C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

Admn to go ahead with acquisition
272 acres for phase III of IT park
Chandigarh, March 3
After clarifying its stand to the Centre on the acquisition of 272 acres for phase III of the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, Mani Majra, the Chandigarh administration is going ahead with its plan to acquire it.

Road rage claims life
Chandigarh, March 3
The blood-smeared body of an unidentified man in his mid-twenties was found under mysterious circumstances beside the road separating sectors 22 and 23 this morning. An autorickshaw driver, who saw blood marks and the body, informed the police.

Gaganjit Barnala case
Prosecution drops cop as witness
Chandigarh, March 3
In another setback to police investigations in the high-profile rape case involving former MLA of the SAD from Dhuri Gagangjit Singh Barnala, the prosecution today announced to drop Chandigarh Police constable Bhamma Devi as witness.

Photo by Rajesh Sachar

IL-76 on a new high 5,000 stranded persons airlifted in a day Chandigarh, March 3 Creating a record of sorts, IL-76 heavy-lift transport aircraft from the IAF’s 25 Squadron here airlifted 5,000 stranded persons on a single day during the ongoing Operation Hamsafar in Jammu and Kashmir. Air Force personnel ready an IL-76 aircraft for static display during the forthcoming Presidential Fleet Review as a Surya Kiran aerobatic aircraft flies overhead. — Tribune photo by Vinay Malik

COMMUNITY

Standing water damages wheat crop Lalru, March 3 Wheat crop on hundreds of acres of land was damaged on account of accumulated rain water in the Lalru area following the construction of a boundary wall by a real estate company constructing multi-storyed flats at Jharmari village, near here. A farmer shows damaged wheat crop in Jharmari village in Lalru on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Youth dies, foul play ruled out
Chandigarh, March 3
A 24-year-old man died after allegedly consuming some poisonous substance at his house in Maloya village this morning. Quoting members of his family, the police ruled out foul play.

Tribune lensman hurt

Chandigarh, March 3 Senior Staff Photographer of The Tribune Manoj Mahajan was hurt this morning after his motorcycle was hit by a Scorpio SUV belonging to former education minister Tota Singh. Mahajan suffered a fracture in his right hand besides suffering bruises on legs. Tribune photographer Manoj Mahajan was injured at the Sector 20-21 traffic lightspoint on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Preparations on for Spring Fest
Panchkula, March 3
Spring Fest, the annual extravaganza hosted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), is all set to take off on March 10 at the Town Park, which is being spruced up for the occasion.

STUDY ON DRIVERS Epilepsy, drug intake behind most mishaps Chandigarh, March 3 Poor knowledge about traffic rules and epilepsy among drivers have emerged as a major cause of road accidents involving state transport buses and private carriers in hilly states in the region. These, coupled with smoking and drug and alcohol intake, have contributed to high rate of accidents.                                                                                                                         S.K. Bansal

CRIME

Dowry harassment: Cop, family booked
Chandigarh, March 3
The local police today booked a constable and four members of his family in a dowry harassment case.

Punjab officer’s pocket picked at Badal‘s swearing-in ceremony
Mohali, March 3
The pocket of an additional secretary to the Punjab government was picked during the swearing-in ceremony of the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP ministry at the PCA stadium here yesterday.

BUSINESS

PNB holds customer meet
Zirakpur, March 3
A customer meet was the highlight of the shifting of the Punjab National Bank branch to fully-computerised premises here today.

CULTURE

Verse to better society
Chandigarh, March 3
The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organised ‘Kavita Suprabhat’, a forenoon of poetry, today. Naresh, chairman of the akademi, while welcoming the poets, emphasised on the need to popularise poetry as it was an effective instrument for building a healthier society.

Taking the vocal route

Chandigarh, March 3 Her infamous (as she describes it) video of the remixed old song ‘Kaanta laga’ shot her to the limelight instantaneously, yet 23 year-old Shefali Zariwala does not want to be typecast as a performer only in remixed videos. So it is singing that is keeping her occupied these days. Shefali Zariwala at a press conference in Chandigarh on Saturday.

Young artistes regale audience at Plaza carnival
Chandigarh, March 3
It was entertainment unlimited at the Plaza carnival here today with young artistes captivating the hearts of the weekend crowd. The event was organised by the Centre for Carnival Arts with the Tribune group of newspapers as the media sponsor.

Senior citizens organise mushaira
Chandigarh, March 3
The Chandigarh Senior Citizens Brotherhood, Sector 37, honoured Anil Arora, vice-president of UTI Bank, Chandigarh, at a function organised at the community centre, Sector 37, here today on the eve of holi. On this occasion, Anil Arora inaugurated a mushaira organised by the brotherhood.

SPORTS

Golfers swig and swing under floodlights

Chandigarh, March 3 The Chandigarh Golf Club greens sparkled under flashlights as the first flood-lit Swig and Swing Tournament attracted more than 125 golfers for a night golf tournament tonight. Rima Dhillon in action during the first night golf tournament at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Mayank wins 800 m at GMCH meet

Chandigarh, March 3 Mayank (2005) and Harpreet (2006) secured first and second positions, respectively, in the finals of 800 m race (boys) in the 14th annual athletic meet of Government Medical College Hospital concluded at the Sports Complex, Sector 46, here today. Students of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, participate in an event during their annual athletic meet at the sports complex, Sector 46, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

ADMINISTRATION

Infotech MD gets e-governance award
Chandigarh, March 3
Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Managing Director, Punjab Infotech and Secretary, Information Technology, government of Punjab, has been given Dataquest e-Governance award as “e-Gov Champion 2007” at the Northern Region Summit aimed at creating strategies for NextGen Government. The award was conferred by Kiran Karnik president NASSCOM and Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Cyber Media On-line, at a function held in New Delhi on Thursday.