16062025-CT-01.qxd 6/16/2025 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune DADUMAJRA DUMP: MC TO MISS ANOTHER DEADLINE ROOP AULAKH WINS GOLF TITLE IN WOMEN'S CATEGORY OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTIONS: ZEENAT AMAN Local residents claim slow pace of work suggests that the target is not likely to be achieved in near future. P3 She won the title with a score of 62 at the Par 3 Masters Golf Tournament played at Chandigarh Golf Club. P3 Veteran actor shared a moment after boarding an A-I flight, just days after plane crash in Ahmedabad. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 37.7°C | MIN 32.7°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.26 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:21 AM » MONDAY | 16 JUNE 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Drug-free Chd: 141 smugglers held in less than 6 mths THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Nitin Jain Tribune News Service 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 Foetus stolen, abandoned near GMCH-32 Chandigarh, June 15 A foetus removed during a medical procedure was stolen and later found abandoned near the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 here today. The incident has raised serious concerns about security lapses within the hospital premises. A pregnant woman, Reena, a native of Bihar, at present living in Nurpur Bedi, visited the hospital on June 7. The doctors discovered that the foetus was no longer viable and removed it on June 12. The hospital staff handed it over to her husband for the last rites at Sector 25. However, someone stole the bag containing the foetus. However, the thief abandoned it beneath trees near Gate Number 2 of the hospital. Today, a passer-by noticed the bag and informed the hospital security. The Sector 34 police inspected the scene. A daily diary report (DDR) was filed, following which the police helped Reena’s husband to perform the last rites of the foetus in Sector 25. The woman is still under treatment at the hospital. — TNS Woman’s body found near Dhanas Chandigarh, June 15 The body of a young woman was found in the forest area near Dhanas, today. The deceased has been identified as 28-yearold Raveena, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony. A watchman noticed the body around 2 pm and immediately informed the police. A police team arrived at the scene shortly after and began initial investigations. The police found blood near the body. However, sources revealed that there were no visible injury marks. The exact cause of death will be determined after a postmortem examination. The area was sealed off and forensic experts were called to collect evidence. A case has been registered. — TNS Chandigarh, June 15 Continuing with the crackdown on smugglers under a sustained campaign to free Chandigarh of drugs, the UT police have arrested 141 smugglers, including 21 women, with a huge quantity of narcotics this year. The arrests made in the past six months have surpassed the last year’s tally of 133. Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria had recently taken a vow to make Chandigarh the first drug-free city of the country with zero-tolerance approach towards smugglers and all others involved in the illegal trade. The event saw a massive walk against drugs in which over 2 lakh students took pledge against drugs in the presence of Punjab and Haryana Chief Ministers Bhagwant Mann and Nayab Saini here on May 3. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur told The Tribune on Sunday that the Chandigarh Police had implemented a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the menace of drug abuse and trafficking in the Union Territory. “This approach blends rigorous enforcement with pre- Arrests surpass last year’s figure of 133; 21 women among accused POLICE STRATEGY PREVENTIVE ACTION ■ Dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task ■ Holding regular awareness drives Force (ANTF) to identify, track and dismantle drug supply networks operating locally and across state borders. ■ Use of technology, surveillance and digital forensics to track drug trafficking activities and coordinate interstate crackdowns. ■ Targeted raids and arrests in coordination with other state police agencies. ■ Effective prosecution to ensure speedy trials and convictions. in educational institutions to educate youth about the dangers of drug use, in collaboration with NGOs, health professionals and former addicts. ■ Organising street plays, seminars and rallies to inform citizens about the legal, social and health-related consequences of drug abuse. ■ Using traditional and digital media platforms to spread anti-drug messages, helpline information and motivational content for youth. RISING WOMEN INVOLVEMENT << Schoolchildren participate in a ‘Walk for Drug-Free Chandigarh’. FILE PHOTO Among 141 arrested drug smugglers this year, 21 were women, hinting at the rising involvement of the fairer sex in the illegal trade. The accused include 14 city residents and seven outsiders. Besides, five women were among 14 habitual offenders whose preventive arrests have been recommended and secured so far. Of the total arrests, 71 were locals and 70 outsiders. ventive education, rehabilitative support and community-based interventions to create a sustainable and holistic response to the problem,” she said. A 2013-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, Kanwardeep is the second woman SSP of ZERO-TOLERANCE TO DRUGS: SSP Police’s balanced ❝Chandigarhaddresseszero-tolerance strategy represents a of the approach that both the supply and demand sides drug problem. By combining enforcement with compassion, and punitive action with prevention and rehabilitation, the initiative aims to foster a safer, healthier, drug-resilient and drug-free Chandigarh. — KANWARDEEP KAUR, SSP, CHANDIGARH ❞ Chandigarh, serving here since March 2023. She disclosed that the key components of the police strategy comprised strong law enforcement and intelligence-driven operations, preventive education and awareness campaigns, reha- bilitation and de-addiction support, community policing and civic participation, interagency and inter-state coordination and legal as well as judicial support. She said 141 smugglers, including 21 women, had been caught in 71 cases regis- tered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the city from January 1 to June 12 this year. The recovery included about 2-kg heroin, 2-kg poppy husk, 32-kg ganja, 3-kg charas, 227-gram opium, 74-gram cocaine, 48 REHABILITATION, SUPPORT The police assist individuals struggling with substance abuse by connecting them with licensed de-addiction and rehabilitation centres. Emphasis is laid on treating drug addicts as victims needing help rather than criminals, thereby enabling their reintegration into society. cocaine balls, 16 crack balls containing synthetic drugs, over 61-gram Ice — popularly known as party drug, habit-forming intoxicant tablets, injections, and over Rs 17-lakh drug money. “In three significant NDPS cases, illegally acquired prop- erties of 14 narco offenders and their families worth about Rs 4-crore have been attached/seized,” said the SSP . She said investigations into 12 FIRs have resulted in the arrests of 36 accused, with linkages established by thorough forward and backward tracing of narcotics supply and distribution networks. Under the provisions of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, (PITNDPS), nine notorious persons, including six men and three women, were identified and their detention proposals were forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Three cases have been approved and four deferred for further investigation. Two cases were under review. Besides, five more smugglers, including three men and two women, have been identified and their draft detention proposals are being sent to the MHA. “There has been a notable increase in drug seizures, reflecting enhanced vigilance and operational efficiency,” the SSP added. INTER-AGENCY, INTERSTATE COORDINATION The UT police collaborate with their Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh counterparts for joint raids Continued on page 3 Day temperature dips to 37.7° C, Cooking without Looking: Culinary but night gets warmer in city workshop held for visually impaired Weather office predicts relief over next five days Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 15 The city got some respite from the intense heatwave conditions continuing for the past one week with the maximum temperature dipping by 4.5 degrees to settle at 37.7° Celsius on Sunday. However, the night was warmer with the minimum temperature once again shooting by 4.1 degrees to touch 32.7° Celsius. The overcast sky and traces of rain coupled with moderate winds during the first half of the day gave some respite from the scorching heat. The weathermen have predicted partly cloudy sky with likely thunderstorms and light rain in the tricity region comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula over the next five days. However, a yellow alert has been issued for isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana till June 21. The maximum temperature will gradually fall by 3 to 5 degrees over the next three days, said the weathermen. After experiencing a comparatively less warm night on Friday with the minimum temperature going down to 28.6° Celsius, which was 4.1 degrees below Thursday’s sizzling night and departure from normal by 2.3 degrees, the Chandigarh residents braved the sea- TRICITY MERCURY CITY MAX MIN Chandigarh 37.7 32.7 Mohali 37 27.5 Panchkula 36.1 29.3 son’s another warmest night on Saturday. The minimum temperature touched the alltime high of 32.7° Celsius, which was again the third highest reading in the region, comprising all parts of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh. Sirsa and Rohtak in Haryana recorded the highest minimum temperature of 34.2 and 33.2° Celsius, respectively, to be the warmest towns in the region. The residents of the tricity region got some respite from the intense heatwave conditions on Sunday with the maximum day temperature sliding down by 4.5 degrees as compared to Saturday. The brief relief from the heatwave made the residents venture outside during the week- end after remaining indoors for seven consecutive days since June 8. The mercury, for the first time in a week, went below the 40° Celsius-mark. June 10 had recorded the maximum temperature of 44° Celsius, which had remained the season’s hottest day here so far. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted slight relief from the hot weather conditions during this week. According to the Meteorological Centre Chandigarh, the department’s observatory at Sector 39 here recorded the highest maximum temperature of 37.7° Celsius while that at the Indian Air Force (IAF) airport logged 37.4° Celsius on Sunday. Sonepat in Haryana and Patiala in Punjab experienced the least warm night in the region on Saturday with the lowest minimum temperature of 24.5 and 25.8° Celsius, respectively. The MeT department has predicted a gradual fall in the maximum temperature for the next five days in the tricity. The temperatures in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula will remain maximum between 33 and 36° Celsius and minimum between 27 and 29° Celsius with possibility of light rain coupled with cloudy sky and thunderstorm till June 20. c m y b Five students of Institute for the Blind attend first-of-its kind event in city Sheetal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 15 In a heartening move to empower the visually impaired with essential life skills, a two-day workshop titled “Cooking Without Looking” concluded at the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, Chandigarh. Held on June 1415, the initiative was aimed at instilling confidence and independence among the blind by teaching them basic cooking techniques and kitchen safety through live demonstrations and practical learning. The workshop was organised by the Positive Abilities Rotaract Club in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) (Delhi Branch), the Institute for the Blind, Chandigarh, and Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik. It saw the enthusiastic participation of 20 visually impaired individuals along with 20 volunteers who supported them through the sessions. Veena Mehta Verma, Director NAB Delhi Dwarka and the chief resource person, shared, “This is the second workshop for the visually impaired conducted by me — the first was held in Delhi. Because we focus on hands-on learning, we intentionally limit the batch to 20 participants to ensure indi- Visually impaired students take part in a cooking workshop in Sector 26, Chandigarh. PRADEEP TEWARI vidual attention. They are introduced to basic skills like steaming, boiling, cutting, chopping, lighting a gas stove and even changing a cylinder. It’s an effort to normalise the idea that blind individuals can cook too. The goal is to help families realise that their blind members can participate in the kitchen and even live independently in another city.” Veena also explained that the participants were familiarised with appliances such as choppers, blenders, microwaves and air fryers. They were trained to identify kitchen ingredients and spices using alternative senses—touch, smell and taste. A veteran of over 17 years in empowering the visually impaired through cooking, she also shared that she was the second runner-up at the Golden Eye Chef International competition in 2024, a global platform for blind culinary enthusiasts. The initiative received praise from dignitaries like Ritu Singal, who inaugurated the event and commended the unique effort. Dinesh Kapila, Chairman of the Society for the Care of the Blind, and industrialist Hari Om Verma also lauded the organisers and participants. KP Singh, president of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik, reiterated the importance of inclusive programmes in building a self-reliant community. A student shared, “Through these two workshops, I now feel more confident in the kitchen and can handle cooking without my parents worrying all the time.” Special Educator Anu Tandon, from the Institute for the Blind, noted, “Five of our students are now eager to replicate what they learned in their own homes. Most of them, though adults, had no prior exposure to even basic cooking.”