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TOP STORIES

‘Mobile’ biker skids and dies
Chandigarh, January 21
Yet another youth wearing a non-ISI mark helmet and trying to take out his mobile phone from his pocket while driving a two-wheeler was killed in an accident today. With this, the number of fatalities of two-wheelers on city roads this year has reached nine.
                                       Amit Saini

The Road Devils. They don’t care

Does it matter that, just the other day, two boys speeding over a bet, crashed their bikes into a road block and died. The police said the number of road warriors in the city has increased and become organised into a betting spin-off. Our photographer Vinay Malik presents the real pictures. While being filmed, boys are seen performing stunts on the road adjoining the M & A G in Sector 10. Yes, to repeat, at stake is not skill but money.

2 corridors, light rail, no metro
Chandigarh, January 21
The union urban development ministry has sent a recommendation on the proposed transport system in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Officials of the Chandigarh administration and Punjab and Haryana are studying the details.

Amitabh Bachan is surrounded by his fans as he landed on the Chandigrh Airport here on Monday. The actor was on his way to Manali for a shoot of his film "Shoe White". — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Now on, nurseries will be part of ‘garden centre’
Chandigarh, January 21
Henceforth, nurseries will form part of a “garden centre”. Under the “Licensing of Sites in Chandigarh Garden Centre, 2008”, the administration has come out with a new policy to enable displaced owners of nurseries and government agencies to run business under the new model.

Stone laid, food street in 3 months
Chandigarh, January 21
The foundation stone for Night Food Street, on the lines of the Food Street in Lahore, was laid in Sector 14 near the PGI gate mayor by Pardeep Chhabra here today. A second food street was also announced by the mayor.

Wife held for caretaker’s murder
Panchkula, January 21
The local police has claimed to have solved the murder case of a caretaker on the farmhouse, near here, with the arrest of the deceased’s wife.

Punjab, Haryana in grip of HIV: UNAIDS
Chandigarh, January 21
In the wake of the recent upswing in the injecting drug use (IDU), the HIV infection is staring in the face of the most prosperous region in the country -- Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh -- a survey by the UNAIDS has claimed.

COMMUNITY

Consumer Courts
Banquet hall fined Rs 3.2 lakh
Chandigarh, January 21
The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Nimantran Banquets in Mohali to pay a compensation of Rs 3.2 lakh to a Sector 38 resident for unfair trade practice.

A day after demolition of sheds, lawyers livid
Panchkula, January 21
Reacting against demolition of their sheds by district administration officials yesterday, lawyers at the district courts here decided to go on an indefinite strike today.


Lawyers raising slogans against the district administration at the mini-secretariat at Panchkula on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Ghaggar bridge re-opened
Panchkula, January 21
The old Ghaggar bridge, near Nadda Sahib Gurdwara, was opened to traffic after repairs this morning.

Reaching out to underprivileged kids
Admn plans to set up contact centres
Chandigarh, January 21
The Chandigarh administration has designed a special programme to attract and motivate children between 6 and 14 years, who have been deprived of education under the nationwide universal elementary education (UEE) programme.

Gurdas Mann and Babbu Mann hug each other; and (right) actor Sameera Reddy avoides media glare at the Chandigarh Airport on Monday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Mother of two commits suicide
Chandigarh, January 21
A 28-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of her room here today. No suicide note was found.

‘Ensure’ timely delivery of LPG cylinders
Chandigarh, January 21
The city unit of the BJP has criticised the delay in the supply of LPG cylinders.

Apartment Act does not apply on us: Forum
Panchkula, January 21
The housing societies here today contended with the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) officials that it is not mandatory for registration of immovable property under their possession according to the Haryana Co-operative Societies Act, 1984.

GMADA greening venture hits ground
Now public participation in maintenance of parks being sought
Mohali, January 21
Development and maintenance of parks, green belts and open spaces in the town has become a headache for Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), as the Rs 4 crore ambitious plan drawn up in this regard has hit the ground. GMADA has now pinned its hopes on residents by proposing another plan that requires public  participation.

Market meltdown
Local investors upbeat amid scare
Chandigarh, January 21
In spite of the plunging stock market, it was buying time for local investors and traders. Along expected lines, investors were rather upbeat about the downfall in share prices and decided that this was the right time to buy.

Vaccine for cervical cancer
Chandigarh, January 21
About one-fourth of the nearly five lakh cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the world every year are reported from India.

Chaos on Dakshin Marg
Chandigarh, January 21
Chaos was witnessed along Dakshin Marg as pipes were being laid on roads of Sector 30.

• Letters

EDUCATION

Archana Shastri is arts college principal
Chandigarh, January 21
Archana Shastri, a professor with the fashion communication department at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi, has been appointed principal of Government College of Arts, Sector 10, with immediate effect. She has been appointed for a period of two years on deputation or till the post is filled on regular basis through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), New Delhi.

PU Notes
Entrance test for MD/MS on January 29
Chandigarh, January 21
Panjab University will hold an entrance test for admission to MD/MS courses at Government Medical College and Hospital on January 29. The admit cards to the candidates have already been dispatched. However, students who do not receive their admit cards may get the duplicate ones from the CET Cell, Aruna Ranjit Chandra Hall (near post office), on January 28.

Students donate blood during a camp organised by PUSU and AIHSA at Panjab University on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Students of Sanjay Public School-44 hold placards with message for conserving oil and natural gas during a rally organised by the ONGC in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

SKILL OF ANOTHER KIND: During the rally by the ONGC, these school kids got into a brawl, and fisticuffs, as others moved on. Anger, they say, is rising among children. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Shuttle service for PU girl boarders
Chandigarh, January 21
After a section of media reported the demand of hostel students to have more security for hostel residents and buses for girl residents, the vice-chancellor convened a meeting of a committee, constituted to look into starting bus service for hostellers, on Sunday. The meeting was attended by dean students welfare, chief security officer Prof D.N. Jauhar and Sunny, secretary, PU students’ council.

Expert highlights inequities in IPR regime
Chandigarh, January 21
Dr Daljit Singh, professor in the department of chemical engineering and technology, and dean, faculty of engineering and technology, PU, proposed a new model for the IPR while addressing a workshop of chemical engineering teachers from the region. The seminar was organised at the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh. Dr Singh was delivering his address on “IPRs: Some issues related to chemical and allied industries”.

PU holds workshop on organic farming
Chandigarh, January 21
Agriculture in Punjab is going through a deep crisis nowadays. If we look at the agricultural scenario in the state, there are four main concerns associated with the agriculture- economical, environmental, health and social. “In order to provide food security to the country, we have ruined our natural resources,” said Surinder Singh, director of Nabha-based Kheti Virasat while speaking at the two-day state-level workshop, organised jointly by the Kheti Virasat and Nabha Foundation, on “Organic Farming: Transition to Organic Agriculture, Challenges and Prospects” at Panjab University, today.

COURTS

Doctor, wife convicted in abortion case
Chandigarh, January 21
Dr Ajit Grover, owner of Lovely Nursing Home in Burail, and his wife Kamlesh Kaur have been convicted by additional district and sessions judge, Raj Shekhar Attri for allegedly carrying out abortion without the consent of the patient.

Molestation
German national deposes in court after 9 years
Chandigarh, January 21
The German national who had accused former RBI deputy manager Suresh Kumar Sharma of molesting her returned to India after nine years to give evidence against him.

Former chief engineer, wife get bail
Chandigarh, January 21
A local court today granted bail to a former chief engineer of the PWD (B&R), Punjab, and his wife after they compromised with the complainant. The couple was arrested yesterday by the economics offences wing for allegedly cheating the complainant, S.K. Vohra.

Custodial Death
HC issues notice of motion
Chandigarh, January 21
Taking up a petition for direction to add the Section of murder to a custodial death case in Panchkula, Justice Rajesh Bindal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion for March 18.

Assault on tenant: 3 convicted
Chandigarh, January 21
Additional district and sessions judge S.K. Aggarwal today sentenced three for assaulting their landlord. The accused were released on probation for two years by the court. According to the complaint, Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Surinder Pal and Satwanti were staying on rent in Mani Majra. The complainant, Vikas Gandhi, alleged that the accused entered the his house on September 1999 and assaulted him. The accused had been staying as tenants since 1995.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

DPDO nabbed for graft
Patiala, January 21
A vigilance bureau team arrested district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) Mohinder Singh while accepting a bribe at Fatehgarh Sahib today. A team led by DSP Anil Kumar Sharma laid a trap to nab the DDPO on a complaint lodged by Pankaj Sharma. Mohinder had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 for settling a particular inquiry involving Pankaj.
Vigilance bureau team addresses the media in Patiala on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

VIGILANT: Lady police check the luggage of a train passenger, in view of the approaching Republic Day, in Ambala on Monday. — Tribune photo by Kamal Sachar

Punjabi varsity VC opens ‘online news bulletin’
Patiala, January 21
Assuring full support to the department of journalism and mass communication, Punjabi University vice-chancellor Dr. Jaspal Singh said he yearned to see students of the department jockeying for top jobs and attaining high professional standards according to needs of the industry. Dr Jaspal Singh stated this while inaugurating the ‘online news bulletin’ started by the department of journalism and mass communication in its seminar room here today. He also inaugurated the audio studio and a media lab, which aims at providing comprehensive training to students in the electronic media.

Freedom fighter’s ailing daughter examined
Patiala, January 21
In accordance with directions issued by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Patiala deputy commissioner D.S. Grewal called upon Gurcharan Kaur, the ailing daughter of renowned freedom fighter and a leader during the Praja Mandal Movement Sewa Singh Thikriwala, along with a team of medical experts here today.
Patiala DC D.S. Grewal along with Gurcharan Kaur at her house on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Perpetual Chaos: A familiar scene of a traffic jam at Sadar Bazar, Ambala, due to the absence of policemen on Monday. — Tribune photo by Kamal Sachar

Bank employees stage protest
Patiala, January 21
On a call given by the United Forum of Bank Unions, employees and officers of the State Bank of Patiala held a demonstration in front of the bank head office on the Mall Road, here today.

40 sheep found slaughtered
Banur, January 21
Panic gripped village Rampur today, as a wild animal slaughtered 40 sheep belonging to three persons yesterday night.

SPORTS

PU Judo Rajnish wins 73 kg title

Chandigarh, January 21 Rajnish Sharma of Panjab University emerged winner in the 73 kg category on the second day of All-India Inter-University Judo (Men) Championship. The meet is underway at Panjab University Gymnasium Hall, here. A bout in progress during the All-India Inter-University Judo (Men) Championship at Panjab University gymnasium hall in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tiwari

Cricket: Monu leads Godrej CC to victory
Chandigarh, January 21
Monu Khaira scored 63 runs to help Godrej CC beat Royal CC by 19 runs in a league match of the 2nd TR Mittal Memorial Cricket Tournament at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 32, here today.

Cricket trials from Feb 18
Panchkula, January 21
Trials to select ATC-XI (under-19) cricket team probables for the forthcoming Twenty20 nationals to be held at Hyderabad from February 18 to 22 will be conducted on January 26 at Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, here at 11 am. The interested players should report to Jai Kapila, the cricket coach.

Financial help, jobs must for players: Judoka
Chandigarh, January 21
In Northern India, judo was quite popular among the youngsters but there was a need to prepare players for big events with specific game plan, felt Parminder Hooda, one of the topmost judokas of the country. The 21-year-old Hooda, who participated in the Asian Games at Doha in 2006 and Asian Championship (senior) at Kuwait last year, said the judokas could not manage medals in big international events due to limited financial resources.
                                                                   Parminder Hooda

DAV lads excel in karate
Chandigarh, January 21
Three karate players of DAV Senior Public School, Surajpur, brought laurels to the school by winning one gold and two bronze medals in the 2nd Indo-Nepal Open Budokai-do Karate Championship.

Sycamore House win trophy
Chandigarh, January 21
The Sycamore House received the sports trophy for 2007-08 at the annual prize distribution function of Saupin’s School at Sector 32 here today. The house has been performing splendidly under the constant encouragement and guidance of Yachika.

CRIME

35-yr old ends his life
Panchkula, January 21
A 35-year-old man was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his house here today.

BUSINESS

Board Meeting
CITCO to diversify operations
Chandigarh, January 21
The issues of upgrading the post of chief liaison officer in UT guest house, Delhi, and withdrawing free breakfast and dinner at Hotel Shivalikview were deferred at today’s meeting of the CITCO’s board of directors.

CULTURE

Artists create marvels out of marbles
Chandigarh, January 21
The 15-day young artists sculpture camp, organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), concluded at the Kalagram here today. Each artist created a masterpiece with a perfect blend of textual and visual imagery radiating a profound sense of introspection. "These finished marvels will add to our collection of over 200 sculptures gracing the Kalagram complex which we have nicely documented in a catalogue," says NZCC director R.T. Jindal.

Young dancer enthrals
Chandigarh, January 21
A kathak dance presented by child artiste Nikhar mesmerised the audience during the annual cultural programme organised by the Rajasthan Parishad at Rajasthan Bhawan in Sector 33.