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New hotel-sites auction policy likely
Plan to promote budget tourism 
Chandigarh, February 11
Budget tourism is in and the Chandigarh Administration is also planning to use the opportunity. A change in its policy of auctioning hotel sites, with sops for attracting big players of the Indian hotel industry, is on the anvil.

• Eye on parties

BSNL move to woo high-end users
Chandigarh, February 11
High-end users and corporates can now avail themselves of discounts on their telephone bills. Under its recently launched scheme, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is providing discount and several special facilities in case the monthly gross bill of a user exceeds Rs one lakh. About 16 account holders have already opted for the scheme.

Bills for water they ‘did not’ consume
Chandigarh, February 11
About a year ago, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh had issued a notification, asking consumers to purchase their own water meters, following which, a public interest litigation was filed. The matter was settled, but now, some residents have found another reason to complain — No one is visiting the houses for taking down meter reading.

Endless traffic chaos, courtesy Congress
Zirakpur, February 11 It was an endless traffic chaos for more than one-and-a-half hours on the busy Zirakpur-Patiala highway as thousands of Congress supporters joined a massive rally organised during the election campaign of Ms Sheelam Sohi, a candidate from the Banur Assembly constituency here today.
Supporters of Ms Sheelam Sohi, Congress candidate from the Banur Assembly constituency, create chaos on the busy Zirakpur-Patiala highway on Monday. — Photo Manoj Mahajan

Rain creates trouble for residents Chandigarh, February 11 A long spell of rain in the city and its surrounding areas today, measuring 14 mm, affected residents, five of whom were injured in accidents due to rain. The injured have been admitted to the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital here.
Students brave the icy winds and showers as they leave the school, in Chandigarh on Monday.  — A Tribune photograph

Parking contractor refuses to budge
Chandigarh, February 11
Parking contractor here today seemed in a defiant mood choosing not to reply to a show-cause notice issued by the MCC as the last date to file reply ended today. The corporation is likely to hold a meeting of officials tomorrow to decide future course of action.

COMMUNITY

Complaints against Returning Officer
SAS Nagar, February 11
The Panthic Morcha candidate for the Kharar seat, Mr Rajbir Singh Padiala, today complained to the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab against the Returning Officer and the Deputy Superintendent of Police for allegedly siding with the SAD candidate, Mr Kiran Bir Singh Kang. In a letter to the commission, Mr Padiala said the SAD candidate with the help of the Returning Officer and the DSP was arranging bogus voters from outside the state.

Preserving Corbusier a challenge in concrete
Chandigarh, February 11
Works of French architect, Le Corbusier, built in concrete in 1950s at the inception of Chandigarh, will be conserved in a joint effort by the Chandigarh Administration and the Le Corbusier Foundation.

Governor’s palace
THE Le Corbusier Foundation of France said here today that it would raise money for completing the Governor’s Palace conceptualised by the famous architect in 1950s. However, it lacked funds. When the palace is built, the Capitol Complex comprising at present the High Court, the Secretariat and the Vidhan Sabha will be complete.

Neha: reaching out to the stars
Chandigarh, February 11
Her ivory-white skin glows better from her black drapery. Seated in the middle of a happening stage, she makes a pretty picture of India’s grace and vitality. Writ large over her face are streaks of self consciousness, which thicken every time someone from among the crowd shouts to re-state the fact: “She is Neha Dhupia, Miss India Universe for the year 2002.” The graceful woman nods in acknowledgement. For her, the truth is too sweet to be forgotten. In fact, she would not mind even if it was repeated for the rest of her life....

Students’ designs practical: Miss India

Chandigarh, February 11 For the 6,000 students passing out of various centres of the National Institute of Fashion Design, it was a moment of pride when Miss India Universe Neha Dhupia awarded them diplomas at their annual convocation in Tagore Theatre here today. Present there were centre heads of various NIFD branches in India and abroad, besides students and their guardians.
Miss India Universe 2002 Neha Dhupia signs autograph books at the annual convocation of the NIFD in Chandigarh on Monday. — Photo Pankaj Sharma

FAUJI BEAT
‘By degrading Generals, you demoralise Army’

NO matter how careful you are in fabricating an excuse, no one will lap it up, least of all the knowledgeable people, if it is totally devoid of credibility. Did anyone from the Army (serving or retired) believe that a strike corps GOC had “gone on leave on personal grounds” when his corps was ready to go to war? No one in the Army had any doubt that the Corps Commander was removed from the command and sent on leave by the powers that be. Don’t tire troops Insult to uniform

Lt-Gen Kapil Vij (first from right) during his visit to 70 Armoured Regiment

Spreading message of environment protection Chandigarh, February 11 To achieve his mission ‘‘Environmental protection and national integration,’’ Mr Vijay Shankar Mishra, hailing from Uttarkashi in Dehra Dun, has started his ‘padyatra’ from Siliguri in West Bengal to complete it at Gandhi Nagar in Gujarat.

Stand-off on cable tariff resolved
Panchkula, February 11
The stand-off between residents and the cable operators was resolved with both parties agreeing on a bimonthly package of Rs 360 or a trimonthly package of Rs 500 per connection.

Meeting on cable fee tomorrow
Chandigarh, February 11
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has decided to call a meeting on February 13 to start recovery of fee from cable operators levied in December, 1999. The decision of the House had remained unimplemented causing the corporation loss worth crores of rupees.

MC Commissioner to attend seminar on property tax
Chandigarh, February 11
Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh M.P. Singh will have an opportunity to understand developments taking place in the field of property tax in the country.

House demolished over area dispute
Panchkula, February 11
A group of over 15 men are alleged to have demolished a house building being erected in Sector 19 following a dispute over the area of the plot with a neighbour. According to information available, a group of armed men trespassed into the property owned by Mr Ved Gupta near Government School, Sector 19, last night and demolished the partially constructed house. Mr Gupta has alleged that the men had been sent by Mr Radhey Shyam and Mr Darityal Singh.

Masonic Temple dedicated

Chandigarh, February 11 MW Bro D. D. Udeshi, grandmaster, grand lodge of India, visited Chandigarh along with a galaxy of Freemasons from all over India to dedicate the new Masonic Temple to Yadvindra lodge 141 at Freemasons hall, Sector 18, last night. MW D. D. Udeshi, Grandmaster, Grand Lodge of India (third from right), with MW Brothers at Freemasons Hall, Sector 18, Chandigarh, on Sunday night. — A Tribune photograph

City gets another restaurant
Chandigarh, February 11
The city today got a new restaurant, Diner Seventeen. Situated in Sector 17 (between Ghazal and Mehfil), it became the first among the proposed chain of franchised restaurants/cafes promoted by ‘‘Biscotti’’.

• Meet-the-Press
• A clarification

EDUCATION

PU’s bid to get status of excellence
Chandigarh, February 11
Detailed proposals are being prepared for the setting up of a centre of advanced research and training at Panjab University in its final effort to get the coveted status of a University of Excellence from the University Grants Commission. Once the university gets the status, it would mean a grant of Rs 30 crore for the establishment of this centre from the UGC within the next five years.

Nuclear physics meet opens Chandigarh, February 11
The three week-long SERC school of nuclear physics meet began at Panjab University, Physics Department, here today. The school, which is sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, is based on the theme of ‘‘Radioactive in beams and physics of nuclei away from the line of stability.’’
Dr J. N. Dey, coordinator of Scientific Education and Research Council (left), and a section of audience at a seminar on nuclear physics in the Physics Department, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Private schools’ plea to Adviser
Chandigarh, February 11
The Chandigarh Private Schools Association, today submitted a memorandum to the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator urging that private schools should be allowed to continue to function from residential premises.

Tech students go on strike
Chandigarh, February 11
The M. Tech (micro-electronics and instrumentation) students of the Department of RSIC\CIL\USIR of Panjab University went on strike to protest against the suspension of students of semester II here today.

Computer course for wards of cops
Chandigarh, February 11
A computer appreciation course for wards of Chandigarh police personnel, a joint venture by the Police Department and the NIIT, was inaugurated by the UT IGP, Mr B.S. Bassi, here today.

IFS results
Chandigarh, February 11
The Union Public Service Commission has declared the results of the written test of the Indian Forest Service held in July, 2001, and the special class railway apprentice examination held in November, 2001. On the basis of these results, the qualified candidates will be called for interview for the personality test.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Give accounts of officers’ foreign tours
Chandigarh, February 11
Directing the Punjab government to furnish details of the amounts spent on foreign trips by “public leaders” and other officers during the past three years, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has also asked them to provide information regarding the money spent on salaries to officers not holding the Chief Secretary’s rank, but with pay fixed in the same grade, as “a junior person had been appointed as CS”.

• Decide on SGPC man’s passport in 10 days

DISTRICT COURTS
Court reserves order on defamation suit against PPCC chief
Chandigarh, February 11
A local court today reserved its order on a defamation complaint filed against the President of the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee, Capt Amarinder Singh, by the general secretary of a local unit of Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr N.S. Minhas, for February 19.

• Sentenced

SPORTS

Training coaches to help mentally challenged
Chandigarh, February 11
In order to sensitise the masses in general and sports coaches in particular towards the needs of mentally challenged children and adults, the Special Olympics Bharat started a four-day ‘train the trainer’ course here today. Chandigarh was one of the five cities in the country which were selected to conduct the course for 200 coaches.

Child prodigy in cricket
Chandigarh, February 11
The performance of 13 years old Gaurav Chopra, a Class IX student of Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, Panchkula, has been on a gradual increase. Gaurav, who took to cricket four years back, last year went to Leicestershire (UK) when the Chandigarh District Cricket Association under-19 team selected him for this maiden tour to have exposure to play with best teams in under-19 age group in that country. Gaurav was the only one from Panchkula to have been taken in the team.