21032024-CT-01.qxd 3/21/2024 12:35 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune STATE BJP SECRETARY BRAR LASHES OUT AT AAP GOVT CBI COURT CONVICTS 4 FCI MEN IN 18-YEAR-OLD CASE PANCHKULA MAN DUPED OF ~22 LAKH IN CYBER FRAUD Brar said AAP, which claimed to be the party of common man, failed to find 13 candidates for LS seats. P2 Three officials and proprietor of a rice mill were involved in procurement of poor quality rice. P2 Victim received a call from fraudster who duped him on pretext of sending money to an individual. P2 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 125 PANCHKULA 54 MOHALI 118 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF ACCIDENT VICTIM SUCCUMBS Chandigarh: A pedestrian died after being hit by a speeding car at Industrial Area. Murai Lal alleged that his friend Mangat Ram (69), a resident of Mubarakpur, Dera Bassi, was hit by a car on the slip road near the Poultry Farm chowk on March 18. He was admitted to the GMCH-32, where he succumbed to injuries. Rajat (26) of Sector 15, Panchkula, was arrested and later released on bail. TNS WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH APNI MANDI: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar MOHALI APNI MANDI: Sector 76 PANCHKULA APNI MANDI: Sector 5 TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD UT to decide on free 20K litre water, parking after LS poll Admn seeks report from MC on legality of ~2,325 cr budget Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 The UT Administration will take a decision on the agenda passed by a special meeting of the Municipal Corporation (MC) House on March 11 regarding giving free 20,000 litres of water and free parking in the market lots, after the Lok Sabha elections. Without sharing any road map or planning for implementation, the AAP-Congress alliance got the agenda pertaining to free 20,000 litre water per month per household and free parking in the market lots passed in the MC House. In an apparent counter move, the BJP put up a table agenda on providing free 40,000 litres of water. However, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor did not consider the BJP’s agenda. A senior officer of the UT Administration said they were yet to receive the agenda passed by the MC House, but they would see to it only after the model code of conduct was lifted. Also, the Local Bodies Department has sought comments from the MC on the legality of the Free parking is to be provided in market lots under the MC. FILE CONTROVERSY OVER BUDGET MEET On March 6, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor passed the budget of the civic body in the absence of the MC Commissioner, secretary and Opposition councillors. The MC secretary had written to him to cancel the session citing a legal opinion of the UT’s Senior Standing Counsel. budget of Rs 2,325 crore approved during the House meeting held on March 6. The officer said they were yet receive the agenda from the MC regarding the budget approved on March 6, and also sought a report from the MC on the legality of the budget approval. He said the Administration allocated a sum of Rs 300 crore for routine activities, including payment of employees’ salaries, expenditure on garbage processing, minor works, taxes, and tendered contract payments, for the next three months. On March 15, the UT Administration had released Rs 14 crore to the MC. On March 6, the MC approved a budget of Rs 2,325 crore for the financial year 2024-25, following which the department sought an explanation from MC on how the budget meeting was conducted. Earlier, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had refused to give his approval to the free water resolution passed by the MC House. He had said they already had a scheme to provide 24x7 water supply to every household and there was an agree- 5 UT heritage items to be sold in Luxembourg Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 Five heritage furniture items of the city will go under the hammer in Luxembourg (Europe) on March 24 with an auction price of Rs 37.80 lakh. The artefacts, designed by Pierre Jeanneret, include a set of two easy armchairs, a writing chair, a low rectangular stool, a small desk, a set of two office cane chairs. The pair of easy arm chairs is the costliest item at Rs 14.40 lakh. In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Minister for Culture G Kishanreddy, Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, has stated that the for- eign auction houses are still auctioning Indian heritage items and making a huge money, despite the fact that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has banned the movement of such goods beyond continued on page 2 A CCTV grab of a thief. Heritage manhole cover stolen from Sector 38 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 A heritage manhole cover bearing an impression of Chandigarh’s map was stolen from Sector 38 in the wee hours of Tuesday. The incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed near the spot. Sources said a thief made an unsuccessful attempt to steal the manhole cover early in the morning on March 17. On March 19, two persons visited the spot and stole the cover. The police were informed about the incident following which an investigation was started by the Sector 39 police station. In 2010, the city woke up to the importance of these manhole covers, when a heritage cover was sold for Rs 10.67 lakh by a Paris-based auction house. A number of manhole covers, designed by French architect Le Corbusier, have gone missing from the city in the past one decade. The city has around 2,000 manhole covers that are susceptible to theft. In 2019, the Municipal Corporation had decided to replace all heritage manhole covers with concrete ones. c m y b ment for 15 years in this regard. He was referring to the agreement signed between the MC and the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) with the support of the European Union in December 2022. Under the agreement 24x7 water supply would be provided to the households in the city. It is a Rs 510-crore project — Rs 412 crore in the form of AFD’s soft loan and Rs 98 crore as European Union’s grant. From 2027, the residents will have to pay additional water charges for 15 years in view of a soft loan taken from a French firm for the 24x7 pan-city water supply project. The tendering process for this project is underway. As far as free parking is concerned, last month, the MC had floated a tender for turning all 89 parking areas into smart facilities providing FASTag-enabled system. No agency is going to provide this system and manpower to run the lots for free. Free water and parking are expected to be big issues in the coming Lok Sabha elections. PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 13.3°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.34 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.25 AM » THURSDAY | 21 MARCH 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Class IX student stabbed in park near Sector 39 school Tribune News Service SIMILAR INCIDENT IN FEB Chandigarh, March 20 A Class IX student of a government school was stabbed by a few youths at a nearby park in Sector 39 today. The incident was filmed by some people present in the park. Sources said around three youths reached the park on a motorcycle. One of them was carrying a knife. They attacked the student at the park near the school and fled the spot. The victim was rushed to the hospital. The police were informed about the incident. The police, along with a forensic team, inspected the crime scene. Meanwhile, the Sector 39 police started an investiga- In February, a Class VIII student was attacked by two unidentified boys outside his school in Sector 37. The assailants had punched, kicked and stabbed the victim twice, inflicting injuries in his abdomen and thigh. << A grab of assailants fleeing after stabbing a student in Sector 39. tion into the incident. They have recorded the statements of a few youths who were present in the park at the time of the incident. The police said the CCTV footage of the area was being analysed to identify the motorcycle used by the three sus- pects. The incident has brought to the forth a disturbing trend of assaults on students occurring frequently outside schools in the city. In a similar incident last month, a Class VIII student was attacked by unidentified assailants near his school in Sector 37. SDM office clerk caught taking bribe Tribune News Service Mohali, March 20 The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has nabbed Narinder Kumar, a billing clerk posted at the SDM office in Mohali, while he was taking Rs 20,000 in bribe. In his complaint, Yadvinder Singh of Landran village said Narinder had been demanding a Rs 40,000 from him in lieu of clearing two bills amounting to Rs 4,09,390 each pertaining to refund of court fees regarding a land settlement case of his father-in-law, Kesar Singh, of Chachu Majra. The complainant said Narinder had already taken Rs 20,000 from him. A VB team laid a trap and caught Narinder accepting Rs 20,000 in bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at police station VB flying squad-1, Mohali.
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