23012023-CT-01.qxd 1/23/2023 12:07 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune » CITY TO GET BIGGEST FLOATING SOLAR PLANT INSIDE » 2 OF BAMBIHA, BHUPPI RANA GANGS HELD INSIDE MONDAY | 23 JANUARY 2023 | CHANDIGARH TRICITY COVID REPORT CHD P’KULA MOHALI POSITIVE 99,360 48,434 1,01,163 RECOVERED 98,177 48,013 99,995 NEW CASES 0 0 0 ACTIVE 2 0 0 CHANGE 2 0 0 DEATHS 1,181 421 1,168 NEW 0 0 0 MC caused ~29.56-lakh loss in stamp duty: CAG Allowed pact with parking lot firm without lease deed Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 252 PANCHKULA 64 MOHALI 117 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF MOBILE PHONE, PURSE SNATCHED Chandigarh: A scooter-borne miscreant snatched a mobile phone and a purse from a 17year-old boy. The complainant claimed the miscreant snatched his belongings near the government school in Sector 53. A case has been registered at the Sector 36 police station and an investigation initiated. TNS OFFICIAL BOOKED Chandigarh: A senior assistant, posted at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, has been booked by the UT police for failure to appear in court. A case against Balwinder Pal, a proclaimed offender, has been registered under Section 174-A of the IPC at the Sector 36 police station. TNS Chandigarh, January 22 Acceptance of lease agreement from a previous parking contractor by the city Municipal Corporation on a non-judicial stamp paper without ensuring its registry as a lease deed resulted in a revenue loss of Rs 29.66 lakh on account of stamp duty and registration fee, an audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has said. In June 2017, the civic body had granted a licence to operate and manage 25 paid parking lots and the Sector 17 multi-level parking to successful bidder Arya Toll Infra Limited, Mumbai, initially for a period of three years, extendable for further two years, for Rs 14.78 crore per annum. Accordingly, an agreement was executed in June 2017 between the corporation and the firm. The audit noted the civic body accepted the instrument as agreement on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs 100, without ensuring the instrument was registered as a lease deed with the SubRegistrar concerned. Due to non-registration of lease deed by the licencee and acceptance of the same by the corporation, the government was deprived of stamp duty and registration fee of Rs 29.56 lakh and Rs 10,000, respectively. An attendant issues a parking slip at a Sector 34 paid parking lot in Chandigarh on Sunday. PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI ~10K REGISTRATION FEE ALSO NOT PAID ■ In June 2017, MC gave licence to operate 25 parking lots & Sec 17 multi-level parking to Arya Toll Infra Ltd for ~14.78 cr per annum ■ MC and firm executed pact, but it was accepted on non-judicial stamp paper of ~100, without ensuring its registry as lease deed ■ As a result, government was After the matter was pointed out in February and June 2020, the corporation in January 2022 stated there was no fault on its part as it was the sole responsibility of the agency. “The reply is not acceptable, as the lease agreement is a compulsorily registerable document under the Indian Registration Act and the corporation should have ensured the registration of lease deed/licence deed before accepting the same,” said the CAG report. deprived of stamp duty of ~29.56 lakh and registration fee of ~10,000, CAG observed ■ Civic body in Jan 2022 stated there was no fault on its part as it was the sole responsibility of the agency ■ The matter was referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs in Jan 2021 and a reply was awaited as of March 2022 It further stated in a subsequent agreement on July 2021 concluded with another firm, stamp duty at the prescribed rate was paid by the agency while preparing the agreement with the corporation. The matter was referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 2021 and a reply was awaited as of March 2022. Meanwhile, Isha Kamboj, Joint Commissioner and the parking branch officer, couldn’t be reached for comment. c m y b Tribune News Service Mohali, January 22 In a first case of smuggling of a musk deer organ in Punjab, a team of the Mohali Wildlife Range, under the Wildlife Division Ropar, raided a Zirakpur hotel and recovered a musk pod from three Himachal residents. The suspects have been identified as Balbir, Dabe Ram and Puran Chand, all residents of Anni tehsil in Kullu. Three buyers identified as Tarsem Singh of Morinda, Sunny Bansal of Bathinda and Mayank Kumar Singh of Daria, Chandigarh, have also been arrested. 3 from HP caught selling organ of endangered deer The musk pod — a gland extracted out of musk deer after killing it — was to be further delivered to a person in Chandigarh. The car used in the crime has been seized. The musk deer is a Schedule 1 animal under the Wildlife Protection Act and its hunting is banned. Killing may attract a punishment ranging from three to five years or Rs 1 lakh in fine or both. A case under Sections 9, 39, 49, 50 and 51 Continued on page 2 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 22°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 6.6°C SUNSET MONDAY 5:51 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:17 AM » MAN STEALS JEEP LADEN WITH GOODS, HELD INSIDE TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD First seizure of musk pod in Punjab, 6 held FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE