03012025-CT-01.qxd 1/3/2025 12:24 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune P’KULA GUIDE MAPS LEAD COMMUTERS TO NOWHERE LPG GAS CYLINDERS FOR BPL WOMEN AT ~500, SAYS DC BROWN IS NEW RED AS MOCHA MOUSSE COLOR OF YEAR Defaced, torn and missing guide maps put up in the city are failing commuters and tourists alike. P2 The govt will provide LPG cylinders to women from BPL families at ~500 each, says P’kula DC P2 Mocha Mousse, the unpretentious classic, has been declared Pantone Color of the Year 2025 P4 » » CHANDIGARH Bollywood Musical Night: Bollywood singer Shreyas Puranik to perform at Hotel Mountview, Sector 10, Chandigarh, on January 3, 7 pm onwards. Passes cost ~3,000 onwards; drinks, snacks, buffet included. Passes available at bookmyshow and the reception of Hotel Mountview, Hotel Shivalikview and Hotel Parkview Painting Workshop: North Zone Culture Centre holding 12-day miniature painting camp at Kalagram, Sector 13, Chandigarh, till January 12, 2025. Timings: 9:30 am to 6 pm. Musical Programme: Singer Sunil Dogra to perform at Rani Laxmi Bai Bhawan, Sector 38, Chandigarh, on January 5, 6 pm onwards. Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF YEAR’S FIRST FIR UNDER EXCISE ACT Chandigarh: The first FIR of 2025 in the city was registered at Maloya police station under the Excise Act. Sources said a case against Manoj, alias Moji, was registered at 12.13 am on January 1. Manoj of Dadu Majra was held while illegally possessing 48 quarters of country made liquor. He was later released on bail. TNS MAN ARRESTED IN SNATCHING CASE Panchkula: The police arrested an accused for allegedly snatching gold earrings from an elderly woman. Sheela Devi (63) of Raipur Rani said the incident took place near the town's market when a biker, claiming to be her acquaintance, took her to a deserted place and snatched her earrings. TNS FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Mayoral elections by month-end: DC AAP wants election by show of hand, not ballots Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 2 Putting all speculations to rest, the UT Administration on Thursday decided to hold elections to the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Corporation (MC) in the last week of this month. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said the elections would be held in the month-end, most probably after January 26 as per the Municipal Corporation Act. He, however, said the date for the elections would be finalised early next week. Incumbent Mayor Kuldeep Kumar's tenure will end on February 19. Earlier during the day, a delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) met Yadav and urged him to hold the elections on February 19, when the incumbent Mayor's term is scheduled to end. The delegation also demanded that the election be held by show of hands instead of secret ballot. The DATE EARLY NEXT WEEK The elections will be held by the month-end, most probably after January 26 as per the Municipal Corporation Act. The schedule will be finalised early next week Nishant Kumar Yadav, DC KUMAR’S TERM TO END ON FEBRUARY 19 ❝ ❞ The term of incumbent Mayor Kuldeep Kumar of AAP is scheduled to end on February 19. If the elections are held in January last week, Kumar is unlikely to complete his tenure. delegation comprised AAP city president DSP Vijay Pal, Mayor Kumar and senior leader Dr Harmeet Singh. The leaders presented a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, saying the Supreme Court, while passing order on a special leave petition dated February 20, 2024, had declared Kuldeep Kumar as city Mayor. Under Section 38 (1) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the term of the Mayor is of one year. As per the instructions of the Supreme Court, the first meeting of the municipal corporation in 2025 is to be held after the completion of the term of the present Mayor. Keeping this in view, it is demanded that the Mayoral elections be held on February 19 on the completion of the term of the incumbent Mayor, the memorandum said. The AAP delegation brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner that the General House of the MC had met on October 29, 2024. In this meeting, while discussing the table agenda, it was decided by majority that the Regulation 6 (Procedure and Conduct) Regulations, 1996, of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation be amended and the Mayoral elections be held by show of hands instead of secret ballot so as to ensure a transparent and fair election process. Commuters on a road amid dense fog in Chandigarh. The city’s maximum temperature dipped to 13.2°C on Thursday. PRADEEP TEWARI Cold wave persists, brace for rainy days Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 2 The Meteorological Department has predicted the possibility of rain along with thunderstorm in the city for two days from January 5. “The city is likely to see partly cloudy sky with thundery development or rain on January 5 and 6 and mainly clear sky on January 7,” stated the Met Department on Thursday. However, the city will con- tinue to see partly cloudy sky on January 3 and 4. As per the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature in the city was recorded at 13.2 degrees Celsius, which was 5 degrees below normal. As compared to Wednesday, there was a rise of 1.9 degrees Celsius in the average maximum temperature on Thursday. Similarly, there was a fall of 0.1 degrees Celsius in average minimum temperature in the city on Thurs- day as compared to Wednesday. The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 8.6 degrees Celsius, which was 1.4 degrees above normal. According to the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature in the city is likely to hover around 15 to 14 degrees and minimum from 11 to 10 degrees in the next five days. On the eve of New Year, the city turned out to be colder than Shimla. As cold wave gripped the region, Chandigarh, located in the foothills of the Shivalik mountain range, recorded the maximum temperature at 11.8 degrees Celsius, which was 8 degrees below normal on December 31, while Shimla saw a high of 17.5 degrees. The mercury dropped in the city 34.1 mm rainfall on December 27 and 28. Further, the department stated that cold wave conditions likely to prevail over the city till January 3. Group Home set to open, ~20L security deposit a drag Can’t afford it, say parents of patients with intellectual disabilities, ask Admn for relaxation Sheetal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 2 In a relief for families of adults with mental illness, the UT Administration will soon open doors of the Group Home in Sector 31. Built at a cost of Rs 35 crore, the facility will be available for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Since the completion of its construction in July last year, the parents of eligible applicants have been raising concerns over exorbitant security charges with the highest amount going up to Rs 40 lakh. Though after the intervention of Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, the Administration had lowered the security deposit at Rs 20 lakh for all room categories (upfront WHAT’S BOTHERING PARENTS OF PATIENTS ■ A hefty security deposit of ~20 lakh ■ Absence of a day care centre on Group Home’s Sec 31 campus ■ Admission policy not made public ■ Lack of awareness programmes ■ No date announced for opening of campus and admissions ■ Absence of a website for info on facilities and charges ■ Lack of vocational activities such as art & craft for inmates charges for five years), the parents are still finding it on the higher side. Palika Arora, Director, Social Welfare, said, “The EWS category will not be required to pay any security deposit, but they will have to pay monthly rental of the room.” The Administration said the date of inauguration of the facility would be announced after getting certain approvals. Officials confirmed the opening could be on any day between January- end and February. Most parents are still worried about the security deposit and some other issues, including monthly rent for EWS patients and day care-cum-vocational activities. To raise their concerns, persons with disabilities and their families had staged a silent protest near the facility in November last year. They even drew a contrast between security charges of the facility with the UT-run continued on page 2 Shooting stars Manu, Sarabjot make city proud again Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 2 Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, both students of DAV College, Sector 10, have been selected for the national sports awards. While double Olympicmedallist Manu has been chosen for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, the Sports Ministry, in an announcement on Thursday, named Sarabjot for Arjuna Award. Both Manu and Sarabjot completed their master's degree in public administration from DAV College. Manu is now pursuing PG diploma in mass communication and Sarabjot PG diploma in marketing in the same college. Last October, Panjab University had conducted special examinations for both shooters as they were busy in the Paris Olympic Games. The 22-year-old Manu became independent India’s MAX 15°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 13.2°C | MIN 8.6°C SUNRISE SATURDAY 07:18 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FILE WHAT’S ON PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET FRIDAY 05.33 PM » FRIDAY | 3 JANUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST PLAYERS SANJAY, NITU ALSO ON LIST Hockey player Sanjay, a former trainee of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy, will be conferred with Arjuna Award, while boxer Nitu Ghanghas, picked for Arjuna Award, too has a city connection AZAD TROPHY FOR CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY TO GET TOP SPORTS AWARDS While double Olympic-medallist Manu has been chosen for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, the Sports Ministry, in an announcement on Thursday, named Sarabjot for Arjuna Award first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August. Sarabjot, whose Olympic debut campaign started by missing out on a place in the men’s 10m air pistol individual final by a whisker, later won the team bronze medal along with Manu. Earlier, Sarabjot had won gold medals at the World Championships, Asian Games and the ISSF World Cup. Meanwhile, hockey defend- Chandigarh University, Gharuan (Mohali), made a debut in the national sports awards by bagging the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy. The overall top performing university in Khelo India University Games is given the MAKA Trophy er Sanjay, a former trainee of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy, will also be conferred with Arjuna Award. Sanjay, who started his career here under coach Gumrinder Singh, was part of the Indian team that won bronze medal in the Paris Olympics. Boxer Nitu Ghanghas, who c m y b will also be conferred with Arjuna Award, also has a city connection as her father was an employee at the Haryana Assembly. Nitu spent her initial days in the city and was enrolled in Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, before moving to Haryana. The highlight of her career was twin world championships gold medals. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years, whereas Arjuna Award is given for good performance over a period of four years and for showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline. The Khel Ratna awardees receive a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation and a medallion. The Arjuna awardees are given Rs 15 lakh cash reward, a statuette of Arjuna and a citation. The awards will be conferred on the athletes by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17. Meanwhile, Chandigarh University (CU), Gharuan in Mohali district, made a debut in the national sports awards by bagging the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA). The overall top performing university in Khelo India University Games is given the MAKA Trophy. In 2023 Khelo India University Games held across seven north-eastern states, Chandigarh University claimed the title with a haul of 32 gold medals. They also won 18 silver and 21 bronze medals. As per the KIUG format, the team with the most gold medals wins the title. University's Vikash (men' s 1500m) had set the new record in the event. The university had finished 34th in the first edition in Odisha, and 20th in the second edition. Rooftop solar panels installed at Sector 19, Chandigarh. FILE Soon, city residents to get solar power plants at no cost Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 2 City residents will soon get an option to install rooftop solar plant for free. The UT Administration is set to kick off the New Year with an ambitious plan to promote solar energy. Plants generation 10 MW solar power will be installed in residential areas through the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) had approved this scheme in 2022, but its implementation was delayed due to pending guidelines from the Centre. With the recent approval, the project is set to be fast-tracked. Under the RESCO model, residents can install solar power plants on their rooftops without incurring any costs. Private companies, empanelled by the Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) through a tender process, will install and maintain the plants for 15 years. During this period, homeowners will benefit from fixed electricity rates, shielding them from potential tariff hikes. After the 15-year period, the solar plants will become the prop- CENTRE’S NOD TO RESCO MODEL ■ Under RESCO model, residents can install solar power plants on their rooftops without any cost ■ Private companies will install and maintain the plants for 15 years ■ During this period, homeowners will benefit from fixed rates ■ After 15 years, the solar plants will become the property of the homeowners erty of the homeowners. Currently, the city generates 75 MW of electricity through solar plants. The Administration aims at increasing this capacity to 120 MW by the end of this year. Apart from 10 MW capacity to be added through the RESCO model, another 13 MW of solar plants will be installed at water works and over 20 MW will be set up under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana. To further promote solar energy, the Administration is amending building bylaws to make solar plant installation mandatory for houses measuring 250 sq yards and above. Educational institutions, government buildings and private establishments with an electricity load exceeding 30 kilowatts will also need to continued on page 2