TOP STORIES

This town gropes in the dark after sunset
Jhajjar, October 23
A streetlight scam has surfaced in the Beri municipality. Even though the authorities claim that streetlights are functioning in half of the town, in reality the entire town plunges into darkness at sunset with no light point functioning.

An electricity meter in Beri municipality to which the power supply was snapped in February 2000.

DIVALI ALERT
Your health could go up in smoke, too
New Delhi, October 23
Excessive smoke emitted by firecrackers is known to endanger the environment, but a lesser-known fact is its debilitating affect on health. This year too, the medical fraternity has come out with a tedious list of dos and don’ts, cautioning grown-ups and children about the dangers that lurk in the smoke bombs.

OFF THE RAMP: Models wait in the shadows for the arc lights. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Watch your step on lunarscape
Faridabad, October 23
The residents of Faridabad may have to take the badly damaged roads in their stride for some more time as the repair work started by the civic authorities is almost at a standstill due to lack of funds.

MDU to add production centre to pharma dept
Gurgaon, October 23
The Maharshi Dayanand University is considering a proposal to add a production centre to its Pharma Department. This will give weight to the course content and enable students to meet diverse challenges once they are out in the mainstream.

JUSTICE, AT LAST
Five cops get RI in custody death case
New Delhi, October 23
Holding Delhi Police Sub Inspector Romesh Kaushik and constables Mahesh, Surender, Savanta and Ramesh guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, a Delhi court today sentenced the five policemen to rigorous imprisonment for causing the death of an 18-year-old by inflicting injuries while in custody.

2 women succumb to dengue in Karol Bagh
New Delhi, October 23
With two more deaths in Karol Bagh, the dengue death toll has risen to 15. Meanwhile, 71 new cases of dengue have surfaced in different hospitals in the Capital. This despite the claim of authorities that dengue was under control.

ACADEMIA
Graded colleges to get special UGC benefits
Sonepat, October 23
After obtaining better gradations from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, a number of colleges of the town have started the exercise for availing themselves the benefits of the new scheme, ‘potential for excellence’, of the University Grant Commission.

POLITICS

PEC gives Sonia carte blanche to name candidates
New Delhi, October 23
The Pradesh Election Committee has authorised Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take decision on the selection of candidates for the December 1 Assembly election in the NCT of Delhi.

Jat Samiti to oppose INLD in Rajasthan
Sonepat, October 23
The ‘Haryana Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti’ has planned to oppose the INLD supremo, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, during the ensuing Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

Chautala hauled up for Sampla assault
Rohtak, October 23
The Haryana unit of the Rashtriya Lok Dal has demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, over the humiliation inflicted upon women of Garhi Sampla village by policemen, including the Rohtak Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Alok Kumar Roy, in his presence on October 3.

COMMUNITY

DIVALI DAZZLE: Visitors admire decorative miniature dolls on the occasion of Divali at Chandni Chowk in the Capital on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Chautala opens Rs 1.23 cr power substation
Sonepat, October 23
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, inaugurated a Rs 1.23-crore 33 kV power substation at Khewra village about 13 km from here yesterday. According to a report, as many as 3,700 consumers of 11 villages: Jhundpur, Tanda, Jagdishpur, Khewra, Palri Kalan, Palri Khurd, Palra, Baroli, Jajal, Basodi and Garh Mirakhpur which included 748 tubewell consumers will be benefited by this substation.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON ROHTAK
Admn keeping close watch on sale of unsafe crackers
Rohtak, October 23
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Rohtak, Mr Rakesh Gupta, has warned shopkeepers against selling prohibited crackers such as rockets, fast moving and dangerous types of bombs during the Divali festival.

Young aspirants queue up for Metropolitan Top Model India Contest 2003. (28k, 56k)

Religious channel to counter cultural chaos
Panipat, October 23
Come Divali and the TV viewers will have another religious channel. And it promises to be a channel with a differences, aimed at countering the cultural invasion by the western channels, if the promoters are to be believed.

Footpaths cleared of encroachments
Sonepat, October 23
The police swung into action and succeeded in removing the goods and other articles from the footpaths in the thickly populated area of Ashok Nagar of the city.

• Old woman killed in Subhash Chowk accident

• Demo in front of DC’s office

• Man missing for six months

• Bajra lying in open

Activists of All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan sitting on a dharna against the rape cases in the Capital on Thursday. — Photo by Kamal Singh

Career consultation programme organised
Rohtak, October 23
A career consultation programme for the students of Science, Arts and Commerce streams was organised at the Government College, Bahadurgarh. The officials of the Maharshi Dayanand University Employment Exchange and Guidance Bureau explained the various job opportunities available to the students after their graduation.

• UN Day celebration

Mahila Samiti for speedy justice in rape cases
New Delhi, October 23
Calling for a change in the attitude of society towards the victim of rape and the rapist, the Mahila Dakshna Samiti said here on Thursday that speedy delivery of justice in rape cases would act as a deterrent to the offenders.

Labourers up in arms against proposed flyover near Moti Nagar
New Delhi, October 23
Employees of more than hundred business establishments as well as one thousand families of labourers employed in Najafgarh Road industrial area unit have been protesting against the proposal to construct a flyover at Najafgarh Road and Patel Road intersection near Moti Nagar for the past week.

A group of mahants called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Capital on Thursday to greet her on the occasion of Divali.

DELHI DIGEST
Delhi Govt ‘insensitive’ to Labour Welfare Fund
New Delhi, October 23
Accusing the Government of NCT of Delhi of being insensitive to the problems of labour and the poor, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Jagdish Mukhi on Thursday said the provisions of the Bombay Labour Welfare Act, 1953–extended to NCT of Delhi– particularly with regard to the constitution of Labour Welfare Fund, had not been implemented.

• Sardar Matharoo clarifies on ICP function

• Vaish Aggrawal Samaj seeks tickets

CRIME

Militant seeking to set up base for contract killers held
New Delhi, October 23
A former Babbar Khalsa terrorist, who was in Delhi to set up a base for contract killing, was nabbed by the Crime Branch near Gurgaon Road. One country made pistol along with a live cartridge was recovered from his possession.

Fake driving licence racket busted
Jhajjar, October 23
With the arrest of one person, the Crime Branch of the district police claimed to have busted a fake driving licence racket active in the district. The names of four employees of the local SDM office have also surfaced who are involved in preparation of fake driving licences.

Three held for robbing TSR driver
New Delhi, October 23
The New Delhi district police today claimed to have apprehended three robbers who looted a TSR driver near Sangli Mess last night. The three robbers Ajay Kumar (21), Devender (25) and Gaurav alias Raji alias Ajay (24), all residents of Jhareda, hired an auto near Patiala House and threatened the driver to drive through Sangli Mess.

• 396 bottles of illegal liquor seized

CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
A perfect blend of two old and sophisticated cultures

Healthcare centre launched
Gurgaon, October 23
Gurgaon is turning into a hub for health care in the region. The Delhi-based Sitram Bhartia institute of Science and Research, has launched its extension clinic in Galleria, DLF City, Phase IV. According to the director of the group, Mr A. Bharatia, the resident of the area would be able to avail of some of the best doctors from the national Capital.

SPORTS

Efforts of Nitin Sharma go in vain
New Delhi, October 23
Associate Finance disappointed Bharti Infotel in the 3rd Events Cricket Tournament 2003. Associate Finance lost their seven wickets at 76 after 16 overs. But Javed Khan along with Sumit Chander bailed their team out of trouble with 57 runs partnership for seventh wicket.

• BL Kashyap beat Jaguar

Dhani Ram trounce DDA in Nivia tourney
New Delhi, Oct 23
Dhani Ram Public School, Sonepat beat DDA Football Academy in the first semi-final of under-17 category of All India Inter-School Nivia Football Tournament. Vikas and Rajesh were the scorers for the winner side.

• Boxing championship

• DPS School Quiz

Narender powers Bright Club to victory
New Delhi, October 23 Deadly bowling (8 for 22) by Narender Kumar and a cracking knock of (48) by Gaurav Parmar helped Bright Club defeated DAV Shalimar Baghby 2 wickets in the DDCA Under-17 Cricket Tournament at Kalindi College ground. DDCA staff president C. K. Bharadwaj felicitating former Test player Chetan Chauhan at a function in the Capital.
DDCA League Gyan Bharti win	Under-13 and 15 trials

AITA coaches’ workshop from Nov 26
New Delhi, October 23
In collaboration with the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, the second AITA National Coaches workshop will be held from November 26 to 29, at the Kingfisher KSLTA Tennis Stadium in Bangalore.

Adidas launches TaylorMade
New Delhi, October 23
Adidas India Marketing Pvt. Ltd., has launched TaylorMade, the best performance golf brand in India.