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City stars twinkle in IIM sky
Four each make it to Ahmedabad, Kozikode
Chandigarh, April 6
Big dreams are the first step to even bigger realisations and that’s what set the ball rolling for city youngsters who came out with flying colours in the CAT examination and made it to the Indian Institute of Management.

Spring brings windfall for PU
Alumnus wills Rs 56 lakh to alma mater
Chandigarh, April 6
Cash-strapped Panjab University has received a donation of $ 1,28,000 (over Rs 56 lakh) from a trust formed in the name of Pran Nath Vohra, a university alumnus who passed away recently in the USA.

Tecoma Argentia, a rare tree in bloom in Sector 33, Chandigarh. — Photo by Karam Singh

PU reschedules April 2 exams
Chandigarh, April 6
Acceding to the demands of principals and students of the affiliated colleges, Panjab University has rescheduled the annual examinations of undergraduate classes that were to take place on April 2.

Now, pay a fortune for traffic violation
Fine for tinted glasses: Rs 1,000, for wrong number-plates: Rs 2,000
Chandigarh, April 6
Drivers of vehicles with tinted glasses and number-plates not as per the guidelines are in for trouble. The Chandigarh Traffic Police will fine Rs 1,000 and 2,000 respectively, for these offences. Earlier, the fine for these offences was Rs 100.

Officer remembers the sealing of Rawalpindi-Srinagar route
Chandigarh, April 6
As the Old Mughal Route between Rawalpindi and Srinagar through Uri is set to re-open after decades, an Indian Army officer who had been tasked to seal the route in 1965 vividly recalls his experience of witnessing cordial relations between the two armies turning hostile.

• Passing Thru

COMMUNITY

Southern Sector roads drivers’ nightmare
Chandigarh, April 6
High-level reviews of the city’s road infrastructure and crores of rupees allocated for widening and recarpeting roads in southern sectors seem to have had little effect.

Spring is back…with a sting!
Seven bee/wasp sting cases reported in one month

Chandigarh, April 6 The change of season has unleashed honey bees and yellow wasps once again. Dominating the city spaces like never before, they are striking with a vengeance. Another reason for increased strike of bees during this part of the season is their heightened activity, spurred by natural sources of nectar which are the richest at this time of the year. A view of the bee hive at Karuna Sadan building in Sector 11. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan.

MC to keep double entry accounts
Chandigarh, April 6
The Municipal Corporation has decided to introduce a double entry system of accounting to maintain the expenditure records for more transparency. A decision to this regard was taken at a meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee here today.

PSEB to deploy private contractors for slums
Mohali, April 6
Following the example of Chandigarh, the Punjab State Electricity Board here has decided to deploy private contractors to “collect” electricity consumption charges from slum dwellers in the township.

‘Villains’ to turn friends at licence counters
Chandigarh, April 6
Their objections irk you, specially when your turn of filing your documents for a driving licence or vehicle registration comes after having sweated out in a long queue. They look like villains.

Villagers attend training on Panchayati Raj
Chandigarh, April 6
A nine-day training programme at National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad, for a 40 member-delegation, comprising of representatives from all 18 UT villages, proved to be an eye-opener as far the empowerment of the Panchayati Raj was concerned.

Indiscriminate harvesting killing medicinal plants
Chandigarh, April 6
The rapid loss of natural habitats and over-exploitation of plants from the wild to meet the demands of the Indian medicinal plant industry, pegged at more than Rs. 4000 million annually, translates into indiscriminate harvesting.

Volunteers to collect garbage from Colony No 5
Chandigarh, April 6
Beginning from April 15, Yuvsatta will organise a special “safai abhiyaan” at Colony No 5. The announcement was made today by Mr Pramod Sharma of Yuvsatta which will gainfully employ rag pickers to clear the area of filth.

Estate Office website this month
Chandigarh, April 6
The Estate Office website —www.sampada.in — which will facilitate payment of fee apart from carrying information about procedures and certified architects, engineers, plumbers and property details will be operational within this month.

City lad to attend meeting of Nobel Laureates in Germany
Chandigarh, April 6
Preetpaul Singh Ahluwalia brushes past laurels aside as the triumphs continue. His efforts show a distinctive affinity towards excellence as this 22-year-old does his parents, his teaching fraternity and his city, Chandigarh, proud once again by being selected to participate in the “55th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students” in Lindau, Germany, in June.

Police helpline on passport status
Chandigarh, April 6
The police has offered the passport applicants a helpline (5025000) to know their verification status in a fresh move to help people get passports within 35 days without a “tatkal” fee.

Readers write
Where’s the refund, PUDA?
In 1995 PUDA worked out a sum of Rs 3,156 to be paid by me on account of acquisition price, etc. in addition to the full amount already paid for my plot No. 2071, Sector 61, Mohali. This additional amount was deposited vide PUDA’s receipt No. 53, dated June 23, 1995.

Factory worker electrocuted
Rajpura, April 6
A 27-year-old youth of Daksijattan village was electrocuted late last night. An employee of RK Welding Roads, Darshan Singh, sustained severe electric burns while he was on duty on Tuesday.

Property dealers meet DC on new rates
Zirakpur, April 6
Residents of the area, members of the Zirakpur Property Dealers Association and the Dera Bassi Property Dealers Association have lodged a protest against re-fixing of minimum rates for land within the limits of the civic body by the District Collector.

• Power cut in Zirakpur areas

CRIME

Harpreet murder: raids on to nab servant
Mohali, April 6
While raids to nab the Nepalese servant are still going on, the police has failed to make any break through in connection with the murder of a Sector 68 resident here allegedly by her husband.

Tutor abducts minor girl
Mohali, April 6
A Class VI student of Government Girls School, Mullapur Garibdass, was allegedly abducted by her tuition teacher. According to the police, the girl, resident of Bharonjia village, has been missing since March 22 when she went to appear for her examination and did not return.

Man commits suicide
Chandigarh, April 6
A 35-year-old man hanged himself to death this afternoon at his Daddu Majra house here. The family members of the deceased reportedly said that he was depressed about the repayment of loans he had raised earlier to buy a house.

Youth snatches chain
Chandigarh, April 6
A motor cycle borne youth snatched a chain from a woman in Sector 40 here today, the local police said. Ms Ritu, resident of Sector 40, reported to the police that an unidentified motor cycle borne youth snatched her chain from outside her residence.

Taxi drivers manhandle firm head
Chandigarh, April 6
Mr Surinder Singh, Proprietor of Health Care Systems, was allegedly beaten up by two taxiwallahs at the Chandigarh railway station yesterday

2 charged with kidnapping held
Chandigarh, April 6
The local police has arrested two persons accused of kidnapping a minor girl in Sector 52 last year. They were arrested from their residences late last night.

NRI girl’s molestation: accused still at large
Chandigarh, April 6
The police is groping in the dark as the accused of molesting and attempt to kidnap the grand daughter of former Congress leader late Gian Singh Rarewala remains elusive.

BUSINESS

Grocers uneasy as stocks deplete
Chandigarh, April 6
Wholesale grocery merchants in the Sector 26 Grain Market are a worried lot these days for the stocks of certain goods are fast running out.

Maruti getting out of reach for middle class
Chandigarh, April 6
Maruti 800 may no longer be the pet vehicle of the middle-class segment as the consumers will now be forced to shell out Rs 9,500 to Rs 28,000 more to buy the same.

Uncertainty over VAT affects medicine sales
Chandigarh, April 6
The uncertainty over imposition of VAT in the city has affected the availability of medicines in chemist shops with none of them making any new purchases.

IIT graduates launch placement firm
Chandigarh, April 6
eLitmus, promoted by IIT graduates with over five decades of cumulative experience across various industries, is fired with the mission to revolutionise entry-level recruitment in India since over three million fresh graduates from over 13,000 colleges in India seek jobs every year.

• Food outlet opened

EDUCATION

School board faces loss of Rs 67 lakh on investments
Mohali, April 6
The Punjab School Education Board faces a loss of Rs 67 lakh on investments relating to the GPF and pension corpus funds of the employees of the board.

45-MiG technicians pass out
Chandigarh, April 6
As many as 45 technicians passed out from the MiG-23/27 TETTRA School at the Air Force Highgrounds near here today, after having undergone maintenance training on the MiG-27 aircraft.

Programmes on entrepreneurship ends

Mohali, April 6 Six-week instructional phase of the three entrepreneurship development programmes, organised by the Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Chandigarh concluded here today. Participants at an entrepreneurship development programme with their certificates at the valedictory function on Wednesday at NIIFT, Mohali. — A Tribune photograph

Time capsule placed in Khalsa College bhavan
Mohali, April 6
Members of the Khalsa College Amritsar management and its Old Students Association placed a time capsule in the foundation of the under-construction building of the Khalsa College Centenary Bhavan in Sector 53 here yesterday.

‘Lamhe-2005’ at Tagore Theatre

Dera Bassi, April 6 An impressive cultural programme, organised by students of Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dera Bassi, marked annual function “Lamhe-2005” of the school at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh today. Students of Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dera Bassi, perform giddha during “LAMHE-2005” at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, on Wednesday.

Dutch varsities scout for Indian talent
Mohali, April 6
Two leading varsities from the Netherlands —Hanze University and Han University — have for the first time visited the city to scout for talented Indian students in the fields of management and engineering.

Pvt schools seek extension
Chandigarh, April 6
A body of private schools operating in residential areas have petitioned the Chandigarh Administration seeking permission to allow them to function for one more year. The Administration is considering the matter positively and a decision may come about by Friday, said officials.

COURTS

Betting suspects remanded in police custody
Panchkula, April 6
Mr Ajay Aggarwal, Judicial Magistrate, today remanded six persons, arrested by the security branch of the Panchkula police from Sector 15 for betting, in police custody till April 9.

Petition seeks to ban sale of tobacco products
Chandigarh, April 6
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Governments of Haryana and Punjab as also the Chandigarh Administration if they were ready to recommend to the Central Government to ban manufacture and sale of tobacco products in the two States.

24 cases settled in Lok Adalat
Chandigarh, April 6
A special Lok Adalat was held in the premise of the State Legal Service Authority (SLSA), Sector 9, to settle the outstanding dues of ICICI Bank here today. Mr Justice Amar Dutt of the Punjab and Haryana High Court-cum-Executive Chairman of the SLSA, was present on the occasion.

LEISURE

Anjana Kuthiala, a former Miss India (1975), painter, writer, model and actress, besides being a wife and doting mother is truly a multi-faceted woman. And she never ceases to surprise one as each meeting with her reveals a new facet of her personality. So she revealed her spiritual leanings today at a tete during a visit to the city. “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience,” this is how Anjana sums up her philosophy of life.                                  Anjana Kuthiala

HEALTH

Pulse polio awareness rallies 
With the next stage of the Pulse Polio programme scheduled for April 10 the health care centres in colonies and villages in and around the city organised awareness rallies to motivate the maximum number of parents to bring their children below the age of five years to the booths where polio drops would be administered to them.

SPORTS

Mehak, Mandeep win semifinals Chandigarh, April 6 Mehak snubbed the challenge posed by Poorna both of Chandigarh, to register a 6-2,3-6, 6-1 victory in the girls’ section of under-14 semifinals of the All-India Lawn Tennis Association Talent Tennis Series-2005 which got underway at the Chandigarh Club here today. Mehak in action at the All-India Lawn Tennis Association Talent Tennis Series-2005 being held at the Chandigarh Club on Wednesday.  — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

DAV-8 win cricket tourney

Chandigarh, April 6 An unbeaten knock of 54 by Shivam Khurana enabled DAV, Sector 8 cricket team beat Cricket Stadium, Sector 16 team in the finals of ICL Certifications under-15 cricket tournament held at St John’s High School, Sector 26 here, today. DAV, Sector 8, cricket team in a jubilant mood after winning ICL Certifications Trophy Under-15 Cricket Tournament held at St John’s High School, Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

ADMINISTRATION

Probe ordered in land grab case
Mohali, April 6
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Ropar, has marked an enquiry into the alleged land grab attempt at Kansal village on April 3. SP (Detective) S.S Grewal has been asked to enquire into a complaint given by a Kansal resident, Devinder Kaur, alleging that an office-bearer of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee was involved in falsely implicating her family in the land grab case.

Wahi proceeds on leave
Chandigarh, April 6
UT Cadre IAS official K.S.Wahi, who had created a furore in bureaucratic circles two days ago by claiming that he was the Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board, today proceeded on leave till Monday.