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TOP STORIES

Oil price hike: farmers torch Bush’s effigy
Chandigarh, March 15
Punjab farmers burnt an effigy of US President George W. Bush here today, for imposing a war on Iraq that has led to increase in prices of petrol and diesel.

Punjab farmers burn an effigy of US President George W. Bush in Chandigarh on Saturday. — Photo Manoj Mahajan; and Farmers having a siesta underneath a tractor-trailer during a protest dharna being held by the BKU (Rajewal) in front of the PSEB head office on Mall Road in Patiala on Saturday. — Photo Subhash Patialvi

STD code change inevitable
Chandigarh/SAS Nagar, March 15
Residents of S.A.S. Nagar and Panchkula have no other option than bearing with the proposed change in STD dialling code for their respective townships. The change in STD codes cannot be avoided sources said while adding that the respite given in postponing the change in STD code for S.A.S. Nagar — from 0172 to 0160 — is temporary and the move announced last night has not been carried out under pressure from any quarter.

Meat sellers clarify
Chandigarh, March 15
Meat sellers of five supermarkets in the city have jointly stated that the meat seized from their shops by the MOH wing of the municipal corporation on March 13 was of excellent quality and sold in the most hygienic conditions.

Docs for ban on sale of uniodised salt
Chandigarh, March 15
Stressing the need for ensuring the sale of salt with iodine to prevent disorders like mental retardation and goitre, the medical fraternity feels that there should be a complete ban on the sale of uniodised salt as the problem is prevalent all over the country.

• Check your iodine intake

ECG through telephone
Chandigarh, March 15
Hearty news for all residents rushing to laboratories and cardiac centres every now and then for ECG; soon you will be able to get the examination done in the comfort of your room. Yes, the ECG will be done right there and then through telephone.

Supporter turns opponent
Chandigarh, March 15
Incredible, but true. The Chandigarh Administration supported the case of a doctor before the Central Administrative Tribunal, but filed a petition against the final orders before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

COMMUNITY

Divorce cases on the rise
Chandigarh, March 15
When a woman decides to walk out on her husband, little does she know what is in store for her. The next step takes her to the courtroom where she faces hostile onlookers and an even more hostile lawyer. However, city women seem to be undeterred by all this, as one divorce case on an average is being filed in the district court daily.

Writers’ relay fast continues
Chandigarh, March 15
The relay fast of Punjabi writers for the protection and promotion of Punjabi continued for the second day today, with the next batch of writers sitting on fast in protest.

Traders threaten to oppose BJP
Chandigarh, March 15
Changing its tactics, the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, a body of local traders opposed to any amendment to the Rent Act in the city, said they would not support the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections if the party did not resolve the issue of the Act.

Holi Bash at Funcity
Chandigarh, March 15
Holi Bash 2003 and an exotic dance party will be held at the Funcity Amusement Park, Ramgarh, 18 km from here, on March 18 and 19.

Cops listen to the aggrieved
Chandigarh, March 15
Contrary to the usual practice of people waiting for policemen to hear their grievances, it was the men in uniform who waited for complainants to show up for speedy redressal of their grievances.

Consumer Awareness Mela
Chandigarh, March 15
The Finance Secretary of UT Chandigarh, Karan A Singh today, inaugurated Consumer Awareness Mela being organised by the Consumer’s Forum Chandigarh to celebrate 15th Annual World Consumers Day-2003, in Sector 22 here today.

Another lead in rape case
SAS Nagar, March 15
In the alleged rape of a minor girl from Khuda Alisher village, the police here is looking into the possibility of two of the five men named by the girl, Kesar and Gurdhian, being the same persons under trial in the July, 2002 murder of Pala Singh, a former sarpanch of the village.

READERS WRITE
Please don’t change Mohali STD code
A large number of persons have rightly given their views against the intended change in the STD code of Mohali. Apart from these valid economic and other reasons already aired, I wish to highlight a few other aspects in this regard.

• ‘Poor’ city roads
• Best homage
  

EDUCATION

Students of Manav Mangal School, Sector 11, Panchkula, who have been awarded “Certificate of Talent” on the basis of All-India Talent Search Examination-2002 conducted by Children’s Education Trust of India. Children of May Buds, a preparatory school, in colourful dresses during a fancy dress competition in Panchkula on Friday. Items prepared by tiny tots of Aanchal Preparatory School, Sector 35, Chandigarh, and Phase XI, SAS Nagar, on display during an art and craft exhibition at the school’s SAS Nagar branch on Saturday.

50 pc fee concession for PU staff wards
Chandigarh, March 15
Members of Panjab University Syndicate today approved 50 per cent concession in fees for wards of college employees seeking admission in various courses in the university under the NRI quota or NRI sponsored seats. The remaining amount of the fees will have to be paid out of the college development fund by respective college managements.

‘Indo-China ties improving’
Chandigarh, March 15
Friendship between India and China is the need of the hour. Stating this while presiding over the annual Tara Chand Memorial Lecture, Dr Kewal Krishan, Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, added that the Indians had a lot to share with and learn from the Chinese, especially in areas of population control, health and work culture.

• Plea to abolish Ph.D entrance test

Making children game for maths
Chandigarh, March 15
In keeping with its ambitious programme of spreading scientific literacy in Chandigarh, the Centre for Education and Voluntary Action (CEVA) today invited a reputed Delhi-based resource person to demystify mathematics and highlight its interesting aspects to teachers and parents.

Free coaching for needy
Chandigarh, March 15
Free coaching classes for needy students aspiring to appear in medical and engineering entrance examinations are being started by Sikh Missionary College (Chandigarh Circle) in association with the managing committee of the Sector 34 gurdwara.

COURTS

DISTRICT COURTS
Suit against Badal: hearing on April 7
Chandigarh, March 15
The hearing of a recovery suit filed against Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former Punjab Chief Minister, by Mr Jagdip Singh Chowhan, former Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations Department, was today fixed for ex-parte evidence for April 7 by UT Chief Judicial Magistrate C.L. Mohal.

33 cases settled at lok adalat
Chandigarh, March 15
A sum of Rs 52 lakh was awarded as compensation at a special lok adalat organised to settle accident claim cases at district courts here today.

SPORTS

SJOBA rally from March 29
Chandigarh, March 15
The SJOBA-Thunderbolt Sub- Himalayan Open Rally-2003 will enter its 16th year when the two-day rally is held on March 29 and 30. It has been a nursery to rally champions such as Hari Singh, Vijayant Chowdhry, Amrinder Sandhu and Sunny Sidhu, to name a few.

• North Zone TT

• Cricket meet

College site dropped from auction
Panchkula, March 15
The Haryana Urban Development Authority has decided not to keep the college site in Sector 14 for its next auction scheduled for March 26. The site was offered in HUDA’s auction on Wednesday, even as the state Chief Minister had announced the allocation of the site for a girl’s college in his Sarkaar Aapke Dwaar programme.

HUDA reviews policy on sites
Panchkula, March 15
Bogged down by its repeated failure to sell school sites here, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has been forced to rethink its rules and regulations for the allotment of these sites.