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Retired officer dupes over 100
ex-servicemen
Chandigarh, July 22
Over 100 ex-servicemen were allegedly duped by a former Army officer and his wife to the tune of Rs 27 lakh on the pretext of sending them to Kuwait. The duo has been booked by the police.

Illegal farmhouses demolished

Panchkula, July 22 The Department of Town and Country Planning today launched a major offensive against those who have built structures on the periphery of Panchkula, and in the controlled area between Ramgarh and Barwala.

A farmhouse belonging to a Chandigarh-based hotelier being demolished at Kami village, Panchkula, on Friday. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

MLA leaves meeting after spat with Johar
Mohali, July 22
The MLA, Kharar, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, today staged a walkout from the Ropar District Grievances Committee meeting following verbal spats with the Chairman, Mr Harnam Das Johar, Minister for Education, Punjab.

CHB gets post office vacated
Residents put to inconvenience
Chandigarh, July 22
Lack of communication between the Postal Department and the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is proving costly for the residents of Sectors 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and Badheri village.

Universal Society members move court
Chandigarh, July 22
The tug of war between the Chandigarh Administration and members of the Chandigarh Sector 21 Universal Cooperative House Building First Society Limited, over cancellation of draw of lots has finally ended in the court.

23-year-old kills self
Panchkula, July 22
A 23-year-old girl committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her flat in Sector 20 this afternoon. The victim was under depression after she failed to clear her entrance examination for advanced dentistry course.

Passing Thru

COMMUNITY

Bansal urges UT Adviser to lower conversion charges
Chandigarh, July 22
Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, has urged the UT Adviser to lower the conversion charges fixed for the plots in Industrial Area here. In a letter to the Adviser, he has written that the conversion charges fixed for the plots in Industrial Area "at the rate of Rs 20,000 per  sq yd are very high".

Ravi Kant appears before inquiry panel
Panchkula, July 22
Former Inspector-General of Police of Haryana and the main accused in the sensational Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, Mr Ravi Kant Sharma, today appeared before an inquiry commission headed by the Director-General of the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA), Dr H.S. Anand.

Roadways accident rate down
Panchkula, July 22
The rate of accidents in case of Haryana Roadways has declined to 0.06 per cent per one lakh kilometers, which is among the lowest in the country, and the number of breakdowns has also declined sharply to 0.07 per 10,000 km.

Poverty threatens to cloud a bright future
Chandigarh, July 22
Gurpreet Singh has never felt so helpless before. Although mentally disabled with a low IQ level of 67, he has always been a fighter. No wonder he has overcome his disability to make a difference to the lives of his parents and teachers at the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded Children (GIMRC), Sector 32.

Another sector becoming garbage dump
Chandigarh, July 22
Sector 34 is fast losing its status of one of the posh sectors of the city beautiful. It is gradually being converted to another slum-like-area thanks to the indifferent and callous behaviour of the Municipal Corporation.

Slum children told of traffic rules Chandigarh, July 22 The Chandigarh Traffic Police organised a traffic awareness and educational programme today in Colony No 5 for the children living in slums. The programme was held in association with McDonald’s, which provided refreshments to children and imparted infotainment with the help of a mascot. As many as 400 children from the slums participated in the daylong seminar, which educated them on how to facilitate movement of traffic in the city. The bright faces of children lit up the atmosphere and added to the warmth of the environment. Children from Colony No. 5 in Chandigarh display traffic sign charts given to them by cops on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Father looks towards good Samaritans to save child
Chandigarh, July 22
Three-month-old Ankit is hanging between life and death. With a hole in the heart, he is awaiting a life- saving operation that will come at a phenomenal cost. And the cost is too much for the infant’s father to bear.

• “No bus detention day”
• Hooda releases two books

CRIME

2 swindlers land in police net

Chandigarh, July 22 Two swindlers, who allegedly duped a Mani Majra residents of his gold ornaments on July 13, were arrested by the police here today. The police has claimed to have recovered the gold bangle and a ring from their possession. Sources in the police said, Munish, alias Gunjan (19), and Tarun Chopra (18), both residents of Mani Majra, were arrested this afternoon following secrete information. Munish and Tarun Chopra in the custody of the police at the Sector 26 police station in Chandigarh on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Thieves decamp with 10 computers
Chandigarh, July 22
Thieves decamped with 10 computers and other articles valued at approximately Rs 5 lakh from a showroom and in another incident a shop of electronic appliances was burgled in the city during the past 24 hours. Besides this, a scooter was stolen from the city.

Resident looted of Rs 70,000
Mohali, July 22
Unidentified persons broke the glove compartment of a scooter belonging to Amrik Singh, a resident of Sohana, and decamped with Rs 70,000 kept in it near the State Bank of Patiala, Phase VI, this afternoon.

Motorcyclist killed
Panchkula, July 22
A 23-year-old motorcyclist, Naveen Kumar, was killed when he was hit by a tanker at Majri Chowk today. A resident of Kalka, he was on his way to work at Chandigarh when he was hit by the tanker. He was rushed to the General Hospital, Sector 6, from where he was referred to the PGI. The tanker driver, Ranjit Singh, has been arrested.

EDUCATION

CBSE probe begins against two staffers
Chandigarh, July 22
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has initiated a disciplinary inquiry against two assistants of the board for their alleged involvement in a case of tampering with an answer book in the answer book (AB) cell in its regional office here.

PU M.Com, re-evaluation results out
Chandigarh, July 22
The results of M.Com. 4 th semester (Main) examination and the re-evaluation of BCA and BA Part-II (compartment) annual examinations 2005, of Panjab University have been declared today.

CULTURE

Oscillating between genres Chandigarh, July 22 Raj Kapoor thought her charms were endless; Mithun Chaktaborty thinks she is a legend. Placed comfortably between the two extremes, our quintessential performer Aruna Irani thinks less, acts more. Her days are packed with hectic schedules — formalising concept notes of teleserials, experimenting with techniques of presentation and inspiring younger actors with zeal. Though deep into tiresome projects, the latest being “Rabba Ishq Na Hove”, a teleserial for Zee, Aruna looks every bit refreshed, as she looked today during a promotional visit to Chandigarh. Actress Aruna Irani in Chandigarh on Friday to promote her latest Zee teleserial, “Rabba Ishq Na Hove”. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Blooming under her mentor’s care

Sangeeta Ghosh feels confident in the company of her mentor Aruna Irani. She refers to Irani as her guide, her guru, her onscreen as well as off-screen mother. And Irani does not interrupt the flow of Ghosh’s emotion. In fact, she facilitates it. TV actress Sangeeta Ghosh in Chandigarh to promote her latest tele serial “Rabba Ishq Na Hove” on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

LEISURE

A perfect place for adventure trips

Perched on a small hill facing majestic Chur Chandi, Barog is a perfect place for taking a break from busy and noisy life of city. Situated at 1710 m height just one-and-a-half-hours drive from Chandigarh, Barog has much to offer. From merely a stopover on way to Shimla, Barog has emerged as a full-fledged tourist resort in the past few years. A panaromic view of Barog.

‘Shutur Murg’ staged to perfection
Artistes of the Kolkata-based theatre group ‘Little Thespian’ presented ‘Shutur Murg’ to a scant audience at the Kala Gram today. Senior thespians from the city watching the play was the only solace for the visitors. The programme was sponsored by the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC).

HEALTH

Need to sensitise men on gender biases: Justice Anand

Chandigarh, July 22 At the inaugural address of the Capacity Building State-level Workshop on human rights and HIV/AIDS, Dr Justice A.S. Anand, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), called the disease in India, “A time bomb, ticking away.” And it was not just the deplorable human rights situation vis-à-vis HIV/AIDS afflicted and affected that seemed to bother him, it was also the increasing number of human rights violations coming in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and surprisingly, Delhi. Dr Justice A.S. Anand at a state-level workshop on human rights and HIV/AIDS held at CII, Sector 31, Chandigarh, on Friday. — Tribune photo by Vinay Malik

Human rights culture must to tackle AIDS

Chandigarh, July 22 The facts are startling. Of the 40 million people living with HIV the world over, India accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the world’s HIV/ AIDS cases. However, without the protection of human rights of people, who are vulnerable and afflicted with HIV / AIDS, the response to the epidemic will remain incomplete. Dr Justice A.S. Anand and Dr Nina Puri at a state-level workshop on human rights and HIV/AIDS held at the CII, Sector 31, Chandigarh on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Health plan for city schools
Chandigarh, July 22
The Chandigarh Administration has decided to launch an ambitious health programme from August 8, 2005, in all government schools in the city under which complete medical check up of each students will be conducted, an official press note said here today.

SPORTS

National hockey camp sans heavyweights

Chandigarh, July 22 The hockey players with good records like forward Sandeep, full back Len Aiyappa, goal keeper Adrien D’ Souza and Vivek Gupta are made to ‘rest’ and lesser known players put to ‘test’ for the national hockey camp underway at Sector 42 sports complex in preparation for the eight-nation hockey tournament for Robobank Trophy, also termed as ‘Mini World Cup’, scheduled to be held at Amstelveen, Holland, from August 14 to 21.

Hockey probables during a practice session at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium, Chandigarh, on Friday. — A Tribune photograph.

Four PU athletes for World University Games

Chandigarh, July 22 Four players of Panjab University — Amritpal Singh, Pargat Singh, Harpreet Kaur and Puneet Rana — have been selected to represent the Indian universities’ contingent in the World University Games scheduled to be held at Izmir (Turkey) from August 11 to 21. (From left) Amritpal Singh, Pargat Singh and Harpreet Kaur at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Friday. — A Tribune photograph.