24042024-CT-01.qxd 4/24/2024 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune RETIRED DSP AMONG THREE CONVICTED IN NDPS CASE DRIVER FOUND DEAD IN HIS CAR IN SEC 70 PARKING LOT MAN DIES, 1 INJURED AS SUV COLLIDES WITH MOTORCYCLE Punjab Police arrested former DSP and his two aides with 15 kg of opium, pistol six years ago. P2 A resident of Faridkot found dead under mysterious conditions in his car in the parking lot. P2 A youth was killed and another hurt in a collision between an SUV and a bike at Chunni village. P2 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 95 PANCHKULA 77 MOHALI 86 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF TWO GROUPS CLASH IN MARKET Chandigarh: The police have registered cross FIRs after two groups clashed at the Sector 22 market. Rohan alleged Brajesh, Sahil, Tanuj and Rahul Kaliya allegedly attacked him and his relatives with a sharp weapon near the mobile market. They suffered injuries. Sahil, Tanuj and Rahul have been arrested. Meanwhile, Brajesh alleged that Nitin Koda, Tunish, Tara and Rohan attacked him with a sharp weapon. The police have arrested Rohan. TNS WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 and 52 Mohali: Phase11 Panchkula: Sector 25 Mahila Cong chief removed Chandigarh, April 23 The All-India Mahila Congress has relieved city Mahila Congress president Deepa Asdhir Dubey from her post with immediate effect, and dissolved the state executive. Dubey has been at the forefront of protests against Congress city unit president HS Lucky after Manish Tewari was named party candidate for the city Lok Sabha seat. The high command appointed Nandita Hooda, vice president of Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, as acting president of unit. — TNS Man opens fire at Sec 22 market Chandigarh, April 23 An unidentified person opened fire at a mobile market in Sector 22 on Tuesday night, sources said. They said the suspect, who arrived at the market to sell his phone, had an altercation with a few shopkeepers over the price. It was alleged that the suspect, who was thrashed, opened fire while fleeing. After getting information about the incident, the police rushed to the spot, and recovered an empty shell. A few shopkeepers were rounded up by the police for investigation. — TNS MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 36°C | MIN 21°C YESTERDAY MAX 30.8°C | MIN 20.5°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.56 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.45 AM » WEDNESDAY | 24 APRIL 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE PGI fails to comply with norms despite reminders Of 17 buildings, only Nehru Extension Block has fire NOC FIRE ALARM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 23 Several fire incidents at the PGI and repeated reminders by the MC Fire Department to have proper firefighting arrangements at the premier medical institute have failed to move the hospital authorities. The situation has come to such a pass that Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had to intervene and direct the PGI yesterday to comply with the National Building Code (NBC). “It is very disappointing that many discrepancies were found during the inspection carried out by the Fire and Rescue Services Department of the MC, and the PGI authorities were informed about these. Still, nothing was done and the PGI authorities did not bother about obtaining the fire safety certificate,” remarked the Governor. According to the Municipal Corporation, the PGI authorities have obtained the fire safety certificate for only one building, i.e. Nehru Extension Block, out of a total of 17 buildings on its premises. The Engineering Depart- A gutted room in C Block of Nehru Hospital at PGI. FILE COMPLY WITH NATIONAL BUILDING CODE: GUV The situation has come to such a pass that Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had to intervene and direct the PGI on Monday to comply with the National Building Code. FIVE FIRES IN AS MANY MONTHS ■ As per the data, the PGI has witnessed 385 fire incidents from 2016 to 2021. Five mishaps have been reported at the hospital in the past five months. ment of the PGI had applied for the certificate in 2021, following which the Sector 11 fire station authorities had asked them to follow the fire safety guidelines as per the National Building Code. Submit documents, travel agents told Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 23 To check frauds, the UT Administration has directed all foreign travel/visa agents operating in the city to submit their complete antecedents to the office of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the area concerned within four weeks. According to the order issued by District Magistrate Vinay Pratap Singh, some travel agents are involved in fraudulent activities by deceiving and cheating citizens on the false pretext of arranging their visa or managing their affairs relating to sending persons abroad and such other activities. They get published misleading advertisements in leading newspapers and dupe the innocent people of Chandigarh and neighbouring states and after sometime, they close their offices and run away from the city. The unlawful and fraudulent activities of these travel agents can cause danger to human life, health or safety of general public. He is of the opinion that ■ March 30: A fire broke out in an operation theatre on the fourth floor of the Advanced Cardiac Centre, which was the fifth incident at the PGI in the past five months ■ October 16: Sparking in UPS batteries caused a fire at the Advanced Eye Centre ■ October 10: More than 400 patients had to be evacuated after a fire broke out due to sparking at the hospital The Fire Department sent regular reminders to the authorities concerned at the PGI seeking an update on the upgrade of fire safety arrangements, but in vain. The lackadaisical attitude of the authorities towards ensuring fire safety at the PGI has put lives of people at risk. On March 30, a fire broke out in an operation theatre on the fourth floor of the Advance Cardiac Centre. That was the fifth fire incident at the PGI in the past five months. Two major fire mishaps were reported in October last year. On October 10, more than 400 patients had to be evacuated after a fire broke out at the hospital. The incident followed another fire on October 16 at the Advanced Eye Centre. It was found sparking in UPS batteries caused fire in both mishaps. As per the data, the PGI has witnessed 385 fire incidents in the past five years from 2016 to 2021. In 2018, a fire broke out in an operation theatre on the first floor of the Emergency Block and around 150 patients had to be evacuated from the intensive care unit and the Emergency out-patient department to safer places. The same year, another fire broke out at the gastroenterology ward of Nehru Hospital. Nearly 50 patients, including six from the ICU, were shifted to other wards. Police at the spot where body of SPO Ajit Singh (inset) was found in Sector 56. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Haryana Police SPO found murdered in Sec 56 forest Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 23 A Special Police Officer (SPO) of the Haryana Police was found strangled in forest area around 100 metres from the Sector 56 police post this morning. The body bore injury marks on the face. Sources said two suspects had been identified but they were yet to be arrested. The victim has been identified as Ajeet Singh, a resident of Jhujhar Nagar, Mohali. He was deputed at a checkpoint on Chandigarh/Panchkula Two suspects have been identified border near the Housing Board light point. The police received information about a body lying in the forest around 7.15 am, following which several police officers rushed to the spot. A forensic team also visited the crime scene. The victim, wearing uniform, appeared to have been strangled and attacked with a stone. UT passengers hassled as buses from Punjab short-terminate in Mohali TIMETABLE ROW No bus from state to enter Chandigarh today: Union Tribune News Service some steps are warranted to keep a check upon the illegal activities of such travel agents so as to avoid any harm to the life, health and safety of general public. Therefore, in exercise of the power conferred upon him under Section 144 of the CrPC, he ordered that all foreign travel/visa agents operating within the jurisdiction of Chandigarh shall provide their complete antecedents as prescribed in the proforma to the office of SDM of the area concerned for the purpose of information and verification of antecedents of their owners/operators/managers within four weeks from issuance of this order and those travel agents who are intended to operate shall get their antecedents verified within four weeks of starting of their business. It shall also include coaching institutes of IELTS, ticketing agents and general agents. Chandigarh, April 23 Passengers were inconvenienced as buses of the Punjab Roadways did not enter Chandigarh today over the issue of bus timetable. All buses coming from Punjab stopped at the Phase 6 bus stand in Mohali and dropped the Chandigarh-bound passengers there. They had to make their own arrangements to reach the UT. Buses plying to Delhi and other states from cities of Punjab also skipped Chandigarh taking the MohaliZirakpur route. However, the buses of Chandigarh Transport Undertaking plied as usual. Around 400 buses, which enter Chandigarh during their scheduled journey, were stopped in Mohali. The PRTC and PUNBUS Contract Workers Union, Punjab, has announced that until the CTU rectifies the timetable, no bus from Punjab will enter Chandigarh. Only one bus of Punjab Roadways at the ISBT, Sector 43, in Chandigarh on Tuesday evening. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY 400 VEHICLES STOP AT PHASE 6 Around 400 buses, which enter Chandigarh during their scheduled journey, were stopped at Phase 6 bus stand in Mohali. The PRTC and PUNBUS Contract Workers Union, Punjab, has announced that until the CTU rectifies the timetable, no bus from Punjab will enter Chandigarh. 72 ROUTES BETWEEN PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH Buses ply on a total of 72 long routes between Chandigarh and Punjab. Apart from this, 500 local buses of Chandigarh run in the tricity and sub-urban routes. According to the agreement of 2008, CTU buses of Chandigarh can travel 27,000 km, while at present its vehicles are travelling 45,000 km, which is seen as a violation of the agreement. The union said they had informed the CTU officials about the protest, but they failed to start a dialogue. The union stated that no bus from Punjab would enter Chandigarh on Wednesday as well. If their problems are not resolved, they will further stop the local buses plying from Chandigarh to different cities of Punjab. Chandigarh buses will not be allowed to enter Punjab. Buses ply on a total of 72 long routes between Chandigarh and Punjab. Apart from this, 500 local buses of Chandigarh ply in the tricity and on sub-urban routes. Meanwhile, he CTU Union said no vehicle was being stopped and the old schedule was in force. Even if a new system is finalised, it will happen only after the Lok Sabha elections are over. Raising this dispute is totally unnecessary, due to which people are facing problems. According to leaders of the CTU union, they had said earlier also that if any bus of the CTU was coming without timetable or without permit, then action should be taken, but causing harassment to people was no way to protest. “Prima facie, it appears that the victim was strangled, though he also had injury marks on his face,” said a police official. The victim’s motorcycle was found nearby. His mobile phone and purse were missing. “We are investigating as to why the victim came to the forest area,” the police said. Later, a team of the Haryana Police also visited the spot to confirm the victim’s identity. Meanwhile, a murder case has been registered at the Maloya police station. MC to shut down 17 tubewells in UT Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 23 In order to check depleting groundwater level, the Municipal Corporation has decided to shut 17 tubewells across the city besides taking stringent action against residents who illegally extract underground water and use it for commercial purposes. Move aimed at checking depleting groundwater level Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra today accorded approval to shut 17 tubewells following a report submitted by a team of expert engineers of the corporation. These tubewells are located in Sectors 10, 7, 19, 26, 19, 27, 18, 32, 38 and Dadu Majra Colony. She said a team of MC engineers conducted a survey and recommended the shutting of 17 tubewells. The closure of the tubewells will not only maintain the groundwater table but will also save on electricity worth about Rs 50 lakh annually. The MC had issued 89 challans for water wastage besides serving notices on 425 violators. Dadu Majra plant compost to be used in parks, fields Tribune News Service The wet waste processing plant at Dadu Majra. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Chandigarh, April 23 In a month after its inception, the compost plant in Dadu Majra has produced 10 tonnes of compost by processing segregated wet waste collected from the city. The compost will be used in all 1,800 parks and gardens across the city. It will also be provided to farmers for agricultural purposes through the assigned contractor at Rs 4 per kg. c m y b 10 tonnes of compost generated by segregating wet waste of city in a month FARMERS CAN BUY IT FOR ~4 PER KG The compost will be used in all 1,800 parks and gardens across the city. It will also be provided to farmers for agricultural purposes through the assigned contractor at Rs 4 per kg. The plant was inaugurated with the intent to achieve a complete processing capacity of wet waste generated in the city. The city Municipal Corporation claimed that no wet waste was being sent to the dumping ground. “The compost produced at the state-of-the-art compost plant undergoes regular lab testing to ensure proper qual- ity checks of the final product. Spread over 7,200 square metres and equipped with a 300 TPD windrow, the plant is designed to handle the city’s increasing waste generation,” said MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra. “The plant functions on the technology of windrow composting. It is important to note that the segregation of waste is critical for efficient waste processing and management. The segregated wet waste, comprising entirely of the biodegradable organic fraction of municipal solid waste, reaches the composting plant and then laid in the form of windrows,” she shared. “These windrows are then sprayed upon with an effective microbial solution to enhance the rate of waste decomposition and to help fasten the process of compost formation,” added the MC chief.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
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