C H A N D I G A R H

Boom time for liquor consumers
Chandigarh, March 28 — It is boom time for liquor consumers. Rates of all popular brands of whisky, gin, and vodka have been reduced by anything from Rs 40 to Rs 60 per bottle in the city, as liquor contractors are trying to finish off their stocks before March 31, the end of the financial year. And this may not be enough another reduction in price may be on the cards for the last two days.

Judges await President’s nod
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The displeasure expressed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Dr A.S. Anand, in public over the executive apathy in filling vacant posts of judicial officers has some justification.

Awards for two city architects
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Two eminent architects of the city — Mr Manmohan N. Sharma and Mr Shiv Datt Sharma — were felicitated and the Governor of Punjab-cum-Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), exhorted architects from all over the country to suggest economical and functional design for rehabilitation of slum-dwellers and the poor.

Zirakpur housing schemes approved
ZIRAKPUR, March 28 — Six town planning schemes and two house building societies have been approved by the Punjab Government for the planned growth and development of the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat area. A notification in this regard is expected shortly.

COMMUNITY

‘Fear, anxiety lead to suicide’
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The attempt to commit suicide has symptoms and causes, said Dr B.S. Chavan, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Chandigarh. Dr Chavan said, “Attempt to commit suicide is a psychosomatic illness, caused by fear and anxiety. Approximately 10 per cent of the persons who are depressed end up attempting suicide.” The causes of suicide are mental illness, in which the person has a feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness and helplessness. The reasons could also be addiction to alcohol and drugs.

• ‘Right to live excludes right to die’
• Suicide graph on the rise in city

Goel to be examined by PGI
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Asking the PGI director to get the “president” of the UT Secretarial Employees Welfare Association K.B. Goel medically examined after he alleged torture, Justice T.H.B. Chalapathi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court also directed him to submit the report by March 30.

Water to reach upper floors
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The upper floor residents of certain sectors, who had to face shortage of water in the summer months, can now breath easy. The problem of the low water pressure in the sectors is likely to be a thing of past following the installation of a sophisticated equipment at the Sector 36 Water Works.

Committee for botanical garden named
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Prof S.S. Bir, an expert on Himalayan flora and a former Professor and Head of the Department of Botany of Punjabi University at Patiala, has been nominated Chairman of the 11-member committee constituted by the Chandigarh Administration for undertaking initial planning and finalising other modalities for setting up of the Botanical Garden of Chandigarh. Professor Bir is an expert on farms also.

Self-employment schemes highlighted
PANCHKULA, March 28 — The Deputy Chairman of the Haryana Planning Board, Mr RS Chaudhary, has urged the youth to stop hankering after government jobs and concentrate on being self employed.

‘Include tractor in census data’
Chandigarh, March 28 — The Census authorities have forgotten that in states like Punjab and Haryana, a tractor (with or without a trailer) is invariably also used as a car in rural areas. Tractors should have been mentioned in the house numbering and canvassing houselist schedules when data about the households are collected in every village, town and city in India, opined Dr Ashish Bose, author of 1991 Census of India : census methodology and first results.

Kerosene Rs 6 per litre in UT
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The District Magistrate of Chandigarh, Mr M. Ramsekhar, has ordered that the wholesale and retail price of kerosene in Chandigarh shall be Rs 5,404.24 per kilo litre, exclusive of sales tax and other taxes, and Rs 6 per litre, respectively. The retail price shall be inclusive of local taxes.

CRIME

Jhuggi-dweller kidnapped, beaten up
PANCHKULA, March 28 — A jhuggi-dweller in a settlement near the Sector 12 market, Umed, was allegedly kidnapped by five persons from his jhuggi on the night of March 25 and let off the next day after being beaten up by the abductors as punishment for the theft of a water motor from a house under construction in the vicinity.

Police yet to register case in kidnapping incident
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The police is yet to register a case in the alleged kidnapping of a class 12 student, a resident of Sector 44, who was reportedly bundled in a car from Sector 36 and dumped in a ditch near a nullah in Sector 42 on the afternoon of March 18.

Booked for cheating
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The police has registered a case against a Sector 47 resident on the charge of cheating another resident of the same sector.

Rape accused arrested
Chandigarh, March 28 — The police this afternoon arrested the accused wanted in connection with a rape case registered at the west Police station from near the district courts.

Advocate held in abduction case
KHARAR, March 28 — The police here has arrested an advocate Mr Gurpal Singh Bains, who is practising in Chandigarh, in connection with a case registered at Kharar on March 22 about the alleged abduction of a local girl aged about 24.

50 autorickshaw drivers challaned
Chandigarh, March 28 — In all, 50 autorickshaw-drivers were challaned for not adhering to norms, in a special drive launched by the central division here today. This was done to stop the growing complaints of overcharging, unwillingness on the part of drivers to take passengers to short distances, besides non-functional fare-meters.

EDUCATION

AIFUTA dharna on PU campus
CHANDIGARH, March 28 —Teachers staged a dharna in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University here today, protesting against the delay in the release of payment of arrears to teachers of universities in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Third night school opened
Chandigarh, March 28 — Third night school has been opened by the Chandigarh Administration at Government Senior Secondary School in Sector 38-west, Dadu Majra Colony. Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI, (schools), inaugurated the school.

Zira college students end protest
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Students of Government College, Zira, ended their agitation at Panjab University here today, following an assurance by the authorities that their college would be made a centre for the forthcoming annual examination.

CULTURE

'Chandigarh shehar di kudi' released
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — 'Chandigarh shehar di kudi', a new album of the upcoming singer, Sarabjit Cheema, was released here today. Talking to reporters here, Sarabjit said he mainly sang the foot-tapping and folk numbers as he was a good bhangra artiste.

HEALTH

Training begins
PANCHKULA, March 28 — Quoting from a survey conducted by the Government of India, Dr P.L. Jindal, Project Director of the Haryana AIDS Control Society, said Haryana had achieved a birth rate of 24.2 per cent, according to the data compiled from 12 districts of the state. He was speaking at the second district-level training programme which was inaugurated here yesterday.

SPORT

Rohini, JV Singh triumph
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The eighth Chandigarh Open Amateur Ladies Spice Golf Championship got off to a flying start at the Chandigarh Golf Club today with the lucky partners against bogey competition when 80 participants teed off in fine conditions.

Refresher courses for coaches
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The Department of Sports of the Chandigarh Administration would conduct weekly refresher courses on various topics, said Mr J.P.S. Sidhu, Joint Director Sports of the UT.

League cricket