C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Education

Courts | Culture | Health | Sports | Administration

TOP STORIES

TV blackout in city, Mohali complete
Cable operators on the warpath
Chandigarh, August 23
TV screens in Chandigarh and Mohali today went blank since 9 a.m. and viewers will also miss their “evening friend” as the cable operators went ahead with their 24-hour strike call, provoking viewers to appeal for stopping their three month payment and approach the court for “disrupting an essential service.”

Couch potato’s nightmare
Chandigarh, August 23
The day without TV due to cable operators' strike made intellectuals like Prof N.K. Oberoi experience the idiocy which had crept into the vitals of life. “I missed it like an addict of brown sugar,” he said.

• A few were lucky

PU officer charged with misuse of funds
Chandigarh, August 23
Panjab University has levelled at least 10 allegations against the suspended Finance and Development Officer (FDO) on grounds of mismanagement and misappropriation of university funds.

Subedar cremated
SAS Nagar, August 23
The mortal remains of Subedar Manjit Singh of 99 Field Regiment were consigned to flames with full military honours by Chandimandir based 3 Field Regiment Artillery at local crematorium here today. The pyre was lit by Paramjit Singh, elder son of the martyr.

Attacked Mayor goes about her agenda
Chandigarh, August 23
The new so-called Akali Dal minority Mayor, Ms Harjinder Kaur, today came under attack from the leader of the majority BJP-SAD leader, Mr Desraj Tandon, and her SAD rival and Deputy Mayor, Mr Mohinder Singh, for seeking to stall the dissolution resolution of the House passed by a majority vote.

SCHOOL BEAT Where education takes a backseat Raipur Rani (Panchkula), August 23 The facts on education in government schools of the district are startling: Schools have not only been functioning without principals for the past couple of years but there are no teachers to teach students in the schools upgraded to senior secondary level in the past two years. A primary class being held in the open at Samlehri school at Raipur Rani block in Panchkula on Thursday. — Tribune photo  Manoj Mahajan.

Kerosene prices reduced
Chandigarh, August 23
The Chandigarh Administration has reduced the wholesale and retail prices of kerosene in the city. The retail price of kerosene has been reduced by 30 paisa and the consumer will now be able to procure the same by paying Rs 7.74 per litre instead of Rs 8.04 per litre.

COMMUNITY

I am innocent: Dalip Singh
SAS Nagar, August 23
Thakur Dalip Singh, a nephew of the Namdhari leader, Satguru Jagjit Singhji, today said he had been falsely implicated in a police case by persons inimical to the interests of the Panth.


Thakur Dalip Singh (left) addresses a press conference at SAS Nagar on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Widow seeks PHRC help
SAS Nagar, August 23
The 73-year-old widow of an Army officer suffering from a terminal disease has written to the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC), requesting it to provide protection to her from her disowned son who is working as a Professor at Panjab University and had made life hell for her.

Satwant Gill’s widow questioned
Chandigarh, August 23
In connection of the murder of Gill Estate owner Satwant Singh Gill, the SAS Nagar police today questioned Ms Sunita Gill, widow of the deceased. Sunita was yesterday discharged from a city-based private nursing home. However, the police refused to divulge the details.

SAS Nagar-Kharar road to be four-laned
Kharar, August 23
Mr Sucha Singh Langah, PWD Minister, Punjab, has announced that work on four-laning of the SAS Nagar-Kharar road, construction of a bridge on Patiala Ki Rao in SAS Nagar and widening of Khanpur Bridge to Ludhiana road will start within one or two months.

Poor sex ratio alarms Health Ministry
Chandigarh, August 23
Perturbed over the lopsided sex ratio (773:1000) in the UT and the reports that certain nursing homes in the city were carrying out sex determination tests, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has sought an explanation from the UT Health Department about such incidents.

MURDER MILES
Heavy traffic imperils colony kids
Chandigarh, August 23
A 12-year-old child was crushed under a truck on the road in front of Colony No. 4 in the Industrial Area on August 16. The victim was a resident of Colony No. 4 and was killed when his bicycle was crushed by a truck when he was out for a joyride.

The road opposite Colony No. 4 in the Industrial Area.

Jacob lays stone of training centre
Chandigarh, August 23
It is of paramount importance to provide vocational training to mentally challenged and handicapped persons to make them self-reliant, so that they can stand on their own feet and earn their livelihood. This was stated by the UT Administrator, Lieut Gen. J.F.R. Jacob (retd), after laying the foundation stone of Vocational Training Centre at Nari Niketan, here today.

Water shortage
Chandigarh, August 23
Residents of Chandigarh Housing Board in Manimajra have been facing water shortage for the past one week as one of the water boosters has got burnt.

Jacob to release book on water harvesting
Chandigarh, August 23
The Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), will release a conceptual book titled, “Making water everybody’s business: Practice and policy of water harvesting”, at a special function being organised at Gandhi Bhavan in Panjab University tomorrow.

Sainik Parivar panel meeting
Chandigarh, August 23
A meeting of the management committee of Sanik Parivar Bhavans, Haryana, was held at Panchkula to take stock of different vocational, educational and training facilities being extended to war widows, their children and dependents of ex-servicemen.

CRIME

3 injured in accident
Chandigarh, August 23
Three rickshaw-pullers were injured when they were hit by a CTU bus in Sector 37-D this evening. It is alleged that the bus driver was driving under the influence of liquor.

EDUCATION

Saplings planted
Chandigarh, August 23
The NSS unit of MCM DAV College, Sector 36, organised a sapling plantation camp at the college here today. Students planted saplings in the college compound in the presence of the Director, NSS, Panjab University, Mr C.L. Narang.

Lecture on teaching skills, computers
Chandigarh, August 23
An extension lecture on teaching skills and computer awareness programme was held at Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, here today. Dr D.R. Vij, an educationist, talked about various aspects of teaching-related behaviour. He also stressed that good teaching involved putting one’s heart and soul into the lesson.

‘Luck favours hard workers’

HIGH COURT
Railways given deadline on extra fare
Chandigarh, August 23
Taking up a public interest litigation filed by a retired Brigadier against the charging of extra fare by Northern Railway authorities from commuters travelling between Kalka and Ambala Cantonment, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Chairman of Railway Board to decide the petitioner’s representation within two months.

• Order reserved on teachers’ plea
• ADGP’s plea for another Bench
• Seat reservation order challenged
• Notice to Chautala on suspension

SC modifies order on murder probe by cops
Chandigarh, August 23
The Supreme Court has modified directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Directors-General of Police of Punjab and Haryana and Inspector-General of Police of Chandigarh that investigation in a murder case must be conducted by an officer not below the rank of an Inspector.

CULTURE

Expressive voice, melody weave magic
Chandigarh, August 23
An extremely expressive voice coupled with pure melody was the only way to sum up the performance of Rinku Kalia, who rendered 10 different songs at the ‘Punjab Sugam Sangeet’ organised by the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy at Punjab Kala Bhavan in Sector 16, here today.

City music makers’ favourite
Chandigarh, August 23
People associate City Beautiful with taste and class. Anything which goes down well with Chandigarhians is bound to be a hit elsewhere too. Or at least, that is the popular perception.

A film shooting in progress at an outdoor location near Panchkula.

HEALTH

‘No swapping, only communication gap’
Chandigarh, August 23
It was a language problem and a communication gap which resulted in a fiasco at the Sector 16 General Hospital yesterday, when a young couple alleged that their new-born male child had been changed with a dead female baby.

Patients may have to pay more at GH-16
Chandigarh, August 23
Fees for all tests, examinations and user charges at the General Hospital, Sector 16, will be hiked to be brought at par with charges prevailing in the PGI or in the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH)-32.

Operation theatre closed for repairs
Chandigarh, August 23
The ENT and Eye Operation theatres at the Sector 16 General Hospital was closed down today for an urgent renovation.

PGI committees dissolved
Chandigarh, August 23
The PGI Institute Body has dissolved all committees and decided to reconstitute them. These committees include selection, finance, academic and estate committees.

Better facilities needed to ease PGI’s burden
Chandigarh, August 23
The PGI authorities have sought improvement of health care facilities at the regional level so that the increasing rush at the PGI, a tertiary care center, could be curbed effectively.

SPORTS

Inter-school boxing, wrestling results
Chandigarh, August 23
The following are the results of the bouts decided on Thursday in the Chandigarh Inter-School Wrestling Tournament held at the wrestling hall, Sector 30:

• Swimming meet

• Football tourney

• Athletics meet

• Carrom championship

Sadhika clinches TT tile
Chandigarh, August 23
Sadhika Kaushal, a student of GM-35, clinched the cadet and sub-junior girls’ singles titles in the Bhavan Hawk’s 7th Chandigarh State (Ist ranking) TT Tournament organised by Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, Chandigarh at the table tennis hall, Sector 23, here today. Sameer Singla of MM-21 and Sumit Kumar, also of MM-21, bagged the cadet and sub-junior boys' singles titles.

ADMINISTRATION

Brar’s penalty reduced to Rs 52,000
SAS Nagar, August 23
In case of a former Executive Officer of the local civic body, Mr K.S. Brar, overstaying in the official accommodation for over five months, the Local Government Department is reported to have ordered recovery of the penalty on account of house rent from the official. A communication in this regard has been sent to the local civic body.

MC to get tough with encroachers
SAS Nagar, August 23
The local civic body is taking action against the shopkeepers who encroach on corridors in front of their shops in the town. A video filming of the erring shopkeepers, particularly in the Phase 3-B 2, 5 and 7 markets, has been done by the enforcement wing of the civic body.