Employees of Kharar MC sitting on dharna against the decision of the Punjab Government to abolish octroi.  — Tribune photograph

Civic body employees cry for salaries
SAS Nagar, December 6
Agitated over the non-payment of salary after abolition of octroi in Punjab, employees from different civic bodies raised slogans against the state government while the Local Government Minister, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the head office complex of the Local Government Department in Sector 62 here. 

Tribune scribe bereaved
Chandigarh, December 6
Mr Bachan Singh (89), grandfather of Mr Sukhbir Singh, Trainee Journalist, The Tribune, died here tonight after a prolonged illness. 

Cop booked
Chandigarh, December 6
A constable with the Chandigarh police, Baleer Singh, has been booked for reportedly assaulting an employee of the General Hospital, Sector 16, while in an inebriated condition last night.

Drive against sale of illicit liquor, 11 held
Chandigarh, December 6
In a major drive against the sale of illicit liquor in the city, the police has arrested 11 persons, including two women, from various parts of the city during the past 24 hours. The Crime Branch has arrested four persons from the Modela Light Point and recovered four boxes of Prestige Whisky and another four boxes of XXX Rum from their possession. 

BUSINESS

‘Need to promote event management’
Chandigarh, December 6
Northern India has considerable potential for holding events and exhibitions which have so far remained limited to metropolitan cities. This observation was made here today by Mr Rajneesh Chopra, managing director, Buzzword Communications, while speaking at a seminar on “Future trends in events management and exhibitions”, organised by the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends, Chandigarh.

BIZ CLIPS

NET roll numbers dispatched
Chandigarh, December 6
The roll numbers of all eligible candidates for the UGC-NET examination to be held on December 23 have been dispatched.

IN FOCUS
School building remains a dream

SAS NAGAR For the past 19 years, the Government Primary School in Phase VI here has been without a building of its own. Its hope of getting one in the near future has also vanished with the decision of the Punjab Urban Development Authority not to undertake such work in the future.
Classes in Government Primary School, Phase VI, SAS Nagar, being held in the open for want of an adequate building. — A Tribune photograph

Hans Raj school team wins Limca quiz
Chandigarh, December 6
The three-member team from Hans Raj Public School, Panchkula, beat seven teams from the city to be declared the winner of the Chandigarh chapter of Limca Book of Records Quiz, 2001, organised by Coca- Cola India at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, here today.

Stage quiz more challenging: Barry
Chandigarh, December 6
Charismatic quiz master Barry O'Brien is driven by a mission to imbibe some sort of value system in our education system. Barry who describes himself as a good communicator has been into quizzing after he left his teaching job in 1995.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
DC summoned on farm land auction
Chandigarh, December 7
Directing Kurukshetra’s Deputy Commissioner to be present in court along with relevant record in a case seeking directions to a gram panchayat for leasing out agricultural land by open auction, a Division Bench of the High Court on Thursday also asked him to file an affidavit giving details of the factual position.

• PPSC restrained on selections

‘Pardes’ beauty in a state of euphoria    
The news is thick in the air and it is bothering a number of Mahima and Leander Paes fans. Mahima Chowdhry has been dating the lawn tennis stage for quite some time now and the two are all set to tie the nuptial anytime. Well, this is the hottest news around after the one which said that Anupma Verma and Mahesh Bhupati were also going strong. There really seems to be some attraction.

Now digital films on Zee Cinema
Chandigarh, December 6
For the first time ever, the December Zee Cinema will be showcasing films directed by independent film-makers. These films have never been aired on a channel before. Most of the films are in Hindi, but for the first time ever Zee Cinema is ready to air movies in English also. 

High flier hunting for talent
This Chandigarh boy has many claims to fame. The latest being the success of his first film as director. Mohan Sharma is still being complimented for his film ‘Avgat’, released on June 1 this year. 

HEALTH

No Kawasaki epidemic, say doctors
Chandigarh, December 6
Doctors have stated that there is no sudden rise in the incidence of the Kawasaki disease cases in the city and there is no need for the residents to panic. Kawasaki disease is a serious illness which usually afflict children below the age of five years with the child showing high grade fever lasting more than five days.

Sheshadri prize for PGI doctor
Chandigarh, December 6
Prof Rajesh Kumar, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, PGI, has been chosen by the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, to receive the Dr M.K. Sheshadri prize and gold medal for his contribution to the practice of community medicine.

Rally by GMCH staff
Chandigarh, December 6
As many as 200 employees of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, participated in the rally held in the hospital here today. The employees were addressed by leaders of the union and are protesting against the alleged misbehaviour of the Medical Superintendent towards two employees of the hospital.

JR Sharma memorial tourney
Chandigarh, December 6
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association XI outplayed the Orient Shipping Agency by three wickets on the opening day of the All-India JR Sharma Memorial Cricket Tournament held at JR Institute of Cricket Technology, Barwala, near here, today.

• Basketball event

• Ball badminton

• Boxing tourney

• Basketball matches

Saurav spends 30 minutes with fans

Chandigarh, December 6 Saurav Ganguly's visit to Pizza Hut in Sector 26 here added to the excitement of the cricket fans who were already enthused over the victory of the Indian team. For G.S. Sawhney, the day brought another happiness as he got "the best opportunity of his life" to dine with the cricket star today.
Indian cricket team captain Saurav Ganguly with his fans in Pizza Hut, Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Thursday.  — Photo Parvesh Chauhan

Brave boy’s dream comes true
Chandigarh, December 6
Sumit Singh Sheoran, a B.Com (II) student of Government College, Sector 11, was on cloud nine, when Sachin Tendulkar, presented him a T-shirt in Hotel Mountview. To him, the day was one of the rarest day which brought for him a bundle of joys when he not only received an appreciation award from the master blaster, but the star cricketer himself called him to meet.

ADMINISTRATION

Legal aspects of VAT discussed
Chandigarh, December 6
The Department of Excise and Taxation, Chandigarh Administration, along with North India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, organised a seminar today on Value Added Tax which is set to be introduced from April next year.