C H A N D I G A R H

Harpreet Kaur, who was beaten up by robbers at Bartana village on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

House robbed, 4 beaten up ZIRAKPUR, Jan 4 — A gang of a dozen unidentified miscreants broke into a house in Anand Vihar Colony of Bartana village on Monday midnight and brutally beat up four residents — Narinder Pal Singh, his wife, Harpreet Kaur, daughter Salauni and Joginder Singh. They also robbed them of valuables and pelted bricks on the house whose owners tried to switch on the bulbs and raise the alarm. Seriously injured, Mr Narinder Pal Singh was referred to the PGI Chandigarh, for immediate operation.

Gurpurab on Jan 14, holiday today
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — While all government offices, educational institutions and banks will remain closed tomorrow on account of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, a majority of gurdwaras in the city have decided not to celebrate Gurpurab tomorrow, but on January 14 as per the conventional calendar.

Fog in region delaying long-route buses
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Fog over the entire north-western region has been delaying long-route buses by several hours as vehicular traffic continues to move at a snails pace. One of the worst affected is the busy Chandigarh — Delhi route as buses are taking up to 9 hours to reach the national Capital. Night services on the route are known to take even more time.

COMMUNITY

How savage can man get!
PANCHKULA, Jan 4 — Amar Circus, which enthralled the audiences here for around a month, finally saw its exit from the township to a new destination. However, it has left behind a shocking and doleful saga of the lone hippopotamus in the circus.

Cleanliness drive in full swing
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Alarmed at the deteriorating sanitary conditions, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has started a special cleanliness drive in the city.

CRIME

Missing files’ case set for burial
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The stage has been set for a quiet burial of the missing files’ case which came to light exactly a year ago and had rocked the Chandigarh Police. As many as five officials, including two DSPs and one Inspector, had been suspended following an enquiry. While one DSP was reinstated, the others are still under suspension.

Ex-serviceman assaulted again: 3 booked
SAS NAGAR, Jan 4 — In connection with the assault on an ex-serviceman of Kumbrah village on December 25 last, the local police registered a case under Sections 323, 324 and 506 of the IPC against at least three persons late this evening.

BUSINESS

Heater sales still cold
SAS NAGAR, Jan 4 — Cold weather conditions in the past few days have failed to push up the sales of electric gadgets in the town. Anticipating a good sale season, shopkeepers have stocked up an array of heating gadgets in a varying price range.

PAC reviews financial crisis
CHANDIGARH, January 3 — The Punjab Arts Council, at its meeting held on December 30, reviewed the financial crisis brought about due to the failure of PUNWIRE to pay the interest dues on the corpus fund investment of Rs 65 lakh by the council in that company.

Complaint system recommissioned
PANCHKULA, Jan 4 —The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam announced the recommissioning of the computerised complaint booking system, here today. With this Consumers will now be able to lodge their power supply complaints over the telephone without having to go to the complaint centres and the facility will be available round the clock.

Yadavindra Gardens to get facelift
PINJORE, Jan 4 — The Haryana Tourism Development Corporation has undertaken a massive renovation of the historic Yadavindra Gardens here.

EDUCATION

Colleges too late to get funds
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — A late receipt of letter from the University Grants Commission to Panjab University has made it nearly impossible for the interested colleges to avail themselves of the fund for education promotion schemes in science and social sciences streams.

UT school timings changed
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The Education Department of the Chandigarh Administration has decided to change the timings of the UT schools. The schools would now start at 8.45 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. in the morning and close at 2.30 p.m. instead of 2.00 p.m.

Attending school outdoors
Jan 4 — Shivering in chilly weather, students of Government Primary School in Chilla village are forced to sit in the open due to the absence of sufficient space.

Strike enters second day
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The indefinite strike by students of the Department of Physics in Panjab University entered its second day today, while a special committee of the department perused the case of violence on the occasion of the freshers' party, sources said here today.

Jacob spends time with blind students
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), visited the Institute of Blind, Sector 26, and spent some time with the students this morning.

COURTS

Court notice for Badal
KHARAR, Jan 4 — Ms Seema Dhillon, Civil Judge of Kharar, today issued notice to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President of the SAD for January 11, in a contempt-of-court petition filed by Col Jasmer Singh Bala for disobeying the injunction order passed by this court on December 14, 1999.

Witness was told of Beant's killing
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassination case resumed today, with prosecution witness Kuljeet Singh stating that accused Balwant Singh had informed him regarding the killing after visiting his house on September 1, 1995.

SI gets bail in murder case
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Punjab Sub-Inspector Arvinder Bir Singh was today granted anticipatory bail by a city court in Ropar advocate Kulwant Singh's murder case.

CULTURE

Panth teachings ‘more relevant today’
PANCHKULA, Jan 4 — “The ideology and principles of the Khalsa Panth are more relevant in today’s times since it preaches secularism, which is very important for the unity of the country,’’ Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, said while speaking at a function organised to celebrate the 300 years of the formation of the Khalsa by the Haryana Punjabi Sahitya Akademi.

ARMED FORCES

Stagnation in Army Medical Corps CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — While a number of additional posts approved recently for Army Medical Corps officers in infantry divisions will help in offsetting the stagnation created by the two year service extension, the AMC is faced with a peculiar situation — its top brass is continuing in service despite having crossed the stipulated retirement age. Raising Day amidst reunion CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The 61 Engineer Regiment celebrated its 35th Raising Day and reunion with great enthusiasm and fanfare somewhere in the western sector today. This is the regiment which was airlifted to Orissa on November 1 last for carrying out relief work in cyclone-hit areas and has recently returned after doing a commendable job.

Chief Engineer Western Command, Maj Gen I.J.S. Dhillon, presenting the Inter-Company Championship Banner to Capt SKS Singh of 61 Engineer Regiment on the occasion of the unit's 35th Raising Day somewhere in the Western Sector on Tuesday — A Tribune photograph

SPORT

Vishal wins snooker title
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Vishal Gupta won the snooker title at the 17th Chandigarh Open State Junior under-21 Snooker and Billiards Tournament, being played at Chandigarh Billiards Coaching Centre, Sector 22, here today.

ADMINISTRATION

UT amends rehabilitation policy
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — After two decades the Chandigarh Administration today finally amended its much-criticised rehabilitation policy. Under the new scheme jhuggi dwellers, who were not on the electoral rolls before December 8, 1996, will not be eligible for allotments after the amendment carried out following a notification.

Panchkula gears up to receive CM
PANCHKULA, Jan 4 — Mopping up operations are in full swing in the township in view of the Chief Minister’s visit on January 7 during which he will hold the “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” programme, inaugurate and lay foundation stones of community centres and schools.

Admn to conduct workshop
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — The Chandigarh Administration would conduct a two-day workshop for all heads of departments on Departmental Proceedings Against Government Employees at the Sector 8 Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration on January 6 and 7, it was officially announced here today.