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Entrance tests at model schools to cope with rush
Chandigarh, May 5
The government schools of the city have never had it so good. It has been pouring students for most of the model schools since admissions started. Given the growing popularity of these schools and the unprecedented rush for the limited seats available, most of the schools for the first time conducted admission and screening tests to choose the best of the lot.

Creditors prevent MD from entering sick unit
Mohali, May 5
A former Managing Director of a closed unit here was today prevented from entering his unit’s premises by the representatives of a financial institution, whom the MD allegedly owed a large sum of money. The representatives tried to stop the MD from taking out some goods from the unit that was to be sold to pay back the creditors.

Deserted by lover, woman sells ova to raise her child
Chandigarh, May 5
A Mumbai girl ditched by her lover from Panchkula after she became pregnant is raising her daughter selling her ova (eggs) at a fertility clinic in Mumbai. Her lover refused to marry her after allegedly having a live-in relationship in Pune.

BSNL cell cards to be sold at petrol stations
Chandigarh, May 5
Prepaid recharging cards of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s mobile service, Cellone, will now be sold at select petrol outlets in the city. Also to be sold at petrol stations will be prepaid telephone cards, Sancharnet cards (used for Internet services) and webphone cards (for voice over Internet).

6-day week for PU from May 17
Chandigarh, May 5
Panjab University will be open for six days a week with effect from May 17. The new timings of the offices and departments, including the administrative offices, the construction office, the Directorate of Sports and the teaching departments, will be from 8 am to 2 pm without any lunch break.

ELECTIONS 2004

Real Issues
Lal dora issue may tip the scales
Chandigarh, May 5
‘Lal dora’ is a burning issue in the UT villages particularly in 18 villages which have not been included in the Municipal Corporation limits. Certain villagers have constructed houses outside the ‘lal dora’ (village habitation limits) going by the change in habitation needs. The administration, however, continues to follow the Periphery Act of 1886.

BJP has failed miserably, says Bansal

Chandigarh, May 5 The Bharatiya Janata Party is keeping the country in the dark about economic realities and deliberately hyping up the “feel good” factor only to the garner votes, said Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress nominee in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, while addressing a gathering in Colony No. IV here today. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, seeks votes during the campaign in Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Dhawan dismisses Jain, Bansal as leaders of small stature Chandigarh, May 5 Mr Satya Pal Jain and Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, respectively, are back-benchers in their parties, said Mr Harmohan Dhawan, nominee of the Indian National Lok Dal, while addressing an election rally here today. “They have never been considered for minister’s appointment in their governments. In fact, the BJP did not even consider Mr Jain worth fielding in the 1999 General Election,” he said.   Mr Harmohan Dhawan, INLD candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, addresses an election rally at Sector-17 in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Mr Gurpratap Singh Riar, president of the local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) is also seen. — A Tribune photograph

Exit polls a blessing in disguise for BJP, says Sushma Chandigarh, May 5 The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and official spokesperson for the BJP, Ms Sushma Swaraj, today said the exit polls conducted by various TV news channels, which predicted a rather below-the-expectation performance by the NDA in the first two phases of the elections to Parliament, had proven to be a “blessing in disguise”.   Union Minister Sushma Swaraj addresses a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Mr Satya Pal Jain, BJP candidate from Chandigarh, is also seen. — A Tribune photograph

Mr Satya Pal Jain, BJP candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, seeks votes from UT employees at Sector 17 in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

INLD ‘banks on’ development
Panchkula, May 5
The Indian National Lok Dal is banking on various development works taken up in the state by the Chautala government. If the party loses any seat, it would be a clear indication that the government could not live up to the public’s expectations.

Independent candidate visits Mini Secretariat
Political parties urged to consider employees’ demands
Rehabilitation of ‘jhuggi’ dwellers assured
Candidates will have to seek MC nod for booths

Gurpreet Kaur, student

First Vote
Youngsters should join politics
“Voting is my right and I am going to exercise it on May 10. Like me, all eligible voters should come out of their houses and vote for the candidate of their choice. I will vote as we live in a democracy and the future of the country hinges on it. One must vote, otherwise, he or she has no right to criticise ministers or government.

COMMUNITY

Paintings of Pampa Panwar on display at an exhibition — Spring-Summer in Marnay-sur-Reine — being held at Alliance Art Gallery, Sector 36, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Probe ordered into issuance of Morinda MC transit passes by Mohali staff
Mohali, May 5
The Secretary, Local Bodies, Punjab, has ordered an inquiry into the case of Mohali Municipal Council octroi employees issuing transit passes of the Morinda Municipal Council. It is learnt that Mr A.K. Kansal, the Chief Vigilance Officer, Local Bodies, Punjab, has been asked to deploy an inquiry officer to report on the matter.

Noisy scenes, walkout at Kharar Municipal Council meeting
Kharar, May 5
Noisy scenes and a walkout marked a meeting of the local municipal council here today which resolved to approach the authorities concerned to immediately transfer the ownership of the civil panchayat land to the civic body.

CRIME

Injured cyclist dies at PGI
Chandigarh, May 5
Ropar resident, J.P Singh, 42, who was seriously injured in a road accident last night, succumbed to his injuries at the PGI here this afternoon. The bicycle he was riding was hit by a Tata Qualis near the Sector 20 gurdwara and he was rushed to the PGI.

BUSINESS

Centre for international trade launched

Mohali, May 5 The Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Justice O.P. Verma (retd.), today underlined the need to strengthen marketing infrastructure for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to help them face challenges of globalisation and stiff competition in the post WTO scenario. Governor of Punjab Justice O.P. Verma launches the Centre for International Trade and Industry (Citi) at PCA Stadium, SAS Nagar, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

EDUCATION

A school that has one teacher and one student Chandigarh, May 5 Government Primary School in Morthikri village has perhaps the best teacher-taught ratio — one teacher for one student. But despite the one-on-one interaction, the teacher is frequently miffed with her student. She hit her with a slate on Friday and caused bleeding injuries to the class V student.
Narenderjit Kaur, a student of Class V, shows her injuries outside Government Primary School, Morthikri, near Mubarikpur village, in Dera Bassi subdivision of Patiala district. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Arena launches multimedia programme
Chandigarh, May 5
Arena Multimedia has launched its comprehensive and compact two-and-a-half year career course, Multimedia Specialist Programme 2004, which incorporates the latest industry relevant technologies and is designed in five semesters, including modules on Graphics, Authoring Multimedia, 3D Animation, Multimedia for Web and Games and Portfolio Management.

Hamara School Progressive school in salubrious surroundings Founded as a kindergarten in 1973, Saint Soldier International School, Sector 28-B, Chandigarh, is a manifestation of the vision of its founder-chairman S.G.S. Hayer. Driven by the philosophy of Guru Gobind Singh “Sarbat ka Bhala”, the school aims at imbibing in its students the virtue of universal brotherhood by learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be.

A view of Saint Soldier International School, Sector 28-B, Chandigarh.

Principal Speak
Education continuous enlightenment of mind
Swami Vivekanand once said, ‘Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there undigested, all your life. We must have list building, man making, character making assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library’.

COURTS

Law board asked to decide pending issues in 2 months
Chandigarh, May 5
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Companies Law Board to decide all issues concerning the Chandigarh Club, Chandigarh, within two months. Disposing of an appeal filed by Chandigarh Club Limited, the Bench also gave liberty to all parties to approach the Company Law Board with their grievances and complaints.

High Court
Poll banners
Chandigarh, May 5
An independent candidate for the forthcoming Parliamentary elections from Chandigarh, Mr Arvind Jain, has moved the High Court challenging the action of the Chandigarh Estate Office in removing banners and other publicity material from inside shops of his supporters.

LIFESTYLE

Home Decor A house done up with a passion for the wild Nestled in the lap of nature...no, we are not talking of a hill station with its pristine surroundings, but the house of ace shooter Raja Sidhu, which exhibits his love for the wild and beautiful. Be it the sprawling greens in the front and the back, antique paintings of wild birds or hunting equipment like daggers on the walls, the house is every bit an expression of the owner’s love for the wild.

The drawing room shows the owner’s passion for the wild. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Golden Temple model to adorn US museum

This is not for the first time that city-based artist Devender Singh has courted fame. His paintings on Sikh Gurus have adorned museums all over the globe, but to create a replica of the Golden Temple for prestigious Smith Honiam Museum in Washington DC, it is a dream come true for him “I have never visited the museum myself but to know that my creation will now adorn one of the finest museums in the world, gives me a sense of worthiness as an artist,” says Devender, with a clear note of pride as he exhibits the model of Golden Temple displayed in his studio in Sector 38.

Artist Devinder Singh with his model of the Golden Temple in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Leaders battle it out in Star TV ring
As the General Elections progresses and political debates reach a crescendo, “Hum Se Achha Kaun” on Star News takes the action to the masses. The show brings leading politicians from various constituencies face-to-face with their electorate for a live, uncensored and often heated debate.

Exam results on Reliance phones
Reliance Infocomm, with the cooperation of AIIMS, CBSE, ICSE and state school boards, will post examination results on R World, the Java-based suite of data applications of Reliance IndiaMobile. Over 70 results, including those of class X, class XII and engineering and medical entrance tests, will be posted on R World over the next three months.

Shirts for summer
Park Avenue has come out with its latest offering, Fine Tech shirts, which are made from 100 per cent cotton yarn, spun especially to keep the summer heat at bay. While patterns have always been in style in some shape or other, stripes are all the rage this season.