24012021-CT-01.qxd 1/24/2021 12:26 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE SUNDAY | 24 JANUARY 2021 | CHANDIGARH ‘SAD (DEMOCRATIC) WILL NOT TAKE PART IN CIVIC BODY POLL’ PAGE 2 SAD (Democratic) chief Dhindsa says any party member wishing to contest the poll can fight as an Independent. MAINLY CLEAR SKY TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD SAMPLES TESTED SAMPLES REJECTED POSITIVE NEGATIVE RECOVERED REPORTS AWAITED ACTIVE DEATHS P’KULA MOHALI 2,07,047 1,55,923 1,87,629 942 — — 20,686 10,445 19,253 1,85,419 — 1,68,011 20,226 10,130 18,145 129 — 365 127 168 750 333 147 358 CHANDIGARH 119 PANCHKULA 136 MOHALI 144 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 MAX 17°C | MIN 12°C | YESTERDAY MAX 20.8°C | MIN 12.6°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.53 PM SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF SNATCHERS FLEE WITH PHONE Chandigarh: Two motorcycleborne miscreants snatched a mobile phone from a 19-yearold girl in Sector 41 here on Friday evening. According to the police, the complainant, Sakshi Sharma, a secondyear college student who is putting up in a rented accommodation, was going to the market around 8.45 pm when the miscreants, who were riding a black motorcycle and were not wearing a helmet, arrived from the rear side. The complainant stated that the pillion rider snatched her mobile phone and pushed her away. Thereafter, they sped away on the bike. The police said the victim failed to note down the registration number of the motorcycle. A case in this connection has been registered at the Sector 39 police station. The police have started an investigation into it. TNS ■ Finance and Contract Committee elections ■ Reconstitution of three committees — House tax assessment, road and water supply and sewage disposal ■ Finalisation of terms and conditions for tendering of a paid parking area near Rana Ki Haveli, Mani Majra ‘LET HOUSE DECIDE’ We are only bringing it in House. Let it decide whether to hold the event. We will ask officials if it is possible to organise the festival while following all Covid-19 guidelines. If not feasible, we will do something symbolic. Ravi Kant Sharma, MAYOR ❝ events. There should only be a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony,” said Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of Opposition. ❞ “They are going to spend about ~89 lakh on the event. Why not spend the money on continued on page 2 FOSWAC vouches for ‘rehri’ system Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 23 Claiming that people are unhappy with the garbage collection system introduced by the MC, the Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) said today that the traditional system of collecting waste through rehris was better Wants MC to hand over garbage collection vehicles to willing RWAs than the new arrangement. At an emergency general body meeting held at Sector 21-A park, FOSWAC Chairman Baljinder Singh Bittu said: “Citizens were harassed as garbage piled up in houses and collectors could not earn their daily livelihood for full one-week during the protest. The work of garbage collection had been taken over by the RWAs as the MC could not do its duty. Both the residents as well as the garbage collectors are happy with the rehri system.” General secretary continued on page 2 Bird flu detected at 4 more farms in P’kula dist: Centre Amit Bathla Tribune News Service Panchkula, January 23 The presence of avian influenza (H5N8) has been confirmed at four more poultry farms in the BarwalaRaipur Rani belt. Even though the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying had announced this through a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, the local authorities, however, said confirmatory reports from a Bhopal lab were still awaited. The release, titled “Status of avian influenza in the country” and issued on January 14, stated, “In Haryana, samples from four poultry farms have been confirmed to be positive for avian influenza (H5N8). These include Maharaja Poultry Farm, Khatauli, Tara Poultry Farm, Batour, and Singla Poultry Farm, Mauli village, in Panchkula district.” Considering that the Centre’s reports are true, the poultry activities remained as usual in all these suspected farms all these days and no containment plan came into existence. The samples from the Jalandhar-based Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which reported bird flu in samples of four more poultry farms other than Dist officials await confirmatory report from Bhopal lab the two epicentres detected earlier, was dispatched to Bhopal on January 8 for confirmation, as per the standard protocol and reached there the next evening. Sources said the H5N1 strain of the virus, which was more infectious than H5N8, had also been confirmed in four samples. Dr Sukhdev Rathee, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, Haryana, said they were yet to receive any such confirmatory report from Bhopal. Furthermore, the PIB, in its January 20 press release, stated, “Avian influenza has been confirmed in the sample of a dead crow, taken from Pinjore, Panchkula.” Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja couldn’t be contacted for his comments on the issue. It was confirmed on January 8 continued on page 2 c m y b FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Against a target of 3,046 beneficiaries, 1,611 inoculated 1 death, 22 cases in UT CHANDIGARH: OTHER AGENDAS TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD 52% health workers take jab in one week Now, MC House to take call on event at Jan 27 meet Chandigarh, January 23 The General House of the Municipal Corporation will decide whether the 49th edition of Rose Festival will be held this year or not, at its meeting on January 27. The MC had earlier decided against holding the threeday event due to Covid. This was the reason that the agenda regarding approval, which is generally tabled about three to four months before the February event, was not brought in a House meeting so far. It seems with the new Mayor in, the MC is proposing to hold it even when about a month is left for the annual event, which is organised at Rose Garden, Sector 16, in the last week of February. “We will strongly oppose it during the House meeting. When the MC can cancel Chrysanthemum Show, why not Rose Festival? Social distancing is impossible at such PAGE 3 Health Department decides to organise Covid vaccination drive at 12 session sites in Panchkula district. SUNRISE MONDAY 7.17 AM Rose Festival-2021 not yet written off Tribune News Service AIR QUALITY INDEX P’KULA TARGETS TO VACCINATE 2,840 WORKERS TOMORROW The CM flying squad, along with a team of the Sector 26 Crime Branch, catches suspect following a tip-off. FILE PHOTO FORECAST PAGE 3 DRUG PEDDLER NAILED WITH 273-GM OPIUM IN PANCHKULA The city on Saturday reported 22 fresh cases of Covid and one death, taking the case tally to 20,686 and the toll to 333. A total of 31 more patients recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours. — TNS 3 die, 39 test +ve in Mohali MOHALI: Three more fatalities due to Covid-19 were reported from the district on Saturday, taking the toll to 358. Besides, 39 fresh cases surfaced while 63 more patients were cured of the disease. Among the new cases, 27 were from Mohali (urban), four from Lalru, three from Kharar, two each from Banur and Gharuan and one from Dera Bassi. —TNS Only 9 cases in Panchkula PANCHKULA: The district on Saturday reported nine fresh cases of Covid, taking the overall tally to 10,445. The Covid toll remained at 147. While 10,130 patients have already been cured of the disease so far, 168 cases are still active. The district recovery rate stands at 96.98 per cent. —TNS Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 23 Around 52 per cent of the targeted healthcare workers came forward for vaccination against Covid-19 in a week since the drive began in the city. Against a target of 3,046 beneficiaries, 1,611 have been inoculated so far. The Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, has witnessed the highest turnout of 89 per cent. Dr Amandeep Kaur Kang, Director, Health Services, UT, said since the on-the-spot registration began, private medical practitioners had started coming forward at the hospital for vaccination. Besides, regular counselling was being done to allay fears regarding the vaccine among the healthcare workers. Dr SS Pandav, who is looking after the immunisation programme at the PGI, said people had started coming forward for inoculation now. “The turnout today was comparatively low due to Saturday. We did not make much effort and only volunteers came. However, there has been a change in the attitude of people regarding the vaccine. The healthcare workers are asking and seeking guidance on the subject.” Dr Pandav said the institute was going to open another centre on Monday. The PGI today increased the upper limit of beneficiaries to be vaccinated to 200 per site. The overall turnout at the institute has been 51 per cent. “Initially, the government A health worker being vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Urban Health Centre in Sector 16, Panchkula. SEE ALSO P3 TURNOUT AT CITY HOSPITALS Sites GMSH-16 (site I) GMSH-16 (site II) Civil Hospital-45 GMCH-32 (site I) GMCH-32 (site II) PGI (site I) PGI (site II) Air Force Station CH-Mani Majra Target Achievement Turnout 500 445 89% 100 8 8% 500 327 65% 500 171 34% 500 171 34% 500 296 60% 296 114 39% 50 50 100% 100 29 29% was quite concerned and therefore, it capped the upper limit to 100 persons per site. Looking at the safety profile of the vaccine, we have been allowed to increase the upper limit to 200 beneficiaries per site. More than a million people have been vaccinated with negligible side effects. It is evident that the vaccine is reasonably safe,” said Dr Pandav. The lowest turnout was seen at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, at 34 per cent. “We are trying to educate people on the Covid-19 vaccine and taking up their queries. There is still some amount of vaccine hesitancy among people and we are trying to address it. Healthcare workers who were hesitant in the beginning have started coming forward after the counselling,” said Dr Deepak Chawla, Covid-19 vaccination in-charge at the GMCH-32. On Saturday, a total of 345 healthcare workers were inoculated against a target of 1,000. The new sites that opened today did not get a good response as only eight beneficiaries turned up at the second site in the GMSH-16 and 29 persons showed up at Civil Hospital, Mani Majra.