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Derailment puts passengers to hardship
Trains run several hours behind schedule
Chandigarh, April 11
Hundreds of commuters travelling daily on the Chandigarh-Ambala-Delhi railway section were put to great inconvenience as the train services between the two cities remained suspended for over seven hours due to derailment of a goods train at Ambala. Also put to great hardship were passengers travelling on the different pairs of Shatabdi Express, running between Kalka and Delhi.

• Trains diverted and cancelled

Passengers wait for trains at the Chandigarh railway station. Following derailment of a goods trains at Ambala, trains were running behind schedule on Friday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Price Rise
The rich splurge as common man struggles with bills
Chandigarh, April 11
The neighbourhood grocery store has now become the best place for gauging the divide between the rich and the common man. While the common man is concerned over his burgeoning grocery bill comprising only the basic items, the rich are taking to the wide array of imported foods, herbs and preserves like never before.

CHB Schemes 
Bonanza for UT staff, raw deal for others 
Chandigarh, April 11
Double standards seem to be buzzword for the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), the construction arm of the Chandigarh administration. While the board is set to offer a bonanza to the UT employees under a special housing scheme in Sectors 52 and 56, the prospective allottees in the general housing scheme in Sector 63 will get a raw deal regarding pricing, covered area and specifications of the four-storeyed apartments.

UT Home Secy’s Post
Centre rejects Haryana panel for ‘lobbying’
Chandigarh, April 11
In an unprecedented move, the Centre has rejected the panel of Haryana IAS officers for the post of UT Home Secretary on account of intense lobbying by the aspirants. The panel of three Haryana-cadre IAS officers had been shortlisted and forwarded to the Centre for approval.

COMMUNITY

Dam to meet water needs for next 40 years
Panchkula, April 11
The construction of dam at Kaushalya River near Pinjore is expected end drinking water woes of Panchkula city residents as well as people living in nearby rural areas completely for next 40 years.

Mohali-Chandigarh road link
Notice served on Railways
Mohali, April 11
The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has given an ultimatum to the Northern Railway to settle the dispute over land, which has led to stoppage of work on a major Mohali-Chandigarh road link.

Roads to be widened on Pinjore-Kalka stretch
Panchkula, April 11
The commuters going through Pinjore and Kalka have a reason to cheer as they will not face roads full of potholes anymore. The district administration has assigned strengthening and widening of roads in both the cities to a construction agency. The agency has been asked to complete the work within next 45 days.

Sec 33 toilets in a mess
Chandigarh, April 11
Shopkeepers in Sector 33 are crying hoarse over the pitiable condition of the newly-constructed toilets within the market. The toilets, constructed last year in both the mini markets, have stopped functioning since a along time and despite many complaints authorities have not taken any action yet. The toilet in one of the markets is not working since the time it was inaugurated, while another at the junction is not operational since over three months. The main market of the sector does not have a toilet at all!

The pathetic condition of toilets in Sector 33. A Tribune photograph

Despite empty land, MC projects yet to take off
Chandigarh, April 11
Land worth crores of rupees, belonging to Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC), is lying unutilised as no plans have been chalked out for its proper usage for development purposes.

MC fails to popularise Citizen's Charter 
Chandigarh, April 11
Almost four years after the municipal corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) introduced the Citizen’s Charter, the civic body has failed to popularise it, leaving the citizens high and dry. The residents continue to be a confused lot regarding the functions of the MC and the UT administration.

Strategic location boon for Sector 48
Chandigarh, April 11
Nestled between Chandigarh and Mohali, Sector 48, which hitherto was on the fringes of the development activity, is set to become a happening place with the authorities planning big things for the sector.

BJP unit holds protest
Chandigarh, April 11
Activists of the local unit of the BJP took out a ‘mashal jaloos’ in Sector 20 here today, in protest against the Central government’s failure to control price rise.

BJP activists during a rotest rally in Sector 20, Chandigarh, on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Arrest of Juveniles
Panel on child rights to frame guidelines 
Chandigarh, April 11
The brutal assault of the juvenile deliquent has caught the attention of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, who had sent its representatives to inquire into the matter. The representatives plan to set guidelines to ensure that no injustice is done to the juveniles arrested in a theft case. They have decided to take this case as a study case.

Project for street children on anvil 
Chandigarh, April 11
The first phase of the innovative project to empower street children at Maloya will become functional this year. The UT administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) visited the site along with other officials, here today.

Gen SF Rodrigues (retd) inspecting progress of the work in Sector 46-D on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Photo exhibition on ‘Water: Uses and Misuses’
Chandigarh, April 11
A photo display on the theme of “Water: Uses and Misuses” was organised by the department of Masters in Social Work in collaboration with Commonwealth Youth Programme at Student Centre, PU today .The exhibition was inaugurated by Raj K. Mishra, regional director of Commonwealth Youth Programme, Asia Centre.

Medical facilities to be reviewed: Health minister
Mohali, April 11
Prof Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Punjab’s health and family welfare minister, here today said the medical services provided in various jails of the state would be reviewed to bring improvement in the health facilities being provided there.

Electronic goods worth Rs 5 lakh gutted
Zirakpur, April 11
Electronic items worth Rs 5 lakh and a number of important property documents were gutted in a fire that broke out in the office of Landmark Colonisers and Promoters at Kalgidhar Enclave here yesterday morning. Policemen on duty in the area saw smoke emanating from the showroom in the wee hours and informed the fire brigade. It took over three hours to put out the fire.

217 units of blood collected
Chandigarh, April 11
Rayat and Bahra Institute of engineering and biotechnology, Sahauaran, organised a blood donation camp in association with Lions Club on the campus  yesterday.

Correction In the report, “2,000 students attend ITFT career fest”, published on April 11 in these columns, there was an inadvertent mix-up regarding career counsellor Usha Albuquerque’s photograph. We are publishing today the correct photograph of Usha Albuquerque. The error is regretted.

Usha Albuquerque

Letters
Flyovers should be checked

EDUCATION

10 pc hike in SSA teachers’ salary
Chandigarh, April 11
Chandigarh administration has announced a whopping increase of 10 per cent in the salary of teachers who have completed more than one year of service under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan project.

Chain fast enters Day 4
Chandigarh, April 11
Dr Sween and Paramjit Singh Kang, department of adult education, Dr Prem Nath, department of laws, and Abhik Ghosh from the department of anthropology sat on the chain fast amongst the teachers and Paras Mahajan and Tandeep Singh from the department of geology represented students’ community during chain fast for their demand of central status for Panjab University.

From Schools
Baisakhi celebrated with fervour 
Chandigarh, April 11
Baisakhi was celebrated on the premises on St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School, Sector 44, here today. The celebrations commenced with an impressive speech by Karan Pal, a student of Class VIII, who brought forth the significance of Baisakhi. Navleen of Class III entertained everyone with her solo dance.

Navdeep third in science talent search exam
Mohali, April 11
Navdeep Kaur of XII of Shivalik Public School, Mohali, secured third position in National-level Science Talent Search Examination-2008 in Tricity conducted by the Unified Council. Placement drive: Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and Technology (SVIET) hosted a joint campus placement drive on its SVIET campus here today. Around 1,400 students from 18 engineering and MCA colleges and institutes of Haryana converged on the campus. 

Children of Path Finder School celebrate Baisakhi at Sector 69, Mohali on Friday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

COURTS

Notice to Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh, April 11
High Court Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Jaswant Singh today issued a notice of motion to States of Punjab and Haryana, along with Chandigarh, on a public interest litigation for directions to the respondents to follow the guidelines of Section 154 (1), (2), (3,) of the Cr PC on the registration of FIR.

Car seller to pay Rs 20,000 compensation
Chandigarh, April 11
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Gurcharan Singh, working in National Insurance in Manimajra, to pay Rs 20,000 compensation to Pran Nath Arora, a resident of Sector 8. The forum also asked Gurcharan to pay Rs 2,200 as costs of litigation to Arora.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Priyanka adjudged best singer
Ropar, April 11
The annual inter-college national-level festival ‘Riyaaz-08’ was organised at IET, Bhaddal, today.

DC takes serious note of absenteeism
Ropar, April 11
Taking a serious note of the officials found absent from monthly review meeting of the district without notice, the deputy commissioner Baldeo Purushartha has sought an explanation from them.

SPORTS

Cricket tourney from  April 18
Mohali, April 11
An inter-school cricket tournament (under-16) by the Mohali Cricket Association (MCA) is slated to start from April 18.

PCA for unbiased selections
Asks dist associations to hold tournaments to select teams
Mohali, April 11
In a step to curb nepotism and give the talented players a proper chance to showcase their abilities, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has asked all its district associations to organise one or two tournaments from April 15 to May 15.

Col Aman Deep leads in Chandigarh Golfing Tour
Chandigarh, April 11
Col Aman Deep Singh of Chandigarh fired a four over par 76 to lead the field on the opening day of the Chandigarh Golfing Tour that got underway on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club here today.

Former Ranji Trophy pace bowler Rakesh Jolly fires a shot on the opening day of the Chandigarh Golfing Tour in Chandigarh on Friday. A Tribune photograph

SJOBA rally kicks off today
Chandigarh, April 11
Around 56 rallyists will participate in different categories in the annual two-day SJOBA Thunderbolt Sub-Himalayan Rally kicking off tomorrow at 7 am from St John’s High School, Sector 26 here.

Kang to play in Pak golf
Chandigarh, April 11
Harjinder Singh Kang of Chandigarh is all set for the Pakistan Amateur Golf Championship that gets underway on the par-72 greens of Islamabad on April 17.

AITA: Double delight for Tarranum
Chandigarh, April 11
Local player Parminder Kaur lost both under-14 and under-16 singles’ finals in the AITA Super Series that concluded at Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association courts, Sector 10 here, today. Despite putting up a tough fight, CLTA trainee Parminder, who faced Delhi girl Tarranum in both the finals, lost to her rival 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 (u-14) and 6-3, 7-6 (u-16).

Tarranum in action during the AITA Super Series in Chandigarh on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Preity, Lee to sell tickets at PCA today
Mohali, April 11
In an attempt to lure cricket buffs for the forthcoming Indian Premier League matches, Bollywood actor Preity Zinta and Australian speedster Brett Lee will personally sell tickets for their Kings XI Punjab team matches with their autographs at PCA Stadium tomorrow.

HEALTH

PGI geared up for technicians’ strike
Chandigarh, April 11
Unwilling to buckle under pressure of a mass casual leave threat by its medical technologists, the PGI administration has gone into an overdrive to ensure that services at the premier medical institute are not affected.

CRIME

Car Stolen from mini secretariat
Panchkula, April 11
It was yet another shock for Iqbal Arora, a resident of Sector 9, when he found that his Ford Fiesta car was stolen. He had parked it in parking near mini secretariat here today.

Woman commits suicide
Panchkula, April 11
The body of a 32-year-old woman was found hanging in the bathroom of her house here today. The deceased identified as Preety Singh, a resident of GH-26 in Sector 20. She was reportedly mentally disturbed due to the prolonged illness of her son.

Two buses collide, 20 hurt
Injured allege lack of attention
Chandigarh, April 11
A major tragedy was averted when two buses collided with each other near Hallomajra, here this morning. Around 20 passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, from where they were discharged after first-aid.

Father, son held for issuing fake degrees
Chandigarh, April 11
The special crime investigation cell arrested a father-son duo, allegedly involved in giving fake certificates to the students of their academy in Sector 38, here yesterday.

Couple attacked outside High Court
Chandigarh, April 11
Lapse in security at the Punjab and Haryana High Court was witnessed today, when a couple was thrashed with lathis at the gate of the court. The couple had come to the court to seek protection, when suddenly a group of youths attacked them.

Car stolen from Sec-43
Chandigarh, April 11
Arun Verma, a resident of Sector 43, filed a police complaint that his car (CH-03-J-0411) was stolen from outside his residence today. A case under Section 379 of IPC has been registered at police station, Sector 36.

BUSINESS

Seminar on future of textile industry
Chandigarh, April 11
Albeit the textile industry in the region has witnessed immense growth in the past decade, the only way to march ahead is by technical upgradation and delivering high quality goods in record time. This was stated by H.S. Cheema, joint managing director of Cheema Spintex, during a symposium on the innovation made in the field of process engineering, machinery technology and chemical process materials related to dyeing and finishing of apparel and functional textiles.

CULTURE

Four-day Baisakhi fest begins
Chandigarh, April 11
The vitality, vigour and magnificence of diverse folklore and dance traditions of different regions of India were brought alive during the inaugural ceremony of the four-day annual Chandigarh festival at the Rock Garden here this evening. The elite city audience was treated to the pristine folk treatise by Parkash Nath and party the "Been vadan and sapera martial dance," the Lokrang dancers from Saugar staging 'Badhai nritya, Hena Patel from Guzrat performing Krishan Leela, Vimal Bora troupe Almora showcasing Ghasiyari dance besides the delectable Gidha and Bhangra by Punjabi artists.