NEIGHBOURHOOD

First-aid camp

Patiala, February 17
Our Lady of Fatima Convent Secondary School, Patiala, held a first-aid camp for students of Class IX.

The District Red Cross Society organised the camp as a part of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Students learnt various skills to administer the first aid. They were also enlightened about the evils of drug abuse and alcohol. Students were given tips on how to maintain good health and personal hygiene. — TNS

Patiala, February 17
The two-day annual athletics meet of Government Mohindra College, Patiala, concluded on a high note today.

Punjab transport minister Master Mohan Lal was the chief guest and gave away prizes to the winners.

College principal, Dr Sudeep Bhangoo, welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries. Physical education department head, Dr Darshan Singh, read out the annual sports report.

Bhupinder Singh and Anita were adjudged the best athletes in their respective categories. More than 400 students participated in 18 track and 12 field events.

Results:

Boys: 10,000m: 1 Vinod, 2 Rajiv and 3 Pardeep; 200m: 1 Bhupinder Singh, 2 Jobanjeet Singh and 3 Puran Singh; triple jump: 1 Jobanjeet Singh, 2 Bhupinder Singh and 3 Jaskarn Singh; high jump: 1 Amanpreet Singh, 2 Amarpreet Singh and 3 Manoj Kumar; javelin throw: 1 Amrinder Singh, 2 Sandeep Singh and 3 Rinku Ram.

Girls: 800m: 1 Anita, 2 Neeraj Kumari and 3 Rajni Kumari; 200m: 1 Anita, 2 Sonia and 3 Neeraj; javelin throw: 1 Reenu, 2 Chander Kala and 3 Preety.

Rajpura, February 17
A section of the Punjab State Electricity Board employees staged a dharna at Tahli Wala Chowk in protest against the suspension of six PSEB employees few days back.

The agitating employees, under the Electricity Board Action Committee, alleged that the suspended employees should be reinstated immediately.

The PSEB employees were suspended as they were allegedly aware of the electricity thefts in the area where raids were conducted by senior PSEB officials. While three of them were suspended, others were charge sheeted.

The agitators threatened a complete strike from February 22 if the department failed to initiate any action in this regard.

The agitating employees said they would resort to close all sub-offices in the area if the suspended employees were not reinstated.

Bassi Pathana, February 17
A delegation of the Hindu Organisation submitted a memorandum to the divisional railway manager, Ambala, during his visit to the local railway station.

Manoj Banda, secretary, Hindu Organisation, said in a press release here today that the organisation had demanded for online reservation booking facility as well as loading and unloading booking at the local railway station.

He said at present the passengers had to go to Sirhind or Ambala for booking. He said the passengers had to cross the railway lines to reach platform No. 2 and thus, the organisation had demanded to construct an overbridge to connect the platforms.

Besides they demanded stoppage of proposed Amritsar-Chandigarh passenger train at the local railway station.

He said by taking these steps the railway department would not only earn more revenue, the residents and the traders would also get facilities at their doorsteps.

Ambala, February 17
The Ambala Cantonment railway station, a railway junction, is all set to get a facelift. The railway station would get a new look with orderly parking and renovation of waiting halls on the anvil.

YP Singh, divisional railway manager, said he had visited the railway station and found that it lacked cleanliness and the waiting halls as also the railway platforms needed to be renovated.

He said he had instructed the staff concerned to chalk out a plan for ending the haphazard parking of vehicles outside the main entry to the railway station, which blocked smooth entry of vehicles and passengers into the station.

Singh, who had recently taken over the charge of his new assignment, said the toilets and public amenities would be renovated.

New tiles would be got fixed and the sanitation would be a priority area.

The renovation of the waiting halls would be undertaken soon so that the passengers could relax there. It was proposed to provide television sets in these halls.

The DRM said he had visited the Ambala City railway station also and found that the platform number one was too cramped.

He had instructed relocation of a book staff presently located close to the entry gate. He said the ATMs of different banks would also be relocated and these would be shifted away from the main entry to the railway station.

Singh said Union Minister Selja had given a grant of Rs 1.72 crore for an overbridge at the closed railway crossing near Ambala City railway station. He said the grant could not be utilised even after four years.

Now the state government had asked for refund of the money as the bridge had not been built so far. He said it was not possible to have an overbridge or an underbridge at the said railway crossing because of technical reasons.

Moreover, the bridge could not be built in such meagre amount.

He said he had toured the railway stations of Ludhiana, Saharanpur, Rajpura and Chandigarh where he had issued instructions for renovation of the waiting halls and upgradation of public amenities.

Ambala, February 17
As many as 11 candidates who had contested assembly election from different constituencies of Ambala district a few months back did not file the report of their election expenses with the district election office so far. As per the Election Commission guidelines the candidates should have file their election expenses report with the election office within one month after the poll.

The candidates from Naraingarh constituency who did not file their expenses report include Ram Singh Korba (INLD), Arjun Singh (BSP), Sanjeev Kumar (NCP), Jag Pal Singh (Samast Bharatiya Party), Geeta Sharma (Rashtriya Garib Dal), Mulkh Raj (Independent), Samsher Singh (Independent) and Sudesh Kumar (Independent).

Two independent candidates from Ambala Cantonment, Anil Kishor and Vipul Jain, also did not follow the election commission guideline. RLD candidate from Ambala City Umrao Singh also falls in this category.

The Ambala election department has sent a report to the chief electoral officer, Haryana, in this regard recently which would further be referred to the EC. The commission can debar a candidate from contesting the assembly election for three years in case he does not file these details with the office concerned in the prescribed duration. 

Chandigarh, February 17
After eloping a couple belonging to Shahbad ran for their lives from the Punjab & Haryana High Court parking lot, trying to save themselves from an unruly group chasing them.

As the couple reached the Punjab & Haryana advocate-general’s office, they realised further progress was difficult and sought the help of onlookers. Former Bar Council chief BK Goel came to their rescue and asked the police to provide them with security. They were then taken to a police post in the high court complex.

Available information suggests the couple had tied the knot against the wishes of the girl’s parents and other family members. They stayed together for a few days but later the girl’s parents told her to return home, assuring her they would “arrange” their marriage. However, the parents later finalized a match for her.

Later during the day the counsel for the couple appeared before justice MMS Bedi. Considering the facts, the judge passed an interim order stating the couple should not be arrested in any case and also directed the girl’s family to desist from any action causing harm to the couple.

The matter will now come up for hearing on February 19. 

Chandigarh, February 17
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed IDBI Bank to pay Rs 75,000 with interest of 8 per cent per annum to the complainant, Parveen Madan, along with the litigation cost of Rs 2,500.

The complainant said she had purchased three “Deep Discount Bonds” from the bank for Rs 5,300 each (issue price) and as per the terms, the maturity value of Rs 2 lakh was to be paid by the bank on March 18, 2021, but the holder was having option to redeem the same on August 1, 2000, December 1, 2006, September 1, 2011, and June 1, 2016. She received two letters dated April 29, 2009, wherein it was mentioned that they had exercised the call option on August 1, 2000, and also issued redemption notice dated May 25, 2000, individually to all the bond holders wherein the bond holders were advised to surrender the duly discharged bond certificates to Investors Services of India, the Registrar for release of redemption proceedings of Rs 10,000 per bond.

It was also mentioned that no interest was payable after August 1, 2000.

In response to the letter, the complainant sent a legal notice denying the receipt of any such communication. She received a reply on August 13, 2009, from the bank informing that the reminder notices were published in newspapers every six months thereafter and that the call option was binding on all the investors of IDBI Deep Discount Bonds 1996 and offered to pay unclaimed amount along with meagre interest of 3.5 per cent per annum.

In a written reply, the bank admitted the factual matrix. It submitted that the call notice was given to the complainant by the UCP and reminder notices were published in the leading newspapers in English and regional languages across India at regular intervals of six months giving details of bonds redeemed by exercising the call option for early redemption but the complainant failed to submit the duly discharged bond certificates. Pleading that there has been no deficiency in service or unfair trade practice on their part prayer for dismissal of the complaint has been made. 

Chandigarh, February 17
With a local court holding Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) president Charanjiv Singh ineligible for a next term, the apex traders’ body will see a new face in the presidential chair.

The ruling by civil judge (junior division) Balwant Singh has come in the backdrop of a petition filed by CBM member Parshottam Singh, challenging the eligibility of Charanjiv Singh to contest for a third term.

The ball for the election to the top post has been set in motion, with MP Kohli forming a five-member committee to formulate a code of conduct to ensure a free and fair election.

A tough contest is in the offing, with two groups of the CBM set to fight it out for the top post in the largest representative body of city traders.

The post has assumed importance in the past few years as he is the traders’ interface with others, including the Chandigarh administration, political parties and the corporate sector.

With the Chandigarh administration mulling the nomination of the CBM president to the municipal corporation, the post has assumed added importance.

The CBM president is also a member of several importance committees, including the Administrator’s advisory council.

Representatives of various market associations in the city, mainly presidents and general secretaries, form the electorate for the CBM president, who later nominates various office-bearers of the executive committee and sub-committees.

Though the ruling group is mainly pinning its hopes on its ‘achievements’, particularly amendments in building bylaws and other trader-friendly decisions, there is no dearth of opponents to the ruling group’s various acts of omission and commission.

The indiscriminate membership drive by the ruling group, which has seen the membership swell to over 350, has been vehemently opposed by the other group, alleging ‘distortion’ in the character of the body.

The ruling group has defended the inclusion of various market associations on the plea that those fulfil the criteria prescribed by the CBM constitution.

The recent announcement of awards of excellence for markets and prominent entrepreneurs by the CBM had come in for criticism from a section of traders, who alleged favouritism in favour of certain traders.

Since the spending powers of the CBM president were limited, the function was widely seen as being sponsored by eminent traders, who were awarded by the CBM for excellence in trade.

The ruling group had claimed that the awards were constituted with good intentions and ‘teething troubles’ were bound to occur in initial stages.

The initiative was aimed at awarding excellence in trade and business, besides encouraging markets to maintain orderly parking, a member of the ruling group claimed.

Chandigarh, February 17
CBI sleuths today reportedly caught a Chandigarh police head constable red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000.

According to the investigative agency, the policeman, Sarat Ram, who is posted at the Sector 61 police post, had been demanding money from a Sector 52 resident, Jaipal Baghri, by threatening to implicate his son in a mobile phone theft case. The complainant had told CBI officials Sarat had sought money from him.

Sources said the police had earlier arrested one Amit alias Sunny in a mobile phone snatching case. The name of the complainant’s son was also Sunny and the head constable had told Jaipal he would implicate the latter’s son in the case. He had called up Jaipal asking him to come to a place near the police post this evening, where a CBI team laid a trap. Residents of the area alleged the policeman had been indulging in malpractices and had frequently harassed them.

Incidentally, it was for the first time that the Chandigarh police issued a press statement informing one of its cops was caught by the CBI taking a bribe.

The police said disciplinary action was being taken against the suspect and senior officials had also demanded an explanation on the lack of supervision from the Sector 36 police station SHO and the Sector 61 police post in charge.

The police also made it clear that in future disciplinary action would be taken against any cop found indulging in such misconduct as well as against his immediate superior.

Chandigarh, February 17
Keeping the glory of Roller Skating Federation of India high, hosts Chandigarh stormed into semifinals of the 47th National Roller Hockey and Inline Hockey Championship being played at the Roller Skating Rink, KBDAV, Sector 7, Chandigarh, here today.

The skaters from all parts of the country were competing in the quad and inline hockey events for both men and women category.

The highlight of today’s skating event was Chandigarh senior roller hockey men team qualifying for the semifinals by thrashing Delhi 14-1.

Other results:

Senior men roller hockey: Chandigarh defeated Delhi 14-1 and Punjab thrashed UP 14-0. While J&K beat Rajasthan 16-0, Haryana got the better of MP 4-0. MP beat Karnataka 4-1, Punjab hammered Maharashtra 13-0 and Haryana beat Rajasthan 12-0. Chandigarh defeated AP 15-4.

Junior girls’ section: Haryana beat Chandigarh 8-0. While AP defeated Delhi 14-0, Chandigarh beat J&K 7-0 in the senior women category.

In another match, Tamil Nadu got the better of Maharashtra 11-0 in the sub-junior girls’ section and in the junior girls’ section, UP beat Delhi 7-0; Haryana beat Punjab 16-0; AP defeated Maharashtra 14-0, J&K narrowly beat Rajasthan 2-1 and Chandigarh beat Punjab 4-0.

In yet another match of the day in the sub-junior boys’ category, while Maharashtra beat AP by 5-4, UP beat MP 7-0.

Chandigarh, February 17
The Central Cricket Club, Chandigarh, beat Jersey Cricket Board, Chandigarh, by 100 runs. The Central Cricket Club scored 320 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 50-over match played at the Sector-16 Cricket Stadium here today.

The Central Cricket Club after winning the toss elected to bat first. The club lost two quick wickets, but the third wicket partnership of 248 runs between Simrat Bawa (101 of 106 balls) and Gaurav Gupta (109 off 94 balls) helped the club piled up a mammoth total of 320 for the loss of six wickets.

Other contributors were Kunal Mahajan 20, Prashant Chopra 22 and Gurinder 21. Mat Hague was the most successful bowler for Jersey Cricket Board, who claimed three wickets for 51 runs.

In reply, the Jersey Cricket Board was bowled out for 220 run in 43.4 overs. Board team captain Ryan Driver, who scored 53 runs off 39 balls (seven fours and two sixes), and Ben Stevens, who scored 33 runs off 44 balls, were the main scorers for the losers.

Gurinder of Central Cricket Club was the most successful bowler who claimed two for 29.

Brief scores:

Central Cricket Club: 320 for 6 wickets in 50 overs (Simrat Bawa 101, Gaurav Gupta 109, Mat Hague 3/51).

Jersey Cricket Board: 220 all out in 43.4 overs (Ryan Driver 53, Ben Stevens 33, Gurinder 2/29).

Chandigarh, February 17
Anjana was adjudged the best athlete of the year in the annual athletics meet of Government Home Science College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, which was held on its grounds here today.

College principal Rita G Singh inaugurated the athletics meet.

The college students impressed audience in the marchpast with their colourful thematic turnouts, while they marched to the tunes of the Chandigarh Police band.

Parade commander Navdeep Kaur, college president Garima Saxena and vice-president Apoorva Tandon led the marchpast. College sports captain Sarabjyot lit the torch and took the ceremonial oath. Chief Engineer Surinder Pall, UT Chandigarh, was the chief guest. The college principal read the annual sports report highlighting the achievements of the students.

The students charmed the audience with a patriotic dance performance, followed by giddha, which got everyone tap their feet.

The chief guest appreciated and encouraged the students to excel in the field of sports.

He emphasised on the spirit of sportsmanship that goes a long way in the development of a wholesome personality.

Results:

Long jump: Tajinder Kaur 1, Savita 2 and Sandeep 3.

High jump: Tajinder 1, Sandeep 2 and Manleen 3.

Discus throw: Smriti 1, Juhi 2 and Diksha 3.

Javelin throw: Anu 1, Tajinder 2 and Astha 3.

Shot put: Anjana 1, Harleen 2 and Diksha Kalia 3.

100m race: Anjana 1, Neha 2 and Navjot 3.

200m race: Anjana 1, Deepshikha 2 and Abha Saini 3.

Three-legged race: Suchit 1, Anu Bagri 2 and Aarti 3.

Slow cycling: Savita 1, Diksha 2 and Navdeep 3.

Sack race (50m): Anjana 1, Tajinder 2 and Ekta 3.

4x100m relay race: Anjana 1, Smriti 2 and Aashima 3.

Fast cycling race (400m): Diksha 1, Savita 2 and Sandeep 3.

Tug-of-war inter-class: BSc (Home Science) III year 1 and MSc (Home Science) 2.

Chandigarh, February 17
A total of 87 amateur caddies from Chandigarh, Panchkula and Chandimandir will converge on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club for the second one-day golf tournament for amateur caddies on February 22.

Organised by the Punjab Golf Association to promote golf among amateur caddies, the tournament will be held in two handicap categories (0-9 and 10-18).

The 0-9 category will have three prizes (winner, first runner-up and second runner-up). The 10-18 handicap category will have maximum pars and youngest participant prizes in addition to the top-three prizes. There will be special prizes for the longest drive and nearest to the pin. The tee-off will be done at 9.45 am from both tees.