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TOP STORIES

Chill Effect
UT closes schools for junior classes
Chandigarh, January 29
With cold conditions persisting, there will be no school for students up to Class V till Saturday. Also, the UT education department has directed all government and private schools to reschedule the opening hours for Classes VI-X with immediate effect.

MIST-IC NIGHT: Chandigarh remained wrapped in fog on Monday night. This picture was taken by Tribune lensman Vicky Gharu

Pregnant woman shot at
Chandigarh, January 29
A pregnant woman was seriously injured when she was shot at by an unidentified man outside her house in Bapu Dham Colony late this evening.

An injured Suneeta at the GMSH-16 before she was referred to the PGI in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Couple assaulted on HC premises
Newly wed had come from Punjab to seek protection from kin
Chandigarh, January 29
There was high drama at the Punjab and Haryana High Court today when a young couple from Jalandhar seeking court protection was beaten, dragged and thrown into a car by the girl’s parents early this morning.

Refund tuition fee, says forum
Chandigarh, January 29
Issuing directions to coaching centres to refrain from taking fee in advance, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked Prof D.C. Pandey, owner of an institute, to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 to a Hoshiarpur resident.

Lawyers block highway
Chandigarh, January 29
Motorists and commuters on the Panchkula-Kalka highway were a harassed lot with the members of the District Bar Association blocking the highway in protest against the demolition of their sheds by the district administration.

Advocates block traffic on the Panckula-Kalka highway in Panchkula inconveniencing commuters on Tuesday.  — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Nag, Akash ready for induction in Army
Chandigarh, January 29
The anti-tank missile Nag and surface-to-air missile Akash are ready for induction into the Indian Army as the Army top brass is satisfied with the performance of two missiles, a top defence scientist said here today.

Dr V.K Saraswat, Chief Controller, Research and Development (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, addresses a press conference in Chandigarh on Tuesday. —A Tribune photograph

COMMUNITY

Transfer chief engineer, demands MLA
Mohali, January 29
Kharar MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu today demanded the transfer of the GMADA chief engineer for allegedly hampering development work even as he questioned the authority of Punjab minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh’s son to distribute grants received from the central government in his constituency.

Graft Case
MC official discharged
Ambala, January 29
Sanitary inspector of the local municipal committee Suraj Bhan, who was yesterday rounded up by a team of the Vigilance Bureau along with the executive officer of the MC for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a local businessman, was today let off following a protest by sanitary employees of the MC.

16-yr-old girl found dead
Mohali, January 29
The body of a 16-year-old girl was found in the Phase IV park here last night. The victim was a resident of Sector 67 and had left home at 5 pm. She was found dead by evening walkers at around 9 pm. The police said the girl was a student of a school in Chandigarh.

RTI Act
Xen fined Rs 25,000 for withholding info
Chandigarh, January 29
Not complying with the orders of the State Information Commission has cost the Xen of the notified area committee (NAC), Zirakpur, dear.

Railway reservation counter opens
Chandigarh, January 29
A railway reservation counter at the Sector 8 post office, Panchkula, was today inaugurated by the divisional railway manager (DRM), Ambala division, HK Jaggi, and senior officials of the Haryana postal circle. The timings of the counter would be from 8 am to 2 pm. The reservation counter is an outcome of the railway authorities joining hands with the postal department to launch another public-friendly initiative to facilitate booking of rail tickets.

A railway reservation counter that was inaugurated at the Sector 8 post office in Panchkula on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Booths auctioned for Rs 1.22 crore
Chandigarh, January 29
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation earned Rs 1.22 crore from the auction of built-up booths, almost double the reserve price, at Mauli Jagran today.

Simmtronics to set up shop in city
Chandigarh, January 29
Simmtronics Semiconductors Limited, a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of memory modules, motherboards and graphic cards, will soon set up shop in the city.

Mobile tower pulled down
Chandigarh, January 29
A demolition team of the estate office today demolished the mobile tower of a cellular service provider behind Sukhna Lake. The mobile tower, erected in violation of the Periphery Act on agricultural land in Kaimbwala village, was blocking the background of the lake.

Gold medal for PGI doctor
Chandigarh, January 29
Dr N.Khandelwal, professor and head, department of radiodiagnosis, PGI, delievered "Sir J.C. Bose Memorial Oration" on "CT perfusion in acute stroke" during the 61st annual conference of the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association held at Bangalore recently.

‘Brain Bee’ quiz on Feb 2
Chandigarh, January 29
Chandigarh will have its first “Brain Bee” on the February 2, 2008. Being organised by the department of neurology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, the brain bee is a quiz contest for high school children. The event is a part of the International Brain Bee, which has its nucleus in the University of Maryland, USA.

Toilet blocks inaugurated
Chandigarh, January 29
Pardeep Chhabra, mayor, municipal corporation, Chandigarh, today inaugurated three newly renovated toilet blocks in the motor market of Sector 48 here and dedicated these to the public.

Letters

EDUCATION

Field training must for students, says expert
Chandigarh, January 29
To explore the potential of students of the arts faculty, Panjab University is contemplating on revamping their syllabi in order to give it a complete facelift.

PU Notes
Educate children on eco-systems: Expert
Chandigarh, January 29
The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh, with the support of ministry of environment and forest, GOI, organised a three-day training programme for master trainers under the National Green Corps (NGC) today at PU.

On the one hand, the education department, Chandigarh, has undertaken a survey on the child beggars, while on the other some parents exploit their children by putting fake bandages on them so that people give them alms. A beggar begs along with his children on the main road opposite Hotel Mehfil in Sector 17, Chandigarh; (and right) a beggar along with a child on a trolley crosses the road in a risky manner on seeing a car coming from the opposite direction. —Tribune photos by Vinay Malik

From Schools & Colleges
UT to begin martial arts, photography classes
Chandigarh, January 29
The education department has decided to include martial arts and photography in skill courses keeping in view the interest of students’ community within government schools.

Teachers, students form ‘Samvaad’
Chandigarh, January 29
With an aim to provide students with a platform to communicate and have a dialogue, a group of likeminded people, including research scholars, teachers and students of Panjab University have joined hands together to form ‘Samvaad’, a forum for the students by the students and of the students.

Former students to hold Mushaira
Chandigarh, January 29
Newly constituted Chandigarh chapter of old students of Mohindra College, Patiala, will organise a mushaira on January 31 here at the Punjab Kala Bhavan under the aegis of the Punjab Arts Council.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Ambala Club asked to stop auction
Ambala, January 29
Director of urban local bodies R.P. Bhardwaj has directed the Ambala Club to stop the sale or lease process of the municipal council land.

Jhuggis gutted in fire
Ambala, January 29
Around one dozen jhuggis were gutted in a fire near railway station in Ambala city today noon. Most of the male members were away to their jobs when the incident occurred. Clothes and other daily use items were destroyed in the fire.

SPORTS

Likhita secures berth in next round
Chandigarh, January 29
Pankaj Kumar defeated Sisir Chilikuri by 6-1, 6-3, in the under-14 boys’ category of the AITA Tennis tournament being played at Lake Club, here today. In the under-14 girls’ category, Likhita Shetty moved ahead by defeated Tatira Bhatt by 7-6 (4), 6-2.

A player hits a shot during the AITA Championship at Lake Club in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Jasmeen declared best athlete
Mohali, January 29
Dr I.T. Institute of Management and Technology, near Jalalpur, Banur, celebrated its first annual sports meet. The chief guest Prof. Ajmer Singh, Arjuna awardee and former director sports, and former vice-chancellor of Lakshmi Bai National Institute of Physical Education, Gawalior, and Prof. N.S. Maan former chairman Physical Education Department, Panjab University, hoisted the institute flag and declared the meet open. The meet started with traditional lamp lighting followed by march past by different classes.

List of probables announced
Panchkula, January 29
The Association for Twenty20 Cricket announced probables for the five-day coaching camp for the upcoming under-19 nationals to be held in Hyderabad from February 18 to February 22.

Friendly football match
Chandigarh, January 29
A football match was played between the staff and students of Government College of Education, Sector 20, here today.

Handball trials today
Ropar, January 28
Trials to select boys’ and girls’ team of Ropar district for participation in Junior Handball Championship will be held at Khalsa School, Ropar, tomorrow at 1:30 pm. Players born on January 1, 1988, or after will be eligible for trials. The Championship will begin on January 31 at Lalton. — TNS

HEALTH

Region to have centre for mentally ill
Chandigarh, January 29
The region is all set to have its first residential therapeutic centre. Come February 2 and actress Hema Malini will dance in the support of Athma Shakti Vidyalaya (ASV), the Bangalore-based residential therapeutic community, which is conceptualising a centre in Chandigarh.

CRIME

Booked for cheating
Lalru, January 29
Two couples were booked on Tuesday for allegedly cheating a resident of Raipurani in a land deal. 

BUSINESS

Beopar mandal delegates call on finance secy
Chandigarh, January 29
A delegation of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal(CBM), headed by its president Charanjiv Singh, today called on Sanjay Kumar, finance secretary, to apprise him of pending issues concerning traders of the city.