23072025-CT-01.qxd 7/23/2025 12:25 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune UT PLANS LARGEST FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT NOTICE TO KIRRON KHER FOR ~12.76L GOVT HOUSE DUES SINGER-ACTOR DILJIT TO HONOUR 1971 WAR HERO Admn to install 4 megawatt peak floating solar power plant at the waterworks in Sector 39. P3 Former Chd MP has been served a notice for payment of ~12.76L dues against govt house in Sector 7. P3 The film sees Diljit playing Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, a war hero of the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. P4 » » CLOUDY, RAIN MAX 29°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.1°C | MIN 24.5°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.22 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.37 AM » WEDNESDAY | 23 JULY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Year on, new law to deal with hit-&-run cases still under review WHAT’S ON BNS provides for up to 10-year imprisonment, up from two years under IPC APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Nitin Jain INBRIEF SHOPS SEALED FOR USING PLASTIC Chandigarh: The enforcement wing of the UT Estate Office today sealed two shops and a showroom for using or selling single-use plastic goods. The officials sealed two shops at Raipur Khurd village and SCO No.1 (M/s Culture) at Sector 26 in accordance with the order issued by the SDM (East) banning using/selling singleuse plastic items in the city. TNS Tech upgrade: Postal services remain disrupted 58 ACCIDENTS CLAIM 22 LIVES IN UT IN ONE YEAR Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 22 Even after over one year of their implementation, a special provision in the new criminal laws to deal with hitand-run cases is still under review and has not been implemented yet. The hit-and-run cases have come under focus after the world’s oldest marathoner Fauja Singh was recently killed in an accident. He was thrown around seven feet into the air after being struck by an SUV as he was walking across the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway at his native Beas village in Jalandhar. Though the Punjab Police have registered an FIR under Sections 281 (driving or riding on a public way in a manner that is considered rash or negligent) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the 114-year-old marathoner’s death in the hit-and-run case, the implementation of Section 106(2) of the BNS, Two persons lose their lives and more than three suffer injuries in at least five hit-and-run accidents reported from different areas of Chandigarh every month, if the official data is any indication. CASES DEATHS HURT ARRESTS The BMW car involved in the Sector 9 hit-&-run case. A UT police constable was killed in the accident. FILE PHOTO which deals with causing death by rash or negligent driving, and then escaping or failing to report the incident, is still pending. While Section 281 provides for a maximum of sixmonth jail or up to Rs 1,000 fine or both and Section 105 carries up to 10-year jail term and fine, depending upon the cause and intention of causing death, the yet-to-be-implemented Section 106(2) has a provision of imprisonment up to 10 years and fine. Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur told The Tribune that Section 106(2) of the BNS was specially formulated to deal with the hit-andrun cases, but the same is under review and its implementation is pending. However, Section 106(1) of the BNS deals with causing death by rash or negligent act without escape or failure to report and carries a maximum of 7-year imprisonment. In the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), which was replaced with the BNS on July 1 last, the maximum provision of imprisonment for causing death 58 22 38 36 (FIGURES FROM JUNE 2024 TO JUNE 2025) by negligence under Section 304-A was up to two years or fine or both. The other Sections of IPC that dealt with such cases are Section 336 (up to 3-month imprisonment or fine up to Rs 250), Section 337 (up to 6-month jail term or up to Rs 500 fine or both), Section 338 (up to 2-year jail or Rs 1,000 fine or both) and Section 279 (up to 6-month jail or Rs 1,000 fine or both). Kanwardeep, who has been dealing with new criminal laws after they were first implemented in Chandigarh last year, disclosed that the BNS has more stringent provisions to deal with the hitand-run cases with Sections 125, 125(A), 125(B), 281 and 106(1) providing for jail term up to seven years. “Once Section 106(2) of the BNS, which exclusively deals with hit-and-run cases, gets implemented, the imprisonment will go up to 10 years along with fine,” the SSP said, while adding that it will serve as a deterrent to the offenders. Two persons lose their lives and more than three sustain injuries in at least five hit-and-run cases reported in Chandigarh every month, if the official data is any indication. In the past one year, at least 22 persons had lost their lives and 38 others were left seriously injured in 58 such cases registered in Chandigarh. The police have made 36 arrests in these cases. The possibility of more cases and casualties could not be ruled out as several blind incidents go unreported or are dealt under inquest proceedings. continued on page 2 Inderjit Singh pulls a rehriladen with garbage in Sector 49. FILE PHOTO ‘Warrior of the streets’ grabs national attention Ex-DIG earns praise from Anand Mahindra Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 22 Day after Chandigarh Tribune highlighted the exemplary contribution of 88-year-old retired Punjab Police DIG Inder Jit Singh Sidhu to keeping the City Beautiful streets clean, the former IPS officer has received national attention. He earned praise from several netizens, including Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group. Mahindra shared a video of the retired officer on the “X” platform, picking up garbage from the streets of Sector 49 in Chandigarh. Terming Inder Jit a “warrior of the streets”, he said, “This clip, which was shared with me, is about Shri Inder Jit Singh Sidhu of Chandigarh. Apparently, every morning at 6 am, in the quiet streets of Chandigarh’s Sector 49, this 88-year-old retired police officer begins his day in service,” the post read. Mahindra said, “Armed with nothing but a cycle cart and an unwavering sense of duty, he moves slowly and purposefully, picking up rubbish from continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 22 Day after complete suspension, postal services were disrupted at a majority of the total 56 offices across Chandigarh on Tuesday. The customers faced hardship today also with the post offices struggling to resume normal operations even after a “major technological upgrade”. A visit to several post offices in Chandigarh revealed that postal services remained badly disrupted throughout the day at the majority of the total 56 offices. A few were reportedly operating but with frequent snags and poor connectivity issues. Attributing the Monday’s suspension to a major technical upgrade, the senior postal authorities had claimed that the normal services would be restored from Tuesday. Contrary to the official claim, the staffers at most of the post offices maintained that the systems were not working since morning and they were struggling to cope with the technological shift. Most customers who were either left to wait endlessly in the long queues or were asked to visit other post offices to get their work done. The Director Postal Services (Headquarters) in Chandigarh, Padmagandha Mishra, told The Tribune that the disruption was partial and the services were made available at various post offices throughout the day. The Postal Department is rolling out the next generation APT application IT2.0, a major leap towards digital excellence. CAT stays termination of college lecturers’ services Contract staffers were replaced with deputationists Tribune News Service A student protects herself with a polythene sheet amid rain in Panchkula on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Intermittent rain keeps weather pleasant Meteorological Department issues yellow alert for downpour today Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 22 Intermittent rain kept the weather pleasant in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reissued yellow alert for heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday. While the weather is likely to remain dry from Thursday to Saturday, the weatherman has predicted another heavy spell of rain in the region on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, Chandigarh recorded 20-mm rainfall during the past 24 hours while Mohali and Panchkula experienced 13-mm and 15-mm showers, respectively. The maximum tempera- ture in Chandigarh shot up to 29.1° Celsius, which was 1.4 degrees up from yesterday’s reading but departure from normal by 4.7 degrees. The minimum temperature settled at 24.5° Celsius — 2.3 degrees less than yesterday’s measurement and 2.4 degrees departure from normal. Mohali and Panchkula registered maximum of 29.5°C and 29°C respectively. The IMD has predicted gen- c m y b erally and partially cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain in the tricity region for the next five days till July 27 with maximum and minimum temperature expected to remain 34°C and 26°C. “As compared to yesterday, there was a rise of 1.3 in average maximum temperature and it was below normal by 4.5 and 3.3 degrees in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, on Tuesday,” the weatherman said. Chandigarh, July 22 The local Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has directed the UT Education Department to maintain status quo with regard to the service conditions of all contract lectures of colleges as on July 16 this year till the next date of hearing. The Bench observed that prima facie, it appears that the respondents have exceeded the deputation quota and overreached the order dated June 4. The tribunal has also directed the department to file a reply by the next date of hearing fixed on August 4. The order came on an application filed by teachers seeking stay on the termination letters dated July 17 issued to them. They also prayed for issuing directions for not dispensing away with their serv- ices during the pendency of the original application. The applicants are working as Assistant Professors in government colleges here on a contractual basis. They submitted that whereas the original application was pending adjudication and listed for July 18, the respondents (Education Department) issued orders dated July 17 whereby the services of the applicants have been terminated with immediate effect. In furtherance of the letters dated December 4, 2024, and December 14, 2023, the respondents have invited applications for filling posts of Assistant Professors on deputation from the Punjab and Haryana vide letters dated July 9 and July 3 respectively. They said the respondents have ordered the posting of 11 Assistant Pro- fessors who joined on deputation from the Haryana in government colleges here. The applicants said they had been appointed as Assistant Professors on a contractual basis against the direct recruitment quota and are now being replaced by those who joined here on deputation. They claimed the termination orders had been passed without granting them an opportunity explain their case. The tribunal order dated June 4 has been defied as the respondents have exceeded the deputation quota by ordering the appointment of staff on deputation, said the applicants. The counsel for the respondents said no interim direction can be granted at this stage since the vested rights of the deputationists will be continued on page 2 HoodatotakeoverasChdDGPtoday Chandigarh, July 22 A week after his appointment, Panjab University (PU) alumnus Dr Sagar Preet Hooda will take charge as Director General of Chandigarh Police on Wednesday. Haryana native 1997-batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, who had also served as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Chandigarh Police after joining the police service in August 1997, was appointed to the top post of the Chandigarh Police on July 15. — TNS