28012025-CT-01.qxd 1/28/2025 12:01 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune WOMAN, DAUGHTER JUMP TO DEATH IN BHAKRA CANAL MINISTER ANNOUNCES 100-BED HOSPITAL UPGRADE STAGE SET IN BATHINDA FOR MAHA KUMBH OF THEATRE Family member accuses woman’s husband, mother-in-law of harassing her for dowry. P2 Punjab Minister for Mines & Geology Barinder Kumar Goyal unfurls the National Flag in Mohali. P2 The NSD will stage five plays at Balwant Gargi Auditorium as part of its Bharat Rang Mahotsav. P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, and Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sector 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING Chandigarh: The UT police have arrested two persons for snatching a camera. Complainant Sumit Kumar, a resident of Deep Complex, Hallo Majra, had reported that Nirbhay Pandey and Ashish Pandey had sped away on a scooter after snatching his camera near Phase-II, Ram Darbar. The police registered a case at the Sector 31 police station and later nabbed both the accused. TNS REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO: ISTOCK Chandigarh, January 27 Ahead of the January 30 mayoral election, three-time Congress Councillor Gurbax Rawat today joined the BJP in the presence of party’s Chandigarh unit president Jatinder Pal Malhotra and senior leader Sanjay Tandon. Associated with the Congress for 21 years, Rawat was a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Her joining the party will strengthen the BJP which now has 16 , votes in the 35-member Municipal Corporation House. However, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alliance still has 20 votes. Gurbax Rawat, Councillor from ward number 27, reached the BJP office in Sector 33 around 2.30 pm, along with her husband Birender Singh Rawat. BJP’s mayoral candidate Harpreet Kaur Babla and Councillors Kanwarjit Singh Rana, Bimla Dubey, Anup Gupta, Dalip Sharma and others welcomed her. City BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra and senior leader Sanjay Tandon welcomed Rawat into the party fold. After joining, Gurbax Rawat said the way she had seen the BJP’s functioning there was already a voice from inside that the party was doing a very good job. There was discipline in the party and it was felt that only the BJP could take the city and the country forward, she added. Rawat said she will Gurbax Rawat joins the BJP in the presence of Chandigarh unit president Jatinder Pal Malhotra and senior party leader Sanjay Tandon at the party office in Sector 33 on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI work in the BJP with more strength than she had worked with the Congress. After Rawat joined the BJP , Malhotra targeted the AAPCongress alliance. He said the two parties had not held a joint press conference so far. No joint meeting was held and the alliance was officially announced, he added. Councillors of both parties are also upset with this, because they are not able to understand that they are abusing each other in Delhi and are in an alliance here, he added. Sanjay Tandon said what kind of alliance was this as they were not together even during the filing of nomina- tion papers. No development work was done in the city during the tenure of AAP Mayor, he said, adding that the development in the city will resume after the BJP’s candidate becomes Mayor. On the occasion, Davinder Singh Babla, city BJP vicepresident and husband of BJP’s Mayoral candidate Harpreet Kaur Babla, said he had received a call from Gurbax Rawat’s husband saying he was feeling suffocated in the Congress. He added that it was the hard work of BJP leader Raj Kishore to get Rawat to join the BJP . The BJP has fielded Harpreet Kaur Babla against 2 held for firing at cops in Sec 38 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 The District Crime Cell (DCC) of the Chandigarh police has arrested two persons who had opened fire at police personnel in Sector 38 on January 23. A car, a 32 bore pistol used in the crime, besides 15.20 gm heroin have been recovered from the two. The accused Deepak Kumar Verma, alias Deepu, (38) and Rishab Sharma, alias Rishu, (27) were arrested from near Grain Market Chowk under the Sector 39 Were wanted in connection with Jan 23 incident police station. The police said Deepak was a drug peddler and had 14 cases registered against him in the past, including 12 cases under the NDPS Act. A pistol, three live and three empty cartridges have been recovered from them. Heroin was found in the dashboard of the car. Sources said the accused had come to deliver heroin in the area when they were arrested. “During the initial interrogation, the accused have confessed to supplying drugs in Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu, Haryana and the Delhi-NCR area. Deepak disclosed that he had earlier fired at STF team of the Punjab Police in Ludhiana,” the police said. On January 23, Senior Constable Pardeep from the Sector 39 police station had signalled a car to stop at a naka, but Deepak who was behind the wheel sped away. Continued on P2 AAP’s Prem Lata for the post of Mayor of the Municipal Corporation. Bimala Dubey has been nominated for the post Senior Deputy Mayor and Lakhbir Singh Billu for Deputy Mayor. On the other hand, adhering to its pact, the Congress-AAP alliance has nominated Jasbir Singh Bunty and Taruna Mehta for the post of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. As per the alliance arrangement, the AAP has nominated Prem Lata for the post of Mayor. This year’s mayoral election is significant as it falls under the fourth year of the five-year rotation system, which is Inspector’s son dies in accident Chandigarh, January 27 A six-year-old son of a UT police inspector died after being hit by a car near his house in Sector 46 on Sunday evening. The incident occurred when Himanshu, son of Inspector Rohit who is posted SHO at the Sector 17 police station, was cycling near his house. The car was reportedly driven by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jagginder Singh. Nikhil, a banker and resident of Sector 46, witnessed the accident as he was Continued on P2 ~32.50 cr for Ghaggar bridge widening work Akashdeep Virk Tribune News Service Panchkula, January 27 The Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) has announced to widen a bridge over the Ghaggar river connecting Sectors 23 and 24. The muchneeded upgrade, which will be done at an estimated cost of Rs 32.50 crore, aims to address the problem of traffic congestion near Golf Course Road, particularly during peak hours. The Golf Course Road, which originates near the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, is a four-lane road. However, the transition into a two-lane bridge near the Ghaggar creates a bottleneck, causing long delays for commuters. The widening of FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Cong councillor Gurbax Rawat Payment of service charge optional joins BJP ahead of mayoral poll for consumer: UT Tribune News Service Face Fitness: Complimentary session by Zeeny Jhelumi on January 28, 2025, from 12 noon to 1 pm at House No. 93, Ground Floor, Sector 10 A, Chandigarh. To book a session call 9810143068 MAX 22°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 22.3°C | MIN 3°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:16 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Saffron party now has 16 councillors, need 19 votes to win Jan 30 election Theatre Festival: CSNA Haryana Rang Utsav, Play: Jisma Ton Paar on January 28, 2025, 6 pm onwards at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 5:54 PM » TUESDAY | 28 JANUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Cycle tracks to be added |Tenders to be floated in a month Heavy traffic on the Ghaggar bridge connecting Sectors 23 and 24 of Panchkula. the bridge to four lanes is expected to significantly reduce traffic snarls. “The project has been sanc- tioned by the government, and we are in the final stages of preparation. Tenders for the project will be floated in about a month,” said a senior PMDA official. “We are also planning to include cycle tracks on c m y b both sides of the bridge to promote sustainable and safe commuting,” the official added. Commuters have welcomed the decision, expressing relief at the prospect of smoother traffic flow. Rajiv Mehta, a resident of Sector 24 who frequently uses the road to reach his office in Sector 5, said, “The bottleneck at the bridge is a nightmare, especially in the morning. Sometimes, it takes 20 minutes just to cross the stretch. I am glad the authorities are finally addressing the issue. The addition of a cycle track is a great idea.” Once completed, the widened bridge will not only ease vehicular congestion but also enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians. reserved for women candidates. The election is likely to see a tough contest, with the AAP-Congress alliance appearing to have an upper hand. Together, they command 20 votes in the 35-member House, comprising 13 votes from AAP six from Con, gress, and one ex-officio vote from MP Manish Tewari. The BJP has 16 votes and is relying on cross-voting or defections to get 19 votes needed for a majority. The election will be held at 11 am on January 30 in the Assembly Hall of the Chandigarh MC office in Sector 17. Results will be declared soon after the voting concludes. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 The UT Department of Food and Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology has issued an advisory in public interest to hotels and restaurants that no hotel or restaurant shall add service charge automatically or by default to the bill. The department stated that it had been noticed that some restaurants and hotels were levying service charge in the bill by default, without informing consumers that paying such charge was voluntary and optional. Service charge is being levied in addition to the total price of the food items mentioned in the menu and applicable taxes, often in the guise of some other fee or charge. Further, It has also been noticed that some customers have been paying tips to waiters in addition to service charges under the mistaken impression that service charge is a part of taxes. As per the guidelines issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), service charge cannot be added to the bill involuntarily, without allowing consumers the choice or discretion to decide whether they want to pay such charge or not. The department stated that, “Service charge shall not be collected from consumers by any other name. No hotel or restaurant shall force a consumer to pay service charge and shall clearly inform the consumer that service charge is voluntary, optional and at consumer’s discretion.” No Advises restaurants, hotels against adding charge to food bill restriction on entry or provision of services based on collection of service charge shall be imposed on consumers. Service charge shall not be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying GST on the total amount, adds the department. The department informed the public that if any consumer finds a hotel or restaurant that is levying service charge in violation to the mentioned guidelines, a consumer may make a request to the hotel or restaurant concerned to remove service charge from the bill amount. Lodge a complaint on the Consumer Helpline, which works as an alternative dispute redressal mechanism at the pre-litigation level by calling 1915 or through WhatsApp number 8800001915 or through the NCH mobile app. Consumers can file a complaint against unfair trade practice with the Consumer Commission. The Complaint can also be filed electronically through portal www.ejagriti.gov.in for its speedy and effective redressal and submit a complaint to the CCPA by email at com-ccpa@nic.in. A consumer can also send a complaint to the Department of Food & Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology by helpline number at 0172-2703956 or email at fcs-chd@nic.in for subsequent proceeding by the CCPA.