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Sector 23 Leisure Valley landscaping threatens Mother Teresa Home building
Chandigarh, January 18
The UT Administration’s project to landscape Sector 23 Leisure Valley area might just be starting but it is already threatening some existing structures.

Tension in Saketri after demolitions
Villager dies of shock
Panchkula, January 18

Unrest is brewing in Saketri and gradually snowballing into a protest. A tense village and anxious villagers today met to deal with the threat of demolitions of “unauthorised structures” looming large over them even as they mourned the death of a fellow villager.

Villagers protest outside two houses demolished by HUDA at Saketri village in Panchkula on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

National Bravery Award for Kashika Chandigarh, January 18 Kashika Singh, daughter of Punjab DIG, Mr Khubi Ram, has been chosen for the National Bravery Award 2006. 13-year-old Kashika showed remarkable grit and courage by saving the life of her 6-year-old friend and neighbour, Ishista Arora. The incident took place in May last year when Kashika and Ishita fell into a seven-feet ditch when the path they were walking on caved in at a park near their houses at the Commando Complex, Phase 11, Mohali. National bravery award winner Kashika of Mohali lifts up Pooja Kabadwal, youngest of the award winners, during the interaction with the media in New Delhi on Thursday. — PTI photo

‘Lakshmi’ for Luxman
Dera Bassi, January 18
Luxman Singh, a resident of Ramdasia Mohalla here, who lived in penury till recently, has hit the Rs 1-crore jackpot ‘Lohri bumper’ of the Punjab Lotteries Department.

Canons of national pride: The work of restoring history by giving a fresh coat of paint to the canons, belonging to early 60s, underway at the Punjab Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

PGI staff end strike
Chandigarh, January 18
The PGI Employees Union (Group B, C and D employees), Chandigarh, today ended their long ongoing chain hunger strike following a negotiation between the union and the PGI management.

Defacement: Police wakes up
Chandigarh, January 18
Taking suo-motu cognisance of a news report carried in these columns on the defacement of public property in the city by political parties contesting the Assembly elections in Punjab, the Chandigarh Police today launched a massive anti-defacement drive and registered cases under the provisions of the West Bengal Prevention of Defacement of Property Act of 1976 as applicable to the city as well.

Tribune Impact
IAS officer stripped of ‘substantive posting’
Chandigarh, January 18
Taking note of The Tribune story about an IAS officer managing a “substantive posting” in Chandigarh so that he could hold on to a government house here, the Punjab Government has stripped of his main charge.

Giani Gurdit Singh cremated
Chandigarh, January 18
The mortal remains of Giani Gurdit Singh, eminent Punjabi writer, were consigned to the flames at the cremation ground in Sector 25 here today. His last rites were attended by a large number of persons from all walks of life, including writers, journalists, academicians, bureaucrats and Sikh scholars.

Passing Thru

COMMUNITY

No relief from cell spam
Chandigarh, January 18
Despite the hue and cry by consumer rights activists and cell phone subscribers over spam calls and unsolicited messages, there is no letting up on the part of the telemarketing companies and cellphone operators to put an end to these calls.

Concrete road opening by month-end
Chandigarh, January 18
Harassment of daily commuters will hopefully end with the scheduled opening of the first concrete road in the city dividing Sectors 31 and 32 by January 25.

Hike in school bus charges likely
Chandigarh, January 18
The Chandigarh School Buses Operators Welfare Association has hinted at a hike in bus fares if insurance companies did not roll back the hike in insurance premium. The hike could be around Rs 30 per child per month.

Car catches fire Chandigarh, January 18 The driver of a Maruti car had a narrow escape when his car caught fire today. The incident occurred at about 6.45 pm near the Transport chowk. The traffic jam which was caused after a car caught fire at Transport chowk in Chandigarh on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

MC sets agenda to begin work
Chandigarh, January 18
The introductory meeting of officers and councillors of the Municipal Corporation was held today. Mayor Harjinder Kaur chaired the meeting.

Nodal officers’ meeting
Chandigarh, January 18
Nodal officers of different departments of the UT Administration met under the chairmanship of the Director, Public Relations, Mr Vivek Atray, here on Tuesday. Nodal officers were appointed by the administration for regular interaction and better understanding of the need to provide more information to the public.

Blankets distributed
Chandigarh, January 18
As a part of the social activities launched by the SBI, Mrs Nisha Contractor, president of the State Bank of Ladies Club, Chandigarh, today distributed blankets among poor and needy patients at the PGI.

HSBC sponsors 20 kids of SOS Children’s Village
Rajpura, January 18
In a unique gesture the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Chandigarh, today sponsored 20 children of the SOS Children's Village here.

CRIME

Father accuses police of demanding bribe for son’s release
Mohali, January 18
The father of a person allegedly arrested by the police on charges of buying stolen jewellery has claimed that the police has demanded a bribe for the release of his son.

BUSINESS

Mobera Systems to get CMMI certification
Chandigarh, January 18
City-based Mobera Systems, an ISO 9001 certified company, is now adopting world-class quality processes in order to manage its internal working and deliver high quality software solutions and services to its growing base of international clients.

Biz Clips
Rock Show
Reliance Communications, a leading telecom service provider, will organise a regional selection for Campus Rock Idols, India’s largest Inter -College Rock Music Competition on February 3 at the Leisure Valley, Sector 10. The show will feature a series of “Reliance Rockshalas” where college students can test their musical mettle and participate in a series of contests and activities.

Modern terminal market for city soon
Chandigarh, January 18
The city will soon have a big a modern terminal market (MTM) for fruits, vegetables and other perishable products.

EDUCATION

145 students shortlisted in campus placement
Mohali, January 18
A two-day joint campus placement was organised at Indo Global Engineering College in association with Life Business Projects Pvt. Ltd. here today. Around 900 students from various engineering, MBA colleges and three universities appeared for a written test.

20 DAV students get campus placement
Chandigarh, January 18
Placements are on at DAV College, Sector 10, here. Companies like MAFOI consultants, Asian Paints, Infosys, Google, HSBC and American Express have visited the college for placements. Wipro representatives visited the college on Tuesday.

Students rally for conservation of energy
Chandigarh, January 18
To create an awareness about the need to conserve energy, the Eco Club of Mount Carmel School, Sector 47-B, Chandigarh, organised a rally on ‘Energy Conservation, here on Tuesday. As many as 60 students took part in the rally which was flagged off from the school gate by the vice-principal of the school, Mrs Annie Charles.

Sterling Tel appoints 51 students
Mohali, January 18
A record number of 51 ECE and mechanical engineering students of the Chandigarh Engineering College have been selected by Sterling Telecom and Net systems, Chennai. As many as 44 students of mechanical engineering and 36 of ECE appeared in the interviews for the posts of ICT Engineer Trainees in this company. — TNS

15 students get appointment letters
Derabassi, January 18
Students of the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, here, were given appointment letters by Life Business Pvt. Ltd., following a rigorous placement process.

COURTS

Film city project to Parsvnath challenged
Chandigarh, January 18
The decision of the UT Administration to award the contract for the prestigious Multimedia-cum-Film City Project in Sarangpur to Parsvnath Developers Limited has been challenged by an unsuccessful bidder, M/s KRBL Ltd and others.

‘Flawed’ power tariff policy challenged in HC
Chandigarh, January 18
Residents of the city have challenged the system adopted by UT departments of sending bimonthly bills of electricity and water supply to consumers and recovering the excess amount as a result of clubbing of the initial and subsequent slabs applicable in case of the first 100 units and above.

Criminal intimidation bailable or not, city debates
Chandigarh, January 18
The city’s legal fraternity and the Chandigarh Administration are heading for a confrontation on the issue of making Section 506 of the IPC (punishment for criminal intimidation) a bailable offence.

Ex-DSP acquitted in case filed by arms dealer
Chandigarh, January 18
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) yesterday acquitted a retired DSP of the Punjab Police, Mr Mohinder Singh Maur, after the prosecution failed to prove charges that the DSP had registered a false case.

HEALTH

PGI doctor on ICMR body
Chandigarh, January 18
The Medical Faculties of Indian Universities have elected Dr S.K. Singh, Professor of Urology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, as their representative on the governing body of the Indian Council of Medical Research for a period of three years from September 12, 2006.

Dr S.K. Singh

Rare surgery performed
Chandigarh, January 18
A rare complex coronary angioplasty was performed on 56-year-old Teg Singh of Kharar subdivision at the Grecian Super-speciality Hospital, Mohali, setting a new benchmark in the region.

Diploma course in naturopathy, yoga
Chandigarh, January 18
Gandhi Smarak Bhawan in Sector 16 has initiated a three-and-a-half year diploma course in naturopathy and yoga, besides one-year medical assistance course. Disclosing this, Director of the Bhawan R.S Rawat said the courses have been sponsored by Mahatma Gandhi National Academy of Naturopathy, New Delhi.