C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Business

Education | Culture | Health | Sports

TOP STORIES

‘Illegal’ colonies come up around Panchkula
Raipur Rani , June 29
In absence of any rules to check colonisation in rural areas, a number of residential colonies are coming up on the outskirts of this township and neighbouring Barwala.

Plots have been earmarked in a residential colony coming up at Raipur Rani. — A Tribune photograph

Property of 26 shopkeepers may be attached
Failure to deposit tax
Chandigarh, June 29
At least 26 shopkeepers in the city face the threat of attachment of their property by the municipal corporation for failing to deposit property tax. Reliable sources in the corporation said that this category of shopkeepers did not even accept the notices sent earlier by the corporation. The shops are located in Sectors 7, 9 and 17.

Debt forces couple to end life Rajpura, June 29 A debt-ridden couple allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance in their native village in Sandharsi village, about 15 km from here, this morning. The couple belonged to a very poor family. A file photo of Jasbir Singh and his wife, Ms Charanjit Kaur.

Two held for duping resident of Rs 32 lakh
Chandigarh, June 29
A mother-son duo of Sector 20-A were today arrested on the allegations of duping a city resident of Rs 32 lakh. They had allegedly taken the amount on the pretext of selling a house.

Police views VCD of Kaura celebrating with nurses
Chandigarh, June 29
Continuing with the investigations in the Dr Babita Kaura’s murder case, the Chandigarh police today viewed VCD of a party in which her husband, Deepak Kaura was reportedly seen with two nurses.

Passing Thru

IN THE LAP OF THE LAW: When the cat (in this case, cop) is away, the mouse (read man) will 'play'. A man takes a siesta at a traffic police booth near The Tribune roundabout in Chandigarh.

Monsoon soccer: These spirited boys enjoy a game of football in the rain in  Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photos by Karam Singh

COMMUNITY

Right to Information Act can counter corruption: Rodrigues
Chandigarh, June 29
Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), Governor of Punjab and the UT Administrator, has advocated the need for evolving an effective mechanism for coordinated regional planning for Chandigarh and the surrounding areas, falling in the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana, to ensure harmonious and balanced development of the region. The problems of water, electricity and roads also have inter-state ramifications and regional planning is the only answer, he said.

Monsoon misery threatens Zirakpur residents

Zirakpur, June 29 The setting in of monsoon misery stares in the face of thousands of residents as the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat is ill-equipped to tackle the monsoon-related problems. With haphazard growth of big and small colonies in the low-lying areas at various parts of the civic body, woes of the residents will be multiplied. A seasonal choe that has been channelised by a land developer on the inter-state border of Punjab with Haryana at Bartana village, near Zirakpur. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan.

Engulfed in darkness Panchkula, June 29 A month after the contract for maintenance of streetlights was awarded amidst promises of improvement, the situation in the town remains dismal. The streetlight maintenance in the township has gone from bad to worse over the past couple of months. Panchkula remains engulfed in darkness as defunct streetlights are not being replaced by Municipal Council. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma.

Water logging major irritant on a pleasant day
Chandigarh, June 29
The sultry weather today portended impending rain and the overcast skies did not disappoint. The early afternoon witnessed a downpour with showers continuing right through the day. Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula received 4 mm of rainfall till 7.30 pm this evening with the clouds continuing to gather even as night fell.

Plea to purchase cattle-catcher van
Mohali, June 29
Even as the stray cattle menace in the town is on the rise, the local Municipal Council has so far not been given an approval by the higher authorities to buy a cattle-catcher van to tackle the problem.

Unaware motorists pay for absence of guiding boards

Chandigarh, June 29 The failure of the Chandigarh police to inform commuters from outside about the existence of traffic lights on Sector 35 roundabout is resulting in “unnecessary” victimisation and challenging. Chaos at the Sector 35 rotary in Chandigarh on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Admn to set up aquatic park near Sukhna
Chandigarh, June 29
The Chandigarh Administration has decided to establish an aquatic park near Sukhna Lake. For this purpose the Administration is planning to acquire more than 200 acres of land adjacent to the lake reserve forest towards the north of the lake.

IT returns info can be had on phone
Chandigarh, June 29
For the residents of the city and the surrounding areas, information about income tax returns and related matters is just a phone call away. The Help Centre inaugurated earlier this month is providing complete information regarding tax-related matters. Individuals can even visit the centre located in the Sector 17 State Bank of India, Personal Banking Branch in the local head office.

Date extended
Chandigarh, June 29
The Central Board of direct taxes has extended the date for electronic filing of annual returns of tax collection at source (TCS) for the financial year 2004-05 to July 31, 2005.

Members of the Haryana Neterheen Jagriti Sangh hold protest in their own way in support  of their demand in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Rs 2 crore excise evasion detected in HMT
Panchkula, June 29
A central excise tax evasion amounting to Rs 2 crore has been detected in HMT Tractors. The unit was allegedly not reversing credit on inputs, even though the tractors were exempted from Central Excise Tax. This was stated by the Commissioner, Central Excise and Customs, Panchkula, Mr P. K. Sirohi, while addressing a press conference here today. He said the evasion was detected in April earlier this year, and was going on from July 2004 to April 2005.

Kharag Mangoli encroachers granted stay
Panchkula, June 29
A local court today granted a stay on eviction of encroachers on HUDA land at Kharag Mangoli village. Acting on a petition filed by 166 residents of Kharag Mangoli, the Duty Magistrate, Mr Ajay Aggarwal, has restricted Haryana Urban Development Authority for evicting these residents, except as per the course of law. The next date of hearing has been fixed for July 28.

Federation hails PUDA’s move to shift colony
Mohali, June 29
The Citizen’s Welfare Federation has hailed the move of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) of shifting the illegal Guru Nanak Colony from Phase X here.

Shifted residents hold dharna
Mohali, June 29
Some residents of Guru Nanak Colony in Phase X, who were shifted to a new site near Jagatpura village, staged a dharna outside of the office of PUDA here today in protest against the alleged discrimination done by officials concerned while allotting plots to the residents.

Demolition of Guru Nanak Colony  condemned
Mohali, June 29
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the demolition of Guru Nanak Colony in Phase X here. In a statement issued in Chandigarh, the SAD President and former Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Prakash Singh Badal, today said this act amounted to “coercion” on part of the government.

Snake spotted in house Chandigarh, June 29 If monsoons come, snakes can’t be far behind. Close on the heels of a python being discovered in Sector 17, snake visited Sector 44, much to the disdain of the residents. The fire brigade got a call this afternoon from house number 3086 asking for help. The owner had spotted a snake in his garage and wanted the firemen to reach the spot immediately. The “rescue team” reached the residence in a jiffy and without wasting any time, beat the snake to death much to the relief of the family. A fire brigade personnel shows a snake that was killed at a residence in Sector 44 in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — A Tribune photo

Cremation ground proposed
Chandigarh, June 29
The Chandigarh Administration has decided to construct a new cremation ground in the North-West of Manimajra. This facility would be in addition to the already existing cremation ground near the Housing Board traffic lights in Manimajra.

Senior citizens assn opens Sec 35 chapter
Chandigarh, June 29
To provide better service to the residents at or near their doorsteps, the Chandigarh Senior Citizens Association (CSCA) is in the process of opening its chapters in various sectors. The president of the association, Mr P.H. Vaishnav, stated this while inaugurating the Sector 35 chapter of the association at Khukhrain Bhavan today.

Ms Rodrigues visits Gudia, presents tricycle
Chandigarh, June 29
Impressed by the strong entrepreneurship spirit of Gudia, a physically challenged and totally immobile woman vendor, Ms Jean Rodrigues, wife of Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, visited her residence in a small rented room in Sector 19 and presented a tri-cycle donated by the UT Red Cross Branch to her.

Narrow escape for car occupants
Mohali, June 29
Two persons going in a car had a miraculous escape when a pole carrying live power cable fell on it. It is learnt that the two of them immediately jumped out of the car when they saw a spark in the car after one of the poles fell on the vehicle

CRIME

4 held for drinking at public place
Chandigarh, June 29
The police arrested four persons for consuming liquor at a public place while four others were arrested for gambling in various parts of the city. A car and a scooter stolen from the city while two persons reportedly sustained injuries in a road accident.

Two arrested, liquor seized
Chandigarh, June 29
The police today arrested two persons from Sector 26 for allegedly carrying 360 bottles of liquor. The police said following specific information a trap was laid this morning near Shri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26. At 12.10 pm it stopped a Tata 407 mini-truck (HR-37-5934) and its search led to recovery of various brands of liquor.

2 road mishap victims die at PGI
Panchkula, June 29
Two persons, who sustained serious injuries in separate road accidents here yesterday, succumbed to their injuries in the PGI, Chandigarh, today. Deepak Kumar, a resident of Pinjore, and Rajinder Kumar of Mauli Jagran died in the PGI this afternoon.

BUSINESS

Fringe benefit tax to affect competitiveness, says Lakhotia
Chandigarh, June 29
“Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) will adversely affect the competitiveness of the corporate sector as the industry is already burdened with higher input and transaction costs and will find it difficult to sustain its competitiveness in the long run”, asserted Mr R. N. Lakhotia, eminent tax investment consultant, at a seminar on ‘Fringe benefits tax’ organised by the CII, Chandigarh Council, here today.

‘Media industry growing fast’
Chandigarh, June 29
Advertising, media, entertainment and communication Industry is growing faster than any other industry in the country and offers lot of job opportunities at various others levels.

EDUCATION

Rescheduling of BDS entrance test has students worried
Chandigarh, June 29
An abrupt rescheduling of entrance test for the Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS) course by Panjab University has hampered the preparations of students. The test, which was originally scheduled for July 3, was first postponed for a week. Then the authorities extended the dates “so that more candidates can apply for admission”.

Girls shy away from contesting top post in students’ elections

Chandigarh, June 29 No girl has ever come forward to fight the elections for the post of the president of various students’ unions on the Punjab University campus. Though there are instances of girls contesting the poll for the vice-presidents post and other posts, they seem to have shied away from the responsibility that the president’s post entails. Unlike their Delhi counterparts, where girls also shoulder the job of leading on students-related issues, girls in the City Beautiful are still to catch up with the leadership spirit. However, when it comes to campaigning and cheering, they do not lag behind boys. Girls campaigned vigorously during the previous Panjab University students body poll. — A file photo

Hostels present deserted look Chandigarh, June 29 Hostels of Panjab University which used to be full of life, now presents a deserted look. The students are back at their homes to enjoy their holidays and the very special ‘ghar ka khana’. One of the deserted boys’ hostel at Panjab University Chandigarh. — A Tribune photograph

PU working hours
Chandigarh, June 29
The working hours of Panjab University administrative offices, including the construction office, Directorate of Sports as well as the teaching/non-teaching departments, from July 1 will be from 9 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday with break for lunch from 1.30 pm to 2 pm.

Education board fails to hold members’ meeting
Mohali, June 29
The Punjab School Education Board here has failed to hold a meeting of the board members for the last quarter even though decisions on certain important matters are pending.

BA (Hons) results still awaited
Chandigarh, June 29
Panjab University has failed to declare the results of BA final (Honours) examination till date and the interview date for MA admissions is drawing near. Some students and activist of the ABVP, led by its president, Yajvender Yadav, protested in front of the office of the Controller of Examination today.

Hamara School
Imparting quality education to children

Owing to the industrial growth around Dera Bassi, the need for quality education for the local children arose. The management of the Lord Mahavir Jain Educational Society felt this need and ventured to start a school on modern lines. The school was started two years ago and named Lord Mahavir Jain Public School. Within two years, the school made big strides and registered more than 800 students with it.

Principalspeak
Lord Mahavir Jain Public school was started S by the Lord Mahavir Jain Educational Society (regd) with the blessings of Agam Gyata Shri Jitendra Muni Ji Maharaj. The school was started on March 25, 2002, as secondary school with mere 216 students but caught up with the modern technological and educational concept and upgraded itself to senior secondary school with about 1,000 students.

CULTURE

Colourful performance by 35 child artistes
Chandigarh, June 29
A month-long art workshop, organised by Pracheen Kala Kendra in Sector 71, concluded on Wednesday with a colourful performance by 35 child artistes. Aged between four to 15, the artistes presented patriotic songs, folk dances and a Punjabi play “Ikk si Chiri”.

HEALTH

Tips to stay healthy in monsoon
Mohali, June 29
For the sun scorched city residents nothing can be more welcome than the cool showers of the monsoons. But monsoons are known to bring hoards of health problems, many of which can easily be prevented only if a little care is taken in our day today patterns of eating, clothing and personal hygiene.

Minister chairs meeting of civil surgeons
Mohali, June 29
The Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab, Mr R.C. Dogra, today directed the various civil surgeons in the state to take the help MLAs and other socially influential persons to motivate and sensitise people in their respective constituencies to avail free treatment for tuberculosis under the directly observed treatment (DOT) programme.

Help given to leprosy patients
Patiala, June 29
The State Bank of Patiala Ladies Club, awarded a scholarships of Rs 200 each to the four residents of local Dr Khushdeva Singh Leprosy Colony, today. In a press note issued by the Chief Manager, Community Services Banking, State Bank of Patiala, said the members of the club visited the colony to solve some of the difficulties faced by the leprosy patients.

SPORTS

Multan Hockey Club beat CHA XI

Chandigarh, June 29 The Multan Hockey Club registered a 3-2 triumph over the Chandigarh Hockey Association XI in an exhibition hockey match played at the Sector 42 Astroturf Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, here, today. Muhammad Waqas starred in MHC’s victory as he alone accounted for two goals. Members of hockey teams of Multan Club, Pakistan, and Chandigarh XI vie for victory in an exhibition match held at Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Tahira, Nonie move to finals in tennis tourney

Chandigarh, June 29 Tahira in under-10 section while Nonie Sidhu in the under-12 section moved to the finals of the CLTA Open Hot Weather Tennis Tournament, being played here today, at Tennis Stadium, Sector 10. Shilpa plays a shot in the girls section of the CLTA Open Hot Weather Tennis Tournament played at Tennis Stadium, Sector 10, Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Thapa first Indian to get 4th degree Black Belt

Chandigarh, June 29 Bikram S. Thapa, Technical Director, Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International India, is the first Indian who have received the fourth Degree Black Belt from Grand Master Kwang Jo Choi. He was conferred this degree on his visit to the USA where he has also attended an international seminar held in Life University, Atlanta. Grand Master Kwang Jo Choi awards the fourth degree Black Belt to Bikram S. Thapa in the USA.

Summer coaching camps from mid-July
Chandigarh, June 29
Summer coaching camps, held annually under the aegis of the Sports Department, Chandigarh Administration, are likely to start by mid July. The proposal for the expenditure on the camps, slated to be over Rs 80,000, has been cleared by the authorities concerned and the date of the camps will be decided within four or five days.

Cricket academy at Sector 36 school
Chandigarh, June 29
The Chandigarh Cricket Association (CCA), affiliated to Punjab Cricket Association, is going to start its third academy at Guru Nanak Public School (GNPS), Sector 36, here.