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UT employees to strike work today
Disciplinary action against erring staff
Chandigarh, February 23
Even as a section of UT employees, including power men, are going on a day-long strike tomorrow, the Chandigarh Administration today said the principle of “no work no pay” would be strictly enforced as the employees did not have any reason for going on a strike.

Police remand for Geetanjali’s
husband, in-laws
Chandigarh, February 23
The Chandigarh Police today procured police remand of the husband and in-laws of Geetanjali till February 26. She had committed suicide yesterday allegedly due to harassment by her in-laws.

festival of filth: Zakir Rose Garden has been littered with empty bottles of mineral water and cold drinks,  plastic cups and wrappers of eatables. — A Tribune photograph

Call centre forfeits deposits of 50 employees
Chandigarh, February 23
A top company running a call centre in Industrial Area, Phase II, was today accused of illegally forfeiting Rs 10,000 deposit of each of 50 employees whom it fired on February 17.

Pak doctors impressed with healthcare facilities
Chandigarh, February 23
A 14-member delegation of Pakistani doctors currently on a visit to India has called for cooperation and coordination between India and Pakistan in the field of medical healthcare.

India, Pak should share medical research, say doctors

Chandigarh, February 23 Indians and Pakistanis share the same genome pool. But hardly any organised research has taken place so far on diseases common to population of the two countries. Dr Farzana Nazir addresses a press conference at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Monday. Also seen next to him Mr Harpal Singh, Chairman, Fortis Healthcare Ltd. — A Tribune photograph.

Pak children call on Governor

Chandigarh, February 23 The Rotary Club of Chandigarh today ushered in the centennial celebrations of Rotary International at the rotary peace monument at Sukhna Lake. Noted sarod maestro Subhash Ghosh, with his disciples, Wavel Sharma on flute and Mehmood on tabla, rendered some of the choicest morning ragas. Dr Mohammad Ayub from Pakistan with the Governor of Punjab, Justice O.P. Verma, at Raj Bhavan. along with the two children who underwent heart surgery at the PGI.

PGI’s bid to promote organ donation
Chandigarh, February 23
The PGI will shortly be linked with the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO), launched at AIIMS as a national facility to encourage and create awareness about organ donation, which has not been able to pick up owing to religious myths and fear of disfigurement of the body.

COMMUNITY

PUDA’s MoU with Malaysian real estate developer is off
Mohali, February 23
In a last minute shift in policy, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has shelved its MoU with the Malaysian real estate developer, IJM, for development of an integrated township in Sectors 88 and 89 here. According to sources, PUDA’s MoU with the IJM has been shelved “in the name of justice fair play”.

Tibetans from Dharamsala hold a protest rally in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Armymen resent receiving mobile phone bills
Chandigarh, February 23
A number of Army officers and jawans residing in Chandimandir cantonment are peeved over the receipt of mobile phone bills and notices from Reliance even though they have been unable to effectively use the phones. This is because of non-availability of signals in that area.

A Judge with human touch
A Judge with a human touch — that is how I remember Justice H.R. Sodhi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Even though he retired from the Bench in 1973 after attaining the age of superannuation, his regard for human values, reflected through his judgements, are still fresh in my mind.

Search Within
Four freedoms and the worth of man
The middle class holds the reins of power in our country and the poor do not even get crumbs from their table in our country. Millions are destined to a life of poverty, disease and sickness because the fruits of progress are not available to them even after more than five decades.

Recalling Shihan Hussaini, the maverick
Earlier he allowed cars over his hand; now he paints in blood

Chandigarh, February 23 Shihan Hussaini has a knack of staying in news. Only recently on October 29, the 42-year-old karate champion, also a student of Government Art College in Chennai, made news as soon as he entered Chandigarh. Shihan Hussaini allowed 111 cars to pass over his right hand when he visited Chandigarh on October 29 last year, as a student in the sculpture exchange programme between Government Art Colleges of Chandigarh and Chennai. — A file photograph

4 injured in bus mishap

Panchkula, February 23 At least four passengers were injured seriously when a Delhi Transport Corporation(DTC) bus developed a technical snag and turned turtle on the Shimla-Kalka highway, near here, today. According to reports, Satya Devi, Kausalya Devi, Subhash and Madan Sharma were shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. A DTC bus, which developed a technical snag, near Kalka on Monday.

Fauji Beat
Controversy over Gen Kapil must end
Since the controversy about the transfer of Lieut-Gen-Kapil Vij, a Strike Corps Commander during Operation Prakram, is refusing to die, it is essential to put things in their true perspective.

Governor mourns Justice Sodhi's death
Chandigarh, February 23
Describing Justice H.R. Sodhi as a legal luminary, the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma, said he had contributed a lot in the area of labour and constitutional law. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, also expressed profound grief over his death.

Readers Write
The true meaning of love
A few days back every gift shop, newspaper column, mobile company and college was brimming with love. Roses, gifts, chocolates, jewellery and other things were being exchanged by lovers of Gen-X. However, as days pass and months roll, many of these lovers will part ways. 

Pensioners for merger of DA from July, 2002

Chandigarh, February 23 The Himachal Pradesh State Pensioners Welfare Association has demanded merger of 50 per cent dearness allowance in pay from July, 2002, and not from April, 2004, as has been declared by the government. Mr Das Raj Sharma, president of the Himachal Pradesh State Pensioners Welfare Association, addresses a pensioners’ meeting in Chandigarh on Monday.

Woman succumbs to burns
Chandigarh, February 23
Parbati (22), who was admitted to the PGI with 90 per cent burn injuries on February 18, today succumbed to her injuries. The police had arrested her husband, Devi Dutt, for allegedly abetting her to self immolate. Parbati in her statement had accepted that she set herself on fire after her husband suspected her fidelity.

L.M. Mehta made CAT member
Panchkula, February 23
Mr LM Mehta, a former IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, has been appointed Administrative Member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) by the Union Government. He has been posted in the Chandigarh bench.

CRIME

• Car thief held

• Cash, jewellery stolen from car

EDUCATION

Counselling students to be positive
Chandigarh, February 23
Aasha — a helpline launched to prevent youngsters from committing suicides — is doing much more than helping potential suicidals. It is giving round-the-clock service counselling students encountering problems just before the examinations, once again focussing on the need for having such centres in schools.

Programme on effective teaching

Mohali, February 23 Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, here organized a three-day programme on effective teaching in collaboration with the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chandigarh, to equip the faculty and technical staff with the knowledge and skills required to plan, organise and deliver instructions efficiently and effectively.

Dr P.K. Tulsi, Dr O.P. Bajpai and Col. S.P. Sharma (retd) at the training workshop on effective teaching conducted by the NITTTR, Chandigarh, at Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran.

Tribune in Education
Teaching toddlers independence and self-quieting skills
As a child psychologist, I often face questions about disciplining young children. Studies indicate that 90 per cent of mothers of two to four year olds have mild concerns about their child’s behaviour.

Parents resent cut in AIEEE quota
Chandigarh, February 23
Parents of the students who are appearing in the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) have criticised the decision of the Chandigarh Administration to reduce the quota of seats from 85 to 50 per cent in Punjab Engineering College(PEC) for students from Chandigarh.

80 participate in ‘Fiesta’
Chandigarh, February 23
A three-day inter-college competition “Fiesta” started at the Government College of Education, Sector 20, here today. As many as 80 participants from various colleges in the city are taking part in the event. The event for the day included poster making, cartoon making, rangoli, mehndi and fresh flower arrangement.

IT promotion seminar on February 25
Chandigarh, February 23
The Society for Promotion of IT in Chandigarh (SPIC), under the aegis of the Department of IT, Chandigarh, will organise an awareness seminar in DAV College, Chandigarh, on February 25. The seminar will address the importance of “Soft skills for global work environment”.

COURTS

High Court
Security cover
Chandigarh, February 23
Acting on a petition seeking police protection filed by Panchkula resident Nikhil Kant Sayal — son of Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Golden Forests Rakesh Kant Sayal — the high court on Monday fixed March 12 as the next date of hearing.

Judicial remand for Bawa, gunman
Panchkula, February 23
The Chief Judicial Magistare(CJM), Mr Gulab Singh, today remanded president of the INTUC unit of Himachal Pradesh, Amarjit Singh Bawa and his two gunmen in judicial custody.

CULTURE

Students date with nuances of Indian music
Chandigarh, February 23
“Permutation and combination of two basic elements of music, “swar” and “laya”, and what we get are different gharanas,” says Prof Vidya Dhar Vyas, a doyen of the Gwalior gharana and Vice-Chancellor of Bhatkhande Deemed University, Lucknow.

LIFESTYLE

Pritish bags Cyanide Jockey award

It was activities galore at Cyanide-2004 hosted by the Department of Chemical Engineering, Panjab University, here today. Proving to be an explosive affair in the morning with activities slated for the day attracting a large participation, the evening was made equally entertaining with a fashion show. A fashion show in progress at Cyanide-2004 on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

A show of fashion and nationalism
THE Sangh Parivaar nodding its head in approval to the ramp? Well yes, and only when the ramp walk is to promote the essence of India. Thus, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), is organising a fashion show in Chandigarh to propagate nationalism through khadi.

School kids join in save Rock Garden drive 
Volunteers of the Nek Chand Foundation, who are presently camping at Rock Garden, have now roped in school students for helping them remove graffiti. About 50 students of Gian Jyoti Public School, Mohali, accompanied by their teachers, today helped remove graffiti from concrete structures in Phase I of Rock Garden.

Defining love through theatre “Kadar Yaar” — a play staged by the artistes of Adakar Manch, Mohali, at Tagore Theatre this evening, proved an engaging drama with all its intellectual arguments on the real definition of love. With its two central characters — Kadar and Rajia, the play implored the basic questions like what is love? Is the physical aspect of love a sin? As the curtain goes up, what we see is a song sequence that tells the story of blossoming love between two young adults — Kadar and Rajia, soon to be lost in a whirlpool of complexities, with Rajia forced to marry Kadar’s elder brother. A scene from a play, ''Kadar Yaar'', staged at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Protect eyes in dusty spring
Spring can be cruel too if you are allergic to dust and less than 15 years old. In case you are not careful, allergic conjunctivitis or ‘Spring Catarrh’ can cause redness of eyes. The problem occurs mostly in the months of March and September.

HEALTH

Falling ill becomes more taxing affair for Central staff
Chandigarh, February 23
The unavailability of medicine and the resulting delay in treatment has made falling ill a more taxing affair than it already is for working and retired employees of the Central Government.

Hospitals given anti-retroviral drugs for staff
Chandigarh, February 23
With the AIDS epidemic assuming alarming proportions and healthcare workers facing a greater risk of contracting the infection while treating patients, medical experts have stressed on the need for a hospital policy to ensure proper support and protection to the staff against such occupational hazards.

Workshop on drug discovery
Mohali, February 23
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), will organising a four-day workshop on “Drug discovery and development in the new millennium: interfacing with pharmacological and toxicological experimentation” from February 26.

Health foods
Chandigarh, February 23
A city youth, Aniket Verma, whose family members had gotten rid of several diseases through dietary changes, has gone into the manufacture and marketing of health foods in a whole-hearted manner.

120 donate blood
Mohali, February 23
As many as 120 persons donated blood at the 10th annual blood donation camp organised by Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited here today. Inaugurated by the Kharar MLA and Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, the camp was attended by senior citizens of Mohali and representatives of the Mohali Industries Association including the SDM, Mr M.L. Sharma, and the Civil Surgeon, Ropar, Mrs Rana Harinder.