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SC/ST panel pulls up admn for ignoring guidelines
Chandigarh, January 24
Taking serious note of the repeated violations of its orders, the National Commission of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes regional office at Kendriya Sadan, Sector 9, here has urged its Chairman to review the activities of the administration with regards to SCs and STs welfare.

Students’ calls clog CBSE helpline
Chandigarh, January 24
Taxing times for those appearing for the board examinations have just begun. They are busy with pre-board exams and plagued with the board examination phobia.

Minor blast in mini secretariat
Chandigarh, January 24
There was panic in the Punjab Civil Secretariat when a woman Scientific Officer today received minor injuries when an explosive substance she was examining went off in the Punjab Mini Secretariat here.

Sheds in Grain Market removed
Chandigarh, January 24
The first phase of the anti-encroachment drive in Grain Market, Sector 26, proved to be a successful exercise today. Some of the encroachments in front of the shops were removed by the owners themselves.

Demolition drive by the Enforcement Department of UT Administration in progress at Grain Market, Sector-26, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

28-yr-old woman electrocuted
Mohali, January 24
A young software developer employed with the Quark Media House here was electrocuted at her residence in Sector 71 this morning. The victim, Smitha Diwan (28), who lived alone died while having a bath.

High Court
Major relief to brick-kiln owners in Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh, January 24
In a major relief to brick-kiln owners in Punjab and Haryana, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the authorities not to take coercive steps to force them to implement the clause relating to use of at least 25 per cent fly ash in the manufacture of bricks.

PEC students return shaken sans Sonia Deva
Chandigarh, January 24
The group of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, who had left for Manikaran in a festive mood, came back sad today as their efforts to retrieve body from gushing water of river Parvati went futile. Sonia Deva, a promising student of third year of Aeronautical Engineering, was drowned in Parvati River on January 21.

Controversy over Army officers' qualification refuses to die
Chandigarh, January 24
The controversy over certain senior officers' professional qualification surrounding the Army's judicial branch refuses to die, with fresh allegations now being raised by the father of an officer serving in the same branch and a Panchkula court issuing summons to the branch's former head and a representative of Army Headquarters.

Rs 70 cr spent, but ‘no sign of development’
The local municipal council has spent Rs 70 crore in the past three and a half years on maintenance and development works. However, for residents, hardly any improvement is visible.

(Clockwise from top left) Dry leaves and garbage piled in a corner of a park in Phase 3B1; broken railing on a road divider remains unrepaired near the YPS roundabout; Posters pasted on a PUDA guide map; construction material lying in the middle of an intra-sectoral road in Phase IV. — Tribune photos by Pradeep Tewari and Parvesh Chauhan

Passing Thru
Balbir Singh Momi,
Editor, Nagara, and writer based in Canada

CHANDIGARH CALLING Sight of a mouse in a Sector 35 restaurant became an excuse for some customers, including an IPS officer of Punjab, not to pay their bills. The IPS officer saw a mouse enter the restaurant and upset over this he refused to pay the bill. He said the food in the restaurant might have been contaminated because of lack of hygiene. On getting to know about this another customer also refused to pay the bill.

COMMUNITY

Bravery award for Kulwant Singh
Chandigarh, January 24
For resident of Buterla village in Sector 41, Mr Kulwant Singh, the brave act of saving a woman, who was being allegedly kidnapped by a car-borne person has got recognition.

Four cops to be honoured on Republic Day
Chandigarh, January 24
Four police personnel, including a woman Sub-Inspector, were today selected to be honoured on the Republic Day for their meritorious services.

Traffic restrictions for R-Day function
Chandigarh, January 24
The Chandigarh Traffic Police has imposed certain restrictions on traffic and planned diversions from certain roads near the Parade Ground, Sector 17 and near Punjab Raj Bhavan.

General pays farewell visit to Command Hospital
Chandigarh, January 24
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen J J Singh, today paid a farewell visit to the Command Hospital, Chandimandir. He was accompanied by the president of the Army Wives Welfare Association, Mrs Anupama Singh.

Fine performance by NCC cadets
Chandigarh, January 24
In a remarkable improvement in its performance over preceding years, the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate has bagged the third position at the national-level Republic Day Camp (RDC) in Delhi.

NCC motorcycle rally flagged off
Chandigarh, January 24
An NCC motorcycle rally, traversing the country to spread the message of AIDS awareness, was flagged off on its next leg to New Delhi here yesterday.

SAD (Longowal) ‘Mukti andolan’ from March 1
Mohali, January 24
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) will start its Mukti Andolan from Fatehgarh Sahib on March 1 to free the state from social and political evils.

System in India out-and-out corrupt, says PSEB chief
Mohali, January 24
The system in India is thoroughly corrupt and hard work is not rewarded in this country.

‘Jawans’ act doesn’t reflect erosion of discipline’
Chandigarh, January 24
While reports of five civilians being crushed by a train after they were allegedly pushed out from another train by Army jawans has shaken up the defence establishment, several retired officers were of the view that it was an isolated incident and did not necessarily reflect the standard of discipline in the forces.

Fauji Beat
Protect whistleblowers to curb corruption
IN most cases, it has been seen that it is the complainant who gets into trouble and not the senior officer against whom a complaint is made by the former. In certain cases, the complainant is deliberately involved in a disciplinary action.

Kitchner House is now Headquarters, Bengal Area Officers’ Mess.

Doc’s death: report fails to unlock mystery
Chandigarh, January 24
The post-mortem examination of the body of Dr Babita Kaura alias Dolly has failed to unravel the mystery of her death. The post-mortem report that the city police received today failed to pinpoint the exact cause of her death, said the police here, today.

Houses ready; allottees await basic amenities
Chandigarh, January 24
It is a case of all dressed up but nowhere to go. Hundreds of allottees of dwelling units of various cooperative housing societies in Sector 48-C are unable to shift to their new houses as the Chandigarh Administration has failed to provide basic infrastructure there.

Search Within
Saint Kabir on secret of happiness
Human life, many philosophers have said, is a bundle of desires. The pursuit of happiness, which, generally speaking, is the average man’s life goal consists of his efforts to fulfil his desires.

Netaji remembered
Chandigarh, January 24
On the occasion of 108th birth anniversary of Neta Ji Subhas Chandra Bose, on January 23, the Rajasthan Parisha organised a blood donation camp in Rajasthan Bhavan, Sector 33-A. It was organised in collaboration with the National Integration Medical Association (NIMA) here on Sunday.

JB Trust contributes Rs 50,000 for tsunami victims
Chandigarh, January 24
The JB Charitable Trust today contributed Rs 50,000 towards the Tsunami Relief Fund.

CRIME

Worker caught stealing zinc plates
Chandigarh, January 24
A man was caught red-handed while stealing zinc plates from a factory while, the police said here today.

Purse containing Rs 2 lakh, jewellery stolen
Chandigarh, January 24
A woman, who came to Sri Bauli Sahib Gurudwara in Zirakpur for the marriage of her son, was robbed of her purse. It contained Rs 2 lakh and jewellery of equal amount for the marriage. A teenager was captured while stealing the purse.

BUSINESS

New BSNL Principal General Manager
Chandigarh, January 24
Mr O.P. Sikka has taken over as the Principal General Manger Telecom , Chandigarh BSNL. Replacing Mr Satya Pal, who has been shifted as Principal General Manger, Operations Maharashtra circle. Before joining here Mr Sikka was working as General Manger Telecom. Sangrur.

EDUCATION

10 city students to take National Talent Search Exam
Chandigarh, January 24
Ten schoolchildren of the city have been selected for competing for the National Talent Search Examination. They have been selected on the basis of the result of the State Talent Search Examination (STSE) which was declared by the State Institute of Education, Sector 32, here today.

COURTS

Woman granted bail on compassionate grounds
Chandigarh, January 24
Additional Sessions Judge, BK Mehta, today granted bail to a Mauli Jagran resident, Rekha, accused in a kidnapping case, on compassionate grounds.

LIFESTYLE

Mastering maths with abacus
Mastering maths and manoeuvering through the maze of calculations successfully has been every child’s dream and a parent’s ultimate fantasy for ages. TV ads showing a little one totalling grocery bills before a computer could do so or remembering a difficult telephone number make many a parent rush to the nearest store to pick up the advertised corn flakes or other dietary supplements as maths is Achilles’ heel for many school going children.

Shikha Sood displays an abacus learning kit in Chandigarh. — Photo by Malkit Singh

“Chandan de Ohley” staged at Dept of Indian Theatre
“It is the mission of comedy to depict contemporary life with moral intent and not tell pleasing tales of fairies…” opined Ben Johnson, long back. Accordingly

Iqbal Khan in city
Iqbal Khan, an actor, who recently entered the Bollywood’s glamour world, is in the city to promote his forthcoming movie “Bullet”. He says the movie is an action-packed spy thriller. The film has been shot in Bulgaria with the help of foreign technicians. This guy from Kashmir, whose debut film was ‘Fun2shh’ has miles to go to prove himself. Though the movie flopped at the box office but he succeeded in making his presence felt.

Solving problems through emotional counselling
For an Army officer-turned-palmist Col Gursewak Singh (retd), palmistry is not about predicting future. It is a science which, if utilised properly can reveal true characteristics of an individual. Besides, he seeks solution to the problem through emotional counselling.

‘Dance Like a Man’ staged
The Literary Society of the Department of English Panjab University, staged a play “Dance Like a Man” at English auditorium today. One of the widely-acclaimed creation of playwright Mahesh Dattani, the play, after being staged worldwide and transformed into a film, has high expectations.

Students of the English Department, Panjab University, perform in a play “Dance Like a Man” staged in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Cops at Sukhna help persons with suicidal tendencies
Despaired, dejected and downcast if you are and thinking of visiting the Sukhna Lake to ‘overcome’ problems, you may have an uninvited counsel in Khaki whose eyes will be scanning you every inch, an unwelcome but helpful intruder into your loneliness in the form of a policeman.

Cold wave forces people indoors
As the mercury dipped to 5.6 degrees celsius in the city today, even the heavy discount sales in city markets were not attractive enough for city residents to brave the cold and shop. And it was not just the market places that wore a deserted look.

SPORTS

CFA win soccer tourney
Chandigarh, January 24
The lads of Chandigarh Football Academy (Red) edged past Mehar Football Academy, Kurali, by seven goals to nil to bag the Chandigarh Junior Challenge Cup (under-16) Soccer Tournament, which concluded here this evening at the football grounds of the Sector 42 Sports Complex.

Manoj of the CFA on the way to score a goal against Mehar Academy Kurali in the final match of Chandigarh junior soccer cup at Sector-42, Chandigarh, on Monday. — Photo by Pradeep Tewari

DAV win overall trophy
Chandigarh, January 24
DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, was adjudged overall winners and bagged the trophy in overall games category by collecting 58 points on the basis of various inter-school sports tournaments in different disciplines held during the year.

Jubilant boys of DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, who won the overall trophy.

Ballboy back from Australia
Chandigarh, January 24
Akshat Joshi, a Sector 30 resident, has returned from a trip in Australia. He was there as a ballboy at the Australian Open, currently under way there. It was a great moment for him to meet Andre Agassi.

Medical College drub HSIDC
Chandigarh, January 24
Medical College team defeated HSIDC by 53 runs and entered the semifinal of the XIth Inter-Institutional Cricket Tournament yesterday.

ADMINISTRATION

Meeting on extending MC limits today
Mohali, January 24
A proposal to extend municipal limits of the town will be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Municipal Council to be held here on January 25. The council proposes to include Sectors 76 to 80 within the municipal limits of the town.