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Strikes hit normal life in city
Chandigarh, April 16
Separate strikes by employees of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, all public sector banks and the electricity department brought work to a grinding halt in the city and its surrounding townships today.

BSNL employees and bank employees hold a dharna in support of their demands in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — Tribune photographs

MC dilly-dallies as leaves smoulder
Chandigarh, April 16
The Chandigarh Administration's ban on burning dry leaves in the city seems to have been thrown to the winds, courtesy apathy of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, which is not getting piles of leaves gathered at various spots in the city cleared up in time.

Confusion over toll tax at Bhankarpur

Dera Bassi, April 16 Hundreds of commuters who cross the Bhankarpur railway overbridge are confused and feeling harassed as the construction company has failed to mention the period of validity of the toll tax receipts, time and date on them. Commuters being charged toll tax at barriers on the recently opened railway overbridge on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway that has caused confusion among road users over the validity of toll tax receipts. — Tribune photo Pankaj Sharma

Middle East developments disturbing: Wisner
Chandigarh, April 16
“The developments in the Middle East are very disturbing as the situation is very explosive,” says Mr Frank G. Wisner, a former US Ambassador to India. Mr Wisner, who served in India between August, 1994, and July, 1997, was a member of the United States Foreign Service and held the personal rank of Career Ambassador, the highest grade in the Foreign Service, before switching over to the private sector as a Vice-Chairman of the American International Group, a leading US-based international insurance and financial service organisation.

• US Ambassador  to meet the  Press today

Improper storage of ammunition
Loss of over Rs 1 crore
Chandigarh, April 16
Improper storage of ammunition at the ammunition depot at Dappar, located on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway, has resulted in several thousand rounds of air defence ammunition, meant for various Army units based in the region, becoming unserviceable, thereby causing a loss of over Rs 1 crore.

COMMUNITY

New-look petrol outlets soon Chandigarh, April 16 Petrol pumps in the city will soon have a new look. Public sector oil companies, including the Indian Oil Corporation, have launched a programme to upgrade all petrol/diesel retail outlets in the city to worldclass standards. A view of the newly upgraded petrol pump in Chandigarh.

Politicians have ‘grabbed’ property in Mohali
SAS Nagar, April 16
Politicians have created a mess in the town and the surrounding areas by grabbing rural and urban property. The situation now has arisen that it has become difficult for a politician to get a house on rent here.

Opposition terms council poll illegal
Chandigarh, April 16
Kept out by the Congress from the Home Minister’s Advisory Council, SAD-BJP and Chandigarh Vikas Manch councillors here today sought the intervention of the UT Administrator to stop an ‘’illegal’’ election slated for April 18 to the council by a show of hands.

CTCC members observe 12-hr fast
Chandigarh, April 16
Members of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee today observed a 12-hour fast to protest against violence in Gujarat and to demand the dismissal of the Modi government in Gujarat for defiling the Sabarmati Ashram.

Sanitation body to discuss key issues today
Chandigarh, April 16
The Sanitation Committee of the Municipal Corporation will discuss the recommendation to the Finance and Contract Committee on the procurement of a machine to clean up a sector in a day tomorrow. The Mobile Road Model, estimated at Rs 18 to 20 lakh, can clean a littered sector in a day, sources said.

VCD parlours doing brisk business
Chandigarh, April 16
Fasting during Navratras has increased the business of video CDs. Strange it may sound, but it’s true. Too weak to go out for shopping and bored of sitting at home, housewives in Chandigarh, surviving on a diet of fruits, are fast hiring VCDs for passing time by watching movies at home.

Road panel meeting on April 18
Chandigarh, April 16
Roads adjoining Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's official residence are in a bad shape because they have not been carpeted for the past five years. The matter will be coming up before the Road Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh on April 18 as the Chief Minister's staff has brought it to the notice of the corporation.

4 sub-committees formed
SAS Nagar, April 16
The president of the SAS Nagar Municipal Council has constituted four sub committees of municipal councillors for executing various development works in the town. The councillors of the opposition group have been kept out of the committees.

• 5 fire incidents reported

• Cyclist hit by bus

CRIME

Constable hurt in road mishap
Chandigarh, April 16
A constable of the Chandigarh Police, Harinder Singh, was injured after his scooter was knocked down by a car near Sarangpur village late last evening. The police has arrested the car driver, Bikram Singh, a resident of Sector 21, and impounded the car. A case has been registered.

Cheating charge against tractor dealer
Chandigarh, April 16
Mr Prem Singh, a resident of Phase 7 here, in a complaint lodged with the Sector 34 police station stated that he had been cheated by Mr Nirmal Singh, owner of a private firm of Ropar, dealing in the sale and purchase of HMT tractors.

• Scooterist killed

New range of beauty treatments
Chandigarh, April 16

On the occasion of its fourth anniversary VLCC launched an exclusive facial and hair treatment range today. The festive mood of the staff members touched everyone who believes “Look good, feel great” mantra initiated by VLCC as the clinic offered a month long discount scheme called “Happy Hours” on beauty and weight loss, starting from today. Employees of the VLCC celebrate the fourth anniversary of the VLCC, Sector 8, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

EDUCATION

Opinion divided over marks inclusion
Chandigarh, April 16
“We don’t trust our fraternity” was the observation made by Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, at the meeting of the Academic Council of Panjab University here today.

Students to mind their Ps & Qs!
Chandigarh, April 16
Along with their arithmetic and geometry lessons, the students of many schools in the city will now be lessons in table manners and etiquette. According to sources in the UT Education Department, several schools in the city were working out the modalities for introduction of short-term courses on etiquette.

• Seminar on history, literature

• Workshop on N-power from April 20

• Two schools upgraded

• 80 clear TA selection exam

DISTRICT COURTS
Discrepancy leads to acquittal of four
Chandigarh, April 16
The police could never have imagined that a discrepancy of sorts on its account would lead to acquittal of four persons who were earlier convicted by a lower court in a case of diesel theft.

2-yr RI for JTO, mechanic
Chandigarh, April 16
A junior telecom officer and a mechanic posted in the office of the General Manager Telecom at Chandigarh have been convicted by a special CBI court for allegedly demanding and accepting illegal gratification.

CULTURE

Dhami for more meaningful songs
Chandigarh, April 16
Life has come a full circle for Palvinder Dhami. After being associated with Punjabi pop for two decades, this lead vocalist of London-based group “Heera”, one of the pioneer pop bands in Punjabi music, is taking a break from the usual dance-oriented songs to devote himself to more meaningful music.

Different endings of ‘Aankhen’ in cinema hall, CDs!
Chandigarh, April 16
The climax of ‘Aankhen’ showing at Piccadily Cinema: Rajput (Amitabh Bachchan) gets trapped in his own plan and the two blind robbers (Akshay Kumar and Arjun Rampal ) walk away with the loot. The film ends and viewers start walking out ofthe hall with their respective responses to the plot.

HEALTH

Faulty food habits trigger heart diseases
SAS Nagar, April 16
The rise of cardiac ailments is due to multiple factors, including genetics, faulty food habits and stress levels. This observation was made by Dr Achintya Moulick, Senior Consultant, Cardio-thoracic surgery, Fortis Heart Institute, yesterday while addressing Rotary Club members of Chandigarh.

SPORTS

Fine play by Devin
Chandigarh, April 16
Devin played a thrilling match of the under-10 boys’ section when he got the better of Gurmeher 6-4 on the second day of the Total Tennis Championships organised at YMCA, Sector-11, here today. The matches in under-12 section were one sided.

ADMINISTRATION

Decision over industrial sheds soon
Chandigarh, April 16
The long-pending issue of ownership rights of about 500 industrial sheds sold by the Chandigarh Industrial Tourism Corporation more than 20 years ago, will be decided within the next month.