C H A N D I G A R H

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RO charged with favouritism
Congress bags most seats
Dera Bassi, June 10
Accusing the Returning Officer of favouring the ruling party candidates in the Zila Parishad and block samiti elections, SAD candidates, along with their supporters and agents, today boycotted the counting process.

Even before the results were declared, supporters of candidates were seen dancing on drum beats in anticipation of victory in the Zila Parishad and block samiti poll. Tribune lensman Karam Singh captured the scenes outside the counting centre in Dera Bassi on Monday evening.

BJP asks Dy Mayor to quit
Sacking of wife in corruption case
Chandigarh, June 10
The termination of Deputy Mayor Balraj Singh’s wife, Usha Rani, from the Municipal Corporation in an alleged corruption case has opened a war of words between the Congress and the BJP on the issue of resignation of Mr Balraj Singh.

Bid to assault Magistrate
Chandigarh, June 10
The district court campus here today witnessed high drama when an undertrial in a theft case made an attempt to attack the sitting Judicial Magistrate, who was holding court to record the last statement of the investigating officer in the case.

UT Admn rejects BHEL report
Chandigarh, June 10
The Chandigarh Administration today rejected the initial Detailed Project Report submitted by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited with regard to the operation of electric trolley buses in the city. BHEL has been asked to re-work various financing options and to explain in detail each option in its final DPR.

• ‘Kundi’ connections removed

Landscaping policy amended
SAS Nagar, June 10
The landscaping policy, permitting beautification of road berms in urban estate of Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority has been amended once again. This has been done following the Punjab and Haryana High Court order permitting the PUDA to revise its policy in an ongoing case filed by Anti-Encroachment Committee.

COMMUNITY

Contractor blamed for woman’s death

Chandigarh, June 10 Laksmi Devi (45), a widow from Kurukshetra, breathed her last at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, here early this morning. His son-in-law Prem Kumar does not know which emotion to give into. Anger, helplessness or grief. Prem Kumar, Kalu Ram, Bebi Devi and other relatives of Lakshmi Devi at the GMCH, Sector 32, on Monday. — Tribune photo Parvesh Chauhan

Prabhu to open power station today
Chandigarh, June 10
The city will be connected with the National Power Grid tomorrow when the 220 KV sub-station, located in Kishangarh, gets formally commissioned. The Union Power Minister, Mr Suresh P. Prabhu, will inaugurate it.

Rotarians to the help of senior citizens
Chandigarh, June 10
Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik held their first club assembly in Hotel Regency on Sunday, in which officers, directors, and committee chairpersons for the Rotary year 2002-03 along with all Rotarians of the club took part.

Creating Bhagats — Bhatti style Chandigarh, June 10 Never has a relevant issue passed comedian Jaspal Bhatti by. This time he is all set to save his sting for those Bollywood producers and directors who seem smitten by the Shaheed Bhagat Singh bug. Foreseeing many more productions on the same subject, the actor has decided to contribute his bit to the film industry which has got into a habit of reframing the same theme again and again.

The Jaspal Bhatti Academy trains young Bhagat Singhs to meet the future demand of Bollywood, which is busy making a series of productions on the same subject in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

FAUJI BEAT
Army wives play a commendable role
IN her inaugural address at the bi-annual conference of the Army Wives Welfare Association  in New Delhi the other day, Ms Roopa Padmanabhan, president of the association, lauded the role that the wives of Army personnel play at home. She said while the soldiers were in full operational readiness at the border, their wives, by efficient management at the home front, kept them in high spirits to face the external challenges boldly.

‘Malba’ removal campaign launched
Chandigarh, June 10
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today launched a ‘malba’ removal campaign with newly acquired one JCB and two tippers in Sector 32 with a realisation that it will take years to clear around 47 lakh cubic feet of building material waste in the city.

Restore green belt, Jacob urged
Chandigarh, June 10
The Sector 21 Citizens Association today asked the Administrator, Mr J. F. R. Jacob, to restore a “green belt’’ by getting its layout plan amended for regularising the existing park.

Solar eclipse today
Chandigarh, June 10
An annular solar eclipse will be witnessed in the extreme north-eastern parts of India during the early hours tomorrow. Dibrugarh, Digboi, Itanagar, Jhorhat, Kohima, Lakhipur, Sadiya, Sibsagar, Tinsukia and Ukhrul will see the eclipse between 4.15 am and 4.27 am tomorrow.

• PGI police appeal

• Co-accused yet to be arrested

CRIME

6 booked on eve-teasing charge
Chandigarh, June 10
Six car and motorcycle-borne boys allegedly teased a girl in Sector 38 (West) here last evening. The boys also allegedly assaulted and threatened the complainant, Mr Varinder Kumar, a resident of the same sector. The complainant reportedly noted down the motorcycle number as CH 01 X 1505.

BUSINESS

MARKET PULSE
New Oyzterbay Summer 2002 collection

Chandigarh, June 10 Ozyterbay, the trend-setting company that has created a niche market for jewellery for the young, today unveiled its Summer 2000 collection, comprising over 50 designs in white gold embellished with natural gemstones in myriad colours and cuts — an ode to nature and a tribute to the Indian women.

The new marketing mantra — catch’ em young
Chandigarh, June 10
Selling products through schools is the latest strategy in the world of marketing. If you do not believe it, go to any of the several schools in the city and you will find firms promoting their products, including magazines and milk flavours, by luring the gullible students.

Sylvie launches herbal products Chandigarh, June 10 Nearly 200 beauticians from the region, gathered at Hotel Sunbeam in Sector 22 today to watch famous hairstylist Sylvie in action. In town to unveil and launch a new range of herbal products from the Ayur Herbal group, Sylvie talked of the significance of natural elements in beauty and hair products. And having conversed about the herbal care line introduced by the group Sylvie went on to hold a training workshop for the gathered beauticians. Hairstylist Sylvie demonstrates some styles on the occasion of launch of herbal products in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

EDUCATION

College admissions from July 1 Chandigarh, June 10 While it is too early for colleges to be buzzing with activities, the number of students trickling in at city colleges is gradually picking up in view of the on-going sale of admission forms. Students queue up at GGDSD College, Sector 32, on Monday to buy admission forms. — A Tribune photograph

Students taught basics of public speaking Chandigarh, June 10 Besides the usual fun and frolic that summer workshops offer to school children, this particular summer camp “Neev — back to the roots”, organised by a few former students of Thapar Engineering College, Patiala, taught participants about the basics of public speaking and concepts of Vedic mathematics.
IN A MOOD FOR JUBILATION — About 125 participants of “Neev — back to the roots” workshop at the concluding day function of a 10-day workshop at St Peter’s School, Sector 37, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

‘Graduation plus’ in colleges soon
Chandigarh, June 10
The Centre for Higher Education Studies and Training Society for Education and Economic Development, New Delhi will introduce a special programme “Graduation ++” in at least two city colleges to develop subject application, IT and management skills among chosen students doing graduation in these colleges.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
DGP asked to examine plea of computer firm
Chandigarh, June 10
Disposing of a petition filed by a computer firm claiming that attempts were being made to sabotage Haryana state’s ambitious Kisan Sahara Scheme, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Director-General of Police (Vigilance) to treat the petition as a representation to him and pass appropriate orders after hearing the petitioner within a month.

District Courts in state of neglect
Chandigarh, June 10
The District Courts, visited by hundreds of litigants everyday, has been in as state of neglect due to government apathy. Poor public utility services with toilets emanating stench, dirty coolers and little parking space and insanitary condition on its premises are some of the problems being faced by the visitors.

CULTURE

Mita looks back on her career
Chandigarh, June 10
As you get closer to the person in Mita Vasisht, you know exactly why she is a favourite with film directors known for the sting in their scripts. Right from late 80s, this dusky dame has embodied many a soulful character created by directors Kumar Shahani, Mani Kaul, Govind Nihalani and many others.

Getting a taste of theatre
Chandigarh, June 10
At a time when the charismatic leader of Indian freedom movement — Bhagat Singh, is setting the silver screen ablaze, the tiny tots participating the month-long theatre workshop organised by the Pracheen Kala Kendra in Sector 35, are also having a first hand experience of enacting the role of this great freedom fighter under the able guidance of renowned theatre artiste Gursharan Singh.

HEALTH

ORTHODONTIC PROBLEMS
Younger patients have a better chance
Chandigarh, June 10
Lip biting, nail biting and dental diseases can change the way you look...only for the worse. Among the acquired orthodontic problems, for which many city residents are paying through their nose to get treated for, the most common are due to these small irritating habits one gets into.

Gupta writes to Jacob on CT scan issue
Chandigarh, June 10
In a letter addressed to the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, ex-Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, has requested him to ask the GMCH administration to reconsider its decision of allowing a private firm to install a CT scan machine on the hospital premises.

SPORTS

Manavjit targets gold medal
Chandigarh, June 10
Arjuna awardee Manavjit Singh, the 1998 commonwealth games, Asian games medalist and a trap event shooter is all set to repeat his past glory but with added determination in the 2002 — Commonwealth Games going to be held at Bisley (England) next month.

Another opportunity goes abegging
Indian cricketers over the years have come to be labelled as tigers on home and lambs on foreign tracks. Writers and commentators have lamented this weakness and wondered. Indian team despite boasting of world class individual performers, like Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali, Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavashar, Bishan Bedi, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar have failed to perform abroad.

Alpit, Simranjeet move into second round
Chandigarh, June 10
Alipt Sandhu in girls under-16 section and Simranjeet Singh Cheema in boys under-16 section sailed into the second round of the main draw of the AITA North Zone Ranking Tennis Tournament, played here today at the Tennis Stadium, in Sector 10.

ADMINISTRATION

Chief Commissioner of IT takes over
Chandigarh, June 10
Ms Hardeep Kaur, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Panchkula, has taken over as the CCIT Chandigarh. Ms Baljit Bains, the CCIT, Jodhpur has replaced Ms Hardeep Kaur in Panchkula.