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Chaos rules evening OPDs’ start today
Chandigarh, December 1
Even as the PGI administration is all set to start evening OPDs with the help of its faculty from tomorrow, confusion prevails over the finer details regarding its venue, registration, laboratory tests and other investigations, making it appear as a mere formality in namesake.

Police ‘washes out’ Youth Cong protest
Chandigarh, December 1
The police today resorted to use of water-cannons against Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress (CTYC) activists to prevent them from approaching former BJP MP Satyapal Jain’s house in Sector 15 here as part of their agitation to demand a CBI probe against Mr Jain.

Youth Congress workers face the fury of water-cannon on their way to ‘gherao’ the residence of Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former MP, in Chandigarh on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

A boy dressed in Rajastani attire plays 'chaina,' a traditional music instrument, while sitting in the lap of his mother on the set of a 'Modern Village' in Chandigarh on Sunday. The 'Modern Village' was set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry to show how in their vision Indian villages in the 21st century should be. — Reuters

Cong diverting attention, accuses Jain
Chandigarh, December 1
Former BJP MP Satyapal Jain here today accused Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her political adviser Ambika Soni and local MP Pawan Bansal of getting the youth wing of the Congress to stage a protest in front of his house to divert the attention of the people from the “misconduct of these two MPs in getting land for themselves using their official position.”

PU to improve evaluation process in practicals
External examiners mooted
Chandigarh, December 1
Panjab University proposes to appoint at least one external examiner for conduct of annual examinations in practical classes of the science streams in affiliated colleges. Currently, the entire examination process is handled by internal examiners alone. The issue will come up for detailed discussion in the forthcoming Syndicate meeting of the university.

‘HIV status report should replace horoscope’
Chandigarh, December 1
Should a general health profile of a prospective groom, declaring his HIV status, not replace horoscopes in India?

PM’s stopover in city

Chandigarh, December 1 Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee here today made a brief halt at the airport enroute his journey from Delhi to Solan. Mr Vajpayee’s plane landed at the airport around 11.25 am, half an hour late than the schedule time. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee being greeted by Mayor Lalit Joshi at the airport in Chandigarh on Sunday. — Photo Manoj Mahajan

Role of PCR teams under a cloud
Chandigarh, December 1
After the controversy relating the role of a Police Control Room (PCR) vehicle in the sensational burglaries at 10 shops in markets of Sectors 34, 35 and 45 on last Thursday, the murder of six-year-old Nihal has once again exposed the role of another PCR vehicle in the case.

Museum to make World Disability Day special
To offer creative experience to 400 disabled kids
Chandigarh, December 1
For the first time the city will celebrate World Disability Day in the real sense of the word. With the Government Museum, Chandigarh, coming forward with a novel project of organising a variety of special tours for over 400 disabled children from various institutions in the city, the occasion this time will sure have a meaning to it.

CHANDIGARH CALLING The Agrotech Fair-2002, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), seems to be attracting good crowds. However, the crowds are from unusual quarters. Newly married couples, schoolchildren, college boys and girls could be seen in good numbers. Mega show Real hero Airconditioned Tractor A delight to watch! Mother dear mother! Dogs in Kalagram? Old friends A Punjab prayer French Furniture

COMMUNITY

VIP duties affect city’s law & order
Chandigarh, December 1
Already grappling with the spate of murders and burglaries in the city, the VIP duties are telling on the health of the personnel the Chandigarh Police. With an effective strength of around 60, the worst hit is the traffic wing which has to manage the routine duty, apart from manning traffic diversions along the routes taken by the cavalcade of the VIPs.

SAS admn officers homeless
SAS Nagar, December 1
Majority of the local administration officers are homeless these days. While many of the senior officers serving the township live in their own houses or rented accommodations in Chandigarh or Panchkula, a sizeable number of junior officers have no official accommodation whatsoever.

Gorge on dosas, pay for charity

Chandigarh, December 1 For once you could eat to your heart’s content without making a dent in your pocked or feeling quality. For the South Indian Food Festival at St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church, had been organised by the church committee at its premises in Sector 46, today, with a noble a purpose - to help the poor and needy. Visitors wait for their turn at one of the stalls at a South Indian food festival in Sector 46, Chandigarh, on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

British Library enrols 750
Chandigarh, December 1
The long wait to procure membership of the most prestigious library of the city - the British Library, was finally over. A serpentine queue comprising nearly 1,500 aspirants began to form in front of the library even before the Sun started shining on the horizon.

Mirpur oustees seek land
Chandigarh, December 1
The Mirpur (J and K) Welfare Association has demanded that displaced residents of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) should be treated as oustees on the pattern of West Pakistan refugees and adequately compensated.

CRIME

Allegation of harassment for dowry
Panchkula, December 1
Within six months of the marriage, a Panchkula girl, Sunita Sharma (24), has alleged that her husband and in-laws are harassing and maltreating her to bring more dowry. She was married to Zirakpur-based Dinesh Kumar Sharma on June 21, 2002.

BUSINESS

Uttaranchal invites investors
Chandigarh, December 1
“Limitations can become strengths with the right perspective and approach” said Mr Madhukar Gupta, Chief Secretary, Uttaranchal. He cited the example of his state, where the small size of land holdings has encouraged farmers to innovate in terms of crop diversification and commercialisation. Likewise, the limited use of fertilisers in hill areas positioned Uttaranchal favourably for organic farming, he said.

Safed Musli — a ray of hope for agricultural diversification
Chandigarh, December 1
Punjab Government may be asking the Centre to grant at least Rs 1280 crore to shift one million acres of agricultural land towards other crops from the traditional wheat-paddy rotation, but Nandan Agro Farms Pvt Limited, a Hyderabad-based agro firm, has claimed that the plantation of Safed Musli — a food supplement plant — can turn the fortunes of lakhs of farmers.

Indian dairy industry poised for growth
Chandigarh, December 1
The international dairy industry is passing through a critical phase. While farmers in the USA have recently won a legal battle, resulting in the continuance of subsidy to the dairy sector, the overall production of milk in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has registered a decline since 1990.

Scorpio to head for Russia
Chandigarh, December 1
Mahindra and Mahindra plans to export its latest multi utility vehicle (MUV) offering, Scorpio, to Russia. This was disclosed here today by Mr Anand G. Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the Rs 4000-crore company, in an interview with TNS.

French delegation visits Agrotech-2002
Chandigarh, December 1
“India has immense opportunities in the field of Agro Food Processing,” said Mr Thlerry Boisseaux, Commercial Attache at the Economic, Trade and Finance Commission, Embassy of France, during an interactive session with progressive farmers at Agrotech-2002 here today.

‘Poultry industry needs radical changes’
Chandigarh, December 1
The poultry industry must undergo radical changes to compete with international competitors. The WTO is not a threat to the industry but a challenge which should be met successfully, observed Ms Nita Chowdhary, Joint Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India while speaking on the Indian poultry industry at the International Food and Agriculture Conference, organised on the occasion of Agro Tech 2002 here today.

Eating eggs at Agro-Tech
Chandigarh, December 1
Ever wondered how many eggs you can eat in just 90 seconds ? Four was the figure that won the Egg Eating Competition at Agro-Tech 2002. Organised by the North Zone Breeders Association, the competition drew a mammoth response from exhibitors and visitors alike.

Air & water cooled tractors

EDUCATION

HAMARA SCHOOL
VIVEK HIGH SCHOOL SECTOR 38
Vivek High — a school with a soul

The beautiful building of Vivek High School with its sprawling lawns has become a landmark of City Beautiful, attracting students only from neighbouring states but far flung countries like Thailand and Great Britain. But its beauty is not just skin deep which is limited to the building or a bevy of smartly dressed up students and staff members, the school is a living organism with a soul. A view of Vivek High School, Sector 38, Chandigarh. — Photo Parvesh Chauhan

‘Giving tuition is like giving crutches to a child’
The best description that suits Ms. P K Singh, Principal of Vivek High, is that she is a judicious blend of kindness and rigidity. And it is perhaps her way of handling matters, which she does with an iron hand laced with a heavy dose of generosity, which has made Vivek High, one of the most sought after schools in the city.

• My school

• Poems by students

Art works by children on display
Chandigarh, December 1
The gallery of Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, today came alive with the art works created by over 1,000 kids from different schools of the city. Brought to the city by ICICI Bank, the special show was inaugurated by environmental artiste Nek Chand who also adjudged various works listed under four categories — kindergarten, junior, middle and senior.

Seminar on fire safety in buildings
Chandigarh, December 1
Shifting the focus from natural disasters to the manmade variety, the Chandigarh Chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) organised a seminar on “disaster mitigation in built environment” in the Chandigarh College of Architecture here yesterday.

Cards painted by slum  kids released

Chandigarh, December 1 After dabbling in colours for over a fortnight now, the slum children of Janata Colony finally got a taste of reward this afternoon. As the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, Mr Inderjit Singh Sandhu, put his hands together for the kids who painted a word of happiness on to their canvases which were finally converted into greeting cards, their joy knew no bounds.

Mr Inderjit Singh Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner, launches New Year cards prepared by slum children in Government High School, Sector 24. Chandigarh, on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

Play on environment by kids

Chandigarh, December 1 A riot of colour coupled with perfect synchronisation of “dandiyas” and ribbon sticks by tiny tots of Evergreen Academy, Sector 34, mesmerised guests and parents during the 10th annual day celebrations at Bal Bhavan here today. Tiny tots of Evergreen Academy, Sector 34, perform at the 10th annual day function at Bal Bhavan, Sector 23, Chandigarh, on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

CULTURE

Jazz musicians unleash nostalgic melodies

Chandigarh, December 1 All forms of music merge somewhere along the line. Be it a pure Indian classical recital or an unadulterated jazz presentation, as was made by the Lydia van Dam group from the Netherlands today, music makes a universal statement. Members of Lydia van Dam group from the Netherlands present a jazz concert under the aegis of the ICCR at Lake Club, Chandigarh, on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

Jazzy storms carnival venue

Chandigarh, December 1 Fun and excitement filled the second day of The Tribune-sponsored Chandigarh carnival, which was hugely attended on account of the several new features added to it this year. Today’s attraction were the life-size puppets and also interesting floats created by students of the Government College of Art, Sector 10. Punjabi pop singer Jazzy B performs at The Tribune-sponsored Chandigarh Carnival at Leisure Valley on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

Bubbles to portray ‘Women in Black’
Chandigarh, December 1
Bubbles Sabharwal has always followed her heart. When she made ‘Life of Gautam Buddha’ some years ago, she was not attempting to list events that led to the advent of Buddhism as a religion. All she was trying to do as a woman wedded to art was ‘plunging into the life of Buddha as and how it was and bringing the real religion to the fore’.

SPORTS

Panchkula skaters corner glory
Chandigarh, December 1
Panchkula skaters cornered glory in roller hockey when they captured titles in both senior boys’ and senior girls’ categories at the 16th Sushil Kumar Memorial Haryana State Roller Skating Championship which came to a close this evening at Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, Panchkula.