Ambala, July 7
Two children were drowned when they were crossing a 6-feet deep drain in the Manav Chowk area, at Ambala City this morning. The deceased were identified as Bittu (8) and Suraj (10) residents of a slum colony close to the grain market.

The fathers of the deceased are labourers and hail from Bihar. Dal Chand, father of Suraj and Ram Chander, father of Bittu, were inconsolable.

As per information, the children were crossing a 6-feet deep drain in the Manav Chowk area this morning when the incident took place. Following a heavy shower, the drain was overflowing. The children could not asses the depth of the drain and as soon as they entered into it, they were washed away with the heavy flow of the water.

Eyewitness Ram Dhari said six children of the colony were playing near the drain. Two of them attempted to cross the drain. He said that when he noticed that the two children were washed away, he informed the police. Later, the residents of the colony and other passers by also reached the spot.

The rescue operation was started only after one hour of the incident otherwise the children could have been saved. The operation was launched in a haphazard manner, as no disaster management expert was present there. The fire brigade officials did not have sufficient equipment to deal with the situation. No senior officer except the Tahsildar and the ACP were present there. When SDM Mukesh Ahuja reached the spot, the rescue operation started in a proper manner. After three hours the two children were fished out of the water and were rushed to the civil hospital where they were declared brought dead. The bodies were handed over to their parents after a postmortem examination was conducted.

Meanwhile, there was water-logging in several parts of the city.

Chandigarh, July 7
As many as 103 fresh patients from Vikas Nagar of Mauli Jagran, including 41 children, today reached the medical camp set up here. With this, the number of people suffering from diarrhoea from the area has reached nearly 2,000.

Nine patients who were in a serious condition were referred to hospitals.

The report of 30 water samples collected by the PGI from the area is expected to come on Monday.

Prof Rajesh Kumar, head of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, said it was diarrhoea was a water-borne disease and they had advised the UT Administration to stop the current drinking water supply to the area and make alternative arrangements.

Officials have decided to keep all the dispensaries of the Municipal Corporation open tomorrow. However, doctors may not be available at all times at the dispensaries since they have been deputed round the clock in Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran and other sensitive areas. Health centres being controlled by the Administration will also remain open tomorrow.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has proposed to run 16 Metros comprising four coaches each in the tricity in the first phase of the project. The DMRC has stated that 16 Metros would be operational by the end of 2018 in the tricity. Earlier, the DMRC had proposed that the tricity Metro rail would run at a frequency of around 10 minutes during peak hours on the two proposed corridors in the first phase.

A senior official of the UT Administration said the DMRC had proposed to run six Metros on the north-south corridor, which will commence from Capitol Complex and culminate at Gurdwara Singh Shaheeda via Sector 9, ISBT-17, Aroma Chowk, Sector 34, Sector-43 ISBT, Sector 52, Sector 62 and Sector 70. This Metro corridor would have a total of 10 stations, including four elevated and six underground.

On the east-west corridor, the DMRC has proposed to run 10 trains. The corridor will initiate from Grain Market near Sector 21, Panchkula, and will reach the transport terminal via Raili village, bus stand, City Centre, HUDA office complex, MDC, Panchkula, Housing Board Chowk, railway station, Timber Market, Sector 26, Sector 7, Sector 9, GMSH-16, PGI, Khuda Lahora, Sarangpur, Mullanpur and the Air Force Station. This corridor will have 15 elevated and five underground stations.

Work on the 37.573 km-long rail project will begin in 2013 and is expected to be completed by 2018. The DMRC has also proposed a total of 30 Metro stations in the two corridors in the first phase of the project. The Metro will be underground within the sectoral grid of Chandigarh. Outside the grid, it will be elevated. A 37.69-km Metro project has been proposed and there will 12 underground and 18 elevated stations.

The DMRC has also proposed to construct a parking facility at Metro stations in the suburbs. The facility will be provided at the first Metro station and the last Metro stop in the periphery.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) authorites felicitated its former directors, as the year-long Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the premier health and medical education institute started here today.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, were the guest of honour on the occasion.

While a documentary related to the journey of the PGI since it was inaugurated by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on July 7, 1963, was screened on the occasion, coffee mugs, pens and T-shirts were released as souvenirs.

The documentary narrated the story of an eight-year-old boy named Aditya from Ropar district who was suffering from retinoblastoma-a rare cancer of eyes found among children.

Dr SK Jindal, Chairman, Golden Jubilee Celebrations, while addressing the gathering said a commemorative stamp worth Rs 5 will be released to mark the occasion before the celebrations are concluded next year, the seminars, workshops and talks will be organised throughout the year inviting prominent educationists and other eminent people by different departments, he said.

The workshops of displaying the research work carried out by different departments will be organised on August 11 and 12, he added.

Chandigarh, July 7
Rainfall in the city not only brought relief to the city residents, but also to the city's landmark, Sukhna Lake.

The water level in the boating area witnessed an increase following which four-seater boats became operational. An official of the Chandigarh Industrial Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) said as the water level had increased in the boating area, tourists enjoyed boating on two-seater and four-seater boats. He added that they were keeping an eye on the water level and taking decisions according to the water level.

Earlier, four-seater boats had started getting stuck in the shallow water as a four-seater boat was very heavy.

Meanwhile, the UT engineering department has also stopped de-silting. An official of the engineering department associated with the drive said they would start the drive once the area dried up.

Mohali, July 7
Several areas of the town witnessed flood-like situation following 118 mm downpour that lashed the region for about six hours this morning.

Residents in Phase I, III B1, III B2, IV, 11, Sectors 70 and 71 had a harrowing time when the rainwater which was flowing over the level of three feet on streets in these areas, started entering their houses and damaging the household items.

While the residents were blaming the water supply and sanitation department, the officials seemed ‘helpless’ as the natural flow of water had been obstructed by high-level roads, being constructed by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

“As the natural flow of water has been obstructed, mainly by the Airport Road, the cremation ground road and the main shopping street of the town, we only depend on our drainage system for drainage of storm water from these areas," said a senior official of the Mohali water supply and sanitation department.

To make way for water, the residents broke the newly constructed centre-verge of the shopping street at several points in Phase IV.

The residents sought help from firemen.

Several residents were seen miffed as the household items got damaged after the rainwater entered their houses.

“The rainwater entered our house and damaged our dining table, double beds and other items," said JS Arora, a resident of Phase III B2.

Following the obstruction in the natural flow of water, the sanitation department had spent Rs 3 crore and had laid a 48” pipeline to drain the storm water from Phase III B2, but it had failed to mitigate the problem.

Flaying GMADA for its ‘shortsightedness’ while widening the shopping street, NS Kalsi, a resident of Phase IV, said GMADA had raised the level of the shopping street far too high which now obstructed the natural flow of water from the area and had resulted in flood-like situation here. “Several requests and memorandums by the residents in this regard had fallen on deaf ears," said Kalsi.

The main road separating Phase III B2 and Sector 71 caved in today while two cars got struck in the dug-up portion of the road separating Phases II and IV.

Kuljeet Singh Bedi, former municipal councillor, said the fire brigade could not reach Phase III B2, as there was only one driver who was busy helping residents in other areas.

Mohali, July 7
“It’s not that we were ill-prepared to deal with the monsoon, but the flood-like situation arose due to an obstruction of the natural flow of water in the town with the construction of high-level roads without making any provision for the drainage of storm water," said a senior official of the Mohali water supply and sanitation department.

With the construction of the newly laid 200 feet Airport Road, which is higher in level than that of its adjoining area of Sectors 70, 71 and parts of Industrial Area, the natural flow of water has been obstructed.

Similarly, while widening the other two main roads of the town, the shopping street and cremation ground road, the level of these roads have also been raised without making any provision for the drainage of storm water.

Earlier, the water had flown from these sectors to Sohana village.

“This has resulted in waterlogging in these areas”, said the official.

The sewerage system of the town, which was over 40-year-old, also needed to be upgraded," said the official.

Local MLA Balbir Sidhu also lashed out at GMADA for its alleged ‘shortsightedness’ in obstructing the natural flow of water by constructing a road. “In the name of development, crores have gone down the drain," said Balbir Singh Sidhu.

Panchkula, July 7
More than 12 villages in Barwala and Raipurrani blocks of the district were inundated during the morning hours here today.

The rain water entered the houses at Mauli Tabra village on the Panchkula-Naraingarh national highway and the people could be seen shifting their household goods to the first floor of their houses.

The ongoing illegal mining and setting up of various colonies in the villages in the two blocks had damaged the drain through which the water got drained out, the villagers alleged. They alleged that no official of the Administration had visited the sites to take stock of the situation. The villagers alleged that even though the mining had been banned in the district, mining mafia was active in the area.

Waterlogging was reported from various areas in the town, including Tawa Chowk, Shakti Bhawan Chowk and Sectors 17 and 18 and low-lying areas such as Rajiv Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Bhudhanpur near Sector 16 and Sector 19. The water had entered many jhuggies.

Mohali, July 7
Over 500 phone lines of the BSNL, cyber cafes and several ATM counters at Sohana village have been disconnected following "unmindful" digging by the local water supply and sanitation department here. As per sources, the digging was done with the help of a JCB along a road connecting Lakhnaur village with Sohana village at night two days ago. A sewer pipeline is being laid there.

The sanitation department had not informed the other departments about the work.

"As a result, the main optical fibre had been cut during the work which in turn disconnected about 500 phone lines, also affecting several cyber cafes and ATM counters," said the sources. When contacted, Nishan Singh, senior SDO, cable maintenance, confirmed that several phone connections and ATM counters had been out of order for past two days. "We are trying to repair the fault, but it will take time," said Nishan Singh.

"We, the owners of cyber cafes, have been suffering losses due to the unmindful act of the officials. For the past two days there has been no work," said an owner of a cyber café at Sohana village.

Chandigarh, July 7
Chaos prevailed at the registration counters of Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, when the roof of the building began leaking during the rain here today.

Following this, the counters were shifted along with the counters at the Emergency Wing, which led to congestion.

It was in the morning that the roof made of asbestos sheets began leaking and soon the area was flooded with rain water. Following this the work of the OPD registrations, fee counters and diagnosis tests was shifted to other buildings.

“We had informed the UT Engineering department on Thursday about the damged roof, but no action was taken in this regard,” said a doctor.

Chandigarh, July 7
Balraj Singh Mejie was formally installed as president of the Rotary Club of Chandigarh in a function organised at the CII here today. Punjab minister Madan Mohan Mittal was chief guest on the occasion.

Outlining his plans for the year, Mejie said that his focus will be health, hunger and hygiene. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest lauded the role of Rotary in the betterment of society, eradication of Polio and working to bring peace.

The office bearers of the club installed are vice president Rakesh Mittal, secretary Hiteish Arora and treasurer Ravinder K Garg.

Chandigarh, July 7
PML SD Public School organised its annual prize distribution function for sports and academic achievers. A total scholarship of above Rs 1 lakh was distributed among the meritorious students.

The boxers who had won medals in the national championship were also awarded with cash awards. LV Sehgal, principal, Bal Bharti Public School, New Delhi, distributed the prizes among the winners.