12112024-CT-01.qxd 11/12/2024 12:09 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune 180 GRADUATES AWARDED DEGREES AT ISB, MOHALI PNG PIPELINE CATCHES FIRE IN DERA BASSI STEVE JYRWA WINS ‘INDIA'S BEST DANCER 4’ EVENT Governor Gulab Chand Kataria gave away degrees to students at Indian School of Business, Mohali. P2 Underground PNG pipeline caught fire near a filling station on the Mubarikpur road at 6.45 pm. P2 Steve lifted the coveted trophy and was honoured with a generous prize of ~15 lakh. P4 » » MC to sprinkle water on roads at night |Cops to regulate traffic to avoid jams WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH National Classical Dance Festival: Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, from November 11 to 13, 6.30 pm PANCHKULA Interfaith Harmony Symposium: Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula, November 14 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29, 56 and Dhanas Mohali: Sector 71 Panchkula: Sector 15 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Immigration agent held CHANDIGARH: The police have arrested a consultant, Vishal of Mani Majra. in a case of immigration fraud. Sunita Gill of Ram Darbar had reported that Vishal allegedly took Rs 91,000 from her for arranging US visa, but failed. — TNS CTU seeks 100 e-vehicles Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 11 Experiencing a ‘very poor’ air quality for the past few days, a task force constituted under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the city has decided to take certain measures to combat air pollution. A meeting of the task force was held today to discuss the urgent measures required to address the increasing pollution in the city. It was chaired by TC Nautiyal, Member Secretary, Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee . The representatives from the Municipal Corporation (MC), Traffic Police and the Department of Industries were also present. Stubble burning was considered as one of the major causes of the increasing air pollution. To improve the air quality, which has reached the “very poor” category with air quality index (AQI) hovering between 301 and 400, the task force has decided to take certain measures. The MC will ensure sprinkling/washing of roads at night to suppress road side dust, mainly arising due to vehicular movement. There will be no manual sweeping without sprinkling of water. Further, the MC will ensure that mechanical sweeping is Chandigarh, November 11 In a major push towards sustainable urban mobility, a new network of electric buses is set to connect Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. The initiative is aimed at providing a low-frequency and ecofriendly public transportation option across the tricity area. The Punjab Government has presented this cluster-based public transportation proposal to the Central Government, highlighting the need for an interconnected electric bus network to enhance urban transport service. The plan was proposed during a recent review meeting between Punjab government officials and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. During his visit to Chandigarh, Khattar was briefed on the eco-friendly transport system, and he assured that the Centre was committed to addressing the region’s transportation needs. If approved, this electric bus network will link areas such as Mohali, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Kharar, Kurali, New Chandigarh and Kalka, creating a seamless transportation exclusively powered by electric buses. As part of this green initiative, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has requested the Central Government for 100 additional electric buses to replace its aging diesel fleet. At present, CTU operates 80 electric buses, each averaging 180-200 km per day. With the addition of 100 new buses, the electric fleet could be expanded to cover more routes across the tricity, while diesel buses would be gradually phased out from local routes. The CTU’s request was presented to Khattar during his visit to the city. Smog envelops the City Beautiful on Monday afternoon. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI done with water sprinkling only and that there is regular use of anti-smog guns/water sprinklers for removing dust collected on roadside trees. The machines will be run for at least 12 hours daily and maintained accordingly. The MC may consider deploying water jetting machines for the suppression of roadside dust and will ensure that there is no loose soil alongside roads. Acting tough on vehicular emission, members of the task force stated that the MC might consider doubling the parking fee to discourage Residents block way to stop officials from carrying out a demolition drive. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Demolition team faces protest at Faidan, forced to turn away GRADED RESPONSE ACTION PLAN IN FORCE ■ Use of diesel generator sets will be strictly banned in the city, except in case of emergency/essential services ■ Construction sites need to have dust-mitigation measures in place such as green mesh/construction shade nets, repeated sprinkling ■ Graded Response Action Plan comes into effect in city. It is a framework designed to manage air quality and mitigate effects of pollution vehicular traffic. The MC or the Engineering Department will ensure that all construction sites have dust-mitigation measures in place such as green mesh/construction shade nets, repeated sprinkling of water and antismog guns. In case of noncompliance, the construction High drama was witnessed when an anti-encroachment team, equipped with eight heavy machines, reached the village. Senior Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Sandhu and Aam Aadmi Party councillor Jasbir Singh were at the forefront of the protest. SDM (East) Nitish Singla also reached the spot to pacify the protesters. The Estate Office team faced a strong opposition as the protesters squatted in front of the machines. The officials said the area was earmarked for laying a continued on page 2 Zirakpur, November 11 In a case of road rage, the police arrested three youths for thrashing Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Bikram Singh, a resident of Green Lotus Saksham society, Patiala road. They have been identified as Narwana natives Vijay Singh, Abhishek and Sachin, at present residing in Zirakpur. The incident took place around 5 pm on November 9 when the Colonel was returning home on the Gurdwara Nabha Sahib road in Zirakpur . Three youths, who were in a BMW car, allegedly started honking. The Colonel claimed there was no space to give pass to the youths but they kept honking. The youths made him stop ahead and thrashed him. Varsity students develop software to bridge communication gap for hearing impaired Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Mohali, November 11 Two undergraduate students of Plaksha University have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software, Indri.yeah, to help the hearing impaired and those who are not proficient in sign language overcome communication barriers. The software is developed by ‘Thinklude’, a start-up led by Prerit Rathi (founder and chief executive officer) and Pranjal Rastogi (co-founder and chief technical officer), both undergraduate students of the university. It focuses on providing seamless and mass interpreta- Electric bus service proposed for tricity Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 11 A team of the UT Estate Office was forced to return as residents of Faidan village protested the move to demolish nearly 20 houses constructed outside the lal dora. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Tribune News Service Road rage: 3 youths held for thrashing Col Tribune News Service MAX 29°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 28.3°C | MIN 17.4°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.46 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD UT takes steps to fight pollution MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 5.28 PM » TUESDAY | 12 NOVEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Prerit Rathi and Pranjal Rastogi of Plaksha University who have developed the software, Indri.yeah. ACUTE SHORTAGE OF INTERPRETERS India has world’s largest population of the deaf and mute, about 63 million. However, there are only 314 certified Indian sign language interpreters. Amid this shortage of interpreters, 68% population of the hearing-impaired feels socially isolated. tion by converting speech into the Indian sign language (ISL) and vice versa using advanced generative techniques and computer vision. “It’s a licensable software and set to be launched soon in the market after pilot testing,” said Rathi. “It was a tough call to work on the project given that we are first-time entrepreneurs at the age of 20 and managing bachelor’s degree in engineering. We faced challenges managing both tasks — building a start-up and doing good in academics. As student entrepreneurs, getting your story heard and being continued on page 2 c m y b activities will be stopped. The MC will also make sure that there is no open burning of leaves and other waste. Institutions such as the PGI, Punjab Engineering College and Panjab University will use anti-smog guns/water sprinklers for dust mitigation, especially at construction sites. The Traffic Police were told to prevent snarl-ups outside schools and intersections. They may ensure a strict implementation of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification. Pre-recorded voice messages (like switching of engines at traffic points) may be played at 40 smart junctions. “The police may ensure challaning for visible emission from buses, three-wheelers etc,” stated the force. The force requested the Transport Department to promote electric vehicles and carpooling. Central scheme The initiative falls within the ambit of the PM E-Bus Service, a Central Government scheme designed to boost the number of electric buses in urban areas. The programme, operational in 169 cities under the public-private partnership (PPP) model and in 181 cities through the Green Urban Mobility Initiative, aimed at fostering clean fuel-based public transport while creating jobs. The PM E-Bus Service will connect various parts of the tricity and nearby towns, providing a cleaner and greener alternative to commuters.