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TV viewers to feel the heat Pay channels hike charges, cable operators protest
Chandigarh December 18 Watching a favourite soap on the tally, seeing Tendulkar bat or even keeping a tab on the news will now cost more for city residents. Monthly subscription for a cable TV connection has been unexpectedly hiked by all pay channels.	Members of the Siti Cable TV Operators Association hold a protest rally at Sector 17 in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — Photo Pradeep Tewari

Canada reacted to Sept 11 attack ‘as event, not issue’
Chandigarh, December 18
‘The Canadian Government reacted to the September 11 terrorist attack on the USA as an event and not an issue,” says Mr Gurmant Grewal, Foreign Affairs Critic for Asia Pacific and Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee of the House of Commons on Scrutiny of Regulations.

Pvt colleges decide to forgo winter break
To accommodate Dec examinations
Chandigarh, December 18
With the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union lifting the ceasework call following the release of teachers arrested on December 4, the teachers have decided to forgo their winter vacation and accommodate the postponed examinations.

HUDA begins anti-encroachment drive
Panchkula, December 18
The Haryana Urban Development Authority today began its anti-encroachment drive in Housing Board colonies, with the residents of Sector 15 Housing Board Colony being the first ones to invite HUDA’s ire.

Admn, PU lock horns over retirement age 
Chandigarh, December 18
Sharp differences have emerged between Panjab University and the UT Administration over the retirement age of the teaching faculty. The UT Administration has pointed out that ‘‘It has come to the notice of the Chandigarh Administration that the senate of PU vide a resolution dated March, 1999, has proposed to raise the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 62 years. This requires the prior approval of the Government of India’’.

300 teachers register protest
Chandigarh, December 18
Over 300 teachers of Panjab University today held a procession to the Vice-Chancellor’s office against the reported move of the Punjab Government and the UT Administration to lower the age of retirement of teachers from 62 to 60 years made available to them by a UGC notification of pay revision of December, 1998, and submitted a memorandum to the latter.

COMMUNITY

Zoo cats may go hungry
Chhat Bir, December 18
Politics behind cow slaughter may force over 130 big cats at Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological park to go without beef. With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh around the corner, the UP Government has banned cow slaughter. The Governor, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, issued an ordinance to this effect after a Cabinet meeting presided over by the UP Chief Minister today.

6,000 titles on display Chandigarh, December 18 As a preamble to setting up a permanent outlet in city, S Chand and Company, the pioneer publishing house in India, organised a book exhibition in Sector 9 here today. "The publishing house established in 1937 by late Lala Syam Lal Gupta has branches all over the nation and a branch office in Chandigarh is going to be opened during the next financial year", said Mr P.J. Singh, branch manager of the company. The exhibition aims at acquainting the readers with the titles published by the company, he added.

Visitors at a book exhibition organised by the S. Chand Publications, in Sector 9, Chandigarh. — A Tribune photograph

RVC celebrates anniversary

Chandigarh, December 18 Remount and Veterinary Corps, an elite and specialised force meant for breeding, training and treatment of horses, cattle and dogs for military service, celebrated 222 years of its existence today. GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lieut-Gen Surjit Singh (second from right), interacts with senior officers at a function held to mark the 222nd anniversary of the Remounts and Veterinary Corps in Chandi Mandir on Tuesday.

YOUNG VOICE
Honesty is his watch word
MR Sushant Bannerjee, Manager, British Council Library, Chandigarh, and representative of the British Council in the city and Punjab and Haryana, is perhaps one of the youngest men to have held this post. A down-to-earth person, Mr Bannerjee claims, ‘‘I am not a self-made man. Whatever I am today is because of my ideal, my eldest brother, Gopal, who is still the leading light of my life. He works at a small post in a transport organisation back home,’’ says Sushant.

Senior citizens call on IT Commissioner
Chandigarh, December 18
A delegation of senior citizens comprising Major-General H. S. Bhullar (retd), Brig Keshav Chandra (retd) and Mr V. S. Sodhi, Members, Executive Committee of the Chandigarh Senior Citizens Association, today met Mr A. K. Luthra, Commissioner, Income Tax, Chandigarh, regarding the pending income tax refund cases of senior citizens.

READERS WRITE
Poor water supply
THE Haryana Urban Development Authority should note that water supply to Sector 6 of Panchkula has gone from bad to worse. The authorities have no courtesy of informing the people about the cut in water supply well in advance so that we could store water.

• Lottery results
• Street lights

Nagar kirtan procession
SAS Nagar, December 18
A nagar kirtan procession was organised here yesterday in connection with the Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur which falls on December 19. The procession started from Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Singh Sabha, Phase IV, and after passing through various parts of the town culminated in the evening at Gurdwara Sahib in Phase IX.

• Tribune scribe bereaved

CRIME

Burglary: NRI sore with cops
SAS Nagar, December 18
The NRI couple at whose house in Sector 71 here a burglary was committed has expressed unhappiness over the working of the local police. Mr Inderpal Singh claimed that the burglars decamped with property worth about Rs 7 lakh from his house when the family was away to Ferozepore. the items, included more than 50 tolas of gold, gifts for relatives and friends, dry fruit and toys besides Rs 70,000 and $ (US) 5,000 in cash. The crime, he said, took place between December 9 and 14.

Four arrested for defacing hotel walls
Chandigarh, December 18
The police has arrested four persons for allegedly pasting advertisement posters on the wall of Hotel Shivalikview, Sector 17. The accused have been identified as Ashutosh Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 27, Balwinder Singh, a resident of Panchkula, Atul Gupta, a resident of Sector 45, and A.N. Tirkha, a resident of Sector 46. They have been booked under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. They were bailed out later.

Labourer killed by minor
Kharar, December 18
Surinder Singh a migrant labourer from Bihar, died when he was attacked by a minor, Anand Sharma, with a sharpedged axe in Kurali last evening. According to FIR lodged with the Kurali police by Mrs Hem Lata Sharma, mother of the accused, she was living with the deceased for the past some years as her husband had died in a road accident.

Scooter knocked down, woman killed
Chandigarh, December 18
A Sector 23 resident, Goldy, was killed on the spot when her kinetic honda was knocked down by a CTU bus at Piccadily Chowk (sector 34-35) here today.

BUSINESS

HMT fails to pay up again
Owes Rs 1.15 cr to NZCC
Chandigarh, December 18
Cash-strapped public sector undertaking, Hindustan Machine Tools, Pinjore, is in trouble for not paying up the final instalment of Rs 1.15 crore it owes to the North Zone Cultural Centre.

ICICI safety yatra launched
Chandigarh, December 18
ICICI Capital Services limited launched “ICICI safety yatra” a mobile investor awareness campaign, in the city and announced the launch of yatra in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, today. The rally was flagged off by the Haryana Commissioner and Special Secretary, Finance, Mr Y. S. Malik, from the Sector 35, ICICI Safety Centre.

EDUCATION

Students hold exhibition, cultural programme Chandigarh, December 18
From the Great Wall of China to the pyramids of Egypt to the salt industry of Gujarat, students were clearly the winners at an exhibition-cum-cultural programme held at Shivalik Public School in Sector 41 here today. Models prepared by students over the past fortnight depicted location, physical features, industry as well as culture and artefacts of various states. Students of Mount Carmel School celebrate Christmas on the school campus in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

HIGH COURT
Rs 35 cr compensation paid to MCs
Chandigarh, December 18
In a statement before a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court headed by Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta, counsel for the state of Punjab today stated that Rs 35 crore had been disbursed to the Municipal Committees as compensation for the loss suffered due to the abolition of octroi.

• Two weeks given for parking lots
• Show cause to PRTC on losses

Bar Council lifts ban on financial matter
Chandigarh, December 18
In a major decision, the Bar Council of India today lifted the ban on the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council regarding the financial decision making issue. Acting on an application moved by the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council for the use of council funds for development work, the Chairman of the Bar Council India, New Delhi, Mr D. V Subbhray, empowered it take decision on financial matters.

CULTURE

Mann, Navneet, Kanwaljit to star in ‘Jee Aayaan Noon’
Chandigarh, December 18
After taking the Punjabi pop scenario by storm, Harbhajan Mann is all set to create some sensation in silver screen. He has been signed for the lead role in Punjabi film “Jee Aayaan Noon” by Manmohan Singh, the famous cinematographer, who is directing the movie that has been launched by T-Series, the music company.

Harbhajan Mann

Navneet

Kanwaljit

City lad wins ‘First Love Khoj’ contest
Chandigarh, December 18
A city lad, Arush Ahuja, has been declared as the national winner of a unique countrywide contest, ‘First Love Khoj’. A student of Chandigarh, Arush has been chosen to star as ‘Rahul’ opposite his romantic interest ‘Esha’ in a music video ‘Jhoom Jhoom’ to be aired nationally with the album ‘Deewanon ka Jalwa’. The contest has been organised jointly by TVS Scooty and Sony Music.

HEALTH

Seminar on hospital management
Chandigarh, December 18
To stimulate the thought process of senior medical professional on key management subjects and to clarify understanding of these for better management decisions in the field of health care, a five-day seminar on hospital management began at Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir, today.

SPORTS

DAVC-10 move up in kho-kho tourney
Chandigarh, December 18
DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh moved up in the Panjab University Inter-College Kho-Kho Men's Tournament played here today at the Panjab University grounds. The DAV players won two of their matches when they defeated MR Government College, Fazilka, by one turn and 18 points and then outclassed BAM Khalsa College, Garhshankar, by one turn and 23 points.

• Judo championship

• Skating championship

Test cricketers fail to enthuse crowds
Patiala, December 18
Cricket, a game for and of the masses, is all about people and passion. Take out the passion people bring in with them and the game will be rendered hollow. This age-old saying seems to have been lost on the locals as was reflected from the fact that just half a dozen odd spectators made it to the Dhruv Pandove Stadium here yesterday.

VCs’ cricket tournament opens
Patiala, December 18
The third All-India Vice-Chancellors cricket tournament for employees of various universities was inaugurated on the university campus by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr J.S Ahluwalia, here today.

ADMINISTRATION

Speculation rife on PUDA move
SAS Nagar, December 18
After lying low for over five months, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority is learnt be to “actively” pursuing the “absorption” of at least four well-connected persons working on deputation with the authority. The final nod for the absorption of the deputationists is likely to be granted in the meeting of the authority, scheduled for December 21.

MC wants funds released
SAS Nagar, December 18
The local Municipal Council has asked the Local Government Secretary to get funds released from PUDA for maintenance work in various sectors. In a letter sent to the Secretary, the council president, Mr Kulwant Singh, said that after the development of new sectors the PUDA authorities handed these over to the civic body for maintenance.

MC gets Rs 1.6 cr as compensation
SAS Nagar, December 18
The Local Government today released Rs 1.6 crore to the SAS Nagar Municipal Council as compensation for the financial loss incurred by it after the abolition of octroi. The amount has been released for the month of December.