C H A N D I G A R H

Rose Princes, Princesses give judges a tough time
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — A strong weekend crowd thronged the Zakir Rose Garden and its outer lawns on the second day to witness the jamboree presented by the Chandigarh Administration in the name of the annual Festival of Gardens here today.

• Toy train derails, kids injured

Rose Prince (from left): Raghav Sood (6 months to 1 year), Daksh Mukhra (1 to 2 years) and Gursanjan Singh (2 to 3 years). Rose Princess (from left): Rashi Sehgal (6 months to 1 year), Mahima Sethi (1 to 2 years) and Spandana Sachdeva (2 to 3 years) — A Tribune photograph

UT supports power regulatory panel
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Chandigarh is willing to participate in power projects which will give the Union Territory an assured firm allocation on a long-term basis. It also supports the concept of an agreed hydel policy which will ensure for a non-producing territory like Chandigarh its due share of cheaper hydel power.

Health care must take priority: experts
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The government must take more responsibility for health care by providing better facilities at the secondary level so that the benefits of the same reach people at various levels. This was emphasised by Dr Soonu Udani from Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, while pointing out the prevalent sad state of affairs in district hospitals.

Notification for panchayat polls
PANCHKULA, Feb 26 — The Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Mr S.K. Monga, has issued a notification for elections to the Zila Parishad, panchayat samitis, panchayats, sarpanches and panches, to be held on March 22.

PU scientists' pioneer role in landmark discovery
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — As a mark of definitely a remarkable achievement, scientists of Panjab University were part of the team which announced discovery of a currently non-existent physical particle — the Quark Glucon Plasma.

COMMUNITY

Website on the entire hijack drama
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The December 24 hijack drama, which was enacted in Indian skies and ended seven days later on the eve of the new millennium at Kandahar in Afghanistan, continues to haunt some of the passengers aboard the hijacked aircraft.

Protest against reservation
PANCHKULA, Feb 26 — Members of the Arakshan Samapti Abhiyan Sanyukta Sanstha Manch here today sat on a 24-hour fast in protest against the reservation in the country.

'Remove encroachments'
SAS NAGAR, Feb 26 — A delegation of the Anti-Encroachment Committee led by its President, Mr N.S. Minhas, met the Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA, Mr Dipinder Singh, and urged him to begin the removal of encroachments in front of residential and commercial sites.

CRIME

Three eve-teasers caught
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The police has arrested three persons from different parts of the city on the charges of eve-teasing.

BUSINESS

'Delay in payments hitting SSIs'
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The government should initiate measures to implement the Delayed Payments Act in letter and spirit as in its absence, many small-scale industries (SSIs) are facing closure.

Demonstration of IT power
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Hands-on practical exposure was provided to the delegates attending the three-day national workshop on information technology organised by the Institute for Secretarial Practices and Development at the CII Convention Centre on the second day today. The delegates were given the exposure by Renu Bhasin of the faculty of Trident Infotech.

Units to maintain green belts: committee
SAS NAGAR, Feb 26 — A committee headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Mr Kushi Ram, for overseeing the maintenance of civic amenities in Industrial Area here, has decided to ask big industrial units to maintain green belts in the industrial estate. The green belts, after being developed by the council, will be handed over to the interested industrial units.

EDUCATION

Science Day celebrated
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Scientific research requires considerable exposure which can be exploited in the interest of people and true spirit of science needs to be inculcated in the minds of children and young researchers.

English Dept seminar on
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The seminar on Locating English Literatures being organised by the Department of English of Panjab University entered into its second day today.

College students get degrees
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Yuvraj Singh Lehal was declared the best all-round student of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, for the session 1999-2000 at the annual prize distribution function here today.

Disabled kids taken for picnic
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Nearly 20 mentally retarded, physically handicapped and deaf and dumb children of Prayaas Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped children were taken to Pinjore Gardens for picnic today. They were accompanied by their parents/guardians, therapists and staff of Prayaas-RCHC.

Group prayas by fine-arts students
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Students of MA-II of the Fine Arts Department of the Government College of Hoshiarpur have put up a three-day group show of their paintings, titled 'Prayas' at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10.

Races liven up school show
Chandigarh, Feb 26 — Sri Guru Ram Dass Public School, Sector 19, celebrated sports day today. A colourful programme was also presented by the students.

COURTS

Computers yet to enter courts
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Computerisation at the District Courts here is still a dream. Nearly 11 years after Justice Malimath Committee recommended the use of computers "on the administrative and judicial sides", the machines are still miserly employed. Suggestions, including the use of micro-films for preserving records, have also been over-looked.

CULTURE

Mohan Bhatt mesmerises
CHANDIGARH, Feb 14 — ‘Rasmanjari’, a music festival dedicated to late the Ustad Allarakha Khan, being organised by SPIC MACAY, began today with a brilliant performance of world renowned mohan-veena player Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at the Government College, Sector 11. But it was to a lukewarm response that this music festival started.

Play-reading by Swadesh Deepak
CHANDIGARGHFeb 26 — Abhinet, a premier theatre group of the region, has organised a play-reading session by the renowned playwright, Prof Swadesh Deepak, on Sunday.

Court Martial by bankers is best play
Chandigarh, Feb 26 — The three-day Fourth Northern Region Inter-Bank Drama Competition concluded here today. As many as six banks — RBI, NABARD, BoB, Central Bank of India, PNB and PSB — took part in the competition. The programme was organised under the aegis of the Banks Sports Board at Tagore Theatre.

Shaan-Sagarika step up the heat
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Crowd broke into a frenzy as the brother-sister duo Shaan and Sagarika, illuminated by the colourful blinking lights, shook, rattled and rolled through a wall of translucent synthetic smoke at a live concert today evening.

HEALTH

Workshop on AIDS ends
PANCHKULA, Feb 26 — The three-day state-level workshop for doctors, on HIV/AIDS, as part of the second phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), concluded at the State Institute of Family Health and Welfare, Sector 6, here today.

SPORT

MCM sport meet concludes
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The two-day annual sport meet of the local MCM DAV College for Women concluded today. Aishwarya of BA III was declared the best athlete of the college. Earlier yesterday, the meet was inaugurated by Dr Ajmer Singh, Director Sports of Panjab University. He said now, women were doing all jobs better than men.