C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

Mayoral Polls
Kamlesh is city Mayor 
Chandigarh, January 1
The Congress today swept the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral polls winning all the three posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor.Newly elected Mayor Kamlesh (centre), Senior Deputy Mayor HC Kalyan (right) and Deputy Mayor Vijay Rana (left) after winning the election in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

• Morale booster for Cong
• Key to victory

‘Free-for-all’ inside House
While the security in all the important buildings and government offices in the city has been heightened after the Mumbai terror attacks, it was “free-for-all” at the Municipal Corporation House, where the elected representatives of the city assemble.

Auto Driver’s Murder
Victim was drugged before being killed
Chandigarh, January 1
The alleged killers of Kunwar Pal, an auto-rickshaw driver, whose bloated body was found from the SYL canal near Kurukshetra on Wednesday, offered sedative-laced drink to the victim and kept him on the move for over 12 hours before throwing him into the river.

Vehicles collide due to fog, 2 hurt
Kharar, January 1
A tanker and a three-wheeler collided head on due to fog near a government school, Desu Majra, this evening. The incident took place at around 8.15 pm. Both the vehicles collided due to thick fog and heavy traffic on the route. While the three-wheeler was completely damaged in the accident, two of its occupants received injuries. One of them is said to have received major injuries and the other hurt his leg.

National Road Safety Week begins
VIPs don’t follow traffic rules: Home Secy
Chandigarh, January 1
A large number of VIPs in the city have made the task of the Chandigarh Police a challenge. The UT home secretary Ram Niwas stated this on the inaugural day of the 20th National Road Safety Week at the Children Traffic Park in Sector 23 here. "Drive Carefully, Reach Alive" is the theme of this year’s road safety week.
HS Doon, SP (traffic), shows the hand-free wireless set to the home secretary Ram Niwas at the Children Traffic Park in Chandigarh, on Thursday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan 

Max temperature dips to 14.4°C
Foggy conditions prevail; rail, road, air traffic hit 
Chandigarh, January 1
Chandigarh experienced a considerable dip in the maximum temperature today, recording 14.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature rose to 8 degrees Celsius as compared to 7.4 degrees yesterday.

Schools to remain closed till Jan 5
Chandigarh, January 1 
Due to the extreme cold conditions and persistent fog, the UT Administration has decided to extend the winter vacation for the staff and students of all government and private schools to January 5, 2009, and January 11 for the students of pre-primary and primary classes. However, principals/ staff/ students involved in the preparation of the National School Games 2008-09 will report in their schools from January 2 at 10.30 am. The Administration has also changed the school timings from January 6 to January 31. — TNS

COMMUNITY

Hooligans give tough time to cops
Chandigarh, January 1
The Chandigarh police had a tough time in controlling the hooligans on the New Year eve in various parts of the city, especially at Plaza in Sector 17. During the melee, the in-charge of Neelam police post at Sector 17, sub-inspector Lakhbir Singh dislocated his shoulder while controlling the crowd and was sent home.

New Year celebrations with underprevileged
Chandigarh, January 1
A majority of persons celebrate New Year in discotheques, five star hotels and with liquor. However, Surya Education and Charitable Trust (SECT) spared a thought for the underpreviliged and celebrated the New Year with inmates of the Mother Teresa Home, Sector 23, today. Around 150 inmates of the Missionaries of charity, including infants, mentally challenged and old destitute citizens, were handed over gifts.
Inmates of the Mother Teresa Home celebrate New Year in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Industrial tenants oppose conversion policy
Chandigarh, January 1
After the controversial mega projects, the ambitious conversion policy of the Chandigarh Administration for industrial plots in the industrial area has come under attack.

GMADA, Railways lock horns
Mohali, January 1
While Mohali’s first sewage treatment plant has remained non-functional for around a year due to lack of connectivity, the project is heading for further delay with GMADA and the Railways locking horns on the payment of an additional Rs 1.68 crore for the use of railway land for linking up the main sewer line.

PGI study finds place in global journal
Chandigarh, January 1
The findings of a study conducted by School of Public Health, PGI, highlighting the higher cases of cancer in Talwndi Sabo has found a place in the latest issue of International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health.

‘Yeh Kaisi Bidai’, a poignant play
Chandigarh, January 1
“The street theatre is the most vibrant medium to interact directly with the audience and discuss the issues of socio-cultural relevance and we, the Samvad Theatre group, relied upon this form to focus on the prevalent social evil of female foeticide,” maintains Madhubala, the director of the play “Yeh Kaisi Bidai” staged at the Plaza,  here today.

A street play ‘Yeh Kaisi Bidai’ being staged in Chandigarh on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Twenty given job on compassionate grounds
Mohali, January 1
Punjab's Health Minister Prof Laxmi Kanta Chawla distributed appointment letters to 20 candidates on compassionate grounds on the premises of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation here today. These candidates have been appointed in the Department of Health & Family Welfare.

1 lakh devotees to take part in nagar kirtan
Panchkula, January 1
Over one lakh devotees are expected to participate in the nagar kirtan to be started from Gurdwara Nada Sahib on the eve of Gurpurb, here tomorrow.

Punjabi literary magazine released
Chandigarh, January 1
UK-based Punjabi poet Avtar Jandialvi and the Chief Editor of leading Punjabi literary magazine “Hun” released the eleventh edition of the magazine in collaboration with the local Writers Club at the Uttam complex here today.

Streetkids learn to earn living
Chandigarh, January 1
An NGO that started a project (last year) of teaching streetchildren, who indulge in begging, has expanded from 12 to 45 children now. Sangita Vardha, owner of the NGO, “Good Beginnings”, has been teaching children who are forced to beg or work under duress and are exploited, beaten and abused.

Children looking at a volunteer painting the box at the school. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Over 100 challaned in P’kula
Panchkula, January 1
While thousands of residents had welcomed the New Year in the city celebrating the occasion at different hotels in the town, around 100 persons were challaned on the day by the traffic police which set up nakas at the main points in the city.

EDUCATION

Tributes paid to terror attack victims
Chandigarh, January 1
The Panjab University employees, both teaching and non-teaching, along with the local fellows assembled today at 9:30 am in front of the Administrative Block to wish New Year and pay tributes to the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks and those who sacrificed their lives while saving the integrity of the country.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Town continues to be victim of govt apathy
Bassi Pathana, January 1
The town has again become the victim of government apathy as the Chief Minister has not fixed any programme for the town during his Vikas Yatra, his tour to the district to be held on January 8, whereas he will address public rallies and lay foundations of development projects in the adjoining towns, Sirhind and Amloh.

Workshop on computer training in physics
Patiala, January 1
The physics department of Punjabi University organised a valedictory function of the UGC-sponsored national workshop on computer laboratory training in physics here yesterday.

Workshop on glossary ends
Patiala, January 1
A five-day workshop on multi-lingual glossary, organised by the department of linguistics and Punjabi lexicography of Punjabi University, in collaboration with Urdu Teaching and Research Centre (UTRC), Solan, Northern Regional Language Centre and the department of Dogri, Jammu University, concluded here yesterday.

PCMS Association takes out peace march 
Patiala, January 1
The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association organised a peace march at the Mata Kaushalya Hospital here today, urging the doctors to ensure peace and health for all.

Work on health centre begins
Kalka, January 1
The Nanakpur village of Pinjore will have a Primary Health Centre (PHC) soon, as the health department has already started the construction work of this project. Vijay Bansal, former secretary of Haryana Congress, said the state government had granted Rs 1.22 crores for this project. Ravinder Mehta, village sarpanch, said 16 bighas, 10 biswas of panachayat land had been granted for the construction of the health centre, which was earlier running in a Dharamshala of the village .

No dispute with BJP on seat-sharing: Sampat
Ambala, January 1
Senior INLD leader and former minister Sampat Singh said there was no dispute on the sharing of seats between BJP and INLD in the state for the Lok Sabha elections.

COURTS

Reliance Insurance to pay Rs 1 lakh
Chandigarh, January 1
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Reliance General Insurance, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, to pay the insured amount of Rs 1 lakh to a resident of Sector 43.

CRIME

Youth succumbs to injuries
Chandigarh, January 1
In an inhuman act, an unidentified auto-rickshaw driver dumped a 22-year-old youth at a secluded place in Kambala village, who was seriously injured after being hit by his vehicle on the road dividing Sectors 21 and 34 last evening. The youth was found dead today while the police was yet to trace the auto-rickshaw driver.

The body of 22-year-old man lying in Kambala village. A Tribune photograph

SPORTS

North M’rashtra varsity emerge victorious 
Chandigarh, January 1
On the first day of the All-India Inter-University Baseball (Men) Championship, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon, trounced Lucknow University by 10 home runs, here today. North Maharashtra University gave an upbeat performance to score 12 home runs while Lucknow University could only score 2 home runs. Nitin, Dhiraj, Rajender and Vaibhav scored two home runs, each, for the Maharashtra.



A player in action during a baseball match in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari 

Sehaj fashions Mohali academy win
Chandigarh, January 1
Sehaj Deep (154) stole the show, as he helped Mohali Cricket Academy to edge past Shree Shree Cricket Academy by 170 runs in the ongoing 1st CCA-GNPS (under-14) Cricket Gold Cup being played on the Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, grounds, here today.

A cricket match in progress in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ashbeer stumbles to share lead with Rashid 
Chandigarh, January 1
Fifteen-year-old Ashbeer Saini from Kapurthala stumbled on the third day. But, his three over 75 was enough to keep him in the joint overall lead along with the country’s top amateur Rashid Khan of Delhi at one over par 217 on the penultimate day of the Lalit Suri All-India Junior Golf Championship on the par-72 greens of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in Kolkata today.