The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Security drill has aam aadmi at the receiving end
Chandigarh, December 29
The security drill ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Mullanpur tomorrow caused a lot of inconvenience to the aam aadmi here today. Manmohan Singh is arriving here tomorrow to lay the foundation stone of the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Mullanpur at 3 pm.

A traffic jam on the road dividing Sector 31 and the Industrial Area, Phase II, in Chandigarh on Sunday. Tribune Photo: S Chandan

Drill for PM's visit
Visitors to Sukhna Lake harassed
Chandigarh, December 29
Tourists, morning walkers and regular visitors to the Sukhna Lake were a harassed lot today as all the designated parking lots were closed during the security drill for tomorrow's visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Villagers elated over PM’s visit
Mullanpur (Mohali), December 29
Residents of Firozepur Bangar, Bharonjia and others nearby villages, are elated over tomorrow’s visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here. Visit by country’s topmost leader in the area is a big reason but construction of new roads, recarpetting of the existing ones and other developmental works under preparation for Dr Singh’s visit was the main reason behind their happiness.

Workers give a facelift to a road in Mullanpur ahead of the PM’s visit on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Loneliness drives 85-yr-old to suicide
Chandigarh, December 29
Loneliness and depression in old age led an 85-year-old woman, a resident of Sector 16, to take the extreme step today. The victim, Shanti Devi, was residing all alone and had no children. Her husband, TC Ahluwalia, had died some time ago. She was noticed hanging with a rope in a room today when her maid entered the house.

Love ends in tragedy
Panchkula, December 29
In a tragic end to a love story, a 16-year-old girl was found dead today in a jungle in Morni, Panchkula, a few days after she went missing along with a boy. According to the police, the victim, Pooja, a student of Class X, had gone missing with a Class XI boy of the same school after the school got over.

COMMUNITY

Open House response
Women’s safety: Time for a revolution
After almost a year of the Delhi gangrape incident, another gangrape incident involving policemen shook the city. They did the heinous crime during the duty hours using their official vehicle. All the accused must be given strict punishment as the victim is a minor. This incident has put the Chandigarh Police’s service in question. It is time for a revolutionary change.

Members of social organisations hold a candlelight march on women safety at Sector 17 Plaza in Chandigarh. A file photograph

Guest column
Voting rights of nominated councillors questionable
As is always the case, this time too, in respect of Chandigarh’s annual Mayoral elections, nine nominated councillors continue to hold the real key for the election of the new incumbent. Of late, voices have been reverberating from different quarters for abolishing their voting rights but in vain.

REPORTERS’ DIARY
When Gadkari took potshots at ‘Mama-Bhanja’
Former BJP National President Nitin Gadkari, during his recent Chandigarh visit to attend a seminar of the Trader, Industry and Investors Cell, mentioned a popular phrase: “Ghodon ko nahi mil rahi ghas, gadhe kha rahe chyawanprash (While horses are deprived of grass, donkeys are enjoying chyawanprash). He was pointing towards the Congress and its ministers involved in corruption cases. In the end, without naming former Union Railway Minister and local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and his nephew Vijay Singla, who was arrested by the CBI in the railgate scam, he said “Chandigarh walo mama-nhanje ko mat khilana chyawanprash”.

Folk dances mark annual day function
Chandigarh, December 29
Students perform a cultural dance on the annual function of Aanchal International School at the Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, in Chandigarh, on Sunday. Aanchal International School, Sector 41, celebrated its annual day “Xpressions 2013” with a lot of fanfare at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, here today. The evening was packed with amusing cultural programmes performed by students.

Students perform a cultural dance on the annual function of Aanchal International School at the Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, in Chandigarh, on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Ruchika's molestation case
20 yrs on, battle for justice continues
Panchkula, December 29
Twenty years and on but the battle of a friend and her family for justice still continues. Exactly, 20 years ago on December 29, 1993, Ruchika Girhotra, then just 18, committed suicide after facing molestation at the hands of former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore.

The complainant in the Ruchika case, Madhu Prakash, talks to mediapersons at her residence at Sector 6 in Panchkula on Sunday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

PGI yet to wake up to proper handling of power cables
Chandigarh, December 29
Two incidents of blasts triggered by a short-circuit within a span of 10 days at the PGIMER has exposed the apathy of the hospital administration towards safety measures.

Uncovered wires and (right) open sockets at the doctors’ hostel in Kairon Block, PGI, Chandigarh. Tribune photos: Manoj Mahajan

Over Rs 9 crore collected through traffic challans this year
Chandigarh, December 29
Owing to an increased challaning spree by the UT traffic police this year, the UT police have collected over Rs 9 crore towards fine this year - the highest amount ever collected. The amount is Rs 4 crore over what it was last year. The number of offenders violating various traffic rules is also on the rise this year.

24x7 water supply to Vikas Nagar by summer
Chandigarh, December 29
The pilot project of the Municipal Corporation for providing 24x7 water supply gets under way today with UT Finance Secretary VK Singh laying the foundation stone of the water supply scheme at Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, here. Under the project, instead of the water being supplied only at designated hours in the morning and evening, it will be provided throughout the day.

Medicos condemn admission rider
Chandigarh, December 29
Medical students were today asked to lodge their protest through the social media against the recent decision of the Health Ministry to make one-year rural posting at a primary health centre (PHC) mandatory for MBBS graduates to apply for admission to a PG medical course. It was also decided that the Medicos Legal Action Group (MLAG) would take legal action in the matter.

Day 1: Sufi mysticism marks New Year extravaganza
Chandigarh, December 29
The three-day New Year extravaganza organised by Department of Tourism and CITCO kicked off at the Sector 17 Plaza, with a soulful recital of Sufiana kalaams by sufi singers, Kumar Bandhu a musical duo of two brothers, namely Anup Kumar and Hemant Kumar, here today evening.

Relay hunger strike of computer teachers enters 6th day
Chandigarh, December 29
Computer teachers and data entry operators gathered at Sector-20, Masjid Ground, to support the 5 computer teachers on hunger strike against UT Education Department, which entered 6th day today. Everyday five different computer teachers sit on hunger strike from 9 am till 6 pm to show their resentment against the department’s apathetic stand against their issues.

EDUCATION

Students’ assn donates Rs 1,60,000 for infants' surgery
Chandigarh, December 29
NavSankalp, a student run charity association of DAV College, Sector-10, donated a sum of Rs 80,000 for the treatment of Pawan, a 6 month old boy, suffering from Acynotic Heart Disease (Atrial Septal Defect and Ventricular Septal Defect). Narad Singh, father of Pawan is an agricultural labourer from Chaubepur village, district Bhojpur, Bihar and was unable to bear the expenses of the treatment of his only child.

School notes
NSS special camp
Women participate in a show during a mothers’ fest at SMD Little Champ School, Sector 2, in Panchkula. Chandigarh: The NSS special camp organised at KBDAV-7 under programme officer Mantoshpal Singh worked in full swing with NSS volunteers being given a peep into various walks of life. The day started with a yoga session wherein the volunteers learnt some yoga postures.

Women participate in a show during a mothers’ fest at SMD Little Champ School, Sector 2, in Panchkula. A Tribune photograph

RTE ACT
Reimbursement for session 2012-13 still undecided
Chandigarh, December 29
The education department has yet not finalised the rate of reimbursement for the last academic session 2012-13, even as the current 2013-14 academic session is already towards completion and admission under RTE act has already begun for the next session.

Play highlights importance of virtue over wealth
Chandigarh, December 29
After the success of Beauty and the Beast performed by the junior students last week, the senior students of Wings Theatre Academy preformed another beautiful play, Little Women, last evening at the auditorium of St Kabir Public School, Sector 26. The play was adapted from a novel written in 1869 by American Author Louisa May Alcott. The story revolved around four sisters and their mother, their sorrows, struggle, happiness and all the highs and lows in their lives.

Students enact a scene from the play, ‘Little Women’, at St Kabir School, Sector 26, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

New Year carnival spreads euphoria
Panchkula, December 29
The Sky World School, Sector 21, Panchkula, held a New Year carnival to welcome the coming year with happiness and zeal. Different activities for different age groups were conducted. Baby show for little ones, colouring competition for students of 3 years to 10 years, mathematics and science laureates Class 8th, and best out of waste competition for mothers of students was held.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Development projects halted due to shortage of sand, gravel
DERA BASSI, DECEMBER 29
Various developmental projects and construction work has been halted due to the shortage of sand and gravel. These projects have been lying incomplete because sand mining was blocked for over a year. Due to the blocking of sand and gravel mining people concerned were bound to get sand on high rates. According to information from sources, a truck full of sand having 400 feet to 700 feet capacity is available on the rates of Rs 12,000 to 21,000.

Students pay tributes to Mohd Rafi at musical evening
DERA BASSI, DECEMBER 29
Sukhmani Engineering College held a musical evening dedicated to Mohammad Rafi on Saturday. The evening left the guests and audiences involved in recollecting their decade-old sweet memories. All sixteen finalists, including minors and elders, got a huge response from music lovers by presenting evergreen solo, gazals, classical and romantic songs of Rafi. The musical function was organised by SS Entertainers Company and Royal Educational Society and was inaugurated by Sukhmani Group chairman Prof Avtar Singh and principal Dr GN Verma. — OC

CRIME

Boy hurt in hit-and-run
Chandigarh, December 29
In another hit-and-run accident, an eight-year-old boy was injured after he was hit by a Travera at Mauli Jagran today. The boy, Balbir Singh, suffered a fracture in his right leg. Though the Chandigarh registration number of the SUV was noted down, the police have failed to trace the SUV and its driver. They have claimed the office of the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) was closed on Sunday thus their investigation couldn't proceed.

Woman commits suicide
Chandigarh, December 29
A 22-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Attawa today. The victim got married two years ago. The victim, Savita, was found hanging from the fan by her husband Mahesh Kumar, who is a motor mechanic. The police were informed and the body was lowered after cutting the rope. No suicide note was recovered from the spot and the police have ruled out any foul play. The body has been kept at a mortuary and will be handed over to the family after postmortem. The police have started inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC. — TNS

SPORTS

Cricket tourney
GMSSS-26 beat Shivalik School
Chandigarh, December 29
GMSSS, Sector 26 and St Soilder’s, Mohali, won their respective league matches on the 5th day of league matches of the ongoing SS Bava Memorial under 16 Inter-School Cricket Tournament organised by UT Cricket Association. Both the matches were played at LIC ground in Sector 26.

A match in progress during the SS Bava Memorial Cricket Tournament being held at Sector 26, Chandigarh. Tribune photo: S Chandan

PGI (ABMS) beat Deep Engineering by 14 runs
Mohali, December 29
At the ongoing Corporate Cricket Tournament being held at YPS Mohali ground today, Association of Basic Medical Scientists, PGI (ABMS), defeated Deep Engineering by 14 runs. Batting first, ABMS made 113 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. For ABMS, Karan contributed 51 runs and Subhodh made 15 runs. For Deep Engineering, Amandeep Singh and Deepak took 2 wickets each.

Sahil lifts U-16 tennis title
Chandigarh, December 29
Sahil Yadav, a trainee at YMCA total tennis academy, Sec-11, clinched the boys U-16 title of the Kundan International Total Tennis Championship, here in Sector 46, today. He trounced his opponent Sahil Garg in straight sets 5-3 and 4-2. Earlier, in the semi finals match, Sahil Yadav beat Abhey Gupta 9-3 and Sahil Garg beat Rishabh 9-7

Khalsa Club lift ball badminton titles
Chandigarh, December 29
Khalsa Club, Sector 26, clinched the 1st Pandit Mohan Lal Memorial Senior State Championship of ball badminton for men and women both. The finals were held today at PML SD Public School, Sector 32. In boys section, Khalsa Club beat Banwait Club 2-1 and in girls section, Khalsa Club beat GCG Club, Sector 42 by 2-0. The winners were awarded in the closing ceremony. — TNS