03052024-CT-01.qxd 5/3/2024 12:58 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune COURT AWARDS 10-YEAR RI TO THREE SNATCHERS RAIPUR RANI RESIDENT MURDERED OVER ~26K POLICE ARREST MAN WITH 34 CARTONS OF ILLEGAL LIQUOR Convicts Akash (19), Ravi Kumar (19) and Dev Narain (26), all are residents of Kharag Mangoli. P2 Victim Ravinder, who owned a book shop near government school, had lent ~26K to local resident. P2 A police patrol team received a tip-off on Rajiv Dutta, who is involved illegal liquor business. P2 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 104 PANCHKULA 110 MOHALI 118 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF SEC 51/52 ROAD CLOSED TODAY Chandigarh: Roads leading to the Sector 51/52 stretch on the Vikas Marg will be closed on Friday from 10 am to 10 pm. The Municipal Corporation will connect the pipe line laid between Sector 39 and MES, Chandimandir. The MC has appealed to the public to take alternative routes. TNS YOUTH ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING Chandigarh: The police have arrested a 19-year-old youth for snatching a mobile phone. Durgesh Kumar of Dhanas had reported that on April 26, he was returning home on bicycle when a motorcycle-borne youth snatched his mobile phone at the Sector 27/28/29/30 chowk. During investigation, Sahil of Maloya was arrested. TNS MOHALI RESIDENT HELD WITH GANJA Chandigarh: The police have arrested a 28-year-old resident of Mohali with 4.29 gram ganja. The suspect, identified as Rajat Gupta, was arrested on the Sector 49/50 road. A case has been registered at the Sector 49 police station. TNS MAN BOOKED FOR CHEATING PEOPLE Chandigarh: An unidentified person has been booked by the police for duping several persons of their hard-earned money on the pretext of providing them job in the Municipal Corporation (MC). A case has been registered at the Sarangpur police station. TNS WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI CHANDIGARH: Sectors 24 and 46 MOHALI: Kumbhara PANCHKULA: Sector 20 TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD 14 years on, drug addict nabbed for MBA student’s rape, murder MAX 35°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.6°C | MIN 17.4°C SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.37 AM FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Still out of bounds DNA profiling in 2022 Maloya case nails accused in both crimes Tribune News Service 2010 killing In a significant breakhad jolted city through, the UT police have Chandigarh, May 2 arrested a drug addict in connection with two high-profile rape and murder cases — one registered in 2010 involving an MBA student and the other filed in 2022. The DNA profiling of the samples collected from both victims led to the identification of the accused. City SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said the accused, Monu Kumar (38), a resident of Shahpur Colony, Sector 38West, had a criminal past. The breakthrough came after a 40-year-old woman was found raped and murdered in the forest area of Maloya in January 2022, which had similarities with the 2010 case involving the MBA student. Following a year-long investigation, a DNA test conducted by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) linked the two crimes, after which the police started focusing on suspects aged between 35 and 40. The CFSL report had concluded that the DNA of the semen samples continued on page 3 The accused in custody of Chandigarh Police. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR ACCUSED HAS NO AADHAAR CARD, BANK ACCOUNT The accused, Monu, didn’t get his Aadhaar card made as he feared his biometric data, including fingerprints, could link him to crimes perpetrated by him. He didn’t have a bank account for this very reason. He frequently changed his mobile phones and numbers to evade arrest. FACING 7 CASES, HE STILL ESCAPED COPS’ SUSPICION Despite having been implicated in seven cases between 2011 and 2020, the accused managed to escape the attention of the officers investigating the rape and murder of the MBA student. He was involved in crimes such as theft and snatching in Chandigarh, but the police never questioned him in the 2010 murder case. He had been acquitted in a murder and kidnapping case in Himachal Pradesh in 2008. 5,700 new voters added since March 16 in city Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 Nearly 5,700 new voters have been registered since the implementation of the model code of conduct in the city. When the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the General Elections on March 16, the number of voters in the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency was 6,47,291— 3,35,060 men, 3,12,198 women and 33 third gender. As of today, the UT has a total of 6, 53,086 voters —3,38,110 males, 3,14,942 females and 34 third gender. New voters can still apply for registration by May 4. This time, 16,000 voters are aged between 18 and 19, who will vote for the first time. There are 1,31,000 voters between the age of 20 and 29. An official said for new registrations, people can download the voter helpline app and reg- INDIA VOTES 2024 Register online, offline till May 4 ister through their mobile numbers. If someone has not registered for electoral rolls, then form number-6 should be filled. Besides, anyone can vote by filling out form number-6 by visiting the site of the Election Department. Residents can check their vote and name by visiting eochandigarh.gov.in website. Apart from this, voter helpline number 1950 can also be contacted. The administration has set a target of 75 per cent voting this time. In 2019, the voter turnout was 73 per cent. The election will be held on June 1. Man dies in fire at ethanol plant at Naraingarh Tribune News Service Ambala, May 2 A major fire broke out in the ethanol tanks of Oasis Ethanol industries at Jatwar village in Naraingarh today, which claimed the life of a 42year-old employee. The deceased, Neeraj, a native of Uttar Pradesh, had been working in the factory since 2013. Around 9 am, the fire broke out in an ethanol storage tank and soon spread to three more units. It took several hours to control the fire in the tanks but flames were witnessed on the premises till evening. The plant manager said around 9 am, a loud sound was heard and employees noticed fire at the storage tanks. An alert was sounded and the Fire Department was informed. One employee continued on page 2 Follow timings, avoid long breaks: PGI to docs FILE Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 To manage huge rush and lessen waiting time outside OPDs, Prof Vivek Lal, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), has issued a circular highlighting the lack of operational efficiency plaguing the OPDs and clinics. With 9,000-10,000 patients visiting the OPDs every day, patients have to wait for a long time to get themselves examined, sometimes for as long as two-three hours. The circular, prompted by instances of delayed starts, prolonged breaks and rampant schedule overruns, urges OPDs and clinics to adhere strictly to the scheduled timings. PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET FRIDAY 7.01 PM » FRIDAY | 3 MAY 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST PATIENT CARE PRIORITY ❝ It’s a message that the OPD timings and patient care cannot be compromised by any other consideration. — Prof Vivek Lal, PGI DIRECTOR This has been second such order since January where the administration has asked the departments concerned to adhere to the OPD timings. The OPDs start at 8 am, but in many departments, doc- ❞ tors turn up late. These directives come close on the heels of mounting grievances and alarming feedback from patients, who are forced to wait outside OPDs for a long time in crowded corridors. According to the circular, “either the OPDs/clinics are not starting on scheduled time, are having long breaks in between or are being stretched well beyond the scheduled timings. “It is again requested that the OPDs/clinics should function within the scheduled timings with effective time management, appropriate utilisation as well as if required, re-distribution of manpower and minimising ‘time wasters’ should be undertaken,” the order further read. The Director has noted that effective time management plays a pivotal role in delivering high-quality healthcare, as it reduces patient waiting time, minimises job-related stress among healthcare professionals continued on page 3 c m y b The murder of the MBA student in 2010 had left residents in a state of shock. On June 30, she had left home to attend an English class in Sector 15. When she didn’t return till 9 pm, her family started looking for her. They found her scooter with blood stains parked near a taxi stand. On searching further, they found her body in the bushes on the other side of the road. During the investigation spanning five-six years, more than 150 suspects, including drug addicts, snatchers and her five close friends were questioned. However, the police had failed to make any headway. The victim’s friends were also subjected to the brain-mapping test. Later, they were given clean chit by the police. The CFSL team, which inspected the crime scene, had failed to collect blood samples and other evidence. However, the DNA of the semen found on the victim’s clothes was preserved. The road outside Punjab CM's residence, connecting Sukhna Lake to Nayagaon, in Chandigarh has still not been thrown open to public. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Teachers to retire at age of 65, says Admn in High Court Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 2 Administration has undertaken before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the UT government teachers will be allowed to continue in service till the age of 65. The undertaking came on UT’s plea related to the age of superannuation of the teachers. As the matter came up for hearing before the Division Bench of Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Deepak Manchanda, senior advocate Chetan Mittal submitted on the Chandigarh Administration’s behalf that the “contesting respondents in the present and connected petitions”, who are still in service, would be allowed to continue to serve till they attained the age of 65. Mittal clarified that the age would be 62 in the case of librarians. He also told the Bench that other respondents, who were relieved ear- lier and had not completed the age of 65, would be offered to rejoin the service. The arrangement would continue till they attained the age of 65. Mittal added that the process would be carried out within three weeks. In view of the statement, the counsel appearing for the contesting respondents in the petitions before the court submitted that they would not press the contempt petitions continued on page 3
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.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).