21102024-CT-01.qxd 10/21/2024 12:09 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SARPANCH ELECTED IN ABSENTIA WELCOMED HOME PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS FLIES OUT OF MUMBAI CASE FILED AGAINST EKTA KAPOOR, HER MOTHER Baba Baljinder Singh was elected Khanpur sarpanch while he was on a pilgrimage to Pakistan. P2 Was in India to attend a brand launch and the screening of her Marathi film production Paani. P4 A case has been filed under POCSO Act for allegedly showing inappropriate scenes involving minor girls. P4 » » TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 33°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 33.3°C | MIN 18.4°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.45 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.29 AM » MONDAY | 21 OCTOBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Sub-human conditions mar govt houses allotted to staff Over the moon WHAT’S ON Accommodations have cracked walls, broken tiles, exposed plaster CHANDIGARH Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Soulful Festivity: An exclusive showcase of studio pottery, on till October 21 from 11 am to 6 pm, 1058, Sector 36-C APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43, 45 and Maloya Mohali: Phase V Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF TWO JUVENILES HELD FOR ASSAULT Chandigarh: The UT police have apprehended two juveniles in an assault case. The police said the victim, identified as Nikhil, was present in a park at Ram Darbar along with his minor brother when Vishal, alias Bawa, and others assaulted him on October 13. Nikhil was attacked with a knife and sticks. A case was registered at the Sector 31 police station. During the investigation, the police apprehended two minor boys, aged 16. They have been sent to the juvenile home. TNS TWO SNATCHERS IN POLICE NET Chandigarh: Two persons have been arrested for snatching. Complainant Rakesh of Jagatpura, Mohali, had reported that while he was returning home on a bicycle on October 9, two motorcycleborne persons stopped him on the pretext of asking way in Sector 46. In the meantime, one of them snatched his phone. A case was registered. During the investigation, Naseem (25) and Paul Singh (24) were arrested. TNS Online draw for 96 cracker licences today Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 20 Nearly 2,836 persons have applied for licence to sell green firecrackers in the city. The UT Administration had invited online applications to set up cracker stalls. Now, an online draw will be conducted tomorrow to issue 96 licences to sell crackers. This time more people have applied to sell crackers compared to the last several years. An average 29 persons are in line for each licence. Last year, a total of 1,814 people had applied to sell crackers, with an average 18 in line for each licence. Although these cracker stalls are set up only for three days, but due to high sales and high earnings more people come apply for licence. Twelve sites have been earmarked in the UT for the sale of firecrackers. Women perform a ritual on the occasion of Karwa Chauth at Sukhna Lake on Sunday. VICKY New DC office building in Sec 17 to cost UT ~125 cr Estimate sent to Centre for nod; work to start next year Chandigarh, October 20 The UT Engineering Department has prepared a detailed estimate of Rs 125 crore for the construction of a new building of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office next to Hotel Shivalikview in Sector 17 here. Officials said the construction, initially scheduled to begin in April this year, was postponed as budget was not allocated for the project. However, they said the estimate was now prepared and sent to the Government of India for approval. “The construction will begin in the next financial year once the budget is allocated. The interior layouts have also been finalised,” stated the officials. The officials said the soil testing report had cleared the proposed site, ensuring it could withstand the structural load. It was conducted to assess the chemical and physical composition of the soil, factoring in weather conditions, climate changes, and historical land usage. The project is expected to be completed within two years. The seven-story building will conform to a 5-star GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) rating, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. The structure The site where the new DC office building will be constructed in Sector 17, Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI TO HOUSE KEY DEPARTMENTS The building will house several key departments, including Registering and Licensing Authority, Registrar Co-operative Societies, Excise and Taxation Department, Census Department, Election Department, Revenue Department, Tehsildar’s Office, Food and Supplies Department, Labour Department, Industries Department, Colony Rehabilitation Wing, Building Branch, and Red Cross Society. will have a basement parking facility for nearly 600 cars. The building will house several key departments, including Registering and Licensing Authority, Registrar Co-operative Societies, Excise and Taxation Department, Census Department, Election Department, Revenue Department, Tehsildar’s Office, Food and Supplies Department, Labour Department, Industries Department, Colony Rehabilitation Wing, Building Branch, and Red Cross Society. In addition, the complex will incorporate environmental sustainability measures with a sewage treatment plant and a rooftop solar power plant to generate tertiary treated water and electricity. The existing DC Office building in Sector 17 will be repurposed into a modern art gallery. An amphitheatre is also proposed to be constructed in front of it, adding cultural value to the area. The idea of relocating the DC office within Sector 17 has been under consideration since 2018. — TNS Chandigarh, October 20 Cracked walls, chipped paint, and exposed plaster tell a tale of neglect. As one steps into houses allotted to government and Punjab and Haryana High Court employees, the sense of decay is overwhelming. Roofs in these government accommodations, spread across Sectors 22, 24, 27, 29, 33, and beyond, are on the verge of collapse, raining cement dust over occupants. The frames of doors and windows, once sturdy, are now ravaged by termites, barely held together as the cement that was meant to secure them steadily crumbles. The wild growth surrounding the government houses is so dense and unregulated that it has become home to snakes and other dangerous creatures, leaving the employees in constant fear for their safety. The occupants are sounding the alarm. One complaint details how multiple large cracks developed in a government house allotted in August 2019. “Finding it endangered to the lives of my family, including my wife, two daughters, and son, I made a complaint at the maintenance office in Sector 7,” the occupant states. An occupant of a government accommodation points at incomplete work in Sector 24, Chandigarh. Expressing apprehension regarding “any untoward incident can happen any time”, the occupant adds action has not been taken despite officials’ visits. The urgency of the situation, he says, is highlighted by foulsmelling water seeping through the walls. Washrooms, a basic necessity, have descended into a cesspool of unhygienic chaos. The stench hits first— an unholy mixture of filth Continued on page 3 Construction waste and garbage dumped near goverment houses in Sector 27-C, Chandigarh, TRIBUNE PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI Day after Morni bus mishap, no FIR lodged Board cancels allotment of 20 small flats over licence fee dues Panchkula, October 20 A day after 28 persons, including school students, were injured as the tourist bus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge near Tikkar Tal in Morni Hills, the police have not registered a case in this connection. The police said no case had been filed against the bus driver. The road was very narrow and large vehicles often met with accident, the police said. Moreover, neither the school nor the parents had made any complaint against Continued on page 3 Chandigarh, October 20 Continuing its action against defaulters, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has cancelled the allotment of more 20 small flats over nonpayment of licence fee. Earlier, the allotment of 20 such flats located in Sectors 49 and 56 was cancelled. Officials said soon, action would be taken against the allottees of the remaining small flats scheme who had not paid licence fee dues. The CHB has now cancelled the allotment of six small flats in Sector 49, three in the Industrial Area, seven in Ram Darbar and four such flats in Sector 38 (West) over dues to the tune of more than Rs 42 lakh. The allottees have been told to hand over the possession of their respective flats in 30 days failing which the board would start the process of vacating the houses. The allotment was cancelled as neither the allottees cleared the fee dues nor did they respond to repeated show-cause notices. The flats were allotted under the Small Flats Scheme, for which the neces- Litfest concludes with talk on ancient civilisations, India in 2047 Sheetal Tribune News Service Kasauli, October 20 The 13th edition of the Khushwant Singh Litfest concluded on Sunday. With guest speakers of the likes of mythologist and writer Devdutt Pattanaik, former Indian bureaucrat and ex-CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, human rights lawyer Rohin Bhatt and many others, it jumped from one session to another and the audience couldn’t get enough of them. In the very first session of the day on ‘Unravelling the Harappan Mystery’, Pattanaik shared his observation on the Indus Valley Civilisation that it was predominantly a mercantile civilisation in which warfare and punditry were alien concepts. Pattanaik also talked about his latest book, Ahimsa, which, he said, explored the nuances of the Harappan times through Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik in conversation with historian Nonica Datta; and ex-bureaucrat Amitabh Kant (right) and economist Prem Shankar Jha during a session at Khushwant Singh Litfest in Kasauli on Sunday. the lens of mythology that were contemporary to the Mesopotamian civilisation. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Harappan civilisation by Sir John Marshall, Pattanaik shared that his aim was to explore the cultural truths embedded in its art and arte- facts, rather than the written stories often associated with other ancient civilisations. Pattanaik addressed the long-held assumptions about Harappa, particularly the lack of imposing architecture, a hallmark of other ancient civilisations like Egypt. He questioned how certain conclusions about Harappan society such as marriage customs were c m y b drawn without concrete evidence and why women were often depicted as entertainers or goddesses while men were portrayed as authoritarians, challenging conventional gender roles. He concluded by reflecting on the impact of the Partition of India on Harappan discoveries. Despite the division of historical sites, significant discoveries such as Dholavira and Rakhigarhi have expanded the understanding of this ancient civilisation. In the last session, ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, Kant, in conversation with economist and journalist Prem Shankar Jha, underlined how Indian economy would grow nine times in the next 30 years to realise the dream of Viksit Bharat. He expressed the urgent need to make a shift from agriculture to industry to achieve that. Kant, who serves as India’s G20 Sherpa, shared that an effort was made during the G20 meetings to conceptualise this ‘shift’ for practical purposes. This led to help formulate plans like ‘ek zila, ek utpad’ to give an impetus to art and culture at the grassroots level. He added, “The basic philosophy in my book, The Elephant Moves: India’s New Place in the World, is that it’s not possible for India to grow rapidly at 9.6 to 10.2% year after year for three decades or more which Japan (19501970) or South Korea (19601990) or China (1990-2010) did. If India has that ambition, it can’t grow only on the support of services sector. You need to grow your manufacturing, do sustainable urbanisation, which is very critical, and enhance agriculture productivity. Agricultural productivity wouldn’t increase with such high Continued on page 3 sary licence fee has to be paid every month. Recently, the audit report had highlighted that the CHB had failed to recover licence fee/rent of Rs 44.26 crore from 13,464 defaulters. In August 2013, the Administration decided that small flats would be allotted for a period of 20 years at a licence fee of Rs 800 per month for the first five years. There will be a 20% increase for the subsequent five-year periods, bringing the fee to Rs 960, Rs 1,152 and Rs 1,382 for each successive term. — TNS Mohali excise teams challan 3 bars over underage drinking Tribune News service Mohali, October 20 Three bars were challaned for serving liquor to underage youths in Mohali and Zirakpur on Saturday night. Teams from the Excise Department found liquor being served to persons below 25 years of age during raids at Swagat Restobar and Katani Restaurant & Bar at Sector 79 in Mohali, and Delicious Food (Romeo-Lane) in Zirakpur. One of the bars was also charged with deploying waiters under 25 years of age for serving of alcohol. Meanwhile, the teams of GST Department inspected Gopal’s, Aneja Sweets, Amrit Confectioners and Harpreet Confectioners in Mohali, Patiala and Ludhiana districts today. The teams collected the data of sales, stock and purchase of material intended to be sold as gifts during the festival season.