23122024-CT-01.qxd 23-12-2024 00:55 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune FRONT SEEKS SUSPENSION OF UT COP, WRITES TO DGP ADITI GOVITRIKAR PLAYS MOTHER IN MISMATCHED 3 DHILLON SHARES EVIDENCE IN ONGOING FEUD WITH DOSANJH PU Bachao Morcha asks UT DGP to suspend Sector 3 SHO for ‘pushing’ and threatening a student. P3 She believes entertainment industry is witnessing a remarkable diversity in the roles offered to women. P4 AP Dhillon accused Diljit Dosanjh of blocking him on social media. He shared ‘proof’ to back his claim. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 23.2°C | MIN 7.3°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.28 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.16 AM » MONDAY | 23 DECEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Tied by fate: HP woman dies, cousin survives SOHANA COLLAPSE Decision to stay back at PG proves fatal for Drishti, Sakshi has narrow escape as she leaves for hometown Tribune News Service Slack bylaw enforcement costing lives WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Exhibition: Nature’s Bliss by artists Prem Kapoor and Vijay Bakshi, on till December 24 (5 pm), Govt Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, from 11 am to 7 pm Mohali, December 22 The decision to stay back at her PG accommodation proved fatal for Drishti, a 20year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh, while her cousin Sakshi, who chose to leave for her hometown earlier in the day, had a narrow escape. The two were putting up in the building which collapsed at Sohana last evening. For Abhishek Dhanwal, 30, the second victim, the decision to rush inside the building at the last moment to grab his phone cost him his life. Two cousins, Sakshi and Drishti of Theog, used to stay in the building which housed a gym and a PG accommodation. Sakshi left for home for the weekend around 11am on Saturday while Drishti stayed back for her night shift, and perished in the collapse that took place around 4.30 pm. Her body was extricated by the NDRF around 8.30 pm. “Area residents feared that Sakshi too was inside the gym as the cousins stayed here together. We contacted her to confirm her wellbeing,” the police said. Drishti was employed in a private firm in Mohali and used to work in night shift. “She was engaged and was to get married soon,” said one of her colleagues. Her fiance, who fainted earlier on seeing the building collapse, helped the NDRF team at the site locate Drishti’s body as he saw her hand hanging in the rubble. The other victim, Ambala native Abhishek Dhanwal, was well out of the harm’s way until he decided to get his phone back from the building. The 30-year-old had nearly come out of the building when locals alerted 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 POWER SHUTDOWN MOHALI 10 am to 4 pm: IT City, Aero City, Sector 82, Derri, Durali, Saneta, Chadiala, Swara and nearby areas. INBRIEF CHB TO HEAR OUT ALLOTTEES TODAY Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Housing Board will hold a grievance redressal camp for property owners and allottees at its office in Sector 9 from 9.30 am to 1 pm on Monday. TNS TWO BOOKED ON ASSAULT CHARGE Chandigarh: A Sector 20 resident was allegedly attacked by two persons in Sector 20. Complainant Sandeep reported that Aman and Dheeraj, both residents of Kharar, allegedly attacked him in the market. He said he was stabbed on the face. The victim sustained injuries and was admitted to the GMSH in Sector 16. A case has been registered. TNS Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service NDRF and Army personnel carried out rescue operations overnight in an effort to find survivors at the Sohana building collapse site. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY all as the building started tilting towards the dug-up side. “Despite being warned of by one Salman, he rushed back to get his phone from the first floor of the gym. He never returned,” said Rinku, a resident of the area. Abhishek’s body was retrieved this morning. His wife and family members spent the last night in tears near the rubble, hoping against hope. They had rushed from Ambala to Sohana at night after it was confirmed that Abhishek had gone inside the building. The police said the mishap took place around 4.30 pm, Continued on page 2 WEEKEND TRAGEDIES DECEMBER 31, 2023 (SUNDAY) Under-construction showroom collapses at Chajju Majra, Kharar, burying a labourer and injuring another; contractor booked DECEMBER 2, 2023 (SATURDAY) Two-storey building lintel collapses in Zirakpur; 4 hurt OCTOBER 9, 2022 (SUNDAY) Family members of Abhishek Dhanwal, whose body was found in the rubble, at the mishap site in Sohana on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Accounts for 48% of total 8.86 lakh challans this year| Police mop up ~19.70 cr fine Amit Sharma FILE PHOTO Tribune News Service TOP TRAFFIC OFFENCES OFFENCE CHALLANS* Red light jumping 4,29,355 Overspeeding 1,29,545 Stopping on zebra crossing 94,824 Helmetless riding 81,957 Wrong parking 30,969 83.29% CHALLANS THROUGH CCTVs The high-resolution CCTV cameras installed on different roads and intersections proved instrumental in capturing traffic violations. A significant 7,38,703 challans, which account for 83.29%, were issued through cameras, underscoring their effectiveness in monitoring traffic offences. *TILL NOV 18 traffic enforcement. The traffic police’s social media cell issued 8,331 challans based on photos of violations sent by vigilant citizens. Behind the enforcement effort were the city’s highresolution CCTV cameras, silently capturing traffic offenders in action. A total of 7,38,703 challans were issued through the cameras. The SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 (THURSDAY) Dera Bassi building collapses; 5 die; September 25, 26, 27 holidays FEBRUARY 8, 2020 (SATURDAY) Showroom collapses in Kharar; JCB driver dies RIGHTS BODY SEEKS JUDICIAL PROBE Jumping red light most common traffic offence in UT, 4.29L fined Chandigarh, December 22 Red light jumping emerged as the leading traffic violation in the UT this year, accounting for 48.41% of the total 8,86,881 challans issued till November 18. A staggering 4,29,355 challans were issued for the offence. The police collected a whopping Rs 19.70 crore as fine for different traffic offences this year. While red light jumping led the chart, overspeeding wasn’t far behind. With 1,29,545 challans, it became the second most common offence followed closely by violation of stopping vehicles on zebra crossing, which saw 94,824 challans. Helmetless riding also remained rampant on the city roads. This year, 81,957 challans were issued to riders and pillion riders without helmet. Among them, women riders were caught in significant numbers — 6,722 were fined for riding without helmet, and 43,852 for riding pillion without the protective headgear. Wrong parking, too, remained a common sight in the city, leading to 30,969 challans. Meanwhile, social media played a significant role in Partial building collapse at a commercial centre in Mohali; 2 dead, 5 injured official data further revealed only 68 challans were issued for underage driving. The high number of challans issued for offences like red Continued on page 2 c m y b Helmetless ride behind most DL suspensions Chandigarh, December 22 Riding a two-wheeler without a helmet was the violation that led to the maximum driving licence suspensions in the city this year. According to the data compiled by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), 352 driving licences were suspended from January 1 to December 15 this year for various violations against 689 last year. This year, 225 permits were suspended for the offence of riding without a helmet. Last year too, most licences (457) were suspended for the offence. Further, 25 licences were suspended for overspeeding this year, against 107 in the previous year. Nine licences were suspended for the use of mobile phone while driving this year. The number was 18 last year. A total of 78 driving licences were suspended for drunk driving this year against 74 last year. Section 19 of the Continued on page 2 OFFENCE NO. OF LICENCES SUSPENDED Riding without helmet 225 Drunk driving 78 Overspeeding 25 Use of mobile 9 Triple riding 5 Red light jump 2 Pressure horn 2 Dangerous driving/Misc 6 Mohali: A human rights organisation has sought action against Mohali Municipal Corporation officials under whose watch the accident took place. Sarabjit Singh Verka, acting chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Sector 2-A, Chandigarh, demanded that the erring MC officials should also be booked. “We demand a judicial inquiry into the Sohana multistorey building collapse incident. Operations were allowed in the building without issuing the completion certificate. The officials concerned are equally responsible for the death of two persons in the incident,” he said. Mohali, December 22 The collapse of a three-storey building in Sohana village is nothing but a continuation of a pattern followed not just in Mohali district but across the state of Punjab year after year. Precious lives continue to be lost as citizens and civic body officials’ refuse to pay heed to the perils of rapid urbanisation. Is it the greed or the need of the owner for more space in the existing area or the negligence of civic body officials in enforcing building bylaws effectively? Or are the similar building bylaws relevant in different settings? Several architects, contractors and municipal councillors said it was high time the state government revisited these laws. Parminder Singh, former sarpanch of Sohana village and municipal councillor of Sohana village, said, “In villages, maps and building plans are passed by the Municipal Corporation while GMADA clears the building plans for urban areas. The building bylaws are more or less the same for both urban and rural areas. It is just not possible to implement same set of bylaws in different settings. If you go with a building plan, the MC puts it on hold for years. What would a house owner do? He bypasses the civic body, and the result is there to see.” Residents said it took years to get a plan approved from municipal councils and municipal corporations. “The approval is given only after Continued on page 2 Cong, AAP to fight mayoral elections together: Tewari Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 22 MP Manish Tewari today said the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will again contest the mayoral elections together and the candidates will be decided in the next few days. Addressing a press conference here, Tewari urged the UT Administration to hold the mayoral polls on February 20, as the incumbent Mayor had assumed the office on the same date this year. The post is reserved for a woman candidate in the year 2025. Tewari stated that every resident of Chandigarh was upset at what happened during the last Mayoral elections when the BJP tried to steal the mandate of the councillors. The Supreme Court had to intervene to install the Congress-AAP candidate as the Mayor, who had a comfortable majority in the MC House. Tewari urged the UT Administrator to give approval to a House resolution providing for a show of hands in place of secret voting, before the next mayoral elections are notified. Last year, the Congress and AAP had contested the elections together. While AAP secured the post of Mayor, the Congress had their candi- Says decision on joint candidates soon MP Manish Tewari, along with city Congress president HS Lucky, addresses mediapersons on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI dates on the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The alliance unseated the BJP from the post of Mayor after eight years. On the controversy surrounding the privatisation of the Electricity Department, Tewari said in principle, he was against the privatisation of government bodies. He said the Congress in the city was spearheading the protest against the decision of the Administration to hand over the power transmission to a private company. Tewari also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for making derogatory remarks against Baba Sahib Bhim Rao Ambedkar. He demanded that Shah must apologise for his uncalled for remarks made against the maker of the remarkable Constitution whom Indians hold in high esteem. The MP said the Constitution not only helped India consolidate politically, but also made strong provisions to bring equality in a badly fragmented society clearing the way to usher in the social and economic justice in the country. City Congress chief HS Lucky said senior leaders of the alliance partners would soon decide on the candidates for the three mayoral posts.