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Illegal Eye Trade
Rajpura, October 15 The police sought a polygraphy test of Dr Sodhi last week and moved an application in the court. He was arrested along with his driver Manjit Singh and Sunil, a Class IV employee at Ambala Civil Hospital. The police also got the arrest warrants of Dr Neelima Sodhi, wife of Dr Sodhi, who was also allegedly the accomplice of the accused in the scam. The Rajpura police had busted the gang that was led by the doctor couple for the past long time. Sunil had been extracting eyes from bodies in mortuary and handing them over to the couple through Manjit. The police officials investigating the case said that Manjit’s earlier employer, a doctor, was also arrested in 2004 for similar illegal trade in Patiala. The officials said the couple was paying Rs 1,500 for a pair of eyes, which were extracted from bodies that arrive for postmortem in civil hospital. “Though we are trying to reach at the depth, preliminary investigations reveal that the gang was active for the past around three years and it had spread its wings up to Haryana and Delhi,” said the police officials. A pair of eyes was recovered from Sunil during his arrest on October 5. CIA in charge Sarabjit Singh Cheema said that raids were being conducted by them to nab Neelima at various possible hideouts. He said the polygraphy test would be conducted soon to enquire about the nexus.
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Rukmani Devi Hall cries for makeover
Ambala, October 15 Also all major events, especially political gatherings and government functions, are held there. However, lack of amenities has left many distressed. “The hall’s rent was Rs 1,200 a few months ago, which was hiked to Rs 5,500,” said J.P. Thappar, president, Kala Manch. The place is devoid of basic facilities. There are no seats or chairs, no provision of drinking water, canteen facility, generator back-up or sound and light system. There are only two green rooms there. “The rent being charged is unjustified keeping in view the fact that there are no facilities at the hall. On the contrary, the same rent was charged by Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, before its renovation and it has all facilities,” said Thappar who has been holding functions at the hall in the past. Hari Krishan Dass named the hall in the memory of his daughter Rukmani Devi and dedicated it to the youth for cultural activity. It was constructed on the land of Central State Library. In 1977, it was inaugurated and its rent initially was fixed at Rs 150. After some years, the rent was increased to Rs 300 and its charge was later handed over to the municipal committee. It was also decided that the local Rotary Club would be allowed to conduct three weekly meetings every Friday free of cost at the hall. |
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Repeal of land preservation Act soon: MP
Kharar, October 15 Member of Parliament from Hoshiarpur, Avinash Rai Khanna said this while talking to TNS here today. Khanna was here to listen to the grievances of people under his ‘khulla darbar’ campaign. He added that 2.86 lakh acre falls under this Act, which was constituted in 1900 to check the soil erosion in Kandi belt. Presently, 82 dams have been built in this belt to check the erosion. “As per rules, the Act should have been amended after every 25 years according to needs of society. This was to be done after seeking objections and suggestions from local people. Sadly enough no objections were ever invited and the Act was amended just as government officials wished,” he added. The Act has left many farmers of the area bereft of utilising their fields for agriculture purposes. Khanna said that repealing the PLPA would mean no harm to forest cover in the area. Only that area is termed forest, which is duly notified under the Indian Forest Act. This area is not notified under the forest Act. There are practical problems that farmers face there. One has to seek permission to even work on ones’ own land, he added. Khanna has been holding ‘khulla darbars’ at various places in Punjab. He has taken up issues of passport problems of masses through passport adalats. Today he held ‘khulla darbar’ at Gulmohar complex, Kharar. He has been organising these darbars since 1997 when he first contested Garhshankar Assembly elections. Today 43 complaints were received regarding transfers, development, administration, police etc.
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Pbi varsity campus team wins overall trophy
Patiala, October 15 Government College for Women, Patiala, was declared second with 36 positions whereas Government Mohindra College, Patiala, was third with 30 positions. On the last day, bhangra, skits and mimes were presented. Daisy Walia, principal of Prof Gursewak Singh Physical College of Education, and convener of the organising committee of the youth festival, welcomed guests. Esha Dang, winner of the Boogie Woogie show, also performed on the occasion. Noted theatre director Ajmer Singh Aulakh was also present. A.C. Verma, managing director of the State Bank of Patiala, was chief guest on the occasion and commissioner S.K. Ahluwalia gave away the prizes to the winners. Verma congratulated all winners. He said Punjab was a land of diverse cultures and functions like these enhanced our culture. He also announced a grant of Rs 50,000 for Prof Gursewak Singh Physical College of Education, Patiala. Ahluwalia also lauded the efforts of teachers and students. He said it was for the first time that there were no objections on the results, which clearly showed that judgments were accurate and transparent. Dr Satish Kumar Verma, director, youth welfare, Punjabi University, Patiala, also spoke. He said book exhibitions were organised in all colleges conducting the youth fest. He also announced that the inter-zone youth festival would be conducted by Punjabi University from November 12 to 14. Results: Bhangra Eight teams took part in bhangra. 1 Prof Gursewak Singh Physical College of Education, Patiala; 2 Punjabi University and 3 Khalsa College, Patiala. Harpreet Singh was declared the best bhangra dancer. Skit: 1 Prof Gursewak Singh Physical College of Education, Patiala; 2 Punjabi University and 3 Khalsa College, Patiala. Mime: 1 Government College, Patiala; 2 M.M. Modi College, Patiala, and 3 Government College, Patiala.
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2-day tech fest starts today
Patiala, October 15 The festival is being held from October 16 to 18 at the Thapar University campus. “Aranya 2008 will provide a rich learning experience for the students. The active participation of acclaimed academicians will stimulate the students’ imagination and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their own talent,” said Dr Abhijeet Mukherjee, director, Thapar University. The highlights of Aranya 2008 are: Inquizitive - a quiz session with seasoned quiz master Barry O’Brien Immolation - a LAN gaming event where over 1,500 students will compete for prizes worth Rs 1.30 lakh. Robotics workshop - RoboKriti and Autonomous Robotics by Technophilia Solutions, Mumbai with more than 600 students participating in it Nexus - the prestigious robotic event organised in collaboration with IIT, Bombay. Technical events, including Knight Coders, Xtreme Cars, Cyber Pirates, Paper Presentation (Memoirs), Karmakar, Truss Wars, Tetrix and Chempro amongst others.
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UBS Case
Chandigarh, October 15 Earlier, in September, the court had clarified that no stay order was in operation on the issue of joint placements. The matter surfaced when the students of the UBS, Ludhiana, had moved the court against the Panjab University for joint placements with UBS, Chandigarh, on the plea that since both the institutes were same and even the course and curriculum was also same, there should be joint placements for the students of the two schools. During the course of hearing, the students of the UBS, Chandigarh, also became a party in the case.
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Shamsheeda gets bail
Panchkula, October 15 Earlier she was sitting on hunger strike for four days in front of DGP office demanding the arrest of her tormentors. When she fainted during her hunger strike on Saturday she was shifted to General Hospital, Sector 6. Currently she is lodged at Ambala jail from where she will be released on production of bail orders.
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Man commits suicide
Chandigarh, October 15 According to the police, Ranjit in his suicide note addressed to a woman named Roshni had stated that he could not live without her. “I can not afford to live 10 km away from you, but you have gone miles away from me,”he had stated in his suicide note. One of his neighbours informed the police about the stench emitting out of the room. The police broke open the door and recovered the body. Ranjit, who hails from Ludhiana, used to work as a peon in a private factory. He lived in Hallo Majra village. But, nowadays he was staying in his friend’s residence, who had gone to his native village. The police shifted to the body to the Sector 16 Government Multi-Specialty Hospital and initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC in this connection.
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India-Australia Test Match
Chandigarh, October 15 Ticket counters at various branches of HDFC Bank, PCA stadium and at some other places have been largely empty, similar to the previous two days when a thin crowd had gathered to buy tickets. Most of these counters were found without even a single ticket-seeker and those manning these were seen relaxing. “The sale of tickets may pick up on the last day”, said a bank employee looking after the counter. However, the PCA authorities are hopeful of filling the stands around 50 per cent to the capacity during the match. “Around 5,000 young spectators will visit us every day from the rural areas of the state. Besides, tickets of students’ block and members’ block are almost sold out. We are hopeful of having over 50 per cent occupancy every day,” said a PCA office-bearer. Meanwhile, both teams sweated it out in the nets at the stadium for around three hours today. The Australian team, which reached the stadium around 11 am, two hours behind schedule due to wet conditions, could begin practice only around 2.30 pm. On the other hand, the Indian team started their practice session around 3.30 pm and went back to their hotel around 5.45 pm.
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Bhajji unfazed by Ravana episode
Mohali, October 15 Refusing to join issues with either the religious organisation or those who have filed cases against him in local a court, Harbhajan said he had come to know about the controversy from the media only. Claiming that he had not sought any legal opinion on the issue so far, Bhajji, as he is popularly known, said: “Main ki karna hai sir? Main kuch nahi lena dena (I have nothing to do with it).” Bhajji along with other Team India members arrived at the stadium to attend a practice session ahead of the second Test between India and Australia, starting from October 17 here. And it’s a coincidence that a petition has been filed by a local human rights activist and the VHP at a local court here. A criminal complaint, seeking action against him for hurting sentiments of people by dressing up as Ravana in the dance with Mona, dressed as Sita, has also been filed against him by the Akhil Bhartiya Rajput Adhivakta Sangh here. Bhajji, for whom such controversies are part of ‘real time’ game, said he was not aware of the cases and had learned about these after coming to Chandigarh. |
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PCA panel member caught stealing Hayden’s cap
Mohali, October 15 According to sources, a member of a committee constituted by the PCA for the smooth functioning of the second Test between India and Australia from Friday, was seen coming out with a cap from the Australian dressing room when the team was at the nets. On being enquired by the private security, it was found that the cap belonged to Hayden. “He was forced to put the cap back in the room. Taking advantage of his position, this official, who is a senior executive in a private company, entered the Indian team’s dressing room and remained there for a while before he was ordered to leave by the authorities,” sources said on the condition of anonymity. The same official was found travelling in the bus carrying the Indian team from Hotel Taj to the stadium, the sources said, terming it a major breach of security. However, the local manager of the Indian team maintained that nobody, except team members and security personnel, was in the bus. On the other hand, PCA joint secretary G.S. Walia confirmed the incident. “We are going to take strict action against the official. Such actions from any official of the association would not be tolerated,” he said. |
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Global Hand-Washing Day
Mohali, October 15 Today she got a chance not only to meet his favourite cricket star Sachin Tendulkar but also to interact with him at PCA Stadium here where “Team India” joined schoolchildren on the occasion of first ever “Global Hand-washing Day”. The day was held by the UNICEF to appraise the schoolchildren of the benefits of the hand wash for better health and hygiene. “This is just a dream come true as Sachin has talked to me and asked about me and my family,” said Anjana, who made the Master Blaster to wash his hands (though symbolically) to inspire the young children across the globe. Though other children, including Pranav, Neeraj and Ankita, were happy having the cricket stars amongst themselves, some of them were a bit disappointed also as they could not shake hands with him. “I want to wish him luck for the forthcoming match, in which, I am sure, he will create history by crossing Lara’s record but he went back without talking to us,” said Pranav disappointingly. In his short message, Sachin also exhorted the children across the world to keep hygiene and cleanliness. “Washing your hands is the simplest way and it is very effective to keep many diseases away,” said the cricketer. Meanwhile, all players of “Team India” participated in the proceedings by washing their hands before taking on nets at the stadium. “Proper hand-washing with soap can reduce diarrhoea cases by 47 per cent and acute respiratory illnesses by 30 per cent,” said Karin Hulshof, a UNICEF India representative.
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GCG-11 clinch rowing title
Chandigarh, October 15 Panjab University and GGS College for Women got joint second positions with 18 points each. In single scull event, Monika of GCG-11 got the first position and in double sculls Monika and Neeraj of the same college bagged the first position. While in coxless pairs, Vrinda and Ishtdeep of GCG-11 won first position. Neeraj, Vrinda, Ishdeep and Kalpana of the same college bagged the first title in coxless fours.
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Pro Golf Tour
Chandigarh, October 15 A big hitter of the ball, Simi capped the second day’s performance with a hat-trick of birdies on the last three holes to play a par 72 round to finish the second round at two under par 142. She left her nearest pro rival Nalini Singh 18 strokes behind and appeared all set to complete a hat-trick of victories on the pro Golf Tour. The closest challenge to Simi came from amateur Sharmila Nicollet of Bangalore who fired a three over par 75 to be placed five strokes behind the leader at three over par 147. Shweta Galande was another four strokes behind at 151. These two young amateurs will tee off in the leader group along with Simi Mehra in the final round tomorrow. While Simi Mehra had 11 greens in regulation and made 30 putts, Sharmila came up with 10 greens in regulation and 31 putts. Simi birdied the second and double-bogeyed the seventh to take the turn at one over 37. Another double-bogey on the 15th did not deter the champion who finished off in style sinking birdies on the last three holes. Maintaining her second position is Nalini Singh who with a round of 11 over 83 has a two-day total of 16 over 160. In third place, with a round of 7 over 79 and a two-day total of 18 over 162 is Kolkata’s Vandana Agarwal. Preetinder Kaur double bogeyed the first and added another five bogeys to be seven over 43 after nine holes. Another three bogeys on the back nine saw the Chandigarh girl finish fourth at 21 over 165 after the second round. Sharmila Nicollet maintained her lead in the amateurs with a round of three over 75 and a two-day total of three over 147. Sharmila turned at four over through nine holes but made a good comeback on the back nine with a one under 35. Shweta Galande had a struggling day with her long game as she hit only five greens in regulation but managed to contain her score to 5 over 77 with only 29 putts. The final round will begin at 9 am tomorrow with the prize distribution at 3 pm. The scores: 142 Simi Mehra (70-72); 160 Nalini Singh (79-83); 162 Vandana Aggarwal (83-79); 165 Preetinder Kaur (83-82); 166 Rukmini Mehta (83-83); 170 Shalini Malik (91-79); 171 Nitika Jadeja (88-83) and Pallavi Jain (87-84); 179 Nikki Ponappa (87-92). Amateurs: 147 Sharmila Nicollet (72-75); 151 Shweta Galande (74-77).
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Snake catches rower by surprise
Chandigarh, October 15 Tarneet took it for a rope initially but was startled to realise that it was a snake when it crawled over her legs. “I was scared when I realised it was not a rope but a snake,” said the girl. She stood up and her teammates, who were also in the boat with her, shouted for help to officials who were right ahead of them in a motorboat. High drama prevailed for almost an hour as efforts were made to take the snake out of the boat. “The girl showed courage by not jumping into the water. Had it been somebody else, they could have easily jumped into the water,” said an official.
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Ess Vee Soccer Cup from Oct 17
Chandigarh, October 15 Seventeen teams have been divided into two groups and the tournament will be played on knockout basis. Addressing a press conference here today, Vinod Bagai, managing director of Samar Estates Private Limited, said it would be an annual feature to provide a platform for the budding footballers of the region. Organising secretary Deepak Uniyal said the winners would be richer by Rs 11,000. They will also be presented kit bags, mementos and trophy. The runners-up will receive a pay cheque of Rs 7,100, trophy, mementos and kit bags. A cash award of Rs 5,100, mementos, kit bag and trophy will be given to the bronze medalists. The losing semi-finalist will get Rs 2,100 and kit bags. Cash awards of Rs 1,100 and a memento will go to the best player and the best custodian of the tournament. The most promising player will receive Rs 500 and a memento.
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Volleyball tourney
Chandigarh, October 15 Saheed Udham Singh Youth Club clinched first position, while Khudda Lahora colony took second place in the tournament. |
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