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HC stays Naya Gaon notification
Chandigarh, November 28
In less than a fortnight after a notification was issued by the Secretary to the Punjab Government declaring Karoran, Nada and Kansal villages to be “transitional area for the purpose of constituting Nagar Panchayat at Naya Gaon”, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed its operation.

SPECIAL STORY
Language blues in GMCH-32
Chandigarh, November 28
Consider this: Mr Avtar Singh, an 82-year-old from Faidan village reaches the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, early in the morning to reach in time for the Eye OPD, but ends up wasting a good 20 minutes trying to locate the counter where the OPD registration is done, another 15 minutes trying to find where the Eye OPD is and how to get there and another half an hour locating the chemist shop. The reason: Mr Avtar Singh can read Hindi, read and write in Punjabi but cannot read English.

Impressive nagar kirtan
Chandigarh, November 28
An impressive nagar kirtan was taken out on the eve of the 532nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev here today. The procession, which started from Sector 19, passed through Sectors 27, 28, 29, 30, 20, 21 and 22, reaching the gurdwara in Sector 23.

Children participate in ‘Nagar Kirtan’ taken out in connection with the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

Massive fall in PU Business School ratings
Chandigarh, November 28
The Ratings of Panjab University Business School have witnessed a massive fall in a report released by Business India, a leading magazine of the business world, recently.

City lad chosen for role model award Panchkula, November 28

There is something remarkable about 26-year-old Ajit Pal Singh. Perhaps it is his indomitable spirit that strikes one while talking to him. Ajit Pal, who cannot speak or hear, has been chosen for the National Award for Role Model being conferred by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi on December 3. Ajit Pal Singh receives an award from the UT Administrator, Lieut Gen JFR Jacob (retd), earlier this year for his outstanding contribution in desilting operations at the Sukhna Lake.

Mohali to have luxury hotel
Chandigarh, November 28
Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority has formulated a comprehensive policy for allotment of land for world-class super deluxe luxury hotel in the “City Centre” (Sector 62) of SAS Nagar (Mohali). A formal decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Finance and Accounts Committee chaired by the Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister today.

RUN-UP TO MC POLL

No trend on voter preferences
Chandigarh, November 28
With about 10 days to go for the city’s civic body elections, no clear trend has emerged on voters’ preferences. A cross-section of city residents has given contradictory views on factors that will determine who will occupy the Mayor’s chair this time.

SC certificate: clarification sought from EC
Chandigarh, November 28
The Chandigarh Administration’s refusal to issue Scheduled Caste certificates here today had a Returning Officer for the December 8 panchayat poll in confusion about the nomination of a candidate of Scheduled Caste.

BJP to intensify campaign
Chandigarh, November 28
Campaigning by candidates of various parties for the coming Municipal Corporation elections picked up today with most of them going door-to-door for canvassing. The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to intensify its election campaign for the coming Municipal Corporation elections from tomorrow.

Private vehicles not to ply on Dec 8
Chandigarh, November 28
The Election Commission here today banned movement of private vehicles on the polling day on December 8. Vehicles allowed to ply on that date will be those of the police, sector-wise officers working with the Election Commission, candidates and their election agents and observers, EC sources said.

72 file nomination papers
Chandigarh, November 28
As many as 72 candidates have filed their nominations for 15 panchayat samiti member seats and 14 for six of panch seats for the December 8 election till today on the closing day of nominations.

• Parishad to support Independent candidate

• DA for daily wagers

‘Fix responsibility for telefax disconnection’
Chandigarh, November 28
The Election Commission of Chandigarh and Delhi has directed the Principal General Manager, Telecom, Chandigarh District, BSNL, to fix responsibility of the person who ordered disconnection of its telefax despite payment made 10 days earlier.

Beant Singh memorial to be completed soon
Chandigarh, November 28
The governing body of the Beant Singh Memorial Committee, today decided to complete the existing building and auditorium and put both these buildings to optimum use at the earliest.

Landlord in the soup while tenant makes merry
Chandigarh, November 28
The Chandigarh Electricity Department after allowing a tenant to consume electricity for 17 months without payment or disconnection, is now making the landlord pay the dues.

Include Balongi, Ballomajra in SAS Nagar MC
SAS Nagar, November 28
The Punjab Government has written to the SAS Nagar civic body to include Balongi and Ballomajra in the limits of the SAS Nagar Municipal Council.

Special counters for IT assessees
Chandigarh, November 28
The Income Tax Department has made special arrangements to facilitate filing of 2-C returns by residents of Chandigarh and the urban areas newly notified under the 1/6 scheme.

Stress on spirituality at samagam
Chandigarh, November 28
‘’The modern man has no time to think of God, but with all his plans and grand schemes for development, there is at the bottom an emptiness and yearning for peace,’’ stated, Mr Khem Raj Chadha, secretary, Sant Nirankari Mandal, Delhi, while addressing a mammoth open samagam in Sector 22 here today.

Club office-bearers installed
Chandigarh, November 28
The joint charternite-cum-installation ceremony of the Lions Club Rose, Chandigarh and Mani Majra Model Town was held at Lions Bhawan Sector 18 yesterday. The District Governor 321-F, Mr Dinesh Sood was the chief guest. He installed Ms Kailash Seth and Mr Parveen Aggarwal as presidents of the two clubs and their Boards of Directors .

She has 96-mm tongue
Panchkula, November 28
Seventeen-year-old Ridhima Kalsi has the longest tongue in the world, beating her nearest competitor by 16 mm. Her tongue, as certified by a dentist in the town, measures 96 mm. The earlier world record claimant Dr Rabinder Sharma from Una in Himachal Pradesh, has a tongue measuring 80 mm.

RPO issues Machine Written Passports
Chandigarh, November 28
The Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, has started issuing Machine Written Passports (MRPs) with effect from yesterday.

One dies in accident
Zirakpur, November 28
One person died on the spot, while three others sustained serious injuries in two separate accidents involving a scooter, two trucks and a private bus on the busy Chandigarh-Ambala highway near here late last night.

• Man electrocuted

• Former Mayor’s car involved in accident

• Helpline for women, kids
  
  

CRIME

Speeding driver reverses Jeep, hits policeman
Chandigarh, November 28
A jeep is signalled to stop by cops but the driver speeds away. Another cop on a motorcycle starts chasing the ‘‘fleeing’’ vehicle. The driver of the Jeep suddenly shifts gears and reverses the vehicle. The chasing cop is hit and injured. The driver is later arrested.

BUSINESS

MDA scheme to aid gem exporters
Chandigarh, November 28
In an endeavor to encourage jewellery exports, the Ministry of Commerce has implemented a scheme, Market Development Assistance, under which exporters or members of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council can avail themselves of financial assistance, said Mr J.S. Tiwana, Director, Ministry of Commerce, while addressing a seminar on MDA organised by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council here today.

• MARKET PULSE

EDUCATION

Non-existant posts occupied
Chandigarh, November 28
Employees of the Punjab School Education Board are up in arms against the Education Department for thrusting outside officials upon the Board, notwithstanding a blanket ban on appointments and even without the approval of the State Government’s departments concerned.

Inter-state contests at DAV school

	Chandigarh, November 28 The 32nd all-India inter-state and inter-school cultural contests began at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, here today, with the two sessions for the day divided between Sanskrit shlokas and English declamation.
Sandhya Arya of Chaman Lal DAV School recites ‘shlokas’ at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, during the Sanskrit shloka recitation competition on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Giddha, bhangra reign supreme at PU festival

Chandigarh, November 28 It was an ecstatic crowd at the grounds of Government College, Sector 11, here today, which set the mood for the afternoon session of folk dances on the concluding day of the Panjab University Zone B Youth Festival, here today. Participants of team C perform ‘giddha’ at the PU Youth Festival Zone B at Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

PU semester exams postponed
Chandigarh, November 28
Panjab University has postponed the semester examination scheduled for December 8 in view of the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections. An official press note issued today stated “new dates of examination will be intimated to the chief co-ordinators and centre superintendents. Candidates can get in touch with them”.

PU denies move to close Evening Studies Dept
Chandigarh, November 28
Panjab University today denied a report that approved in a section of the Press claiming that “there was a university move to close the Department of Evening Studies”.

Library opened in Khuda Alisher
Chandigarh, November 28
As part of the ongoing Sher-e-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai martyrdom fortnight, the Servants of the People Society today inaugurated a library celled Gurditt Prakash Rural Library in Khuda Alisher village about 15 km from here.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Hear voter before cutting off name
Chandigarh, November 28
Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a voter has a right to be heard before his name is struck off electoral rolls. Issuing directions, Mr Justice Goel also ordered that if the petitioner, Mr Amrik Singh, approached the Punjab State Election Commission, his grievance would be considered expeditiously in accordance with the law.

District Courts canteens raided
Chandigarh, November 28
Local health authorities today raided the District Courts canteens and drew samples of eatables. A team of Inspectors of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, UT, raided the canteens at about 1 p.m. One of these canteens is run by the District Bar Association while the other is run by Administration.

CONSUMER COURT
Telecom Dept told to pay  Rs 5,000 as compensation
Chandigarh, November 28
The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II has directed the Principal General Manager, Telecom, Chandigarh Telecom District, to pay compensation to a city resident for deficiency in services.

Ensure justice to all: Judge
Chandigarh, November 28
Speaking on the occasion of inauguration of the new office complex of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, Mr Justice V.K Bali, said” equal justice to all” was a constitutional pledge which must be fulfilled in letter and spirit.

HC moved against entry fee for Test
Chandigarh, November 28
Less than a week before the commencement of a Test match between India and England at PCA stadium in SAS Nagar, a Panchkula resident today sought directions to the Union of India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the PCA against charging entry fee from visitors.

Another witness records statement
Chandigarh, November 28
The statement of one of the witnesses in the Beant Singh assassination case was recorded before the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, in a courtroom at the Model Burail Jail today.

HEALTH

Training programme for technicians
SAS Nagar, November 28
The Jan Shikshan Sansthan today organised a training programme in collaboration with the Human Resource Development Cell of the Punjab Public Health Department, for technicians.

Doctor to be honoured
Chandigarh, November 28
Dr Attar Singh, a local acupressure specialist, will be honoured at the 25th International Astrological Conference in Kolkata on January 19 next year with “Bharat Bhushan” award for his distinguished service in the field of acupressure, an alternative system of medicine.

SPORTS

Hard-earned win for Atul, Lalit
Chandigarh, November 28
Atul Mehta had to play a marathon game to outlast Amit Swamy in five frames in the Haryana State Open Snooker tournament played here at Sector 34. Amit started with a bang and demolished Atul in the first two frames at 73-16, 51-7, but then Atul picked up the game and fought hard for every point to equalise the frame score with fine display of nerves at 47-32, 57-51.

Students participate in cycle rally
Panchkula, November 28
A cycle rally was organised by the district administration in association with Rotary Club to propagate polio eradication and give information about the pulse polio immunisation programme to be held on December 2, 2001, and January 20, 2002.

ADMINISTRATION

MC to take up stray-animal issue
SAS Nagar , November 28
The Municipal Council at its meeting here tomorrow will take up the issue of stray animals in the town. The Anti-Encroachment Committee has served a legal notice on the council to impound stray animals like cows, buffaloes and pigs and keep them in the cattle pound or transport them to a far-off place so that they do not come back to the town.