26052025-CT-01.qxd 5/26/2025 12:35 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CURRENT CASES NOT ENTIRELY DUE TO NEW VARIANT: EXPERT CITY LAD KRISH ATTAINS TOP RANK IN JUNIOR GOLF WAMIQA GABBI IN MOHALI TO PROMOTE HER LATEST FILM Prof Laxmi of PGI clarifies that the current Covid infections stem from the existing JN.1 lineage. P3 City school student Krish Chawla rises to the top position in India’s junior golf rankings. P3 Actress Wamiqa Gabbi lit up CP67 Mall during a promotional event for her film, Bhool Chuk Maaf. P4 » » WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 & 45 Mohali: Sectors 70, 78 & Phase 5 Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF WOMAN TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID Mohali: A patient from Yamunanagar tested positive for Covid at a private hospital here. The 51-year-old female patient is stable. “She is under treatment for multiple ailments and Covid is one of them,” said District Epidemiologist Dr Harmandeep. Health officials said RTPCR tests were being conducted regularly in the district, and it was the only case found positive in the recent times. In India, most cases have been reported from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi. These are mild cases and need care at home. Doctors urged people not to panic over cases linked to the JN.1 variant, as the strain is “not severe”. TNS Factors like demand, time of day to decide fee under Smart Parking Project Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 25 The Municipal Corporation is considering to introduce dynamic pricing in selected parking lots in the city. According to the proposal, the parking fee will be based on factors like demand and time of day. This is one of many proposals a committee led by BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi has been considering to introduce in the Request for Proposal (RFP) to be floated for the Smart Parking Project in the city. The committee will place the draft RFP during a meeting of the MC General House to be held in the coming week for approval. The committee has invited stakeholders for discussion on the proposals in the meeting. Besides, the committee has also written to various educational institutions like Panjab University and the Punjab Engineering College to provide their views on improving the parking system in the city. The institutes have been asked to share any research done in the field. A paid parking facility in Sector 22, Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Joshi said the MC had sent official invitations to educational institutions, encouraging students and researchers to submit innovative ideas for the upcoming Smart Parking Project by May 27. The Smart Parking Committee will issue certificates of appreciation to individuals or institutions whose ideas or suggestions are incorporated into the final RFP document. The committee was formed to finalise the RFP after the MC General House approved upto 40% increase in the parking rates. Joshi said the committee had been considering the proposals to provide real smart parking solutions to the residents. He said it has been proposed to introduce dynamic pricing in selected parking lots. A parking lot in Sector 17 opposite Sector 9 may be selected for the purpose. Under the system, the rates of parking will be fixed based c m y b on factors like demand and time of the day. He said lower parking fee would be charged in case there was no rush. This will help the MC generate more revenue as it will increase the occupancy of the parking lot. It has also been proposed to introduce advance booking facility. Joshi said the proposal would be part of the RFP As . per the proposal, a mobile parking app will be developed Continued on page 2 MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.5°C | MIN 23.1°C SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.23 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Civic body mulls dynamic pricing for parking in city PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET MONDAY 7.16 PM » MONDAY | 26 MAY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE NITI AAYOG GOVERNING COUNCIL MEET Reduced compliance burden to foster biz growth in UT: Kataria Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 25 To foster a conducive business environment, the Chandigarh Administration has undertaken significant steps to reduce compliance burden and promote deregulation. Under the Business Reform Action Plan Plus (BRAP+) initiated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India, the UT Administration has submitted all 434 reforms and also completed the mandated compliance rationalisation exercise across 23 key Acts within the stipulated timeline. This was shared by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in his speech at the 10th Governing Council meeting of the Niti Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday. “Through digitisation and revision of rules, we have simplified procedures to support ease of doing business. Further, in alignment with the national directives, a UTlevel Deregulation Cell has been constituted to focus on 23 identified priority areas such as land use, labour, building permissions and utilities,” he said. PROCEDURE SIMPLIFIED THROUGH DIGITISATION ❝ Through digitisation and revision of rules, procedures have been simplified to support ease of doing business. In alignment with national directives, a UT-level Deregulation Cell has been formed to focus on 23 priority areas such as land use, labour, building permissions and utilities. Gulab Chand Kataria, PUNJAB GOVERNOR AND UT ADMINISTRATOR ❞ To this end, Chandigarh has already implemented fixed term employment, enabled night shifts for women and introduced compliance notices prior to prosecution. Additionally, proposals for amending three key labour laws — the Factories Act, 1948, the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970, and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 — were underway. Kataria said the UT Administration was also taking concrete steps to streamline regulatory processes and enhance industrial transparency. “A comprehensive GIS databank of industrial land in Chandigarh has been integrated with the India Industrial Land Bank,” he stated, while disclosing that Chandigarh was also facilitating the renewal of Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate on the basis of selfcertification, a reform that has been in place since 2022. In addition, the timelines for issuing fresh consents have been streamlined — 21 days for red and orange category units, and 15 days for green category units — ensuring greater ease and predictability for industrial stakeholders. “Furthermore, approvals and renewals under the Factory Act and the Shops and Establishments Act have been significantly expedited, with registration certificates now being issued within a single day, subject to the submission of complete and valid documentation by the applicant,” the Administrator shared. He revealed that an Integrated Online Building Plan Approval System has been developed, enabling applicants to obtain approval of building plan and construction-related NOCs from multiple departments through a single window interface.