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Ban goes up in smoke
Chandigarh, May 3
Uninhibited, unaware and unmindful, the smokers of the city continue to puff in public places. The recent Supreme Court order banning smoking in public places, effective from May 1, is no deterrent. 

The ban on smoking goes up in the air as a city resident puffs away at a public place in Chandigarh on Monday. —  Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Woman killed, mother hurt as Sumo hits scooter
Chandigarh, May 3
A 30-year-old mother of three was killed and her 55-year-old widowed mother was seriously injured when their scooter collided with a Tata Sumo today in Sector 28. Both were employees of the UT Health Department.

Golf Club members to pay Rs 1000 each to meet IT arrears
Chandigarh, May 3
Members of the Chandigarh Golf Club will have to shell out Rs 1,000 each to meet the IT arrears of the club running into over Rs 28 lakh.

Bansal’s assets information incomplete, says Jain
Chandigarh, May 3
Mr Satya Pal Jain, BJP candidate for the Chandigarh Parliamentary constituency, today accused his Congress rival, Mr Pawan Bansal, of failing to fully disclose the details of his property in the affidavit filed by him to the Election Commission and asked the Returning Officer to institute an enquiry into the matter.

BSF, police patrol Mohali streets
Mohali, May 3
A unit of the Border Security Force reached here today to beef up the security in the town in view of the elections. Over 45 BSF and 30 Punjab police personnel patrolled the streets in the town later in the day as part of the security drill. “Flag marches will also be carried out till elections.

BSF jawans prepare for a patrol in Mohali on Monday. — A Tribune photo

First Vote
Opportunity to clean up the system
“Politics is a dirty game. But now we young people have an opportunity to clean up the political system by voting the right candidate and the right party to power at the Centre. I will ensure that I am not influenced by propaganda when I go to vote.

Building that runs on solar power
Chandigarh, May 3
The city and surrounding areas can look forward to a greener tomorrow with certain government and civic agencies increasingly exploiting renewable sources of energy like the solar power.

Quota for poor students not practical, say Principals
Chandigarh, May 3
Reacting to a Supreme Court judgment on private schools regarding the fee, Principals of some of private schools in the city maintained that the government should compare the amount it was spending on each student before fixing the norms for unaided schools. They felt that the functioning of the government and private schools should be in harmony.

CHANDIGARH CALLING With the campaigning in full swing and elections round the corner, activists of political parties are out in full strength convincing the electroate why they should be voted to power. Holding nukkad meetings, visiting colonies and giving a personal touch to their campaign, politicians are, for once, seen anywhere and everywhere. Exams and campaigning Confident Congress A piece of advice Peace city Badal the cloud Defence note

ELECTIONS 2004

City SAD leaders go with INLD
Dhawan to take up employees’ issues
Chandigarh, May 3
Adding to the confusion as to on whose side is the Shiromani Akali Dal, the president of the local unit of the SAD, Mr Gurpratap Singh Riar, and his supporters today campaigned in favour of the Indian National Lok Dal candidate, Mr Harmohan Dhawan. On the other hand, senior Akali leader Bibi Jagir Kaur said the SAD was with the BJP.

INLD candidate from Chandigarh Harmohan Dhawan campaigns in Sector 46 on Monday.
— A Tribune photograph

SAD to support Jain, says Jagir Kaur
Chandigarh, May 3
Clarifying the stance of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Bibi Jagir Kaur, sitting MLA and close confidante of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said today that the SAD would support the BJP in Chandigarh in the coming Lok Sabha poll. Bibi Jagir Kaur spoke to the Tribune minutes after participating in a rally in support of the BJP candidate, Mr Satya Pal Jain, in Burail village and inaugurated the party office there.

SAD faction joins Jain in campaign
Chandigarh, May 3
Members of a faction within the local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), defied the stance of their party, as they openly came out in support of BJP candidate, Satya Pal Jain today.

Bansal takes up oustees’ cause
Chandigarh, May 3
Villagers should be made active participants in development and should be given adequate compensation for their lands acquired by government, this was stated by the Congress candidate from Chandigarh, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal.

Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress candidate, interacts with women in Sector 22, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Ravi Inder opens poll office
Mohali, May 3
The election office of Mr Surjan Singh Rahi, Akali Dal (Ravi Inder Singh) candidate for the Ropar Lok Sabha seat, was inaugurated by the party chief near Gurdwara Amb Sahib here yesterday. Mr Rahi appealed to residents to help him win the election.

Sushma to address rally today
Chandigarh, May 3
Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj will address a rally in the city tomorrow.

Identity crisis, courtesy voter card
Chandigarh, May 3
The photo identity cards issued by the Election Commission that enable the voters to exercise their right to franchise and can be used for identification under different government schemes are not foolproof as often glaring mistakes can be seen in these.

COMMUNITY

City becoming regional flesh trade centre
Chandigarh, May 3
The city is developing into a regional flesh trade centre on the lines of metropolitan cities. This came to light after the arrest of Pardeep Kumar by the Chandigarh police last week along with six customers and three call girls brought to the city.

Condemned vehicles await disposal
Kharar, May 3
Has the Punjab Health Department forgotten to auction 17 condemned vehicles lying exposed to the vagaries of the weather at a workshop which was closed some time ago?

Condemned vehicles of the Punjab Health Department rotting in the open for the past many years at the Punjab Institute of Health and Family Welfare at Kharar. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Humouring employees with humour pill
Chandigarh, May 3
Laughter has also become a serious business. If you are a person with a cheerful countenance and a wonderful sense of humour, ample opportunities await you in the multinational and national companies. This is not a joke for several companies these days are committed to the cause of providing a light and happy environment to ease out stress from the lives of their employees, who work for 12-14 hours. These companies are looking for humour consultants, who can motivate people to laugh.

Students of Deepmala Public School, Dera Bassi, during their visit to The Tribune office in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Id-Milad-ul-Nabi celebrated
Chandigarh, May 3
Impressive congregations were held in mosques all over the city to mark Id-Milad-ul-Nabi — the birthday of Prophet Mohammed today.

Shias demand land for mosque
Mohali, May 3
Members of the Hussainy Association, Punjab, have demanded land for a mosque and imambara in the vicinity of Chandigarh. An organisation of Shia Muslims, it has in a letter to the Punjab Chief Minister pointed out that over 10,000 Shias are settled in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, but the nearest place of worship for them is the mosque at Malerkotla.

Fauji Beat
Wake up ex-servicemen, vote on merit
If ex-servicemen were disgusted with politicians until about a fortnight ago, today they are disgusted with their own leaders, most of whom are “self-styled”. Why? Because the same leaders who were condemning all political parties for betraying them repeatedly and asking the ex-servicemen to vote according to their conscience were now aligning with one party or another.

Chief of Western Command Lieut-Gen J.J. Singh (right) interacts with DSOI members while Ms Anupam Singh (centre) looks on. 

Shan-e-Sapper celebrates 8th Raising Day
Chandigarh, May 3
Several functions, including a sainik sammelan, pagal gymkhana and barakhana, were organised to mark the Eighth Raising Day of the Shan-e-Sapper Regiment, an elite unit of the Bombay Sapper Group. The celebrations, spread over three days, concluded somewhere in the Western Sector today.

New SSP for greater police-public interaction
Mohali, May 3“
Sensitivity to human behaviour is essential for good policing. Both in terms of catching criminals and helping the public, it is important to know the minds of those you are dealing with,’’ said Mr Rajiv Ahir, the newly appointed Senior Superintendent of Police, Ropar, here today. Mr Ahir was speaking to mediapersons during a press conference organised at his camp office in Phase IV.

Follow Buddha’s ideals, says Governor
Chandigarh, May 3
The Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, Justice O.P. Verma, today called upon the people to imbibe and preach the eternal message of peace, non-violence and salvation given by Lord Buddha.

Yoga camp registration from May 5
Panchkula, May 3
Swami Ram Dev, will hold a meditation camp here to educate people about yoga, meditation and pranayam.

CRIME

Fresh complaint against Chandigarh Club member
Chandigarh, May 3
Two members of Chandigarh Club have lodged a complaint with the police against another member, Mr Rajiv Kwatra, for allegedly forging their signatures on a list of members submitted before the Company Law Board.

EDUCATION

Panjab University’s date with sun
Chandigarh, May 3
The sun played host at the Energy Research Centre, Panjab University, here today, where “International Sun Day” was celebrated with a lunch cooked entirely on solar energy powered equipment.

Prof S.K. Sharma, Director, Energy Research Centre, PU, checks food cooked in solar cookers. The centre organised a function to celebrate “International Sun Day” at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

• International Sun Day celebrated

PU Syndicate nod to upgradation of school
Chandigarh, May 3
The Panjab University Syndicate has given its employees a reason to smile. Their long-pending demand of upgrading Ankur, the kindergarten school on the campus, has finally been met. At a recent meeting of the Syndicate, it was decided that the school would be upgraded to the primary level to begin with and gradually made a senior secondary school.

450 students participate in painting contest
Chandigarh, May 3
As many as 450 students from 15 schools of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali participated in an on-the-spot painting competition organised yesterday at Forest Hill Golf and Country Club near Chandigarh. The jury was from Fine Arts College, Chandigarh. They gave the subjects for painting as well.

Teachers vow to work for peace
Chandigarh, May 3
The Dev Samaj College of Education, Srijan Peace Education Centre for Yuvsatta, Gandhi Smiti, Indian Council of Gandhian Studies and the local Rotary Club organised a campaign for Peace city - Chandigarh” at Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, here today.

Parishad gives books to school students
Panchkula, May 3
As many as 40 students of Saket School were given books and stationery by the Panchkula unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad to mark the annual day of their organisation. The students were given these items free of cost during the function in Sector 12-A.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Students tender apology
Chandigarh, May 3
Students of Panjab University, who had filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking postponement of LLB exams, today tendered an unconditional apology for misrepresenting facts in their petition. At the last hearing, the Court had summoned the six students for having misled the court.

LIFESTYLE

City residents going in for ‘meditation tourism’
WITH summer vacations round the corner, soft adventure tourism and herbal and meditation tourism are what the city residents are taking to rejuvenate their city- tired souls. From kayaking, canoeing, para-gliding, trekking and camping in the cool climes of Himalayas to heading for herbal spas in the Himalayas and ayurveda and Panchkarma centres in God’s own country, the tourist from the city is trying out a different holiday this year. 

The perfect homemaker
SHE has been selected as the perfect homemaker. Ms Ashi Prashar of Patiala won the tiltle of Ms Homemaker, 2004, at a glittering show organised by Net4Barter at North Park Resorts on Sunday night.

Mrs Homemaker 2004, Ms Ashi Prashar, is all smiles as she poses with her husband, Col Neeraj Prashar.

‘Hey Dumbo’ captures magic of circus
Jumbo circus virtually came to town today, thanks to students of Ryan International School, who put up so realistic a performance involving acrobats, jugglers, jokers and other characters that it was easy to mistake them for professional circus artistes. In this perfect backdrop unfolded Walt Disney’s story “Hey Dumbo”, the star attraction of the first International Children’s Festival of Performing Arts, that was inaugurated at Tagore Theatre today.

A scene from an item presented by students of Ryan International School at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, on Monday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Talent hunt at DAV school
SRIJAN, an institute of creativity, organised a talent hunt at DAV Public School, Sector 8, here on Monday. As many as 400 students from Class II to X participated in various activities of art, making the best out of waste, music , dance and creative writing.

Impressive display of Chhattisgarh handicrafts
Handlooms and handicrafts from Chhattisgarh have been brought to town by the artisans and master weavers of Chhattisgarh. These handlooms and handicrafts are contemporary in style and design, crafted after a study of the existing market trends.

HEALTH

300 Nirankaris donate blood
Chandigarh, May 3
About 300 Nirankari devotees donated blood at a camp organised by Sant Nirankari Mandal at Satsang Bhawan in Mauli Jagran today. Punjab’s Director-General of Police (Prisons) inaugurated the camp. He applauded the contribution of the Nirankari Mission which had organised more than 100 such camps all over the country every year.

SPORTS

Deepika, Raghav win inter-school TT titles
Chandigarh, May 3
Deepika Aggarwal of Carmel Convent, Nahan and Raghav of St Kabir School, Sector 26, emerged winners in the girls and boys singles, respectively, in the ICSE Inter-School Table Tennis Tournament — 2004 played here today at the Tender Heart School, Sector 33.

Rock Rovers, ITBP in hockey finals
Chandigarh, May 3
Rock Rovers and the ITBP made it to the finals of the second Dharam Singh Memorial six-a-side hockey tournament after winning in the semifinals played under the floodlights in the Sector 18 hockey stadium here today.

The first semi-finals of the second Dharam Singh Memorial six-a-side hockey tournament between the CISF and Rock Rovers being played under the floodlights in the Sector 18 hockey stadium on Monday. —  Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Mount Carmel surge ahead in netball meet
Chandigarh, May 3
Hosts Mount Carmel School, Sector 47, surged ahead by winning their matches in both girls and boys sections in the first UT sub-junior netball championship which began here today on the school premises. The two-day meet is being held under the aegis of the Netball Association of Chandigarh. Earlier the meet was inaugurated by Mr Charles Samuel, Principal of the host school.

ADMINISTRATION

Food licence issue resolved
Chandigarh, May 3
The responsibility of the issuance of licences to manufacturers of food products has been given to the Municipal Corporation. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting presided over by the UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd). The Administrator said the Administration should move according to the bylaws and the corporation should be entrusted the responsibility of issuing licences manufacturers of food products, including meat products. However, the local Health Department would retain the authority of checking adulteration of food products under the PFA Act.

Launch drive to check power theft, Verma tells Chief Engineer
Chandigarh, May 3
The UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd), today asked the Chief Engineer to launch a concerted drive to check power theft, especially by bulk consumers like industrial sectors and commercial units.