12052022-CT-01.qxd 5/12/2022 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE THURSDAY | 12 MAY 2022 | CHANDIGARH FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: SC ALLOWS CITY SCHOOLS’ PLEA PAGE 2 High Court had ruled that uploading financial statement will, among other things, ensure transparency. MAINLY CLEAR SKY TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD P’KULA MOHALI POSITIVE 92,190 44,243 95,895 RECOVERED 90,932 43,806 94,680 NEW CASES 22 4 8 ACTIVE 93 23 67 CHANGE 17 4 2 DEATHS 1,165 414 1,148 NEW 0 0 0 AIR QUALITY INDEX SUNSET THURSDAY 7:07 PM Directions come in the wake of a grenade attack at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:31 AM PANCHKULA 98 MOHALI 104 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF FOUR BOOKED ON CHARGE OF MINING Dera Bassi: The police have booked two Kheri Gujran women (landowners) and two unidentified persons for mining at Samgoli village in Dera Bassi. The police impounded three vehicles one of which did not have a registration plate. Dera Bassi SHO Kulveer Singh said, “Dera Bassi JE-cum-mining officer Narottam Sharma said the local MLA had found soil being dug up in fields with the help of Poclain machines and tippers. Permission had only being taken from the Water Resources Department to level the land, but deep digging was being undertaken. MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa said he had received a complaint after which he visited the spot. TNS Patients have only mild symptoms now, no major post-illness complications Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 11 No death due to Covid-19 has been reported from the city in more than two months even as cases continue to be detected every day. The last Covid death was recorded on February 26 when a 52-year-old man from Sector 52, a case of Type-2 diabetes mellitus and diffuse large B cell lymphoma, died at the PGI. He was vaccinated with the first dose only. Experts say a majority of the Covid-19 patients are showing influenza-like illness (ILI), which means that patients have mild fever, runny nose, cough and even diarrhoea. Dr Sanjay D’ Cruz from the Department of Internal Medicine, GMCH, Sector 32, said, “The disease burden and severity have reduced to a great extent now. What we saw in the second wave is not being seen now. While a majority of the patients show mild symptoms such as cold, cough and mild fever, those who are admitted are mostly elderly with kidney disease or other comorbidities.” There is also a difference in the symptoms of unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. The vaccinated patients show a milder form of the disease, said Dr D’ Cruz. As the disease is mild, post- Gold chain snatched at gunpoint in Mullanpur Mohali, May 11 Two youths snatched a gold chain of an Eco City-1 resident, Simple (40), at gunpoint around 7 pm today. The victim, a Panjab University employee, was taking a walk when two youths approached her on the pretext of asking for an address. One youth came near her and suddenly pointed a pistol at her, asking for her gold chain. When the victim resisted, his accomplice instructed him to shoot her in the leg. However, the youth snatched the chain from her neck, hurriedly ran towards the bike and the duo fled the spot. Simple informed her relatives on the phone and later called up the police. The inci- UT REPORTS 22 FRESH CASES Chandigarh: The city witnessed 22 new cases of Covid on Wednesday, taking the active caseload to 93. While there was no fresh fatality, five patients recovered from the disease. The virus has claimed 1,165 lives in the city so far. TNS Active cases: 93 Hospitalised: 4 Home Isolation: 89 MOST RECOVER FROM VIRUS IN 5-6 DAYS ■ Most people usually ■“We do tests for OPD patients in routine as recover in five-six days from Covid-19 in the present circulating variant. not many patients come forward,” said Dr Suman Singh, DHS, UT. The city is conducting over 1,000 tests every day and the positivity rate is just around 1 per cent. SYMPTOMS POST-COVID ■ Runny nose ■ Fatigue ■ Sore throat ■ Muscle spasms ■ Headache ■ Depression ■ Cough ■ Shortness of breath ■ Diarrhoea ■ Cognitive ■ Mild fever dysfunction 8 FOUND INFECTED IN MOHALI DIST 4 CATCH VIRUS IN P’KULA DIST Mohali: Eight new Covid cases surfaced in the district in the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 95,887, while 10 patients recovered from the disease. No new death was reported on Wednesday. Of the 95,895 cases in the district so far, 94,680 patients have been cured. There are now 67 active cases. The toll is 1,148. TNS Panchkula: Four new Covid cases surfaced in the district in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 44,243. No new death due to the virus was reported. Of the 44,243 cases reported from the district so far, 43,806 patients have been cured. There are now 23 active cases. The death toll is 414. TNS Covid complications are not a serious concern as only fatigue and muscle spasms are being seen this time. Dr Mandeep Garg from the PGI said, “Fatigue ability is the most common symptom in any viral illness and so is the case with Covid-19. Patients feel muscle spasms and less energetic. Shortness of breath has been seen in patients whose lungs were involved in Covid-19 illness. But such cases are rarely seen now unless the patient is comorbid and prone to developing such conditions. Some patients have also reported depression and cognitive dysfunction in which patients have trouble with concentration, recall or memory, and trouble sleeping. It is usually called ‘brain fogging’.” There are 93 patients cur- rently infected with Covid-19 in the city, of whom only four are admitted to city hospitals. “Patients are admitted for comorbidities and not Covid19 per say. The reason for admission is not the Covid-19 illness. Patients who only have Covid-19 and no other complication are showing mild symptoms,” said Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, UT. NO NUMBER ON FRONT The victim said there was no registration plate on the front side of the bike. I was too terrified to note down the number on the rear. Residents said gunpoint robberies had become common in the area. dent was captured in a CCTV camera installed in a house on the roadside. A case has been registered at the Mullanpur police station. — TNS Chandigarh, May 11 After reclaiming nearly 65 acres in the Industrial Area, the UT Administration has decided to carry out a demolition drive at Janata Colony in Sector 25 on Sunday. A meeting, chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vinay Pratap Singh, was held today to plan the demolition of illegal structures or jhuggis at Janata Colony. The approval for it was already given by UT Adviser Dharam Pal. The jhuggis at Janata Colony are illegal and have come up on encroached government land. About 10 acres of government land has been encroached upon by way of illegal construction in the area. This land has already been earmarked for a dispensary, primary school, community centre and a shopping facility. To carry out the drive smoothly, the Administration had installed a notice board 15 days ago for eviction and demolition of the colony. Public announcements for eviction are being made continuously at the site, said the DC. He said the whole area of about 10 acres had been divided into four sectors. Four duty magistrates had been appointed for the demolition. Adequate police had also been deployed for the operation. Police seize 24 mobiles, three laptops, 2 LED screens, 2 suitcases, ~22,000 from them Panchkula, May 11 A team of the crime branch, Sector 26, here today arrested four members of a gang for allegedly betting on an IPL tie. They have been identified as Rohit Kumar, a resident of Vijay Colony, Fazilka, Govind Ahuja, a native of Dogra Mohalla, Hisar, who was residing at a rented accommodation at City Enclave, Zirakpur, Dineshwar, a resident of Tohana, Fatehabad, and Rohit Bhatia, a resident of Gagandeep Colony, Jodewala Ludhiana. A spokesman for the police said the crime branch received informa- The police showcase the items seized from the suspects in Panchkula on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO tion that the mastermind of the racket, Naresh Kumar, alias Nanak, a resident of Sector 12-A, Panchkula, along with his accomplices, was betting on the IPL tie from a rented house in Sector 7, Panchkula. The crime branch team conducted a raid and arrested the four. It recovered three laptops, 2 LED screens, three Internet dongles, two microphones, a mouse, five mobile chargers, 24 mobile phones, two suitcases attached with 16 mobile phones, a note book (regarding the IPL match), a calculator and ~22,000 from them. A case under the Gambling Act has been registered against the suspects at the Sector 7 police station. Police Commissioner Hanif Qureshi said strict action would continue against those involved in illegal activities. Says centre will draw nature lovers, environmentalists, visitors need to take permission from Forest Dept Tribune News Service WHAT’S THERE AT NIC ■ Depiction of catchment area of Sukhna Lake and effect of various soil and moisture conservation works ■ 3D models of certain herbivores and other mammals ■ Posters on birds, butterflies, reptiles and different faunal species of Chandigarh ■ Display of floral diversity ■ Posters of medicinal plants of Chandigarh ■ Display of threats to wildlife & forests areas Punjab Governor & UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit ■ Interactive activities for kids at the Nature Interpretation Centre on Wednesday. nature. The visitors can visit the NIC after obtaining permission (permit) from the Forest Department. The NIC represents various segments, including the An eviction notice displayed outside Janata Colony. FILE PHOTO 4 DUTY MAGISTRATES APPOINTED, COPS DEPLOYED ■ To carry out the drive smoothly, the Administration had installed a notice board 15 days ago for eviction of occupants and demolition of the colony. Public announcements for eviction were being made continuously at the site, said the Deputy Commissioner. ■ He said the whole area of about 10 acres had been divided into four sectors. Four Duty Magistrates had been appointed for the demolition. Adequate police had also been deployed for the operation. . The DC directed the Engineering Department to make arrangements for taking possession of the land on the day of the demolition. He said further action would be taken to remove other illegal encroachments in the city. Thousands of people live in nearly 1,500 jhuggis and not even a single family was rehabilitated as the authori- ties said all structures were illegal in the colony. The meeting was attended by all SDMs, the Assistant Estate Officer, the Secretary, Chandigarh Housing Board, the DSP (Central), officers of the engineering wing of the UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation, the fire officer and the Tehsildar (Colonies) among others. IPL betting racket busted, 4 nailed Twoimmigration Tribune News Service A CCTV grab of the incident. Occupants of 1,500 jhuggis on 10 acres to be evicted Purohit opens Nature Interpretation Centre at Kansal Chandigarh, May 11 Developed by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit today inaugurated the Nature Interpretation Centre (NIC) in the Kansal forest area at the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in the presence of MP Kirron Kher and UT Adviser Dharam Pal. The dignitaries also planted saplings on the premises along with other senior officers. The Centre has been established to meet the general curiosity of visitors on the subject of wildlife, besides imparting knowledge on FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE UT Admn set to demolish Janata Colony on Sunday Tribune News Service 151 TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD No Covid death in city since Feb 26, only four in hospital Naina Mishra CHANDIGARH 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 AAP appoints Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh, a realtor-turned-politician, as co-incharge of its Chandigarh unit. MAX 40°C | MIN 28°C | YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 27.8°C PAGE 3 STEP UP SECURITY AT VITAL LOCATIONS: DGP TO SHOs FILE PHOTO FORECAST PAGE 3 MOHALI MLA KULWANT SINGH IS CITY AAP CO-INCHARGE depiction of the catchment area of Sukhna Lake and effect of various soil and moisture conservation works, 3D models of certain herbivores and other mam- mals, posters on birds, butterflies, reptiles and different faunal species of Chandigarh, display of floral diversity, posters on medicinal plants of Chandigarh, display of c m y b threats to the wildlife and forest areas, interactive activities for kids and external sections to potentially engage students in learning through demonstrations. After the inauguration, the chief guest visited various sections of the NIC and appreciated the efforts made by the Forest Department. He said the NIC would help draw the attention of nature lovers and environmentalists. He also visited the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary where a lot of soil and moisture activities have been undertaken by the Forest Department to conserve soil and water in the catchment area of Sukhna Lake. He said the Forest Department had carried out a lot of soil and moisture conservation activities inside the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, which in turn helped in checking the flow of silt into the lake. It has also been showcased at the NIC, which will be educative for the visitors. The MP applauded the efforts of the department for taking initiatives regarding nature and imparting knowledge to people, especially young minds. Speaking on the occasion, Dharam Pal appreciated the action and efforts of the department in checking the siltation of the lake. consultantsdupe8 of~5.95lakh,held Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 11 Two immigration consultants have been arrested by the UT police for allegedly duping eight persons to the tune of ~5.95 lakh on the pretext of providing a work visa for Tanzania. The suspects have been identified as Tajinder Kumar, alias Gaurav (31), a resident of Sector 115, Mohali, and Major Singh, alias Anil Kulkarni (41), a resident of Amritsar, who were operating M/s Universal Travel in Sector 47. The police said they had received a complaint from Bhupinder Singh, Amar Singh, Mehar Singh, Baljit Singh, Narinder Kumar, Manish Kumar, Nirmal Singh, Mewa Lal, Harbhej Singh and others alleging that the suspects had taken ~85,000 from each applicant along with their passports to provide a work visa. However, they neither provided the visa nor returned their money, passport and other documents. The police had registered a case against the suspects under Sections 406, 420 and 120 of the IPC and Section 24 of the Immigration Act at the Sector 31 police station in April. During the investigation, it was found that the suspects had closed their office and had fled. The police said raids were conducted and both suspects were arrested from Mohali on May 9. They were produced in a court today and remanded in two-day police custody. The police have recovered 27 passports, three receipt books, a mobile phone, a laptop, six cheque books and a POS machine from the suspects. The suspects in the custody of the police. TRIBUNE PHOTO