C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Business | Education

Courts | Culture | Health |  Administration

TOP STORIES

Sector 32 woman clubbed to death
Third murder in a month by persons known to victims
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — A 45-year-old housewife was brutally murdered by unknown assailants at her Sector 32 residence this morning. This is the third reported case of murder during this month.

Home alone? DO’S DONT’S Relatives of murder victim Prem Lata Soni  console her son, Bhupinder Soni, in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Have heart, Prof Calafiore is here
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Before Prof Antonio M. Calafiore, gave the world the failing heart surgery programme, as many as 50 per cent of an estimated 6 to 10 million patients of congestive heart disease in the country were destined for certain death due to lack of proper management of the disorder. The only treatment they could hope for was a heart transplant or a bypass surgery.

Railway Budget receives mixed response
‘Hike in freight charges unfortunate’
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Railway Budget presented by the Union Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Bannerji, has received mixed response from the industrialists and the common man. While the decision to spare all classes of passengers from hike in fares has been lauded by most, it was generally opined that the hike in freight charges was avoidable as it will have an inflationary impact. 

City’s ‘character’ under threat?
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Chandigarh Police has expressed concern over the City Beautiful showing signs of turning into a major nodal point for the world’s oldest profession in the region.

COMMUNITY

Traffic Awareness Project launched
SAS NAGAR, Feb 26 — The Punjab Minister for Local Government, Mr Balramji Dass Tondon, launched the Traffic Awareness Project undertaken by the Rotary Club, here today. The project will cost Rs 18 lakh.

Is civic sense lacking among residents? Rose Garden in poor shape after festival CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Chandigarh may be a well-planned and highly literate city, but when it comes civic sense, it compares poorly even to a moffusil town. This fact again came to the fore today after witnessing vandalism at the Sector 16 Rose Garden during the three-day Festival of Gardens which concluded yesterday.

One of the damaged flower-beds in the Rose Garden in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Behera’s garden adjudged best
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — “Gardening is a wonderful hobby through which you can really relax,” said Dr Arunanshu Behera of the PGI, whose garden was adjudged best in the small garden category, contests for which were held as part of the Festival of Gardens here on Sunday.

Exhibitions to mark Science Day
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — To mark the National Science Day, the Survey of India is holding an open house from February 26 to 28 on its office premises in Sector 32 here. City residents can visit the office on these days to see how surveys are conducted and maps are prepared.

“Special guests” at Raj Bhavan
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — A total of 35 mentally challenged children from Asha Kiran School for Mentally Disabled Children, Hoshiarpur were today ‘special guests’ of Punjab Governor, Lieut Gen. J.F.R Jacob (retd.).

Enumerators visit Haryana Raj Bhavan
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Mr Sham Lal Goyal, Director, Mr N.S. Bhadoria, Assistant Director, along with other enumerators, Census Operations of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, visited the Haryana Raj Bhavan today and filled in the form of census about the relevant information as to the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, and his family.

Trophy for railway unit
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The 1101 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) has been won the Chairman Railway Board Trophy for the fourth time for being the best Railway Territorial Army Unit in the country in the year 1998-99.

GMCH lift gets stuck
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Some persons were trapped for 15 minutes inside a lift in Block A of the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital here after it got stuck today. The doors of the lift were forced open to take out the trapped persons.

Ex-serviceman found dead
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — A 56-year-old ex-serviceman reportedly died near the Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, here this morning. Pancham Singh, alias Fauji, was reportedly suffering from some ailment. Sources in the police department ruled out any possibility of foul play.

CRIME

Gold ring, kara snatched
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — During the past 24 hours the local police received two cases of thefts here. Mr Paramjit Singh of City Cable reported that Sonu of Sector 37 and Shama, trespassed into his office and snatched his gold kara and ring. The duo reportedly ran away after committing the crime. A case under Sections 452 and 392 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered.

• Pick pockets held

• Scooterist hurt

• Vehicles stolen

• 2 crushed to death

• Suicide by youth

• One booked

Two injured in road mishap
LALRU, Feb 26 — Two Ambala residents, Gurminder Singh and Sarjant Singh, sustained serious injuries when their Tata Sumo collided head on with a truck near Dapper village on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway about 2 km from here in the afternoon today.

BUSINESS

Take care of your own tourists: envoy
CHANDIGARH, February 26 — Nearly 6 per cent of the GDP of Austria comes from income from tourism. And if a small European country like Austria with a population of just eight million can achieve it, why cannot a big country like India of subcontinental proportions do it?

EDUCATION

PU teachers to retire at 62?
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Will the retirement age of the teachers of Panjab University and its affiliated colleges increase to 62 years or remain 60 years? While Panjab University teachers are worried about the Central Government’s delay in notifying the PU regulation in this regard, which has now been with the Central Government for almost one-and-a-half years, a letter to the PU Vice-Chancellor is causing the teachers a lot of anxiety in the matter.

800 throng British Education Fair
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — It was the first session of its kind on the academic avenues available at various British Universities. No wonder then that the Education Fair, UK, which had 20 British education experts with ready information on concerned aspects, drew immense support.

Teachers hold protest march
CHANDIGARH, February 26 — Representatives of teachers drawn from 250 universities and 11,000 colleges of India under the auspices of the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation gathered at Mandi House, New Delhi, and from there marched to Parliament for the implementation of an agreement between Prof Murli Manohar Joshi, HRD Minister and AIFUCTO on September 5, 1998, which was signed after 26 days of strike across the country.

Sec 14 SBI to be PU cashier
CHANDIGARH Feb 26 — The Sector 14 branch of the State Bank of India will act as the cashier of Panjab University and would be collecting all the fee and selling various forms from April 1, 2001. Presently the university fee is collected by a private contractor whose contract is to expire on March 31 this year.

Peace march by Ladakh students
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — More than 250 supporters of the Ladakh Students Association of Chandigarh held a peace march here today demanding a Union Territory status for the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

March disallowed
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — A group of Tibetans was refused the permission to hold a peace march on the Panjab University campus here today.

Annual day of society
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Hindi-Sanskrit Society of the Sector 11 Government College for Girls celebrated its annual day here today. Group dances, folk songs, poems and Saraswati Vandana were presented on the occasion. Ved Mantras were also recited.

COURTS

Tohra, 7 others discharged
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Senior Akali leader, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and seven others today were discharged by local court, in a case of violation of the Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. They appeared in the court of UT Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Ashok Kumar, in morning.

• Chandigarh Club files reply
• Assault accused released
• Bail granted
• Case adjourned

Bhatnagar: transfer case to civilian court
CHANDIGARH, February 26 — Major Maneesh Bhatnagar today submitted that his trial be transferred to a competent civilian court and that the judge advocate in the general court martial trying him for dereliction of duty be changed.

HC issues notice of motion on cop’s plea
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — On a petition seeking the registration of a case against Patiala’s Senior Superintendent of Police Harpreet Singh Sidhu along with two other cops for allegedly harassing a woman constable, Mr Justice V.M. Jain of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion for March 14.

CULTURE

Nagaland notes enrapture audience
PANCHKULA, Feb 26 — Nagaland, with its dances and songs, by students from across the country, were brought to the audience at a cultural programme organised at Government College, Sector 1, here today.

Radha-Krishna lila in shadows
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — It was yet another interesting presentation by Prabal Pramanik, the ustaad kalakaar of Devasthanakala, the traditional art of paper cutting. After presenting two very successful shadow-puppet shows on themes concerning the Buddha and another concerning a French Fairy Tale, Prabal today focused on the Radha Krishna lila and brought home the theme through amazingly cut-out images depicting Radha and Krishna on the banks of Yamuna, Radha and Krishna going to pastures with cows, and both watching pigeons.

HEALTH

Children examined for mental retardation
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — About 110 children and youngsters in the age group of three to 25 years were examined during the third mental retardation awareness and detection camp organised at the Government Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra, here yesterday.

ADMINISTRATION

PUDA ‘tampering’ with road plan
SAS NAGAR, Feb 26 — Residents of Sector 71, adjoining Mataour village have alleged that the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) was tampering with original planning of a road to be laid on the outer side of the village. They pointed out that the alignment of the road had been intentionally changed to benefit certain persons.

Jalali’s assurance to MC employees
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — Employees of the Municipal Corporation who were transferred from the UT Administration have finally knocked the doors of the Union Home Ministry at North Block, New Delhi, to ensure that they were considered to be on deputation to the civic body.

MC drive against illegal entries
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Municipal Corporation has intensified its drive against all those who have been misusing the municipal land and green belt areas by having rear doors there. The enforcement staff removed two such back doors of a house opening in the green belt of Sector 21, behind the Nehru Yuvak Kendra, today.

Paper leak scam probe completed
CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Vigilance Department of the local office of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has just completed an inquiry into the paper leak scam for the Junior Telecom Officers (JTO’s).