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TOP STORIES

Pay more, get less Wages of civic privatisation in Panchkula
Panchkula, August 24 The privatisation experiment of the Panchkula Municipal Council has failed to deliver. Even as the council has been paying more to private contractors for sanitation works and maintenance of streetlights this year, these services have gone for a six. Streetlights in most parts of Panchkula are non-functional. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Face-off at the PGI
Don’t hesitate to disagree with Director, IAS deputy tells staff
Chandigarh, August 24
In an unprecedented move, the Deputy Director, Administration DDA, PGI, Ms Meeta Rajiv Lochan, today issued a circular in which she indirectly questioned the administrative ability of the Director.

The brief Bethlehem bloom A rare epicacti variety flowered just for tonight Chandigarh, Aug 24 Nature has its own ways of springing surprises, as it did tonight when the Catholic Church in Sector 19 came alive with the beauty of rare flowers. Bethlehem, which is of significance in Christianity, flowered just for Tuesday night at the Sector 19 Catholic Church in Chandigarh. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Banking hit as staff strike work
Chandigarh, August 24
Banking operations in the city were hit today as officers and employees of all public sector banks, including the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, the Central Bank of India and United Commercial Bank, observed a one-day strike in support of their long-pending demand of wage revision, besides other things.

300 science students to display working models Chandigarh, August 24 Students from far-flung areas of the north-western region would be competing with their urban brethren at a two-day regional-level science exhibition being conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education in coordination with Intel at DAV Public School, Sector 15, here on August 27 and 28.
Mr P.I. Sabu, Regional Officer of the CBSE and Ms Rakesh Sachdeva, Principal of DAV Public School, Sector 15, Chandigarh, address a press conference on a science exhibition at Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

A gathering of Urdu scholars in action Chandigarh, August 24 Haryana's association with Urdu may be legendary but few people knew this fact until this evening when the intellectual heritage of the state was revisited. Haryana Governor A.R. Kidwai discusses a point with Dr K.L. Zakir during the formal opening of the Haryana Chapter of Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Hind, a 100-year-old India-wide organisation, at CRRID, Sector 19, on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

BEL produces head-up display units for combat aircraft
Chandigarh, August 24
Giving an impetus to indigenisation in the military aviation sector, public sector defence giant Bharat Electronics Limited has started commercial production of Head-up Display units for the Light Combat Aircraft.

COMMUNITY

Truckers’ strike: residents feel the pinch
Chandigarh, August 24
Strike by truckers for the fourth consecutive day today made the prices of vegetables rise further marginally. But price hike had them buying packaged food items like tomato puree, packed and frozen peas, garlic and ginger paste to cut down on costs.

Rain, truckers’ strike spell doom for apple growers
Chandigarh, August 24
Rains spelt double trouble for the apple growers of the region whose produce has been damaged on account of continuing rainfall.

PUDA suspends Hardev Singh
Mohali, August 24
The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority today suspended Hardev Singh, GM (Regulatory) from PUDA in wake of his police custody in the illegal colonisers case. Hardev Singh, who had initially joined on deputation from PSIDC was later absorbed in PUDA as a regular employee.

PunCom wakes up to fire safety
Mohali, August 24
While employees were busy cleaning up the mess created by a major fire at PunCom yesterday, causing damaged worth about Rs 20 lakh, the authorities today decided to improve fire safety measures on the factory premises.

Sanitation contractors offer lower rates
Mohali, August 24
Owing to stiff competition, sanitation contractors have offered to carry out work in the town at rates which are about 30 per cent lower than the estimated cost worked out by the municipal council in this regard.

Exemption of house tax: MC to lose Rs 1 cr
Panchkula, August 24
With the state government having exempted all houses of less than 100 sq yards in area from house tax, and all buildings, except commercial buildings, from fire tax, the Panchkula Municipal Council will lose almost Rs 1 crore from its annual income.

Applications sought from Gurkhas
Chandigarh, August 24
The British Government has invited applications for compensation from Gurkhas residing in India who had been held Prisoners of War by the Japanese during World War II.

Retain abolished booths: Senators
Chandigarh, August 24
The abolition of voting booths for the graduate constituency of the Senate for elections in September, carried out in violation of the decision of the Syndicate, dominated the last session of the present Senate at Panjab University here today.

Dead pilot’s brother seeks fresh search for bodies
Chandigarh, August 24
The brother of the pilot of an AN-12 aircraft which crashed 35 years ago in Himachal Pradesh wants the IAF to launch a fresh search for the remains of the aircraft and its passengers.

Fun City guard electrocuted
Dera Bassi, August 24
Gurjit Singh (19), security guard with Surya Fun City Limited, got electrocuted to death while pumping out water from a pond in the Wonder Water section of the park, located on the Panchkula-Barwala highway in Daffarpur village, this afternoon.

CRIME

Octroi staff assault supermarket owners Zirakpur, August 24 Two owners of a supermarket and their worker were allegedly assaulted by staff members of an octroi contractor at Dhakauli village on the Zirakpur-Panchkula road, this afternoon. The octroi men also smashed the windowpanes of the supermarket. Mr Vikas and his father, Mr Vinay Kumar, owners of a supermarket who were assaulted by octroi collectors at Dhakauli village on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Illegal exchange case: foreign bank accounts traced
Chandigarh, August 24
The Crime Branch has reportedly got details of the foreign bank accounts from which money was remitted into the Indian accounts of the arrested illegal telephone exchange owners.

Cash, jewellery stolen
Mohali, August 24
Cash and jewellery, worth about Rs 70,000, were stolen from a house in Phase IV here today. Mr K.S. Saini, who works in NIPER, said that the theft came to the notice of his wife, Ms Sukhwinder Kaur, when she came back home around 3 pm.

EDUCATION

PU condition for colleges’ affiliation
Chandigarh, August 24
The Panjab University Senate, at its meeting, here today, decided any college applying for affiliation to Panjab University would have to ensure recruitment of NET-qualified staff within three months of getting affiliation, especially in the case of Science classes.

Students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector-44, and Government Model High School, Sector-42, visit The Tribune press in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

PEC students want to be
with PU
Chandigarh, August 24
A move by the authorities of Punjab Engineering College to seek opinion from students of second, third and final years on their continuing in the existing system affiliated to the Panjab University for the remaining period of BE courses or shifting to the newly created deemed university has left the latter confused.

Syndicate does volte-face on Arora’s appointment
Chandigarh, August 24
The very Syndicate which turned down the appointment of Dr Parvinder Arora as Reader of University Business School, at its meeting on August 3, today advocated his case and deemed him "fit" for appointment at a meeting here today.

COURTS

High Court
Chandigarh IGP asked to provide security to counsel
Chandigarh, August 24
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Chandigarh IGP to provide security to advocate M.P. Goswami, counsel for one of the petitioners in the ongoing case regarding alleged irregularities in the selection of DSPs by the Punjab government under the sports quota.

Notice to UT Admn
Chandigarh, August 24
The president of the Federation of Lawyers Against Corruption, Mr Arvind Thakur, today served a legal notice on the UT Education Department demanding a uniform system of education at affordable prices.

SPORTS

Chandigarh Academy subdue Hawks

Chandigarh, August 24 The Chandigarh Hockey Academy scored its second successive victory making its entry to final almost certain in the third SN Vohra Memorial Sub-Junior Hockey Tournament for Boys Under-14 played here at Sector 42 Hockey Stadium. Sandeep Singh of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy scores a goal against the Hawks Academy, Ropar, during the 3rd S.N. Vohra Memorial Sub-Junior (U-14) Hockey Tournament on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Football matches end in draw Chandigarh, August 24 Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, had a draw against Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 23 , 2-2 in the Chandigarh Junior Girls Football Championship for St Stephen’s trophy played here today at St Stephen’s School, Sector 45.   Kinshuk

UT Admn shuffles officers
Chandigarh, August 24
The Chandigarh Administration today carried out a minor reshuffle of middle-level officers and appointed two new Subdivisional Magistrates. Ms Padmini Singla, a UT cadre IAS officer, who is on her first posting, has been appointed SDM (East) relieving Mr Naresh Narwal of the charge.