19052023-CT-01.qxd 5/19/2023 12:18 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune DONATE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AT MC CENTRES FROM MAY 20 UT DRAWS A BLANK IN 12TH AUCTION OF LIQUOR VENDS TWO YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING WOMAN’S BAG Civic body to set up three-hour shops from May 20 to June 5 in all 35 wards of the City Beautiful. P4 Reserve price cut by up to 40%, still not even a single bid received for remaining 19 liquor vends in UT. P4 Two youths arrested for snatching a bag containing gold earrings from woman in Sector 34. P4 » » CHANDIGARH 89 PANCHKULA 130 MOHALI 34 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF DHANAS MISHAP VICTIM SUCCUMBS Chandigarh: A day after a speeding luxury car killed a woman and left six others injured on the DhanasMullanpur road, one of the victims succumbed to injuries on Thursday. The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Mustaf Ali, a resident of Dhanas. Mustaf was standing on the roadside when the recklessly driven car hit him. The remaining five were out of danger. “Raids are on to nab the driver,” said a cop. TNS HOLIDAY IN UT ON MAY 23 Chandigarh: On account of the Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev, the UT Administration has announced a public holiday in all government offices/boards/ corporations/institutions, including industrial establishments, under the administration on May 23. TNS MAX 38°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.4°C | MIN 20°C SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:27 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Night storm renders tricity areas powerless Trees uprooted, power lines damaged in UT|Takes hours to restore supply PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI & RAVI KUMAR AIR QUALITY INDEX MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET FRIDAY 7:11 PM » FRIDAY | 19 MAY 2023 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 18 Power supply remained disrupted for hours as late-night dust storm uprooted trees and caused damage to electricity poles and wires in several parts of the tricity. According to the Chandigarh Meteorological Department, strong winds slammed the area around 1.30 am and continued for some time. Trees and branches fell on overhead wires affecting power supply in many parts of the UT. Outages, ranging from a few minutes to several hours, were reported around 1.30 am in various parts of the city, including Sectors 7, 8, 15, 18, 21, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45, 48 and 52, Ram Darbar, Mani Majra, Khuda Ali Sher, etc. An official said in most of the affected areas, faults were rectified and power supply was restored by early morning. However, some areas, including Sectors 21, 29, 43, and 35, remained without power till morning. Also, traffic lights remained non-functional in many areas. The official said power supply was disrupted after trees/branches fell on overhead cables and poles, causing short-circuit and spark- (Clockwise from above) An uprooted tree blocks road separating Sector 14 and Dhanas; a fallen branch at Parshuram Chowk in Panchkula; and a damaged pole near the Sector 12-14 road in Chandigarh. NO RAIN FOR NEXT 5 DAYS ■ There is no forecast of rain for the next five days. The sky is likely to be clear or cloudy. Temperatures will start rising from May 19 and may touch 40 °C over the next 3 days. TRAFFIC AFFECTED IN PANCHKULA ■ Strong winds uprooted trees in various parts of Panchkula, causing traffic diversions. At some places, residents volunteered to remove branches to ensure smooth flow of traffic. MAX TEMP DROPS BY 6 NOTCHES IN A DAY | 7.1 MM RAINFALL RECORDED TILL 8.30 AM ing. The electricity department resorted to shutdowns as a preventive measure, he said. It took longer than usual to restore power supply due to cutting and c m y b removal of trees, he added. In the area under the UT Administration, reports of trees getting uprooted were received from five to six places, including Madhya Marg, Jan Marg near Sector 17, besides Sectors 1 and 15. A tree also fell on the road outside the PGI. Also, big branches snapped and fell at around 30 places. Office-goers and students, especially those appearing in examinations, faced inconvenience due to the outage and blocking of certain road sections. A Sector 29 resident said the supply was restored in the area around 8.30 am. The power disruption also affected morning water supply. Rain that followed the storm, however, brought a much-needed respite to residents from the sweltering heat. The maximum temperature fell by six degrees in a day, said the weather department, adding 7.1 mm rainfall was recorded till 8.30 am. The maximum temperature dropped from 40 °C yesterday to 34.4 °C today, which was 4.5 °C below normal. The minimum temperature also dropped from 24.2 °C yesterday to 20 °C, which was five notches below normal. In Panchkula, dust storm and strong winds uprooted Continued on page 4 Damaged pole and cables lie on a road in Phase 3B2, Mohali. 12-hr outage in most parts of Mohali dist Tribune News Service Mohali, May 18 The night storm accompanied by rain caused extensive damage to the power infrastructure as well as green cover, causing inconvenience to residents here today. Power supply in most areas remained disrupted for nearly 12 hours as high-velocity winds wreaked havoc in the district. Trees snapped and falling branches damaged power cables at multiple places, causing a virtual blackout in the district. Many power poles were knocked down in the Phase 3B2 area, while a transformer was damaged in Sector 77. Incidents of cables PSPCL INFRA TAKES HIT ■ Power poles knocked down in Phase 3B2 area, a transformer damaged in Sector 77; cables snapped at a number of places in district ■ Power supply was restored in some areas of Mohali around 9 am, but it remained affected in most of the areas till 12 noon ■ Many Zirakpur areas remained without power till 12.30 pm; the Ramgarh road in Dera Bassi remained blocked by branches and cables causing jam snapping were received from a number of places. Winds blew away banners Continued on page 4