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Minister ‘changes’ Master Plan to dispense favour
Mohali, January 12
Nothing is sacred anymore. Not even documents like a city’s Master Plan prepared over a number of years and finalised in detail within the highest echelons of power. All it took the Minister for Housing and Urban Planning Punjab, Mr Raghunath Sahai Puri, 18 pages of “well-drafted justifications” to change the Master Plan of SAS Nagar, 1996-2016.

Harmilap land dispute: no headway in talks
Panchkula, January 12
The stand-off between Punjab and Haryana over the ownership of prime land, four acres in Harmilap Nagar, continues with another round of talks between revenue officials of the two states failing to make any headway today.

Repoll of PU Syndicate seats by Jan 24 likely
Chandigarh, January 12
Hanging fire for over a fortnight, the repoll of the Panjab University Syndicate's Law Faculty seats is likely to be held before the newly elected Syndicate meets for the first time on January 24.

PEC to get IAF copter on January 23 Chandigarh, January 12 Students of the aeronautical department at Punjab Engineering College will soon get a hands-on experience about the structure and functioning of helicopters. As part of the department’s upgradation, it will be getting a de-commissioned helicopter, courtesy the Air Force. A file picture of a MI-8 helicopter

Tribune journalists discharged in contempt case
Chandigarh, January 12
A three-Judge Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today discharged The Tribune’s Senior Associate Editor A.J. Philip and Staff Correspondent Rajmeet Singh in a contempt of court case.

COMMUNITY

Ex-YC gen secy alleges death threat
Chandigarh, January 12
A former Youth Congress general secretary of Punjab, Mr Gurinder Singh Jakhar, has alleged the son of a Congress leader from Ferozpore has threatened to kill him for showing “disrespect” to his father.

Industrial discharge pollutes Ghaggar Dera Bassi (Patiala) January 12 Fish has disappeared from the Ghaggar and its tributaries. Shepherds avoid grazing their herd on its banks. In 1986, 12 buffaloes died after drinking water from a rivulet near Lalru. Even vultures don’t visit the area. ICE REALITY: This is not snow but froth accumulated along the Ghaggar river banks at Bhankharpur village, near Zirakpur. — Tribune photo by Karam Singh

Jobs on compassionate ground sought

Chandigarh, January 12 Widows and wards of UT employees, who had died while in service in the last four years, today demonstrated at the UT Secretariat against the failure of the administration to appoint next of the kin on compassionate ground. Widows and wards of UT employees, who died while in service during the past four years, demonstrate at the UT Secretariat for appointments on compassionate grounds in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Brig Satjit Singh continues as vice-chairman of DSOI
Chandigarh, January 12
Brig Satjit Singh (retd) has been re-elected as the vice-chairman of the management committee of the Defence Services Officers Institute, Sector 36, the elections for which were held here yesterday.

Fauji Beat Will killings in Kashmir ever stop?
“I am proud of my grandson whose chest was pierced with bullets of terrorists. But please tell me how many Mriduls will have to die to maintain peace in Kashmir?” asked Mr Bhagwan Dass, 75, the grandfather of Capt Mridul Sharma, at the cremation of his grandson near Hamirpur on January 2. The Anglo-Sikh War Memorial at Ferozeshah, near Ferozepore.

Lohri — time to celebrate Chandigarh, January 12 If you have been celebrating Lohri just because you love munching popcorns after sitting around the blaze without knowing the significance of the occasion, it is time you enrich your knowledge.   On the eve of Lohri on Monday, residents rush to Chandigarh markets for buying groundnuts. — A Tribune photograph

Slum school kids celebrate Lohri Chandigarh, January 12 Students of Khushee School in Sector 25 celebrated Lohri. The school authorities had lit a huge bonfire. The students danced around the fire singing traditional songs. The programme was organised by the Indian Council of Social Welfare’s Chandigarh Chapter at Government High School in Sector 25.
Students of Khushee School in Sector 25 celebrate Lohri in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

• Lohri celebrated

MC scheme for removing malba
Chandigarh, January 12
The Municipal Corporation today said that its scheme, launched to clear malba from outside people’s homes and construction sites, will carry on. City residents can call up at number 3274154 on any working day.

City BJP appoints spokesmen
Chandigarh, January 12
The president of the local unit of the BJP, Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, today appointed 3 spokesmen — Mr Kehar Singh Koundel, Mr Raghuvir Lal Arora and Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal.

Plea to DC on cable fee hike
Mohali, January 12
The Consumer Protection Forum has demanded that cable services be placed in essential services category to stop cable operators from fleecing residents by hiking cable fee drastically.

• Blankets distributed among the poor

• Workshop inaugurated

• New premises for passport office soon

CRIME

Jailed IT director on production remand
Chandigarh, January 12
Incarcerated Onlinejobworks.com director Jasdeep Singh Bains was today taken on production remand by the Chandigarh Police for his alleged involvement in another multi-level marketing company, Artexe.com, also known as Tvisha Diamonds.

Rs 1.40 lakh stolen from two houses
Chandigarh, January 12
In two separate broad daylight burglaries reported from southern sectors here, thieves decamped with cash and jewellery worth more than Rs 1.40 lakh today. In both the cases the houses were unoccupied and the thieves broke the locks on the outer doors using rods.

BUSINESS

Bus coach launched
Chandigarh, January 12
The JCBL, based near Lalru, today announced the launch of JCBL Integral Coach 6113 to cater to the needs of the high-end luxury segment. Mr Rishi Pal, Director, JCBL Ltd, said,” With the introduction of this model, the JCBL will have a complete range of products for its customers, ranging from economy buses to the super-luxury integral coaches.

Cadila may reduce price of Amoxycillin
Panchkula, January 12
Pharmaceutical giant Cadila today expressed its desire to reduce the price of its branded product, Genmox-250 (Amoxycillin 250 mg) following the slapping of a case against it by the Health Department.

JCT to start production soon
Mohali, January 12
JCT Electronics Ltd, which had stopped its production activity about two years ago, will become functional in the near future. This was stated by Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, while talking to mediapersons after the curtain-raising ceremony of a murti of Shani Devta at the Pracheen Satya Narain Mandir in Mataur village here today.

EDUCATION

Chinese team cancels visit, disappoints education board
Mohali, January 12
A seven-member Chinese delegation from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, which was to reach here on Saturday last on an invitation from the Punjab School Education Board, under the educational cooperation programme, has postponed its visit causing a lot of disappointment to the board authorities.

National Youth Day celebrations
Chandigarh, January 12
National Youth Day was celebrated by various educational institutions in the city. At the MCM DAV College, Sector 36, a function was organised in collaboration with the Adult and Continuing Education Department, Panjab University.

DAV School donates 1.10 lakh to HelpAge
Chandigarh, January 12
The DAV Public School, Sector 8, has presented a cheque for Rs 1.10 lakh to HelpAge India. The Regional Director of HelpAge India, Brig R.S. Duggal (retd), accepted the cheque.

COURTS

Notice of motion to Panchkula SP
Chandigarh, January 12
Acting on a petition filed by Panchkula resident Nikhil Kant Sayal — son of Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Golden Forests Rakesh Kant Sayal — seeking police protection, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to Panchkula’s Superintendent of Police.

Report on suicide by cop submitted
Panchkula, January 12
The SDM, Mr Inder Singh, has submitted the inquiry report on circumstances leading to the suicide by Head Constable Jaiveer to the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Satwanti Ahlawat.

Arrest warrants against 4 cops
Panchkula, January 12
The CJM, Mr Gulab Singh, today issued arrest warrants against four police personnel accused of accepting illegal gratification from certain poppy husk smugglers of the Pinjore area.

LIFESTYLE

Freak out... carefully
You have already picked up logs for lighting the bonfire. You have also posted invites to friends and relatives for celebrating Lohri at your residence. Popcorns, groundnuts and other winter delicacies too have been ordered. The reason behind your anxiety is not hard to see.

Ethos at Fun Republic Ethos, a watch showroom in the city, has opened a new shop at Fun Republic. The new outlet at the shopping mall in Mani Majra has been opened as the first anniversary celebrations of its store in Sector 8. Maintaining its contemporary and swanky interiors, a colourful look has been granted to Ethos-2. Ethos store at Fun Republic. — A Tribune photograph

Back to roots Residents seem to be going back to their roots. The astounding success of the Gram Shree Mela at Panchkula, where rural artisans from all over the country had displayed their wares, suggests the yearning for traditional handicrafts. The fair, which opened to a good response on January 6 at the HUDA Grounds in Sector 5, registered sales worth Rs 12 lakh till yesterday.   Rural artisans like Matlubul Haq from Benaras elicited a good response for their wares at the Gram Shree Mela in Panchkula. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Rare surgery on nose stone at Mohali
A rare case of rhinolith (nose stone) was operated upon under general anaesthesia by a Mohali-based doctor today. Dr Pankaj Arora, an ENT specialist, today claimed to have cured a 30-year-old male patient of recurrent episodes of cold and nasal bleeding for the past 20 years by removing an abnormally large-sized stone from the left part of his nose.

Still a child at heart
The child in him has always got the better of him. All of Soumitra Ranade’s films have revolved around the fantasies of a child, be it “Naseem” and “Kabhie Haan Kabhie Naa”, for which he had scripted the storyline, or more recently, the hugely successful children’s movie ‘Jajantaram Mamantaram’, which was directed by him.

It’s my life
Heaven for the youth
In my view, Chandigarh is a heaven for the youth. Sometimes I express my gratitude to my parents for their judicious decision taken a few years back to shift to Chandigarh from the rural belt of Punjab. I began my student career with Yadavindra Public School, Mohali, while we stayed in Sector 15, Chandigarh.