Chhibber's call to curb abuse of children
CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen. BKN Chhibber (retd), today underlined the need for launching a concerted campaign to curb abuse of children, especially those working in the roadside dhabas on the highways.

Judge stays proceedings
CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, today stayed till tomorrow the proceedings in the case of the World Sikh Council questioning the appointment of Mr Justice Kuldip Singh, a former Judge of the Supreme Court, as its President.

Youth commission sought
CHANDIGARH,Oct 12 — The Bharatiya Yuva Janata Morcha president, Mr Ramashish Roy, has urged the BJP-led coalition government to set-up a youth commission at national level to solve problems of the youth.

CJI to visit High Court CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The President Punjab and Haryana Bar Association, Mr G.C. Dhuriwala, said today that the Chief Justice of India, Mr A.S. Anand, would visit the High Court in the first week of November.

Date extended Suicide victim's husband held

CPI rally against rising prices
CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The local unit of the Communist Party of India today staged a rally in the industrial area to register its protest against the rising prices of essential commodities in the country.

Onions sold at Rs 45 a kg
PANCHKULA, Oct 12 — Onions continue to sell at Rs 45 a kg in retail despite central government's claim that its prices will fall. A decrease of about Rs 5 per kg in its prices has been registered in different local markets in the past one week.

Institute inaugurated
CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Defence Institute of Information Technology set up by the Army Wives Welfare Association was inaugurated by the association president, Mrs. Kusum Kala, at Chandimandir near here today.

• IT offices shifted

Chhibber's call to curb abuse of children
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen. BKN Chhibber (retd), today underlined the need for launching a concerted campaign to curb abuse of children, especially those working in the roadside dhabas on the highways.

Presiding over the Executive Committee meeting of the Punjab Child Welfare Council at Punjab Raj Bhavan today, the Governor said that the Punjab Child Welfare Council should get a study conducted on the rising incidents on child abuse and draw up a programme to rehabilitate such children in society. He said that children working in the roadside dhabas were being increasingly used as sex workers and were becoming victims of sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS. He called upon the Council to coordinate its activities with non-government organisations and the Health and Social Welfare Departments to identify and rehabilitate such children in society.

At the meeting, it was decided to set up a training institute in Punjab to provide systematic training to the mentally retarded children. The Governor felt that though there were schools available for the mentally retarded children, the state required a specialised training centre for mentally retarded children which should be equipped with a physiologist and expert therapist to provide specialised training to the children.

The Governor informed the meeting that the Central Government has cleared a project submitted by the Punjab Child Welfare Council to rehabilitate street children for the districts of Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar for which the Central Government would pay 90 per cent grant. He said that district councils concerned should fan out to the slum areas to identify the street children, who could be included in the rehabilitation project. The Governor added that the Rajiv Gandhi foundation was also providing assistance to 145 children of terrorist victims of Patiala, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts at the rate of Rs 1000 per month. He asked the other districts to identify such more needy cases so that the foundation could be requested to provide assistance to them.

Mrs Rama Chhibber, wife of the Governor of Punjab, participating in the deliberations suggested to the Council to chalk out a programme under which one most backward village of every district could be adopted by the Council and it should be the responsibility of the Council to look after the needs of every children up to the age of 16 years. The Council, under this project, should provide nutrition, clothing and education to the children. The Council accepted the project and it was decided to identify the villages and start this project from April, 1999.

The Governor informed the Council that it had been decided to open an Aanganwari Training Centre in Faridkot district to provide training to the aanganwari workers. The Governor said the Council was planning to open 50 new creches in the rural and urban areas of Punjab next year. Similarly plans for a state-level Bal Bhavan at SAS Nagar has been finalised and PUDA was being approached to start its construction at the earliest.

CJI to visit High Court
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The President Punjab and Haryana Bar Association, Mr G.C. Dhuriwala, said today that the Chief Justice of India, Mr A.S. Anand, would visit the High Court in the first week of November.

Mr Dhuriwala claimed that this assurance was given by the CJI when he and other office-bearers met him after his swearing-in ceremony in Delhi on October 10. Chief Justice Anand had started his practice in this High Court.

Judge stays proceedings
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, today stayed till tomorrow the proceedings in the case of the World Sikh Council questioning the appointment of Mr Justice Kuldip Singh, a former Judge of the Supreme Court, as its President.

Brig Gurdip Singh filed two applications on behalf of the World Sikh Council in the court of the Sessions Judge seeking stay of the proceedings and transfer of the case from the court of Mr Jasbir Singh, Sub Judge, to the court of Senior Sub Judge, Mr Sant Parkash.

To begin with the proceedings were stayed till October 24. However, the date was advanced after an application was preferred by the plaintiffs, Mr Talib Singh Sandhu and Mr Baldev Singh Brar. They urged the Sessions Judge that the case may be transferred to any court except the court of Mr Sant Parkash.

Brig Gurdip Singh, on the other hand, sought the transfer of the case on the ground that the case was earlier filed by Mr Shamsher Singh Maloya involving identical controversy and was to come up before Mr Sant Parkash on October 17.

The transfer of the case would avert multiplicity of litigation and avoid contradictory judgements. The CJM had complete background of the controversy as he was dealing with the case.

$ 15,000 award for city boy
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The president of the Indian chapter of the Children's Alliance for Protection of the Environment, Mr Sawant Kumar, has won an international award of $ 15000 for his contribution towards the conservation of nature.

The award instituted by the UK based environmental organisation, "Conservation Foundation", was announced at the Children Summit Fund held at Paris last month and was received by Mr Sawant Kumar, here today.

Talking to the TNS, Mr Sawant Kumar, who had set-up the Indian chapter of the CAPE in 1991, said he has decided to donate the award money to his organisation for strengthening various conservation programmes run by it in the city and surrounding areas.

Youth commission sought
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH,Oct 12 — The Bharatiya Yuva Janata Morcha president, Mr Ramashish Roy, has urged the BJP-led coalition government to set-up a youth commission at national level to solve problems of the youth.

Addressing a press conference at Haryana Bhawan here today, Mr Roy said there was great need for the setting up of an institution exclusively for the youth as they were facing a number of problems in the field of education, employment and culture due to lack of a proper agency to guide them. He said the commission should be set up after a thorough discussion with other political parties. Mr Roy felt till the setting up of the commission, the government should frame such policies which were aimed at providing more employment avenues to the young people.

He said with a view to educating the people about the policies of the morcha and to pay tributes to the martyrs and great thinkers of the country,the morcha was organising a "sandesh yatra" from Calcutta, the birth place of Swami Vivekananda, from January 12 to 23. It will culminate at Cuttack.

CPI rally against rising prices
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The local unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) today staged a rally in the industrial area to register its protest against the rising prices of essential commodities in the country.

Expressing concern at rising prices the gathering condemned the present government for not tackling the situation which had gone from bad to worse. Mr Sohan Lal Bansal and Mr Devi Dayal Sharma, secretary of the unit and general secretary of AITUC, respectively, also came down heavily on the Chandigarh Administration on the steep hike in power tariffs.

Onions sold at Rs 45 a kg
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Oct 12 — Onions continue to sell at Rs 45 a kg in retail despite central government's claim that its prices will fall. A decrease of about Rs 5 per kg in its prices has been registered in different local markets in the past one week.

At the Apni Mandi held today in Sector 14 here, the price of onions varied from Rs 40 to Rs 45 a kg. Good quality onions from Nasik were being sold for Rs 45 per kg. A round of the Apni Mandi revealed that there were few vendors selling the commodity.

Prices of other vegetables in the local rehri markets continue to be high. In the Sector 9 market, peas was available for Rs 35 a kg but those going for lesser quantity had to shell out slightly more money. "Pahari alu" (potatoes) was being sold for Rs 45 per 5 kg while it was sold for Rs 10 per kg.

Coriander leaves (dhania), once given free along with vegetables, was being sold at Rs 100 kg in the Sector 11 market. In the Apni Mandi 'dhania' was available at Rs 130 per kg. Gourd was expensive in Sector 9 market (Rs 14 a kg) while in the apni mandi it was being sold for Rs 10 per kg. Mint (pudina) was being sold for Rs 5 per bundle.

Tomatoes was yet another commodity being sold at around Rs 12 per kg with minor variations in various markets. The price of radish variety varied from Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg. Similarly, brinjal was sold between Rs 10 and Rs 14 a kg.

Lemon was another commodity worrying the consumer. In the Sector 11 market lemon was being sold between Rs 45 and Rs 50 a kg. However, in the apni mandi lemon was available at Rs 30 per kg. Cauliflower and bitter gourd was available for Rs 20 per kg each.

Institute inaugurated
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The Defence Institute of Information Technology set up by the Army Wives Welfare Association was inaugurated by the association president, Mrs. Kusum Kala, at Chandimandir near here today.

The institute has been set up by the association to spread computer literacy not only among the defence personnel and their wards but also to impart computer training to the civilians. The institute having an ultra modern infrastructure costing Rs 20 lakh boasts of an airconditioned computer lab, advanced media workstations and video conferencing facility for the trainees.

Date extended
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — Panjab University today extended the last date for the receipt of certificates for having attended seven lectures in the subject of environmental education for the students of B.A., B.Sc, B.Com and B. Sc (Hons) first and second year examinations held in April and May this year to October 30.

A press note issued here said that the principals of the colleges and the private and regular candidates, who could not submit such certificates earlier, were now required to submit the same to the Joint Controller of Examinations.

Those, who had already submitted such certificates, need not do so again, the press note added.

Dharna: Members of the Panjab University Non-Teaching Employees Federation on Monday organised a rally followed by dharna against the "adamant" attitude of university authorities towards the 'accepted' demands of the employees. The main demand of the employees was payment of arrears, a press note issued here said.

Suicide victim's husband held
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — Seven persons were held in connection with the suicide of a newly married woman. They include the woman's husband.

Anita alias Pinky was married to Deepak around three months ago. She had committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of the couple's home in Sector 40 on Saturday. This morning the police arrested Deepak.

Also arrested were Pradeep and Vinod (brothers-in-law) Madhu Chandel and Indu Sharma (sisters-in-law) and Shamsher Singh Chandel (husband of Madhu). The husband of Indu is absconding.

A case under Section 304-B of the IPC has been registered against them.

Kidnapped: Two girls were allegedly kidnapped from different places from the city within the past 24 hours. One of them-returned home this evening. In the first case a Sector 16 girl was kidnapped by Dewan Chand of Almora. The girl, however, returned home this evening. In the second incident Sukhwinder Singh of Mani Majra allegedly kidnapped a girl living in his neighbourhood.

Vehicle theft: A motorcycle (DL-65-C-6475) owned by Mr Anne Bidani of Sector 44 was stolen from his residence.

Injured: A Mani Majra resident, Salim Khan was injured when Amar Singh attacked him over a minor issue.

IT offices shifted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 12 — The offices of the Deputy Commissioners of Income Tax (Special Range I and II) the Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (Audit) and the Senior Authorised Representative have been shifted to SCO 132-133, Sector 34-A, a press note issued here said today.