06012025-CT-01.qxd 1/6/2025 12:02 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune NIGHT SHELTERS NEAR PGI BURSTING AT SEAMS JAIVEER WINS BRONZE IN EQUESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIP MUCH-AWAITED TRAILER OF SKY FORCE RELEASED Facilities set up by the MC witness heavy rush, remain packed to capacity every night. P3 Jaiveer Makkar of Strawberry Fields High School, Sector 26, wins medal in the show jumping event. P3 Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya lead high-octane aerial action in Sky Force due for Jan 24 release. P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Chandigarh, January 5 The number of fatal road accidents saw a 22 per cent rise last year. A total of 81 lives were lost in 78 fatal crashes on city roads in 2024, up from 67 deaths in 64 accidents in the preceding year. It marks a departure from the positive trend registered in 2023, when road mishap fatalities went down from 83 in 79 accidents to 67 in 64 crashes in 2022. This year, 69 of the 81 victims were men and the remaining 12 were women, according to the traffic police data. Pedestrians remained the most vulnerable, accounting for 33 per cent of the total fatalities. A total of 27 pedestrians lost their lives in 2024, followed by other vulnerable groups, including cyclists and rehripullers at seven and two deaths, respectively. At 28 deaths (42 per cent) and 23 (28 per cent) of the total fatalities, pedestrians had been the most at risk in 2023 and 2022, respectively, as well. The primary reason behind a The mangled remains of an auto after an accident on the Sector 4-9 road in Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO A WORRYING TREND Year 2024 2023 2022 Fatal accidents 78 64 79 Deaths 81 67 83 Pedestrians 27 28 23 SEC 11 POLICE STATION AREA SAW HIGHEST MISHAPS The area that falls under the Sector 11 police station saw the highest number of road accident fatalities at 10, followed closely by Sectors 3 and 26, which reported eight deaths each. majority of accidents was reckless and negligent driving. The East Division, encompassing police stations in Sector 19, the Industrial Area (Phase 1 and 2), Mani Majra, Mauli Jagran, and the IT Park emerged as the most accident-prone zone, reporting 33 deaths. It was followed by the Central Division, which includes police stations in Sectors 3, 11, 17 and Sarangpur, with 25 fatalities. The SouthWest Division, covering Sectors 36, 39 and Maloya, recorded 13 deaths, while the South-East Division reported 10 fatalities. More specifically, the area that falls within the jurisdiction of the Sector 11 police station saw the highest number of fatalities at 10, followed closely by Sectors 3 and 26, which reported eight deaths each. Meanwhile, a total of 100 non-fatal accidents had been reported in the city till December 25, 2024. RK Garg, president of Second Innings Association, emphasised an urgent need for public awareness campaigns to promote road safety. “The traffic police should devise various methods to instil discipline among commuters,” he added. Accidents have claimed four lives by January 3 this year. In a bid to enhance road safety awareness, UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria had launched a traffic and road safety awareness van earlier in the week. Equipped with interactive displays, educational materials and safety demonstrations, the van will visit schools, busy intersections and residential areas across the city, spreading essential information about road safety practices. Exhibition: Begum designer suits, handlooms, Kashmiri suits, shawls, stoles, silk & cotton dress material and more, Himachal Bhawan, Sector 28, on till January 6 Chandigarh: Thieves decamped with jewellery and cash from a house in Maloya Colony. Pardeep Kumar reported that a gold set, two rings, a pair of earrings and Rs 5,000 were stolen from his house.TNS Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), which breed in Central Asia, at a pond in Mote Majra village, Mohali, on Sunday. PHOTO: VICKY P2 Chandigarh: The police have registered a cheating cases against two immigration consultants. Dalip Kumar of Karnal alleged that Simranjeet Singh and others having their office in Sector 22 cheated him out of Rs 1.20 lakh on the pretext of sending his family member abroad. In another complaint, Satab Singh of Karnal reported that Adeem Khokhar, Gurvinder Singh, Satnam Singh and others duped him after promising to provide him a tourist visa. TNS MAN HELD FOR CAUSING NUISANCE Chandigarh: A man has been arrested for consuming liquor in public and creating nuisance near the Kishangarh chowk. The suspect, identified as Vikas of Kishangarh, was booked at the IT Park police station. He was later released on bail. TNS Fire breaks out at New Hry Secretariat, 5 cabins gutted Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 A fire broke out at the New Haryana Civil Secretariat building in Sector 17 here this evening. As the building is located near the Sector 17 Fire Station, firefighters immediately reached the spot and controlled the blaze before it could spread to other rooms on the third floor of the building. After receiving a fire call at the Emergency Response Services (ERS), Sector 9, five fire engines were rushed to the spot from Sector 11, 17 and 32, and Sector 5 and 20 of Panchkula. However, the UT fire brigade was able to control Sec 17 firemen notice smoke on the third floor at 4.20 pm the fire before the Panchkula team reached the spot. A spokesperson said upon receiving information about the fire, the fire brigade was immediately called. It took an hour to bring the fire under control. The officials concerned have been asked to assess the damage. Randhir Singh, Leading Firemen on duty, said, “Important documents and furniture in around five cabins on the third floor of the building were com- Chandigarh, January 5 Panjab University (PU) has released new guidelines restricting faculty members’ engagement with the media. The directive, approved by the Vice-Chancellor, requires all employees to strictly adhere to the university service and conduct rules, particularly regarding media participation. The new guidelines focus on Rule 4 of the university code, which prohibits faculty from engaging in public media activities, such as writing for newspapers, participating in radio broadcasts, or managing publications, without prior approval of the university authorities. This includes contributing articles, letters or even writing books and pamphlets, unless they are for purely literary or scientific purposes. Faculty must seek formal permission before engaging in any media-related work, even if it aligns with their professional duties. Two weeks on, cops Foggy weather derails Shatabdi schedule fail to nab shooters New Delhi-Kalka train reaches city late by 9 hours, other services also hit pletely destroyed in the fire. No staff was present in the cabins as it was Sunday. A few attendants or caretakers had left the place before the fire broke out. Around 30 firemen managed to control the fire.” Without disclosing the cause of the fire, fire officials said an inspection report would be submitted later. Firemen Vikas Gill and Deepak Kumar, who were on guard duty at the Sector 17 fire station, noticed smoke on the third floor of building around 4.20 pm. The electricity connection to the building was snapped at 5 pm to prevent further damage to the building. While some have raised concerns over the restrictions, PU officials said the intent of the new rules was to ensure that faculty focused on their academic responsibilities and avoid potential conflicts of interest. This “gag order” is aimed to balance academic freedom with institutional decorum, sparking a debate over the limits of freedom of expression among academics. — TNS Akashdeep Virk MORNI MURDERS Tribune News Service IMMIGRATION AGENTS BOOKED Firemen try to douse the blaze at New Haryana Civil Secretariat, Sector 17, in Chandigarh on Sunday. PU curbs on faculty-media engagement APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43, 45 and Maloya Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Mohali: Phase V Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com JEWELLERY STOLEN FROM HOUSE TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Reckless driving primary reason behind majority of mishaps Second home INBRIEF FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Fatal crashes up 22% last yr, pedestrians most vulnerable Tribune News Service Law & Literature Talk: By Gautam Bhatia and Harish Mehla, January 9, 5 pm to 6 pm, Bahrisons Book Café, Sector 8-C, DM for free registration on +91 7814011911 MAX 20°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22.3°C | MIN 8.4°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.19 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Amit Sharma Painting Workshop: 12day Miniatures Painting Camp by the North Zone Culture Centre, Kalagram, Sector 13, on till January 12, 9:30 am to 6 pm PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET MONDAY 5.36 PM » MONDAY | 6 JANUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Panchkula, January 5 Two weeks have passed since the triple murder took place outside the Sultanat resort on the Morni Road here but the police are yet to arrest the killers. Around 2:30 am on the night of December 23, Vinit Gahlot, alias Vicky Mitrau, a gangster with ties to the Manjeet Mahal gang, was killed by two assailants as he stepped out of the resort after attending a birthday party. His 17-yearold nephew, Tirath, who rushed to save him, was also shot dead by the assailants. The third victim, 22-year-old Vandana, was also hit by a bullet on the chest. The police investigation has revealed that the assailants, identified as Sahil and Vijay from Najafgarh, were both linked to the Kapil Sangwan gang, also known as the Nandu gang. The murder is believed to be the latest in a series of violent clashes between the Manjeet Mahal Tribune News Service Incident took place near Sultanat resort gang and the Sangwan gang, both of which are involved in criminal activities across Haryana, Delhi NCR and Uttar Pradesh. Vicky’s name had appeared in numerous cases of murder, dacoity and violations of the Arms Act. The assailants used .32 bore and 9 mm firearms. They allegedly fired into the air before fleeing the spot. The police later recovered the getaway vehicle from Bathinda Railway Station. Vicky was clearly the main target. Vandana, a student and native of Uchana Kalan in Haryana, had no known connection to Vicky or his criminal world. She was simply a guest at the party. Kapil Sangwan, the UKbased gangster behind the Nandu gang, was also implicated earlier this year for the murder of INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathi. Rathi was killed in February when gunmen ambushed his vehicle in Jhajjar, Haryana. Man booked for daughter’s murder Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 Commuters travelling between Chandigarh and Delhi were a harried lot as dense fog disrupted the schedule of both the New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi and Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi today. The 12011 Shatabdi, which was supposed to leave New Delhi at 7:40 am, was rescheduled to 3 pm, only to depart at 4:49 pm. It arrived here at 8 pm, late by nine hours. The 12012 Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi, originally set to depart from Kalka at 5:45 pm and reach Chandigarh at 6:23 pm, was first delayed to 8 pm, and then to 9:30 pm. “I was hoping to make it to Delhi by the evening, but now I’m not sure when I’ll get there,” said Ravinder Singh, who was waiting to board the delayed Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi. The delay caused a domino effect for passengers traveling in the opposite direction. “I had to attend an important function in Chandigarh that I missed. Nine hours of delay is unacceptable. Today was just Panchkula, January 5 A murder case has been registered against a man following the death of his six-year-old daughter, who allegedly died due to physical abuse. The incident was reported from Taparia village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Raipur Rani police station. Renu, the child’s mother, has reported that she had been living with her third husband, Anil Kumar, in Taparia village for about a year. Originally from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, she had previously been married to Neeraj and divorced him due to his addiction to alcohol. She later remarried Umesh, who passed away in an accident. The couple had been facing marital issues due to excessive alcohol consumption by Anil. Renu said, “On the evening of January 3, Anil consumed alcohol and started beating both me and the girls, Aarti and Sapna. After the fight, Aarti and I went to fetch milk from a nearby vendor, leaving Continued on page 2 c m y b New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi reaches Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY PASSENGERS LEFT IN THE LURCH “I was hoping to make it to Delhi by the evening, but now I’m not sure when I’ll get there,” said Ravinder Singh, who was waiting to board the delayed Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi. about endless waiting,” said Renuka, who arrived here by New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi, which was late by nine hours. The schedule of other trains was also hit by the fog. The 12926 Paschim Superfast Express reached here 35 min- utes late, while the 22448 Amb Andaura-New Delhi Vande Bharat arrived 2 hours and 25 minutes behind schedule. The 12925 Paschim Superfast Express was delayed by over four hours, and the 20977 Ajmer-Chandigarh Vande Bharat by 40 minutes. A station official said, “The fog is affecting rail services across the region. While we’re doing our best to manage the service, delays are inevitable under such conditions.” As fog continues to blanket the region, passengers are calling for better communication and updates during such disruptions, hoping for improved management of train services in the future.