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Rly overpass to be opened next week 
Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 7
The overbridge at railway phatak No. 21 would be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on July 15.

The inauguration of the bridge would come as a big relief to Patiala residents. It would ease the traffic congestion in the adjoining localities.

According to Patiala deputy commissioner D.S. Grewal, the bridge has been completed at a cost of Rs 27 crore. The foundation stone of the four-laned overbridge was laid by the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in September 2006 and it was scheduled to be completed in February last. But, the project could not be completed on schedule and now it is being given finishing touches. The road from Baradari Gardens to Lehal Colony Chowk has also been widened.

Railway crossing No. 21 had become a major traffic bottleneck. There was a persistent demand for construction of the overbridge from residents of colonies located on the Passey road. Delegations of residents met the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh pressing for this demand.

Real estate dealers speculate an upswing in the prices of property in the areas of Mansahia Colony up to Passey Road. 

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‘Check sale of exposed food’
Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 7
In an attempt to check the practice of selling unhygienic food stuff being sold in open, civil surgeon Avtar Singh Jarewal has asked senior medical officers of the district to be on alert against the sale of such eatables.

The incidence of residents falling prey to diseases by consuming such eatables has increased manifold, particularly with the early onset of the monsoon. Under the Epidemics Act, all kinds of cut fruits, sweets, beverages, including juices, lassi and sharbats need to be protected against contamination. However, the sale of open eatables exposed to flies and other insects continues to be sold. A senior official of the civil surgeon’s office disclosed that though they were trying their best to prevent the sale of such eatables, sometimes they find it difficult to challan the roadside vendors in the absence of proper permanent addresses.

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Preneet visits injured Cong workers
Tribune News Service

Rajpura, July 7
Member of Parliament Preneet Kaur today visited the Congress workers who received injuries during the MC elections on June 30. She assured all possible help to the victims.

She paid a visit to the family members of Harjeet Kaur, a candidate from ward No. 12, who had alleged poll rigging and protested against the SAD. She, along with few others, was injured during the protests and scuffles with the SAD workers.

Alleging biased attitude of the authorities during the MC elections, Preneet said the Shiromani Akali Dal resorted to all illegal means and ways to grab maximum votes during the recent MC elections. "Action will be initiated against the guilty and stringent punishment would be awarded to the culprits," she assured the workers.

The Congress leaders accompanying Preneet said the bureaucrats supporting the Badal regime in their alleged wrongdoings have been identified and action would be initiated against them at appropriate time.

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An apology for a hospital
Surinder Bharadwaj

Bassi Pathana, July 7
The civil hospital is facing neglect. Though the government has provided equipment at the hospital, it is lying unused due to lack of manpower.

The hospital is in a fix as its repeated requests to the higher authorities has yielded nothing. Various social organisations had also taken up the issue with the health minister during her visit to the hospital, but nothing came of it.

Dr Kuldeep Singh Kang, SMO, said though an x-ray machine had been provided by the Health System Corporation, there had been no radiographer for the past several years to operate it.

An assistant radiographer had been operating the machine for the past six months, but he had retired and the machine was lying unused. Patients had to depend on private laboratories.

Also, the government had provided an ambulance, but since there was no driver, it was not being unused. Patients and attendants faced difficulty in shifting emergency cases to the PGI or other hospitals.

Even though there was no woman doctor here, two women doctors working at the Fatehgarh Sahib civil hospital were reportedly getting their salaries from here. There was a shortage of medical officers, too, as there were only three medical officers while the hospital needed five such officers.

Also, the posts of watchman had not been filled. Representatives of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Citizens Club and other social organisations have urged the government to provide staff and other facilities at the hospital, failing which they were ready to bear the expenses so that patients did not suffer.

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Residents sore over shifting of ISBT
Hemant Kumar

Kalka, July 7
Hundreds of daily commuters from Kalka, Pinjore, HMT, Surajpur, Chandi Mandir and adjoining villages are sore over shifting of the Inter-state Bus Terminus, Sector 17, to Sector 43 as it was causing inconvenience to them. They alleged that almost all buses plying between Kalka and Chandigarh were diverting to the ISBT-43 from Transport Chowk near Sector 26 which resulted in great trouble for daily commuters, particularly students and patients.

Some students of DAV College, Chandigarh, told The Tribune that due the inadequate bus service of the Haryana Roadways, they were facing a lot of difficulty in the morning hours as there was a single bus for them. They have urged the Haryana Roadways authorities to take a serious note of the problem and to make new bus routes via Madhya Marg, Matka Chowk and Sector 17 to reach the Sector 43 bus stand.

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Ouster of Ambala DC sought
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
Brahmin Mahapanchayat state president Dr Viresh Shandilya along with his supporters sat on a dharna outside Haryana Raj Bhawan seeking suspension of the Ambala DC.

Talking to mediapersons, Dr Shandilya said Ambala DC M. Shayin had been against him ever since he got a news published against the DC.

“Fed up with the allegations, I recently filed a petition against the DC in the court,” said Dr Shandilya.

According to lake police post in charge Lakhbir Singh, Dr Shandilya had arranged a meeting with the Haryana Governor in advance and he later submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

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‘Deadly Enemies’ make way into kids’ life
Parminderjit Singh

Football ground is no more 110 yards for the kids of the city, nor has the the cricket pitch remained 22 yards. Now these grounds have shrunk to 15 inches. The old “Hide and Seek” game has been elbowed out by “War Crafts”, and “Dead & Alive” has been overtaken by “Deadly Enemies”. Thanks to the hi-tech video games, technology has changed the meaning of entertainment .

Pass through any sector of Chandigarh and you seldom see children playing outdoor games. Rather, they are seen glued to their desktops, playing video games.

The appearance of cyber cafes has solved the problem for those who do not have PCs or money to buy a playstation. Play-station and hi-tech video games cost in thousands. Every child cannot acquire them. In such a scenario, cyber cafes come to his aid. Here pays a meagre Rs 20 per hour for his favourite game.

“ Most of my customers are middle-class kids who cannot afford to spend thousands on buying these games, so they come here and play for an hour or two,” says Tanveer, a cyber cafe owner.

Children in the age group of 6 to 25 are regular visitors at these cafes. If combat games like “War-Craft”, “ Metal Slug” and “Laser Attack” are a hit with kids in the 6 to 13 age group, older boys up to the age of 25 go for strategic games like “A3India”, “Ragon Rocks” and “Age of Mytholog”.

On an average, at least 10 to 15 children visit a cafe everyday only to play games. Rahul , 17 , a school student, plays games from 3 pm to 7 pm everyday. “I am in love with games, I cannot think of spending my time in any other way. Video games and online games have become a part of my life.”

But this pastime has led to his gaining 20 kg in the last six months. He cannot skip games even during his exams. “ I am really upset at my son’s craze for games. His addiction to these games is taking a toll on his health,” said his mother Samita.

Psychologists say addiction to video games has led to violent behaviour among kids with most popular games based on violence. “ Most of my customers come here to play games and many enter into a brawl for minor reasons. So I always have to remain vigilant,” says Daman, another cyber café owner.

But girls are yet to take to these games. for playing games. Perhaps violence and speed does not thrill them.

What should the parents do to wean away their wards from these games? “ I disapprove of my son’s passion for games, but he doesn’t listen to me. He visits the cafe on the sly. I cannot be with him always. I am really worried…, says a helpless Varun Arora. 

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Qamar, Bhavtarnpreet qualify for main draw
Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 7
Ankit, Ankit Saini, Qamar, Pranay, Sanchit, Yash Gupta, Mrinal and Rahul Aggarwal secured their places for the main draw in boys’ under-12 age group in Manav Mangal AITA Total Tennis Talent Series at Manav Mangal Smart School, Phase X here today.

In the boys’ under-14 category, Mandeep, Bhavtarnpreet, Srijjan, Ankit, Kanwaljot, Mrinal, Sonu and Yash Gupta have cleared the qualifying round hurdle to vie in the main draw to be played tomorrow.

According to Devinder Kapoor, director, Total Tennis, all the boys’ under-12 first round matches are to be played from 7 am tomorrow, followed by the boys’ under-14 main draw first round from 9 am onwards.

Following are the results -

Boys’ under-12 final round qualifying: Ankit Parasrampuria beat Abhishek Verma 7-6 (0); Ankit Saini beat Akhil Rajan 7-5; Qamar Faizal beat Mayuk Rawat 7-1; Pranay Jaipuria beat Viksit Verma 7-4; Sanchit Thakur beat Gagan Sharma 7-4; Yash Gulati beat Vasudev Mehra 7-0; Mrinal Kanwar beat Archit Mittal 7-1; Rahul Agarwal beat Paramveer Bajwa 7-6(6).

Boys’ under-14 final round qualifying: Mandeep Kumar beat Manik Joshi 7-2; Bhavtaranpreet Singh beat Shubham Vij 7-1; Srijjan Uppal beat Vikas Berwal 7-2; Ankit Parasram beat Abhijit Singh 7-0; Kanwaljot Bajwa beat Praveer Dogra 7-2; Mrinal Kanwar beat Yuvtesh 7-3; Sonu beat Bhawarpreet Singh 7-3; Yash Gupta beat Eknoor Singh 7-4.

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Badminton: Bhawna clinches women’s title
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
Bhawna of AG Haryana won the top honours beating Saroj of her own state’s department 21-15, 21-14 in the final of women’s singles in the North Zone Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA&AD) Badminton Tournament-2008-09, started at Badminton Hall, Sector 42 here today.

Earlier R.P. Singh, principal accountant general (Audit), Punjab and Union Territory, Chandigarh, inaugurated the tournament.

The other results are as under:

Q’finals (men’s singles): Amit Sachdeva of AG PB beat Sandeep Prashar of AG HP 21-9, 21-8; Vijay Sharma of Delhi Audit beat Anurag Sharma of AG UP 21-13, 21-14; Rajiv of Delhi Audit beat Deepak of AG UP 21-16, 14-21, 21-16; Ashish of AG PB beat Rajkumar of AG HR.

Men’s singles: Anurag Sharma of AG UP beat Sanjay of AG HR 21-11, 21-10; Deepak Sharma of AG UP beat Raman Kumar of AG HR 21-12, 21-11; Anurag Sharma of AG UP beat Shadab Akhtar of AG HR 21-9, 21-8

Men’s doubles: Salil Srivastva & Sandeep Tiwari of AG UP beat Sanjay Dingra & Raj Kumar of AG HR 21-9, 21-11.

Team event: AG UP beat AG Haryana 3-0.

Veterans: Sudhir Sharma of AG PB beat Suresh Gangta of AG HP 21-13, 21-10.

The semifinal matches will be played tomorrow at the venue where AG PB will face AG UP and AG HP will clash Delhi Audit teams.

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U-15 Cricket Tourney
CFP shortlists 40 players 
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
The Cricket Federation of Punjab (CFP) has shortlisted 40 players for coaching camp to prepare the state team for participation in the All-India National Under-15 Cricket Tournament being organised by the Cricket Federation of Tamil Nadu in Chennai from August 13 to 17.

The date and venue of the camp will be announced shortly, said the organisers.

The probable were selected during section trials conducted by the CFP at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium.

Those retained for the camp are: Harshveer Singh, Ishan Singla, Sidharth Kumar, Jaideep, Sharanjit Singh, Sahej Mahajan, Kapil Punia, Sukhdev Singh, Joy Mandotra, Kapil Saini, Sunny Kumar, Gursimran, Sunny Kadwal, Shubham Pathak, Suraj Vishkarma, Ashish Roy, Anurag, Ravi Pandey, Karan Sharma, Jitesh Arora, Akash Preet, Preet Singh, Ravinder Singh, Vishnu Srihan, Ankur Chaudhary, Harpreet Brar, Manjinder Singh, Anish Singh, Harshveer Singh, Virender Singh, Ishwar Kumar, Aditya Bali, Khushdeep Sharma, Harkirat Singh, Sahibdeep, Vaneet Sharma, Ankush Chandel, Nikhil, Prabhsimarpreet Singh and Sukhdev Singh.

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PGA to hold first golf tourney for caddies
Our Golf Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 7
Eightyfive amateur caddies from Chandigarh, Chandi Mandir and Panchkula will converge on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club on July 21 for the first golf tournament for amateur caddies to be organised by the Punjab Golf Association (PGA).

Giving this information Col H.S. Baidwan, PGA general secretary, said the tournament would be held in three handicap categories -- 0-6, 7-12 and 13-18.

There will be three prizes in each category. Besides, there will be special prizes for the longest drive, nearest to the pin and for scoring the maximum number of birdies. 

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Home guard held for outraging modesty
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
Rishi Pal Rana, a home guard with the UT police, was arrested on charges of outraging the modesty of a woman.

Rishi Pal, who lives in a rented accommodation at Dadu Majra, had allegedly entered the bathroom of the complainant, while she was having a bath. The complainant lives on the first floor of the house.

The complainant along with other residents of Dadu Majra informed the police, which registered a case under Sections 354, 380 and 506 of the IPC against the home guard.

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Youth commits suicide
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
A 21-year-old youth allegedly hanged himself at his residence in Dadu Majra here this afternoon.

According to police, the victim identified as Pankaj, a sweeper, had been under depression over his prolonged illness.

The mother of the deceased found his body hanging from the ceiling when she entered the room this afternoon.

The body of the victim has been shifted to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination. 

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Copper wire worth Rs 1.5 lakh stolen
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 7
Copper wire worth Rs 1.5 lakh and electric equipment were stolen from two plots in Industrial Area, Phase II, here last night.

According to the police, the thieves entered one of the plots after breaking the locks and took away copper wire.

The owner of the plot noticed the locks broken this morning and informed the police. The thieves also entered another plot from the top, after they failed to break the locks.They took away electric equipment from the premises.Two cases of theft have been registered at the police station-31.

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3 rounded up after raid on ghee factory
Our Correspondent

Mohali, July 7
The police conducted a raid on a factory allegedly manufacturing adulterated ghee and spices here tonight and rounded up three persons.

The raid was conducted after the owner of the factory premises in Phase VII, Industrial Area, made a complaint to the police that his tenant was engaged in the preparation of the adulterated items .

The police seized large quantities of adulterated tea leaves, chilli powder, coriander and desi ghee. Officials of the health department were informed of the matter.

District health officer S.P.Surila said the civil surgeon had constituted a team to take samples from the factory. The civil surgeon would accompany the team.

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Student leader held for trespass
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
The Chandigarh police today arrested student leader Abhishek Puri on charges of trespass, rioting and damaging property at vice-chancellor’s residence on November 5, last year.

Puri was arrested from the campus, who, according to the police, was absconding ever since the incident took place. The police later produced him in the local court, from where he was sent to judicial custody.

A case was registered on the directions of senior police officers.

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