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TOP STORIES

Admn sets up two teams to check safety in industrial units
Chandigarh, January 10
Almost one week after the death of a worker in the Bhushan steel factory, the Chandigarh Administration has formed two teams to carry out physical verification of safety measures in the 50-odd units in the city which are classified as hazardous industry.

Punjab Infotech offers land for IT units
Mohali, January 10
Punjab Infotech Limited has offered pieces of land in Mohali at subsidised rates for setting up information technology units, IT enabled services and business processing outsourcing units.

Child’s death fails to move HUDA
Open junction boxes in gardens Panchkula, January 10 The electrocution of nine-year-old Inderjit Singh at the Shankhla Park in Sector 2 on Friday was a tragedy waiting to happen. The child accidentally came in contact with live wires of an open junction box. An open junction box of a light pole at the Vatika in Panchkula. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Chemist immolates himself
Chandigarh, January 10
A 45-year-old philanthropist and chemist of Sector 18-D, Deepak Sharma, allegedly immolated himself yesterday. He is survived by his mother, two teenaged children and wife. His father died of cancer on the same day and the same time four years ago.

HARBINGERS OF SPRING: A pair of egrets enjoy sunshine on bright Monday morning at a farm near Chandigarh. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Gupta accepts PEC directorship
Chandigarh, January 10
The newly appointed Director of Punjab Engineering College, Prof Vijay Gupta, has formally informed the Board of Governors of PEC about his acceptance of the post.

Father, son held for recycling stolen goods
Panchkula, January 10
In a major breakthrough, the Panchkula police has arrested a father-son duo from Industrial Area here who were allegedly recycling stolen metal goods by converting them into scrap.

Human trials for AIDS vaccine soon
Chandigarh, January 10
Hopeful of finding a breakthrough in developing an AIDS vaccine, the National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, is going to begin the country's first human trials of the AIDS vaccine soon. Disclosing the move, Dr R. Paranajpe of the NARI, the only centre in the country to have initiated the research on the AIDS vaccine, said the first of its kind trials would involve 30 healthy volunteers in the country who are not infected with the virus at all.

Give industry a push for overall growth, says Krishnamurthy
Chandigarh, January 10
The contribution of the manufacturing industry to the GDP continues to remain at 17 per cent, despite liberalisation initiated in 1991. Even though other smaller countries like Malaysia and Taiwan have crossed the 30 per cent mark and China is pegged at 35 per cent, a desirable figure, India is lagging behind even though there has been great emphasis on self-reliance.

Have theatres raised rates without giving facilities?
Chandigarh, January 10
Cinema halls in Chandigarh have exorbitantly enhanced maintenance charges meant for providing facilities without offering amenities — at least this is what a Jalandhar-based film distributor is claiming.

Project to issue smart cards to defence pensioners
Chandigarh, January 10
To streamline the process of pension disbursement and maintain a comprehensive, readily accessible data bank, the Ministry of Defence has initiated a project to issue smart cards to armed forces pensioners.

CHANDIGARH CALLING The lovely, small Chinese oranges have become a centre of attraction for visitors to House No. 3099, Sector 47-D, Chandigarh. This two-foot high tree is loaded with 80 full-grown fruits. Poll fever Tsunami factor Rani’s short temper Cops of all hues Green thumb Resolutions

COMMUNITY

Admn plans Badheri facelift
To invite pvt builders for project
Chandigarh, January 10
Badheri village located in Sector 41 is to undergo re-development in order to bring it on a par with other areas of the city. The village, which is a part of the Municipal Corporation, is today more like an urban sprawl and no more like the traditional villages.

Need to know candidate’s past, say experts
Chandigarh, January 10
Stating that the public had the right to know the past of tainted ministers, Prof Virendra Kumar, UGC Emeritus Fellow, said the Supreme Court had been enlarging the scope of the existing law through various judgments to enable the voter to know the past of every candidate contesting the elections.

Goods worth lakhs destroyed in shop fire

Zirakpur, January 10 Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in a fire that broke out at a general store at Dhakauli village on the Kalka-Ambala highway, near here, today. Eyewitnesses said they noticed flames and smoke billowing out of the shop at about 5 am. A fire engine doused the fire in about 30 minutes. Narinder Kumar collects remains from his shop that was destroyed in a fire at Dhakauli village, near Zirakpur, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Businessmen donate Rs 4.25 lakh for tsunami victims

Dera Bassi, January 10 Extending their help to the tsumani victims, land developers, property dealers from Zirakpur besides the Stone Crushers Owners Association, Mubarikpur, and some individuals donated a sum of Rs 4.25 lakh to the District Red Cross Society, Patiala, today. Extending their help to the tsumani victims, builders, land developers and social servants hand over their cheques to Mr Narinder Sangha, SDM, Dera Bassi, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

MC donates Rs 6 lakh for tsunami victims
Mohali, January 10
The SDM, Mohali, will hold a meeting with the various Municipal Councillors of the township tomorrow to request them to collect cash and material for the tsunami victims.

Fauji Beat Arjan Singh sets noble example A Major-General, General Officer Commanding of a division in Western Command, has allegedly been found to have indulged in corruption. This, it is alleged, he did in land deals while he was a Sub Area Commander (as a Brigadier) in Central Command. The Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), reviews a guard of honour at Headquarters, Western Command, Chandi Mandir.

Seminar on judicial activism held
Mohali, January 10
A seminar on “judicial activism” was organised at the Ambedkar Institute of Careers and Courses, Phase 3B2 here today. According to a press note issued by Ms Rajwinder Kaur Minhas, Principal of the institute, the main speaker was Dr Cheena Gambhir, Lecturer, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh.

Doc found absent from duty
Mohali, January 10
In yet another early morning “attendance check” by the Kharar MLA, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, in his constituency a doctor employed at the government dispensary Phase IX here was found absent from duty.

Students of BMD Public School, Sector 63, Chandigarh, visit the office of The Tribune in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Sukhna parking lot auctioned for Rs 20 lakh
Chandigarh, January 10
The parking area at the Sukhna Lake fetched Rs 20 lakh against a reserve price of Rs 14.85 lakh at an auction held at the office of the Municipal Corporation here today.

R-Day function to have motor cycle show
Chandigarh, January 10
The Republic Day function will be celebrated as usual at Parade Ground, Sector 17, and Mr Lalit Sharma, Adviser to the Administrator, will hoist the national flag, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Kumar, said.

• 3 shells recovered from Bhud Mandlai
• Poetry award for banker
• Tribune employee bereaved
• Didar is Chairman of Panchayat Samiti
• Administrator’s council meeting on Jan 31

CRIME

Bag containing 8.5 kg charas found
Dera Bassi, January 10
The police has found a bag containing 8.5 kg of charas worth lakhs of rupees in the international market. The bag was found abandoned along the Dera Bassi-Mubarikpur road adjacent to the railway overbridge, late last night. The contraband was wrapped in a polythene bag.

Scooterists hurt in mishaps
Panchkula, January 10
A 22-year-old scooterist, Gaurav Gupta, was injured when he lost balance trying to avoid hitting a stray dog on the road dividing Sectors 8 and 9. He received serious head injuries and was rushed to the General Hospital from where he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

• 2 MC employees held for graft

BUSINESS

EDUCATION

Reopen canteens, demand students
Chandigarh, January 10
The issue of closure of canteens in four departments of Panjab University due to high rents, was raised by the Haryana Students’ Association, here today.

Garcha distributes uniforms
Mohali, January 10
Ms Lakhvinder Kaur Garcha, OSD to the Punjab Chief Minister, today distributed winter uniforms among 100 students of Government Elementary School at Rurka village, near here.

COURTS

Law institute case: HC asks UT about audit objections
Chandigarh, January 10
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the UT Administration to tell it if the audit objections raised in the matter of alleged irregularities in the allotment of prime piece of land in Sector 37 to Chandigarh Law Institute Private Limited for setting up a law institute are in the notice of the UT Administrator.

LIFESTYLE

Taking music to new heights
Salil Bhatt to perform on his creation, satvik veena
“Bade miyan to bade miyan, chhote miyan subhaan Allah” veritably applies to the versatile young maestro Salil Bhatt who, following the footsteps of his father, Pandit Vishva Mohan Bhatt, the living legend of Indian classical music, has created a musical instrument satvik veena.

HEALTH

‘AIDS control mission’ launched
Chandigarh, January 10
The UT Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) today announced the launch of an “AIDS control mission’’ in Chandigarh with its focus on research, cure, awareness and support strategies, to effectively tackle the spread of this epidemic.

Radiographers’ meeting concludes
Chandigarh, January 10
The three-day 11 National Conference of the Society of Indian Radiographers concluded at the Government Medical College and Hospital Sector 32, today. The conference, which centered on the theme of radiation protection and radiation safety, had delegates from different parts of the country, airing their concerns over the over-exposure of radiations on the patients and the technical staff.