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City declared threatened zone for malaria, dengue
Chandigarh, April 3
Not willing to take chances after the last summer’s bitter experience, in which one cholera death occurred in the city, the UT authorities have declared the whole city as a threatened zone for the outbreak of malaria, dengue and Japanese Encephalitis.

Parents’ expectations weighing on children’s psyche
Chandigarh, April 3
Suicide by a 17-year-old schoolgirl this week and a reported suicide bid by another student due to poor performance in examinations has focussed people’s attention on the high level of stress being faced by students.

Ever since the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh earmarked parking spaces to ease traffic congestion in Sector 17, contractors of most of these parking lots have been fleecing visitors to the tune of thousands everyday. The contractor of a parking lot opposite Regional Computer Centre, Sector 17-B, has wiped off the permitted MC parking rates (per entry) for cars and scooters. The actual rate is Rs 2.50 for a car and Re 1 for a scooter; and inset: Parking slip. — A Tribune photograph

Reliance WLL service starts
Chandigarh, April 3
At last the much-awaited WLL (wireless in local loop) services of Reliance Infocomm took off in the city from midnight yesterday. The WLL services started in the region in the wake of Reliance Infocomm finally obtaining its point of interconnectivity from BSNL.

Administration slashes booth prices
Chandigarh, April 3
The Chandigarh Administration today ordered a reduction in the rates of land for booths in rehri markets in Sectors 7, 8, 9, 11 and 24. These booths will now cost about 30 per cent less than the price fixed originally.

COMMUNITY

MC to lease abattoir to processing units
Chandigarh, April 3
With capacity utilisation of the local state-of-the-art slaughter house being dismal and a high quantity of wastage, the local Municipal Corporation is considering to offer it on lease to meat exporters and processing units.

Kidnapped boy returns home
Panchkula, April 3
The 18-year-old son of a local industrialist, who was reportedly kidnapped for ransom from Sector 5, last evening, returned home after a 30-hour ordeal tonight. The family had not informed the police of the kidnapping.

BJP’s Minority Morcha chief expelled
Chandigarh, April 3
The BJP local unit today expelled from the primary membership its Minority Morcha president Mohammed Salim Khan, who resigned from the post accusing the leadership of conniving to implicate him in a case.

Urban poor in a state of neglect
Chandigarh, April 3
In the face of claims of providing basic support system to the people in Chandigarh at systematic, familial and individual level, the urban poor — both homeless and those living in slums — have borne the brunt of neglect, indifference and even societal oppression.

20,000 pay obeisance at Mansa Devi temple
Panchkula, April 3
More than 20,000 devotees paid obeisance at Mansa Devi Temple, besides making offerings of gold and silver ornaments apart from a cash of Rs 5,28, 683 on the fourth day of the Navratra fair here today.

Alert after dog bites
Kharar, April 3
The increasing incidents of dog bites resulting in the death of a woman in the Kharar subdivision has set the Ropar district administration in action. The Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Ms Seema Jain, has asked the SDM, Kharar, and the BDO concerned to visit the area. “The Animal Husbandry Department and the health authorities have also been approached” said Ms Seema Jain.

Money comes in way of surgery
Chandigarh, April 3
Poverty, it is said, is a curse and none can vouch for it more than 38-year-old Chitra Bahadur, a Nepalese chowkidar residing in the hutments adjoining Sector 38, whose wife Birmati, aged 30, is counting her last days following a serious heart ailment. Doctors at the PGI have diagnosed it as rheumatic heart disease and have recommended immediate valve replacement.

Head constable suffers burns
SAS Nagar, April 3
Manmohan Singh, a head constable with the SAS Nagar police, suffered minor burns when his house caught fire here today. According to the information provided by the fire department, a blast occurred in his house located in the police colony in Sector 62 when he switched on a light switch in a house full of LPG gas.

ULTA PULTA
Verma Airlines!
MR Sahib Singh Verma, Union Labour Minister, should start his own private airlines — Verma Airlines! It should be so very efficient that it would lure all the passengers of Jet Airways and slowly put get out of business. This way Sahib Singh Verma would have had his sweet revenge.

Bag with gold jewellery missing
Chandigarh, April 3
A bag containing gold jewellery worth Rs 60,000, expensive clothes and cash was reported missing from near the Tribune Chowk here. According to the information, Mrs Subhodani along with her newly married daughter, Sangeet, who had come to meet their relative, Mr Radha Balab Sharma, boarded a bus for Delhi.

• Holiday notice

CRIME

Woman held with smack
Chandigarh, April 3
The crime branch of the Chandigarh Police today arrested 42-year-old, Gujri, alias Bimla, from Dadu Majra Colony with 20 gm of smack. She was arrested from near the rotary of Sector 38 and 39 here today. The woman was allegedly running a clandestine business of selling drugs from her house. She has been booked under the NDPS Act.

• Identification parade

• Theft cases

• Bicycle stolen

• One injured

21 booked for group clash
Dera Bassi, April 3
Taking a serious view of the clash between the two groups of the Bassi Mubarikpur Truck Operators Union which occurred on Wednesday afternoon, the police has registered cases against 21 persons.

BUSINESS

Amendment to affect rights of juveniles
Chandigarh, April 3 The amended Juvenile Justice Act will affect the juvenile justice law in more ways than one. The immediate consequence of law (which enhances the age of juveniles from 16 to 18) is already there for everybody to see in the form of increased workload on the Juvenile Justice Court held in the District Courts every Thursday.
A view of the Air Tel roadshow in Chandigarh for launching Air Tel magic I-card targeted at the youth and has all the features that make it a “must have” for anyone who is young, claims the company.

Implement pay revision agreement: SBI Officers’ Association
Chandigarh, April 3
The State Bank of India Officers’ Association has alleged that the Indian Bank Association and the bank management were delaying the pay revision that was due since past six months as per the agreement signed with the union five years ago.

RBI to exchange soiled notes
Chandigarh, April 3
The regional office of the Reserve Bank of India here has informed the public that mutilated and soiled notes could be exchanged on the spot at its counters. Up to 200 pieces of mutilated notes could be tendered in a specific cover, available at the RBI’s enquiry counter.

Eco-friendly refrigerators
Chandigarh, April 3
Godrej Appliances Ltd has claimed to be India’s first company to introduce 100 per cent CFC, HCFC and HFC free refrigerators. It is based on the internationally accepted hydrocarbon technology which is followed diligently by all refrigerators manufacturers abroad, thus making their refrigerators totally environment friendly.

• Licence granted

EDUCATION

Rainwater harvesting plant in school
Chandigarh, April 3
After installing a dozen solar lights last month, DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, here, popularly known as ‘Green School’, has come up with another eco-friendly measure. This time rainwater harvesting through trenches and bore wells. Funded by the Central Ground Water Board, the harvesting plant has become operational.

Last date for TTTI courses
Chandigarh, April 3
The Technical Teachers Training Institute Sector 26, has fixed June 13 as the last date for submitting applications for admission into its postgraduate courses.

SDM launches school website
Chandigarh, April 3
The website of Mount Carmel School was launched by Mr. S P Arora, SDM (East) on the school campus in Sector 47 here today.

• Felicitated

• Middle standard exam results

• Lecture on law profession

CNG issue: next hearing on April 23
Chandigarh, April 3
Taking up a petition seeking directions to the UT Administration and other respondents for granting permits to auto-rickshaws with “CNG fuel mode only”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked counsel for the Union of India to seek instructions regarding the supply of the same to the city. The case will now be taken up for further hearing on April 23.

CA’s bail plea dismissed
Chandigarh, April 3
A bail plea moved by N.K Garg, Chartered Accountant, who was arrested by the UT police in connection with the income tax return scam was today dismissed by the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C. L Mohal.

CULTURE

NEW RELEASE
Another college romance
BEGINNING this week, there is a possible trendsetter in Anandi Arts Creations Pvt Ltd’s ‘Yeh Dil’ which revolves around college romance. Tusshar Kapoor, Jeetendra’s ‘laadla’ is making yet another attempt as a romantic hero after giving flop murder mystery ‘Kuchh To Hai’. For an industry flooded with flops, one must hope that ‘Yeh Dil’ should be a smooth ride. This one opens today at Malhar, Ludhiana.

HEALTH

30 villages selected for checking goitre
Chandigarh, April 3
The Community Medicine Department at the PGI today launched the second phase of WHO-sponsored iodine deficiency disorders project in Raipur Rani village in Panchkula district. Under this project, 30 villages, selected randomly, are being surveyed for checking the prevalence of goitre caused due to iodine deficiency.

SPORTS

Poor bowling led to Indian defeat: Yuvraj Chandigarh, April 3

'Yuvi' is back in the city — excited voices could be heard as heart-throb of so many cricket buffs waved at his fans enthusiastically. India's failure to bring home the World Cup was the last thing on their minds as young innocents surrounded him for autograph. Ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh with budding cricketers after his return from South Africa at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector-8, in Chandigarh on Thursday. —  Tribune photo Pankaj Sharma

Samin, Nischey in last four
Chandigarh, April 3
Samin Bharghav, Nischey Rawal, Ankur Diwan and Jaivardhan Gupta made it to the last four of the under-10 singles event on the second day of the Total Tennis Circuit for Juniors, played here today at St Soldier’s Total Tennis Academy premises, Sector 16.

• Little Flower wins

• Karate trials

Cops rue stagnation at DSP level
Chandigarh, April 3
Lack of promotional avenues and little clarity over their future avenues have led to an undercurrent of helplessness and a sense of anguish among the 5000-strong Chandigarh police personnel. Cops are under strain as they are not promoted beyond the rank of the DSP, while their counterparts in other states are promoted into the IPS cadre after a set period of service. The local police seems to be confused as to what service rules actually apply to it.

No more preferred postings for cops
Chandigarh, April 3
Cops who have so far been “managing” preferred postings in the Chandigarh Police have to move out of their comfortable cocoons following orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Chandigarh.