25092023-CT-01.qxd 9/25/2023 12:31 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PUTA POLL ON OCT 5, SET TO BE TRIANGULAR CONTEST WORLD’S LARGEST 3D PRINTED COMPLEX COMING UP IN CITY RAVI STEERS HPCA TO VICTORY IN JP ATRAY TOURNAMENT Panjab University Teachers’ Association elections, scheduled for October 5, will be a triangular contest. P3 World’s largest 3D printed complex is being built by the Border Roads Organisation in the city. P3 Ravi Thakur scores 129 as Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association defeat Ran Star Cricket Club by 15 runs. P3 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 73 PANCHKULA 60 MOHALI 67 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF DADU MAJRA MAN HIT, FIR LODGED Chandigarh: A man was allegedly assaulted by a group of miscreants. According to the police, complainant Yogesh of Dadu Majra Colony, alleged Raj Kumar, alias Mattri, and his accomplices Simon, Mani and others blocked his way near his house and thrashed him. A police complaint was made, following which a case under Sections 323, 341, 506 and 34 of the IPC was registered at Maloya police station and an investigation initiated. TNS TWO HELD UNDER GAMBLING ACT Chandigarh: Two persons were arrested by the Chandigarh police allegedly for indulging in gambling from different parts of the city. The police said one Sagur Ahmed (62) was nabbed and ~3,020 was recovered from his possession while he was gambling at Sector 25. A case was registered at Sector 11 police station. In another similar incident, Satpal (57), a resident of Sector 56, was arrested while he was indulging in gambling near his house. The police seized ~9,090 from his possession. A case was filed at Sector 39 police station. Both accused were arrested and later released on bail. TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD 50 city taxi stand allottees default on fee, MC issues resumption order May face legal proceedings too |Civic body to re-auction resumed facilities OF 59 OPERATORS, ONLY 9 CLEAR DUES Chandigarh, September 24 For the first time, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is set to take possession of taxi stands from defaulting allottees/ occupiers for not clearing their dues despite giving them several reminders and a final notice in this regard. According to the MC, only nine of the 59 defaulters paid the fee till the deadline that ended this week. Officials of the branch concerned have now been instructed to start the resumption proceedings against the remaining 50 taxi stands from Monday. Most of the taxi stands are situated in the parking lots. After taking over the taxi stands, the corporation will offer these via auction to get competitive bids. MC officials said while of the one defaulters cleared his entire dues, the other eight cleared the overdue fee, but were yet to pay the late payment charges. An official said, “These allottees contended that the late fee was 12 per cent everywhere and they being charged 24 per cent. Secondly, they sought relief for ■ Only nine of 59 defaulters paid the fee till the deadline that ended this week ■ One defaulter cleared entire dues, other eight paid fee, but didn’t clear late payment charges ■ Officials told to start resumption process of remaining 50 taxi stands from Monday ■ Most of these are situated in parking lots; MC will auction these to get competitive bids ❝ Most taxi stands operate from parking lots of city markets. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI DEFAULTERS SEEK RELIEF, SAY LATE FEE ‘TOO HIGH’ ■ Allottees claim late fee is usually 12 per cent, while they are being charged 24 per cent ■ They are also seeking relief for Covid period, Covid period, which was not provided to them earlier. We have accepted the fees deposited by them and decided to take up their issues in the House meeting.” When contacted, MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “Since dues have not which was not provided to them earlier ■ MC accepts fee paid by them, will take up their issues in House, says an official been cleared by 50 taxi stand allottees despite being given the deadline, the resumption order has been issued. Officials have been instructed to start the process of taking over the taxi stands from the defaulters from Monday.” In its public notice issued in Disregarding the ban Snatchers on prowl in Zirakpur, another woman loses chain Tribune News Service the last week of August, the corporation stated, “The allottees/occupiers of taxi stands in different sectors of Chandigarh are not paying their dues in violation of the terms and conditions of the allotment. “The public notice is hereby given, granting a final oppor- ❞ Anindita Mitra, MC COMMISSIONER tunity to such allottees to deposit their outstanding amount within 20 days. In case of non-deposition of the outstanding amount, the physical possession of the taxi stands will be taken over by the corporation and legal action initiated against the defaulters.” Zirakpur, September 24 In yet another snatching incident in the town, two unidentified bike-borne youths allegedly snatched the gold chain of a woman on the Lohgarh road. The victim, Anjali, a nurse and a resident of Dashmesh Colony, was returning home from the VIP Road on a scooter along with her mother who was riding pillion when the miscreants started following her around 9:30 pm. The duo riding a black scooter without registration plate struck when Anjali reached near a private school and snatched her gold chain from her neck and fled towards Patiala lights. The victim raised the alarm, but the passersby remained unmoved. Anjali tried to chase the miscreants, but in vain. Sources said the police were scanning the CCTV footage of the area. They said the miscreants had been active in the area for the past few months and had already targeted several persons. Earlier on Thursday, two photographers were robbed Iron rods jut out from site along UT-Ambala highway Tribune News Service Despite a ban on stubble burning, a field set on fire in New Chandigarh on Sunday. PRADEEP TEWARI Army veterans, residents pay tribute to Anantnag op martyr City turns colder, rain brings down temperature Colonel Manpreet Singh laid down his life fighting terrorists Tribune News Service Mohali, September 24 Residents of New Chandigarh, Army veterans and people from various walks of life paid tribute to Col Manpreet Singh, who laid down his life in the line of duty during a gunfight with terrorists in J&K’s Anantnag recently, during his bhog ceremony at his ancestral Bharaunjian vil- FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Drain work poses threat to commuters in Dera Bassi BIKER DIES AFTER FALLING INTO PIT Zirakpur: An unidentified motorcycle-borne man died after he fell into a roadside pit on the VIP Road here on Sunday. The police was informed and the victim was rushed to a Dera Bassi hospital where he was declared dead. Sources said the biker fell into the pit as there was no streetlight on the road and sustained head injuries. TNS PROCESS FROM TODAY Since dues have not been cleared by 50 taxi stand allottees, resumption order has been issued. Officials will start process of taking over the taxi stands from Monday lage this afternoon. Besides representatives of the Western Command, senior leaders from political parties, women, children and elderly in large numbers paid their respect to the departed soul. The Army officer, a Sena medal awardee, who laid his life in the service of the nation, was cremated at his village on September 15. Singh, a third generation soldier, belonged to 12th Sikh Light Infantry. Three officers — the Colonel, a Major and a DSP of the Jammu and Kashmir Police — were killed in the gunfight with terrorists in the higher reaches of the Kokernag area in the valley on September 13.— TNS PRADEEP TEWARI Mayor Anup Gupta pays tribute to Col Manpreet Singh at his bhog ceremony at New Chandigarh. Chandigarh, September 24 Weather has become colder as rain lashed several parts of the city in the past 24 hours. According to the Meteorological Department, 11.2 mm of rain was recorded between 8:30 am on Saturday and 8:30 am on Sunday. It brought down maximum as well as minimum temperatures. The city this monsoon season recorded 1,123.4 mm of rainfall so far, 34.2 per cent more than normal. The weather is expected to stay partly cloudy for the next five days. The city today recorded 31°C maximum temperature, one degree below normal. While minimum temperature was 21.7°C, two degrees below normal. However, day and night temperatures are expected to rise in the coming days. The maximum temperature is expected to touch 35°C in the next five days and the minimum temperature is expected to stay around 24°C. c m y b Zirakpur, September 24 Iron rods jutting out from an under-construction drain alongside the AmbalaChandigarh national highway are posing a serious threat to road users from the Bhankharpur light points to Ghaggar bridge stretch. It has been more than six months that the storm water drain is under-construction but there is no sign of its completion anytime soon. The unending construction work has narrowed down the road at this stretch for around 300 m, creating a major bottleneck. During traffic jams here, queues of vehicles at times extend up to the Zirakpur flyover resulting in a chaos in Zirakpur town. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been moving at a snail’s pace in the construction of Uncovered iron roads at an under-construction drain pose a threat to commuters near traffic lights in Dera Bassi. TRIBUNE PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL the two vehicular underpasses (VUP) and upkeep of service lanes in the vicinity. “Does it take more than six months to complete a drain?” asked a Zirakpur resident. Besides causing traffic jams, the narrow stretch has become highly accident-prone due to iron rods jutting out alongside the main highway. MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 21.7°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:12 AM Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET MONDAY 6:16 PM » MONDAY | 25 SEPTEMBER 2023 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST On Thursday night, a bikeborne newlywed couple received serious injuries after they fell on the iron rods alongside the road. After the accident, Yash Taneja and his wife were taken to a Dera Bassi hospital in an ambulance. The couple complained that poor lighting in the area was one of the reasons for the accident. GRIM SCENARIO Recently, two bike-borne youths snatched a gold chain of a woman near Sigma City Extension in Lohgarh Two photographers were robbed of their belongings worth over ~7 lakh at gunpoint by three youths on Lohgarh road last week In the latest incident, two unidentified bike-borne youths snatched the gold chain of a nurse while she was returning home on a two-wheeler on the Lohgarh road of their belongings at gunpoint by three unidentified youths barely 500 m from the spot. Victims Surjit and Rahul told the police that the accused snatched their cameras and equipment worth Rs 7 lakh near the Zirakpur main market around 2 am on Thursday. They said they were returning from a marriage assignment on their motorcycle when they were chased by the trio and stopped on their way underneath a flyover. One of the accused pointed a pistol at the rider while another held the pillion rider at knifepoint, Surjit alleged. Two peddlers nabbed, 70 gm heroin seized Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 24 In separate incidents, two drug peddlers have been arrested by the Chandigarh police while possessing a total of 70 gm of heroin. The police said an accused, identified as Mukesh Kumar, alias Mulki (45), a resident of Sector 38, was nabbed while possessing 20 gm of heroin. A case against the accused has been registered at Sector 39 police station. In another incident, crime branch sleuths nabbed 34year-old Mukesh Kumar of Sector 29 while possessing 50 gm of heroin. The accused was nabbed from near Palsora in Sector 56. The police have registered an NDPS case against him at Maloya police station. 42-day leave to PGIstaffers for organ donation Naina Mishra To help facilitate recovery process | Aims at promoting noble cause Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 24 PGI staff members will now be entitled to 42 days of special casual leave when donating their organs to save another human being’s life. The move comes as a special welfare measure in the interest of public health and underscores PGI’s commitment to humanitarian causes. In alignment with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s recommendations and in response to numerous requests and queries, the PGIMER has taken a step to encourage organ donation within its community. Organ donation is a pro- found act of generosity that can make a life-changing difference to those in dire need. Recognising the significance and the recovery involved for organ donors, the PGIMER has decided to grant its staff members 42 days of special casual leave. This decision will facilitate the recovery process for donors, which encompasses both hospitalisation and posthospitalisation care. The 42 days of leave will be available irrespective of the type of surgery required for organ donation, provided the donor received approval from a government-registered medical practitioner as mandated by the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. It is noteworthy that this initiative surpasses the conventional provisions of Appendix-III of the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, which previously limited special casual leave to 30 days per calendar year. The leave will typically commence on the day of the donor’s hospital admission. However, there is flexibility in the start date, allowing for a maximum of one week before the surgery, based on the recommendation of a government-registered medical practitioner or doctor. By offering this extended leave, the PGIMER aims at not only supporting its employees in their selfless acts but also setting an example for the broader community, encouraging more individuals to consider organ donation as a means of saving lives.