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Admn blinks at illegal construction in city’s fringe
Chandigarh, March 17
In blatant violation of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, several acres of agricultural land in Khuda Ali Sher village on the Nayagaon-Kaimbwala Road are being misused for commercial and residential purposes. The land is located on the foothills of the Shivalik range and is not far from the city’s elite Sector 1 that houses the Punjab & Haryana Civil Secretariat and the Chandigarh Club.

A view of two shops and a house with a satellite dish antenna on its roof constructed on agricultural land in Khuda Ali Sher village in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Chandigarh, March 17 Though the venue was the Panjab University campus and the speaker who delivered the Dr VN Tewari memorial lecture on Thursday, President Pratibha D Patil, a former academic, but the audience consisted more of Congress party activists than of scholars. The former clearly outnumbered students in the jampacked varsity auditorium. They were seen occupying seats in the hall only to keep vacate them on the arrival of “influential” people.

A traffic jam in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

SSA Budget
School infrastructure projects hanging fire
l Education dept continues to seek and surrender major chunk of capital budget l Education Department blames chief engineer’s office
Chandigarh, March 17
Even as the UT Chief Engineer is making little progress on several key school infrastructure projects, such as construction of toilets and repairing classrooms, the UT Education Department continues to seek and yet surrender a major chunk of the capital budget provided under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) year after year.

City IT bubble bursts
Least-preferred destination for professionals
Chandigarh, March 17
Chandigarh’s IT bubble seems to have burst even before it has taken off in full measure. Despite boasting of a state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park (RGCTP), the city remains the least preferred destination for young information technology (IT) professionals and engineers looking for their “first job”.

COMMUNITY

Golf club pays up dues
Water connection to be restored today
Chandigarh, March 17
Within hours of disconnecting the tertiary water connection to the Chandigarh Golf Club over the non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 6.42 lakh, the club management deposited the dues with the Municipal Corporation today.

Tension all around

Youth Congress workers at the PGI amid heavy police posse after nine of them were admitted to the emergency ward following a cane-charge in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

PGI technicians call off strike
Chandigarh, March 17
Services at the PGI operating theatres (OT) returned to normalcy after technicians called off their strike here today. The technicians decided to join work after they were told that their demand for pay scales on a par with AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) had been approved by the union ministry of health and family welfare.

GMCH gets one post of professor
Chandigarh, March 17
The Union Ministry of Health has sanctioned one post of professor for the department of orthopaedics at Government Medical College, Sector 32.

Holi colours can trigger asthma attack: Docs
Chandigarh, March 17
The festival of colours, Holi, infusing fun and excitement in our lives could pose a threat for a few suffering from asthma. The colours used during the festival could trigger asthma attack. This was stated by Dr SK Jindal, head, department of pulmonary and medicine, and Dr Meenu Singh, assistant professor, Advanced Paediatric Centre, PGI, here today.

Punjab Youth Cong rally turns violent, over 50 hurt

Ravneet Bittu, 29 others booked Chandigarh, March 17 More than 50 persons were injured, including Congress workers and Chandigarh policemen, during a rally by the Punjab Youth Congress near the Beant Singh memorial in Sector 42 here today. The UT police resorted to canecharge and used tear gas shells to disperse the agitating mob.
The police resorts to a lathi charge on Congress workers during a protest on the Sector 41-42 dividing road in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Student, IAF man commit suicide
Chandigarh, March 17
A day after a woman committed suicide by jumping into the Sukhna Lake, two more suicides were reported in the city today. In the first incident, a teenaged girl committed suicide by hanging herself at her house in Maloya village.

A day after murder, police identifies victim
Chandigarh, March 17
The police has identified the youth who was found murdered near the Sukhna Lake yesterday as 24-year-old Akashdeep Malhotra, a resident of Hoshiarpur. He was working in a call centre and was living in Mohali as a paying guest.

Gold chains snatched
Chandigarh, March 17 Unidentified motorcycle-borne youths snatched gold chains in two separate incidents today.

Home Secy meets admn officials
Chandigarh, March 17
The Home Secretary convened a meeting with the administrative secretaries and HoDs to discuss the pending proposal in respect of departmental promotion committee, deputation, recruitment rules and direct rules with the UPSC on the basis of list supplied to the HoDs.

Residents complain of contamination Zirakpur, March 17 Residents of Pabhat village in Zirakpur today complained of contaminated water being supplied to the locality for the past two months. They complained that water provided by the water supply department here was impure and emitted foul smell. Women show dirty water at Pabhat village in Zirakpur on Thursday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

PGI fares well in provision of hand washing facilities
Chandigarh, March 17
PGI administrative officials have reason to cheer: In a one of-its-kind study conducted on “hand washing facilities” in its outpatient department, north India’s premier health institution has fared better even than some hospitals in the developed countries including Britain. The study’s findings would imply patients visiting the PGI are less prone to the risk of hospital-associated infections.

Zoo director transferred
Chhat (Banur), March 17
Churchil Kumar, field director at Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, has been transferred to the tourism department, Punjab.

Farmers stage dharna

Mohali, March 17 Commuters on the road separating Sectors 51 and 52 were a harassed lot as hundreds of members of the Punjab Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) staged a dharna on the Chandigarh-Mohali barrier here today. After gathering at the Amb Sahib gurdwara, the farmers walked towards the YPS roundabout.
Members of the Punjab Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) protest near the Chandigarh-Mohali barrier on Thursday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

150 take part in public relations conclave
Chandigarh, March 17
A two-day Global Public Relations Conclave began here on Thursday. More than 150 communication practitioners from India and abroad are participating in the conclave.

Law Commission touring region
Mohali, March 17
Members of the Law Commission of India have started touring Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in the northern zone to speed up the process of legal reforms, said Amarjit Singh, a member of the commission.

Magical notes by Pandit Bhatt
Chandigarh, March 17
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt performed two concerts organised by SPICMACAY at the Government PG College, Sector 11, and Bhargava auditorium in the PGI here today.

EDUCATION

CBSE bans sale of books, uniforms in schools
Chandigarh, March 17
In a bid to put an end to commercialisation in schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education has banned the sale of books, uniforms and other articles in its affiliated schools.

‘Fake’ Employer
PU to tread with caution
n To verify credentials of every company before permitting executives to enter campus n Bring uniformity in criteria
Chandigarh, March 17
Panjab University is all set to bring uniformity in its criteria for verifying credentials of companies that recruit students during placement drives.

Moot Court: UILS team emerges victorious
Chandigarh, March 17
The team from University Institute of Legal Studies, (UILS), Panjab University, comprising Raashi Ahluwalia, Shivani Kapur and Pallavi Pahwa won the B Krishna Memorial National IPR Moot Court Competition held on March 12 and 13. The event was organised by Krishna and Saurashtri, IPR associates at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Ahluwalia also won the best student advocate award.

Institute told to compensate complainant
Mohali, March 17
Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), Industrial Area, Phase VIII, has been penalised by the Mohali Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum for resorting to unfair trade practices and harassing a Ludhiana-based student who had enrolled in a two-year full-time postgraduate programme in MBA.

Farewell Party MCM students have a ball Chandigarh, March 17 MCM DAV College organised a farewell party for its outgoing students today. The evening witnessed a cultural extravaganza, where college principal Dr Puneet Bedi encouraged students to bring laurels to their alma mater.
(From left) Prabhnoon and Gurleen, who bagged the first and second runners-up postgraduate title, and Bhavleen and Prabhjot, who won the undergraduate title of first and second runners-up, at a farewell party in MCM DAV College, Sector 36, Chandigarh, on Thursday. Tribune photo: Vinay Malik

• From Schools and Colleges

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Stamp Duty On Land Purchased
Colonisers resent govt move
Bassi Pathana, March 17
Resentment prevailed among colonisers of the area against the decision of the state government to charge stamp duty on the land purchased by them at the residential rates as it would further burden the already burdened real estate industry under recession. At a meeting held yesterday the colonisers condemned the decision of the government and urged the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister to reconsider the decision to save the industry.

Residents protest water shortage

Dera Bassi, March 17 Residents of Pandwala village today protested against the shortage of drinking water in the village for past two days. They alleged that despite being given information regarding the problem in the village, the department concerned was not taking any action.
Residents of Pandwala village in Dera Bassi protest against the shortage of drinking water on Thursday. Photo: Parmod Mehta

‘Industries polluting groundwater’
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 17
An awareness camp was organised today by the Central Groundwater Board at Mandi Gobindgarh, near here, in which speakers expressed concern over the depleting water table and contamination of groundwater. Board’s Regional Director AK Bhatia said polluted water was being injected underground by various industries, contaminating groundwater.

Pinjore MC
Panel formed to probe embezzlement case
Kalka, March 17
A committee consisting of three officers of the local administration has been formulated by Kalka SDM Vandna Disodia to inquire into embezzlement of crores of rupees in the Municipal Committee, Pinjore.

Kharar MC passes Rs 42-cr budget
Kharar, March 17
The Kharar Municipal Council today passed budget of Rs 42 crore to be spent on various developmental works in the town.

COURTS

Disability Pension Case
Defence Ministry ordered to pay Rs 50,000 as costs
Chandigarh, March 17
Taking the Union of India to task for filing a “frivolous appeal” and “misusing the process of the court” by presenting incorrect facts in a case relating a soldier’s disability pension, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed costs of Rs 50,000.

Indians in Libya
HC: Executive to decide on evacuation
Chandigarh, March 17
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has left it open to the executive to decide how Indians in Libya are to be evacuated.

CRIME

Theft at Nayagaon, Zirakpur reported
Mohali, March 17
Thieves have decamped with jewellery and cash after breaking into a house at Shivalik Vihar in Nayagaon.

SPORTS

AK Mishra Boxing Meet
Amarjeet overwhelms Butada

Chandigarh, March 17 On-song boxer Amarjeet Singh defeated Butada Tulshi in the light flyweight 49-kg category of the ongoing 18th All-India AK Mishra Boxing Championship being held at the Skating Rink, Sector 10, here today. HANDS-ON APPROACH: A bout between Rahul Kumar and D Saravanan, who ultimately won, under way during the All-India AK Mishra Memorial Boxing Championship in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

National School Games
Rich haul by city players
Chandigarh, March 17
Sportspersons who represented the city in the 56th National School Games held last session in various states across the country brought laurels by winning top honours in both team and individual events.

WCC-42 claim weightlifting trophy
Chandigarh, March 17
Weightlifting Coaching Centre (WCC), Sector-42, lifted the 26th Senior Men’s Weightlifting trophy held at Sports Complex, Sector 42, here recently. The WCC team stood first after scoring 219 points in different categories of the tournament.