02012021-CT-01.qxd 1/2/2021 12:15 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE SATURDAY | 2 JANUARY 2021 | CHANDIGARH FOOT OVERBRIDGE PROJECT IN PATIALA TO BE COMPLETED SOON Delayed for months, foot overbridges to come up outside Kali Mata Temple and Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY PAGE 3 HOTEL, TRAVEL FIRM PENALISED FOR DEFICIENCY IN SERVICE CHD P’KULA MOHALI 1,40,522 1,79,326 — — 10,007 18,239 — 1,60,632 9,668 16,841 — 455 196 1,056 143 342 MAX 18°C | MIN 7°C | YESTERDAY MAX 17.4°C | MIN 6.1°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5.35 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7.19 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Receives ~158 cr against ~168 cr collected in 2019 Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH 223 PANCHKULA 245 MOHALI 178 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF CYCLIST DIES IN HIT-AND-RUN Chandigarh: A 23-year-old cyclist was killed in a hit-andrun on the road separating Sector 33 and 34. According to the police, the complainant, Vibash of Burail, reported that he and his friend Naresh were returning to their room on their bicycles when an unknown vehicle hit Naresh’s bicycle and sped away on December 30. Naresh was taken to the GMCH, Sector 32, where he later succumbed to his injuries. TNS A long queue of visitors at the entrance to Rock Garden on the first day of 2021 in Chandigarh on Friday. Nearly 7,200 people, including 1,000 children, visited the sculpture garden. The authorities collected a fee of nearly ~2 lakh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI 31 challaned, 3 vehicles impounded in Mohali Tribune News Service Mohali, January 1 As many as 31 persons were booked for traffic violations while three vehicles were impounded by the Mohali police on the New Year’s Eve. The police impounded the vehicles with liquor being brought from Chandigarh to Mohali. The female driver or co-drivers were given the option of getting dropped by a woman constable but all of them preferred to book cabs for their homes. DSP (Traffic) Guriqbal Singh said, “Three cases have been registered at the Phase XI police station. There was no untoward incident in the city.” The police in Zirakpur issued traffic slips to 49 drivers for various violations today. No challan was issued on the New Year’s Eve. In UT, none caught for drunk driving Chandigarh, January 1 No one was caught while driving under the influence of liquor on the New Year’s Eve by the UT traffic police. DSP Charanjit Singh Virk, spokesperson, Chandigarh Police, said traffic nakas were laid in different parts of the city, including Sector 26 and 35, to keep a watch on traffic violators. “Although arrangements were made to check drunken driving, nobody was found Continued on page 3 c m y b Chandigarh, January 1 Despite rapid economic recovery post-pandemic, the goods and services tax (GST) collection dipped by 6 per cent in the UT in the month of December in comparison to the amount of levy collected in the same month last year. According to the Finance Ministry, the gross GST collection in the UT stood at ~158 crore in December 2020, which was 6 per cent less in comparison to ~168 crore received during the corresponding period in 2019. An official said in December 2020, the Excise and Taxation Department had received ~17 crore more than the previous month. In November 2020, the tax collection stood at ~141 crore, which was 14 per cent less in comparison to ~165 crore, the revenue received during the same month in 2019. In October last year, the UT had collected tax to the tune of ~151.98 crore, which was 3.21 per cent less in comparison to ~157.02 crore, the col- PAGE 5 The group led by Vinod Dhundia grabs three of the four posts of office-bearers in the club elections. GST Dec collections witness 6% dip in UT Rock-ing start to New Year AIR QUALITY INDEX 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 DHUNDIA TO HEAD RAJINDRA GYMKHANA & MAHENDRA CLUB Panel fines Gurugram-based hotel, travel firm for denying accommodation to customer at the last moment. TRICITY COVID REPORT SAMPLES TESTED 1,82,063 SAMPLES REJECTED 906 POSITIVE 19,799 NEGATIVE 1,61,358 RECOVERED 19,109 REPORTS AWAITED 92 ACTIVE 372 DEATHS 318 PAGE 3 GROSS GST COLLECTION IN UT Month April May June July August September October November December 2019-20 ~199.96 cr ~146.67 cr ~157.97 cr ~155.96 cr ~160.08 cr ~156.51 cr ~157.02 cr ~165 cr ~168 cr 2020-21 ~40.34 cr ~103.4 cr ~158.69 cr ~137.33 cr ~138.52 cr ~141.48 cr ~151.98 cr ~141 cr ~158 cr lections made in the same month in 2019. In September 2020, the gross GST collection was 10 per cent lower than that of the corresponding period in 2019. The gross tax collection in September 2020 stood at ~141.48 crore, whereas in the same month in 2019, the UT had seen GST collections of ~156.51 crore. The UT got nearly 8 per cent more revenue in the form of gross GST collections in September 2020 in comparison to the amount received in August 2020. The gross GST collection in August last year was ~138.52 % change -79.83 -29.47 0.46 -11.95 -13.47 -9.60 -3.21 -14 -6 crore, which was nearly 13 per cent less than the previous year when ~160.08 crore tax was collected. The official said the GST collections in July were ~137.33 crore. Due to the imposition of the lockdown, the UT had collected a meagre revenue of ~40.34 crore in April, which increased to ~103.44 crore in May. However, with selective opening of business establishments in Unlock 1.0, the revenue collection witnessed a sharp increase and the UT recorded a collection of ~158.69 crore in June, the highest in this financial year. Expect light rain in city tomorrow Chandigarh, January 1 The city is likely to witness the year’s first spell of light rain on Sunday. According to the Meteorological Department, the prevailing cold wave conditions and dense fog during night and early morning hours are likely to continue for the next 24 hours and expected to abate thereafter. The department stated that the city was likely to receive Continued on page 3 70-year-old man crushed to death Dera Bassi, January 1 A 70-year-old man was killed while crossing the road at Bhankharpur village on the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway. The deceased has been identified as Ram Singh, a resident of Bhankharpur, who was an agriculturist. The driver fled from the spot after the accident. A confectionery shop owner at the village bus stop said Ram Singh was crossing the Continued on page 5