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Fire destroys important records in PGI
Burnt files related to financial and vigilance issues
Chandigarh, June 3
A large number of important records were destroyed in a fire at the PGI early this morning. Even as the PGI authorities refused to comment, specifically about the contents of the files, employees working in the building said the section ravaged by the fire was where files relating to important financial and vigilance issues were stored.

Oil crunch; whose slick job?

Chandigarh, June 3 It was just like the old days of rationing and queues today, as several petrol-filling stations in Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar did not have petrol or diesel.

SLICK JOB? A closed filling station of Bharat Petroleum in Sector 21, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

• Did oil companies hoard fuel?

Auto-parts trade hit, but MC won’t spare
Chandigarh, June 3
Everyone here who ever bought any vehicle accessory from any dealer in Sector 27 or 28 is now finding it difficult to get the spares repaired or replaced, even though the guarantees are still valid. The credit goes to the enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation and the Chandigarh Administration, who penalise anyone who parks his or her vehicle outside the shops in the sectors for such changeover.

Breathe easy; carcass centre coming up
Chandigarh, June 3
It may soon be a lot less stinky here, as the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry is extending a 100 per cent grant to a Carcasses Utilisation Centre that is to be set up in Khuda Lahora.

PU declares CET results
Chandigarh, June 3
The results of the Panjab University Common Entrance Test was declared by the university here today.

Those ugly scars... that ‘mehndi’ left
Chandigarh, June 3
The next time you sit open palmed in front of a ‘mehndi’ applier, think twice; you might end up with your hands burnt and scarred for life. Adulterated and strong chemicals mixed with ‘mehndi’ are the reason.

COMMUNITY

Summer camps keep kids busy
Chandigarh, June 3
Tiny tots tried their hand at painting yesterday at a 25-day long summer camp organised at Gandhi Samark Bhavan in Sector 16 by the Blooming Flowers Club. Organised by an arts teacher, Biasa Devi, and a journalist, the camp is expected to “bring out creativity among the little ones”. Besides painting, the young innocents will learn to mould waste material.

Carnival concludes
Chandigarh, June 3
The four-day long kids and youth carnival organised by Innovative Group at Parade Ground in Sector 17 concluded with a host of competitions and fun-filled activities here today.

Neglect of police colony shocks Jacob
Chandigarh, June 3
Dingy ‘Kutcha’ lanes with garbage dumped here and there, open manholes in the middle of road, choked sewerage, policemen living in dilapidated structures, policemen rearing domestic cattle in their homes, all roads and grounds pitted with potholes and congress grass, children playing on roads in the absence any play ground, was the scene of residential blocks of the Police Lines, Sector 26, where hundreds of families of policemen of the Chandigarh Police are residing.

Public Health lets down MC
Fails to maintain sewerage in SAS Nagar
SAS Nagar, June 3
The SAS Nagar Municipal Council is finding itself in an awkward situation. Despite paying over Rs 4.5 crore from its pocket to the Public Health Department each year, the council has failed to get the maintenance of sewer lines done in the town.

FAUJI BEAT
Put national security above political interest
THERE is an inborn obsession in the minds of our politicians and bureaucrats that a strong Army does not augur well for the country. No wonder then that all proposals to increase the strength of the Army or equip it with better weaponry are watered down by them.

• Resettlement of ex-servicemen
• Army’s reserve manpower

Spiritualism helped them give up alcohol
Panchkula, June 3
“I had been drinking continuously, each day of my life, for the past seven years, I never realised that I was an alcoholic until one day, when I had gone to Hardwar and Rishikesh. Since there was no possibility of getting liquor there during our two-day stay, I realised how I could not stay without my daily quota of drinks even for two days. It was then that I decided to cure myself of this disease.”

1 dead, 5 injured in mishaps
Dera Bassi, June 3
One person died on the spot and five others sustained severe injuries in two separate accidents on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway here today. A head-on collision between a Ambala bound Maruti van (HR-01K-1842) and a truck (HR-026A-0223) approaching from opposite direction resulted in the death of van driver Vikash while three other occupants — Mr Balbir Singh, Mr Joginder Singh and Gopal Singh, residents of Ambala — sustained severe injuries.

Doctors hold rally
Lalru, June 3
In protest against the Punjab Government’s proposal to terminate the services of 850 PCMS doctors who were appointed during the PPSC Chairman Ravi Sidhu’s tenure, the local unit of the PCMS Association organised held a rally near local bus stand here today.

CRIME

Woman strangled for dowry
Panchkula, June 3
A woman was reportedly strangled to death by her in-laws in Pinjore, allegedly because her parents had failed to give sufficient dowry at the time of marriage. Ms Mahinder Kaur, a resident of Shimla, has alleged that her daughter, Asha Devi, was married to Sunil in Pinjore. Her in-laws would often torture and assault her for bringing insufficient dowry, she has further alleged.

• One dead

• Theft cases

• Hit-and-run case

• Woman held

• Found dead

Booked for supplying underweight LPG cylinders
Panchkula, June 3
The police has booked the Manager of Gas Bottling Plant of the Indian Oil Corporation at Kohand, Karnal, under Sections 5 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act and under Section 420 of the IPC. As many as 75 cylinders supplied by the plant to a local gas cylinder agency were found to be underweight.

Ice-cream found adulterated
Chandigarh, June 3
The Director, Health Services, UT Administration, has stated in a press note that ice-cream, ice candy and kulfi samples collected from the premises of Om Ice cream and Ice Candy factory owned by Mr Shambhu Singh, and Shaktiman Icecream and Ice Candy factory owned by Mr Suman Kumar have been found to be highly adulterated.

Two JEs booked
Kharar, June 3
The police has registered a case under Section 304-A, IPC, against two junior engineers of the PSEB, Manohar Lal and Jeewan Singh, for causing death by negligence of a pregnant woman yesterday.

BUSINESS

All-round increase in SBOP profits
Chandigarh, June 3
On the occasion of the declaration of its annual results for the year ending March 2002, the Managing Director of the State Bank of Patiala, Mr A.K. Purwar, informed that the bank followed a customer-focused approach for high growth and profitability.

BIZ CLIPS
Chandigarh
CAMPAIGN: Around 200 officials of the State Bank of Patiala and members of their families participated in Save Sukhna campaign under the bank’s community banking services, according to a press note. TNS

EDUCATION

‘Probe land allotment to schools’
Chandigarh, June 3
The Janata Party here today demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge of a high court into the recent land allotment for educational institutions in the city, rules for which were allegedly tailored to favour the All India Congress Committee general secretary, Ms Ambika Soni, and the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal.

Explanation sought from five school heads
Chandigarh, June 3
The DPI (Schools), Mr D.S. Mangat, today sought explanation from the heads of five schools which had shown a sharp decline in pass percentage in the Class XII examination this year. The schools are GSSS-15, GSSS-20 D, GSSS-27, GSSS-45, GSSS-38 (W).

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Employee’s pay cannot be reduced
Chandigarh, June 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a significant judgement, has ruled that the pay of an employee cannot be reduced at a subsequent stage if he joins at a salary wrongly mentioned in an advertisement.

• Passport

• HC transfers 64 Judges

CULTURE

Shiamak’s trainers get their act together
Chandigarh, June 3
One had only heard that pursuing fitness helps you defy age. But after meeting the four visiting trainers from Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA), one believed absolutely in the power of fitness. Following the line of their mentor Shiamak Davar, who underlines the significance of healthy mind and body, his trainers also spoke in the language of physical harmony.

Infusing life in lifeless structures
Chandigarh, June 3
Amazing, how a lifeless camera create lively images, capturing the emotive interplay between elements and characters, when handled by the right person. And Anup Mathew Thomas is one such person who has the capacity to convert even an ordinarily inert scene into something full of movements.

SPORTS

‘Yoga must for carrom players’
Chandigarh, June 3 Yoga is a must for every carrom player to succeed, said Arun Kedar, an international carrom player who reached here last evening. Kedar had represented India in various international meets held in Germany in 1995 and in the US open carrom meet in 1996. Arun Kedar gives tips on carrom to children at St. Stephen’s School, Sector 45, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Three titles for Naserudeen
Chandigarh, June 3
Naserudeen claimed three titles in below 56 kg section on the opening day of the Air Force Weightlifting Championship organised here today at Lecma Auditorium, 3 BRD, AF. Naserudeen won in snatch category by lifting 97.50 kg, while Sajesh was second and Sgt Sreekumar at third place.

• Cricket meet

• Ranking tennis tourney

Land for govt bodies to cost more
Chandigarh, June 3
The Chandigarh Administration has hiked the price of land it will allot in future to government bodies, public sector undertakings and other development bodies wanting space. The highest premium will be for commercial public sector undertakings wanting land anywhere along the Madhya Marg, Sector 17, or the Sector 34 sub city centre.

Shrines on encroached land razed

Chandigarh, June 3 A mazar and a temple erected on encroached land were removed in an anti-encroachment drive here today. Along with the Panchpir Mazar on the national highway, juggis in Sectors 25 to 30, 56 were also removed. The encroachment by Kajheri temple in Sector 52 was also removed without any resistance from the people. A JCB removes an illegal structure in Sector 55, Chandigarh, on Monday. — Photo Parvesh Chauhan

Power distribution to be computerised
Chandigarh, June 3
The power distribution system in the city will be computerised to keep a check on line losses and to improve grid performance. This will enable a real time online check on theft and overloading.

Last date for filing tenders extended
Chandigarh, June 3
The Chandigarh Administration today extended the last date for inviting tenders for participation in the construction of upcoming Information Technology (IT) park in Kishangarh by four weeks. The tenders submitted by various companies were to be opened today after a week’s extension from the original date of May 24.

MC procures two tippers, 1 JCB
Chandigarh, June 3
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has procured two tippers and a JCB. The new machines were received last week after the initial lot was rejected by the corporation due to technical faults earlier. The corporation will purchase one more JCB. The new machines worth Rs 40 lakh have been purchased with the money from the MP fund.