04072024-CT-01.qxd 7/4/2024 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune MADHOPUR UNDERPASS BONE OF CONTENTION DOWNPOUR LEAVES ROADS WATERLOGGED IN P’KULA AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA RELEASE POSTPONED The PWD XEN has put blame on the Railways authorities for not releasing funds for laying the road. P2 Residents had a tough time due to waterlogged roads in residential and commercial areas. P2 Tabu and Ajay Devgn starrer, which was scheduled to be released on July 5, has been postponed. P4 » » CHANDIGARH 67 PANCHKULA 52 MOHALI 64 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD INBRIEF CHEATING CASE AGAINST DEALER Chandigarh: The police have registered a cheating case on a complaint filed by Harshbir Singh of Sector 22, who alleged that he was allegedly sold an accidental car by a local dealer. He said he had purchased a Ford Mustang GT from Rama Motor Sales and Service Private Limited, Industrial Area, Phase II. He later came to know that the vehicle had undergone major repairs much before it was sold to him. The police have registered a cheating case at the Sector 17 station. TNS IMMIGRATION AGENTS BOOKED Chandigarh: The police have registered cases against immigration consultants for cheating people. Sumit Kumar of Bikaner alleged that Khushpal Singh, Vinay and others of World Visa Advisor Immigration, Sector 17, duped him of Rs 11.07 lakh on the pretext of providing Australian visa. Another case was registered against Kulvir Singh, Sunny, Rajvinder Singh and others of Vast Visa Immigration, Sector 17. Manjinder Singh of Faridkot alleged that they cheated him of Rs 10.54 lakh over work permit of Canada. The third case was registered against Sapphire Immigration, Sector 17, on a complaint filed by Baljinder Singh of Punjab. He was allegedly duped of Rs 10.12 lakh on the pretext of providing Australian visa to his niece. TNS WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH APNI MANDI: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar MOHALI APNI MANDI: Sector 76 PANCHKULA APNI MANDI: Sector 5 Abu Dhabi flight late by 4 hrs Centre’s nod to underground Metro in UT heritage sectors Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 3 The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has given in-principle approval to the proposed Metro project to be underground in the heritage sectors of the city. The UT Administration had recommended that the proposed Metro project for the city should be mainly underground to preserve the city’s aesthetic structure. A senior UT officer stated that the ministry had given its nod to the underground Metro project in heritage sectors (1-30), but the minutes of the meeting were yet to be received. The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee’s sub-committee, considering the city’s heritage status, had recommended the underground line for the entire Metro project. The UT Administration had communicated this decision to the ministry, and a detailed report on the underground project was requested for a final decision. The UT Administration had submitted the report to the ministry for the final decision. A member of the sub-com- CITY HERITAGE PROJECT COST TO GO UP BY ~8,000 CRORE Also, as per the Supreme Court judgment on share-wise sale of apartments, Sectors 1 to 30 are heritage sectors and have to be protected and preserved. Opting for underground corridors is estimated to raise the project cost by approximately Rs 8,000 crore, bringing the total project outlay to around Rs 19,000 crore. The overall tentative cost of the Metro project, according to the RITES report, is Rs 11,000 crore, with Haryana and Punjab contributing 20%, the Centre 20% and the lending agency financing the remaining 40%. mittee stated that the subpanel had suggested that no stretch of the Metro in the planned city should be elevated. This is also in sync with recommendations of the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031. In a bid to preserve the heritage status of the city, the Administration had recommended that the Metro within the sectoral grid should be underground despite the substantially higher cost. According to UNESCO guidelines, the Metro section connecting the Capitol Complex and the Sukhna Lake needs heritage impact assessment and section of alignment in sectoral grid needs approval of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC). Also, as per the Supreme Court judgment on share-wise sale of apart- ments, Sectors 1 to 30 are heritage sectors and have to be protected and preserved. Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), in its Alternative Analysis Report (AAR) for Phase I, has outlined three corridors spanning Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. While the Madhya Marg corridor in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors (1 to 30) is proposed to be entirely ele- FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Rights panel takes suo motu action on Sukhna Choe report THE TRIBUNE IMPACT Panel had recommended underground network for entire project in city Dushyant Singh Pundir MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.6°C | MIN 25.6°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.26 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI AIR QUALITY INDEX GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 7.28 PM » THURSDAY | 4 JULY 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Tribune News Service vated, the other two corridors will be predominantly elevated with some underground sections. Opting for underground corridors is estimated to raise the project cost by approximately Rs 8,000 crore, bringing the total project outlay to around Rs 19,000 crore. The overall tentative cost of the Metro project, according to the RITES report, is approximately Rs 11,000 crore, with Haryana and Punjab contributing 20%, the Centre 20% and the lending agency financing the remaining 40%. During the Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA) meeting on December 18, 2023, a decision was made to request the Central Government to determine whether the project should have an elevated or underground network. RITES also submitted a report to the UT Administration on December 28 last year, addressing increasing traffic congestion in the tricity and future traffic requirements. In adherence to the Central Government guidelines, the UT Administration, in July last year, committed to involving all stakeholders, including Haryana and Punjab, in preparing the detailed project report for the Metro. Chandigarh, July 3 In a significant development, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a news report by The Tribune reporter Gaurav Kanthwal on the delay in the cleaning of the Sukhna Choe in Zirakpur by the Punjab Irrigation Department despite the onset of monsoon in the tricity. Commission’s chairperson Justice Sant Parkash has also called for a comprehensive report on the progress and reasons for the delay from the Punjab Irrigation Department Chief Engineer. The report is to be submitted by August 5 –– the next date of hearing in the matter. “The commission has perused the detailed news clipping viral in the social media under the caption ‘Monsoon arrives, Irrigation Dept yet to take up Sukhna Choe cleaning in Zirakpur’, indicating that while monsoon has arrived in the tricity, the Punjab Irrigation Department is yet to begin the cleaning of the Sukhna Choe. It is further mentioned that the residents fear that a clogged choe may lead to a floodlike situation like it did on August 23, 2020,” Justice Sant Parkash asserted. Before parting with the order, Justice Sant Parkash directed the placing of the matter before the Chief Engineer. The order’s copy, along with the news item, was directed to be sent to him through e-mail and by post for compliance. The report, among other things, had stated that the Irrigation Department undertook the cleaning of the choe every year before monsoon. But this time, the focus was on the incomplete bundh across the Ghaggar in Tiwana. Cops verified 900 white scooters Sector 26 mandi clings to single-use during hunt for ‘serial molester’ plastic despite eco drive by civic body Amit Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 3 The Chandigarh police conducted a meticulous search to nab a “serial molester”, focusing on white Activa scooters in the tricity. Nearly 900 white scooters were verified by the police. Despite the efforts of 25 police teams, the accused initially evaded arrest but was eventually apprehended at a checkpoint. The accused hails from Uttarakhand and his scooter was registered there. The accused, Sawan Bhatti, a 28-year-old gym trainer, had allegedly molested a woman at a park in Sector 16 on May 19 and another female in the Sector 11 park, for which a case was registered on June 10. A police official said the key clue in the investigation was that the accused used a white Activa in both incidents. The police obtained information about white Activa scooters from the registration authori- Kashish Jamwal COPS RECOVER FOOTAGE IN SECTOR 11 CASE The CCTV footage from Sector 15 shows the accused following the victim into her PG accommodation under the pretext of helping him locate an address. A minute after, both return to the place across the road where he had parked his white scooter. The accused takes her along on the twowheeler towards Sector 11 A CCTV grab of accused. where she was molested. POLICE TO CONDUCT IDENTIFICATION PARADE The UT police are set to conduct a test identification parade. According to the sources, an application is being filed in the court for this purpose. The parade is conducted during the judicial custody of an accused. The victim must identify the accused from a group including other individuals. ties of Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali. Sources said there were 678 white Activa scooters registered in Mohali and around 100 each in Chandigarh and Panchkula. The teams were asked to visit each address on which these scooters were registered to verify the owners. “It was a Herculean task, but we were determined to complete it. I personally visited around 50 addresses,” said a policeman from the Sector continued on page 2 Chandigarh, July 3 Vendors and shoppers continued to use plastic bags in the vegetable and fruit mandi of Sector 26, while the Municipal Corporation held an awareness event aimed at reducing plastic pollution at the same place. In the bustling mandi, shoppers kept up with their routine of carting groceries and vegetables in plastic bags even as a prominent sustainability event to mark International Plastic Free Day was flagged off by Mayor Kuldeep Kumar. Vendors were using plastic bags due to cost considerations, with some expressing their reliance on affordable option to meet customer demand. “Plastic bags are much cheaper than other ones. I cannot afford bags made of other material,” said Ravish, a vendor in the market. Kamlesh Devi, another vendor, said, “People don’t Mayor Kuldeep Kumar flags off vans during an anti-plastic drive at Sec 26 mandi; and (right) a shopper at the mandi. RAVI KUMAR bring their own bags which is why I have to provide them with cheap bags that are affordable.” The corporation celebrated International Plastic Free Day by introducing two ecarts for distributing com- postable bags at vegetable markets. The Mayor flagged off the initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastic, urging citizens to adopt ecofriendly alternatives like cloth and paper bags. The continued on page 2 Tribune News Service To curb mishaps, roundabouts to be built at 16 intersections in Mohali Savreet Kaur Mohali, July 3 The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has started the construction of roundabouts in sectors to slow down traffic and curb accidents. In the first phase, eight intersections in the city will be turned into roundabouts and construction is likely to be completed by the year-end. Officials of GMADA said around 15 percent of the work has been completed on five round abouts. Later on, eight more roundabouts will be In first phase, construction of eight likely to be completed by year-end Sec 70 Sec 76 Fortis Cricket Stadium Sec 69 Sohana Phase 10 Sec 68 Sec 88 Sec 78 Phase 11 Sec 67 Sec 79 The under-construction roundabout on the Sector 78-87 road in Mohali. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY constructed. The development authority has set a 30-crore budget for this project. Three roundabouts will be constructed on the Airport Road at Sohana gurdwara junction, 78-79-6869 chowk and 68-67-79-80 intersection. Five more will be constructed on sector c m y b roads parallel to the Airport Road at 76-77-88-89, 77-78-8887, 78-79-87-86, 79-80-85-86 and 80-81-84-85 intersections. The construction of the 80- MAP NOT TO SCALE Mohali, July 3 The Abu Dhabi-Chandigarh flight arrived at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport here four and a half hours late today. The flight, which reached here at 7:47 am, reportedly got delayed due to fog in Abu Dhabi. The Dubai-Chandigarh flight was diverted to Amritsar for unknown reasons. The flight departed from Dubai airport at 10:41 am, 30 minutes late. It was scheduled to arrive here at 3:15 pm but was diverted to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar. It took off from Chandigarh back to Dubai at 7:14 pm, late by 2 hours and 45 minutes. Sec 66 Sec 80 Sec 86 Sec 85 81-84-85 roundabout is underway. Excavation has been done and workers are now placing bricks to form the rotary. “It has been two years since the project was announced. It is moving at a very slow pace. Lives are being lost in road accidents every day,” said Gourav Sharma, a resi- dent of Sector 113. Before this major project, plastic drums filled with water were kept at intersections in some sectors as a temporary arrangement. The move had not gone down well with local residents. They are of the view that these drums put up by the police pose a danger to commuters at night. Former Housing and Urban Development Minister Aman Arora had in November 2022 announced the construction of roundabouts in place of intersections to curb fatal accidents at night due to speeding and red light jumping.
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.
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The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).