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Gang running ‘discount’ shop flees
Dupes customers of lakhs; mob loots goods
Panchkula, February 15
Eight persons, who had set up a shop in Haripur village here to sell cars, mobikes, electronic and household goods at 50 per cent discount, have fled after duping hundreds of gullible customers of lakhs of rupees. The fact dawned on the customers this morning when they reached the shop to collect their goods.

A crowd outside Sri Ganesh Home Appliances in Haripur village, Panchkula, after the shop was looted by a mob on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Rain lashes city Chandigarh, February 15 The city and its surrounding areas witnessed one of the wettest days this winter, throwing life out of gear. It poured throughout the day barring brief periods of respite. The Meteorological Department recorded 14 mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm. THANDA THANDA COOL COOL: Cold winds forced schoolchildren to wrap themselves up in jackets in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Karam Singh

Tribune Impact
Mining stopped at eight quarries
Panchkula, February 15
The Department of Mines and Geology has stopped mining at eight quarries on the upstream of the Ghaggar for allegedly violating contract. Officials in the department said mining had been stopped in the quarries because the river bed had been dug up to 20 to 30 feet deep.

Internet security big challenge for PC users
Mohali, February 15
Anti-virus software developers might never be able to catch up with hackers. You have secured your computer from information theft and criminal hacking but in the end it just might be your mobile phone that lets you down.

My assignment in city most satisfying: Chaturvedi Chandigarh, February 15 “I have always cherished my contact with the common man,” says Mr T.N. Chaturvedi, Governor of Karnataka, maintaining that all those holding “constitutional posts should exercise self-restraint to uphold the dignity and sanctity of their offices.”                       T.N. Chaturvedi

• Passing Thru

COMMUNITY

Official apathy forces closure of child adoption centre
Panchkula, February 15
Three years ago, Bal Niketan — a home for destitute and abandoned children — was conferred the National Award for Child Welfare. Today, because of alleged bureaucratic indifference, it has decided to close down its adoption centre.

Tapestries beckon French saviours
2-member curator team to visit city
Chandigarh, February 15
Moved by the pitiable condition of priceless tapestries hanging in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and also the Vidhan Sabha, a two-member team from France is coming to the city in early March to hold a seminar on tapestry conservation and maintenance.

MC allocates pittance to ‘forgotten’ villages
Chandigarh, February 15
It appears that the four villages under the Municipal Corporation are no one's baby. In the budgetary allocation for the villages — Attawa, Badheri, Burail and Buterla — in the annual plan 2005-2006, the corporation has proposed Rs 20 lakh under the Plan head which meant a meager sum of Rs 5 lakh for each village.

Roads, water MC’s top budgetary priority
Chandigarh, February 15
The Municipal Corporation has outlined the improvement of city roads as its priority in the Budget estimates. The matter will come up for detailed discussion at the meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee tomorrow.

MC to set up bird slaughterhouse
Chandigarh, February 15
The Municipal Corporation here has decided to set up a bird slaughterhouse. It has been pointed out in the corporation Budget draft that “there are a lot of complaints from residents regarding birds being slaughtered in almost all meat shops.”

MC plans sterilisation of stray dogs
Mohali, February 15
The Municipal Council proposes to carry out sterilisation operations on stray dogs in the town keeping in view their growing number. The issue will be discussed at the General House meeting of the council scheduled to be held on February 17.

Tributes paid at 94th anniversary of Corps of Signals
Chandigarh, February 15
A solemn wreath-laying ceremony and a social get-together marked the 94th anniversary of the Corps of Signals at Headquarters Western Command in Chandimandir today.

Dharna by pundits enters second day
Chandigarh, February 15
The dharna by members of the Devalaya Pujak Parishad against the alleged misbehaviour of secretary of Sanatan Dharam Mandir, Sector 27, Sanjeev Sharma and senior Congress leader Devinder Babla entered its second day today.

Rainwater drainage being laid
Mohali, February 15
An additional strom sewer is being laid by the water supply and sanitation wing of the Public Health Department to drainout rainwater from Sector 59 (Phase V). The sewer will start from Sector 59 and pass through industrial sectors 58 and 73.

Sanitation in Sec 17 to be privatised
Chandigarh, February 15
Sanitation in Sector 17 will be privatised, Mrs Anu Chatrath, Mayor, said a meeting organised by the Business Promotional Council here today. The Mayor said 25 per cent of the income out of the paid parking in the sector would be spent on development works.

• Dropsy cases: Admin alerts field staff
• Aggarwal Sabha sammelan on February 19
• Former Chief Secy Ojha bereaved
• One injured

CRIME

Cops beat up businessman
Chandigarh, February 15
A young businessman was allegedly detained illegally and beaten up by an ASI and a constable posted at the Sector 17 police post yesterday. In a complaint to the SSP, Mr Praveen Pandey has accused ASI Amanjot Singh and Constable Om Prakash of illegally detaining him and beating him up.

Ailing woman sets herself afire
Chandigarh, February 15
Depressed over a chronic illness, Sur Bala, a resident of Dadu Majra, today committed suicide after setting herself afire police sources said. The sources said Sur Bala, an anganwadi worker, poured kerosene on her body and set herself on fire.

LPG delivery man nabbed
Chandigarh, February 15
A delivery man of a local LPG agency was caught today while allegedly tampering with the seal of a cylinder and connecting an empty cylinder to it with an instrument in order to reportedly transfer the gas.

BUSINESS

Using e-business for empowerment
Chandigarh, February 15
“Information technology plays an important role in the transformation of unresponsive systems. The government is keen to extend help if the industry can come up with defined analytical systems which help in the implementation and monitoring of government’s initiatives,” Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), Punjab Governor, said while delivering the inaugural address at the conference on “e-Business: Empower Your Business”, organised by the CII here today.

Banking programme commences
Panchkula, February 15
The 10-day long Green Channel Programme for excellence in agricultural banking commenced today at Staff Training Centre, State Bank of India, Panchkula. It was inaugurated by Mr Hemant G. Contractor, Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Chandigarh Circle.

Maruti holds Valentine bash Chandigarh, February 15 “Pyar To Hona Hi Tha”, a Valentine bash organised by Maruti Suzuki, was held at the CII in Chandigarh. Rhythms, a dance troupe from Delhi, performed to electrifying and romantic numbers. A dance troupe performs during the Valentine bash. Biz Clips

EDUCATION

MFA course gets AICTE nod
Chandigarh, February 15
The Government College for Arts, Sector 10, finally received most-awaited recognition for its Masters in Fine Arts course of one-year duration. Director, Information technology, Chandigarh Administration, Vivek Atray said the course had been approved by the All India Council of Technical Education and the letter of approval was received last week.

Contests mark youth festival        Mohali, February 15 Pratibha-2005, an intellectual and cultural youth festival, was organised at the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Phase II, here today. Students await their turn to perform at Pratibha-2005 at Gian Jyoti Institute, Mohali, on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph From Schools Students bid adieu to seniors Chandigarh, February 15 It was farewell time in city schools today as juniors bid adieu to students of outgoing classes. While students of junior classes presented a cultural extravaganza, seniors, attired in formals, sashayed down the ramp and shared their experiences in school.

Lecture on natural product chemistry
Mohali, February 15
“Integrate natural product chemistry with biology,” said Professor P. Balaram while delivering the foundation day lecture at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research, here, today.

Experts dwell on info security systems
Mohali, February 15
Experts in the field of information technology today discussed various issues pertaining to information security systems during skill-cum-technology programme on “Secure your business through information security” that started at the Centre for the Development of Advanced Computing here today.

• Class VIII exams commence
• Book release on Feb 20
• VC sends drafts for tsunami relief
• Seminar on education

COURTS

DSP, 4 others summoned
Chandigarh, February 15
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice Amar Dutt and Mr Justice Rajive Bhalla today directed a Panchkula DSP and four Inspectors to appear before the court tomorrow following allegations by an NRI from Canada that he was tortured and harassed by the Raipur Rani police.

Proceedings stayed in missing files case
Chandigarh, February 15
In a significant decision, the Additional Sessions Judge, Mr B.K. Mehta, today stayed the proceedings by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in the missing files case. In his order, Mr Mehta ruled that the ACJM would not hear the case till a decision on the petition of the Chandigarh Administration was taken by him.

• 10-day police remand for car thieves
• Bail application of Tota rejected

CULTURE

Seminar on preservation of paintings begins
Chandigarh, February 15
The 3-day 37th national seminar on “Care and Preservation of Paintings” organised by the Indian Association for the study of conservation of Cultural Property in collaboration with the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, opened today at the gallery.

LEISURE

Images in fusion                                PORTRAYING the pictures of rural life in Punjab was always a passion with senior Chandigarh-based artist Malkit Singh ever since he started wielding the brush in the Art School at Shimla in 1967. Rural life — a mixed media work Girija to act in ‘Sirhind di Diwar’ after 25 yrs AFTER a gap of nearly 25 years, I have come to perform in the same play “Sirhind di Diwar” and at the same venue. I am feeling very nostalgic about it. Dhritrashtra of Mahabharat and Raliya Ram of Buniyad, Girija Shankar, has come to take part in the Patiala Heritage Festival.

Nirmal Sidhu’s album released PROFICIENCY in vocal, instrumental, dance streams and literature makes person a “complete artiste”, Nirmal Sidhu, a folk singer and music composer of eight Punjabi films, says. Since Punjabi music now dominated by lyricism, it is vital for an artiste to assimilate the essence of its contents before transforming it into a song, says Nirmal Sidhu, a post graduate in music, while interacting with mediapersons at the release of his cassette “Sajjan Vichhde” at the Punjab Kala Bhavan in Chandigarh on Monday.

Nirmal Sidhu

SPORTS

Football Academy finish third Chandigarh, February 15 The boys of St Stephen’s Football Academy finished third in the All-India Football Federation Under-13 football festival organised in Kolkata from February 2 to 8. The team returned to the city, today. Members of St. Stephen’s Football Academy pose for a photograph with P.K. Banerjee, Arjuna and Padmashree awardee.

Tiny tots take part in sports day
Chandigarh, February 15
Students of pre-primary, first and second classes of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, took part in sports day, organised by the Nursery Teachers Training Institute of DAV Model School 15, here today.

Rowing championship on Feb 19
Chandigarh, February 15
The first Punjab Open Rowing Championship would be held at Sukhna Lake, here, on February 19. The General Secretary, Punjab Amateur Rowing Association, Mr Prabjeev Singh, said there would be competitions in single sculls, double sculls, coxless pairs and coxless four.

Minerva Academy Cricket  Club win
Chandigarh, February 15
A sparkling century by Harish Garg (106 off 41 balls) helped the Minerva Academy Cricket Club beat JJ Sports in the 6th Mani Memorial Cricket Tournament held at REC grounds at Kurali today.

• Rural sports meet postponed

• Athletics meet postponed