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TOP STORIES

Ranbaxy forgets its victims a year after the inferno
Mohali, June 13
One year since the Ranbaxy blast and fire took place on June 11, 2003, claiming six lives, the company’s management seems to have forgotten its victims and their family members. The management organised an akhand path on the occasion of the first anniversary of the accident but none of the family members of those who died or were injured were invited to the ceremony.

A file photo of a Ranbaxy unit that was gutted in 2003.

Cong set to take over MC, claim councillors
Panchkula, June 13
Riding high on its success at the hustings during the elections, the local unit of the Congress claims to be ready to gain control over the municipal council here. The Congress now has a strength of 10 councillors in the 31-member House, besides the two votes of the local MLA and MP. A councillor, owing allegiance to the INLD, has switched sides to the Congress and had hosted a thanks-giving public meeting by Congress MLA, Chander Mohan on June 6.

A white deer that has become the cynosure of all eyes at Deer Park in Patiala on Sunday. — Photo by Rajesh Sachar

City among the top in blood donation
World Blood Donors Day today
Chandigarh, June 13
Its the World Blood Donors Day today when the medical experts appeal to the citizenry of not only coming forward to donate the blood themselves but also to enroll others as young volunteers for healthy blood donation.

Motivator of blood donors for 40 years
Chandigarh, June 13
For the past 40 years, Mrs Kanta Saroop Krishen has been spearheading the movement of voluntary blood donation in the region. As founder and honorary secretary of the UT Blood Bank Society formed in 1964, she has been striving hard to bridge the gap between the demand of blood and its supply.

Over 300 lawyers face Bar Council probe
Chandigarh, June 13
Every year the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana receives between 350-400 complaints against lawyers, some of them of very serious nature. Currently, over 300 advocates of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are facing probe by the Bar Council for alleged irregularities and professional misconduct Consider this: a complainant has alleged, through a sworn affidavit, that his lawyer took money from the opposite side and deliberately lost his case in court.

Gurdas Maan on a poetic trail
Chandigarh, June 13
Gurdas Maan revels in his sensitivity as an artiste. More than a singer he is now a poet, who holds timid thoughts close to his heart until, by some measure of divine will, they become public. And so the singer says, “I never sit and conceive the lyrics of my songs. I have never done that. The words are there, so are the thoughts. 

Gurdas Maan and his wife Manjit in Chandigarh on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

COMMUNITY

Hanging between life and death, he needs help
Chandigarh, June 13
Hanging between life and death after renal failure, 18-year-old Kundan Kumar is struggling for survival at the PGI even as his family is short of money for his treatment. Hailing from Ranchi, Kundan, son of a vegetable seller has both of his kidneys damaged and his only hope is a kidney transplant operation, which requires an expenditure to the tune of Rs 1. 5 lakh.

Customer alleges petrol theft
Chandigarh, June 13
A person employed with Shiva Filling Station in Sector 44 here allegedly stole one bottle of petrol of a customer today while his colleague was filling the petrol tank of the vehicle of a customer at the petrol station. Mr Varinder Sharma of Panchkula, the customer, complained to the SDM (South), Ms Madhvi Kataria, who sent a team of inspectors of the Food and Civil Supplies Department to inquire the allegation.

Housefly found inside a liquor bottle
Chandigarh, June 13
Houseflies now seem to have a new home. Mr Maninder Pal Singh, a local resident spotted a fly in a bottle of whisky of a premium brand that he purchased from a liquor shop in Sector 22 here on Friday night. The lucky purchaser, who got a free ‘gift’with the bottle sealed with a plastic cork, was surprised to see a housefly floating in the bottle when he started serving drinks to his guests late last night.

A housefly floats inside a bottle of liquor. 

Seeking to realise God through inner perfection
Panchkula, June 13
Sahaj Marg (a natural path) is a system of practical training in spirituality of the Sri Ram Chandra Mission. It is, in essence, the well-known Raja Yoga (yoga of mind), remodelled and simplified to suit the needs of the modern-day life, says Mr P Rajagopalachari, master of the mission.

Pollution levels rise every Sunday morning when the waste generated from the Sector 33 Kisan Mandi is recklessly set on fire in Chandigarh.  — A Tribune photograph

Anti-terrorist front holds self-defence training camps
Mohali, June 13
The All-India Anti-Terrorists Front has been holding free self-defence training camps in parks of Sectors 20 and 36 of Chandigarh. The camps are held from 6 am to 7.30 am. The front is going to start more camps in other parts of the city also.

Procession to mark Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day
Chandigarh, June 13
A kirtan procession will be held tomorrow from Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Sector 7-C here to mark the martyrdom day of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji.

CRIME

Inter-state gang of tricksters busted
Chandigarh, June 13
The Crime Branch here today busted an inter-state gang of tricksters who purchased 40 metric tonnes of iron bars from a rolling mill of Dera Bassi by paying Rs 9.5 lakh through a fake bank draft. A team of the Crime Branch arrested Harinder Prasad from Maloya and recovered 64 bundles of iron bars purchased from mill. Two of Prasad’s accomplices gave the police a slip.

Harinder Prasad, from whom iron bars purchased through a fake bank draft were recovered, in the custody of the Crime Branch in Chandigarh on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

Nepalese found dead
Panchkula, June 13
A 50- year-old Nepalese, Sher Bahadur, was found dead in a park near the Dhakauli barrier in Sector 19 this morning. The police says that the victim used to make chapatis and sell them to truck drivers at the barrier. He will spend the night at a park near the barrier, and it is believed that he died while in sleep. The police has initiated inquest proceedings.

Bid to steal car, thief nabbed
Chandigarh, June 13
A bid to steal a car from outside the district court complex was foiled by some advocates when they pounced upon the auto thief and handed over him to the police. The incident occurred yesterday when Mr Yogesh Kumar, an advocate, noticed a youth inside his parked car.

• Injured

• Booked for gambling

• Four arrested

• Liquor seized

Body identified
Panchkula, June 13
The Government Railway Police has identified the person, whose maggot-infested body was found hanging from a tree near Chandimandir on June 11.

BUSINESS

Petro firms suffered Rs 1 cr loss during stir
Chandigarh, June 13
State -owned petroleum companies —Indane, HP, and Bharat Gas have suffered losses to the tune of over Rs 1 crore, with supplies getting affected during the three-day LPG strike in the city and the day-long strike in Mohali and Panchkula.

Sale of gems picks up
Chandigarh, June 13
Jewellers in the city are having a field day as sales of gems and precious stones have picked up significantly with more and more people wishing to have a happy and prosperous future going in for them.

Market Pulse
Toothpaste relaunched
Chandigarh, June 13
Close-up toothpaste has been relaunched with a three-n-one benefit. The new Close-up Active Gel now has the Vitamin Fluoride System, which offers triple benefits of fresher breath and stronger and whiter teeth. The packaging of the new gel has been completely changed.

• Watches collection

• Power brushing

EDUCATION

Cadets of the NCC train with rifles during a 12-day training camp in Chandigarh on Sunday.  — Reuters photos

PU notes
Seats for displaced Kashmiris
Chandigarh, June 13
Panjab University (PU) has created seats for wards of displaced Kashmiri persons for admission to various courses in its affiliated institutes for the academic session 2004-05. In a press note, PU has clarified that candidates who had appeared in the CAT entrance test for admission to MBA courses in PU are required to apply on plain paper along with attested copies of Kashmiri migrant certificate issued by a competent authority. The candidate is required to mention his or her old CAT registration number and UBS form number. The late date is June 25.

• BE, B Pharm courses

• BEd entrance

IT project inspected
Chandigarh, June 13
Deputy Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of Malaysia Datuk Ong Tel Kiat, visited Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 38 (W), Dadu Majra, yesterday and inspected the information technology project put up on a mobile computer van, which is being used to bring awareness on information, communication and technology among the rural people. 

July 5 last date for admission forms
Chandigarh, June 13
The prospectus for admission to various government-run colleges in the city is available at all government colleges. The prospectus is common. It is available for Rs 50. It can be downloaded from the website of the Chandigarh Administration — http://chandigarh.nic.in.

CULTURE

Institute of film training inaugurated
Mohali, June 13
An institute for training students for film and television was inaugurated here today under the aegis of the Virasat Kala Kendra. The institute, Chandigarh Institute of Film and Television Training, will work under Punjab Technical University. ‘‘The institute will conduct short term and long term courses aimed at creating a balance of practical skills as well as theoretical knowledge to fulfil needs of media professionals,’’ said Ms Sukhi Brar, the Director of the institute.

LIFESTYLE

Preserving the past
It is the lingering feel of the past that excites these romantics. Trips to old “havelis”, shady lanes or haggling in auction centres: nothing is too great a sacrifice for them when it comes to collecting an item that bears a slice of history. You have guessed it right: they are antique collectors in the city. Viren Tanwar, an artist, could give away a chunk of ancestral property to get his hands on the heirlooms that his family possessed for generations; even if the items were as trivial as a handwoven and handstitched “cholis” handed down by his ancestors.

An antique ring from the Bhopal royal family.

Teaching bhangra is his passion
“I want to teach people living abroad our culture, especially bhangra”, says city-based artiste Avtar Singh Chana, a member of the International Dance Council, UNESCO. He has recently judged two international bhangra events in the USA. He was a judge at “Bhangra Blowout” held in Washington.

School that spurs creative development
Here is a school which can make all the difference to your child’s mental and creative development. It’s called Mango Grove School in Sector 20, Panchkula. It was started a year ago to nurture tender minds in a positive ambience.

Asim Singh excels on synthesiser
Yesterday was a big day for nine-year- old Asim Singh. He gave his first public performance on a synthesiser by the Sukhna lakeside .The show was organised by Citco. As he played “Pyar hua ikrar hua” on the synthesiser, the audience gave responded warmly. People later gathered to congratulate Asim.

Seasons from the eyes of a painter
An avid painter, Bharati Sharma is back with her canvases. Put together to celebrate the beauty of nature and its manifestations, the show titled, “Seasons in Patterns”, is about colours, flowers and flourish.

Bharti Sharma shows one of her works on display at Indus Ind Art Gallery in Sector 8, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

‘Yaadon ki Mala’ released
An album of garwali songs “ Yaadon ki Mala” of Virender Chauhan was released today at Hotel President by Mr B.B. Bahal, President of the Tribunal Congress Committee, Chandigarh. 

HEALTH

Wheatgrass tablets for disease-free living
Chandigarh, June 13
An innovative wheatgrass tablet, claimed to be a panacea for most of the ailments of the human body, has been launched in the City Beautiful by a Pune-based naturopath, Mr Sanjay K.Redekar.

Health of aged discussed
Chandigarh, June 13
Medical disorders and health issues affecting the aged were discussed at a continuing medical education programme on "Geriatrics : A challenge of the millennium", organised by Western Command Hospital at Chandimandir today.

SPORTS

Rakesh, Pavitra adjudged best boxers
Chandigarh, June 13
Pugilists from Punjab and Haryana won the titles in men and women sections, respectively, in the 14th Senior Northern India Boxing Championship which came to close today at the Sector 42 Sports Complex. Earlier, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, PWD, B&R, Minister Punjab, gave away the prizes.

Sandeep Kumar of Delhi tries to control the bleeding from his nose after a boxing bout with Gautam of Punjab in the final round of the Northern India Boxing Meet in Chandigarh on Sunday. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Cricket coaching camp for youngsters from today
Chandigarh, June 13
Egged on by the success of its teams in age-group tournaments, the Mohali Cricket Association has decided to start a fortnight-long coaching camp for u-15, u-17, u-17 and u-22 age-group cricketers. As many as 30 budding cricketers will be provided specialised coaching, diet and tips from former players at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium from tomorrow.

Anmol bags chess title
Chandigarh, June 13
Anmol Razdan, a student of DAV Public School, Sector 8, bagged the Chandigarh Junior Chess Championship which concluded here today at the St Kabir Public School, Sector 26. Anmol earned 6.5 points and he was followed by Simranjeet Singh and Himal Gusain with six points each.

ADMINISTRATION

Awareness drive on smoking in public places
Chandigarh, June 13
Awaiting finalisation of the nitty-gritty of booking a person for smoking at public places, which came into force since May 1, the Chandigarh police has launched an awareness drive to educate the possible offenders.