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Projects caught in poll code
Chandigarh, April 20
Model Code of Conduct is playing a spoilsport as even regular works have come to a standstill in various UT departments. With the Election Commission (EC) yet to decide or allow even the tasks like changing carpets and curtains in CITCO hotels, the election time proves to be an extended holiday for the ‘babu’ brigade.

Routine works take backseat
Mohali, April 20
Routine work of the government offices here has virtually come to a standstill. Apparently misinterpreting the election code of conduct, the ‘babus’ in the offices are refusing to entertain applications

The Model Code of Conduct comes in the way of clearing stagnant sullage in N choe in Sector 67, Mohali. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Visitors enjoy a bird’s eye-view of the City Beautiful from atop a model of the Eiffel tower opposite the museum in Leisure Valley, Sector 10, on Monday. Climbing the tower is banned. Another city resident has parked his car under the shade of the tower to escape the heat. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Independent Ajay richest so far
Ram Pal Hans worth Rs 10,000 is the poorest
Chandigarh, April 20  
With houses in Cyprus, London and New Delhi, an apartment in Moscow, foreign currencies worth almost Rs 35 lakh in various banks in foreign countries, a seafront house belonging to his spouse in Denmark and agriculture land in outskirts of Delhi, independent candidate Ajay Goyal is the richest candidate to have filed nominations so far for the Lok Sabha polls in the City Beautiful.

Mehra’s ACR-writing Powers
Rodrigues still in defiant mood
Chandigarh, April 20
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator S.F. Rodrigues continues to be defiant on the issue of restoration of the annual confidential report (ACR) writing powers of his adviser Pradip Mehra, giving a fresh leash of life to the tug-of-war between the UT's two top functionaries.

Rs 5.50 lakh stolen from car
Mohali, April 20
In a daylight incident of theft, Rs 5.50 lakh was stolen after breaking window panes of a Hyundai Verna car when the owner of the car had gone to meet his relative at the first floor of a house in Phase VI here this evening.

COMMUNITY

Admn wakes up to anomalies
Chandigarh, April 20
After being in a denial mode for almost a month, Home Secretary Ram Niwas has finally taken a note of the anomalies highlighted by The Tribune in the functioning of the Snehalaya in Maloya and Aashreya in Sector 47.

CTU, HR staff lock horns
Chandigarh, April 20
While the administration on one side endeavours to ease the transportation scenario by countersigning the inter-state reciprocal agreements with the neighbouring states, the conflict between the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking and the State Transport Undertaking plays a spoilsport.

Employees of the CTU protests in front of Haryana roadways bus at Sector 22 bus stop on Monday. A Tribune photograph

Allottees move forum against CHB
Chandigarh, April 20
Taking a lesson from the one-room allottees of Sector 49 Self-financing Chandigarh Housing Board Scheme, 2005 and 2006, who got respite after judicial intervention, the two-room allottees too have followed the suit.

The bend pipe of the upper floor toilet visible on the lower floor ceiling. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Chandigarh among top five in TB eradication
Chandigarh, April 20 Chandigarh has been adjudged among the top five performing states and union territories in the country by TB India-2008 RNTCP (Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme) status report, brought out by the Union Health Ministry. The treatment success rate of tuberculosis for the year in Chandigarh was 86 per cent. The City Beautiful was able to achieve it for the seventh consecutive year. In controlling TB, Chandigarh is now at par with Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh. 

GH-16 maternity ward to have 30 more beds
Chandigarh, April 20
Home Secretary Ram Niwas paid a surprise visit to Government Multi Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, and inspected various OPDs and wards. He directed to provide about 30 additional beds at the maternity ward.

Tinderbox-5
Markets fall in high-risk zone
Chandigarh, April 20
The congested, non-ventilated markets of Sector 15, 22 and 19 can prove to be just another death trap in case of a fire-outbreak. These three popular markets of the city qualify as high-risk zones owing to lack of ventilation, illegal encroachments suffocating the pathway, presence of electricity meters next to tandoors at eateries and even lack of parking for fire engines in case of fire.

Wires hanging from the roof with open electricity meter with naked wires at the Sadar Bazar market, Sector 19, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

6 hectares of Morni forest goes up in flames
Panchkula, April 20
The claims of the district authorities to chalk out a long-term strategy to check fires in the forest areas have fallen flat with the onset of summer as fire incidents were reported from different parts of the district today.

Round-up
Soni plays development card
Chandigarh, April 20
Claiming that a sum of Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned by her ministry for promoting tourism and beautification of Sukhna Lake due to efforts of sitting MP and Congress candidate Pawan Bansal, Union Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Ambika Soni has sought another mandate for him to complete the unfinished development works.

Congress leader Ambika Soni with Pawan Kumar Bansal during a ‘padyatra’ in Chandigarh on Monday; and (right) Muslim voters welcome BJP candidate Satya Pal Jain. Tribune photos: Pradeep Tewari

5 polling stations to go in new buildings
Chandigarh, April 20
The Chief Election Commission (CEC), New Delhi, has approved the proposal of the Chandigarh Election Commission for changing the location of five sensitive polling stations in the city. The commission had requested the CEO that as these booths were in the congested areas and adequate security could not be provided there, so these be shifted to some other buildings in the area.

A policeman tries to put out the blaze that engulfed bushes on the premises of Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Fissures to fore in SAD
Chandigarh, April 20
In a development that may have repercussions on the May 13 elections in Chandigarh, differences have surfaced in the local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the issue of support to BJP candidate Satya Pal Jain.

Chief Secy assures recruitment of visually impaired
Chandigarh, April 20
The National Federation of Blinds today stated that the Punjab’s Chief Secretary had agreed to write to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to exempt recruitment of visually impaired from the election code of conduct.

Pay panel suggests merger
Secretariat, personal staff cadres
Chandigarh, April 20
The Punjab Fifth Pay Commission has suggested the merger of the secretariat and personal staff cadres in the Punjab Civil Secretariat here.

A view of the dust storm which hit the Phase VI of Mohali. Photo: Vicky Gharu

Broadband: BSNL offers 20 pc discount
Chandigarh, April 20
In order to make its broadband services more popular, the BSNL has announced a discount of 20 per cent on fixed monthly charges (FMC) for corporate customers and educational institutions.

Chandrakant Valvi is election observer
Panchkula, April 20
The Election Commission has appointed Chandrakant Valvi as election observer for the Ambala (SC) parliamentary constituency to observe the election work in Kalka, Panchkula and Naraingarh assembly segments.

Traffic diversion
Chandigarh, April 20
Due to the ongoing re-carpeting and strengthening work of roads, the vehicular traffic on roads from Junction 30 to 45 - road between Sector 38 and 38 West, link road from Sector 39 to Maloya village - Chandigarh-Kalka road from the railway road junction to UT boundary, road of junction 43 -Transport Chowk, Purv Marg from Junction 43 to 38 - carriageway towards Industrial Area Phase I, V-3 road between Sector 14-15 and Sector 36-37 will be closed for traffic or diverted on April 21.—TNS

Additional charge
Chandigarh, April 20
The Chandigarh administration today said the Additional Commissioner, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC), P.K. Sharma, will hold the additional charge of MC Commissioner Roshan Sankaria during the latter’s election duty at Bankura in West Bengal.—TNS

EDUCATION

PU professor to attend Seoul conference
Chandigarh, April 20
Dr Vijay Rattan, professor of Public Administration, Panjab University (PU), has been invited by the United Nations (UN) to participate in the World Civic Forum to be held in Seoul , South Korea, from May 5-8.

Students all set for elections
Chandigarh, April 20
The youth brigade of the city seems to be fully in action before elections. Students of Panjab University with its “vote for change” campaign and those of Chitkara School of Mass Communication with their “finger campaign” have resolved to make a difference.

From Schools
Lecture on adolescent issues
Chandigarh, April 20
A lecture on adolescenct issues of girls of classes VII and VIII has been organised at Mount Carmel School, Sector 47 B, here today.

Heavy rush of students
3 schools to run in double shifts
Chandigarh, April 20
The Chandigarh education department today announced to run three schools in double shifts, apparently, to meet the growing rush of students. The two Government Model Senior Secondary Schools in Sectors 46 and 39, and another Government High School in Sector 43 have been shortlisted for the purpose.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

SAD blames admn for college strike
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 20
The Shiromani Akali Dal today condemned the college authorities of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College for not listening to professors, students and a large number of other supporting organisations protesting against the college authorities.

Summer blues for zoo animals
Chhat (Banur), April 20
The depleting water table and lack of water bodies in Chhatbir Zoo has become a cause for concern for zoo officials, who plan to take extra precautions during the hot climatic conditions in the coming days.

No road leads to development here
Chandiala Soodan (Mohali), April 20
People are tired of hearing that roads are passport to development. Ask the residents and they will tell that development has eluded despite their village being close to the Chandigarh-Fatehgarh Sahib highway.

Trade Union Cong election on May 3
Kalka, April 20
Election of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Himachal Pradesh branch, would be held on May 3 at Parwanoo. Hardeep Singh Bawa, president of the INTUC, in a press conference at Parwanoo today revealed that the election would be held on May 3.

Inflation hits NH-21 four-laning
Budget revised from Rs 13 cr to Rs 17 cr
Kharar, April 20
Inflation has hit the four-laning project of the killer stretch of NH-21 from Desu Majra to Khanpur. For the last four months, the proposal of revised estimate of the project is waiting for approval from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Coconut sawdust worth lakhs gutted
Lalru, April 20
Coconut sawdust worth lakhs was gutted in a fire that broke out in the warehouse of Agro Dutch Industries Limited on the ITI road in Tofapur village near Lalru this afternoon. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and started the fire-fighting operation, which lasted five hours.

COURTS

Insurance surveyor fights legal battle for over a decade
Chandigarh, April 20
NK Sethi has been fighting a legal battle since 1996. Even though the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed an insurance company and other respondents to verify and settle survey bills submitted by him, Sethi claims the order has not been complied with.

CRIME

PU Fake Certificate Case
FIR lodged after month
Chandigarh, April 20
Finally almost after a month, Panjab University has lodged an FIR in the case of production of a fake certificate by a Ludhiana-based girl. The matter came to light last month when the PU authorities detected discrepancy in the detailed marks certificate attached along with examination form submitted by the girl, who was doing her Bachelors in Arts from the PU through distance learning.

Ugandan held for overstay
Chandigarh, April 20
The local police today arrested a Ugandan national on the charges of overstaying in India. According to the SHO, Sector 3 police station, Har Sahai Sharma said the Foreigner Reservation Office of the Chandigarh Police had noticed the overstay during a routine inspection and forwarded the information to them.

Member of robbers’ gang held
Panchkula, April 20
The local police has claimed to arrest one of the members of a gang involved in looting people on a knifepoint here today. While the accused has been identified as Anil (24), belonging to Kaithal, his three accomplices were still at large.

Unidentified youths booked for assault
Chandigarh, April 20
A group of unidentified youths assaulted Inspector Harvinder Singh in the estate office of Sector 7 here.

One booked for theft
Mohali, April 20
The local police today registered a case of theft against a dumb man on the complaint of Jeet Kaur, a resident of Chhoti Karoan, in Nayagaon.

SPORTS

Basketball
St Xavier’s beat JNV
Chandigarh, April 20
In a tough encounter, St Xavier’s-44 edged past JNV-25 by 17-16 in the girls’ section on the first day of the Youth State Basketball Championship being held at New Public School, Sector 18. Mankarvar top scored with six points for the winning team while Rozi (four points) and Ezoma (five points) also contributed in the win.

Girls vie for the ball during a basketball match in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

City drub Ropar Cricket Association
Chandigarh, April 20
The Ropar Cricket Association (RCA) was no match for the mighty Chandigarh Cricket Academy (CCA) as the latter drubbed them by 10 wickets in a low scoring league match of the CCA under-13 Cricket Cup played at Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, here today.

Brar triumphs on Captain's Day
Chandigarh, April 20
KS Brar emerged the winner carding a four over par 76 gross card in a keenly contested match in which he and Alamgir S.Grewal tied for the first slot. But because of a better back nine Brar was declared the winner in the Captain's Day contest on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club here yesterday.

Cricket trials on May 2
Panchkula, April 20
The trials for the Hansraj Public School Cricket Academy will be conducted on May 2 at 3 pm on the school ground.

CLTA picks trainees from rural Punjab
Chandigarh, April 20
The six new trainees in the age group of 9-11 have been selected from villages in Punjab by the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) for specialised training in tennis in the Chandigarh Academy for Rural Tennis (CHART).They are tomorrow’s Rafael Nadal and are learning the initial lessons not just of lawn tennis but also of urban environment. 

Trainees of the CLTA in the Chandigarh Academy for Rural Tennis. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan