14012025-CT-01.qxd 1/14/2025 12:24 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune BONFIRES, TRADITIONAL ATTIRES MARK LOHRI PANEL TAKES COGNISANCE OF DOG-BITE INCIDENT KICKING BALLS ADJUDGED BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY Festivities organised at multiple locations, including Panjab University and city markets. P2 Five people, including two children, were bitten by a stray dog at Lohgarh in Zirakpur. P2 Its director Vijayeta Kumar says she is happy to be the change she wants to see. P4 » » MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 23°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22.6°C | MIN 8.3°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.42 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:20 AM » TUESDAY | 14 JANUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE HC seeks legal status of CorbusierFoundation, WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Worker dies as under-construction showroom collapses in Mohali heritagecommittee Six labourers trapped under rubble rescued, three admitted to Civil Hospital Tribune News Service Wool ‘n’ Silk Expo: Widest and finest range of traditional handlooms as well as dress material like raw silk, silk suit, sarees and more, Himachal Bhawan, Sector 28, on till January 14 Exhibition of works by architect SD Sharma, who was associated with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret: From January 15 to February 15, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10 Solo Exhibition: Path of Endurance by Guramarpreet Kaur, from Jan 15 to 18, 11 am to 7 pm, Alliance Francaise, Sector 36-A 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 Mohali, January 13 Another building collapse in less than a month here has claimed the life of a labourer and left three injured. The lintel of an under-construction two-storey showroom came crashing down on them in TDI City, Sector 118, this afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Jaswinder Singh (41), a resident of Chuhar Majra near Landran. On December 21, the collapse of a three-storey building had claimed the lives of two youths in Sohana. The gym-cum-PG facility came crashing down amid digging work being carried without proper permission in the adjacent plot. The three injured in the TDI City incident — Uday Paswan (42), Karan Kumar (30) and Kuldeep Paswan (25), all residents of Aerocity — were admitted to the Phase-6 Civil Hospital. One of them sustained serious injuries. The supervisor was not present at the spot at the time of the incident, which took place around 4.30 pm. According to the eyewitnesses, the lintel of the second floor of the showroom was being laid when the first floor collapsed and six workers were trapped in the rubble. A few workers jumped off the building and escaped with minor injuries. Local residents raised the alarm, following which the workers trapped in the debris were rescued and rushed to the hospital. Tehsildar Arjun Grewal and Rescuers at the mishap site in TDI City, Sector 118, Mohali, on Monday evening. NO LESSONS LEARNT Two youths died when a gym-cum-PG accommodation in Sohana collapsed on December 21 amid digging work being carried out in the adjacent plot. The police arrested building owners Parvinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh for culpable homicide. A magisterial probe was ordered into the accident, the report of which was to be submitted in three weeks. “A technical committee is probing the incident in detail. The report is likely to be submitted soon,” said officials concerned. Injured being taken to the hospital. SP (Rural) Manpreet Singh reached the spot and oversaw the rescue work. The local residents, meanwhile, claimed that excess load caused the collapse. The lintel had no support on one side. “In most such accidents, it is the poor labourers who die while the building owners, contractors and government officials get away,” one of the locals said. Grewal said an inquiry would be con- ducted. “A technical committee is probing the Sohana building collapse and that report would be submitted soon,” he added. Additional Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidke said a THREE ATTACKED IN SECTOR 36 Tribune News Service JUVENILES HELD FOR SNATCHING BID Panchkula: Acting on a tip-off, the police raided Veda Restaurant and Bar in Sector 5 and arrested two persons for serving hookah. The accused were identified as Nikku Pandey, a Chandigarh resident; and manager Vaibhav Sharma, from Kharar, Mohali. The police seized four hookahs, four chillums and six flavored tobacco packs. The accused failed to show any licence or permit for keeping these items. A case has been registered. TNS Chandigarh, January 13 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the UT Administration to provide detailed information on the Foundation Le Corbusier, Paris, and the Chandigarh Heritage Committee. It has been asked to specify the legal status of both. The directive came during the hearing of a suo motu or court-on-its-own motion case on the High Court’s holistic development. One of the issues before the Bench was the construction of a verandah in front of the chief justice’s courtroom. The Bench was informed during the course of hearing in November last that the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee, in its 24th meeting held on September 19, had granted inprinciple approval to the verandah, subject to consulting the Foundation Le Corbusier, Paris, for requisite drawings and data. The proposed map had also been submitted to the Archaeological Survey of India for approval. But the Supreme Court on January 10 had stayed the High Court’s directive issued on November 29, 2024, to the Chandigarh Administration to construct the verandah. The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta had also stayed contempt proceedings initiated by the High Court against the UT Chief Engineer for non-compliance. The order came in response to a petition filed before the apex court by the UT Administration, which argued that the construction would jeopardise the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Capitol Complex. The Bench was assisted by senior advocate PS Patwalia as the amicus curiae. As the matter came up for resumed hearing, the Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sudhir Singh asserted: “The counsel for the UT Administration is directed to bring on record the legal status of the Le Corbusier Foundation, Paris, the terms and conditions subject to which the High Court original building was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and also the legal status of the Chandigarh Heritage Committee”. The Bench also suggested that the “kutcha” parking space adjoining the High Court could be used not only for parking but also for planting additional trees in a manner that would not hinder the movement of vehicles while facilitating green cover. “Let an affidavit be filed in that regard by the UT Administration before the next date of hearing,” the Bench added. The direction came after the Bar Association’s counsel raised the issue of parking space scarcity behind the heritage building. The court was of the view that the “kutcha” parking space could be laid with “green pavers in the similar fashion as done by the UT Administration while creating additional parking space behind the Punjab MLA Hostel”. The court was also informed that UT had deposited Rs 22, 54,689 as Continued on page 2 They were working as hospital attendants in city Chandigarh: Umesh Kumar reported that he, along with his friends Grauv and Nitin, was attacked by unidentified persons after they came out of a gym in Sector 36. He alleged that the assailants snatched the gold chains of Gaurav and Nitin. A case was registered and one of the suspects, Bobby, arrested. TNS 2 ARRESTED FOR SERVING HOOKAH Tribune News Service Gang of snatchers busted, four members arrested Lohri fervour INBRIEF Chandigarh: Vishal (23), a resident of Hallo Majra, reported that two boys riding a scooter tried to snatch his phone at Industrial Area, Phase II, on January 11. A case was registered at the Sector 31 police station and two juveniles were detained. TNS proper investigation would be undertaken to ascertain the cause of the collapse. Kharar DSP Karan Singh Sandhu said, “The rescue operation is over and the police are investigating the matter.” Saurabh Malik Students celebrate Lohri at Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Sector 42-D, in Chandigarh on Monday. RAVI KUMAR CTU to add 60 buses to its long-route fleet Chandigarh, January 13 The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) will add 60 more diesel buses to its existing fleet of long-route buses. Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria will flag off the buses from the ISBT, Sector 17, tomorrow. Each 51-seater nonAC buses will ply on 31 routes to Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other states. According to officials, these buses were acquired to replace condemned buses. Procured at a cost of nearly Rs 22 crore, the buses were purchased through the tendering process. The officials said several buses would run on new routes, while a few discontinued routes would also be restored. Meanwhile, the CTU will get 100 new electric buses later this year under the PM e-Bus Seva scheme for local routes. At present, 80 electric buses are operational in the city. The UT Transport Department has planned to convert the exist- ing fleet of 358 diesel buses on local routes and 36 buses on suburban routes with electric ones by 2027-28. Apart from 100 electric buses, the UT Administration has also sought 328 more electric buses for the city from the Central Government under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme. The new 60 diesel buses will operate from depot number 2 on long routes. The existing fleet of 168 includes 119 AC diesel and 49 ordinary buses, which ply on inter- c m y b state routes. The CTU is also running service to religious destinations such as Khatu Shyam and Salasar Dham in Rajasthan; Ayodhya, Mathura, Vrindavan in UP; Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and Manali in HP . Officials said the CTU was making efforts to bring its fleet utilisation to above 90 per cent. With a total of 146 routes, it has a daily ridership of nearly 1.43 lakh passengers with the buses covering nearly 1.42 lakh km daily. — TNS Chandigarh, January 13 Four members of a gang have been arrested by the District Crime Cell (DCC) of the UT police for a number of snatching incidents in the city. The police have recovered 24 mobile phones and motorcycles used in the crime from them. They also worked as hospital attendants. Jeevan Joshi, a resident of Kaimbwala, had reported that he was returning from work on a bicycle when two youths, who were riding a motorcycle, snatched his phone and purse on the Sector 19/27 road on December 28. During the investigation, a team of the DCC nabbed two suspects, Subhash Bharti, alias Nikhil (23); and Gautam Kathak, alias Danish (18); both residents of Nayagaon, from Sector 25. A motorcycle and documents snatched The accused in custody of the UT police. from a victim were recovered from them. During further investigation, two more gang members, Keshav Gopal, alias Happy (18), resident of Abohar; and Karanpreet Singh (21) of Kotkapura, were arrested while riding a motorcycle in Sector 24. The police said 24 mobile phones, two motorcycles and two knives had been recovered from the accused. They worked as hospital attendants. First flight to Prayagraj leaves fully boarded Mohali, January 13 On the first day of the Mahakumbh, the first flight from Chandigarh to Prayagraj left with all 70 seats booked. Pilgrims, including women, left for their destination around 4:30 pm. The airline staff said the flight touched down at 6:40 pm. The return flight from Prayagraj will reach here on Wednesday (5:15 pm-7:25 pm). “The service will continue for the entire duration of the Mahakumbh from January 13 to February 26. We have got a good response and it is likely to continue till the end,” said an airline official requesting anonymity. The one-way ticket from Chandigarh to Prayagraj costs Rs 9,000-1,0000, depending on the time of the booking before the flight. — TNS