C H A N D I G A R H

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Little enthusiasm, low voter turnout mark MC poll
Chandigarh, December 8
An estimated 35 per cent of the 7,06,000 voters here today chose to exercise their franchise in the Municipal Corporation elections which passed off largely peacefully barring few complaints of impersonation, ferrying of voters and the pick-and-choose attitude of the police and administration.

Secret ballot! A voter castes his vote without any privacy at the Municipal Corporation poll in Chandigarh on Saturday. (Right): The youths who were rounded up by the police for alleged impersonation at a booth in Hallomajra during the Panchyat Samiti election on Saturday. — Photos Manoj Mahajan

Rs 77-cr Centre package for pending city projects
Chandigarh, December 8
A Rs 77-crore package has been agreed upon by the Union Finance Ministry for various pending works and projects in Chandigarh. According to sources in the Administration, the ministry has agreed to the demands after a delegation of the Administration along with officials of the Union Home Ministry held a high-level meeting in Delhi a few days ago.

VICE-CHANCELLORS CONFERENCE
No final nod yet to N-plant in Punjab
Chandigarh, December 8
No final decision has yet been taken on setting up a nuclear power plant in Punjab, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told TNS in an interview. He was here to participate in a panel discussion of heads of various apex bodies at the 76th annual meeting of the Association of Indian Universities and Vice-Chancellors’ Conference that concluded at Panjab University today.

Cold-shouldering VCs, Punjab style
Chandigarh, December 8
Haryana that literally hijacked the Association of Indian Universities and the Vice-Chancellors Conference floored the delegates with its hospitality and honour. Contrast this with the short-shrift, shabby treatment meted out by Punjab to them.

Imposter nabbed at VCs’ conference Chandigarh, December 8 An imposter posing as a University Grants Commission official at the four-day Vice-Chancellors Conference at Panjab University was nabbed on the last day here today.

PU tie-up with Distant Education Council likely
Chandigarh, December 8
Panjab University is considering a tie-up with the Distant Education Council to make teaching-learning more effective in the university’s Department of Correspondence Studies.

Cruel fate
Chandigarh, December 8
It was a tragic end to a happy occasion. Just as Manju Joshi (39), a resident of Sector 32 here, after meeting her parents who were sitting in a bus bound for a town in UP, was about to get down from the bus, she was crushed to death by the vehicle while it was reversing at the Inter State Bus Terminus in Sector 17 this afternoon.

YOUNG VOICE
The appeal of interior designing
Interior designing is not just moving a few pieces of furniture from one corner to another, according to Parminder Ranauta, a first-year student of interior designing from the National Institute of Fashion Designing, Sector 8. Interior designing is an integral part of architecture, says Parminder. “And we designers have to deal with landscaping as well,” she adds.

WESTERN FILM REVIEW Odyssey of repulsion Chandigarh Wild boars shredding humans to bits; a child on a flight being offered parts of male anatomy as food — the landscape of “Hannibal” (Kiran) is swathed in hues which are essentially red. The images that dot it brim with raw power and radiant optimism. The wind that blows across is ululating. The remake has the raw emotions of the devilish Dr Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), who devours human flesh with the consummate ease of someone munching popcorns on a holiday.

COMMUNITY

Unauthorised kiosks spring up again
SAS Nagar, December 8
Unauthorised mushrooming of kiosks in the rehri market of the Phase 3-B1 market is reported to have once again picked up with the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority undertaking a fresh survey of occupants in the market. At least 380 pucca booths have to be constructed by the authority under a rehabilitation package for kiosk-owners.

For healthy hair, think positive: Habib Chandigarh, December 8 Whenever you ask Javed Habib the secret of great styling, he never fails to make a mention of Morris International School in England. A nine-month stint at the Institute changed Javed’s outlook towards the ‘art and science of hair styling’, as he chooses to call it. Reputed hairstylist Javed Habib demonstrates a style on wife Shaheen on the opening of the Femina Plus beauty parlour in Sector 44, Chandigarh, on Friday.

Telephone exchange inaugurated
Chandigarh, December 8
A 4,000-line 5ESS main exchange was inaugurated by Mr Prithipal Singh, Director (Operational), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, at SAS Nagar today. The inaugural speech was given by Mr Prithipal Singh and Mr S.C. Choudhary, Chief General Manager Telecom, Punjab.

A complex with unique architectural design
SAS Nagar, December 8
The head office complex of the Local Government Department, the foundation stone of which was recently laid in Sector 62 here by the Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty, Mr Ananth Kumar, will have a unique architectural design.

• Construction activity halts

• Body hails approval of rules

CRIME

3 held for consuming liquor on ‘dry day’
Chandigarh, December 8
The local police arrested three persons from an ahata of a liquor shop in Sector 39 for consuming liquor on a ‘Dry day’ declared by the Election Commission in view of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh elections, last night.

No clue in petrol pump murder case
Kharar, December 8
Inspite of the best efforts made by the police no clue to the culprits who shot dead a salesman at a petrol pump in Kurali and looted cash worth about Rs 1500 yesterday has been found so far.

Car stolen from Sector 5 market
Panchkula, December 8
Thieves struck in the Sector 5 market here this afternoon and took away a car (PB-31A-0005). The owner of the car, Mr Rajinder Singh, said that he had parked the vehicle outside a restaurant where he had gone for lunch. He found the car missing on his return after one hour.

EDUCATION

Teachers annoyed at minister’s statements
Chandigarh, December 8
The “misleading statements” over the pension-cum-gratuity issue for college teachers by the Punjab Finance Minister came under strong criticism at the rally of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union held at Matka Chowk, here yesterday.

BCS ex-students hold get-together
Chandigarh, December 8
It was Old Cottonians (northern chapter) 13th meet where about 60 old students of Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, got together in Sector 3 here today. The Old Cottonians’ meet is an annual feature every December. The meet is held every year in the UK and Delhi also.

CULTURE

Custodians of timeless melodies
Chandigarh, December 8
Some people do not make music, they are literally born into it. So when their melodies fill the air, anyone consuming them becomes a part of the music maker. It is this joy of music which makes music director Anandji so revered even till date. The romance of songs he created with his elder brother Kalyanji never seems to end.

Dancing sensation to enthral audience in city Chandigarh, December 8 Payal Ramchandani was called a child prodigy when she was just nine years old in 1998. She, by then, had included Ganapathi Vandana in Raga Gaula with the rendition of Shri Rama Pattabhishekam and then the entire Ramayana in her repertoire. She was said to be on the right foot by discerning critics, who spared no one, not even an artist in the making.

READERS WRITE
Works of art have never been dumped
The Government College of Arts is one of the oldest and most reputed colleges in Chandigarh. Of late the college has been the subject of a number of negative comments and articles, the latest being an article in The Tribune dated December 6 titled ‘Works of art or heaps of garbage’.

New party album
Chandigarh, December 8
Bhangra lovers of the city had an footstomping session with Punjabi pop singer Jinder Jinda who released a party album, “The Kiss ‘N’ Tell Bhangra”, at a music house in Sector 17 here yesterday. The music of this party album, which comprises eight bhangra numbers by singers like S.S. Gill, Jinder Jinda, Meenakshi, Roop Samrai, Dippa and Janjua has been directed by The Kiss ‘N’ Tell team of music directors.

HEALTH

Commercial sites owe Rs 42 lakh to PGI
Chandigarh, December 8
Some of the commercial sites given out on rent at the PGI owe Rs 42 lakh to the PGI. And the sum is adding up with each passing day. It was Rs 33.5 lakh in 1998 and till last month this amount had shot up to 42 lakh. This amount includes, other than the electricity and water charges, rent in some cases and the license fee of these sites.

AIDS society holds programme for doctors
Chandigarh, December 8
The Department of Community Medicine of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, in collaboration with the State AIDS Control Society, UT, organised a two-day training programme for junior doctors to sensitise them towards self-protection against AIDS.

Raju oration award for Dr Saini
Chandigarh, December 8
Dr Jagjit Singh Saini, Additional Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, PGI, has been awarded the Dr P.N. Raju oration award of the Indian Council of Medical Research, (ICMR), New Delhi.

SPORTS

Subhania club emerge victorious in cricket tourney
Chandigarh, December 8
In a closely contested match, the Godrej Cricket Club, Chandigarh, lost to the Subhania Cricket Club, New Delhi, in a league match of the inaugural JR Sharma memorial cricket tournament at the JR Institute of Cricket technology.

ADMINISTRATION

MC seeks proper site for dumping garbage
SAS Nagar, December 8
The Municipal Council yesterday asked the Chief Administrator of PUDA to allot an appropriate site to the civic body for dumping garbage as directed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 22.

Chellappa visits PGI
Chandigarh, December 8
Mr C. Chellappa, member, National Commission of SCs and STs, along with the in charge of the city office of the commission, visited the PGI yesterday to assess the status of reservation in the institute and check if the facilities for the various Scheduled Caste employees of the institute were in order.