Chandigarh, May 7
The message “bom (bomb) blast in car 1 pm”, jotted with a sketch pen on the right side of a car, today sent the Chandigarh Police in a tizzy.

DSP (Central) Jagbir Singh said a woman Home Guard volunteer, Sukhwinder Kaur, came forward with information that she had seen three boys alighting from a Maruti Alto car (CH 03 D 7122) and going away after writing something on a Maruti car parked in the parking lot outside the Leisure Valley in Sector 10.

Sukhwinder noted down the registration number of the Alto car, following which the police tracked down the boys. They were, however, let off after being issued a warning since they had no criminal record and “had simply been mischievous”.

Two of the boys are students of class XII, studying at Government Senior Secondary School in Sector 15 and Sector 20, while the third is a student of class X at the National Open School in Khuda Lahora.

It all started around 12:30 pm when Dr Deepali Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 16, Panchkula, came to Sector 10 in Chandigarh in her Maruti car number (HR 03 H 4830) to meet her friend Radheshwari. She left her car in the parking lot and went for a walk in the Leisure Valley. When she returned, she found the message written on her car.

Shocked, she rang up the police control room (PCR). Within minutes, the DSP (central) along with police personnel from the Operations Cell, Crime Branch and the bomb disposal squad reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The police conducted a thorough search of the vehicle and then took it to the Sector 3 police station.

The police, meanwhile, shifted Deepali to her acquaintance’s residence in Sector 10 in a police vehicle. The car was restored to the owner by evening.

Chandigarh, May 7
CBI Special Judge Darshan Singh today held VP Dhingra, former Superintendent Engineer (SE), of the UT Electricity Department guilty in a graft case, which came to light in 2006.The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Saturday.

The CBI had caught him on August 2, 2006, while he was allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 at his Sector 19 residence.

The case was registered against Dhingra under Sections 7 and 13 (2) read with Section 13 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Subhash Bajaj, a contractor and managing director of Kanta Electricals India Limited, Mohali, had lodged a complaint against Dhingra, alleging that the official had demanded “favours” from him to get his work done. Dhingra had promised to give him a contract. Bajaj had qualified for a government project to install automatic traffic light signals in the city.

The contractor went to Dhingra's house to give the money, but the official insisted they go out for a short drive. He allegedly accepted the money in the car. He was nabbed as he was getting down from the car outside his residence here with the bribe money.

The complainant had said that Dhingra was demanding money to give approval to certain equipment. Despite the approval by the government laboratory, Dhingra was dilly-dallying on the matter.

Chandigarh, May 7The Chandigarh administration today cancelled permission given to the BJP to hold a rally, to be addressed by party president Nitin Gadkari and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu, at the Ramleela ground in Sector 27 here on May 12.

The rally ground in Sector 25 would be the new venue. Realising its mistake in giving permission to hold a rally in the densely-populated Sector 27, the DC’s office today officially communicated the change in venue to the BJP.

Party’s media spokesman Shakti Devshali confirmed the change in venue. Bending its own rules, the administration had taken a U-turn on allowing political rallies and protests in the city and granted permission to a rally in Sector 27 on April 30.

The permission also ran counter to directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 2006, on the directions of the high court, the administration had shifted the venue for holding rallies to Sector 25 with a view to avoid inconvenience to city residents.

Chandigarh, May 7
Moderate rain lashed the city and neighbouring areas in the region today, bringing much-needed respite to residents.This was the first time this summer that the city received moderate rainfall, recorded at 13.6 mm, bringing the mercury down to 30.8 degree Celsius, 7 degrees below normal.

Weathermen said western disturbances and cyclonic conditions over Rajasthan caused the rain. The last time mild rain was recorded was on April 21, which was 1 mm.

Residents woke up to a cloudy sky this morning. The rain began around 11:30 am and lasted till 1 pm. Children and youths could be seen enjoying the rain.

The drainage wing of the municipal corporation was caught unawares as the rain left roads inundated. Many people were found stranded in knee-deep water at places.

A few cars developed snags while going through roads filled with water. The parking of the corporation building was inundated as drains in the area were blocked.

Drainage wing teams could be seen removing blockage till the evening. MC Chief Engineer SS Bida said water drained when leaves lying on roads were removed.

Chandigarh, May 7
The ongoing land row between CITCO and the municipal corporation (MC) over the ownership of a piece of land at Hotel Shivalikview finally ended today, with officials of the administration, the MC and CITCO sitting together and reaching a consensus.

It was amicably decided that the land would remain with CITCO, but it would allow 10 feet for the MC’s parking lot. CITCO officials also removed the fencing around the area which was out of line with the hotel building in the presence of MC officials.

Sources claimed that all documents and records pertaining to the ownership of the land were put up at the meeting. The emergency meeting was attended by Adviser to the Administrator Pradip Mehra, Home-cum-Tourism Secretary Ram Niwas, CITCO Managing Director DK Tiwari, MC Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria and MC Chief Engineer SS Bida.

Meanwhile, members of the CITCO Workers Union went on a strike for about an hour and blocked the road adjacent to the hotel in protest. They said they would not tolerate pressure tactics of MC councillors.

Chandigarh, May 7
In a bid to lessen cost of healthcare, the Singapore Indian Group Networking for Empowerment Training (SIGNET) will organise a six-day workshop at Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 tomorrow.

“The hospital has invested heavily in latest technology, due to which, healthcare has become unaffordable for millions of Indians. In order to provide value for money for both healthcare providers and patients, high quality research has become imperative,” said Prof T Lazar Mathew, Dean and director, Vellore Institute of Technology, and Project director of Singapore Indian Group Networking for Empowerment Training (SIGNET).

He said every decision at individual, institutional, organisational and national level should be based on scientific considerations of efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness, applicability and feasibility in the local setting.

Prof Mathew said Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) were selected as models of an efficient healthcare delivery system. 

Panchkula, May 7
Acting on a complaint, the district consumer forum here has issued summons to various heads of the departments of Reliance Communications asking them to file their reply for soliciting immoral activities by inducing the customers by sending vulgar and pornographic text messages, suggesting explicitly the promiscuous relationship.

The complainant, who is resident of Sector 2 and a subscriber of Reliance mobile service, informed the forum that soon after subscribing to the mobile service, he started receiving some undesired and vulgar messages, which are reflected as “service messages” from Reliance.

Initially he ignored the same as he was told by the customer care that these messages would be stopped in couple of days. However, crossing all decency, it became a regular and routine practice, embarrassing him before his family, he added.

The complainant has sought a compensation of Rs 4,50,000 from the company for causing mental agony and injury to his marital harmony by sending ‘vulgar’ messages. He further alleged that every time he received such messages he had to explain to his wife the reason why he was receiving such messages 
on regular basis.

Mohali, May 7
A graveyard, which had become a bone of contention for residents of Phase IX, is being cleared by the district administration to make the land available for residential purposes.

The work of clearing the 9-kanal area was started on Wednesday in the presence of SDM RPS Walia . Ten employees of the Municipal Council were assigned the work of clearing the land of all wild growth so that it could be put to use for residential purposes.

Representatives of the Wakf board were also present at the site. Walia said the land belonged to the Wakf board, which wanted to use this for residential purposes. The Mohali Deputy Commissioner had requested GMADA authorities to allot another piece of land, which could be used as graveyard by the Muslims.

Tension had prevailed in Phase IX on April 11 when residents had opposed the burial of a Kumbra resident Gurnam Khan. Residents had tried to stop the burial but members of the Muslim community had insisted that the burial would take place there itself as the land belonged to the Wakf board.

When tempers ran high, the police had to be called to bring the situation under control. The stalemate had ended only after the district administration gave an assurance that no more burials would be allowed at the present site.

Among those present at the gravyard site were Amna Kumar Goyal, executive officer of the civic body, Anwar Hussain , a junior engineer with the Wakf board and Javed Aslam , vice-president of the Muslim Bhaichara, Kumbra. 

Mohali, May 7
“Pneumonia and diarrhoea are the leading causes of child deaths worldwide and the number of such deaths can be reduced by almost half by just washing hands regularly,” stated medical experts at a workshop on “Current paradigms in hand hygiene”, organised by Fortis Hospital in connection with Global Hand Hygiene Day (May 5).

Dr Geeta Mehta, regional advisor in Patient Safety and Health Technology, WHO, South East Asia Regional Office, was the chief guest and keynote speaker. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Zora Singh, president, IMA. Over 75 infection-control personnel, nurses and patient educators from various hospitals and health-care institutions in the tricity attended the workshop.

Talking about hand hygiene, Mehta said, “Cleaner care is undoubtedly safer care. The aim of every healthcare organisation should be to minimise medical errors that lead to adverse events and harm.