05012021-CT-01.qxd 1/5/2021 12:47 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE TUESDAY | 5 JANUARY 2021 | CHANDIGARH CONGRESS PUTS UP POSTERS TO REMOVE CONFUSION ON WARDS The Election Commission of Punjab is yet to announce the date for the Mohali civic body elections. FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD P’KULA SAMPLES TESTED 1,84,844 SAMPLES REJECTED 914 POSITIVE 19,936 NEGATIVE 1,63,994 RECOVERED 19,348 REPORTS AWAITED 75 ACTIVE 267 DEATHS 321 MOHALI 1,41,664 1,80,983 — — 10,055 18,375 — 1,62,073 9,756 17,074 — 535 155 954 144 347 AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 93 PANCHKULA 80 MOHALI 100 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF 7 MILK SAMPLES FOUNDADULTERATED Mohali: The Punjab Dairy Development Board organised a milk consumer awareness camp in Phase IV. Milk samples were brought in by 37 consumers during the camp. As many as 30 samples were found up to the mark while seven were adulterated with water. TNS THREE BOOKED FOR VANDALISING CARS Chandigarh: Three persons have been booked on a charge of vandalising vehicles and setting a scooter on fire. According to the police, the complainant, a resident of the Sector 25 colony, reported that the suspects, Subham, alias Koda, Abhishek, Gaurav and others, threw stones at their house on January 3. They also set the complainant’s scooter on fire and vandalised two cars parked near the house. The police said they had some old enmity with the complainant. A case has been registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 336, 435, 427 and 506 of the IPC at the Sector 11 police station. TNS E-CHARGING STATION IN P’KULA Panchkula: The first echarging station of the state was inaugurated here on Monday. It was launched by Tarun Kapoor, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, at the renewable energy building. Free-charging facility will be provided to electric vehicles. TC Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, New and Renewable Energy Department, said during 2021, the departments in Haryana would hire only evehicles. He said it had been decided by the department to install e-charging stations at 500 places in the state. TNS UT ON HIGH ALERT OVER BIRD DEATHS Chandigarh: The Forests and Wildlife Department, UT, has put the city on a high alert after the deaths of thousands of migratory birds and chickens were reported in neighbouring states. Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forests, UT, said the Veterinary Department had been asked to keep a vigil on the issue. “So far, no unnatural behaviour has been noticed in the birds at Sukhna Lake and other water bodies in the city,” he added. Over 1,000 migratory birds were found dead in the Pong wetlands in Himachal Pradesh. Similarly, over 1 lakh chickens have died at poultry farms in Barwala. TNS PAGE 2 PAGE 2 DHAKOLI COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE NOW 100-BED HOSPITAL Upgrading the 30-bed facility was a long-pending demand of residents of Zirakpur and the nearby areas. MAX 20°C | MIN 14°C | YESTERDAY MAX 25.8°C | MIN 12.5°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.37 PM PAGE 2 TEACHERS DO A VEERU, CLIMB ATOP WATER TANK IN PATIALA Want Education Department to repeal provision of BEd entry into ETT courses and advertise 10,000 posts for them. SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7.20 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Revolt as BJP names mayoral nominees Two fall prey to virus in Mohali Chandrawati Shukla files papers against party choice for top post Ravi Kant; Bharat Kumar quits Mohali, January 4 Two persons succumbed to Covid-19 during the past 24 hours in the district, taking the toll to 347. It also reported 71 fresh cases, while 94 more persons recovered from the disease. Among the fresh cases, 37 were reported from Mohali (urban), two each from Dera Bassi, Kharar and Lalru, 10 from Dhakoli and 18 from Gharuan. The district has so far seen 18,375 positive cases, while 17,074 patients have recovered. There are now 954 active cases. — TNS PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 4 History repeated itself today as the ruling BJP saw rebellion in the party after the announcement of the mayoral candidates. Senior Deputy Mayor and councillor Ravi Kant Sharma was declared the BJP candidate for the post of Mayor and councillors Maheshinder Singh Sidhu and Farmila as the candidates for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. Soon after the trio filed their nomination papers, disgruntled party councillor Chandrawati Shukla filed her nomination for the post of Mayor. Congress councillors Devinder Singh Babla and Satish Kainth became her proposers in the nomination form, though the BJP termed it invalid. The saffron party got the second blow when councillor Bharat Kumar resigned from the party in protest against Famila’s candidature. To make most of the opportunity, city Congress president Pardeep Chhabra announced that they will support Shukla and party candidate Babla may withdraw his nomination. Earlier in the day, the BJP BJP Mayor candidate Ravi Kant Sharma during the filing of papers in Chandigarh on Monday. Also seen are party’s Senior Deputy Mayor & Deputy Mayor nominees Maheshinder Singh Sidhu (on Sharma’s right) and Farmila (2nd L); and (right) councillors try to convince Chandrawati Shukla against filing papers for the post. SAFFRON PARTY NO ALIEN TO REBELLION RED ALERT FOR BJP CONG CANDIDATES FILE NOMINATIONS 2017: Asha Jaswal nominated to the post; within days of being elected as Mayor, Jaswal and Arun Sood were blamed by Heera Negi for her defeat in the F&CC elections 2018: Davesh Moudgil nominated; Jaswal, Sood and other councillors filed separate nominations in protest, though they withdrew their nominations later 2019: Rajesh Kalia nominated; Satish Kainth filed nomination in protest, lost the election and later joined the Congress 2020: Raj Bala Malik nominated; Negi criticised the move openly; Chandrawati Shukla tried to file nomination During the 2019 mayoral elections, BJP rebel Satish Kainth fought as an independent candidate for the post of Mayor and managed to get as many as 11 votes. BJP nominee Rajesh Kalia had got only five votes more than the rebel in the 27-member House. Chandigarh: Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla filed his nomination for the post of Mayor on Monday. Party councillors Ravinder Kaur Gujral and Satish Kainth filed papers for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. Since it is the last mayoral poll of the current MC, the Congress tried to put up a united face. Its former Mayors, including Subhash Chawla, ex-councillors and the city unit president were present at the time of filing of nominations. TNS was to file the nominations at 4 pm. But in view of a tussle over the selection of candidates, it could be filed after 4:30 pm. City BJP incharge Dushyant Gautam and organisation sec- retary Dinesh Kumar arrived at the Mayor’s office in Sector 17 where all party councillors were already present. Till this time, Maheshinder’s name for the post of the Mayor was High Court readies itself to resume physical hearings Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 4 The Punjab and Haryana High Court, it seems, is working out the modalities and creating infrastructure for part resumption of physical hearings in courtrooms. It is believed that four or five courtrooms are being modified for the purpose. The modifications include setting up of a partition between Bar members and the Bench and provision of microphones. Physical hearings were to be permitted on an experimental basis in a few courtrooms upon reopening of the High Court after the winter break, but were postponed in view of the new strain. Protesting against the nonresumption of physical hearings, nearly 250 Bar Association members observed a hunger strike as the HC reopened after the break. The members gathered in TO TAKE CALL BY MID-JANUARY ■ It is believed that four or five courtrooms are being modified for the purpose. The modifications include setting up of a partition between Bar members and the Bench and provision of microphones. ■ The High Court is in touch with the health authorities and will take the call again by mid-January. the main hall with placards seeking resumption of physical hearings. The association was of the view that the pandemic had subsided to a great extent and every sector of the economy had been opened. However, physical hearings of the court were under suspension since March 21, causing great hardship to the citizens, lawyers, stenographers and clerks. It was also resulting in denial of justice. More than 100 members of the High Court Clerks Bar Association and all staff members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, too, observed a hunger strike to support the demand. The High Court went into restricted functioning mode in March-end following the Covid outbreak. The cases are currently being heard in the High Court through videoconferencing. ONLY 9 CASES, NO DEATH IN P’KULA Panchkula: The district on Monday reported nine fresh coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally to 10,055. The Covid toll remained at 144. While 9,756 patients have recovered from the infectious disease so far, 155 cases are still active. The recovery rate of the district stands at 97 TNS UT SEES 43 FRESH CASES, ONE DEATH Chandigarh: The city on Monday reported 43 fresh cases of Covid and one death, taking the UT case tally to 19,936 and the toll to 321. A total of 68 more patients recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours. TNS doing the rounds. After the announcement, Bharat Kumar openly conveyed his displeasure to the party. He sought one of the top three positions in the MC House. However, he was denied the nomination. “I resigned as those involved in anti-party (read Farmila) activities were entertained,” he told reporters. DSP’s pet stolen, returns home Biker dies, three in auto hurt as bus rams vehicles in Kalka Chandigarh, January 4 A pet dog of a UT DSP was stolen from outside his government house in Sector 17 by two suspects on Monday. However, a few hours later, the dog returned home. DSP Dilsher Singh Chandel checked the footage of CCTV cameras and found that two suspects riding an Activa scooter stole his dog. Besides informing the police, he took to the social media and posted and appeal with his dog’s picture requesting people to share the information. While the police were looking for the two suspects, the dog returned home. The DSP then again posted a message on his Facebook to inform that his dog had safely reached home. —TNS Panchkula, January 4 A 46-year-old biker was killed and three others injured in an accident involving a Haryana Roadways bus of Kalka depot, which was allegedly being driven in a rash and negligent manner, in Kalka this morning. The deceased was identified as Vijay, who hailed from Ghatiwala. The accident took place around 7 am when the bus (HR68 B 0460) hit the victim’s bike, an auto-rickshaw and a private bus, one after another. The bus driver fled the spot, leaving the vehicle behind. As per the FIR, the other three vehicles were going towards Gandhi Chowk and the bus was coming from the opposite direction when the collisions took place. There was no road divider. In a complaint to the police, Sanjeev Kumar, the driver of the private bus, stated that all four injured persons – the biker, the auto driver and his two passengers — fell uncon- Shukla walked out of the meeting. Meanwhile, all three party nominees filed nominations. Later, Chandrawati, led by her husband continued on page 2 DRIVER FLEES, BOOKED The accident took place around 7 am when the bus (HR68 B 0460) hit the victim’s bike, an auto-rickshaw and a private bus, one after another. The bus driver fled the spot, leaving the vehicle behind. The mishap left the biker dead and the driver of the auto and its two passengers injured. scious due to the mishap and were rushed to the Community Health Centre, Kalka, in an auto rickshaw with the help of passers-by. The doctors at the infirmary declared Vijay brought dead. His body was shifted to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 here for autopsy. Two others were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, Chandigarh, and the fourth injured person to the Civil Hospital for further treatment. A case has been registered against the bus driver, identified as Sanjeev Kumar. — TNS Youth killed in scooter mishap Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 4 An 18-year-old youth was killed after the scooter he was driving rammed into the door of an ATM booth at Hallo Majra. According to the police, complainant Vinod, a security guard at the ATM, reported that a Honda Cliq scooter, being driven by Satyam, a resident of Hallo Majra village, rammed into the door of the ATM booth on January 3. The glass of the door reportedly pierced the stomach of the victim. The police were informed and the injured was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where he succumbed to his injures. The police has registered a case at the Sector 31 police station. Jalandhar lab to collect fresh bird samples today Couple hit by truck in Amit Bathla Tribune News Service Panchkula, January 4 Two days after over 1 lakh birds were found dead under mysterious circumstances at poultry farms in Barwala, another team of Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar, will arrive tomorrow to collect fresh samples of birds to confirm the presence of avian influenza or bird flu. “These samples will be examined at the Jalandharbased laboratory. Some samples will also be sent to High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal for confirmation if need be,” sources said. Confirming the development, 30 human samples sent to Pune lab for testing SO FAR, NO FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS IN WORKERS ❝No flu-like symptoms have been found so far in workers engaged at poultry farms. It’s a positive sign. However, local health officials have been told to remain vigilant. If anyone develops influenza-like symptoms, he/she will be isolated. The movement of human beings to affected/suspected poultry farms has also been restricted. Dr Jasjeet Kaur, CIVIL SURGEON Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja said the report of the samples collected from 80 birds, which were dispatched to Jalandhar, was still awaited. Meanwhile, the Haryana Animal Husbandry Department will also convene a ❞ review meeting tomorrow to assess the situation. Health Dept in action The Panchkula Health Department has also sprung into action to tackle the possibility of bird flu or avian influenza behind “unusual c m y b high mortality” of chickens at Barwala poultry farms. Local health officials have been put on alert to ensure surveillance of the affected pockets and test anyone showing symptoms of bird flu. Bird flu or avian flu causes symptoms such as fever, cough and sore throat. Meanwhile, at least 30 random samples of poultry workers have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, to see if they are infected with any strain of bird flu. “No flu-like symptoms have been found so far in workers engaged at poultry farms. It’s a positive sign. However, local health officials have been told to remain vigilant. If anyone develops influenza-like symptoms, he/she will be isolated. The movement of human beings to affected/suspected poultry farms has also been restricted,” said Civil Surgeon Dr Jasjeet Kaur. continued on page 2 Zirakpur, woman dies Tribune News Service Zirakpur, January 4 A woman died on the spot while her husband was seriously injured in a road accident near K Area light point on the Panchkula road last evening. The deceased, Surinder Kaur, was driving a scooter while her husband, Suba Singh, was riding pillion. According to the police, a speeding truck hit the couple’s vehicle from the rear end when they were returning to their home in New Defence Colony from Gurdwara Nada Sahib. Suba Singh fell on the other side of the road due to the collision while his wife died on the spot. The driver fled the spot, leaving the truck behind. The Dhakoli police have seized the truck and registered a case against the unknown driver under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC. The police have handed over the body of the deceased to the family after conducting a post-mortem examination.