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HUDA Estate Office in the dock
Delay in possession to be probed
Panchkula, March 28
Hundreds of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Tribes, backward classes, war widows, disabled soldiers, challenged persons, defence and paramilitary personnel categories have not got possession of residential plots allotted to them by HUDA in March last year.

Housing society’s allotment cancelled
Observers’ role questioned
Chandigarh, March 28
The allotment of flats in Progressive House Building Society Private Ltd have been cancelled by the authorities concerned following a member exposing bunglings in the draw of lots held on Holi. Deputy Commissioner and Registrar of Cooperative Societies Arun Kumar today ordered the cancellation of the allotment. 

Buying a slice of moon!
Chandigarh, March 28
Buying property is always exciting and more so when the property is located right where you can keep your eye on it all the time, for instance, the moon. The last few days have seen newspapers reporting about people who have managed to buy a chunk of the lunar landscape. 

PU to approach Punjab Govt for better share of grants
Chandigarh, March 28
Showing concern over receipt of lesser than expected share of grants from the Punjab Government in university financing, Panjab University has constituted a committee to meet the Chief Minister and voice its concerns.

2 SHOs shifted
Chandigarh, March 28
The Inspector General of Police, Chandigarh today ordered the transfer of two SHOs with immediate effect day.

Confusion, chaos at PU to get roll numbers
Chandigarh, March 28
Non-delivery of roll numbers for annual examinations resulted in the usual chaos at the examination branch, Panjab University, here today, where over 500 students, appearing as private candidates, queued up for duplicate admit cards.

• Passing Thru

CHANDIGARH CALLING Once a year, mediapersons play the political game during the elections of the Chandigarh Press Club. This time, the polling was on the Sunday following Holi. It was quite a turnout and the results were declared late in the night, after which it was feasting time.

COMMUNITY

Petrol sales face (re)cess in Mohali
Chandigarh, March 28
With the Punjab Government proposing a cess of 50 paisa on petrol and Re 1 on diesel, the prices of petrol and diesel will not only be higher in Mohali than those in Chandigarh and Panchkula but the variation would be more as three different rates already exist in the township due to octroi and distance from the oil supply depots.

Rana Sodhi’s official car involved in mishap
Chandigarh, March 28
The official car of Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Chief Parliamentary Secretary of Punjab Government, hit an autorickshaw near the Sector 3, 4, 9 and 10 roundabout this afternoon, injuring the autorickshaw driver, Vikas. Both parties reached a compromise after the car driver gave Rs 2,500 to the driver.



The overturned autorickshaw after it was hit by the official car of Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh. 

Fast food to pep up Punjab’s bland tourism
Mohali, March 28
The Punjab Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) would open fast food joints at Mohali, Kurali, Karatarpur, Morinda and Sultanpur Lodhi. A project for the construction of these joints in the state has been sanctioned by the Centre.

Plan to restore Sukhna’s glory
Chandigarh, March 28
The Administration now plans to restore Sukhna Lake to its old glory. Besides starting the desilting operations, the idea is to create a water body, which will help promote water sports like canoeing, kayaking and sailing.

Harassed by monkeys, Mohali resident moves PSHRC
Chandigarh, March 28
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission is no longer a redressal forum for persons victimised by the human beings. Harassed by the monkeys, a Mohali resident, Mr Narinder Singh, today moved the commission for directions to the Mohali authorities to check the monkey and stray dog menace.

All set for CPI rally today
Chandigarh, March 28
All is set for the mass rally by the Communist Party of India at the Parade Ground, Sector 17, here tomorrow ahead of the 19th party congress. The general secretary, Mr A.B. Bardhan, will be the main speaker at the rally.

A worker places chairs for the March 29 CPI rally at the Parade Ground in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Fire Dept to get more manoeuvribility
Chandigarh, March 28
The Fire Department of the Municipal Corporation will soon have a hydraulic platform-cum-turntable ladder. The existing fire-fighting equipment in the city can at best manage fire at a height of about 35 feet, which means not more than three floors.

Tributes paid to Swami Vivekananda
Chandigarh, March 28
Floral tributes were paid to Swami Vivekananda at a function organised by the Directorate of Youth Services, Punjab at Giani Singh Musafir Auditorium, Sector 24 today. Mr Jai Singh Gill, IAS, Chief Secretary, Punjab, was the chief guest.

Fire destroys marriage plans
Chandigarh, March 28
Marriage of a poor man’s daughter next month appears to be in danger following a fire in Ram Darbar today that destroyed items kept for the marriage and the artificial limbs of the brother of the bride-to-be. The fire is suspected to have been caused by a leakage in the cooking gas cylinder.

CRIME

Accident victim dead
Chandigarh, March 28
Sunil Kumar (17) succumbed to his injuries in the PGI today. He was admitted with serious head injuries after he was hit by a car at the Sector 36 and 37 light points on March 24.

2 juvenile delinquents held for theft
Chandigarh, March 28
Two minor boys and a man employed as a peon with the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been arrested by the police on charges of theft.

Department store burgled
Panchkula, March 28
Thieves struck at department store in Sector 9 and took away goods and cash worth thousands of rupees last night. The thieves entered the store by cutting open the locks of the shutters.

Class XII student goes missing
Mohali, March 28
A class XII student living in Sector 66 here went missing after his uncle scolded him for not attending school and depositing the fees given to him for a competitive examination.

BUSINESS

Loan scheme for minorities to be discontinued
Chandigarh, March 28
The board of directors of Chandigarh Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes & Minorities Financial and Development Corporation today decided to discontinue the scheme of providing micro loan upto Rs 10,000 (without surety) henceforth.

EDUCATION

Conference on landmarks on American scene opens
Chandigarh, March 28
The Department of English in collaboration with MELUS-India, the Indian Chapter of the US-based society for the study of the multi-ethnic literature, today organised a two-day Conference on “Landmarks on the American Scene: Then and Now”. It was inaugurated by Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, PU, at the univercity’s English auditorium.

School board’s budget cleared
Mohali, March 28
The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) cleared a budget with a deficit of Rs 378.81 lakh at a meeting of the board members held here today. In the budget the PSEB proposed an income of Rs 8226.58 lakh while the expenses have been fixed at Rs 8605.39 lakh.

Criti tops DAV Class VIII examination
Chandigarh, March 28
Criti Mahajan of KB DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 7, topped the Class VIII examination conducted by the DAV Board by securing 92.83 per cent marks. Criti scored 557 marks out of 600 to bag the first position in the DAV institutions of the city, Panchkula and Mohali.

Seminar on Dr Ambedkar
Chandigarh, March 28
A one-day seminar on "Dr Ambedkar's Philosophy and Liberation of Dalits in India" was held in the ICSSR Complex, Panjab University, here today. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, gave the inaugural address. He said Dr Ambedkar had emerged as an icon of Dalit liberation and millions of oppressed and exploited people from India were taking inspiration from his philosophy.

Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, addresses a seminar on Dr Ambedkar at Panjab University on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

Call for legislation to stop NRIs from importing judgements
Chandigarh, March 28
Even before they utter a single word, close-ups with foreign dignitaries — meticulously hanging in the study — tell you that the two brothers are exposed to the laws of the alien land and their culture.

Not a shop for 650 houses!
High Court issues notice
Chandigarh, March 28
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice D.K. Jain and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta, today issued a notice of motion on a PIL seeking directions to the UT Administration for providing a permanent milk-booth and shopping centre, etc in Sector 39-C.

Farmers get stay against PUDA
Chandigarh, March 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the dispossession of farmers, whose lands have been acquired by PUDA for Sector 89, Mohali.

LHRI condemns threat to lawyer
Chandigarh, March 28
The Lawyers for Human Rights International today condemned alleged threats of a police official to a Patiala-based lawyer, Mr Brijinder Singh Sodhi, who is fighting the case of alleged elimination of human right activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.

LEISURE

Taste of Texas and more with Al Young
“The world is having a taste of Texas these days,” said celebrated American writer taking a little dig at US President George Bush as he went over the culture and life of Texas where law-making was always a problem. He was talking of course of the legendary songster Leadbelly. His liberal talk caused the First Secretary of the US Embassy, Ms Robin Diallo to intervene and say that “Al Young is here as a guest of the US State Department but he is not expressing the views of the state and that is the beauty of American democracy.”

Al Young, renowned American poet, novelist and essayist at the interactive session with the writers of Chandigarh at American Corner, State Library, Sector-17, in Chandigarh on Friday. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Tickling taste buds with South Indian flavour
The restaurant at the Hotel Mountview is virtually transformed into a mini South India, wearing a festive look and abuzz with an unprecedented rush of inquisitive visitors as the South Indian food festival here emerges to be a big draw.

Fiction imbues wood with life
Description of an art object through a narrative is a normal phenomenon but illustrating a story through the medium of art is wondrous marvel indeed. But the exhibition, displaying charismatic art work of wood-cut prints and stone-etching, titled ' Cycle of Life' put up by a group of 17 versatile students of the Fine Arts Department of the Punjabi University, Patiala, is a creditable effort which opened today at the Museum of Fine Arts, Punjab University.

Students of Fine Arts Department of Punjabi University, Patiala, with their work being displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Sharma

HEALTH

Vet pharmacists hold rally
Chandigarh, March 28
On a call given by the Veterinary Pharmacist Union, member of the union of the state today went on a mass casual leave and held a protest rally in front of the office of the Director Department of Animal Husbandry here today.

SPORTS

Srivatsa wins TT title
Chandigarh, March 28
K Srivatsa Chakrovarthy of AG Tamil Nadu won the prestigious men’s title defeating Sourav Sengupta of AG West Bengal in the All India Inter Zonal Table Tennis Tournament held at Table Tennis Hall, Sector 23, here today.


Winners of the inter zonal IA and AD Table Tennis Tournament at Sec-23, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photo.

30 lady golfers for Chandigarh Open
Chandigarh, March 28
The stage is set for the 13th Chandigarh Open Ladies Amateur Golf Championship which gets under way on the lush course of the Chandigarh Golf Club here tomorrow.