No teaching from April 9 to 14
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 8— To enable the students to join the tercentenary celebrations of the formation of the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib, teaching work at the university will remain suspended from April 9 to 14. It will resume on April 15.

Earlier, Mr D.P.S. Randhawa, President of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, had met Prof I.B.S. Passi, Dean University Instruction, to request him to declare April 9 and 12 as holidays.

MFC(II) results out:The results of the master of finance and control (part II) re-appear examination held in January were declared here today. Copies of the result gazette will be available at the enquiry counter of the university at the basement of the Administrative block on all working days for consultation.

Seminar : A seminar on ``Health Care for Mother and Child'' was organised by Government Home Science College, Sector 10, in collaboration with the NSS Department of Panjab University to mark World Health Day. It was attended by 60 women from rural areas along with field functionaries, student volunteers and college teachers.

The coordinator, Dr C.L. Narang, while inaugurating the seminar said that a healthy child could not be expected from an under-nourished mother. ``When we talk of child care, we must think of safe motherhood first. Proper diet and regular medical check up is a must to ensure safe motherhood'', he commented.

The Principal of Home Science College, Mrs Usha Dhawal, opined that there was need to create a self-learning society. She added that people in slums and rural areas were ignorant about the health services and that the government should make arrangements in rural areas for safe and hygienic deliveries at health centres.

Mrs R. Barinder Singh, NSS Programme Officer, spoke about proper spacing among the births of children which were key factors in good health and better development of the child. Stress should be laid on better parenthood, she said.

Prof Rashmi, also a Programme Officer, blamed the health hazards on over-population. She emphasised that environment pollution was the major cause of diseases and that air and water pollutions were responsible for mysterious diseases in children.

Mrs Monika Sharma, a social worker, said that the public must pledge to avoid the use of polythene bags because these were very dangerous for health.

The UNESCO centre of the university also observed World Health Day with the launching of a research project in the field of cardiac health with Dr VK Mahajan, Director, Tagore Health Centre, Jalandhar.

Youth held for bid to rape child
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 8 — A youth in his twenties has been arrested by the police for allegedly trying to rape a five-year-old girl living in his neighbourhood. The arrested person, Vinod Kumar, hails from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh and is now settled in Dhanas village.

The youth lured the girl. When he tried to take off her clothes she raised the alarm. Vinod was arrested and booked under Section 342, 376 and 511 of the IPC.

Theft case: Thieves decamped with more than Rs 1 lakh, several tolas of gold and household items as the occupants had gone to deposit their telephone bill. The entire operation lasted not more than 45 minutes, according to the police.

The theft took place in the Sector 44 house of Mr Vinod Chopra. His wife had gone to deposit the bill yesterday afternoon while Mr Chopra was away on some work. More than four locks were broken. The police suspect that someone known to the family was involved in the theft. According to sources, people in the locality had seen a man walk away from the house when the woman was not there.

House burgled: A house in Sector 23 has been burgled while its occupants were away on their jobs. The family lost Rs 8,500, gold jewellery, silver coins, matteress and bedsheets.

Mr Varinder Jain, who lives with his sister in the house, was away on his job while his sister — a teacher in a school at SAS Nagar — was away to her school. The father of the two works in a bank in Patiala.

The police believes that someone was keeping watch and he knew the movements of the family members.

The family came home last evening to find the house burgled. A case under Section 454 and 380 of the IPC was registered late last night.

Car stolen: A Maruti car (DL-2-CA-0921) owned by Mr Om Parkash Chawla of Sector 34 has been stolen from his residence.

Handbag removed: A woman, who left behind her handbag inside her car, returned to find the bag containing Rs 700, voter identity card, library pass and other documents missing. Mrs Veena Sachdeva has lodged a complaint with the police saying that she had parked her car outside the Bank of Punjab University Campus when the incident occurred.

Road accidents: Three persons have been injured in separate road accidents in the city. Rohit (five) fell off the parked truck in which he was playing at Shahpur village.

Mr G.S. Goraya, a scooterist, was hit by vehicle on the road dividing Sector 43 and 44.

Paramjeet Singh was injured in a cycle-scooter collision in Sector 24.

Burn injuries: A woman living in Colony No. 4 located in the Industrial Area, Phase I, was admitted to the PGI following burn injuries she received at her home.

MUBARIKPUR

Suicide: Mrs Kusum Lata, a 30-year-old local resident, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance on Wednesday night.

According to sources, the deceased, who was the mother of three children, consumed certain tablets at midnight and was brought to the local Civil Hospital in an unconscious condition. The doctors referred her to the PGI, Chandigarh, where she died.

HVPN told to pay consumer
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, April 8 — The Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has been penalised by the local consumer court for harassing a consumer by charging excessive electricity bill.

While awarding a compensation of Rs 2500 to the affected consumer the consummer court has directed the HVPN to recover the compensation amount from the erring officials of the nigam.

The order was passed by Mr R.C.Taneja, President and Ms Rekha Sharma, Member, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, on a complaint filed by Balwant Singh, a resident of Raipur Rani village near here.

The consumer said he had been paying electricity bills in respect of his domestic power connection. In March, 1997, he received a bill of Rs 8374 for consuming 4549 units. On being approached the HVPN took the original bill for verification and when he visited the office again an official told him that the bill had been misplaced. He further assured him that the excess amount would be deleted from his next bill.

He alleged that in May, 1997, again a bill was issued showing the previous amount outstanding against him. On being approached the officials concerned refused to listen to him, he alleged.

In its reply the HVPN maintained that the consumer had unauthorisedly extended his sanctioned load of .5 KW. At the time of being checked it was found to be 2.070 KW. It further alleged that the consumer in connivance with the meter reader had been getting recorded incorrect meter reading from March, 1997 to May, 1997. The connection was exposed when a new meter reader took over the charge of the area.

Holding HVPN responsible for deficiency in services the forum quashed the bill issued in March, 1997, and May, 1997. The consumer has further been awarded Rs 500 as costs of the proceedings.

CHANDIGARH

Appeal dismissed: Dismissing the appeal of General Manager, Telecom against the UT District Forum order to compensate the complainant to the tune of Rs 15,000 for not providing an alternate telephone facility to him, the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Bench comprising its President, Mr J.G. Garg, and members, Mr P.K Vasudev and Mrs D.J Dhatt, directed him to pay the amount of compensation within a period of two months.

In his complaint, Mr Pradeep Chawla, Manager, Punjab National Bank, had stated that he was posted in Chandigarh in 1993. On his transfer to New Delhi he had made an application for shifting of his telephone. He had also mentioned that he was physically handicapped and both his legs were affected with polio. Hence, the telephone was not only important but essential.

The department had failed to provide the same and allowing this complaint, the UT District Forum-II had ordered a compensation of Rs 15,000 to the complainant. The Bench further observed that the department had been deficient in its services and there was no ground to reduce the amount of compensation.

‘Surahis’, ‘matkas’ costlier
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 8—Earthenware such as “surahis” and “matkas”, which have started appearing on city roadsides, are priced slightly higher compared to last year.

During a visit to different parts of the city, it was found that earthernware, including toys were dotting roadsides in sectors 22, 15, 16, 19 and 25. People were busy purchasing these articles after bargaining with the sellers.

Enquiries from the sellers showed that though the prices of earthenware such as flowerpots and toys, were stable, items like “matkas” and “surahis” registered a little hike in their prices. If a small 10-litre “matka” was available for Rs 20 last year, it was available in the market today for Rs 25. Similarly, if a big 5-litre “matka” was priced at Rs 40, it was available in the market today for Rs 45.

According to traders, the price hike was an outcome of the higher wholesale prices of these articles this year. “Earlier, we used to get a small “matka” from the wholesale market in Ambala for Rs 7, now the price has increased to Rs 12. Same is the case with big ‘matka’, as its wholesale price has increased from Rs 29 to 35 during the past one year, which in turn forced us to increase the prices,” said a Sector 25 earthenware seller.

He said though the sales have picked up with the onset of summer, but the volume of sales was low compared to the corresponding period of last year. “These days we are selling just five to six matkas a day as compared to 15-20 during the same period last year”. It seems that the interest of people in earthenware has started waning,” said a Sector 22 seller, who maintained that except for matkas, there was not much sale of items such as toys and other ornamental articles. “People are also reluctant to buy “surahis”, as their prices have registered a considerable hike during this period,” he said.

If a “surahi” was available for Rs 12 last year, it could be purchased now for Rs 20. Similarly, if a ‘chati’ could be purchased for Rs 25 the last year, it was available today for Rs 30-32. The price of a 10” flower pot has jumped from Rs 8 to Rs 10, while the price of a 12” flowerpot has increased from Rs 12 to Rs 14.

There was, however, no hike in the prices of ornamental flower pots and toys. While the ornamental flowerpots were still available at the old prices between Rs 20 and Rs 60, both an earthen horse and an elephant were priced at Rs 30. Similarly, a camel and a set of “tabla” was available for Rs 80 and Rs 100.

Guru through Sobha's brush
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 8— A multicoloured reproduction of artist Sobha Singh's painting of "Guru Gobind Singh ji at Anandpur Sahib" was released here today to mark the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa. The painting was released at the Indusind Bank Art Gallery.

While dedicating the painting to the devotees, Prem Singh, eminent artist and President of the Sobha Singh Memorial Art Society, described it as one of the significant works of Sobha Singh.

In the painting, the 10th Sikh Guru has been depicted against the backdrop of natural environs at Anandpur Sahib and manifests the Guru's love for the flora and fauna of the land, an aspect not known to many.