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200 new cases against Golden Forests
Chandigarh, December 12
Alleging unfair trade practices adopted by the Golden Forests company, a large number of investors from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have filed cases against the company in the consumer courts.

HUDA seeks 100 cops for anti-encroachment drive
Panchkula, December 12
The Haryana Urban Development Authority has sought 100 personnel from the district police for launching its anti- encroachment drive in housing board colonies here. The drive is likely to be launched within two days.

Most dairy products in city heavily contaminated Chandigarh, December 12 In what might come as a surprise to city residents, almost every dairy product sold in the city has other than heavy bacterial contamination, presence of fecal matter. This was proved in a recent study conducted by two PGI faculty members as part of a project financed by the science and technology cell of Chandigarh Administration.

NEW HOME FOR WINGED VISITORS: A pair of painted storks (migratory birds) takes sunbath along with their little ones in their nest atop a tree in Chhat Bir Zoo on Wednesday. — Tribune photo Karam Singh

It’s canvassing time at Golf Club
Chandigarh, December 12
Teeing off at the golf course here has nowadays acquired a slightly political hue. Other than discussions on the distance one would swing and send the dimpled golf ball, regular golfers are also faced with smiling fellow golfers seeking votes. Yes votes.

HC issues notice to Home Secy
Chandigarh, December 12
Taking up a petition filed by a Sector 38 resident Vijay Pal Singh Dimpy seeking the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against UT Home Secretary R.S. Gujral and a police official, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice to the respondents for December 20.

What led to SAD-BJP rout ?
Chandigarh, December 12
A combination of factors like anti-incumbancy, intra-party wranglings and an aggressive pursuit of liberalised economic policies by the NDA Government affecting employees and the retired seemed to have resulted in the rejection of the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance in the just concluded Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh poll.

Congress to consult high command on Mayor
Chandigarh, December 12
The Congress will decide the candidate for the post of Mayor in consultation with the high command. This was indicated by local MP Pawan Bansal and Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee President B. B. Bahl at a press conference here today.

Jubilation over MC results at Iftar
Chandigarh, December 12
Sonia Gandhi’s Iftar party yesterday in Delhi had reverberations of a resounding Congress victory in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh. This was informed here today by the CTCC spokesman, Mr Amarjit Sethi and its member Chaman Lal Sharma, who were the only two, to have attended the party from the city.

COMMUNITY

Badheri front runner for samiti chairmanship
Chandigarh, December 12
Former Union Minister Venod Sharma’s follower Bhupinder Singh Badheri has emerged as a front runner for the chairmanship of the panchayat samiti by leading a campaign to wrest 13 out of 15 samiti seats under his leadership in the December 8 Panchayat polls.

YOUNG VOICE
Living for a cause
SUBHASH Chander Bhasker believes in living for a cause. For the past about three years, he has been actively working for the betterment of thallasaemic children in the city. An employee of Markfed, he has been motivating people to donate blood for these children, who need blood after every 15 days.

Chaos unplugged as traffic lights refuse to blink
Zirakpur, December 12
Non-functional traffic lights on the intersection of the busy Chandigarh-Ambala and Panchkula-Zirakpur roads continue to be major traffic hazards for the past many months.

Reminiscences of a seasoned soldier Chandigarh, December 12 “An Old Soldier Speaks Out”, a book on Indian military affairs, was released by the Punjab Governor, Lieut Gen J. F. R Jacob (retd) here today. Authored by Col S. R. Nanda (retd), the book recounts his experiences and observations from the integration of states in the post independence era to the Kargil war.
The Governor of Punjab, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), releases a book, “An Old Soldier Speaks Out”, written by Col S.R. Nanda (second from left), in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo Manoj Mahajan

Cinema hall opened near Zirakpur Zirakpur, December 12 The NRIs of Punjab are investing a major part of their earnings in the peripheral areas of Chandigarh which directly reflects their affection for their native places, said Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance and Planning Minister, Punjab, here today.
Non-functional traffic lights on the intersection of the Chandigarh-Ambala and Panchkula-Zirakpur roads continue to be traffic hazards in Zirakpur. — A Tribune photograph

Water pressure to be low today
Chandigarh, December 12
Water pressure may be low in the evening hours tomorrow due to repair of the delivery header of the augmentation Phase-I and Phase-II at the Kajauli water works.

• Osho’s birthday celebrations

• Pensioners’ Day on Dec 16

CRIME

Employee decamps with 1.8 lakh
Chandigarh, December 12
Rajiv Sharma, a Sector 26 resident, has reported that his employee Joginder Podar has decamped with Rs 1,80,000. The complainant had given him the cash to deposit in the Rajpura Branch of the Oriental Bank of Commerce at about 12 noon. Joginder, a resident of Somah village in Bihar, was presently residing in Bapu Dham Colony. The police has registered a case.

Son of Army officer held for snatchings Chandigarh, December 12 Two persons, including a son of a Major General, have been arrested by the local police for allegedly stealing cars and using them to snatch handbags of women pedestrians. One of the accused arrested by the police for allegedly stealing cars and using them to snatch handbags in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Booked for making obscene cassette
Chandigarh, December 12
The police had reportedly booked a resident of Panchkula for allegedly making an obscene video cassette of a girl residing in Panchkula. According to the police, the girl’s father, also a resident of Panchkula, lodged a complaint at the Sector 17 police station today.

Seminar focuses on need to promote tourism
Chandigarh, December 12
Concentration on domestic tourism is the key to success in the post September 11 scenario for any tourism based economy to survive, said Mr S K Gupta, Tourism Analyst, while speaking at the special seminar on “Advantage North – Domestic Tourism” today here organised by the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends, Chandigarh.

MARKET PULSE
BP to organise cookery contest
Chandigarh, December 12
Bharat Petroleum Corporation will organise “Bharat Cookery Contest - “Vyanjan- 2001” on December 20. The Bharatgas consumers and petro card holders of Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar can participate in the contest by sending their recipes by December 15.

Shangri-La opens in Mohali
SAS Nagar, December 12
People having a taste for Chinese and Japanese multi-cuisine have now their favourite joint, Shangri-La at their door steps. After having been in Chandigarh for last 20 years, an outlet of the restaurant was opened in Phase 3B2 here today.

EDUCATION

‘Need for vocational education policy’
SAS Nagar, December 12
The second day of the conference of the Council of Boards of School Education in India saw the Chairmans of different state boards focus their discussion on way to begin traditional vocational education at the right age, before a child enters a school. Different aspects of traditional vocational development training was the need of the hour, said Dr R.H. Dave, Chief Advisor of the COBSE.

‘Ambedkar’s dream unfulfilled’
Chandigarh, December 12
Even 50 years after Independence, the goals with which Dr B.R. Ambedkar had started his struggle for the upliftment of the downtrodden, remain unachieved. This was stated by various speakers during a panel discussion on “Life, mission and works of Dr B.R. Ambedkar” organised by the Department of Sociology, Panjab University, in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare, UT Administration at PU here today.

Students rally against female foeticide
Chandigarh, December 12
Emphasising the need to amend the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut. Gen J.F.R. Jacob today claimed that the amendment was necessary in view of new technologies available for sex determination.

Kids add innocent grace to ‘festivals of India’
Chandigarh, December 12 The stage at the Law Auditorium was a riot of colours as tiny tots from Ankur Nursery School, Sector 14, danced their way into the hearts of the appreciative audience on the occasion their annual function, here today. Students of Ankur Nursery School, Panjab University, get ready to perform at their annual function on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

• PU convocation on Dec 28

• Website launched

Commission dismisses 29 appeals
Chandigarh, December 12
The UT Consumer Commission yesterday dismissed the 29 appeals moved by the director of the DCM Financial Services Limited, New Delhi, and the DCM Financial Services Limited, Sector-35, Chandigarh, against the order passed by the consumer forum-II in favour of the complainants.

Bar council case adjourned till Dec 14
Chandigarh, December 12
The Bar Council of India  has transferred the case filed against Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana challenging the election of the Chairman and Vice-President of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, from Kerala to New Delhi and adjourned the case for December 14.

CULTURE

Crisp adaptation of Shaw’s script Chandigarh, December 12 Adapting the work of legendary playwright George Bernard Shaw for the contemporary audience may not be an easy task, but it seems to have come very easy to Begum Qudsia Zaidi.  A scene from Azar Ka Khwaab being performed at the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University on Wednesday.

Medley of songs, skits & dances
Chandigarh, December 12
Sargam, the annual cultural programme organised by the office of Principal Accountant General Punjab, was all about a medley of songs, dances and skits. The show took off with Ms Mohua Chatterjee, Principal Accountant General, lighting the customary lamp to purify the space of performance.

New version of “Mahabharata”
Chandigarh, December 12
The new version of serial, “Mahabharata” produced by Sanjay Khan Productions will be launched from December 28 on Zee TV.

HEALTH

Workshop on disability prevention ends
Chandigarh, December 12
A workshop on disability prevention and rehabilitation held at Government Medical College and Hospital concluded yesterday. Speaking on the “Role of Community-based Rehabilitation in Mental Retardation”, Prof B.S. Chavan, Head of the Psychiatry Department, said the number of specialists in the country was below the number required for managing the 30 million-mentally retarded persons in the country. Thus, it was imperative that the specialists should transfer their knowledge and skill to non-professionals, who volunteered themselves to serve the community.

Surfactant therapy to infant’s aid
SAS Nagar, December 12
Doctors at a private nursing home here have saved the life of a two-month-old premature baby girl by administering her surfactant therapy, an expensive procedure under which a life saving drug is given to premature neonates.

SPORTS

CTU workshops to be revamped
Chandigarh, December 12
Workshops of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking are all set to be revamped as the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen. J.F.R. Jacob (retd) today accepted all recommendations of a report of a study conducted by the Electronics and Mechanical Engineers Corps, Western Command, on the working of the CTU workshop.