No relief for Rathore, case deferred till Tuesday

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Disgraced former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, sentenced to 18-month prison term by a court in Chandigarh in Ruchika molestation case, on Monday failed to get any relief as the Punjab and Haryana High Court deferred the hearing on his revision petition seeking bail till Tuesday.

68-year-old Rathore’s lawyer wife Abha Rathore had filed the review petition on his behalf in the High Court on May 26 seeking bail, a day after he was sentenced and lodged in the high-security Burail jail here.

The single vacation bench of Justice Ajay Tewari deferred the case till tomorrow.

On May 28, High Court Judge, Justice Gurdev Singh had posted the matter for today on the plea of the CBI counsel that the investigating agency had not received copy of the review petition.

In her petition, Abha Rathore had alleged that the appellate court had on May 25 passed the order “under media pressure”.

She had pleaded that the former DGP was facing “severe health problems”.

Rathore was jailed after a sessions court had enhanced his prison term to 18 months for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra–who later committed suicide, 20 years back.

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High court defers hearing in Rathore’s case till Tuesday

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, May 31 (IANS) The Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday deferred till Tuesday the hearing on the bail petition of former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore, who has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990.

After hearing the arguments, the vacation bench of Justice Ajay Tiwari deferred the case and directed the lawyers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit their reply in connection with Rathore’s appeal.

Rathore’s wife and counsel Abha Rathore was also accompanied by daughter Priyanjali, a lawyer, in the court Monday. Abha had moved a bail petition in the high court May 26, a day after a court convicted him and sent him to the Burail Jail.

‘We are filing our reply in the high court and we will strongly oppose the bail petition,’ CBI lawyer Ajay Kaushik told IANS Monday.

Abha said during arguments Monday: ‘I am ready for the arguments any time. But they (CBI lawyers) are unnecessarily delaying it. It was just the media hype that had affected the court’s verdict in the past.’

Abha also showed a map to the judge displaying the positions of Rathore, Aradhna (lone witness in the case) and Ruchika in Rathore’s office Aug 12, 1990 whe he allegedly molester her.

‘Rathore and Ruchika were sitting across the table. How can he embrace somebody who is sitting so far? Moreover, Aradhna left the room for only a few seconds. There were gunmen outside and glass windows in the room. All previous courts have ignored this map,’ Abha told the judge.

Rathore has sought bail on medical grounds, saying he had undergone a heart surgery and required medical attention.

The former Haryana director general of police was sent to jail Tuesday by the district and sessions court which upheld his conviction in the molestation case by a CBI special court in December last year and enhanced his jail term to 18 months.

Rathore was sentenced to six months’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.1,000 by the CBI special court. He was immediately granted bail then. Rathore filed a plea in January challenging his conviction.

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PCA to give boost to women cricket

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The upcoming season will be a different one for the Punjab women cricketers as the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is all set to give an uplift to the sport. In a meeting held today, Women Cricket Sub Committee of PCA discussed various ideas which can further boost women cricket in Punjab. The meeting was attended by Vinod Chitkara (Ludhiana), Mohit Khanna (Amritsar), R.P. Pandove (Patiala), Mohinder Singh (Chandigarh) and G.S. Walia (Mohali) along with women representatives of the respective district cricket associations. Meanwhile, M.P. Pandove, PCA secretary, presided over the meeting.

Emphasising the need to put women cricket on the same level with men cricket, MP Pandove directed the districts secretaries to identify and fix grounds for regular regional coaching centres exclusively for women.

He assured the committee that PCA will provide all assistance to these regional centres on the pattern of men’s regional coaching centres being run at present. This would include dispensing of cricket balls, provision of cricket nets, roller and other equipment required. He also emphasised that women coaches should be identified for these districts.

The secretaries were asked to give a tentative dates and places to start the regional coaching centres by selecting 20-25 girls in Under-19 and the same number of girls in the senior category by experts in each district. PCA will then hold a tournament for the Under-19 and senior category. At the conclusion of these tournaments, 20 probables in each group will be picked up by PCA selectors to don colours for the state teams. These selected players will be given training at the PCA State Academy by expert coaches before participating in the BCCI national tournaments.

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Mohali take honours on Day One

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The encounter between two heavy weights-Chandigarh and Mohali- has always been mouth-watering. Both the teams have always called for high-intensity and action filled matches. It was no different on Tuesday when both the teams once again engaged in an exciting encounter during the third round matches of the Punjab State Under-22 Cricket Tournament played at the Sector 16 Cricket stadium. However, Mohali took the honours on the first day as their batsmen helped the team pile on a handsome total.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Mohali mustered a sound total of 377 in 94.4 overs. After losing the first wicket cheaply, Mohali batsmen Ankit Pursharthy and Sachin Sohal stitched 108 runs for the second wicket before Ankit was caught by Bawa off the bowling of Anshul Tripathi. He made 67 off 145 balls with the help of ten boundaries. Two quick wickets in succession put Chandigarh on top but Gurkirat Mann and Arshdeep Brar were involved in a century stand (101) for the fifth wicket that once again brought Mohali back into the match. Arshdeep returned back to the pavillion after a well-made 45 off 80 balls.

However, Gurkirat continued in the same vein and smashed a quick-fire 36 off 28 balls and was involved in a 93-run stand for the sixth wicket with Gunjot Singh. Gurkirat, who has been in good form, struck a superb 109 off 100 balls. Gurinder Singh and Anshul Tripathi took three wickets each for Chandigarh.

In reply, Chandigarh were 6 for no loss in five overs.

Brief scores:Mohali (1st innings): 377 all out in 94.4 overs (Gurkirat Mann 109, Ankit Pursharthy 67, Sachin Sohal 65, Arshdeep Brar 48, Gunjot Singh 36, Gurinder Singh 3 for 104, Anshul Tripathi 3 for 146); Chandigarh (1st innings): 6 for no loss in 5 overs (Amit Prashar 3 no, Manan Vohra 3 no).

Chawla saves the day for PatialaHolding on one side firmly as wickets fell regularly at the other end, Himanshu Chawla emerged as hero of the day for Patiala as he helped the team muster a competitive 308 in 82 overs in the match played at Jalandhar.

Opting to bat first, Patiala lost their first wicket cheaply before Jeevanjot and Amitoze got together and put on 91 runs in 110 balls for the second wicket. Thereafter, Patiala lost few quick wickets but then Himanshu and Vikramjit resurrected the visiting team’s innings by stitching 82 runs for the sixth wicket.

Himanshu who was looking good for a century, missed out on the feat when he holed a Yogesh Kumar delivery to the mid wicket where Maninder took an easy catch to send him packing on 95. He took 147 balls for his effort and struck 10 boundaries. Yogesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers as he completed a five-wicket haul (5 for 82), while Maninder bagged three wickets.

Jalandhar were 40 for 1 in 12 overs. They lost opener Nitish for 23 on the last ball of the match.

Brief scores:Patiala (1st innings): 308 for all out in 82 overs (Himanshu Chawla 95, Amitoze Singh 61, Jivanjot Singh 34, Vikramjit Singh 36, Yogesh Kumar 5 for 82, Maninder Singh 3 for 89, Manpreet Singh 2 for 51); Jalandhar (1st innings): 40 for 1 in 12 overs (Nitish 23, Robin Singh 15 no).

Ludhiana batsmen shineA Collective batting effort by Ludhiana batsmen helped the team finish the first day on a high during their match against Kapurthala at Ludhiana. Batting first, the hosts amassed 399 for 8 in 95 overs. Bharat Malhotra (108), Gitansh Khera (87), Sunny Pandey (59) and Akhil Aggarwal (48) were the run scorers for the hosts.

A second wicket partnership of 95 runs for the second wicket set the tone for Ludhiana innings. Then a fourth wicket partnership of 132 runs between Gitansh and Bharat helped the team build platform for a good total. Similarly, another fruitful partnership of 75 runs for the fifth wicket between Bharat and Deepak Bansal further swelled the team’s total. In the process, Bharat completed his century (108 off 159 balls) with the help of 11 boundaries and a huge six.

Gagan added a quick-fire 39 off 18 balls to help the team reach 399. Krishan picked up three wickets for 109 runs.

In reply, Kapurthala were reeling at 57 for 5 in 13 overs at the end of the day’s play. Baltej Singh scalped three wickets, while Deepak Bansal took two wickets to leave the team tottering. Four of the five batsmen failed to open their account. Mandeep Singh was batting on 42.

Brief scores:Ludhiana (1st innings): 399 for 8 in 95 overs (Bharat Malhotra 108, Gitansh Khera 87, Sunny Pandey 58, Akhil Aggarwal 48, Deepak Bansal 39, Gagan 39, Krishan 3 for 109); Kapurthala (1st innings): 57 for 5 in 13 overs (Mandeep Singh 42 no, Baltej Singh 3 for 26, Deepak Bansal 2 for 26).

Loomba helps team take leadRiding high on Sharad Loomba’s unbeaten 91, Amritsar took an unassailable 45-run lead over Mansa in the fourth match played at Amritsar. Batting first, Mansa were bundled out for 131 in 50.2 overs. Lakshay Seth took four wickets, while Shubham Khanna and Charanjit Singh bagged two wickets each.

In reply, Amritsar were 176 for 3 in 42 overs at the end of the day’s play. Loomba was batting on 91 off 109 balls. He was involved in a 63-run partnership for the third wicket with Amandeep Bawa. Aman Bharti took two wickets.

Brief scores:Mansa (1st innings): 131 for all out in 50.2 overs (Manpreet Singh 27, Aman Bharti 26, Lakshay Seth 4 for 28, Charanjit Singh 2 for 29, Shubham Khanna 2 for 35); Amritsar (1st innings): 176 for 3 in 42 overs (Sharad Loomba 91, Mohit Handa 14 no, Aman Bharti 2 for 52)

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Chandigarh’s Chadha makes a fine start

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The first day of the four day Toyota Etios Junior Tour – Southern India, the official national ranking tour of the Indian Golf Union, being played at the par 72 Coimbatore Golf Club, saw the favourites seize initiative and end at the top. Rahul Ravi from Bangalore Golf Course, Bangalore; Tapendra Ghei from Delhi CG and Viraj Madappa from Tollyganj GC, Kolkota took home the honours on the first day, while Tarundeep Chadha from Chandigarh was lying at the third spot with three shots off the lead.

In Category A (16-18 yrs), Rahul Ravi from Bangalore Golf Course, Bangalore and Trishul Chinnappa from KGA, Bangalore, returned with identical cards of 5 over 77 to end the day as joint leaders. Rahul Ravi who hit a birdie and an eagle in the front nine, was delighted after Day One of the championship. “My round went of reasonably well today. The eagle of the nine was the highlight of the day. However, the bogeys on the last two holes were a disappointment,” said Ravi Trishul Chinnappa who scored two birdies on the front nine, was also confident of holding the lead. “The back to back bogeys on the fifteenth and the sixteenth were disappointing that cost me the top position.”

Tarundeep Chadha of Chandigarh, who won the first two legs of the Toyota Tour in Delhi and Panchkula, scored an 80 and is only 3 strokes off the lead. In Category B (14-16 yrs), Tapendra Ghei of Delhi Golf Club, Delhi returned with a card of 10 over par 82 to finish the day on top in his category with a slender one stroke lead over Honey Baisoya, also of Delhi Golf Club. “My round was decent today. However, I need to reduce the double bogeys which are coming on my card” said Tapendra Ghei.

Honey Baisoya of Delhi Golf Club who returned with a card of 11 over par 83 was of the view that some bad shots made his suffer. “I missed the top spot by a whisker. Let’s hope I can return with a better card tomorrow,” said Baisoya.

In Category C (14-12 yrs), Viraj Madappa from Tollyganj GC, Kolkata returned 7 over par 79 to grab the top spot from arch rival Piyush Sangwan of DLF CG who returned with a card of 8 over par 80. Viraj who hit a birdie on the fifteenth hole was of the view that it would be important for him to maintain the lead. “I am happy with my round today. Let’s hope I can maintain my lead for the rest the week.”

The relatively high scoring in the tournament is as expected on account of the high winds and difficulty of the Coimbatore Golf Club. “It’s very challenging to play here – these kind of winds are not something we see very often on Indian courses – Coimbatore is a unique challenge on the tour” said Tarundeep Chadha, one of the favourites to win the tournament. Over 120 players are in action in the fourth leg of the tour this week – the maximum size of the field.

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Ruchika case verdict on May 25

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, May 20 (ANI): The Chandigarh Sessions Court on Thursday postponed the announcement of the verdict on the much awaited the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case to May 25 (Tuesday).

Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh, who has completed the hearing on former Haryana Director General of Police SPS Rathore’s appeal against his conviction in the case, was scheduled to pronounce the verdict on Thursday.

On May 25, besides passing the verdict on Rathore’s plea, the court would also pass an order on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) appeal seeking enhancement of sentence from six months to two years for Rathore.

A complaint made by Rathore against Ruchika’s family friend Anand Prakash for forging documents pertaining to the case is also expected to deliberated upon.

On December 21, 2009, Rathore was convicted for molesting Ruchika, a budding 14- year-old tennis player in 1990.

He was sentenced to serve six months’ rigorous imprisonment by the court.

Thereafter, Rathore had appealed against the sentence, the hearing of which started in February.

The hearings were adjourned following an attack on Rathore on February 8 by a Banaras-based youth.

Day-to-day proceedings of the case, which were held in-camera, resumed on May 3 and concluded on May 11.

Ruchika was allegedly molested by Rathore on August 12, 1990 at the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association office in Panchkula.

Unable to bear the harassment, Ruchika committed suicide three years later. (ANI)

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BJP likely to take final call on Jharkhand government today

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to arrive at a consensus over who will be Jharkhand’s new chief minister on Friday.

Senior BJP leaders are meeting here to finalise the name.

After the meeting, the party is likely to send observers to Ranchi to convey its decision to party MLAs.

Interacting with media in Chandigarh on Thursday, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the party would take a final call on Friday.

“I had only a brief meeting with party observers in Delhi yesterday as I was flying to Chandigarh. Tomorrow evening, when I will return to Delhi, I will be meeting them and other senior leaders,” Gadkari said.

Meanwhile, the lack of consensus among BJP leaders has led to a delay in arriving at a solution to the crisis.

The JMM is insisting on a rotational power sharing arrangement.

Under that scheme, the BJP would get to head the state government for 28 months followed by the JMM for another 28 months.

Apparently, the JMM has agreed to let the BJP the first chance at chief ministership although the JMM has already been heading the government for the last five months.

The JMM-BJP coalition government plunged into a political crisis after the BJP withdrew support to government in the wake of Chief Minister Shibu Soren voting in favour of the UPA during the cut motion in parliament on April 27.

The BJP first announced it would immediately withdraw support from the JMM-led government, which would have brought it down and effectively led to the imposition of President”s Rule or attempts by the Congress to form an alternative government.

However, by April 29 when the party received a letter from Hemant Soren, son of the Chief Minister Shibu Soren, offering to support the BJP in leading the coalition, the withdrawal of support was “put on hold” and a dialogue was opened. (ANI)

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Gadkari apologises for his remarks on Mulayam, Lalu

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 13 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari has apologised to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad for using abusive language against them.

Gadkari”s remarks came in the context of his criticism of the two leaders for their not backing the cut motions in the Parliament and how some people had helped the Congress.

“I was only using a proverb. I only used this with reference to the CBI. They are respectable leaders. If they are hurt by my comments, I take back my words,” Gadkari said.

He allegedly used abusive language about the two leaders at a BJP rally in Chandigarh.
He said: “Mulayam and Lalu once used to oppose the Congress and the UPA Government. They bowed before the CBI. In their inquiry, somewhere the lawyer was changed, while somewhere the affidavit was changed.”

He said the two leaders pretended to be lions, but later bowed down before the CBI.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday said Gadkari had used highly derogatory language.

Party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan termed Gadkari”s remarks as shocking and outrageous, saying he should apologise to the nation for bringing politics to such a low.
(ANI)

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We are co-operating with BCCI, other bodies: Kings XI

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Kings XI Punjab said Thursday that the franchisee is co-operating with Income Tax (IT) department and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in investigations over the ownerhsip details of the Chandigarh-based Indian Premier League (IPL) team.

‘The franchisee, KXIP, is co-operating completely with the BCCI and all the relevant regulatory bodies. It would be inappropriate to comment beyond this at this moment. In the interim, we request media not to resort to unsubstantiated allegations and frivolous speculation,’ Kings XI said in a statement.

IT officials Wednesday questioned officials of KPH Dreams Private Limited, which owns Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab. The questioning went on for nearly five hours.

Earlier, a team of IT officials visited the storehouse-cum-office of Kings XI Punjab in Mohali town in Punjab April 23 to verify some documents.

These moves were prompted by the recent controversies in the IPL over new Kochi franchise and questions being raised about the sources of its funds.

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Beant Singh assasination : Chandigarh court awards life-term to Bheora

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Mar 30 (ANI): A special court in Chandigarh on Tuesday awarded life term to Paramjit Singh Bheora convicted for the assasination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh

The court of Additional District and Sessions judge Ravi Kumar Sondhi had on Monday held Bheora guilty of criminal conspiracy and involvement in the assassination of the former Chief Minister.

Beant Singh. was assassinated by a car bomb on August 31, 1995 in Chandigarh that killed eleven other people, including three members of Singh”s security staff.

Following the assassination, the name of Bheora alias Pammi had surfaced for the first time on September 13, 1995. He was caught, among seven militants, in August 1997 from Jammu.

Separatist group Babbar Khalsa had then claimed responsibility for the assassination, but security authorities were reported to be doubtful of the truth of that claim (ANI)

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Police verification relaxation unlikely in issue of passports: Tharoor

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Mar 26 (ANI): Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has said the police verification process for the issuing of passports would not be relaxed, especially in the wake of two Pakistan nationals being issued Indian passports.

Tharoor had earlier proposed that the Home Ministry simplify time-consuming police verification norms.

Tharoor described the issue of passports to the two Pakistani nationals as a grave matter.

“We are talking to our friends in the Home Ministry about this, but as you can imagine at the present level of security consciousness in our country there is a certain unwillingness to relax the requirements. Already, we have had a very worrying case in North, one of the centers in the North; two Pakistani nationals were issued passports after police verifications,” said Tharoor.

“So even police verification has not turned out to be foolproof. We are conducting enquiry into what happened, (what) process has followed for these two people. So at this stage I don”t want to suggest that it would be easy for us to cutback on these requirements, given the fact that in our country we have reason to be particularly conscious on the security side,” he added.

Tharoor said there was no proposal to add any more documents to existing ones.

He further said 75 ”Passport Seva Kendras” (service offices) would be set up in a phased manner, depending on the success of such centers in Bangalore and Chandigarh cities on a pilot basis.

“All states would have at least one such ”Kendra”, and the number of passport service offices depending on the volume of applications being received from each state, he added. (ANI)

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Punjab assembly seeks Punjabi as Chandigarh’s first language

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, March 15 (IANS) The Punjab assembly Monday unanimously passed a resolution seeking Punjabi be accorded first language status in the union territory (UT) of Chandigarh.

A central government administered UT, Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

The resolution, moved by Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur, said Chandigarh city was established (in early 1950s) in nearly 30,000 acres of land of 28 villages of erstwhile undivided Punjab before Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were carved out of it, ‘but Punjabi, the mother-tongue of Punjabis, was never accorded its due respect, significance and recognition’.

‘It is being treated with indifference and neglect,’ the resolution said, demanding first language status be accorded to Punjabi language and it should be made compulsory and taught from class 1 to Class 10 in all schools.

The resolution also demanded a Punjabi Sahitya (literary) Academy be set up in Chandigarh for the promotion of Punjabi literature, heritage and culture. Official work should be discharged in Punjabi along with other languages.

It also sought that all the sign-boards and nameplates of all government offices, roads and public places should be displayed in Punjabi.

Members of the assembly later unanimously decided to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to impress upon him to secure second language status for Punjabi in all the neighbouring states.

A delegation of politicians and literary people, led by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, will meet Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, who is also the administrator of Chandigarh, Tuesday to seek first language status to Punjabi in Chandigarh.

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Ruchika case hearing adjourned till April 15

March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Mar 10 (ANI): A Chandigarh court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, which involves former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore till April 15 on the plea that his lawyer was still recovering from an assault on him last month.

Rathore arrived in the court accompanied by his lawyer-wife Abha Rathore and a Haryana cop. Abha Rathore told the court that Rathore”s counsel N D Sharma was still recovering from the assault on him outside the court premises last month.

Rathore was on February 8 punched and stabbed thrice with a blunt instrument outside the court premises by Utsav Sharma, a student of the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. The former DGP”s lawyer had also sustained injuries in the attack and both had to be hospitalised.

The court had last month passed the adjournment order on medical grounds.

The former cop has been charged for allegedly molesting 14-year old teenager Ruchika Girhotra, a budding tennis star in 1990s.

Rathore has three cases pending against him in the court; all filed by Ruchika”s family and friends.

Ruchika”s family lawyer Pankaj Bharadwaj had earlier filed two FIRs against Rathore.

The lawyer had claimed that the first FIR was filed for forging documents like the inquest report and the other for illegal detention of Ruchika”s brother, Ashu, who was kept in illegal detention at the behest of Rathore and given tortures.

The third case is that of abetment to suicide against him. The family has claimed that Ruchika was expelled from Sacred Heart Convent in Chandigarh due to Rathore”s influence.

Teenager Ruchika had killed herself three years after the incident by drinking poison. (ANI)

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Aus vs Ind Mohali ODI | Australia vs India Mohali ODI | Aus vs Ind 4th ODI 2009 Match | Hero Honda Cup 2009 | Aus vs Ind 4th ODI 31st October 2009 Match

November 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Aus vs Ind Mohali ODI | Australia vs India Mohali ODI | Aus vs Ind 4th ODI 2009 Match | Hero Honda Cup 2009 | Aus vs Ind 4th ODI 31st October 2009 Match

4th ODI Match between Australia and India of 7 ODI Series will be played at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali – Chandigarh on 2nd November 2009 (2:30 PM IST)

See the Match Scoreboard ball by ball commentary of 4th ODI between Australia and India on following link -

http://cricket.yahoo.com/prematch-IndiavsAustralia_23022

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Apple season almost over in Himachal, 1.2 cr crates sold

November 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Apple season almost over in Himachal, 1.2 cr crates soldShimla, Nov 1 – With the apple season in Himachal Pradesh almost over, 1.2 crore boxes have been despatched to markets across the country.

“The season in districts like Shimla, Mandi, Kullu and Chamba districts is almost over,” said horticulture director Gurdev Singh Sunday.

“A major chunk of the crop is currently coming from high-altitude areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts,” Singh told IANS.

The high quality apples from the Chango, Ribba and Namgiya valleys of Kinnaur, and Hurling in Lahaul and Spiti command a virtual monopoly these days, though the output in the twodistricts is lesser than that elsewhere due to the harsh climatic conditions.

According to Singh, 15,000 to 20,000 crates of 25 kilograms each are being despatched daily to other states.

Said Sunil Katoch, a farmer from Ribba village in Kinnaur: “Harvesting is on in certain pockets in the interiors. Farmers are getting record prices despite low production, and supplying directly to markets like Chandigarh and Delhi.”

Kinnaur-based horticulture development officer Jagat Negi said the season will continue for another 15 days, with outstation traders now camping in the district to procure apples directly from farmers.

“Even after one month of the onset of the season (in Kinnaur), traders are offering an on-field price of Rs. 1,200 per 25-kilogram box. The figure is quite high as compared to previous years,” Negi said.

Horticulture director Singh said this year turned out to be lucrative for farmers despite the massive decline in production because of deficient rains during the monsoon and poor snowfall last winter.

“Apple prices saw a significant jump throughout the season due to fall in production. The prices remained almost 50 percent higher compared to the previous year,” he said.

“Even the undersized and hail-hit apples fetched a record price. The price is almost Rs. 500 per box more than last year.”

According to horticulture department estimates, the total production this season will be around 1.8 crore boxes, considerably less than last year’s 2.6 crore crates.

Apple is the main fruit crop of Himachal Pradesh and is grown in nine out of the state’s 12 districts, and accounts for about 40 percent of the total area under fruit cultivation.

More than 200,000 families are engaged in apple cultivation and 90 percent of them are small and marginal farmers with an average holding of less than 0.6 hectare.

Besides apples, other fruits such as pears, peaches, cherries and plums are the major commercial crops of the state. (IANS)

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Foreign liquor bullish about prospects in Punjab

September 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep.19 (ANI): With affluent Punjabis developing a liking for imported liquor, foreign liquor companies affected by the global slowdown in the West are bullish about their prospects in the market in Punjab.

Many international brands are keen to explore latent avenues in Punjab.

Be it Johnnie Walker, Green Label, or Teachers… one can access it without effort.

“India is one of the world’s largest markets for alcohol and has huge growth potential,” said Vinod Mittal, proprietor of MG Store.

Today, enjoying foreign liquor has become a status symbol among the affluent Punjabi families. And consumers are delighted with the easy availability of foreign brands here.

“Definitely, it has made a difference. Previously, you know, people had to go abroad. Only from airports you could get higher brands. So the availability of these brands and, beer brands like Carlsberg and Tuborg has really made a difference. I think it’s fantastic. I think if it expands to other markets like the wine industry for example, it would even be better,” said Dushyant Singh, a liquor enthusiast.

In 2008, 170 million cases of beer were sold in India.

Each Indian consumes about five litres of beer, compared with 25 litres per head in China and 160 litres per head in the Czech Republic.

TVB Craft Breweries, a Delhi-based brewer, enjoying strategic technical partnerships with a group of Australian Craft Brewing Companies has rolled out a new brand of beer-Little Devils – in five flavours.

The company is planning to invest 12 million dollars to set up local brewery in India.

“We have launched in eight States and it has been a fantastic response. As you said lager beer is hugely popular and continue to be hugely popular but at the same time throughout the world its has been growing only 3-4 % over the last three years whereas craft beer is growing at an average of 12 percent and that is because I think a lot of people basically want a lot of different selection, a lot of different flavors. So the Indian market is behaving exactly the same as everywhere else. We are bringing in new flavors. Everyone is really interested to taste them and experience the new taste,” said David Home, Chairman, TVB Craft Breweries.

The Famous Grouse, one of Scotland’s best selling whiskey label, is planning to expand its customer base in India.

It is planning to launch its premium single malt whiskey brands – Macallan and Highland Park – priced over USD 70 (Rs 3,500) in India soon.

Several other global brewing giants like Carlsberg, Anheuser-Busch and Inbev have entered the country recently, as India is being touted as the last potentially big beer market in the world.

Offering plenty of scope to expand to foreign brands, India is progressively liberalizing its liquor imports to accommodate the concerns of the European Union. In 2007, it scraped the additional import duty and imported spirits worth 76.3 million dollars on wines worth 11.7 million dollars.

The sale of liquor is rising in India with more liberal attitudes towards alcohol consumption, rising incomes and the tendency to embrace a more international lifestyle among Indians.By Sunil Sharma(ANI)

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Himachal Pradesh Govt. moves to produce IT friendly business landscape

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep.18 (ANI): Recognizing the enormous potential of Information Technology in acting as a catalyst for the Tier – II growth of Suburban India, The Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) is moving to produce an IT friendly business landscape.

To close the technological gap and nab the marquee, various initiatives are being put in place by the GoHP. Tax Breaks, Exemption from various duties and levies and imports are certain defined benefits for the industry to set base at Himachal Pradesh.

The IT Park cum Township falls will come up in Solan District of Solan, about 20 kilometres from Shimla.

The total area of the project is 64.73 acres. The site is located at a distance of four kilometers from Kiarighat. Kiarighat is on Chandigarh – Shimla highway (NH-22) on midway between Solan and Shimla at an approximately equal distance of 23 kilometres.

Conceptualized as an Integrated Development – offering both residential and commercial options, the project’s developmental contours will include built-up IT space of 1.1 million square feet. Built to suit plots for IT in 9.5 acres of land, a township for of 1.31 million square feet, a project cost of 408 crore rupees.

Commercially structured on the Public Private Partnership format. The developer shall be responsible for designing,financing, constructing, operating, maintaining and development of the IT Park cum Township at Waknaghat.

The implementing agency will be the Department of Information Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh.

To promote the project and the township, an investor Meet will be held in Delhi on September 23. A visit to the site will be organised on September 30, while a pre-bid meeting will be held on October 3, 2009.

The last date for submission of proposal is October 26. (ANI)

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Dial auto service launched in Chandigarh

September 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sept 17 (ANI): In a bid to provide quick, hassle free and reasonably charged mode of transportation, a dial-an-auto service equipped with GPS navigation system has been launched for the first time in Chandigarh.

The neat and clean pink coloured motor rickshaws, known as Tuk Tuk, are changing the way people travel in the city.

The fleet of 10 dial-an-auto-rickshaw, which is only a phone call away, also boasts of two lady drivers, the first in Chandigarh.

Women passengers, who feel safer traveling with lady drivers, are appreciating their services.

“Chandigarh is one city where people are safe anyway. We have been told we are safe with the service,” said Alka Thapar, a lady auto driver.

One has to just dial 4242424 for calling an auto rickshaw to get it at your doorstep.

The autos are equipped with tamper proof fare meters to assure passengers of not being overcharged.

“We maintain our call center. Whenever any individual requires an auto he rings up and the call centre picks up the call. They record the call and then convey to the driver by selecting the vehicle nearby to pick up the customer. That’s the procedure and customer has to pay from the pick up point to the drive point only,” said VS Dhillon, Managing Director of the Tuk Tuk Auto Rickshaw Company.

The service aims at providing a quick, reliable and safe journey to people who can relax and sit back without the fear of getting fleeced by drivers.

“I’m using it for the first time It’s reasonably priced and I’m really liking it,” says Charanjit, a customer.

The new service is a welcome change for commuters. With the new service in place, passengers can hope for a change in the attitude of traditional auto drivers who are often accused of fleecing customers. By Sunil Sharma (ANI)

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Noted Squash coach Satinder Bajwa trains poor children

September 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep.11 (ANI): Satinder Bajwa, an expatriate Punjabi, who is a squash coach, has set up an academy for the underprivileged children in Chandigarh to draw them to Squash.

These underprivileged children never thought about playing Squash. But, at the newly founded Squash Academy called ‘Mind, Body and Game – Connection’, they learn how to play it.

Satinder Bajwa, who has been the manager and mentor of eight times World Squash Champion Jansher Khan, has commenced this social business venture to promote the game here.

The Academy will nurture 30 children of ‘Khelshala’, a charitable trust, which serves underprivileged children through sports.

“Everybody wants to help his or her origins or the country that needs help. I am not a wealthy guy but I have something to give to kids in terms of a sport, so I thought how I give back to my country and I do a non-profit programme in the USA called Kids Squash and I thought may be its needed here in India and may be we can help kids through giving them something that they can use to help themselves,” said Satinder Bajwa, Founder of the MBG Ceonnection Academy in Chandigarh.

“You can give somebody money, money runs out but you give them something like this, may be if they are good at I, they can become very good, may be if they are good students, may be I can get them into some international university and few years down the roads, we might see some results which may enable people to help themselves,” said Bajwa.
He says the objective of the Squash Academy is to highlight that through exercise and play one can achieve a healthy body and mind for a fuller life experience.

The Academy will offer members a comprehensive set of world-class facilities including top of the line gym equipment and two squash courts, Bajwa adds.

Bajwa, who immigrated to the USA, is presently the chief coach of Squash at Harvard University. He felt the need to giver back to his homeland something valuable.

Many people in Punjab believe that Squash is a sport that has a future.

“The game is very nice. There is no age limit to play this game. Its very enjoyable and there are no chances of injuries,” said Manjit Singh, a trainee.

“We were little apprehensive in the first couple of days how may kids would be interested but we have had an amazing turnout and its been tones and tones of response from the kids and everyday more and more kids wanna come and play and its wonderful to see excitement and eagerness of all the kids ibn the village to come and play,” said Elizabeth Chaplin, a trainer in Massachusetts, US.

The MBG – Connection and Khelshala are a lifetime dream of Bajwa who also funded ‘kids squash’, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that promotes well-being through sports for children of all backgrounds.

Khelshala will also have an educational component as well as it will aim to leverage sports to help kids attain scholarships to private schools. By Sunil Sharma (ANI)

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One killed in farmers-police clash in Punjab

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep 8 (ANI): One person was killed and several others were injured as large number of farmers staging a protest in Chandigarh clashed with the police on Tuesday.

The farmers from across Punjab state were protesting against the recent hike in power tariffs by the state’s electricity regulatory authority and sought better prices for their produce.

The agitating farmers set on fire several vehicles including police vehicles. Police fired tear gas to disperse the violent mob.

“The farmers were protesting outside Sector 16 stadium and started setting the police vehicles on fire and when I started clicking their pictures they attacked me and asked me to leave. They broke my camera and burnt many police vehicles,” said an unidentified reporter.

“I had come here and parked my bike when a crowd set many vehicles on fire including mine,” said Madhur, a youth whose two-wheeler was burnt by the agitating mob.

Farming is the main occupation of the fertile plains of Punjab, the state known as India’s granary.

Farming is subsidized across the country, especially in Punjab, in a number of ways including cheaper seeds, power, fertilizers and pesticides, easy loans and prices guaranteed by the state for farmers’ produce. (ANI)

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