SPORTS

300 players in city for table soccer meet
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, January 12
More than 300 players have arrived here to take part in the Senior National Table Soccer Championship, to be held at the local DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. This three-day meet will have events in singles, doubles and mixed doubles in various age groups.

Giving this information, Mr Ravinder Talwar, Chairman of the Table Soccer Federation of India, said the sport was now gaining popularity across the country. He said schools and colleges had also evinced interest in starting the sport in their respective institutions. He added that the sport was being played in than 40 countries.

He said the President of the International Table Soccer federation (ITSF), Mr Farid Lounas, had confirmed his visit to India on January 27. Talwar said Mr Lounas was happy to know that the sport already had more than 10 affiliated units in India. Mr Lounas would visit Chandigarh on January 28 and interact with players, officials and sponsors. Mr Balwinder Johal, President of the TSFI, said the stay and food arrangements of the participants had been made at the DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. The finals would be played on January 15.

ADMINISTRATION

35 illegal structures demolished
Our Correspondent

Mohali, January 12
As many as 35 unauthorised structures coming up in Sector 77 were demolished by the enforcement wing of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) here today.

Demolished structures included shops and houses just constructed near Gurdwara Akal Ashram in Sohana village.

The demolition activity started around 11 a.m. and went on till 4 pm. Though initially there was some resentment among those whose structures were being demolished, the drive later went on peacefully.

Some of the affected persons alleged that PUDA had demolished structures which had come up before 1995. Others said they had been granted stay by a court on some structures which were demolished today.

Mr Devinder Singh, a resident of Sohana, said he had deposited a fee of Rs 2500 with PUDA for getting the structures regularised but the enforcement wing of PUDA did not pay attention to this.

The Estate Officer of PUDA, Mr Dilraj Singh, said that only those structures were demolished that had come up in the past one week or so. No old structure was demolished during the drive. He said when he visited the site some persons said they had got orders on some structures, but failed to show the relevant documents.

Moreover, PUDA was accepting fee for regularising structures constructed before November.