30122020-CT-01.qxd 12/30/2020 12:50 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY | 30 DECEMBER 2020 | CHANDIGARH BCCI SELECTION PANEL CHIEF VISITS SECTOR 16 STADIUM PAGE 2 Chetan Sharma visits the stadium in Sector 16 for the first time after being appointed to the coveted post. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD SAMPLES TESTED SAMPLES REJECTED POSITIVE NEGATIVE RECOVERED REPORTS AWAITED ACTIVE DEATHS P’KULA MOHALI 1,78,691 1,38,617 1,77,345 897 — — 19,615 9,945 18,049 1,58,179 — 1,58,653 18,937 9,572 16,545 110 — 640 362 231 1,164 316 142 340 AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 117 PANCHKULA 248 MOHALI 142 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF 2 HELD WITH 150 LIQUOR CARTONS Mohali: Two persons were arrested and 150 cartons of illicit liquor seized from them by the Kharar City police here on Tuesday. A case under the Excise Act has been registered against Ajay Bhatti and Simranjit Singh, both residents of Batala in Gurdaspur district. A pickup used for smuggling the liquor has also been impounded. The police got a tipoff that the suspects were engaged in illicit liquor business, who were on their way to Kharar from Chandigarh. The police took swift action and arrested them. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects were carrying a consignment of liquor from Chandigarh to Batala, which was to be handed over to other accomplices. TNS MC WARD DELIMITATION REPORT GETS NOD WITH MINOR CHANGES PAGE 3 THREE VEHICLE THIEVES HELD, 24 BIKES, 4 CARS RECOVERED With minor modifications, UT Administrator gives approval to report on delimitation of MC wards. MAX 16°C | MIN 3°C | YESTERDAY MAX 14°C | MIN 2.8°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.32 PM Mohali police nab three persons involved in vehicle thefts. Their two accomplices are absconding. SUNRISE THURSDAY 7.18 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE UTnot to impose night curfew NEW YEAR’S EVE Relief for hoteliers | Covid norms to be enforced 1,800 cops to keep an eye on revellers in city Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 As the UT has witnessed a gradual fall in Covid-19 cases, the Administration has decided not to impose any additional restrictions, including night curfew, on New Year’s Eve. UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore held a review meeting in this regard with Arun Gupta, Principal Secretary (Health), Sanjay Baniwal, Director General of Police (DGP), and Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner (DC), as a lot of uncertainty was prevailing regarding the additional restrictions, including night curfew, to be imposed on New Year’s Eve. However, the Administrator directed the DGP to ensure that the existing Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and the restrictions on the number of persons and opening and closing of hotels and restaurants should be strictly enforced. As a precautionary measure, the Administrator has appealed to residents not to crowd public places, and positively return to the comforts of their homes by 1 am on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, so far, the city has not reported any case of the new strain of the coronavirus found in the UK. Ankit Gupta, president, Chandigarh Hospitality Association (CHA), and joint secretary, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India, said: “We welcome the decision of the Chandigarh Administration of not imposing night continued on page 3 BADNORE’S APPEAL TO RESIDENTS FILE PHOTO As a precautionary measure, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore has appealed to residents not to crowd public places, and positively return to the comforts of their homes by 1 am on New Year’s Eve. FOLLOW COVID PROTOCOL, PUBS, CLUBS CAN OPERATE AT HALF THEIR CAPACITY ■ Hotels, restaurants, pubs and SAYS PGI DIRECTOR clubs can operate up to 1 am ■ Can operate only with half their capacity and keep the gathering limited to 200, whichever is less ■ Have to strictly comply with the Covid-19 guidelines such as wearing of masks and maintaining social distance ■ Any violation of the guidelines will attract severe action ❝ I would like to urge the residents of Chandigarh to celebrate New Year’s Eve by following the Covid protocol like wearing a mask and maintaining ■ Hospitality industry to provide social distance. Avoid sanitisers to visitors crowded places and stay at We welcome the decision of the Chandigarh home as much as possible as the fear of transmission Administration of not imposing night curfew on New Year’s Eve. We assure all our patrons that the Covid is still there amid a new guidelines and protocol will be stringently followed. strain of coronavirus. ❝ Prof Jagat Ram, DIRECTOR, PGI ❞ Ankit Gupta, PRESIDENT, CHANDIGARH HOSPITALITY ASSN ❞ MOHALI GEARED UP TOO: SSP Satinder Singh on Tuesday said the Mohali police were geared up for New Year’s Eve with enhanced police presence in market areas in the city. He said cops would patrol the city to curb nuisance in markets and residential areas. “Pickets will be set up in sensitive locations to check any untoward incident. All staff will be on duty and the government’s guidelines will be followed strictly,” he said. Chandigarh, December 29 The UT police have made elaborate security arrangements for New Year’s Eve as 1,800 police personnel will be deployed in the city to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. The gehri route will be closed for revellers to check hooliganism. UT SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal said 1,800 cops would be deployed in different parts of the city, including market areas and malls, to maintain peace. “There will be 91 nakas in the city and entry Gehri route to be out of bounds points to monitor motorists on New Year’s Eve,” he said. The officers concerned, including areas DSPs and SHOs, will patrol their areas to keep a close watch. Special vigil will be kept at prominent areas, including Sector 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 22, 26, 35 and 36, and near Elante Mall. In view of the coronavirus, patrolling teams will also ensure that social distancing is maintained and the crowd is dispersed from places where people usually gather for celebrations. The SSP said a special woman squad led, by a woman inspector, would also be on duty to deal with any situation pertaining to women. Meanwhile, revellers, who enjoy driving across the gehri route continued on page 3 Hourly parking fee in phased manner soon Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 Hourly fee at 89 paid parking lots in the city will be introduced in a phased manner from January onwards as smart features have not been implemented in all facilities. At parking spaces where such features have been introduced, the MC would allow contractors to start charging in a phased manner, said a senior official of the parking wing of the civic body. Parking wing officials said they would conduct an inspection at all parking lots in a week’s time to check the ground reality. A senior MC official said one of the parking lot firms had claimed that he had implemented smart features. Thus, he would be able to introduce hourly parking charges in a phased manner in different parking lots. Earlier, November 30 was the deadline regarding the same. It was approved in the MC House meeting that hourly parking charges will PGI sends Covid samples Panchkula to get new Mayor today to check virus mutation MC ELECTIONS Three-tier security in place at counting centre Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 The PGI has sent 80 random positive Covid samples, taken between September and December, to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for ascertaining whether any virus mutation took place in India or not. PGI Director Prof Jagat Ram said, “We took 20 random samples each from September, October, November and December and sent these to the NIV Pune, after receiv, ing directions to do the same from the Government of India. The NIV will find out whether any new mutation of Covid-19 has taken place in the country or not. In the UK, the new variant of coronavirus took place in September and it is very much possible that a new strain may have been introduced here as well.” The development comes after a new variant of SARS- CoV-2 virus was reported by the UK to the World Health Organization. This variant is estimated by the European Centre for Disease Control to be more transmissible and affecting the younger population. So far, all UK returnees in the city, who were sampled for Covid-19, have tested negative. As per the protocol established by the government, if any UK-returnee tests positive with the RT-PCR, then genetic sequencing will be done to see whether the results are consistent with current circulating SARSCoV-2 or new variant. Two deaths, 31 cases in Mohali MOHALI: Two persons died due A health official collects a sample of a poll official for the Covid test in Panchkula on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR 26 cases in Panchkula Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 29 The district today reported 26 new cases of Covid, taking the tally to 9,945. With no new death, the toll remained 142. One each case was reported from Amravati Enclave, Bar- PAGE 3 wala, Bhagwanpur, Kalka, the MDC-4, Nada Sahib, Raipur Rani, Thandog and Sectors 6, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21 and 27, two cases each surfaced in Pinjore, Sector 9, 14 and 18 and three in Sector 20. The district has seen 9,572 recoveries so far. There are 231 active cases. to Covid-19 during the past 24 hours, taking the district toll to 340. Besides, 31 fresh cases were reported till Tuesday evening, while 51 patients were cured of the disease. Among the fresh cases, 25 were from Mohali (urban), four from Gharuan and one each from Banur and Dhakoli. So far, the district has witnessed 18,049 cases and 16,545 patients have been cured. — TNS Tribune News Service ARRANGEMENTS Panchkula, December 29 The police have provided a three-tier security at the counting centre at the Post Graduate College for Women in Sector 14 where counting of votes of the Panchkula MC elections will take place tomorrow. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mohit Handa said 230 policemen had been posted at different places. Police barricades have been set up to maintain law and order in the city. He said a large number of policemen had been deployed at the counting centre, ground, gate and the road leading to the centre for the smooth conduct of the counting process. Reserve police force had been kept on standby to deal with anti-social ele- ■ 230 policemen posted at different places ■ Police barricades set up to main- tain law and order in the city ROAD CLOSED Road from the Rally chowk to Sector 12-A, Women PG College, Sector 14, will be closed for general public from 6 am to noon from both sides. Workers carry a metal detector machine at the counting centre on the eve of counting of votes in Panchkula on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR ments, who would be out to disturb peace in the city. The DCP said special glass gates had been set up at the main hall from where authorised officers and employees would be able to enter the counting centre. He said the authorised officers and employees would have to display their ID cards for entering the counting centre. A rear entry door had been set up for polling agents of various politi- cal parties who would be possessing identity cards. The main fight for the Mayor’s post is between BJP’s Kulbhushan Goyal and Congress’ Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia. The city will get its Mayor tomorrow. be introduced from December 1 if the company is able to make its parking lots smart. However, it could not be implemented. Since smart features are yet to be provided at various parking lots in the city, the MC is now going ahead with the hourly fee in a phased manner. Smart features elude several facilities in city RK Garg, president, Second Innings Association, a senior citizens’ body, said, “The MC should make its contracts public. Why are they doing it even in a phased manner when the firms failed to make all lots smart? The corporation has grossly failed in ensuring civic services.” Vikas Pandey, parking contractor of zone 2, said, “We are yet to get a direction in this regard from the MC. Perhaps, a meeting will be held on Thursday.” Lack of parking attendants to manage vehicles, no boom barriers, haphazard continued on page 3 Ojha to be new UT Chief Engineer Chandigarh, December 29 The UT Administration today promoted Superintending Engineer CB Ojha to the post of Chief Engineer. IncumbentChief Engineer Mukesh Anand will superannuate on December 31. Admn declines extension to incumbent Mukesh Anand Local MP Kirron Kher had pushed for his extension for three months as Anand was associated with the Tribune flyover project. In a communication to UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, the MP had stated that Anand had been engaged with the project since its initial stages. The Administration today rejected an extension to Anand and issued orders for the elevation of Ojha as the new Chief Engineer. The latter will take charge of the post on January 1. — TNS City shivers at 2.8°C, sees coldest day of season Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 The city today witnessed the coldest December night of this season. The minimum temperature was recorded at 2.8°C, which is three degrees below normal. According to the Meteorological Department, the lowest temperature witnessed in December last UT sees 64 cases CHANDIGARH: The city on Tuesday reported 64 fresh cases of Covid, taking the UT tally to 19,615. With no new fatality, the toll remains 316. A total of 81 more patients have recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours. — TNS year was 2.9°C. The maximum temperature recorded today was 14°C, which is seven degrees below normal. There is a forecast of dry weather for the next four days. However, light rain is likely on January 2 in isolated places in the tricity. Cold to severe cold wave conditions are expected to prevail till December 31. Children covered in woollens on a cold day at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR c m y b