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Crime branch to probe death
Repatriated JE gives new twist to manhole case
Chandigarh, August 18
Even as the Chandigarh police handed over the investigations in the constable Jaswinder Kaur’s death case to the crime branch, the mystery shrouding her death has deepened. A junior engineer today “exposed” with the help of a sandbag the gaps in the story narrated by the victim’s husband.

A team of forensic experts in Chandigarh on Thursday at the site where constable Jaswinder Kaur fell in a manhole.
— Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Sector 17	Sector 20-C residential area	Panjab University	Opposite Yadavindra Public School gate, Mohali
NO LESSONS LEARNT: The death of a Chandigarh woman constable does not seem to have woken up the authorities yet. Tribune lensman Manoj Mahajan discovered these open deathtraps in Chandigarh and Mohali on Thursday.

Youth kidnapped in Mohali, escapes
Mohali, August 18
A youth was allegedly kidnapped by a group of persons, suspected to be college students, here this evening. He later managed to free himself and escape to safety.

Dr Deepak Kaura attempts suicide
Chandigarh, August 18
In less than seven months after the alleged suicide by Dr Babita Kaura, her husband Dr Deepak Kaura allegedly attempted to end his life in Burail Jail this morning. Dr Deepak Kaura has been lodged in Burail Jail and his bail plea was rejected by a local court yesterday.

Jagtar Hawara’s lawyers booked for intimidation
Chandigarh, August 18
The ongoing tussle between the police and the lawyers of Jagtar Singh Hawara, alleged Babbar Khalsa International chief and the main accused in the Beant Singh assassination case, reached a flashpoint today with the police booking the two defence counsels.

Remand of murder accused extended
Kharar, August 18
A local court today extended by one day the police remand of Ravinder, a resident of Khooni Majra village, near here, for his alleged involvement in the murder of three members of a family.

High drama at police post
Couple says cops planted heroin
Panchkula, August 18
Little had Poonam, a Sector 10 resident, imagined that a leisure trip to a friend’s house would turn into a nightmare by the end of the day, courtesy the local police. At the heart of the matter was a packet of 100 mg heroin which the police claimed to have seized Poonam’s scooter.

UT objects to land price fixed by MC
Chandigarh, August 18
The Chandigarh Administration has raised objections to the reserve price of Rs 18.50 crore fixed by the Municipal Corporation for the Multi-Storeyed Housing Complex in Mani Majra measuring nearly 5.3 acres. The auction scheduled for August 31 stands postponed and the reserve price is likely to increase by nearly Rs 10 crore, reliable sources in the administration said.

Customs body flays CBI action
Chandigarh, August 18
The Customs and Central Excise Executive Officers’ Association today condemned the “dictatorial and manipulative” behaviour of the CBI in arresting the two Central excise inspectors on corruption charges.

Passing Thru: P.S. Rana, Chairman and Managing Director, Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO)

COMMUNITY

Mohali residents upset with Gulf Air
Chandigarh, August 18
It was the worst flying experience for five Mohali residents, working with a drilling company in Dubai. All five shuttle between Dubai and Chandigarh every 28 days after completing their assignment offshore. On July 27 this year, the five passengers were not only offloaded, but even subjected to harassment by Gulf Air officials, who preferred to accommodate Arabs to Indians.

Need to restructure housing policies
Chandigarh, August 18
The Punjab Governor and the UT Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), today called for restructuring policies and plans for meeting the housing needs of millions of houseless persons through commitment and concerted endeavour.

A section audience at a one-day workshop on “Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY), inaugurated by Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), Governor of Punjab, at Hotel Shivalikview in Chandigarh on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Roadways staff intensify stir
Mohali, August 18
Hundreds of passengers suffered for the second day today as employees of Punjab Roadways intensified their protest over the denial of entry of roadways buses into the ISBT, Sector 17, Chandigarh, allegedly by the UT Administration. Employees of the Punjab Roadways stopped the UT bus service from plying in the town here and also from going to Kharar. As a result, autorickshaws had a field day.

Heavy rush at the bus stop in Phase-VI, Mohali, following the CTU and Punjab Roadways dispute. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Harassment at Passport Office
Chandigarh, August 18
An Ambala-based elderly woman had to go through a harrowing time in getting a fresh passport issued in place of an old one here.

Col S .C.Abrol (retd) and Ms Rama Abrol show copies of the reminders sent to the Regional Passport Office (RPO) for return of the old passport bearing multiple entry visa to the USA. 
— A Tribune photograph

Councillors speak on panel issue
Mohali, August 18
Two municipal councillors, who have also remained senior vice-presidents of the Municipal Council, said they were made members of the Delimitation Committee constituted by the government in connection with the forthcoming municipal elections as Congress representatives.

Python captured
Panchkula, August 18
This is a story straight out of a horror movie. A woman running a grocery store at Majri chowk walked down into the basement of her store to fetch groceries when she was stopped in her tracks by a hissing sound.

Dirty pond has residents fuming
Mohali, August 18
Residents of Phase II are facing a peculiar problem. Those living on the edge of the sector towards Chandigarh face a large uninhabited area which takes the shape of a pond during the monsoon.

Streetlights non-functional
Chandigarh, August 18
For three months now, residents of Sangam Society and Mayur Vihar, Sector 48, have been coping with the dark as streetlights in their area have been non-functional. Repeated requests to the authorities concerned in the Municipal Corporation have yielded no results.

Panel for riot-hit submit demands
Mohali, August 18
Members of the 1984 Sikh Massacre Affected Welfare Society, Punjab, today submitted a list of demands before the Punjab Government for relief to the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims who had shifted in large numbers to Punjab.

Sick man pins hope on good Samaritans
Chandigarh, August 18
Mr Ram Babu, a man from Muzaffarpur(Bihar), needs help from voluntary organisations for transplantation of his kidney. Medical reports say his kidneys are severely affected.

Relate education with jobs: Bhattal
Chandigarh, August 18
“We should relate the spread of education with employment generation and make it a mission for the rural areas where it is most needed,” said the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, today at a conclave organised by the Department of Higher Education, Punjab, and the ITFT (Institute of Tourism & Future Management Trends) on “Alarming Unemployment Situation and jobs in the Service Industry”.

Brahma Kumaris celebrate Raksha Bandhan
Chandigarh, August 18
Raksha Bandhan was celebrated by Brahma Kumaris by tying rakhis on the wrists of inmates of the Blind School, Sector 26, Deaf and Dumb School, Sector 18, Old Age Homes, Sectors 15 and 30, Senior Citizens’ Home, Sector 43, police personnel posted at the Police Lines, Sector 26, and workers of the workshops of HRTC. They also tied rakhis to PEPSU Road Transport Corporation and Chandigarh Transport Undertaking officers and jawans of the CRPF

CRIME

Cops beat up two brothers
Panchkula, August 18
Close to the heels of an incident when an ASI allegedly harassed a woman at the Sector 10 police post late last night, two security guards of the Haryana Director-General of Police allegedly thrashed two brothers of Sector 16 this noon.

Sub-dealer booked for cheating
Chandigarh, August 18
Acting on a complaint of a city-based pharmaceutical company’s owner, the Chandigarh police today registered a case of cheating and other offences against a Ludhiana-based sub-dealer.

Scooterist crushed to death
Panchkula, August 18
A Kharar resident was crushed to death and his wife and son sustained injuries when a tipper rammed into their scooter on the Panchkula-Naraingarh road near Kot Billa village, near here, today.

Retired XEN arrested
Chandigarh, August 18
A retired Executive Engineer of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Mr Rajpal Singla, was arrested here today

BUSINESS

Security and Surveillance Expo begins today
Chandigarh, August 18
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising Security and Surveillance 2005-Technology Exposition and conference on security, surveillance & fire equipment from August 19-21 at the CII Convention Centre, Sector 31.

EDUCATION

Shishu Niketan wins qawwali contest
Chandigarh, August 18
Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 41, organised an inter-school qawwali competition “Sarang — A Musical Extravaganza” to pay tributes to the founder of the school, Ajit Karam Singh, on her birth anniversary, here today.

Girls take part in the Inter-School Qawwali competition held at Tagore Theatre in Sector 18, to pay tributes to the founder of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 41, Chandigarh on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan 

Poetry recitation contest
Chandigarh, August 18
As many as 74 students from 47 schools from the city and periphery participated in a poetry recitation contest organised by the Hemraj K. Talwar Memorial Trust at its library complex here today.

Strawberry World opens at 9 today
Chandigarh, August 18
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Strawberry Fields School, Sector 24, will start at 9 am as usual, but Strawberry World School in Sector 26 will start half an hour late at 9 am, as against the scheduled time of 8.30 am.

COURTS

Lake Club GM files reply with CAT
Chandigarh, August 18
In response to the application challenging his appointment as General Manager of the Lake Club, Mr Reet Mohinder Singh has filed his reply with the Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal. The case is slated for hearing on August 19.

SI gets police remand
Mohali, August 18
A local court sent Mohan Lal, Sub-Inspector of police, posted with the anti-fraud staff, Moga, in one day of police remand. The state Vigilance Bureau had yesterday arrested the sub-inspector allegedly red- handed accepting a bribe of Rs 3000.

CULTURE

New Releases
Love triangle with a difference
With love and romance back in favour, Bobby Deol hopes his new film ‘Barsaat’, directed by Suneel Darshan, will turn out to be another money-spinner. Made under the banner of Shri Krishna International, this one is produced by Suneel Darshan. Touted as the eternal love triangle, the film stars Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra. ‘‘Barsaat’’ opens today at Batra, Chandigarh, Fun Republic, Manimajra, K.C., Panchkula, Nigar, Ambala and Tagore, Patiala.

Priyanka Chopra in “Barsaat”

HEALTH

Less than 5 pc children born with heart defects get treated
Chandigarh, August 18
Few would know that congenital heart defect is the single most common birth defect responsible for children’s deaths in India. Also that one out of every 150 children born in India has a heart disease; and a significant number of them die in the first year of birth.

State award for Dr Walia
Chandigarh, August 18
Dr Jaswinder Pal Walia of Government Medical College and Rajendra Hospital, Patiala, was conferred with the Punjab Government’s State Award on Independence Day.

SPORTS

Bhalla steers S.D. College to victory
Chandigarh, August 18
A superb knock of unbeaten 54 off 59 balls by Viswas Bhalla enabled SD College to register win on the Panjab University campus in the 2nd leg of the Samuel Banerjee Trophy at the grounds of DAV School, Sector 8, here today.

Deepak Saini of Panjab University campus being bowled by Aseem Gupta of S.D. College during an inter-college cricket tournament of Panjab University on Thursday.
— Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Saheb, Gagan win swimming contest
Chandigarh, August 18
The first Administrator’s Cup swimming competitions began at the Sector 23-A Swimming Pool here today. More than 100 swimmers in the below 17 age group in both boys and girls sections took part.

Clean sweep by grapplers of 134 Battalion
Chandigarh, August 18
Grapplers of 134 Battalion ruled the mat in the inter-battalion wrestling championship which concluded at the Sector 42 Sports Complex here today. Jalandhar finished runners-up with nine points while the third position went to 30 Battalion.

Krishan Kumar (top) of 134 Battalion on his way to win 55 kg bout in the inter-battalion wrestling championship at Sector 42, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Raoul stars in victory
Chandigarh, August 18
Last year’s runners-up St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, fancied DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, Guru Harkishan Model School, Sector 40, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, and moved into last eight from Group B of the Chandigarh Sub-Junior Boys Football Championship for the Mahatma Hans Raj Trophy played here today at Sector 17 Football Stadium.

Football Academy-42 win
Chandigarh, August 18
The Chandigarh Football Academy Sector 42, beat Shivalik-41 (9-0) in the Six-a side Football Tournament, which commence at St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School , Sector 44, here today. A total of 19 school teams are participating in this tournament.

ADMINISTRATION

Encroachments on 100 booths removed
Panchkula, August 18
The Enforcement wing of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) today removed encroachments on as many as 100 booths in Mansa Devi Complex today.