28052024-CT-01.qxd 5/28/2024 1:05 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune GOVT WILL SOON ALLOW SYL CONSTRUCTION: CHANDUMAJRA FREE RIDE FOR VOTERS IN MOHALI DISTRICT ON JUNE 1 MURDER ACCUSED SEEKS CALL DETAIL RECORD OF WITNESS Akali nominee addresses election meetings in Gige Majra, Balongi, Manak Majra and Kumbhra. P2 The administartion will launch “Sawaari Zimmedari Ki” initiative in collaboration with Rapido. P2 Kalyani is accused in murder case of national-level shooter and advocate Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu. P2 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 150 PANCHKULA 201 MOHALI 212 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF MAN DUPED OF ~14.71 LAKH Chandigarh: A Dhanas resident has been duped of Rs 14.71 lakh by an online fraudster. Navneet Sama reported that he had received Whatsapp messages regarding online trading. The fraudster made him click on a link and he later found that Rs 14.71 lakh had been transferred from his account. A case has been registered at the cybercrime police station and investigation started. TNS EMPLOYEE BOOKED FOR FORGERY Chandigarh: A woman working as a stenographer at the Punjab Civil Secretariat has been booked for cheating. According to the police, an official, Amandeep Kaur reported that Hardeep Kaur had allegedly submitted fake documents to get the job. A case under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC had been registered at the Sector 3 police station. TNS HARYANA MAN DUPED OF ~21L Chandigarh: The police have booked a man for duping a Haryana resident of Rs 21 lakh. The police said Gaurav Yadav, a resident of Rewari district, alleged that Madan Bhatia and others cheated him on the pretext of providing regular jobs to his relatives through the Haryana Staff Selection Committee (HSSC). The accused gave his relatives fake joining letters. A case has been registered at the Sector 3 police station and investigation started. TNS JEWELLER LODGES CHEATING PLAINT Chandigarh: The police have registered a cheating case on a complaint filed by Mohinder Singh, a Sector 35-based jeweller. He has alleged that Lakshay Gupta took jewellery from his shop to further sell it. He neither sold the jewellery nor returned it. A case has been registered at the Sector 36 police station. TNS MAN ARRESTED WITH GANJA Chandigarh: The police have arrested a 40-year-old man with 974 gram of ganja. The police said Shiva, alias Sheru, a resident of Sector 25, was arrested near his house. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Sector 11 police station. TNS Takes dig at his remarks on mullah, mujra, mangalsutra INDIA VOTES 2024 Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 27 Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today remarked that the PM was only talking about “mullah”, “mujra” and “mangalsutra”, but he should know “M” also stands for “mehangai” and Manipur. “He remains silent on critical issues like inflation and the situation in Manipur. The PM also does not speak on largescale unemployment,” said Tharoor at a press conference here today. He was accompanied by former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel. “He talks of Ram Mandir. The government’s work is not to build mandir. Has situation of the country actually improved? Why to give him third opportunity?” questioned Tharoor. “We have full faith that on June 4, the government is going to change…,” he asserted, adding that a “chaiwallah” has become a PM due to the democratic principles Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel address media in Chandigarh on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI MENTIONS WORD ‘DEFENESTRATE’ AGAIN Tharoor, who used the word “defenestrate” against the BJP while replying to a question in Jalandhar recently, again used the word at the press conference on Monday. “It implies to throw someone out of the window and this what we exactly need to do,” he said, referring to the BJP. laid down by the Congress. He credited former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for democracy in the country. The Congress leader accused the BJP of having plans to change the Constitution if it comes to power this time. “They want a two-thirds majority. Why do they want ‘400 paar’? Only to change the Constitution even though the spirit of democracy has already been killed. Though the Constitution has been changed several times before, it was done by taking all political parties into confidence,” said Tharoor. He rubbished talks of five PMs in five terms under INDIA bloc and support of Pakistan to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Replying to a question that if the Congress still raised doubts over EVMs even after the Supreme Court’s order in this regard, the Congress leader said, “Everyone should vote. If there is some problem later, we will raise the issue.” On different stance on the alliance with AAP in states, the Kerala MP said, “The alliance varies state to state. For example, in Tamil Nadu, we are in alliance with one party, but are fighting against it in Kerala. It is the nature of India.” Tharoor condemned the BJP’s labelling of Punjab farmers as terrorists, assert Continued on page 2 FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Another fire breaks out in Baltana furniture market Tribune News Service Zirakpur, May 27 More than 24 kiosks and temporary structures were gutted in a fire in the Baltana furniture market this afternoon. Goods worth lakhs were destroyed in the flames. It took 12 fire engines more than an hour to douse the blaze. Local residents helped the firemen in operations. The fire broke out in structures illegally raised in vacant area measuring about one area, said eyewitnesses. Sources said around 50 illegal structures had been raised in the vacant area and rented out to owners of the nearby furniture shops. The fire broke out in a shop around 12 noon after short-cir- PREVIOUS INCIDENTS ■ May 17: A furniture manufacturing unit in Harmilap Nagar, Baltana, was gutted around midnight ■ September 13, 2022: A fire broke out in a showroom in the furniture market in Baltana. The staff on the first floor rushed out of the building they noticed the fire around 10 am. Six fire engines were pressed into service. cuit. It soon turned into a major blaze because of the extreme heat and the inflammable material, including paint and varnish, kept in the shops. As soon as the fire spread to other shops, carpenters and helpers ran for their lives. One fire engine from Zirakpur, three from Dera Bassi, two from Panchkula and others from Mohali and Congress candidate Manish Tewari campaigns in the city. proposed mono rail project nor on Metro, said Tewari, adding that the city’s roads remain clogged with heavy traffic. He said the BJP had promised to regularise the needbased changes made in the units allotted by the CHB. On the contrary, the Housing Board issued notices for even small changes carried out by owners, imposed penalties running into lakhs of rupees, sent bulldozers to raze houses and even evicted poor people from their homes. Tewari also referred to the BJP’s promise of giving ownership rights on the basis of general power of attorney. As usual, this promise also remained on paper only, he said. On the BJP’s promise of providing 24-hour water supply in the city, he said the same promise was made in 2019 also. Not only the promise remains unfulfilled but the tariff has also been increased. The Congress candidate said the BJP had again promised that it would remove the Dadu Majra garbage dump. The same promise featured in the 2019 manifesto also. If they could not do anything in five years, what people could expect of them in another five years, which they were not getting in any way, he added. Similarly, he talked of the issues of parking, public transport system and additional floors on booths. The truth is the then city BJP president Tandon and MP Kirron Kher simply forgot their promises made with regard to the booths and other commercial buildings. The BJP had promised to extend the “lal dora” in villages, regularise houses built outside it and to abolish the Periphery Act. This promise also remained unfulfilled, he added. — TNS Tandon spends ~17.13 lakh, Tewari ~14.36L so far Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 27 With candidates intensifying their election campaigns, their poll expenses have seen a major increase. The Election Department held the second round of examination of the election expenditure of the candidates on May 24. Now BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon has declared a total election expenditure of Rs 17,13,290, which is Rs 4.59 lakh more than the amount he had shown in the first inspection held on May 20. In the first inspection, Tandon had pegged his election expenditure at Rs 12,53,423. A rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath was also organised between the first and second inspection. The expenses for the day of the rally include Rs 19,470 on booklets, Rs 18,720 on banners and Rs 2.06 lakh on tenting. Congress candidate Manish Tewari’s expenses have increased by almost three times compared to the first inspection. During the first examination of the expenditure registers, Tiwari had declared an expenditure of Rs 5,20,505. In the second inspection held on May 24, Tiwari’s expenses have increased to Rs 14,36,145. About Rs 9.15 lakh were spent on his behalf in the campaigning after the first inspection. Former BJP mayors list achievements of party Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29, 56 and Dhanas Mohali: Sector 71 Panchkula: Sector 15 Sanjay Tandon shares a light moment with a barber during his padyatra in Sector 32. NITIN MITTAL c m y b Chandigarh, May 27 Two days after Congress candidate Manish Tewari asked BJP nominee Sanjay Tandon for 10-years balance sheet, the BJP today asked its former mayors to list the party’s achievements. Addressing a press conference, former BJP mayors Subhash Chawla and Ravikant Sharma said all former mayors and deputy mayors of the party had gathered because Tewari had been telling lies. Former mayors Kamla Sharma, Asha Jaswal, Sarabjit Kaur, Poonam Sharma, Rajesh Chandigarh were pressed into service. A commercial LPG warehouse is located near the area where the fire broke out. Fire officer Jaswant Singh said, “There was no firefighting arrangement here. A notice will be issued to the owner of the land. After receiving the reply, appropriate action will be taken. The probe is on whether the kiosks and temporary structures were raised illegally without taking any permission. The fire was so fierce that if it was not controlled in time, losses could have been huge.” Laxity in enforcing fire safety norms by the MC, illegal structures and high population density lead to frequent fire incidents in Baltana. Firefighters try to douse flames at the furniture market in Baltana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR BJP manifesto old wine in new bottle: Tewari Poll expenses jump as campaigning picks up Chandigarh, May 27 Congress candidate Manish Tewari today disputed claims made by the BJP in its manifesto. He said, “It is a classic case of old wine in a new bottle, as the manifesto is a repackaging of unfulfilled promises only.” Tewari said since the BJP was in power for 10 years, the party, along with the manifesto, should have released a balance sheet for that period, which obviously it could not, as it has nothing to show. He interacted with reporters during his “padyatra” in the Butrela area. Replying to a question on the BJP’s manifesto, he said much before he could comment, it had already been rejected by people of Chandigarh, who had raised questions on unfulfilled promises repeated in the “Sankalp Patra”. He said the BJP had promised mono rail in Chandigarh in its 2019 manifesto. Neither was there any progress on the MAX 44°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 44.1°C | MIN 27.6°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.23 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD M also stands for mehangai, Tharoor reminds PM Modi MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 7.17 PM » TUESDAY | 28 MAY 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST UNION MINISTER MEETS TRANSGENDER TEA SELLER Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, interacted with Mona, a transgender tea seller, who is a beneficiary of a scheme of the Modi government and runs business outside the Nexus Elante mall. Kalia, KK Adiwal and former deputy mayor Rajendra Sharma were also present. Ravikant said Tewari should explain to the people what he had done in his previous constituencies of Ludhiana and Anandpur Sahib. Chawla claimed the Congress candidate had once planned to contest elections from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh taking the advantage of his surname, but people there showed him black flags and chased him away. The residents of Kanpur were aware that Tewari had done nothing for the people of Punjab. Ravikant said the Congress had no issues. Socalled honest leaders of this party are lodged in jails. Kirron Kher has done a lot of development works during her tenure in the city. He shared Kher got medical Continued on page 2 15 years on, cops nab PO in NDPS case Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 27 Two proclaimed offenders (POs) in NDPS cases, including one who had been absconding for the past 15 years, have been arrested by the UT police. A team of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) nabbed Parminder Kumar, alias Pammi; and Surender Singh, alias Ganju. The police said Surender, a resident of Sector 25, was held with 9 gram smack in April 2003 and a case was registered at the Sector 39 police station. During the trial, he was released on bail. He, however, didn’t appear in the court and was declared a PO in January 2009. Parminder, a resident of Jhampur, Mohali, was held in April 2009 with 5 gram smack. A case against him was registered at the Sector 39 police station. He also jumped bail and was declared a PO in November 2015. Both accused were produced in the court and sent to judicial custody. Two proclaimed offenders in custody of Chandigarh Police.