12012021-CT-01.qxd 1/12/2021 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE TUESDAY | 12 JANUARY 2021 | CHANDIGARH CLTA-AITA C'SHIP: SARTHAK SAILS INTO UNDER-18 QUARTERFINALS PAGE 2 Top seed Sarthak Gandhi sails into boys' U-18 quarterfinals by defeating Rakshit Dhankar on the opening day. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD P’KULA SAMPLES TESTED 1,93,545 SAMPLES REJECTED 940 POSITIVE 20,342 NEGATIVE 1,72,263 RECOVERED 19,756 REPORTS AWAITED 65 ACTIVE 259 DEATHS 327 MOHALI 1,46,878 1,83,765 — — 10,234 18,772 — 1,64,448 9,870 17,504 — 545 220 917 144 351 PAGE 2 MAX 18°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 16.8°C | MIN 9.5°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.42 PM 61 PANCHKULA 75 MOHALI 92 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF 2 CAUGHT CHEATING DURING ITBP EXAM Chandigarh: Two candidates appearing for the ITBP Tradesman exam were caught cheating at two centres on January 10. Complainant Gagan Sharma, a representative for the offline test at the M/s Alaska online testing centre, Raipur Kalan, told the police that candidate Sandeep of Hisar was caught cheating. A case was registered against him at the Mauli Jagran police station. In another incident, complainant Ravi, an invigilator at MS Technology, reported that Pardeep Sharma of Haryana, was caught cheating. A case was registered. TNS SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7.20 AM Two snatchers arrested, five cases cracked Chandigarh, January 11 Two snatchers have been arrested by the police and five snatching cases reported from the city have been solved. The police claimed the duo had committed over two dozen snatchings across the tricity. The suspects, Sanjay Verma, alias Sajjan (20), a resident of Trivedi Camp, Mubarikpur, Dera Bassi, and Vishavjeet, alias Honey, a resident of Modern Complex, Zirakpur, were nabbed at a naka near Hallo Majra while riding a motorcycle on January 9. The police said a mobile phone, which was snatched from a cyclist near Tribune Chowk on January 2, was recovered from them. On their disclosure, eight mobile phones, two wallets and documents of various victims were recovered. A snatching case was registered continued on page 2 TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 11 Clearing the Dadu Majra dumping ground of waste by the end of 2021 seems nothing but an illusion. It has been found that the work of biomining the waste, which was allotted to a private firm for a whopping ~33 crore, was only for about half of the total garbage lying at the ground. The company was assigned the task to biomine 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste. About 4.50 lakh tonnes of waste will still be left at the ground. The garbage has been generated since 2005. However, the authorities had created an impression that the entire waste would be lifted from the ground. KK Yadav, MC Commissioner-cum-CEO of Smart City Limited, said: “As many as 4.50 lakh metric tonnes of garbage generated after 2005 will still be left at the dumping ground. The problem has been persisting due to Jaypee Associates, which failed to process the waste regularly all these years.” He said 75,000 metric tonnes of waste had been biomined so To biomine 5 lakh tonnes of waste, At the time of the inauguration of the project, it was leaving behind claimed that the mountain of waste will be cleared ‘MERE EYEWASH’ ❝ 4.50 lakh tonnes from the dumping ground. However, it was a mere eyewash. Dyal Krishan, PRESIDENT, DUMPING GROUND JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE ❞ Biomining of waste in progress at the Dadu Majra dumping ground on Monday. PRADEEP TEWARI far. The work was slowed down due to Covid and restarted in June. “Another woe is the waste processing plant that was taken over by the MC last year. It is only processing about 70 metric tonnes of waste daily, while the city generates about 450 metric tonnes of garbage each day. The unprocessed waste is also dumped at the ground, which emanates foul smell,” he said. Dyal Krishan, president, Dumping Ground Joint Action Committee, said: “At the time of the inauguration of the project, it was claimed that the mountain of waste will be cleared from the dumping ground. However, it was a mere eyewash. You can check any newspaper from the inauguration day, it was claimed that the whole ground will be cleared.” “Also, there is no check on the biomining being done. Who is checking which waste is being thrown here and which waste is being biomined?” he added. On December 20, 2019, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, in the presence of MP Kirron Kher and councillors, inaugurated the “Mining of Legacy Waste and Recovery of Land” project with much fanfare under the Smart City mission at the dumping ground here. UT to get Covishield Tremors felt in City Beautiful Chandigarh, January 11 Tremors were felt for a few seconds in the city this evening, prompting residents to come out of their houses. According to the authorities concerned, earthquake of 5.1 magnitude originated from Jammu and Kashmir at 7.32 pm. Maninder, a resident of Sector 28, said: “I was studying when suddenly my table and chair started shaking. I did not realise that it was an earthquake. Then, my mom came rushing and we all went out of the house.” Rahul Kumar, a Sector 29 resident, said: “I had just returned from my office and felt as if all things around me were shaking. I got scared and panicked.” — TNS Six high-definition cameras being installed from the Chandigarh barrier to the McDonald’s point in Zirakpur. What a waste! Agency Obese-city: UT’s older adults fattest in country won’t clear all garbage Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH PAGE 2 HD CAMERAS TO KEEP CHECK ON VIOLATORS IN ZIRAKPUR No harmful substances found in any of the milk samples collected during camp by dairy development board. Sandeep Rana AIR QUALITY INDEX 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 31 MILK SAMPLES TESTED AT CONSUMER AWARENESS CAMP Debris at the showroom in Zirakpur on Monday. NITIN MITTAL Pharma showroom gutted Zirakpur, January 11 A fire broke out in a showroom of Metro Plaza in Lohgarh today. The pharmaceutical firm showroom (No. 32) on the second floor of the plaza was gutted around 7 pm. No loss of life was reported in the incident. Computers, laptops and furniture were destroyed in the fire that was doused by the firemen in 30 minutes with two fire tenders. An employee of the plaza first saw the fire in the closed showroom and tried to douse it with the help of others. Wit- nesses said they saw huge flames touching the roof of the building. Fire officials said an electrical short circuit might be the cause of the fire. Panic prevailed in the area for at least an hour. Due to the narrow stairs leading to the showroom, firemen faced difficulties in dousing the fire. Zirakpur fire station officials Jaswant Singh said: “A distress call was received around 7 pm.” The amount of loss of property will be assessed tomorrow morning. — TNS No Rose Festival this year Chandigarh, January 11 The Rose Festival, a popular annual event of the city, will not be held this year. A senior MC official said, “Due to Covid and now bird flu, we are not taking any chances. This year, the fest will not be held.” The festival used to be held every year at the end of February. A three-day event, it saw various cultural, fun-filled and musical activities at Rose Garden, Sector 16, and Leisure Valley, Sector 10. The MC used to get the agenda regarding the preparations cleared from the House about four-five months before the event. This time it was not done. Earlier, the MC had cancelled the three-day Chrysanthemum Show, which is held annually at the Terraced Garden in Sector 33.— TNS FILE PHOTO COVID, BIRD FLU CAST SHADOW ❝ Due to Covid and now bird flu, we are not taking any chances. This year, the fest will not be held. An MC official ❞ c m y b Reports Longitudinal Ageing Study in India PREVALENCE OF DISEASES AMONG 45 YRS & ABOVE OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY 55.8% 52.7% 49.4% CHD DIABETES MELLITUS 27.4% KERALA DELHI PUNJAB CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 43.3% KERALA 22.8% LAKSHADWEEP 42.7% CHD 22.4% PUDUCHERRY 42.2% J&K 21% CHD involved in physical activities, which is contributing to obesity and heart-related problems among older adults. Another factor is the transition from traditional foods to fast foods.” The mean body mass index (BMI) among the elderly men is higher than 23 in Delhi (24.3), followed by Lakshadweep (24) and Chandigarh (23.8). Among the older adult women, the mean BMI ranges from 27.5 in Chandigarh to 21 in Chhattisgarh. Among the elderly women, the mean BMI is in the overweight category (BMI >25) in Chandigarh (26.8) followed by Delhi (26) and Daman & Diu (25.4). As per the report, the self-reported prevalence of diagnosed cardiovascular continued on page 2 32 new cases, no death in Mohali MOHALI: Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 11 Chandigarh will receive the Covishield vaccine, which is developed by the University of Oxford and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India (SII), revealed a senior UT official. Ahead of the vaccine rollout scheduled for January 16, the UT was intimated by the Centre that it will receive 21,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. A list of around 8,350 health workers has been prepared and updated on the Co-WIN portal for the first phase of vaccination in Chandigarh. Besides, the PGI will administer its 12,000 healthcare workers within the institute separately. The Covishield vaccine will be administered at nine sites across the city — two sites each at the GMSH-16, GMCH-32, Civil Hospitals in Sector 45 and 22, Mani Majra and the Sector 49 civil dis- Chandigarh, January 11 The city has reported the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity, and the second highest prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among older adults (aged 45 years and above) in the country, according to the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity among older adults in India is 28 per cent. “Around half of the older population of Chandigarh (56 per cent), Delhi (53 per cent) and Punjab (49 per cent) is either overweight or obese,” said the study. The prevalence of obesity among the elderly (60 years and above) is higher in Chandigarh (22 per cent) than Delhi (18 per cent) followed by Puducherry (15 per cent) and Daman & Diu (15 per cent). Prof JS Thakur from the School of Community Medicine and Public Health, PGI, said: “In our recently published studies, we found that there is a high prevalence of sedentary lifestyle in Chandigarh as people are less CITY SEES 47 CASES Chandigarh: The city on Monday reported 47 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,342. A total of 29 more patients recovered from the infectious disease. The tally of cured patients stands at 19,756. TNS pensary. There are five more sites at PGI where the vaccination will take place. Dr Jagat Ram, Director, PGI, has informed that the trial for both Covishield doses was conducted successfully with 149 volunteers. No adverse effect was reported. This vaccine can be stored at 2° to 8° Centigrade (household refrigerator temperature) and has to be taken in two doses with intramuscular injections at a gap of 28 days. The district reported 32 new Covid cases on Monday. As many as 48 more patients recovered from the virus during the past 24 hours. Among the new cases, 17 were reported from Mohali (urban), seven from Dhakoli, six from Gharuan and one each from Dera Bassi and Kharar. The district has so far seen 18,772 cases, while 17,504 patients have been cured. The active case count stands at 917. With no death today, the toll stays at 351. — TNS AVIAN INFLUENZA 20 more infected in Panchkula PANCHKULA: The district on Monday reported 20 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 10,234. The Covid toll remained at 144. While 9,870 patients have recovered from the disease so far, 220 cases are still active. The recovery rate of the district stands at 96.44 per cent. — TNS City’s heritage sold for ~1.03 cr in Luxembourg Chandigarh, January 11 Eleven heritage items from Chandigarh were sold for ~1.03 crore at an auction held in Luxembourg. Of a lot of 14 items, 11 items, designed by architect Pierre Jeanneret, were auctioned for ~1.03 crore. The highest price of ~20.58 lakh was fetched by a teak sofa. As many as 14 heritage items were put up for auction on January 10. The heritage items included an office cane chair, office cane chairs with inclined backrest, a set of two senate committee chairs, a set of two easy armchairs, a cafeteria table, dining chairs, a low fireside chair, a student chair, a small desk, a teak sofa and a set of two stools. In a letter to S Jayashankar, More samples taken from poultry farms Panchkula, January 11 More samples were collected from 10-12 poultry farms in the Barwala belt today to prevent further spread of bird flu. Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja said they had identified 10-12 poultry farms from where the samples were taken to contain the disease from spreading further. “The samples have been sent for examination. The previous reports sent to Bhopal by the Jalandhar-based lab for confirmation are still awaited,” he said. OVER 20,000 BIRDS CULLED SO FAR Over 20,000 birds have been culled so far to break the chain of the infection. Ahuja said at least 40 rapid response teams were engaged in the drive and culling operations had been completed at two epicentres – Siddharth Poultry Farm at Kheri village and Nature Poultry Farm at Ganauli village. “Four teams will clean and disinfect these two farms tomorrow. Meanwhile, the culling has also begun at Narender Poultry Farm,” the Deputy Commissioner told the Tribune. A fresh notification will be issued tomorrow for demarcation of the infected zone. The district authorities are being criticised for slow pace of culling operations as it could spread the virus to new areas. The authorities aim to cull 1.66 lakh birds in the Barwala-Raipur Rani region after the detection of avian influenza. — TNS 13 birds found dead in UT REPRESENTATIONAL PIC Union Minister of External Affairs, Ajay Jagga, Member, Heritage Protection Cell, Chandigarh, said he had intimated in advance regarding the heritage auction on January 10, which was a first auction of 2021 in Luxembourg. “This has happened despite the fact that there is a complete prohibition on export of these items from India. How these items cleared the customs,” he said. — TNS Chandigarh, January 11 As many as 13 more birds were found dead in different areas of the city today. Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forests, UT, said samples of the birds had been sent to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar, to ascertain the cause of death. He said of the eight samples sent earlier to the laboratory, three had already reported negative for avian influenza. The reports of the remaining samples were expected in a day or two. He said 12 crows and one pigeon were found dead today. Samples sent to Jalandhar lab to ascertain cause of death Nine birds were found dead in the Darua area, while the other carcasses were found in Sector 26, 39 and 40. Seven birds were found dead in different areas of the city yesterday. Surveillance had been increased in the city to check the spread of the virus in case of any eventuality, he said. — TNS