C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Neighbourhood

Courts | Crime | Sports

TOP STORIES

Ravana’s end costs tricity Rs 80 lakh
Chandigarh/Panchkula/Mohali, October 13
Towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkarna worth over Rs 80 lakh went up in flames across the tricity marking the triumph of good over evil. Dasehra marks the end of Navaratra and the beginning of 20-day-long wait for Diwali, the festival of lights, to celebrate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after killing Ravana.

Hanuman exults as an effigy of Ravana goes up in flames at Sector 17 on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Demon king Ravana goes up in flames
This Dasehra, residents pledge to eradicate female foeticide

Better Chandigarh
Parking no child’s play as contractors flout norms
It is a struggle finding a slot for vehicles in the paid parking lots in the city. Despite paying the parking fee, commuters have to vie for space as the lots overflow with vehicles. In the Part I of the series, The Tribune reporters Amit Sharma and Aarti Kapur report after checking the ground reality.


Violations galore: Vehicles parked haphazardly. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Cars parked on footpaths; outside the area earmarked by the yellow line; and in the no parking zone in Sector 17, Chandigarh. Tribune photos: Manoj Mahajan

Stray dogs on prowl, attack 14 in Panchkula in three days
Panchkula, October 13
Stray dogs have attacked 14 people at Sector 15 in Panchkula in three days. This has forced children and elderly to stay indoors. Residents fear venturing out in the morning and evening hours. Five members of a family were attacked by a stray dog that had taken shelter in a park. “My brothers, Sanjay and Vijay and sister-in-law Vimal were attacked last evening within a span of two hours,” said Jai Prakash, a resident of sector 15 Panchkula, who was also attacked by the dog. “Our domestic help Ajay was also attacked this morning,” he said.

Stray dogs roam freely; and (right) a resident shows injury marks caused by dog bite. Tribune photos: Nitin Mittal

Accused played it safe
Chandigarh, October 13
The accused in the fake marksheets racket had planned it big. He used to send fake marksheets directly to the college with a memo of the university, giving an impression that the marksheets were original. Investigations revealed that the accused charged Rs 40,000 each from two students of Government Home Science College, Sector 10, for getting their compartments cleared.

Mansa Devi gets Rs 1.16 crore in donations
Panchkula, October 13
The nine-day Navratra festival concluded today at the Mansa Devi shrine. A total of Rs 1.16 crore was donated by the devotees on the occasion this year. A huge foreign currency was also received in donations. Temple brass bells remained a favourite among the devotees this time with around 108 of them received as donations. The shrine received as many as108 temple bells, 21 ceiling fans, 5 wall clocks, 4 emergency lights during the entire fest.

Devotees pay obeisance at the Mansa Devi shrine in Panchkula. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

COMMUNITY

Reporters’ diary
Many a slip between the cup and the lip
Chandigarh, October 13
Office-bearers of city’s top residential association found meaning in the proverb ‘Many a slip between the cup and the lip’ when they expressed satisfaction on the transfer of the UT’s senior IAS officer from Chandigarh to other state. It was only later that they realised that the officer had been given extension to stay in Chandigarh. In a meeting, the association had even discussed as to how the official was not working efficiently. But after the Ministry of Home Affairs gave extension to the same officer till May next year, the office-bearers of the association are now approaching people, who are close to the officer, to settle down their matter.

GMCH-32, PGIMER hostels breed sickness
Chandigarh, October 13
During an inspection of household coolers in the residential areas of the city government hospitals, unhealthy conditions were found prevailing in hostels of resident doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and PGIMER. The inspection was conducted by the UT Health Department.

Dirty water in a cooler. A File photo

Open House Response
Cycle tracks need immediate attention
The cycle tracks of the City Beautiful are in a poor state and require immediate attention. Cyclists no more enjoy using these tracks as these have become worst. To add to the woes, there are defunct streetlights, making the cyclists feel helpless mostly during nights. Le Corbusier had designed seven kinds of roads for the city. Later, he had added an eighth kind (V8) that comprised cycle tracks and pedestrian pathways. But even after all these years, the roads remain a nightmare for cyclists. The number of cyclists commuting on the roads is ever decreasing.

GMSH-16 poised for challenges
Chandigarh, October 13
Following the alleged failure on the part of local civic dispensaries to cater to patients’ well-being, the Government Multi-specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, is finding itself amidst allegations of medical negligence at the hands of hospital staff.

A patient being brought to the GMSH, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Affixing of HSRPs on old vehicles starts
Chandigarh, October 13
Seven months after starting the job to affix high-security registration plates (HSRP) on new vehicles, the UT Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) has begun the process of affixing the HSRP on vehicles registered in the previous years.

20K new voters to be added to city electoral rolls
Chandigarh, October 13
In the fresh revision of electoral rolls, 20,000 new voters would be added to the voter’s list of Chandigarh. The move follows the deletion of 30,000 votes from the existing list in the last revision of the rolls held in September.

Talent unlimited: Students enact a scene from a play based on the theme of exploitation of women during the Explore 13 Student Fest at Chitkara University in Rajpura. A Tribune photograph

World Egg Day celebrated
Chandigarh, October 13
On the occasion of World Egg Day, an awareness session on benefits of eggs was organized here. In the session, experts from the poultry industry and veterinary fraternity shared interesting facts on the occasion. Mohit Raja, director, Raja Farms, said, "An egg has 70 calories providing 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs contain the highest quality of protein and has just the right mixture of the essential amino acids needed by humans to build tissues." — TNS

SC body demands reservation
Chandigarh, October 13
In a letter to PL Poonia, chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the Chandigarh Dalit Welfare Association said there was no policy for the reservation of SCs for filling of posts. The association said in the recent advertisement by the UPSC for several posts in the Chandigarh College for Engineering and Technology, but none of the posts were reserved for the SCs. The association urged the UPSC to consider the reservation policy. — TNS

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Guru Nanak Dev centre proposes encyclopaedia on Sikh music
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 13
The advisory board of Guru Nanak Dev centre for Sikh music organised its first meeting today on the premises of the campus, under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor, Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia. An encyclopaedia of Sikh music, to be complted in a time period of 11 years, was also proposed on the occasion.

Students apprised of avenues in Indian Army
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 13
Students of Continental Group of Institutions (CGI), Fatehgarh Sahib, were apprised of the University Entry Scheme (UES 24) by a team of the Indian Army officers. The team, under the leadership of Col SS Bal, gave a detailed presentation on the various Indian Army entry schemes for the undergraduates and engineers.

Engineering institute welcomes newcomers
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 13
RIMT Engineering Institutes, Mandi Gobindgarh, organised freshers’ party, Aagaaz 2013, on the premises of the college yesterday. Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, Senior Superintendent of Police, Fatehgarh Sahib, was the chief guest while Dr Hukam Chand Bansal, founder chairman, presided over the event.

Dasehra celebrated with fervour
Dera Bassi, October 13
Dasehra was celebrated with great fervour here today. Main functions were organised at Dera Bassi, Zirakpur, Lalru, Banur and Mubarkpur. Chief Parliamentary Secretary NK Sharma presided over the events at few places.

COURTS

Management institute penalised
Chandigarh, October 13
The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has penalised the Regional Institute of Co-operative Management, Sector 32, wrongly representing that its diploma was equivalent to Masters of Business Administration and was recognised by the Association of Indian Universities.

CRIME

Juvenile arrested for attempt to rape
The UT police arrested a 17-year-old boy on Sunday for trying to sodomise a six-year-old boy in a forest area near Burail village. The incident occurred when the accused took the minor boy to the forest area on pretext of giving him toys and tried to sodomise him. The minor somehow managed to escape and reported the incident to his father who called the police. A case of unnatural sex under Section 377 of the IPC has been registered at the Sector 34 police station. The accused was arrested and sent to a juvenile home.

Gunshots fired in Sector 35
Chandigarh, October 13
A 51-year-old man fired two random shots in the air suspecting that there were thieves in his neighbouring house, which had been locked for the past two months. The incident occurred at 9 am when Surinder Pal Singh pulled out his licensed double-barrel gun and fired two bullets. He was present on the first floor of his house with his family members when he sensed some activity going on in the adjoining house. The police inspected the house but nothing was found.

2 of thieves’ gang held
Chandigarh, October 13
With the arrest of two persons, the crime branch of the UT police busted a gang of thieves. The police also claims to have solved four cases with their arrest.

SPORTS

TT meet: Kalyani does SD College proud
Chandigarh, October 13
Kalyani Kakkar of SD College defeated Pareen Verma of DAV Public School in the final of the Chandigarh State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament in the girls’ category, which concluded here today. Kalyani defeated her rival Pareen Verma 4-2. In the final of the youth boys’ category, Pankaj Sidana of Manav Mangal High School defeated Aditya Pandey of DAV College, Sector 10, 4-2 to lift the title.

The winners in a jubilant mood at Sector 23 in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Team Arjuna’s vehicle wins at ‘Efficyle-2013’
Chandigarh, October 13
A blend of simple and robust design with a flavour of innovation led team Arjuna won the 'Efficycle-2013' after defeating 80 teams through various competitions held at UIET, Panjab University. The prototype three-wheel human-electric powered hybrid vehicle, which weighed only 83 kg and could go up to a speed of 40 km an hour, was designed by the Northern India Engineering College, New Delhi, that won a cash prize of over 1.5 lakh.

Members of Arjuna, the winning team, with their vehicle at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Sunday. Tribune photo: vicky gharu

Kings XI Punjab, private company to host T20 meet
Chandigarh, October 13
The Kings XI Punjab announced its association along with a private marketing company to host the ‘ACB 20-20’, intra- school,college and university tournament. The 20-20-level tournament will be organised for the age group of 16 to 24 years. Regions, including Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, will be covered in the tournament. The winning team will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 15,000 while the runners-up team will be awarded with a total cash prize of Rs 10,000. Besides, organisers will adjudge man of the match, best bowler, best batsman and man of the series in the event.

GMSSS-22 pip Ashiana Public School
Chandigarh, October 13
The soccer side of Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 22, defeated Ashiana Public School, Sector 46, 2-0 in a match of inter-school football championship for boys (U-14), being held here today. For the winning side, Billu scored the first goal in the eight minute while Chirag doubled the lead in the 36th minute.