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IT park sans environmental clearance!
Chandigarh, September 3
The Chandigarh Administration’s much-publicised Information Technology Park at Kishangarh has been set up without an environmental clearance.

PEC displays second sports quota list
Chandigarh, September 3
In another twist to the unending controversy over the wrong merit list of the sports quota for admission to Punjab Engineering College (PEC), the college authorities today displayed the second merit list, approved by the Chandigarh Administration.

Leakage found in water reservoir
Mohali, September 3
In a major engineering lapse, an underground water reservoir constructed by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) at a cost of Rs 35 lakh in Sector 67 was found leaking following tests conducted last month.

Schoolchildren play voters to elect best teacher

Mohali, September 3 A whiff of electoral process swept the environs of DAV Public School, Phase X, here today as students queued up to vote for their favourite teacher as part of their novel Teachers’ Day celebrations. Students of DAV Public School, Phase X, Mohali, queue up to vote for their favourite teacher on Friday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan.

Specialised training for NCC cadets mooted
Chandigarh, September 3
Expressing surprise and concern over the “very poor” rate of induction of NCC cadets in the armed forces, The Parliamentary Committee on Defence has strongly recommended that specialised training be imparted to NCC cadets so that they can face service selection boards (SSBs) more confidently.

COMMUNITY

He inherited wealth for poor patients

Chandigarh, September 3 It’s a gesture which normally others would not even think of. But Jaskaran Singh Randhawa (24) of Delhi had the faith think of it and then follow it. After his uncle died due to heart failure at the PGI two years ago, Jaskaran inherited property worth crores. Jaskaran Singh Randhawa hands the cheque for Rs 3.2 lakh to Rajiv Kumar, who is suffering from chronic renal failure, at the PGI, Chandigarh, on Friday.

Shoeshine boy gets scooter
Chandigarh, September 3
The long-cherished dream of a physically challenged shoeshine boy, Naresh Kumar, alias Daddu, was realised today when he was provided with a scooter.

Friendships and horses
Chandigarh, September 3
Going down memory lane, Mr Gohar Ayub Khan today recalled his old association with key Indian politicians, Natwar Singh, Shivraj Patil and the family of Capt Amarinder Singh.

Canadian scholarship for counsellor Chandigarh, September 3 The Government of Canada has awarded Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan to a Chandigarh resident, Ms Anupriya Sethi, who is working as a counsellor with the woman and child support unit of the Chandigarh police, to pursue a masters in social work (MSW) at Carleton University, Ottawa.

Ms Anupriya Sethi

Slapping case: rights body files plea
Chandigarh, September 3
Advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal, president of World Human Rights Protection Council (WHRPC), has filed a complaint in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking action against the management of Saraswati School, Dhanas, where five girl students were slapped and abused by their classmates at the instance of the class teacher.

Child electrocuted
Chandigarh, September 3
A four-and-half-year-old child got electrocuted in the bathroom of his home in Sector 37 here last night. According to the landlady of the house, where Mr Avtar Singh, father of the deceased, lives as a tenant, Taranpreet came back home last evening around 8.30 pm and asked his mother, Ms Balwinder Kaur, to cook something for him as he was hungry.

HUDA Naib Tehsildar reinstated
Panchkula, September 3
The Naib Tehsildar in the Enforcement Wing of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Mr Bachchan Singh, has been reinstated after facing suspension for almost 16 months.

Power plays truant again
Panchkula, September 3
The power supply to the township remained suspended for almost 40 minutes in the morning, and over half an hour in the evening. Today was the second day when residents had to sweat it out as power played truant.

Punjab Recorders Workers’ Union stages dharna
Mohali, September 3
Members of the Punjab Recorders Workers' Union today observed a dharna in front of the factory in Phase VII, Industrial Area. The workers are demanding the payment of their salaries and other emolument that have reportedly not been given to them by the management for more than a year.

PSEB staff hold protest
Mohali, September 3
Employees of the Lalru circle of the PSEB staged a dharna in front of the board office here today in protest against the move of the government to privatise the board.

CRIME

Two thieves arrested

Chandigarh, September 3 The Chandigarh police has arrested two persons involved in theft cases. Sonu Bharadwaj and Vijay Kumar were arrested at Badheri last night and an American pistol was seized from them. Mr S.S. Randhawa, DSP, (South), informed mediapersons that a Sector 39 police party last night signalled scooter-borne Sonu Bhardwaj and Vijay Kumar to stop. Thieves who were arrested in Chandigarh on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Girl kidnapping: father ‘receives’ threats
Mohali, September 3
Mr Fakir Chand, father of the girl who was kidnapped from Jagatpura village on August 13, has alleged that he was being threatened and was also beaten up by a person of the same village, who was probably hired for the purpose.

Child killed in mishap
Panchkula, September 3
A seven-year-old child was killed in a road accident near Ramgarh today. The child, Vicky, was pillion riding his father, Bunni Ram's bicycle, when the accident took place.

One held in hit-and-run case
Mohali, September 3
The police today arrested one person allegedly involved in the hit and run accident in which a resident of Sector 68 was seriously injured.

Badheri is Market Committee chief

Chandigarh, September 3 The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) got a shot in the arm today with its senior leader Bhupinder Singh Badheri being unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Market Committee. Mr Bhupinder Singh and Mr Harbhajan Singh, who have been elected chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the Market Committee, Chandigarh. — A Tribune photograph

EDUCATION

State award for five teachers
Chandigarh, September 3
The Chandigarh Administration today announced the names of five teachers who have been selected for this year’s State Award for Excellence in the field of Education. The Adviser to the UT Administrator would honour the teachers at a ceremony on September 10.

From Schools
Celebrating ‘guru shishya’ tradition
Chandigarh, September 3
Delhi Public School celebrated the Teacher’s Day in the traditional ‘guru shishya’ tradition. Mr Amit Bansal, a member of the local managing committee was present on the occasion. The programme began with Saraswati Vandana.

COURTS

No extension for schools in residential premises
Chandigarh, September 3
A Special Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered that no school be allowed to continue in residential premises from April 30, 2005, onwards, i.e. the next academic session.

Lawyers go on strike
Chandigarh, September 3
Lawyers of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today went on flash strike on the call given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association to protest the brutal attack on lawyers of Lucknow by the police today.

Lawyers observe strike
Chandigarh, September 3
Members of the District Bar Association today went on half-day strike in protest against the lawyer-police clash at Lucknow in which several lawyers were injured. The work at the courts was affected in the afternoon with advocates not appearing in court in connection with various cases.

LIFESTYLE

Reviving magical sounds of opera

THEY bring with them the magical sounds of the opera tradition. But they do not purely belong to the opera customs as traced to Italy. Thierry Gregoire, Audouin Emily and Ronaldo Correia, the three partners in rhyme have their own musical forms to cherish and share. This ancient form of music called cantatn, they say, stems from the 17th century classical musical traditions that evolved in France as a reaction to romanticism, its charms and its burdens. This style was at the zenith of glory just before Mozart’s advent on the musical scene. As a different musical tradition gained ground, cantatn struggled to exist but in vain. (From left) Musicians Audouin Emily, Ronaldo Correia and Thierry Gregoire, who are in the city to present a classical music concert on Saturday, strike a pose at Alliance Francaise, Sector 36, on Friday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Nothing dreamy about ‘Ek Sapna’ 
One thoroughly regretted having spared time off the day’s schedule to watch Aaina Theatre’s production “Ek Sapna” at Tagore Theatre this evening.

HEALTH

Tech bridge saving lives in towns
ECGs being shared with PGI through fax
Chandigarh, September 3
Technology cuts through barriers that perhaps seemed invincible a few years ago. This has happened under the Rural Punjab Heart Attack Telemedicine Project, under which ECGs of patients coming to civil hospitals in Kharar and Dera Bassi are sent to the Department of Cardiology at the PGI for correct interpretation through fax machine installed at the two civil hospitals.

PGI Deputy Director defends issuing circular
Chandigarh, September 3
The Deputy Director, Administration, PGI, Ms Meeta Rajivlochan, has reportedly defended issuing the “controversial” circular dated on August 24 in her reply to the show-cause notice served on her  last week.

SPORTS

State gymnastics meet begins
Chandigarh, September 3
The 32nd Chandigarh State Gymnastics Championship began at ITBP Gymnasium Hall, Behlana, today. It was inaugurated by Mr P.P. Singh, DIG, ITBP. The tournament is being held under the aegis of the Chandigarh Gymnastic Association.

ADMINISTRATION

E-governance project launched
Chandigarh, September 3
The UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd), inaugurated the Sampark E-governance project of the administration at Sampark Centre, Sector-43, here today. Mr R.S. Gujral, Home Secretary, Mr Karan A. Singh, Finance Secretary, Ms Kamlesh, Mayor, Mr Arun Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, and Mr Rajesh Kumar, IGP, were present, among others.

22 helmetless women drivers challaned

Panchkula, September 3 Tempers soared, tears poured and the hardened cops softened their stand, and let the helmetless damsels go. The traffic challan drive launched by the Panchkula police saw errant women shed tears and bypass the law. The Panchkula police challans helmetless women drivers near Sector 4 on Friday evening. — A Tribune photograph

e-TDS returns must for govt depts
Chandigarh, September 3
The filing of the income tax returns by the government institutions will never be the same again. With the Income Tax Department introducing compulsory e-TDS returns, the tax collection system is set to be revolutionised.