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Poll fever grips city colleges

Chandigarh, August 30 Government College for Girls, Sector 11, college campus is now bustling with election activities. The college is expected to hold elections to the campus students’ council and students have started pasting posters on the trees. Panjab University INSO supporters take out a car rally to secure votes for elections to the Campus Students Council on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

...PU yet to warm up Though student unions are trying their best to catch the attention of students on the Panjab University campus, little seems to work. Apathetic to political flavours, students of the university have not warmed up to the election fervour.
INSO car rally ABVP, HAS’s panel	SOPU’s manifesto PUSU talks big

Former PUCSC presidents fail to make career in politics
Chandigarh, August 30
The post of the president of the Panjab University Campus Student Council is looked upon enviously by students in the entire region, particularly from the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

SOPU activists strike a pose in support of their union on the Panjab University campus on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

A candidate for the vice-president’s post from PUSU distributes pamphlets of her union to girl students on the campus on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Two suicides in city
Chandigarh, August 30
Angered by a quarrel with her younger sister over a money issue, a 19-year-old-married woman allegedly set herself on fire at her parents’ residence in the PGI this afternoon, here.

Rs 66-crore wet-dredging project to desilt Sukhna
Chandigarh, August 30
De-silting of Sukhna Lake, a long-pending project having varied opinions of experts, will be finally carried out using the wet-dredging method suggested by the National Ship Design and Research Centre.

UT will not go Bangalore way, says Rodrigues Bangalore, August 30 The Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, Lieut-Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), today wooed the infrastructure technology sector to Chandigarh, promising an integrated development instead of merely creating IT parks. The Punjab Governor and Administrator, Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), accompanied by his wife Jean on the Infosys technologies campus in Bangalore on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Scribe case: rape victim awaits justice
Mohali, August 30
Even as the infamous Nayagaon rape case took political colours today, with political parties giving their opinion on the way investigations were being carried out in the case, the story of the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly gangraped for over one year and still awaits justice seems to be pushed in the shadows.

Rape victim’s father seeks impartial probe
Chandigarh, August 30
The father of the Naya Gaon girl, whose alleged rape by some influential persons is currently being investigated by a special investigative team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, today moved an application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Punjab cops draw flak in scribe case
Panchkula, August 30
Various organisations have condemned the high-handedness of the Punjab police in arresting Gautam Dheer, from his Panchkula residence on August 27.

Sister to seek Vajpayee’s help for Sarabjit’s release

Chandigarh, August 30 Ms Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, who has been sentenced to death in Pakistan, will request the former Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to use his influence to get her brother released from Pakistan. “I would be leaving for Delhi tomorrow to meet Mr Vajpayee, who is held in high esteem by the Pakistan authorities and also has good rapport with the Pakistan President, Mr Pervez Musharraf”, she said. Ms Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, appeals for release of his brother at a Press Conference organised by the BJP at Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photo

• Passing Thru

COMMUNITY

Land identified for setting up cattle pound
Panchkula, August 30
The stray animal population in the township has become a cause of concern for residents. Even as the Municipal Council (MC) remains mired in political controversy because of factionalism among councillors, the civic body is unable to tackle basic issues, including the menace caused by stray animals.

Death Hole 5 sewers uncovered in Sector 1 Chandigarh, August 30 More than five rain water sewers are lying uncovered in Sector 1 on the road adjoining the Chandigarh Club. Interestingly, these sewers are right opposite the official residences of the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana. The road witnesses heavy traffic throughout the day. The traffic flow also continues during the night as a heavy rush of party workers from Punjab and Haryana make a beeline to meet their Chief Ministers. An open rain water sewer in Sector 1 opposite the residence of the Haryana Chief Minister in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Punjab education board employees continue protest
Mohali, August 30
Members of the Punjab School Education Board (Non-teaching) Employees Association continued their protest on the second day here today in support of their demands.

Selection process faulty: TBRL candidates
Chandigarh, August 30
Candidates appearing for the post of laboratory attendants in the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, here, have alleged discrepancies in the selection procedure.

Property conversion policy opposed
Chandigarh, August 30
A number of industrial associations of the city have decided to unitedly oppose the property use conversion policy of the Chandigarh Administration. The administration has fixed a rate of Rs 18,000 per square yard for allowing the change in property use from industrial to commercial.

CPUJ for freedom of press in Nepal
Chandigarh, August 30
On a call given by the Indian Journalists Union, the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists today observed the day as the ‘global day of action’ for press freedom in Nepal.

Rise in price of flats upsets members
Chandigarh, August 30
Members of the Nirvana Cooperative House Building First Society Limited, Sector 49, are up in arms against the “unjustified” enhancement in the cost of construction by the management committee.

Senior citizens resent truck parking site
Chandigarh, August 30
Members of the Senior Citizens Welfare Association, Manimajra, has complained that the new parking site for trucks near Durga Nursary in Manimajra has become a source of nuisance for the residents of the area.

Professor awarded Rs 5 lakh Chandigarh, August 30 A cash award of Rs 5 lakh was presented by the Punjab Government to Prof Kulwant Singh, a resident of Mohali whose son, Major Mandeep Singh, was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry last year. Prof Kulwant Singh (second from right) is given a cheque for Rs 5 lakh by Ms Raghbir Kaur Khaira in Ropar on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Complex to be garbage-bin free
Chandigarh, August 30
The Mayor, Ms Anu Chatrath, yesterday launched the Sehaj Safai Kendra (SSK) scheme in the Modern Housing Complex to make the area “garbage-bin free.”

Karamcharis stage dharna
Mohali, August 30
A dharna was organised by members of the Punjab State Karamchari Dal, in association with other employees organisations, outside the office of the Executive Engineer, Water Supply and Sanitation, in Phase II here today.

Saini demands CBI probe into benami land deals
Chandigarh, August 30
Mr Sumedh Singh Saini, Inspector-General of Police, Economic Offences, today demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into all “benami” land transactions in the periphery of Chandigarh involving bureaucrats and those holding high positions in the government.

IAF inviting bids for command & control system
Chandigarh, August 30
The Indian Air Force is inviting global bids for establishing a state-of-the-art command and control system. A tender in this regard, valued at about Rs 450 crore, is expected to be issued by Air Headquarters next month.

CRIME

Youth held for stealing bike
Chandigarh, August 30
A youth was reportedly caught red-handed while stealing a motor cycle, and in a separate case one person was arrested for stealing 15 kg of brass from the Industrial Area. A shop of electrical goods was burgled, said the local police here today.

Son of CRPF man hangs himself to death
Panchkula, August 30
A 22-year-old son of a Sub Inspector of the CRPF, posted at the CRPF Group Centre, Pinjore, committed suicide by hanging himself in the wee hours today. The victim, Ashok Kumar, was under depression after he failed in an examination for the job of Audit Inspector.

Car stolen from market
Mohali, August 30
An Esteem car was stolen from Phase VII market here today. The owner of the car, Mr Pritpal Singh, who is a resident of Phase X and was running a shop in Phase VII, had parked his vehicle in the morning.

Two injured
Mohali, August 30
Two persons sustained minor injuries in two different accidents in the town here today. In one case two scooters collided at the trafficlights in Phase VII while in the second accident a truck and a scooter collided near Sohana.

EDUCATION

Campus Notes
B.Ed counselling postponed
Chandigarh, August 30
The third counselling for B.Ed admissions will now be held on September 9 and 10. The venue for the counselling would be Panjab University auditorium.

Workshop for teachers held
Chandigarh, August 30
Sri Guru Gobind Singh College today hosted training programme-cum-workshop for the teachers of social sciences under the auspices of Dean, College Development Council, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Inquiry biased, says ayurvedic college
Chandigarh, August 30
The management of the Shri Dhanwantry Educational Society, which runs Shri Dhanwantry Ayurvedic College, Sector 46, Chandigarh, has in a communication to The Tribune in response to the news item headlined ‘Varsity probe upholds students’ complaint’ in these columns on August 21 said the inquiry report of Panjab University was biased.

Engg students interviewed for Army
Chandigarh, August 30
An Army team today interviewed final year engineering students from several local private colleges for selecting them for a commission in the Army under the University Entry Scheme.

MCM freshers given welcome Chandigarh, August 30 To give a welcome to newcomers in the college, senior students of MCM DAV College, Sector 36-A, presented a function today. They presented an array of dances, giddha, which had the jam-packed auditorium clapping. All smiles: Students of the MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36, Chandigarh, await their turn to perform during a freshers’ party on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Workshop on communication
Chandigarh, August 30
“The word ‘communication’ sounds simple, but when we add it to our attitude, language, personality types, cultural diversity, emotions, perspectives, upbringing and intentions communication is far more complex than the above definition, asserted Mr Sameer Bhatia, noted communication expert, at the workshop on ‘Communication and Presentation Skills’ organised by the CII, Chandigarh Council, here today.

COURTS

Beant case: No justice in sight for undertrials
Chandigarh, August 30
Exactly 10 years after former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh was assassinated, the trial in the case is moving at a snail’s pace forcing the undertrials to languish in jail.

Capt-Badal case adjourned again
Chandigarh, August 30
A local court today adjourned a suit for damages, filed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, against the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to November 19.

Lawyers’ body to expose land grabbers
Chandigarh, August 30
In a bid to expose the role of certain influential persons in land-grabbing cases in Kharar tehsil of Ropar district, the Lawyers for Human Rights International (LHRI) today constituted a fact-finding team.

CAT comes to rescue of 2 daily wage workers
Chandigarh, August 30
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today directed the Department of Central Excise and Customs not to terminate the services of two daily wage workers who had been serving in the department for the past many years.

HEALTH

60 attend HIV awareness camp
Panchkula, August 30
A two-day workshop on HIV/AIDS awareness, being organised by the Panchkula branch of the FPAI, was inaugurated by Mr V.S. Kundu, Director Sports and Youth Welfare, Haryana. Sixty persons, including 30 peer educators (students of local Government College) and from an NGO, SEWAK, participated in the workshop.