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Banned crackers on sale in Mohali
SAS Nagar, October 24
Flouting almost every rule, shopkeepers are selling prohibited crackers at various stalls set up for Divali at the 10 different sites across the township.

Cracker sellers blowing apart  safety norms
Chandigarh, October 24
Cracker sellers — offering explosives on folding beds in city markets — are blowing the safety norms to pieces. The failure of the authorities to crack down on them has only encouraged the sellers to recklessly offer ash cans and rockets without complying with the mandatory provisions.

4 booked under Explosives Act
Panchkula, October 24
The district administration tightened its noose to check the illegal sale of fire crackers from locations other than the ones specified by the administration. While as many as four persons were booked under the Explosives Act in different parts of the district during the past 24 hours, the SDM, Panchkula, Mr Inder Singh conducted a check on cracker shops in various sectors this evening to check the sale of banned crackers and to see the fire safety measures.

Students propagate  anti-cracker message
Chandigarh, October 24
Around 250 students, parents and staff of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 38, participated in an anti-cracker rally, which was flagged off by Mr Noormohammed, president of the Parent-Teachers Association of the institute, here today.

People light diyas on the eve of Divali in Sector 17 in Chandigarh on Friday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

• 200 students hold rally

• Divali celebrations with special  children

• Schools celebrate Divali

• Spreading message of safe Divali through kites

• Kids dress up in Ramayana costumes

• Poster-making contest

• Children call on Governor’s wife

• Governor greets people

• Medical camp at school

• Employees withdraw threat

Right time to make officials happy
Chandigarh, October 24
After over a decade, as the people are making heavy purchases on the eve of Divali, there is a wide smile on the face of traders and industrialists in the city. People are looking for “something unique and impressive” in the market.

Jeweller surrenders stocks worth Rs 90 lakh
Chandigarh, October 24
A jeweller in Mani Majra, Zevar has surrendered stocks worth Rs 90 lakh that were not documented in the books account during an intensive survey carried out by sleuths of the Income Tax Department.

HC asks police officers to probe human trafficking
Chandigarh, October 24
Coming down heavily on travel agents luring youngsters with the hopes of lucrative jobs abroad, Mr Justice Viney Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked Punjab’s Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and Haryana’s Inspector- General of Police (IGP) to look into the scandal.

COMMUNITY

Enforcement staff under fire
Chandigarh, October 24
The pick-and-choose policy by the enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation has once again come under criticism from the councillors. The issue, raised at the General House meeting of the corporation yesterday, saw the Chairman of the Enforcement Committee pointing out the questionable role of the enforcement staff.

Suicide case takes new turn
Panchkula, October 24
The suicide case of 27-year-old Neeraj Kansal, whose charred body was found in the wilderness along the Panchkula-Naraingarh national highway at about 1 am on September 26, took a new turn yesterday with the wife of the victim, Ms Suman, saying that the internal friction within the family could be responsible for his death.

Zoo authorities to seek white male tiger

Chhat Bir (Patiala),  October 24 She is barely four months old and they are already looking for a suitable match for her. With Ruchi, a female white tiger cub, growing up strong and healthy at the Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, the authorities have started looking for a suitable mate for her. The zoo authorities are in touch with other zoos of the country for getting a white male tiger, about six months to one year older to her. Ruchi ,the four-month-old white tiger cub, says Happy Divali with a roar at the Chhat Bir Zoo on Friday. — Tribune photo by Karam Singh

Scooterist injured in mishap

CRIME

One arrested for  committing thefts
Chandigarh, October 24
The operation cell of the Chandigarh Police has arrested a burglar operating in the city and recovered various stolen items from his possession. The police said Rinku of Balmiki mohalla in Burail village was nabbed yesterday evening. He used to commit theft along with his two accomplices. They used to keep watch on locked houses and later committed burglaries, mostly during night.

Mishap victim succumbs to injuries
Lalru, October 24
Mohit Sharma, who was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, in a serious state on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries yesterday.

House  collapse: one booked
Zirakpur, October 24
The police has booked Janak Singh, the contractor the house in Gulmohar Colony (Part II) that collapsed leaving an electrician dead and four others injured in Dhakauli village, near here, on October 17 evening.

Held for misusing  LPG cylinder
Chandigarh, October 24
On the complaint of the UT Food and Supply Department, the police has arrested a city resident for misusing LPG cylinder and another person for pilfering gas from cylinder.

Theft in temple
Chandigarh, October 24
Thieves reportedly broke into the Raksheshawar Mahadev temple in Sector 35-C here in the wee hours yesterday and decamped with gold and silver ornaments on the idols estimated to cost around Rs 40,000.

BUSINESS

Prayas building to house IT companies
Chandigarh, October 23
Four storeys of the Prayas building in Sector 38 along the Dakshin Marg will be used to house some of the top IT companies of the world. The companies will be housed in Prayas building as a temporary step till the IT park located in Kishangarh village comes up.

Panel to maintain industrial sectors
SAS Nagar, October 24
In a significant move to attract information technology and IT enabled service industries to SAS Nagar, the Punjab Government has formed a high-powered committee to oversee the maintenance of industrial sectors here.

Savour the ambience and the food

Chandigarh, October 24 Festival and feasting go hand in hand, little surprise then that the eve of Divali was chosen by the Dhawan Group to open a new restaurant, Mehfil-2. Equipped with a wellstocked bar, the new addition to the Gourmet Mall in Sector 17 promises to provide an ambience of the golden era. The warm hues of interiors as well the music almost complement the warmth of hospitality that has been a part of Mehfil tradition since 1979. Mehfil-2, which was inaugurated on Friday, offers a complete dining-out experience for a family. — A Tribune photograph

Road show organised

EDUCATION

India visit fascinates UK students

Chandigarh, October 24 Students of Priesthorpe School, Leeds, led by their Assistant Head Teacher, Ms Alison Hardaker, arrived in India last week under an exchange programme with Sahibzada Ajit Singh Academy, Ropar. Visiting The Tribune today as part of their itinerary, Ms Hardaker said, “The real India is completely different from what we had perceived, based on reports in television and newspapers. Students from the UK, who are on a trip to India, at The Tribune office in Chandigarh on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Seminar on teenage challenges, problems
Chandigarh, October 24
Beautifying the inner self rather than concentrating on the outer appearance formed the theme of the seminar “Teens — challenges ahead”, which was organised at Manav Mangal High School in Sector 21 here on Sunday.

Veenu declared Miss Fresher
Chandigarh, October 24
Veenu Anand of the Law Department was declared Miss Fresher at a freshers’ night organised at Laxmi Bai Hostel on the Panjab University campus here on Thursday evening.

UNO Day  celebrated

CULTURE

Sufi influence — the Kashmir link
Chandigarh, October 24
Any mention of Sufi influences and poetry would remain incomplete without a reference to the rich Sufiana tradition that developed and grew in Kashmir, the heart of love which now stands scarred at the hands of secessionists.

HEALTH

German teacher’s gesture for kids with cancer

Chandigarh, October 24 It is something these children really look forward to and with loads of gifts and toys from Germany, they couldn’t have asked for more, while being admitted to a hospital. A school teacher in Germany, Erika Pruemm raised Rs 1.50 lakh for the treatment of these children, admitted to the PGI cancer ward. “Ever since my sister visited Chandigarh and saw some of these children did not have enough money for treatment, she raised money back home in Germany and sent it through me,” said Mrs Inge Sharma, who is in the city visiting her relatives. A German woman, Inge Sharma, with children admitted to the Advanced Paediatrics Centre at the PGI, for whose treatment she along with her sister has raised funds in Germany. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Lecture on nutrition
Chandigarh, October 24
The Additional Professor and Head of PGI’s Paediatric and Gastroenterology Department, Dr B.R. Thapa, delivered a lecture on nutrition and childhood diseases at DAV Model School in Sector 15.

SPORTS

GNE win kabaddi title
Dera Bassi, October 24
The title of two-day inter-college kabaddi tournament, organised at the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dera Bassi, was clinched by the GNE, Ludhiana, here yesterday. In the tournament, BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib, remained the runner-up while the third position was bagged by the GTB, Malout.

St Stephen’s emerge winners

ADMINISTRATION

Probe ordered into threat to auto company owner
Zirakpur, October 24
Taking a serious note of a complaint of managing director of Titan Motors Private Limited, an authorised service station of the Telco company, located in Nabha village along the Chandigarh-Patiala highway, the Director-General of Punjab Police (DGP) has marked an inquiry to the Senior Superintendent of Police(SSP), Patiala.

Shopkeepers challaned for underweighing
Chandigarh, October 24
The Weights and Measure Department of the Chandigarh Administration has caught a total of 12 shopkeepers for underweighing and for not displaying rates. These include halwais, dry fruit sellers and two traders in the grain market, Sector 26.

DPC meeting held
Chandigarh, October 24
The Chandigarh Administration today held a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting to promote an Inspector as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). The name of Mr Roshan Lal has been reportedly cleared, a formal order will be issued soon, sources said.