Chandigarh, May 23
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Chandigarh Administration to apprise the Bench on the status of re-carpeting and illumination of cycle tracks.

As the issue of making cycle tracks more usable for cyclists in the city came up for resumed hearing, Justice Rajive Bhalla directed the Administration to file a fresh affidavit on cycle tracks, focusing on the status of re-carpeting and illumination.

Justice Bhalla had earlier asked the Chandigarh Administration to specify whether the cycle tracks across the city were illuminated.

The query followed High Court directions to the Chandigarh Administration to make operational the cycle tracks in the city. The High Court had, on a previous date of hearing, made it clear that the Administration should ensure easy identification and utilisation of the tracks. The High Court had further directed the Administration to deploy extra home guards volunteers to regulate the traffic.

In October last year, the High Court had directed the Chandigarh Administration to make operational the cycle tracks in the city. The High Court had made it clear that the Administration should ensure easy identification and utilisation of the tracks. The directions by Justice Bhalla came during the hearing an ongoing petition filed by a local advocate, Vikram Sharda.

The Chandigarh Police have already recommended the construction of slow carriageways and cycle tracks along Vikas Marg, the busiest southern sector road leading to Punjab, to avoid any sort of traffic congestion on the stretch. The High Court was told that the matter was under the active consideration of the UT Engineering Department.The traffic police also told the High Court that it had conducted a survey to identify the major roundabouts and crossings where slip roads had not been provided to ease traffic in the southern sectors.The UT Administration had also been asked to extend the existing cycle tracks and footpaths; and also to provide them with adequate facilities such as lighting.Other recommendations include synchronisation of traffic lights from the Tribune light point to Kissan Bhawan and from Sector 18-19 light points to Colony 5 light point on Sarovar Path.

Mohali, May 23
A girl residing in Sector 90 here is suspected to have been kidnapped.

The police today said the girl had been missing under mysterious circumstances from her home.

A case had been registered on May 20 under Sections 363 and 366A of the Indian Penal Code at the Sohana police station in this regard. — OC

Chandigarh, May 23
Chain snatchers are back in the city targeting women pedestrians and commuters.

In one such incident reported today, a 60-year-old resident of Sector 19, Vimla Gupta's chain was snatched. Employed as an assistant with the Punjab Irrigation Department in Sector 17 here, Vimla had come home for lunch when she was targeted by two motorcycle-borne youths.

A few steps away from her home, she stopped her Activa scooter when the pillion rider got down from the bike and asked her about a clinic. As Vimla told him that there was no such clinic in the area, he pulled her gold chain, weighing 30 gram and having a gold locket. Vimla resisted but the snatcher managed to break it and fled with his accomplice on the bike.

Vimla fell from her scooter and sustained minor injuries.

The police was called and a case of snatching was registered at the Sector 19 police station.

Chandigarh, May 23
Second seed Gurinder Singh defeated qualifier Paramveer Bajwa in a one-sided singles match, to win the finals of the CLTA-AITA Men's & Women's-1-Lakh Tennis Tournament concluded at the CLTA courts here today. Gurinder won 6-3, 6-1.

He dominated throughout the match by using powerful ground strokes.

Paramveer managed a few points from Gurinder’s unforced errors and double faults.

In the Women's Singles, final 3rd seed Vineeta Singh conceded the match to qualifier Nandini Sharma.

Vineeta suffered injury and was not able to move. Nandini took a 5-0 lead when Vineeta conceded the match.

Pair of Bavesh Gaur and Aditya Tiwari lifted the men's doubles title by defeating unseeded pair of Jay Soni and Yashad Ganatra. After losing the 1st set 5-7 ,Gaur and Tiwari came back strongly to take 2nd set 6-3 and won the super tie breaker 10-3.

In the women’s doubles, top seed pair of Namita Bal and Nupur Kaul won the title by defeating unseeded pair of Rajbir Kaur and Pooja Maurya 6-3, 7-5.

Mohali, May 23
Even the rain failed to deter the high-spirited fans present at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium cheering for home team Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals during the former’s second home game here. At 9 pm, a drizzle gave a sigh of relief to fans.

The 10-minute interruption due to rain was enjoyed by every fan with the beats of dhol and loud music. Earlier, like the first match, people started turning up the match venue well-prior to the scheduled match timings.

Again, the stadium went jam-packed at 8pm. However, the ‘over-capacity footfall’ has raised a question about nature of selling tickets.

The Kings XI team achieved a new feat of becoming the only side to hit most boundaries on the first ball of the 5th over when Manan Vohra smartly chipped the ball for the 290th boundary of the Kings XI for this season. The home team 
started off their campaign with losing quick wickets and collecting runs on board as well.

However, after rain interrupted the game, it was skipper George Bailey and David Miller, who stole the show and made the audiences to tap on their feet.

Kings XI's innings witnessed 16 boundaries and six sixes to complete the innings at 179 runs.

The team played well and batsmen kept on scoring runs at regular intervals.

Local lad Manan Vohra again started off well and foreign players made it worth watching. We hope the home team will win the first home-game of the season today," said a group of youngsters from SD College, Sector 32.

* Traffic, parking woes made fans and police personnel suffer.

* Alcohol was served at the Terrace block that was opposed by the public.

* Chandigarh SSP Sukhchain Singh, with a group of friends, was among the VIPs who witnessed the match from the terrace block.

* Security at the overcrowded stadium during the match and after remained a cause of concern.

* No police personnel, except at Gate No 1 and VVIP gates, remained on duty once the match got over.

Chandigarh, May 23
The second tournament of the total tennis academy circuit will be organised at Kundan International School, Sector 46, from May 26 to 28, here.

The championship will be organised in girls' (U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16, U-18) and men’s and women’s open categories.

The players can send their entries to Rakesh Hooda (09781707026) before May 25 (7pm).

Chandigarh, May 23
The National Open Bridge Tournament being organised by the Punjab Bridge Association got underway here today at The Aroma hotel in Sector 22 here.

The three-day tournament witnessed participation from 22 teams from across the Northern region.

On the first day of the tournament, teams from Delhi, including Constellation, Spartan and Target, dominated the Swiss League scores with 59, 58 and 56 scores, respectively.

President of the association and former chief secretary KR Lakhanpal said the event was being sponsored by the Steel Strips Group.

Lakhanpal said: “The Central Ministry of Sports has approved bridge as a national sport.”

He said: “Contrary to the common belief, bridge is not just a game of cards, but it’s a mind game played with a pack of cards. No wonder bridge players include persons like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Omar Sharif. Eight board games and 32 rounds were held during the day.

The organisers said the top five teams and the host team would compete for the Super League on Sunday.

Chandigarh, May 23
Subhash Gupta, country’s top bridge player, who has over 44 years of experience of playing the game and representing India across the globe in various championships, said: “Bridge is a game of technique, analysis and millions of combinations.”

Gupta, who is in the city for competing in the National Open Bridge Tournament, while giving insight about the game, said: “The only difference between chess and bridge is that chess is an individual game, while bridge is a pair’s game that requires understanding of psychology of partner and opponents at the same time.”

The grandmaster further said the game requires a lot of stamina and ability to quickly add and subtract.

One of the country’s finest player, Gupta is an alumni of the IIT, Kharagpur.

On what made him opt for the card mind game, he said: “While I was pursuing my masters from Canada, I picked up this game and since then I have never looked back, I have been hooked to it. The game has taken me to places across the world.”

While talking about his toughest competitors, he said: “In the country, Kolkata is considered as the ‘Mecca’ of bridge players as the best lot comes from there and Mumbai. Globally, it’s Americans who dominate the game as they produce a large chunk of players.

While talking about its future in the country, he said: “Bridge is played in two ways - one socially and second at a competitive level in tournaments. Socially, the game is played across the country. However, at the competitive level, there is a lesser participation.”

“The country would be hosting the world championship in Chennai next year in which around 60 countries would participate. The tournament would increase the level of interest in the game,” he added.

While stating that the Northern region of the country had lesser participation of women in the competitive bridge tournaments, he said: “In southern and central parts of the country the women participation is really good but the same is not in the case of North.”

Mohali, May 23
At a time when there is no provision to accommodate and provide easy entrance to physically challenged cricket fans coming to the PCA Stadium here to watch the ongoing IPL matches, Punjab Police officials are ensuring entrance to their superiors’ children and their friends to their designated gates by using the official Gypsies.

Officials were found filling their superior’s children and their friends in Gypsies at the entrance on the outskirts of the stadium to ensure that they step right outside their designated place.

While people were made to stand in long queues and go thorough tedious process of frisking before even entering the stadium’s premises, these VIP children were seen entering the premises without frisking.

The driver, who is carrying them, was also ensuring their smooth entrance even at the entry gates of the stadium.

“At the time when a person is coming two hours prior to the match for get a comfortable entry to the stadium, these children are making entries within 10 minutes. The official vehicles they are using are being run and maintained by our taxes that we pay to the government," said Anoop Kapoor, a spectator standing at the Gate No 14 to gain entry to the stadium.

When a driver of the police gypsy, who was dropping over seven to eight persons to an entry gate, was asked about the passengers in his vehicle, he added: “I was given this responsibility and I am just following it,” when asked about duty, he refused to mention the name of his superior.

The act was performed for almost two hours at different entry gates of the stadium right under the nose of the SSP, SP, DSP rank officials.

Even the policemen deployed at the gates were seen removing the barricades for these vehicles without confirming anything.

When asked about it, the constable, deployed at the Phase VII market, said: “Our DSP is standing near the tent (police area near Gate No 1), you can talk to him.”

The PSO of one of the appointed DSPs said "The DSP is busy in maintaining law and order and he will be available only after the match.”