07012025-CT-01.qxd 1/7/2025 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune STRIKE BY ROADWAYS STAFF AFFECTS BUS SERVICES MORNI MURDERS: TWO HELD FOR CONDUCTING RECCE THE BRUTALIST, EMILIA PEREZ WIN TOP FILM HONOURS Commuters face inconvenience as Punjab government bus contract workers begin three-day strike. P2 Two persons held for ‘conducting recce’ of resort where a gangster, two others were shot on Dec 23 last year. P2 The Golden Globe Awards celebrated the best in film and television, with several standout performances. P4 » » FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Vacant, multi-storey building gives way in Sec 17 Was found unsafe week ago; collapse damages adjacent building, connecting passage; Admn initiates probe The building that came crashing down in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Monday morning. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Renovation taken up without getting nod for revised plan WHAT’S ON Owner to be booked, architect to get notice, says DC Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH Painting Workshop: 12day Miniatures Painting Camp by the North Zone Culture Centre, Kalagram, Sector 13, on till January 12, 9:30 am to 6 pm Law & Literature Talk: By Gautam Bhatia and Harish Mehla, January 9, 5 pm to 6 pm, Bahrisons Book Café, Sector 8-C, DM for free registration on +91 7814011911 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, and Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sector 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Chandigarh, January 6 The renovation work in the building that collapsed today was being carried out without getting the revised building plan approved. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who inspected the site this morning, stated that a criminal complaint would be registered against the owner of the building and also a show-cause notice would be issued to the architect who started the work even as the revised building plan was not approved. He said the building, spread over SCO 183-185 in Sector 17-C, was evacuated and cordoned off a few days ago as it was considered vulnerable and dangerous for inhabitation. “No one was injured as the area had been cordoned off for the past week after cracks were detected in three load-bearing pillars,” he added. The DC also prohibited entry in and around the adjacent SCO number 181-182. The DC, who is also the Chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, ordered that till the building (SCO 181-182) was inspected for its structural stability and a clearance certificate was issued in this regard, entry into and around the building was strictly prohibited for safety of the general public. The UT Administration has asked the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Sector 26, for conducting a structural audit to assess the stability of SCO 181-182. The DC asked the SSP to take necessary action to evacuate and cordon off the building. Meanwhile, in a letter to the UT Administrator and the UT Adviser, BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi requested continued on page 2 INBRIEF LABOURER KILLED AS EARTH CAVES IN Chandigarh: A labourer lost his life after being buried under soil at the PEC Campus in Sector 12 here on Monday. The incident occurred while the work to lay a drainage pipeline was on. The victim was identified as Akalu from West Bengal, 50. Two other labourers, Haru and Shivnath, had a narrow escape. TNS YOUTH KILLED AS TRUCK HITS BIKE Chandigarh: A youth died while his friend got injured after a truck hit their bike near the Raipur Kalan T-point here on Monday evening. The deceased was identified as Arman (20). The police impounded the truck. A case has been registered. TNS Low visibility due to dense fog in Chandigarh on Monday evening. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Dense fog likely for three days Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 6 The Meteorological Department has predicted dense fog in the morning and night hours in the city for the next three days. According to the department, there would be mainly clear sky with possibility of dense fog in morning and night hours from January 79. The department predicted clear sky on January 10 and partly cloudy sky with possibility of thundery development or rain a day later. Meanwhile, the city today recorded the maximum temperature at 22.8°C, which was 6.6 notches above normal and 0.5 degree more than yesterday. Similarly, there was a rise of 1.4 degrees in the minimum temperature as compared to yesterday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 9.8°C today, which was 3.3 degrees above normal. Trains arrive late Chandigarh: Fog disrupted the schedule of the New DelhiKalka Shatabdi and the AjmerChandigarh Vande Bharat today. The Shatabdi, which was scheduled to reach the city at 10.59 am, arrived at 1.40 pm. It had started late by over two hours from Delhi. The Vande Bharat reached 55 minutes late at 3.40 pm, and left for Ajmer an hour and eight minutes behind the schedule. — TNS c m y b Chandigarh, January 6 A multi-storey building that once housed the famous Mehfil Restaurant collapsed in the busy Sector 17 market here this morning. No one was inside the building at the time of the incident. The renovation work was being carried out in the building, but it was halted on December 30 after the owner of the adjacent building reported about the shaking structure. Sensing potential danger, the police ordered the renovation work to stop and deployed personnel around the clock to prevent access to the site. The road in front of the building was also closed for vehicular traffic. The building collapsed around 7.10 am today, causing significant damage to the adjoining building. The pillars and a wall of the building were damaged. The passage connecting the collapsed building to the adjacent block was also damaged. After getting the information, police teams and fire tenders were rushed to the scene. The site was completely cordoned off. Later in the day, the debris was cleared and the road was reopened for vehicles. Sanjay Bansal, the owner of MAX 21°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22.8°C | MIN 9.8°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:19 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Tribune News Service MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 5.36 PM » TUESDAY | 7 JANUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST ONCE HOUSED FAMOUS MEHFIL RESTAURANT ■ The building once housed famous Mehfil Restaurant ■ It had been lying unused for 14 years ■ Was rented out to retail jewellery firm on Nov 6 ■ Renovation work stopped on Dec 30 as pillars developed cracks ■ Finding potential danger, police stopped renovation work, prevented access to building the building, stated that they had purchased the property six months ago and rented it to a jewellery firm on November 6. Bansal said the renovation was being carried out in the building under the supervision of the tenant’s technical team. He added that the revised building plan had been submitted to the Estate Office prior to the renovation of the building that was lying unused for 14 years. The UT Administration has initiated an investigation into the incident. No police case has been registered so far. On December 30, cracks had been observed in the building’s pillars. Loud sounds were heard as the structure weakened. Labourers, who were carrying out the renovation, had rushed out of the building. continued on page 2 Boy killed as grille falls on him from 3rd floor Mohali, January 6 In a freak accident, a 12-yearold boy died after the grille of a window fell on him from the third floor of an underconstruction PG accommodation at Mauli village here this morning. The victim, Ashish Kumar, a student of class VII, along with his two friends was passing through the street when a grille fell on him. The other two boys had a narrow escape. A native of Bihar, he was taken to the hospital by a village resident and the contractor, who later fled. The irate parents of the deceased, however, claimed that no one Ashish Kumar came to their child's help immediately. "Doctors said had the child been brought early, he may have survived," Pankaj Das, the victim's father added. "It appears to be an unauthorised construction. The police and the MC should act against the owner and the contractor," he said. The deceased’s kin gathered outside the police station, seeking action against the persons responsible for the incident. However, they were told to find the contractor and call the police. The police said the statement of the family members would be recorded tomorrow. — TNS