C H A N D I G A R H

UT-Ludhiana link plan derailed 
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The much-awaited and delayed Chandigarh — Ludhiana rail link plan has once again been derailed.

Petrol dealers to protest tomorrow
Company-owned pumps not to join stir
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — On a call given by the Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders, petroleum dealers of the city will stop lifting petrol and diesel from their respective oil companies from October 6.

Rs 8 cr IAF equipment lying unused
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4— Inadequate planning and failure to specify vital qualitative requirements on the part of the Air Force has resulted in the non-utilisation of radar communication equipment worth over Rs 8 crore since 1996.

Link road or sewer?
SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — Residents of Kandhala, Dharamgarh and Rurka, located in the SAS Nagar subdivision are facing problems due to a badly damaged link road of the villages. A 300-feet stretch of road has been damaged as sewer water of Kanadal village flows towards Dharamgarh village.

Lawyer injured in scuffle with colleague
PANCHKULA, Oct 4 — A 67-year-old local lawyer, Mr Karan Singh Saini, was hospitalised following a scuffle with another lawyer, Mr Satish Kadian, which took place yesterday afternoon on the court premises.

COMMUNITY

Damages for failed sterilisation
PANCHKULA, Oct 4—After holding that Bhagwanpur resident Champa Devi entitled for claiming damages from the Haryana Government following the failure of the Naraingarh General Hospital to successfully perform a sterilisation operation, Panchkula Civil Judge (Senior Division), Mr Ved Pal Gupta, today decreed her suit for recovery of Rs 54,000.

New look for Patiala Devi Temple
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The Patiala Devi Temple, adjoining the Mansa Devi shrine, will soon have a new look with the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) all set to finish the conservation work. The ASI that started the restoration work in October last year is giving it final touches.

Abandoned by kin, she now begs to survive
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — Ever since Premo Rani was termed as an unwelcome obligation by her only son whom she had reared with her flesh and blood, old age has become a long winter of neglect for her. Now every day dawns dull and grey for

Mission adopts lepers’ colony
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The local Leprosy Welfare Mission, founded and headed by Mr Prem Singh Bhutte, has adopted the lepers’ colony at Ropar to look after the welfare of its inhabitants.

Sikka's passion for 786
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — He does not like it to be called his obsession. Collecting currency notes ending with 786 is a passion, says Mr S.P. Sikka of Sector 22, a retired inspector in the Cooperative Department, Haryana, who has more than 600 currency notes of different denominations, all with their numbers ending with the same three digits.

Adopt stray animals, says SPCA
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The local chapter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) observed World Animal Welfare day by organising a rally, here today.

CRIME

2 commit suicide in Mauli Jagran
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — A youth committed suicide, while a married woman was found dead mysteriously inside her home. Both incidents took place in Mauli Jagran, located in the north-eastern side of UT, bordering Panchkula, this evening.

• Sales Tax Department official held

• Police remand for two

Bus-car collision: four dead
SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — Four occupants of car died when their vehicle was involved in a head on collision with a bus PRTC bus near the Lakhnour village here this evening. The occupants were coming from Rajpura after attending a ceremony in connection with the marriage of a daughter of one of the victim, Jagdish Rana. The marriage was scheduled for tomorrow.

House ransacked
PANCHKULA, Oct 4 — Household goods worth Rs 30,000 and a sum of Rs 70,000 were stolen from a house in Sector 12-A while the occupants of the house were out of town.

EDUCATION

PU in spot over selections
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — Differences on conditions stipulated by the University Grants Commission and the Punjab Government for the selection of lecturers and principals has put Panjab University in a spot.

Conserve wildlife, says Sohal
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — As part of the Wildlife Week celebrations, the Nature Club of Government High School, Sector 7, organised an exhibition, besides painting and paper reading contests, here today. The first week of October, every year is celebrated as wild life week throughout the country.

Bambah to be felicitated today
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — A former Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, Prof R.P. Bambah, will be felicitated tomorrow at the on going international conference on number theory and discrete mathematics at Panjab University.

Honorary D. Litt for Prof Bhagwati
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 —Prof Jagdish N Bhagwati, Arthur Lehman professor of Economics and a professor of Political Science, at Columbia University will be conferred an honorary degree of D. Litt at the Panjab University convocation scheduled for December 27.

COURTS

Promotion case: SC notice to HC
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Punjab and Haryana High Court stating as to why the order issued by it (the high court) should not be set aside and the matter the remitted be the high court for fresh consideration on a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Special Secretary (Designated) Mr S.S. Oberoi.

Bail denied to murder case
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge,Mr R.C Godara today, dismissed the bail application moved by Pal Singh in a murder case.

• Minor rape victim case

• Bail granted in theft case

• RI for bus conductor

CULTURE

Unruly scenes at Anukama
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — Today’s evening which brought Anukama 2000 to the view of the crowds gathered in the lawns of Hotel Mountview would have been brighter than it actually was had the organisers concerned not been so much full of care. 

Rajiv wins Kishore award
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The judgment about the annual Kishore and Lata Award was stolen from the hearts of the audience that packed the Tagore Theatre on October 3 evening. No female singer could reach out to fetch the first prize of Rs 5,100. That is exactly the way the audience was murmuring. 

HEALTH

Tributes paid to psychiatrist guru
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — Had there been a muse governing psychiatry in today’s “mad, mad world”, it would have felt a sense of pride here at the weekend. For, on that day Dr N.N. Wig, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the PGI, turned 70 and his span of patient-care came around 45 years.

SPORT

Basketball tourney
The 2nd Ishwar Shriman Memorial Basketball Tournament for girls was inaugurated here today at IS Dev Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, by Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Finance, UT. Earlier, Lt Col R.K. Singh, President of the society, welcomed the chief guest.

• Cross-country contest

• Football tournament

ADMINISTRATION

Admn to merge cadres
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The Chandigarh Administration has proposed the merger of the cadre of employees of building branch of the Estate Office, with the cadre of the Engineering Wing of the Administration. This is to bring about a system of rotation in postings among the staff and bring about a change, said sources.

PUDA third-time unlucky
SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — The efforts of the PUDA authorities to give “something new” to the town backfired for the third time today as the auction of the “millennium plaza”, a freehold commercial site in Phase III B2, failed to attract bidders even though the reserve price was reduced by around Rs 2 crore.

Jacob to hold meeting daily
CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — It will be now a daily meeting for 30 minutes of senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration to review work on a day-to-day basis. The Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), will hold this meeting at 9.40 a.m.

Violations right under PUDA nose
SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — In utter disregard of the building by-laws commercial premises in different markets of the town are being used for running different trades right under the nose of the local estate office of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA).