C H A N D I G A R H

Full-fledged herbarium yet to come up
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — If budget estimates for various horticulture and landscape works as approved by the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration are to be believed, there has been a little change in ground realities even as third consecutive financial year is drawing to a close.

Firm director robbed at gunpoint
DERA BASSI, Feb 1 — Four unidentified persons robbed a factory director of Rs 20,000 at gunpoint and took away his Maruti van and a mobile phone on Monday. Mr Lalit Kumar had withdrawn Rs 2 lakh from a branch of Canara Bank in Chandigarh. Out of this he deposited Rs 1.80 lakh in State Bank of Patiala in Dera Bassi.

Traffic policemen stop vehicles with red lights atop to check if the owners have the necessary authorisation near the Sector 17 bus stand roundabout in Chandigarh on Tuesday — A Tribune photograph

COMMUNITY

EVMs to be used in Kalka
PANCHKULA, Feb 1 — The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Monga, told the political parties that electronic voting machines would be used in the elections to the Kalka Assembly seat scheduled for February 22. He said this at a meeting of political parties convened by him at his office here today.

HVP to focus on Morni, sick units
PANCHKULA, Feb 1 — Providing 24-hour electricity, settlement of jhuggi-dwellers and removal of unauthorised constructions will be the main issues of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) in the forthcoming elections for the Kalka assembly seat.

Stress on prison reforms
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Human rights activists, lawyers and retired prison officials lamented the plight of prisoners in Punjab jails at a one-day conference on ''prison reforms'' organised by Ahsaas, a human rights organisation, at Panjab University here on Sunday.

NRI's gesture towards heroes' parents CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — As an expression of solidarity with martyrs of the Kargil conflict, a US-based NRI today extended financial assistance to the parents of the soldiers whose widows had deserted them after receiving the ex-gratia grants from the government. The parents of four martyrs of the Kargil operation hailing from various districts of Punjab received cheques for Rs 22,000 each sent by Mrs Sukhi Borah from Pennsylvania. These were handed over to the aged parents by her locally based sister, Mrs Harmohan Kaur Bedi, here.

Parents of martyrs of the Kargil conflict who were given financial assistance by a US-based NRI in Chandigarh on Tuesday — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Land acquisition opposed
PANCHKULA, Feb 1 — The Confederation of Housing Societies has opposed the proposed acquisition of land of housing societies by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in Bhainsa Tibba and Saketri villages. The land was acquired by the housing societies over five years back in accordance with a government scheme.

Tota Singh listens to grievances
SAS NAGAR, Feb 1— The State Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh, listened to grievances of employees of the department at a meeting with the representatives of different employees unions at the Punjab School Education Board here today. He assured of speedy redressal of the grievances of the employees.

Col Vohra remembered
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — On the second death anniversary of Col D.S. Vohra, founder and Managing Director of Nevedac Prosthetic Centre, a commemorative function was held at the Nevedac Prosthetic Centre, near airport, here yesterday.

Power failure hits phone services
MULLANPUR GARIBDASS, Feb 1 — Frequent power interruption in Mullanpur and adjoining villages has affected telecom services in the area. Telephones in more than six villages served by this rural telephone exchange remained dead most of the time on Monday.

Rain in city
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The city and the surrounding areas had second rainfall of the winter season today.

Helping poor kids live with dignity
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Live with dignity — posters on a Sector 21 nursing home walls, read. Inside, a team of doctors is busy giving a new lease of life to poor children born with defects. This is due to the efforts of the Rotary Club Shivalik under its project “Restorative surgery for birth defects’’.

CRIME

Held for using fake note
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The police has arrested a Sector 44 resident on the charge of attempting to use a counterfeit note. According to police sources, 27-year-old Mukesh Chopra was arrested and the note recovered from his possession. He was produced in court and remanded to police custody for two days.

BUSINESS

Industrialists call on Jacob
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — A delegation of the Federation of Small Scale Industries, led by its President, Mr M.R. Mittal, met the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), and submitted a memorandum to him highlighting the difficulties faced by the local industry.

Postal scheme set to achieve target
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The Punjab Postal Circle is all set to achieve its target of Rs 21 crore under the Postal Life Insurance Scheme. Talking to newsmen here this afternoon, the Chief Post Master General of Punjab Circle, Col Tilak Raj, said that though the Postal Life Insurance Scheme was one of the best scheme, it was not getting the response it should have got.

EDUCATION

Schools furnish details on night classes
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1— Heads of more than 30 government schools of the city have responded to the UT Education Department by furnishing details and actions being taken by their respective schools in regard to starting night classes for slum children and also providing a list of the number of illiterate children they have identified to be admitted to these schools.

COURTS

3 acquitted in drug case
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — A Chandigarh Police head constable, along with a constable, and another suspect, accused of possessing charas, were today acquitted by UT Additional District and Sessions Judge G.S. Sandhu.

Convicted for selling cylinder in black
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Convicting delivery-man Chhote Lal for selling a domestic gas cylinder, priced at Rs 150.70, to “a person not authorised to purchase” after charging about Rs 50 extra, UT Additional District and Sessions Judge Mr S.S. Lamba today sentenced both the buyer and seller to rigorous imprisonment for one year, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1,000.

RI in bounced cheque case
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr Jasbir Singh, has sentenced a Panchkula resident to one-year rigorous imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 in a bounced cheque case.

Fake licences: 700 cases pending in court
PANCHKULA, Feb 1 — One of the main impediments in compromising insurance claim cases between the insurance companies and the insured are the fake driving licences possessed by the drivers at the time of an accident.

Bail plea in fake currency notes’ case dismissed
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Colony No 5 resident Rohtash’s bail application in the counterfeit currency notes case was dismissed by the UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr S.S. Lamba, here yesterday.

Panchkula resident gets bail
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Granting bail to a Panchkula resident, accused of attempting to kill a person claiming to be his brother-in-law, the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, today directed him not to enter the sector where the injured lived.

CULTURE

One of the works of Him Chatterjee on display at his exhibition Structural Heritage of Himalayan Tribe at the IndusInd Art Gallery, Sector 8, Chandigarh on Tuesday

Himalayan images in black ink CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Drawings in black ink that outline the structures in the Himalayan region sometimes serve as interesting and delightful illustrations for coffee-table books, but, sometimes fail to impress when put up in an exhibition. Structural Heritage of Himalyan Tribe, an exhibition of drawings on this theme by Him Chatterjee, which opened today at the IndusInd Art Gallery, Sector 8, failed to attract.

Homoeo college wins quiz contest
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — A team of Sector 26 Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital bagged the first position in the quiz contest organised by the Homoeopathic Medical Association of India, West Bengal branch, at Calcutta in December 1999.

Artistes submit memorandum
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — An action committee, formed by theatre artistes after a demonstration against the ouster of three junior employees of the Punjab Ars Council outside Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, on January 29 yesterday met the Chairman of the council, Dr Harcharan Singh, and presented him a memorandum.

Tele serial
SAS NAGAR, Feb 1 — A three-day shooting of a tele serial Chow Choope Ki Jhankaar started at a restaurant in Phase 5 here yesterday.

HEALTH

Workshop participants made aware of child rights
SAS NAGAR, Feb 1 — A 12-year-old student of a prestigious English Medium school in Chandigarh, Harman (not his real name), was admitted to the children’s ward of a private hospital after suffering an injury in his left arm.

SPORT

German experience enriches Sabeeha
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — ''The experience in Germany has enriched me," said the city girl Sabeeha Dhillon, air rifle national champion, who returned only yesterday from Munich after taking part in the Invitational Air Weapons Championship Munich-2000.

MCM spikers win
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — MCM DAV College for Women and Guru Gobind Singh College for Women won their matches against SMS Karamjot College for Women, Miani, 27-25, 25-20, 25-15, and Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, 25-07, 25-10, 25-08, respectively, in the Panjab University Inter-College Volleyball (women) Meet at the PU grounds today.

ADMINISTRATION

MCC delays tubewells’commissioning
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has delayed the commissioning of some of the tubewells in the city. A majority of the 25 tubewells, work on which had started early last year and which were to be made operational before the commencement of the summer season last year to mitigate the water shortage in the city, could only be commissioned only recently.

Traffic awareness fortnight
Chandigarh, Feb 1 — The traffic police has launched a traffic awareness fortnight from today. An exhibition-cum-interaction programme was held at the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, here today. The programme would be organised in association with Freedom India, a social organisation.

Plan to develop Sector 29 green belt
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) will develop the green belt in Sector 29 here. According to sources, under the first phase a five-acre area is being levelled and ploughed with the help of tractors. Subsequently, the landscaping will be done and pathways provided for the strollers.

SP ‘ignores’ DGP's instructions
PANCHKULA, Feb 1 — A couple of Sector 10, Dr Davinder Chopra and his wife, say the police has acted very irresponsibly by not registering a case of fraud committed on them by a resident of Kurukshetra in spite of instructions issued by the Director-General of Police at an open darbar to redress grievances of the public against the police.

Additional charge for Vasistha
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Mr Ashok Vasistha, Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, has been given the additional charge of Assistant Estate Officer-II by relieving Mr Parminder Singh Gill, Subdivisional Magistrate (Central), of the additional charge. Mr Vasistha will deal with court cases relating to the Estate Office.

Gur Asra Trust chief’s plea
CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — In a complaint filed before a city court, Gur Asra Trust President Kulbir Kaur Dhami has sought the summoning of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee President Bibi Jagir Kaur, besides executive secretary of the Trust, Mr Jaspal Singh Dhillon, for allegedly defaming her.