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Strike cripples life in tricity
Chandigarh, February 20
Life was disrupted in the tricity on the first day of a two-day nationwide strike called by central trade unions in support of their demands, including steps to control price rise and strict enforcement of labour laws.
Bank employees paste notices on the gate of a bank branch in Sector 17, Chandigarh, during a strike on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Teachers' strike disrupts classes
Chandigarh, February 20
Teaching remained suspended for two-hours in various private colleges as a part of the strike called by, All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations. 

Commuters, students at receiving end
Chandigarh, February 20
Twentythree-year-old Shikha Sharma's whole day was wasted today. She had come to the city from Zirakpur to meet her relative, who has been admitted to PGI. She kept waiting for a CTU bus, as auto-rickshaw drivers were charging double the fare, At last she had to return without visiting her relative.




Harassed residents wait for buses in Sector 12, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. 

Jolt to Admn as MHA refuses to lift ban on land acquisition
Chandigarh, February 20
The Chandigarh Administration has suffered a major jolt with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refusing to give any relaxation in the ban on land acquisition.

Mystery shrouds death of nurse 
Panchkula, February 20
A 22-year-old nurse was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a children’s home (Shishu Greh) in Sector 15, Panchkula, last night.

Need for developing basic amenities, says Haryana CM
Chandigarh, February 20.
There is an urgent need to improve delivery systems and mechanism to provide basic amenities and essential services like water, sanitation, housing, solid waste management, electricity and power besides infrastructure support like road and rail network and a reliable communication network, to match up with the rapid pace of urbanisation. This was stated by Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while inaugurating the CII - ICRIER Knowledge Dissemination Workshop on Urbanisation at CII here today.

COMMUNITY

IT park: Curtains come down on Phase III
Chandigarh, February 20
The curtains finally came down on the Phase III of the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, a dream project of the UT Administration, with the Legal Department being suggested not to file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s order. In October last year the Supreme Court had quashed the acquisition of 272 acres for the proposed Phase III of the IT Park. Thereafter, the UT officials had decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court. They had sought legal opinion of the Legal Remembrancer, Chandigarh Administration.

DSPs on deputation from Delhi get charge
Chandigarh, February 20
Five Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) who joined the UT police on deputation from Delhi last month were given formal posting today. The postings were affected after a meeting of the Police Establishment Board.

Demolition drive cancelled for want of police force
Chandigarh, February 20
After a protest by the Khuda Lahora residents against the demolition drive of the UT Estate Office, the authorities cancelled it to avoid any disturbance in the area.





Residents block the entrance to the village during a protest against a demolition drive at Khuda Lahora on Wednesday. Tribune photo: PArvesh Chauhan

Camelot project falls in catchment area of lake, claims amicus curiae
Chandigarh, February 20
Referring to the reply given by Tata, amicus curiae in the Save Sukhna case Tanu Bedi has claimed that the company’s Camelot housing project falls in the catchment area.

Nishant  case
Parents identify kidnappers
Panchkula, February 20
In the infamous Nishant kidnapping case, parents of the child today identified the kidnappers before the court.

Committee oblivious of other patients' medical condition, says PGI
Chandigarh, February 20
In the alleged case of medical negligence resulting in Anupama Sarkar's death, last year, the PGIMER (respondent) today told the UT Consumer Forum that the external committee, which concluded that priority should be given to Anupama's surgery, was oblivious of medical condition of other patients.

No postal deliveries made in city
Chandigarh, February 20
Postal services in the city crippled today as around 1,200 employees went on strike. No mail was delivered by the postal staff in the city. Around 1,500 employees of the departments of post, income tax, central ground water board and Survey of India were on strike.



A deserted General Post Office in Sector 17 in Chandigarh.

Power supply disrupted
Chandigarh, February 20
As 1,100 employees of the UT Electricity Department participated in the two-day strike, it took hours to restore power supply in many sectors, colonies and villages, where fault had occurred in the supply.

Chaos at the traffic light point of sectors 18 and 19 in Chandigarh as lights remain non- functional.

Strike set to cost banks crores
Chandigarh, February 20
Normal operations like cheque clearances, withdrawing and depositing of money of public sectors banks and 20 nationalised banks, including State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, were hit in the city as the employees of the banks went on 48-hour general strike beginning today.

Lukewarm response to bandh call in Mohali
Mohali, February 20
The call for a two-day Bharat Bandh by major trade unions in support of their demands, including checking price rise, creation of more jobs and halting disinvestment in the public sector enterprises, received a lukewarm response here today. There were no reports of violence by protesters.

Sanitation a casualty on PGI campus
Chandigarh, February 20
Sanitation was a casualty at the PGIMER on Wednesday as a majority of contract workers (about 1,600), including safai karamcharis, went on strike. Toilets in all the buildings remained dirty and dustbins could be seen lying in the middle of the ramps and floors in the New OPD block and other buildings.

Experts dwell on art, its history
Chandigarh, February 20
The third day of the Amrita Sher-Gil National Art Week witnessed artist Sheba Chhachhi, presenting a slide lecture on the Politics of Contemplation, here at the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Sector 10.

Pandit Bhajan Sopori, a santoor maestro; and (right) Shovana Narayan , a kathak dancer, perform at the Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh, on Wednesday and JNU Associate Professor Kavita Singh delivers a lecture at Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Tribune Photos: S Chandan

Trends in democracy discussed
Chandigarh, February 20
The Department of Political Science, DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, organised a lecture on “Recent Advances in democracy with special reference to India’ by Prof TR Sharma, former Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, Panjab University.

Six constables rewarded for swift action
Chandigarh, February 20
The police department today rewarded six PCR personnel for their swift action in tracing a car minutes after thieves stole it from a house in Sector 20 on February 18.

Rs 78 lakh aid for 52 cancer patients
Mohali, February 20
A sum of Rs 78 lakh has been given as financial help to 52 persons suffering from cancer in Mohali district.

PO aspirants harassed
Chandigarh, February 20
Candidates for the upcoming entrance test of the Probationary Officers (PO) today had a tough time reaching the local branches of the State Bank of India to pay their fees. Later, they came to know that they would have to wait for the next two days to pay their fees. A candidate has to submit his or her examination fee within two days of applying for the examination.

EDUCATION

PU history dept’s alumni meet today
Chandigarh, February 20
The alumni of the Department of History, Panjab University, will be organising a ‘Grand Homecoming’ at Gandhi Bhawan on the university campus at 10.30 am on February 21. 

Education Department introduces exam helpline
Chandigarh, February 20
In order to help the students in relation to their board exams, UT Education Department has introduced a counselling helpline.

COURTS

sexual harassment 
Ex-scientist jailed till the rising of court
Chandigarh, February 20
The court of Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal today imprisoned a 60-year-old former scientist with the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) till the rising of court in a case of sexual harassment. The accused, Piyush Kumar Awasthi, was also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh, which was given as compensation to the complainant for the harassment and trauma she faced. The case of sexual harassment was registered in 2003 and the sessions court gave the verdict in the appeal case today.

CRIME

One held for robbing constable of weapon
Chandigarh, February 20
Three days after a UT police constable complained that his carbine got lost, the police arrested one person who had robbed the constable of his carbine and recovered the weapon today. The 24-year-old accused, Naresh, a resident of Sector 56, will be produced in court tomorrow. Initially, the police had registered a case of criminal breach of trust against the constable, Shalinder Singh. After an inquiry was marked against him, the constable admitted that he had lost the carbine when he was heavily drunk and got into a scuffle with three persons. He was part of the security provided to VVIPs at a programme at Tagore Theatre on that day. The police is on the lookout for the other two accused.

Youth dies in accident, friend seriously injured
Panchkula, February 20
A 25-year-old college student died and his friend got seriously injured after the motorcycle they were riding on was hit by an unknown vehicle on National Highway 73 near Mauli village here.





Relatives of NK Parvenn Kumar Reddy (inset), who died in an accident, at the General Hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

BJP leader held on murder charge
Mohali, February 20
An immediate phone call made by one of the contract killers to the key accused, BJP leader Rakesh Mehta, led the police to establish Mehta’s involvement in the crime. Mehta has been arrested along with other three contract killers, namely Jang Bahadur, Sandeep Sonu and a minor on the charges of murder of Rajesh Bittu, here.

50-yr-old man hit by bus dies
Panchkula, February 20 After 10 days of struggle for life, 50-year-old Jagdev who was hit by a bus, succumbed to injuries this morning at the general hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula. It was on February 11, when Jagdev was going for work on his bicycle, on the road separating Sector 4 and Sector 5. A speeding private bus hit him from rear, which resulted in serious injuries to Jagdev. The victim was rushed to general hospital Sector 6, Panchkula, from where he was referred to PGI, Chandigarh. However after his condition became stable, he was again admitted to the general hospital.

SPORTS

Khalsa College log win
Chandigarh, February 20
The soccer side of SHSM Khalsa College of Education, Mahilpur, defeated Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, by a solitary goal during a match of the inter-college football for men (evening and education colleges) being held here today.



Players in action during a football match held at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Tribune Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Golf Club contests MHA’s claims on lease money 
Chandigarh, February 20
Reacting to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) claims that the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) has sufficient funds to pay lease money, the club management stated that having enough funds did not mean that the Administration could levy higher lease amount.

School holds sports meet
Mohali, February 20
The Shivalik Public School, Phase VI, organised annual sports meet “Come Out And Play” here today. Students participated in track and field events. 

Carrom: Kamlesh beats Mandakini
Chandigarh, February 20
In the ongoing inter-NITTR annual sports meet, carrom player Kamlesh Batra defeated Mandakini Mahurkar at 21-06, 24-06, to bag first place in the women’s category here today. In the doubles’ women event, Kamlesh Batra and Dr Maitreeye Dutta beat Manadakini and Vinny Verma by 25-09, 22-05.


Players in action during a match of inter-NITTR meet held in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Photo: S Chandan

Punjab shine at national level
Chandigarh, February 20
The canoe team of Punjab won three medals in the recently concluded 23rd National Canoe Sprint Championship, held at the Komlakhong Water Sports Complex, Mayang Imphal.