C H A N D I G A R H

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PU to have no seminars in March
Exams keep students away
Chandigarh, March 27
Panjab University has finally woken up to the fact that seminars in March serve no purpose. These add to the knowledge of neither students nor faculty. All speakers, Indian and foreign, speak to almost empty halls and go back.

Poll process starts on April 16
Chandigarh, March 27
The Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer, Chandigarh, Mr Arun Kumar, said today that the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency had a 5,03,930 electors, including defence voters. A total of 2,77,635 were male voters, 2,24,979 women voters and 1316 defence voters. Electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used at all 405 polling stations.

• Police gears up

Vajpayee better PM than Nehru, says Dhumal
Chandigarh, March 27
Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee has proven that he is a much better Prime Minister than Jawaharlal Nehru. This was claimed by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, a former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, while addressing a press conference of the Bharatiya Janata Party here today.

Joining Cong was a blunder, says Dhawan
Chandigarh, March 27
“Joining the Congress was the biggest mistake that I have made in my political career”, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, INLD candidate from the city, said while addressing a press conference here yesterday.

Rival Cong groups hold rallies for Dullo
Mohali, March 27
Division among Congressmen came to the fore when two groups gave a display of strength at different venues here today in support of the party nominee for the Ropar Lok Sabha seat, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo. Mr Dullo started his election campaign from here today.

• Ex-servicemen condemn BJP, Congress

• Residents threaten to boycott poll

Take steps to check sexual harassment: HC
Chandigarh, March 27
Educational institutions in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh will have to initiate steps for preventing “acts of sexual harassment”. Responsible persons belonging to the institutes will also be required to ensure that the victims and witnesses are not discriminated against while dealing with such complaints in view of a judgement pronounced by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

COMMUNITY

Residents of Sector 21-A, Chandigarh, fill up the foundation of a ‘sehaj safai kendra’ on Saturday to prevent the public park from getting polluted. Members of the Lawyers for Human Rights International and a few former Burail Jail inmates and their relatives held a demonstration outside the jail on Saturday, alleging inhuman treatment of prisoners. They alleged that Deputy Superintendent of Jail S.S. Dahiya was harassing inmates and hurting their religious sentiments. — Tribune photographs

Abattoir not fully utilised
Chandigarh, March 27
The abattoir of the city is underutilised. Against its work capacity for four shifts in a day, work is over in a single shift. As many as 300 heads of cattle are slaughtered per shift.

Satish Aggarwal honoured for charity work
Chandigarh, March 27
‘Charity is not confined to any boundary and distance cannot stop one from helping others’, was proved by Austria based Mr Satish Kumar Aggarwal. He was honoured by the Bharat Vikas Parishad for his service to the needy children in the city.

Pak couple doing book on Principal Ram Singh
Chandigarh, March 27
It took them 50 years to know the existence of their successor — Government College of Art in Chandigarh and another three years to organise a trip to this place. History that separated both the offshoots of Mayo School of Art, Lahore, today united them together through an informal meeting of the two principals — Prof Brahm Prakash from Government College of Art, Chandigarh, and Prof Sajida H. Vandal, Principal of Lahore-based National College of Arts.

Mohali Diary
Muscular dystrophy body meeting
Mohali, March 27
The annual meet of the Chandigarh Chapter of Indian Muscular Dystrophy Association was organised by Mr Gurbir Kochar, president of the association, at Gill Estate this week. The meet was attended by patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The aim of the meet was to bring awareness of the disease and help patients and their families manage difficulties.

Face-painting on at the SASIIT Aks’04 cultural fest in Mohali.

Petit Infoscion Day celebration on at Mohali.

Personality growth workshop today
Chandigarh, March 27
Personal grooming, effective communication, stress management, self-confidence, instant relations and time and finance management are the areas that Dr Renee Singh, a Delhi-based psychologist who is in town, touches in her personality development workshops.

• Tribune Engineer bereaved

CRIME

600 Punjab Secretariat files missing
Chandigarh, March 27
Nearly 600 files have been reported missing from the Punjab Civil Secretariat. However, according to the police, the files were not “very important.” A case has been registered at the Sector 3 police station against a peon, Gurmeet Singh, who belongs to Ropar, the police said. 

• Bus runs over woman

• One held with poppy husk

BUSINESS

Abhaya Jeevan savings scheme
Chandigarh, March 27
Andhra Bank has designed a unique Abhaya Jeevan Savings Scheme in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India. The scheme embodies insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh on the life of the account holder for normal death and Rs 2 lakh for accidental death, thus providing the social security cover with normal banking services.

EDUCATION

Shun corrupt elements, Dua tells students

Chandigarh, March 27 Students are the future of the nation and should act with responsibility while combining their personal interest with the interest of the nation, said the Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune Group of Newspapers, Mr H.K.Dua, here today. Addressing a gathering of graduates and postgraduates at the annual convocation of the Government College, Sector 11, Mr Dua said those who have graduated should consider themselves lucky as a major population of the country was still devoid of the basic education. B.Com graduate Sanjeev Sharma after receiving his degree being helped by the principal & staff of Government College, Sector 11, at its annual convocation in Chandigarh on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Hansraj Public School students excel
Panchkula, March 27
Students of Hansraj Public School have reported excellent results in the Class VIII of the All-India DAV Board Examination, results of which were declared yesterday. According to a press note, nine students secured 90 per cent or above marks.

DAV-7 student tops in city
Chandigarh, March 27
Ankita Mittal, a student of Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7, has topped in the city schools in the class VIII DAV board examination securing 92 per cent marks.

CULTURE

World melodies played on the flute

Transcending all geographical barriers, three flautists from France, Michel Boizot, Francois Daudin Clavaud and Xavier Saint Bonnet, under the banner of “Trio D’ argent”, on Saturday created melody that bore international flavour and yet a distinctive style of its own. French troupe Trio D, Argent, performs at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Film Review
Experiments away from success

Hindi cinema seems to be renouncing its conditioning. It is experimenting! After “Tum” which explored an adulterous relationship, “Hawas” is another film riding on the wave of sexual permissiveness. It is another matter that these themes are not handled with sensitivity. In the absence of good scripts, most of these like “Hawas” end up mocking at the man-woman relationship.   Meghna Naidu in Hawas

HEALTH

Red Cross to set up home for AIDS patients
Chandigarh, March 27
Showing sensitivity towards AIDS patients, the local unit of the Red Cross Society proposes to set up a centre for people suffering from the disease or infected by HIV. In a pioneering effort to help AIDS patients, the Red Cross Society had sent a proposal to the State AIDS Prevention and Control Society.

SPORTS

Navinder, Alisha win tennis talent series
Chandigarh, March 27
Navinder Pal Singh of Chandigarh and Alisha Talwar of Punjab emerged winners in the under-18 boys’ and girls’ sections, respectively, of the AITA Talent Series Tennis Tournament, which concluded here today at CLTA tennis stadium, Sector 10. In the girls’ and boys’ under-14 sections, Sweta Kumari Solanki of Delhi and Subhash C. Rao of Delhi bagged the first position.

Sunny, Kamal lead in SJOBA rally

Chandigarh, March 27 The 17th SJOBA Thunderbolt rally, being organised by the St John’s Old Boys Association, was flagged off this morning with 58 vehicles including 16 in the four-wheeler category and rest in the two-wheeler category. This two-day rally was flagged off by Mr M.L. Sarin, a senior advocate. The 17th SJOBA Thunderbolt rally being flagged off at St. John’s High School,  Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

ADMINISTRATION

PUDA okays Rs 815 cr for projects
Mohali, March 27
The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) will spend Rs 815 crore on various projects this year. A proposal to this effect was passed at a meeting of PUDA yesterday.