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Power privatised in slums
No more illegal connections in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, April 18
There will no more kundis (illegal connections) in slum colonies. The Chandigarh Administration today privatised power distribution in slums and also in areas outside the “lal doras” of villages.

Long wait for CT scanners
Lacklustre response to Admn’s tenders
Chandigarh, April 18
The wait for CT scan machines in hospitals run by the Chandigarh Administration might just be an endless one. Stumbling and tripping over its own steps constantly, the Administration has over the past two years, changed its policy decision twice, called for tenders thrice and held countless meetings, but has had no results to show.

Health Dept, MC row may hit water supply
SAS Nagar, April 18
The continuing impasse between the Punjab Public Health Department and the local Municipal Council over the footing of the electricity bills of the tubewells in the township could badly hit the water supply in the coming months.

Demolition drive continues, 1000 jhuggis razed

Chandigarh, April 18 Undettered by yesterday’s incidents, the Chandigarh Administration carried on with its demolition drive in the Colony Number 5, and demolished about 1,000 illegal jhuggis in the process today. The demolition drive continued in Colony No. 5, razing 1,000 jhuggis to the ground in Chandigarh on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Martial art expert arrested
Chandigarh, April 18
A martial art expert who had been allegedly sending people to countries like Korea and Greece basing their visits on fraudulent sports activities was arrested by the Chandigarh Police here this evening. Rajan Vaid (32), had send two batches each of illegal immigrants to Korea and Greece, respectively, police sources said.

PU to press Punjab for fund share
Chandigarh, April 18
Panjab University has constituted a high-powered committee to lobby with the Punjab government to release its requisite grant of 40 per cent of the university budget.

Teaching Blackwill’s first love
Chandigarh, April 18
For the US Ambassador to India, Mr Robert D. Blackwill, teaching is his first love. Though first from his family to go to a college and get a university degree, he is keen to visit and even lecture at some of the prestigious educational institutions in India, including Mayo College, Ajmer.

CAG raps N. Railway for not observing accounting norms
Chandigarh, April 18
The failure on the part of the railway authorities to observe prescribed accounting provisions has resulted in a loss of over Rs 3.5 crore while undertaking certain defence works in the Western Sector.

Chief Architect to identify school sites
Chandigarh, April 18
The Chief Architect, UT, has been assigned the task of identifying 40-odd sites to accommodate sites for playways and pre-schools in the city as an alternative to schools functioning from residential areas.

SUMMER WOES
Power situation in Panchkula may improve
Panchkula, April 18
The power situation in Panchkula is likely to improve during this summer season as the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam hopes to meet the demand of 70 mva for the township.

COMMUNITY

Callous tree felling damages house, cable wires
Chandigarh, April 18
The haste exhibited by the MC's Horticulture people in clearing trees from Sector 36 A this morning could have cost heavily to many residents of the area. Without waiting for the clearance from the Electricity Department, the horticulture staff people came to the sector this morning and started felling trees close to house number 215.

Father hopes to get justice after 16 years
Chandigarh, April 18
Sixteen years after 24-year-old Inderjit Singh was murdered, the wait for justice by his 80-year-old father, Mr Allaha Singh, seems to be coming to an end. The case famously known as “Allah Singh case” has come up for hearing today and was adjourned for the consideration of charges against the two accused till May 9.

Patch-up job may not save bridge
Panchkula, April 18
Even as the safety of a vital bridge across the Ghaggar river, connecting Panchkula with Naddha Sahib, is suspect following the loosening of its expansion joints, the Ministry of Surface Transport ( MOST) has given a go- ahead for carrying out protection work around the pillars of this bridge.

Agenda items cleared amid uproar Chandigarh, April 18

The BJP Councillor and former Mayor Mr Gian Chand Gupta, was today ‘’expelled briefly’’ from the Municipal Corporation House while seeking to project the Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi, as ‘’inefficient, law violating, biased, undemocratic and running the House on the directions of local MP Pawan Bansal.’’ BJP Councillor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, comes out of the Municipal Corporation House after being expelled by Mayor Lalit Joshi in Chandigarh on Thursday. — A Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Force shortage to be taken up with govt
SAS Nagar, April 18
The new Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr H.S. Bhullar, today said the issue of shortage of force and providing better infrastructure in the township would be taken up with the State Government. The upgrading of the Phase 8 police post to a police station was also on the agenda.

Quota plot allottees cheated, seek probe
SAS Nagar, April 18
Allottees of the discretionary quota plots in the township have alleged that they have been cheated by property dealers, who in connivance with certain employees of the estate office kept them in the dark about the opening up of transfers of the above mentioned plots by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Bhajan Sandhaya at Mansa Devi
Panchkula, April 18
Sri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board organised a devotional Bhajan Sandhaya programme on the sixth day of the Navratra festival here today. Ms Ratnika Tewari, a renowned artiste presented the programme.

• Procession by medical representatives

• Thorns on show

• Tribune employee dead

• Monk to observe Mahavir Jayanti

• Gaudiya Math president arrives

• MC issues more notices

CRIME

Jewellery worth Rs 3 lakh stolen
Chandigarh, April 18
In a major daylight robbery, burglars broke into a Sector 37 house and ran away with gold jewellery weighing about 600 grams, valued at about Rs 3 lakh, along with Rs 20,000 in cash.

BUSINESS

• BIZ CLIPS

EDUCATION

Study centre of Alagappa University

Chandigarh, April 18 The Punjab Education Minister, Mr Khushal Bahl, yesterday formally inaugurated the regional study centre of Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu, in the city. The Minister of State for Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Mr Ashwani Sekhri and the MLA, Mr Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, also attended the function held here. Punjab Minister for Education, Mr Khushal Bahl, (centre) at the inauguration of the regional study centre of Alagappa University in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Inter-school contests organised Panchkula, April 18 The 138th birth anniversary of Mahatma Hansraj was celebrated at Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, here today with great enthusiasm. Various inter-school competitions were also organised. The participating teams included schools from Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. The panel of judges were Mr Suresh Mehta, Mrs Usha Gupta and Mrs Jagdamba Gupta.   Students of Hansraj Public School, Panchkula, participate in a poster-making competition on Thursday.

• PU don invited

• Non-govt colleges seek pending grant

HIGH COURT
States, UT told not to deface walls
Chandigarh, April 18
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the states of Punjab and Haryana, besides the Union Territory of Chandigarh, not to display or paint advertisements on the walls of public toilets, guide maps, kiosks and dumping sheds.

DISTRICT COURTS
Man sentenced to 5-year RI
Chandigarh, April 18
An accused, Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of SAS Nagar, was today sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by the UT Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr R.C. Godara, in a case under the NDPS Act. The accused was also fined Rs 10,000 by the judge and in a case of default he was ordered to undergo two months more rigorous imprisonment.

CULTURE

Poet’s affair with hues of love
Chandigarh, April 18
For Kidar Nath Kidar — the poet, love still moves the world. It has been almost six decades since he has been writing poetry in Urdu and Punjabi, but the theme of his poems still remains the same — beauty of love.

Capturing gypsy spirit on canvas
Chandigarh, April 18

Katarzyna Pollok is quite in love with Asian charms. Her fascination for the multi-cultural land finds a reflection in the works, displayed at the basement of the Pracheen Kala Kendra. Interestingly, the Kendra, dedicated largely to the promotion of performing arts in the region, has forayed into the world of art on canvas with the exhibition by Katarzyna, a Roma gypsy with strong ties with India. Katazyna Pollok, artist from Germany, explains one of her paintings displayed at Pracheen Kala Kendra in Sector 35, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — Tribune photo Parvesh Chauhan

NEW RELEASES
Amisha, Hrithik together again
ONE-TIME actor Rohit Kumar, son of veteran filmmaker Mohan Kumar, produces “Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage” for young director Vikram Bhatt. A Gautam Kumar production and Mohan Kumar presentation, the film features Hrithik Roshan and Amisha Patel again after “Kaho Naa Pyar Hai”.

HEALTH

Civil Hospital work to be hit
SAS Nagar, April 18
The working of the local Civil Hospital is expected to be adversely affected with the shifting of staff members on deputation, back to their actual places of posting. Five staff nurses out of 13, two pharmacists out of five and some class four employees are likely to be relieved in a day or two.

SPORTS

Salwan Boys enter final
Chandigarh, April 18
Salwan Boys School, New Delhi, entered the final of the Parle Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament played here today. In the semifinals, they outclassed Boys Town School, Hyderabad, by seven wickets. Earlier, Boys Town won the toss and elected to bat first. Aman and Asim batted with 34 runs and 37 runs, respectively.

Prof Gupta Honorary Director, Sports
Chandigarh, April 18
Prof S.K. Gupta has been appointed Honorary Director of Sports of Panjab University, an official press note stated here today. He has been given the charge during the leave period of Prof Nirmal Singh, who has gone abroad.

ADMINISTRATION

PUDA discusses planning issues
Chandigarh, April 18
Vital issues pertaining to planning in various urban estates of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority were discussed at the meeting of the Planning and Design Committee held under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Rakesh Singh, here today.

Food samples taken for test
Panchkula, April 18
The District Administration has intensified its ongoing move to ensure prevention of adulterated food and beverages in the district. The Deputy Commissioner said the team have collected samples of milk, cold drinks and mustard oil by raiding on various confectionary and general merchant shops of Sector 10 and 20, respectively.