29012023-CT-01.qxd 1/29/2023 1:08 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune P’KULA RESIDENTS SEEK BAN ON STILT+4 STOREY HOUSES TWO HELD FOR ATTEMPT TO MURDER HALLO MAJRA MAN CHANDIGARH GOLF CLUB GOES TO POLLS TODAY House Owners Welfare Assn, Sec 10, seeks ban on construction of stilt plus four-storey houses by builders. P3 Two days on, the UT police arrest two Ram Darbar youths in connection with attempt-to-murder case. P6 As many as 1,800 members will pick the new president of Chandigarh Golf Club on January 29. P6 » » CHD P’KULA MOHALI POSITIVE 99,360 48,434 1,01,163 RECOVERED 98,179 48,013 99,995 NEW CASES 0 0 0 ACTIVE 0 0 0 CHANGE 0 0 0 DEATHS 1,181 421 1,168 NEW 0 0 0 Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH 253 PANCHKULA 255 MOHALI 225 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF ONE ARRESTED FOR CAR THEFT Chandigarh: A youth has been arrested for car theft. In his complaint, Amit of Sector 25 stated that an unidentified person stole his car parked near his house on January 26. A case was registered. The police later arrested the suspect, Vishal, 22, a resident of Sector 25, in the case. TNS WOMAN FLEES WITH VALUABLES Chandigarh: A Sector 48 resident alleged that a Jagatpura woman stole a diamond ring, two diamond earrings, a gold ring, two silver plates, Rs 15,000 and some other household items from her house on January 24. A case has been registered. TNS FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Soon, get rooftop solar power plant installed on house free of cost in city Dushyant Singh Pundir AIR QUALITY INDEX Chandigarh, January 28 In a big push to generate green energy, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has given its approval to the installation of rooftop solar power plants on residential buildings free of cost. The Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), which has been designated as an executing agency for renewable energy projects of the Department of Science and Technology, UT, had filed a petition before the JERC, seeking an approval for the installation of grid-connected rooftop (GCRT) power projects for domestic consumers by a third party under the Renewable Energy Services Company (RESCO) build, operate and transfer (BOT) model. Debendra Dalai, Chief Executive Officer, CREST, said the JERC had given approval to the implementation of the RESCO model. “Chandigarh will be the first in the country to introduce the RESCO model in residential houses. It will give a big boost to solar power generation in the city,” he said. In order to promote solar power generation in the domestic sector, the UT Administration had made installation of rooftop power plant mandatory for residential houses measuring 500 GREEN PUSH JERC okays CREST project, owners to provide 500 sq ft space for 5 kWp unit BIDS TO BE INVITED SOON ■ Bids will be invited soon from RESCOs for installing rooftop solar power plants on BOT model ■ The bidding parameter will be the BOT period, instead of the tariff ■ The entire process will be completed in two months ■ Plants can be installed from the last week of March or from the first week of April ■ CREST told to submit status report to JERC on completion three years of the project ABOUT THE PROJECT HOUSE OWNERS TO GET POWER AT ~3.23 PER UNIT ■ A third party (RESCO) will install solar ■ RESCO will bear operation, power plant on consumer’s premises ■ It will bear installation and commissioning costs of the system ■ Power generated will be first supplied to and consumed by the house owner ■ The excess power will be fed to the common grid maintenance cost during build, The owners will have to give operate, transfer period space on the rooftop to the firm and they will get electricity at ■ After the completion of BOT the rate of ~3.23 per unit period, plant will be transferred during the BOT period. At present, to consumer free of cost domestic consumers have to pay ■ Thereafter, the ~2.75 per unit for 0-151 units, ~4.25 consumer will per unit for 151-400 units and ~4.65 bear the costs per unit for consuming over 400 units. square yards and above. Under the new model, however, the house owner will have to provide nearly 500 sq ft of space for the installation of 5kWp solar plant, he added. Under the project, a third party (RESCO) will install the solar power plant on consumer’s premises and sell power to the UT Electricity Department under the gross metering, he said, and added that the installation and commissioning costs for the sys- tem would be borne by RESCO, without any investment liability for the rooftop owner/consumer. RESCO will be a signatory to a quadripartite agreement with the Electricity Department, the beneficiary and CREST for the sale of gross solar power generated from the GCRT system. Under this model, the power generated will be first supplied to and consumed by the consumer. The excess power will be fed to the grid. The model will be applicable for capacities from 5 kW to 10 kW for domestic consumers. Dalai said bids would be invited soon from RESCOs capable of and interested in installing solar power plants for domestic consumers on the BOT model basis. The bidding parameter would be the BOT period, instead of tariff, he said. The process would be completed within two months and the GCRT could be installed from the last week of CITY FIRST TO HAVE SUCH PROJECT Chandigarh will be first in the country to introduce RESCO model of build, operate and transfer for houses. It will give a big boost to solar power generation in the city. ❝ ❞ Debendra Dalai, CEO, CREST March or from the first week of April, he added. The operation and maintenance costs of the system will be borne by RESCO till the end of the BOT period. Thereafter, these costs will be borne by the consumer till the remaining life of the GCRT. After the completion of the BOT period, the solar plant will be transferred to the consumer free of cost. “The terms and conditions of continued on page 5 Vehicles ply on the ROB during a trial run. PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL Sec 19 ROB all set for launch in Panchkula Sanjay Bumbroo Tribune News Service Panchkula, January 28 After a delay of more than three years, the railway overbridge (ROB) in Sector 19 is likely to be thrown open to public on February 1. The trial run of the ROB, built at a cost of about Rs 32 crore, has been conducted. The bridge has come as a big relief for residents of Baltana and Sector 19. Meanwhile, a sewer line is leaking, leaving slush at one of the entry points of the ROB and has to be fixed by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). Iron sheets are yet to be installed on both sides of the overbridge. Paint and finishing works were pending too. The contractor, Naveen Mubarikpur youth shot at, one held A broken service lane along the city-Zirakpur underpass. VICKY Driving on service lanes commuters’ nightmare Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Zirakpur, January 28 More than a month after an underpass was made operational on the ChandigarhZirakpur road on December 10, the service lanes alongside the flyover have not been recarpeted, causing inconvenience to commuters, particularly those on two-wheelers. Potholes, slush continue to test road users’ patience as two-wheeler drivers jostle for space with heavy vehicles. The construction of drains alongside the road has been left midway with a deep trench posing risk to the road users on a narrow stretch. The Punjab Public Works Department (PWD) has forgotten to install a lighting system on the 580-metre elevated path. “The sewer line on the side of the service road has not been completed and left open. The deep pits are an open invitation to tragedy at night. It all exposes the shoddy work of the PWD,” said Reena Chadha, a resident of VIP Road. Area residents said the construction company, which had been awarded the underpass MAX 19°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 24.1°C | MIN 7°C SUNRISE MONDAY 7:14 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FILE TRICITY COVID REPORT GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET SUNDAY 5.57 PM » SUNDAY | 29 JANUARY 2023 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST CHANDIGARH-ZIRAKPUR UNDERPASS PROBLEMS APLENTY ■ Potholes, slush test road users’ patience ■ Construction of drains alongside road left midway ■ Deep trench poses risk to road users on a narrow stretch ■ Two-wheeler drivers jostle for space with heavy vehicles ■ PWD fails to install lights on the 580-m elevated path work, had refused to take care of the service lane till the project was complete. It said the maintenance of the service lane was not part of the contract. “The localites using the service lanes have to face inconvenience due to potholes and slush. Two-wheeler riders are the most harried lot as they have to use the road alongside heavy vehicles on the narrow stretch,” said Rajender Sharma, a Zirakpur resident. “On rainy days, the soil and construction material comes on to the road and make the path slushy and slippery. It is a very risky stretch for twowheeler riders,” said Shailendar Singh, a Baltana resident. Mohali, January 28 A Bhiwani youth, absconding in two cases of heinous crimes, allegedly shot at a youth, leaving him seriously injured in Mubarikpur here on Friday night. The gunshot pierced through the victim Yogesh Kumar’s rib. He is undergoing treatment at the GMCH32. The police said the victim and his friends Sandeep, Sukhi and Jaspal were sitting in a truck when a youth, identified as Mandeep Singh, 22, a resident of Jatai village in Sadar Bhiwani, approached them and asked for the keys of their bike parked nearby. When they refused, he pointed a country-made pistol at them and threatened them. The four of them got down and had a scuffle with the youth following which he fired two shots, injuring Yogesh. Dera Bassi ASP Dr Darpan Ahluwalia said one of the bullets hit Yogesh in the chest. His friends overpowered the suspect. He was injured in the scuffle and became unconscious. continued on page 5 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 28 In a major embarrassment for the Chandigarh Police, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has censured them for failure to render full assistance to a court-appointed warrant officer in an alleged illegal detention case and take timely action against “guilty officials” of the Narcotic Control Bureau. Justice NS Shekhawat also asked the then UT SSP ■ Inauguration likely to take place on February 1 ■ The bridge comes as a big relief for residents of Baltana and Sector 19, Panchkula Gupta, and PWD (B&R) officials said they had told HSVP officials several times to remove blockages and fix leakages in the sewer line, but they had not taken any action so far. Gupta said the work had been completed on his part and the Panchkula administration could go ahead with opening the bridge anytime. Gaurav Jain, Executive Engineer, PWD (B&R), said minor finishing work was left, which would be completed in a day or two. Auction of UT heritage items in France put on hold Chandigarh, January 28 Following an objection, the auction of as many as 40 artefacts from the city has been put on hold. The biggest-ever auction of the UT’s heritage items was scheduled to be held in France on January 29. The items were likely to fetch Rs 4.02 crore to Rs 5.74 crore. The Sukhna Lake premises decked up to welcome G20 delegates, in Chandigarh on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR G20 meet:13 delegates arrive in UT Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 28 Thirteen delegates reached the city today for a G20 meeting to be held on January 30 and 31. As many as 170 delegates, including representatives of G20 nations, guest countries and international organisations, will participate in the meeting of the International Financial Architecture Working Group at Hotel Lalit. The UT Administration has arranged for their lodging in upscale hotels, which too have been decorated with souvenirs and paintings depicting the City Beautiful. The delegates will enjoy an exhibition polo match at Indian Reserve Battalion ground in Sarangpur tomorrow. An official said guides well-versed with various languages would accompany the visitors during their visit to famous sites, including Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake and the Capitol Complex. EVENT LINE-UP FOR 170 VISITORS JANUARY 29 2 PM - 4.30 PM: Excursion JANUARY 30 9 AM - 11.10 AM: SESSION I: Strengthening multilateral development banks (MDBs) to address shared global challenges of the 21st century 11.25 AM - 12.30 PM: Continuation of session I 2 PM – 3.15 PM: SESSION II: IMF’s 16th general review of quotas 7 PM – 9 PM: Cultural event JANUARY 31 9 AM – 11 AM: SESSION III: The global financial safety net and following up on IMF’s general special drawing rights allocation 11.15 AM – 1.15 PM: SESSION-IV: Managing global debt vulnerabilities 2.30 PM – 4 PM: SESSION V: Strengthening financial resilience through sustainable capital flows FEBRUARY 1 9.30 AM – 1 PM: Excursion HC raps Chandigarh Police, summons ex-SSP Chahal Saurabh Malik OPENING LIKELY ON FEB 1 ■ Trial run of the ROB conducted Kuldeep Singh Chahal to remain present for explaining his position after rapping him for not doing the needful. NCB officials were also summoned after being admonished for irresponsible attitude towards the warrant officer. Advocate Tanu Bedi, too, was asked to assist the Bench as amicus curiae. The directions by Justice Shekhawat came on a habeas corpus for releasing a detainee. The High Court had, on July 11 last year, directed a warrant c m y b ‘Illegal detention’: Failed to assist court-appointed warrant officer officer’s appointment for visiting the place of detention or any other place pointed out by the petitioner. The order specifically said the warrant officer would get the detainee released if found in illegal custody. For the purpose, the warrant officer could take the assistance from the UT SSP . He was, in fact, directed to provide full assistance in case of being approached. The officer visited the NCB office before submitting a detailed report. Among other things, he stated “very harsh language” and “abusive words” were used by the officials. He was asked to go back immediately and come during the office hours the following day in case for any enquiry. One of the officials continued to smoke while talking to the warrant officer. Justice Shekhawat asserted that the SSP was directed to provide full assistance to the warrant officer during the entire process. However, the warrant officer was made to talk to the SSP on his personal mobile when he tried to contact him. The officer apprised him of all the facts and the irresponsible attitude of the NCB officials, which clearly disclosed the commission of a cognisable offence. Justice continued on page 5 40 artefacts were to go under hammer today The artefacts, designed by architects Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and Balkrishna Doshi, include a pair of teak stools; a low chair with transversal back; two large file racks; a bamboo iron chair with cushion; a teak lounge table; two bamboo chairs; an armchair; easy chairs; a coffee table; armless chairs; a committee desk; two teak screens; a set of six floating back chairs; an office cane chair; a kangaroo teak sofa bench; a display and blue metal teak bookcase; a teak and iron chair; a pair of iron high stools; a tree trunk table; two takedown armchairs; a mobile cane seat; a pigeonhole desk; a set of four back office cane seats; a file rack; a box (student) chair; a lounge chair; a cross easy chair; a teak desk; a teak bench; and a cane seat. Sources said after the UT Heritage Items Protection Cell filed an objection, the auction house put the event on hold for the time being. Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, wrote a letter to Nathalie Chanvallon, Judicial Police Officer, Paris (France), who had visited the city last year, urging her to look into the matter in accordance with continued on page 5