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TOP STORIES

Mayoral poll: Parties wooing ‘navratnas’
Chandigarh, December 25
With the city electorate throwing up a hung House in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), the city's “navratnas” (nine nominated councillors) are the most sought-after persons these days. In fact, the parties have started wooing them, as they are set to play a deciding role in the elections to the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor on January 1.

Car bursts into flames, driver has miraculous escape

Chandigarh, December 25 The driver of a speeding car had a miraculous escape this afternoon when his vehicle suddenly went up in flames following a short circuit in its engine.

Firemen try to extinguish flames after a car caught fire due to short circuit on a road separating Sectors 18 and 19, Chandigarh, on Monday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Celebration mania grips city

Chandigarh, December 25 All roads led to celebrations in the city as the chill brought about by the afternoon clouds failed to freeze the thrill on the Christmas day. For the residents, it was festival of masses. As the yuletide spirit flowed, they cut footloose in dance parties organised in discotheques, clubs and other youth haunts in and around the city. A scene at a city hotel on Christmas. — A Tribune photograph

Fluid samples taken from chemist shops
Chandigarh, December 25
The UT Health Department today took samples of dialysis and other fluids from four chemist shops in the PGI premises on the fourth day following the appearance of a fungus infested Intra-Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid at the coronary care unit (CCU) of the hospital on Friday.

Watch out
Ms Kulwant Kaur, president, Paragon Educational Society, SAS Nagar, will be in South Korea as part of a delegation visiting the Jeong Myung Girls Middle and High School and American Missionary Adventure Mokpo City, South Korea. The visit is part of mutual friendship and cultural exchange programme with the school. Ms Kulwant Kaur has served in the school as a teacher, supervisor-cum-administrator and Principal.

In Town
Mr Supreet Singh, proprietor of a Dubai-based communication and marketing solution company, Rare Fusion, is in the town. He is planning to venture into theme parties and designing featuring corporate garage sales, carnivals and having Bollywood masala. The city experienced his talent at Antidote held in Sector 26 discotheque on Sunday.

Passing Thru

CHANDIGARH CALLING I stopped at our city's busiest crossroad equipped with traffic lights and a countdown timer, which displayed the time left for the green light at 90 seconds. I was glad to notice some of the vehicles with their engines off, thanks to the wise drivers.

COMMUNITY

Bank accused of using fake cop, lawyer for recovery
Chandigarh, December 25
Overzealous bankers continue to use arm-twisting methods to boost collections.Taking the lead from foreign banks, almost all banks are now using recovery agencies to coax and threaten clients to pay up.

4-day youth leadership camp concludes
Mohali, December 25
The local Rotary Club hosted a youth leadership award camp for Rotary district 3080 at Shivalik Public School, Phase VI, here. At the concluding function of the four-day camp held today, Mr Chander Mohan, Padma Shri winner and chief guest gave away certificates of merit to 65 participants from Saharanpur, Shimla, Ladwa, Nangal and other places.

Selection process unfair, claim health workers

Chandigarh, December 25 Multi-purpose Health Workers (male), hailing from Punjab, staged a protest outside the office of Punjab Health Department, Sector 34, here today. Multipurpose health workers (male) hailing from Punjab protest outside the office of the Punjab Health Department in Sector 34, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Fauji Beat
Reservation in Army will spell disaster

“MERIT is the only criterion for recruitment to the defence forces. There is no reservation for any community. We are against the minority quota in defence forces”, said Army chief General J.J. Singh at the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, on December 15. Non-commissioned officers and jawans of 15 Punjab (Patiala) at a sainik sammelan of the unit.

Bulk milk coolers to keep bacteria away
Mohali, December 25
To improve the quality and shelf life of milk by keeping the bacterial count in it to minimal level, bulk milk coolers would be installed in village milk cooperative societies, under a Centrally sponsored Scheme---"Strengthening infrastructure for quality and clean milk production". As a pilot project, initially Ropar, Gurdaspur, Patiala and Ludhiana have been covered under which a grant of Rs. 4.79 crore has been earmarked.

Farmers to reject land compensation award
Mohali, December 25
The Kisan Hit Bachao Committee will reject any land compensation award to be announced by the state government shortly. The committee said the award was likely to be announced tomorrow and farmers of four villages - Chilla, Mauli Baidwan, Kumbra, Raipur Kalan - would reject the award as the government was not keeping the interests of farmers in mind while announcing the compensation amount. Land of the four villages was being acquired for developing Sector 81 of the town.

Manveer hears residents' woes
Panchkula, December 25
The city Municipal Corporation chief, Ms Manveer Gill, today visited the Sector 19 here to take stock of development projects and assured residents that their grievances would be redressed soon.

CRIME

Accident claims life
Chandigarh, December 25
A middle-aged man lost his life while another was seriously injured in two separate hit-and-run road accidents in the city on Sunday night. Giving details about the fatal accident, sources in the Sector 17 police station said an auto-rickshaw driver was killed after his vehicle was hit by an unidentified Tata Sumo near the Sectors 16 and 17 traffic lights point. The victim has been identified as Rama Shankra of Dadu Majra. He was rushed to the PGI, where he was declared brought dead.

Student assaulted
Mohali, December 25
A get-together of the Old Yadavindrians Association (OYA) here was marred by an alleged assault on an ex-student yesterday. According to a press release of the police issued today, a case was registered.

Scooter stolen
Chandigarh, December 25
Mr Daljit Singh Rajput of Sector 49 has lodged a complaint with the police stating that his Kinetic ZX scooter (CH-03-L-5976) was stolen from his residence in Sunday. A case of theft has been registered.

BUSINESS

US-based IT company to hire 100 professionals
Chandigarh, December 25
Clicking on a programme of recruitment, a US-based information technology giant, Outline Systems Inc, is all set to hire 100 professionals from India for overseas assignment.

EDUCATION

200 students participate in campus recruitment drive
Mohali, December 25
Students from 13 engineering colleges and polytechnics of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh took part in a joint campus recruitment drive held at Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, by Gujarat Ambuja Cements yesterday. The recruitment drive was open to BTech, MCA and diploma holders of the 2007 batch.

CCTV cameras latest security measure at PU 
Chandigarh, December 25
Panjab University authorities are taking unprecedented measures to ensure security on its campus. Vice-Chancellor, Prof RC Sobti, has proposed to place a security system, which includes CCTV cameras, at strategic points in the university, and every vehicle that enters the university’s gates will be monitored.“The chief security officer of the university will monitor and record day-to-day activities that take place at these points,” he said.

From Schools
‘Gee Cee 11’ marks Xmas at GC-11
Chandigarh, December 25
The principal and senior faculty members of Government College, Sector 11, here celebrated Christmas with vigour and enthusiasm. To mark the celebrations, the Department of English in collaboration with the IT department of the college brought out a special issue of ‘Gee Cee 11 Chronicle’. The colourful issue of the chronicle is a sequel to the ‘Print Journo’ hitherto brought out on special occasions by Prof Bhupinder Singh.

School celebrates silver jubilee

Chandigarh, December 25 New India Senior Secondary School, Sector 15, Panchkula, celebrated its silver jubilee function at the Tagore Theatre here today. Brig (retd) N.L. Poonia was the chief guest while Mr Virender Singh, SDM, Panchkula, was the guest of honour. Tiny tots of New India Senior Secondary School, Sector 15, Panchkula, present an item on the silver jubilee function of the school at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

Chandigarh Bench of CAT to remain closed
Chandigarh, December 25
The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) will remain closed for winter vacations from December 26 to 29. According to a press note issued here today, a vacation bench comprising Mr J.S. Dhaliwal, judicial member, will hold a sitting on December 28 for hearing urgent matters.

Remand of land scam accused extended
Chandigarh, December 25
A local court here today, extended the police remand of Ravinder Singh alias Dolly and his brother Harpreet Singh alias Happy till January 2, 2007. The police sought custodial interrogation of the accused as the duo’s links with UP-based dealers, to whom they used to sell stolen property, were yet to be traced.

CULTURE

HEALTH

City residents get chest clinic
Chandigarh, December 25
The super-speciality health services in the city are likely to get a fillip with the inauguration of another super-speciality chest clinic in Sector 40-D, here yesterday. The clinic would initially focus on super-speciality consultancy and therapy for chest problems like asthma, tuberculosis, bronchitis, ILD, sarcoidosis, lung cancer and other smoking-related chest diseases.

SPORTS

Sepak Takraw Manipur, Orissa enter semis Chandigarh, December 25 Manipur and Orissa girls ensured their place in the semifinals of the 10th Junior National Sepak Takraw Championship at Mount Carmel School, Sector 47, here today. A match in progress between Orissa and Andhra Pradesh on the opening day of the 10th Junior National Sepak Takraw Championship at Mount Carmel School in Sector 47, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

SUSCET retain basketball title
Chandigarh, December 25
Shaheed Udham Singh College of Engineering and Technology (SUSCET), Tangori, won the first place in the Inter-College Basketball Tournament held at Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, today. Under the guidance of coach Karminder Brar, the team emerged winner defeating Chitkara Engineering College in the finals.

ADMINISTRATION

100 challaned in 3-hour drive Panchkula, December 25 The police in a three-hour-long drive today challaned 100 two-wheeler drivers and six government buses. Panchkula DSP Samiti Choudhury herself visted the spots where the drive was in full swing under the supervision of Traffic Inspector Devinder Singh. Speedsters beware: Panchkula police personnel in a car with the hi-tech device to catch violators. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh