C H A N D I G A R H

The stage is set for panchayat polls
PANCHKULA, March 15 — The stage is all set for the panchayat polls in the district scheduled for tomorrow and candidates in villages are making last-ditch efforts to win over voters since every vote counts, and the turnout in these elections is expected to be as high as 90 per cent.

10-day "mega-weekend" for staff
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Starting from Friday, government and semi-government departments will be closed for four days at a stretch — and for five days in Punjab — making it a “mega weekend” for the employees and stopping and delaying all work concerning public.

Sewerage cess in UT from April 1
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Decks have been cleared for levying of sewerage cess within the municipal limits of Chandigarh from April 1.

Cyanide festival wins accolades
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — An impressive fashion contest was the highlight of the Cyanide Y2K festival, organised by the Department of Chemical Engineering at Panjab University on the second day of the festival here today.

Panchkula can look forward to regular power supply
PANCHKULA, March 15 — As part of the on-going World Bank-aided modernisation and power reforms in the state, both the sub-stations in Sector 1 and Industrial Area, Panchkula, have been inter-linked. This will not only improve the quality of power but also help to optimally utilise power derived from the sources.

‘Plant-bougainvillea’ drive in city
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — A concerted ‘plant bougainvillea’ drive has been launched on all important roads under control of the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration.

COMMUNITY

Dharna by postal staff
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — On a call given by the Joint Council of Postal Employees, the local postal employees held a day-long circle-level dharna in front of the GPO in Sector 17.

PSEB employees stage dharna
ZIRAKPUR, March 15 — A large number of Punjab State Electricity Board employees today staged a dharna in front of the Executive Engineer’s office to protest against the suspension of nine employees of the board.

CRIME

One arrested with pistol
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The police has arrested a resident of Kumhar Colony on the charges of possessing a countrymade pistol.

Booked for forging documents
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — An SAS Nagar resident, accused of forging documents for getting a car’s registration certificate issued, was today remanded to police custody till March 17 by the UT Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr H.S. Madaan.

Lovers attempt suicide
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Two young lovers, Salim (20) and Meetu (21) have been charged under Section 309 of the IPC at the Sector 31 police station after they attempted suicide.

Fridge mechanic found dead
SAS NAGAR, March 15 — A 42-year-old refrigerator mechanic was found dead under mysterious circumstances in an isolated corner of the Phase 5 market here this morning.

Monitoring of case sought
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — In a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court here, missing advocate Parveen Kumar Sharma’s brother today sought directions to the UT Senior Superintendent of Police and other respondents to monitor the investigations in the missing advocate case.

BUSINESS

MCC concession for hoteliers
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — In a significant decision, the Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today decided to allow the hoteliers to use and develop vacant land adjoining their hotels at their expense.

Contests, seminars on World Consumer Day
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Various functions, contests and seminars marked the World Consumer Day celebrations in the city today.

EDUCATION

Fleecing in name of admissions
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The heat of school admissions is on. The parents are trying their best to get their children admitted to a good school, that may mean spending an exorbitant amount on just buying the prospectus or the admission form and paying the registration fee for the entrance test.

No study material available
SAS NAGAR, March 15 — Candidates opting for Punjab history and culture in the matriculation examination of the Punjab School Education Board are a harassed lot as no book or material as per the prescribed syllabus are available in the market.

AIFUTA plans mass casual leave
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The members of the All-India Federation of University Teachers Association will take mass casual leave on March 28 in case the state government does not implement the decisions taken by the Centre since October 5, 1998.

PUTA holds dharna
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — In response to a call given by the North Zone Council of the AIFUTA, members of the Panjab University Teachers Association held a ‘dharna’ in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office here yesterday.

COURTS

Women denied bail
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Finding no merit, the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, has rejected the bail applications moved by two city residents, accused of being involved in taking Rs 6 lakh for sending two persons abroad.

Lawyers sit on fast
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — For intensifying the agitation launched by lawyers against the proposed amendments in the Advocates Act and the Civil Procedure Code, seven advocates, led by the High Court Bar Association President, Ms Daya Chaudhary, today sat on fast before the New Bar Complex.

ADMINISTRATION

New 5000-line exchange
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — A new technology 5000-line telephone exchange will be commissioned in Panchkula at 3 p.m. tomorrow. This exchange, a product of a US based company, is called the ESS type and will wipe out the waiting list.

MVI conducts driving tests
DERA BASSI, March 15 — The Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) from Patiala, who visited Dera Bassi today, took driving tests of 60 persons who had applied for driving licences.

Encroachments removed
CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh here today removed over 75 encroachments from Sector 21.