28082023-CT-01.qxd 8/28/2023 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune COUNCILLOR AT ‘FRESHERS’ PARTY’ IN CLUB STIRS ROW 8,613 ASPIRANTS APPEAR IN EXAM FOR 44 ASI POSTS ADMN SANCTIONS ~1.88 CR FOR MAINTENANCE OF FLATS AAP councillor triggers a controversy by allegedly seeking votes for party’s student wing at a city club. P3 At least 8,613 candidates appear in written exam for 44 posts of ASI at 27 centres across city. P3 Nearly 10 years after allotment, UT has okayed ~1.88 cr for maintaining common area of 8,448 small flats.P3 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 87 PANCHKULA 71 MOHALI 74 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF PEDDLER HELD WITH 2-KG GANJA Chandigarh: The police have arrested a man for allegedly possessing 2.1 kg of ganja (marijuana). The police said the suspect, identified as Ravi Kumar of Mauli Jagran, was arrested from near Sukhna choe bridge near Makhan Majra. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at Mauli Jagran police station. TNS MAN ARRESTED FOR CELLPHONE THEFT Chandigarh: The police have arrested a man for allegedly stealing a mobile phone. Complainant Malkit Singh of Deep Complex, Hallo Majra, reported that his mobile phone was stolen from vegetable market in Ram Darbar. A case was registered at Sector 31 police station and a suspect, Asan of Mani Majra, was arrested. TNS BUS HITS SCOOTER, DRIVER BOOKED Chandigarh: A scooterist was injured after she was hit by a recklessly driven bus. Complainant Dimple Kumar reported that the bus hit a scooter at Sector 39/40 light point. A girl riding the scooter got injured and was admitted to PGI. A case was registered against bus driver, identified as Jai Parkash (25) of Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, at Sector 39 police station. He was arrested and later released on bail. TNS PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33.9°C | MIN 25.5°C SUNSET MONDAY 6:50 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:57 AM » MONDAY | 28 AUGUST 2023 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE To free parks of encroachments, Amid feasibility concerns, 2nd green corridor work allotted teams formed; survey from today Work on first section halted post row over axing of trees MC mulls legal action against those who built fixed structures THE TRIBUNE IMPACT Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 27 A day after Chandigarh Tribune reported that public parks had been turned into private lawns in several sectors, the Municipal Corporation today formed committees to crack the whip on encroachers. Panel members will start an inspection from Monday. The parks that have been turned into personal lawns will be identified and action will be taken against the encroachers. A legal action may also be initiated against those who have encroached upon public parks by erecting iron grills or building some structure or placing private swings and benches inside the area. Such encroachments have been spotted in Sectors 15, 27, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 45 and some other areas. In Sector 23, it has been seen that a park is being openly used for parking vehicles and another part of the park has been covered with hedges by occupants of adjoining houses. A resident of Sector 27 said, “A house owner has an illegal opening in his wall towards an adjoining park. The owner holds private events in the park and doesn’t even lift the waste. It is a nuisance for walkers.” In Sector 21, it is seen that iron grills have been removed from a park and installed outside a house on paver blocks. A large number of houses in the sector have encroached upon public parks without any fear of law, causing inconvenience to other residents, besides encouraging others to follow suit. “This has been going on for long and has become a norm in the absence of any check. It is recently seen that parks where there was no encroachment earlier have also been continued on page 3 Chandigarh, August 27 The UT Administration has advised passengers against travelling in a cab or riding a bike with private registration number, which is illegal. In case of a violation, strict legal action will be taken against Chandigarh, August 27 As environmental and feasibility concerns persist over the second non-motorised transport green corridor from Sectors 3 to 36, the project construction work has been allotted to a city-based firm. According to the tender documents, an agency based in Sector 28 has been assigned the project after it quoted the lowest bid of Rs 3.57 crore, significantly lower than the estimated cost mentioned in the tender — Rs 4.95 crore. Three firms had submitted bids for the project. However, as per the feasibility report prepared and submitted earlier by the SubDivisional Officer (SDO) concerned, there were several hindrances at sites in the second green corridor passage. The report, which was accessed through an RTI application, stated location issues cropped up due to little or no space at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Rose Garden, Shanti Kunj and Sector 23. It was noted that Shiv Mandir in Sector 23-D had walls and railings, while trees were grown along the boundary wall near a primary school in the sector. The Sector-36 site was Iron grills in Sector 23, Chandigarh, mentioned as one of the hindrances in building a green corridor. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI SDO FLAGS HURDLES IN REPORT ■ As per feasibility report, there are Shanti Kunj and Sector 23 Residents of Sector 23-D have converted a park into a parking lot by removing its railings. several hindrances at sites in the second green corridor passage ■ It says there’s little or no space at Art Gallery, Rose Garden, ■ Shiv Mandir in Sector 23-D has plagued by issues such as barbed wire fencing, a lack of space and the presence of electricity poles and congestion near Dakshin Marg. All such hindrances were pointed out in the report. However, officials claimed they had looked into the issues. Notably, the construction of the first green corridor along the N-Choe has been halted, less than three months after the groundbreaking ceremony on June 1. The 8-km corridor with lighting facilities has to connect the Capitol Complex with Sector 56 and run along the N-Choe from north to south of the city. The work was to be completed in nine months, but it has been halted by the authorities. Sources said a city resident had recently sent a complaint to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for allegedly axing trees and giving short shrift to environmental concerns. The administration officials were then directed to take “appropriate action” on the complaint. However, a senior administration official continued on page 3 98 take ~3.66-cr loan on fake documents, booked Green belt adjacent to a house being used as a private space in Sector 21-C, Chandigarh. Minor among 2 apprehended for snatching phone walls and railings, while trees grown along boundary wall near primary school Tribune News Service WILL ACT AS PER LAW ❝ Committees have been formed to look into the matter. The members will start inspection from Monday. Wherever any encroachment is found, it will be removed and action will be taken as per law. Another encroachment in Sector 23-D. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI — Anindita Mitra, MC CHIEF ❞ Hailing pvt vehicle may land you in trouble, warns Admn Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Issues advisory, says safety top priority the passenger as well as the driver of such vehicle. The Administration advised the public to book cabs only with yellow registration number plates through licensed apps for their safety. The Administration has granted aggregator licence OLA and Uber to provide cab services in the city. Safety features like panic buttons are installed in commercial cabs which can be pressed in case of an emergency. The Administration has fixed a maximum fare of Rs 34 per km for a cab. If any cab operator/company overcharges, the STA office may be contacted on phone number 0172-2700159 or email sta18-chd@nic.in. If any operator takes wrong route, commuters may press panic button or call police at 112. Chandigarh, August 27 Ninety-eight persons have been booked for allegedly defrauding the State Bank of India of Rs 3.66 crore. The suspects posed as government employees and used counterfeit documents to secure loans. Complainant Rishi Kumar, Regional Manager, SBI, Sector 5, Panchkula, reported that Abhinash Kumar of Khuda Jassu village and 97 others, obtained personal loans under the bank’s Xpress credit scheme. It is alleged the suspects posed as government employees and provided fake salary slips and ID cards. As per the complainant, while 84 persons claimed themselves to be employees of the PGI, nine of the Municipal Corporation and five submitted fake documents showing themselves to be employees of Panjab University. Debt under Xpress credit scheme: SBI An investigation carried out by the bank revealed gross violations. The loans were not sanctioned as per the bank’s norms and procedures. A police complaint was made following which the Economic Offences Wing conducted an investigation and a case under Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC was registered at Mauli Jagran police station. The names of all suspects along with their bank account numbers have been provided to the police. Chandigarh, August 27 Two persons, including a juvenile, have been apprehended by the police for snatching a mobile phone from Jiban Kumar Khadka, a resident of Mori Gate, Mani Majra. The complainant, who works in a bar near Kalagram, alleged on August 24, he was returning from work when a three-wheeler stopped near him. One of the three occupants snatched his mobile phone and they sped away. A case was registered at Mani Majra police station. During the investigation, the auto driver, Rakesh (23) of Pinjore, was arrested and a juvenile was apprehended. The third accused, identified as Karan, is still absconding. The police said the snatched mobile phone and auto used in the crime had been seized. Rakesh was earlier arrested in a case under the POCSO Act by the Panchkula police in 2022. — TNS F&CC meeting today; dog vans, Toll up, Ambala expressway travel to cost more laying paver blocks on agenda Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 27 A meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation will be held on Monday to take call on development agendas. The work of providing and laying new pipeline behind jewellery market showrooms in Sector 22-D against the old blocked and damaged sewer line for smooth functioning of sewerage will be taken up. A rough cost estimate for providing and fixing three water coolers and other contingent work near the entry gate of transport parking in the booth market and near Shitla Mata Mandir in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, will also be taken up. A proposal for work of resetting paver blocks in Cactus Garden and Ram Darbar is also on agenda. A proposal for construction of toe wall in various parks of Sector 28 and Sector 29 will be decided. Revised sanction for the purchase of three dog vans will be tabled too. The F&CC, in its June meeting, considered and approved the purchase of three dog catching vans amounting to Rs 37.50 lakh (Rs 12.50 lakh per van). Accordingly, the office initiated the process and evaluated the bids received, wherein the lowest quoted rate among technically eligible firms was Rs 44,95,218. An agenda item is being placed before the F&CC for granting revised financial approval of Rs 44,95,218 instead of Rs 37,50,000. Mohal, August 27 Motorists travelling on the Ambala-Chandigarh Expressway will have to pay more at the Dappar toll plaza. With hiked toll charges, private cars, jeeps and vans will have to pay Rs 50 against Rs 45 for single journey with effect from September 1. The toll for return journey within a day is Rs 75 and the monthly pass will now cost Rs 1,505 against Rs 1,375 earlier. The fee for local personal traffic will be Rs 15 and commercial traffic Rs 25. Light commercial vehicles (mini buses) will be charged Rs 90 for single journey and Rs 130 for a c m y b CONCESSION PERIOD TO END IN 2027 Vehicle Cars/jeepsvVans LCVs (mini buses) Trucks/buses Multi-axle Earthmovers SINGLE JOURNEY Revised Existing ~50 ~45 ~90 ~80 ~175 ~160 ~280 ~260 ~375 ~345 return journey within a day. The fee for monthly pass is Rs 2,630. Trucks and buses will be charged Rs 175 and Rs 265 for single and return journey, respectively. Multi-axle vehicles (more than two axles) will be charged Rs 280 and Rs 425 for single and return journey. GMR Ambala-Chandigarh RETURN Revised Existing ~75 ~70 ~130 ~120 ~265 ~240 ~425 ~385 ~565 ~515 Expressway Pvt Ltd official Deepak Chopra said, “The rates are applicable for a complete stretch at the Dappar toll plaza.” As per the agreement dated November 16, 2005, the concession period ends on July 17, 2027. The user fee after the end of concession period will be reduced by 40 per cent. Toll after end of concession period will be reduced by 40%. FILE