NEIGHBOURHOOD

Punjabi conference concludes
Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 1
To prepare students for Navodaya tests, a one-day coaching camp and a pre-Navodaya test was conducted to felicitate primary classes under the Parho Punjab Project at Government Senior Secondary School, New Power House Colony, Patiala.

As many as 300 students from across Patiala participated. Besides students, parents were given instructions on how to prepare their wards for the test to be held on February 7.

Rajinder Singh Chani, district coordinator Parho Punjab, Patiala, demonstrated various techniques and materials being used in the Parho Punjab Project and also explained about its usage.

The students were also guided about the procedure to solve questions by the concerned blocks' cluster master trainers and the block master trainers.

After the test, assistant district coordinator of project Nachhtar Singh Aulakh motivated the students to take studies seriously.

A drawing and handwriting competition was also held. Prizes were given to first three position holders.

Result: 1st Simran Kaur (GPS Sular, Patiala-2), 2nd Ravi (GPS Daru Kutia, Patiala-2) and 3rd Gurtez Singh (GPS Karhali, Patiala-1)

Handwriting competition: 1st Ramandeep Kaur (GPS Daun Khurd, Patiala-1), 2nd Manpreet Kaur (GPS Chaura, Patiala-1) and 3rd Ramandeep Kaur (GPS Gobind Nagar, Patiala-2).

Students were given Punjabi, English and Hindi newspapers to enhance their reading habits.

Patiala, February 1
Punjabi University’s Department of Physical Education organised the fourth national seminar on ‘Multidisciplinary Approach in Physical Education’ on the university campus here today.

Experts gave a clarion call to adopt all-inclusive approach for the betterment of sports. Presiding over the seminar, Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh said physical fitness alone was not enough these days to corner glory in sports.

Giving reference to the quickly changing perspectives all over the world in sports, he called upon sports trainers and administrators to pay attention to spiritual and emotional growth patterns of sportspersons, in addition to using newer technological tools and gadgets.

“We have to move with the times as competition and challenges are not only increasing with each passing day, but are taking new shapes and dimensions at a brisk speed,” he added.

He further said programmes on holistic health should begin with children. Former Olympian and director sports, PAU, Ludhiana, Ramandeep Singh, said there was a need to have a team of excellent sports psychologists and sports medicine experts if we wanted to see India figuring in the top bracket.

He admitted that Indians were far behind in the field of training methods, which was hampering performance in international competitions. He stressed on developing quick reflexes, spontaneity and the ability to take quick decisions during crucial moments.

Dr Kanwaljit Singh, director sports, GNDU, Amritsar, emphasised upon taking the help of newly developing softwares apt at analysing movements and muscular strength for increasing speed and endurance levels.

Emphasising upon the need to reinventing, restructuring and reformulating old and traditional concepts, he laid stress on developing interaction of scientific back-up of nutritional, psychological and other allied elements for achieving professional excellence.

Dr GS Kang, head of the physical education department of the host university, said at least 300 delegates were participating in the seminar. A souvenir was released by the Vice-Chancellor, which contained abstracts of 117 research papers.

Earlier, a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to Dr Ajmer Singh, a former Olympian. Dr GR Kataria, dean research, and Dr Jagtar Singh, dean education and information sciences, also spoke.

Bassi Pathana, February 1
The historic town, Bassi Pathana, once known for manufacturing industrial sewing machine parts, is now witnessing exodus of industry due to lack of basic amenities in the town.

Located at a few kilometres away from Fatehgarh Sahib, with a population of around 20,000, area residents are continuously shifting their base as no new project has been brought here for the past long time.

“Fatehgarh Sahib is blessed with many educational institutes and lot of construction work is on, including the upcoming World Sikh University. However, Bassi Pathana is still far away from any such thing,” said Paramvir, an area resident.

Many industrial units have shifted their base from Bassi Pathana to nearby steel town Mandi Gobindgarh, Ludhiana and Morinda during the past few years. With limited job opportunities, people of the area feel insecure and have been visiting other nearby towns to keep their pot boiling. “Local leaders have brought these problems into the notice of senior functionaries, MC officials, bureaucrats and politicians, but to no avail,” said former municipal councillor Vivek Verma. He said the condition of streetlights in the city was not good and it is difficult to get out of homes during night hours.

There are three bus stands in the city but none of them has adequate shelters, toilets or drinking water and passengers are harassed throughout the year.

Another Om Parkash of the city said a large number of accidents had been reported in the city and new roads were constructed. The new roads have had a short life and had again developed cracks and potholes.

He said the member of parliament from Anandpur Sahib constituency, Ravneet Bittu, would visit Bassi Pathana tomorrow and area residents would bring problems into his notice for a solution.

Chandigarh, February 1
Amrik Singh, complainant in the infamous cash-for-judge scam, wants the inquiry to be conducted according to the law.

“In view of the findings and results of the inquiries and investigations, the court may proceed in accordance with the law,” he said in an application in the court of special judge Darshan Singh here today.

He admitted that Haryana’s former law officer Sanjeev Bansal’s clerk Prakash Ram came to the house of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur with a plastic bag and informed him that papers had come from Delhi, which he took inside the house.

On being directed by Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, he opened the bag and found the currency notes. “Justice Nirmaljit Kaur had nothing to do with the money. We handed over the money and Prakash Ram to the police,” he said. He added that the FIR was lodged on the basis of his report.

Quoting the CBI report, Amrik Singh said, “The investigating agency came to the conclusion that the money was wrongly delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur on August 13, 2008, and the same was meant for Justice Nirmal Yadav.”

“Since Rs 15 lakh could not be delivered to Justice Nirmal Yadav on account of the error, she insisted for the same. Accordingly, another amount of Rs 15 lakh was sent to her on August 14, 2008, which were duly received by her,” he mentioned.

He stated, “Justice Nirmal Yadav committed an offence punishable under Section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as she had received the said amount.”

He added, “The investigation revealed that Justice Nirmal Yadav required Rs 15 lakh for financing the purchase of 11.01 bigha of land in Solan district.”

“The investigation by the CBI concluded that the registry of this land was done jointly in the names of 18 persons at Solan on August 14, 2008. Justice Nirmal Yadav alone was interested in this property and the names of others were included as co-purchasers to circumvent the requirement of the Himachal Pradesh Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, 1972,” he explained.

“It is clear that three reports, one from the Chandigarh administration, the second by three Judges and the third by the CBI have concluded that money was wrongly delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur and was meant for Justice Nirmal Yadav,” he reiterated.

“The cancellation report has been filed by the CBI only on account of the lack of sanction,” he concluded.

Chandigarh, February 1
An 18-year-old unidentified youth was stabbed to death in the jungle area near the elevated railway track at Industrial Area here tonight.

The incident was another indicator of the deteriorating law and order situation in the city, which had seen four deaths due to stabbing since December 29. Sources said the police received information around 9:20 pm about a youth lying wounded near the track at Phase I, Industrial Area.

The police reached the spot and found the youth bleeding profusely from the left side of his body.

There was a deep stab wound on his left side.

The victim was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A police officer said there were housing board apartments near the spot and some residents of the area told the police that they heard some noise.

Someone could be heard crying for help, but they ignored the cries, suspecting that some street urchins were having fun.

Within a few minutes, a man who went to the area to answer the call of nature spotted the victim and raised the alarm.

Some eyewitness told the police that they saw a group of about four boys running away from the spot where the youth was found.

Chandigarh, February 1
Road rage again spilled on to the city’s streets when a group of youngsters thrashed the driver of a Punjab Roadways bus and smashed its windowpanes in Sector 40 last night, claiming the driver did not yield the right of way to their vehicle near Kurali. The assailants, who chased the bus from Kurali, even called up their friends on the way asking them to intercept the bus in Chandigarh.

Sources said the bus (registration no: PB 09 J9788), driven by Gurpal Singh of Tarn Taran, was coming from Kapurthala. A Toyota Innova MUV (CH04 A1022), which was coming behind the bus, tried to overtake the bus near Kurali. Due to heavy traffic on the road the bus driver could not give way to the vehicle even as the Innova driver kept on honking.

The bus stopped at a toll plaza in Kurali where the drivers of both vehicles had a heated argument. The situation was eventually defused after the bus passengers and people nearby intervened. Both vehicles resumed their journey afterwards and headed for Chandigarh.

Gurpal alleged when the bus reached the city some youths travelling in two or three vehicles intercepted his vehicle at the rotary of Sectors 39,40, 55 and 56 and began beating him up. After smashing the bus’ windowpanes they sped away.

The police, who was informed about the incident, arrived at the scene later. Gurpal was admitted to the Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 32.

The cops have registered a case of rioting, assaulting and injuring a government servant on duty, obstructing him from discharging his official duty, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.

SHO Janak Rana stated the police had obtained the Toyota Innova’s records from the registration and licensing authority. The vehicle is registered in the name of a Burail resident, who no longer lived at the address, he said, adding efforts were on to track the assailants.

Chandigarh, February 1
The caretaker of a guest house of the NABARD bank at Mani Majra allegedly sodomised a 16-year old on the night of January 28.

The investigation officer, sub-inspector Satbir Singh, said the incident came to light when the victim’s uncle reported the matter to the police.

The victim, a waiter with the canteen of the NABARD bank’s branch at Sector 34, told his uncle that the accused, Bhagwan Dass, took him along that day after work and threatened him of dire consequences if he reported the matter to anyone.

The police said the victim was taken to a hospital for medical examination and a case of unnatural offence was registered. The police was yet to arrest the accused, who was at large.

Chandigarh, February 1
Two persons were arrested for allegedly stealing a motorcycle from Khuda Lahora on Sunday.

Sources said Ankur of Naya Gaon and Vikas, alias Ravi, of Sector 24 were arrested from Khuda Lahora Bridge yesterday while travelling on a motorcycle, which had a fake registration number.

Chandigarh, February 1
Rani Balbir Kaur, theatre personality, accused her servant of trespassing and theft bid at her residence in Sector 9 here last night.

The police said Rani Balbir Kaur lodged a complaint alleging that she caught the accused Kailash Singh of Sector 11 red-handed.

She told the police that she had gone to meet her daughter at Panchkula last night and came back around 10.15 pm. She found the door open and the house was ransacked. She spotted a man in his mid-thirties in one of the rooms and caught him with the help of her daughter.

The accused was arrested. The police said Rani told them that the accused had once approached her for job.

The police produced him before a local court, which remanded him to one-day of police custody.

Panchkula, February 1
Tight and accurate bowling by Aditya helped APJ School, Kharar, beat Satluj Public School, Sector 4, by a narrow margin of four runs in the league match of Satluj T20 Champions Trophy held on the Satluj grounds here today.

Batting first, APJ School scored 161 runs for the loss of three wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. Ankit Pursarthi 53, Kapil Punia 44 and unbeaten 28 Pankaj Rawat were the main architects of the APJ innings.

In reply, Satluj Public School failed to achieve the target and scored 161 for the loss of six wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. Gurprabjot Singh 32, Ankush Dhariwal 29 and Chahat Gandhi 28 were the top scorers for the Satluj team.

For APJ, Aditya and Balwinder Singh were the main bowlers, who restricted Satluj batsmen from achieving the target. Both Aditya and Balwinder took three wickets each giving away 17 and 27 runs, respectively.

Brief scores:

APJ School, Kharar: 161 for 3 in 20 overs. (Ankit Pursarthi 53, Kapil Punia 44 and Pankaj Rawat 28 not out).

Satluj Public School: 157 for 6 in 20 overs. (Gurprabjot Singh 32, Ankush Dhariwal 29, Chahat Gandhi 28, Aditya 3/17 and Balwinder Singh 3/27).

Vivekanand Zirakpur will take on APJ, Kharar, at 12 pm tomorrow.

Chandigarh, February 1
Government College for Girls, Sector 11, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 25, have won the Swami Vivekanand Open Yogasan Championship at Law Bhawan, Sector 37, Chandigarh, here today.

The competition was organised by Swami Vivekanand International Youth and Yog Research Council, India, in collaboration with Pt UD Gour Memorial Charitable Trust, Chandigarh.

Government College for Girls, Sector 42, and DAV School, Sector 15, were declared runners-up.

Naveen Tiwari and Ramandeep Kaur were declared Mr and Miss Yogi, respectively.

Results:

Girls (6-12): Arunima 1, Kiran 2 and Smile 3; (12-15): Jyoti 1, Rachna 2, Sapna and Jyoti 3; (15-18): Savita 1, Babita, Shelly and Pinki 2; (18-22): Ramandeep Kaur 1, Ruchi Sharma and Kusum 2, Babita Rawat and Neena 3; (22-26): Ritu Rana and Simpi 1, Reeta and Meenakshi 2 and Anjali Yadav and Jyoti 3.

Boys (6-12): Amarnath and Himanshu 1, Ankush 2, Ankush Khepar and Shubam 3; (12-15): Satyam Tiwari 1, Mandeep Singh and Prem 2, Varun and Mohan Kumar 3; (15-18): Veer Raj 1, Rohit 2, Manish and Fazan 3;(18-22): Naveen Tiwar 1, Satish 2 and Neeraj Kumar 3; (22-26): Anurag 1, Ravinder 2 and Vikash 3.

Mohali, February 1
Karan Goel of Ludhiana will lead the 13-member Punjab team to participate in the one-day limited overs tournament for the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be held in Haryana from February 10.

Sushil Kapoor, spokesperson for the PCA, stated that Karan Goel of Ludhiana had been named as the captain, while Ravi Inder Singh from Patiala was made vice-captain.

Other members of the team include Sunny Sohal, Uday Kaul, Mandeep Singh, Bipul Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Mayank Sidana , Manpreet Gony, Love Ablish, Harmeet Bansal, Jaskaran Singh, Vishwas Bhalla, Taruwar Kohli, Rajwinder Golu, Pargat Singh, Himanshu Chawla, Perry Goel, Gaurav Gambhir, Bharat Loompa and Baltej.

Kapoor said the team would assemble at the PCA Stadium on February 3 for a four-day camp before leaving for Rohtak on February 8, where they will take on Haryana on February 10.

Punjab will face DDCA on February 12 at Sirsa. It will play against JKCA and Services on February 14 and 16, respectively, at Teri. The final match will be held on February 18 at Sirsa.