Stray cattle menace claims another life
City girl killed in freak road mishap
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
A 23-year-old Panjab University student, whose marriage was to be fixed on Sunday, was killed when she fell down after one of two fighting bulls thrust its horn into the scooter-borne girl on the Sectors 23 and 24 junction.

Promila, daughter of Panjab University security employee Gopal Singh Daswal, was hit by a bull when she was riding a two-wheeler without a helmet with her elder sister Aruna riding pillion, eyewitnesses said.

Promila was declared brought dead when she was taken to the Sector 16 Government Hospital. Aruna also sustained injuries, but is stated to be out of danger.

According to the family sources, Promila had to leave for Garhwal on Sunday, where her marriage was to be fixed.

The two girls fell on the road with Promila’s head banging on the road, leading to her death. Aruna, however, recovered and sought help of commuters. One of the commuters came to the rescue of the girls and dropped them at the hospital, where Promila was declared “brought dead.”

The police later took over the belongings of the deceased.

Family members of the girls said the sisters were going towards the Batra Cinema roundabout and stopped at the traffic signal. They saw two bulls fighting on the divider of the road. When the girls moved from the traffic signal, a wheel of the scooter — despite applying the brakes — grazed against one of the bulls, which had suddenly come on the road. The bull thrust its horns into the stomach of the girl. A crowd gathered there and the police had to struggle for some time to make the bull leave the scene and pick up the injured girls, an eyewitness said.

Promila, registered as a student of MA (History, Part-I Correspondence) was going to drop her sister Aruna at her office in Sector 34. Promila used to drop her sister everyday at her office.

Promila was giving tuitions to around 15 students. She had four sisters, three of them married. She was cremated in the afternoon in the presence of a large number of persons from Panjab University.

As soon as the information reached the family at their house in Sector 25, a pall of gloom descended there. Family members said the girl had been participating in various sports events and wanted to join the police.

Contests mark Children’s Day
Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh, November 14
The grounds of Punjab Raj Bhavan resounded with the laughter of children who flocked the venue from various districts of Punjab to celebrate “Children’s Day’’, here today.

The ‘privileged guests’ of the Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, attired in colourful dresses, celebrated “their’’ day with enthusiasm as they danced and sang through the entire morning at the function organised by the Punjab Child Welfare Council.

The inter-district competition for group-song, group-dance and paper-reading competitions of various categories marked the beginning of the celebrations. Children enjoyed their day out, dancing to the beats of drum.

Earlier, Justice Verma inaugurated the function and paid floral tributes at a picture of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Governor also released a souvenir of the Child Welfare Council and gave away prizes to the winners of the various competitions.

Justice Verma said the children were the future of the country. Their proper growth and development was the responsibility of parents, the community and the government. He stated that a nationwide movement to highlight the importance of taking care of child’s health, nutrition and education needed to be launched.

With the increasing disparity between children, there are 30 lakh children still living in the street whereas over 1.5 crore children work in hazardous trades. Time has come that we should work collectively to achieve the aim of universal education which will ultimately help in ending this disparity, he added.

In the group song competition Amritsar and Jalandhar were bracketed first and Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur won second and third positions, respectively. In paper reading contest, Ms Parneet Wander of Ludhiana stood first whereas Preeti of Ropar and Priya Verma of Ferozepore were adjudged second and third, respectively.

In the group dance competition, the bhangra team of Patiala district won the first prize. Malvai Giddha presented by tiny tots of Baba Farid Public School, Bathinda, won the second prize. The giddha by Kapurthala district team won the third prize.

Later, the children get themselves photographed with the Governor. The function concluded with a prize distribution ceremony.

Airtel celebrated Children’s Day with children of Nehru Colony, Sector 52, Mohali. Airtel Ashiana, which is already a part of the lives of 25 children from Nehru Colony, organised the programme for more than 50 children. A painting competition, planting of saplings by children, and a cricket match were also organised.

The programme started with a cricket match between the teams of Airtel Ashiana and Nehru Colony. The winners of the cricket match were the Nehru Colony team, captained by Ajay Pal.

Cultural programmes were organised in city schools to mark Children’s Day. While students formed the audience, teachers entertained them by presenting skits, songs and dances in most schools, making it special for them.

Bhavan Vidyalaya-27: A special assembly was organised. Pandit Nehru’s love for children, for friendship and peace among men and nations was duly highlighted. Moving poems and melodious, foot-tapping songs were sung. Students of the primary wing were taken to Chhatbir Zoo and a special excursion to Shimla was organised for the children for the special cell.

Mount Carmel-47: The two-day children’s day celebrations at Mount Carmel School concluded with the students of Classes V to X taking part in various competitions and contests at Lecma, 3BRD Air Force station.

Students of classes pre-nursery to IV took part in various competition’s including clay-modeling, collage-making and tattoo-making. Towards the end of the day, a cultural show was put up by teachers and students.

IS Dev Samaj-21: The programme was inaugurated by the Principal, Dr S. Kanwar. The primary section of the school presented various items. The tiny tots were at their best with items like Chacha Nehru, talking traffic lights, English dance numbers, other songs and dances. The NSS volunteers helped in maintaining discipline. Later, various food stalls were put up by staff members.

Golden Bells Public School, Mohali: A series of activities and competitions were organised for the children. The occasion was marked by garlanding the portrait of Chacha Nehru. Speeches were delivered by students emphasising the life and works of Pandit Nehru. Sports competitions for children of different age groups were held.

A magic show was organised for the children which was a great treat for them. A colourful cultural show added the applause of the audience.

Complimentary gifts and prizes were given to students. The Principal, Mrs Gurjit Bawa, congratulated the students on the day highlighting the importance of Children’s Day.

GMSSS-33: Students participated in a symposium on what they expect from their parents, teachers, society and government. The school library was specially set up with an exclusive “children corner” where latest publications were displayed. The highlights of the cultural programme were fancy dress competition, bhangra, giddha, skits, songs.

Moti Ram Arya Sr. Sec Model School, 27: Teachers entertained students by a game of Antakshri and one-minute show. The Gandhi house team won the antakshri.

Sharda Sarvhitkari Model Sr. Sec School, Sector 40-D: Various cultural items were organised. The highlight of the function was children dressed up as nationalist leaders, fairies, flowers and butterflies. In the fancy-dress competition, Anandita of class IIB won first position and Abhinav of Class III A remained second. A quiz contest was also organised.

Saint Soldier International School 28-B: A cultural programme was presented both by students and teachers alike. A short skit choreographed under the theme “Parents Sacrifice” was highly thought-provoking.

Government Model High School, 20-D: Mrs Sharda, acting Principal, shared her views with the students. The students presented group songs, skits, mono-acting, poems and a dance. A prize distribution function for a painting competition, organised on November 13, was also held.

St Stephen’s-45: The Children’s Day at St. Stephen’s School was made a memorable one as it was celebrated with a difference. The distinguishing feature this year being a moving award ceremony organised in memory of Rajiv Mahajan.

Mr N.M. Mahajan and Mrs Pushpa Mahajan instituted three awards in memory of their son Rajiv Mahajan (1958-1984) a promising young man, a brilliant student who died at the age of 26. While Rohit Malhotra of Class X, was presented the trophy for the best all-round student (boy) for the year 2002-2003, the award for the best all round student (girl) for 2002-2003 was presented to Dhanya Narasimhan. The recipient of the award for the best sports person of the year was Anshul Gupta.

St. Kabir Public School: Teachers of the school presented a small cultural programme, including some self-composed poems, a dance-and-song item on the poem written by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee “chalo school chalein hum”.

Delhi Public School-40: The civic and social consciousness week came to an end with the presentation of a memorandum of commitment to the Governor, Justice OP Verma, on the children’s day. The Governor appreciated the efforts of the school for having taken such a noble initiative of sensitising the students to their civic duties and social responsibilities.

As part of the final day’s programme, 60 children from Class VI visited the school for the blind and shared sweets with them. A special assembly was held in the morning wherein the teachers sang the hymn.

Evergreen Academy: With red roses tucked in their sherwanis and holding national flags, the tiny tots of Evergreen Academy, Sector 34-C, dressed up as Chacha Nehru celebrated children’s day by cutting a cake and participating in dance and picture-reading competitions.

Govt High School Mauli (UT): Students sang patriotic songs and recited poems. Giddha was represented by Class IX students.

Strawberry Fields Kindergarten: The school gardens resonated with the gentle woofs of puppies, quacking of ducks and cooing of calves. Children in the age group from two to six years responded as they matched the moods and playful antics of the domestic animals and their little ones. Volunteers of the PFA, under the guidance of their team leader, worked at creating a natural acceptance in the minds of the children, getting them to see that the animals reciprocated love and tenderness with loyalty and devotion.

Lions Club Chandigarh Nightingale: Around 1,200 students from different schools participated in a cycle rally organised by Lions Club Chandigarh Nightingale. The rally was flagged off by Director, Social Welfare, Mr Gurdeep Singh, from Sector 21 Government Model Senior Secondary School. The placards, depicting slogans to save environment, were displayed by the students.

Tribune Model School, Sector 29: Rangoli, flower arrangement and alpana competitions marked the annual prize distribution function of the school held on Friday. The Additional General Manager of The Tribune, Mr O.P. Arora, was the chief guest. The school Principal, Ms Amrit Dhaliwal, read out the annual report. A priti bhoj was also organised for the children. Tribune Model School, Sector 29

St. Peter’s School, Sector 37: Tiny tots dressed up as Chacha Nehru came to the school. Sports day of the school was also held. Banana race, frog race and balloon bursting were the main programmes of the day. Sweets were distributed among children. The Principal, Ms Patricia Khanna, gave away the prizes to winners.

Reports of Children’s Day celebrations were also received from Shivalik Public School in Sector 41; Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22; Parmahansa Yogananda Public School, Sector 28; Blue Bird Model School, Sector 16; the UT Red Cross; St Joseph’s School, Sector 44; Indian Red Cross Society, Punjab Branch’s Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22; Spring Valley Public School, SAS Nagar; MDAV High School, Sector 22; and GN Holy Heart Public School, Mauli Jagran.

Meanwhile, the local units of the Congress and the BJP organised functions to mark the Children’s Day.

At a function organised by the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, the party President, Mr B.B. Behl, said Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, had a vision to bring the nation on the international map. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, said the vision of Pt Nehru ensured that the country prospered.

The local BJP unit organised a function in Mauli Jagran. Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, local unit president, Mr Satya Pal Jain, Mr Davesh Moudgil were present. At a function organised at Government Higher Secondary School, Sector 37, Mrs Kamla Sharma, leader of opposition in the corporation, was the chief guest.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Postal Division organised a painting competition ‘ design a stamp contest 2003’. As many as 150 students from local schools participated. The winners were Heena Saini, Rashmi Singh and Bijoy Singh. Mr Nirmaljit Singh, Senior Superintendent of Post Office, Chandigarh, gave away the prizes to the winners.

The competition was followed by a workshop on philately. A sale counter was opened by the Philatelic Bureau, Chandigarh, at the Government Museum and Art Gallery for opening of Philatelic Deposit Account and sale for philatelic stamps.

Slum children of Theatre Age’s School being run on the Sector 24 Government High School premises, celebrated Children’s Day with gusto. Around 16 children staged a play.

Earlier, street theatre, “Khichdi”, was enacted yet again. The occasion not only marked a small cultural celebration, but also serious deliberation on the future of slum kids, who were gradually losing interest in academics due to a lack of proper facilities.

Director, Theatre Age, Zulfiqar Khan said, “We have had many students falling out. Here at this school which is run on voluntary donations, we do not have any regular teachers.”

PANCHKULA: A colourful function marked the Children’s Day celebrations at Bal Bhavan, Sector 15. Mrs Krishna, wife of Education Minister Bahadur Singh, was the guest of honour, while the SDM, Panchkula, Mr Inder Singh, was the chief guest. Children from different schools of the district, who had participated in various competitions here since November 11, were given prizes.

Government Primary School, Madhana (Morni): Children’s Day was celebrated by the women and child development department. The children took out a rally and were later asked to take a pledge that they would not take any dowry and help fight social evils like drinking, atrocities against women and female foeticide. Frog and sack races were also organised.

Satluj Public School, Sector 4: Students highlighted the achievements of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and recited poems in English and Hindi. Various competitions like pastry eating balloon blowing and rope race etc were organised. All students were given a pen each, said Principal, Mr Krit Serai.

The Gurukul, Sector 20: Students and staff of the school paid rich tributes to Pt Nehru. Children were allowed to come in their Sunday best clothes. Competitions in slogan writing, sketching and drawing were organised. A dance party was also held for children.

St Vivekanand Millennium School, Pinjore: Sports competitions were organised for the children. A cultural programme, including group songs, dances, and a PT display were presented. The local MLA, Mr Chander Mohan, was the chief guest.

Delhi Public School, Himshikha, Pinjore: There was festivity in the air as the staff and students celebrated Children’s Day. Teachers presented a unique mock fashion show. Two movies — Baby’s Day Out and Home Alone — were also screened.

Hansraj Public School, Sector 6: The week-long Children’s Day celebrations at the school, comprising of excursions, picnics and film shows, concluded on Friday. The function was presided over by Principal Rasjni Thareja. Various fun games were also organised.

Jainendra Public School: A programme was organised depicting various incidents of Nehru’s life. Various inter-class competitions were organised and a fancy-dress competition was the main highlight of the celebrations.

DAV, Sector 8: The celebrations included drawing and painting competitions. The movie — The Lion King — was screened in the school’s multi-media theatre. Teachers played games with the students and later treated them to snacks and sweets.

St. Soldiers Divine Public School, Sector 16: A special morning assembly was organised. The teachers put up a small variety programme for the children, which included a parody, songs and a group song.

BN Senior Secondary School, Sector 12: A drawing competition, skits and a fancy-dress competition were held. The Principal, Mrs Madhurima Bali, gave prizes to all students.

Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 15: Childrens Day was celebrated as Sports Day for the juniors. Yograj Singh, renowned cricketer, was the guest of honour and Mrs Kanwal Bedi, District Governor, Rotary Club, was the chief guest. Students presented a cultural show, besides a PT display, flag drill, aerobics and gymnastics.

Blue Bird High School, Sector 16: A cultural function was organised. Speeches, songs, colourful dances, jokes, antakshari and poems were also organised. Teachers performed a group dance and a picnic was organised for the children of pre-nursery and Class I. Sweets and gifts were distributed among students.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, ITBP, Bhanu: A PT show and a cultural show were organised at the school. Mr R.S. Pathania, ADIG, ITBP, Bhanu, was the chief guest. A colourful cultural show was also presented.

Sophia International Convent School: Patriotic songs, comedy skits and poetry recitation marked the celebrations here. Various dance numbers and a fancy dress show were also presented by the students. Later, a tea party was organised.

SAS NAGAR: Sherwood Convent School, Mohali and Chandigarh, celebrated November 14 as sports day along with cultural activities.

Various races were organised for different classes. There was a cycle race for tiny tots in which Keyush, Sarabjeet, Anika students got first, second and third places respectively. In toffee race of Nursery Class, Jatin, Nisha and Shubak remained first second and third respectively. Arashdeep, Shubham, Shivangi of KG Class got first three prizes respectively in biscuit race. Class I students participated in Balloon race and Bhajnesh, Neeraj and Govind Nihal got prizes. In potato race, Class III student Pooja, Gurpreet Singh got first and second positions respectively. Students of Class IV and V enjoyed sweater race in which Jugraj, Arjun and Munish students got prizes. In shoes and socks races Amrit, Arjun and Sanjay students of Class VI and VII got first and second positions respectively, and Class VIII students participated in knot-the-tie race in which Deepak and Sunny got prizes.

Children’s Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm at Le Corbusier Convent School, Phase III BI, Mohali. The school wore a festive look as students came dressed as their favourite leaders. The day started with students delivering short speeches about the relevance of the day. Principal Davinder Chhabra told the students interesting anecdotes about the life of young Nehru. Students sang their favourite patriotic songs. The day concluded with the distribution of sweets and gifts among students

The function at Mohali Public School, Phase X, Mohali, started with a sports competition. Students participated in various events. A cultural programme was also organised. Winners were judged according to houses and running trophy was awarded to the Green House.

Students of Shastri Model School presented a colourful and remarkable show. Tiny tots of the school presented a fancy dress competition and various other items like play, skits and group dances were also presented by students of higher classes. Mr Ram Lal Sewak, Manager of the school, told to the students about the life history of our late Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, and how his date of birth is celebrated as Children’s Day. Refreshment was served to the students.

Celebrations at Gem Public School, Phase 3B-2, Mohali, started with a speech competition. The participants highlighted the role of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. It was followed by patriotic songs. Students presented 30 items to entertain teachers and students.

The pre-school section of Saupin’s School Mohali held its annual day function at Tagore Theatre. Children performed a variety of items starting with the youngest of play group who depicted various characters in their fancy dress item to the accompaniment of appropriate songs, rhymes and dances.

At Sacred Bells Convent School, Kharar, various contests, including fancy-dress competition, cultural show, debate and declamation were organised. Tiny tots looked impressive while dressed as Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. The prizes in this category went to Gursimrath and Vikram 1; Gurvishal 2; and Prabhjot and Gurkamal 3.

Gian Jyoti Public School celebrated the day as the Sports Day. Students took part in various events like couple race, three-legged race, 50-m race etc. The chief guest, Mr Y.S. Rajan, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, gave away prizes to the winners. A cultural programme was also organised. Tiny tots took part in a fancy-dress competition.

Students of Sant Isher Singh Model Senior Secondary School, Phase VII, decorated their class rooms on the Children’s Day. A cultural function was organised which started with a shabad followed by a number of items like skit, group dances and group songs. Students of Sant Isher Singh Public School, Sector 70, organised various competitions like rangoli, painting etc. Various sports activities like spoon race, sack race, three-legged race etc. were also held.

A health camp was organised at Fortis Heart Institute and Multi Speciality Hospital to provide all healthcare facilities to children. Consultations were provided by a team of senior doctors free of cost. Over 261 children, with their parents, attended the camp.

AMBALA: Children’s Day was celebrated in different schools of Amabla Cantt and City. Students of DAV Public School, Ambala Cantt, a fancy dress competition was organised in which a number of students participated. Lord Mahavir Jain Public School, Principal Sudha Mathur said the day began by remembering Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. A fancy-dress contest of kindergarten students was held. The Principal of DAV Public School, Ambala City, Ms Reena Nagrath, informed students about inspiring life of Pandit Nehru. A fair was organised at the school in which different classes put up various stalls. A science exhibition will be held tomorrow.

District Ambala Youth Congress (Urban) celebrated the day at Khalsa High School. Games were held to mark the occasion. Mr Tarun Chugh said that the winners were given prizes and fruits were distributed among the students of primary wing.

At PKR Jain Senior Secondary Public School, a fete was organised. The prep organised a cultural programme while senior boys presented a dance sequence.

DERA BASSI: A fancy-dress competition was organised at Col. V.R. Mohan DAV Public School, here. The school management also organised a prize-distribution function.

Mr Krishan Pal Sharma, member of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, was the chief guest. Earlier, Ms Jyoti Agnihotri, Principal, read out the annual report. Results of the fancy-dress competition are : (Group A) Manvi 1; Bhoomika Sood 2; and Bhavisha 3; (Group B) Satwinder 1; Abhishek 2; and Himani 3; (Group C) Priya Gautam and Arshdeep 1; Nancy 2; and Vivek 3; (Group 3) Manpreet and Mitali 1; Priyanka and Varinder 2; and Eshant and Radhika 3.

Sarvhit Kari Vidya Mandir organised various sports competitions. Students participated in fun races like sack race, spoon race and many more. The musical-chair contest was the main attraction of the function, said Mr Vipin Thaman, Vice-Principal of the school.

Deep Mala Public School, Dera Bassi, also conducted sports activities on the Children’s day here. Mr L.K. Gandhi, was the chief guest. Earlier, Ms Anita Mittal, Principal, proposed a vote of thanks and presented a shawl to the chief guest.

Principals visit protesting students
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
Committing nothing on the rollback of fee hike in city colleges, the UT Administ-rator, Justice O.P Verma today said “Chandigarh need not follow Punjab in everything.” Minutes after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DLF builders, the Administrator was talking to reporters here this afternoon.

Interestingly, the fee in Chandigarh colleges had been hiked following the hike in Punjab in June this year. Earlier students observing a fast against the fee hike by the administration and disparity in fees charged by different colleges were taken by the police to General Hospital, Sector 16, for medical examination.

Mr Subhash Sagar, DSP, said the boys had not been arrested. On recommendation of the doctors, they were taken to the General Hospital, for a medical check-up.

Dalip Singh Virk, the president of the DAV College Student, Council, who was rushed to the hospital last evening following complaint of uneasiness, was back at the dharna site today. “I cannot leave the agitation mid-way”, he said.

The students’ fast entered its fifth day today. The boys sitting on the dharna include Karanveer Singh Kaler of Government College, Sector 11, Aman Dhanoa of GGDSD College, Sector 32, and Sandeep Verma of SGGS College, Sector 26. Medical examination was conducted by the university doctors around noon.

Principal S.C. Marriya of DAV College and Principal A.C.Vaid of GGDSD College visited the students at the dharna site today.

Malwinder Singh Kang, president of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, said it was strange that the university was not taking the responsibility of its students. Gur-parvez Singh Sandhu, the president of the PUSU (Shellay) also visited the students at the General Hospital and later at the dharna site. Supporters of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) cleaned cars in Sector 17.

Ex-Air Force man held for cheating banks
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, November 14
The police has arrested a former Air Force personnel, Pawan Kumar, for cheating various banks of lakhs of rupees by taking loans on the basis of his Air Force identity card.

He was produced before a local court this morning and remanded to one day in police custody.

The accused was picked up by the police from Bartana in Zirakpur last night in connection with a case that he had reportedly taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from the Sector 11 branch of Syndicate Bank here on the basis of fake documents.

COMMUNITY

Uneventful day for juvenile home inmates
Monica Sharma

Efforts, the officer added, should also be made and schemes announced for settling the streetchildren on the Children’s Day. His assertion is significant as according to an estimate, a majority of streetchildren belonging to 3.5 lakh migrant population suffer from chronic diseases, including tuberculosis, leprosy, typhoid, malaria, jaundice, besides liver and kidney disorders. This was not all. A study had revealed that as many as 6,300 working children in the city under the age of 15 stood the risk of contracting AIDS.

Feminism dead, says British expert
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
Feminism, a movement with its roots in Europe, is a dead issue for the Britishers today. With liberated independent women walking shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts, it has strengthened the base of the middle class in the UK, but its flip side has been the break-up of the family.

Speaking to The Tribune after his lecture at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Sector 18, here today, an academician from the UK and a specialist on women's campaigns and labour movement, Prof David Rubinstein, was of the opinion that while feminism had not necessarily made people happier, it had provided a greater sense of achievement to the English women.

"Feminist movements proved to be a loss for men since they lost their servants and children no longer had their mothers at home. However, most families were content with the money that was coming in. In the 1960s when these women movements were at their peak, I don't think we had made any substantial gains," he said.

With two working members in a family and financial conditions improving, the middle class began emerging as a strong force, though this happened at the cost of the labour class which grew weaker, Prof Rubinstein added.

"This development, however, took a toll on the labour movement. Losing ground in society with the fast declining numbers in the working class, the trade unions, too, were wiped out. Now, they are only half of their actual number," he explained.

Stating that computers have taken over in most areas of work, Prof Rubinstein held that the Labour Party, ousted from government for over 18 years, was forced to keep up with the changing times and undergo an ideology change.

"From focusing on public ownership and promoting trade unions, the new-look Labour Party has the middle class and consumerism as their guiding force," he added.

Lending helping hand to alcoholics
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
The 32nd All-India Alcoholics Anonymous meet, which opened in the city today, threw up positive interventions attained by members of the worldwide fellowship across India.

Talking about the ongoing programmes of AA, an active member of the Chandigarh chapter talked about how the volunteers had been counselling the suffering convicts in Ambala Central Jail. “Our programme in the Jail started about one and a half years ago. We sought permission to lend a helping hand to about 2000 lodged convicts. Twice a month we visit the jail to counsel convicts in groups of 50 each. In the subsequent meetings we assess their response to our medicine of sharing.”

Besides this, the Chandigarh chapter is also entering into informal agreements with the hospitals and primary health centres across Haryana, where they will hold awareness camps for the village alcoholics and inspire them to join the fellowship, currently helping 21 lakh alcoholics across 150 countries. Intervention programmes are already being held through primary health centres in Barwala and Naraingarh.

Bajwa is chief of equestrian association
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, November 14
Mr Pratap Singh Bajwa was today elected the President of the Chandigarh Equestrian Association. The name of Mr Bajwa was proposed by Col A.S. Judge, the senior Vice-President of the association. He was later authorised by the House to nominate various other office-bearers of the association.

CRIME

Boy, girl on PU campus assaulted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
A boy sitting with a girl outside a girl’s hostel at Panjab University here was physical assaulted by certain unidentified youths today afternoon.

Police sources confirmed the incident saying that Vikramjit Singh was attacked outside Sarojini Hostel for Girls. He was sitting in a car along with the girl when a group of boys arrived on the scene in a Gypsy.

They were allegedly armed with sticks and rods. The police has made a list of possible suspects and an inquiry has been initiated. They will be questioned tomorrow, the sources added.

Inter-group rivalry during student elections is being worked on as one of the reasons.

Man arrested, pistol seized
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
An Indira Colony resident Ashok Kumar was today arrested for allegedly threatening a neighbouring woman, possessing an illegal weapon and trespassing into her house.

Ashok allegedly demanded money from Kamla Devi of the same locality for helping her family nab a thief a year ago.

The house of Kamla Devi was burgled a year back and Ashok had helped find the thief.

Kamla had allegedly paid Rs 5000 to Ashok, but he started making repeated demands from her.

Ashok Kumar today allegedly forced open the door and threatened her with dire consequences. She raised an alarm. Her brother, brother-in-law and mother immediately came to her rescue and caught hold of Ashok.

They later handed him over to the police.

When the police arrested him, a countrymade pistol was found from him.

Man found dead

Chandigarh, November 14
Uday Singh (50) of Attawa was today found dead near the Attawa Chowk.

According to the police, he was an alcoholic and died of cold after he fell down following excessive consumption of liquor last night. TNS

BUSINESS

Indian diesel unfit for Mercs
Tribune News Service

The owner of the car lodged a complaint with the police but the complaint was dismissed by the police saying that the matter was of civil nature and not a criminal one. Mr Gupta said he had to get a few slabs on the floor of the house replaced as the marks left by the liquid could not be removed by any cleanser.