TOP STORIES

Gurgaon traffic in fast lane now
28-km stretch of National Highway No. 8 to be converted into expressway
New Delhi, February 21
A 28-km stretch of the National Highway no 8 linking New Delhi and Mumbai will be converted into an eight-lane access-controlled expressway in order to reduce travel time between Delhi and Gurgaon by 30 minutes.

The grand old man of Delhi politics is dead

New Delhi, February 21 Senior Congress leader Jag Parvesh Chandra died following a massive heart attack on Thursday morning.  Delhi Chief Minister paying homage to Jag Parvesh Chandra.

A Trust that refuses to improve 
Gurgaon, February 21
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala keeps making lofty proclamations about his resolve to weed out corruption from the state, but the Improvement Trust seems to have scant regard for his pronouncements, turning a Nelson’s eye to the encroachments on public land.

Jindal Steel/Royal Kashmir in white and Army in red attack the ball during the Chivas Regal Polo Championship at Jaipur Polo Grounds in New Delhi on Thursday. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

THE ACHIEVERS
A good Samaritan who has no messiah
New Delhi, February 21
This is a story of penury, principles and an apathetic State. Inder Pal Mishra, a 29-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, is a classic example of how lopsided government policies can drive people to the verge of bankruptcy, and yet, against all odds, some display a strength of character and do not get lured by the lust for money.

Cash-starved MCF unable to auction sites
Faridabad, February 21
An attempt by the cash-starved Municipal Corporation Faridabad to sell about 211 commercial sites proved a damp squib as there were few takers for the auction. The Authorities could sell only eight sites. 

Drive against autos without proper meters from today
New Delhi, February 21
The Delhi Transport Department will launch a drive against all commercial vehicles, including autorickshaws and taxis, from tomorrow and would impound those vehicles, which ply without valid fitness certificates and electronic meters.

Two shot dead at wedding party
Sonepat, February 21
Two persons were shot dead in a marriage party at Palra village about 15 km from here last night. According to preliminary reports, the victims have been identified as Narain and Suraj Mal. The duo belonged to Bichao Kalan village in Delhi.

• Sarpanch loses job for siring too many kids

COMMUNITY

Studio Image 2002, the annual two-day fashion-show, was organised by the Department of Textiles and Clothing of Lady Irwin College to promote the coastal region look in the most contemporary manner. Choreographed by Kaushik Ghosh and modelled by students from Lady Irwin College and other colleges of Delhi University, the show was inaugurated by the former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Their childhood lies in tatters
New Delhi, February 21
At a time when most of the teenagers go to schools, travel in luxurious vehicles, sleep on the cozy beds, there is also a group of the same age that peeps into garbage bins in the hope of finding something to eat. There are a number of homeless children, who live at the New Delhi Railway Station.

MCD poll: BJP corporators recap achievements 
New Delhi, February 21
After the flurry of inaugurations of parks and community centres, corporators of the Bharatiya Janata Party have stepped on to the next stage of their campaign for the MCD polls that were announced by the Centre recently. They have started tom-tomming about their five years’ performance before the public with an eye on the crucial elections.

All-woman police station takes up cudgels for women
Sonepat, February 21
The contribution of an all-woman police station to the women’s causes has been widely acknowledged in the city. Established in July 1995, the police station has rendered a noteworthy service to the womenfolk, particularly in checking crimes against women in the district.

Power reforms must to tide over shortage: workshop 
Faridabad, February 21
The shortage in power availability and reforms in this sector were directly related to each other and till the reforms were properly implemented, it was not possible to achieve the target of uninterrupted round-the-clock supply to the consumers.

NCR BRIEFS
Youth booked for forging PNB draft
Rohtak, February 21
The police today registered a case against a youth who had allegedly tried to encash a forged bank draft at the Jhajjar road branch of Punjab National Bank here.

Rs 52,000 stolen ‘Lahan’ seized Jawan cremated Sainik bhavan Booked for power theft

Goats taken away Four vehicles stolen Prizes distributed Shop looted Clock tower demolished

• Global tenders for Delhi roads likely
• Delhi bags prize at PNB cultural meet

CRIME

Party ‘animal’ held for links with drug peddlers
New Delhi, February 21.
The Delhi Police Special Cell has apprehended a Delhi-based businessman and party-hopper, Rajesh Bhalla, for his alleged links with drug peddlers. During interrogation, the police found that Bhalla, who runs a business in undergarments, had issued a cheque of Rs 55,000 in favour of a narcotics dealer, Naqibullah alias Ali.

• Spurious henna: Owner of factory remanded

BUSINESS

Street-smart BSNL trying to cash in on Touchtel’s misery in Gurgaon 
Gurgaon, February 21
Encouraged by the poor response to the services being provided by private telephone operator Touchtel, the Gurgaon telecom circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has announced various steps to wean away more subscribers by offering an expanded network and a number of services.

EDUCATION

• Insurance for MCD’s primary  students from April 1

CULTURE

Sikkim crafts steal the show at Surajkund Mela

Faridabad, February 21 “It was Sikkim all the way,” commented an art lover who visited the fortnight-long National Art and Craft Mela which concluded at the Surajkund tourist resort here recently. Being the theme state, the handicrafts of this tiny Himalayan state attracted quite a large number of visitors. Starting with the main gate of the village, art and craft pieces from Sikkim, right from carpet-weaving to wood-carving, thanka (seroll) painting, cane and bamboo craft, multicrafts, handloom-weaving and mask-carving provided a rich diet to the art-hungry people. A Lord Buddha statue that was displayed at the National Art and Craft Mela at Surajkund

ART SCAPE
The legendary writing art dying a slow death
Calligraphy. Aware of this word? Or heard it somewhere? It is an art, now a rare art almost on the brink of extinction. It is an art of writing a decorative language that begins from right to left for instance, Urdu Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Kashmiri and Sindhi. The art, ‘kitabat’ as it is commonly known, owes its origin to a period before the Mughal reign in India.

MUSIC ZONE
A treat for classical music lovers

This week will see a good musical treat from February 22 to March 3. Great maestros like Ustad Fahiuddin Dagar, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt and Sitara Devi, the famed Kathak exponent, who recently hit headlines by rejecting Padma Shree, will perform at IIT – Virasat Fest organised by Spic Macay, a society dedicated to promoting classical music and culture amongst the youth, at IIT itself. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will perform at IIT-Virasat Fest, organised by Spic Macay.

Glad tidings for documentary films
The world of documentary had something to rejoice last week. It saw the partnership between Prasar Bharti Corporation and Public Service Broadcasting Trust, the national publicly funded broadcaster. Through this tie-up, 52 public service documentary films would be commissioned a year from the independent film-makers.

HEALTH

Faridabad gets its first  advanced heart institute
New Delhi, February 21
For the Faridabad residents, who had till now been deprived of the basic infrastructure required in treating heart ailments, the opening of an advanced heart institute is sure to bring relief.

SPORTS

Delhi Police, Hindustan earn full points 
New Delhi, February 21
Delhi Police beat Shahdara 2-1 in Group A while Hindustan downed N D Heroes 2-0 in the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Senior Division Super League Football Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Thursday. After a barren first half, Delhi Police took the lead through Mahesh Bist in the 57th minute when he shot the ball home from close (1-0).

Jai Singh Bisht slams 120 for Canara Bank
New Delhi, February 21
Jai Singh Bisht scored a brilliant 120 runs to power Canara Bank to a mammoth 271 runs victory against Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the Banks’ Sports Board-organised Inter-Bank (Northern Region) Cricket Tournament at the Karnail Singh Stadium in the Capital on Thursday.

Jindal Steel score exciting victory
New Delhi, February 21
Jindal Steel/Royal Kashmir scored a nail-biting 12-10 victory against Army (Red) in a Pool A match of the Northern India Open Polo Championship at the Jaipur Polo ground in the Capital on Thursday.

SPORTS CORNER
Tarun Gupta hits 152 for Roshanara Club
New Delhi, February 21
A brilliant knock of 152 off 118 balls by Tarun Gupta went in vain as Roshanara Club beat Sardar Patel Vidyalaya by three wickets in a limited-over cricket match at the Roshanara Club ground.

• Kashyap beat Max New York in Teri Cricket

ITF Women's Open Tennis at DLTA

CRPF annex kabaddi title