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Hygiene goes for a toss
Panchkula, August 19
In what has turned out to be another mid-day meal shocker, a toilet was being used to wash utensils used to prepare mid-day at government primary school in Mansa Devi Complex, Sector 4.

Mid-day meal utensils kept in a toilet at Government Primary School, MDC, Panchkula. Tribune photos: Nitin Mittal

Collision between cars claims cyclist’s life 
Chandigarh, August 19
A cyclist was killed while two others suffered serious injuries after two cars collided head-on near Sukhna Lake around 10.45 pm on Monday.

The mangled remains of the vehicles. Tribune photos: Pradeep Tewari

A monkey on Admn’s back
Chandigarh, August 19
Even as the UT Forest and Wildlife Department is finding it hard to deal with the monkey menace, there are no takers for the monkey catching business in the city. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has imposed a ban on the use grey langurs to scare away simians. Besides, the monkey catchers no more find the business lucrative.

Conjunctivitis cases on the rise in city
Chandigarh, August 19
Air-borne germs are multiplying in the damp weather resulting in an alarming rise in the number of eye infections. At least 10 patients with symptoms of conjunctivitis, commonly known as eye flu, are reporting in hospitals and clinics across the city.

MBBS admissions under HC scanner
Chandigarh, August 19
Admissions to the MBBS course at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, are under the judicial scanner again. The high court today issued notice of motion to the GMCH-32 on a petition filed by candidates Arpit Agrawal and Rishita Malik. They alleged that the names of candidates, who submitted incomplete application forms, were included in the provisional merit list, the revised provisional merit list and the fresh merit list displayed on August 7.

COMMUNITY

Rakhi festival: Commercialising the very bond of love
Panchkula/Chandigarh, August 19
Gone are the days when traditional threads were used to tie rakhis. The commercialisation has not even spared the Rakhi festival celebrating the bond of love between sister and brother, as expensive rakhis costing Rs 3,100 have flooded the market.

Customers buy rakhis of their choice in Sector 11, Chandigarh, on Monday. Tribune photos: Pradeep Tewari

Celebrating the occasion positively
Chandigarh, August 19
The volunteers of the Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) here at the Commonwealth Youth Programme centre celebrated Rakhi in a unique way as the HIV affected women tied rakhis on their wrists.

She scales the vertical limits
Chandigarh, August 19
At the age of 34, when many people are stressed about securing their future, looking after their children and shouldering other responsibilities, Preeti Semwal eyes laurels in the world of mountaineering.





Preeti Semwal during a mountaineering expedition. A file photograph

Rajasthani artistes cast spell 
Chandigarh, August 19
Ustad Gazi Khan Manganiyar enchanted the city beautiful residents with his recital of centuries' old folklore tradition of Rajasthan during the fifth Art and Culture Heritage Festival at the Tagore Theatre today. He began his performance with "Kesariya Balam". Then he started a series of folk song and that mesmerised the audience.

Sufi singer Ustab Gazi Khan Manganiyar performs during the fifth Art and Culture Heritage Festival at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Women need emotional support to deal with menopausal changes: Experts
Chandigarh, August 19
A number of men and women aged above 60 years sought knowledge on symptoms and problems associated with changes in women after menopause. During a seminar held at Max hospital, Mohali, doctors sensitised men on emotional and physical discomfort of women during and after menopause and their responsibility to take their wives for consultation since women often surrendered to it.

Show-cause notice to two employees
Chandigarh, August 19
Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO) has sent show-cause notice to two of its employees for allegedly causing financial loss to the corporation by allowing sale of hot rolled (HR) coils from its sales depot without paying the central sales tax (CST).

Technical snag hits power supply
Chandigarh, August 19
Technical snag in the power substation of Sector 52 resulted in power cuts in various sectors today. Power cuts ranging between three and four hours were imposed to repair the fault.

I-T survey at three hospitals in P’kula
Panchkula, August 19
The Income Tax Department today conducted surveys at three hospitals of Panchkula. The search operation was carried out at Dhawan Hospital in Sector 7, Dr Bakshi’s laboratory in Sector 9 and Dr Poonam Gupta’s Hospital in Sector 16, here today.




A survey being conducted at Dhawan Hospital, Panchkula. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Special passport adalat tomorrow
Chandigarh, August 19
Good news for those passport applicants whose application was lying pending for the past three years due to various objections as the regional passport office (RPO) is going to clear the pendency in the next one month by conducting a special passport adalat. For around 1,000 applications of 2010, which are pending because of various objections in the files or due to non-submission of required documents will be cleared in the passport adalat. The adalat will be held on August 21 at the headquarters office.

UT SSP deposes in corruption case
Chandigarh, August 19
UT SSP Naunihal Singh deposed before the CBI Special Court in a case pertaining to Naveen Sharma, Sub-Inspector (SI), who had been allegedly caught along with a middleman taking an illegal gratification of Rs 5 lakh last year. The SSP was summoned by the court to give statements viz a viz prosecution sanction accorded by him in a CBI case.

No stopping car thieves in Sector 45
Chandigarh, August 19
The windowpane of a car was broken while an attempt to break the windowpanes of several other vehicles in Sector 45 was made on the intervening night of August 18 and19.

Violation goes unchecked: Not caring much about their lives, youths sit atop a bus and hang on to doors in Panchkula. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Victim of mistaken identity
Mohali, August 19
The man, who was nabbed by residents of Jhampur village last night, claimed that he was labourer.

Reshuffle in UT Admn likely
Chandigarh, August 19
As Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer Amandeep Kaur told the UT officials to change her department, the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer, Kamlesh Kumar, has joined the UT Administration. Reshuffling is on the cards in the UT Administration.

Suman case: Commission accepts plea against GMCH-16
Chandigarh, August 19
The UT State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, today accepted the appeal of the counsel for Suman's family in the Suman contempt case contending that the GMSH, Sector 16, was liable to pay compensation to the family. As per the application moved by the counsel, the GMSH is liable to recover the compensation amount from the guilty doctors and hence liable to pay Rs 4.30 lakh to the family.

18-yr-old girl ends life
Chandigarh, August 19
An 18-year-old girl committed suicide on Monday after she failed to qualify the entrance exam for medical lab technician at the PGIMER. Her body was found hanging at her residence on the PGIMER campus this morning. A suicide note was also recovered from her home. Her parents were not at home when the incident took place.

EDUCATION

‘Evaluation system still in its infancy’
Chandigarh, August 19
“The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system has not been fully developed,” said CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi today. He was in the city to attend a workshop organised for principals of CBSE schools from the region at Stepping Stones Senior Secondary School, Sector 37, Chandigarh. He said teachers were still using the old methods for the implementation of the system and assessing students. Students were still getting the projects that are not related to subjects, he said.

Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSE, addresses mediapersons at Stepping Stones Senior Secondary School in Sector 37, Chandigarh, on Monday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

NSUI releases handbook for PU students
Chandigarh, August 19
On the pattern of Delhi University (DU), the NSUI unit at Panjab University released a handbook of information for PU students today. The handbook contains phone numbers of all the departments and details of scholarships offered by the Central Government.

PUSU holds protest outside VC’s office
Chandigarh, August 19
The Panjab University Students' Union (PUSU) staged a protest outside the Vice-Chancellor's office on Monday. They were demanding to conduct reappear exams at the earliest to meet 50 per cent credit requirement at the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) to save a year.


Hostel wardens try to pacify PUSU activists outside the PU Vice-Chancellor’s office in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune Photo: Pradeep Tewari

from schools
Skit presented
Kids ‘R’ Kids School, Sector 42, Chandigarh, demonstrated the importance of Raksha Bandhan in our folklore and tradition by enacting a skit, “Goddess Lakshmi and King Bali” today. The children learned about the love between brothers and sisters through a rakhi-decoration activity. They stressed on the need of platonic love in the daily life and the immense responsibility that the festival symbolises.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Two drug peddlers arrested
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 19
The police has arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 2,400 tablets from their possession. It also arrested two snatchers and recovered a vehicle and cash that the two took away from an NRI.

3 booked on murder charge
Dera Bassi, August 19
The police has booked three persons for killing a woman at Brana village. In his complaint, Gurmeet Kaur, the mother of the victim, said her daughter Sarbjeet Kaur tied the knot with Jagtar Singh nine months ago and that her in-laws murdered her last night. The victim was eight-month pregnant.

Illegal mining: Panel visits sites
Ropar, August 19
A three-member committee, set up by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), to look into the complaints of illegal mining of sand and other minerals visited the district today.

Direct cash transfer from September 1
Fatehgarh Sahib, August, 19
The subsidy on LPG cylinders will be directly transferred into the bank accounts of consumers from September 1 in the district. This will benefit over 1.8 lakh LPG consumers. It is mandatory to furnish the UID number along with the nbank account number to avail the benefit, said Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri while presiding over a meeting of district officials, bank officials and gas agency owners here today.

COURTS

Finalise prices of 33 anti-cancer drugs within a month, says HC
Chandigarh, August 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today set a month’s deadline for the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to finalise the prices of 33 anti-cancer drug formulations. It was also directed to give wide publicity to the decision of bringing the prices of those drugs under price control.

Cite reasons for rejection of tenders: HC to Centre
Chandigarh, August 19
Visibly displeased by the veil of secrecy thrown over the process of rejecting tenders by the Centre, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed it to compulsorily inform the parties in future the reasons for rejection of complete bids even if instructions to the contrary have been issued.

CRIME

Suicide bid foiled at DCP office
Panchkula, August 19
A woman who tried to set herself afire by pouring kerosene on herself in front of Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashwin Shenvi alleging police inaction in a brawl case, landed in a soup, here this morning. A case under Section 309 (attempt to suicide) was registered against her, following which she was produced in court. The police also registered a case in the brawl case, the complaint of which had been pending since the past six months.

The accused in police custody. A Tribune photograph

Windowpanes of six vehicles smashed in Mohali
Mohali, August 19
Residents of Pancham Society in Phase XI and Phase X, Mohali, were taken aback when they saw the broken windowpanes of six cars this morning. The cars were parked outside houses.

SPORTS

Rishabh trounces Udit in tennis
Panchkula, August 19
A lawn tennis tournament began today at Manav Mangal School, Panchkula, with the main matches in the Under-14 boys singles category. In the opening match, Rishabh Sharda defeated Udit Kumar 8-1. In other matches, Satykin Kohli defeated Aaryav Rathore 8-6 while Neeraj Yashpal defeated Chaitanya Choudhary 8-1.

A player in action during a tennis match at Manav Mangal School in Panchkula on Monday. a tribune photograph

Homage paid to DP Azad
Chandigarh, August 19
Members of the local cricketing fraternity and people from other walks of life paid homage to the late legendary cricket coach, DP Azad, at his bhog ceremony, here today. Addressing the gathering in a community hall at Sector 27, Sushil Kapoor, spokesperson of the PCA, Mohali, and his close friend, said he (Azad) would be best remembered when today’s youngsters emulate his sense of dedication, devotion and discipline.

Milkha Singh writes a message during the chautha ceremony of DP Azad at Ramgarhia Bhawan, Sector 27, in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune Photo: S Chandan

Minerva Youngsters lift soccer trophy
Chandigarh, August 19
In the first GRB League Cup 2013, Minerva Youngsters beat Khalsa College, Sector 26, 3-2 to lift the trophy in an exciting final played here at the Sector 17 Football Stadium, here today.

Baptist cricket academy storm into final
Chandigarh, August 19
Chandigarh Baptist Cricket Academy (CBCA) entered the final of fourth Under-14 Vivek Trophy Cricket Tournament defeating the Mount Carmel School by two wickets, here today. Organised by the Vivek High Asian Cricket Academy, the match was played at Vivek High School, Sector 38-B, Chandigarh.