Teldulakar kept the festive spirit alive throughout the show. Three of them were from “Junoon Sursangam” a troupe from Bombay, who gave the wonderful performance on the Independence Day eve.

Seminar held on digital printing
Chandigarh, August 14
Digital printing may be the future, being economical and capable of printing variable data. The printing industry in the region can take advantage of this highly profitable business opportunity.

New cheque clearing operation at SBOP Kalka
Chandigarh, August 14
The Reserve Bank of India has permitted the main branch of the State Bank of Patiala, Kalka, to be a member of the Chandigarh bankers clearing house. The SBOP will start its new cheque clearing operations from August 16.

EDUCATION

Children’s labour adds charm to bonanza

Chandigarh, August 14 Beauty lies in the detail. And whether or not the gathering at Tagore Theatre cared to spare a glance for the little things children had done to make the venue come alive with the spirit of freedom, the discerning eye noticed. Students present a “pahari” dance at the cultural bonanza organised by the UT Administration in Chandigarh on the eve of Independence Day. — A Tribune photograph

Students demonstrate love for country
Chandigarh, August 14
Rehearsals today marked the preparations for the Independence Day functions to be held in different schools in the city. Propagating the message of unity in diversity, students could be seen singing patriotic songs, eulogising the sacrifices made for the freedom of the country.

Gurukul, Sector 20, Panchkula.

Evergreen Academy, Sector 34, Chandigarh.

Mount Carmel School, Chandigarh.

Rainbow International School, Sector 27, Chandigarh. — Tribune photographs

Tiny tots join in the excitement
Mohali, August 14
Students of Gian Jyoti Public School, Phase II, here today shared their patriotic feelings through speeches and songs. The tiny tots performed a group dance. The boys performed bhangra. Ms Ranjeet Bedi, school Principal, enlightened the students about the importance of the responsibility towards their nation.

Patriotic songs, dance shows
Panchkula, August 14
Students of DC Model Senior Secondary School celebrated Independence Day with great fervour. The function commenced with the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ by the school choir. This was followed by the Inter-House Patriotic Song Competition, wherein students of all eight houses participated. A choreography based on the theme of national integration was also staged.

NIPER must attract best talent, says Mashelkar

Mohali, August 14 There is a need to build both ambience and ambition at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) here so that it attract the best talent all over the world. Mr R.A. Mashelkar, Chairman, Board of Governors, NIPER, and Director-General, CSIR, addresses after the release of book “A decade of NIPER” in Mohali on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

From schools & colleges Parul wins Dev Samaj Miss Fresher contest Chandigarh, August 14 The BA, BCA and B.Com second year students of Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, welcomed the college freshers at a colourful ceremony filled with dances and songs. The students sang songs ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon’ and ‘Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya’. An Indo-Western fusion dance was presented by a group of BCA students. Students of Dev Samaj College, Sector 45, Chandigarh, wait for their turn to perform at a Miss Fresher function on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Meritorious students honoured
Chandigarh, August 14
Dr Khera's Chandigarh Coaching centre honoured its meritorious students at the annual prize distribution function held at Tagore Theatre yesterday. The toppers who were honoured were Abhinav Sood and Shivani Sharma.

Quiz programme
Chandigarh, August 14
Pratibimb, a social organisation, held a quiz programme on the Ramayana and on the life of Guru Gobind Singh at the Government Girls High School, Sector 25, here. Four teams, each having two candidates, were selected by asking questions to students of Class IX and X. About 90 students participated.

NIIFT orientation programme

COURTS

39 cases settled at Lok Adalat
Chandigarh, August 14
As many as 39 cases were settled and Rs 20.65 lakh awarded at a special lok adalat organised on the premises of the State Legal Services Authority in Sector 9 here yesterday.

Leg amputation case: hearing adjourned
Chandigarh, August 14
A local court today adjourned till September 11 the leg amputation case, which hit the headlines last year. The student Abhishek, reportedly fractured his leg when he was playing football in his school. He was rushed to Inscol Hospital in Sector 34, where negligence in his treatment by doctors, was alleged.

CULTURE

Film Review Old story, new cast Introducing a new star cast at new locales with moth-eaten scripts does not always work, especially when the director is making his debut. But precisely this has happened in “Kyon Ho Gaya Na”. If director Samir Karnik is hoping to cash in on the real life chemistry between Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai, he will be disappointed. The couple has not unleashed much charm on the screen. Aishwarya Rai in “Kyon Ho Gaya Na”.

LIFESTYLE

He strives for a laugh to keep sanity intact
Can one wax eloquent about the nuances of “husn” and “ishq” for three couplets in perfect tone and tenor and then bring you down with a thud into the harsh world of reality with a single word? Only veteran satirist Sagar Khayyami can do it. No wonder he attracts admirers wherever he goes. And his greatest fans are the youth.

What I-Day means to city youth
DO the sagas of sacrifice and struggle stir something among youths. Talking to many city youngsters was an interesting experience. Most of them were indifferent to the ongoing festivities of Independence Day. A few of them were imbibed with patriotic zeal while for some it is just another holiday for having a party time.

Special telecast of ‘Kambakth Piracy’ today
Chandigarh, August 14
Sahara Pariwar takes another step towards combating piracy with the telecast of a special programme ''Kambakth Piracy'' on August 15 from 7.30 pm on Sahara Manoranjan.

Teej  celebrated Teej was celebrated at slimming and beauty centres of VLCC at Chandigarh and Panchkula on Saturday. Around 40 women participated in the function. They decorated their hands with Henna designs. Pink colour was the dress code for the celebrations. Teej celebrations at a beauty and slimming centre, VLCC, in Sector 9, Chandigarh on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

SPORTS

Kapil launches Golf Foundation Chandigarh, August 14 The Golf Foundation, Chandigarh, was today launched by legendary cricketer turned golfer Kapil Dev here at the Chandigarh Golf Club. It is an initiative which was mooted by Amandeep Johl, a local golf professional, and also a founding member of the Asian Golf Tour. Kapil Dev addressing a press conference to launch the Golf Foundation at Chandigarh Golf Club on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Hopes pinned on tennis duo, shooters
Chandigarh, August 14
Leading sports personalities and ardent lovers of sports have pinned high hopes on the Indian contingent fielded in the Athens Olympics. Mr Rajan Kashyap, chairman, Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association, is optimistic that Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi would gift India an Olympic medal. “They might repeat the 1996 Atlanta Olympics feat by winning a bronze or might even surprise us with a gold medal,” he said.

More Athens Olympics stories on sports page

Sacred Heart eves win
Chandigarh, August 14
On the second day of the Chandigarh Subjunior Girls Football Championship being played here at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, defending champions Sacred Heart School defeated Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, by four goals to nil. Simar scored two goals while Noor and Divya Sharma one goal each.

Parnita, Dimple in limelight
Chandigarh, August 14
Parnita Garewal and Dimple Minocha stole the limelight in the Independence cup 2004 Ladies Golf tournament here today at Chandigarh Golf Club. Parnita and Dimple were taken to 18th hole which they won after being 3 down at the turn to Pikka and Manpreet. 

Sadhika emerges on top
Chandigarh, August 14
Sadhika Kaushal of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, emerged the winner in the subjunior girls section of the Prof R.S. Mehta Memorial Open North Zone Prize Money Table Tennis Championship being played here at Sector 23 TT hall.

Expedition team
Chandigarh, August 14
A two member mobike expedition team led by founder member of the National Adventure Club (India) Mr Rakesh Kumar and Mr Neeraj Choudhary as pilion rider will be flagged off tomorrow for Khardungla.

ADMINISTRATION

CAT amends provisions of recruitment rules
Chandigarh, August 14
The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has amended certain provisions of the “Recruitment Rules of 2000”, paving the way for the promotion of a section of the employees of the Office of the UT Controller of Printing and Stationery.