IN FOCUS
A town without zing or zest
Panchkula
Evening in Panchkula is not the classy affair one would expect in a city often referred to as the Paris of India. No rollicking music, no clicking of glasses, no neon lights. The city offers little to the residents once the sun goes down.

FAUJI BEAT
A voluntary part-time force
Chandigarh
With some of the measures for restructuring the Territorial Army (TA) coming through, attention has been focused on the citizen’s army — a concept which a section of defence planners present as the ideal option for meeting security requirements of the future.

BJP discusses poll strategy
Chandigarh, August 7
The BJP today held a meeting here to discuss the election strategy to be adopted in the coming Assembly elections in Punjab. The meeting was chaired by Mr Pyare Lal Khandelwal, General Secretary of the BJP. Mr Khandelwal is in charge of the election wing of the party.

Bid to mow down child, case registered
Zirakpur, August 7
A 6-year-old boy was injured when a driver of a tractor-trailer allegedly tried to mow down the child on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway last evening. According to information, Mohan Singh, the child, was being escorted by his uncle, Swarn Singh, and cousin, Sohan Singh, when Milkha Singh, the driver, allegedly tried to mow down the trio. Mr Swaran Singh was taking the boys to home from their school when the incident occurred.

INTUC condemns Centre, Admn
Chandigarh, August 7
The Indian National Trade Union Congress and its women wing today came down heavily on the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre and the Chandigarh Administration for what they described as ‘anti- people’ policies followed by them.

• Office-bearers elected

Bid to molest woman, five booked
Chandigarh, August 7
A resident of Sector 38 West has alleged that five persons, including three city residents, tried to outrage modesty of her sister here yesterday. The said incident reportedly occurred in Sector 22.

Degree course in industrial chemistry
Chandigarh, August 7
The local GGDSD College will be the first college in the city to offer a three-year degree course in industrial chemistry from the current session. Admissions are currently underway for the vocational degree course, which has received a UGC grant of Rs 17 lakh for the course. The sum includes Rs 7 lakh for non-recurring expenditure and Rs 10 lakh for recurring expenditure over a span of five years.

General body meeting of teachers’ body held
Chandigarh, August 7
A general body meeting of Government School Teachers Union, UT, chaired by Mr Vinod Sharma, convener of the action committee for government teachers union, was held here. The meeting was held to fight the irregularities in the mass transfers of the teachers working in government schools.

3 students expelled
Chandigarh, August 7
Three students — Kartik, Ajay and Sahil — of fifth class of Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22, who urinated in a polybag while attending their maths period after the recess, were expelled from the school yesterday. According to sources in school, the students were not permitted to attend to the call of nature by the class teacher.

Most seats for SCs, STs filled Chandigarh, August 7 A majority of the seats in the reserved categories for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the UT and general pool at the admission to Punjab Engineering College, Department of Chemical Engineering and the Chandigarh College of Architecture were filled today.

Students attend counselling for admission to Punjab Engineering College at Panjab University on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Admn’s apathy irks teachers of UT
Chandigarh, August 7
The U.T. Teachers’ Association is sore over the apathy of Chandigarh Administration. In a memorandum submitted to the Administration, UT teachers lamented that while the President had re-appealed the UT recruitment rules and service conditions with effect from April 1992, the Education Department, had done little to solve their various problems.

One withdraws from PUTA poll
Chandigarh, August 7
Prof Rajeshwar Sharma of the Department of Biochemistry has withdrawn his candidature for the post of President of the Panjab University Teachers Association.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
MLA’s brother gets bail
Chandigarh, August 7
Granting bail to Mehar Chand Dalal — the brother of Haryana MLA Karan Singh Dalal, in a murder case, Mr Justice K.C. Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today rejected the bail applications of two relatives, Ved Pal and Amrendoo Dalal. Mehar Chand Dalal and other accused in the case were earlier booked by the Haryana police for murder and other offences under Sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code on September 6 last year after a relative, Sumitra Devi, died “under mysterious circumstances”.

CONSUMER COURTS
Pay compensation, dealer told
Chandigarh, August 7
The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II has directed Premier Motor Garage, Industrial Area, to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 to a resident of Zirakpur. According to the complaint, Mr Balwinder Singh, purchased a three-wheeler mini door autorickshaw from the dealer on July 2, 1999, at the cost of Rs 1, 42, 500.

Court dismisses bail plea of K.K. Jerath
Chandigarh, August 7
A local court today dismissed a bail plea moved by Chandigarh’s former Chief Engineer K.K Jerath in a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act registered by the CBI.

Sent to judicial remand
Panchkula August 7
Rajender Kumar who had been arrested after a police raid at a factory manufacturing detergent and selling it under various brand names, was went to two-day police remand after he was produced in the district court, here today.

She enhances natural beauty
Chandigarh, August 7
This one has nothing to do with illusion. The cosmetic counselling session now under way at the Sector 8 branch of Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves promises “real transformation of your facade” — and that for the good. In charge of the situation is Rita Juneja, who has been spotted in the glamour world for a long span of two decades. 

HEALTH

PGI covered under CGHS scheme
Chandigarh, August 7
The Union Health Ministry has approved the long-standing demand of serving and retired Central Government Employees in the city for being provided treatment in a government hospital, notified for reimbursement under the Central Government Health Scheme.

Is the post of PGI Dean jinxed?
Chandigarh, August 7
The governing body of the PGI recently selected a new Dean for the institute after keeping the post vacant for almost three years and holding several meetings. When it was thought that the selected candidate would soon occupy the chair, one of the aspirants for the post filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the governing body’s decision.

Magnetic therapy camp Chandigarh, August 7 A large number of patients today turned up at a free magnetic therapy camp currently in progress at the Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Sector 19 here. Mr Inder Verma from Jalandhar treats a patient at a free magnetic therapy camp at Gurdwara Shri Singh Sabha, Sector 19-D, in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Sonny Malerkotla wins wrestling title
Chandigarh, August 7
The gram panchayat of Tira village in Kharar tehsil near Chandigarh, organised a series of sports and cultural events to mark the Guga Mari mela, here yesterday. The day witnessed a large participation of people, including prominent wrestlers, namely Sonny Malerkotla who overpowered Jasbir Singh of Chandigarh. He was awarded a gold chain and a ring. 

Shivalik Public School wins trophy
Chandigarh, August 7
Seven schools participated in the inter-school patriotic song, shabad and bhajan recitation competition organised by Sharda Sarvhitkari Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 40-D here today.

ADMINISTRATION

Jacob summons file on D.P. Singh’s re-employment
Chandigarh, August 7
The reappointment of Mr D.P. Singh as Principal of Government College, Sector 46, has landed the administration in a controversy with the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), asking officials to inform him about the circumstances under which the Principal was re-employed.