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Entrance for BEd goes
Chandigarh, March 25
From the next session, there will be no entrance test for BEd course and the admission will be held on the basis of merit in colleges affiliated with three universities of Punjab. This decision was taken by the Punjab government as the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed last year to abolish the entrance test for this course and consider the merit as the criterion for admission.

Drugs in City
Role of volunteers in NGOs under scanner
Chandigarh, March 25
The Tribune expose on rampant drug-trafficking in the city has brought into focus the dubious role being played by the so-called “volunteers” of some NGOs connected with the State Aids Control Society (SACS).

2 chemist shops sealed
Chandigarh, March 25
After Chandigarh Tribune exposed the easy availability of Schedule-H drugs in the city, the Administration today sealed two chemist shops, including one at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, which were selling these drugs without prescription.

The medical store in Chandigarh, which was sealed on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Vehicles stranded in a traffic jam on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Suspect nailed but under mild section
Chandigarh, March 25
Though the police today arrested a suspect Prem Pal, who was captured by The Tribune on camera selling schedule H drugs in Ram Darbar on Monday, it seems to be soft-pedalling on the case.

Peddlers off streets for now
Chandigarh, March 25
An air of suspicion hangs around the bylanes of Ram Darbar, a day after Chandigarh Tribune exposed the flourishing racket of drug trade in the area. Day-long checks by the police on Tuesday coupled with the arrest of a suspect Prem Pal has apparently sent the drug traffickers underground, at least for the time being.

Notice to Students
Parents of Gurukul students block NH
Panchkula, March 25
Parents of students of Jainendra Gurukul School, Panchkula, living in the Gurukul colony, blocked the traffic on national highway while protesting against the affidavit asking from the students regarding their residential status by school authorities here today.

COMMUNITY

MC hires vehicles to pick leaves Chandigarh, March 25 Deflecting from the practice of burning dry leaves, the MC, this season, has hired six private vehicles to ensure that the leaves are not burnt and are taken care of. Every year, around this time, the city is literally in the grip of dry leaves scattered all over. Dry Leaves scattered on one of the roads in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Recession, bickering take toll on residential project Chandigarh, March 25 Recession and the tug-of-war between real-estate giant Parsvnath Developers and the city administration seem to have taken toll on the ultra-luxury residential complex, Prideasia, in the IT Park here. Idle machineries at Parsvnath's Prideasia project in IT Park, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

GMADA spends little on basic amenities
Rs 600 crore spent on land for roads
Mohali, March 25
If one goes by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA)’s spending during the current fiscal year, it seems that a major part of its funds has been spent on acquiring land for new roads and to strengthen some of the existing roads in the city.

12 officers deputed to help voters
Chandigarh, March 25
In order to facilitate residents of Chandigarh to be enrolled as electors or to change their address, the Administration has divided the Chandigarh constituency among 12 officers designating them as Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO).

1 TIMER
Past record matters
A candidate’s past record is on what I will base my decision of choosing him or her over others. Caste or religious affiliations should not be the deciding factors while voting in the elections. This has sadly been the case in our country where political parties field candidates purely on their caste or creed associations so that they can exploit the religious or casteist sentiments to get the maximum votes.

39 polling stations sensitive
Mohali, March 25
The six very sensitive polling stations of the SAS Nagar assembly constituency (053), in which 17 booths will be set up, are located in Mohali town itself, even as 39 polling stations have been declared sensitive in connection with the Lok Sabha elections.

AWWA not substantially funded by Army: CIC
Chandigarh, March 25
Laying the controversy over the source of funds for the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) to rest, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has held that AWWA is not “substantially” funded by the Army. Consequently, it does not come under the purview of the Right to Information Act.

Disabled CRPF trooper struggles for pension
Chandigarh, March 25
A disabled Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan, who invalided out of service after being injured in anti-terrorist operations, is struggling for the past seven years to get his monetary dues. Initially, he was retained in service and hence the question of pension did not arise.

e wild wild web
Indian elections 2009 and Web 2.0
The use of the cyberspace for poll campaign by political parties of various hues and colours figure prominently in election strategies for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.. The BJP is apparently having an edge over its national rival the Congress Party in using cyberspace.

Employees burn effigies of govt, pay panel
Mohali, March 25
Members of the Punjab and UT Employees Joint Action Committee burnt the effigies of the Punjab government and pay commission near PUDA Bhawan here today in protest against the failure of the authorities concerned to implement the pay commission recommendations.

Kathak performance enthrals audience
Chandigarh, March 25
Glamour, grace and grandeur marked scintillating Kathak classical dance recital by Dr Swapnil Karmahe organised by regional chapter of the ICCR in collaboration with Pracheen Kala Kendra at their auditorium here today.

Road safety campaign ends
Chandigarh, March 25
ArriveSafe, a city-based NGO, today concluded its special road safety campaign 2009 conducted on behalf of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Rupinder Singh, general secretary of the NGO, said persons were urged to adopt safe and responsible behaviour on the roads.

Govt under transfer fire Mohali, March 25 Already under attack for allegedly allowing officials to remain in their home districts after the enforcement of the model code, transfer and then re-posting of a tehsildar by the Punjab government has raised many eyebrows. Weather turns pleasant                         Chandigarh, March 25 Light showers, accompanied by cool breeze, brought the soaring temperature down and lead to a chilly evening today. The weather that had been getting warmer since last few days turned pleasant last evening with mild showers, which continued in phases today. Girls enjoy after the drizzle in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Bees sting 10 in Sector 4
Chandigarh, March 25
More than 10 persons in Sector 4 suffered the wrath of honeybees, which stung them today when they were on their way to home. “The swarm of bees besieged visitors at leisure valley and stung them. More than 10 people received injuries on various parts of their bodies,” said one of the injured.

EDUCATION

PU selected as node
Networking of national, international institutes
Chandigarh, March 25
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has selected Panjab University as one of the nodes for the envisaged networking of universities, education institutions, research organisations and other organisations of importance at the national and international level.

Trick to hack ICSE papers on the Net
Chandigarh, March 25
Every year, the board exams bring with it the rumours of papers leak and this time social networking sites have emerged as the first choice of rumour mongers. This online mania that came to light after the cancellation of ICSE geography paper yesterday after it being leaked in Bangalore perturbed the authorities and students alike.

Lecture on significance of police admn
Chandigarh, March 25
A special lecture on role and significance of the police administration organised by the police administration held at Panjab University today. Jagbir Singh, DSP, Operations and Principal Training Centre, Chandigarh, delivered a lecture to postgraduate students on the occasion.

Refresher course ends
Chandigarh, March 25
An UGC-sponsored refresher course in library and information science organised jointly by the academic staff college and the department of library and information science concluded here today.

Law institute wins moot court
Mohali, March 25
The team of Army Institute of Law, Mohali, has won the third National moot court competition held by Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, from March 5 to 8.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Undertrial dies in jail
Ropar, March 25
An undertrial died at the district jail here on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Satpal Singh, a resident of Boothgarh village. A case of murder was registered against Satpal at Morinda police station on May 6, 2008. He was the main accused in the murder case and was remanded to judicial custody by the court.

632 liquor boxes seized, 2 held
Rajpura, March 25
Rajpura CIA staff yesterday claimed to have seized the biggest ever haul of illegal liquor in the district. The police recovered 632 liquor boxes of illicit liquor from a trailer truck and arrested two persons in this connection.

Demonstration by SBoP officers
Patiala, March 25
On a call given by the Associate Banks Officers Association, about 500 officers of the associate banks demonstrated in front of the State Bank of Patiala head office at The Mall here yesterday.

Seminar on teaching of English
Ambala, March 25
A one-day national seminar on effective teaching of English in colleges, sponsored by the directorate of higher education, Haryana, was held at SD College, Ambala Cantt, today.

Lecture on interaction analysis
Ambala, March 25
An extension lecture was organised in PKR Jain College of Education, Ambala City. The lecture was given by principal VK Gupta, University College of Education, Kurukshetra.

Arhtiyas differ on president’s post
Bassi Pathana, March 25
The local Arhtiya Association has divided into two groups due to lack of consensus for the post of presidentship during the elections of the association held recently.

PSEB staff hold gate rally
Bassi Pathana, March 25
Hundreds of employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) belonging to the Employees’ Federation and Technical Service Union today hold a gate rally at the local sub-division office under the leadership of Ranjit Singh.

Job fest at GGSCMT
Kharar, March 25
Mega job fest was held at Guru Gobind Singh College of Modern Technology (GGSCMT) wherein around 700 students from MBA, MCA, CSE, ECE, ME, IT and communication streams participated.

Woman’s Death
Husband, father-in-law booked
Rajpura, March 25
The Rajpura police today booked a man, along with his father, for killing his wife around five months ago. The incident took place in October, 2008. The victim, Lakhwinder Kaur of village Puvala, had got married around 11 months ago to Hakam Singh of Mirjapur village.

Panchayat booked for damage to foundation stone
Kharar, March 25
The local police yesterday booked panchayat of Teor Khana village for causing damage to foundation stone of a proposed 66 kv power sub-station. Police officials have acted on the complaint of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) SDO, Kharar.

Body found from well
Ambala, March 25
The body of a youth was recovered from a well near Kamal Vihar at Ambala City this morning. The deceased had not been identified so far. The well is located in a residential house, which is lying vacant for the past several months.

2 motorists, pedestrian killed in accidents
Ropar, March 25
Two motorists and one pedestrian were killed in different accidents here. The first accident took place on Tuesday night near Lohari village. Two scooter-borne youths Jasbir Singh and Gurcharan Singh, both residents of Lohari village, were hit by a private bus.

Woman killed in accident
Derabassi, March 25
Vidya Devi, a 65-year-old woman, was killed in an accident on the Dera Bassi-Ambala highway here this morning. According to police sources, Vidya Devi, a resident of Bhankapur, was crossing the road when a truck hit her, injuring her seriously.

13 oxen freed from smugglers
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 25
The Fatehgarh Sahib police today freed 13 oxen, allegedly smuggled by some unidentified residents of Uttar Pradesh from Malerkotla to UP. The four accused, leaving the truck, fled from the spot after the police and an NGO chased them.

COURTS

Molestation case: HC stays Major General’s dismissal
Chandigarh, March 25
A Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court, comprising Chief Justice Deepak Verma and Justice RS Rathore, today stayed the order of a general court martial (GCM) dismissing a Major General from service for allegedly molesting a woman captain under his command at Leh.

Mega Projects
Resident questions admn’s decision
Chandigarh, March 25
A local resident has challenged the UT Administration’s decision not to release the details of land deals for “controversial” mega projects initiated during the last few years.

Consumer Forum
Otis Elevator penalised Rs 7 lakh
Chandigarh, March 25
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed OTIS Elevator Company in Sector 37 to pay Rs 7 lakh as compensation to the complainant for deficiency in service.

CRIME

MBA student held with stolen van
Chandigarh, March 25
The police today arrested a Himachal Pradesh-based MBA student with a stolen Maruti van from Sector 45 here this afternoon. According to sub-inspector Rajdeep Singh, accused Jininder Behal of Mandi district was arrested on secret information.

Couple booked for kidnapping, rape
Chandigarh, March 25
A Sector-34 resident accused a couple of kidnapping and subsequently raping her in February this year. The 18-year-old-victim victim was found from Uttar Pradesh a couple of days ago.

Man held for kidnapping minor
Mohali, March 25
The Mohali police has arrested a resident of Shahimajra village on charges of kidnapping a minor girl and compelling her to marry him. According to the police, Deepak Bahadur and the girl were found in Delhi.

Man found dead in Burail
Chandigarh, March 25
Ram Kishore, a resident of Burail, was found dead in the locality here this afternoon. According to the police, Deepak Verma, deceased's brother, said he was told that his brother was lying along a road in Burail.

Second Marriage
Accused surrenders before CIA
Panchkula, March 25
Pradeep Sharma, excise and taxation inspector with Haryana government, an accused of solemnising second marriage while keeping both the wives in dark about his marital status, has surrendered before the CIA staff here today.

Gold worth lakhs stolen from Sec 15 house
Panchkula, March 25
Burglars took away valuables worth lakhs breaking into a locked house in Sector 15 here yesterday night. The house is owned by Prem Lata, a widow, who was away to meet her daughter and son-in-law at Kalka.

SPORTS

Handball: DAV-8 centre retain title Chandigarh, March 25 Coaching centre of DAV School, Sector 8, retained the senior state handball title by defeating coaching centre, Sector 42 (CC-42), in a thrilling encounter by 29-26 during the senior and sub-junior handball championship held at GMSSS, Sector 19. Boys of Guru Nanak Khalsa School, Sector 30, after wining the title during the Sub-Junior Handball Championship on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Rabiya leads in golf
Chandigarh, March 25
Seventeen-year-old Rabiya Gill was way ahead of the pack as she fired a seven over par 79 to lead by six strokes on the opening day of the Chandigarh Ladies Golf Championship that got underway on the par 72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club here today.

Malik, Meena win mixed doubles TT title Chandigarh, March 25 RK Malik and Meena Sharma of Chandigarh claimed first position in mixed doubles table tennis championship at the Sector 23 Table Tennis Hall on the penultimate day of the 5th Inter-NITTTR Sports Meet, here today. The players of Bhopal during the mixed doubles table tennis championship at Sector 23 in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Tribune photo: S Chandan