In Brief

Orientation programme held
Ambala:SD Public School (Ambala Cantonment) organised a three-day orientation programme by holding open sessions between the principal,staff members and parents aimed at holistic development of the students. The school principal Neelinderjeet Sandhu said the programme was spread over six sessions to ensure maximum participation of parents. She also made them aware of the changes introduced in the CBSE courses including continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).

Chandigarh Bench of Armed Forces Tribunal inaugurated
CHANDIGARH:Justice Tirath Singh Thakur,Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court inaugurated the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT),Chandigarh Bench at a function held at Maneck Shaw auditorium in Chandimandir Cantonment on Saturday. The function was presided over by Justice Ashoke Kumar Mathur,chairperson of AFT and a former Supreme Court judge.

To fulfill the need of dispensing speedy justice to the Armed Forces personnel,the Parliament had passed the Bill to establish AFTs in July 2007. The AFT Act (2007) came into effect on June 15,2008 and the tribunal was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil on August 8 this year. The Tribunal has original jurisdiction over complaints and disputes regarding all service matters and appellate jurisdiction over appeals arising out of verdicts of Court Martial. Retired personnel and their heir,dependents and successors can also approach the Tribunal.

Fake land deal: Five arrested
MOHALI:Five persons,including two senior officials of a Delhi-based real estate company and two senior officials of a Chandigarh-based bank,were booked on the charges of allegedly cheating and duping a Dera Bassi resident of around Rs 4 crore in a land deal,the police said on Saturday. Shipra Estate Limited’s Managing Director Mohit Singh,manager finance Rajiv Johri,State Bank of India,specialized commercial branch,Sector 17,Chandigarh manager and chief manager besides one Rajinder Singh of Saggrian village in Sangrur district were booked under Sections 420 (cheating),467,471 (forgery and using as genuine,a forged document) and 34 (acts done in connivance of common intention) of the IPC.

Trader,truck driver held for evading tax
KHARAR:A local trader Ashwani Kumar and his truck driver Sukhdev Singh were arrested on the charges of allegedly evading tax while transporting a truckload of pulses from Delhi to Kharar. An Excise and Taxation Officer Surjit Singh Bahia,posted at Information Collection Centre of the Excise and Taxation department on Mohali-Kharar National Highway 21 at Balongi village,reported to the police that a truck passed through the ICC barrier without reporting,which was mandatory. The police personnel deputed at the barrier intercepted the truck after a chase. A case under Sections 420 (cheating),467,468,471 (forgery for purpose of cheating and using as genuine,a forged document) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) has been registered.

Woman robbed of Rs 50,000
KHARAR:A woman,Paramjeet Kaur of Landran Road in Kharar,was robbed of Rs 50,000 cash in Kharar on Saturday. Kaur told the police that she had withdrawn Rs 50,000 from the local branch of the Punjab National Bank. When she reached near her house,two unidentified youths on a red motorcycle came from behind and snatched the bag containing the cash.

Five kiosks gutted in fire
Five kiosks were gutted in major fire that broke out in Landran village on Friday night. The kiosk owners have estimated loss of valuables and cash worth Rs 5 lakh. A fire tender from Mohali took almost two hours to control the blaze. Though the exact cause of fire could be established yet,a gas cylinder that burst as the fire raged made the situation worse. A shoe store,two meat shops,a hair dresser’s shop and a junk dealer’s shop were burnt and a number of chickens stored in the meat shops were also perished in the blaze.

IIA Punjab Chapter gets award
Indian Institute of Architects (IIA),Chandigarh-Punjab Chapter got Best Chapter Award at Nagpur during the valedictory function at the National Conference 2009. The award was given by president of IIA,Vinay Parelkar. The award was received by Jit Kumar Gupta,national joint honorary secretary and Surinder Bahga,chairman of the Chapter along with Chapter office bearers Sanjay Goel,Ashok Juneja,Archana Chaudhary and Praveer Goel.

Diabetes to be on govt healthcare agenda
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday said diabetes prevention and care would be soon integrated into the state healthcare delivery system and accorded the highest priority on the government’s health agenda. In a address on the World Diabetes Day at Chief Minister’s residence,Badal reiterated the resolve to enhance the quality and health services to fight the menace of diabetes,besides generating awareness about the causes and consequences of diabetes.

Snatcher held
A snatcher was held while his two accomplices fled after snatching the mobile phone and purse of a girl from near MCM College,on Friday evening. Jaspreet Kaur was walking with her brother Videy Singh near the college when three motorcycle-borne youths snatched her purse and phone. The motorcycle skid a few metres away when the rider tried to dodge a police party. One snatcher,Deepak Verma,was caught while the other two fled.