C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

Illegal structures around IAF area may be pulled down
Zirakpur, October 23
Hundreds of constructions are likely to be demolished following a notification issued by the department Local Government, of Punjab, against the coming up of massive structures within a radious of 900 metres from the outer fencing of the Chandigarh Air Force Station.

UT forms panels on sexual harassment cases
Chandigarh, October 23
Government offices and other workplaces in the Union Territory of Chandigarh are well on their way to becoming a much safer place for women to operate in, thanks to the establishment of committees to deal with complaints of sexual harassment of women in offices. Committees have been constituted during the past few months in almost all government departments and boards and corporations in the Union Territory.

Evening OPD in PGI from Dec 1: Shotgun

Panchkula, October 23 The Union Minister of Family Welfare and Health, Mr Shatrughan Sinha, said here today that the evening OPD in the PGI of Chandigarh would become functional from December 1. The Union Health Minister, Mr Shatrughan Sinha, inspects a CT-scan machine after inaugurating the new building of General Hospital, Sector 6, in Panchkula on Wednesday. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, is also in the picture. — A Tribune photograph

LPG distributors threaten stir from Oct 28
Chandigarh, October 23
The Chandigarh LPG Distributors’ Federation has threatened to go on an indefinite strike from October 28. This was announced by the president of the federation, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, at a press conference here today.

COMMUNITY

Exhibition on rural enterprises
Chandigarh, October 23
The Confederation of Indian Industry, Northern Region, would organise five-day summit on rural enterprises from October 26 to 30. Over 100 exhibitors from all over India would showcase their products including handicrafts, pottery, jute items and leather products at the exhibition, to be organised on the occasion, said Mr Gokul Patnaik, Chairman, Food and Agriculture Sub Committee, CII, Northern Region, here yesterday.

Senior officers’ conference held
Chandigarh, October 23
A senior officers’ conference was held yesterday under the chairpersonship of the Adviser to the Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, at the UT Secretariat, Sector 9. The Adviser asked all Heads of Departments (HoDs) to intimate the status of Plan and non-Plan expenditure and revenue receipts.

Telecom staff start chain fast
Chandigarh, October 23
Members of the Telecom Engineering Officers Association (India) today started a three-day chain fast in support of their long-pending demands. Ten subdivisional engineers and junior telecom officers observed the fast in front of the BSNL Chief General Manager’s office, Sector 34, Chandigarh.

CRIME

Woman burnt alive by in-laws
Lalru, October 23
A woman was allegedly set on fire by her in-laws in Handesra village while a youth ended his life by committing suicide in Todi village near Handesra village about 10 km from here in last 24 hours.

One held on theft charges
SAS Nagar, October 23
The police has arrested one person on charges of theft and forgery and recovered a car and a fake seal of the Registration Officer, Amritsar, from him. In a press note released here yesterday Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar, SP, said he had been provided a tip-off that Sarabjeet Singh, a resident of Phase I, was indulging in theft of cars which he was selling after preparing fake registration papers.

Rs 1.20 lakh stolen from car
Chandigarh, October 23
A resident of Sector 38 West was poorer by Rs 1.20 lakh after the amount was stolen from his car in Sector 17 here today. As per police sources, Mr Satish Kumar withdrew the amount from a branch of the HDFC bank.

Gang of scooter thieves busted; 3 held

SAS Nagar, October 23 The police has busted a gang of scooter thieves operating in SAS Nagar and Chandigarh and arrested three persons, along with eight stolen scooter here today. Giving this information, the SP, Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar, said that the three men were caught while they, along with two of their accomplices, were planning another robbery using a secluded closed factory premises in Industrial Area Phase 8 as meeting place.

BUSINESS

Higher charges affect growth of credit card market in city
Chandigarh, October 23
Despite exponential growth in trade and banking activities in the city, the trading and banking community has failed to realise the unlimited potential of credit cards. The experts in the market term the higher interest rates and hidden costs, besides shopkeepers reluctance to accept these cards due to sales and income tax implications, as the biggest hurdles in the growth of plastic money.

City markets roll red carpet for ‘king consumer’
Chandigarh, October 23
The preparations are on. As the festival of lights is approaching, showrooms and shops spread throughout the length and breadth of the city have been illuminated with colourful blinking lights. This is not all. Shopkeepers are offering massive discounts also. As much as 50 per cent in some of the cases.

SPOTLIGHT — 22-A A market living on love and hate relations with visitors
Sector 22 A Market, which has come to be known for clinics, has a very special relationship with visitors drawing crowds as large as 10,000 on a particular day especially when there is a rally or dharna at the Matka Chowk. A night view of the market in Sector 22-A. — Photo Manoj Mahajan Problems

EDUCATION

French scientists to deliver lectures
Chandigarh, October 23
As the year comes round, Alliance Francaise Le Corbusier de Chandigarh is back with its schedule to promote dynamic cultural and scientific exchanges between France and India. With a view to giving a fresh impetus to the same, the Alliance authorities are organising a series of lectures by eminent scientists and researchers from France.

Seminar on geographical information system
Chandigarh, October 23
The human family has multiplied six times over the past two centuries, greatly extending its dominion over nature by occupying every available niche that emerged during the recent ‘interglacial’.

PU YOUTH FESTIVAL
Women’s sufferings shown

Chandigarh, October 23 The day belonged to women and their suffering at the on-going PU Youth Festival at Government Home Science College, Sector 10, here today, in various plays staged by teams from the six girls’ colleges of the city. Women’s sufferings were central to the play ‘Samaj’, marked by intense performances on the second day of the PU Zone A Youth Festival in Government Home Science College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

‘Inculcate scientific temper among masses’
Chandigarh, October 23
The Indian Council for Environmental Education  in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, Chandigarh Administration, organised, an orientation workshop for teachers for Children Science Congress 2002 at DAV School, Sector 8, here today.

• Computer centre inaugurated

• Tiny tots charm

• School sans maths teacher

• PU results

DISTRICT COURTS
Excise Act case against Sidhu: hearing on Oct 30
Chandigarh, October 23
Hearing of a case registered against suspended Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu under the Excise Act was fixed for consideration of the charges for October 30 by a local court. Meanwhile, the court has also fixed the hearing to record the evidence under the Arms Act registered against Sidhu for November 11.

CULTURE

Punjab’s phulkari comes alive at Government Museum

Chandigarh, October 23 The campus of Government Museum in Sector 10 never looked as spirited as it looked this morning. Young girls, attired in aesthetically-embroidered phulkari orhnis, flitted here and there that told a tale of an era gone by. Phulkari artisan Dayawanti shows exquisite creations to the Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), during the month-long special phulkari exhibition that opened in the Government Museum, Sector 10,Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

The largest collector of phulkari art
Chandigarh, October 23
Prime years of Mr S.S. Hitkari’s life have been devoted to the preservation of Punjab’s identity through the preservation of its spectacular art of phulkari (literally, working with flowers). Leaving behind bureaucratic hassles, which were always a part of his work schedule, Mr Hitkari worked so hard towards extensive documentation of the traditional craft of phulkari that today he is the largest collector of embroidered specimens of phulkari and bagh that exemplify creativity.

When colours bind
Chandigarh, October 23
Her paintings take you back to the earthiness of a woman, the most beautiful representation of nature. Concerned with the intricacies of relationships that define a woman’s life as also the modulations in her moods, Aradhana Tandon paints with absolute empathy.

HEALTH

Rare endoscopic surgery performed
SAS Nagar, October 23
In what is being claimed by the Fortis Heart Institute, here, as the first of its kind surgery in the region, doctors in the hospital have successfully performed an endoscopic radial artery harvesting procedure on a middle-aged male patient, who underwent a bypass surgery on October 21.

3 more dengue cases reported
Chandigarh, October 23
Three fresh cases of suspected dengue fever were reported in the city today. Out of the 115 fever patients, who were examined at the OPD, three have been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra.

Health awareness camp for boys
Chandigarh, October 23
As part of reproductive and child health services, the city chapter of the Indian Council of Social Welfare today organised a special camp for adolescent boys in Dhanas village.

Iodine deficiency day observed
Panchkula, October 23
Global Iodine Deficiency disorder day was observed in General Hospital, Sector 6, here yesterday, with Dr. J.L. Chaudhary, Director General, as chief guest. He said the aim of observing this day was to create awareness among masses regarding diseases borne due to deficiency of iodine and recommended use of iodine salt.

SPORTS

Kapil on a different turf
Chandigarh, October 23
It was a pleasant homecoming for Kapil Dev, who spent almost his entire afternoon playing golf at the new course of Forest Hill Resort at Karoran village (Ropar district) here today. Col B.S. Sandhu, brain behind this project, gave membership of the club to Kapil and Desh Prem Azad.

ADMINISTRATION

Test run of Administration e-governance plan on
Chandigarh, October 23
Taking another step towards e-governance, the Chandigarh Administration is presently testing its optic fibre cable link between the UT Secretariat in Sector 9 and the Estate office-cum-Deputy Commissioners office in Sector 17 and also with the Municipal Corporation in Sector 17.

Burning of paddy straw banned
Panchkula, October 23
The district administration has banned the burning of paddy straw in the district by invoking Section 144 of Cr. P. C. , in order to ensure availability of this as sources of fodder.