17092024-CT-01.qxd 17-09-2024 00:01 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SHAKTI LONE WOMAN FIELDED BY A PARTY IN P'KULA DIST MOST ROADS IN BAD SHAPE AT SHIVALIK CITY IN KHARAR PUNJAB ACES PULL OFF WIN IN CHANDIGARH GOLF LEAGUE The other two woman candidates in the dist are contesting P’kula seat as Independent. P2 Driving in the area is risky and inconvenient due to potholes, especially during monsoon. P2 Post stunning 5-2 victory over Tee Birds in the ongoing league played at the Chandigarh Golf Club. P3 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 33.9°C | MIN 22.1°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.25 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:09 AM » TUESDAY | 17 SEPTEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE 8 yrs on,over4K houses sans solar power plants Dushyant Singh Pundir Estate Office issues notices to owners for building bylaw violation Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Launch of book ‘Echoes of Faith; Tales of Explorations, Nature and Divinity’:By Novel Lavasa and Ashok Lavasa, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, September 20, 6 pm Shades of Life: An audio-visual presentation of paintings by Aradhana Tandon, Alliance Francaise, Sector 36-A, September 18, 5:30 pm Silk India: Exhibition of traditional handlooms, Kisan Bhawan, Sector 35, on till September 17 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29, 56 and Dhanas Mohali: Sector 71 Panchkula: Sector 15 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF WOMAN BOOKED ON CHB PLAINT Chandigarh: The UT police have booked a woman for attacking a security guard and illegally occupying a dwelling unit. Tarun Kant, Sub Divisional Engineer, Chandigarh Housing Board, alleged that the woman along with others thrashed a security guard and gained the possession of the house at Maloya after breaking the locks. The police have registered a case at the Maloya station. TNS Chandigarh, September 16 Even eight years after the UT Administration made installation of rooftop solar power plant mandatory for residential properties with area of 500 sq yd or more, more than 4,500 households are yet to get it installed. An official of the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technologies Promotion Society (CREST) stated that as many as 1,867 households had the solar power plants atop rooftop, while 4,541 units were yet to comply with the orders. In 2016, the UT Administration had mandated that residential houses with plots of 500 sq yd or more will have to install HELPLINE For support or more information, residents can visit the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technologies Promotion Society office at Paryavaran Bhawan, Madhya Marg, Sector 19-B, Chandigarh. They can also reach CREST via phone at 0172-277-1919 and email at crestchandigarh@gmail.com. << Rooftop solar plants installed atop houses in Sector 28. FILE solar power systems to comply with the building bylaws. In a bid to enhance the adoption of solar power, the administration has also made it mandatory for the owners Refund excess tax charged on vehicleregistration:HCtoAdmn Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 16 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the owner is required to pay tax on the price he paid for the vehicle and not on post-purchase increase reflected in the Vahan portal. The Bench of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjay Vashisth also directed the Union Territory of Chandigarh to refund the excess tax charged from the owner. The ruling came on a petition filed against UT and other respondents by Alankar Narula through advocates Rana Gurtej Singh and Nikhil Goyal for registering the vehicle “subject to deposit of 6 per cent road tax” on the invoiced amount. The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that the petitioner purchased a new vehicle for an actual price of Rs 19, 79,054. He applied for vehicle registration on June 10, 2022. But the vehicle’s price increased and the actual price reflected on the Vahan portal was Rs 20, 16,892, resulting in the demand of 8 per cent motor vehicle tax instead of 6 per cent applicable to a vehicle costing less than Rs 20 lakh. The Bench observed that the petitioner was asked to deposit 8 per cent of the vehicle price, following which he preferred the writ petition. The court, vide its interim order, directed that the petitioner “may” deposit tax at the rate of 8 per cent, subject to the final outcome of this writ petition. The Bench asserted the State authorities pointed out that they were unable to charge tax at 6 per cent, since the value being shown on the portal was higher “after the change of price accrued in between”. It was added that the cost was “reflected at the level of the Central Government and the State was not authorised to tinker with the portal”. The Bench asserted: “While we do not propose to interfere with the method and manner in which the portal reflects the price of the vehicle and the same is PAN India would apply to all people, who may apply for temporary registration as well as for permanent registration, if the price increased. Considering that in the present case, the petitioner should have been allowed manually to pay the registration charges as per the original price, which he had paid for the vehicle, which was less than Rs 20 lakh. We allow the petitioner to claim refund of the excess tax, which he has paid,” the Bench asserted. of 250 sq yd plots to get solar power plants installed. UT Adviser Rajeev Verma had recently directed the Secretary, Urban Planning Department, to further amend the building bylaws, reducing the plot size requirement for mandatory solar installation from 500 sq yd to 250 sq yd To expedite the installation of rooftop solar plants, the Adviser had directed Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh to take stringent action against the defaulters and to issue property resumption notices to the property owners (plot size 500 sq yd and above) who have failed to comply with the orders. After receiving notices for violation of the building bylaws, nearly 50-60 house owners have applied for installation of solar power plants. The official stated more and more residents were making queries for installation of solar power plants. After the recent directives Soaked in faith SEC 10 BLAST Accused had planned to use bike in crime The residents of Girls Hostel Number 6, Panjab University, immerse an idol of Lord Ganesha to mark Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on the campus on Monday. PHOTO: No regular appointment in Theatre Dept since 2007 MC impounds 28 cars dumped on its land, issues 51 challans Akashdeep Virk Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 16 It must be hard to imagine a department in Panjab University being run by a single regular faculty member. But it is happening right here, as the Department of Indian Theatre, established by the legendary dramatist and writer Balwant Gargi, is being run by one teacher, who is also the last regular faculty member hired by the university for the department in 2007. The department, which has the honour of being the alma mater of prominent names in theatre, including former Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, Anupam Kher, Mahi Gill and the contemporary stage artiste Sunil Grover, has been functioning with a single designated faculty member since June 2021 when Shveta Mahendra left the university. According to official data, the department has a sanctioned strength of five permanent faculty members. There are 25 available seats for students to pursue Masters in Indian Theatre. Sharing his experience from the time he studied at the department, a former student said, “Sometimes, Tribune News Service The Department of Indian Theatre of Panjab University is the alma mater of prominent artistes. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI there used to be no regular classes for us. In 2018, students had also protested over classes not being conducted and had locked the gates of the building.” Another former faculty member of the department and 2023 Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Pali Bhupinder Singh expressed concerns over the shortage of permanent faculty members in the department. He said, “The department gets some visiting faculty members to teach the students but that is not enough. The university is just wasting its money on this department which has been riddled with politics and leg-pulling.” Assuring that the department will soon get two permanent faculty members, the Dean of University Instruction, Prof Rumina Sethi, said, “The process of pre-screening for hiring two assistant professors has been completed. We have been receiving applications for posts of many departments and it has to go through a process which takes time.” The department chairperson and only regular teacher, Assistant Professor Navdeep Kaur, refused to comment as she was on leave. c m y b 5 SANCTIONED POSTS FOR DEPT According to official data, this department of Panjab University has a sanctioned strength of five permanent faculty members. There are 25 available seats for students to pursue Masters in Indian Theatre. Chandigarh, September 16 Enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation today impounded 28 cars dumped on its land across the city. A total of 51 challans were also issued for various violations, including parking and repairing vehicles in unauthorised areas. The vehicles were towed away from Sectors 45, 34 and 48. “We have been getting complaints from residents about old vehicles being dumped near their houses or at unauthorised places. We formed a team and deputed sub-inspectors/ inspectors concerned of the enforcement wing to crack down on the violators,” said an MC official. Though the civic body has removed such vehicles in the past also, the meagre challan amount has failed to deter violators. Residents living in the vicinity of the motor markets complain of such encroachments and nuisance caused by this illegal from UT Adviser, CREST has offered dedicated support to residents who have received notices from the Estate Office. “We recognise that this sudden requirement may pose challenges and our goal is to make the process as seamless as possible for all affected residents. Our team is available to answer questions, provide advice and ensure that every resident can meet the mandate effectively,” said a CREST official. Thus, for support or more information, residents can contact CREST in person at Paryavaran Bhawan, Madhya Marg, Sector 19-B, Chandigarh. They can also reach CREST via phone at 0172-277-1919 and email at crestchandigarh@gmail.com. ACTION FOLLOWS RESIDENTS PLAINTS “We have been getting complaints from residents about old vehicles being dumped near their houses or at unauthorised places. We formed a team and deputed sub-inspectors/ inspectors concerned of the enforcement wing to crack down on the violators,” said an MC official. dumping of vehicles. Mechanics in the Sector 48 motor market have encroached on a huge open area and parking lots. They throw oil and dump parts of vehicle on MC land, which leads to insanitary conditions. Officials said they were keeping tabs on violations and act regularly to curb the practice. Today’s action did not involve private buses parked on UT administration as well as the MC land. Their owners continue to have a free run with the authorities turning a blind eye to this illegal practice. An official claimed they would soon act against this illegal parking of buses. Chandigarh, September 16 The UT police have recovered a motorcycle from Sector 10, which, the cops suspect, the two accused in the blast case had brought to the city to carry out the crime but later changed the plan and reached the house in an auto instead. The investigation has revealed that the accused had stolen the motorcycle, which was found parked in the Sector 10 market. Sources said the police suspected the accused had planned to use the bike in the crime but later chose to hire an auto. “The information about the motorcycle parked in the market was revealed by one of the accused during his questioning by the Punjab Police,” the sources added. A UT police official said the reason for the accused choosing to not use the bike in the crime would be known only after they are interrogated by cops. The accused had conducted recce of the house in Sector 10 on September 9 on an auto reportedly hired from the ISBT, Sector 43. They hired the same auto on September 11, the day they lobbed a hand grenade in the house. The auto driver, Kuldeep, was nabbed by the UT police a few hours after the crime from the ISBT. The two prime accused, Rohan Masih, a resident of Passia village in Amritsar; and Vishal, a Batala resident, were arrested by the State Special Operation Cell of the Punjab Police. — TNS Youth dies in car crash Tribune News Service Zirakpur, September 16 A 27-year-old youth died after his speeding car crashed into a stationary car parked alongside the road in MS Enclave, Dhakoli, around 10.45 pm last night. Parminder Singh, a resident of Dhakoli, died on the spot. The car overturned and its front portion was totally damaged. Local residents, who came out of their houses after hearing a loud bang, extricated the driver from the overturned car. Probably, the driver lost control over the vehicle in a bid to save a stray dog while returning home after dropping passengers, they said. The incident was captured in the CCTV footage near the area.