TOP STORIES

Sheila sounds election bugle
New Delhi, January 5
Chiding the BJP for pursuing a communal agenda, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday dared that party to do a ‘Gujarat’ in the NCT of Delhi.

INLD gets wise to urban concerns
Rohtak, January 5
The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, appears to be making all-out efforts to win over the urban population who have so far kept their distance from the ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). 

NCC cadets in full cry at a Republic Day camp. — Tribune Photo

HC wants all dairies out of Capital
New Delhi, January 5
The Delhi High Court has directed the state government and the civic bodies to take immediate steps to shift all the dairies, including 2655 functioning illegally, out of the Capital. While directing the authorities to prosecute the dairy owners for letting loose their cattle on roads, the court also directed the two major milk suppliers - Delhi Milk Scheme and Mother Dairy — to increase their capacity, so that consumers did not fall back on illegal dairies.

FARIDABAD MULTIPLEXES
‘Open sesame’ to endless fun
Faridabad, January 5
Faridabad will soon have entertainment-cum-shopping facilities of world standard. While the construction work of some multiplexes is on, at least two of them are going to be thrown open by June. The Gen-Xers will shortly have an ‘open sesame’ to a world of fun and frolic.

Only lovers are interested in Panipat’s historical moorings

Panipat, January 5 Destination Panipat? Hardly! Despite the fact that Panipat has gone down in history as a place where three battles were fought, shaping the destiny of India, the town is now making history for wrong reasons, at least in a couple of its tourist spots. The tourist complex of Panipat Memorial and the Kala Amb near here is one such place. A lovelorn couple, oblivious of their historical surroundings.

Online bidding in Azadpur from today
New Delhi, January 5
Come Monday the world’s largest fruit and vegetable market in Azadpur will go online. Introduction of electronic auction will place NCT of Delhi in a select club of cities where commission agents can bid using a remote keyboard without having to exercise their vocal cords.

Leopard’s lair: Cops knock at farmhouse doors
New Delhi, January 5
The Delhi Police have begun questioning farmhouse owners and their security guards to ascertain whether the leopard carted away from a plywood factory at Neb Sarai was indeed being reared in illegal captivity.

COMMUNITY

This mutilated tree, like many others in the Civil Lines area of Gurgaon, seems to have come in the way of the urban elite. Does Gurgaon have no place for God’s greenery in the midst of the concrete jungle raised by colonisers? — Photo by Yadram Bansal

Cong not serious about SYL 
canal: BJP
Rohtak, January 5
Holding the AICC chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, and the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, responsible for the inordinate delay in completion of SYL canal despite the apex court orders, the Haryana unit of the BJP has advised Congress men to gherao the two instead of the Prime Minister.

Panipat municipal corporation 
gets nod
Panipat, January 5
Decks have been cleared for the constitution of municipal corporation in six cities of the state, including Panipat. Sources told NCR Tribune here today that a notification in this regard would be issued before March this year.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON SONEPAT
Encroachments continue as officials play blame game
Sonepat, January 5
In the absence of proper mechanism by the authorities to check the illegal constructions, the contractors and encroachers are having a field day. There are constructions galore, big and small, commercial and residential in all parts of this city.

Fuel crisis puts police patrolling on hold
Meerut, January 5
The Chief Minister of UP has ordered all police chiefs to ensure that the crime rate in each district is brought down by 70 per cent. Senior officials at the district and division level became scapegoats on this issue at the review meeting at the divisional level.

Three children killed in fire
New Delhi, January 5
Three children were killed in a fire that broke out in Dugal Colony of Ambedkar Nagar. The victims were identified as Rina, daughter of Nanlal, Muskan, daughter of Hari Chand and Arzoo, daughter of Santosh.

• Shopkeepers down shutters

CRIME

Woman strangulated in her house, alleges father
Sonepat, January 5
A young housewife, Poonam, was reported to have been strangulated to death in her house at Thana Kalan village, about 15 km from here, last night. According to a report, the Kharkhauda police have registered a case of dowry death against her husband Sandeep, mother-in-law Chatro Devi and brother-in-law Sanjeev and started investigations in the case.

Youth with opium held outside minister’s house
New Delhi, January 5
An unemployed youth, Rajesh, was arrested under Narcotics Act by the security guards posted at the resident of the Union Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandese. While he was entering the main gate of the residence of the minister, the security guards frisked him.

Labourers beaten up
Sonepat, January 5
 Five labourers were allegedly beaten up by a shopkeeper and his other associates on the G T Road near Kundli village along the Haryana-Delhi border, about 25 km from here last evening. According to the report, the injured labourers were rushed to a hospital in Delhi for treatment. The police are still investigating the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection, as the alleged assailants are still at large.

BUSINESS

SHOW CASE
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EDUCATION

MDU don on Goa varsity fee panel 
Rohtak, January 5
The Government of Goa has appointed Dr Shri Bhagwan Dahiya, Professor of Economics at Maharshi Dayanand University, as member of a committee to determine the fee structure of colleges in Goa.

SCHOOL BUZZ
They show their art on the spot
Mira Model School, Janak Puri, organised its 10th inter-school on the spot painting and sculpture competition. Sixteen schools from across the city participated in the event. Ms Shukla Sawant, artist and lecturer of Jawaharlal Nehru University, judged the competition.

Sports meet Christmas carnival

Sports Day

PRINCIPAL SPEAKS Taking a disciplined step into New Year New Year is a time to both look back and review our actions and look ahead towards a more disciplined and successful future. As we set our eyes on the other end of the rainbow, our eyes move over a perfect and well-determined arc. There is a lesson to be learnt from nature.

COURTS

Delhi Police ASI gets four-year RI
New Delhi, January 5
A Delhi Police official has been sentenced to four years’ rigorous imprisonment for taking bribe of Rs 5,000 from a person against whom he was investigating a criminal case over three years ago. Special Judge R. K. Gauba, who held Assistant Police Inspector Puran Prasad guilty under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, also slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on him.

House tax: Each flat in society to be assessed separately
New Delhi, January 5
The Delhi High Court has ruled that each apartment of a group housing society “shall” be considered separate for assessment of house tax and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to frame suitable rules to implement this provision of the law.

• 19 granted bail in Dulina case

HEALTH

20 lakh kids administered polio drops
New Delhi, January 5
Twenty lakh children were administered polio drops as part of the Phase III of Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme on Sunday. The Health Minister, Mr A K Walia, said 30 thousand health personnel administered the drops to children below five years of age at seven thousand-odd booths and also at railway stations, bus stations, entertainment centres, airport and entry and exit points of the NCT of Delhi.

SPORTS

Punjab Police to meet IA in final
New Delhi, January 5
Punjab Police will take on Border Security Force in the title clash of the fifth Chhattrapati Shivaji Hockey Tournament for the Dhyan Chand Cup at the Shivaji Stadium at 3 pm on Monday.

Sudha races to 1500m gold 
New Delhi, January 5
Sudha of Madhya Pradesh Zone posted a time of 7.41 minutes to bag the women’s 1500m gold in the athletic event of the 20th Punjab National Bank Inter-Zone Sports Meet at the Karnail Singh stadium on Sunday.

Anand shines in K N Colts’ victory
New Delhi, January 5
Leg-spinner Anand Mishra ripped apart the Apex Club batting line-up with a 4 for 17 haul to help K N Colts record a 41-run victory and entered the quarter-final of the seventh Sahibzada Ajit Singh Cricket Tournament, organised by the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, at Pitampura in West Delhi.

DPS down  Shanti Club Citizen beat Paragon

R P Jain Trophy cricket

Shastri Club win New Delhi, January 5 A devastating 4 for 36 bowling performance by Kamaldeep Chikara and equally impressive 3 for 20 spell by Vinay Sheel Baniwal helped Lal Bahadur Shastri Club defeat K N Colts by two wickets and entered the semi-final of the third Shakuntala Devi Dogra Memorial Under-19 Cricket Tournament at the East Point School ground, Vasundhra Enclave. Kamal was named the Man of the Match.

• Sonnet Club move up

• Neeraj Academy in final

Trade tax check-posts net Rs 4.6 cr
Ghaziabad, January 5
The check-posts set up by the Trade Tax Department have collected Rs 4.66 crore as security amount till the end of December 2002.The mobile teams have collected another Rs 2.14 crore.