In Brief

Eight-year-old drowns in village pond
Ambala: An eight-year-old boy,Ankit,drowned in a pond of Mirpur village,where he had gone with some boys on Wednesday. The deceased,of Bahloli village,had come to his maternal uncle’s house in the village to spend holidays after his exams had ended.

PGI doc accused of molestation transferred
Chandigarh: THE senior resident doctor at PGI,who was accused of molesting the wife of a patient admitted in ICU on Tuesday,was on Wednesday transferred to the operation theatre of the Advanced Eye Centre. Even as officials said the change in roster was not “unusual” as duties keep shifting from time to time,the immediate change seems to be the fallout of the molestation charge levelled against Dr Vikas.

UILS students want exams rescheduled
CHANDIGARH: With the announcement of the examination schedule of University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS),Panjab University,students gave a written representation to the director of the department Dr Sangeeta Bhalla requesting her to reschedule the exams as the results of the seventh semester had not been declared.

Get RC,licences under one roof
CHANDIGARH: THE State Transport Authority is all set to have a single window to grant registration certificates as well as permits for transport vehicles in Chandigarh. As of now,an individual has to shuttle between the office of STA to the licensing branch,for getting a vehicle registered; securing a registration certificate (RC); and obtaining permits for transport vehicles in Chandigarh .

RPF arrests two for cheating
Parwanoo: The Kalka Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested two persons on Wednesday for giving intoxicating drink to a man with the intention of robbing him of his valuables and cash. The victim was returning from Subathu after attending an interview for the Army and waiting for a train at the station.RPF Kalka Inspector Ajai Jyoti Sharma said Suresh Yadav and Dinesh Paswan of Firozabad were wandering on the platform aimlessly and when they were asked to produce the ticket,they failed to do so. In the meantime,the victim fell unconscious and the duo was arrested.

Lance Naik commits suicide in Ambala
Ambala: A Lance Naik in the Army committed suicide by hanging himself with a tree on Tuesday night. The deceased,Dateya Prashant Anande,was posted in 282 Regiment on night duty. He belonged to Nashik in Maharashtra and was posted in Ambala Cantonment. His body was sent for a postmortem and relatives were informed by the police.

DIG Mahabir Singh retires,Madhur Verma transferred to Mizoram
CHANDIGARH: DIG (Police Headquarters) Mahabir Singh retired from service on Wednesday. A 1978-batch IPS officer,Singh was also IG (Jails). He had joined the UT police in March 2007 from Delhi. Meanwhile,the post of SP City (Crime) has fallen vacant with Madhur Verma being relieved of the charge today. The charge of headquarters has been handed over to Superintendent of Police R S Ghumman for now. Intense lobbying for the post of SP (Crime) is presently on with two SDPOs vying for the post. Sources also said that Madhur Verma tried getting an extension but his repeated efforts bore no fruit and he has been transferred to Mizoram.

Kumbra villagers protest against cancellation of local ration depot
MOHALI: Residents of Kumbra village staged a massive demonstration against the cancellation of the lone fair price ration depot at their village on Wednesday. Under the banner of Punjab Panchayat Association,the protesters gathered outside the office of District Controller of Food and Civil Supplies in Phase II here and burnt an effigy of the Director,Food and Civil Supplies,Punjab. They threatened to intensify the stir and stage a demonstration in Chandigarh if a ration depot was not opened in their village.

SP orders probe into ‘assault’ on girl
PANCHKULA: The Superintendent of Police has ordered an inquiry into the alleged assault of a schoolgirl by her roommates,who are natives of Thailand. The girl,a class XII hosteller at Alpine School,Pinjore,was allegedly assaulted by her roommates on March 20 after a squabble over switching off lights. Acting on a complaint by the girl’s father,Prof Chhatar Singh,who teaches in Kurukshetra University,SP Maneesh Choudhary asked DSP Mukesh Malhotra to conduct an investigation. “The girl’s father met me and showed the medical report of the girl which confirms she was assaulted. Whether the injuries were self-inflicted or she was assaulted by her roommates will be established after the completion of the inquiry,” he said. The report is to be submitted within 15 days.

Nepal delegation visits city
CHANDIGARH: A 14-member technical team,along with political representatives of Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City,Nepal,visited the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to study the solid waste management process. The team also promoted Nepal as the tourist destination for 2011. The delegation studied the infrastructure in the city and exchanged their ideas and observations. Mayor Anu Chatrath along with other councillors welcomed the delegation. Additional Commissioner P K Sharma gave a brief introduction about the functioning of the civic body.

Jhankaar Beats rock Panjab University
CHANDIGARH: With Punjabi folk singer Preet Harpal and a comedy show by Sanjiv Attari as the star attractions,‘Jhankaar Beats 2010’ started at the Panjab University,Chandigarh,on Wednesday. The cultural event organised by Panjab University Student Union (PUSU) consisted of different competitions. Arvind Khanna,a senior Congress leader,was the chief guest on the occasion.

Powermen’s protest enters second day
PANCHKULA: The protest by employees of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vittaran Nigam (UHBVN) entered its second day on Wednesday. Around 50 employees sat on dharna at Power Colony,Industrial Area,Phase-I,demanding the withdrawal of an FIR registered against two of their colleagues. The employees alleged that the FIRs filed against junior engineer Vishal and a foreman Kanta Parsad,were “false” as it was done at the behest of a few villagers at Saketri. The protestors said the officials were performing their duty of removing illegal power connections. Bhagirath Singh,vice-president,state employees’ union,said technical staff from the Ambala Circle will also join the protest on Thursday and go on strike. Electricity supply will not be disrupted but no complaints will be received.

Ousted PSEB clerks block traffic
MOHALI: Intensifying their 407-day-old protest,as many as 134 Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) clerks,whose services were discontinued,blocked traffic at the Phase VIII-IX-Sector 62 trafficlight on Wednesday. They also held a demonstration by beating empty tins and plates. The police soon reached the spot and dispersed the crowd. Harmeet Kaur and Kuldeep Kaur,who were sitting on a hunger strike today,said they were selected after a written exam and interview but their services were dismissed without any justification last year.

Rs 1 cr to be spent on new e-Sampark centres
CHANDIGARH: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal has allocated Rs 1 crore from his MPLAD fund for the construction of and providing infrastructure to e-Sampark centres in southern sectors of Chandigarh. Bansal said every sector,village and colony will have its own e-Sampark centre with more functions in the coming years. Coordinator for MPLAD funds,Pardeep Chhabra,said the Chandigarh Administration has selected six new sites for e-Sampark centres in sectors 35D,37D,39C,45A,48D and 56. A few days ago,Bansal had allocated Rs 2 crore from the MPLAD funds for upgrading the infrastructure of government schools.

Annual convocation at PGGC-11
CHANDIGARH: As many as 400 students,who secured a first division in university exams,were awarded degrees at the annual convocation at Post Graduate Government College,Sector 11,on Wednesday. Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal from the Punjab and Haryana High Court,Chandigarh,was the chief guest on the occasion. Principal Dr Shyam Sunder read out the annual report of the college.

Three die,one injured in separate incidents
ZIRAKPUR: Three persons died while a young girl was seriously injured in separate incidents in the last 24 hours,the police said. Twenty-year-old Alka sustained major burn injuries when a fire broke out at her house in Mubarikpur. She was rushed to GMCH-32,Chandigarh,where she is struggling for life. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile,an unidentified person,in his late 30s,was found dead near the AKM Marriage Palace on the Zirakpur-Patiala National Highway. The police suspected that the deceased was a victim of a hit-and-run accident. In another incident,Sardul (40),resident of AKS Colony,Zirakpur,allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance. He was rushed to Dera Bassi Civil Hospital,where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. Sardul was employed as a security guard at a housing colony on the Zirakpur-Panchkula road. His family members said he was under depression after his brother had recently passed away. Sardul is survived by his wife and two children. Gurcharan Singh (50),a resident of Moga,also lost his life in a road accident on the Zirakpur-Patiala Highway in the wee hours of Wednesday when a truck,on its way from Rampur Kalan to Zirakpur,collided with another truck on its way towards Patiala. Gurcharan Singh,the driver of the truck died on the spot while the driver of the other truck was injured.

Civil dispensary to be upgraded to health centre
Chandigarh: To strengthen the existing health infrastructure,the Chandigarh Administration has decided to upgrade the civil dispensary in Industrial Area Phase I to Primary Health Centre. For this purpose,Rs 40.78 lakh has been released to the Engineering department under the National Rural Health Mission. “The facility is located in the heart of the Industrial Area which caters to 30,000 people. It is also accessible to residents of Sanjay Colony,Colony Number 4 as well as adjoining villages. To initiate the process of upgrade,a laboratory has been established in the civil dispensary,which will decrease the referral rate as well as load on all the tertiary care hospitals,” said a senior official. The lab has become functional already. The officials added that the availability of this facility has strengthened the ante-natal care of pregnant mothers by providing all the basic lab tests for them,which were earlier not available here.

Youth electrocuted
Ambala: A youth,Sarabjit alias Babbu,was electrocuted during a jagrata at the Ekta Vihar locality in Ambala Cantonment on Tuesday night. The incident happened when Babbu,who was instrumental in organising the function,was testing the electric arrangement before the beginning of the jagrata . The police have registered a case.

Sectors to get road gullies,storm water drainage lines
CHANDIGARH: The Water Supply and Sewerage Disposal Committee of the Municipal Corporation approved the estimates for providing road gullies and storm water drainage lines in different sectors on Wednesday. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Vijay Singh Rana and attended by other councillors and officials of the MC. The committee approved estimates for providing a storm water drainage line and road gullies in the main market near Khera Mandir in Burail village. An amount of Rs 1.83 lakh would be spent on the project. The road gullies would be reconstructed in Sector 15 at a cost of Rs 8.46 lakh. Additional road gullies would be provided in the parking area in Sector 19C and D,Sector 36B and Sector 23D. The committee approved SWD lines,road gullies and manholes in Shastri Market,Sector 22,at a cost of Rs 12.17 lakh.