C H A N D I G A R H

Property tax likely in city
Admn plans to reduce grant-in-aid to MC
Chandigarh, Jan 3 — The Chandigarh Administration has issued “directions” to the Municipal Corporation to impose property tax in the city. This might have a political fallout and increase the cost of living here.

HC order on commercial properties
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — In a landmark judgement the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ruled that a tenant occupying commercial premises will have to vacate it , if the owner wishes to use the same for his personal need.

Power failure: partner states “to blame”
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Are the partner states in the northern power grid, by and large, responsible for the collapse of the entire power generation system in the northern states?

Sec 21 mechanics resist MC staff
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The MC enforcement staff, which had today gone to remove the encroachments made by auto mechanics in the residential area of Sector 21, had to come back following opposition by the mechanics.

ADA faces cash crunch
Plan to float bonds for Anandgarh project
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — After having fallen short of funds, the Anandgarh Development Authority (ADA) now plans to float bonds for collecting money to pay for the acquisition of land for the proposed township.

Chilly winds sweep city
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Chilly winds today swept the city with the day temperature going by five degrees below normal.

Fog on Wednesday in Chandigarh reduces the visibility on the city roads. — Tribune photo by Karam Singh

Cops eye VIP brats in papa’s car 
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — All VIP brats zipping down the fast track of life in their daddy’s Gypsy or white Ambassador car with red light atop, beware. The Chandigarh Police is launching a massive drive against the misuse of official vehicles.

Police gets clue in theft case
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — On trail of thieves involved in yesterday's safe break incident, the Chandigarh Police has reportedly laid hands on "certain vital clues". Initial investigations carried out by the police has revealed that the "theft was carried out in the Sector 18 medical distributor's shop by professionals".

Super Bazar liquidation
Cooperative movement becomes victim of bureaucracy
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Super Bazar which was synonymous with affordable essential commodities during the 60s till the late 80s and presently under liquidation, is the sad tale of how a shining example of the cooperative movement was systematically " decimated by an indifferent bureaucracy " leaving the fate of 204 employees and their families hanging in balance.

COMMUNITY

Today is Braille Day
Louis Braille — alive in ‘letter’ and in spirit
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in France.The significance of his contribution is its critical role in the history of the visually impaired. Without a system of effective communication through reading and writing, their education would have been as stagnant and non-creative as it had been since writing was discovered.

Rousing farewell to Handa
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Mr B. L. Handa, who was promoted as IG, was given a rousing farewell by the 9 Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Ramgarh today.

Mohali residents threaten dharna
SAS NAGAR, Jan 3 — The local Residents Welfare Association will stage a dharna in front of the office of the municipal council if the civic body failed to roll back the hike in water and sewer charges by January 20. To register its protest, a delegation of the Citizens Welfare Council of Phase X today met the president of the civic body.

SPCA restores life to benumbed bull 
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Had it not been for the agility of some Sector 21 residents and the general concern on part of SPCA officials, the severe cold would have consumed a bull which was spotted in a critical condition this morning.

A Sector 21 resident covers the bull that was benumbed due to the severe cold in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
 — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Little faith in state services exams
Chandigarh, Jan 3 — Claiming to have lost faith in the state services examinations following repeated allegations of cheating and use of unfair means, the aspirants, as well as IPS officers, are asking for a change in the pattern of conducting the papers. The new system, they insist, should be based on the method of conducting Civil Services Examination.

LIG residents’ delegation meets Mayor
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — A delegation of the LIG Residents Welfare Association, Sector 41-D, led by its president, Mr R.K. Mann today met the Mayor, Mr Raj Kumar Goel, and submitted a memorandum of demands. While highlighting their problems, they pointed out that some of these problems were being faced by them ever since the allotment of CHB flats in the year 1987-88.

15 injured as bus falls into ditch
PANCHKULA, Jan 3 — Fifteen persons were injured when a Haryana Roadways bus (HR-37-1908) fell into a ditch near Alipur in Barwala this morning. According to sources in the police, the accident took place after the front wheel axle broke and the driver lost control of the vehicle.

3 youngsters injured
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — In separate accidents, three youngsters were admitted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research with injuries today afternoon. A case of rash driving was also registered after a Sarangpur village resident met with an accident.

Fairs to mark year of women
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The State Social Welfare Advisory Board today decided to organise sammelans, workshops and fairs on women empowerment this year as part of the plan formulated by the Central Social welfare Board to observe this year as “women Empowerment year’.

Dharna by sangharsh panel members
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Members of the Anandgarh Hatao Sangharsh Committee held a dharna outside the office of the Anandgarh Development Authority, Sector 38, here today. They raised slogans against the Punjab Government.

CRIME

5 arrested for gambling
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Five persons were arrested by the police in different cases on the allegation of indulging in gambling during the past 24 hours.

• Mopeds stolen

• Fax machine stolen

• Liquor seized
  

BUSINESS

Mild winter results in distress sale of woollens
Chandigarh, Jan 3 — The mild winter this year has forced hundreds of woollen retail outlets in the city to indulge in distress sale by selling their wares at a discount price. Even as the prices of woollens are down by 10 per cent to 50 per cent, customers still remain elusive.

Rice millers in financial crisis
KHARAR, Jan 3 — The local rice millers were facing a lot of financial problems due to the non-availability of space in the local depot of the Food Corporation of India and due to this the millers are not in a position to deliver the rice in the Central pool.

‘Raise tax-coverage limit’
PANCHKULA, Jan 3 — The Panchkula Small Scale Industrial Association has urged the government to increase the coverage limit for the local area development tax. The association has also requested the sanctioned subsidy to be disbursed and proper supply of power be ensured.

EDUCATION

PU to conduct CET on May 19
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The Combined Entrance Test (CET) for courses in Panjab University will be conducted on May 19, an official press release said here today.

• GMCH to conduct entrance test

City schools back to business
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Braving the dense fog and the biting cold, students returned to schools after a short winter break here today.

With jubilation writ large on their faces, school children return home on the first day after the winter vacation in Chandigarh on Wednesday.— Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

COURTS

Remand extended in flesh trade case
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, today extended the judicial remand of Subhas Rana and Shiv Shanker allegedly involved in flesh trade till January 17. 

• Judicial remand

Insurance company told to pay compensation
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The UT Consumer Redressal Forum has directed the United Insurance Company Limited to pay a compensation of Rs 78,750 along with the cost of the complaint, Rs 1,500, to the complainant. The complainant, Mr Surinder Kumar, had filed a complaint before the forum to direct a company to pay the car accident claim.

CULTURE

Works rich in content
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — It was yet another day of aesthetic might at the art gallery of the Government College of Art, Sector 10, where artist Ashwani Kumar Verma opened his water colour works to the public today.

HEALTH

Conference of ENT specialists from today
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — The main aim of the 53rd annual conference of the Association of Otolaryngologist of India which begins in the PGI tomorrow is to address and find solutions to some major ENT problems and discuss the latest advancements in the field.

SPORT

400 m gold for Veena Yadav
CHANDIGARH, Jan 3 — Veena Yadav, a student of the Sector 20 Government Model Senior Secondary School, won a gold medal in the 400 m race in the girls’ under-18 section of the UT State Athletics Championship that is being played here.

ADMINISTRATION

EOs to share MC work
SAS NAGAR, Jan 3 — The work of the SAS Nagar Municipal Council will be divided between the two executive officers (EOs) of the civic body by the end of this week. A possibility of dividing the town in two parts or dividing the work using the main road dividing Phase 7 and 8 as the dividing line was being explored by the elected body. The decision to bifurcate the work was taken in the last meeting of the council held on December 27 last.

JEs hail decision
SAS NAGAR, Jan 3 — The PWD Junior Engineers (promotee) Association, Punjab, held a function here today to thank the government for having promoted a number of officials to the rank of JE.