03052023-CT-01.qxd 5/3/2023 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PLAN TO DECONGEST APC EMERGENCY AT PGIMER DHANKHAR TO ATTEND PU CONVOCATION ON MAY 20 WILL LOCALS’ WOES END WITH LAST IPL TIE AT MOHALI TODAY? Children waiting for over 96 hours at the APC Emergency will be given priority for transfer to wards. P3 Vice-President of India and Chancellor of PU Jagdeep Dhankhar will attend 70th convocation of varsity. P3 Punjab Cricket Association likely to shift its operations to Mullanpur stadium later this year. P3 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 62 PANCHKULA 40 MOHALI 52 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF MISSING PGI DOCTOR TRACED Chandigarh:A PGI doctor who had been reported missing on April 30 has been traced by the UT police. Dr Prakhav Sharma had gone missing from his house in Sector 16. His father Pardeep had informed the police, following which a DDR was lodged at the Sector 17 police station. The police later traced him to Vrindavan in UP and brought him back to the city. TNS FOUR POs LAND IN POLICE NET Chandigarh:The police have arrested four proclaimed offenders. Raj Kumar (50) of Dadu Majra Colony, Sector 38, who was declared a PO on November 11, 2022, in a 2019 theft case, has been arrested. Also, Vikas of Phase-II, Ram Darbar, who was declared a PO on March 12 in a 2016 theft case, has been nabbed. Further, Neeraj Kumar, alias Chiru, of Maloya and Karan of Nayagaon were arrested. They were booked in a case of robbery in 2020 and were declared POs on April 19. TNS BICYCLE STOLEN FROM SEC 30 Chandigarh: An unidentified person stole a bicycle from a house in Sector 30. Complainant Mohit reported his bicycle was stolen on the intervening night of April 30 and May 1. A case has been registered at the Industrial Area police station and an investigation initiated. TNS Transport perk on central lines for UT staff CHANDIGARH:The UT has decid- ed to adopt the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations on grant of transport allowance to central employees. A Finance Department notification says UT employees getting pay scales on central pattern since April 1, 2022, will get the allowance on same terms. As per recommendations, central staff drawing Rs 24,200 and above in pay levels 1 and 2 will be eligible for allowance at Rs 3,600 plus DA. — TNS GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 24°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 24.3°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7:01 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:38 AM » WEDNESDAY | 3 MAY 2023 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Clear ~1.75 cr dues: UT to May sees back-to-back lows, max temp slides to 24.3 °C CITCO in demand notice Tribune News Service Hotel Parkview Officers’ Apartment lease money not paid for 5 yrs Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 The UT Administration has issued a demand notice to the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) for Rs 1.75 crore in dues against Officers’ Apartment at Hotel Parkview. In the notice, the office of the UT Assistant Controller (Finance and Accounts) Rents, UT, has demanded dues on the account of lease money of rooms in Hotel Parkview. The amount has not been paid for the past five years. According to the demand notice, the UT had placed 24 apartments (1301 to 1324) at the disposal of CITCO in 198485 for the establishment of Chandigarh Yatri Niwas (now Hotel Parkview) so as to provide accommodation facilities to the middle-income group tourists visiting Chandigarh. As per the agreement, CITCO had to pay Rs 1,000 per apartment per annum as lease money to the administration. CITCO converted these apartments into rooms of Hotel Parkview in 1986. The administration further ~1.80 CR PENDING (UP TO APRIL ’23) ■ ~91.15L as licence fee against Block A (1201-1248) ■ ~89.08L against Block B apartments (1301-1348) ■ ~92.84L paid by CITCO up to April 30, 2023 ■ ~1.75 cr CITCO currently owes (including ~82.47L interest) MEANT FOR USE AS CHANDIGARH YATRI NIWAS ■ In 1984-85, UT gave CITCO 24 ■ In 2014, UT again gives CITCO apartments (1301 to 1324) to set up Yatri Niwas (now Hotel Parkview) for accommodation to middle-income group tourists ■ In 2002, UT further allots 24 apartments (1325 to 1348) to CITCO; ~1,000 per apartment per annum was to be paid as lease money to UT for both sets of apartments 48 apartments (1201 to 1248) for hotel expansion; ~1,500 per month was to be charged as licence fee for each apartment ■ Of 3 sets of apartments, CITCO merged and converted apartments of two sets (24+24) into hotel rooms, but failed to convert remaining 48; since 2014, these have been lying abandoned allotted 24 more apartments (1325 to 1348) to CITCO in 2002 on the same rate and terms and conditions. On August 19, 2014, the House Allotment Committee of the UT Administration further placed 48 Officers’ Apartment (1201 to 1248) at the disposal of the Managing Director, CITCO, for expansion of Hotel Parkview. The licence fee of Rs 1,500 per month was to be charged for each apartment. In all, three sets of apartments, comprising 24 + 24 + 48 flats, were allotted to CITCO at Sector 24. Of the three, CITCO merged and converted apartments of two sets (Block B) — 24 + 24 — into hotel rooms, but failed to convert the 48 remaining apartments (Block A) into rooms. Since 2014, these apartments are lying abandoned. Further, the administration increased the licence fee of the first two sets of apartments from 1,000 to Rs 1,500 with a 5% annual increase in 2018. According to the demand notice, a total amount of Rs 91.15 lakh in form of licence fee was pending against Block A apartments (12011248) since allotment. Similarly, Rs 89.08 lakh was pending against Block B apartments (1301-1348). A total of Rs 1.80 crore was pending against both blocks. However, CITCO paid Rs 92.84 lakh up to April 30, 2023. An official said a total Rs 1.75 crore was pending Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, May 2 After mercury slid to its lowest-ever level for May on Monday, the maximum temperature further dropped to 24.3 °C today, 13.2 notches below normal. With this, the city has seen back-to-back lowest-ever day’s temperatures on the first two days of the month. Today’s maximum temperature officially fell below 25.7 °C recorded yesterday, which was the lowest-ever maximum temperature for the month ever since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) started maintaining records for the UT in 1953. According to the IMD, the previous lowest maximum temperature of 27.2 °C was recorded on May 1, 1969, followed by 27.4 °C on May 20, 2021. Similarly, on May 13, 2013, the day’s temperature had dropped to 27.6 °C, while on May 18, 1973, the city had witnessed its fifth coolest day for the month at 28.9 °C. Also, the minimum temperature dipped to 19 °C from 21.3 °C yesterday. It is 4.3 notches below normal. Both temperatures are expected to start rising from Thursday onwards. Meanwhile, the weather fore- Punjab Government employees arrive at the Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, amid rain on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI COOLEST-EVER DAYS FOR MONTH May 2, 2023 May 1, 2023 May 1, 1969 May 20, 2021 May 13, 2013 24.3 °C 25.7 °C 27.2 °C 27.4 °C 27.6 °C cast released by the Chandigarh Meteorological Department has predicted rain on Wednesday. It is likely to be accompanied by lightning and gusty winds at speeds of 40 kmph at isolated places. The subsequent three days are likely to remain cloudy, but there are no signs of rain. However, on May 7, the city may FORECAST REVISED ■ Rain with lightning, gust predicted on May 3 ■ No rain, cloudy skies likely on May 4, 5 & 6 ■ Rain expected on May 7 receive rain. Earlier, there was rain forecast for four days. The city recorded 11.4 mm rainfall from 8.30 am yesterday to 8.30 am today. Further, 1.8 mm rain was witnessed from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Since March 1, the UT has received 105.8 mm rainfall, which is 223% higher than normal for the season. CHB cancels allotment of 2 Patwari among 8 land in Vigilance net units for running liquor vend over multi-crore compensation fraud Mauli Jagran allottees merged premises in violation of norms LAND ACQUISITION 10, including Horticulture Department officials, on radar Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has finally cancelled the allotment of two dwelling units in Mauli Jagran for illegally operating a liquor vend. According to a notice issued by the CHB, dwelling units 1880 and 1881 were allotted to Bindeshwar and Asharfi Parshad, respectively, on a hire-purchase basis on March 29, 1993. Yashpal Garg, Chief Executive Office, CHB, said the occupants had illegally merged two dwelling units and been running an English wine and beer shop from the premises. The occupants had also constructed balconies on government land. The occupants had been served showcause notices and asked to close the liquor shop, but they failed to comply. As per terms of allotment, the dwelling unit cannot be used for purposes other than FAILED TO COMPLY WITH ORDERS ■ Dwelling units 1880 & 1881 in Mauli Liquor vend continues to operate as the contractor got stay from HC. NITIN MITTAL residence. Further, no alterations can be made without prior approval in writing of the board. He said the occupants had acted in contravention of the provisions contained in clause-14 of the allotment letter and the provision of the Regulation-11 of Chandigarh Housing Board (Allotment, Management and sale of Tenements) Regulations, 1979. On September 6 last year, Jagran were allotted to Bindeshwar and Asharfi Parshad, respectively, on March 29, 1993 ■ Occupants illegally merged two units and were running a liquor vend; they also constructed balconies on government land ■ On Sept 6, 2022, they were asked to explain as to why allotment should not be cancelled; later they were directed to shut shop, but to no avail ■ Allotment of 1881 unit was cancelled in 2000 on similar violations; it was restored on payment of revival charges in 2002 the allottees were asked to explain as to why the allotment of the dwelling units should not be cancelled. During inspection of the dwelling units yesterday, it was observed the occupants had not yet removed the violations. It seemed to be an unprecedented case of dwelling units being misused for operating a liquor shop. The allotment of dwelling Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today claimed to have unearthed a scam worth crores of rupees with the arrest of eight suspects, including a revenue official, for receiving compensation on forged documents during land acquisition by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in connivance with officials of state Horticulture and Revenue departments from 2016 to 2020. A VB spokesperson said an FIR was registered today under Sections 409, 420, 465, 466, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and 13(1) (a), 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB Police Station, Flying Squad-1, Punjab, at Mohali. Main suspect Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Bakarpur, Mohali, along with Mukesh Jindal, his wife Shaman Jindal and Praveen Lata, all residents of Model Town, Bathin- RELIEF TAKEN FROM GMADA IN LIEU OF ORCHARDS ■ In 2016, GMADA publishes notices in Mohali for land acquisition in villages; issues notifications under Section 4 in 2017 and Section 19 in 2020 ■ Property dealer Bhupinder Singh in cahoots with GMADA, Revenue & Horticulture officials plants orchards after getting land on general power of attorney ■ In 2019, he & aides prepare fake girdawari register in collusion with patwari Bachitar Singh and get relief by showing ownership of orchards since 2016 ■ Bhupinder takes ~24 cr in relief, while another gets ~20 cr in compensation, says VB probe da; Vishal Bhandari, a resident of Sector 40, Chandigarh; Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Bakarpur; Binder Singh, a resident of Sector 79, Mohali; and Bachitar Singh, patwari, Revenue Halka Bakarpur (now kanungo), Mohali, have been arrested. Besides, Horticulture Department officials Jaspreet Singh, Vaishali, Dinesh Kumar, Rashmi Arora and Anil Arora, and some private individuals were yet to be arrested and more revelations were expected in the case once these 10 were arrested. The spokesperson said during investigation of a complaint, the VB found in 2016, GMADA had published notices in Mohali for acquisition of land in various villages and issued notifications under Section 4 in 2017 and Section 19 in 2020. Bhupinder, a property dealer, in connivance with employees of GMADA, Revenue and Horticulture departments, along with associates Anil Jindal, Mukesh Jindal and Bhandari, allegedly started planting guava orchards on the agricultural land by getting it on general power of attorney, he added. The suspects prepared a fake girdawari register in 2019 in collusion with the patwari Bachitar Singh in which they obtained compensation worth crores of rupees illegally by showing ownership of guava orchards on the land since 2016. During probe, it was found Bhupinder took Rs 24 crore in compensation for guava plantations for himself and his family. Similarly, Mukesh Jindal, a resident of Bathinda, allegedly defrauded the government by taking around Rs 20 crore in compensation. Besides, several other persons took compensation worth crores of rupees from the government illegally by showing guava orchards on their land, thus causing loss of crores of rupees to the exchequer. Further investigation was under way and the remaining suspects would be arrested soon, said the spokesperson. 2,800 Go First flyers’ Tertiary treated water to irrigate all 1,800 parks across city travel plans go for toss Tribune News Service Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, May 2 The travel schedule of nearly 2,800 Go First Airlines passengers at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport (SBSI) Chandigarh airport has gone haywire as the airline has suspended its nationwide operations for May 3, 4 and 5. The low-cost air carrier operates flights to Ahmedabad, Leh, Srinagar, Mumbai (two flights) and Mopa Goa from the airport daily. Continued on page 2 Airline suspends ops for May 3, 4, 5 over insolvency MOPA INACCESSIBLE ■ Low-cost air carrier operates daily flights to Ahmedabad, Leh, Srinagar, Mumbai (two flights) and Mopa Goa from UT airport ■ Mopa Goa is not accessible from the city; it had launched a new flight, Ahmedabad-ChandigarhSrinagar, this summer only ■ Airlines, which has filed for insolvency proceedings, says it will issue a full refund of tickets Chandigarh, May 2 All 1,800 parks of the city will soon be irrigated through the tertiary treated (TT) water as the state-level high-powered steering committee (SHPSC) today gave its approval to the project. Currently, as many as 680 parks and green belts in the city are being irrigated through TT water. After laying of new lines, the remaining 1,120 parks will now be covered. Adviser to the Administrator Dharam Pal reviewed the future plans under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme at an SHPSC meeting here today. Various projects under AMRUT were discussed, including strengthening of tertiary treated water supply system and laying of tertiary treated water lines in left-out areas in the city. It was discussed the city had a large number of open spaces, parks, gardens and houses with big lawns where water was required for irrigation. The project envisages covering the left-out areas by laying of new lines and creation of infrastructure such as reservoirs, pumps and electrical systems, especially from Sectors 47 to 63, villages c m y b PANEL GIVES NOD TO KEY PROJECTS ■ ~97 cr to be spent on 680 parks being irrigated through TT water recently transferred to the MC and left-out pockets of sectors where network exists. The SHPSC accorded administrative approval to strengthen the TT water supply system in the city at an estimated cost of Rs 97 crore 1,120 strengthening TT water supply system under AMRUT 2.0 ■ ~27 cr for replacement of machinery in various phases of Kajauli waterworks ■ ~2.3 cr for additional sewer line connecting Sector 35 and 44 trunk sewers from AMRUT 2.0. During the meeting, strengthening of the sewerage network in the UT was also discussed to ease excessive load on the trunk sewer line carrying sewage of southern sectors. An addi- tional sewer line has been approved to connect the trunk sewer line of Sector 35 with the trunk sewer of Sector 44, near Burail village, at an estimated cost of Rs 2.3 crore from AMRUT 2.0. The committee further remaining parks will now be covered approved the upgrade of Kajauli waterworks and rehabilitation of the rising main from it to Sector 39 waterworks. The need to replace additional components of phases III and IV, as pointed out in a recent survey of all phases, was also deliberated upon. It gave assent to the replacement of machinery in various phases of Kajauli waterworks to the tune of Rs 27 crore from AMRUT 2.0 under the 24x7 water supply component. Nitin Kumar Yadav, Secretary, Local Government; Anindita Mitra, MC Commissioner; and other senior officers of UT Administration and MC were among those present at the meeting.