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French soul dance
Chandigarh, February 18
As the evening progressed, the feeling of wonderment progressed too. All through the show, the dancers seemed to be floating along wings of desire... seeking nothing, striving for nothing, only yielding every now and then. Being part of this effortless journey, one was inspired to break free....

In permanent mutation: Valeria Apicella and Paollo Rudelli present Neti neti at a contemporary dance show at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photos: Manoj Mahajan

Removing barriers against the disabled Chandigarh, February 18 The Chandigarh Administration is issuing guidelines to the Architectural Department to create a barrier-free environment for disabled persons, especially in public buildings, keeping in view the problems being faced by disabled persons in accessing such buildings.
Lt Gen (Retd) J.F.R. Jacob, Governor, Punjab, addresses at the 6th National Conference at ICSSR, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

PLAGUE SCARE
Nothing to fear, say doctors
Chandigarh, February 18
Despite senior doctors in charge of the situation at the PGI clearly stating that there is no reason to panic, reasonable amount of fear has spread in the city, with TV channels airing the news of the strong possibility of the disease, which claimed its fourth victim today at the PGI, to be pneumonic plague.

Computer inflates water bills
Chandigarh, February 18
Residents beware! The water-meter bill in your hand can be inflated. No, the mistake may not be with the employees jotting down the reading, but could very well be a computer error.

PU fest for culture of peace

Chandigarh, February 18 True to its spirit, the 43rd Inter- Zonal Youth Festival got off to a colourful and enthusiastic start at Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, here today. Over 850 students from 70 colleges of the eight zones affiliated to Panjab University are participating in this four-day festival. Participants at the Inter-Zonal Youth Festival which began at Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, Chandigarh, on Monday.  — A Tribune photograph

‘Stitches of Love’ exhibition
Chandigarh, February 18
Volunteers from Arpana, a registered spiritual and charitable organisation from Madhuban, Karnal, will hold the ‘Stitches of Love’, exhibition at Hotel Piccadilly, Sector 22, here on February 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Repair work on Ghaggar bridge postponed
Dera Bassi, February 18
Demand of the Haryana Government to accept vehicular traffic headed towards Chandigarh from Ambala and not that headed towards Ambala from Chandigarh had forced the Punjab Government to postpone the repair work of the Ghaggar river bridge on the busy Chandigarh-Ambala highway in Bhankharpur village about 3 km from here.

COMMUNITY

City councillors seek share in UT revenue
Chandigarh, February 18
Experts’ advice of “good economics makes good politics” to a group of municipal members from Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh here today did not enthuse grassroot leaders who are seeking transfer of financial rights instead.

Facelift for Panchkula villages
Rampur Jangi (Panchkula), February 18
For the residents of this village in Pinjore block, the creation of a village development committee is a God send. After waiting for years, the village will finally have a schoolroom, a panchayat ghar and a cremation shed from the money allocated to the committee. The construction work on all these development works is in progress and is likely to be completed by the end of this year.

Cong councillor campaigns against paid parking
Chandigarh, February 18
Congress councillor Chander Mukhi Sharma, along with a group of traders opposing paid parking, today launched a public awareness campaign against alleged violation of terms of contract by the parking contractor.

City lad hits Baazi Kiski jackpot
Chandigarh, February 18
A local lad, Ravjot Singh, student of the Government College for Men, Sector 11, has hit the jackpot and won a Maruti car, a trip to Goa and Rs 11,000 in cash as bumper prize in Baazi Kiski, a game show on Zee TV.

Winter not over, warns met office
Chandigarh, February 18
The city today recorded a warm day at 26.6 degrees celsius, a good 3 degrees above the normal average for this time of the year. However, the met office was quick to warn, winter was not over yet.

Subscribers affected as BSNL shifts junction box
SAS Nagar, February 18
A number of telephone subscribers of Balongi village and the surrounding areas have complained that due to shifting of a telephone junction box, located along the SAS Nagar-Kharar road, their telephone connections have gone out of order. The junction box has been shifted as the road is being widened.

CRIME

BSNL wakes up to competition
Chandigarh, February 18
The ongoing activity in the telecom sector coupled with the increasing competition, finally seems to have ‘moved’ the comparatively silent Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to join the race. Apart from the various schemes launched recently, BSNL is getting aggressive on marketing front as well.

EDUCATION

WORKSHOP
CSIO forms synergy for environment protection
Chandigarh, February 16
The Central Scientific Instruments Organisation has formed a synergy with Panjab University, Haryana Agriculture University and the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology to take up projects for environment protection in the region. This emerged from a zonal workshop on “environment and society” organised by the CSIO and Chandigarh Chapter of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation.

Puppets enchant Strawberry Fields kids

Chandigarh, February 18 Monday morning blues at Strawberry Fields Kindergarten were tackled rather innovatively. There was a special puppet show screening for students of Play Class and Nursery who were perhaps for the first time seeing animated rag dolls mimicking, dancing and talking while mysteriously being dangled from delicate suspended chords. Children of Strawberry Fields enjoy a puppet show organised at the school in Sector 24 on Monday.

Principal’s promise
Chandigarh, February 18
The local DAV College, Sector 10, will have a new look going by the agenda of the new Principal, Mr Subhash C. Mariya, who took charge from Mr K.K. Sawal, officiating Principal, recently. With big plans for setting his house in order, ending the tuition menace in his college would be top priority. “My mission is to ensure that classes are held regularly and seriously contrary to the reputation the college has had in the past”, he said.

ABVP activists protest against fee hike Chandigarh, February 18 A delegation of the ABVP under the leadership of Mr Deepak Balyan and Mr Vibhor Jain met the Panjab University Vice-Chancellor demanding the withdrawal of the proposed 10 per cent fee hike announced recently by the PU authorities.
Members of the ABVP protest against the hike in fee in Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

HIGH COURT
‘Crime addict’ can be history-sheeter
Chandigarh, February 18
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a significant judgement, has ruled that a history sheet can be opened against a person believed to be "habitually addicted to crime or to be an aider or abettor of such a person".

• Regularise civic employee’s service
• Pay arrears to lecturer

DISTRICT COURTS
Beant case: two record statements
Chandigarh, February 18
The statement of two witnesses, Sanjeev Kumar and Baljit Singh, were recorded in the Beant Singh assassination case before the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S Bhalla, in a special courtroom at the Model Burail Jail here today. One of the accused in the case, Lakhwinder Singh, moved a plea for medical check-up. The accused said he had developed pain in the chest.

• Bail granted

Consumer forum in new building
Chandigarh, February 18
A four-storey building housing the UT State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Madhya Marg, Sector 19, here, was inaugurated by the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), this morning. Cases will now be taken up in the new building.

CULTURE

Comedian with a straight face
Chandigarh, February 18
Dr Surinder Sharma is not an unfamiliar name for city residents. If you are a culture freak, you have not missed this serious looking man making you spill your guts out during some stage show, cracking jokes, reciting ‘hasya kavita’ or simply taking a dig at someone prominent. When it comes to making people laugh, Dr Sharma is unparalleled.

HEALTH

Chemists’ body threatens strike
Panchkula, February 18
The District Chemists Association has threatened to go on a strike if the State Drug Controller failed to take any action against District Drug Inspector Deepak Puri. In a statement issued to the Press, Mr B.B. Singhal and Mr Sanjiv Goyal, president and general secretary, respectively, of the association, said they met the State Drug Controller today and submitted a memorandum to him. They demanded that Puri should be suspended and a criminal case be registered against him.

SPORTS

This sportsperson holds lot of promise
Chandigarh, February 18
She is a sportsperson who could prove her worth at last. Life for the 17-year-old Hardeep Kaur has not been all that easy to hit the bull’s eye. A native of Jalaldiwal village (Raikot) in Punjab, Hardeep hit the headlines with her brilliant performance in the shot-put event.

Ranjana wins gold in judo meet
Chandigarh, February 18
Ranjana Rana secured a gold medal in the junior girls section (below 36 kg) of the Chandigarh Junior and Senior State Judo Championships, which concluded here last evening at the Sector 42 Indoor Hall. This meet was organised by the Amateur Judo Association of Chandigarh. In other age groups, the winners were: Below 40 kg — Pooja Jalan, below 44 kg (Dimple Sharma), below 48 kg — Shilpi Katoch, below 52 kg — Kiran Negi; below 56 kg — Yakshi and above 65 kg — Divya.

• Inter-media cricket meet

MCC proposes 11.6 cr for Kajauli waterworks
Chandigarh, February 18
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has proposed allocation of Rs 11.6 crore for the Kajauli waterworks, Phase 4, a Rs 2-crore for new sewage plant and Rs 2 crore for councillors’ fund in the Budget for 2002-2003 that proposes Rs 15 crore collection from property tax.

Inform arrest within 1 hr, cops ordered
Chandigarh, February 18
Following reports of two undertrials being tortured in police custody last week, the UT Senior Superintendent of Police today issued orders to all police units concerned that the Superintendent of Police (City) is to be informed about any arrest made by the police within one hour of the incident.

UT depts asked to submit unutilised money
Chandigarh, February 18
With the financial year coming to a close, all Departments of UT, which may be failing to utilise the entire budgetary allocation, have been asked to submit the same money now and not wait for the financial year to end.

10 Duty Magistrates
Chandigarh, February 18
The Chandigarh Administration has appointed 10 middle-level officials as Duty Magistrate in connection with the maintenance of law and order as and when information is received by the police control room.