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TOP STORIES

Stage set for mayoral polls; Cong, SAD-BJP candidates file papers
Chandigarh, December 26
Stage is all set for Mayoral elections of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation scheduled for January 1 with the candidates filling their nominations on the last day today.

Contenders
Superstitious candidate
Ex-mayor flays Chhabra

ASP Verma accused of thrashing complainant
Chandigarh, December 26
Arvind Kumar Pandey, on whose complaint the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Neelam police post in-charge Sanjeev Kumar in a corruption case on November 7, today accused ASP (Central) Madur Verma of beating him up mercilessly at the Sector-17 police station, here this morning.

Rodrigues-Mehra Spat
Administrator cancels adviser’s leave
Chandigarh, December 26
The battle of wits between UT Administrator S.F. Rodrigues and his adviser Pradip Mehra seems never-ending.

Film City
To seek ‘factual report’
Chandigarh, December 26
Hurt by the Congress and adviser to the UT Administrator Pradip Mehra’s demand for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in allotment of multimedia-cum-film city project to the Parsvnath Developers, UT Administrator S.F. Rodrigues is likely to seek a “factual report” from the finance secretary.

Whither Norms?
Party’s on at Aerrizona
Chandigarh, December 26
Contravening the agreement with the Chandigarh administration and giving a go-by to the building bylaws, Aerrizona, a discotheque, in Sector 9 is brimming with activity.

15 pc hike in school fee on cards
Chandigarh, December 26
The city schools might raise the fee up to 15 per cent in order to accommodate the Sixth Pay Commission’s proposals.

COMMUNITY

Tourism police nowhere in sight
Chandigarh, December 26
Where is the tourism police in the city? Just after the three months of the formation of tourism police, they are hardly seen anywhere. A total of 100 cops were trained as tourism police.

Social activist questions hike in RTI fee
Chandigarh, December 26
With the revelation of the alleged land scams and amid the recent claims of the Chandigarh's Administrator SF Rodrigues that his actions were transparent, the war over allegations of creating hurdles in obtaining information and the issue of increase in RTI fee has once again gained momentum.

Youths burn rubber post midnight
Chandigarh, December 26
Amidst the hoopla surrounding the non-existent night life in the city, exists the saga of those who defy this paucity their own way, long after the life in the city officially goes to bed.

A driver drifting his car in Sector 10, Chandigarh. A Tribune photograph

Civic body flouts norms
Dumps solid waste in unscientific manner
Mohali, December 26
The civic body has not been dumping municipal solid waste in a scientific manner in the industrial area, here.

Tampering with MRP blatant at railway stations
Chandigarh, December 26
Oblivious of their rights, the consumers in the city are being openly deceived by unfair trade practices at the eateries, especially
at the ones frequented by hundreds of people daily.
A chocolate of a prestigious brand, bought from the railway station shows the MRP as Rs 25; and (right) the same chocolate bought from a local retailer shows the MRP as Rs 20.

Celebrations have a special meaning at old age home
Chandigarh, December 26
If distribution of sweets and clothes is what one confines their New Year celebrations to, the zest and fervour at Old Age Home and Bal Niketan Ashram, Sector 15, is sure to take everybody in for a sweet surprise.

Jagdish Lal Ahuja, chairman of Jagdish Old Age Sansthan, distributes gifts to an Old Age Home inmate at Sector 15, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Ailing boy needs help
Chandigarh, December 26
Karan, a three-and-half-year-old son of a labourer of Burail village, awaits treatment for a complicated heart ailment. He needs immediate heart surgery for cyanotic heart disease.

In an apparent violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders, vehicles make a halt on the Zirakpur-Derabassi road causing traffic chaos. A Tribune photograph

Verification drive from today
Chandigarh, December 26
The Chandigarh police will launch a special tenant and servant verification drive in the wake of the recent terror attacks in the country and in anticipation of the New Year’s Eve and Republic Day.

Blocking Natural Flow of Choes
Department seeks status report
Mohali, December 26
Punjab’s town and country planning department has sought no-objection certificate from Mohali district administration regarding the status of the case, wherein, Ansal API Township had blocked the natural flow of a choe at Chhapar Chidi village.

‘Mohali cable operators dictating terms’
Mohali, December 26
The Consumers’ Protection Forum, Mohali, submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Rahul Bhandari at a function organised in connection with the National Consumer Day on Monday.

Watch out for kidney infections during winter, say experts
Chandigarh, December 26
Winters are not just about the odd bouts of cold and asthma attacks. City’s hospitals report higher incidents of kidney and urinary tract infections during the season.

2 hospitals to have blood storage facilities
Chandigarh, December 26
The UT health department has decided to start blood storage system at civil hospital, Mani Majra, and Polyclinic, Sector 22, here. “It should be opened in the next three to four weeks,” said officials in the health department.

Soldiers in Paramilitary
‘Distressed’ panel for time-bound entry
Chandigarh, December 26
Dismissing the stance of the Ministry of Defence on the issue of lateral induction of armed forces personnel into paramilitary forces, a parliamentary panel has urged the government to make concerted efforts to settle the issue in a positive manner without any further loss of time.

Yearender 2008 — Art
Renovation work fails to dampen theatre spirit
Chandigarh, December 26
Though the non-availability of the Tagore Theatre from September 16, 2007, to November 29, 2008, due to the renovation work had badly affected the cultural activities in the tricity, it failed to dampen the spirit of the dedicated artists and art lovers.

‘Recession to affect small companies too’
Mohali, December 26
The Mohali Industries Association organised a seminar-cum-interactive session to spread awareness among its members about the impact of the current global recession on industries.

Zirakpur residents seek amenities over golf range
Zirakpur, December 26
The Zirakpur Municipal Council has misplaced priorities. While the Zirakpur residents are bereft of the basic amenities, the “idea” of the people’s representatives to have a golf range has not found favours with the villagers whose land is being eyed for the projects.

‘CHEMCON’ from today
Chandigarh, December 26
On the diamond jubilee of the department of chemical engineering and technology, Panjab University, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) is organising a two-day session on 61st annual session ‘CHEMCON’ from tomorrow.

Republic Day programme chalked out
Chandigarh, December 26
The Chandigarh administration has initiated preparations for celebrating the Republic Day. A meeting was held under the chairmanship of IS Sandhu, ADC, here today.

Power Shutdown
CHANDIGARH
Power supply will remain suspended on Saturday to parts of Sectors 20, 30, 32 and part of Industrial Area, Phase I, from 10 am to 5 pm.
PANCHKULA
Power supply will be suspended on Saturday to parts of Sectors 7 and 18 from 11 am to 5 pm.

EDUCATION

PU to go hi-tech
Each dept to have website
Chandigarh, December 26
Panjab University would become Internet-savvy in the coming year, as each department would have its own website and the colleges would also design their own websites.

Christmas celebrated in unique way
Mohali, December 26
Gian Jyoti Global School, Phase II, celebrated Christmas in an unusual way here yesterday. Students of classes pre-nursery, nursery and KG went on a horse cart ride together.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Looting, eve teasing rampant at Jor Mela
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 26
Looting, eve-teasing and sale of intoxicants were rampant during the last day of Jor Mela today.

Health workers spend chilly nights in open
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 26
Health workers deployed during the occasion of the Jor Mela in six medical centres spent nights in open amidst fog and chilly weather. A large number of health workers and doctors were deployed to give medical aid to devotees during the mela.

Road work snaps link with 70 villages
Kalka, December 26
Over 70 villages of the Raitan area located on the Pinjore-Mallah link road remained cut off from Pinjore today due to digging work being carried out by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

A stretch of the Pinjore-Mallah link road that was damaged during digging by the NHAI on Friday. Tribune photographs

Official apathy hits work on stadium
Kalka, December 26
Construction work of multi-purpose sports stadium in Paploha village adjacent to Kalka has been left in the lurch since more than six months. Villagers of Paploha village said with the starting of the construction work of the stadium in the village, a ray of hope had been raised among the villagers, as it would boost the sports talent among young inhabitants of the area.

Overcrowded trains run despite recent mishap
Kalka, December 26
The last snowfall of the season has attracted a lot of tourists to Shimla and the neighbouring areas.

Notice issued to 100 loan defaulters
Kalka, December 26
The cooperative society here has issued a notice to 100 loan defaulters for not paying the loan amount for more than one year.

Man found murdered
Kalka, December 26
A 30-year-old unidentified man was found murdered at Madhanwala village of Pinjore Block here. According to police sources, Surjit, a resident of the village, informed the police around 7 pm yesterday that the body of a man with badly damaged face was lying near a stone crusher on the Pinjore-Nalagarh highway No. 21-A.

Child killed while serving langar
Kharar, December 26
Twelve-year-old Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of ward No 11, Kharar, was killed in an accident today morning. He was serving langar on the Kharar-Ludhiana National Highway-95 near Khanpur in view of Shaheedi Jor Mela.

Roadways driver arrested for negligence
Ropar, December 26 Bhag Singh, a driver of a Punjab roadways bus, was arrested on charges of causing death of Parminder Singh Brar on the Ropar-Nawanshahar road on December 23.

Harsh, Pooja best athletes
Ropar, December 26
Harsh Thakur and Pooja Chaudhary were declared the best athletes at the sports meet of Rayat International School that concluded here yesterday. SSP Shashi Prabha honoured the best athletes.

Pbi varsity Chair gets Rs 10 lakh
Patiala, December 26
“When established cultures and civilizations undergo a radical change, they generate debris of conflicts, tensions and problems that can be grasped and overcome only with the help of the teachings of great spiritual masters.”

Nod to Rs 23-crore projects
Patiala, December 26
The Punjabi University syndicate at its meeting held under the chairmanship of Dr Jaspal Singh, vice-chancellor, unanimously approved to confer the degree of honoris causa (D Litt) to a renowned educationist, litterateur and a former vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Amrik Singh, and a noted historian, Dr Kirpal Singh, for holding eminent positions and attainments in their respective fields.

Cultural fest marks annual day
Patiala, December 26
The students of Aadharshila School, Patiala-Rajpura road, presented a cultural festival to mark the annual day celebrations of the school.

Consumers urged not to steal power
Patiala, December 26
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Chairman, Y.S. Ratra, today asserted the importance of electricity conservation and urged people to make continuous efforts to save power.

Ortho surgeons’ meet from tomorrow
Patiala, December 26
Top orthopedic surgeons from across Punjab would meet at the Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, near here, on December 28.

Expert for flexible education programmes
Banur, December 26
A five days winter school on innovation and creativity development was held at the south campus of Swami Vivekanand Institute of Emerging Technology recently.

COURTS

Monitor prisoners on parole: HC
Chandigarh, December 26
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to instruct local police to keep tabs on the movement of prisoners out on parole for preventing harm to witnesses and complainants.

CRIME

Judo player to undergo polygraph test
Panchkula, December 26
After filing a chargesheet against two of the gangrape accused in the court on Tuesday, the Panchkula police has now decided to conduct a lie detector test on Khushhal Kaushal, who has been accused by the victim of taking her to Tribune Chowk in Chandigarh in his Swift car before being taken to a Punjab village by her perpetrators in another car and raped.

Japjit identifies accused
Chandigarh, December 26
Japjit Singh, the seven-year-old boy who was kidnapped for ransom in November, has identified all the four accused during an identification parade held at the Burail Model Jail here today.

22 boxes of liquor seized
Chandigarh, December 26
The police has seized 22 boxes of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) from a car (HR-02-F-7314) and registered a case against the driver who fled from the spot leaving his car near the TPT light point, Sector 26, yesterday. A case under Sections 61/ 1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered at Sector 26 police station.

Yearender 2008 — Crime
Vehicle theft, snatching
cases rose
Chandigarh, December 26
Though the city has seen a marginal decline in heinous crimes like murder and robberies in 2008, the basic policing has taken a backseat, as a number of cases of vehicle thefts and snatching have been observed throughout the year.

SPORTS

Param sneaks past Shikhar
Chandigarh, December 26
Param Pun, the top seed of boys (under-10) category, blanked his opponent Shikhar Shail 6-0 in just 20 minutes during the YMCA Total Tennis Championship, which began at the Total Tennis Academy, here today.
A player in action during the quarterfinals of the YMCA
Total Tennis Championship in Chandigarh on Friday.
Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

SG Amravati blank CCS University
Chandigarh, December 26
SG Amravati University, made a big splash on the second day of the All India Inter-University Baseball (women) Championship as they blanked CCS University, Meerut, 17-0 home runs.


A baseball match in progress in Chandigarh on Friday.
A Tribune photograph

Pankaj steers GNPS to victory
Chandigarh, December 26
Pankaj’s brilliant knock of 76 anchored the win of GNPS-CCA Sector 36 over MCA Cricket Academy, Mohali, by 6 wickets in the first match of the 1st CCA under-14 Gold Cup played at GNPS, Sector 36.

CRPF, GCG-11 clinch titles
Chandigarh, December 26
CRPF and GCG Club-11 won the Senior State Basketball Championship 2008-09 in the men and women section here yesterday at New Public School-18.

Amardeep Singh to lead squad
Chandigarh, December 26
The Table Soccer Federation of India has appointed Amardeep Singh as the captain of the seven-member Indian team, which will take part in the World Championship Series in France (Nantes) from January 8 to 11 in 2009.

Nidhi beats Sutta in soft tennis meet
December, Chandigarh 26
Nidhi (Delhi) snuffed out the spirited challenge of Sutta (Delhi) 4-3 in the individual singles girls’ final of the 4th Junior National Soft Tennis Championship Boys/Girls being organised by the Chandigarh Amateur Soft Tennis Association here at St Peter School, Sector 37 today.

Team for senior basketball tourney selected
Chandigarh, December 26
Chandigarh Basketball Association has selected the players who will be participating in the Senior National Basketball Championship to be held at Surat (Gujarat) from December 31to January 7.

Karnataka outclass TN to win final
Chandigarh, December 26
In the boys’ section Karnataka and in the girls’ section Tamil Nadu won the 54th Junior Ball Badminton Championship held here today at Mt Carmel School, Sector 47.