COMMUNITY

Fire rages in Shivalik foothills
Khair trees worth crores destroyed
Mirzapur, May 24
Forests on the foothills of Shivalik in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have been engulfed in a massive fire, which is showing no signs of dying down. Reported to have been caused by the heat wave, the forest fire is spreading with every passing minute.

Changes in paid parking system demanded
Chandigarh, May 24
Eight city residents, including a few traders in Sector 17, have threatened the municipal corporation to incorporate certain changes in the system of paid parking within a week else they will move court.

Hospital for Chhatbir zoo inmates
Chhatbir (Patiala), May 24
After a long wait, inmates of the Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological park will have good medical facilities in a well-equipped hospital. The building of the zoo hospital will come up at a cost of Rs 4 lakh in a month or two.

Kidnapped cop’s kids pray for parents
Chandigarh, May 24
A strange silence greets you as you enter the transit flat occupied by the two sons of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Jagdish Nagar. This is certainly not what one expects of a house-full of children.

City expert joins tunnelling panel
Chandigarh, May 24
Mr Ravinder Kumar Sharma, a local tunnelling professional, has joined as member of the International Committee of the elite Rapid Excavation and Tunnelling Conference sponsored by the Society for Mining, in Littleton, Colorado, USA.

Heatwave toll in region 32
Chandigarh, May 24
The heatwave sweeping Punjab and Haryana for the past four weeks has claimed three more lives, taking the toll in the region to 32. Two persons died in Bhiwani and one in Bathinda, police and hospital sources said today.

Dance party at Funcity today
Ramgarh (Panchkula), May 24
For the entertainment of residents of Chandigarh, Panchkula and nearby towns, Surya Funcity Limited will organise an exotic dance party with Russian model Lada at Funcity Amusement Park located on the Panchkula-Naraingarh road here tomorrow.

Koena Mitra pours Chivas Regal in shot glasses before going on a round of tables at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Friday night.

SOCIAL MONITOR
An evening with Koena and Chivas
Chandigarh, May 24
For members of the Chandigarh Club and Chandigarh Golf Club, it was a novel experience. One of India’s leading models, Koena Mitra, ambled from table to table on Thursday and Friday evenings, and invited them to taste Chivas Regal, the classic, premium Scotch whisky in a novel fashion: Chivas on the Sugar.

Police-public interaction
Chandigarh, May 24
To check burglaries, the police has initiated a special campaign to improve the police-public interaction. Public meetings are being held in all the phases to listen to the grievances of the residents, said the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr H.S. Bhullar.

Spirituality expo opens
Chandigarh, May 24
A three-day “Scientific Spirituality Expo-2002” by the North-West Zone India of the Global Gayatri Parivar began at the Parade Ground, Sector 17, here today. In the morning, 251 women members of the parivar carried holy Kalash on their heads from Gayatri Shakti Peeth, SAS Nagar, to the venue. Another shobha yatra of the parivar from Panchkula reached the Parade Ground.

Trucks collide, no one hurt
SAS Nagar, May 24
At least 16 occupants in two trucks had a miraculous escape when the two vehicles collided at the roundabout of Sectors 29,30, 31 and 32 near the GMCH-32. 

Customers harassed
SAS Nagar, May 24
People buying liquor from a vend in Palsora village today complained that the workers of the contractor of the Phase I liquor vend, adjoining Palsora village, were forcibly preventing the customers from buying liquor from Chandigarh. 

Human trafficking; 2 detained
Dera Bassi, May 24
The flesh trade case, in which four persons, including two women were detained by the local police, took a new turn today when only a man and woman were arrested and the remaining two were released after questioning.

Three deaths reported
Chandigarh, May 24
Ramesh Kumar, in his early thirties, allegedly ended his life by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his Sector-46 house here this evening. The victim was married and had two children.

3 of family booked in fraud case
Panchkula, May 24
The police has booked three members of a family residing in Sector 12 here on charges of breach of trust and fraud. The accused — Pankaj Joshi, Ms Raj Joshi and Aanchal Joshi — have been accused of duping Ripu Daman of Rs 2. 95 lakh on the pretext of sending him to Italy.

BUSINESS

Techshow-2002, a treat for the techno-savvy
Chandigarh, May 24
The City Beautiful proved its ‘techno-savviness’ today with the opening of Techshow 2002, an exhibition on IT at the CII convention centre here today. This show is being organised by Fourth Dimension networks and will run till May 26.

Govt to encourage NRIs to invest
SAS Nagar, May 24
The Punjab Government will provide a conducive environment and needed facilities to NRIs who were interested in investing in the state, said. Mr Raghunath Sahai Puri, Urban Development and Housing Minister, Punjab, after inaugurating an amusement park near here today.

MARKET PULSE
Playwin hits Rs 8.61-cr jackpot
Chandigarh, May 24
Playwin Sikkim Super Lotto, the country’s first online lottery, created history by creating the first Rs 8.61-crore jackpot winner in India in its ninth draw. The six lucky numbers 04, 16, 18, 21, 23 and 44 were announced at the draw which was held on May 23 at Gangtok, Sikkim.

PU declares results of third-time lucky students
Chandigarh, May 24
Panjab University has declared the results of some candidates of first year of undergraduate classes. The results of these candidates were withheld because of their inability to clear their compartment examinations in the junior class in the two chances permissible to them by the university.

Adventure camp in the hills
Chandigarh, May 24
Durga Das Foundation is holding an adventure camp as part of Endeavour, its summer school programme. With the mercury rising correspondingly with children’s restless energy levels the cool environs of the hills beckon nature enthusiasts promising to be just the place to perk up their enthusiasm and give them a sense of achievement as they push their bodies and minds to explore new experiences and new challenges.

Army schoolteachers get IT training
Chandigarh, May 24
The second 10-day “Master Trainer Course” organised by the HQ Western Command concluded at Chandi Mandir today. Maj-Gen R.S. Batra, Maj-Gen in charge, Administration, gave the valedictory address and distributed prizes to the winners of the course. 

Telebooks launched
Chandigarh, May 24
Telebooks, a new concept in the field of reading, was launched here today. A88 Solutions under the leadership of Akhil Verma has attempted to introduce the concept of buying books of one’s choice by just calling up at his office number.

Airing creativity of kids
Chandigarh, May 24
For Mumbai-based couple Munisha and Rajesh Rajpal, Chandigarh becomes home for summers. For over 10 years now, these two zesty pass outs of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, have been regularly holding theatre workshops for everyone between six and 24 years of age in the city. 

COURTS

Punch licenses of traffic-rule violators: High Court
Chandigarh, May 24
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that the licences of the drivers repeatedly violating traffic rules should be punched as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act and in accordance with an earlier judgement.

A litigant waits as District Bar Association advocates abstain from work, protesting against the alleged role of High Court Judges in the PPSC scam. — A Tribune photograph

PPSC SCAM
Day strike by District Bar Association
Chandigarh, May 24
The District Bar Association today observed a day strike protesting against the alleged role of High Court Judges in the PPSC scandal following the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Association.

DISTRICT COURTS
Arguments on Sidhu’s bail plea adjourned
Chandigarh, May 24
A local court today adjourned the argument on a bail plea moved by the Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu, in a case under the Arms Act registered against him in the Sector 39 police Station till May 25.

• Judicial remand

• Remand extended

Electronics enthusiast gets respite
Chandigarh, May 24
Issuing notice of motion for May 28 on a petition filed by Mr Ashwani Gaur, accused of cloning a Connect phone, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice N.K. Sud, has directed that the Chandigarh police and other respondents will not arrest the petitioner in the meanwhile.

New Punjabi singer on the block
Chandigarh, May 24
For Sukhwinder Babbu, it has been quite a tough journey in the world of music. Not blessed with money, which happens to be the pre-requirement for releasing any music album these days, Sukhwinder has risen by the dint of his voice.

Tender Heart students excel
Chandigarh, May 24
Students of Tender Heart School, Sector 33, Chandigarh, have won many accolades in cycling, thanks to the support and encouragement given by the school Principal, Ms Prem Suri. She said their students were doing exceedingly well in cycling and chess.

SAI coaches to train kids in govt schools
Chandigarh, May 24
In an effort to promote sports in UT schools, coaches of the Sports Authority of India and of the Chandigarh Sports Council, will also now impart training to children in government schools in different disciplines.

Roller hockey camp concludes
Chandigarh, May 24
The first phase of the national roller hockey camp for men and women came to a close this evening at the skating rink of Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7.

ADMINISTRATION

Sales tax assessment camp at Sector 26
Chandigarh, May 24
The Chandigarh Sales Tax Department today began a two-day camp for the assessment of sales tax cases under deemed assessment scheme in Sector 26, Grain Market in coordination with Chandigarh Beopar Mandal & Grain Market Association Sector 26, Chandigarh.

IT Dept seals bank lockers of wine trader
Chandigarh, May 24
Sleuths of the Income Tax department today sealed six bank lockers of the family members and partners of Ladda Liquors. They also opened one bank locker from which jewellery worth a few lakh was recovered.