04032025-CT-01.qxd 04-03-2025 00:26 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune ROCK GARDEN: RESIDENTS TO HOLD ‘CHIPKO MOVEMENT’ TODAY ASSAM EVES LOG WIN IN NATIONAL HOCKEY C’SHIP ANORA, THE BRUTALIST WIN BIG AT 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS Members of the ‘Saving Chandigarh’ group will hold a protest on the lines of ‘Chipko Movement’ at the Rock Garden.P3 Assam Hockey beat Hockey Association of Bihar 2-1 on the third day of the the national hockey championship.P3 Sean Baker's Anora won Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH FILE DEMAND SURVEY Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Just-a-Scapes: An exhibition of digital photomontages by Shankar S, Art Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Sector 36, from February 26 to March 10, 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm Mega Trade Fair: Parade Ground, Sector 17, on till March 10, 11 am to 9 pm Meet Bharatanatyam author Varun Khanna: Bahrisons Booksellers, Sector 8-C, March 4, 3:30 pm Chandigarh, March 3 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has received an overwhelming response to its demand survey for the proposed self-financing housing scheme in Sector 53 here, which was put on hold by the Administration in 2023. According to officials, nearly 6,300 applications have been received for 372 flats. The survey, which started on February 22, concluded tonight. Nearly 1,000 applications were received for units specified for economically weaker sections (EWS) and the remaining were for HIG and MIG units, officials said, adding that nearly 70 per cent applications were received for HIG units. The CHB was considering launching the scheme only after receiving adequate response from interested eligible persons as well as obtaining requisite approvals. For taking part in the demand survey, an applicant had to deposit an amount of WAS SCRAPPED IN 2018 DUE TO POOR RESPONSE ■ If launched, the scheme will have 192 HIG units, 100 MIG houses and 80 EWS units. ■ In August 2023, then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had put on hold the General Housing Scheme, deeming it unnecessary. Tenders worth Rs 200 crore tenders issued on August 2, 2023, for the construction of 372 flats on nine acres were cancelled. ■ Earlier, the scheme was scrapped in 2018 following poor response due to exorbitant rates —Rs 1.8 crore for three-bedroom unit, Rs 1.5 crore for two-bedroom and Rs 95 lakh for two-bedroom (EWS) flat each. Only 178 applications were received for 492 flats available then. ■ After the revival of the scheme in 2023, the rates were revised to Rs 1.65, Rs 1.40 crore and Rs 55 lakh for the three categories respectively. Rs 10,000 each for HIG and MIG units and Rs 5,000 for EWS units as confirmation of their interest in the scheme. The amount will be adjusted in the earnest money deposit (EMD) after the launch of the scheme. In case the applicant decides not to participate fur- ther, the entire amount will be forfeited. If launched, the scheme will have 192 HIG units, 100 MIG houses and 80 units for economically weaker sections (EWS). At a meeting held recently, officials made a presentation for the revival of the scheme before UT Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, who is also CHB chairman. Verma had asked the officials to conduct a fresh demand survey for the scheme. The board had conducted a similar survey in 2018 also. After the demand survey, a final presentation will be made before Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. After more than seven years, the CHB is considering resuming the stalled scheme. In August 2023, then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had put on hold the General Housing Scheme, deeming it unnecessary. This led to the cancellation of Rs 200 crore tenders issued on August 2, 2023, for the construction of 372 flats on nine acres. The last CHB scheme was floated in 2016 for 200 twobedroom flats in Sector 51. MAX 28°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 27.9°C | MIN 11.3°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.44 AM /THETRIBUNECHD CHB gets 6K applications for 372 units of Sec 53 project MAINLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 6.23 PM » TUESDAY | 4 MARCH 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE HC: Cops holding probe without FIR liable to pay compensation Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 3 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that police officials conducting inquiries and re-inquiries without registering an FIR are liable to pay compensation to both the complainant and the accused. Justice NS Shekhawat observed that such inquiries were impermissible under the law and amounted to contempt. The directions came as the Bench directed Ambala Superintendent of Police to submit a comprehensive report detailing all inquiries conducted in the district without FIR registration. The report, to be submitted by way of a personal affidavit, was required to include the complainant’s name, date and receipt of the complaint, date of inquiry’s initiation, the number of inquiries conducted in each matter, their fate and the total number of investigations conducted in each case. The Bench was hearing a petition filed through senior advocate RS Rai for quashing a complaint allegedly being inquired into by Economic Offences Wing. The Bench WHAT COURT OBSERVED “This court has repeatedly issued directions to the Haryana police not to conduct inquiries, re-inquiries and multiple inquiries without FIR registration. However, this case clearly shows that even in the matters relating to financial transactions, the inquiry is being conducted by the police and the notices have been issued to the persons, against whom allegations have been levelled by the complainant, which can never be permitted in law,” Justice Shekhawat observed. was told that the inquiry was not only being conducted illegally, the petitioner was also being forced to settle the dispute with the complainant. Moreover, a civil dispute was being investigated by the police, which was impermissible in law. Justice Shekhawat asserted the matters pertained to holding inquiry, reinquiry and further inquiry in the complaints filed by various complainants without registration of the FIR. “This court has repeatedly issued directions to the Haryana police not to con- duct inquiries, re-inquiries and multiple inquiries without FIR registration. However, this case clearly shows that even in the matters relating to financial transactions, the inquiry is being conducted by the police and the notices have been issued to the persons, against whom allegations have been levelled by the complainant, which can never be permitted in law,” Justice Shekhawat observed. The Bench added it was apparent that the inquiries were being conducted also in violation of the law laid down by the Supreme Court. It had deprecated the holding of inquiries by the police officers without FIR registration and had laid down guidelines in this regard in the Lalita Kumari case. As such, the inquiry officer’s conduct was on the verge of contempt. “This court is of the view that the officials, who are conducting the inquiry illegally in the matter, are also liable to pay compensation to the complainant as well as the persons, who have been shown as accused in the present case in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court,” the Bench asserted. ‘0001’ goes for ~25 L Army officers discuss future-ready technologies Tribune News Service Come hug a tree, save the greenbelt: Rock Garden, March 4, 5:30 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sector 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF WOMAN ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT Chandigarh: A woman was robbed at knifepoint by two miscreants. The victim, a resident of Mauli Jagran, reported that the two miscreants threatened her with a knife near the Vikas Nagar light point and robbed her of her purse containing cash, mobile phone silver anklet and documents. The police have registered a case and started an investigation. TNS POLICE PATROL BIKE HIT BY CAR Chandigarh: A police patrol bike was hit by a car in Sector 46. Lovemeet reported that he, along with volunteer Gurmel Singh, were on patrol duty when their bike was hit by a car allegedly driven by Jasbir Singh. The police have registered a case at the Sector 34 police station. The driver was arrested and later released on bail. TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 3 The most sought-after fancy registration number, “0001” of the CH01-CY series has fetched the highest bid of Rs 25 lakh against the reserve price of Rs 50,000 at an e-auction conducted by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) here today. The second highest bid of Rs 15 lakh was made for “0007” of the same series, while “0002” fetched the third-highest bid of Rs 13.38 lakh. Also, “0009” of the same series was auctioned for Rs 11.58 lakh, “0005” for Rs 10.27 lakh, “0003” for Rs 7.71 lakh, “9999” for Rs 7.00 lakh, “0004” for Rs 6.49 lakh and “0006” for Rs 6.46 lakh. Earlier,”‘0001” of the CH01CX series was sold for Rs 20.70 lakh and that of CH01-CW fetched Rs 16.50 lakh. Only owners who had purchased the vehicles on a Chandigarh, March 3 A two-day seminar aimed at providing a comprehensive platform for sharing thoughts and latest technological advancements on the ‘Future Landscape of Mechanised Warfare and Infusion of Niche Technology’ began at Chandimandir Military Station today. The seminar, “Mech Tech”, was inaugurated by the ViceChief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani. It underscores the imperative need for technological evolution in mechanised warfare, keeping in view emerging threats and evolving battlefield milieu. Senior serving and retired military officers as well as representatives from the defence industry and academia discussed artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, advanced armour protection, next generation communication networks E-AUCTION OF CH01-CY SERIES Number 0001 0007 0002 0009 0005 0003 9999 0004 0006 1111 Highest bid ~25.00 lakh ~15.01 lakh ~13.38 lakh ~11.58 lakh ~10.27 lakh ~7.71 lakh ~7.00 lakh ~6.49 lakh ~6.46 lakh ~4.52 lakh Chandigarh address were allowed to participate in the e-auction. Lt-Gen NS Raja Subramani, Vice-Chief of Army Staff, at the exhibition "Make in India Continuum: Making Mechanised Platforms Future Ready" in Chandimandir, Panchkula, on Monday. RAVI KUMAR and enhanced firepower solutions to ensure that the Indian Army’s mechanised platforms remain future-ready. The GOC-in-C, Army Training Command (ARTRAC) and other senior officers discussed emerging challenges for mechanised warfare from contemporary conflicts and plausible trajectory for future mechanised warfare. Deliberations were also carried out on various issues which are envisaged to make the existing mechanised platforms more battle worthy in terms of mobility, firepower PU to honour Manu Bhaker, Narula, other achievers at convocation Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 3 Panjab University will honour people achieving excellence across diverse fields at its 72nd Convocation on March 12, with President of India Droupadi Murmu presiding over the ceremony. Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, a student of Panjab University, will be among the distinguished awardees receiving the PU Ratna Award. The President will confer honorary degrees on mathematician RJ Hans-Gill, spiritual leader Kamlesh D Patel and social worker Nivedita Raghunath Bhide. The Ratna Award will also be presented to semiconductor scientist Gurtej Singh Sandhu, literary scholar Harmohinder Singh Bedi, entrepreneur Gurtej Singh Sandhu Pushvinder Jit Singh and singer Jaspinder Narula for their contributions in their respective fields. Manu Bhaker, a student of Public Administration of Panjab University, made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning bronze medals in both the 10m air pistol individual event and the 10m air pistol mixed team event, becoming the first Indian woman shooter to achieve this feat. She has Jaspinder Narula Pushvinder Jit Singh Harmohinder Singh Bedi PANJAB UNIVERSITY RATNA AWARDEES Panjab University will honour Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, semiconductor scientist Gurtej Singh Sandhu, literary scholar Harmohinder Singh Bedi, entrepreneur Pushvinder Jit Singh and singer Jaspinder Narula with PU Ratna Awards at the 72nd Convocation. won multiple medals in the Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games and was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2024. Among the honorary degree recipients, RJ Hans- c m y b Gill is a distinguished mathematician known for her pioneering contributions to number theory, discrete geometry and the geometry of numbers. Kamlesh D Patel, also known as Daaji, is a spiritual leader, author, Manu Bhaker pharmacist-entrepreneur and environmentalist who has worked extensively on integrating meditation and scientific approaches to mental health. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023 for his contributions to spiritualism. Nivedita Raghunath Bhide, a Padma Shri awardee, has dedicated her life to social service and the promotion of Indian culture. She has authored numerous books and worked extensive- ly in rural development and value-based education. Gurtej Singh Sandhu, a leading semiconductor innovator with 1,382 US patents, has played a pivotal role in advancing memory chip technology. As vice-president at Micron Technology, his work has been instrumental in the progress of AI, semiconductor fabrication, and nanotechnology. Harmohinder Singh Bedi, Chancellor of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, is a renowned scholar and author with over 30 books to his name. His research focuses on Punjab’s literary and cultural contributions to Hindi literature, earning him prestigious honours, including the Padma Shri. Pushvinder Jit Singh, Managing Director of Continued on page 2 and survivability. Opening an associated exhibition, Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, GOC-in-C Western Command, interacted with industry representatives and emphasised the role of indigenous defence capabilities, aligning with the government’s vision of self reliance in the defence sector. He said in the present decade of transformation, technology is the key component for the Army to become a future-ready force. A large number of new generation weapons and equipment are being inducted in the Army and at the same time, there is a huge scope to infuse technology in the existing weapon systems to enhance their capability, he added. He also stressed the need to invest in research and development by industry and academia to give further impetus to startups and premier education institutes, especially in the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Man posing as civil servant arrested Tribune News Service Mohali, March 3 The police arrested a man for allegedly impersonating an IAS officer and duping locals on the pretext of facilitating jobs for them in the railways department. The arrested accused has been identified as Pawan Kumar. A native of Rajasthan, he was apprehended by the Phase-1 police. According to the information, the accused was staying in a Phase-5 hotel by furnishing a fake identity card. He was also using a car with an Indian government sticker, nameplate and a flag rod.