TOP STORIES

Couple waylaid, citizens thwart bid to whisk away woman
New Delhi, July 16
In a rare instance of Delhiites shedding their traditional apathy, a group of residents of Sector 6, Dwarka, last night came to the rescue of a woman who was being abducted by two men in a van. The residents managed to save the woman and at the same time helped the police trace the two suspects by dutifully noting the registration number of the vehicle.

Let Sonia spell out stand on statehood, says Khurana
New Delhi, July 16
Delhi Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Madan Lal Khurana says the Union Ministry of Law is ready with the Bill on statehood for the NCT of Delhi. 

Madan Lal Khurna on a dharna in the Capital on Wednesday.
— Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

MDU official challenges move to scrap posts
Rohtak, July 16
Mr Ishwar Singh Sharma, Deputy Chief Security Officer with Maharshi Dayanand University, has challenged the process initiated by the university to abolish the posts of Controller, Security, Chief Security Officer and Deputy Chief Security Officer in a court here today.

These hapless kids study under God’s umbrella 
Sonepat, July 16
Believe it or not but a government primary school of Idgah Colony has been functioning in a public street since July 1 as there is no building from which the school can operate.

DU Day I
Days of good old ragging over?
New Delhi, July 16
It was low-key ragging as Delhi University began its new academic session here today. There were hardly any couples tying the nuptial knot, no awkward boys chasing girls with flowers, and certainly no indecent proposals.

Freshers being welcomed with the customary bindi in Maitreyi College in Delhi University at the start of the academic session today. — Photo Kamal Singh

OPERATION DAMP SQUIB
Cops & handloom lobby shielding illegal settlers
Panipat, July 16
Warnings from intelligence agencies regarding disruptive activities of illegal Bangladeshis notwithstanding, thousands of illegal immigrants continue to work in the handloom city.

VOLTE-FACE
Rebel DSGMC leader withdraws election orders
New Delhi, July 16
The recent attempt by the united Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to wrest control of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) received a setback as one of its rebel leaders suddenly withdrew his election orders which were aimed at ousting the present president, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, who has so far refused to merge his outfit with the dal.

Heroin worth Rs 11 cr seized; two held
New Delhi, July 16
The Delhi Police Narcotics Branch today claimed to have seized 11 kilograms of fine quality heroin and arrested two persons in different cases. The international value of the heroin is Rs 11 crore, according to police.

Clear outstanding bills for regular power supply: HVPVN
Sonepat, July 16
The Haryana Vidyut Prasaran and Vitaran Nigam has asked the people to clear their outstanding electricity bills if they want uninterrupted power supply in the state.

BSNL phones catch a cold in rain-hit Faridabad
Faridabad, July 16
It takes only the rains to open one’s eyes to the difference between government and private phone service. While the phone connections given by the government-owned BSNL ‘caught cold’ one after another as the heavens opened, private landline phones in this industrial township somehow have attained immunity.

Power employees hold ‘darbars’ to be in a good light
Faridabad, July 16
The employees of the state electricity department, known as ‘Bijli Vitran Nigam’, have adopted a novel way to improve their image and put pressure on the authorities, charged with privatising the services and dumping the interests of the staff.

No DAP stocks in co-op godowns; sowing suffers
Sonepat, July 16
There has been no supply of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) in the co-operative godowns in villages for the past one week, forcing the farmers to buy it from the open market at higher rates. This is happening when paddy sowing is in full swing after the monsoon rains last week.

CPM blames Irrigation Dept for flooding of fields
Sonepat, July 16
The district committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has expressed its concern over the failure of the Irrigation Department officials to pump out canal water from the fields of Hullaheri, Chitana and Khizarpur Majra villages, leading to the ruining of standing crops.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON PANIPAT
Desh Bandhu Gupta: Too illustrious a son to be forgotten in hometown
Panipat, July 16
Panipat is proud of being the birthplace of fighters, poets, war heroes and freedom fighters. One of the gems from here was Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali. Another was Desh Bandhu Gupta. He became famous in Haryana but also all over India.

SONEPAT
Seven panches resign to protest against ‘lack of development’ 
Sonepat, July 16
At least seven out of 11 panches of Garhi Sisana village gram panchayat have submitted their resignations to the Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Kharkhauda in the district in protest against the ‘failure’ of the state government to carry out the development works in the villages.

NCR BRIEFS
250 houses demolished in Ekta Nagar
Faridabad, July 16
About 250 houses in Ekta Nagar, located in Sector 27-A, were razed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) today. The colony, existed for almost 10 years, had allegedly been built on HUDA land.

• Executive Council meet
• One killed in road mishap
• Dowry demons

DELHI DIGEST
Records of civic bodies being digitalised
New Delhi, July 16
Chairman of the Standing Committee, MCD, Ram Babu Sharma, inaugurated a citizen service bureau at the zonal office building at Najafgarh. Citizens will be provided various civic services through Internet by computers installed at the bureau.

• SGSC for resignation of senior Akali leaders
• CBSE engineering entrance examination
• Jagmohan visits Lajpat Nagar

EDUCATION

MCD rebuts claim on school’s adoption in Bandook Wali Gali
New Delhi, July 16
The all-powerful Standing Committee members of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today said that the renovation work in Bandook Wali Gali school in the walled city was done by the corporation and not by the Union Minister of State for Sports and Culture. He donated only one hundred desks and a few toys for the students.

Plan to give computer training to govt schoolteachers
Sonepat, July 16
In a bid to popularise computer education in government schools, the Haryana Government has drawn up a comprehensive plan to provide computer training to one teacher of every government school.

CAMPUS
DU reforms: All hype and no action?
Just as the Delhi University prepares for a new academic session, armed with “academic reforms”, a faction of the University teachers has dismissed the claims as a mere eyewash.

Low-key ragging on the first day of the session. — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

• VS Prasad appointed NAAC director

• ISO 9001 for Trump and Gates

• FIIT JEE awards toppers

• Opportunities in hospitality sector

• Learn Hindi at La Trobe University

Highlight problems of the underprivileged via TV
Former Governor of UP and Goa, Mr Romesh Bhandari, called upon the television professionals to use the power of the medium to highlight the problems of the under privileged sections of the society.

SAI ROAD MAP
Vijay Goel asks SAI to publish ‘white papers’
New Delhi, July 16
Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel has suggested that a road map to open new centres of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) should be drawn up and prioritised, keeping in view the actual requirements, availability of the sports persons, and willingness of the State Governments to provide land and seed money.

Randhawa aims to take it hole by hole
New Delhi, July 16
Jyoti Randhawa has a simple plan as he prepares his date with history on the eve of the 132nd British Open Golf Championship, which starts at the Royal St. George’s course in Sandwich, England, on Thursday.

Air Force ground Banga Darshan
New Delhi, July 16
Indian Air Force, Palam grounded Banga Darshan with an emphatic 5-0 victory in a Group A preliminary league match of the Delhi Soccer Association A Division League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium on Wednesday.

A founder member of the Delhi Soccer Association M. S. Batra being introduced to the players before the start of the DSA A Division Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium.

• Delhi veterans defeat Nav Jyoti Nepal

Rajpreet helps R P Academy win
New Delhi, July 16
Rajpreet Singh struck a strokeful 86, laced with nine boundaries, to help R P Academy beat Mayapuri Cricket Club by three wickets to record their second successive victory in a Triangular Series at the Gargi College ground.

Jaskirat takes lead
New Delhi, July 16
Jaskirat Singh Dullet led the A category in the 15-17 age group with a score of 68 on day one of the Northern India Junior and Sub-Junior Golf Championship at the Army Golf Course.