SPORT

9 Panchkula skaters to be honoured
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, Aug 21 — Nine skaters of Panchkula, including five girls, will be the proud honour of special awards ceremony named the Bhim awards ceremony going to be held at Haryana Raj Bhavan, Sector 6 Chandigarh on August 24. Panchkula during all these years have become hub of skating activities in the state and its skaters had earlier brought laurels to the country also by winning medals.

This year of the nine skaters five were from Hansraj Public School, Sector 6 which remained the pioneer of skating in Panchkula . They all will be given Rs 8000 each for their achievements in this game. They are Meenakshi Kohli, Shreya Sawhney, Indu Madan, Heena Ahuja, Priyanka Sharma, Shalab Bhattiwal, Nishant Dahiya, Pulkit Aggarwal and Sahil Gupta. All of them have been coached by Balwinder Singh Johal. Balwinder said it was mainly due to the motivation and support provided by Principal Rajni Thareja that skating was on the map of the city.

Meenakshi Kohli was the captain of the Indian roller hockey team which secured bronze medal at the 8th Asian Roller Skating Championship held at Shanghai (China) in October last year. She also won the best fighter award there. Meenakshi also represented India in the 7th Asian Roller Skating Championship held at Korea and achieved bronze medal there also. Besides this, she won gold medal in the 35th and 36th National Skating Championships held at Pune and Visakhapatnam. She also helped Haryana schools win gold medal in the 45th National School Games.

Priyanka Sharma too represented India in the 8th Asian roller skating meet with a bronze medal and like Meenakshi, she also helped her team to corner glory in various national championships. She was also a member of the Haryana schools skating team which won gold medal at the 45th National School Games held at Moga in November last. Indu Madan and Heena Ahuja Shreya Sawhney are the other three girls who will get the award. Indu also took part in the 8th Asian Roller Skating Championship and in national championships at various places.

Shalab Bhattiwal of HPS was the skater who won gold medal at the 36th national championships held at Vishakpatnam and bronze medal at the 35th national meet at Pune, then bronze medal at the 45th national school games held last year at Moga. Nishant Dahiya, who will also receive cash prize of Rs 8000, was the member of the Haryana team in 36th National Skating Championship meet held at Visakhapatnam and had won a gold medal. He also secured a bronze medal at the 45th National School Games in this event. Pulkit Aggarwal and Sahil Gupta, also of Panchkula, secured gold medals at the 36th National Skating Championship held at Visakhapatnam by securing a gold medal.

Besides the above nine skaters of Panchkula, the other skaters of Haryana to receive the Governor’s award for outstanding performance in skating included Vishal Kamboj, Anuj Kamboj (both Yamunanagar), Ms Rishu Bhatia (Panipat), Tamanya Chaturvedi, Sumit Prashar, Neha Sharma, Piyush Gaur (all Faridabad).

Manan beats Sameer in snooker
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Aug 21 — Manan Nagpal played a fine snooker to upset Sameer Bhalla and earn a place in the quarterfinals of the open snooker event of the YMCA Open Billiards and Snooker Tournament being played here today at the YMCA hall, Sector 11.

Sameer began well and potted nicely to comfortably win the first frame at 55-40, but the second frame saw neck-to-neck battle between the two which lasted till the last black ball when Manan got lucky break to win the frame at 51-49. The close frame literally made Sameer out of contention and lost the next frames easily at 23-47 and 19-48.

In the open snooker qualifying match, Sunil Kanwar again prevailed over Ashish Tuli like in handicap snooker, in three well contested frames. Sunil managed to win the first frame on the last black ball at 45-40, but in the second frame Tuli potted well to down Sunil at 70-56. The third frame was, however, one sided affair as Tuli lost his touch and was outplayed by Sunil at 54-19.

In the same event Rajeev Bhardwaj outplayed Bhupinder to enter the main draw. Bhupinder though gave some resistance but could not stand before clean potting of Rajeev and lost in straight frames at 31-51 and 34-49. Manav Dhawan also won his match at 220-119. In another billiards match, Pardeep Kumar easily ousted Tarun Kumar at 254-192. 

Cricket tourney from October 7 
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Aug 21 — St John's High School, Sector 26, will organise the 3rd Blessed Edmund Rice Inter-school Cricket Tournament-2000 from October 7 to 21 at school grounds. According to Brother C D' Abreu, principal, the tournament will be open to schools located in Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar.

He said the under-10 and under-12 category matches would be held on league-cum- knockout basis and only eight teams would be considered in each group. An entry fee of Rs 800 will be charged from each team of the above section, while for the under-14 and under-16 sections matches will be held on knockout basis and only 16 teams will be allowed to participate. In these groups entry fee will be Rs 400 from each school.

The age criteria for each group will be as: Under-10 — up to Class IV with players born after January 1, 1991; under-12 — up to Class VI with players born after January 1, 1989; under-14 — up to Class VIII with players born after January 1, 1987 ; under-16 —up to Class X with players born after January 1, 1985, allowed.

The schools interested to take part may contact St John's School up to August 26. The entry will be registered with all documents and entry fee from August 28 to September 1.

ADMINISTRATION

NCC training camp from October 8
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 21 — The activities and shortcomings in the functioning of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) was discussed at a conference of assistant NCC officers (ANOs) held at 1 Chandigarh Girls Battalion here today.

Lt-Col Harjit Singh commanding officer, chaired the proceedings which were attended by 12 ANOs. There was consensus that during the year 1999-2000, the unit had achieved commendable results because of the interest taken by everybody concerned. There was 100 per cent enrolment and the unit had adopted the Western Command Rehabilitation -cum Paraplegic Centre, SAS Nagar, which the cadets would visit fortnightly.

For the first time, girls had participated in the Chandigarh State Shooting Championships and had won two gold, seven silver and three bronze medals besides bagging the state championship trophy. Cadet Pinky Chaudhary of Moti Ram Arya School, Sector 27, won one gold, four silver and one bronze medals.

The CO also informed the ANOs about the annual training camp to be held from October 8 onwards. He emphasised that personal development capsule for this year would lay stress on Indian culture, traditions, manners and etiquette. Also on the cards is the training of two cadets, who will participate in the youth exchange training programme competition for visits to Canada, Australia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

He also commended SUO Anjali Chahal and cadet Anaahat Dhindsa for their performance during the year.

Administration sends notices to “illegal” occupants
By Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 21 — Long after about 300 district court lawyers filed applications invited by the Estate Office for reallotment of chambers in 1998, the UT Administration has begun issuing show-cause notices to all those lawyers who are in “illegal’ occupation of the existing 108 chambers.

The move, which comes as part of the second phase of chamber reallotment process, begun early during this month when the Deputy Commissioner started issuing notices to lawyers in this connection. According to sources in the courts, about 72 lawyers have already been served notices. Among these are also the lawyers who have accommodated their sons in the chambers. The notice, hence served, reads,

“Whereas the survey conducted by a team of officers comprising representatives of District and Sessions Judge, DC Office and the District Bar Association, reveals that you are not occupying the originally allotted premises. The vacant slot is proposed to be reallotted. If you have any reservation, the same should be immediately intimated in writing to the DC through registered post within ten days from the date of the issue of this letter.”

While the Administration maintains that the process, is a must to start the reallotment process, which will involve determining the number of vacant seats and then the fresh co-allottees, the lawyers are visibly irked over the Administration’s step. As per the original conditions of allotment of 108 chambers, which took place in 1986, there had to be one allottee and two co-allottees which were to be decided upon in consultation with the Administration. Over the years, however, the allottee had chosen to sublet the premises, and in many cases even locking the same (Four chambers in the complex are lying locked).

In clarification, most lawyers state that by giving room to their sons in their chambers, they are not preventing the allotment of chamber to any co- allottee. “I am giving my own seat to my son. I am not encroaching upon the area of a co-allottee,” said a senior lawyer who has already filed an objection to the served notice in the DC office. Last Friday, about 14 lawyers had visited the DC and expressed their objection to the notices served.

While the confusion continues, as the Administration is still in the process of serving notices upon lawyers, the resentment is continuously building. The step also stems from the High Court’s July 15, 1998 order wherein the Administration had been directed to carry out reallotment process within six months. When the process was not undertaken, a contempt petition had also been filed in the HC.

It is important to mention here that the chamber issue has been lying unaddressed since a long time now and currently about 700 lawyers who are without chambers. With about 30 new advocates joining in every year, the problem is aggravating further. Many lawyers have also constructed wooden structures to house themselves and at present there are about 80 such temporary constructions and wooden chambers.”

Going by the fact that it has started the process of serving show cause notices, the Administration seems have decided that it would determine the number of vacant seats soon and then start finalising the list of allottees after scrutinising the applications filed by lawyers on December 15, 1998. The allottees would be decided on the basis of seniority and regularity of the lawyer. Meanwhile, a committee comprising the District Judge, District Commissioner, Home Secretary and Bar Association President, to look into the process of reallocation of chambers, is yet to be constituted.