C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

UT to adopt AP model for tax collection
Chandigarh, January 20
Chandigarh is aiming to replicate the Andhra Pradesh model of e-governance and for running its offices and also for the collection of various taxes, levies and fees . Also on the cards is the arrival of other top Information Technology companies in the city.

New Chd-Panchkula road to open soon
Chandigarh, January 20
A new road between Chandigarh and Panchkula is set to be opened shortly, as workers of the Engineering Department are giving it the final touches. This road will start from Saint Kabir School, Sector 26, and culminate at Panchkula.

A view of the new road from city to Panchkula that is being readied and will open shortly. The road begins from St Kabir School in Sector 26. — A Tribune photograph

Schools reopen amid thick fog Chandigarh, January 20 Even as dense fog blocked the visibility in the early hours of the day, all private schools in the city reopened today after a gap of over a week, giving the parents a reason to complaint and students a reason to shiver. Dense fog forces vehicles to move at a snail’s pace in Chandigarh on Monday morning. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

Chilly weather to persist in region
Chandigarh, January 20
Change in the life-style of middle classes more than anything else may have led to the uproar over the “unprecedented cold wave conditions” in the region which forced the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the UT Administration to close down schools in the region a couple of weeks ago.

• No flights to city for 3 more days

A traffic jam at Piccadily Chowk in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

Cong to stake claim to MC chief’s post
Panchkula, January 20
The victory of 14 Congressmen in the Municipal Council elections here has prodded the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee to throw in that into the ring for the post of President of the first council here.

Special police team to check theft of computer parts
Chandigarh, January 20
Concerned over the rise in the incidents of theft of computer hardware accessories by organised gang (s) in the city, the Chandigarh Police has devised a new strategy to tackle the crime. A special investigating team has been entrusted with the task of tracking down the computer-savvy criminals, who have been striking in the city at will.

Four computer thieves held Chandigarh, January 20 With arrest of four computer ‘‘thieves’’ the Chandigarh Police claims to have solved several cases of theft of computers and mobile phones in the city. All arrested belong to well-to-do families. Three persons who were arrested by the CIA staff for allegedly stealing computers, in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Rs 1800-cr Central Govt plan to modernise prisons
Chandigarh, January 20
The Central Government has drawnup an ambitious Rs 1800 -crore plan for modernising prison infrastructure in the country on a cost-sharing basis with the states, says Mr L.C. Amarnathan, Director-General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

13 secys held  in another swoop
Chandigarh, January 20
The Chandigarh Police today once again swooped on the dismissed Panchayat Secretaries and arrested 13 agitating members of the Association of Dismissed Panchayat Secretaries of Punjab. With this the total number of arrested Panchayat Secretaries has gone up to 98 during the past couple of weeks.

COMMUNITY

Growing traffic plagues Corbusier’s dream
Solution files gather dust in offices
Chandigarh, January 20
The growing number of vehicles on roads in the City Beautiful has become a menace not only for the residents but also for the policy makers. Le Corbusier, the French architect who designed this city would have never dreamt of this “hazard” plaguing the very spirit of the city.

MC POLL
Kataria blames Admn for BJP defeat
Chandigarh, January 20
After the brief bonhomie over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue, the relations between the BJP and the INLD in Haryana has gone back to the familiar terrain of acrimony over the municipal elections in Panchkula.

Pasla group holds convention

Chandigarh, January 20 The Mangat Ram Pasla-led group of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) here today held a joint session with the MPCI, the All-India Forward Bloc and the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML). Participants at a convention of the Left parties, led by the Pasla group of the CPM, at Bal Bhavan in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Garbage collection scheme launched in Sectors 27, 28 Chandigarh, January 20 Mayor Subhash Chawla today launched the garbage bin-free area scheme in sectors 27 and 28. With the launch of the scheme, residents of the two sectors will have to make arrangements for dumping garbage only at designated places in the two sectors. Garbage bins from other areas have been withdrawn.
Mayor Subhash Chawla, Devinder Singh Babla, former Mayor, Lalit Joshi, councillors Pushpa Sharma, Sohan Lal and Harpreet Kaur at the launch of the “Garbage bin free” campaign in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

FAUJI BEAT
Royal Jats enter bicentenary year
The 1 Jat (Light Infantry), redesignated 2nd Battalion, The Mechanised Infantry Regiment, 1 Jat (LI), will celebrate its bicentenary in November. The British had bestowed on it the honour of Royal Jats for its splendid record in both World Wars.

MC, UT staff threaten stir
Chandigarh, January 20
The Coordination Committee of government and MC employees and workers of the UT, Chandigarh, here today threatened to hold a protest on February 11 to seek immediate implementation of employees’ long-pending demands.

IGP’s directive to SHOs
Chandigarh, January 20
The Inspector General of Police, Chandigarh, Mr Rajesh Kumar, today directed the Station House Officers (SHOs) to improve the recovery of stolen vehicles and check burglaries and house thefts in their respective areas.

CRIME

134 pouches of liquor seized
Chandigarh, January 20
The local police has arrested five persons under the Excise Act from various parts of the city during the past 24 hours and seized 134 pouches of Indian made foreign liquor from them. Five cases under Sections 61,1 and 14 of the Excise Act have been registered against them in the Sector-34 police station.

Conman dupes patient, held
Chandigarh, January 20
A patient from Karnal was duped by a conman on the pretext of getting him medically examined in the new OPD of the PGI here. The victim, Mr Surinder Kumar, during a visit to the hospital came in contact with the cheat, Manish Kumar.

High drama at Leisure Valley
Chandigarh, January 20
High drama was enacted in Leisure Valley in Sector 10 when a scribe of a vernacular media dialled the Police Control Room giving information that certain youths were taking smack near Government Arts College.

BUSINESS

LIC agents asked to focus on customer service
Chandigarh, January 20
The Life Insurance Corporation of India agents should focus on providing customer service, apart from enhancing business volumes, said Mr S.B. Mathur, Chairman of the LIC, while addressing the Chairman Club Agents’ Convention that concluded here yesterday.

MC seals 2 SCOs in Mani Majra
Chandigarh, January 20
The Municipal Corporation today sealed SCO No. 904 and 905 in Mani Majra as the allottee had failed to pay the premium. SCO No. 904 had been purchased by Mr Sunil Uppal for Rs 1,06,60,000 and SCO No. 905 had been purchased by M\s Guru Kripa Estate for Rs 1,07,60,000 in an auction held in April 1997.

MARKET PULSE
A massage to tone up mind and body
Chandigarh, January 20
Do you wish to have a healthier, more relaxed body, mind and spirit and low-stress lifestyle? Have a Swedish massage. Developed in the 1700s by a Swedish doctor, Swedish massage has long been thought of as the first organised and systematic method of modern massage therapy.

• BIZ CLIPS

EDUCATION

Defence centre to hold seminars on security
Chandigarh, January 20
Stepping out to take its place among strategic think-tanks, the Panjab University’s Centre for Defence and National Security Studies will organise two seminars on internal security aspects and pursuance of strategic interests beyond national frontiers.

Refresher course for biology lecturers
Chandigarh, January 20
A six-day refresher course for biology lecturers from schools in Punjab began at the Panjab University’s Department of Botany, here today. The course is being organised by the State Institute of Science Education in association with the Botany Department.

Honorary degree for NRI physician
Chandigarh, January 20
In recognition of excellence in his field, an eminent Canada-based Indian physician, Dr Ranjit Chandra, will be conferred an Honoris Causa Doctorate of Science during Panjab University’s 52nd convocation, scheduled to be held here on January 28.

Manav Mangal students excel Chandigarh, January 20 Manav Mangal High School of Sector 21 has won the overall “Best school trophy” in category I for students of Classes VI and VII during the inter-school competitions organised by Punjab Engineering College on the college premises. Students of Manav Mangal High School, Sector 21, Chandigarh, with the “Best school trophy” during the inter-school competition organised by Punjab Engineering College.

MP announces grant for RTC
Chandigarh, January 20
Member Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal today announced the grant of Rs 5 lakh for the construction of Regional Training Centre at Red Cross Bhavan. Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a training programme at the centre today, he appreciated the efforts of the management for making the Red Cross active for welfare programme.

PCCTU to begin agitation
Chandigarh, January 20
Members of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union have decided to launch a “massive” agitation over the “indifferent” attitude of the Punjab Government towards its demands.

COURTS

DISTRICT COURT
Judicial remand for ‘India’s most wanted’
Chandigarh, January 20
“India’s most wanted”, Nazim, alias Shamim, was today remanded to judicial custody by the UT Duty Magistrate, Mr Pushvinder Singh, till February 3 in the Chawla murder case. Earlier, the court had remanded him to three days police custody in the case.

Hearing on petrol station of CM’s son on Jan 28
Chandigarh, January 20
A division Bench of Mr Justice V.K. Bali and Mr Justice Kiran Anand Lall of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today fixed January 28 as the date for arguments on a writ petition filed by Indian Oil Corporation against the order of Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner, who had cancelled the no-objection certificate which had been issued for a petrol station in Mand village to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son, Anurag Singh Thakur.

Officiating BDPO’s petition dismissed
Chandigarh, January 20
The Central Administration Tribunal has dismissed the petition filed by Mr Avtar Singh, officiating Block Development and Panchayat Officer, for promoting him as Block Development and Panchayat Officer.

Shopowner counter-charges Delhi lawyer
Chandigarh, January 20
The director of Modella Knitwear, Mr Ashok Goyal, today denied that he, along with his father, Mr ML Goyal and brother Arun Goyal, was at the shop when a Delhi-based lawyer came to their shop along with a process server to serve summons of a Delhi court.

CULTURE

Leaf from history Once a village, now encroachment History is all about memories. It is also a puzzle. No one knows which of the numerous remembrances of the past will remain alive, and in a sense come to life at a later date and which will vanish into the myriad folds of the past. Yet a story from the past can hold intrinsic value, even though the residents of Chandigarh are rather indifferent to the ancestry of their town. Few users of Vidya Path, including the gheri route, know that this road was part of the old dirt track from the Ropar-Kalka main road to small villages along the Choe Patiali Rao. An important village along this road was Shahzadpur.

Surinam singer weaves magic
Chandigarh, January 20
The city audience was treated to a musical feast of a different flavour this evening. As the Indian Council for Cultural Relation organised a special performance by Kries Ramkhelawan, a well known chutney, (a form in music in the Caribbeans), baithak and qawwali singer from Surinam, it was time to get an insight into some of the fast fading traditions of music in the world.

SPORTS

Sports complex to be shifted
SAS Nagar, January 20
The Sports complex built on approximately 25 acres of land in Phase IX is to be shifted and an alternative site found it. This was decided at a meeting of administrative and planning bodies of the township held under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, here today.

Badminton, tennis teams selected
Chandigarh, January 20
The UT Education Department has selected badminton, tennis and yoga teams for participation in the 48th National School Games to be held at Surat from January 23 to January 28.

ADMINISTRATION

Encroachments removed
SAS Nagar, January 20
A team of the local administration today removed encroachments from a piece of land owned by Electronic Corporation, Punjab, industrial area, here today. The land was encroached upon by a union of truckers. The office of the union demolished with the help of a JCB.