C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Education | Courts | Administration

Neighbourhood | Sports | Crime | Culture

TOP STORIES

Illegal Lifting of Passengers
CTU conductor kidnapped, thrashed
Mohali cops rescue him; arrest Ambala Syndicate worker
Chandigarh, May 9
The ongoing tension between Ambala Bus Syndicate and CTU officials over lifting of passengers illegally and the parking problem took an ugly turn when six Syndicate employees attempted to kidnap a local transport worker from the ISBT, Sector 43, here today.

Booming call drops a headache for customers
Chandigarh, May 9
Manvendra Rathee, a city lawyer, was in the midst of clinching a deal with a client in Bangalore, when he was hit by the call drop. In the four minute conversation that he had with his corporate client, he experienced six call drops.

PGI XEN nabbed with dirty money
Chandigarh, May 9
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested Sandeep Kumar, XEN (Hospital Engineering Civil) from the office of the Engineering Department of the PGI on the charges of taking bribe from a contractor.

UT HOME SECRETARY
39 DAYS GONE still counting ...
Go by merit strictly
There are too many officers and channels involved in the process to select officers in inter-state deputation with the Chandigarh Administration.

1 killed 5 hurt in tractor-car collision
Zirakpur, May 9
One person was killed and at least five injured when a speeding car banged into a tractor trolley on the Choice Resort road here late this evening.

Save Our Sukhna As always, Chandigarhites have articulated an impassioned response to the Chandigarh Tribune's Save Our Sukhna (SOS) campaign. Readers have givenvaluable suggestions that could help revive the city's richest treasure, which sadly is in peril today. While engineers have given technical suggestions to tackle the problem of the rapidly shrinking Sukhna bed, other residents have penned fond recollections of the delightful times they have spent at the lake to plead for the institution of citizen-government initiatives to restore the Sukhna to its former glory.

COMMUNITY

Pinjore, Kalka residents left high and dry
Panchkula, May 9
It is a strange dichotomy. Just 20 kilometres from Chandigarh, one of the most developed cities in the country, people do not even get daily supply of water. With water being supplied only twice a week, thousands of residents from Pinjore and Kalka are forced to store drinking water for days together.

Mohali Civic Poll
Cong geared up for a tough battle
Mohali, May 9
The Congress party cadre of SAS Nagar is all geared up to give the Shiromani Akali Dal candidates a tough fight in the forthcoming Zila Parishad and Block samiti elections.

CHB Sec-63 Scheme
2-bedroom flats most popular
Chandigarh, May 9
Over one-thirds of the applicants for the Sector 63 scheme of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) have applied for two-bedroom flats. According to official sources, about 8,000 applicants of over 21,000 people, who applied for 1,976 four-storey flats to be constructed in four different categories, have applied for the two-bedroom dwellings units.

Proposal to keep ‘condemned’ buses running
Chandigarh, May 9
If the Chandigarh Transport Department has its way, travelling in CTU buses could be a risky proposition. In the wake of shortage of “roadworthy” buses with the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), the transport department is pushing its case hard to keep at least 30 such buses running which have outlived their life.

Labourers desert Ghaggar riverbed area
Row between mining department and contractors has left them jobless
Panchkula, May 9
Jalla road, on the bank of river Ghaggar, was an area buzzing with hectic activities one month ago, providing livelihood to thousands of families for decades including labourers, vegetable vendors, dhaba wallas and five liquor vendors. Today, the area from Burj Kotian to Jalla village - known as the crusher zone - has turned into a deserted slum.

Appointments on compassionate grounds
CAT orders quick disposal of cases
Chandigarh, May 9
In a significant order, affecting many people whose appointments on compassionate grounds were hanging fire, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Horticulture Department to take up such cases immediately.

Computer system at RLA lets applicants down
Chandigarh, May 9
For the last two days, the state-of-the-art Sector 17 office of the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) has been of little help to the those applying for driving licences and registration copies.

A public notice about non-functional computers has been put up outside the RLA office in Sector 17, Chandigarh. Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Liquor shops to remain closed
Mohali, May 9
All liquor shops in the district would remain closed on May 12 and May 14 in view of the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections in the district. These orders were issued by the Deputy Commissioner SAS Nagar, here today.

Panel examines parking lots
Chandigarh, May 9
Members of the parking committee led by the chairman NPS Chawla today inspected different parking lots in Sectors 17 and 22.

Local BJP chief poll tomorrow
Chandigarh, May 9
The election to the post of the president of the local unit of the BJP and the members of the national council of the party will be held on May 11.

• LIC assn’s zonal conference tomorrow
• Exam postponed
• Letters
  

EDUCATION

Shivalik Public’s recognition issue resolved
School to implement 15 pc reservation
Chandigarh, May 9
Now all is well with Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, as far as the school’s provisional recognition is concerned. For, the school authorities have agreed to implement 15 per cent reservation for students belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS).

From Schools
DAV school teacher honoured
Mohali, May 9
The DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, has decided to honour Jaya Bhardwaj, Principal DAV Public Senior Secondary School , Phase-X, Mohali, for her valuable contribution in the field of education and social service. She would be presented with the award on Friday in New Delhi on Mahatma Hansraj Day.

UILS rejoinder
In a letter sent by University Institute of Legal Studies, PU, disputing the Chandigarh Tribune’s story, “UILS director’s role doubtful: PUSU” by Smriti Sharma published on May 6, the director of the institute has stated that the day when Simrandeep Singh was attacked, he was not lying profusely bleeding on the ground, rather he was picked up from the examination hall and brought to the staff room, where he was put to rest on a sofa, given a pain killer, water and soothed.

From Schools
Mums, kids celebrate Mothers’ Day
Chandigarh, May 9
Toddlers at Tender Heart School-33 celebrated Mothers’ Day by welcoming their mothers with roses. The day saw vivacious and fun-filled action as kids and their moms had a field day reveling in the gala celebrations, trying their hands at flower arrangements and rangoli making. The young mothers participated in musical chairs and winners were given gift hampers.

Kids and their mothers celebrate Mothers’ Day at Tender Heart School, Sector 33, Chandigarh, on Friday. Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

PUTA to continue stir during summer vacation
Chandigarh, May 9
The relay fast on the call of the Joint Action Committee demanding Central varsity status for Panjab University completed 33 days today. It was the turn of the department of philosophy today. Among the teachers, Prof Veena Kapoor, Prof Geeta Manaktala, Dr H.P. Sah, Dr Shivani Sharma along with Dr V.T. Sebastian, chairman of the department, sat on the fast. Two research scholars, Amit Kumar and Menika also sat on the fast.

Teachers given peace awards
Chandigarh, May 9
As part of the ongoing ‘Campaign for Peace City Chandigarh’, Yuvsatta, peace club of KB DAV-7 and DAV College, with support of the education department, Chandigarh administration, organised a peace awards presentation function and a two-day peace trainers’ training programme at DAV College, in which seven principals and incharge of peace clubs were honoured. Justice Surya Kant, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, was the chief guest and S.K. Setia, DPI (schools), presided over the event.

COURTS

From Courts
Kingfisher to pay Rs 11,000 for losing luggage
Chandigarh, May 8
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the chairman, the manager and the manager, cargo flight of Kingfisher Airlines, to pay a compensation of Rs 11,150 for deficiency in service to a resident of Sector 32 here.

Advocate files PIL on vacancy in consumer panel
Chandigarh, May 8
Following a news article carried by the Tribune on posts vacant in Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, a local advocate, H.C. Arora, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on the same issue today.

High Court
Union govt told to release family pension
Chandigarh, May 9
Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Mohinder Pal have directed the Union government to release special family pension to the widow of a Master Warrant Officer of the Air Force. He had died of heart attack, 18 years back, at the Chandimandir Military hospital here.

ADMINISTRATION

33 estate office employees reshuffled
Chandigarh, May 9
In a major move in the UT estate office, at least 33 employees were reshuffled today. The employees were holding on to one post for more than three years in violation of the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Lack of funds mars police duties
Gurdeep Singh Mann
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 9 The petrol pump owners at Fatehgarh Sahib have refused to give petrol to police vehicles to be used during election duty. Also marred with the shortage of vehicles to ferry police personnel for election duty, the department is now literally pleading before private bus operators for help.

Soil health cards to help farmers
Ambala, May 9
The Haryana government’s initiative to issue soil health cards seems to have finally borne fruit. In an attempt to reach the target assigned to them and to popularise the health card, the agriculture department of the district has started taking special measures.

Eagles win skating hockey meet
Ambala, May 9
An inter-house skating competition was organised in Spring Field Public School at Ambala City today.

Punjabi University trials on May 14, 15
Patiala, May 9
Punjabi University, Patiala, would conduct wing trials on May 14 and 15. Dr Rajkumar, director sports, Punjabi University, said the trials for all major games that were under the wing would be conducted for all affiliated colleges on the same dates.

SPORTS

Sawhney wins night golf tourism title
Chandigarh, May 9
It was tourism night golf at its best. Diplomats from the Canadian High Commission Brian W. Beaupre and Bob Romano teamed up with the city's top golf professional Harmeet Kahlon as corporate executives and representatives from the travel and tourism industry sweated it out for the prizes at stake in the city's first night golf tourism championship on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club.

Brian W. Beaupre and Bob Romano of the Canandian High Commission with Chandigarh pro Harmeet Kahlon during the Chandigarh Night Golf Tourism Championship in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Look beyond cricket: Indian archery coach
Chandigarh, May 9
Money in sports seems to be the new buzzword in India. But the question that begs an answer is whether this money goes beyond popular sports like cricket, tennis and golf? For Jiwanjot Singh Teja, the youthful and ambitious coach of the Indian archery team, money was not a driving force in terms of choosing a career, but he surely realises the importance of monetary aid for a sport to grow and flourish.

Billiards and Snooker Championship
Pardeep, Ravi enter quarterfinals
Chandigarh, May 9
Pardeep Kinger and Ravi Mohan secured their quarterfinal berth in billiards (game of 150) points in the ongoing VII Saurabh Khattar Memorial Billiards and Snooker Championship at Chandigarh Club, Sector 1, here today.

Basketball probables
Chandigarh, May 9
The Chandigarh Basketball Association has selected the following probables for a coaching camp (for boys and girls), commencing from May 9 for the 59th Junior National Championship to be held at Bhilwara (Rajasthan).

CRIME

Theft of 2 Gypsies leaves cops confounded
Chandigarh, May 9
The Chandigarh police is still clueless about the theft of two vehicles belonging to the force.

CULTURE

City lacks theatre infrastructure
Chandigarh, May 9
The city, which has produced many great theatre artistes and playwrights, lacks infrastructure for a performing theatre.