C H A N D I G A R H

Members of Indi-pop band Caliche sing and dance to their own tunes at a discotheque in Chandigarh on Saturday evening.— A Tribune photograph

Ad hocism watchword in PGI
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — At the PGI here ad hocism runs through the administration and academics.

Education board flouts own guidelines
SAS NAGAR, Jan 29 — Acting against its own guidelines to take action against the private schools which indulge in malpractices by making private candidates appear as regular candidates, the Punjab School Education Board has failed to take action against a private school at Bathinda.

Stinking toilets of city hospitals
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Nauseating stench fills the nostrils as you walk past the toilets of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and the Sector 16 General Hospital. Dirty toilets, overflowing drains and choked sewerage speak volumes of the apathy of the authorities concerned.

Adopt WHO essential drug list: experts
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The two-day workshop on the "Rational use of drugs", sponsored by WHO-India under the essential drug programme in collaboration with Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs, began here today.

Jerath's plea on documents
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Former UT Chief Engineer K.K. Jerath's application seeking the supply of certain documents "relied upon by the prosecution" in First Information Report number one of 1999 will come up for orders by the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, on February 2.

COMMUNITY

‘Radical changes in Constitution will endanger democracy’
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Apprehending the possibility of a dictatorial regime commanding the country if the Constitution was tampered with, legal luminaries here believe in time-to-time amendments, but insist that radical changes in the basic structure can “endanger the democratic set-up”.

NGOs asked to step up work
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — More NGOs in the city should come forward to take up development programmes for weaker sections of society, said the Mayor of Chandigarh, Ms Shanta Abhilashi, while inaugurating the Vikas Parv 2000 of the Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board.

CRIME

Snatchers strike again
SAS NAGAR, Jan 29 — Within a span of 24 hours, snatchers again struck in Phase 3-A late last evening. This time, the scooter-borne youths snatched a gold-plated bracelet from a woman around 40 years of age. They escaped after the woman raised the alarm.

Bid to kill Panchkula resident
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The police has registered a case of attempt to murder against three car-borne youths on the complaint of Mr Manoj Pal Laswas, a Panchkula resident and nephew of a former Haryana minister.

Sohana SHO transferred
SAS NAGAR, Jan 29 — The Station House Officer of the Sohana Police Station, SI Parvinder Singh has been transferred. Inspector Balwinder Pal, has been posted in his place.

BUSINESS

Industrial Advisory Committee recast
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The Chandigarh Administration has reconstituted the Chandigarh Industrial Advisory Committee with the Adviser to the Administrator as its Chairman.

Protest by LIC officers’ body
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Members of the LIC Class I Officers Association held a demonstration in support of their demands.

Plan to create ‘dedicated fund’
ZIRAKPUR, Jan 29 —The Punjab Government plans to create a “dedicated fund” for the benefit of aged persons in the state. The beneficiaries will not have to pay repeated visits to the departments concerned to collect their pensions.

Good response to ST scheme
PANCHKULA, Jan 29 — The Self-Assessment Scheme introduced by the Haryana Government for the sales tax payees is gaining popularity. Launched for a period of two months from January 1, 2000, to February 29, 2000, the policy is about self-assessment of sales tax by the assesses and registered dealers.

EDUCATION

DAV managing body chief dead
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Mr T.R. Tuli, President of the DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, died today after a massive heart attack. His cremation will take place tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. in New Delhi.

Students join SPCA rally
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The need for involving students and citizens in the campaign for prevention of cruelty to animals was stressed by the Mayor, Ms Shanta Abhilashi, before flagging off a rally organised by the local unit of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Homoeo students boycott classes
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Students of the Sector 26 Homoeopathic Medical College today boycotted classes to protest against the college management for not complying with the directions of the State Council of Homoeopathy.

World youth conference opens
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 —The need of the hour is to work for a peace-loving generation, where teachers and the youth need to introspect their role in future.

Students educated about sex
PANCHKULA, Jan 29 — “Over 30 per-cent of young people are confronted with sexual problems after marriage as a result of lack of information on the issue”, said Dr Raj Bhrambhatt, sexologist and consultant with the Sex Education Counselling Research Therapy Centre, Mumbai, at a workshop on ‘Sexuality and Adolescence’, held here today.

• Results of essay competition
• Seminar in Law Department
• Students entertain on annual day

CULTURE

Ouster of PAC men opposed
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — A group of theatre artistes of the region as well as employee unions got together today to protest against the ouster of the four junior employees of Punjab Arts Council at the office of the Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, this afternoon.

We sing in harmony: Caliche girls
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — “We are not a manufactured band, we have been friends since school days and intend to stay together for a long time to come”, said the trio that forms Caliche, an all-girls’ band and the latest to hit the scene of Indi pop with their debut album Additappa.

Babbu makes medicos dance
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Today was one of the rare days when doctors easily showed that once out of their tedious routines, they too could dance the entire night. This was what the sight of medical students shaking their legs at the Babbu Mann Nite, part of the Euphoria 2000 proved, at Sarai Building in Sector 32.

Pargat’s album released
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The latest album of Punjabi music star Pargat, Chha Gayi Sohniye, was released on HMV soundtrack at a press conference here yesterday.

Mosaic College Fest
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Navjot of Government College, Mohali, won the ‘Rangoli’ contest on the fourth day of the cultural festival — Mosaic: College Fest 2000 — being held at Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, here today.

Satwant’s oil pastel works stand out
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — ‘Towards Salvation’, an exhibition of paintings by Satwant Singh Sumail, opened this morning at the Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16.

SPORT

Seven Indians in last eight
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — Seven Indians entered the quarterfinals of the qualifying rounds of the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament which began here today at the CLTA complex in Sector 10.

National Adventure Festival
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The sixth National Adventure Festival, was today inaugurated at the Cricket Stadium in Sector 16 here. The opening ceremony included bursting of crackers, a colourful cultural programme and an impressive march past by the participants from 19 states.

ADMINISTRATION

Control room on encroachments
CHANDIGARH, Jan 29 — The Chandigarh Administration has set up a control room to monitor encroachments in the union territory. The control room (phone 709125) will work round the clock and is located in room No 2 on the first floor of the Estate Office, Sector 17.

Order to printers on poll material
PANCHKULA, Jan 29—Keeping in view the Assembly elections scheduled for February 22 in Haryana, the district administration, under Section 127 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, issued directions to all printers to provide complete information of the election material printed by them.

Ex-Mayor charged with misleading EC
PANCHKULA, Jan 29— In a complaint filed today before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Panchkula, Mr Ved Pal Gupta, the former President of the Youth Congress, Mr Rajeev Awasthi, alleged that the former Mayor of Chandigarh, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, has got himself enrolled as a voter in the Kalka Constituency, without getting his name deleted from the Chandigarh Parliamentary Constituency.

48 stray dogs vaccinated
SAS NAGAR, Jan 29 — As many as 48 stray dogs were vaccinated against rabies at a camp organised by the local Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals in Shastri Model School, Phase 1, here, today.