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TOP STORIES

Anuradha Murder
Noor arrested

Chandigarh, May 23
After dilly-dallying for five days, the Chandigarh Police today arrested the controversial city-based model, Noor Kataria, who was allegedly having an affair with Baljinder Singh Sandhu, the mastermind in the sensational Anuradha murder case.



Who’s Noor Kataria


Noor Kataria

Three days’ police remand for Baljinder
Chandigarh, May 23
High drama was witnessed at the district courts when Baljinder Singh Sandhu, prime accused in the Anuradha murder case, was produced before the court of judicial magistrate, first class, Praveen Kumar Lal, today.

Murderer daughter raped by 2 youths
Kharar, May 23
The murder of a woman by her 16-year-old daughter at Sialba Majri village took a curious turn today with the revelations that the girl was raped after committing the crime when she attempted to flee.

Ness, SSP have a showdown at PCA
Mohali, May 23
It seems to be a bad time for IPL teams owners. First, it was Shah Rukh Khan, who had a tough time with the ICC anti-corruption cell and today it was Ness Wadia at the receiving end. The Bombay Dyeing scion had a major showdown with SAS Nagar police chief RS Khatra during the Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers IPL match at the PCA stadium here this evening.




EARLIER STORIES

Ill-treatment to Mayor
Bansal targets bureaucracy
Asks commissioner to issue white paper
Chandigarh, May 23
Pawan Kumar Bansal, union minister of state for finance, today condemned the UT Administration for trying to demolish the democratic system in the city.
Councillor Kamlesh makes a point during a heated debate with councillor Jatinder Bhatia at the general house meeting of the Municipal Corporation in Chandigarh on Friday.
— A Tribune photograph
Councillor Kamlesh makes a point during a heated debate with councillor Jatinder Bhatia at the general house meeting of the Municipal Corporation in Chandigarh

UT HOME SECRETARY
53 days gone still counting ...
Selection process ambiguous
I think there is too much burden on one man. It was not humanely possible to do justice to the work though the finance secretary may be doing his best to do his job. The Centre should immediately post the home secretary. Either it should be done at Delhi level or at Chandigarh level.

CITY CONCERNS
Central University Status for Panjab University
For the past one-and-a-half months, Panjab University teachers, under the banner of PUTA, are on a relay strike demanding Central University Status for the premier institution. They claim the status of a Central University will automatically draw in critical improvement and enhancement to the availability of finances both for research as well as teaching and learning.



1. Bathing may be prohibited on the dry Sukhna lake bed, but there’s no protection for the blooming lotus flowers as morning strollers walk away with them. 2. The end of the jogging track on the Sukhna Lake is affords relaxing time to stray dogs. 3. There’s no dearth of water on the Sukhna Lake. Even as the lake bed is fast turning dry, the Municipal Corporation’s negligence allows water to go waste. 4. If the authorities do not do something real fast, Sukhna Lake, once known for its lotuses, will soon turn into a fodder-supply zone. — Tribune photos by Karam Singh





COMMUNITY

Liquor flows in panchayat polls
Mohali, May 23
It is branded liquor and not ‘desi tharra’ that is flowing unabated in the villages here in the run up to the panchayat elections. While healthy competition among the candidates has made the voter the king, it seems only the best would do for the king.

Councillors urge DC to hold elections to vacant posts
Mohali, May 23
Nine councillors, belonging to the ruling group, of the Mohali Municipal Council have urged the deputy commissioner Rahul Bhandari to direct the SDM to convene elections to the posts of senior vice-president and vice-president of the civic body which are lying vacant for the past more than nine months.

Separate pay commission for defence demanded
Chandigarh, May 23
Demanding a separate pay commission for defence services personnel, military veterans belonging to various organisations, flayed the Sixth Central Pay Commission for committing injustice to the defence.

Single-window system for film shoots elusive
Cinematic tourism in city lags behind
Chandigarh, May 23
Though the Chandigarh Administration dreams big on the cinematic tourism front by proposing to set up a film city, yet the film producers are a harassed lot. In fact, film shooting in the beautiful locales of the city seems to be quite a hassle with single- window clearance for the film shootings yet to take a concrete shape.

Tribune Impact
Probe on into pattern behind missing vehicles
Chandigarh, May 23
Following a report “Serviced vehicles goes missing” published in the Chandigarh Tribune, the crime branch of the Chandigarh police is now investigating the matter. According to the police sources, the Chandigarh police has marked an inquiry directing the crime branch to investigate the alleged involvement of mechanics of Swami Autos in the Industrial Area.

Garbage plant to produce fuel
Chandigarh, May 23
The municipal solid waste processing plant at Dadu Majra will produce Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) worth about Rs 3.50 lakh per day from the garbage collected from the city. Besides, the processing of garbage is eco-friendly and helps in eliminating the green-house effect caused by the emission of toxic gases owing to dumping of garbage in open space.

MC orders probe into dumping of garbage
Chandigarh, May 23
The municipal corporation today constituted a committee to probe the dumping of debris and garbage in front of several shops in Phase II, Industrial Area, on Thursday.

Mango Garden — an eyesore
Mohali, May 23
The Mango Garden, which had become popular over the years with morning walkers and others looking for a whiff of fresh air, is gradually turning into an eyesore, thanks to neglect by the local civic body.

Rise in Violent Crime
Are we living on short fuse?
Chandigarh, May 23
A 16-year-old girl strangulates her mother to death in Ropar.
Reason: The woman was objecting to her inter-caste love affair.
A realtor husband allegedly masterminds the murder of his wife in Chandigarh and uses the services of his servant to execute the crime.

CAT stays cop’s dismissal
Chandigarh, May 23
UT police constable Jasbir Singh has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal, challenging the order terminating his services. The tribunal granting him interim relief has stayed the operation of the order dismissing him from service and directed the UT administration and the SSP, Chandigarh, to reply to the contentions raised by Jasbir Singh.

BSP holds rally against fresh taxes
Chandigarh, May 23
The local unit of the BSP today organised a rally outside the office of the municipal corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) against the proposal to impose property tax on residential property and in support of other long-pending demands of the residents.
Activists of the BSP at a rally outside the MCC office in Chandigarh on Friday. — A Tribune photograph
Activists of the BSP at a rally outside the MCC office in Chandigarh

Visually impaired put on election duty
Chandigarh, May 23
The National Federation of the Blind and the Netraheen Jagriti Sangh today alleged that the Punjab Government was appointing the visually-challenged persons on duty for the local bodies elections.

Silence zones
Mohali, May 23
The DC of SAS Nagar Rahul Bhandari has declared the area between the Kharar bus stand and the Khanpur bridge and the Kharar bus stand and the Kharar Civil Hospital as silence zone.

EDUCATION

Central Varsity Status
Issue being politicised: Khosla
Chandigarh, May 23
The faculty members of the department of mass communication volunteered to sit on the relay fast today, seeking central university status for PU. Those faculty members who sat on the fast were Jayanth N. Pethkar, Mohanmeet Khosla and Archana Singh, supported by their students Neha Jindal, Neha Vig, Hemant, Arunpreet, and Deeksha Kadian.

Physics dept to have world-class centre
Chandigarh, May 23
The department of physics, Panjab University, is all set to match steps with the national institutes of research in the country with many novelties up its sleeve. The department, which has been the Centre of Advanced Study in Physics since 1991, is all set to establish a world class Panjab University Accelerator Science Centre (PUASC) in its south campus. The proposal is in its advanced stages for funding with the department of science and technology, New Delhi.

Parents forced to buy books at higher price
Chandigarh, May 23
Giving a true reflection of the well-knit nexus between the private publishers and the schools, certain schools of the city operate in an autocratic manner, putting the parents at the receiving end.

CEC gets new principal
Mohali, May 23
Chandigarh Engineering College (CEC), Mohali has appointed Dr H.S. Saini, as principal of the CEC while it has entrusted policy formation to Dr G.D. Bansal, who has been elevated as director-general, Chandigarh Group of Colleges.

Jean Rodrigues opens exhibition
Chandigarh, May 23
President of the council for child welfare Jean Rodrigues inaugurated an exhibition-cum-sale at Panchayat Bhawan, Sector 18 here today. The exhibition was organised by the adult education unit, Sector 42, Chandigarh and would remain open for public from 10 am to 8 pm tomorrow.

Summer cool party organised
Mohali, May 23
To see off the children for a five- week long summer vacation, summer cool party was organised at Manav Mangal SMART School in Mohali. Children came dressed in cool outfits all set for the party, the best dressed child of each section was awarded the Cool Cat and the Cool Dude award, a mini encyclopaedia which they could enjoy reading during the summer break. A cultural show was also organised.

PU CET results
Chandigarh, May 23
Panjab University has declared the results of the CET 2008 conducted by the university on May 18. The entrance examination was conducted for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) five-year integrated course, B.Pharmacy and B.Sc. (Hons School).

Workshop
Mohali, May 23
Jan Shikshan Sansthan in collaboration with Shazia cosmetics and ayurvedics, Muzaffarnagar, and Glimpse Beauty Academy organised a one-day workshop on `Hair Cuts & Make-up’ on its campus today.

 
COURTS

HC stays forum’s orders against HUDA officials
Chandigarh, May 23
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed Panchkula’s District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum’s orders, sentencing and awarding fine to HUDA Chief Administrator T.C.Gupta and Estate Officer Mahavir Kaushik.

ADMINISTRATION

Posting of Employees
CVC’s order creates hurdles
Chandigarh, May 23
Limited options to reshuffle its employees among different departments have become a stumbling block for the Chandigarh administration in implementing orders of the Central Vigilance Commission on posting of their employees.

PIO to Administrator appointed
Chandigarh, May 23
Following the directions of the Central Information Commission (CIC), the Chandigarh administration today appointed joint secretary (home) as public information officer (PIO) for the UT Administrator.

 
NEIGHBOURHOOD

Woman dies, kin blame in-laws
Block Rajpura railway flyover
Rajpura, May 23
Family members of a 25-year-old woman blocked traffic at the Rajpura railway flyover for over an hour after their daughter, married in Rajpura, died at her in-laws’ house.

Punjab govt ‘insensitive’ towards safai karamcharis
Patiala, May 23
Santosh Chowdhury, chairperson of the National Safai Sewak Commission, said Punjab government was not sensitive towards the genuine demands of safai sewaks throughout the state.

Teachers busy with election duties, students suffer
Banur, May 23
Studies of two government schools are suffering for the past few weeks due to election duties of its teachers. The students in elementary schools at Baddanpur village and Chhajon village, about ten km from Banur, are waiting for their teachers and come back even before the school gets off.

Make board exam forms available in time: Teachers
Ambala, May 23
Members of the Haryana School Lecturers’ Association have demanded that examination forms of the Haryana Board of School Education should be made available to them well in time and collectively at one place.

Fire brigade services hit due to staff shortage
Fatehgarh Sahib/Rajpura, May 23
Irrational distribution of staff and infrastructure in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rajpura mars the fire fighting services. The state of the department is such that it is unable to attend two fire rescue calls simultaneously.

Todar Mal's haveli to get facelift
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 23
The Jahaaz Haveli of Diwan Todar Mal will be saved form further erosion before this monsoon. This was decided during a meeting of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Punjab Virasat Charitable Trust.

Rs 1 lakh grant for families of soldiers killed in 1984
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 23
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar today announced that Rs 1 lakh grant would be given to the family members of those who lost their lives in 1984.

Residents consume non-potable water
Bassi Pathana, May 23
The residents of this town are consuming non-potable water. Civil surgeon Fatehgarh Sahib, in his letter to the executive officer MC Bassi Pathana and to the DC, SDM Bassi Pathana, deputy director malaria and director local bodies.

SPORTS

Cricket
Challenger tourney begins
Chandigarh, May 23
Edmund Rice Cricket Academy (ERCA) and St Johns, in association with Aresson Sports Club, will be organising All-India under-14 Challenger Trophy Cricket Tournament from tomorrow.


Cricket fans from Phagwara in Mohali to watch a cricket match at the PCA stadium on Friday.
— Tribune photo by Vicky Gharu


Cricket fans from Phagwara in Mohali to watch a cricket match at the PCA stadium

AITA
City players win four titles
Chandigarh, May 23
It was definitely Chandigarh’s day as all the four singles titles were claimed by the city players in the All-India Tennis Association Talent Series Tennis Championship at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) courts, here today.

 
HEALTH

GMSH-16 to get digital X-ray machine
Will cut down waiting time for patients
Chandigarh, May 23
Patients visiting the radiology department in the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, can now hope for better facilities and a lesser waiting period as the department is all set to get a new digital X-ray machine.

CRIME

Dimpy Murder Case
Application on brain mapping adjourned
Chandigarh, May 23
The UT police has not been able to subject any of the three suspects in the sensational Dimpy murder case to brain mapping test due to procedural wrangling. The UT police today moved an application before the judicial magistrate, first class, A.S. Shergill, to carry out the brain-mapping test on Harneev Kaur, one of the accused.

 
BUSINESS

Exclusive Lee Cooper store launched
Chandigarh, May 23
Lee Cooper company has big expansion plans for the north region in this financial year. Ameet Panchal, CEO, Lee Cooper India Pvt Ltd, stated this to mediapersons at the launch of the first Lee Cooper exclusive store at Sector 17 here today.


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