10022025-CT-01.qxd 09-02-2025 23:55 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PU ROSE FESTIVAL ENDS WITH MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA MIXED REACTIONS TO REPLY ON CITY HERITAGE STATUS STRAY DOG MENACE: LOCALS PUSH FOR SHELTERS Punjabi singer Jeet Jagjit enthrals the audience at the Old Convocation Ground on the final day. P2 MP questions heritage panel’s role, ex-chief architect says city designed by Corbusier holds significace. P3 Call for comprehensive and practical approach to balance public safety with responsible animal care. P3 » » SPICMACAY event: Sitar Saurabh Malik recital by Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Bhargava Auditorium, PGI, February 11, 6:30 pm Tribune News Service Exhibition: Special APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 and 45, and Maloya Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Mohali: Phase V Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF FOETUS FOUND IN DARIA VILLAGE Chandigarh: A foetus was found dumped near the dispensary in Daria village. A Mauli Jagran resident, Rahul, noticed he foetus lying in front of the dispensary gate. A case has been registered against an unidentified person under Section 94 (concealment of birth secret disposal of dead body) of the BNS at the Industrial Area police station. TNS MAN ARRESTED WITH HEROIN Chandigarh: A 28-year-old man has been arrested by the UT police with 9.80 grams of heroin. The police said the accused, identified as Karan, a resident of Dadu Majra Colony (DMC), was nabbed near Mauli Jagran. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. TNS Youth Congress workers being lathicharged as they try to march towards the BJP office, in Sector 35 on Sunday. PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI Cops lathicharge protesting Youth Congress workers Three agitators, several police personnel injured in clash at Sector 35 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 9 The UT police resorted to lathicharge on protesting Youth Congress members outside the party office in Sector 35 today. The Congress was protesting ‘inhuman’ treatment of youths deported from the US. The protesters were also raising slogans over unemployment, drugs and the ownership rights for residents of rehabilitation schemes in Chandigarh. The Congress workers gathered outside the party office in the afternoon. As they tried to march towards the BJP office in Sector 33 in the form of a rally, a heavy police force deployed there stopped them. As the protest escalated, the police, who had barricaded the road outside the Congress office, first used water cannons and later resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. According to sources, three protesters and a few police The police arrest Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chhib. personnel, including a woman constable, sustained injuries during the clash. Stones were also hurled at police vehicles. A group of youth among the protesters allegedly hurled stones, prompting a stronger retaliation by the police. The injured police personnel were taken to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16. Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident has been initiated at the Sector 36 police station. Accusing the Modi government of submitting to the US, national president of Youth Congress Uday Bhanu Chhib condemned the recent incident where the Indian youth deported by the US government were handcuffed and shackled when they landed in Punjab. “These young men had gone abroad in search of employment In sync because the government had failed to address the issue of job creation,” he added. State Youth Congress president Deepak Lubana said the BJP was solely focused on self-interest. He emphasised the youth needed employment, not drugs. They had planned a protest at the BJP office to press for action against drug abuse and for government efforts to create more job opportunities. He warned that if strict action was not taken against drug abuse soon, the party would launch a larger protest. The Congress leaders also accused the BJP government of depriving residents of rehabilitation housing schemes of ownership rights. In a reply submitted by the Union Government in the Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, the government had clarified that there was no provision for ownership rights to the residents who were allotted houses under such schemes. Fake cops extort ~15L from firm owner Man dies after being hit by bike Tribune News Service Panchkula, february 9 A pedestrian died after a speeding motorcycle hit him from behind in Rihod village on Friday. According to the FIR registered at the Chandimandir police station, the victim, identified as Dikshan, was returning home with his friend, Suraj Singh, when a motorcycle, bearing registration number HR03K2551, hit him from behind. The motorcycle was allegedly being ridden recklessly by Kesh Kumar, who is known to the complainant. Dikshan was rushed to a hospital in Barwala and later referred to the Sector 6 Government Hospital, Panchkula, where he succumbed to injuries yesterday. The police have booked Kesh Kumar under Sections 106, 125(a) and 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligence and rash driving leading to death. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Technical criteria cannot override welfare scheme objective, says High Court CHANDIGARH Exhibition of works: By architect SD Sharma, who was closely associated with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, on till February 15 at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10 MAX 26°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 27.1°C | MIN 8.7°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:06 AM /THETRIBUNECHD WHAT’S ON Valentine edition, Himachal Bhawan, Sector 28, on till February 10 MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET MONDAY 6.07 PM » MONDAY | 10 FEBRUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Students perform at the annual cultural function of Manav Mangal Smart School, Sector 88 in Mohali on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Mohali, February 9 Five fake policemen allegedly extorted Rs 15 lakh from a Phase-3B2-based immigration firm owner, accusing him of helping a gangster flee abroad. In his complaint, Sham Lal, a resident of Morinda, who owns the immigration firm, has stated that he was picked up by five persons posing as policemen from Sunny Enclave, Kharar, and arrested for allegedly sending a gangster abroad. The cops, who were in civvies, demanded Rs 30 lakh to settle the case. continued on page 2 Centre alerted over sale of heritage furniture abroad Chandigarh, February 9 Amid growing concerns over the unchecked sale of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture, yet another auction of such articles is set to take place in the Netherlands on February 15, claimed Ajay Jagga, member of UT’s Heritage Items Protection Cell. Jagga has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging immediate diplomatic action to prevent the auction. He stressed that despite prohibitory orders, articles of India’s her- itage continue to be smuggled and auctioned abroad, demanding accountability and stronger enforcement. “An upcoming auction by Hessink’s in the Netherlands on February 15 includes a rare teak triangular coffee table designed by Pierre Jeanneret for his private residence in Chandigarh. Previously, a similar auction was conducted by WRIGHT in the US on January 9. The estimated price of the table ranges from 4,000- 6,000 (Rs 3.6-5.4 lakh),” said Jagga. Such sales violate India’s heritage protection laws and contradict the government’s vision of “Viksit Bhi, Virasat Bhi”. He urged the MEA to sensitise Indian embassies worldwide about such auctions, enabling them to raise timely objections and intervene diplomatically, he added. Missing items While these heritage artefacts are being sold for thousands of euros and dollars abroad, a report by the Government Col- c m y b lege of Art, Sector 10, submitted to the Department of Urban Planning, Chandigarh, had highlighted the disappearance of multiple heritage furniture items. The latest inventory reveals missing wooden tables, chairs, racks and benches, while several other items have been marked as broken or unserviceable. After a theft in 2016, where 15 sofa chairs and a wooden table were stolen, one of which was allegedly burnt, the recovered chairs are still lying with the police. — TNS Chandigarh, February 9 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the rigid application of technical criteria should not undermine the purpose of social welfare schemes. The observation came as a Bench comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Vikas Suri admonished the Chandigarh Administration for rejecting the claim of a marginalised individual seeking affordable housing under a welfare scheme. The ruling came in case of a jhuggi-dweller, who applied for one-room apartment under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme-2006 introduced by the Chandigarh Administration. But his claim was rejected on the ground that he could not be considered as “recognised resident” in accordance with the requirement of the scheme. The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that the petitioner’s name was included in the 2006 biometric survey. His name also appeared in the voter lists of Bench admonishes UT for denying house to jhuggi dweller over voter list omission WHAT THE COURT OBSERVED ■ Rigid application of technical criteria should not defeat the purpose of social welfare schemes. ■ Procedural fairness requires authorities to give applicants a chance to justify missing documentation. ■ Alternative proof of continuous residence such as biometric records, electricity bills and Aadhaar data must be considered when voter lists are incomplete. ■ Courts will intervene if authorities act arbitrarily in rejecting applications under social schemes. 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011. But it did not appear in the voter lists of 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009, which was a requirement under the scheme. The authorities turned down his claim primary for this omission. Referring to the importance of procedural fairness, the Bench made it clear that alternative evidence was required to be considered when determining eligibility for housing benefits under the schemes aimed at uplifting marginalised sections of society. The Bench asserted the overarching goal of the scheme was to provide shelter to jhuggi dwellers representing the most marginalised sections of society. The scheme, by ensuring access to housing, not only addressed their basic needs but also fulfilled the constitutional guarantee of the right to life, thereby empowering this vulnerable community. In its detailed order, the Bench observed that the petitioner’s name was missing from the 2006 voter list — a key requirement under the scheme. But he had been included in the 2006 biometric survey and had other supporting documents, such as an electricity connection installed in 2003 and an Aadhaar card showing residence until 2011. Rapping the authorities for failing to conduct a proper inquiry and for arbitrarily rejecting the petitioner’s application without considering alternative evidence, the Bench asserted a more continued on page 2 3 shots fired after clash over parking Mohali, February 9 Three gunshots were fired after a clash between two neighbours over car parking in Sector 77 around 11 pm on Saturday. Local residents said an altercation ensued over car parking, which turned ugly. One of the neighbours, Rohit sustained head injuries when he was hit with a wooden stick. Manjit allegedly fired three gunshots at his neighbour’s house. The police have booked Manjit, who is reportedly a Superintendent with the PUDA office. The police have recovered three empty shells from the spot and took possession of the licensed weapon used in the crime. They said they had written to the department concerned to cancel the arms licence of the accused. A case under Section 336 of the BNS and the Arms Act has been registered at the Sohana police station. — TNS