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Patiala, September 27
The Patiala Municipal Corporation has cracked the whip against house tax defaulters and launched a special drive to recover arrears of the house tax.

In the special drive, the corporation has made huge recoveries, which have helped the corporation to generate the much-needed revenue to continue its development works.

The corporation has, during the last month, alone recovered Rs 78 lakh from house tax defaulters. The total recovery ever since the campaign was launched in April last has been Rs 1.30 crore, while the total arrears are pegged at Rs 16.84 crore.

Authoritative sources in the Municipal Corporation said the corporation had house tax arrears totalling Rs 6.50 crore in the big defaulters category, which included defaulters whose arrears were over Rs 50,000.

In the second category were those whose arrears were in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 and this total was Rs 3 crore. In the third category were defaulters whose arrears were in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 and the arrears totalled Rs 2.23 crore. In the last category were those with arrears from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 and the arrears in this category were Rs 1.43 crore.

Manjit Singh Narang, Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, said the corporation had launched a special campaign for recovery of house tax arrears, which had been pending for many years. He said he was personally supervising the campaign and the endeavour was to create awareness among the defaulters to pay or face sealing of the properties.

He said the deterrent action taken by the corporation by way of sealing of properties had shown results and people, who were earlier ignoring repeated notices for payment of house tax, were now depositing the outstanding dues when the sealing teams went to their commercial establishments.

Narang said the funds being collected in the special campaign were being utilised for execution of the ongoing development works and he hoped that the pending arrears would also be cleared in the coming few months.

The corporation has a staggering monthly salary bill of Rs 2.5 crore, which it pays by way of monthly pay to its 1,143 employees. The corporation has sanctioned strength of 1,475 employees but posts that have been falling vacant during the last 10 years are not being filled up on account of scarcity of funds.

Rajpura, September 27
The local police today booked eight persons, including two unidentified men, for opening fire and creating panic in the grain market area of the town last evening.

The attackers opened fire and injured Ravinder Singh Neetu, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, following a dispute over presidentship of Patel Memorial National College.

Those booked included Harry, son of sarpanch of a nearby village, Nimma and Ranjot of Banur, Mindha and Deepa of Khanpur Baring village and Ravi, a local resident.

The accused opened fire at Neetu, who was allegedly helping those opposing the attackers to secure the president’s post of the college.

The victim received bullet injuries on the back and thigh. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers fired nine gunshots in the grain market. The accused have been booked under Sections 307, 148 and 149 of the IPC and 25 of the Arms Act.

No arrest has been made by police so far.

Patiala, September 27
Donating blood is much easier than offering water to a thirsty person. And there is a great need to create awareness in society about this noble cause. This is what Satpal Bansal, the man with a rare distinction of donating blood 141 times in the last 44 years, feels.

Bansal, a resident of Patiala, is popularly known as the “man with a mission”, who has devoted his entire life to spread awareness among people for blood donation. Even at the age of 60, Bansal’s crusade for the noble cause is on and he is making all efforts to exhort the masses to donate blood to save human lives.

“At the tender age of 17 years, I first donated blood during an NCC camp in 1965. And after that there was no looking back. In 1967, I joined the State Bank of Patiala and continued my campaign for the blood donation. Since 1981, I had been donating blood four times a year,” said Bansal, while speaking to The Tribune.

Bansal, who got associated with several NGO’s to carry on his mission, revealed that so far the successive governments in Punjab had done nothing to promote the blood donation. “As a result, only 25 per cent people come forward for voluntary blood donation in Punjab, whereas in Gujrat, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Goa, Maharashtra and West Bengal, the figure stands at 60 per cent,” asserted Bansal. A recipient of several awards and honours for his commendable services and contribution towards the blood donation, Bansal felt that there was an immediate need on the part of the health department to organise seminars and programmes to make the masses aware about the blood donation and also to clear the misconceptions about the blood donation.

“In reality people do not know the benefits of donating blood. Actually blood donation is good for health. Another main reason why people do not donate blood is because no one has asked them to do so. If you motivate people, they will come forward. It has to be conveyed to the masses that through this noble act, they could potentially save precious lives,” he said.

Though unlike their father, Bansal’s three sons do not donate blood voluntarily but whenever there is any emergency, they always come forward to donate blood. “I am presently visiting schools in all parts of Punjab and making students aware about the blood donation. If the government provides me support, this mission can really bear fruits,” asserted Bansal, while exhorting the administration to start some kind of blood donation awareness campaigns at the ward level.

Pinjore, September 27
Ryan International School, Sector 49, won the under-16 title by defeating St Xavier’s School, Panchkula, by seven runs in the final of the Six-A-Side (U-16) Cricket Tournament organised by the Yuva Sports Club at Delhi Public School ground here today.

St Xavier’s won the toss and elected to field first. Ryan International posted an impressive total of 103 runs in stipulated six overs. Randeep (34) and Rohit (32) were their main scorers. For St Xavier’s, Vaibhav took two wickets for 20 runs.

In reply, St Xavier’s could muster only 96 runs in the allotted six overs. Vaibhav (25), Mridul (30) and Jashan (30) were their principal run getters. Shubham of Ryan International took three wickets for 15.

Meanwhile, Delhi Public School of Pinjore claimed the boys’ U-14 trophy by beating Satluj Public School, Panchkula, by 20 runs in the final match. DPS, Pinjore, won the toss and elected to field. Satluj scored 90 for two in six overs. Harshroop (30) was the highest scorer. DPS, Pinjore, replied with 70 in allotted six overs.

Mohali, September 27
After arresting an alleged BKI activist, Harpreet Singh, the police has found that another suspect in the case, Harjot, a resident of Balongi, had connection with Anil Tota gang.

In the past, Harjot along with the gang members had been involved in incidents of snatching and robberies.

Since a few months, he came in contact with the UK-based activist, Paramjeet Singh, who reportedly wanted to use Harjot’s experience for his mission. Prior to shifting to Balongi, Harjot had been living in Phase 3B 2 here. Raids were being conducted to nab Harjot.

According to police, the TATA Indica car recovered from the suspects was owned by a Phase V resident.

Meanwhile, Harpreet’s family has alleged that he had been forcibly implicated in the case. While expressing shock over the arrest of Harpreet, his family members said preparations were on for his marriage scheduled for November.

One of the three brothers of Harpreet is a constable in Punjab police while the other brother is working in a Mohali-based mobile company and his younger brother is a driver like Harpreet.

One of his maternal uncles said he was a simpleton and used to remain out of station. They suspect that the police has wrongly implicated him as he might be nearly ferrying a suspected passenger whom the police might be tracking.

Chandigarh, September 27
A Sector 9 woman has alleged that a property dealer from Kansal and some others duped her of Rs 15 lakh after promising to facilitate her to buy a plot.

Rash Pal Kaur Bains filed a complaint alleging that Jaswinder Singh, a property dealer, along with the others had taken Rs 15 lakh from her to buy her a plot at Abhepur village in Ropar district.

Panchkula, September 27
The two-day selection trials being conducted for the T-10 Gully Cricket- Season 2 “Ab Har Koi Khelega” witnessed an overwhelming response at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Sector 3 here today.

Expressing their happiness by the turnout of aspirants, organisers said more than 900 youngsters from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh came for the trials.

A three-member selection team comprising chief selector Varinder Chopra, Ajay Bhardwaj and Nirpaksh Singh conducted the daylong trials.

The weeding out process will continue tomorrow.

Four teams will be selected during the trials. Each team will consist of 14 players in the age group of 15 to 24 years.

The selection will be followed by the practice session on September 29 and the matches will be played on September 30.

Chandigarh, September 27
A good bowling spell by spinner Sachit Madhra (6 for 12) and fine batting by Arpit (65) helped Guru Nanak Public School score a thumping 102-run victory over Stepping Stone School, Sector 37, in the 6th Molly Carver Cricket Tournament for High Schools, being organised by Desh Prem Azad Cricket Academy, at St Stephen’s School ground, Sector 45, here today.

GNPS won the toss and scored 184 for 9 in allotted 40 overs. Their innings revolved around Arpit Singh, who top-scored with 65. Harshroop Singh and Abhishek Verma contributed 20 and 21 runs, respectively.

Yogesh (2 for 35), Kulbhushan (3 for 22) and Daksh Aggarwal (2 for 16) were the main wicket-takers for Stepping Stone.

In reply, Stepping Stone were bowled out for a paltry 82 in 34.1 overs. Only Daksh Aggarwal put up some resistance, scoring 33.

Sachit Madhra spun a web around Stepping Stone batsmen as he claimed 6 for 12. Amit bagged 2 for 10.

Brief scores: Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36: 184 for 9 in 40 overs (Arpit 65, Harshroop Singh 20, Abhishek Verma 21; Yogesh 2 for 35, Kulbhushan 3 for 22, Daksh Aggarwal 2 for 16).

Stepping Stone-37: 82 all out in 34.1 overs (Daksh Aggarwal 33, Yogesh 9; Sachit Madhra 6 for 12, Amish 2 for 10).

Chandigarh, September 27
SCD Government College, Ludhiana, defeated DAV College, Chandigarh, 34-19 to clinch the Panjab University Inter-College Basketball Championship for Men at Panjab University here today.

Panjab University Campus, SGGS College, Chandigarh, and DAV College, Chandigarh, secured second, third and fourth positions, respectively. Results: PU Campus b SGGS College 71-64 (PU campus: Abhit Jhanji 22, Rupinder 18 and Harjinder 13; SGGS College: Kuldeep 33, Puneet 9 and Amanpreet 8). SCD Government College, Ludhiana, b DAV College Chandigarh 34-19 (SCD College: Amanjot 13, Akash 10 and Parminder 6; DAV College: Vivek 9. 

Panchkula, September 27
Asian Tour stars Anirban Lahiri and C Muniyappa kept their cool on a day of battle of nerves as they clinched the winner and runner-up titles, respectively, in the Rs 30 lakh prize money Haryana Open PGTI event on the par-72 greens of the Panchkula Golf Club here today.

Anirban won his maiden professional title on his third appearance on the Panchkula greens. He fired a three under 69 for a winning score of 10 under 278. Muniyappa returned the best card of the day, a six under 66, to climb up from the overnight tied 12th slot to occupy the runner-up spot, just one stroke behind Lahiri.

The victory today fetched Anirban a prize money of Rs 4,84,950 as he climbed up the PGTI Order of Merit ladder to occupy the third slot with season's earnings of Rs 18,63,220.

Overnight leader and local favourite Harendra P Gupta's consistency went for a nose-dive as he carded a poor six over 78 to finish sixth at six under 282.

Bangalore-based Lahiri sank birdies on the first and seventh to be two under 34 at the turn.The 22-year-old Lahiri, who trailed Gupta by five strokes overnight, was in the joint lead after the front nine with Gupta double-bogeying the first and fifth.

Lahiri added two more birdies to his card on the 10th and 12th to become the sole leader. He made a good 15 feet putt for birdie on the 12th and followed that up with a 12-footer for par on the 13th. The Asian Tour regular found the trees with his tee shot on the 16th but recovered well with two left-handed shots to make a bogey on that hole. He then pulled it left on the final hole but made a good recovery yet again with a great second shot (seven iron) from the rough and an accurate chip to round off his week on a high.

Lahiri said, “It’s a wonderful feeling after winning my first ever professional title. I have waited a long time for this moment since I have been on the threshold of a win several times in the past but not really got there. I feel a lot lighter now after having achieved this milestone. It’s now time to build on this victory with equally good performances in the future.”

C Muniyappa (72, 69, 72, 66), another Bangalore golfer, produced the best round of the day to finish in second place at nine under 279. His round of six under 66 on Sunday was punctuated by an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys. Muniyappa recovered from the rough with his second shot (four iron) and then made a 30 feet putt to make eagle on the 15th.

“I fared well in all aspects of my game today and placed the ball to perfection as the pin positions were very tough. This second-place finish definitely gives me a lot of confidence for the forthcoming events,” said Muniyappa.

Amardip Sinh Malik (70, 67, 71, 73) finished tied third at seven under 281. He had five birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey in his final round of 73.

Mandeo Singh Pathania (70, 63, 73, 75) and Ranjit Singh Rathore (69, 70, 70, 72) joined Malik in tied third place. Pathania, holder of the course record, made five birdies against four bogeys and two double bogeys in his round of 75 on Sunday.

Harendra Gupta, the overnight leader, slipped to sixth place as a result of his 78 in round four. He totalled six under 282 for the week. Mukesh Kumar was a further stroke behind in seventh place.

Angad Cheema of Chandigarh, who finished overall tied 26th at five over 293, won the amateur title as he was the only amateur to make the cut.

PGTI director Uttam Singh Mundy proposed a vote of thanks to HUDA and DLF for all their help in the conduct of the tournament.

Panchkula Golf Club vice-president DS Dhesi said the Panchkula Golf Club course would be redesigned by the end of this year.

Haryana chief secretary Dharamvir, who is also the president of the Panchkula Golf Club, was happy that young golfers were shaping well. He said the club would give membership to budding golfers.

Brig IS Punia, general manager of the club, and Colonel Dogra were singled out by all the speakers for conducting a successful tournament.

Final leading scores: 278 Anirban Lahiri (69-69-71-69); 279 C Muniyappa (72-69-72-66); 281 Ranjit Singh Rathore (69-70-7072), Amardip Singh Malik (70-67-71-73) and Mandeo Singh Pathania (70-63-73-75); 282 Harendra P Gupta (67-69-68-78); 283 Mukesh Kumar (70-71-71-71); 284 Harmeet Kahlon (70-69-74-71) and Randhir Singh Ghotra (71-66-73-74); 285 Shamim Khan (73-70-71-71); 286 Vishal Singh (74-71-69-72), Vivek Bhandari (73-71-69-73), Feroz Ali Mollah (76-69-68-73), Vijay Kumar (69-73-70-74) and Ajeetesh Sandhu (74-68-68-76). 

Chandigarh, September 27
The hosts, Mount Carmel School thrashed St Peter’s School, Chandigarh, by 2-0 in the Under-14 Girls’ category of the CBSE North Zone I Tennis Tournament-2009 at Mount Carmel School, Sector 47, here.

Results:

Under-14 girls’ (quarterfinals): CRPF School, Rohini, Delhi, bt Sadhu Vaswani School, New Delhi by 2-1; Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, bt Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, Delhi, by 2-1; Mount Carmel School, Chandigarh, bt St Peter’s School, Chandigarh by 2-0 and Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, bt Delhi Public School, Chandigarh, by 2-0.

Under-19 girls’ (quarterfinals): Bal Bharti School, Rohini, Delhi, bt Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, by 2-1; Sacred Heart School, Chandigarh, bt Bal Bharti School, Gangaram, Delhi, by 2-0; DAV Model School, Sector 15, Chandigarh, bt Satluj Public School, Panchkula, by 2-0 and Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, Delhi, bt St Peter’s School, Chandigarh, by 2-0.

Under-14 girls’ (semifinals): CRPF School Rohini, Delhi, bt Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, by 2-0 and Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, bt Mount Carmel School, Chandigarh, by 2-0.

Under-19 girls’ (semifinals): Sacred Heart School, Chandigarh, bt Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, Delhi, by 2-0 and DAV Model School, Sector 15, Chandigarh, bt Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, Delhi, by 2-0.

Under-14 boys’ (quarterfinals): Hansraj Public School, New Delhi, bt Modern School, Barakhamba, New Delhi, by 2-0; St Anne’s School, Chandigarh, bt Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, New Delhi, by 2-1; DAV School, Sector 15, Chandigarh, bt Spring Dales School, New Delhi, by 2-0 and Delhi Public School, Chandigarh, bt KC Public School, Jammu, by 2-0.

Under-19 boys’ (quarterfinals): Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, Delhi, bt General Raj School, Delhi, by 2-1; Modern School, Barakhamba, Delhi, bt DL DAV School, Delhi, by 2-1; Spring Dales School, Delhi bt Durga Public School, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, by 2-1 and DAV Model School, Sector 15, Chandiarh, bt Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, by 2-1. 

Chandigarh, September 27
MCM Blue Caps thrashed YPS by 48 runs in the second match of first MCM Cup for under-10 being played at MCM DAV College, Sector 36, here today.After winning the toss YPS had put MCM Blue Caps in for batting, MCM managed to score 115 runs in allotted 20 overs with the help of quick fire 24 by Vivek and extras (38) given by YPS bowlers. YPS team bundled out at 67 by some excellent bowling by Srijan (5 for 10) and Karan (2 for 17).

Brief scores:

MCM Blue Caps: 115 for 6 in allotted 20 overs (Vivek 24, Manav 12 and Arman 2 for 16); YPS: 67 in 19 overs (Yuvraj 17, Srijan 5 for 10 and Karan 2 for 17).

In another match of the day, Saupin’s-32 beat MCA by two wickets with the help of all-round performance by Amal (7 for 11) and scored 30 runs in 23 balls in a close match. After winning the toss MCA batted first and with the help of Shubhaman 30 (30) and Taranpreet 16 (23), MCA managed to score 102 in allotted 20 overs despite of excellent spell of (7 for 11) by Amal. Saupin’s-32 started their inning on a very slow pace and managed to score only 20 runs in first 10 overs.

Brief scores:

MCA: 102 in allotted 20 overs (Shubhaman 30, Taranpreet 16, Nirmal 11 and Amal 7 for 11); Saupin’s-32: 104 for 8 in 19.1 overs (Honey 34, Amal 30 and Shubhaman 2 for 2).