C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Education

Neighbourhood | Courts | Crime | Sports

TOP STORIES

Congested Spots on Chandigarh-Ambala Highway
NHAI asked to provide slow carriageway
Mohali, January 3
To ensure smooth flow of traffic on the four-lane section of the Chandigarh-Ambala National Highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been asked to provide slow carriageway at the congested sections in Zirakpur and Derabassi.

Child Marriage
NGO to rescue of minor girl
Chandigarh, January 3
At an age when she should have been going to school and playing with her friends, not troubled about the worldly things, 12-year-old Jasbir was asked by her paternal uncle (taya) to get married to a boy she had not even met or seen.

‘Panj Piaras’ lead a procession to mark the 342nd birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, in Chandigarh on Saturday. Photo: Himanshu Mahajan

CITCO treats bureaucrats generously
Offers discounts on buffets at hotels
Chandigarh, January 3
Extending discounts to senior bureaucrats seem to have become a habit of CITCO. Thanks to the corporation’s generosity, even in these trying times of recession, UT ‘babus’ will now be able to savour the buffets at a discount, which hitherto was restricted to à la carte menus in CITCO’s five-star hotels.

Schools, colleges can be sued in consumer courts
Chandigarh, January 3
Parents who have complaints like unqualified or untrained teachers at schools and colleges or educational institutes adopting syllabi that have not been prescribed can file a case in consumer courts.

COMMUNITY

Cardiac patients more prone to attacks in winters
Chandigarh, January 3
With mercury set to dip it is now time for cardiac patients to spend more time indoors and cut down exposures to cold. According to doctors, winter is the season to dread for the cardiac patient, or one suffering from hypertension.

Ban On Autos
Admn ‘softens’ stand
Agrees to find a way out; auto drivers hold protest
Chandigarh, January 3
The much-acclaimed ban on the auto-rickshaws ferrying school kids in the city might soon be remoulded, as the UT Administration and the Chandigarh Mohali Panchkula Auto-rickshaw Joint Action Committee having come close to a compromise today.

Members of the Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula Auto Rickshaw Joint Action Committee protest in Chandigarh on Saturday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tiwari

Pay Anomalies
Ex-soldiers threaten to burn medals
Chandigarh, January 3
Flaying the government’s attitude towards their cause, a section of ex-servicemen threatened to burn their gallantry awards if the government did not take concrete step to meet their demands by January 26. Col PIS Phulka (retd.), National President, Ex-Serviceman Wing, Shiromani Akali Dal, today said if the government would not pay heed to their demands, hundreds of ex-sevicemen from states, including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal, would gather in New Delhi and burn their medals.

Night chill: Evening walkers cast a long shadow at the Sukhna Lake after the sun went down on a chilly Saturday. Tribune photo: S Chandan

Relief from cold, but fog delays trains
Chandigarh, January 3
There seems to be some respite from the cold wave and foggy conditions for residents of Chandigarh and surrounding areas with slight rise in temperature. Today, the maximum temperature rose to 16.4 degrees Celsius compared to yesterday’s 14.6. The minimum temperature also rose to 6.8 degrees Celsius, which is a meagre increase from yesterday’s temperature.

Experts to discuss ways to beat meltdown
Chandigarh, January 3
To debate the implication of global financial meltdown and suggest a way out, Prof Susan George, an eminent scholar of the Transnational Institute, Netherlands, Prof YK Alagh, former Union Minister for Power and Planning and Prof Randhir Singh, a renowned political theorist and other distinguished scholars would be presenting their views at the Institute for Development and Communication (IDC) here on January 5.

Fest proves to be turning point in Siddharth’s life
Chandigarh, January 3
For Siddharth Kaushal, a DAV College student, participating in a cultural festival at IIT Mumbai has surely proved to be a turning point in his life.

Police clueless in Pandey beating case
Chandigarh, January 3
Almost one week has passed away but still the truth has not come out in the inquiry marked in the case of Arvind Pandey, who was allegedly beaten by ASP (Central) Madhur Verma and his three gunmen at the Sector 17 police station on December 26, 2008.

More accolades for Mitter Sain
Chandigarh, January 3
Striking an amiable balance between his profession of a serving district attorney and the passion of a prolific Punjabi novelist, the modest Mitter Sain Meet has achieved another milestone establishing his literary prominence. Winner of the prestigious Rashtriya Sahitya Akademi award-2007 in novel writing for his classic literary creation “Sudhar Ghar” (Jails), Mitter Sain has not only glorified the Punjabi literature but also given altogether a new thematic dimension to novel writing.

New corporate strategy need of the hour: Minister
Chandigarh, January 3
A two-day conference organised by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI), on “Management Accountancy for Corporate Competitiveness” was inaugurated here today by Union Minister for state for Finance, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Haryana Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Haryana Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala (centre) at the inauguration of a two-day regional seminar by the ICWAI in Chandigarh on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Chamber upset as cops fail to nab robbers
Mohali, January 3
The local police has come under widespread criticism for its failure to prevent theft cases in the town. This lackadaisical attitude of the police has been highlighted by the Chamber of Industries, Focal Point, Phase IX.

Compensation to Farmers
Bansal accuses admn of discrimination
Chandigarh, January 3
The Minister of State for Finance today said the UT administration had adopted double standards while extending the “awards” to the farmers for dispossession of their land in the name of development. 

Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal honours newly elected panches and sarpanches during a felicitation ceremony held at the Sector 28 Community Centre in Chandigarh on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Grain Market Barricading
Traders up in arms
Chandigarh, January 3
Traders of the vegetable and the grain markets organised a meeting today to protest against the Chandigarh Administration’s move to erect barricades at entry points of the Sector- 26 grain market.

Juvenile Home efforts
Child reunites with family
Chandigarh, January 3
With the efforts of authorities at Juvenile Home in Sector 25, another child has been able to reunite with his family. Twelve-year-old Rahul was found shivering near the PGI on December 30. The child reached Juvenile Home at midnight on the directions of the SDM Central and was provided shelter there.

Rahul with his father and uncle

Sector 25 gets new electric crematorium
Chandigarh, January 3
In order to save the ecology the local municipal corporation has replaced the new electric crematorium at the crematorium in Sector-25 with the old one, which had outlived its utility.

Sangarsh committee protests against GMADA
Mohali, January 3
Members of the Plot Allotment Sangarsh Committee, Sectors 76-80, held a protest demonstration outside the PUDA bhawan here today against the failure of the authorities concerned to hold a draw of lots for plots allotted to them about eight years ago.

1 hurt in accidental gunfire shot
Mohali, January 3
In a bizarre incident, Karan Raj, a resident of Sector 38, Chandigarh, was injured in a gunfire shot at a house in Phase 3 (A) here last night. The victim had reportedly gone to the house of his brother, an arms licence dealer, in connection with the purchase of a firearm.

Industrial shed catches fire
Chandigarh, January 3
A minor fire broke out at one of the industrial sheds in Ram Darbar today evening. The incident took place while some workers were doing refrigerator-related welding works in the shed. Around 5 pm, a pile of thermocol sheets lying near the workers caught fire.

1 charred to death
Panchkula, January 3
A driver, Balbeer Singh (60), was charred to death in a fire which broke out last night at a store in Natwala village in Raipur Rani here.

Man found dead
Chandigarh, January 3
A man in his mid-seventies was found dead at his home around 2 pm at colony No 5, here today.

Auto drivers attend workshops
Chandigarh, January 3
The Chandigarh traffic police today organised three workshops on road safety for auto-rickshaw drivers in front of the PGI, ISBT in Sector-17 and Sector-43. These workshops were organised as a part of the “Road Safety Week-2009.” At least 600 auto-rickshaw drivers took part in the workshops.

EDUCATION

DOEACC to handle MC complaint cell
Chandigarh, January 3
Tired of a dug-up road in your locality? Are streetlights in your area non-functional? Is sanitation a problem in your sector or not getting clean drinking water?

Accounts technician course launched
Chandigarh, January 3
The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) announced today that the institute had launched an accounting technician course from this year.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Sikh museum’s founder needs monetary help
Plans to shift it to Balongi
Kharar, January 3
A few politicians have since long being promising to provide all possible help to a founder of a makeshift museum depicting the Sikh heritage. This museum is situated near Lakhnaur village. Now, its founder plans to shift the museum to the Balongi area in Kharar. Established about four years ago, its founder Parwinder Singh, a Chandigarh-based scooter mechanic, has been running from pillar to post for seeing financial assistance.

Statues potraying Sikh history in a makeshift museum situated near Lakhnaur village in Kharar. A Tribune photograph

Residents resent fresh house tax survey
Bassi Pathana, January 3
Residents of the town have resented fresh house tax survey being conducted by the Municipal Council to increase the existing house tax levied on their properties as per new rules of the government.

B.Sc. nursing students stage a protest in Patiala on Saturday. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Black Marketing
People against renewal of depot’s license
Bassi Pathana, January 3
A large number of residents of Marwa village are up in arms against the orders of the District Food and Civil Supply Controller, Fatehgarh Sahib, for reinstating the license of a ration depot of their village, which was suspended on their complaint after a proper enquiry.

Holiday special trains suspended
Kalka, January 3
The Department of Railways, Ambala Division, Ambala, keeping in view the decreasing number of passengers, has cancelled two holiday special trains and a railcar plying on Kalka-Shimla rail section.

SAD seeks details of SGPC chief's foreign visits
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 3
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has sought details of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president's visits to abroad.

Bus-torch incident
1 sent to 14-day judicial remand
Derabassi, January 3
One person was arrested and sent to a judicial remand for 14 days in yesterday’s incident in which a few agitated villagers burnt the Punjab Roadways AC bus and blocked traffic on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway for several hours following the death incidence of Jasvir Singh in the road accident.

Health centre gets funeral van
Kalka, January 3
The long-awaited demand of the Community Health Centre (CHC) at the town has been fulfilled as the hospital has got a funeral van on Friday.

CM to lay stone of flyover
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 3
A flyover would soon be constructed on a level crossing in Sirhind for connecting the city with the G.T. Road. Thousands of residents would get a respite from continuous traffic snarls on the road.

COURTS

Man gets 7 yrs’ jail for possessing charas
Panchkula, January 3
Manoj Kumar, a resident of Pinjore, has been sentenced to undergo seven years imprisonment on the charges of possessing 700-gram charas. A fine of Rs 70,000 has also been imposed on him. He was booked under Section 18 of the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

CRIME

One held for hitting motorcyclist
Chandigarh, January 3
A motorcyclist, Parkash Joshi of Mani Majra, filed a complaint with the police alleging that an Indica car (no. HR-03-H-8482), driven by Anil Kumar, hit him at Mani Majra yesterday. A case under Sections 279 and 304-A has been registered at the Mani Majra police station. The accused has been arrested and bailed out later on.

Youth’s death: Auto driver held
Chandigarh, January 3
The local police has arrested the auto-rickshaw driver for allegedly dumped an injured youth in Kambala village whose motorcycle collided with his vehicle near Sector 21-34 rotary on Wednesday night. The youth was found dead in the morning.

SPORTS

Jeev's portrait unveiled at Golf Club
Chandigarh, January 3
Golf enthusiasts turned out in large numbers at Chandigarh Golf Club this evening when a life-size portrait of Jeev Milkha Singh was unveiled opposite the reception counter. The huge gathering cheered and clapped their hearts out as Jeev stood next to his portrait with club president DS Bains cutting the ceremonial thread.

Jeev Milkha Singh alongside his life-size portrait, which was unveiled in the Chandigarh Golf Club on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Baseball Tourney
KU rout Jiwaji varsity 9-5
Chandigarh, January 3
After showing an exit door to the debutant Jiwaji University, Gwalior, here yesterday. SG University, Amravati, today could not continue its winning streak and were handed out a narrow defeat by Kurukshetra University (KU), Kurukshetra, 9-5 home runs in a knock out match during the ongoing All-India Inter-University Baseball Championship for Men underway on PU grounds.

A batter hits the ball during a baseball match in the All-India Inter-University Baseball Championship on the PU grounds on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

• Athletics meet on Jan 11