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Candidates spend big bucks to woo voters
Zirakpur, June 26 With a bitter fight on between SAD candidates and SAD breakaway group led by N.K. Sharma here, sky seems to be the limit for election-related expenditure. Cash-rich candidates for the Zirakpur MC election are sparing no expense and the limit of Rs 1 lakh for each candidate seems almost like a joke. The city is awash with colourful posters, banners and buntings and this is just the tip of the expenditure iceberg. The N.K. Sharma group is airing advertisements on FM radio every hour promising residents of Zirakpur an all-round development in the coming five years if they bring his group to power. “The SAD had started advertising on radio before the Vidhan Sabha elections following which the Congress also did the same. However, at the level of municipal election, this has happened for the first time,” pointed out a voter. The group is also organising dinners each evening with supporters in hundreds thronging these feasts. Sharma has also invited Punjab’s famed singer Hans Raj Hans to perform live at one such gathering tomorrow. His poll campaign is the most attractive with his supporters carrying an umbrella, his election symbol, wherever they go. The colourful umbrella campaign is quite a sight when it moves on the small roads within the colonies here. The SAD organised a joint car rally in the township wherein a host of vehicles moved across various parts of the township. The other parties are not too far behind. Big snazzy cars and SUVs are being used to campaign by the candidates and the hike in petrol seems to be no bother at all. The SAD rally organised some weeks ago in which the Punjab Chief Minister was also present, was also a grand show. Party supporters had been mobilised in private buses from nearby places to swell the gathering. There were large-scale arrangements of food for at least 10,000 persons. Liquor and even cash at some places is flowing into the houses of the voters, said a source. “As the campaigning ends, buying of votes is going to begin. It is the voter who has the last laugh in the elections,” said another voter. |
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Book candidates for defacing property: SDM
Ropar, June 26 Returning officer SDM Kavita Singh has strongly recommended to SSP P.K. Sinha that a case be registered against these candidates who are from various political parties. These include three SAD candidates, one candidate each of BJP and Independent candidates involved in the case are Harvinder Singh from ward number 1, Shahbaz Singh from ward number 2, Gurvinder Singh Motu from ward number 5 and Jasvir Singh Channa. Others are Balwinder Singh Gill of Congress from ward number 5, SAD candidates Jaswinder Kaur Walia from ward number 6, Vidya Sagar from ward number 8, Bawa Singh from ward number 14 and BJP candidate Inder Sain Chatwal from ward number 4. Kavita Singh had convened a meeting of all candidates on June 25 and directed them to remove posters and other campaigning material pasted on public property. They were asked to remove it by10 am today failing which the SDM recommended registration of a case against the erring candidates. Meanwhile, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) XEN, too,
has issued notices to 11 candidates whose promotional material is hanging from electricity poles as it is in violation of the election code of conduct. If the directions are not followed, all
candidates will have to face action including heavy penalty. The candidates are Harminder Pal Singh, Kiran Bains, Rajinder Kaur, Gurmukh Singh Saini, Arihant Jain, Jaswinder Kaur Walia, Sushma Sikka, Gyan Chand Verma, Asha Bains, Vidya Sagar and
Neelam Rani. |
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Five booked for selling shamlat land
Dera Bassi, June 26 The accused include Jai Singh, Jasbir Singh, Harpal Singh, Harcharan Singh and Joginder Singh. Sources in the police said the accused were former lambaradars of the village and had allegedly got together and sold almost 400 bighas of the village common land to a private company. SAS Nagar DC Rahul Bhandari said the complaint had been lodged after an undertaking was given by the former DC to the Punjab and Harayana High Court that the accused would be brought to book. “The case pertains to the sale of shamlat land which has been challenged by the village panchayat party,” said the DC. He added that panchayat’s common land would not be allowed to be partitioned and sold in SAS Nagar. Sources added that the accused had managed to get their names registered on the column in the mutations register and entered into an agreement with a private coloniser. The land was sold to the coloniser for a large amount, said the police. The police has called for the records of the land from the revenue department A case has been registered under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC. No arrests have been made so far. |
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Cleansing Act
Kharar, June 26 All of them are alcoholics. They have been serving with the Punjab Police for more than five years. They were identified by the SHOs of their respective areas and motivated to opt for de-addiction. They will remain at the de-addiction centre for more than a month. They will undergo counselling and taught yoga and meditation. They will be involved in purposeful activities during the “withdrawal” period said project director G S Sindra. Earlier in the day, the police also got 12 civilians, one them a farmer from Kathgarh who owns 20 acres, admitted to the de-addiction centre at Kharar Civil Hospital. Another admitted is the son of a head constable. Addressing a gathering, SSP Jatinder Singh Aulakh called upon society, especially policemen, to restrain from the use of any kind of addiction.
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Rains dampen cooler sales
Patiala, June 26 The sale of air coolers starts from April end and is at its peak in June. Normally, monsoon hits Punjab early July and its early onset this year has jolted the air cooler industry. Pritam Singh, a cooler seller in Dashmesh Nagar locality here, revealed that the sales of coolers had been an all time low for the month of June this year. This was primarily due to the early rains and he was repentant at having stored huge stocks of coolers, hoping to sell these across the counter during the first half of the month. On an average he would sale four to five coolers every day in June last year, which has dropped to hardly one unit this year. Narain Das from Tripuri Town said he had been in this business for the last four decades and had seen the slump several times. But things were never as bad as this summer. The sales crashed even before these could pick up due to early monsoon in June and pre-monsoon two weeks back. He said he was hopeful that things would improve and the sales pick up if only there were no rains for a couple of days if not weeks. He added that he was even thinking of diversifying his business and was planning to add mobile phone sales. |
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Rare machine is junk for railways
Kalka, June 26 The system, which includes a trolley used to run on a narrow gauge 100-meter track with the help of cables attached to a motor, was installed by the British in 1903. It was used to lift coal from the wagons and load it on the trucks that took it to the railways workshop foundry. However, after being used for 85 years, the railway staff discarded it 20 years ago as by then, coal was directly brought to the railway foundry though road transport. The railway authorities have made no efforts to make it functional again. The millwright department of the railway workshop, which is responsible for the maintenance of the trolley, has in the past 20 years, never thought of even clearing the wild growth around the trolley, leave aside maintaining it. “Since the coal is directly brought to the foundry through road, there is no use to maintain the system,” said a millwright section employee, for whom the system was nothing more than a piece of scrap. |
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Thapar students ready for Formula test
Patiala, June 26 The competition will give the team a chance to demonstrate and prove their creativity and engineering skills and compete with the students from various universities around the world. The team of mechanical engineers from Thapar, under the guidance of their faculty, has worked hard for the past seven months on the formula car that is undergoing test runs in the university. The car will be airlifted to Silverstone by June 28. The project is the brainchild of a couple of first-year students of the university and its management. As far as funds were concerned, the students managed to convince corporate houses to shell out money. The car is powered by a Royal Enfield 500 cc engine modified under the guidance of technical adviser Ranjit Randhawa. The team will be vying for the top honours in fuel economy, endurance, cost analysis and engineering design. |
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Now, cops ready to arrest drug menace
Bassi Pathana, June 26 The DSP said drug abuse had become a major problem confronting society. A drug addict becomes a liability not only for the family but also for society. However, proper treatment, counselling, law enforcement and education can bring them back to the mainstream. He said the police would launch a campaign against drug abuse and trafficking by involving various social organisations. He urged all to take an oath to make the area “Drug Free”. Dr Kuldeep Singh Kang SMO highlighted various harmful effects of drugs on the health of addicts, their family and society. The former minister appreciated the efforts of the police in taking a lead to control the menace. He assured full co-operation from the public. |
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Black Elephants trampled
Patiala, June 26 After winning the toss, Multipurpose Cricket Academy elected to bat and managed to score 181 runs for eight wickets in the allotted 35 overs. Vikrant (47) and Sandeep (27) were main scorers for the academy. Black Elephant Cricket Club were all out on 93 runs in 30 overs. In another match, DMW Cricket Academy defeated Budha Dal Cricket Academy by 10 wickets due to fine bowling by Ashish. Brief scores Multipurpose Cricket Academy: 181 for 8 in 35 overs (Vikrant 47, Sandeep 27, Sidhant 23, Sonpal 23, Karan Kaila 2 for 21, Ajay Bharti 2 for 37). Black Elephant Cricket Club, Patiala: 93 all out in 30 overs (Suber Hayyer 19, Bharat Sodhi 11, Karan Kaila 12, Prabhjot 2 for 13, Karan Sodhi 2 for 30, Sandeep 1 for 12, Sonpal 1 for 9). Budha Dal Cricket Academy: 85 all out in 34 overs (Manjot 22, Vikram 13, Ashish 6 for 5 Inderveer 1 for 6). DMW Cricket Academy: 86 for no loss in 10.1 overs (Amandeep 18, Harmanjot 57). |
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I am working on Sukhbir’s directions, says Bunny
Zirakpur, June 26 Addressing a press conference here, Bunny said he had been directed by the party high command to work for the victory of SAD-BJP combine candidates in Mohali district and strengthen the hands of Punjab cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh. He said he was working for the party for the past eight years as member of the youth wing in Mohali area and was fully loyal to the party. |
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Passengers raise slogans against rly authorities
Ambala, June 26 According to information, Lohit Express that runs between Guwahati and Jammu was terminated at Ambala Cantonment on Wednesday following a blockade on rail track in Punjab area. Around 300 passengers belonging to Jammu reached Ambala Cantonment as they were aware of the fact that Lohit Express would depart from here for Guwahati at around 5 in the evening on Thursday. They reached here by Jehlam Express but before their arrival, Lohit Express had departed for Guwahati. |
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Residents rue erratic power supply
Kalka, June 26 Unscheduled power cuts for more than 14 hours are being imposed daily in these areas and residents complain that despite repeated representations to senior officials of UHBVN, the power situation has not improved. |
Chandigarh teams prove their class
Chandigarh, June 26 The Chandigarh women proved too strong for West Bengal who were not allowed even to complete one home run against 13 scored by them. In a Pool A men's outing, Chandigarh's batters and pitchers proved their class against Tamil Nadu whom they handed out a 10-0 drubbing. Ravinder and Sandeep, who made two runs each, emerged the star players for the hosts. Later in the evening, Chandigarh thrashed Chhattisgarh 25-3. It was their third successive triumph in Pool A. In their opening encounter, Chandigarh had drubbed Goa by 22-0. Meanwhile, Maharashtra scored an exciting 7-6 win against a never-say-die Chhattisgarh in a well-contested encounter. Rohit and Jagat made two home runs each while Chetan, Mayur and Visvash scored one each as Maharashtra huffed and puffed to prevail over their plucky rivals. In a high-scoring Pool B match, Puducherry got the better of Uttarakhand by 16-14. G. Shridhar, T. Mathivan (3 each), A. Ganesh Venkat, M. Chandru, A. Mahendra (2 each) served Puducherry well. Later, Puducherry were routed by Madhya Pradesh by 0-10. Results Women: Pool A: Chandigarh bt West Bengal 13-0. Chandigarh scorers: Sonia Sharma, Gurpreet, Sonia, Amanpreet (2 home runs each), Pooja, Jyoti, Nikita, Sangita and Manu (1 each). Pool B: Goa bt Chhattisgarh 7-3. Main scorers for Goa: Sharda, Jeesica, Shantui (2 each). Men: Pool A: Chandigarh bt Tamil Nadu 10-0. Ravinder and Sandeep completed two home runs each for Chandigarh. Chandigarh bt Chhattisgarh by 25-3. Pool B: Puducherry bt Uttarakhand 16-14. AP's main scorers: G. Shridhar, T. Mathivan (3 each), A. Ganesh Venkat, M. Chandru, A. Mahendra (2 each). Uttarakhand's main scorers: Sunil Kumar, Anubhav, Ankit, Madhav, Darshan (2 each); Madhya Pradesh bt Puducherry 10-0. Main scorers for MP: Amit, Sachin, Ravinder (2 each). Pool C: Goa bt Manipur 21-0. Main scorers for Goa: Laxmikant, Navnath, Siddesh, Chandresh (3 each), Chetan, Garvesh, Ivagrash (2 each); Goa bt Jharkhand 13-2. Main scorers for Goa: Chean, Narnath, Chandresh, Gauresh (2 each). Pool D: Jammu and Kashmir outclassed Orissa by 13-3 in a Pool D fixture.Tadasur topscored with four home runs while Aman scored a brace for the winners. Pool E: Kerala bt Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) 9-3. Nitin, Sonu scored two each for Kerala. Laxman scored two for IOC. Pool F: Manipur bt Uttar Pradesh 10-0. Manipur scorers: Nongthang, Tingular (2 each), Dev Dutta, Raju, Deepak, Shankar, Anikuteal and Suresh (one each). Pool G: Maharashtra bt Chhattisgarh 7-6. Maharashtra's scorers: Rohit, Jagat (2 each), Chetan, Mayur and Visvash (1 each). Pool H: Andhra Pradesh bt West Bengal 11-0. Main scorers for AP: Shrinath and Ashish (2 each). |
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Officers set out to trek Himachal valleys
Chandigarh, June 26 The expedition was flagged off from the Air Force station by Air Vice-Marshal Naresh Verma, senior officer in charge of administration, Western Air Command. Aimed at spreading awareness about the Indian Air Force (IAF) among the people in the upper reaches of Himachal Pardesh and encouraging youngsters to join the IAF, the expedition team will cover a distance of about 200 kms and scale a height of 16,535 foot while crossing two passes, Kugti and Darati. The team leader, Wg Cdr K. Dinesh is a qualified mountaineer and has been a trekker since his college days. Sqn Ldr Bhavana Mehra is the planner, motivator and main driving force behind this group of trekkers. Sqn Ldr A.P. Singh is posted at Srinagar. Flt Lt Shantanu Verma, Flt Lt C.G. Varghese and Fg Offr Manoj Rana are all young branch officers who overfly the area on air maintenance sorties to the forward bases and posts. Expressing their feelings at the start of the expedition, the team members said they were thrilled by the idea of traversing the beautiful valleys of Himachal, which they had seen only from the air. The team attended a conditioning camp at Kasauli on June 21-22. |
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Administrator's Challenge Cup
Chandigarh, June 26 The first meeting of the organising committee of the tournament was held at the Sector 42 sports complex under the chairmanship of joint sports director
J.P.S. Sidhu. Various committees have been formed and specific duties have been assigned for the smooth conduct of the tournament. The department has involved the Chandigarh Football Association that will depute technical officials to supervise the matches. CFA secretary Rakesh Bakshi has been made member of the organising committee whose chairman is the secretary, Finance and Sports, Chandigarh
administration. The technical committee has been formed with Tejinder Kumar as convener. Gurpreet Singh Bedi and
I.P. Nagi are the other members of the committee. |
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Challenger Trophy
Chandigarh, June 26 The first semifinal would be played between ERCA vs Aresson XI on June 28 at 9 am while the second semifinal will be played between the teams of St Vivekanand and Vivek High School the same day at 1 pm. The final match would be played on June 29 at 9 am. |
‘Need to fight drug menace collectively’
Chandigarh, June 26 Prof K.K. Talwar, Director of the PGI, in his welcome address highlighted the importance of the theme and the need for a concerted multi-pronged action to tackle the problem of drug abuse. Justice S.S. Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and trustee of The Tribune Trust, chaired the session. Justice Sodhi emphasised the involvement of teachers, youths and parents in order to check the menace. He urged all to fight the menace collectively. He opined that certainty of punishment for offenders should take precedence over the severity of punishment. Eminent panelists from the police, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and NGOs also spoke on the occasion. An interactive session with the public and mediapersons was held later. Talking about the “Roadmap Project,” Prof P. Kulhara, Officer-in-charge Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre and Head, Department of Psychiatry, PGI, said it was a multi-disciplinary voluntary initiative by a diverse group of people interconnected by their commitment to tackle the problem of drug abuse. Dr Amrit Bolaria, a councillor and trustee of an NGO called Developing Indigenous Resources (DIR), spoke on the role of society in demand reduction related activities to check the problem. She also discussed aspects of narco-terrorism and narco-trafficking, and emphasised the need for a political will to combat the problem. K.C. Verma, former Director-General of the Narcotics Control Bureau and Secretary (Security) of the ministry of home affairs, was also present on the occasion. He spoke on the role of control agencies (NCB, police, intelligence, law) in supply control related activities. He focused on the huge economic drives that sustain local-to-international drug-related activities. He also talked of the policies, laws in this regard and the difficulties in implementing them. Other panelists included N.P.S. Aulakh, DGP, Punjab, S.K. Jain, IG, UT, and Saji Mohan, Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau.
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Untreated thyroid can prove fatal: Study
Chandigarh, June 26 A recent study conducted by the PGI’s endocrinology department reveals that ignoring or leaving hypothyroidism treatment midway can lead to myxoedema coma, an advanced stage of the disease, that can prove fatal in 55 per cent
cases. The study was conducted on 23 patients, including three males. According to Dr Anil Bhansali, head of the endocrinology department, “Myxoedema is a rare life-threatening condition and if left untreated, it can prove fatal. Its symptoms include intolerance to intense cold and drowsiness, profound lethargy and unconsciousness.” “Sedatives, infection or stress can trigger the problem and the patient can go into coma. But, the treatment is available at this stage,” said Dr Rama Walia, assistant professor, department of endocrinology, PGI. “Thyroid ailments are common in women and it is during puberty and menopause that women become more prone to thyroid problems. Moreover, stress can also exhaust the thyroid gland. Also, a woman suffering from thyroid can pass it on to her child, especially if it's a girl,” state experts. |
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60 attend free medical camp
Chandigarh, June 26 They were given tips on staying away from drugs and were given medicines free of cost. Lukhman, a drug addict, said: “I was suffering from cough and was prescribed wine by a doctor. With regular intake of wine, I became an addict and started taking drugs as well.” At another de-addiction camp organised at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 52, people suffering from drug addiction were counselled on staying away from drugs. At yet another de-addiction camp, organised at police station-39 under the supervision of SHO Rajesh Shukla, a street play was organised to raise awareness about the ill-effects
of drugs. Also, an eye check-up camp was organised at Suhana eye hospital at the police post,
Sector 24. According to sub-inspector Maninder Singh: “At least 62 persons were examined and 41 were found suffering from eye disorders. They were advised further check-up at the hospital.” MOHALI Inaugurating the camp at Mohali, SSP Jatinder Aulakh said the extent of the problem of drug addiction among Punjab’s youth was so high that it would shock many and the situation was turning grim with each passing day. The camp was organised in collaboration with Indus Hospital here. A team of doctors and psychiatrists consulted drug addicts on the spot and started their treatment. SP (head quarters) Harinder Pal Singh Sidhu also spoke on the occasion. At Lalru, a similar camp was inaugurated by SP (operations) Kamaldeep Singh. Two doctors and a psychiatrist were present during the camp. “They examined 24 patients and advised follow up treatment to some. Medicines were also distributed free during the camp, said Lalru SHO Sukhvinderjit Singh. |
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Driver arrested for injuring scooterist
Chandigarh, June 26 Meanwhile, Ramesh Kumar, a constable, has lodged a complaint against Sukhpal Singh, driver of a Punjab Roadways bus that hit a child here today. A case under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, has been registered. Stolen: Sanjiv Kakkar, a resident of Sector 51, has reported that silver ornaments were stolen from his house yesterday. A case under Sections 457 and 380, IPC, has been registered. In another incident, Ankur Vadera of Sector 15-D has lodged a police complaint, claiming that his camera was stolen from Sector 17 yesterday. A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered. Gambling: Dharam Pal of Mauli Jagran was arrested on the charges of gambling at a public place. A case under the Gambling Act has been registered against him. In another incident, Davinder Avasthi, a resident of Behlana, was arrested for consuming liquor at a public place.
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