C H A N D I G A R H

Power, water supplies hit
Hospitals worked on generators
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The city and its surrounding areas were plunged into darkness this morning as power supply failed affecting water supply also. Today’s failure was much larger in scale and impact than the one that occurred yesterday.

• Electricity plays truant for second day

• Power cut affects festivities

Rs 7 lakh stolen from Sector 18 shop
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Taking advantage of the darkness due to power failure, thieves decamped with Rs 7 lakh after break opening the safe of a medical distributor in Sector 18 market late in the evening yesterday.

Mr Khem Gupta shows the broken safe in his Sector 18 shop from where Rs 7 lakh was stolen on Monday night. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

SPECIAL STORY

Studies and syllabi low on teachers’ agenda
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Students, studies and syllabi have clearly not been on top of the agenda of the college teachers this session. With an average two dharnas a month in district centres all over Punjab and once every three months at Chandigarh, students have had an almost holiday-session.

READER'S WRITE

Slip-roads create problems
PLANS are being made to ease congestion on busy roundabouts and intersections by constructing slip roads at traffic lights. However, the Chandigarh Administration should consider the position at the slip roads that have already been constructed.

COMMUNITY

‘Public participation must for development’
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — City residents feel strongly about the way things are going on at the moment. Changes are being suggested by a cross-section of people for a better Chandigarh. They want that there should be no red tape, better facilities and fewer slums.

Commission agents openly fleecing vegetable vendors
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Action is on the cards against several commission agents of the Sector 26 vegetable market, who are pocketing thousands of rupees everyday by arbitrarily levying a tax of Re 1 per bag, purchased by vendors.

Heavy rush at Nada Sahib
PANCHKULA, Jan 2 — Thousands of devotees thronged the Nada Sahib gurdwara today to offer prayers on the occasion of gurpurb. The festival was celebrated with traditional gaiety here.

Gurpurb celebrated with enthusiasm
DERA BASSI, Jan 2 — Gurpurb was celebrated today with traditional enthusiasm in this subdivision. Gurdwaras in Zirakpur, Dera Bassi and Lalru were decorated with flowers and chandeliers by the devotees. Langars were organised in almost all gurdwaras of the subdivision.

A brightly lit gurdwara in Sector 20, Chandigarh, on the Gurpurb night on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Police to re-launch etching drive
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Failing to curb the ever-increasing menace of car thefts in the city, the Chandigarh police is now trying to prevent it by re-launching the scheme of etching the registration numbers of the vehicles on the windshields and side windows.

Residents throng British Library
Membership opens again
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 —- As many as 934 members were enrolled at the British Library on the opening of the membership for the second time. Residents of the city were eagerly waiting for the membership to open and thronged the library on the very first day on January 1. Today also heavy rush was witnessed.

‘Strengthen code for scribes’
PANCHKULA, Jan 2 — Stressing the important role of the Press in influencing young minds, the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Mr R.S. Chaudhary, said it was the best medium to bring about peace and progress in the nation.

5 journalists honoured
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The World Punjabiat Foundation today honoured five journalists for their contribution to the promotion of Punjabi as a language. Those honoured by the President of the foundation, Mr Kanwarjit Singh Sandhu, at the Chandigarh Press Club were the Editor, Punjabi Tribune, Mr Harbhajan Halwarvi, former MP Jagjit Singh Anand, Mr Baljit Balli of Ajit, Mr Niranjan Singh Parwana of Jagbani and Mr Tarlochan Singh of Indo-Canadian Awaaz and Aj Di Awaaz.

Charge denied
RAIPUR RANI (Panchkula), Jan 2 — Mr Om Prakash, a resident of Devi Nagar, has maintained that he is being falsely implicated by some of his rivals in Raipur Rani Poaching Case in which Mr Ajmer Singh was mistakenly shot dead and Mr Ram Swaroop sustained serious bullet injuries, last month.

Legal advice for NRIs on Net
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Mr Ujjal Dosanjh, Premier of British Columbia in Canada, recently launched a Chandigarh-based website, nrilegalservices.com. A venture of the NRI Sabha Punjab, this website offers long-distance personalised legal advice to the NRIs who have unsettled property disputes and the other cases in India.

• Cold claims beggar’s life

• Police to acquire two more sniffer dogs

• No power, water
  
  

CRIME

Dowry death alleged
KHARAR, Jan 2 — Mrs Charanjit Kaur (23) committed suicide by jumping into a well. Mr Jasdev Singh, SHO, Kharar, said today that the father of the deceased, Mr Karnail Singh of nearby village, Bhuchi, had reported to the police that his daughter got married to Satnam Singh of Ghoga village, near Kharar, in January, 2000. The couple had a two-month-old daughter.

Sector 37 house burgled
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — A resident of Sector 37 complained that her house was burgled while she was out of station. The details of the theft could not be ascertained. A case under Section 457 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered.

Rise in theft cases, says SP
PANCHKULA, Jan 2 — Claiming an overall reduction in the crime rate, the Superintendent of Police, Dr C.S. Rao, said here today that the incidents of crime against women and burglaries had shown a rise during last year.

Woman dies of burns
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — A Pinjore resident was declared brought dead at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research late in the evening today. Another Panchkula resident was also admitted to the PGI after a jeep and car met with an accident.

Woman hurt
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — An unidentified woman sustained injuries after falling from a Punjab Roadways bus early this morning. She was later admitted to the PGI.

BUSINESS

Markfed outlet opened
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The Punjab Cooperation Minister, Mr Ranjit Singh Bhrampura, opened an outlet of Punjab Markfed on the premises of the Sector 34 branch of Punjab State Cooperative Bank here today.

EDUCATION

BCA courses: colleges fail to deposit required fee
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — A majority of the colleges affiliated to Panjab University did not deposit the minimum amount underlined by a university regulation for running Bachelor of Computer Application and Bachelor of Business Administration courses.

India’s Textbook of Neurology
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — India now has its very own Textbook of Neurology. Certainly a rare distinction for a city of medical excellence like Chandigarh as two of its editors are eminent neurologists from the city.

Conference of ENT surgeons from Jan 4
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The annual conference of the Association of ENT Surgeons of India is being hosted by the PGIMER, Chandigarh, this year. The event which is spread over four days is being hosted after 35 years. More than 1,500 delegates from all over the country, including eminent foreign faculty, would be attending the conference.

Free dispensary for Sector 38
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The Sadguru Kabir Maha Sabha has opened a dispensary and drug de-addiction centre at the premises of the organisation in Sector 38 (West).

Free medical camp in gurdwara
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — As many as 980 patients were examined at a free medical camp organised at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Sector 46, here today. The patients were examined for various diseases and free medicines were also given to them.

SPORT

SD College win boxing meet
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — SD College, Sector 32, won the overall championship by securing 25 points in the 24th Senior Chandigarh State Boxing Championship which concluded here this evening at the Yoga Centre, Sector 23.

A promising shooting star
CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Jasbir Singh Dhillon, a final year BA student of the Sector 26, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, has won many medals in shooting. This includes a gold medal in the .22 prone open sight (NR) event at the GV Mavalankar championship in Chennai past year.