Sunday, February 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

PGI sounds plague alert
Himachal Governor, CM visit patients
Chandigarh, February 23
Even as the Himachal Pradesh Governor, Chief Minister and a former Chief Minister visited the PGI today to assure the five Himachali patients suffering from plague, the PGI sounded high alert in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh following the arrival of another patient, Karamjit, to the hospital with plague-like symptoms from a village on the Mansa-Bathinda border in Punjab.

     NICD team arrives today
    Chandigarh page: Health services on high alert

Wary relatives and neighbours of Krishan Singh, who reportedly died of plague, outside his residence at Kansal village, Ropar district, on Saturday. — Tribune photo Pradeep Tewari

Hisar health staff in quarantine
Karamjit’s neighbour may also have plague
Hisar, February 23
All 36 employees of the Health Department who had come in contact with Karamjit Kaur suspected to be suffering from plague during her treatment in the General Hospital have been quarantined for three days as a precautionary measure.

1st Punjab result by 10.30
Chandigarh, February 23
Even as the arrangements for counting of votes tomorrow have been completed for the 116 Punjab Vidhan Sabha seats, the ruling SAD has written to the Election Commission seeking adequate deployment of the paramilitary forces at 36 “sensitive” counting stations. A similar request has been received from the Congress, besides several contestants.

• Cong MLAs may elect leader on Feb 25

• Punjab page: Bookies keep fingers crossed

• Tight security as counting begins today
  Ludhiana page
  

Counting of votes today
New Delhi, February 23
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of ballots for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Manipur which will be taken up tomorrow in the respective states.

Pearl’s killers identified
Karachi, February 23
A senior Pakistani police official has said American journalist Daniel Pearl’s killers have been identified and will be arrested soon.
In video (28k, 56k)

UK ‘joins’ Laden hunt in Kashmir
London, February 23
British special forces are hunting for Osama bin Laden in Kashmir after intelligence reports said he had sought the protection of an extremist Islamic group, the Daily Telegraph said today.

Ban on eye camps in open 
Chandigarh, February 23
The Union Government has banned eye cataract surgeries in schools, dharamshalas, clubs and other open places with immediate effect.

VC case takes new turn
Dept Head dissociates herself from PUTA
Patiala, February 23
The case of alleged “harassment’’ of a girl student of Punjabi University by its Vice-Chancellor has taken a new turn with one of the accused Dr Saroj Rani, who is the Head of the Department of Fine Arts, disassociating herself from the dominant group in the Punjabi University Teachers Association which is championing the case of the VC.

PU Syndicate hikes fee by 10 pc Chandigarh, February 23 Panjab University Syndicate today decided to hike the fee by 10 per cent in the university and all affiliated colleges from the forthcoming academic session. The hike includes charges on all other accounts except the tuition fees, reliable sources said.