TOP STORIES

BJP wakes up to statehood demand before poll
New Delhi, July 8
With an apparent eye on the Assembly elections later this year, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is likely to introduce a Bill granting full statehood to Delhi during the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament. The decision to introduce the Bill was taken at a meeting of a high-powered committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, BJP Delhi unit president Madan Lal Khurana revealed here today.

Big haul of spurious drugs with MNC tag
New Delhi, July 8
The Delhi Police Special Cell today claimed to have unearthed a racket in spurious medicines with the arrest of three persons and a big haul (100 kg) of fake drugs worth lakhs of rupees, which were being sold under the brand names of major multinational companies.

The rich haul of spurious drugs on display in the Capital. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

HEALTH WATCH
Coolers in posh areas infested with dengue vector
New Delhi, July 8
Rain has brought so much cheer that some of us have switched off the coolers. But in this happy hour, some of us forgot to drain out the water from the containers, turning them into veritable breeding grounds for the deadly Aedes mosquito, which causes dengue and had left a deadly trail in 1996.

Check mosquito menace: MCD chief
New Delhi, July 8
Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Mehta today appealed to the administrative heads of all government and semi-government departments, autonomous bodies, educational institutions, owners and occupiers of commercial complexes, office-bearers of markets and resident welfare associations to initiate steps to prevent mosquito breeding.

Retired teacher loses life’s savings to hoodlums
Rohtak, July 8
A spate of robberies and incidents of chain/purse snatching in the town during the past few days has generated a sense of insecurity among the residents.

SIGN OF TIMES
Cops vanish with official mobike, wireless
New Delhi, July 8
The police have launched a hunt to trace a head constable and a constable of the Delhi Police who have been reported missing for the last three days. They have disappeared along with the official motorcycle, a service revolver and two wireless sets. The police said that sleuths had been sent to several places in Rajasthan as both the cops hailed from that state.

Varsity tuition fee hike, management quota slammed
Rohtak, July 8
Six opposition political parties have criticised the Haryana Government for the increase in tuition fees and the policy of reserving seats for management. The state leaders of the CPM, the CPI, the Lok Janshakti Party, the Samajwadi Party, the SUCI and the Janata Dal (S) held a joint meeting here today and deplored the latest decision of the state government to increase the tuition fees for higher education.

Newly-born stolen from hospital 
New Delhi: A newly-born is missing since dawn today from the maternity ward of the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital. The police are hopeful of retrieving the infant as they suspect a woman and not an organized gang in the episode.

POLITICS

CM has failed on SYL canal front: Hooda
Sonepat, July 8
Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and a veteran Congress leader, has declared the Jal Yudh launched by the Congress party will continue until the SYL canal water reaches the fields of Haryana.

Vidrohi takes Cong to task on Jal Yudh
Sonepat, July 8
The Haryana Pradesh Janata Dal (U) president, Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi, has criticised the Congress party for fooling the farmers of the state by launching the Jal Yudh to get its share of water from the SYL canal and said that the Congress party had never been sincere in getting the SYL canal completed in the Punjab territory.

Mahapanchayat wants canal work expedited
Jhajjar, July 8
The All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan will organise a mahapanchayat in Jainabad village of Rewari district on July 13 in support of its demand to avail canal-based irrigation facility and press for the early completion of the SYL canal.

COMMUNITY

Civic body dithers on development works due to fund shortage
Faridabad, July 8
Development works costing several crores of rupees have been held up in the Municipal corporation Faridabad (MCF) due to ‘acute financial crunch’ faced by the civic body which is the largest of its kind in the state.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON GURGAON
Women take to streets. All they want is potable water & electricity 
Sohna (Gurgaon), July 8
Residents of Shiv Colony, Hari Nagar and Ambedkar Colony, particularly women, have decided to take to the streets to press for providing them with basic infrastructure like roads, ample supply of power and potable water.

Lightning strikes; seven suffer burn injuries
Sonepat, July 8
At least seven persons including four women sustained serious burn injuries when the lightning struck a house at Chhanauli village about 25 km from here last evening. According to a report, five persons were taking a cup of tea in the house when the lightning struck. The injured persons were identified as Krishan, Jagwanti, Monu, Kavita and Paramjit.

NCR BRIEFS
Two robbers held; pistols seized 
Sonepat, July 8
The special staff of Sonepat police has arrested two alleged robbers, namely Pradeep of Guhna village and Jai Bhagwan, alias Sonu, of Pinana village and seized two country-made pistols and 16 live cartridges from them.

Canal water DSCSC official robbed

New tractor

Panel to keep tabs on ultrasound clinics Narnaul, July 8 To curb sex determination tests (PNDT) in Mahendragarh district, Dr P P Leekhs, Civil Surgeon, has formed an advisory committee at Narnaul, and instructed the staff to conduct surprise raid on the diagnostic centres and nursing homes which have ultra sound machines.

Withdraw VAT, demands Beopar Mandal
Rohtak, July 8
Haryana Beopar Mandal has demanded immediate withdrawal of the Value Added Tax system introduced recently in Haryana. In a statement here on Monday, Mr Laxmi Chand Gupta, president of the Beopar Mandal alleged that the VAT system had ruined the business and the businessmen in the state.

Dalit basti still tense

EDUCATION

Goel shows what a model school is like
New Delhi, July 8
The Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Vijay Goel, has presented a model school by adopting an MCD-run school in the Bandook Wali street in the walled city. This has been provided all facilities necessary for primary students with the help of Adharshila Vidyapeeth.

Disaster management in Class VIII syllabus
New Delhi, July 8
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced disaster management as part of the social sciences curriculum for class eight from this year. The book titled, ‘Together Towards Safer India’, has been prepared in collaboration with the disaster management division of the home ministry and the UNDP.

CULTURE

GLITZ&GLAMOUR
Delhi designers prepare to take on the best at Mumbai
A little before they unravel their creative best during the LIFW in Mumbai this month, we took a peek into the closets of some of the Delhi designers to preview the fare. Shantanu & Nikhil, whose label stands for ‘freedom in fashion’, will showcase their collection on the first day. They will unveil the adventurous moods of structured stripes, a key inspiration for their Fall-Winter 2003 collection. The designer duo will showcase their western line for the bold and the vivacious young women.

Diamonds are forever Men in Vogue

Go fake for animal’s sake

HEALTH

Workshop on gynaecology held
Rewari, July 8
A workshop for complicated cases of pregnancy and gynaecology was held under the auspices of the Rewari Obstetric and Gynaecological Society (ROGS) at Dr Saxena Nursing Home here on July 6.

Rotary reaffirms mission to banish polio
Panipat, July 8
A past Rotary District Governor, Mr Deepak Kapur, reiterated the Rotary’s mission to eradicate polio in the country. Speaking at the installation ceremony of Mr Naveen Gulati, new president of the Rotary Club (Mid Town) here, Mr Kapur said that so far 87 cases of polio had been reported. What was disturbing was the fact that the cases had been reported from new areas like Karnataka and Assam.

SPORTS

Chaudhary Devi Lal Gold Cup Wrestling in national Capital 
New Delhi, July 8
The Chaudhary Devi Lal Gold Cup International Free Style Wrestling Tournament will be held at the Ganga Public School in Delhi from September 24 to 26. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) announced in Delhi on Tuesday that competitions will be held in four weight categories—55kg, 60kg, 66kg and 120kg.

Sonnet Club lift R C Sharma Memorial cricket trophy
New Delhi, July 8
Sonnet Club defeated Lal Bahadur Shastri Club by 48 runs to lift the inaugural R C Sharma Memorial Under-15 Cricket Tournament at the Bharat Nagar ground. Vishu Tomar, who played an all-round role, was adjudged the man of the match while Lov Sehrawat was named the best batsman of the tournament. 

Jagjeevanjit Singh slams century
New Delhi, July 8
A dashing century by Jagjeevanjit Singh, who cracked 102 with the aid of 12 boundaries and two sixes, and deadly bowling by Sanjeev Kumar (4 for 19), enabled Guru Harkrishan Public School beat Modern Public School by 12 runs and enter the semi-final of the first Modern Child Cricket Tournament at the Punjabi Bagh ground. Jagjeevanjit was adjudged the man of the match.

R P Academy annex cricket title New Delhi, July 8 Devastating bowling displays by Harjinder Singh (3 for 19), Puneet Walia (2 for 18) and Raghav Rawal (2 for 18) helped R P Academy beat Sonnet by seven runs to annex the fourth Peacock Cricket Tournament at the Gargi College ground. R P Academy cricket team, which annexed the Peacock Cricket Tournament title, with chief guest Chetan Chauhan.

Joel Trinidad hattrick in Manan cricket 
New Delhi, July 8
Joel Trinidad performed a hattrick to claim three wickets for 30 runs and helped J D Tytler School beat Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan by seven wickets in the Manan Chopra Memorial Under-17 Cricket Tournament.