C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Business | Education

Courts | Culture | Health | Sports

TOP STORIES

Ranjit Bajaj arrested for car theft
Chandigarh, January 6
Ranjit Bajaj, the controversial ward of a senior Punjab bureaucrat couple, Mr B.R. Bajaj and Ms Rupan Deol Bajaj, is once again cooling his heels in the custody of Chandigarh Police.

Ranjit Bajaj (inset), son of a senior bureaucrat couple in Punjab, hides his face while being taken for a medical examination at the Sector 16 General Hospital, Chandigarh. He was arrested in a case of car theft by the Chandigarh Police on Monday. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

MC ELECTIONS
They promise the moon in hope of votes
Panchkula, January 6
The first-ever elections to the Municipal Council are being fought more on rhetoric rather than real issues confronting people. With most of the candidates in the fray having released their election manifestos and campaigning on at full swing, the candidates are promising the moon to the voters.

• Election material with RO

UAV designed by PEC for SASE test-flown
Chandigarh, January 6
Taking up a “highly classified” defence project, the Punjab Engineering College here has designed an unmanned aerial vehicle for use by the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment. The UAV has been test-flown successfully and is stated to be undergoing user trials in high-altitude areas.

DHAKAULI ROBBERY
Commandos in Zirakpur
Zirakpur, January 6
The police has failed to make any headway in Dhakauli robbery case in which armed robbers struck at a house and hacked a man to death and left five other members of his family critically injured in the wee hours on Sunday.

Road safety week begins; blood donated Chandigarh, January 6 As many as 208 units of blood were donated for road accident victims on the first day of the 14th Road Safety Week being organised by the UT Police here today. During the safety week various activities like a painting competition, a workshop for bus and truck drivers, eye camps, and a scooter rally by girl students and lectures for rickshaw-pullers will be organised.

Cadets from Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, dressed up as traffic cops. — A Tribune photograph

Auto strike off Chandigarh, January 6 The Chandigarh Scooter-Rickshaw Union today decided to call off their week-long strike after the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), agreed to extend time period for overaged auto-rickshaws till March 31. Auto-rickshaw operators protest at Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

COMMUNITY

Panchkula MC ‘harasses’ drought-hit nomads

Panchkula, January 6 The consecutive drought for the past four years in Jalore district of Rajasthan has forced hundreds of families to migrate to faraway places. Members of over 200 such families have camped in Daffarpur village of Dera Bassi tehsil in Patiala district. Families from Jalore camp on an abandoned piece of land in Daffarpur village of Dera Bassi subdivision in Patiala district. — Tribune photo Karam Singh

Panel to review building bylaws
SAS Nagar, January 6
The Punjab Government has formed a 10-member committee to review buildings bylaws laid down by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority. The committee, which held its first meeting here today, will consider changing the building bylaws being followed across the state on PUDA estates.

Fall in line, Mayor tells staff
Chandigarh, January 6
The Mayor, Mr Subhash Chawla, today formally asked the Municipal Corporation officials to devise ways to speed up the process of clearing developmental projects and increase channels of communication with councillors on the issue.

• Hungry kya...

Demand to set up trust for temple
Chandigarh, January 6
‘‘A Trust should be formed to manage and preserve the 550-year-old Mata Jayanti Devi temple at Jayanti Majri village in Ropar district’’. This demand was put forward by a joint delegation of the Rural Area Development Committee, Ropar, Puri Development Trust, the two committees managing the affairs of Jayanti Devi temple and representatives of 50 villages of Kharar sub-division who met Punjab Governor Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) today.

‘Follow path shown by Prof Schroff’
SAS Nagar, January 6
‘‘Prof Mahadeva Pal Schroff is the pioneer, Architect, Creator and mentor of modern pharmacy in India.’’ This was stated by Prof S.N. Sharma, Emeritus Professor Hamdard University, New Delhi, while delivering the Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff Centenary Commemorative lecture here today.

Udisha launched for women panches
SAS Nagar, January 6
A special programme to train women panches and sarpanches in the state was launched here today. The programme, called Udisha, a concept of the Institute of Development and Communication, Chandigarh will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, Punjab.

Termite-hit trees axed
Chandigarh, January 6
Following a Tribune report on termites in city’s green cover infecting trees, the UT Horticulture today removed the termites manually and cut down dead trees, which spread the termite. A Chandigarh Tribune had carried a story on December 3 highlighting that the green cover in the city was in danger.

FAUJI BEAT
Why are Generals reticent with media?
AT the time of retirement of former Army chief General S. Padmanabhan, some mediapersons commented that he was reticent with the media during his tenure. It was also said “the official snub to him for his remarks on India’s nuclear capability and resolve, if attacked with N-weapons, made him recede into his shell even more”.

City scientist honoured
Chandigarh, January 6
Dr Sanjay Jain, a city-based scientist working with the Central Forensic Science Laboratory whose voice recognition expertise resulted in the conviction of attackers on Parliament on December 13, was today honoured with the Home Minister’s Award in Mumbai.

Karanj oil as alternative to diesel
Chandigarh, January 6
Farmers in the rural areas and vehicle owners may get Karanj oil — produced from the seeds of special varieties of trees — as an alternative to diesel if the trials of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, are any indication.

Low-pesticide vegetables
Chandigarh, January 6
By introducing low pesticide vegetables here today, Punjab Agri Export Corporation Limited (Pagrexco), a subsidiary of the Punjab Agro Industries and Export Corporation, has taken a major step towards organic farming in the state.

POWA to meet today
Chandigarh, January 6
To mobilise public support to do away with the Rs 1500 clause, the Property Owners Welfare Association, in association with various welfare bodies of the city, will organise a convention on various provisions of the East Punjab Rent Control Act here tomorrow.

CRIME

32-year-old burglar nabbed
Chandigarh, January 6
A 32-year-old burglar involved in several cases of theft in southern sectors has been arrested by the Chandigarh Police. According to information, the burglar, Arjun, a resident of Uttaranchal, was arrested along with Hari Bahadhur, a resident of Nepal, while planning a burglary.

Car snatching: both versions to be verified
Chandigarh, January 6
In connection with the incident of alleged robbing of a Tata Indica car at gunpoint by three persons at the Sectors 27 and 28 traffic junction on Saturday last, Mr Arvinder Singh, who claims to be owner of the car, said that he had bought the same from the original owner, Bhalinder Singh, for Rs 1,30,000.

BUSINESS

CORPORATE HONCHO
Giving Punjabi hospitality to customers
On the eve of New Year, when most of the hotels, restaurants and discotheques in the city were offering free dinners, drinks or coupons to attract the young crowd, it was Aroma hotel that did most of the business. Without any marketing gimmicks, the annual turnover has already crossed Rs 3 crore.

MARKET PULSE
Hair oil launched
Chandigarh, January 6
Paras Pharmaceuticals, a healthcare and pharmaceutical company, has introduced Livon Silky Potion, a non-greasy hair fluid. It is a transparent, odourless after wash hair fluid containing Vitamin E that eases tangles and knots and makes hair smooth and soft.

EDUCATION

LLB exams: all affected must be impleaded, says HC
Chandigarh, January 6
Acting on a petition challenging the rescheduling of Panjab University’s LLB examination and holding of special lectures till then for students falling short of lectures, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ruled that all likely to be affected by the outcome should be impleaded as parties.

Jacob’s surprise visit to polytechnic Chandigarh, January 6 UT Administrator Lieut. Gen, JFR Jacob (retd) today paid a surprise visit to the Government Polytechnic, Sector 26, here to see improvements, if any, in the infrastructure and maintenance of the polytechnic since his last visit. UT Administrator Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) takes a look at the balcony of a hostel room at Government Polytechnic in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

College contests get good response
Chandigarh, January 6
Intra-college competitions organised by the Government College of Education, Sector 20, received a good response with 219 entries being received in five categories. The response could be judged from the fact that there are 200 students on the college rolls who are pursuing B.Ed.

Librarians’ body to hold contests
Chandigarh, January 6
The Chandigarh Librarians Association will organise the 11th Competition Master Library Related Competitions from January 12 at the Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, according to a statement issued here today.

Students’ gesture to Pustak inmates
Chandigarh, January 6
Students of Saint Soldier International School, Sector 28, extended a gesture of help to the inmates of Pustak School in New Indira Colony by donating clothes to them, according to a statement issued here today.

PU don gets award
Chandigarh, January 6
Dr Krishna Mohan from Panjab University’s Department of Geography has won the Young Geographers Award at the 24th Indian Geography Congress for his research paper on “What Ails the Drought Prone Area Programme?”.

Disc jockeys attend workshop
Chandigarh, January 6
Nearly 40 students from city-based computer centres and a few aspiring disc jockeys today got an opportunity to learn the intrinsic qualities of sound in an artistic mould during the opening day of a workshop on “Real time image and sound processing” organised by Alliance Francaise in Sector 36 here.

COURTS

Five-yr RI for murder bid
Chandigarh, January 6
Three city residents were today sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in an attempt to murder case by a local court. The three — Mohamad Aquil, Mohamad Zaki and Nazira Bano — were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 5000 each by the UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Tejwinder Singh.

CULTURE

Leaf from history
City rich in Harappan culture
If there is anything called historical justice, Chandigarh has it. A city envisioned to depict modern India ‘‘free from the fetters of the past’’ as Nehru put it, is actually built on the remains of one of the oldest civilisations of the world. Indus Valley Civilisation, a 2500 year-old urban culture, today cradles our city, epitomising both urbanisation and modernity.

Punjabi artistes to be honoured
Chandigarh, January 6
Adventure Group, a Mumbai-based event management company, will organise a show based on Punjabi culture at Kalagram on January 11.

HEALTH

Revised TB control plan raises hopes
10 pc cases from urban areas
Chandigarh, January 6
Anyone can get affected by tuberculosis — that’s a fact doctors in the city confirm without hesitation. If you think you cannot catch the infection just because you are residing in the city away from slums and villages, you are mistaken. In 2002-03, over 10 per cent of the TB patients coming to the treatment units in the city were from urban areas.

• 9,940 more immunised

SPORTS

High Court Lawyers-XI lift trophy
Chandigarh, January 6
A superb medium pace bowling by Vikram Bhardwaj and Sandeep Moudgil, who claimed three wickets each for 22 and 16 runs, respectively, enabled Punjab and Haryana High Court Lawyers Xi beat Delhi HC Lawyer XI by 70 runs to clinch the sixth All India Lawyers Inter-High Court Cricket Tournament at Tary Cricket Ground, Gurgaon.

Honours for Vivek athletics team Chandigarh, January 6 The athletics team of Vivek High School, Sector 38, is back in the city with honours after participating in the CBSE Schools National Athletics Meet held in the Kalinga stadium, Bhubaneshwar (Orissa), in December-end, 2002. (From left) Anchita, Disha, W.W. O’Kuku (coach), Shreya, Ipsita and Puneet.