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TOP STORIES

Mohali to be future city
Mohali, June 19
It’s here. The much-awaited blueprint for the development of the greater Mohali area in the next 50 years prepared by Singapore’s Jurong Limited has been submitted to the Punjab government.

A view of the Sector 62 city centre as envisaged by Singapore’s Jurong Limited.

Drainage of rain water
Remove blockage, Ansals told
Chhapar Chidi (Kharar), June 19
Acting on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the district administration today warned the authorities of Ansal API Township to demolish the construction obstructing drainage of rain water of the village.

DC orders demolition
Mohali, June 19
Deputy Commissioner, SAS Nagar, Rahul Bhandari today said, “In case the structures are not demolished by tomorrow, the district administration will undertake demolition,” adding that any damage caused to the village due to their structures would be the company’s responsibility. “The company has been told that it would have to duly compensate the villagers in case of any damage,” said the DC.

EO refusing conversion applications
Conversion rates cannot be over and above the commercial value of the property in question
Chandigarh, June 19
The revised conversion rate of Rs 72,000 per sq yard for those opting to convert their industrial plot into a commercial establishment has opened a Pandora’s box for the Chandigarh administration.

Flesh trade thrives
3,000 sex workers in city
Chandigarh, June 19
The city is emerging as a regional hub of the sex trade industry. In the past few months, the Chandigarh police has arrested over 30 call girls and pimps for running flesh trade racket here.

COMMUNITY

Three countries seek DRDO’s Akash missile
Chandigarh, June 19
Three countries have expressed an interest in procuring the Akash air defence missile system developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

DUCKING UNDER: A duckling takes shelter under a water lily at Nature Park in Sector 26, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Karam Singh

Any plans for Sukhna? Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal known for restoring the pristine glory of the polluted Kali Bein stream associated with Guru Nanak Dev ji in Punjab by clearing the 160-km long stream of garbage, silt and other wastage, at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

SCOs on V4 road allowed wide-glass facade
Chandigarh, June 19
The Chandigarh administration has allowed wide-glass façade on the first and second floors of SCOs/SCFs on V4 roads in all sectors.

CM approves widening of roads
Township’s greenery to suffer
Mohali, June 19
Mohali road network is in for a major revamp but at the cost of the township’s greenery. The Punjab chief minister has approved the widening and upgradation of a host of important roads within Mohali’s sectoral grid in the meeting of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority held recently.

Mall Culture
Parking chaos to rule Industrial Area
Chandigarh, June 19
Development will come at a heavy price for the industrial area in Chandigarh. Even as the industrial area gears up to become a happening place in the wake of coming up of shopping malls-cum-multiplexes, parking chaos will reign supreme in the area leaving the visitors, motorists and the passersby high and dry.

ISBT-43 car park staff fleece motorists
Chandigarh, June 19
Tall claims of the Chandigarh administration to make the newly built Inter-State Bus Terminus, Sector 43, a model bus terminal have fallen flat with the rampant fleecing of people by the parking contractor right under its nose.

Aero society observes founder’s day
Chandigarh, June 19
The Chandigarh chapter of the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) observed its 17th foundation day here by organising a technical meet of senior scientists and technocrats from various establishments yesterday evening.

Zirakpur Elections
SAD comes up with development plan
Zirakpur, June 19
Punjab cooperation minister and general secretary of SAD Capt Kanwaljit Singh today said a master plan for development of Zirakpur is ready and it has been prepared by a Singapore-based company.

Monsoon bares poor upkeep of roads
Chandigarh, June 19
The monsoon has exposed the poor maintenance of roads by the civic authorities, with most of these virtually becoming death traps for residents.

Girl tied to grill at Mansa Devi Temple; probe ordered
Panchkula, June 19
A six-year-old girl was forced to keep standing for hours tied to a grill at Mata Mansa Devi temple here by Haryana policemen.

Blood donation camp
Chandigarh, June 19
A blood donation camp was organised at Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Sector 29, today. It was organised in association with the PGI Blood Bank. — TNS

CITIZENS’ GRIEVANCES
Medical bill not reimbursed
I retired as principal of Government College of Education, Jalandhar, on January 31, 1988. I underwent treatment from January 4,2008 to March 2, 2008, at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, for serious chronic disorders.

Letters
Respect legends
Kapil Dev was born in Chandigarh. He is a living legend of our times and needs no introduction. But despite this, PCA authorities have been outlandishly rude to him.

EDUCATION

Punjab to have open university
Mohali, June 19
Punjab would have an open university to cater to students who do not have an access to formal education. This was announced by Punjab Minister of Education Dr Upinderjit Kaur during a press conference here today.

PU to set up guidance cells for rural students
Initiative to kick start today at Badal village
Chandigarh, June 19
Panjab University will now contribute towards higher education for rural students in a noble way. The university is going to set up its guidance cells for rural students in four districts of Punjab, including Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar and Ferozepur from June 23-28.

Cops harassing us unnecessarily, say student leaders
Chandigarh, June 19
Student leaders of Panjab University have expressed displeasure over unnecessary interference and harassment by the Chandigarh police.

PUTA, JAC to observe Chitavani Diwas today
Chandigarh, June 19
The Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) and JAC (Joint Action Committee) will observe June 20 as Chitavani Diwas. This day also marks the 75th day of the relay fast by teachers, students and research scholars for Central status for PU.

Members of JAC release a students’ brochure during a press conference organised by PUTA and JAC in Chandigarh on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Seminar on gender sensitisation
Chandigarh, June 19
The Asian Education Society organised a seminar-cum-workshop on gender sensitisation here today. UT special secretary finance Raji. P. Shrivastava was the chief guest on the occasion.

Decision to recast UT Sahitya Akademi hailed
Chandigarh, June 19
Several scholars have welcomed the decision of the Chandigarh administration to reconstitute the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademy, terming it as a step consistent with the regulation to reconstitute the akademi.

COURTS

Company let-off despite printing mistake
Chandigarh, June 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has saved the Areva T&D India Limited from suffering a loss running into crores due to a “printing mistake” in tender document.

Consumer Courts
Faulty bill costs power dept Rs 40,000
Chandigarh, June 19
In a major relief to a consumer, the UT electricity department has been ordered by the Chandigarh State Consumer Redressal Commission to refund Rs 40, 235, which the department had charged wrongly due to a faulty electricity meter.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Newborn girl found abandoned
Kharar, June 19
Yet another newborn baby girl was found in the cradle hung outside Universal Disabled Care Taker Social Welfare Society, Padiala village, at 7.30 pm on Wednesday.

District schools sans teacher
Patiala, June 19
A majority of schools in the town are functioning from places belonging to various government departments.

Civic Polls
96 candidates in fray
97 papers filed, one rejected
Bassi Pathana, June 19
During the scrutiny of papers today, the nomination papers of only one candidate out of 97 for 13 wards of municipal council, Bassi Pathana, was rejected. The papers of Gurmail Singh from Ward No.12 were not found in order, so there would be 96 candidates in the fray.

Woman molested, one arrested
Police takes action after women commission’s intervention
Ambala, June 19
After the intervention of the chairman of State Women Commission the police arrested Awtar, a resident of village Berikhera, against whom a case of molestation was registered on the complaint of Ram who had alleged that Awtar had molested his wife.

WB team assesses disease project
Ropar, June 19
A four-member team from the World Bank assessed the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) here today.

Unidentified assailants injure truck driver
Bassi Pathana, June 19
Some unidentified assailants seriously injured a truck driver near Canal Bridge at village Khalspur, last night while he was returning home after his duty. The assailants injured him seriously but did not take anything from him and managed to flee from the spot.

SPORTS

AITA Tennis Tourney
Vibhuti, Smriti reach final
Chandigarh, June 19
Local player third seed Vibhuti Khullar has made it to the final of the girls’ under-12 final registering victory over Devika Chakravarti 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the ongoing AITA Talent Series Tennis Tournament at the CLTA courts, Sector 10, here today.

PGTI
Harendra Gupta gets three-stroke lead
Chandigarh, June 19
Caddie-turned-pro from Chandigarh Harendra Gupta fired a four under par 65 to surge ahead with a three-stroke lead at the midway stage of the Rs 30 lakh PGTI Players Championship on the Royal Calcutta Golf Club greens in Kolkata today. At the close, today, Harendra Gupta took his tournament total to seven under par 98. Harendra led the field among the 81 golfers who finished round two. Ashok Kumar was three strokes behind him in the second slot.

Cricket Challenger Trophy
Three Delhi teams win
Chandigarh, June 19
On the inaugural day of the All-India Challenger Trophy Under-12 Cricket Tournament, three Delhi teams, PDA, MRB and Rohini Cricket Academy (RCA), moved ahead beating their respective rivals. Local outfit Mohali Cricket Academy (MCA), too registered win in the tourney, being held at St John’s High School and St Soldier’s School grounds here.

Kang slips to fourth spot
Chandigarh, June 19
Harjinder Singh Kang of Chandigarh played a bad seven over par 79 to slip to fourth position at 229 on the penultimate day of the LG Coimbatore Open on the par 72 greens of the Coimbatore Golf Club on Thursday.

Athletics competition on June 22, 23
Chandigarh, June 19
Haryana State Athletic Association (HSAA) will organise open athletics competition on June 22 and 23 at village Jatwar, Ambala, to mark International Olympics Day.

HEALTH

Bed shortage at de-addiction centres
After police, MC mulls writing to administration
Chandigarh, June 19
Following in the footsteps of the Chandigarh police, the municipal corporation is now planning to write to the administration to increase the number of beds of the de-addiction centres present in city hospitals.

CRIME

Trickster arrested for duping woman
Panchkula, June 19
The local police has arrested a resident from Chandigarh for allegedly duping a woman of Rs 1 lakh and her gold jewellery. The accused has been identified as Iqbal, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony.

Man beaten up for refusing a cigarette
Chandigarh, June 19
Arvind Rana, working with a private company in Himachal Pradesh, was beaten up by a group of 11 youths at Hotel Himani, Sector 35, here when he refused them a cigarette.

Man found dead in Sec 7
Chandigarh, June 19
The body of a 35-year-old man, Rajiv, was found at his residence in Sector 7, here this morning.

28-yr-old commits suicide
Mohali, June 19
A 28-year-old resident of Phase X here allegedly committed suicide by throwing himself before a moving train. ASI Gurvinder Singh of Kharar railway station said the victim seemed to have had jumped at 3 pm.

BUSINESS

Currency Exchange
Postal dept scheme a non-starter
Chandigarh, June 19
Thanks to convoluted procedure, lack of customer-friendly facilities and poor marketing, the postal department foreign currency exchange scheme that was launched with much fanfare just one and half months ago remains a non-starter.

Software exports from tricity cross Rs 678 cr
Chandigarh, June 19
The dream of Chandigarh and its satellite towns of Panchkula and Mohali to emerge as the IT hub of the region is being realised slowly with software exports touching Rs 678 crore in the year 2007-08.

Franchise key to expanding business: Experts
Chandigarh, June 19
Franchise model significantly mitigates the risk associated with any new enterprise in the global market. This view emerged during a two-day expo, FRO 2008, which commenced here today.

Role of microfinance in rural areas highlighted
Chandigarh, June 19
The National Savings Institute, ministry of finance (department of economic affairs), Government of India, recently organised 15th World Savings Bank Institute General Assembly in association with the World Savings Bank Institute (WSBI), Brussels.

BSNL to upgrade facilities
Chandigarh, June 19
BSNL telephone numbers of level 2601000 to 2601999 will be changed from Fetex exchange, Sector 34, to OCB exchange, Sector 34, on June 20 to provide upgraded facilities like calling line identification.

CULTURE

Face-to-face with NRI Punjabi poet
Chandigarh, June 19
Kayanat Arts organised a face-to-face interaction with well-known Punjabi poet Amarjit Sathi based at Ottawa, Canada.