C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Business | Education

Courts | Culture | Health | Sports | Administration

TOP STORIES

New PU schedule proposes 194 teaching days
10-day cut in summer vacation
Chandigarh, March 24
College and university teachers in Punjab and Chandigarh affiliated to Panjab University are in for” harder times” from the next academic session.

Fragrant love blooms again
Chandigarh, March 24
Jogging damsels are back in the Rose Garden, once again. After nine days of agitation, their air-cushioned sneakers are automatically turning around, towards the happy hunting grounds. Today they know the disapproving eyes of raw farmers, alien to the city’s culture, will not be staring at them anymore.

After the nine-day virtual siege of the Rose Garden, the area is once again blossoming with spring flowers and an attractive fountain.  —  Tribune photo Karam Singh

Liquor contractor booked 
SAS Nagar, March 24
Large-scale evasion of sales tax in inter-state smuggling of liquor by liquor contractors was unearthed last night by a joint team of the Ropar police and excise officials when it seized 520 cartons of different brands of IMFL near Industrial Area Focal point, Phase 9, here late last night. Involvement of a leading liquor contractor of the region, Mr Pawan Kumar Singla, has been found by the police.

Challans presented against eight
Chandigarh, March 24
After about four years of investigations the local police has finally presented challans against eight persons, reportedly involved in embezzlement of Rs 2.25 crore, in the court of a special judge here yesterday. It is learnt that seven of them were lottery agents and one was a sales officer at Lucknow. They were arrested between the years 1997 and 2000.

BOTTOMLINE
In girls’ hostels phones are a luxury
Chandigarh, March 24
While the world moves into the cyber age, the hostels of some of the girls’ colleges in the city become isolated after six in the evening. In the absence of any facility to contact the outside world, these girls end up being cheated by the PCO or STD booth owners who have a monopoly in some of these hostels, where they are allowed to function till 9.30 pm.

  

FILM REVIEW A thriller in perfect setting VERTICAL LIMIT (Kiran, Piccadily — Hindi dubbing) is not just a breathtaking journey laced with constant dangers of mountaineering but is a visual glory of the world of snow mountains, which give a perfect setting to an adventure story of scaling the K2 mountain in the Himalayas.

COMMUNITY

HUDA allottees seek clarification
Panchkula, March 24
Turning the tables on the Haryana Urban Development Authority for registration of FIRs against allottees for a fraud of Rs 5.95 lakh, the allottees, Rekha Bhatia and others, have alleged that involvement of HUDA employees and denied having submitted any receipt of the amount in question.

Commission agents fleece farmers
IT is ironic that the commission agents, who form an important link between the farmers and the buyers of their produce are the ones causing hardships to the farmers and giving them nightmares.

• ‘MSP hike, a cruel joke’

Is City Beautiful really ‘beautiful’?
Chandigarh, March 24
Is Chandigarh really ‘beautiful’?
Mr M. Ramshekhar, Deputy Commissioner, raised this question pointing to eyesores which were regularly growing on the face of the planned city. He was addressing a workshop on ‘Problems of migrant labour’ at the ICSSR Complex of Panjab University here yesterday.

351 vehicles challaned
Chandigarh, March 24
Saturday turned out to be a nightmare for the two-wheeler drivers who do not believe in wearing helmet while driving. The traffic police challaned 241 such offenders here today.

City Club opens 
Chandigarh, March 24
The City Club, located near the shopping centre of Sector 8, was thrown open to the members of the club and the residents of the area by the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, today.

IA revises schedule
Chandigarh, March 24
The Indian Airlines has decided to revise its schedule of flights operating through the city from March 28. According to Mr B.P. Nautiyal, Station Manager of the airline here, the Chandigarh-Leh flight will now operate on Wednesdays.

Recruitment drive
Chandigarh, March 24
The Sikh Regimental Centre, Ramgarh, is conducting a recruitment rally at Ramgarh (Jharkhand) from April 16 to April 29.

Road cleaning machine displayed
Chandigarh, March 24
A demonstration of the mechanical road cleaner was held today to clean the V-4 roads near the Kiran Cinema in Sector 22. Though the purchase of the same stands approved by the Finance and Contract Committee of the MCC, the same will be finalised after the trial run for the next 15 days.

Resignation of PM sought
Chandigarh, March 24
The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) today demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on “moral grounds” in the wake of the government’s role in a defence deal as exposed by the tehelka.com.

Tiffin trend catching up
WHAT does a person miss when he is staying at a home away from home? Of course, mom’s food! Home tiffin caterers in the city are trying their best to fill the void in the life of such people. With their better services, home caterers have customers like professionals, students and even families.

Inder Lal Batra cremated
Chandigarh, March 24
The president of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, Inder Lal Batra, who died here yesterday, was cremated at the Sector 25 cremation ground today.

READERS WRITE
Improving image of police
The increasing incidence of crime and the inaction of the police has brought into focus the need for a review of the security system in city. The police maintains that the uncontrolled inflow of migrants has contributed to the rising crime graph. But it will be wrong to deny that the police has not been able to keep a strict watch on illegal activities in the labour colonies.

• Speed breakers

• Consumer’s woes

• Burning leaves

• Police image
  
  

CRIME

One booked for fraud
Chandigarh, March 24
The local police has registered a complaint against Prem Singh, a resident of Sector 27, for obtaining loan by producing fake documents here.

• Three cars stolen

• Two accidents

• Man stabs
  
  

BUSINESS

“Simplify procedure to set up industry”
SAS Nagar, March 24
To promote industry and entrepreneurship, the respective state government should simplify the procedure to set up industry.

• Seminar on copyright 
  
  

EDUCATION

‘Judiciary infringing upon powers of executive’
Chandigarh, March 24
The Judiciary is infringing upon the powers of the executive which has put the government in uncomfortable position as the legal orders to the government were often far removed from the real problems for a permanent solution, said Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, while inaugurating a two-day seminar on “Judicial reforms” at the Law Department, Panjab University here today.

College flouts varsity rules
Chandigarh, March 24
Despite denial of approval to BA/BSc (first year) vocational course in Agro Service to Malwa College, Bondli, Samrala for the 2000-2001 session by Panjab University last year, the college had admitted nine students in the course against university instructions.

Management institute students get prizes
Chandigarh, March 24
A colourful cultural programme and prize distribution marked the second annual function of the Mohali-based Centre for Management Training and Research (CMTR) here today.

College farewell functions
Chandigarh, March 24
The M.Com II students of GGDSD College, Sector 32, were given a warm farewell by the students of first year in a colorful function held here today.

COURTS

No attack orders given, says officer
Chandigarh, March 24
Former Commander of 70 Infantry Brigade, Brig Devinder Singh, today testified before the General Court Martial that he had not given any orders to Maj Maneesh Bhatnagar for attacking Point 5203 on June 15.

HIGH COURT
Notice to PNB on benefits
Chandigarh, March 24
On a petition filed by 19 retired employees seeking directions to Punjab National Bank and another respondent for “correctly determining” their retirement benefits, Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice K.C. Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have issued notice of motion for August 21.

Six-month RI for 2 in dowry case
Chandigarh, March 24
The UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), today sentenced Raju Kumar and Anil Kumar to six months’ rigorous imprisonment in a dowry case. Ms Parvesh Kumari had filed a complaint under Sections 406, 498-A of the IPC against four persons: Tritha Ram, Sanduri Lata, Raju Kumar and Anil Kumar in Sector 39 police station, in this regard.

• 6-month jail

• Dowry case

• Plea dismissed

• Bail granted
  
  

CULTURE

Melody flows in her veins
Chandigarh, March 24
There is something divine about those wedded to music. They exude a radiance which is rare. The same is true of the world-famous father-daughter duo, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and Kaushiki Chakraborty, who performed for the music-loving audience of the city at the Tagore Theatre last night.

French musical group enthrals
Chandigarh, March 24
Indian traditional melody in fusion with techno music, played by the new and upcoming French musical group Nataraj XT, performed at Bal Bhavan in Sector 23, today.

A divine spell by family of artistes
Chandigarh, March 24
This evening at Tagore Theatre was all about a divine spell — cast on one and all by the masculine strength of Raja Reddy, the graceful leaps of his better half, Radha Reddy, and the sparkling eyes of Kaushalya Reddy.

HEALTH

1,000 patients examined on World TB Day,
Chandigarh, March 24
More than 1000 patients were examined at two separate medical awareness camps organised on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day today to detect and initiate treatment for treatment for TB on the spot.

Antenatal care can save precious lives
Chandigarh , March 24
In spite of being one-year-and-half-year-old, he does not have a name. In the hospital records he is known as Baby of Meena. Like other children of his age he cannot walk, talk but unlike them he cannot feed. Weighing just 5.5 kg, he is too small for his age but smile and talk to him and he will respond shyly, hiding his face in his mother’s saree.