NEIGHBOURHOOD

Traffic chaos rules Patiala roads
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Kalka, June 21
As the summer holidays are on, the toy train running from Kalka to Shimla has become the favourite mode of transport for people wanting to get a feel of cool environs of the mountains.

Station superintendent (SS) of the Kalka railway station Ajay Kochhar said a heavy rush of passengers was being witnessed at the station for the past many days.

He told The Tribune that besides five trains already running between Kalka and Shimla, the department of railways, Ambala Division, had started two special holiday trains and two railcars (on demand) to cope with the heavy rush. For the convenience of the passengers and tourists, some additional luxury coaches like deluxe chair car, vestibule coaches and Shivalik palace, a party coach for couples, had been attached to the trains, he added.

Despite all these arrangements, scores of passengers from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi had to go back as they could not get seats, he said adding that the disappointed tourists, who came to Kalka mainly to enjoy a toy-train ride, had to either hire taxies or go by bus. 

Bassi Pathana, June 21
Darbara Singh, a vocational attendant in Government Senior Secondary School (boys), Bassi Pathana, was found dead in the school this morning. Although the vacations were going on, principal and some of the staff members were coming to the school everyday.

The body of the attendant was first noticed by a student, who had come to collect his character certificate. He saw him lying unconscious in the room and immediately informed Gurmail Singh, another non-teaching staff member. When Gurmail Singh tried to wake up Darbara Singh, his body fell on the ground. Gurmail Singh then informed the school principal, Harvel Singh, who rushed the attendant to the civil hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The doctors said Darbara Singh had died of heart failure. The principal said he was alright when he came to the school in the morning.

The body was handed over to the family members after postmortem. The cremation took place in the evening at his native Dadiana village.

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 21
Two youths Balwinder Singh (21) and Gurpreet Singh (18) of Pehova village, near Kurukshetra, were killed in an accident near Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib at 7.30 this morning.

As soon as they crossed the railway over-bridge in Fatehgarh Sahib, a truck hit them from the rear.

Both victims were rushed to the local civil hospital. While Gurpreet was declared brought dead, Balwinder was rushed to the PGI where he succumbed to his injuries. A case against the truck driver has been registered.

Patiala, June 21
Indian sportswomen have evolved over the years and made the country proud. Our women players time and again win laurels at international level and prove that Indian women are not less than men.

Though there are many established players like Sania Mirza, Anju Bobby George, Dolla Banerjee and so on but there is one woman who is a pioneer in the field of sports as far as the Indian history is concerned. Padamshree Kamaljit Sandhu Kooner, director of national camps, NIS, Patiala, is the first Indian woman to win a medal for India in any game.

She won gold medal in 400 m during the Bangkok Asian Games in 1970. She also took part in the Munich Olympics in 1972. She also was a finalist in the World Universade in 400 m sprint in Turin, Italy.

She established herself as an icon for Indian women. She won various international competitions from 1970 to 1972 in Malaysia, Thailand, Europe, America and USA in 400 m. She also held the national record for 12 years (1970 to 1982) in 200 m and 400 m.

Apart from being the top player of the country, she also made a place for herself as a coach. She was the first Indian lady coach of the national sprint women team, which won 100, 200, 400, 4x100 and 400 m hurdles in Asian Games that were held in Delhi in 1982, international competitions in Asia and Europe, qualified for world championship and Olympics 1984 till 1991.

A postgraduate from Panjab University, Chandigarh, she has also won various inter-university titles. On the academic front, she did her diploma in athletics from NIS, Patiala.

She did her higher specialisation in athletics sprints from West Germany in 1971. She also polished her skills in the USA.

Currently, she is the director of national camps in NIS, Patiala.

On being asked about the camps at NIS, she said the institute provided the players with all kinds of facilities, be it food, accommodation, equipment, best coaches et al.

“We provide our players with the best of everything so that they can excel at the international level and bring honour to the country. I only hope that all players who have qualified for the Olympics should come home victorious and fulfill India’s desire of winning more and more Olympic medals,” she said. 

Chandigarh, June 21
Caddie-turned-pro Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh, who was tied a close second after the third round, gave a miserable performance on the final day, an eight over par 77, to slip to tied 20th spot as Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee clinched the PGTI Players Championship title and the prize money of Rs 4,84,950 on the greens of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in Kolkata today.

Ganjee’s tournament total of nine under par 234 helped him record his first professional victory since the Asian Tour’s Volkswagen Masters in 2004. Secunderabad’s Anirban Lahiri and 2006-07 PGTI Order of Merit winner Ashok Kumar finished joint second with an overall score of four under 239. SSP Chowrasia and Delhi-based Himmat Singh Rai were a further stroke behind in tied fourth place.

The best performance by a Chandigarh golfer was from Uttam Mundy who fired a two-over par 71 to finish tied eighth at one over 244. Mundy pocketed a prize money of Rs 63,930.

Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh played a one under par 68 to finish with a four-day tally of three over 246 to occupy the joint 16th spot and a purse of Rs 42,150.

Kapurthala boy Gaganjeet Bhullar’s (39, 69, 70, 72) overall score of seven over 250 helped him finish tied 28th and a purse of Rs 31,200.

Young Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh, who turned pro recently, was joint 43rd with a prize money of Rs 18,600.

Final scores (after 63 holes): 234 Rahil Gangjee (34-69-66-65); 239 Anirban Lahiri (38-66-67-68) and Ashok Kumar (34-67-70-68); 240 S.S.P. Chowrasia (35-70-68-67) and Himmat Singh Rai (39-68-65-68); 241 Yusuf Ali (35-72-66-68); 243 Arjun Singh (37-68-65-73); 244 Digvijay Singh (36-68-73-67), Dayal Singh (37-67-69-71), Manav Jaini (36-68-69-71), Uttam Singh Mundy (37-68-68-71) and Chiragh Kumar (34-70-68-72).

Chandigarh, June 21
Chitwan Mann fired a two-over par 74 to clinch the gross open title in the Uppal's Extraordinary Golf League which saw around 200 golfers teeing off for the one-day golf extravaganza on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club here today.

Two strokes behind the winner was Brig P.P.S. Dhillon who finished with a gross score of 76.

It was a competition on the greens worth going miles to see. Yes, contesting in different age-groups were golfers from the Chandigarh Golf Club, Chandigarh Golf Range, Panchkula Golf Club and the Shivalik Golf Club. And the sponsors were the Uppal group.

Barring the open gross score event the age-group competitions were decided on nett scores.

Lt-Col R.S. Grewal returned a nett score of 59 to clinch the below 50-year title with Sunit Sehgal

finishing six strokes behind.

The results:

Gross Open: Chitwan Mann 74, Brig P.P.S. Dhillon 76.

Nett category:Below 50 years:Lt-Col R.S. Grewal 59, Sunit Sehgal 65. 50 to 60 years -- Jaspal Singh Sidhu 68, G.S. Wason 76. 60 to 70 years--Lt-Gen M.P.S. Bhandari 63, Brig P.P.S. Dhillon 64. 70 years and above--Col M.S. Narula 35, B.S. Jabbi 35. Ladies--Mohinder Ruppal 66, Pauline J.M. Singh 72.

Longest drive: Gurmehar Brar 300 yards.

Nearest to Pin: Balwant Singh Brar 2.5 ft.

Chandigarh, June 21
A stupendous half-century by Lakhan Shandil enabled United Sports to defeat Fortis XI by six wickets in a league match of the IVth Champions Trophy League Tournament being organised by the Chandigarh Sports Club at GMSSS- 32 here today.

Chandigarh, June 21
The local police has arrested Sector 15 residents Neetu and her brother Albein for their negligence, which led to Nisha Thakur’s death a month ago. Nisha’s body was found under mysterious circumstances near a bridge in Khudda Lahora village here last month.

According to the sources, Nisha, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, came in contact with Neetu a few months back in Solan. Nisha came to the city on May 14 and was staying with Neetu in Sector 15. On May 17 i.e. a day before her body was recovered, Nisha suddenly fell unconscious soon after she had lunch at Neetu’s home.

Seeing her lying unconscious, Neetu immediately informed her brother Albein, who was working as a taxi driver. Albein without delay called a doctor to his house. The doctor refused to visit the place and said Nisha should be taken to hospital.

Nisha’s condition kept on deteriorating and by the time Albein could arrange for a doctor, she died. Afraid of being caught, Albein arranged for a taxi from his friend, saying that he along his sister had to go to Shimla. He later dumped the body in Khudda Lahora village.

According to Neetu, Nisha was not well ever since she underwent an abortion about 10 days ago, following which she died. The police has booked the two under Sections 201 and 304-A.

The police recovered a diary from Nisha, which had the telephone number of Neetu. On inquiry, Neetu failed to give an appropriate answer to the police, which created a suspicion in the minds of the investigating officers. The police through the call details of Neetu rounded up the duo, who were in regular touch with Neetu’s brother. They revealed that Albein had approached them. 

Chandigarh June 21
J.S. Thakur, senior manager, Punjab National Bank, lodged a police complaint against Ashwani Sayal and Reena Sayal, residents of Panchkula, on the charges of fraud.

According to the police, the duo took a loan of Rs 13 lakh from the bank against the security of the house, which they later sold without clearing the loan amount.

Chandigarh, June 21
Shiv Kumar, a computer operator of HCL Tech, reportedly duped Iqbal Singh, a resident of Mohali of Rs 2.5 crore.

According to police sources, Shiv Kumar, who has already been arrested by the Chandigarh police on the charge of killing a chartered accountant, was running a firm in the name of Master Religan Securities.

Iqbal purchased a total of 77,300 shares through Rajesh Goel, his chartered accountant. Iqbal received bonus shares, which Shiv allegedly transferred to his trading de-mate account.

In March, this year, Shiv transferred an amount of Rs 2, 54, 62,562 in his account and purchased shares of Jan Jagni of Rs 6.8 lakh, which is still present in his de-mate account. Shiv kept on withdrawing the money from his account at regular intervals and used the said amount in trading of shares of various companies.

Sources revealed, that after the transaction of shares of Rs 2.5 crore, and the amount involved in it, led to the murder of the accountant. Shiv had the possession of deposit inspection slips, through which he made all the transactions.

In May, last year, Goel, a chartered accountant, was stabbed to death in his Sector 32 office, by a share-broker, Kanav Arora, his employee Shiv, who allegedly paid Rs 14 lakh to pocket a sum of Rs 1.90 crore to a ‘contract killer’ Mandeep Singh of Phase X, Mohali, a call centre employee.

The police found a torn PAN card application form filled in the name of Arora, from the dustbin in Goel’s office, which led to the arrest of the trio.

Anookh Singh, additional SHO, police station, Sector 36, who was investigating the matter, finally got vital clue, which let to the registration of an FIR under Section 420, IPC. 

Chandigarh, June 21
Puneet Kumar, a resident of Sector 22, was allegedly thrashed by a group of a dozen youths near MC Supreme Market, Sector 9, here late last night. The assailants have been identified as Gurtej Pannu, Ghughi and others.

According to the police, Puneet came to the market to have dinner along with his friends, when a group standing there allegedly got involved in a heated argument over the possession of a table. Puneet was hit by a beer bottle on his head before the group opened fire, while fleeing the spot. He sustained several injuries and was immediately taken to the GMSH-16.

The police has registered a case under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 336 and 506 of the IPC at the police station, Sector 3.

Har Sai Sharma, SHO, police station, Sector 3, said they were looking into the matter and raids were being carried out to trace the whereabouts of the suspects. 

Chandigarh, June 21
Shanti, 50, a resident of Zirakpur, was run over by a CTU bus at the Sector 22 traffic light point here this morning.

It is learnt that the victim along with her husband was on her way to the GMSH-16 on a scooter, when a speeding CTU bus (CH-01-G-5962) hit them from behind. Shanti, who was riding pillion, fell on the road and was crushed under the tyres of the bus.

The victim was was immediately taken to the hospital, where the doctors declared her brought dead. The driver of the bus, Harbans Singh of Ludhiana, has been arrested under Section 304-A and the police has impounded the bus.

Chandigarh, June 21
Music is a fusion of gestures, sentiments and emotions. NIM SOFYAN Austrian band expressed the view while interacting with mediapersons here today. The six- member group has come to Chandigarh for the first time to give performance on World Music Day.

While interacting with the media, one of the artistes of the group said it was very interesting to attempt fusion and compose music, which touched the heart of the audience. He said the entire band was curious to perform, as they were aware that the Indian audience appreciated good music.

When asked how much they were inspired by traditional Austrian music-Austria is considered as land of music-the artistes commented that they were not motivated by classical music as it did not match with the taste of the present generation.

Another performer stated that through their performance, they would present their art and in exchange gather experiences about the rich cultural heritage of this country and know about various cultures and communities.

The show is being organised by the Austrian Cultural Forum, department of culture of Austrian embassy, New Delhi, in collaboration with Chandigarh tourism and Spandan. The band will perform at Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh tomorrow on the occasion of World Music Day.

Panchkula, June 21
The melodic strains of filmy songs wafted across the natural ambience of the Yavanika Open Air Theatre as the well-known singers, mostly doctors, doled out hit numbers in a musical bonanza “Sur Sangam -08”.

The annual event, eighth in the series, which marked the World Music Day commenced on a mundane note due to an inordinate delay. But once the society president Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj took the centrestage to spell magic, the audience were sent in a reverie. He opened up with a song “Chahiye thoda pyar” followed by “Thodi si jo pee li hai” and more duets with Preetika Bhasin.

Dr Suman Joshi bared the emotional content of the lyric in “Pathar ke sanam” and other songs. Another PGI pathologist Dr Raje Nijhavan rendered a crisp song “Baar baar dekho” before teaming up with Dr Rozy Aneja for “Gaata rahe mera dil” who also sang “Zindagi pyar ka geet hai”.

Many amateur singers, selected after an audition, however, gave a superb performance, especially Pretika Bhasin, Priyanka, Sanjeev and Priya Kath both in solo and duet numbers. Other artistes who impressed audience include Vishal Thapa, Tanvi, Amanpreet Singh, Gurang, Puneet Pali, Deepak Sharma, Rakesh, and Neeraj Bakshi.

Composer Raj Srivastav provided the orchestral support leading 1- member ensemble while JK Singh of AIR compeered the function.

Earlier, Dr Bhardwaj welcomed the chief guest Ravinder Rawal, president, MC who lighted the traditional lamp. The guests of honour Dr Sunil Nath, director, Alchemist Hospital, and Dr Gopal Munjal, CEO Ind-Swift, were also felicitated.