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Pollution board serves notices on 
74 nursing homes, clinics
Chandigarh, January 15
After waiting for years the Chandigarh Pollution Control Board has decided to come down heavily on nursing homes and clinics in the city with regard to disposal of bio-medical waste. The board today issued notices to 74 nursing homes, dispensaries and medical laboratories, giving them an ultimatum of 15 days to make arrangements for the proper disposal of the bio-medical waste otherwise they would be prosecuted under the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Act.

Work on city-Panchkula flyover to
begin soon
Chandigarh, January 15
Before the financial year comes to an end in March, stress will be laid on completing pending projects and starting new projects in the city. This will include the much-awaited flyover on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road.

PU Academic Council in search of principals
Chandigarh, January 15
College principals, it seems, are in short supply. The Academic Council of Panjab University, against a quota of 15 seats for principals, has received only eight nominations from 105 colleges of Punjab and 21 colleges of the city, affiliated to the university.

5 bank accounts of Artexe frozen
Chandigarh, January 15
Five bank accounts of the Artexe.com, allegedly involved in a multi-level marketing scam of between Rs 28 crore and Rs 30 crore, have been frozen in Patiala even as the police has tracked the company’s transactions to the tune of Rs 8.73 crore.

Cops kept their cool, morale high: Yadav
Chandigarh, January 15
The Chandigarh Police seems to have become a sitting duck with its personnel being attacked in a police unit and in another case by a mob, demoralising the force and those living near the labour colonies.

Civil Services Officers Institute for city soon
Chandigarh, January 15
Fulfilling a long-felt need by Central Government officers based in Chandigarh for facilities for social interaction, sports and recreation, a Civil Services Officers Institute (CSOI) is all set to come up here shortly.

12-year-old makes a mark in poetry
Chandigarh, January 15
She is a young girl all set to make her mark in the world of literature. Twelve-year-old Aishani Bansal hopes to be a shining star, just like her role models Indian litterateurs Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri and Arundati Roy.

M.C. Gupta conferred French award
Chandigarh, January 15
The President of the French Republic, Mr Jacques Chirac, has conferred a special honour on Mr M.C. Gupta, a retired civil servant and former Director of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). Mr Gupta has been selected for the Officer of the National Order of Merit award for his contribution to the development of Indo-French relations in the field of public administration. 

Fog claims two more lives
Chandigarh, January 15
The fog in the northwest region claimed two more lives and left several others injured, besides disrupting rail and road services for the second day today. According to police reports, at least two persons were killed and around 30 others injured, many among them seriously, in separate road accidents during poor visibility in Gurdaspur and Sangrur districts yesterday.

Festival of Gardens from Feb 20
Chandigarh, January 15
The Festival of Gardens will be organised at Rose Garden, Sector 16, here from February 20 to 22, a spokesperson of the Chandigarh Administration said today. Two cultural programmes would be organised at Leisure Valley, Sector 10, during the festival.

COMMUNITY

Panchkula triple murder: police gives clean chit to arrested kin 
Panchkula, January 15
Reverting from their earlier claim of family involvement in the brutal triple murder case of Sector 4, the police, yesterday, came up with yet another ‘finding’, saying it suspected the involvement of the Kanger gang, a criminal tribe active in areas around the city, as the real culprits in the case.

Ward committees only in Act 
Chandigarh, January 15
Envisaged as for a for greater citizens' participation in managing the affairs of the city for their own welfare, the ward committees are yet to see the light of the day here more than eight years after the inception of the municipal corporation.

Fallen soldiers remembered

Chandigarh, January 15 A homage-paying ceremony in memory of those who had laid down their lives in the line of duty was organised at the Western Command war memorial, Veer Smriti, Chandi Mandir, near here, to commemorate Army Day today. The Chief of the Staff, Western Command, Lieut-Gen P.K. Grover, and other officers pay tributes at Western Command war memorial in Chandi Mandir on Thursday.

Oil and gas conservation fortnight

Mohali, January 15 The oil and gas conservation fortnight got off to a flying start here today. The function was organised by Mr D.P. Vaed, state-level coordinator (oil industry), Punjab-cum-General Manager, Indian Oil, and was held at NIPER Auditorium. Girls perform at the inauguration of the oil and gas conservation fortnight at NIPER in Mohali on Thursday.  — A Tribune photograph

Revenue staff ‘unable’ to recover loans
Mohali, January 15
The police and revenue authorities are not cooperating with bank officials in making recoveries against loans which had been given in connection with the government-sponsored schemes. Loans worth Rs 52 lakh are to be recovered in Ropar district.

2-day seminar on hydro projects from today
Chandigarh, January 15
A two-day seminar on various challenges being faced for the development of hydro projects in the country starts in the city tomorrow. The seminar named ‘‘Current trends in hydro projects and their rehabilitation’’ will examine the major challenges faced for development of hydro projects.

No dearth of donations for NGOs: Kashyap
Chandigarh, January 15
‘’There is no dearth of donations for non-government organisations (NGO) doing good work as they can perform better than government agencies. Only the general management and monitoring of the financial system of the NGOs should be improved, ‘’ said Chairman of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association Rajan Kashyap.

Mohali Diary
Withdrawal of Exim Form hailed
Mohali, January 15
Members of the Industrial Welfare Association, Mohali, yesterday welcomed the withdrawal of the Exim Form by the Punjab Government. The association president, Mr Prabhjot Singh Sandhu, said in a press note that the withdrawal of the Exim Form would encourage the industry in the long run. He said the government should consider the abolition of octroi also. Stating that the PSIEC should not enhance prices of plots, Mr Sandhu pointed out that PFC should also take steps to settle old loan cases in line with the national policy.

Arora promises action against Rent Act
Chandigarh, January 15
Action against the Rent Act has been promised by Mr Jagdish Arora, one of the presidential candidates for the forthcoming elections to the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal.

Animal  vaccination drive ends
Chandigarh, January 15
The week-long camp to vaccinate stray animals ended today, with the Department of Animal Husbandry claiming that they had immunised 1,310 dogs against rabies, 7,599 animals against foot-and-mouth disease and 3,995 animals against haemorrhagic septicaemia.

Lohri at Old-Age Home

CRIME

Tailor found dead
Chandigarh, January 15
A tailor, working at the shop of the KC Tailor in Sector 17, died while attempting to repair a tube light in a toilet of the shop. Atul Kumar, 24, was found dead with pieces of tube light scattered around his body, the police said.

One arrested for bid to poison boy
Mohali, January 15
The police today arrested one person on the charge of helping a group of men who allegedly tried to poison a 15-year-old resident of Phase XI here by feeding him a pastry laced with poison. According to the police, the incident took place on the night January 13 in Phase XI. The victim, Navdeep Singh, was standing outside his house No. 1384 when four unidentified persons on two motor cycles came up to him and asked direction to the house of a resident, Ajit Singh.

Flesh trade racket busted, 9 arrested
Panchkula, January 15
With the arrest of nine persons, including five girls, the police today claimed to have busted an inter-state flesh trade racket. All girls who have been arrested, are in their early twenties and belong to different parts of the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Srinagar.

Theft in Phase IV house
Mohali, January 15
Thieves decamped with cash, goods and gold worth Rs 25,000 from a house in Phase IV here this afternoon. According to the police, the thieves struck at house No. 273, Phase IV, when the occupants had gone to work. The owner of the house, Mr Harpal Singh, and his wife were in Chandigarh and the children were away to school when the incident took place.

Arrested for smuggling liquor
Mohali, January 15
The police here today arrested one person on the charge of smuggling liquor. The accused, Darshan Singh, was caught by Mr Pritam Singh, ASI, at the Sohana bus stand naka.

BUSINESS

Pharma firms may reduce prices
Panchkula, January 15
Leading pharmaceutical companies might reduce the prices of several products, including that of the life saving drugs. This follows action from the Haryana Health Department which questioned the companies rationale behind allowing retailers to earn profit between 300 and 1200 per cent.

Car showroom inaugurated

Chandigarh, January 15 Ford India’s Vice-President, Marketing, Sales and Service, Mr Vinay K. Piparsania, today inaugurated a new Ford dealership in the Industrial Area, Phase II. On this occasion, Mr H.S. Saluja, dealer principal, Saluja Ford, said, “Our centrally located showroom will offer the customers an exciting range of Ford vehicles and the highest level of customer service. We are confident of setting new standards in meeting customer expectations in Chandigarh.”

Mr H.S. Saluja, dealer principal, Saluja Ford, along with Mr Vinay K. Piparsania, Vice-President, Marketing, Ford India, after the inauguration of the new showroom in Chandigarh on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

EDUCATION

Amend gratuity Act, teachers ask Centre
Chandigarh, January 15
The Centre should come to the help of private teachers and make necessary amendments to fill the lacunae in the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, said the general secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union, Dr V.K.Tewari. It was high time that the state governments should own such teachers, engaged in a noble profession of educating the young generation, he said.

Modernity like great lab experiment, says professor
Chandigarh, January 15
Underlining the urgency of reconciling to the reality of diverse cultures and the universality of human rights, Prof George F. McLean from the Catholic University of America said Indian heritage could contribute towards a new understanding of diversities.

Students perform a qawwali at the inauguration of a branch of Shishu Niketan in Sector 43-A, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Campus  Notes
Celebration time at PU 
Chandigarh, January 15
It was celebration time on the Panjab University campus with the festivities of Lohri and “Flower Day” being the highlight of the past week.

From Schools
Function on oil, gas conservation
Chandigarh, January 15
A function to mark ‘Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight’ began at the Government College for Girls in Sector 11 here today.

Pak college invites local ex-students
Chandigarh, January 15
As Indo-Pak peace moves progress, an invitation to former students of the Government College, Lahore, settled here, from Old Ravians Union (ORU), the college’s alumni association, to attend their alma mater’s founder’s day has prompted them to revive the union’s local chapter.

Jan 31 last date for engg, pharmacy courses
Chandigarh, January 15
Admissions to the courses of engineering, pharmacy and architecture at Panjab University will be made on the basis of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

e-degrees from UK soon
Chandigarh, January 15
Surveys indicate that the education market in India, especially the concept of e-learning, providing online degree from reputed universities in the UK, has a great potential, said the Chief Executive Officer of UK eUniversities Worldwide (UKeU), Mr John Beaumont.

YPS students return from Canada
Mohali, January 15
After celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve in Canada, students of Yadavindra Public School, Mohali, returned today. A group of 14 students with their senior house master, Dr D.S. Bhullar, had gone for a winter programme in Alberta, Canada. After spending about 21 days in Canada the students returned.

Bansal seeks facilities for students
Chandigarh, January 15
Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, member of Parliament, in a letter to Justice O.P.Verma, UT Administrator, has demanded that students in universities, colleges and schools should be provided with free cyber cafes.

COURTS

District Courts Bar poll today
Chandigarh, January 15
As many as 22 candidates are in the fray for the different posts of the District Courts Bar Association, elections to which are scheduled for tomorrow. The candidates were busy till late hours tonight in wooing the voters. A total of 1,247 advocates are expected to exercise their right.

Bar opposes new system of case hearing
Chandigarh, January 15
In less than a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court introduced a "new" system of hearing cases, the High Court Bar Association today sought a discontinuation of the same. As per the new system, "kutcha peshi" is heard up to lunch. Only regular cases are taken up after that.

CULTURE

Chandigarh, January 15 Designed and directed by Prof Mahendra Kumar and enacted by the student cast of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” (in Hindustani) was indeed impressive in concept and presentation. Students of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, enact a sequence from Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” (in Hindustani) at the department on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

New Release Another thriller by Varma  Ram Gopal Varma, most versatile amongst the contemporary film-makers, is certainly a goliath at the box office. The master craftsman is back with yet another romantic thriller, ''Ek Hasina Thi''. This one is a presentation of K. Sera Sera and Varma Corporation Ltd. The film will be released at KC, Chandigarh, and Fun Republic, Mani Majra, tomorrow. Urmila Matondkar in “Ek Hasina Thi”.

LIFESTYLE

Fashion Fundas
Give in to stripe craze and sizzle stylishly
In the quicksand world of fashion, pinstripe or stripes is one thing that has never lost its sheen and fan following. Suave, stylish and subtle appeal of stripes has made these a classic in men’s as well as women’s fashion. These look classy and are suitable for casual as well as formal occasions. A striped shirt and suit have been staple in men’s wear since ages but of late these have also been lapped up by women with equal gusto.

Cafe Coffee opens book cafe

What about rejuvenating your grey cells as you sip your favourite coffee? In case you are willing to go for it, Cafe Coffee Day, is the place to be in. The premiere chain of coffee outlets, Cafe Coffee Day, today added another feather to its cap by opening a Book Cafe section in its Sector 35 outlet here and in its Patiala outlet. Ms Sudipta Sen Gupta, head, Cafe Coffee Day, at the opening of book cafe section in Sector 35, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Make a splash with water denizens
Aquarium fish not only please the eye with their majestic colours and shapes but also bring prosperity and good luck (as per Feng Shui). Well, how about these water denizens as pets! Watching them can help you lower your blood pressure and break free from stress. An aquarium can deck up your living room or the waiting lounge of your workplace.

Hair colouring picking up in Ambala
Mr Shailendra Khanna, a young businessman, wanted to stand out in the crowd. After much thought, he decided to go in for hair colouring which he hoped would give a “colourful” edge to his personality. Besides being unsure about how he would look after the hair colouring, he was also concerned about the reaction of his friends and relatives.

Gujarat furniture on display The Gujarat State Handlooms and Handicrafts Development Corporation has brought to the city the essence of Gujarat’s exquisite furniture, jewellery, terracotta and mirror work and Kutch embroidered handlooms. The handicrafts and handlooms are on display at the annual exhibition organised by Gurjari at the Lajpat Rai Bhavan here. Painted wooden chairs on display at ''Gurjari'', an exhibition-cum-sale, at Lajpat Rai Bhavan, in Chandigarh on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

It’s my life
Music is my passion
Different is surely the word that defines me, and passion is what drives me to reach out for stars. Being a true Arien, I am passionate about music, fine arts and athletics. Presently studying in Class XI at DAV College, I am an alumnus of St Johns High School. Since my school days, I have excelled in fine arts, specialising in linonium and abstract art from the age of 13.

HEALTH

AIDS tele-counsellors get 356 calls  in three months
Chandigarh, January 15
Within three months of its inception, the AIDS tele-counselling project of the UT State AIDS Control Society has generated an encouraging response, with about 356 persons from all over the region calling up at the free AIDS helpline (1097) to seek details about the fatal disease.

SPORTS

National Baseball Championship opens

Chandigarh, January 15 A colourful function marked the beginning of the 15th Junior National Baseball Championship here on the Panjab University grounds today. The participating teams, drawn from all over India, also took part in an impressive march past. A baseball match between Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh in progress during the National Baseball Tournament being held at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

Shuttlers to be honoured
Chandigarh, January 15
The Chandigarh Badminton Association will honour the city shuttlers who brought laurels at various levels during the year. Announcing this, Mr M.C. Sethi, president of the association, said city players who represented Panjab University had won silver medals in women’s category and bronze medal in men’s category.

Gurpreet promising soccer player
Chandigarh, January 15
Gurpreet Singh, a promising soccer player from Chandigarh who is now with the prestigious Tata Football Academy at Jamshedpur, was in the city today. Gurpreet told the Chandigarh Tribune that it was two years back when he got the opportunity to join the Tata Academy, a big nursery of budding football players from all over the country.

ADMINISTRATION

DC asks MC to develop green belts
Mohali, January 15
The industrial area of the town has to be given adequate facilities as 80 per cent of the income of the civic body is contributed by industry in the form of octroi. This was stated by the Ropar Deputy Commissioner, Ms Seema Jain, who chaired the meeting of the Civic Amenities Committee in the industrial area here today. 

Demolition drive stalled
Chandigarh, January 15
A demolition drive in the Gobindpura locality of Mani Majra today had to be stalled following removal of the house terrace, reliable sources said here today. The resident is learnt to have given an affidavit saying that he would remove the encroachments by January 21. This led to the cancellation of the drive. Mr Ajit Singh, Inspector (Enforcement), led the team, sources added.