C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

Day temperature up by 2 °C
Chandigarh, January 8
Even as the day temperature rose by about 2° Celsius and the fog thinned out in the afternoon here today, residents did not get any respite from the cold as the city was lashed by icy winds, neutralising the warmth of the sun.

Lights shining through dense fog lends Chandigarh an ethereal look on Friday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Alcohol drinking in open a menace for residents
Patiala, January 8
City residents are hassled by the daily nuisance created by increasing numbers of people drinking liquor in the open in residential colonies, markets and parks. The problem has acquired such alarming proportions that in many areas residents dread to even come out of their houses in the evening with boozers openly drinking in the open without any fear. However, what is surprising is that the local police has not yet taken any action to stop this antisocial practice.

Panchkula Plea against ex-MC chief dismissed
Chandigarh, January 8
A petition against the Panchkula municipal council’s former president, Ravinder Kumar Rawal, filed by the deputy commissioner and another official has cost the Haryana government dear. Refusing to grant relief to Rawal against the setting aside of his election as council president, the Punjab & Haryana High Court today dismissed a related petition imposing a litgation cost of Rs 10,000.

Principal to stay, says Chandigarh diocese
Chandigarh, January 8
“Sr. Sebastina is innocent and she would continue as the principal,” Father Thomas, Anchanikal, Vicar-General and spokesman for the Chandigarh Shimla Diocese, stated here today.

City industrialist held for raping maid
Chandigarh, January 8
The police today arrested a local industrialist, Manjit Singh Arora, on charges of repeatedly raping his 14-year-old maidservant in Chandigarh and Mumbai.

COMMUNITY

Appointment of auction recorder
Babla offers custodial interrogation
Chandigarh, January 8
Devinder Singh Babla, who has been evading the police for nearly four months, has offered to undergo custodial interrogation in a case pertaining to the appointment of Rajesh Chahuan as auction recorder. Interestingly, the police is not keen on taking the offer.

ETT candidates protest at BDO office at Rajpura on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Funds sought for labs run by religious bodies
Chandigarh, January 8
The Chandigarh Samooh Gurdwara Managing Parbandhak (CSGPS) has urged the UT administration to provide financial aid to laboratories being run by various religious organisations in the city.

No consensus on change in office timing
Chandigarh, January 8
Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory have failed reach a consensus on the change in office timing. According to official sources, the consensus could not be reached at a meeting UT Administrator SF Rodrigues had with the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to resolve the inter-state issues.

Buffeted by cold, homeless left to fend for themselves
Chandigarh, January 8
Though the sun made its much-awaited appearance today, thousands of migrants and poor people in the city had little to cheer about with night temperatures staying below 5 degrees Celsius during the past fortnight. The homeless have been forced by circumstances to sleep in corridors of various markets even in the biting cold, with only a few of them fortunate to have at least a quilt to cover themselves with.

Thane civic officials visit MC office
Chandigarh, January 8
A 13-member delegation of elected representatives and officers of the Thane municipal corporation visited local MC office today to study green belt and gardens planning and management of the authorities.

Mayor Anu Chatrath welcomes a delegation of the Thane municipal corporation in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Friday. A Tribune photograph 

Quality sleep must
Docs warn of depression, suicidal thoughts
Chandigarh, January 8
In today's fast moving life, Benjamin Franklin's saying “early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise” seems to be forgotten.

Players participate in the district paralympic sports competition for physically challenged in Ambala Cantonment on Friday. Tribune photo: Dev Dutt Sharma

Villagers oppose setting up of dumping ground
Mohali, January 8
Several residents of Rasenheri, Swara, Jhanjheri and other surrounding villages vehemently opposed setting up of common municipal solid waste management facility in revenue estate of Rasenheri, Swara and Jhanjheri villages near here.

Mayor to take up pending projects
Chandigarh, January 8
Mayor Anu Chatrath is planning to discuss all pending projects of the corporation at her first coordination committee meeting on January 12.

MC does little as advertisers flout norms
Mohali, January 8
Defacement of public property goes on unabated in the town in the absence of any strict action by the municipal council.

Ruchika Case
Christian bodies, principal to move HC
Chandigarh, January 8
Coming to the rescue of Sister Sebastian, former principal of Ruchika’s school, two human rights Christian organisations have decided to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court to probe into the role of the Chandigarh Diocese that runs Sacred Heart School.

Letters lie in the open at the railway station after many trains were cancelled due to fog in Ambala Cantt on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Suicide at PGI 
Students forced to keep mum
Chandigarh, January 8
Irked with their names being associated with the recent suicide of a nursing student (Anshu) at the PGI’s National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE), the faculty members today allegedly threatened the students of dire consequences for “speaking up”.

PU Syndicate meeting
Property tax fee to be discussed
Chandigarh, January 8
A resolution to review the property tax fee of Rs 12, being charged from nearly three lakh students across 180 colleges for paying the tax of Panjab University, is set to rock the next Syndicate meeting.

Time-bound programme for PU boarders
Chandigarh, January 8
The Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) is set to launch a time-bound “outreach” programme for hostel students.

Apni Mandis Streamline
space allotment to sellers: Councillor
Chandigarh, January 8
Municipal corporation nominated councillor MPS Chawla has suggested that there is a need to streamline the allotment of space to those selling their produce at apni mandis being organised in various sectors across the city.

Kumbh at Hardwar
2 special trains to connect city
Chandigarh, January 8
To help pilgrims attend religious fair Kumbh at Hardwar, the Northern Railway, Ambala division, has decided to run two special trains from January 13 connecting Chandigarh with a station close to the venue.

DRM (Ambala div) HK Jaggi

Market panel meets Guv
Chandigarh, January 8
A five-member delegation of the market committee, Sector 26, led by its chairman Darshan Singh, met with UT Administrator SF Rodrigues and apprised him of their problems today.

Lohri festivities
Chandigarh, January 8
The municipal corporation’s women empowerment committee has decided to dedicate to celebrate Lohri on the theme “Invest in girl child” this year.

Another swine flu case
Chandigarh, January 8
With one more person testing positive for the H1N1 virus, the total number of confirmed swine flu cases in the city has gone over 350.

Health talk at Kala Bhawan
Chandigarh, January 8
The First Friday Forum organised a talk on dental healthcare by GS Virdi, athlete, at the Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, here.

British Library reopens membership
Chandigarh, January 8
The British Library is reopening its membership on January 10 and January 11. For the convenience of people, the library would remain open on Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, informed manager Bipin Kumar. He informed that there were a total of 1,000 seats, out of which 200 were family memberships, 300 classic/DVD movie memberships and 500 individual memberships. —TNS

EDUCATION

Defying rules, function held at school
Mohali, January 8
Studies at Government Senior Secondary School, Jhanjheri, near here, were disrupted today during a public hearing session organised by the Mohali district administration and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority on the setting up of a common municipal solid waste management facility in the area.

Students of government school, Jhanjheri, stand out of their classes during a public hearing session in the school on Friday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Three arrested with 1.5 kg opium
Rajpura, January 8
The police has arrested three persons and seized 1.5 kg opium from their possession. In the first case, the police arrested Angrez Singh (45), Pehowa, Haryana, with 500 gm opium on Monday evening.

MC to spend Rs 22 lakh on development
Dera Bassi, January 8
After a gap of six months, the municipal council today called a meeting to discuss development issues of the area falling under its jurisdiction.

One arrested with 1 quintal poppy husk
Rajpura, January 8
The police today arrested a youth for smuggling one quintal of poppy husk from Rajasthan. The accused has been identified as Inderjeet Singh (24), a resident of Sikandarpur in Gurgaon. He was carrying the narcotics to Ludhiana in a Swift.

Three injured in accident
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 8
Three persons were injured in a road accident near Jyoti Swarup chowk late last night.

Protest against setting up of slaughter house
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 8
Various local Hindu organisations expressed their concern over the setting up of a slaughter house near a residential area here yesterday.

Man killed in road mishap
Lalru, January 8
A 40-year-old pedestrian died after being hit by a speeding bus near Dappar on the Ambala-Chandigarh Highway here late this evening.

COURTS

Nari Niketan rape case
Hearing deferred till February 1
Chandigarh, January 8
The infamous Nari Niketan rape case, which came up for hearing today, was put off till February 1 for the want of supplementary challans.

CRIME

Fruit-seller’s Murder
Kingpin of gang arrested
Chandigarh, January 8
The police arrested Varun, the kingpin of the gang behind the murder of a fruit-seller in Dadu Majra Colony (DMC), last night.

Youth commits suicide
Panchkula, January 8
A 19-year-old youth allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Sector 19 here today. The parents of the deceased, identified as Rahul Pathak, were not at home at the time of the incident.

Hostel girl’s body found in water tank
Panchkula, January 8
A student of nursing college was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the water tank of the college hostel here yesterday.

2 cars, motorcycle stolen in city
Chandigarh, January 8
Two cars and a motorcycle were stolen, while a house was reportedly burgled in  the city.

SPORTS

ITF Tennis Tournament
Mohit lifts singles title
Chandigarh, January 8
Third seeded Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash, India, and Zi Yang, China, emerged winners in the boys and girls’ singles final, respectively, in the India ITF Grade 3 World Junior Ranking Tennis Tournament which  concluded at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association courts, Sector 10, here today.

Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash, India, and (right) Zi Yang, China, with their trophies after winning the India ITF Grade 3 World Junior Ranking Tennis Tournament in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Harsimran, Paramveer emerge winners
Mohali, January 8
Harsimran Kaur, Haryana, and Paramveer Bajwa, Punjab, emerged winners in the girls and boys’ category of The British AITA Total Tennis Talent series, which concluded at The British School courts, Sector 70, here today.

HP clinch volleyball title
Chandigarh, January 8
Last year’s runners-up Principal Accountant General, Himachal Pradesh (Shimla), dethroned holders Principal Accountant General, Uttar Pradesh (Allahabad), by 3-1 in the final of the North Zone Accountant General Volleyball Tournament, which concluded at the Sector-7 Sports Complex here today.

Players in action during the final of the North Zone Accountant General Volleyball Tournament in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Archit becomes ‘NIIT Mind Champion’
Chandigarh, January 8
World chess champion and NIIT Mind Champion Viswanathan Anand congratulated Archit Aggarwal of Gurukul Global School, IT Park, Chandigarh, on becoming the NIIT Mind Champion of the state.

Cricket: Selection trials tomorrow
Chandigarh, January 8
Trials to select probables for six teams for the first Tricity Premier League (TPL) U-13 Cricket Tournament would be held on January 10 at 1 pm at Banyan Tree School, Sector 48, here.