TOP STORIES

Akalis sore with BJP over tickets
New Delhi, March 7
Discontent in the ranks and among the poll partners seems to be the order of the day with the two major political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, engaged in firming up their manifestoes and strategies for the civic polls.

Police identify 35 MCD wards as sensitive
New Delhi, March 7
The Delhi Police have identified 35 of the 134 wards for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls as sensitive. 

Cops to move HC for Vikas remand 
Ghaziabad, March 7
The Ghaziabad police have decided to approach the Allahabad High Court for a police remand of the main accused in Nitish Katara abduction and murder case, Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, son and nephew respectively of Rajya Sabha MP D. P. Yadav.

Cop stays put forcibly in Rly quarters
Ghaziabad, March 7
A constable posted in Pilkhua has forcibly occupied the quarter of a railway employee, Kishan Lal, near old Ghaziabad Railway Station since 1999 even as the Railways is deducting Rs 1,200 per month from his salary. Kishan Lal is posted in Northern Railway, Delhi.

Nahar slams doors on ticketless corporators

Faridabad, March 7 Faridabad rose to the occasion today. The sixth international one-day cricket match between India and Zimbabwe was better managed than the one between India and England, played at Feroz Shah Kotla recently. The 25,000-strong capacity Nahar Singh Stadium was almost chock-full of the spectators enjoying the match till finish without any untoward incident being reported. V.V.S. Laxman stumbles during the first one-dayer against Zimbabwe at Faridabad on Thursday.

Only ‘kutcha’ tracts for parking, service lanes off limits

Panipat, March 7 Thousands of persons parking vehicles in the service lanes on both sides of G.T. Road here would do so at their own peril henceforth as the district administration has decided to tow away the vehicles. With the DC, Mr M.R. Anand, banning the parking in the service lanes, the persons visiting government offices, banks, restaurants, telegraph office and shops and transport agencies on the G.T. Road would face a lot of inconvenience. The order warns that if the vehicle was found parked in the service lanes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., it would be towed away.

Drop in fatal accidents in Rohtak range
Rohtak, March 7
Fatal accidents have declined in the Rohtak range following the imposition of speed restrictions on vehicular traffic plying on national highways. The Haryana Government, in view of the orders of the apex court, had imposed speed limit for vehicles plying on the national highways that pass through the state.

COMMUNITY

Models during the jewellery fashion show organised by the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

IN PARLIAMENT
CNG position better in Capital
New Delhi, March 7
Even as the Government of NCT of Delhi puts the blame for the slow progress in converting the Capital’s fleet of buses to CNG-mode on the Union Government’s inability to make adequate supplies of the fuel, Union Minister of State of Petroleum and Natural Gas Santosh Kumar Gangwar told the Rajya Sabha today that the length of vehicle queues and waiting time had reduced after September 2001 and that queues, if any, were only during temporary breakdown or shutdown in some CNG stations that are generally restored within a few hours.

Girl students of relocated slums drop out of schools

New Delhi, March 7 The sudden demolition of jhuggi clusters by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and their subsequent relocation have forced the students of these clusters, especially girls, to abandon their studies midway. The MCD had recently demolished jhuggi clusters at ITO, Nizamuddin and a few other places, which have been resettled at Bhalsawa village near Jahangirpuri in North district.

Slum dwellers, who were relocated at Bhalsawa, holding a meeting to discuss the lack of civic amenities at the camp.

New Delhi, March 7 From a deserted and dilapidated garage at Jhandewalan to an imposing five-storey building at Vishnu Digamber Marg on Rouse Avenue, the Lok Kalyan Samiti, an NGO, has traversed a long path. When it was started in 1952 with 12 members contributing Re 1 each, people called it an organisation of ‘daydreamers’, as the concept of an NGO was new those days.  The man behind the noble dream (file photo).

When water makes a land barren
Sonepat, March 7
Fertile land of several villages of the Khadar area along the Yamuna in the district has been transformed into a barren land, thanks to the sudden release of water from Tajewala headworks, situated near Yamunanagar, on the border of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Plot holders seek refund, HUDA sector in jeopardy
Faridabad, March 7
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), which claims to be a pioneer in urban development in the state, has been hit by the slump in the market. Result: It has not been able to develop Sector-2 at Ballabgarh, with nearly half of the allottees seeking refund of their deposits.

NCR BRIEFS
Lawyers to continue boycott of courts
Sonepat, March 7
The District Bar Association has extended the boycott of all Judicial and Civil Courts for another one week to register its protest against the alleged indifferent attitude of some judicial and civil officers as well as the President of the District Consumers Redressal Forum towards the lawyers.

Prohibitory orders Agents’ ire on LIC Probe urged Held for graft Group clash Powerless

Safety day Pickpockets nabbed Student stabbed Notices to health centres Beauty shop busted

• Shiv Ratri celebrations

CRIME

81 pickpockets nabbed during drive
New Delhi, March 7
The police have arrested 81 pickpockets belonging to five major gangs – the Fayeem Kalia gang, the Zebra gang, the Rustam gang, the Bander gang and the Kalo alias Kalia gang — who were operating in buses in the North district, it was claimed today. The drive is still on.

Married woman dies under mysterious circumstances
New Delhi, March 7
A 25-year-old married woman and mother of two children died under mysterious circumstances in her house in Pandav Nagar in East district on Wednesday evening. The police say it is a case of murder.

BUSINESS

US telecom co opens R&D centre in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, March 7
UTstarcom, a US-based leading company dealing in wireless, wire line and broadband equipment, opened its India Research and Development(R&D) centre in Gurgaon today. 

EDUCATION

Foul is fair for 10+2 Jhajjar examinees
Jhajjar, March 7
The examinees of the 10+2 class have been resorting to unfair means on an unprecedented scale in the ongoing examinations conducted by the Haryana Board of School Education.

23 cheating cases in one exam centre
Rewari, March 7
As many as 23 incidents in which students had used unfair means were detected by the flying squad of the Haryana Board of School Education at the examination centre at Sangwari, 10 km from here.

‘Teachers must know changes affecting economy’
Rohtak, March 7
Although the process of globalisation and liberalisation has ushered in significant socio-economic changes, the economic scenario of the world has been affected in the post-September 11 terrorist attack in New York.

Pre-medical entrance exam on April 28
New Delhi, March 7
The all India pre-medical/pre-dental entrance examination will be conducted on April 28, said a release issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

CULTURE

ART SCAPE
Painting the different strokes of terrorism

Terrorism begins in the mind. Even if you destroy one form, another looms large – staring at you in the face, intimidating and mocking. Unless you kill the terrorist within, how can you expect the world to be a beautiful place? That in nutshell is the work of Rajendra Prasad, an artist from Gorakhpur and a lecturer at College of Arts, Lucknow, whose creations are displayed in the Lalit Kala Gallery. Prasad’s uniqueness lies in his ability to capture the various faces of terrorism. He successfully conveys that the best way to combat terrorism is to banish perverted thoughts from one’s mind. Rajendra Prasad’s faces of terrorism

MUSIC ZONE
Blood thicker than water in realm of music

The programme: 17-year-old talented Kaushiki performing a classical song item Venue: Kamani Auditorium Date: Jan 2002 Major attraction for the audience: Pt. Ravi Shankar The response: A very receptive, discerning audience

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with his sons

Milestones in cultural ties
Friends and art know no barriers. They are always free from the limiting circumstances of race, milieu, time and border. The ages have proved it time and again. 

• Tales retold

SPORTS

Review committee to monitor coaching: Bharti
New Delhi, March 7
Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Uma Bharti announced the setting up of a committee to review the training of coaches being conducted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in a bid to reduce the dependence of foreign coaches.

Srinath, Vishal enter semis of PSCB Tennis
New Delhi, March 7
Former India players P Srinath, Vishal Uppal, Vinod Sridhar and Narendernath made the semi-final grade in the men’s singles of the 21st Petroleum Sports Control Board Tennis Tournament, hosted by the Engineers India Limited, at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association courts in the Capital.

• Goswami Ganesh Dutt Cricket

• Naveen, Kuldeep star for Winsom

SPORT CORNER
Gajan, Puran help World Bank to victory
New Delhi, March 7
A strokeful 67 (9x4, 79b) by Gajan Padmanathan and a deadly bowling spell of 3 for 21 by Puran Singh enabled World Bank beat New Zealand High Commission by one wicket in a league match of the Raymond Trophy Commonwealth Cricket Tournament at the National Stadium in the Capital. Gajan Padmanathan was declared the man of the match.

Chand stun Sonnet in SAIL trophy NIIT rout Max New York

Beonsports Cricket tourney Reebok India win