TOP STORIES

Women poach on another
male turf–drug peddling
New Delhi, June 22
With more and more women demanding equal status with men in every sector, it was a matter of time before they would poach on another exclusive male preserve — the business of drug peddling. In fact, the number of women arrested in this business has more than doubled, and this trend is causing considerable concern among the law enforcers..

BJP snatching credit for Congress
works: Sheila
New Delhi, June 22
The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee today charged the Delhi Pradesh BJP with “misleading the people by taking false credit of works it never did.”

Industry Minister Deep Chand Bandhu, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and DPCC President Chaudhary Prem Singh at a block level convention in the Capital on Sunday. — Photo by Kamal Singh

FIITJEE, an institute for IIT–JEE coaching, at a press conference in the Capital recently claimed that 1,694 students who had enrolled at the institute for various programmes had qualified the IIT-JEE main examination. The institute runs programmes for students wishing to make to premier engineering colleges in the country. The programmes are devised to help students imbibe fundamental concepts and sharpen their analytical skills. It trains them to solve tricky questions.

Man throws acid on seven family members
New Delhi, June 22
Ram Singh (60), a habitual drinker, today threw acid on seven members of his family in the Seelampur area of North-East Delhi area following a quarrel.

• 81 held during drive
• Murder solved
• Dies in police custody

Bansi Lal sounds the
election bugle
Sohna (Gurgaon), June 22
The former Chief Minister and HVP supremo, Mr Bansi Lal, today took on Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, saying that the latter was neglecting areas of South Haryana, especially Ahirwal and Mewat, and promised a fair deal and equitable distribution of water when his party came to power.

Take a detour Mr CM, to see the real Sonepat
Sonepat, June 22
The visit of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to this town tomorrow has come as a boon to the inhabitants. The city has been given a facelift. The roads have been repaired, roundabouts given a fresh coat of paint, pavements cleaned of weeds and grass, storm water ducts scavenged and opened and welcome arches bedecked with flowers erected all over the city.

Mayawati’s visit: The first head rolls
Ghaziabad, June 22
An executive engineer of the UP Power Corporation has been suspended even before Chief Minister Mayawati’s inspection-cum-evaluation visit of Ambedkar villages in Ghaziabad, G B Nagar, Bulandshahar, Aligarh and Hathras districts on June 24.

POLITICS

• Youth Cong holds training camp

FOLLOW-UP
VK murder: Will Crime Branch succeed where local police failed?
New Delhi, June 22
While the local police have failed to crack the sensational double murder in the posh Vasant Kunj area on June 15 where two elderly women were brutally stabbed by some unidentified miscreants, the Crime Branch, which is now handling the case, is sure of tracking down the actual killers.

Ring bundhs: Centre gives nod for Rs 1.74-cr aid
Sonepat, June 22
The central government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 1.74 crore for the construction and repair of ring bundhs around 40 villages in Sonepat district, particularly in Gohana subdivision, during the current financial year.

• Action sought against sarpanch

Promise of more power for Kharkhauda residents
Sonepat, June 22
Officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam told mediapersons at Kharkhauda town, 19 km from here, yesterday the upcoming power substation at Harsana Kalan village would cost Rs 4.44 crore. It is being built on a seven-acre piece of land acquired by the nigam near Drain No 8.

NCR BRIEFS
Man sets himself afire
Bhiwani, June 22
A man set himself on fire at Kaliyana village under the Charkhi Dadri subdivision yesterday. When his wife Bimla Devi (32) tried to save her husband Rajender (35), he hugged her tightly, resulting in burns on her body too. The incident reportedly took place late night.

• Dowry: woman commits suicide
• Naib Tehsildar suspended
• Cyclist killed

DELHI DIGEST
Sherbet Fest concludes
New Delhi, June 22
The three-day Sherbet Festival organised by Delhi Tourism concluded today at the Garden of Five Senses where visitors enjoyed a blend of traditional ethnic drinks and modern drinks in various flavours and forms.

• Heart and lung check-up camp

SPECIAL FOCUS ON SONEPAT
Animals cross state borders without sales tax being paid
Sonepat, June 22
Following the negligent attitude of the state government, the Animal Husbandry Department in Sonepat district has been suffering an annual loss of around Rs 30 lakh towards sales tax on the transportation of animals from Haryana to other neighbouring states for the past six to seven years, mainly after the abolition of octroi barriers.

CRIME

• Strangled woman found dumped on road

BUSINESS

EDUCATION

Ban on recruitment seen as ruse for scrapping lecturers’ posts
Sonepat, June 22
Teachers of private colleges are cut up over the state government ban on new recruitment against vacant posts. It is feared that the ban is a ruse for abolishing the posts.

School board takes action against 1,976 students
Bhiwani, June 22
The Haryana School Education Board has taken action against 1,976 those students who were found using unfair means during the annual middle examination this year. While talking to this correspondent here today, the secretary of the board, Mr Rakesh Gupta, said the six committees constituted to deal with such cases after giving personal hearing had disposed of 700 such cases daily.

SCHOOL BUZZ
This speed king will go places with his typewriter
NOT many fathers would want to name their sons Ravana. However, for 13-year-old Kautilya’s father the choice of the name had more to do with the mental calibre of the demon king than his behaviour. “I wanted to name him Ravana because he was a scholar, a learned Brahmin.

• Online virtual school portal inaugurated

• Multimedia technology for the underprivileged

Children performing at Mother’s Pride Talent 2003 which was held at Siri Fort Auditorium in the Capital.

PRINCIPAL SPEAK
Take a cue from God, he is the most wonderful listener
A victim of an air-accident, Simon Williams, struggled through the jungle to the closest human habitation. There were no other survivors, at least none that he had seen. The trauma of the accident and the ordeal in the jungle had left him exhausted. He was bewildered and in a state of emotional turmoil.

Kids at their best
Mother’s Pride Talent 2003 was an event that showcased the enormous mettle of little ones. Dances, songs, skits and catwalk, the stage in the Siri Fort Auditorium witnessed dollops of energy and talent at its best.

SPORTS

RBI annex A Division soccer title
New Delhi, June 22
Reserve Bank of India won the A Division title when they edged out Delhi Administration 5-2 via tie-breaker in the final of the Delhi Soccer Association Institutional Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium on Sunday. Both the teams earned promotion to the Senior Division.

DIGEST
Meenakshi, Vaibhav enter quarter-finals
New Delhi, June 22
Meenakshi and Vaibhav Gupta sailed into the quarter-finals in the under-16 girls and boys singles of the 14th Pt. Tirathram Badminton Tournament at the New Era Public School courts at Mayapuri.

• Merchants Cup Soccer

Tarun, Vipin shine in Shastri Club’s win
New Delhi, June 22
All-round performances by Tarun Chowdhary (84 and 2 for 17) and Vipin Malhotra (53 and 3 for 48) enabled Lal Bahadur Shastri Club defeat Sonnet Club by 24 runs in a league match of the first Turf Youth Cup Under-15 Cricket Tournament at the Airport Authority of India ground.

Scindia Academy team for Chamba cricket
New Delhi, June 22

A 20-member Scindia Cricket Academy team, led by Dalbir Singh, left for Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) to participate in the All-India Subhash Chandra Bose Memorial Cricket Tournament. The Scindia Academy team which left for Chamba in Himachal Pradesh to take part in the Subhash Chandra Bose Cricket Tournament.

• Rahul, Ankur deadly

• Delhi Eaglet sail into semi-final