TOP STORIES

Abducted businessman rescued
New Delhi, January 13
The Special Cell today claimed to have rescued a businessman, Sant Raj, from the clutches of abductors, who had demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore from the victim. 

Reliance Info’s foray set to ring in mobile price war
Panipat, January 13
Come February and the mobile phone price war in Haryana is likely to hot up. With Reliance Infocomm slated to launch its poor man’s mobile service – India Mobile - from next month, the other service providers are bracing up for competition and contemplating tariffs cuts and other attractive packages to retain their subscribers.

A daily wager enjoys a snooze at Rajpath on Monday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

ICDS funds under HC scanner
New Delhi, January 13
The Delhi High Court today expressed serious concern over a large chunk of funds not reaching the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and directed the government to give details pertaining to the scheme, implemented with the help of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the amount spent in the last five years.

Ask us what trauma of riot is: Punjabi writers
New Delhi, January 13
Punjabi writers from home and abroad are anguished by the damage the Gujarat riots have caused to the canon of pluralism. Identifying with the victims of the carnage, delegates to the International Punjabi Writers Conference say Punjabi literature must renew the fight against all kinds of sectarian tendencies – political, religious, linguistic or cultural.

Winds spread chill on a sunny day
New Delhi, January 13
Even as the day temperature rose by about one degree Celsius and the fog thinned out in the Capital today, Delhiites could not get any respite from the cold as the city was lashed by icy winds, neutralising the warmth of the sun.

• Commuters hit hard

If Canada can adopt Punjabi, why not Delhi?
New Delhi, January 13
Canada and Singapore have accorded Second Language status to Punjabi but the Government of NCT of Delhi is still to do so. The writers adopted a resolution thanking the two governments for bringing about the requisite statute.

• Hotelier gets bail in python case

Hapur trader’s son feared abducted
Ghaziabad, January 13
There is no trace of the son of a wholesale trader of rice and pulses in Hapur who went missing under mysterious circumstances on Sunday morning. The family members of the victim expressed fears that the boy must have been abducted though there has been no ransom call.

COMMUNITY

SPECIAL FOCUS ON FARIDABAD
Farmers suffer as SYL becomes a political football
Faridabad, January 13
Even as the farmers of South Haryana are anxiously waiting for the construction of the SYL canal, the issue has become a political football for the politicians to gains mileage by criticising each other. It is believed that unless the Union Government takes out the matter and sets a timeframe to solve it, the injustice done to the farmers of the region was likely to continue.

BJP unit to file contempt petition on SYL
Sonepat, January 13
The Haryana BJP has decided to file a contempt petition against the Punjab Government in the apex court after the expiry of the order relating to the completion of the SYL canal in the Punjab territory. 

HPCC also firms up strategy on canal
Sonepat, January 13
Mr Azad Singh Nehra, secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), said here today that the Congress workers from all over the state would hold dharna and demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s house in Delhi and pressurise the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre to complete the SYL canal in the Punjab territory through its own agencies.

All-party meet on SYL to serve no purpose: HPCC
Faridabad, January 13
The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) said that merely convening an all-party meeting on the SYL issue and not pressurising the Prime Minister, who heads the NDA government supported by Mr Chautala’s party, would not make any headway in the matter. 

FACE TO FACE
‘My ambition is to train maximum heart surgeons’
One of the country’s best-known heart surgeons, Dr Naresh Trehan, has been mending broken hearts. As the executive director and surgeon-in-chief of the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC), he has performed as many as 36,000 successful surgeries. Wanna meet Dr Trehan? Enter his dust and germ-controlled room either bare-footed or in rubber sandals. 

BRASS TACKS
Demystifying the universe for the layman
The credit for unraveling and demystifying some of the intricacies of theoretical physics and the complexities of the universe in a simple manner goes entirely to Stephen Hawking, whose first book ‘A Brief History of Time’, was a runaway success when it was first published in 1988.

Bhoomi Pujan of Arya Samaj Mandir held
Faridabad, January 13
The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj took part in the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the Arya Samaj Mandir to be constructed at the Greenfields Colony here. The temple will be built by the Vishambra Sewa Nyas (VSN) in the B Block of the colony.

Uttaranchal to be the focus of Surajkund Mela
Faridabad, January 13
The newly created state of Uttaranchal has been selected as the theme state for the coming ‘17th Surajkund Crafts Mela’, to be held from February 1 to 15 at Surajkund Tourist Complex here.

NCR BRIEFS
Shopkeeper shot at in Jahangir Pur
Noida, January 13
A youth shot at and seriously wounded a battery seller in Jahangir Pur town in broad daylight today. The police have arrested the accused and recovered a countrymade revolver from him.

36 of a marriage party hurt Electronic goods burgled

Youth run over by train Four held under Harijan Act

Bar Association elections Panipat: Mr Ramesh Sharma was elected president of the District Bar Association on Saturday. While Ms Neelam Khanna was elected vice-president, Mr Rakesh Malik was elected secretary. It may be recalled that Mr Pawan Saini (vice-president), Mr Surinder Singh (joint secretary) and Mr Ashok Rao (treasurer) had already been elected unanimously.

CRIME

Dacoity cases in East dist show an upward trend
New Delhi, January 13
Despite its proximity to the borders, the East district today claimed that the crime under various heads remained under control except the dacoity which showed an upward trend by 42.8 per cent in the district during the year 2002.

Five held for cheating banks
New Delhi, January 13
The Anti-Homicide section of the Delhi Police crime branch has arrested five persons who defrauded banks to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore by procuring personal loans on producing forged documents. A large number of rubber stamps, blank letterheads of various banks and computers were recovered from their possession.

BUSINESS

Three-day expo on power 
New Delhi, January 13
A three-day conference cum exhibition power-gen India and Central Asia 2003 is being organized in the Capital beginning January 14, 2003 highlighting the power sector scenario in India and Central Asia.

MAF meet on January 15
Faridabad, January 13
An executive committee meeting of the Manufacturers Association Faridabad (MAF) will be held here on January 15. According to Mr Navdeep Chawla, general secretary of the MAF, there will a presentation on the topic, ‘Quality, Excellence and Cost Competitiveness in Small and Medium Industry’ by Mr N. M. Malik, a management consultant.

SPORTS

A record book to remember

New Delhi, January 13 With the World Cup Cricket Championship, to be co-hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe, only a few weeks away, the cricket fever is slowly picking up momentum. And well-known statistician Rajneesh Gupta has come out with a timely book, “One-Day Internationals—the complete record book”, which gives an exhaustive account of all the conceivable one-day statistics and records.

Statistician Rajneesh Gupta, flanked by former Test stars Madan Lal and Syed Kirmani, at his book launch function in the Capital on Monday.

Kapil Dev joins cause of destitute children
New Delhi, January 13
Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev and Ajay Jadeja joined the top brass of leading insurance companies for a benefit cricket match organised by the Amity School of Insurance and Actuarial Science (ASIAS) in aid of the underprivileged girl child.

PCRA women’s two-wheeler rally
New Delhi, January 13
The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) will organise a two-wheeler rally for women at Chandigarh, Ranchi, Visakhapatnam, Delhi, Lucknow and Patna with the theme of “Save Oil Two-Wheeler Women Rally 2003”. The rally is the brainchild of the executive director of PCRA Leena Mahendale.

SAI revokes suspension of coach Renu Kohli
New Delhi, January 13
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has revoked the suspension order on athletic coach Renu Kohli, who was attached to the National Athletics Coaching Camp. Renu Kohli had trained Sunita Rani before the Busan Asian Games.

Pachauri shines
New Delhi, January 13
A stroke-filled century knock of 110, studded with ten fours and five sixes, by K. P. Eashwar and a devastating medium-pace bowling by Dr R. K. Pachauri (4 for 14) helped Teri beat ICICI Bank by 80 runs in a league match of the tenth Teri Cup Cricket Tournament at the Teri Oval. Scores: Teri: 221 for 1 in 25 overs (K P Eashwar 110, 76b; Mahesh 79, 8x4, 79b).

• Tarun hits ton

Prevalance wins India Derby

New Delhi, January 13 After the polo fever, the Delhi Race Course was seized by the derby fever when the Mount Shivalik North India Derby was held at the Delhi Race Course on Sunday. Prevalance, owned by Dr M. A. M. Ramaswamy, with jockey B. Prakash astride, won the derby event. Delhi Race Club president P. S. Bedi presenting a memento to Mount Shivalik MD Rajiv Bali during the Mount Shivalik North India Derby at the Delhi Race Course on Sunday.

Daryaganj Gym win

Two more legal aid centres set up
New Delhi, January 13
Delhi Legal Services Authority set up two family counselling & legal aid centres on Sunday. With the opening of these centres, the total strength of Legal Aid Centres in Delhi has gone up to 14. One such centre was opened at Sultanpuri in association with Smt Tulsa Devi Memorial Society (Regd). The other centre was opened at Govindpuri (Kalkaji) in association with Jatav Samaj Vikas Maha Sabha (Regd).

Panel on house tax defaulters
New Delhi, January 13
The Chairman of the Standing Committee and Leader of the House in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, has constituted a sub-committee to discuss the issue of defaulters who have not yet deposited their house tax.