Chandigarh, November 6
The Chandigarh police claim to have solved the case of missing person, who was reportedly murdered.

Krishan Lal Arora (65), a resident of Sector 47 who was physically challenged, had gone missing on October 25 following which a case was registered at the Sector 31 police station.

ASP Urvija Goel said the complainant in the case had suspected that Amit, an auto-rickshaw driver and resident of Sector 40, was involved in the case.

A police official said during sustained interrogation of Amit and his wife Suman, it was found that they gave contradictory statements.

Following the interrogation, the couple switched off their mobile and shifted their house. The police then traced the couple through the call detail records.

The police official said in the meantime, Amit confessed his crime and told the deceased’s son, Shiv Kumar, that he had murdered his father and could no longer bear the psychological burden of guilt.

He confessed that he, along with his wife Suman, Anita and Jitender, both residents of Sector 56, hatched a plan to murder Krishan Lal Arora. The victim used to wear a gold ring, which the accused wanted to take, and they committed the crime.

“On October 25, Amit called Krishan to his house where all other accused were also present.

They strangled Krishan Lal Arora to death and disposed of his body in a canal near Kiratpur.”

The accused used Anita’s car to dump the body in the canal.

The police officials have arrested all the four accused in the case. Meanwhile, the accused have confessed to their involvement in the crime.

However, the police officials are yet to recover the body, the gold ring and the scooter of the deceased.

Meanwhile, all the accused persons have been remanded in four-day police custody. 

Chandigarh, November 6
A new auto-rickshaw service has come up in the city connecting a fleet of 30 existing autos which can be managed through a mobile app at the customers’ end. The mobile app allows the customers to locate the nearest auto-rickshaw and book it.

The service, named Jugnoo, charges Rs 30 for the first 2 km and Rs 10 per km after that. “We are going to add nearly 100 auto-rickshaws to our list by the end of this month,” said Samar Singla, CEO of Jugnoo.

The users need to download the app, Jugnoo, register with their email address and start using the service, which is available in the tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula).

Once a user logs in, his exact location can be seen on a map. When he requests for an auto, the nearest three autos receive the request. They have one minute to respond after which the request is sent to three new auto drivers till it is accepted.

The driver, who accepts the request, is then directed to the pick-up location.

The passengers, too, can track the auto-rickshaws’ location on the map, estimate its time of arrival and view the driver’s contact number, photograph and reviews.

Currently, Chandigarh has over 10,000 auto-rickshaws plying in the tricity and Zirakpur. Complaints of fleecing and overcharging by auto-rickshaw drivers are rampant in the city in the absence of a regulated fare structure.

Chandigarh, November 6
In a significant adverse effect of self-medication by the youth to get rid of frequent headaches (migraine), a majority of them have been reporting with higher frequency of headaches in the long run.

According to neurologists at the PGI, “overuse headaches”, a term used to describe the headaches caused due to overuse of over-the-counter drugs, is increasingly being diagnosed among patients reaching the age of 40.

“Overuse headaches and self-medication, if continued without the correct treatment for a prolonged period, can result in damaged vision,” said Dr Vivek Lal, Head, Department of Neurology, PGI.

He pointed out that migraine, that began in childhood in most cases, started showing symptoms in those aged between 25 and 40. It is twice as common among women compared to men.

“Hence, it has emerged as a major cause of family discords since the symptoms of the disease are not visible. Often headaches are perceived as pretension of the patient by his family members and the patient may slip into depression eventually,” said Dr Lal.

Dr Manish Modi, Assistant Professor in the department, said, “The professional life of persons suffering from migraine is severely affected as they cannot focus properly and yet continue to ignore it.”

Around 30% cases are misdiagnosed

“Half of the cases are pushed under the carpet by patients or their caregivers (by using self-medication) while another 20 per cent to 30 per cent are misdiagnosed due to lack of proper knowledge among medicos. Most cases either come through psychiatrists or eye experts,” said a PGI expert. 

Ophthalmoplegic migraine

Dr Lal described a unique complication of migraine called ophthalmoplegic migraine which causes paralysis of eye muscles at the peak of migraine.

Causes

• Stress, unscheduled eating, junk food, lack of outdoor activity, excessive fasting, strain on eyes

Symptoms

• Pain behind the eyes
• Headache in a portion or the entire head
• Nausea

Chandigarh, November 6
Chaos prevailed during the auditions of MasterChef India 4 auditions, organised at Sood Bhawan, Sector 44-A, here today.

The participants, who had lined up in long queues to audition for the cooking talent show since the crack of dawn, alleged that the organisers had allowed backdoor entries and there was total mismanagement at the venue.

Upon failing to get entry at the venue, the participants also raised anti-show slogans.

Kanika Gupta, one of the participants, said, “I have been standing in the queue for almost three hours to gain entry.” She alleged, “There is no proper system in place. The organisers are conducting the auditions at a snail’s pace and have been allowing people backdoor entries.”

Suraj Chawala, another participant from Jalandhar, who waited for three hours to get entry despite arriving at the venue at 6 am, said, “The organisers were conducting the auditions slowly. They should have had more manpower to handle the event.”

Following the ruckus, the auditions were halted for sometime. The participants also alleged that they were not informed about the pass entry.

However, refuting the allegations levelled by the participants, the organisers informed that they had not allowed any backdoor entries.

“This year we’ve started this new concept of distributing passes — jump the queue — wherein participants having these would not have to stand in the queues and could gain direct entry to the venue,” said one of the organiser.

‘STOOD FOR 3 HOURS’

Chandigarh, November 6
UT Adviser KK Sharma today met officials associated with the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Clusters (CRIKC) and assured his support to initiatives of CRIKC institutions.

Sharma was interacting with the heads of CRIKC institutions during a meeting at the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) here.

It may be recalled that various educational and research institutions of Chandigarh region had joined hands to form CRIKC as a cluster for excellence in research.

Various heads and representatives of CRIKC institutions namely Panjab University (PU), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, IMTECH, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research in Mohali, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL), PEC – Punjab Engineering College of Engineering and Technology and IIT Ropar participated in the meeting and discussed the ways to strengthen mutual cooperation and support to benefit the students and research scholars.

The PU Vice Chancellor apprised the UT Adviser about CRIKC by the Central government and its agencies, including Human Resource Development Ministry, Planning Commission and UGC.

“To attract young and talented scientists and teachers to Chandigarh, it has become imperative that they should be provided a transit accommodation in the vicinity of Chandigarh,” he added.

As many as 500 two-room sets may be constructed by the UT Administration to meet the objective of providing transit facility for the first five years of their joining in CRIKC institutions, added the Vice Chancellor.

Chandigarh, November 6
Two months after the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) introduced “any time anywhere basis” bus passes for the tricity, the Chandigarh Transport Department has written to its counter parts in Punjab and Haryana to exempt it from paying passenger tax against the subsidised passes.

The everyday pass, Rs 30 for non-Ac and Rs 50 for AC bus enables the commuters to travel a number of times between Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on the same pass. Ever since the passes were introduced in September, around 45,000 passes have been bought by the commuters for daily travelling, reveal CTU officials.

Though the passes have been introduced at subsidised rates, The UT is paying the passenger tax against the passes to the neighbouring states and the same is not being passed on to the commuters. “Since we are not charging the same amount from the commuters travlling to Panchkula and Mohali on the tricity passes, we have requested the two states to exempt the UT from paying the tax against the passes”, said a senior UT official.

Under the present system, as soon as a CTU bus crosses the Chandigarh boundary towards Haryana or Punjab, extra fare of Rs 10 is charged from the passengers going to Mohali (Punjab) and Rs 5 is charged from passenger going to Panchkula (Haryana) and on the basis of these tickets, passenger tax is paid to the states. However, the commuters travelling on the tricity passes are not charged the extra fare.

It is being felt that the tricity region needs to have an integrated public transport service in the tricity — Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Mansa Devi, Mullanpur and Saketri. A barrier-free transportation system in the tricity will reduce traffic congestion on the city roads.

“The states of Haryana and Punjab are being requested to exempt passenger tax on CTU buses running in the tricity on a reciprocal basis, or at least charge it in a lump sum amount. The bus passes will also be applicable for travelling in the tricity”, said Bhawana Garg, UT Secretary (Transport).

“Since the initiative to give subsidised tricity passes has been taken by the UT without taking Punjab and Haryana states in to confidence, it will have to be cleared at the top level”, said a Punjab official.

Panchkula, November 6
A month’s efforts by Panchkula Administration for Clean Panchkula Mission went down the drain after the sweepers who were cleaning the city got back the garbage in the city and threw it all over the city roads.

The officials of the administration were helpless when the sweepers got the garbage from dumping ground and strewed it all over.

On the directions of new Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the city was observing clean mission drive from November 1. More brooms and mops were provided to the sweepers who in turn made a mess after the incident.

The garbage was lying on the roads till evening as there was no one to pick it up.

“We tried contacting the sweepers of Chandigarh but they said they will come next morning,” said a senior official of the administration.

DC SS Phulia and MLA Gian Chand Gupta were themselves cleaning the floors in various sectors as a part of the drive.

“On a day like Gurpurab, when people visit your house, the city had garbage all over. The administration should do something,” said Pinky Sharma, a resident of Sector 17.

Chandigarh, November 6
Investigations into the robbery of Rs 1.10 crore from a businessman outside the ISBT in Sector 43 has revealed that Rs 80 lakh belonged to the city-based jewellers and the remaining amount was withdrawn from the bank by the victim.

Earlier, the Chandigarh Police had doubted the claims of the businessman, but have confirmed now that the victim was carrying the amount with him on that night. Samir Jain, a resident of Sector 48, was robbed by two pedestrians at 12.30 am on November 1, soon after he stepped down from a car to board a bus to Delhi. A senior police official of the crime branch said the victim had provided the list of jewellers to whom the money belonged. “He had collected Rs 80 lakh from the jewellers and the remaining Rs 30 lakh was withdrawn from the bank by him”, the police official further said. The businessman had collected money from 32 jewellers, sources added. He was supposed to get jewellery from Delhi.

Chandigarh, November 6
Japanese Garden will be inaugurated tomorrow. The garden has come up in Sector 31 at a cost of Rs 7.30 crore.

Adding to the uniqueness of the garden are the towers and lanterns resembling Japanese architecture to give it an ambience different from other gardens in the city.

The Japanese Garden has four water bodies with bridges built over them. The walkways and parking area will be illuminated with lanterns.

The entry gate will have a Japanese design. Japanese Garden is going to the lone park in the city to have a cafeteria and food joints on its premises. The garden also has a meditation centre.

The first phase of the park has been developed, while the second phase will be developed in the second stage. The entire garden will be spread over 13 acre.

Deputy Mayor and area councillor Davesh Moudgil said that the garden would be another tourist destination in the city. “The uniqueness and architecture of the garden will attract tourists to the city”, he added.

Panchkula, November 6
Opening the SUV of missing BJP leader Vibhore Batra that was found at the Dehra Dun Airport was a Herculean task for the Panchkula police. The Innova that was locked using codes was opened by the police and Toyota car company officials in 20 hours.

Not only this, the opening of the SUV which had sensors and global positioning system(GPS), burned a hole in the pocket of the Police Department as it cost them over Rs 20,000 even after a ‘tough’ bargaining.

“All the doors were locked through codes given by Vibhore. The car couldn’t be opened using a duplicate key. So we called the Toyota company people,” said a police official requesting anonymity.

After showing the orders from higher authorities and the FIR, the process to open the car was started. The policemen worked hard to bargain but then finally had to pay the said amount.

He added, “Initially the Toyota company officials said that it would take one week as the entire lock system would be changed by an expert from Bangalore. Even if the window was broken, the steering was locked and we had to get it to Panchkula.”Meanwhile, The Panchkula police got certain clues about the whereabouts of Batra. The police got to know that on September 20, he took a connecting flight from Dehra Dun to Delhi and Delhi to the next place. The details are awaited from the Delhi.

Vibhore has been giving sleepless nights to people, including high-profile persons in Punjab, after he went missing. He duped many of lakhs. Former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Lakshman Das also fell in his trap and got a case of fraud registered against him after the accused duped him of lakhs. Many businessmen also surfaced stating that Vibhore duped them in the name of investment.On September 23, Vibhore Batra’s mother Arun Batra got a missing case registered with the police. She said her son had gone to Delhi after he was tense over the ticket distribution in the BJP but did not return. Was a former senior vice-president of the Youth Congress, he had recently joined the BJP.

Chandigarh, November 6
The 22nd annual conference of the Indian Academy of Neurology (IANCON 2014) was launched today at the PGIMER. More than 1,500 neurologists from all over the country and abroad joined the four-day long scientific extravaganza from November 6 to 9. The conference organised by the department of neurology, PGIMER, was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar this evening.

Khattar recalled his childhood days and he mentioned about his dream to become a doctor. But now he got the opportunity to help serve the people, he said. He also mentioned about improving the medical services in the country and acknowledged the contribution of the PGIMER and neurologists in the country.

The conference started with an introduction to the scientific programme by Dr Sanjeev Thomas (secretary IAN) followed by inauguration of the continuous medical education (CME) on neuro-ophthalmology, where Dr JS Chopra was the chief guest and Dr Amod Gupta was the guest of honour. The IAN president, Dr. Chandrasekhar Meshram, and president elect Dr Arabinda Mukherjee were the other esteemed guests. Dr Vivek Lal (organising secretary) proposed the vote of thanks.

For the first time in the IAN, the conference started with the CME programme on neuro-ophthalmology. The branch deals with inflammatory disorders of the optic nerve and disorders of vision secondary to eye and brain diseases. For the first time in the Indian Academy of Neurology, pearls in neurology section was introduced where experts in various fields of neurology condensed their lifetime clinical experiences in four minutes of crisp presentations.

The organising committee includes Dr Vivek Lal, (current head of the department of neurology and organizing secretary), Dr Sudesh Prabhakar (retired professor and head of the department of neurology, PGIMER, and the president of the organising committee), Dr Manish Modi (treasurer), Dr Dheeraj Khurana, Dr Parampreet Singh, Dr Manoj K Goyal, Dr Sahil Mehta, Dr Anu Gupta.

Mohali, November 6
The SAS Free Poly Clinic Trust in collaboration with the district administration and various service providers organised a free socio-medical camp for the poor and needy in Perch village today.

Healthcare services were provided by the trust, Fortis Hospital, Sangam Netrayla, Mohali, Radiology Department, PGIMER and Ritu Chaudhary’s Hearing and Speech Clinic.

Various departments of the district administration rendered social service by way of general awareness programmes and welfare schemes of both the central and state governments.

As many as 449 persons benefited at the camp.

Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest. Maj-Gen MS Kandal, Chairman, on behalf of the trust, thanked the Deputy Commissioner and all others for gracing the camp and helping to make it a success.

Chandigarh, November 6
While the city was draped in colours of festivity, mothers of over 100 children, residents of shanties located behind the grain market in Sector 26, spent the whole day sitting outside the ancestral house of the local Member of Parliament (MP) today in the hope of saving their children’s future and their houses from getting demolished.

A mother of two, Begum, who has two children studying at Government High School, Sector 26, said: “Our life has come to a standstill as the authorities have told us to vacate our houses. Where will we take our children in the midst of the academic session? We can’t shift our children back to villages as their studies would get adversely affected.”

The mothers who got together to meet the MP claimed that for the past 20 years they had been living in that area, and now, all of a sudden they were asked to vacate their houses.

A mother of four, Premmati said: “We are around 40 families and almost around 100 children living in these shanties. Just because we are small in number, nobody is listening to us, we have been running from pillar to post requesting all officials to provide us with some alternative.”

All residents, who had shifted from villages to the city two decades ago in the hope of a better future, whined that if their children were dropped out of schools they would not be able to study again.

Zarina, a mother of six young children, said: “If I take my children out of the school now, not only would their year get affected but also they would lose the chance of getting into a mainstream good school again.”

With uncertainty of shelter and future of children looming large, the mothers alleged that during elections all candidates had assured them that they would not be evacuated from their shanties. After poll, nobody listened to their problems. However, they could not meet the MP.

Sangita Vardhan, chairperson, Vatsal Chaya Trust, which has been trying to help the children of such areas get into mainstream schools, said: “The authorities must provide an alternative for these people for a better livelihood so that the future of children is not affected.”

Mohali, November 6
The manner in which the delimitation of municipal wards has been done in Mohali has upset several local leaders of different parties, including the ruling SAD-BJP combine.

According to some local Akali and BJP leaders, the wards of those leaders have been targeted who are not ‘yes man’ of a senior Akali leader in the district.

A local SAD leader, wishing anonymity, said the wards where the Kulwant Singh group dominated were being specifically targeted. Kulwant had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on the SAD-BJP ticket from Fatehgarh Sahib. The leader claimed that changes were made in these wards in a manner that would affect the vote bank of certain leaders in a big way.

Notably, as many as 50 wards of the local Municipal Corporation would go to polls soon. In these wards, the population limit ranges between 3,540 and 4,114 per ward. Out of the total 50, five wards have been reserved for Scheduled Caste, including two for SC woman candidate, and two for candidates from Backward Classes. In the remaining 43 general wards, 15 have been reserved for woman candidates.

According to 2011 Census, the population of the area under the MC limits is 2,35,997 and the SC population is 24,936.

Sources said the substantial changes in the Ward No.1 and 2 have upset a BJP councillor. The councillor in question has cautioned the BJP high command that the changes were made in his ward to affect his vote bank and it should intervene to take corrective measures, failing which he would contest as an Independent candidate, said the sources.

The Ward No. 25, which was reserved for women, has now fallen under general category. The development attracted criticism from the BJP women leader of the area. Besides, changes have been made in the wards of Phase VII, XI and Mataur village where the Kulwant Singh group dominates.

Local Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu alleged that the delimitation of wards was not done properly. “If needed, we (Congress) would approach the court for a corrective measure,” said Sidhu.

Sidhu alleged that changes were made in the delimitation draft, which was passed unanimously during the meeting between officials concerned and the members of the delimitation committee on October 21, afterwards at the behest of a senior Akali leader of the area.

Mohali, November 6
Nine days have passed but the Mohali Police is yet to get any lead in the kidnapping case of six-year-old Mehram Singh Sandhu.

The child was kidnapped from a park of a residential locality in Phase IX, where he was residing with her mother and her parents, on October 28.

On the complaint of Mehram’s maternal grandfather Balwinder Singh, the police have registered a case against the child’s father, Varinder Pal Singh, who lives in Sydney, Australia; his paternal grandfather Nirmal Singh, a resident of Kharar; and paternal aunt and uncle, Parminder Kaur and Prabhjeet Singh, both residents of Phase I, under Sections 365 (kidnapping), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), IPC, at the Phase VIII Police Station.

Notably, the child was staying with his mother at Balwinder’s house following her separation with her husband.

Mehram’s mother alleged that Varinder Pal Singh and his family members used to threaten them. On the day of kidnapping, he (Varinder) made a call to her from Australia and threatened to kidnap the child.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mohali SSP Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti said investigations were on in the case under the supervision of Mohali Superintendent of Police (Detective) GS Grewal.

Bhatti admitted that they were yet to get any clue about the child.

“Efforts are being made to recover the child. Our prime concern is the safety of child so we could not reveal the investigations so far,” the SSP said.

He added that the father of the child has been contacted on phone.

“He (Varinder) told us that the phone call was made by him to his wife but he claimed that no threat was issued by him,” the SSP said.

However, adding that the police was working on two-three angles, he said.

Bhatti added that the airport authorities had also been alerted in this connection as the maternal family of the victim raised doubts over taking the child to Australia by the kidnappers. No arrest has been made so far.

Chandigarh, November 6
The PGI organised a run for obesity awareness today from Sukhna Lake to Rock Garden and then from there to the starting point. This was the 4th Obesity Awareness Programme organised by the Department of General Surgery and Endocrinology in collaboration with the Department of Dietetics and Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of the Institute. It was attended by around 400 persons.

It was flagged off by KK Sharma, UT Adviser, and Director of PGI Prof Yogesh Chawla. Prof Atul Sachdeva, Director-Principal, GMCH, Sector 32, and BJP state unit president Sanjay Tandon were also present.

Professor Chawla apprised people of various ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and liver disease associated with obesity while KK Sharma talked about the growing menace of obesity in Chandigarh and surrounding areas and emphasised the need for more such activities by the institute.

Tandon cautioned people of eating junk food and emphasised the need for physical activity in day-to-day life.

It is not justified at all to ban diesel-run autos till there is a court order in its support. Why the aggrieved party should go to court to avoid this illegal ban. Diesel-run trucks, CTU buses, school buses, big/small diesel cars, DG sets have not been banned. Only the poor man’s autos were banned, which is not justified on any count. 10,000 diesel cars are added per year in the UT. To avoid rush of cars on roads, no scheme was approved by authorities. When private buses can run on the roads in Delhi for 40 years, how much time will the authorities take to allow private buses along with CTU buses. Monopoly of CTU should be scrapped.

Chandigarh, November 6
On the occasion of Children’s Day (Bal Divas), the Department of Social Welfare, Chandigarh Administration, will implement the ‘Bal Swachhta Mission’ from November 14.

Children at the anganwari centres will be sensitised and involved in different aspects of hygiene and safe sanitation.

Officials said the week-long celebrations will be held from November 14-19 and will be marked in convergence with other departments such as the Department of School Education, Department of Public Health and Municipal Corporation to undertake cleanliness drives, ensuring clean surroundings and sensitisation on issues of personal hygiene and child health.

They further said on November 14, the Department of Social Welfare in collaboration with the Health Department would organise a camp for comprehensive health check up at the Snehalaya- Children Home, followed by many other recreational activities and programmes for children formally marking the beginning of the celebrations.

The department will also celebrate the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) week on the theme ‘Bal Swachhta’ with a focus on ensuring clean anganwaris, surroundings, issues of personal hygiene and child health, clean food, drinking water and toilets.

The ICDS programme would also hold a pulse polio awareness campaign on November 16-17 wherein women, particularly mothers, would be educated regarding the importance of personal hygiene and cleanliness. They would be urged to ensure cleanliness drives in their respective kitchens while providing food at the anganwaris.

Meanwhile, the department will also organise awareness and sensitisation lectures on issues of personal and environment hygiene in anganwaris, crèches, schools and its welfare units.

The week will culminate on the occasion of World Toilet Day on November 19. The focus will be on spreading the message of ending open defecation.

OBJECTIVES

• Social Welfare Dept and the Chandigarh Administration join hands for the endeavour.
• To rope in departments such as the Department of School Education, Department of Public Health and Municipal Corporation to undertake cleanliness drives, clean surroundings and sensitisation on issues of personal hygiene and child health.
• Children at anganwari centres will be sensitised and involved in different aspects of hygiene and sanitation.

Chandigarh, November 6
Students of the Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (CCET), Sector 26, today held a flashmob as a pre-event of its annual techno-cultural fest —APRATIM — to be held from November 7 to 8.

More than 600 students participated in the event.

On Day 1 of the event, to be held on Friday, more than 30 events — dramatics, dance, fine arts, fun events, mega events, literary and technical events — are scheduled to be held.

As many as 2,000 participants from more than 60 different colleges from the city and region are expected to visit the fest. 

2,000 students likely

As many as 2,000 participants from more than 60 colleges from the city and region will visit the fest. 

Chandigarh, November 6
The fourth day of the 1st International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) Neuroscience School commenced with a lecture by Dr Nihar Rajan Jana, Professor at NBRC, Gurgaon, in the morning session.

Dr Jana focused on the role of quality control ubiquitin ligase in the suppression of aggregation and neurodegeneration mediated by polyglutamine proteins.

This was followed by a talk by Dr Pankaj Seth, additional professor at NBRC (National Brain Research Centre), Gurgaon. He gave an insight about the in-vitro model system of human fetal brain derived neural stem cells which can investigate effects of HIV and its proteins on human neural stem cells and primary culture of astrocytes and neurons.

Dr Gaurav Kumar, scientist at Janssen Pharmaceutica Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Belgium, delivered a lecture on translational models of learning and memory as a new tool in drug discovery for Alzheimer’s such as PAL and TUNL.

Dr Shashi Bala Singh, director, DIPAS, Delhi, enlightened the audience about physical and neural impairments associated with high altitude exposure and how these are affected by altitude and ethnicity.

Meanwhile, Dr Shashi Bala also emphasised on the oxygen enrichment as treatment or prevention of impairment.

Panchkula: Students of Hallmark Public School celebrated Gurpurb in a unique manner on Thursday. The students of Classes VIII and IX under the guidance of Visual Arts Faculty members created an 8 X 8 feet sculpture of Guru Nanak Dev. On the occasion, principal Kavita Wadhwa, said, “The students and teachers worked hard for five days to make the sculpture. It gives a marvellous 3D view and the paints used make the art work are appealing visually.” She further said the process of making the sculpture was quite a challenge as using a cardboard to develop a piece of art is not easy. However, the most challenging task was to install the huge sculpture. Jivtesh Garg, director of the school, said, “Our young artists have learnt a new form of creative work.” Meanwhile, elated at the sculpture, Lovish Goyal, a student of Class IX said, “It was a fulfilling experience.”

Chandigarh, November 6
Prof RPS Josh, Associate Professor, Postgraduate College for Girls, Sector 42, and Fellow of Panjab University, has been selected for the coveted ‘Bharat Gaurav Award’ of the lndia International Friendship Society, New Delhi, for his outstanding services in the field of education.

Prof Josh will be honoured at a function in New Delhi to be held later this month.

Meanwhile, the past awardees include Mother Teresa, former vice president BD Jatti, Governors such as Justice M Fathima Beevi, Gen GV Krishna Rao and MM Jacob, former HP Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, former Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat, Former IAF chief NC Suri, film actors Sunil Dutt, Pran, Shammi Kapoor, educationists Dr Parimal Trivedi and Prof HA Ranganath, Dr Narender Jadhav and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and hockey legend Dhanraj Pillai.