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Checking underage driving
Traffic cops launch special drive
Chandigarh, August 26
Underage drivers are under the scanner of the Chandigarh Police, as the latter today started a special drive to curb the menace in the city.

(From left) A schoolboy rides a motorcycle without helmet; a traffic cop tries to catch him as he tries to run away; falls. Tribune photos: Manoj Mahajan

‘Drunk’ car-borne youths create ruckus
Chandigarh, August 26
The Chandigarh Police had a tough time in taming two youths, allegedly in an inebriated condition, who did not stop their car after being signalled to halt. They were accompanied by a girl.

Most traffic light cameras defunct, HC told
Chandigarh, August 26
The ‘third eye’ that is supposed to keep a vigil on the city’s streets has turned virtually blind. Only about 20 per cent of the closed circuit TV cameras installed on traffic signals and other places in the city are presently functional. The police is apparently ignoring violations at unmanned traffic light crossings and other locations. The eye-opening statements were made before the Punjab & Haryana High Court by the UT administration.

Rs 2,414 cr development plan for Mohali okayed
Mohali, August 26
With the aim to transform Mohali into an ultramodern place, the Punjab government has prepared a blueprint for the integrated development of the town and its adjoining areas of Zirakpur, Lalru, Dera Bassi, Chhat and Mullanpur. The total cost of implementing the various projects has been pegged at Rs 2,414 crore that would mostly be spent by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

Rathore seeks parole
Panchkula, August 26
Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, who is serving two-year term in Burail jail of Chandigarh in Ruchika Gilhotra molestation case, has applied for parole citing cultivation of agriculture land as the main reason.

Principals reprimanded, then feted
Chandigarh, August 26
In contradiction to what the UT Education Department did earlier, it honoured 5 such school principals for good board results today who had recently been pulled up for their dismal performance in the same.

Appointment of associate dean
25 college principals boycott PU meet

Chandigarh, August 26 Around 25 principals of Panjab University-affiliated non-government colleges boycotted the principals meet organised by the UGC-Academic Staff College, PU, today. The meeting was aimed to discuss higher education and its discontents. Principals protest in support of their demands at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Thursday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Additional SG to oversee Central litigation
Chandigarh, August 26
Additional Solicitor-General of India Mohan Jain has been made the in-charge of Central government litigation at the High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. The responsibility has been entrusted “in order to oversee the litigation in various High Courts and its Benches to implement the National Litigation Policy”.

COMMUNITY

Illegal structures razed Chandigarh, August 26 Cracking a whip against encroachers, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and the Municipal Corporation conducted separate drives in the city today. A JCB machine demolishes a part of a building in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Face of UT Cong set to change
Party to project a new look in the run up to MC polls
Chandigarh, August 26
The face of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) is set to change in the run-up to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh elections in 2011.

Race for new CTCC chief hots up

The City Forum on Human Rights, an NGO, holds a peaceful protest against the recent hit-and-run case at the Sector 17 Plaza in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Cases of eye flu on the rise
50 persons from Behlana and Raipur Khurd villages have reported viral infection at major hospitals or private clinics of the city
Chandigarh, August 26
A sudden change in weather has led to an increase in the number of cases of viral conjunctivitis, commonly called eye flu, in several parts of the city.

Dip in humidity levels brings respite
Chandigarh, August 26
A decline in humidity levels today provided some respite to people of the city from the sticky conditions, though the day’s temperature was near normal at 32 degrees celsius.

Protest by aanganwari workers, block road in Panchkula

Panchkula, August 26 Members of the Aanganwari Workers and Helpers Union, Haryana, today blocked one of the busiest roads near the office of the Child and Women Welfare Department, causing problems to the general public here this afternoon. Workers of the Aanganwari Workers and Helpers Union block a road in Panchkula on Thursday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Construction of B-Block
Delay costs state exchequer dear
Panchkula, August 26

Delay in the construction of B-Block of the Sector 6 General Hospital will now cost the state exchequer to the tune of Rs 8.5 crore. From Rs 1145.57 lakh, the time when the project was commissioned, the cost estimates of the Block B have now touched Rs 20 crore. The construction of B-Block was started on January 23, 2009 and was to be completed by July 22, last. According to sources, the financial crunch had delayed the project, which was now delayed by about a year.

The general hospital building at Panchkula underconstruction. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

‘Clean the mind and green the earth’
Chandigarh, August 26
A unique project “Clean the Mind and Green the Earth” and an all-India campaign on empowerment through values and spirituality were launched by the education wing of the Brahma Kumaris organisation at Rajyoga Bhawan in Sector 33 here this evening.

EDUCATION

Chathrath group disowns five members
Chandigarh, August 26
Rift in the incumbent Chathrath-Goyal group in the Panjab University’s political arena has become wide open.

PU election schedule out
Chandigarh, August 26
The countdown has finally begun for Panjab University elections starting from today.

CAMPAIGNING AT PEAK

PUSU leaders address activists as the police stops their car rally near Gate No. 1; and (right) SOPU activists raise slogans at UILS at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photos: Parvesh Chauhan

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Commission agents resent direct payment to farmers
Bassi Pathana, August 26
The Arthiya Association, Punjab, at its meeting here today resented the direct payment of the produce to the farmers and urged the state government not to implement it.

Badal lays stone of grain market
Dera Bassi, August 26
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today the Punjab government would prepare a master plan for every constituency to ensure overall development of the state.

Residents hopes dashed

Hybrid lion dies at Chhatbir
Chhat (Banur), August 26
A 12-year-old hybrid lion, Roxer, died at Mahendra Choudhary Zoological Park (Chhatbir zoo) this evening due to chronic disease.

Gurjinder Singh, student of Class VIII, who was allegedly beaten up by a teacher in Government High School, under treatment at Civil Hospital, Rajpura. Tribune photo: JS Virdi

‘Voluntary eye donation need of hour’
Patiala, August 26
Silver jubilee eye donation fortnight celebration kicked off today with a joint function organised by the District Blindness Control Society in co-ordination with Patiala Eye Hospital and Lasik Laser Centre and Kirtan Memorial Charitable Trust, here.

Foundation stone of media centre laid
Patiala, August 26
The foundation stone of media centre to house the Centre for Advanced Media Studies of Punjabi University, Patiala, was laid by Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jaspal Singh on the university campus here today. The first phase of the media centre scheduled to be completed in six months will cost about Rs 70 lakh. It will comprise an acoustically controlled state-of-the-art studio, master control room, lecture theatres, multimedia laboratory, faculty rooms, staff rooms, activity room, audio-visual and books library.

Quiz on Indian history
Ambala, August 26
DPS Public School, Ambala City, organised a quiz contest on “Indian history” here today.

Hit-and-run-case
Students seek compensation for family
Ambala, August 26
Students of ITI, Ambala City, led by leaders of ABVP demanded compensation for the family of Shokat Ali, a student of the institute, who was run over by a Haryana Roadways bus on August 18.

Workshop on soft skill at St Joseph’s School
Ambala, August 26
ICL Group of Colleges organised a soft-skill workshop at St Joseph’s School in Ambala.

40 selected in placement drive
Patiala, August 26
IBM Daksh selected around 40 students of the final year of BA, BSc, BCom, BBA, BCA, PGDCA and MSc (IT) as executive operations during a campus placement drive at Multani Mal Modi College.

‘Only 1.5 lakh professionals get jobs’
Ambala, August 26
Subhash Bhatia, head, sales, of Future Edutech said here yesterday that in the past years about 19.3 lakh students had sought degrees in professional courses in the country, and from these only 1.15 lakh students were able to get jobs.

Law body member hurt in road mishap
Ambala, August 26
A member of Union Law Commission, Amarjeet Singh, sustained minor injuries when his official car collided with a three-wheeler on the GT road between Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment today noon.

‘Slow farm growth concern for policymakers’
Patiala, August 26
The College of Management and Technology organised a guest lecture on the topic ‘Rise of India as an economic power’ for MBA, BBA and BCA students on the CMT Campus here yesterday.

Mini Secretariat
DC visits Kalka, takes stock of site
Kalka, August 26
Ashima Garg, Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, today visited Kalka regarding setting up of the purposed mini secretariat here.

Swimming
Police DAV claim trophy
Ambala, August 26
Police DAV Public School, Ambala, won the overall trophy in district-level swimming championship here today.

COURTS

Ecological Degradation of Hillocks
Action initiated against 20 violators: Punjab to HC
Chandigarh, August 26
Three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of a Tribune report on ecological degradation of hillocks in the city’s northern region, the state of Punjab today claimed initiation of action against 20 violators.

Badals fail to reply to HC notice
Chandigarh, August 26
More than two-and-a-half years have lapsed since the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued notice of motion on a petition filed by Punjab Public Service Commission chairman Sanjit Kumar Sinha, but Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal have apparently not filed their replies.

Police flouted search & seizure safeguards: HC
Chandigarh, August 26
Declaring that the Chandigarh police had failed to follow the procedure stipulated in the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 in a case of search and seizure, the court of additional district & sessions Judge Lalit Batra observed that the investigating officer had clearly violated the provisions in section 50 of the Act.

Corruption Case
CBI submits chargesheet against officials
Chandigarh, August 26
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today submitted a chargesheet against officials of the public health and engineering department of the UT Administration in the Special CBI Court.

CRIME

Ex-Army officers booked for bogus voting
Mohali, August 26
The Mohali police has booked three retired Army officers for allegedly indulging in bogus voting during election to the Darshan Vihar Welfare Maintenance Society in Sector 68, Mohali.

Man run over by truck Chandigarh, August 26 A 47-year-old man was run over by a speeding truck while another sustained serious injuries at the Fun Republic traffic lights point at around 11 am here today. The ill-fated motorcycle that was hit by a speeding truck at the Fun Republic lights point in Mani Majra on Friday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Five-year-old raped, accused arrested
Chandigarh, August 26 In a shocking incident, the Chandigarh Police has arrested a city resident, Navin Kumar, for allegedly raping a mentally challanged minor girl at his Sector 35 residence here today.

Thieves decamp with valuables worth Rs 4 lakh
Panchkula, August 26
Thieves struck in the city again and decamped with valuable items worth Rs 4 lakh from a house in Sector 7 in the wee hours of this morning. Subhash Kataria, who runs a jewellery shop in Sector 17, in his complaint to the police told the police that various valuables, including antique pieces, computers, sound systems, electronic items, jewellery machinery, had been stolen.

382 pirated DVDs, CDs seized, 2 held
Zirakpur, August 26
The police today arrested two shopkeepers of Baltana and seized 382 pirated DVDs and CDs from their possession in two separate cases. The accused have been identified as Jitender Kumar and Puneet Yadav. According to police sources, the CIA Kharar raided the shop on the Peer Baba road, Baltana, and recovered 124 DVDs and 120 CDs from the shop.

SPORTS

Catch me if you can

A match in progress between KCW, Sidhwan, and GCW,Ludhiana, in the Inter-College Kho-Kho A Division Women Tournament at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Thursday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Buchi Babu Meet
Punjab manage 257 for 9
Mohali, August 26
Despite early loses, Punjab managed to pile up 257 runs for the loss of nine wickets on the first day of the semifinal match against Kerala in Buchi Babu Tournament being held at Guru Nanak College ground in Chennai today. After winning the toss, Kerala decided to field first. Punjab opened with skipper Karan Goel and Kunwar Raina and they lost their first wicket at 11 runs when Kunwar Raina was dismissed on his individual score of four.

Shivalik school beat Surjit academy
Chandigarh, August 26
Shivalik Public School, Mohali, defeated VS Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, by 2-1 in the ONGC 9th SN Vohra Sub-Junior U-14 Hockey Tournament held at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today.