TOP STORIES

When School Board needs to be examined
Class X Maths paper cancelled at the eleventh hour, leaving students high and dry
Panipat, March 25
The Haryana Board of School Education, Bhiwani, cancelled the Maths paper today after the alleged leakage of the paper at Charkhi Dadri on Sunday. It was chaos all around as the board took over 15,000 Class X students of 60 centres of the district for a ride by cancelling the paper at the eleventh hour.

• Suicide over exam blues

Delhi house at mercy of executive
New Delhi, March 25
Even as political parties fight over it, the biggest casualty of the quasi-statehood accorded to the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi has been the Legislative Assembly, which is perhaps the only one of its kind in the country to transact business without the requisite financial and administrative autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution.

Trust the Ghaziabad cops to deliver the ransom
Ghaziabad, March 25
While there have been numerous instances in western UP of criminals donning the police uniform to commit a crime, it is a trifle surprising when the guardians of the law indulge in illegal activities.

Shiite Muslim women taking part in a Moharram procession in the Capital on Monday. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

1,500 jhuggis razed in Faridabad
Faridabad, March 25
A major jhuggi cluster in Sector 25 faced the demolition squad of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) here on Sunday. As many as 1,500 jhuggis were demolished, which had come up on about 10 acres. 

• Hundreds for funeral

COMMUNITY

MCD ELECTIONS
No re-poll, counting on March 27
New Delhi, March 27.
The counting for the 134-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi will take place on Wednesday with the state Election Commissioner, Mr M P Tyagi, ruling out repoll in any ward or polling centre in the Capital.

YOUNG VOICE

Youth gave MCD polls a wide berth New Delhi, March 25 They are referred to as the ‘future of the nation’. But the big question is are they really bothered about the future of the country. Ironically, the answer is no. While the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls got under way on Sunday and engaged newspaper columns and minds of several residents of the Capital, Delhi’s youth maintained they had better things to bother about. "Elections! Are they today?” questioned Sarita Cheema (20), a second year degree student of Delhi University, as she walked away towards PVR Cinema in Saket for a movie with her friends on Sunday.

Odd one out: This girl took poll seriously, while most of the other youngsters of the Capital looked the other way on Sunday. —Tribune Photo

Nomination of UP man for RS seat flayed
Sonepat, March 25
The president of the All India Youth Congress, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, has accused the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, of betraying the people of Haryana by nominating Mr Harinder Malik who belonged to Uttar Pradesh for the Rajya Sabha seat from the state quota.

Sonia to address rally on April 2
Panipat, March 25
The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is likely to address a rally at Kurukshetra on April 2 to be organised in protest against the “anti-farmer” policies of the central government by the Haryana Krishak Samaj, the samaj president and former Haryana Minister, Mr S. S. Surjewala, said here today.

Budget session to be the longest
New Delhi, March 25
The Finance Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi will seek a Vote on Account in the 12th Budget Session of Delhi Legislative Assembly that begins on Tuesday. The session, the longest in the second assembly, will conclude on April 16.

VDCs come a cropper as funds get bungled
Jhajjar, March 25
The Village Development Councils (VDC) constituted in every village by the state government for expediting development activities have failed to meet the expectations of the people as well as the administration. 

Excise officials ‘hand in glove’ with liquor smugglers 
Sonepat, March 25
The representatives of various political parties, social and voluntary organisations as well as trade unions today urged the state government to order a high-level probe into liquor smuggling and sale of liquor. They wanted transfer of the Excise Department officials found to be involved in the racket.

FACE TO FACE
Poetry flows out of Anuradha’s soft fingers

Willing suspension of disbelief - thus said the famous poet Coleridge in his landmark poem 'The Ancient Mariner.' You realise his words holding water when you witness a very delicate and soft spoken, 30-year-old Mumbai-based Anuradha Paul, India's first and the only female professional tabla player, play the instrument with remarkable ease. Her docile demeanor, long silky hair and traditional looks are just contrary to her profession that demands a tough looking, damn-caring attitude. Her soft fingers beat the hard instrument making her come out with rhythms, which are not a usual sight in tabla concerts. Creating resonant beats.

Admn flayed for water shortage
Rewari, March 25
Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Deputy Leader of the Haryana Congress Legislature Party, has flayed the administration for the acute drinking water shortage being faced by residents of various colonies of Rewari city and called for setting up an additional reservoir for solving the problem. 

Sewers to be laid in 490 regularised colonies by 2003
New Delhi, March 25
The work on laying of sewers in 490 out of the 567 regularised unauthorised colonies would be completed by March next year even as the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has formed a high-powered committee for the maintenance of minimum flow in the Yamuna.

DSGMC sends census format to Census Commissioner
New Delhi, March 25
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has sent the format of the questionnaire for the Sikh census to the Census Commissioner. The Census Commissioner, Mr J. K. Banthia, had sought the questionnaire format as the DSGMC had carried out the headcount in Tilak Nagar municipal ward to counter the Census 2001 figures.

NCR BRIEFS
MDU teachers’ union opposes closure of dept
Rohtak, March 25
The Maharshi Dayanand University Teachers’ Association (MDUTA) has appealed to the Governor-cum-Chancellor of the university to withdraw the decision recently taken by the university administration regarding the closure of its Rural Development Department.

Workers hold rally College teachers’ union Ban orders

Young doctor ends life Tehsildar attacked Two labourers in sleep run over

17-language Gurbani project in the offing
New Delhi, March 25
The translation of Japuji Sahib and Sukhmani Sahib, part of the Gurbani project to translate the Guru Granth Sahib in 17 Indian languages, was released here today. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee project to translate the holy works of Sikhism has been undertaken by Dr V Bhanu Murti.

• Delhi Ad Club elects new chief

CRIME

Four commit suicide, two crushed under trains
Ghaziabad, March 25
Four persons ended their lives by swallowing poisonous substances while two others were crushed under the wheels of trains in separate incidents on Sunday. Chhotu, a resident of L-Block in Sector 9 of Vijay Nagar, used to manage a sari shop in the area. He swallowed some poisonous substance on Sunday and was moved to the hospital in a serious condition where he died soon after.

Police clueless about robbery
New Delhi, March 25
The police are still clueless about a robbery which took place five days ago in the house-cum-clinic of doctor and cricket commentator Narotam Puri in Civil Lines in which Rs 45,000, jewellery and other valuables, including a cell phone, were stolen by two unidentified persons.

BUSINESS

All polluting units to be shifted to Bawana by 2003
New Delhi, March 25
In a move to remove the hurdles which come in the way of the proposed Metro rail project, the Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation (DSIDC) today stated that all the polluting industrial units would be shifted to the newly set up industrial area, Bawana, by next year.

SPORTS

Sports stadiums in every Haryana block: Chautala
Rewari, March 25
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, said here on Sunday that the budgetary allocation for sports had been increased from Rs 1.27 lakh in 1996 to Rs 10.27 crore in 2002 for its all-round promotion and development in the state.

Sunil Dev, Dr Sareen elected unopposed in DDCA elections 

New Delhi, March 25 Mr Sunil Dev was re-elected unopposed as the sports secretary while Dr S S Sareen retained his post as joint secretary (club) of the DDCA in the annual elections. Though the formal elections are slated to be held on April 4, most of the office-bearers have been re-elected unopposed. From left: Mr Anil Jain, Dr S S Sareen, Mr Anil Khanna and Mr Sunil Khanna, who have been elected unopposed to the DDCA managing committee.

Baljit adjudged fastest athlete
New Delhi, March 25
Baljit Kaur of Ambala emerged as the fastest athlete when she claimed the 100 and 200 metres titles in the 15th Haryana State Women's Sports Festival held at Rewari. In the 100m race, Baljit Kaur clocked 12.9 secs to claim the gold. She was followed by Mamlesh of Ambala and Saroj of Yamunanagar.

Sanjay Kumar stars in NDMC win
New Delhi, March 25
Sanjay Kumar blasted a strokeful 91 runs to star in New Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (NDMC) 21 runs victory against Darling Club as NDMC entered the semi-final of the first Krishna Verma Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Captain Dharam Pal Sports Complex.

SPORTS CORNER
C K Khanna, Sehwag honoured
New Delhi, March 25
DDCA vice-president C K Khanna and explosive Delhi batsman Virender Sehwag were honoured by the Delhi Wanderers' Club at a function held recently. Some of the veteran Delhi players like Lakshmi Chand Saxena, Bishen Behari Mathur, C B Mathur, Prakash Bhandari, Rajan Mehra, V N Nigam, Gyaneshwar Parshad, Prem Bhatia, Anil Jain and Anand Swaroop attended the get-together. Among the present lot, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Sanghvi, Vijay Dahiya and Ashish Nehra were present.

• Golden Hawks beat Colts

• GE Capital beat KPMG in cricket

ADMINISTRATION

HUDA demolishes 250 houses
Sonepat, March 25
Officials of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) demolished over 250 houses, shops and other structures at Sector 15, a residential colony of the authority, amidst allegations against five residents that they had duped the others by getting stay orders from the court only for themselves after collecting money from all of them for the litigation.