C H A N D I G A R H

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TOP STORIES

MC deficit may rise further
Chandigarh, February 20
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will once again be virtually begging for money to meet the ever-increasing demands of expenditure, raising infrastructure and paying salaries.

CBI files charge sheet after 16 yrs
IAS officer Bajaj among accused
Chandigarh, February 20
Sixteen years after Punjab IAS officer B.R. Bajaj was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in a lottery scam, the CBI filed a charge sheet in a local court, yesterday.

3 held for peddling drugs
SAS Nagar, February 20
The police today busted a notorious gang of drug peddlers involved in selling smack from a house here. While three persons of the gang were arrested today and 200 gm of smack was seized from them, the police is hoping to round up people who provided the drug to them.

Jacob receives PM at airport
Chandigarh, February 20
The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had a brief stopover at Chandigarh where he changed aircraft en route to Himachal Pradesh. He was received by the Punjab Governor, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, (retd), and the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand.

BSNL does an AirTel
Chandigarh, February 20
After the announcement of free incoming calls by AirTel on Tuesday from all networks, including landline and WLL phones, the BSNL today announced free incoming calls from all networks on its Cellone cellular mobile phones under Plan-325 of the cellular post-paid scheme and also under cellular pre-paid scheme, Excel, with effect from midnight.

Mayawati charms Husain
Chandigarh, February 20
You can’t trust every artist to play with the most diverse of influences and still rule the heart of admirers. But when it comes to MF Husain you can only choose to flow with the energy his canvas commands.

COMMUNITY

Letter of intent sold twice
SAS Nagar, February 20
Among the first victims of the controversial decision of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) to allow the transfer of letters of intent by plot holders in Sectors 76 to 80, is Mr M.P. Singh, a resident of Phase XI, here.

Disabled return disappointed
Chandigarh, February 20
About 15 handicapped youth arrived for an interview for the post of peon in a Central Government office located in Kendriya Sadan, Sector 9, this morning only to be told that the interview had been postponed.

Abandoned by parents & nature both SAS Nagar, February 20 An abandoned child is spending nights in the cold, sleeping in front of a shop near the Balongi barrier. No one knows the name of the child who was left in that area, along with a bicycle, about six days ago. The child, aged about 10 years, is not able to speak clearly though he understands Punjabi. He is unable to tell his name or that of his parents. Neither can he convey anything through writing. It is reported that he was feeling depressed in the beginning, but now he has got friendly with the people of the area who are showing concern for him. A deserted child at Balongi.

ULTA PULTA — Jaspal Bhatti’s Friday humour Shimla’s mud-slinging festival During the snowfall in Shimla, people are often seen throwing snowballs at one another to express their joy and welcome the snowfall. But these days it is the politicians who are seen throwing mud at one another as the Vidhan Sabha elections in Himachal draw close.

Sidhu heads press gallery panel
Chandigarh, February 20
At a meeting of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Press Gallery Committee here today, Mr Jagtar Singh Sidhu, Special Correspondent of Punjabi Tribune, was unanimously elected its president. Mr Baljit Balli of Daily Ajit and Mr Sarabjit Singh Pandher of The Hindu were elected vice-president and secretary of the committee, respectively.

CRIME

Man duped of Rs 3 lakh
Chandigarh, February 20
A man of the Fatehgarh Sahib district, Mr Gurwinder Singh, has allegedly been cheated of Rs 3 lakh by a Sector 41 man, B.P.S. Duggal. Mr Gurwinder Singh has told the police that the accused took the money from him on the promise of finding him a job in Merchant Navy.

EDUCATION

Fashion show sets tone for ‘Jhankar’ Chandigarh, February 20 Models sashayed the ramp on the opening day of “Jhankar 2003”, a national youth festival, being organised by the Panjab University Campus Students Council here today. Models sashay down the ramp on the first day of Jhankar-2003 at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Thursday. — Photo Manoj Mahajan

Kids get awards
Chandigarh, February 20
Prizes were distributed to winners of a children’s festival at the State Institute of Education here today. As many as 222 awards were given away by the Chief Executive Officer of the Chandigarh Housing Board, Ms Varsha Joshi.

Set up school elsewhere: residents
Chandigarh, February 20
Residents of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation colony, Sector 47, are protesting the conversion of a children’s park into the premises of a privately managed school.

National Science  Day celebrations
Chandigarh, February 20
The two-day National Science Day celebrations commenced at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, here today. Mr G.S. Bains, Project Director, Science and Technology Department, UT, who inaugurated the show, applauded efforts made by the science faculty of the school.

• YPS get-together

CULTURE

NEW RELEASE
A thriller in fog
THE success of ‘Raaz’, ‘Humraaj’ and ‘Jism’ has proved that audiences want films off beat in story, plot, treatment and style. As far cast, they don’t seem to care much. These films reaped rich moolah. Going seems to be good for thrillers again.

HEALTH

Lecture on HIV, AIDS
Chandigarh, February 20
A lecture on transmission and prevention of HIV and AIDS was delivered during a one-day camp organised by the Indian Council of Social Welfare at Dhanas village. Addressing the gathering, Project Coordinator of Reproductive and Child Health Services Programme Dr Sangeeta Jund laid emphasis on safe behaviour about sex.

Symposium in PGI
Chandigarh, February 20
The importance of carrying out controlled clinical trials for documenting the efficacy and safety of new drugs was today emphasised during a symposium on clinical trial methodology organised by the Department of Pharmacology at the PGI.