C H A N D I G A R H

As dark water-laden clouds covered the azure sky on Sunday, this ecstatic peacock burst into an impromptu jig.

CHB allows changes in flats
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — There is good news for thousands of Chandigarh Housing Board allottees as the board has decided to permit certain need-based changes in its dwelling units.

Water byelaws amended
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The Chandigarh Administration has amended the Chandigarh Water Supply Byelaws.

Congress workers court arrest
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — More than 1,800 local congress workers, including the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, a former Union Minister, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, and 33 women workers, courted arrest after protesting against the acute shortage of power and water in the southern sectors and the cut in subsidies on essential items like food grains, LPG, kerosene and urea.

Guru’s martyrdom day observed
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — Holding of special kirtan darbars, community kitchens and chhabils of sweetened water marked the martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjun Dev today.

Seminars, camps mark Environment Day
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — To mark World Environment Day, rallies, workshops, training programmes, seminars and free camps to check vehicle pollution were organised in the city today.

‘Insurgency needs a political solution’
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — "Infiltration has been a favoured method by Pakistan to secure Jammu and Kashmir. They are determined to do it in spite of the fact that on every account Indian army has blunted their attempt," said Lt-Gen Vijay Oberoi, GOC-in-C of Western Command, while speaking on Proxy war by Pakistan at a function at Rotary Club here today.

COMMUNITY

Pollution level unchanged in Antarctica
CHANDIGARH, June5 — “Going by the periodical estimation of concentration of elements like Iron, copper, lead and chromium in lichens growing in the Antarctica, the level of pollution is the same there for the past five years.” These are the inferences of D.K. Upreti, a scientist in the National Botanical Research Institute at Lucknow, who had been to the Antarctica with the 11th Indian expedition in 1991.

Lively interaction with Gurdial Singh

Cool weather thrills people
SUNDAY morning brought respite from the scorching heat wave, which had been sweeping this region for the last few days. It was a welcome change not only for the humans, but for animals and birds too. As dark water-laden clouds covered the blue sky, all living creatures heaved a sigh of relief. The charm of holiday increased manifold and immediately children and adults started planning a picnic— a trip uphill, or to Pinjore.

Do service lanes serve any purpose?
THE planners of Chandigarh provided the city with service lanes hoping that these would help them to get better services while keeping the front of their houses undisturbed. It is more so in case of small houses where it was more desirable to keep their small fronts more neat and clean and provide easy access to the front road.

Menace of stray cattle
SAS NAGAR, June 5 — Growing stray cattle menace in this town, which has been projected as information technology city of the state, has become a threat to lives of local residents.

CRIME

Couple booked for detaining woman
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The police has arrested a Sector 15 tenant couple for illegal confinement and criminal intimidation of a woman.According to police sources, Rashmi, a resident of Sector 20, went to meet Mrs Chaudhry, the owner of the house. There she was illegally detained by Mohinder Lal and his wife, Parveen, in a room and abused. They also threatened to kill her.

BUSINESS

E-commerce catches up in city
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — For Ms Neena Singh, a senior executive with a private bank here, doing "grocery" had always been a problem until some months ago. She would either get no time from her busy schedule or miss one item or the other from her list. At times, her children would get angry for the items of stationery, including notebooks, they wanted her to pick up from the market, would be forgotten by her.

Accommodation a mini-industry
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — Providing accommodation to the students seems to have emerged as the main source of income for certain city residents. The city offers vast educational facilities ranging from schools, colleges and polytechnics to coaching centres and computer institutes. 

400 saplings planted
SAS NAGAR, June 5 — World Environment Day was observed by the staff of the JCT Electronics by planting 400 saplings on the premises of the factory here today. Mr Parkash N. Patankar, Vice-President (Works), said during the past two years the company management had integrated environment awareness in every sphere of its functioning.

EDUCATION

Good student-teacher rapport essential
PANCHKULA, June 5 — Happy with the performance of her students in the CBSE Class X examination, Mrs Santosh Bhandari, Principal of DAV English Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, is basking in the glory of having six students among those with an aggregate of 90 per cent and above.

Youngsters take to earning while learning
Earn while you learn. This is the new mantra for youngsters today. The advent of the new century saw youngsters, especially girls, becoming more and more career conscious and willing to go that extra yard to achieve their dream, even if it meant sweating it out.

Parents, options confuse students
They are confused. Daddies say take the PMT entrance test. Moms are in favour of hotel management. Kids, well, they want to be video jockeys, go in for commerce or else join the Army.

Adventure camp for children
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — An adventure camp for children, organised by the Western Command, got under way at Dagshai today. As many as 150 children of serving personnel are taking part in the camp which is being conducted by the 14 Punjab (Nabha Akal) Regiment.

COURTS

Administration gets notice in rape bid case
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — On a petition accusing former secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Council of attempting to rape a clerk's wife, Mr Justice Amarbir Singh Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here has issued notice to the Chandigarh Administration.

HEALTH

Child eats hotdog, taken ill
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The quality of food stuff being served at the city cinema halls came under sharp focus today when a Sector 44 youngster was taken ill after he consumed a hotdog in a Sector 17 theatre here.

SPORT

Summer coaching camp begins
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The annual summer coaching camp in various sport disciplines, organised by UT Sports Department, began here today at various sport centres of the city. 

ADMINISTRATION

SSB to replace MPSAF in city
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The Madhya Pradesh State Armed Force will bid adieu to the city and will be replaced by the Special Security Bureau next week.

Estimates for village roads okayed
CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The Roads Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today okayed the estimates for the construction and improvement of various roads in the four villages under its purview.