C H A N D I G A R H

1,350 acres to be acquired to expand Mohali SAS NAGAR, Jan 5 — The process to acquire over 1,350 acres of land for further urbanisation of this township is expected to be set in motion. The Punjab Government is likely to issue a notification in this regard soon. The limit of the land falling south of the township would be extended up to the Banur-Landhran-Kharar road.

Money taken, tickets not given
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Over 40 passengers who boarded a Chandigarh-bound CTU bus (CH01-G-5385) from Ambala cantonment, were allegedly not issued tickets by the bus conductor.

COMMUNITY

Baba Khan, the flute sensation who has enthralled visitors at Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore for over 25 years, awaits help and death with equal anxiety — A Tribune photograph

A matter of help or death PINJORE, Jan 5—Happiness has failed Baba Khan, and existence, for him, remains a mad and lamentable experiment. Now he is never happy; he can only remember that he was so once. More fog predicted CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The day-time temperature rose by 3°C today, making it more bearable than the previous two days. The mercury was recorded at 14.4°C, but, still remained 6 degrees below the normal average for this time of the year.

Kanwaljit blames Congress for terrorism
DERA BASSI, Jan 5 — The Finance Minister of Punjab, Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, today held the Congress responsible for terrorism in Punjab and alleged that the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Capt. Amarinder Singh, had provided shelter to terrorists during militancy.

CRIME

Girl's body found from rail track
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The police has recovered the body of a 22-year-old Sector 40 resident who was reportedly crushed by a train near the Sukhna choe railway bridge near Mani Majra. The police has not ruled out the possibility of suicide.

No headway in robbery case
ZIRAKPUR, Jan 5 — There has been no head way in the robbery case which took place in the Anand Vihar Colony in Bartana last night. A gang of kale kachhe wale had struck at about 2 am and had injured four residents.

Two snatchers caught
SAS NAGAR, Jan 5 — A series of incidents of snatching in the town and its neighbouring areas of Chandigarh have been linked to two local drug addicts. The youths, in their early 20s, were caught by a police party led by an ASI, Mr H.S. Bal, near Jagatpura village on the Chandigarh-SAS Nagar border near Phase XI here yesterday.

BUSINESS

SBI branch computerised
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The largest branch of the Chandigarh Circle of the State Bank of India in Sector 17 has computerised its operations.

The evil of roadside vendors
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Even as the Chandigarh Administration amended its rehabilitation scheme, one evil still persists and needs urgent attention. This is the mushroom growth of roadside vendors, whose numbers have increased after the Chandigarh Administration started issuing identity cards to these encroahers.

Long queues at kerosene pumps
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — There were long and unending queues outside all kerosene pumps in the city which received their first supply in five days because of a three-day strike by the Haryana Petroleum Tankers Operators Association.

EDUCATION

Residents oppose school site
SAS NAGAR, Jan 5 — Resentment is growing among residents of Phase XI over the allotment of a site to a private educational institution for a primary school by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority.

Cold wave hits attendance
DERA BASSI, Jan 5 — Due to a sharp fall in the mercury and thick fog throughout the day, there was a thin presence of students in schools of this subdivision yesterday. Some of the schools facing a shortage of rooms were closed after the morning assembly by the authorities and in others, two classes were conducted in one room.

COURTS

Court-firing case not to go untraced
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The police has withdrawn its recommendation to label the court-firing case as untraced and will instead file a challan in the case soon. An application in this context was moved in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate here yesterday.

Jailed for breaking into shop
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Convicting a Patiala district resident, accused of breaking into a Sector 17 lottery shop, the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, today sentenced him to three months' imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1,000.

CULTURE

Play relives Sikh history
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — An effort to stage a multi-media presentation of Sikh history, Bole So Nihal, at Tagore Theatre here this evening was well appreciated by the audience.

Cassette of Saigal's Rabindra Sangeet
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The Environment Society of India will release a cassette of Rabindra Sangeet rendered by the famous singer of yesteryear, K. L. Saigal, next week in collaboration with HMV.

HEALTH

I wanted to be an IAS officer: Sharma
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — “I am on the top of the world,’’ said Dr S.K. Sharma, replacing the telephone receiver on the cradle in the drawing room of his Sector 24 residence soon after receiving the news of his becoming the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here.

Gold Medal for PGI doctor
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Dr Ashok Gupta, Assistant Professor in the ENT Department at the PGI in Chandigarh, has been chosen for the award of a gold medal for his research work on “Effect of Streptomycin and gentamycin on cochelo-vestibular sensory endorgans-A histopathological study in rabbits”.

SPORT

Beauty of being airborne
PINJORE, Jan 5 — The Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula, Mr S. K. Monga, appealed the youth to participate in adventure sports so that they may develop self confidence at the inaugural function of the three-day parasailing and gliding workshop which began at the Haryana Aviation Club here today.

ADMINISTRATION

Rehabilitation units in a state of neglect
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — When it comes to wasteful expenditure, the Chandigarh Housing Board seems second to none. At least this is the impression one gets after seeing the plight of 264 dwelling units constructed by the the board in Colony No 4 here for the rehabilitation of slum-dwellers.

Jain claims credit for Admn decision
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — A former local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, has expressed surprise at the statement issued by a spokesman of the Chandigarh Administration which says that the administration has now decided that only those persons, who were on the electoral roll of Chandigarh on December 8, 1996, shall be entitled to the benefit of rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Scheme of 1979.

Civil-military conference
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The annual civil military liaison conference of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh will be held at Headquarters Western Command, Chandi Mandir on January 7.

Encroachments in Sec 22 removed
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today removed encroachments from outside the Bajwara market in Sector 22 here.