13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.125 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.
chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881
/thetribunechd /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com
US backs India’s proposal for patent Second wave expected to
waiver on vax, but EU still reluctant peak in maximum 15 days
Move crucial to ramp up manufacture of vaccines & drugs to fight raging pandemic
Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
The US has relented to the
six-month-old joint proposal
of India and South Africa at
the WTO asking for a tempo-
rary waiver of intellectual
property (IP) rights on Covid
vaccines and drugs.
If the European Union, the
other major party blocking
the waiver at the WTO, also
agrees to a temporary waiver,
many countries could quick-
ly produce vaccines and life-
saving medicines. They need
not wait for the formalities
and incur costs on patents
NHAI to raise infra
for 63 oxygen plants
in Punjab, Haryana
Vijay C Roy
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 6
To meet the requirement for
oxygen during the second
Covid-19 surge, the National
Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) has been mandated as
a nodal agency by the Centre
for raising infrastructure (civil
and electrical) for the installa-
tion of 63 oxygen plants — 44
in Haryana and 19 in Punjab
— with the help of technology
developed by the Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
The sites for these plants,
ideally on the premises of gov-
ernment hospitals, have been
identified in consultation with
the state governments con-
cerned. Once operational, the
plants will generate on-site
medical oxygen in a cost-
effective manner.
“The civil works began
today in Kapurthala and
Nawanshahr in Punjab and
Panipat, Samalkha and
Rohtak in Haryana. The
NHAI hopes to complete civil
as well as electrical work with-
in seven days,” said RP
Singh, Regional Officer,
NHAI. The medical oxygen
plants will be set up in these
Appoint nodal
officers for O2
supply: HC to J&K
Jammu, May 6
The J&K HC has directed the
administration to nominate
adequate nodal officers to
ensure oxygen supply to
patients undergoing treatment
at home. The court passed the
directions on a suo motu peti-
tion admitted by it last year.
The High Court asked the
UT Health Secretary to sub-
mit a detailed plan within
two weeks. PAGE 9
Ambulance charges ~1.2L for 350-km ride
Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 6
Failing to find a hospital bed
with adequate facilities for her
Covid positive mother, Aman-
deep Kaur of Gurugram some-
how managed to get a bed at a
Ludhiana hospital. But her
struggle didn’t end there.
An ambulance operator
charged her a whopping Rs
1.20 lakh for shifting her
mother Satinder Kaur from
BLINKEN IN UKRAINE TO
SHOW SOLIDARITY WORLD
Patients undergoing treatment at a Bengaluru Covid care centre. PTI
ISSUE COMPULSORY LICENCES FOR JABS, DRUGS: CONG
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has asked the Centre to urgently invoke
compulsory licensing provisions to make Covid jabs easily available.
Work begins in K’thala,
Nawanshahr, Panipat,
Samalkha & Rohtak
locations in collaboration with
private players. Each plant
has the capacity to generate
oxygen with 93% (plus, minus
3%) concentration which can
be directly supplied to hospi-
tal beds or used to fill medical
oxygen cylinders.
The DRDO plants use the
pressure swing adsorption
(PSA) technique and molecu-
lar sieve (zeolite) technology
to generate oxygen directly
from atmospheric air. At pres-
ent, Haryana’s oxygen quota
is 257 MT. With the caseload
rising, the state has already
requested the Centre to
enhance this quota to 300 MT
to ensure uninterrupted oxy-
gen supply across the state.
continued on page 9
Himachalsees60%rise insuicide cases
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, May 6
The Covid-19 pandemic has
increased the risk of psychi-
atric disorders, exacerbating
suicidal behaviour. In
Himachal, 218 persons end-
ed their lives in the first three
months of this year, an
increase of over 60 per cent
compared to the correspon-
ding period last year.
Uncertain future and eco-
nomic fallout, with no hope
Delhi cops file FIR after bill surfaces on social media,
force firm to refund money to Gurugram woman
Maha, Delhi, Pb carry
56% of mutant burden
New Delhi, May 6
Maharashtra, Delhi and Pun-
jab together account for
more than half of the Covid
virus mutation burden in
India, shows government’s
genome sequencing data.
Of the 3,532 variants of con-
cern detected nationally by
the Indian Genome Consor-
tium, 1,982 are in these three
states — Maharashtra lead-
ing with 851 followed by 612
in Delhi and 519 in Punjab.
Dominant mutant in Maha-
rashtra is the B-617, better
known as the double mutant,
which is now spreading fast
across states while in Delhi
and Punjab the majority dom-
inance is of the B117 mutant,
called the UK variant. Of the
SC junks EC plea, won’t expunge Madras HCremarks
New Delhi, May 6
Upholding the media’s right
to report court proceedings,
the Supreme Court on Thurs-
day rejected the Election Com-
mission’s petition seeking to
restrain journalists from
reporting oral remarks of
judges, saying such a demand
went against principles of
open court and the fundamen-
tal right to freedom of speech.
“Citizens have a right to
FACTORS TO BLAME
Loneliness, marital disputes,
financial stress, health prob-
lems, unemployment & job
stress, according to a survey
RISING GRAPH
2019. 2020.
709 856 218
(*TILL MARCH 31)
for early end to the pandem-
ic, have been affecting the
mental health of people aged
NON-RESIDENTS TO BE TAXED IF TRANSACTION MoS ALLEGES ATTACK ON CONVOY
VALUE EXCEEDS ~2 CR BUSINESS BY TRINAMOOL MEN BACK PAGE
4.12 LAKH FRESH CASES
TOTAL DEATHS ACTIVE CASES
2,30,168 35,66,398
3,980 DEATHS IN 24 HOURS
SYDNEY FACES CURBS AFTER
INDIA-LINKED MYSTERY CASE
Australian officials reinstated social
distancing measures across Sydney
as they scrambled to find missing
transmission links in a Covid case
linked to an Indian variant.
SL BANS INDIA TRAVELLERS
Sri Lanka on Thursday banned
arrivals from India due to the record
rise in Covid-19 cases in the neigh-
bouring country.
UK variant dominant
in Delhi & Pb, double
mutant in Maha
519 variants of concern in
Punjab, 516 are UK lineage
strains while of Delhi’s 612
variants of concern, 482 are
UK strains. — TNS
Refuses to restrain media from reporting
oral remarks of judges during proceedings
ELECTION PANEL’S COUNSEL RESIGNS
❝ My values are not in consonance with the current
functioning of the Election Commission. Advocate Mohit D Ram
know about what transpires
in the course of judicial pro-
ceedings... Oral arguments
are postulated on an open
exchange of ideas. It is
between 25 and 60 years, say
health experts. Isolated from
the outside world, elderly
persons and nuclear families
are another section showing
signs of depression, but are
hesitant when it comes to
seeking help, they say.
2021*. While 66 persons died by
suicide in January, the count
rose to 70 and 82 in February
and March. The correspon-
ding figures last year were
47, 44 and 43.
continued on page 9
Gurugram to Ludhiana (a
distance of nearly 350 km).
She said: “The driver had
asked for Rs 1.40 lakh. Since
I had the oxygen stock with
me, he cut the charges by Rs
20,000. When I argued that
the charges were too high, he
refused to budge. I had no
other option since my moth-
er’s life was at stake.”
After admitting her mother
to a hospital in Dugri here,
continued on page 9
and other IP-related rights to
Covid-19 drugs, vaccines and
other treatments.
However, this will not hap-
pen soon. Negotiations will
take time because of the
complexity of the issues
involved and also because
the decision at the WTO has
to be unanimously adopted.
Welcoming the US govern-
ment’s announcement, India
hoped the waiver would be
approved quickly at the WTO.
The MEA said the waiver was
an important step for
enabling rapid scaling up of
manufacture and timely
continued on page 9
Railways cancels
Shatabdi, other
premium trains
New Delhi, May 6
The Northern Railways on
Thursday cancelled a slew
of Rajdhani, Shatabdi and
Duronto trains, stating low
patronisation and rising
Covid cases.
The services of eight
Shatabdi Express, two Rajd-
hani, two Duronto Express
and one Vande Bharat
Express are among around
28 trains that have been can-
celled "till further advice".
Among these are Shatab-
dis originating from Delhi
to places like Kalka, Habib-
ganj, Amritsar, Chandigarh,
Rajdhani trains from Delhi
to Chennai, Bilaspur,
Duronto trains to Jammu
Tawi and Pune. — PTI
through such an exchange
that legal arguments are
tested and analysed,” a
Bench led by Justice DY
Chandrachud said.
RLD leader
Ajit Singh loses
battle with Covid
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
Former Union Minister and
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)
leader Ajit Singh passed away
at a Gurugram hospital on
Thursday morning battling
Covid-19, his family said. He
was 82. Son of former PM
Chaudhary Charan Singh,
Ajit Singh tested positive for
Covid-19 on April 20, the fam-
ily said in a statement.
“Chaudhary Ajit Singh ji
battled his condition till the
very end and breathed his
last today morning,” his son
Jayant Chaudhary said.
continued on page 9
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
India’s top mathematical
expert in charge of Covid trend
predictions says the current sec-
ond wave could peak maxi-
mum within 15 days and even
by the end of the current week.
Prof M Vidyasagar of IIT-Hyder-
abad, who leads Covid-19 India
National Supermodel Commit-
tee, today said the cumulative
cases could peak by May 7 and
at most within 15 days.
“We expect a decline in cas-
es by May 7. Different states
will peak at different times
because some states are wit-
nessing larger surges. But if
you take the cumulative cas-
es, these appear close to the
One-third of 45-plus
citizensgiven1stshot
New Delhi, May 6
One-third of the population
aged 45 years and above has
received at least one Covid
vaccine dose, top Health
Ministry officials informed
PM Narendra Modi at a
review meeting held on
Thursday as daily Covid cas-
es hit a record 4,12,262 and
daily deaths topped 3,980.
At the meeting, attended
among others by ministers
Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah,
Nirmala Sitharaman and
Harsh Vardhan, the PM reit-
erated the need for high-
burden states to impose
local lockdown. The PM was
briefed that 31 per cent of eli-
gible population over the age
The Bench said, “It would
be retrograde to promote the
rule of law and access to jus-
tice on the one hand and
shield the daily operations of
HCs and this court from the
media in all its forms by gag-
ging the reporting of pro-
ceedings, on the other.
“An open court proceeding
ensures that the judicial
process is subject to public
scrutiny. Public scrutiny is
Moral fabric in tatters,
HC on O2 hoarding
New Delhi, May 6
The Delhi High Court on
Thursday said the moral fab-
ric of people had been “dis-
membered” to a great extent
as instead of coming together
to fight the pandemic, they
were engaging in hoarding
and black marketing of
oxygen cylinders, medi-
cines and concentrators.
“We are still not under-
25 deaths in Hisar village in 2 wks
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar/Bhiwani, May 6
After devastating densely
populated cities like Guru-
gram, the pandemic has
started taking its toll on
Haryana’s rural areas.
According to reports, His-
ar’s Sisay village has wit-
nessed over 25 deaths in the
past two weeks. Sources say
most of the deaths remain
unreported as villagers do
A man breaks down after the
death of a relative in Ajmer. PTI
peak now and a decline
should start soon,” Prof
Vidyasagar explained. The
chief of the national model-
ling panel acknowledged
that they completely missed
the peak of the second wave.
The committee had projected
the second Covid spell to peak
at 1.2 lakh cases whereas daily
cases today soared to 4.12 lakh.
This implies that the experts
WASTAGE RATE
PUNJAB HARYANA
4.98% 5.72%
LAKSHADWEEP 9.76%
HIGHEST IN COUNTRY
of 45 had been given at least
one dose. The meeting
reviewed 24 states with
higher than 15 per cent posi-
tivity rate — Haryana, Pun-
jab, Himachal Pradesh and
Delhi among them. — TNS
crucial to maintaining trans-
parency and accountability.”
The EC had challenged
Madras HC’s observation that
the panel was responsible for
the surge in Covid cases and
murder charges must be
slapped on its officers. The
Bench junked EC’s plea, say-
ing oral observations were not
part of “official judicial record”
and there was no question of
expunging these. — TNS
standing the gravity of the
situation and seeing
instances of hoarding and
black-marketing,” the HC
said. The observation came
in response to a suggestion
by a senior lawyer that
retired medical professionals
as well as medical and nurs-
ing students could be tapped
to provide assistance in the
prevailing situation. — PTI
VILLAGERS RESIST TESTING, TREATMENT
■ Most Covid deaths unreported as villagers don’t get
themselves tested despite showing symptoms
■ Villagers are also hesitant on getting vaccinated
■ Instead of getting treatment in hospitals, they prefer
approaching RMPs or local quacks
not get themselves tested
despite showing Covid-like
symptoms.
Baljeet Singh of Sisay said
around 2-3 deaths were taking
place in the village almost
friday | 7 may 2021
underestimated the second
wave peak by 3.43 times, as
acknowledged by PM’s Princi-
pal Scientific Adviser K Vijay
Raghavan yesterday. The
national super modelling com-
mittee had on October 18 last
year (when daily cases began
declining after mid-Septem-
ber peak of 97,000 cases) said
India could curb the pandemic
by early 2021, if everyone fol-
lowed the safety protocol.
The committee, however,
correctly predicted the cumu-
lative case burden in the first
wave at 106 lakh cases. The
actual national caseload was
1,10,96,731 on February 28,
2021, after which third
continued on page 9
edit: Preparing for third wave
IN BRIEF
Dabholkar murder
accused gets bail
MUMBAI: The Bombay HC has
granted bail to Vikram Bhave,
accused of killing rationalist
Narendra Dabholkar in 2013,
saying there are “not enough
reasonable grounds” to con-
clude the charges against him
are prima facie true. — PTI
3 Al-Badr ultras shot
in Shopian encounter
SRINAGAR: Three Al-Badr mili-
tants were killed while one sur-
rendered before security forces
in an encounter in Kanigam
area of Shopian district of Jam-
mu and Kashmir on Thursday,
the police said. PAGE 9
Monsoon to arrive
in Kerala on June 1
NEW DELHI: The southwest
monsoon will arrive in Kerala
around June 1, its normal onset
date, the Met department said
on Thursday. The Met forecast
suggested seasonal rains
would arrive over the Indian
mainland on time. BACK PAGE
Five of family killed in
Hoshiarpur accident
MAHILPUR: Five members of a
family were killed after the
motorcycle they were riding on
collided with a car near Jaitpur
village on the Chandigarh-
Garhshankar-Hoshiarpur road
on Thursday. The car occu-
pants were injured. — TNS
Disability certificate
to be issued online
NEW DELHI: In a relief for people
with disabilities, the Centre has
now made it mandatory for dis-
ability certificates to be issued
online. The Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment has
issued a gazette notification in
this regard. — PTI
every day. Last week, six
deaths were reported in a sin-
gle day. “Most families have
their members suffering from
Covid-like symptoms, yet
continued on page 9
02
Biased policy
on restrictions
hurting: SAD
Mohali, May 6
The SAD today said the Pun-
jab government’s lockdown
policy appeared to be biased
as it was directly hurting
traders and shopkeepers.
SAD senior vice-president
Prem Singh Chandumajra said
with the co-operation of the
state government, the district
administration had forcibly
Questions permission
to liquor contractors
closed down the shops of essen-
tial goods and politicised the
lockdown by permitting liquor
contractors to open their vends.
He said Health Minister Bal-
bir Singh Sidhu had made
statements in favour of liquor
contractors for allowing them
to open their vends and
appeared more concerned
about them than smalltime
shopkeepers. — TNS
Spruce up health infra Traders take to streets against curbs
for third wave, says AAP
Chandigarh, May6
State AAP president and MP
Bhagwant Mann today asked
Chief Minister Capt
Amarinder Singh to convene
a special meeting of the
Finance Minister and the
Health Department in light of
the ongoing Covid-19 pan-
demic, and take adequate
measures for the third wave.
Mann said there was a need
to strengthen the health
infrastructure to combat the
Covid pandemic and the
Chief Minister should
announce special budgetary
arrangements to ensure the
development of health facili-
ties in the hospitals with new
recruitments and immediate
regularisation of the contrac-
tual employees.
Mann said doctors were
resigning due to lack of high
O2 booster for
Ropar, Nangal
Ropar, May6
Industry giant Ambuja
Cement has agreed to set up
oxygen plants at district hos-
pital and sub-divisional hospi-
tal at Nangal. The company
has also in principle given
consent to setting up another
plant and the process had
been initiated.
Ambuja Cement
to set up plants
DC Sonali Giri said the Pres-
sure Swing Adsorption (PSA)
medical oxygen plants for the
district hospitals would
ensure supply to needy
patients. She said the order for
one unit had already been
released yesterday and oxy-
gen supply from the unit
might start in five weeks. This
plant would cater to 50 cylin-
ders per day, she said. — TNS
SGPC opens 25-bed Covid centre Migrants packed like sardines, pvt bus impounded
Ludhiana, May6
The Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee
(SGPC) today opened a 25-
bed Covid care ward at the
Diwan Hall of Gurdwara
Manji Sahib at Alamgir, Lud-
hiana, which will provide free
health care to Covid patients.
Inaugurating the facility,
SGPC president Bibi Jagir
Kaur said the hospital, set up to
provide free oxygen and medi-
cines to Covid patients, would
be manned by medical and
paramedical staff from the
Guru Ram Das Medical Col-
lege and Hospital, Amritsar.
She added that a fully
equipped ambulance would
also be stationed at the centre
which would be put at the dis-
posal of patients and their
family members, in case of
need to shift them to a super-
speciality facility.
She said three more Covid
care wards would be opened
soon at Takht Damdama
Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, Bho-
Cong MPs want 15-day lockdown
Impress upon Capt to follow other states’ practices to contain spread of Covid
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 6
Congress MPs from Punjab
today stressed upon Chief
Minister Capt Amarinder
Singh to impose a lockdown
of at least 15 days on the pat-
tern of other states if the
upward trajectory of the dis-
ease has to be checked.
In a virtual meeting with
the Chief Minister on the
Covid situation, the MPs
from both Houses of Parlia-
ment said lives were more
important than the sched-
uled reopening of the shops.
Citing reports of the coun-
try’s top experts on Covid,
MPs said there advice on the
lockdown to end people to
people contact was very
important and half-hearted
measures would do no good.
The MPs who attended the
meeting included Partap
KEEP TABS ON
PVT HOSPITALS
❝ Looting by private
hospitals has to stop.
They are charging lakhs
of rupees from Covid
patients in the name
of treatment.
Bhagwant Mann, STATE AAP PRESIDENT
quality health facilities in the
government hospitals, which
was very unfortunate.
He said Covid could be
fought not only by prioritising
oxygen production, but also
by strengthening the health
infrastructure. He further
said the Punjab Government
should also take measures
in the wake of impending
third wave. — TNS
F’pur Civil Hospital to have O2 plant
Ferozepur, May 6
Amid reports of hospitals
running out of oxygen in the
wake of the Covid surge in
this border region, the ailing
Civil Hospital at the district
headquarters will soon get an
imported oxygen plant. It is
likely to be commissioned
within a month.
Congress MLA Parminder
Singh Pinki said the plant
had been sanctioned by the
Union Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare on the
insistence of the state gov-
ernment. It is estimated to
cost Rs 1.25 crore. As per
information, the machinery
is being sourced from a for-
eign vendor. The plant with
650 litre per minute capacity
will provide 35 cubic metre
oxygen every hour.
The MLA said another Rs
1.5 crore had been sanctioned
for modernisation of the Civ-
il Hospital, which would
Announces similar facilities at
Talwandi Sabo, Bholath and Patiala soon
A Covid ward at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Alamgir, in Ludhiana.
lath and Patiala in next few
days for which oxygen con-
centrators were also being
imported. “Alamgir Covid
care ward will provide oxy-
gen with the help of oxygen
concentrators imported from
Russia,” she added.
She said to take care of
patients, the medical teams
CM Capt Amarinder Singh
at a meeting with MPs.
SUGGESTIONS FROM PARLIAMENTARIANS
■ The state government should move the High Court seeking
adequate supply of oxygen from the Centre
■ Oxygen plants be made mandatory in 25-bed private
and 50-bed government hospitals across the state
■ Religious institutions should be roped in to arrange oxygen
as on the lines of gurdwaras in the national capital
■ A committee of MPs led by Manish Tewari can coordinate
with the Centre regarding the state’s demands
Singh Bajwa, Shamsher Dul-
lo, Manish Tewari, Gurjit
Singh Aujla, Dr Amar Singh
Our Correspondent
Fatehgarh Sahib, May6
The partial lockdown, which
allowed liquor shops to
remain open, has led to
resentment among traders
and industrialists of Sirhind,
Mandi Gobindgarh, Amloh
and Bassi Pathana towns
of the district.
Raising slogans against the
government, traders in their
respective towns held demon-
stration and disrupted the
traffic on GT Road in Mandi
Gobindgarh. They held meet-
ings with their respective
SDMs and presented them
memorandums to allow them
to open all types of shops.
The traders said either a
complete lockdown be
declared or they should also
be allowed to open their shops
for fixed hours. They said it
would control the pandemic
A worker fills liquid oxygen into a tank at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.
8 YRS ON, DEFUNCT UNIT RESTARTS IN MUKTSAR
An oxygen plant lying non-operational for the past over eight
years at Lubanianwali village in Muktsar was made functional
on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner MK Aravind Kumar said
the plant could prepare 300 cylinders of oxygen every day. TNS
include addition of beds.
He said vacant posts of spe-
cialist doctor were being
filled so that patients did not
have to travel long distances
in emergency.
“We are mindful of the lack
of facilities and a spurt in
would work in two shifts in
this ward. She said the
SGPC had made arrange-
ment of 100-beds each in
advance at Sri Guru Ram-
das Medical Institute of
Medical Sciences and
Research and Sri Guru
Ramdas Charitable Hospital
in Amritsar. — OC
PUNJAB
PRESSURE CENTRE
❝ BJP-ruled Haryana has
got a bigger oxygen quota
and more tankers than
Punjab. I have urged Cong
MPs to pressure the Centre
to augment supplies of
oxygen, tankers and
vaccines. Capt Amarinder Singh, CM
and Preneet Kaur.
Rajya Sabha MP Partap
Bajwa wanted the Punjab
Shopkeepers assemble at Anardana Chowk in Patiala. TRIBUNE PHOTO
FIR AGAINST SHOP OWNERS IN PATIALA
Patiala: Shops in various markets, including that of hand-
loom, cloth, and bakery, in Patiala remained open on
Thursday despite Covid-19 restrictions. The Punjab Beopar
Mandal, Patiala, on Wednesday held a protest and
announced they would open all shops in the city. Following
this, the Patiala police registered an FIR against them. The
police also went around in various markets dissuading
shopkeepers from opening their establishments. TNS
as at present there was huge
rush and panic in the markets
to buy essential commodities
and medicines. Even villagers
medical exigencies. Efforts
are being made to overcome
the challenges,” said the
MLA, adding till the time the
PGI Satellite Centre came
up, all medical services
would be provided at the Civ-
il Hospital itself. — OC
130 headed home stranded | Were charged ~2K each | None had -ve RT-PCR or vax report
AjayJoshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May6
While it has been made
mandatory to show negative
RT-PCR report or Covid vacci-
nation report before entering
the state, private buses operat-
ing in the night are flouting
the guidelines.
Against 50 per cent capacity
norms, the buses mostly oper-
ating during the curfew hours
also stack passengers double
the sitting capacity. The illegal
buses, having tourist permit,
mostly operate from Jaland-
har bus stand or the Amritsar-
Jalandhar-Phagwara high-
way. Charging exorbitantly,
the operators allow passen-
gers to board the buses with-
out RT-PCR reports.
Dozens of migrant workers
were also offloaded from a pri-
vate bus on Wednesday mid-
night after members of taxi
unions protested against the
Government to follow in
the footsteps of Delhi to
move the Punjab and
Haryana High Court seek-
ing adequate supply of oxy-
gen from the Centre.
He further said the Cabinet
should bring changes in the
rules to ensure that oxygen
plants should be mandatory
in a 25-bed private hospital
and 50-bed government hos-
pital. Bajwa announced to
donate Rs 2.5 crore for setting
up oxygen plants in govern-
ment hospitals at Batala,
Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
Lok Sabha MP from Amrit-
sar GS Aujla urged the Chief
Minister to set up a commit-
tee of MPs under Anandpur
Sahib MP Manish Tewari to
coordinate with the Union
Home Minister and Health
Minister regarding Covid-
related demands of Punjab.
He said the time had been
are rushing to towns to hoard
essential goods.
SDM Fatehgarh Sahib SDM
Dr Sanjeev Kumar said he had
Health officials
raid pvt hospital
Muktsar, May6
Acting on a complaint, a team
of the health department
along with the police and civ-
il administration today con-
ducted a raid at a private hos-
pital in Gidderbaha. The
team reportedly found more
than the permitted number
of Covid positive patients
admitted there.
Find norms being
flouted in Covid ward
Notably, the hospital is
run by former chief medical
officer (CMO), Muktsar, Dr
HN Singh and his family.
Though Dr Singh said four
Covid patients were admitted
to the hospital, Gidderbaha
SDM Om Parkash said eight
patients were found admitted
to the hospital. The Gidderba-
ha senior medical officer will
conduct an inquiry. — TNS
A private bus ferrying migrants at the Jalandhar bus stand on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH
illegal movement of buses.
Against the capacity norm,
migrants were reportedly
stacked in the bus. In a 55-
seater bus, there were report-
edly 130 migrants being fer-
sought to hold a meeting
with Union Home and
Health Ministers.
The MPs pointed out that if
the Centre could accept
Covid-related help from Chi-
na, it could do the same from
Pakistan as it was easy to
arrange oxygen from across
the border. The Chief Minis-
ter pointed out that their
demand to arrange oxygen
from Pakistan was struck
down by the Centre.
The MPs urged the CM to
involve religious institutions
in fight against Covid and
seek their help in arranging
oxygen as was being done by
gurdwaras in Delhi.
The CM briefed the MPs
about various initiatives and
sought their cooperation in
pressing upon the Centre to
ensure regular supply of vac-
cine, oxygen and tankers to
counter the deadly wave.
a meeting with Beopar Mandal
members. He said he would
brief the Deputy Commission-
er and hoped the issued would
be sorted out soon. Amloh
SDM Anand Sagar Sharma
and his Bassi Pathana counter-
part Jaspreet Singh said
traders had submitted similar
memoranda and they would
discuss the issue with the DC.
Deputy Commissioner Amrit
Kaur Gill said the administra-
tion had sent its proposal to the
state government to settle the
issue at the earliest.
Meanwhile, industrialists
urged Chief Minister Capt
Amarinder Singh to intervene
to stop the migration of
labourers as most of the 600
industrial units of Mandi Gob-
indgarh have shut due to the
non-supply of oxygen. They
demanded a partial resump-
tion of supply of oxygen to
keep the industries running.
Malerkotla SDM, officials visit
isolation ward, take feedback
sangrur, May 6
To audit facilities being pro-
vided to Covid patients,
Malerkotla SDM along with
other senior officers visited
the patients in Malerkotla
hospital by wearing PPE kits
and interacted with them.
“I along with our senior
medical officer went inside
the level 2 isolation centre at
the Malerkotla civil hospital.
The sole purpose of my visit
was to interact with positive
patients directly and take
feedback about facilities,”
said Malerkotla SDM T
Benith. The team of officers
took feedback from patients
about food and other facilities
in the hospital.
Similarly, to boost the
morale of Covid patients,
Sangrur Deputy Commis-
sioner Ramvir has been inter-
ried. After charging over Rs
2,000 per head, around four
migrants were accommodat-
ed in one sleeper seat and
three in two seats.
Sushil Kumar, a 25-year-old
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
A woman receives a dose of Covid vaccine in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO
10,000 cases a day
by third week likely
Vishav Bharti
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 6
The number of Covid
deaths has reached the
10,000-mark in Punjab, with
the last 40 days accounting
for around 33 per cent of the
fatalities. It has taken a toll
on the state with 45 per cent
of the cases so far being
reported in this period.
Experts say the state is
yet to see the worst as the
number of cases may hit
10,000 per day in the third
week of May.
The first case of Covid was
reported on March 8 last year
and the first death was
reported on March 18. In one
year, till March 28, 2021, the
state reported 2.31 lakh cases
and 6,690 deaths.
Between March 28 and May
7, the state has reported 1.85
lakh cases and around 3,300
deaths. The situation is wors-
ening with each passing day.
On Wednesday, the number of
fresh infections crossed 8,000
in a single day for the first
time. Similarly, 182 deaths
Officials outside an isolation ward in Malerkotla. TRIBUNE PHOTO
acting with patients on
mobile and directed all senior
officers of the district to take
direct feedback from patients
to bring further improve-
ment. “Our all officers have
been working hard to provide
required facilities to the
Covid patients. I have been
migrant who boarded the bus
from Amritsar, told the police
that the bus conductor asked
him to pay Rs 2,250 if he want-
ed to go to his village in Uttar
Pradesh. However, even after
THE TRIBUNE
Last 40 days account
for 33% of fatalities
COVID METER
Cases 8,874
Critical 238
Active 66,568
Deaths 154
WORST-AFFECTED DISTRICTS
DISTRICT
Ludhiana
CASES
1,257
DEATHS
19
SAS Nagar 942 6
Jalandhar 916 12
Bathinda 847 9
were also the highest ever.
The current spike may
continue through the
month of May, experts say.
Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, state’s
nodal officer for Covid,
said: “As per the statistical
models prepared by the
experts, the number of cas-
es may reach 10,000 per day
by the third week of May.
We are expecting plateau
after that and then cases
may decline in June.”
calling our officers posted in
Covid wards and interacting
with patients. Every evening,
we ensure the redressal of
maximum complaints of
Covid patients. We also
appeal to residents to follow
Covid guidelines,” the
DC said. — TNS
paying the money, he was
made to share the seat with
three other passengers. After
being stranded on the high-
way near Rama Mandi, the
migrants were forced to either
walk on foot or arrange for
other transportation.
Narrating his ordeal,
migrant Pankaj said when he
questioned the driver about
overcrowding, he was slapped
and forced to share his seat.
Cantt police station SHO
Ajaib Singh said not only the
bus had been seized, but an
FIR has also been registered
against the driver and the con-
ductor under Section 188 of
the IPC. He confirmed that
there were 130 passengers in
the bus against the limit of 25.
DC Ghanshyam Thori
assured to take strict action
against the illegal bus opera-
tors ferrying passengers with-
out RT-PCR reports and violat-
ing Covid protocol.
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
Relatives mourn the death of a family member at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. RAJESH SACHAR
20% death rate at Patiala hospital,
minister blames high caseload
Says delayed admission adding to crisis |27 die in 24 hrs
Tribune News Service
Patiala, May 6
Amid record Covid fatalities
at Government Rajindra
Hospital, Medical Education
Minister OP Soni said higher
caseload and late reporting of
patients was the reason for
high number of deaths.
He visited the hospital
today to review the “worsen-
ing” situation of the Covid
ward here. He said the protest
of the attendants over mis-
management at the isolation
ward had prompted his visit.
Notably, family members of
the Covid-19 patients at the
isolation ward had staged a
protest on Tuesday against
non-delivery of food to their
patients. The attendants had
~6 cr raised for India’s Covid relief work in UK, Europe
People of all age groups participated in the event organised in
London to raise funds for Covid-19 relief work in India. TRIBUNE PHOTO
Farmers fume as lifting
stopped invillageyards
Sameer Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 6
The Punjab Mandi Board’s
decision to stop wheat pro-
curement in mandis estab-
lished at the village-level
(sub-yards and procure-
ment centres) in 17 districts
of the states has not gone
down well among farmers
in the Malwa region.
They said the move would
force them to take their pro-
duce to procurement centres
distantly located (block-lev-
el mandis or city) thereby
putting additional burden of
transportation charges apart
from causing inconvenience
to them. Farmers said owing
to acute shortage of bardana
initially, the procurement
was already delayed and
many of them were forced to
store their produce inside
their houses and now, the
government wanted to stop
procurement in villages.
Notably, the Punjab State
Agricultural Marketing
Board issued a notification
to district mandi officers
(DMOs) through which
more than 3,500 mandis
(purchase centres) had been
notified to decongest the
operations during wheat
Milk, eggs added to
daily diet of patients
also alleged lack of response
to the SOS of their patients.
After a meeting with the
higher-ups, Soni said: “High
patient load, along with late
admission at the hospital, is
the only reason for higher
death rate at Rajindra. Criti-
cal patients from other states
are also adding to the Covid
deaths here.” With 27 patients
dying in the past 24 hours, the
death rate at the hospital is
reportedly above 20 per cent.
On course correction of mis-
management at the hospital
being alleged by the atten-
dants, the minister said he had
AAP wants MSP on
veggies to help growers
tide over Covid crisis
procurement to minimise
health risks to farmers.
As per the notification, pro-
curement of wheat at village-
level purchase centres and
sub-yards will be discontin-
ued from May 6 in Bathinda,
May 7 in Mansa, Barnala,
Jalandhar, Muktsar, Fer-
ozepur and Faridkot and
May 8 in Kapurthala, while
procurement in village-level
yards has already been
stopped in other districts.
Saroop Singh Sidhu, a
farmer from Raman village in
Bathinda, said, “We want the
government to extend the
date for procurement at vil-
lage-level yards till May 15.”
Dara Singh, superinten-
dent, District Mandi Board,
Bathinda, said, “We will
ensure that purchase of
wheat already lying at local
yards be made but from now
on, farmers will have to
bring their produce to block-
level mandis. We had
already made this
announcement through
loudspeakers in all villages.”
already directed the authorities
to address people’s grievances.
Accompanied by Medical
Education Secretary DK
Tiwari, Soni said he had come
to Patiala after the attendants
of positive patients had
protested outside the isola-
tion wing of the hospital.
“We discussed the issues of
food and other items sent by
the attendants to the patients.
It will be ensured that the
items reach the patients in
time. Besides, family mem-
bers of patients can have a
glimpse of their patients in
the control room,” he said.
He said to improve the
quality of food being made
available to the patients,
milk and eggs had been
added to their daily diet.
Raj Sadosh
Abohar, May 6
BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha in the UK and
Europe has raised over £6
lakh (Rs 6.14 crore) in six
days to support BAPS’s
Covid-19 relief work in India.
NGO’s international servic-
es director Ishwercharan
Swami said Swaminarayan
Mandir, London, launched an
emergency campaign to sup-
port the BAPS relief efforts in
India. “As a part of this initia-
tive, BAPS began a ‘Cycle to
Save Lives in India’ cam-
paign — a 48-hour, non-stop
static relay cycle challenge. It
aimed to cover 7,600 km —
the distance between London
and Delhi — but ended up
almost tripling that by
PUNJAB
621 fake Remdesivir
vials found in Bhakra
1,456 ampoules of Cefoperazone seized too |Probe on
Tribune News Service
Ropar, May 6
As many as 621 fake Remde-
sivir injection vials were
found dumped in the Bhakra
canal near here today.
The drug, prescribed for
serious cases of Covid 19,
is short in supply and sev-
eral cases of black market-
ing have been reported in
the recent past.
Besides Remdesivir, hun-
dreds of Cefoperazone
injection vials were also
found floating in the canal.
While Remdesivir vials
were packed in cartons and
bore the manufacturer’s
address of Telangana with
Rs 5,400 per vial as MRP, the
wrappers of Cefoperazone
vials with “For government
supply, not for sale” mark-
ing bore the manufactur-
er’s address of Kala Amb in
Himachal Pradesh.
Ropar SSP Akhil Chaud-
Bathinda zoo shut 2 officials stationed at Bokaro
Bathinda, May 6
After eight lions tested posi-
tive for Covid-19 at a Hyder-
abad zoo earlier this week, the
Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
has ordered closure of zoos for
public till May 31.
Pawan Sridhar, Forest Range
Officer, Bir Talab Zoo, said: “In
the wake of rising cases, the CZA
has as a precautionary measure
directed closure of the zoo for
public with immediate effect till
May 31. Further decisions will be
787 persons cycled
20,127 km for 48
hours to raise funds
cycling 20,127 km. 787 partic-
ipants, as part of a relay,
cycled during the day and
throughout the night in three
days at BAPS Swaminarayan
mandirs in London, Chigwell
and Leicester,’ he said.
Their collective efforts were
sponsored by more than
15,000 donors. The cycles were
arranged outside the respec-
tive mandirs, following strict
social distancing guidelines.
They were also thoroughly
sanitised after every use.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan
tweeted: “The suffering we
are seeing in India is heart-
WILL TALK TO OTHER STATES
❝ We will contact police of
other states where fake
injections might have been
seized in recent days.
— Akhil Chaudhary, ROPAR SSP
<< An official holds a fake
Remdesivir injection vial found
floating in the Bhakra canal near
Ropar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO
hary said the police received
information that a large num-
ber of vials were floating in the
canal near Salempur village.
A police team led by the
Chamkaur Sahib DSP
accompanined by health
officials visited the spot and
seized Remdesivir and Cef-
operazone vials. During
search upstream at Balsan-
da village, more vials were
recovered, he added.
In all, 621 Remdesivir and
1,456 Cefoperazone vials
Move after lions test
+ve in Hyderabad
taken after reviewing the situa-
tion.” The decision to temporar-
ily close the zoo was taken after
lions tested positive for Covid-19
at a Hyderabad zoo. The move
was aimed at ensuring safety of
animals. All protocols inside
their enclosures would be fol-
lowed, Sridhar said. — TNS
breaking. Once again, Neas-
den Temple has stepped up
to raise funds for those who
desperately need help.”
Ketan Patel, one of the
cyclists, said: “Like so many
others, it’s been heart-break-
ing watching the news about
the situation in India. I thor-
oughly enjoyed cycling in the
early hours of the morning. It
reminded me of those brave
medics and volunteers work-
ing day and night in India.”
Radhika Kholia, a volunteer
who was logging the distance
covered by each cyclist and
sanitising the bikes, said:
“Our hearts and prayers go
out to all those suffering in
India. Although we are thou-
sands of km away from them,
every distance logged from
the cyclists brought us closer.”
were seized from the two
spots. In addition, 849 unla-
belled vials were recovered.
Drug Control Officer Tejin-
der Singh said prima facie
the medicines were fake.
The labels on vials did not
match with those of original
vials of the same company.
The SSP said the police
have initiated investigation
and would contact police of
other states where fake
injections might have been
seized in recent days.
Ludhiana, May 6
Two officials — Udeydeep
Singh Sidhu, Director, Lotter-
ies, and HS Negi, State Tax
Officer (Audit Wing), nomi-
nated as nodal officers, have
been sent to Bokaro (Jhark-
hand) for smooth procure-
ment of medical oxygen. The
officials will be stationed at
Bokaro till further orders.
An official with the state gov-
ernment said these officials
had been sent for getting has-
Envoy dials bizman,
seeks aid for Afghans
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, May 6
Afghanistan Ambas-
sador to India Farid
Mamundzay has sent an
SOS to Dubai-based Pun-
jabi businessman Surinder
Pal Singh Oberoi, request-
ing him to arrange food
stock and medical aid for
nearly 19,000 of his compa-
triots hit by Covid crisis
across the country.
Oberoi, taking cognisance of
the Ambassador’s appeal, has
started transporting hun-
dreds of ration packets, each
weighing 20 kg, for the
Afghan refugees. The first
four tranches of food stock
have been sent to cities like
New Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and
Hyderabad, where the con-
centration of refugees is more
as compared to other places.
Medical aid and Covid-relat-
ed material too were dis-
patched from Patiala yester-
day. The exercise is being
planned and executed through
“Sarbat Da Bhala”, Oberoi’s
charitable organisation.
To ensure smooth
procurement of O2
tle-free oxygen from Jhark-
hand. “We are air lifting two
tankers daily and sending
them to Bokaro and then
bringing them back with oxy-
gen by road. Till now, the state
government has procured
about 250 MT of oxygen from
there. The state government
03
HOPE RESTORED
Thank you @SPSOberoi
for the generosity
displayed in supporting
the Afghan refugees in
New Delhi. I am humbled to
witness the restoration of
hope & dignity in the lives of
many destitute people
through your kind gesture.
Farid Mamundzay, AFGHAN ENVOY TO INDIA
Thanking Oberoi, the
Ambassador has tweeted, “I
am humbled to witness the
restoration of hope and dig-
nity in the lives of many
destitute people through
your kind gesture.”
The Afghanistan Embassy, on
receiving reports that nearly
4,000 Afghan families were bat-
tling hunger at various cities, got
in touch with the businessman.
“These are depressing times
where men, institutions and
even countries are fast running
out of resources. I have assured
the Ambassador that not a single
refugee will sleep on an empty
stomach,” Oberoi said.
has asked the Centre to provide
more tankers to send them to
Jharkhand,” said the official.
About 250-260 MT of oxy-
gen is needed daily and the
state has no stocks. Any
interruption in the supply
can put Punjab in trouble.
Meanwhile, Vardhman
Industries has also started its
oxygen generation plant. MD
Sachit Jain said: “Around
2,000 cylinders are being sup-
plied daily.” — TNS
04
CLASSIFIEDS
ADMISSION GUIDANCE
Expert guidance for Ph.D (all
subjects) LL.B, LL.M, BA, MA,
B.Com, M.Com, BCA, MCA, BBA,
MBA, Diploma, B.Tech, M.Tech,
Pharmacy and many more. Contact:
81980-45019. (CL21011869)
PROPERTY FOR SALE
8 marla triple storey kothi in
Phase 7, North East facing with
separate parking. Getmax Realtors.
81968-97777. (CL21012006)
Brand new # 2231, 5 marla triple
storey independent & floor wise kothi
in Aero City C-Block. Call: 81968-
97777. (CL21012008)
Chandigarh: One kanal old house,
Sector 11, Chandigarh. Contact
93161-12756. (CL21012065)
CHANDIGARH
6 marla 1st and 2nd floors available
in Sector 20, Chandigarh. Call: 62833-
66143. (CL21012007)
PROPERTY WANTED
Wanted at Chandigarh 2 or 1 kanal
kothi, clear title payment time 30 days.
Genuine seller. Contact: Jeet Associates
96468-09090. (CL21011915)
PLOT FOR SALE
Plots/ kothies available in Aerocity,
IT City & Sec 88-89, Mohali.
Call 62833-66143. (CL21012009)
Emaar Plots for sale 544 sy plot
corner facing park Sector- 105 500 sy
Villa in Sector -108 newly built 400 sy
house for sale many more for details Pls
Call: 81968-97777. (CL21012010)
Emaar plots for sale 390 sy corner
facing park Sector -108, 300 sy plot
facing park front pocket MLU Sector -
109, 300 sy plot ordinary location AP-
395, Sector 109, Bangalow in Sector
108, many more for details Pls Call:
81968-97777. (CL21012012)
PLOT WANTED
Wanted all sizes plots/ kothies
in Aerocity, IT City, Emaar, Sector
88/ 89, Mohali. Call 62833-66143.
(CL21012013)
FLAT FOR SALE
3+1 BHK flat with terrace,
2nd floor in ACME Eden Court,
Sector 91, Mohali. Call 81968-97777.
(CL21012011)
For Circulation and Advertisement
booking and other related queries
please call at following numbers
from Monday to Saturday
between 10.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.
Circulation:
0172-2670319, 2670250, 2670442
E-mail at
circulation@tribunemail.com
Advertisement:
Classified: 0172-2670257, 2670338
E-mail at
classified@tribunemail.com
Display: 0172-2670256, 2670342
E-mail at advt@tribunemail.com
PUBLIC NOTICES
I, Kapil Garg s/o Satpal, r/o Sekhon
Colony, Samana, Distt. Patiala,
have changed my name to Kapil Dev.
(CL21012216)
I, Vanika Garg d/o Kapil Dev,
r/o Sekhon Colony Samana, Distt.
Patiala, have changed my name to
Vanika. (CL21012274)
I, Ramneek s/o Late Sh. Inder
Mohan Lal Arora r/o 87, Majitha
House, Albert Road, Amritsar,
Punjab India, have changed my name
from Ramneek to Ramneek Arora.
Concerned note. (CL21012081)
I, Jyoti Chawla w/o Ramneek Arora
r/o 87, Majitha House, Albert Road,
Amritsar, Punjab India, have changed
my name from Jyoti Chawla to Rashi
Arora. Concerned note. (CL21012082)
I, Jaspreet Singh Dhaliwal S/o Late
Khaibar Singh R/o House No. 3148/1,
Sector 47-D, Chandigarh Pin - 160047
have changed my name to Jaspreet
Singh. (CL21012085)
I, Mahalaksmi Murthy W/o K.
Sundaramurthy R/o 5/1, Patel Street,
Nandavanamettur, Kamarajnagar,
Thruvallur, declare my name wrongly
recorded as Mahalaksmi Murthy
instead of S. Mahalaksmi in my
husband’s service records. Concerned
note. (CL21012086)
I, Yogesh S/o K.Sundaramurthy R/o
5/1, Patel Street, Nandavanamettur,
Kamarajnagar, Thruvallur, declare my
name wrongly recorded as Yogesh
instead of S. Yogesh in my father’s
service records. Concerned note.
(CL21012088)
I, No. 14903258-L, Rank: Ex Naik
Gurbaksh Singh, Village: Bhrahampur,
PO Gondpur Banehra, Tehsil Ghanari,
Distt. Una (HP), in Army documents
mistakenly entered my son name be
corrected as Vishal Sipehia instead of
Vishal Singh. (CL21012187)
COURT NOTICE
(U/o 5 Rule 20 CPC)
In the Court of
Sh. Tejpartap Singh Randhawa
Civil Judge,
Senior Division,
Chandigarh.
IDBI Bank Ltd.
Versus
M/s Jai Jagannath Karyana Store
For Recovery of
Rs. 5,05,066.36/-
CNR No.:
CHCH02-001098-2020
Next Date: 16.07.2021
Publication issued to:
(i) M/s Jai Jagannath Karyana
Store, through its Prop. Malay
Malik, Main Market, Dera
Bassi, Dappar, Near PNB
Bank, Distt. Mohali.
(ii) Malay Malik Prop. M/s Jai
Jagannath Karyana Store,
H.No. 290, VPO Dappar, Teh.
Dera Bassi, Distt. Mohali.
In above titled case, the
defendant(s)/respondent(s) could
not be served. It is ordered that
defendant(s)/respondent(s)
should appear in person or
through counsel on 16.07.2021 at
10.00 a.m.
For details logon to
https://highcourtchd.gov.in/?
trs=district_notice&district=
chandigarh
Dated, this day of 06.04.2021.
Sd/-
Civil Judge,
Senior Division,
CL21012110 Chandigarh.
PUNJAB THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
1 of 3 Patiala jail Warring Cong factions huddle up SAD(A)tohold
‘panthic’rally
escapees nabbed
SACRILEGE CASES To prevail upon state govt to punish perpetrators at Bargari
Rajmeet Singh Denying attending any such Bathinda, May 6
Patiala, May 6 Tribune News Service meeting, Dhillon said: “If SAD (Amritsar) and United
Almost a week after three Fled without external Chandigarh, May 6 anyone interested in solv- Akali Dal have announced
convicts escaped from the In a major political develop- ing the sacrilege and police holding a ‘panthic’ confer-
Patiala central jail, the police
help, claim sources ment, different warring fac- firing cases calls me, I will ence at Bargari on June 1
today arrested one of them tions within the Punjab Con- go. For me, the respect of against the state government
while he was visiting his vil- inmates. The police were gress, including Navjot the holy book is above all.” for allegedly failing to pro-
lage to borrow money. investigating how they man- Singh Sidhu, have finally Other leaders did not vide justice to families of vic-
The police arrested Inder- aged to scale a 10-foot inner “regrouped” themselves to take calls for comment. tims in Behbal Kalan and
jeet Singh from his village wall and the 12-foot outer pressure the Congress gov- Sources said ahead of the Kotkapura firing incidents.
where he had gone wall. “The three made ernment to fulfil its poll Navjot Singh Sidhu Sukhjinder Randhawa meeting, Channi went to The announcement was
to borrow money a hole in the cell wall promises of punishing the Patiala to meet Sidhu made by leaders of Sikh out-
from a friend. and scaled the two out- perpetrators of the sacrilege SERIES OF MEETINGS before the latter met Rand- fits during a press conference
The arrest is er walls without get- and subsequent police firing hawa. Sidhu is learnt to in Bathinda on Thursday.
likely to shed light ting noticed,” said a cases of Kotkapura, besides Meetings of party leaders, including former Cabinet min- have told the party leaders Eiman Singh Mann, leader
on how the three source inside the jail. eliminating the transport ister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Cooperation Minister Sukhjin- he was committed to the of SAD (A), said, “With the
der Randhawa, Technical Education Minister Charanjit
scaled two jail “We learnt about it in and drug mining mafia.
Channi, and some MLAs were held over past two days
Gandhi family and would quashing of investigation by
walls. Sources the morning when one Apparently learning from not leave the party at any the High Court in the Kotka-
claimed the Inderjit Singh of the jail guard notices the past experiences, the cost, as was being reported pura firing incident being
inmate told the police they the hole during the change of leaders are learnt to have WANT POLL PROMISES FULFILLED for the past few days. carried out by the SIT led by
received no external help guard,” said the source. agreed among themselves The development created IG Kunwar Vijay Partap
and escaped by scaling the
two walls on their own.
The convicts who allegedly
fled the jail included Sher
not to precipitate any leader-
ship crisis or fight for posi-
❝ The issue is not to target anyone but to prevail
upon government to act fast on the promise and
upheaval both in political
circles and official circles. It
Singh, justice has been
denied to families of victims.
“However, his claim is Singh of Vanike village in tions or ministerial berth break narrative of ‘friendly match’ with Akalis. CONG MLA is learnt the Chief Minis- Panthic organisations have
being verified and will be cor- Amritsar; Inderjeet Singh and instead work to consoli- ter’s Office was also aware gheraoed the HC and sub-
roborated when the other two Dhiana of Ranipur Komboa date party’s position in run about the development. mitted memorandum to
are arrested,” said a senior village in Kapurthala; and up to the 2022 Assembly minister Navjot Singh Sid- Kushaldeep Dhillon, Bal- An MLA said the issue judges of district and ses-
police official. The three had Jaspreet Singh Noopi of elections by getting all hu, Cooperation Minister winder Laddi and Barin- was not to target anyone sions courts. We have decid-
escaped following alleged Dhadi village in Roopnagar. poll promises fulfilled. Sukhjinder Randhawa, dermeet Singh Pahra over but to prevail upon the ed to hold a conference in
laxity on part of jail officials Patiala SSP Vikramjeet To give shape to its agen- Technical Education Min- the past two days. government to act fast on Bargari where Sikh organi-
last week. All three were Duggal said raids were on da, meetings of the ister Charanjit Channi, One such meeting took the promise and break the sations will converge to start
lodged in the Koratine bar- to nab the other two regrouped party leaders was and MLAs Fateh Jung place yesterday at a private narrative of “friendly an agitation against the state
rack, which houses cells for escapees. — TNS attended by former Cabinet Bajwa, Pargat Singh, residence in Panchkula. match” with Akalis. government.” — TNS
HARYANA MEDICAL SERVICES
Short on manpower, smooth supply
CORPORATION LIMITED,
(A Government of Haryana Undertaking)
Probe bribe
racket, CVC
Bays No. 59-62, Sector-2, Panchkula,
Phone: 0172-2590608
NOTICE INVITING TENDERS (NIT)
HMSCL Invites e-tenders for two years Rate Contract for Oxygen
Cylinder "B Type" and Oxygen Cylinder "D Type" on the website
www.etenders.hry.nic.in. Please see corrigendum if any regarding
these tenders on the website www.etenders.hry.nic.in only.
tells Vigilance
Chandigarh, May 6
in summer tall order for powercom
Taking a serious note of the Aman Sood With Covid, labour and
Managing Director,
alleged bribery racket in the Tribune News Service material are already in
HMSCL, Panchkula
PRDH/2222/11/50/2022/2853/31/4
Punjab Mining Department, Patiala May 6 shortage,” he said.
exposed with the arrest of Facing shortage of men, Insiders say there are about
PUNJAB MANDI BOARD mining officer Simarpreet material and finances, the 24,400 vacant posts of assis-
E-Mail- pmbxencldh@punjab.gov.in
Kaur Dhillon, Chief Vigi- Punjab State Power Corpora- tant engineer, junior engi-
NOTICE INVITING ONLINE BIDS lance Commissioner Justice tion Limited (PSPCL) is fac- neer, lineman, meter reader
TENDER NOTICE 12 (2021) DATE 05.05.2021 Mehtab Singh Gill (retd) ing a Herculean task to meet and revenue assistant, and
On behalf of Governor of Punjab, Executive Engineer (C) Punjab has asked the Vigilance the peak paddy and summer the PSPCL had failed to
Mandi Board Ludhiana invites bids from Eligible bidders registered with Bureau to initiate a probe. season demand, which has recruit sufficient staff.
Punjab Mandi Board for Providing and special Repair of Sewerage
Scheme, Storm Water Drainage Scheme, Pumping Machinery and Rising The bureau had arrested already started rising. SCARCITY OF TRANSFORMERS, CABLES “The PSPCL expects the
Dhillon and two support The number of overloaded peak power demand in the
❝ Every year, there is a shortage of distribution
Main Line & Providing & Laying Interlocking Tiles in Parking Area In front
Small Shops in old Mandi Mullanpur M.C Mullanpur Distt Ludhiana. staff earlier this week for transformers for agriculture state will be around 14,400
(LDH-21-008). For detail terms and conditions of notice inviting bids, refer
to website https://eproc.punjab.gov.in/ allegedly accepting Rs pump sets is around 2,400 transformers, LT cables, insulators and 11 KV cables. MW. It usually becomes
Corrigendum, if any, will only be issued on website. 25,000 in bribe from a stone and majority of them are in The damage rate of the distribution transformers deficit in terms of peak
Sd/- Executive Engineer (C) crusher in Anandpur Sahib. the west zone which pose a is around 9 per cent. With Covid, labour and demand from June to Octo-
DPR/Pb/4339 Punjab Mandi Board Ludhiana. The bureau officials said threat to the government material are already in short supply. PSPCL OFFICIAL ber and in terms of energy
Dhillon had not even with- commitment of providing an (million units) from July
OFFICE"OF"THE"MUNICIPAL"COUNCIL."AHMEDGARH"*SANGRUR+ drawn her salary for the past 8-hour power supply to tube to August onwards,”
ੋਜ਼ੇ੨ ੍ਯ੨ ਭ�ੰ੪. ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�"*ੰ�ਯ੨�੨+ three years. AAP MLA from wells as the “strengthening state and the south zone, Bathinda and Gurdaspur. said All-India Power
Office Ph0"No0"23897/4;2238"Mail<"ddlgp_ahmedgarh@{ahoo0com Ropar Amarjeet Singh Sandoa of its electrical infrastructure with around 1,250, tops the A senior PSPCL official Engineers’ Federation
No0"36;314243 Dated<"70704243 had also been complaining of the state” is still pending. list. A whole lot of overloaded confirmed to The Tribune spokesperson VK Gupta.
ਮੁ��ੀ"ੜ�੪ੀ against her. However, Dhillon The overloading of distri- transformers in the south that following “shortage of Last year, the maximum
ੱ੨"ਝ੦"੭"ਮ�ੰ"੍ �"ੰ�ਿਵੇ"ਭੀੇ�"ਸ�ਙੋ�"ੱ�"ਿਭ"੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�"੭�੪�"ੌ�੨ਭ�ਾ"੨��"ਆੇ� claimed she was giving a cut in bution transformers for zone are from the Sangrur men and material”, there demand of the state was
ੜੂੀ"ੱ�ਟ"ਵੁ�ਯੀ"੍�"ੱਾ�ਠੂ"੪ਟ"ਝਗ਼ੂ�"੦ੇ�"�0"44."ਿ੦ੇੀ":0;04242"੨�ੱ�"�੭�੍"ਭੀੇ�"ੱ��"ਞੱ the bribe to senior officials in agriculture pump sets and circle,” PSPCL officials said. were some hurdles to ensure recorded at 13,145 MW in
ਵੁ�ਯੀ"੍
�"ੱਾ�ਠੂ"ਜੇ�"ਿ�ੰ"ੋ�"੦੪ੜ�"ਵੁ�ਭੂ"ੰੜ�ੌੀ"ਮੁ��ੀ"ੜ�੪ੀ"�੦ੇੀ"3502704243"੍
�"ੰ੭�੨�"33022"੭ਸ� the department. Justice Gill overloaded 11 KV feeders Data suggests there are uninterrupted supply of July against a projection for
ੋਜ਼ੇ੨"੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�"�੭ਮ�"੨�ਮੀ"ਯਟ"ੱ��"ਞੰ"ੜ�੪ੀ"�੭ਵ"�ੱ�ੰ�"੪�ੂ"ੋ�"ਵ�ੱ੭�੍"ੰ�ਸੂ said the aspect needed to be in a number of circles may around 900 overloaded 11 KV power in the state. “Every 13,615 MW. PSPCL CMD A
ਠਭੇ"ਿ੦ੇੀ"ਜੇ�"ੰ੦�"ਜ੍ੁੰ�੨"ੋਜ਼ੇ੨"੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�"�੭ਮ�"ੱ��੨"ੱ�"ਭ�"ੜ�੪ੀ"ੋ�"ੰਭੋ� probed further. He also took pose continuous power feeders in the state. The bor- year, there is a shortage of Venu Prasad said though
ੱ੍�"ੜ�੪ੀ"ੰੜ�ੌੀ"�੨�੨੭"ਭੀ੦ੇ."ੋੰੇ�੭��"ਜੇ�"੮੨ੇ�ਙ"�ਭੰ�"੭ੀ"ਭ�੦/ਭ�੨"੭�੪�"�ੋ੍"ੋਜ਼ੇ੨ੀ"ੰ੦� note of the reports that many supply problems during der zone and south zone distribution transformers, there was a shortage of mate-
ੋ�੨�੍"੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�"�੭ਮ�"੭�ਮੀਝਙ"ਸ�"ੰਭੋੀਝਙ"ੱ੍� stone crushers had com- the paddy season. share more than 50 per cent LT cables, insulators and 11 rial and manpower, they were
ੰੱੀ1/"�ੌ�੍. ੰੱੀ1/"ਭ�੨ਸੰ�ੌਭ"ਜਜ਼ੰ੨. plained against her earlier and “There are around 1,400 of this total. The circle-wise KV cables. The damage rate working on it. “We are sure to
੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�� DPR/Pb/4355 ੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�� these complaints needed to be non-agriculture power-over- major overloaded feeders are of the distribution trans- manage the affairs during
looked into. — TNS loaded transformers in the in Sangrur, Taran Taran, formers is around 9 per cent. the paddy season,” he said.
PUNJAB WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE BOARD
E-TENDER NOTICE No. PWSSD/MOGA/2021/05 Dated 06.05.2021
www.eproc.punjab.gov.in
Excise officials
Can’t misconstrue advisory
On behalf of the Chief Executive Officer, Punjab Water Supply and
Sewerage Board, Chandigarh, Executive Engineer, Punjab Water Supply
attacked during
and Sewerage Division, Moga invites bids from eligible bidders for the works
to employee as ‘adverse’: HC
detailed below.
Sr.
No.
Name of Work
raid in Ferozepur
1. Prov. Laying & Installing a new tube well of size 350mm x 200mm i/d Ferozepur, May 6
including pumping machinery, rising main complete in all respects and
water supply and laying of DI K7 pipe of 100mm & 150mm i/d in Basti The police have booked Saurabh Malik taken as the superior’s
Des Raj, Bangali Basti, Anand Nagar etc. all other works contingent around 20 persons for Tribune News Service
‘Must take entries in expectation of an employ-
thereto in water works at Kotkapura Town, Distt. Faridkot.
allegedly attacking officials ee’s perfection. For, per-
Last date and time for online submission of bid shall be: 29.05.2021, 5:00 p.m.
of the Excise and Taxation
Chandigarh, May 6
The Punjab and Haryana
annual confidential fection could never be Sangrur tops in
“For detailed terms and conditions refer to website www.eproc.punjab.gov.in reports in right spirit’
output of wheat
Corrigendum will be published on department’s website only. Department who had gone High Court has ruled that achieved, but excellence
Sd/- Executive Engineer, for a raid at Lakho ke Behram an advisory given to an could be only if one
DPR/Pb/4360 Pb. W/S & Sew. Division, Moga. village in Mamdot block here. employee for improve- chased perfection. Sangrur, May 6
Excise Inspector ment was not to be mis- Justice Monga added an Despite the outbreak of Covid
Government of Punjab (Guruharsahai circle) Nirmal construed as a call for employee getting “very and decline in per hectare
Singh said their team had excellence by his superior. good” report stood to gain, production, Sangrur district
TENDER NOTICE REFERENCE NO. 37 Dated: 06.05.2021 conducted a raid on the resi- “Advisory remarks are if the superior allowed has again topped in wheat
The Department of Pb. W/S & Sew. Division, Sangrur, reinvites online bids for dence of Sucha Singh, for the guidance of an him to know the area of production in Punjab. Area
the following:-
allegedly involved in bootleg- employee and cannot be focus requiring improve- farmers have demanded com-
Sr. Name of Work Earnest Money
No. (Rs. in Lakh) ging. During the raid, the termed as adverse. It is in ment, while giving adviso- pensation for reduction in per
1 Survey, Soil Testing, Design, Supply & Const. 7.00 team recovered some illicit an employee’s interest to ry remarks. Likewise, the hectare production, which is
Installation, Commissioning of 3 MLD STP at Bhadaur. liquor and distillery items. take advisories/entries in best report one could earn still highest across the state.
2 Survey, Soil Testing, Design, Supply & Const. 5.00
Later, the accused along the annual confidential The ruling by Justice was “outstanding” and As per information, during
Installation, Commissioning of 2 MLD STP at Handiaya.
3 Survey, Soil Testing, Design, Supply & Const. 7.00 with brother Gurmel Singh reports in the right spirit Monga came in a case that too would not mean 2019-20 FY, total 2,91,000
Installation, Commissioning of 3 MLD STP at Dirba. and others attacked the team and try to improve, where a clerk working in that the employee was hectares of area was under
Closing Date & Time : up to 24.05.2021 at 5.00 P.M. causing serious injuries to instead of construing the the Punjab and Haryana perfect and there was no wheat production and the
For Details log on to : www.eproc.punjab.gov.in an official, Dharampal same as adverse,” the High Court filed a petition room for improvement. district had contributed
Note: Any corrigendum(s) to the tender notice shall be published on the
Singh, who was later admit- High Court said. after her reporting officer Refusing to interfere in 16,78,197 MTs of wheat. Dur-
above website only.
Sd/- Executive Engineer, ted to the community health “If you look for perfec- recorded “needs improve- the matter, Justice Monga ing 2020-2021 FY, though the
Punjab W/S & Sew. Divn., centre at Mamdot, said the tion, you will never be ment” in a column on further added an advisory area under wheat remained
Sangrur.
DPR/Pb/4353
inspector. A case has been content - so said Leo Tol- “manners and powers of remark made for guidance the same, estimates of the
registered against the sus- stoy, one of the greatest working with others”. of an employee could not Agriculture Department
HIMACHAL PRADESH pects at the Lakho ke authors and a philosopher. The counsel for the be said to be adverse. show the production will see
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Behram police station. — OC Only those who have per- respondent-High Court, at Advisory and adverse a dip of 8.84 per cent and dis-
INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) fected their imperfections the outset, submitted that remarks were no way syn- trict authorities have esti-
The Executive Engineer, Bilaspur Division No. 2, HP-PWD, Bilaspur on behalf of
Governor of H.P invites the item rate bids, in electronic tendering system, from the are not open to the idea of the petitioner was appar- onymous. Both stood on mated a production of
eligible class of contractors registered with HPPWD for the works as detailed in the table. improvement, no matter ently misled and wrongly different footing and were 15,29,787 MTs of wheat.
Sr. Name of Work Estimated Starting Earnest Deadline
No cost Date for money for whatever be the advice of informed that the distinctly separate, having “This year also, with 9.52 per
downloading submission superiors. It is in the remarks in her ACR were different intent altogether. cent contribution, Sangrur
Bid of Bid
interest of an employee adverse. He argued What was required to be has topped in wheat produc-
1 Slope protection work Rs. 24.05.2021 Rs. 05.06.2021
on the left bank river 1,81,14,028/- 2,13,650/- himself/herself to take that the remarks could seen was the overall grad- tion and per hectare yield in
Satluj Plug Pool Metri such advisories/entries in not in any manner be con- ing given to an employee Punjab. Our officials organ-
Setu Bridge (SH:-
Protection work i/c RCC the ACR in the right spir- strued as penalty. in the ACR. Certain other ised special camps to share
Toe wall and wire crate it and try to improve Taking up the matter, remarks given in the indi- important information with
wall etc.) NTPC Deposit
The bidders are advised to note other details of tenders from the department
themselves, instead of Justice Monga asserted vidual columns of the ACR farmers about wheat produc-
website www.hptenders.gov.in construing the same as advisory remarks given to were just to make an tion,” said Jaswinderpal
On behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradesh
Executive Engineer Bilaspur Divn. No. II,
adverse,” Justice Arun an employee for improve- employee acquainted with Singh Grewal, Chief Agricul-
HP-PWD, Bilaspur Monga asserted. ment were not to be mis- shortcomings. ture Officer, Sangrur. — TNS
Tel; 01978-222551
DPR/HP/707 e-mail:-ee-bil2-hp@nic.in
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
State struggles for its O2 quota
Against 257 MT, Haryana manages to get not more than 200 MT
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 6
At a time when Haryana is
pulling out all stops as it
wages a war against Covid, it
is simultaneously fighting a
battle — to get its allocated
share of oxygen. While hour-
to-hour micro management
is working so far, the state
leadership is keeping its fin-
gers crossed hoping to tide
over the crisis without any
more casualties due to want
of oxygen.
Against a quota of 257 MT
on any given day, Haryana
manages to get not more than
200 MT. This is because the
state is still unable to trans-
port its allocated oxygen
quantity from Odisha and the
plants in the region, especial-
ly Roorkee, imposes cuts on
the quota allocated.
With oxygen in short sup-
ply, Chief Minister Manohar
Lal Khattar, with his team
of 10 officers, including
PSCM V Umashanker,
Additional PSCM Amit
Agarwal and Mohd Shayin,
is monitoring the oxygen
allocation after calculating
the patient load and oxygen
beds in the districts.
While IAS officers Sushil
Sarwan and Vikas Yadav have
HARYANA 05
Testing to be ramped up in villages
Tribune News Service Kusar village, 51-year-old male
294 jail inmates in
M’garh test positive
MAHENDRAGARH: In all, 294
Chandigarh, May 6
from Baguwali village and a
53-year-old male from Nagoki
prisoners lodged at the dis-
trict jail in the district's
After overwhelming urban village of the district. Nasibpur village tested posi-
population in the initial days On Wednesday, seven of 10 tive for Covid in the past two
of second wave, Covid-19 is people who died in Sirsa of days. “All 512 jail inmates
now spreading fast in Covid belonged to villages. have been tested for Covid. of
Haryana villages. Among the victims were as them, 294 tested positive. In
With poor health infrastruc- young people as a 15-year-old all, 134 patients have already
ture and lesser testing, many from Dhani Majra village and been shifted to a special sec-
people are falling ill in villages three men in their early 40s tion of the Rewari Jail dedi-
of the state and some of them A health worker collects a swab from three villages. cated to Covid patients, while
dying without test and others sample for testing in Gurugram. Covid bulletins from Hisar, the rest are being shifted. The
after testing positive. Bhiwani, Fatehabad and some situation is being monitored,”
“The situation has turned CURB VIRUS SPREAD other districts also show that said Ajay Kumar, Deputy
really bad in some villages. In people in villages are contract- Commissioner. — TNS
my village Baroda of Sonepat,
30 persons have died after
brief illness in the past 10
❝ The state was abreast
of the situation and efforts
ing the virus and dying.
Earlier, over 30 mysterious
deaths in less than two Ayurvedic facility
were on to upgrade health
days. In another Sonepat vil-
lage, nearly 100 out of 130 who
facilities in rural areas. I’ve weeks were reported in Titoli
village of Rohtak.
launched for patients
were tested for coronavirus issued instructions to Gurjeet Singh Mann from CHANDIGARH: Health Minister
have reported positive,” said a scale up testing in rural Kirpal Patti village of Sirsa Anil Vij has said the facility of
senior doctor working with areas by using rapid said a large majority of vil- ayurvedic telemedicine has
the PGIMS, Rohtak. antigen kits so that those lagers don’t go for testing and been started for Covid
A Covid isolation centre at Government Girls College in Gurugram. It is equipped with 24 Incidentally, the Baroda those who test positive, try to patients. He said those inter-
ventilator beds and 56 oxygen-supported beds. TRIBUNE PHOTO: S CHANDAN Assembly seat had gone for
infected can be isolated to hide it from fellow villagers ested in taking could call 1075
bypoll in November last year avoid the virus spread. due to stigma attached to and consult physicians. A call
since hospitals never seem to and a large-scale violation of Anil Vij, HEALTH MINISTER Covid witnessed during the centre has been set up where a
COVID METER 177 MORE DIE
be comfortably placed. the Covid protocol was wit- first wave. “The biggest prob- team of ayurvedic doctors
Cases 14,480 ■ 14,840 new cases were
Sources said while procuring nessed during the election that of five deaths reported on lem before the villagers is that have been put on duty. They
Critical 1,443 reported on Thursday, tak- oxygen is a problem, the undue meetings and rallies. May 5, only one was from Dab- there are no doctors in PHCs will be available from 8 am to
ing the tally to 5,73,815 delay in unloading the tankers The daily health bulletin wali town, while the rest four in rural areas. People are try- 10 pm. Vij said with the start of
Active 1,15,842
Deaths 177
■ Besides, 177 more people on their arrival is also a cause issued by the district surveil- were from villages — a 74-year- ing self-medication or consult- the facility, the patients under-
succumbed to the virus, for concern. lance unit of the Health old male from Chaharwala vil- ing quacks and int he process, going home isolation would be
WORST-AFFECTED DISTRICTS taking the toll to 5,137
“Everything is time-bound. Department in Sirsa shows lage, a 31 year-old male from falling critically ill.” benefitted. — TNS
DISTRICT CASES DEATHS The quicker the oxygen is off-
■ Gurugram reported the
Gurugram 3737 13 maximum of 3,737 cases loaded, the faster the tanker
Faridabad 1,537 9 followed by Faridabad can be on its way for the next
Hisar 1,193

from the tanker getting in

22 (1,537) and Hisar (1,193)

into the state is enough to

been stationed at the Panipat
plant, another officer Rajiv
Rattan is handling the supply
from the Roorkee plant which
is proving challenging.
Sources say the supply
from Roorkee is erratic and
the quota of 25 MT is hardly
ever allocated. Everything
Four die as car,
tanker collide
Rewari, May 6
Four youths from Guru-
gram died and one suf-
fered injuries when their
car was hit by a tanker near
Kund town on the Rewari-
Narnaul road on Wednes-
day night. — TNS
through the gates to filling
these up is a struggle, one
which Rattan and the cops
accompanying him are deal-
ing with regularly.
Despite this monitoring,
Haryana is barely breaking
even and even a slight change
in the quota of oxygen coming
Major fire in Gurugram high-rise
Our Correspondent
Gurugram, May 6
A major fire broke in the
sixth floor of the Super
Mart building at DLF
Phase-4 today. While no
casualties have been report-
upset the fine balance.
Most of the DCs confirmed
the demand for oxygen is far
more than what is being allo-
cated to them and they are
constantly on their toes and
under tremendous pressure
as far as requirements in
their respective districts go
ed, goods worth lakhs were
gutted in the fire. More
than 10 fire engines were
pressed into service and fire
was brought under control
within an hour.
According to a fire depart-
ment officer, they had
day’s quota. Any delay
means falling back in the line
at that particular plant where
the states queue up for their
quota,” an officer explained.
This has prompted the CM
to direct the DCs to unload
the tankers in the shortest
span. The oxygen situation
continues to remain precari-
ous while the leadership
works around the issue.
received a call at around 4
pm that a fire had broken in
the 10-storeyed Super Mart
building. So, 10 fire tenders
from Sector-29, Udyog
Vihar, Bhim Nagar, Mane-
sar and DLF were pressed
into service.
Can’t blame courts for pendency of cases: HC
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 6
The Punjab and Haryana
High Court has made it
clear that the State authori-
ties were required to put
their house in order before
blaming the judiciary for
the pendency of cases. The
assertion by Justice Sudhir
Mittal came in a case where
the filing of a petition could
have prevented by taking
into consideration the bind-
ing precedent.
“The State Government
and its functionaries always
complain that pendency in
the Courts is on the rise and
that steps need to be taken
to reduce the same. The
blame is laid at the doorstep
‘State contributes
maximum by
its own actions’
of the judiciary, without
realising that the pendency
in Courts is contributed to
the maximum level by its
own actions,” Justice Mit-
tal asserted.
The matter was brought to
the Court’s notice after a
petition against the State of
Haryana and other respon-
dents was filed by Sandeep
Sharma through senior advo-
cate Sanjay Kaushal with
advocate AP Setia.
Justice Mittal asserted the
question of law involved in
the present case was ignored,
even through there was a
binding precedent in the
form of a Division Bench
judgment. “Had the ratio of
the binding precedent been
taken into consideration, the
filing of this writ petition
could have been obviated,”
Justice Mittal asserted.
Elaborating, Justice Mittal
added the question arising
for consideration in the writ
petition was: “Whether upon
improvement of marks of a
particular qualification, the
same shall relate back to the
date of acquiring the qualifi-
cation? If yes, whether the
petitioner is entitled to be
considered for appointment
to the post of naib tehsildar?
Justice Mittal added the
petitioner possessed the eligi-
bility condition of matricula-
tion and graduation as on the
cut-off date and improved his
score of 10th and 12th exami-
nation before the interview
date. The result was supplied
at the nterview time.
The issue to be decided
was whether improved
score was required to be tak-
en into consideration while
evaluating the petitioner’s
merit. The Division Bench
in the case of “Preeti Gulia
versus State of Haryana and
another” had held that
improvement of the score
related back to the date of
acquiring qualification.

E-TENDER NOTICE DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR STATE INSTITUTE DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR STATE INSTITUTE
The Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Division Rampur invites tenders on behalf of the Governor
of Himachal Pradesh from approved eligible contractors for the following works(s) through
OF MEDICAL SCIENCES (AIMS) OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
e-tendering process:- Sector-56, S.A.S Nagar, Mohali Sector-56, S.A.S Nagar, Mohali
Job Name of Work Estd. Earnest Cost of Time Email- aimsmohali@gmail.com, RECRUITMENT OF SENIOR RESIDENTS/TUTORS
No. Cost Money form
1 C/O GWSS from Machhada Khad to Nirath in GP Nirath 995390/- 19907/- 400/- Six
Phone No. 0172-2923002 No. AIMS/2021/992 Dated: 6.5.2021
Tehsil Rampur Distt Shimla (HP) (SH:- C/O RCC Nallah
Intake Chamber and Laying, Jointing of GI pipe 100 mm
Months
RECRUITMENT OF MEDICAL FACULTY Walk-in-Interviews for filling up the 19 posts of Senior Residents/
with circumferential butt welding (RD 0-4200) No. AIMS/2021/ 994 Dated: 6.5.2021 Tutors (Medical and Non Medical) in the various departments for
Last date of filing/uploading the tender through e-tendering 10.05.2021 up to 5.00 PM and Applications are invited online for the Posts of Associate Professors and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali are
the same will be opened on 11.05.2021 at 10.00 AM. The tender forms and other detailed Assistant Professors in various departments of AIMS, Mohali. The going to be held on 13-05-2021 (Thursday) between 10:00 AM to
conditions can be obtained from the website www.hpiph.org.
details of posts, application form, eligibility criteria etc. will be available 12:00 noon. The details of posts, application form etc. are available
DPR/HP/680 Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Division Rampur
on the website:- www.punjabmedicaleducation.org/mohali on the website.
Last date of submission of applications is 22-05-2021 till 02:00 PM. Candidates are expected to bring all their documents and id proofs
Sd/- Director Principal, www.punjabmedicaleducation.org/mohali
PUNJAB POLICE HOUSING CORPORATION LTD.
POLICE COMPLEX, PHASE-VIl, SAS NAGAR. AIMS, Mohali Sd/- Director Principal,
TEL. NO. 0172-4080111, 4080112 & FAX 0172-4080107 DPR/Pb/4348 9914208327 DPR/Pb/4346 AIMS, Mohali
No. 06 2021-22 DATED 06.05.2021
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Punjab Police Housing Corporation invites Expression of Interest for the work
PUNJAB HERITAGE & TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD GURUGRAM UNIVERSITY, GURUGRAM GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB
of SITC of City Surveillance System in S.A.S. Nagar (Punjab). Preliminary Invitation for Bids (IFB) (A State University Established
documents showing technical specifications & other terms and conditions can
be downloaded from the website www.pphcl.org w.e.f. 07.05.2021(5:00 PM). Date: 07/05/2021
under Haryana Act 17 of 2017)
ADVERTISEMENT NO. - 04/2021
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Pre-bid meeting shall be held online on 17.05.2021 at 11.00 AM on PPHC
Webex link No. 1767968732. The tender documents finalized during the Pre
Sealed bids are hereby invited from eligible individuals/firms/consortium
having 3 years experience in Operation & Management of Tourist Complex at
The University invites applications for the post of Assistant & FAMILY WELFARE
bid meeting will be uploaded for inviting tenders and no claim/objection will be Professors in various disciplines. Details regarding posts,
entertained after Pre bid meeting. Faridkot for allotment of PHTPB property on license basis on prescribed form.
prescribed qualification, prescribed application form and
NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION
The details are as under:- 5TH FLOOR, PRAYAAS BUILDING, DAKSHIN MARG,
DPR/Pb/4350 Sd/- CHAIRMAN-CUM-MANAGING DIRECTOR instructions are available at Gurugram University Website
Sr. Name of Property EMD License Last date of Proposal SECTOR 38-8, CHANDIGARH — 160036
No. (amount Period submission Fee (amount http//www.gurugramuniversity.ac.in. Last date of receipt of
in Rs.) of bids in Rs.) application form is 27.05.2021 up to 04:00 PM. (In case the Tel. No. 0172-4012011-13, Fax: 0172-4012013
PUNJAB STATE BIOTECH CORPORATION 1.
Operation & Management of
50,000/- 10 years 31.05.2021 1,000/-
closing date happens to be a public holiday the next working NHM/PB/FIN/AO2/2021/67740 Dated: 05.05.2021
(Department of Science, Technology & Tourist Complex at Faridkot. day will be the last date for receiving applications).
Environment, Punjab) The tender document along with detailed terms and conditions will be available SELECTION OF AUDTITOR – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Note: "Any type of corrigendum/addendum/amendments/
Camp Office: C-134, Industrial Focal Point, Phase VIII, from 07.05.2021 on website www: punjabtourism.punjab.gov.in. notice/updation etc. related to this advertisement shall be HIRING SERVICES OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
Mohali — 160071, Phone: 0172 5020893, 5093595
Email: biotechparkmohali@gmail.com
Sd/- Chief Executive Officer uploaded on University website FIRM FOR STATUTORY AUDIT OF STAFF HEALTH
Plot No. 3, Sector 38-A, Chandigarh — 160036 www.gurugramuniversity.ac.in; Further, the university will SOCIETY (SHS) & DISTRICT HEALTH SOCIETIES
Advt. No. PSBC/2021/01 not send any further information/call letters by post/
Phone: +91 172 5042962 (DHSs) - (FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2020-21)
Recruitment Notice E-mail: ridhibhatia.mcv@gmail.com DPR/Pb/4362 newspapers." under National Health Mission (NHM)
Punjab State Biotech Corporation invites applications to fill up one post NOTE:- The University Administration reserves the right to
of Executive at fixed monthly remuneration of Rs. 30,000/- purely on Govt. of India (GoI) in partnership with the states is implementing
withdraw the Advertisement without assigning any reason.
contractual basis.
Last Date for submitting the application: 27.05.2021
OFFICE OF CIVIL SURGEON PRDH/2221/11/6/2022/2854/31/4 Sd/- ASSISTANT REGISTRAR(Estt)
the National Health Mission which comprises various programs,
with the objective of improving medical facilities in the areas and
The detailed advertisement and application form is available on website PANCHKULA, HARYANA seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care
www.pbtilabs.com. Ph. No. 0172-2573907, to the population, especially the vulnerable sections. To facilitate
Any corrigendum in this regard shall be uploaded on the website.
Email: dhs.cspkl@hry.nic.in THE TRIBUNE TRUST implementation of NHM, State and District level entities (Health
Societies) have been registered which work under the
DPR/Pb/4338 AF&AO
Address: Civil Hospital, 5th Floor, C-Block, Chandigarh administrative control of the Department of Health & Family
Welfare. The State Health Society, Punjab invites “Proposal for
Sector 6, Panchkula, Pincode — 134109
HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT AUCTION NOTICE
Vehicles for Sale audit” from firms of Chartered Accountants empanelled with
C & AG and eligible for conducting audit of major PSUs for
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICE, MANDI The auclion of following buildings will be got done on dated 12th TYPE Make REGISTRATION NUMBER MODEL the year 2020-21.
Minimum quote audit fees for the assignment is Rs. 2,23,151/-
Distt. Mandi (HP) May 2021 al 11:00 A.M on “AS IS WHERE IS 8ASIS” at below CAR Honda City CH-04-K-8638 2009
including TA/DA and Service Tax
Phone No. 01905-222177 mentioned venue:- SUV Toyota lnnova CH-04-L-9380 2009 Detailed RFP: Detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) comprising
No. HFW-CMO/MND/Tender/2020 Dated: 05.05.2021 Sr. Name of building/ Reserve Amount of Venue
Notes: Background, Terms of Reference (ToR) and Guidelines for
No. structure Price Earnest
NOTICE INVITING TENDER (in Lacs) Money (on 1. The vehicles are in good running condition and are submitting the proposal can be either downloaded from the State’s
refundable available for inspection from 10.30 A.M. to 4.00 P.M. on all website http://nhm.punjab.gov.in/nhmwebsite/tender.php or
Sealed tenders are hereby invited from the eligible basis) can be collected from the O/o Mission Director, SHS, Punjab
working days except Sundays in The Tribune office, Sector
bidders/suppliers for the supply of medicines and between 07.05.2021 and 21.05.2021.
1. Malaria building in 2,54,851/- Rs. 50,000/- Malaria 29-C, Chandigarh. The visit can be made after taking prior
consumables in the office of the Chief Medical Officer, the campus of Civil building in the appointment with Mr. Satdev Rana, Manager- Important Dates:
Mandi. Interested parties/firms may obtain the tender Hospital, Sector-6, campus of Administration at Mobile No. 9878950101. i) Last Date for collection of RFP from Office of SHS: 20.05.2021.
Panchkula. Civil Hospital,
document from the office of the below signatory on the Scctor-6, 2. Offer(s) must reach the office of the undersigned latest by ii) Date for pre-bid conference: 21.05.2021 at 12:00 p.m.
payment of Rs. 1000/- (Rs One thousand only) on any Panchkula. 31.05.2021 up to 4.00 P.M. in a sealed envelope iii) Last Date for submission of Proposal to SHS: 27.05.2021
working day between 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. w.e.f. superscribed “Offer for vehicle No. -----------------". till 12:00 p.m.
Note:- Separate offer must be submitted for each vehicle.
10.05.2021 (10:00 a.m.) The last date for the submission of iv) Date of opening of tender: 27.05.2021 at 3:00 p.m.
1) DD in favour of “DHFWS SKS Userfee Civil Srugeon Office, 3. Each offer must be accompanied by earnest money of Rs. v) Date of opening of Financial Bid: 27.05.2021
the tender document is 21.05.2021 (4:00 p.m.) and the Panchkula”. 10,000/- in the shape of a Bank Draft/Banker's cheque in Venue for Pre-bid conference & Opening of Financial Bid:
same will be opened on 22.05.2021(11:30 a.m.). Tenders 2) Time limit shall be 30 days for complete clearance of site in favor of “The Tribune Trust, Chandigarh”. Offer(s) received CR, O/o Mission Director, NHM, Punjab.
received late or incomplete will not be accepted. In case all respect failing which penalty @ 5000/- per day shall be without earnest money will be rejected. Address:
date of opening tender is declared as holiday, tenders shall levied and EMD shall also be forfeited. 4. Offer will be opened at 11.00 am on 04.06.2021. Mission Director,
be opened on the next working day as per the above 3) Site may be visited on any working day during working hours. 5. The earnest money of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned. State Health Society, Punjab,
mentioned time schedule The Chief Medical Officer, Mandi 4) The rates of auction quoted by the bidde rs exclusive of all a 6. GST as applicable shall be payable in addition to the sale price. Prayaas Building, 5th Floor, Sector 38-B, Chandigarh.
reserves the right to postpone or cancel the tender process pplicable taxes such as GST etc. 7. The Management reserves the right to reject any or all the Email Id: accounts.nrhm@gmail.com
at any stage without assigning any reason. 5) Any other terms & conditions will be announced at the time offers without assigning any reason. Decision of the Fax: & Phone: 0172-4012012
For queries may Contact: 01905-222177 of auction at site. Management will be final and no correspondence will be Mission Director,
Chief Medical Officer Sd/- Civil Surgeon, entertained in this regard. State Health Society,
DPR/HP/684 Mandi, District Mandi (H.P.) 175001 PRDH/1058/11/48/2022/2864/31/4 Panchkula. Assistant General Manager (HR, Legal & Admn.) DPR/Pb/4361 Punjab.
06 OPINION
The Mamata phenomenon
THE TRIBUNE established in 1881
She should move to the national stage and gather all regional satraps
Preparing for third wave
Learn from second surge nightmare, get down to work at once
T
TRYSTS AND TURNS
HE Indian State failed conclusively in containing the second
surge of the Covid pandemic. According to news reports, the JULIO RIBEIRO
jump in daily Covid cases in Delhi from March 1 to 31 was to the
M
extent of 939.4 per cent, but the increase in Covid beds was by a AMATA Banerjee is back
measly 1.6 per cent. So, while busy taking over the reins of the nation- on her feet! We had
al capital’s government through a law passed in Parliament, the Cen- become accustomed to
tre seems to have forgotten to take over Covid care, leaving a lot of associating her with a
Delhi patients to die gasping for oxygen when the second surge hit wheelchair. But as soon as it became
them. And the crisis continues with no sign of a let-up yet. apparent that her party’s victory in
It is in this breathless moment that the Principal Scientific Advis- Bengal’s Assembly elections was a
er (PSA) to Prime Minister announces the possibility of a third wave, ‘thumping’ one she sprang to her
without specifying the possible timeline or the probable target age feet, to the delight of her supporters in
her state and this writer in Mumbai!
group. We are none the wiser, nor safer, after the announcement
What mattered most to people like
because there still are no beds, not enough medical oxygen and there
me was that a predominantly Hindu
is a severe scarcity of drugs, equipment, manpower and even ambu- electorate rejected the BJP’s per-
lances. The country that enforced the strictest lockdown in the world sistent efforts to polarise the voters
now cannot ensure that ambulances do not overcharge patients or on communal lines. At every meet-
those carrying the dead. Two days before the announcement, Brihan- ing and rally organised by the “par-
mumbai Municipal Corporation had begun preparing for the third ty with a difference”, cries of ‘Jai
wave, setting up a paediatric Covid-19 ward with 700 beds, fearing the Shri Ram’ rent the air! Appeals to
next stage of the pandemic to hit those below 12 years of age. religious sentiment floundered!
The Centre and the states now have to be ready with a national plan to The Election Commission of India
manage the next wave. The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to draw (ECI), whose duty it is to ensure that
up a comprehensive oxygen supply plan to ensure 700 MT of the precious religion is not used for gathering
gas to Delhi. The country as a whole needs such a plan for all critical care votes, did punish Mamata when she
appealed to Muslims not to split their
components, including testing kits. There is a large share of false negative
votes lest the BJP gains but failed to
reports, and those in External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s team turn-
penalise the blatant misuse of the
ing positive after reaching London has become an international embar- ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan by the BJP
rassment. The Centre has to urgently ramp up testing and vaccination from the start of the electioneering.
facilities, without which we will be left paralysed during the next wave. But before I proceed further, I beg to
tarry a while to apologise to recently
retired CEC Sunil Arora for presuming
that the story about his being nominat-
Caregivers need care ed as the Governor of Goa was true! It
was first printed in the Free Press Jour-
nal of Mumbai and taken up in a big
Covid taking a toll on mental health of frontline staff way by social media. Many users of
T
Facebook and Twitter in Goa were con-
HE ferocity of the second wave of Covid-19, compounded by an vinced that the news was true. It had
acute paucity of hospital beds and medical supplies and healthcare not been contradicted, though the news
staff strength that is rapidly falling short of the spiralling need, has was floating for more than a week.
left an unprecedented trail of infections and deaths. Watching this chaos- When informed by the Editor of
riddled painful gloom from close quarters are doctors, nurses, techni- The Tribune that Sunil Arora had
cians, ward boys, mortuary workers and other staffers. The trauma of issued a clarification and a denial, I
dealing with so much sickness and their helplessness in accommodating phoned Mr Arora and apologised. That
all needy patients, even as they risk catching the virus every day, is tak- is the decent thing to do when one errs,
ing a huge mental toll on these frontline warriors. They are reaching the even though the mistake was genuine
end of their tether as patients, including their own colleagues, are slip- and no offence or malice was intended.
ping out of their hands at an alarming pace and grieving relatives are
bombarding them with all kinds of requests and recriminations. The new
Death be not proud
peaks witnessed daily in the past month have strained resources and
stretched the workforce thin, leading to a war-like situation.
The state of affairs has rendered the overwhelmed and overworked
healthcare staff vulnerable to a host of psychiatric issues. They are
physically burnt out, emotionally exhausted and mentally distressed Lt Gen Baljit Singh (Retd)
due to the extreme work pressure since the pandemic broke out more
than a year ago as also keeping away from their loved ones for fear of
exposing them to the infection. It is triggering anxiety, insomnia,
depression, frustration and other problems among an increasing num-
ber of medical professionals. Some of them are resorting to excessive
A friend informed me the other
day that Goody Grewal and
Vinod Uppal had died of Covid-
19 at the Army Base Hospital, Delhi.
The first memory of Goody to cross
use of ‘substances’ to cope with the stress.
It is essential to address their problem not only for their own sake my mind was of Gentleman Cadet
GS Grewal commanding the pass-
but also because only healthy physicians can offer optimal services.
ing-out parade of the Indian Military
A ‘burnout helpline’ for healthcare workers set up in Haryana’s
Academy, Dehradun, and at the
Panchkula Civil Hospital received 15 calls in just two days. Replicat- finale marching straight as a lance
ing this measure in all district hospitals is bound to assist the affect- up to the podium for the conferment
ed caregivers throughout the country. Building a network of psy- of the coveted Sword of Honour.
chotherapists on whom the medical personnel can fall back on must Fifteen years later, we met at the
be prioritised as their mental well-being is vital to fostering a Defence Services Staff College,
resilient and strong healthcare workforce. Wellington, where Goody was a regu-
lar presence at the Sunday morning
horse rides. All riders were mounted
❝ ❞
thought for the day
The qualities that appear to give the giants strength Quota conundrum
are often the sources of great weakness. — Malcolm Gladwell Apropos of the editorial ‘No quota
beyond 50%’, the Supreme Court has
put the Maharashtra government in
its place by quashing the law granti-
on this day...100 years ago ng quota beyond 50% to the Maratha
community in admissions and gov-
ernment jobs. Even the ceiling of 50%
is unreasonable as the very concept
of reservation is against the essence
of the Preamble to the Constitution
lahore, saturday, may 7, 1921
which professes the equality of status
and opportunity. The existing quotas
MOB EXCESSES AND RESPONSIBILITY. deny the eligible the opportunity
SERIOUS rioting has been recently reported from two far-off places, they rightly deserve. The quota sys-
Malegaon in Nasik and Giridih in the Province of Behar, in which the mob tem has become a huge political
have resorted to violence of the gravest character. Official versions of the riots enterprise in pursuance of vote bank
and their origin, so far as it could at present be ascertained, have already been politics. It should be given to the
published. People, who are apt to judge of any incident on one-sided deserving ones on the basis of their
representation, have not hesitated to draw hasty conclusions therefrom and financial and economic status so that
arouse somebody for the same. But more careful critics have, while deploring the benefits reach the grassroots.
the serious riots and expressing a desire to suppress all forms of mob TARSEM S BUMRAH, BATALA
violence, asked for fuller information, especially from the standpoint of the
people concerned. So far as we are aware, no popular or independent version Dearth of jobs
of either the Malegaon riots or Giridih disturbances, has yet been published With reference to ‘No quota beyond
and the local people seem to be yet too panic-stricken to be able to give a clear 50%’, the Supreme Court’s order is
account of the origin and nature of the local disturbances. People naturally most welcome and a tight slap on the
ask why such serious disturbances are taking place, here and there, and face of political parties which habitu-
whether they are due to political, economic or other causes. Certain critics ally use reservations in jobs and edu-
have already connected them with the non-co-operation movement, and cational institutions as a tool to get
have stated that those, who are responsible for the preaching of its doctrines votes. The 50% cap reflects an
are directly or indirectly responsible for them. They say it will not do for this attempt to strike a balance between
party to merely preach non-violence at the top of their voice, but they have to the state’s prerogative to try to cor-
see that non-violence is actually observed by their followers and especially by rect historical injustices suffered by
the mob who are easily led away by passion or prejudice. In regard to the some groups and the right to equal
Giridih riots, it has been stated that trouble arouse out of the action of a local opportunity for all citizens. Commu-
Panchayat, its decision in a particular case of complaint, its disregard by the
person concerned, and the social boycott that followed by disobedience. Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com
OFF THE MARK: Narendra Modi and Amit Shah concentrated on
‘freeing’ Bengal from Didi’s grasp, with tragic consequences. REUTERS
A predominantly Hindu electorate in Bengal rejected the
BJP’s efforts to polarise the voters on communal lines.
I heard poll strategist Prashant
Kishor on television. He had predict-
ed that the BJP would not get more
than a hundred seats. It won only 77!
And that despite the Herculean
efforts it made over a period of many
months and over eight polling phas-
es as demanded by the party from a
compliant ECI. Kishor is convinced
that the BJP tally would have been
much less if the ECI were true to its
salt. He was convinced that the ECI
behaved like an adjunct of the BJP,
like sections of the media, the inves-
tigative agencies, the enforcement
agencies and, unfortunately at
times, the judiciary!
With all these forces stacked
against her and with the redoubtable
Amit Shah concentrating most of his
attention on Bengal, visiting each
and every district, some even more
than once, Didi single-handedly
sliced through the attack and won!
Suvendu Adhikari, once her right-
hand man in the TMC, defeated her
by a minuscule margin in his fami-
ly’s pocket constituency of Nandi-
gram. She nearly succeeded. That
alone was quite a feat because the
Adhikaris were the undisputed
on their favourite horses and Major
Gen RK Ranjit Singh, the Comman-
dant, was set to lead. Late to arrive,
Goody lunged towards his horse and
in the fog of the hangover of the night
before, he brushed past the General,
who smiled, doffed his hat and called
out, “Good Morning, Goody!”
Goody responded with his trade-
mark jolly laughter and struggled
to mount his horse. A brisk-paced,
hour-long ride and as always,
Goody was back at the Bar in the
Officers’ Mess to wash down the
last vestiges of the hangover toxins!
That too was the lovable man who
would superannuate from service
at Chandimandir as the GOC-in-C,
Western Command.
letters to the editor
nities that are considered socially
dominant have begun to demand
reservation in the backdrop of a weak
economy that is not creating enough
jobs. A durable solution lies in a
coherent set of measures to create
more job opportunities for the youth.
N SADHASIVA REDDY, BENGALURU
Affordable credit
The RBI has stepped in to ease the
Covid-19 burden. Cheap and afford-
able credit is crucial for a country’s
development. With income dwin-
dling amid the second wave of the
pandemic, RBI’s measure to miti-
gate financial stress is praiseworthy.
It would ease the process of taking
loans and help people who are reel-
ing under the exorbitant health
expenditure. This step has raised
hope among innumerable people
that healthcare would become
accessible to them.
AANYA SINGHAL, NOIDA
Farmers’ woes
It’s unfortunate that lack of demand
for capsicum in Mansa district has
forced farmers to destroy their crop in
distress. There is a wide gulf between
agricultural production and con-
sumption. As a result, both farmers
and consumers are suffering. There is
a dire need to fill this void and this job
cannot be left to the state. All stake-
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
cocks of the walk in Nandigram. Per-
sonally I do not consider Mamata’s
loss as significant. On the contrary,
she should build on the fact that she
bearded the lion in his own den and
nearly laid him low.
My view is that she should now
leave the state to one of her more
capable lieutenants like Mahua
Moitra, for instance, and appear like
a phoenix on the national stage,
gathering all the regional satraps
together to present Modi with a for-
midable Opposition in his own new
Central Vista. Indian democracy
will become really vibrant if Modiji
and Amit bhai are not allowed to
take the people for granted, like
they have been wont to do.
Some years ago, RSS ideologue Dat-
tatreya Hosabale, who recently
replaced Bhaiya Joshi as the Sangh’s
General Secretary, had talked about a
clean sweep of all states of the Union
by the BJP so that the RSS dream of
cultural uniformity in Hindu Rashtra
would be turned into reality. Didi has
put paid to this grandiose scheme. It is
she who rules Bengal, as MK Stalin
does in Tamil Nadu and Pinarayi
Vijayan in God’s Own Country.
My last meeting with Vinod on
December 3, 1971, was all too brief but
among the most unforgettable of my
life. We were in our battle location
close by the western bank of
Munawar Tawi river. In the twilight of
dusk, we sat sipping hot tea laced
with sugar and rum, the last luxury
for several of us. We watched with
apprehension as the adjutant ran up
to announce that the Pakistan Air
Force had struck our forward air
bases and we were at war. And short-
ly, we would be part of ground zero,
pounded by some 180 Pak artillery
guns of all calibres in one of the
fiercest battles fought without let-up,
for 96 hours hence.
Vinod was the recipient of a rare
holders should work hard to ensure
that the farmers get adequate remu-
neration for their produce and the
consumers get some relief.
RAVINDER MITTAL, LUDHIANA
Phased lockdown
The second wave of Covid-19 has
devastated the country. The health-
care system is in tatters. In Punjab,
hospitals and dispensaries are short
of trained staff, especially to operate
ventilators that are lying unused. All
parties should rise above politics and
join hands to handle the situation.
Putting the entire state under lock-
down or curfew is no solution as the
daily wagers will be hit the hardest.
The lockdown should be imposed in
a phased manner so that there is as
little disruption of livelihoods as pos-
sible. The public needs to cooperate
with the district administration, the
police and the health department by
following Covid-appropriate norms.
RAJ KUMAR KAPOOR, ROPAR
Covid profiteering
In this hour of crisis, some people are
busy making a quick buck through
unscrupulous means. These are black
marketeers, hoarders and greedy
traders dealing in pharmaceutical
equipment, oximeters, gas cylinders,
etc. Two days ago, I purchased an
oximeter at a price four times higher
THE TRIBUNE
Each of these regional satraps has
his own ego. He or she should be
allowed to nurse that ego in his own
individual lair. To move on to the
national stage, he or she will be wel-
come to do so if he or she wins the
respect and approval of his or her
counterparts like Mamata Didi has
done after slaying Goliath in Bengal.
If there were a concerted and unit-
ed opposition to Modiji, it would
have pounced on his tendency to
embrace megalomania, apparent in
his speech to the World Economic
Forum in Davos earlier this year.
Modiji really believed he had van-
quished the coronavirus single-
handedly in India, even as it raged
in the economically advanced coun-
tries of Europe and America! The
never-ending dollops of praise show-
ered on him daily by assorted syco-
phants had affected his judgement!
He disregarded the voice of science
and scientists who had anticipated a
second and even a third wave. He and
his friend Amit bhai concentrated
instead on ‘freeing’ Bengal from
Didi’s grasp, with tragic consequences.
The countries he preached to
have sportingly come forward to
forget his vain boasts and rush
medicines, vaccines, oxygen and
other help to an India reeling under
a catastrophe resulting from undue
praise that had gone awry.
International criticism has been
intense and consistent. The Econo-
mist of London, The Guardian, the
New York Times, the Washington
Post and Time magazine have all
castigated us for failing to see the
writing on the wall and reposing
blind faith in the invincibility of our
leader. The desi commentators of
the liberal variety have not spared
Modi for his wrong priorities of pur-
suing the goal of “one nation, one
culture”, ignoring the imperative of
people’s lives. From whatever gos-
sip we hear, Modi’s popularity has
taken a severe beating.
I have no doubt he will recover
lost ground but I do hope he gives
up the RSS-inspired dream of a
Hindu Rashtra with a homogenous
culture which is impairing his nat-
ural abilities to lead.
war souvenir from that thunderbolt
phase of the battle. Vinod was jolted
and thrown off balance, similar to
receiving a punch smack in the mid-
dle of his forehead, but on regaining
composure, he removed the steel
helmet and smiled; a rifle bullet had
penetrated, but possibly being at the
terminal stage of its penetrative
velocity, it stopped a wee bit short of
his forehead! The round base of the
spent bullet, firmly lodged but pro-
truding a centimetre outside, a
weird tilak as it were! Knowing his
jolly temperament, this must have
been the staple of Vinod’s merry
episodes from the Chhamb battle.
God be with you, my friends, snared
in the pandemic’s dance of death.
than the normal price. Fleecing pan-
demic-hit people is a sign of vulturous
behaviour. The government should
not remain a silent spectator to the
plight of the masses who are being
exploited. To mitigate people’s woes, it
should take strict action against black
marketeers, hoarders, pharmaceutical
dealers and retailers.
VINAY KUMAR MALHOTRA, AMBALA
Be prepared
Even though the second wave of
Covid-19 is wreaking havoc, we see
that many people are neither wearing
masks nor following the standard
operating procedures. The wearing
of masks should be made mandatory
for all; those found without the same
should be fined heavily, even if they
are ministers or other VIPs. We
should be prepared to tackle the third
wave so that it doesn’t hit us hard.
JUBEL D’CRUZ, MUMBAI
Belated decision
The BCCI’s decision to suspend the
IPL amid the Covid pandemic is a
belated one. At a time when the coun-
try is bearing the brunt of the lethal
virus, holding the cricket tournament
was not a wise step to begin with. With
economic activity drastically scaled
down, there was no point in conduct-
ing this annual extravaganza.
AJAY S KUMAR, TRIVANDRUM
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
Plug critical gaps in logistics & planning
SUBIR ROY
SENIOR ECONOMIC ANALYST
I
NDIA’S corporate leadership
seems to be moving towards the
position that there is no alterna-
tive to declaring a total lockdown
across the country, the way it was done
last year, to tackle the ongoing Covid
wave. This is the sense that comes
through from the observations by CII
president Uday Kotak.
The received wisdom from last
year’s quick and total lockdown was
that it did more harm than good and
that is why the government at the
Centre has till now resisted going in
for such a move again. Instead, it has
left it to individual states to devise
their agenda depending on how seri-
ously they have been affected by the
resurgence of infection.
Indian industry has, on its own, gone
in for lockdowns for short periods at
manufacturing plants in order to break
the chain of infection and thus save the
workers from falling victim to the
virus. Plus, through CII, it has offered
a plan to tackle the emergency.
With material aid coming in from all
over the world and corporates coming
up to do all they can, it is clear that the
critical gaps are in logistics and plan-
ning. The oxygen, ventilators and
medicines are there. The challenge is
to get them in time to those facilities
which are in critical need. Only func-
GURJIT SINGH
FORMER AMBASSADOR
The UK proposes to provide
3,000 work visas for Indian
professionals for two years
as part of the mobility and
migration agreement. The
price that is being paid for it
is that India has finally
agreed to readmit people
that Britain thinks are
illegally residing there. In
the past, this has been a
major sticking point
because the verification of
the nationality of these
‘illegal’ people, mainly
from Punjab, could
not be carried out.
quick crossword
YESTERDAY’S sOLUTION
Across: 1 Scarcity, 5 Echo, 9 Fakir, 10 Execute, 11 Calendar year, 13 Unduly, 14 Chapel,
17 Pat on the back, 20 Blather, 21 Unfit, 22 Even, 23 Kentucky.
Down: 1 Soft, 2 Awkward, 3 Carte blanche, 4 Trendy, 6 Crude, 7 Overrule, 8 Bear the
brunt, 12 Culpable, 15 Pacific, 16 Charge, 18 Trace, 19 Stay.
tioning platforms which bring togeth-
er the supply, demand and logistics
can save the day.
Planning has to address the imme-
diate crisis at hand — with patients
dying outside and in hospitals for
lack of oxygen — and also look ahead.
There is an urgent need to up the rate
of vaccination and testing. While
there can be some excuse that
nobody expected a second wave of
infection to come so suddenly and
furiously, there seems to be no
excuse for India’s poor record in vac-
cination. Only 9 per cent have
received one shot each, compared to
44 per cent in the case of the US.
Vaccination is not going faster pri-
marily because there are not enough
shots in hand. It is appalling to be
told by the Serum Institute of India
(SII), the country’s major vaccine
producer, that the current shortage
will continue till July when its
monthly output will go up from 60-70
million doses to 100 million. Capacity
would have been upped earlier had
the SII received the orders.
And it is not at all clear why even
after the government has taken the
decision to let in vaccines approved by
leading global regulators without
going through trials in India, the head
of Pfizer had to go on record saying a
few days ago, “Unfortunately, our vac-
cine is not registered in India
although our application was submit-
ted months ago.” The Indian govern-
ment is still discussing an expedited
approval pathway even as vaccination
of those 18 or above cannot take off
smoothly because there simply aren’t
enough shots available.
The measures outlined by Kotak
focus on tackling the medical emer-
What India gains from revitalised ties with UK
I
NDIA’S May 4 virtual summit
with the UK is seen as a break-
through engagement.
Roadmap-2030 is, perhaps, over-
ambitious. It needs to be remembered
that it is a part of a larger continuing
engagement. The significant enthusi-
asm of the UK arises from Brexit and
its need for new partnerships. Since
the UK is adopting a wider worldview,
pivoting to Asia, it is time to have a new
measure of the India-UK partnership.
Among the earliest initiatives of the
UK this year was to re-engage with
India. Boris Johnson was to be the chief
guest at the Republic Day this year,
which was, unfortunately, cancelled due
to the pandemic. At the time, Britain
applied to join the CPTPP (Comprehen-
sive and Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership). It also per-
suaded ASEAN to give it a dialogue
partnership separate from the EU. This
is coveted by many European countries,
but only Britain has managed to get it.
The fields in which India and the UK
now want to intensify their relation-
ship include defence and security,
trade and investment, people-to-peo-
ple engagement, climate change, and
the pandemic. It is important to under-
stand what India would get from this
revitalised relationship. Where defence
and security are concerned, the pres-
ence of the British Navy in our region
and more frequent exercises are of lim-
ited significance since the UK has been
unable to get China to abide by its agree-
ment on Hong Kong. Their importance
is the readiness of the UK to provide
defence technology, share intelligence
and participation in the Information
OPED
gency in hand. The CII will in time be
ready with an economic action plan
that will have to counter not just one
but what seems likely two successive
years of severely stymied growth.
The scenario that experts have visu-
alised is that around the end of May
the virulence of the second wave could
begin to subside, allowing for econom-
ic activity to be slowly scaled up again.
While doing so, it must be ensured that
the country never makes the same
mistake again. It will have to be
assumed that there will come a third
wave for which medical contingency
plans will have to be kept ready.
While micro lockdown restrictions
are slowly lifted, it has to be ensured
that people don’t say goodbye to basic
The
AMBITIOUS ROADMAP: The UK’s enthusiasm for forging initiatives with India
arises from Brexit and its need for new partnerships. REUTERS
Fusion Centre which contributes to
FOIP (Free and Open Indo-Pacific).
Defence technology for the LCA and
next generation of air defence ships is
important since the Rolls Royce MT30
engines have proven themselves and
are used in the Indo-Pacific. HAL and
UK Rolls-Royce have expanded their
partnership for collaboration to aug-
ment the supply chain for both civilian
and defence aerospace by establishing
a maintenance centre for Adour Mk871
engines to support Rolls-Royce’s glob-
al customers. These could be a game-
changer for indigenous production of
aircraft and ships in India.
Britain is not a major trade partner of
India. An FTA needs to be carefully
crafted to ensure that services and
ACROSS
1 Small quantity (7)
5 Falter (5)
8 Give assistance (4,1,4)
3 7
9 Pinch (3)
10 Concerning (2,2)
12 Voluntary choice (4,4)
14 Enclosure for livestock (6)
15 To scold (6)
17 Gesture of approval (6,2)
18 Abound (4)
21 Grow old (3)
22 Recklessly audacious (9) 8 2
24 Fund of communal money (5)
25 Perceive clearly (7)
5 9
DOWN
1 Mediterranean island
country (5) 4 6
2 Put on (3)
3 Persuade by flattery (4)
5 7
4 Insubstantial (6)
5 Naive (4-4)
6 To clear of blame (9)
7 Beat back (7)
11 Tempestuous (9) 1 4
13 Progressively (3,2,3)
14 Reduction (7)
16 Rotten (6)
19 Italian city (5)
20 The chances (4)
23 Compete (3) HARD
precautions like wearing masks, main-
taining social distancing and not gath-
ering in large numbers, particularly
indoors. Unless this is done and the
country plunges into further rounds of
electioneering and large religious
gatherings, the future will be doomed.
The job of ensuring that precautions
continue to be taken should not be left
in the hands of the police but given to
the volunteers of political parties
which are important in individual
states. Only they can ensure coopera-
tion without intimidation. Who is
missing in action?
Delhi is the worst affected city and
it has been left to a senior RSS func-
tionary in the Capital, Rajiv Tuli, to
bemoan the ‘virtual absence’ of the
social mobility are adequately cov-
ered. These were among the issues
which led the UK to seek Brexit. These
will remain points of concern for India.
The UK proposes to provide 3,000
work visas for Indian professionals for
two years as part of the mobility and
migration agreement. The price that is
being paid for it is that India has final-
ly agreed to readmit people that
Britain thinks are illegally residing
there. In the past, this has been a
major sticking point because the ver-
ification of the nationality of these
‘illegal’ people, mainly from Punjab,
could not be carried out. The Indian
position has been that unless the ver-
ification of nationality is confirmed,
they would not be readmitted. Their
su do ku
8 ■ Vikrami Samvat
2 1
5 3 6 ■ Krishan Paksha Tithi 11, up to 3.33 pm
8 4
9
8 6
6 1
07
Experts have visualised that around
May-end the virulence of the second wave
could begin to subside, allowing for economic
activity to be slowly scaled up again.
While doing so, it must be ensured that the
country never makes the same mistake
again. It will have to be assumed that there
will come a third wave for which medical
contingency plans will have to be kept ready.
While micro lockdown restrictions are slowly
lifted, it has to be ensured that people
don’t ignore basic precautions.
FOCUS: One of the current priorities is to make an attempt to ensure
that economic activity is not stopped any more than can be helped. PTI
BJP there. On Twitter he has asked you so that every Covid patient gets a
rhetorically, “There is a fire every- hospital bed and oxygen and whatev-
where in Delhi, has any Delhiwalla er is necessary as a matter of course.
seen BJP Delhi?” At the end of the The government was goaded into
day, it is only the political forces involving the private sector in vacci-
that can get people to act the way nation after Azim Premji said in late
they should, not the threat of police February that 500 million could be
fines or lathis. vaccinated in two months if the pri-
Current priorities are clear: tackle vate sector was brought in.
the medical emergency, try to ensure Then India had given one shot to
that economic activity is not stopped only 0.75 per cent of its population;
any more than can be helped, and today it is 9 per cent. I took my first
make available some succour to the Covid shot at a private hospital short-
unorganised worker and his family ly after Premji spoke up, at the gov-
who are on the edge of starvation. ernment-approved rate of Rs 250 (in a
The corporate sector can, for its government hospital it would have
part, play a somewhat unusual role: been free). I would have gladly paid a
come forward and tell the govern- multiple of that if only to ease the gov-
ment — we will do the logistics for ernment’s resource crunch.
numbers are considerable and not Among these are climate change and
being mentioned in the public health-related aspects. Green technol-
domain could impact implementa- ogy upgrades for existing manufactur-
tion. The professional visas will be ing technologies in India could be use-
available a year from now. ful gains for India.
The Education Partnership is impor- The pandemic has created new oppor-
tant because many Indians still con- tunities which need to be better
sider the UK a prime destination. grasped. The UK is positioning Oxford-
When the UK made visa and costs AstraZeneca-SII as a model, which
more stringent, students turned to could be replicated with British R&D
Germany. The UK would like to and investment-supported manufactur-
reclaim the Indian student market and ing in India. If each of these initiatives
try and make things easier. Many of leads only to reverse FDI into the UK,
the professional visas would, perhaps, then interest in the FTA could falter.
go to the Indian students in the UK. There are some tripwires. The India-
The UK has publicly announced a 1- UK relationship relies on the Indian
billion-pound trade and investment diaspora as a supporter of economic
deal with India. A quarter of that is the partnership with India. Elements of
investment by the SII in a new vaccine the diaspora do try to embarrass India
production facility in the UK. This looks in the UK Parliament and outside by
like a ‘cut direct’ since India would invoking domestic Indian issues. This
have liked an expansion in India itself. is not going to go away and domestic
The FDI relationship between India UK politics will continue to use Indian
and the UK is quite imbalanced. India issues as and when required. The UK
is the second largest job creator in the needs to be sensitive to this.
UK, through its FDI. Twitter is agog Another area of concern is the ease
about an FDI for butter chicken, with which Indian economic fugitives
which would create jobs in the UK!
The converse about Indian gains from
find it easy to stay in Britain. This is dif-
ferent from the strategic partnership
the UK is not publicised. with the UAE, which led to the extradi-
The question remains: what would tion of several wanted people. The UK
India get out of the trade and invest- needs to realise the value of such actions.
ment engagement? Most UK invest-
ment in India, which is far behind that
Issues of retrospective taxation and
non-fulfilment of arbitral awards, like
of Japan, Germany and others, is large- in the cases of Vodafone and Cairns,
ly from the people of Indian origin. Will evoke UK reaction. UK officials have
India benefit from a wider FDI, which indicated that the nature of doing busi-
will support Atmanirbhar Bharat and
create manufacturing jobs in India?
ness in India will depend on the resolu-
tion of these problems. Such elements
The worth to India of the investment may trip the relationship because these
relationship with the UK is in the are important issues domestically for
services sector and new technologies. India and their public impact is deep.
calendar forecast
MAY 7, 2021, FRIDAY SUNSET: FRIDAY 19:04 HRS
2078
SUNRISE: SATURDAY 05:34 HRS
■ Shaka Samvat 1943
■ Vaisakh Shaka 17 Sunny Partly Cloudy Cloudy Rainy Foggy
■ Vaisakh Parvishte 25 CITY MAX MIN
■ Hijari 1442 Chandigarh 33 24
New Delhi 38 25
■ Vaidhriti Yoga up to 7.29 pm Amritsar 32 24
3 ■ Purvabhadrpad Nakshatra up to 12.26 pm
■ Moon enters Pisces sign 5.55 am
Bathinda
Jalandhar
34
32
23
24
Ludhiana 32 23
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION
Bhiwani 35 24
6 2 3 9 8 1 4 5 7 Hisar 35 25
5 4 9 1 3 7 5 8 2 6
Sirsa 33 22
Dharamsala 25 15
8 5 7 4 6 2 1 3 9
Manali 19 11
9 1 2 6 5 4 3 7 8 Shimla 20 10
Srinagar 23 11
7 8 4 2 1 3 9 6 5
3 6 5 7 9 8 2 4 1
Jammu 34 21
Kargil 22 07
2
3
7
8
6
5
8
2
4
7
9
6
5
9
1
4
3
Leh
Dehradun
20
31
03
21
Mussoorie 20 11
5 4 9 1 3 6 7 8 2
TEMPERATURE IN OC
08 HIMACHAL PRADESH THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021

Steel plants in Sirmaur, Una 3,929 Covid cases, 300 issued challans
45 succumb in HP for norm violation
defy govt orders, use oxygen Shimla, May 6
As many as 3,929 Covid cas- COVID METER
Our Correspondent

Kullu, May 6
MAN FINED ~5K
A resident of Dugilug village
Closed Solan industries raise issue | DC says permitted to operate es were reported in the
state today, taking the tally
Recovered 99,287 The Kullu police have
issued more than
was challaned and fined
~5,000 for violating Covid
Active cases 27,756
Ambika Sharma The Himachal Pradesh Steel to 118,729. Besides, 45 per- 300 challans and collected norms while celebrating his
Positive cases 118,729 son’s mundan ceremony.
Tribune News Service Industries Association has sons died of the virus in the Rs 1.5 lakh as fine from
Solan, May 6 raised the issue as to why steel past 24 hours. Deaths 1,724 people not wearing masks
At a time when there is a plants in Solan district are Seventeen deaths were DISTRICT-WISE COUNT in the past five days. required for any type
nationwide crisis of medical prohibited while they are reported in Kangra, eight DISTRICT +VE DEATHS
They are requesting of gathering.
oxygen, steel and iron manu- operational in other districts. each in Solan and Shimla, people through the public Awareness drives were
Una 7,860 136
facturing units in Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner, five in Mandi, two each in announcement system being organised and a
and other districts are func- Sirmaur, RK Pruthi, said Hamirpur and Kullu and Solan 15,310 136 and Rustom volunteers to strict vigil was being
tioning as usual using being a continuous process one each in Una, Sirmaur Kangra 22,748 462 follow Covid protocols. maintained to enforce
gaseous oxygen cylinders industry, steel units had and Chamba. Chamba 5,284 67 Kullu SP Gaurav Singh Covid norms, especially
while these are shut in Solan. been permitted to operate. Kangra recorded the Hamirpur 7,848 103 said that Sonu, a resident in gatherings.
According to a notification, CONTINUOUS OPS Arindam Chaudhary, who highest number of 1,009 Sirmaur 8,985 83 of Dugilug village, was Kullu SP Gaurav Singh
state governments have
MEDICAL USE ALLOWED heads the Logistic Commit- cases, followed by 498 in challaned and fined Rs said that the police were
Mandi 16,489 201
been directed to restrict the
industrial use of oxygen for
❝ In view of the oxygen crisis
and the Central government’s ❝ Being a continuous
process industry, steel
tee to monitor the availabil-
ity of oxygen at all facilities,
Solan, 477 in Mandi, 400
in Shimla, 368 in Hamir-
Bilaspur
Shimla
6,978
16,763
34
376
5,000 for violating Covid
norms while celebrating
coordinating with Naib
Tehsildars and Tehsildars
ensuring its availability for directions, only medical use of units have been said, “There is no shortage pur, 316 in Bilaspur, 232 in
Kullu 6,392 100
his son’s mundan cere- and the people organising
Covid patients. liquid and gaseous oxygen is of oxygen though its Sirmaur, 206 each in mony today. social functions were
Since the notification
permitted to operate requirement has reached 25 Chamba and Una, 82 in Kinnaur 1,954 24 He added that the per- being told to strictly
makes no mention of air sepa-
allowed. KC Chaman, SOLAN DC RK Pruthi, SIRMAUR DC MT as against 15 MT. There Lahaul and Spiti and 20 in Lahaul & Spiti 2,118 13 mission of the district adhere to the Covid
ration units (ASUs) producing is no diversion of liquid oxy- Kinnaur. — TNS Total 118,729 1,724 administration was norms to prevent spread.
gaseous oxygen, the opera- Solan, KC Chaman, said in The requirement of oxygen gen and its use was restrict-
tion of steel and iron manu- view of the oxygen crisis in Solan district, where ed for medical purposes
facturing units in Sirmaur
and Una are continuing.
There is no shortage of
and the Centre’s directions,
only medical use of both liq-
uid and gaseous oxygen
nearly 400 cases are detect-
ed every day, has risen from
two cylinders on April 1 to
while ASUs have been left
out by the Union Govern-
ment. The state government
Testing labs at Una, Kullu get approval
oxygen in the state, was ensured and the indus- 232 on April 30. will take a decision regard- Tribune News Service safety of the citizens, but
whether the use of gaseous trial use was restricted. Eight steel units in Sirmaur ing its use as the associa- at the same time ensuring
oxygen should be permitted The state has been allocat- district continued to function tion has also raised the Shimla, May 6 that economy of poor and
for the industrial use has ed 15 metric tonnes (MT) of as usual with 10.5 lakh units issue as to why steel plants Chief Minister Jai Ram down-trodden remains
become a contentious issue oxygen, but following a power being consumed on a in Solan district are prohib- Thakur today directed the protected,” he remarked.
among investors. spike in cases, the require- daily basis, said officials of the ited while they are opera- district administrations Thakur said that the state
Deputy Commissioner, ment is rising every day. HP State Electricity Board. tional in other districts. across the state to ensure had sufficient oxygen, but
effective implementation the only constraint was
of Covid-19 curfew imposed cylinders for transportation
in the wake of sharp surge of the oxygen. “We have

Minister’s kin ‘jumped’ vax queue CM launches

helpline
of cases in the state.
He was presiding over a
review meeting regarding
urged Centre to provide oxy-
gen cylinders to the state to
cope up with the deficiency.
Subhash Rajta Tribune correspondent. vaccinated as the vaccination the Covid-19 situation Efforts must also be made to
Tribune News Service The allegation that she got drive to inoculate people in Shimla, May 6 through video conferenc- expedite setting up of PSA
Shimla, May 6 herself vaccinated even the 18-44 age group had not Chief Minister Jai Ram ing from here with Deputy oxygen plants sanctioned by
Did Vandana Guleria, BJP though she was not eligible taken off on May 1 as sched- Thakur today launched a Commissioners, Superin- the Centre,” he said.
Mahila Morcha state secre- for the jab has been levelled uled. The government had dedicated Covid helpline at tendents of Police, Chief Health Minister Rajiv
tary and daughter of Jal by CPM leader from Mandi, announced that the vaccina- Mukhyamantri Sewa Medical Officers and Prin- Saizal lauded the efforts
Shakti Vibhag Minister Bhupender Singh. Vandana tion drive in the 18-44 age Sankalp Helpline 1100 for cipals of Medical Colleges being put in by doctors,
Mahender Singh, jump the Guleria had defeated Bhu- group would start from May 1 facilitating the people regard- in Himachal Pradesh. paramedical staff and oth-
queue to get Covid vaccina- pender Singh in the Zila but it was suspended follow- ing Covid-related issues. He said that Deputy er stakeholders to tackle
tion? While Chief Minister Parishad elections. ing the communication from Appreciating the efforts of Commissioners and CM: BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN HOME ISOLATION, HOSPITALS the pandemic.
Jai Ram Thakur said he Bhupender claimed that the vaccine manufacturer the IT Department, the Chief Superintendents of Police The CM directed the officers to bridge the gap between home Chief Secretary Anil
had no information about Vandana Guleria was 41-year- that it would not be able to Minister said any one can call must ensure that general isolation and hospitals as it has been felt that the fatality rate Khachi said that the imple-
it, Vandana Guleria chose old and she got herself vacci- supply the doses before three on toll-free number 1100 from public strictly adhered to in the state was increasing due to delay in shifting of serious menting agencies must
to not respond to the nated on May 1. He claimed to four weeks. 7 am to 10 pm for seeking SoPs issued by the govern- patients in home isolation to the hospitals which was matter ensure effective sharing of
queries sent to her by The that she was not eligible to get He demanding an inquiry. help. An executive would reg- ment to check spread of of concern. He also directed the health department to ensure resources in wake of the
ister the complaint and con- corona virus. maintenance of smooth supply chain of oxygen, PPE kits, pandemic. DGP Sanjay
tact the authorities for provid- Steps must be taken to medicines and other logistics during the corona curfew. Kundu said that stern
GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA TENDER NOTICE ing necessary help to the enhance testing and most action would be taken
Sr. NAME OF NAME OF WORK/NOTICE/TENDER OPENING DATE AMOUNT/EMD WEBSITE OF THE NODAL OFFICER/ person regarding testing, vac- importantly reduce the against violators of SoPs.
No. BOARD/
CORP./AUTH.
CLOSING DATE
(TIME)
(APPROX.)
in Rupees
BOARD/CORP./AUTH. CONTACT DETAILS/
E-MAIL cination, home quarantine, delay in getting reports of Una and Kullu for which government universities He said that action would
1 UHBVN
LT XLPE ARMOURED CABLE OF SIZE SCX25 SQ. MM AS PER NIGAM’S
TECH. SPECIFICATION NO. CSC- 201/R-I/DH/UH/P&D/2020-21 04.05.2021
EMD 6 LACS uhbvn.org.in
9023360202 medicines, ambulance and tests. For this, private labs Rs 7 crore has been sanc- and IIT Mandi,” he said. also be taken against peo-
AND AS PER RELEVENT IS ALONG WITH ITS AMENDMENTS
+ 2 OTHER WORK
24.05.2021 cemm@uhbvn.org.in
oxygen. He felt the need for must be requisitioned. tioned. Possibilities must “Under the present cir- ple visiting the state by
2 UHBVN
NEW TRANSFORMER OIL CONFORMING TO IS-335/2018 ALONG WITH
ITS AMENDMENTS, OTHER RELEVANT ISS AND AS PER NIGAM’S 04.05.2021
EMD 2 LACS uhbvn.org.in
9023360202 making the service more user- “Approval had been accord- also be explored for setting cumstances the priority furnishing fake identity
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION NO. CSC- XXXIV/R-I/DH/UH/P&D/2020-21
& ITS AMENDMENTS, IF ANY
24.05.2021 cemm@uhbvn.org.in
friendly and simple. — TNS ed to set up laboratories at up of testing lab in three was not only to ensure and wrong details.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in PRDH/13/2022/40/2861/I/31/4

GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA CORRIGENDUM One held for

SR.
NO.
NAME OF
BOARD
CORP./AUTH
OLD REFERENCE/NIT NO. NATURE OF CORRIGENDUM
WEBSITE OF THE BOARD
CORP./AUTH
NODAL OFFICER/
CONTACT DETAILS/EMAIL possessing
1 UHBVN 04/2021-22 CLOSING DATE 17.05.2021 OPENING DATE 18.05.2021 https://etenders.hry.nic.in
9356063248
xenciviluhbvnpanchkula@gmail.com gun illegally
9356063248
2 UHBVN 01/2021-22 CLOSING DATE 17.05.2021 OPENING DATE 18.05.2021 https://etenders.hry.nic.in
xenciviluhbvnpanchkula@gmail.com
E-TENDER ENQUIRY NO. 01/CWG/2021-22 DATED CORRIGENDUM NO. 01 DATE OF BID SUBMISSION. 19.05.2021 AT 01:00 01722583789
Kullu, May 6
3 HVPNL
19.04.2021 (ONLINE TENDER ID- 2021_HBC_169221_1) PM. OPENING 05.05.2021 AT 05:00 PM
www.hvpn.org.in
pro@hvpn.org.in The police have arrested one
4 UHBVN 10/CCR/2021-22
CONSTRUCTION OF VARIOUS CIVIL WORKS FOR NABL ACCREDITATION
OF M&T LAB OPH COLONY ROHTAK. DATED EXTENDED CLOSING: www.etenders.hry.nic.in
9991480086 person and recovered a gun
12.05.2021 OPENING: 13.05.2021 (UPTO 01:00 PM)
xenciviluhbvnrohtak@gmail.com
without licence from him,
5 UHBVN NIT NO. 1/ODY/2021-22 DATED 19.04.2021
ENQUIRY NO. 1 OF NIT NO.1/ODY/2021-22 IS HEREBY EXTENDED UPTO
10.05.2021 AT 3:30 PM DATE OF CLOSING: 10.05.21 AT 1:00 PM DATE OF www.uhbvn.org.in xenopynr@uhbvn.org.in
during a raid at his house at
OPENING: 10.05.21 AT 3:30 PM Fozal village in Manali yester-
6 HVPNL 16/PD&C DATED 07.01.2021
EXTENSION OF DUE DATE OF ONLINE BID SUBMISSION UPTO
19.05.2021 UPTO 17:00 HRS. (ESTIMATED COST OF WORK: RS. 52.78 www.hvpn.org.in
01722583789 day. The accused has been
LACS) & 06.05.2021
pro@hvpn.org.in
identified as Devi Ram. How-
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in PRDH/13/2022/120/2859/I/31/4 ever, no live ammunition
was recovered. — OC

GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA TENDER NOTICE ������� ����� ��� ��������� ����� ������ ������
NAME OF
OPENING DATE AMOUNT / �������� ����� ��� ��� �����
SR. CLOSING EMD WEBSITE OF THE NODAL OFFICER/CONTACT
No.
BOARD/CORP./
AUTH
NAME OF WORK NOTICE TENDER
DATE (TIME) (APPROX.) BOARD/CORP./AUTH DETAILS/EMAIL ����� ���, ������� ������ �������, �����-171001
IN RUPEES
6000/- per ������ : 0177-2622033 ����� : 0177-2621957
1 UHBVN
SUPPLY OF 2 NO. JEEP REQUIRED IN THE OFFICE OF XEN/M&P DIVISION, UHBVN,
AMBALA THROUGH OUTSOURCING FOR 2 YEARS.
CLOSING DATE vehicle as
17.05.2021 Bank DD
only
www.uhbvn.org.in
9354726625
xenmnpambala@uhbvn.org.in �����
������ ������ ����� ������ ����� ��� ��� ����� �������, ���� ����� �� �� ������ ����� (NRB) ����� �� ������� ��� ������ �� ����� �� ������ ������� ��� �������� �� �� �� �� ��
MC REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF VARIOUS WORK IN SECTOR 12, 12A (WARD NO. 10) 05.05.2021 9050060000 ���� ������ ������ �� ������ ������ ���� �� ��� ��� ���� ���������� ��� �� ������ ����� ������� ���� ��� ���� ���� �� ����� �� ������ ������� ��� �������� �� ����� ������, ��������
2 35 LACS https://etenders.hry.nic.in
PANCHKULA M.C. PANCHKULA (FOR PERIOD 01-04-2021 TO 31-03-2022). RECALL +4 OTHER WORK 13.05.2021 xenmcpkl@gmail.com ������, ����������� ��� ������� �������, ������ ������ ��� 5 ����� �� �� ��� ������� ���� ��� �������� ������ ������ ���� ���� ������ ������� ������ �� ��� 24�7 ���� ���� ���� ��
������ ����� �� ������� ����� �� ������ �� �� :
PROCUREMENT OF MARSHALING KIOSK 300TB (STAINLESS STEEL) 10.05.2021 01722583789 ���. ��. ���� �� ������ ����� �� �����/��� ���� ������ ������ ���� �� ��� ������ ����
3 HVPNL 90.05 LACS www.hvpn.org.in
(NIT NO.- 1180 DATED:05.05.2021 ) 11.06.2021 pro@hvpn.org.in �����/������ ������� �������� ���� ������
GS EARTH WIRE,7/3.15 SQ MM 10.05.2021 01722583789 1. �������� ������� ����� ��������� ���, ��������, ��������, �������� 01978-224155 --
4 HVPNL 3.03 LACS www.hvpn.org.in
(NIT NO.- 1174 DATED:04.05.2021) 11.06.2021 pro@hvpn.org.in ������ ��� �� ����, ���� ��������-174011 ���� �������� �������, �������� 01978-221515 70182-29430
11KV CAPACITOR CELLS, 200KVAR (7.3KV) 10.05.2021 01722583789
5 HVPNL 44.37 LACS www.hvpn.org.in ����� ������� NRB -- 94183-44933
(NIT NO.- 1172 DATED:04.05.2021) 11.06.2021 pro@hvpn.org.in
2. ����� ���� ����, ��. ��� ���� �����-176314 ��������, ����� 01899-224847 --
11KV XLPE ALUMINIUM POWER CABLE SINGLE CORE 1000SQMM 10.05.2021 3.13 01722583789
6 HVPNL www.hvpn.org.in ���� �������� �������, ����� 1899-220307 98051-25123
(NIT NO.- 1175 DATED:04.05.2021 ) 11.06.2021 CRORE pro@hvpn.org.in
����� ������� NRB -- 94595-47873
415V 300A AC DISTRIBUTION BOARD 10.05.2021 01722583789
7 HVPNL 17.20 LACS www.hvpn.org.in 3. ������� ���� ��. 153, ����� ��. 8, ��� ���, ���� ��������, ������� 01972-224358 --
(NIT NO.- 1173 DATED:04.05.2021 ) 11.06.2021 pro@hvpn.org.in
�������� ���� ��� ������� �������, �������, ���� �������� ������� ������� 01972-225085 94180-36831
PRDH/-13/2022/140/2860/I/31/4 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT : www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in ����� ���, �������, ���� �������-174011 ����� ������� NRB -- 86288-27095
4. ������� ���, �� ������ �����, ���� �������� ������� ��������, ������� 01892-222103 --
�������� ����� �����, ��������, ���� �������- ���� �������� ������� ������� ����� �������� 01892-222114 94180-44529
GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA TENDER NOTICE 5. �������
176215
�� ������ ����� ��� ����� ���, �����, ����
����� ������� NRB
�������� �������
--
01786-222252
94188-30326
--
Sr. NAME OF DEPARTMENT NAME OF WORK/NOTICE/TENDER OPENING AMOUNT/ WEBSITE OF THE NODAL OFFICER/ �������-172107 ���� �������� �������, ������� 01786-223436 98160-85786
No. DATE EMD DEPARTMENT CONTACT DETAILS/ ����� ������� NRB 01786-226707 98058-86540
CLOSING (APPROX.) EMAIL 6. ������ ������� ����� ��������� ���, ������ ������ ��������, ������ 01902-222727 --
DATE in Rupees ����� �� ����, ���� ������-175101 ���� �������� �������, ������ 01902-222105 94187-92280
PUBLIC HEALTH GUDHA ANNUAL MAINTENANCE OF WATER SUPPLY SCHEME, DISTRICT BHIWANI 04.05.2021 8221012343
1
ENGINEERING SIWANI +1 OTHER WORK 17.05.2021
2.98 LACS https://etenders.hry.nic.in
eesiwani@phedharyana.gov.in ����� ������� NRB -- 94186-12012
SPECIAL REPAIR OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTRE IN PHC AT DHARUHERA IN 06.05.2021 01274253703 7. ����� ������� ����� ��������� ��� ����, ��� ��� �� ��������, ����� 01905-225201 --
2 PWD REWARI
REWARI DISTRICT 27.05.2021
4.46 LACS https://etenders.hry.nic.in
pwd-eepd-rewari@hry.nic.in ����, ��. � ���� ����-175001 ���� �������� �������, ����� 01905-223845 98822-04230
IRRIGATION & WATER INTERNAL CLEARANCE OF H/GARH LINK DRAIN FROM RD 0 TO 4300 H/GARH SUB CLOSING ����� ������� NRB 01905-224845 98576-69772
9896410404
3 RESOURCES LINK DRAIN RD 0 TO 1500, HAMAYUPUR LINK DRAIN FROM RD 0 TO 3700, NEW DATE 2.12 LACS https://etenders.hry.nic.in 8. �����-������ ���� ���� �����, ��. ���. ��. ��������, ����� �� ��������, �����-������ 01900-202226 --
xenwsdnrtk@gmail.com ����, ���� �����-������-172114
DEPARTMENT, ROHTAK H/GARH LINK DRAIN FROM RD 0 TO 6888 + 1 OTHER WORK 12.05.2021 ���� �������� ������� �����-������ ����� ������ 01900-202862 98167-10919
PANCHAYATI RAJ, CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY CENTRE AT VILLAGE - KABULPUR BANGAR 08.05.2021 79.10 prexeeng.fbd@hry.nic.in ����� ������� NRB 01900-202901 94597-05843
4 https://etenders.hry.nic.in
FARIDABAD BLOCK - BALLABGARH, DISTT. FARIDABAD + 3 NOS OTHER WORKS 17.05.2021 LACS 0129-4313645 9. ����� ���� ���� ��� ��� ������, ���� �����, ��������, ����� 0177-2655988 --
FORESTS DEPARTMENT, NEW PLANTATION, NURSERY AND POPLAR NURSERY WORK IN STATE SCHEME, 05.05.2021 23.67 9416917079 ��.���.-171012 ���� �������� �������, ����� 0177-2627360 94180-30907
5 https://etenders.hry.nic.in
YAMUNA NAGAR CAMPA SCHEME IN BHAGWANGARH BLOCK OF JAGADHRI RANGE + 4 OTHER WORKS 12.05.2021 Crore dfo_tynr@redifmail.com
����� ������� NRB -- 89880-79066
PROVIDE FUNCTIONAL HOUSEHOLD TAP CONNECTION (FHTC) TO VILLAGE
10. ������ ���� ��������� ��� ����, ����� �����, ���� �������� ������ 01702-225025 --
BAMARIYAKA, DISTT. PALWAL (UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION) ESTIMATED COST CLOSING
PUBLIC HEALTH 13.75 9911521920 ������-173001 ���� �������� ������� ������ ����� 01902-225607 94599-65623
6 RS. 26.56 LAKH (CATEGORY-II). LAYING OF 100 MM I/D D.I. PIPELINE, PROVIDING DATE https://etenders.hry.nic.in
ENGINEERING PALWAL LACS eepalwal@gmail.com ����� ������� NRB -- 82193-46474
HOUSEHOLD TAP CONNECTION WITH 15 MM G.I. PIPE CLASS-B AND ALL OTHER 18.05.2021
WORKS CONTINGENT THERETO. RS. 13.75 LACS 11. ���� ��� ����� ������� ���, ������ ������� ���� �������� ���� 01792-220757 --
PROVIDE FUNCTIONAL HOUSEHOLD TAP CONNECTION (FHTC) TO HOUSEHOLD IN �� ����, ���� ����-173212 ���� �������� �������, ���� 01792-221934 94181-48003
VILLAGE FARTASKU NAGAR, DISTT. PALWAL (UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION). CLOSING ����� ������� NRB 01792-220181 97363-78840
PUBLIC HEALTH 205.61 9911521920
7 “DRILLLING OF 250 MM I/D PVC BORE ALONG WITH SUBMERSIBLE MOTOR, PANEL DATE https://etenders.hry.nic.in
ENGINEERING PALWAL
BOARD, SS CABLE COMPLETE I ALL RESPECT AT VILLAGE FARTASKU NAGAR AND 28.05.2021
Lacs eepalwal@gmail.com 12. ��� ������� ����� ��������� ��� ���, ���� ��������, ��� 01975-225800 --
ALL OTHER WORKS CONTINGENT THERETO + 3 OTHER WORKS RS. 205.61 LACS ��������� ������ �� ����, ���� ���-174303 ���� �������� �������, ��� 01975-228499 98050-04920
IRRIGATION & WATER CLOSING ����� ������� NRB 01975-225844 98824-06710
RECONSTRUCTION OF SKEW BRIDGE AT KM 26.325 OF NARNAUL BRANCH 204.59 01282251214 �����-19 ������� �� ����� ��� ���� �� ������ �� ����� �� ������ ������� ��� �������� ������� ������ �� ��� �� ���� ���� ���� �������� ��� ������ �� ����� �� ������ ������� ��� ��������
8 RESOURCES DATE https://etenders.hry.nic.in
+ 4 OTHER WORKS LACS xen-wsnrl.irr@gov.in
DEPARTMENT, NARNAUL 26.05.2021 ��������� ��. - 181 �� ��������� ��. 76500-66994 � 94598-86600 �� �� ������ ���� ���� ���� ����
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in PRDH/11/2022/160/2862/I/31/4 COQ/GO/63 ������, ����� ��� ��� �����, ������ ������
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021 JAMMU & KASHMIR/LADAKH 09
3 Al-Badr ultras HC tells UT admn to appoint Ajit Singh dies...
from page 1
Himachal...
from page 1

shot in Shopian A suave politician, Ajit Singh Against 709 suicide cases in

Srinagar, May 6
Three Al-Badr militants were
killed while one surrendered
before security forces in an
encounter in Shopian district
of Jammu and Kashmir on
Thursday, the police said.
Acting on an input about the
presence of militants in
Kanigam area of Shopian in
south Kashmir, security forces
launched a cordon and search
operation during the night, a
police spokesman said.
He said as the presence of
militants was ascertained,
they were given an opportu-
nity to surrender. The fami-
ly members of the trapped
militants were also called to
the encounter site to moti-
vate and persuade them to
surrender, the spokesman
said. One of the trapped mil-
itants, Tausif Ahmad, laid
down his arms, he said.
Ahmad later appealed to his
trapped companions to sur-
render, but they turned down
the offer and fired indiscrim-
inately at the search party,
ONE SURRENDERS
■ After being told to surren-
der by security forces and
kin, one of the terrorists
agreed but others contin-
ued to open fire
■ Danish Mir and Moham-
mad Umer Bhat of Kha-
japora and Zaid Bashir
Reshi of Raben were killed
■ IG Vijay Kumar hails secu-
rity personnel for showing
patience that saved life of
a 'misguided' youth
the spokesman said.
The fire was retaliated,
leading to an encounter in
which the three militants
were killed, he added. The
spokesman identified the trio
as Danish Mir, Mohammad
Umer Bhat, residents of Kha-
japora Shopian, and Zaid
Bashir Reshi of Raben area in
Shopian. The spokesman
said incriminating material,
including arms and ammuni-
tion, was recovered. — PTI
nodal officers for O2 supply
Jammu, May 6
The Jammu and Kashmir
High Court has directed the
administration to nominate
adequate number of nodal
officers to ensure oxygen
supply to patients undergo-
ing treatment at home. The
court passed the directions
on a suo motu petition admit-
ted by it last year.
A Division Bench com-
prising Chief Justice
Pankaj Mithal and Justice
Sanjay Dhar asked the
Union Territory’s Health
Secretary to submit a
detailed plan within two
weeks. The Health Secre-
tary was asked to submit
complete details of the
number of Covid hospitals,
both government and pri-
vate, number of beds avail-
able, district wise/city wise,
quantity of Remdesivir
allotted to the UT, the exact
quantity of Remdesivir
received and used with the
Patients on oxygen support wait outside the Covid-19 facility
of the Chest Disease Hospital in Jammu on Thursday. PTI
corresponding figures of
the requirement.
Three oxygen generation
plants of 3,166 litres per
minute (LPM) and six oxygen
plants of 6,590 LPM are func-
tional in Jammu and Kash-
mir regions, respectively.
Four plants of 4,000 LPM and
17 plants of 30,000 LPM are
likely to be made functional
within 15 days in the Jammu
and Kashmir respectively.
The government said there
was no shortage of beds in the
hospitals as there were 1,354
and 1,708 (total 3062) Covid-
dedicated beds, 1,127 and
1,597 beds with oxygen, 227
and 111 ICU beds with venti-
lators in Jammu and Kash-
mir regions, respectively.
ENSURE DELIVERY
AT HOME: COURT
■ The HC directed the Health
Department to appoint
nodal officers to ensure
smooth supply of oxygen
to patients at home
■ It also asked to give pub-
licity along with the
name and numbers of
the nodal officers
■ Patients or relatives
should be able to easily
approach the officials
concerned for oxygen
supply, it adds
Submitting that there was
no ban on use of oxygen for
patients at home, the advo-
cate general said they could
have the supply of oxygen on
medical prescription through
nodal officers. Welcoming the
efforts of the government,
the Bench said: “We find that
still much more is required to
be done.” — PTI
quit the computer industry to
return to India and joined
politics. He became a Rajya
Sabha member after his
father fell ill in 1986.
The strong support base of
Jats and Muslims in western
UP made him an essential part
of many coalition govern-
ments. He was a seven-time
MP from Baghpat and served
as the Union Minister for
Agriculture, Civil Aviation
and Food Processing Indus-
tries in the VP Singh, PV
Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee and Manmohan
Singh governments. Condo-
lences poured in soon after
the news of his demise broke.
PM Narendra Modi tweeted,
“Singh was always devoted to
the interests of the farmers.
My condolences to his family
in this hour of mourning.”
Punjab CM Captain
Amarinder Singh described
Ajit Singh as a messiah of
farmers, who always played a
pro-active role in championing
the cause of peasantry. “His
enormous contribution will be
remembered,” the CM said.
2019, 856 were reported in 2020.
The months of June, July and
August (2020) accounted for
311 suicides when the pan-
demic was in its first phase.
The other factors to blame
are marital disputes, financial
issues, drug addiction, health
problems, unemployment,
job stress and family prob-
lems. A survey conducted by
the Himachal Pradesh State
Mental Health Authority
showed out that 42.92% of the
people were worried about
their future and family securi-
ty, 40.46% were stressed due
to financial losses while 50%
felt anxious and depressed by
reading and watching Covid-
related articles.
About 2.42% contemplated
suicide while only 4.17% sought
psychiatric consultation.
“Friends and family mem-
bers can play a crucial role by
picking up early warning
signs. Psychiatric help must
be taken,” says Dr Sanjay
Pathak, Senior Medical Super-
intendent, Himachal Hospital
of Mental Health and Rehabil-
itation, Boileauganj.

FROM PAGE 1

US backs India’s proposal for... Second wave... NHAI to raise... Ambulance...

availability of affordable
Covid vaccines and essential
medical products. The US
and the EU were outliers to
the proposal, which has the
support of 120 countries.
Washington’s changed
stance was announced by US
Trade Representative (USTR)
Katherine Tai in a statement.
“The (US) administration’s
aim is to get as many safe and
effective vaccines to as many
people as fast as possible. As
our vaccine supply for the
American people is secured,
the administration will contin-
ue to ramp up its efforts—work-
ing with the private sector and
all possible partners—to
expand vaccine manufacturing
and distribution. It will also
A woman gives sample for
Covid test in Kolkata. REUTERS
work to increase the raw mate-
rials needed to produce those
vaccines,” she said while
“announcing the Biden-Harris
administration’s support for
waiving intellectual property
protections for Covid vaccines”.
India and South Africa, lat-
er joined by other countries,
including Pakistan, have
been arguing before the WTO
that IP rights could hinder
the supply of vaccines and
drugs at affordable prices. At
a time when production
needs to be scaled up, there
should be “a waiver from the
implementation, application
and enforcement of patents,
copyright and trademarks”
in Covid-related areas.
Tai said the US will actively
participate in text-based nego-
tiations at the WTO “to make
that happen”. The WTO will
have to decide whether the
waiver under Articles IX.3
and IX.4 should be granted to
an individual country or col-
lectively. The WTO has pro-
vided waivers under both
modes in the past.
wave commenced from
Maharashtra and daily cas-
es began to rise. Leading
vaccinologist Gagandeep
Kang told The Tribune that
India may see one or two
more peaks but these will
not be as bad as the current
one. “That is because very
little fuel (human hosts)
would be left by then for
the virus to go through. If
we ramp up vaccinations
fast, we will be in a very
good place,” Kang said.
In view of the vaccine
shortages, Kang said the
Centre should delay doses
for those who have already
been infected with Covid-19
because 80 per cent of the
infected are known to get
protection for seven months.
For Punjab, the daily oxygen
allocation stands at 195 MT of
which 90 MT comes from
Bokaro in eastern India. The
remaining 105 MT comes
from LMO facilities in
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
and Uttarakhand. However,
Punjab is not getting its daily
allocated quota owing to
shortage of containers. In
addition, there are 15 air sep-
aration units (ASUs) with a
generation capacity of
around 60-65 tonnes per day.
Amid the oxygen crisis,
Punjab has announced
“thrust sector” status for all
oxygen units. It has appoint-
ed a nodal officer to coordi-
nate with the Customs
Department for quick clear-
ance of foreign aid.
she shared the receipt with
her relatives and on social
media. The matter came to the
notice of the Delhi Police and
an FIR was lodged against the
ambulance operating firm.
Amandeep got her entire
money back. “I will utilise it
to help needy Covid
patients,” she said.
Monika Bhardwaj, DCP
(West), Delhi Police, said:
“Though we had not received
any complaint, we took the
company to task. Multiple
cases are coming across us
where ambulance service
providers and pharmacists
are fleecing patients.”
Meanwhile, patients from
Delhi NCR continue to rush to
Punjab as the health facilities
there are getting exhausted.
25 deaths in Hisar...
they are avoiding getting
themselves tested,” he said.
Another villager said peo-
ple were also showing vac-
cine hesitancy. “Instead of
going to hospitals, they prefer
going to RMPs and quacks
for treatment,” he said.
Ishwar Singh of Balsamand
village, where nearly 15 persons
died in one week, said, “Some
of them had tested positive. Pri-
vate clinics in the village are
flooded with ailing persons.”
In Bhiwani’s Chang village,
10 persons who had high
fever and possibly Covid died
in the last couple of days.
Sarpanch Devender Kumar
said, “Three confirmed Covid
deaths in the village is alarm-
ing for us. We are encouraging
Identify villages, says
Deputy Speaker
Deputy Speaker Ranbir
Gangwa has asked the
health authorities to identi-
fy villages having high num-
ber of Covid cases so that
necessary action could be
taken for its containment.
people showing symptoms to
get themselves tested.”
Deputy Speaker Ranbir
Gangwa, who heads the dis-
trict advisory committee on
Covid, today asked the health
authorities to identify vil-
lages having high number of
Covid cases so that necessary
action could be taken for its
containment.

HIMACHAL PRADESH TAKNIKI SHIKSHA Ch-87/DS(P)-113/Vol-V Dated: 05.05.2021 66 kV

BOARD, DHARAMSHALA — 176057 Annexure-A 1 Creation of 66 kV D/C line from 220 kV substation
Pali, Faridabad to 66 kV substation Kheri Gujran
Pali Village, Kheri Gujran
Village, Sarurpur
Tehsil Ballabhgarh
District-Faridabad
Faridabad

CORRIGENDUM HARYANA VIDYUT PRASARAN NIGAM LTD. through overhead using Lattice towers/ Monopoles/
underground with 1200 sq mm XLPE cable
Industrial Area
This is in continuation to Short Tender Notice for 32 Pages Answer Books (approx. 6 KMs).
with OMR title pages (printing & supply) published in the Tribune and Amar Ujala Shakti Bhawan, Sector 6, Panchkula – 134109 2 Creation of 66 kV D/C line from 220 kV Meerpur Kurali, Bela, (Tehsil Hodal and Palwal
on 17.04.2021. The last date of submission of tender which was fixed as substation Meerpur Kurali to 66 kV TSS Rundhi Raidaska, Bamadia, Palwal
07.05.2021 is hereby extended up to 21.05.2021 due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
Rest of the tender conditions will remain the same.
PUBLIC NOTICE (approx. 15 KM). Pingore, Deeghot, Distt. Palwal)
Ladiaka, Rundhi
DPR/HP/59 Secretary It is hereby notified for information of general public that Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigarn Limited proposes
to undertake the construction of following Transmission Line and Sub Stations in Haryana. 3 66KV S/C line through underground XLPE power Sector-10, Gurugram Gurugram
cable of size 400 sq mm (4x1 core cable) from 220KV Sector-33 &
OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL AHMEDGARH (SANGRUR) SUBSTATION substation Sector-33 to 66KV GIS substation of M/s Sector-34
ੋ�ੇ੨ ੍ਯ੨ ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�
� *ੰ�ਯ੨�੨+ Sr.
No.
Name of Substations New/
Upgradation
No. of
T/F
Capacity
(MVA)
Voltage
Ratio
XEN/TS
Division
Hero Moto Corp

Office"Ph0"No0"23897/462238"mail<"ddlgp_ahmedgarh@{ahoo0com (kV) The area under CE/TS Panchkula and Hisar is as under:-
No0 36;414243 Dated< 27/27/4243
ਮੁ��ੀ ੜ�੪ੀ1�੍੪�੦ੀ 220 kV Sr. No. Designation Address Phone No

1 220 kV GIS substation Sector 75-A. Gurugram New 2 2x100 220/33 Manesar C.E/TS, HVPNL, Panchkula
ੱ੨"ਝ੦"੭�"ਮ�ੰ"੍ �"ੰ�Iਵੇ"ਭ�ੇ�"ਸ�ਙੋ�"ੱ�" Iਭ"੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪."ਜIੱ੦ੋਯ� �"੭�੪�"ਝਗ਼ੂ�" ੦ੇ� Flat No. 509-510, Power Colony, Industrial Area
132 kV 1. S.E/TS, HVPNL, Panchkula 0172-2591171
�0"59;"I੦ੇ�"3:0280423:"ੋੁਝ੨�"੭�ਮ/੭�ਮ"ੜ੨�ਙਵ�ਙ" ੋ�"ਭ�ੀ੦"ਜੇ�" ੍ਭ�੨�"ੰ�੦�੍"I੍੪�੦"ਭ੨੍"ੋ� Phase-2, Panchkula
�੭�੍ਯ�"Iੋ�ੇ�"ੱ��"ਞੰ"ੇIੱੇ"੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪"੭�੪�"ੰ�੍�ਾ�੮੍"੮�ਮ�."੭੨ਭੰ"੮�ਮ�."ੰਾ੨�ਾ"੪�ਟਾ. 1 132 kV substation,IMLH/HSIIDC, Nangal Chaudhary New 3 3x40/50 132/33 Riwari A XEN/TS, HVPNL, Madanpur Panchkula 220 kV S/Stn. Madanpur, Panchkula 01733-253066
੪�ਞੜ੨�੨�"ਝਿੋ"ੋ�" ਭ�ੀ੦."੍ਭ�੨�"ਜੇ�" ੨�ੋ�"ੰ�੦�੍"੍ �"ਮੁ���"ੜ�੪�"੨�ੱ�"I੍੪�੦"ਭ�ੇ�"ਸ�ੂ� ੱ�� 66 kV B XEN/TS, HVPNL, Ambala Behind Ajit Petrol Pump, Baldev Nagar, Ambala City. 0171-2540217
ਞੰ"I੍੪�੦"ਭ�ੇ�" ਸ�ੂ"੭�੪�" ੰ�੦�੍"I੭ਵ"ਾ�ਞ੨1Iਾਡੜ."ੰ�ਟਭ੪."I੨ਭ੮�1੨�ੱ��ਜ�ਙ."ਾ੨�ਭਾ੨1 1 66 kV GIS substation Kheri Gujran New 2 2x12.5/16 66/11 Faridabad
C XEN/TS, HVPNL, Yamunanagar
Opposite 66 kV Substation Yamunanagar,
01732-291866
ਸ੍੨�ਾ੨1੦�ੀ"ਗ਼�ਗ਼1ੰਭ੨�ਵ1ਜ਼੨੍�ਵ੨1ੰਾ੨�ਾ"੪�ਟਾ"ੋ�"Iਾਡੜ"ਵ�ਭ1੭�ਞ੨"ਜੇ�"੨�ੋ�"ਜ�ੜ�੨"੮�੦੪ TRANSMISSION LINES
Radaur Road, Yamunanagar
ੱ੍�"ਞੰ"ੰ�੦�੍"ੋ�"I੍੪�੦�1ਮੁ���"ੜ�੪�"I੦ੇ�"3502704243"੍ �"ੰ੭�੨�"33052"੭ਸ�"ੋ�ੇ੨"੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪ Sr. Description of 220 kV, 132 kV & 66 kV Name of Tehsil and District XEN/TS 2. SE/TS, HVPNL, Karnal
Shakti Bhawan Complex 220/132 kV 0184-2268000,
Power House Colony Kunjpura Road, Karnal 9315353631
ਜIੱ੦ੋਯ� �"I੭ਮ�"੨�ਮ�"ਯਟ"ੱ��"ਞੰ"ੜ�੪�"I੭ਵ"Iੱ�ੰ�"੪�ੂ"ੋ�"ਵ�ੱ੭�੍"ੰ�ਸੂ"ਠਭੇ"I੦ੇ�"ਜੇ�"ੰ੦� No. Transmission Line/section Village/Villages in Division
ਜ੍ੁੰ�੨"ੋ�ੇ੨"੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪."ਜIੱ੦ੋਯ� �"I੭ਮ�"ੱ��੨"ੱ�"ਭ�"ੜ�੪�"ੋ�"ੰਭੋ�"ੱ੍�"ੜ�੪�"ੰੜ�ੌ�"I੨�੨੭ which line is passing
A XEN/TS, HVPNL, Karnal
Shakti Bhawan Near St. Teresa Convent School,
Kunjpura Road, Karnal
0184-2266169
ਭ�੦ੇ."ੋੰੇ�੭��"ਜੇ�" ੮੨ੇ�ਙ" Iਭੰ�" ੭�"ਭ�੦/ਭ�੨"੭�੪�" Iੋ੍"ੋ�ੇ੨�"ੰ੦�"ੋ�੨�੍"੍ਯ੨"ਭ�ੰ੪. 220 kV
ਜIੱ੦ੋਯ� �"I੭ਮ�"੭�ਮ�ਜ�ਙ"ਸ�"ੰਭੋ�ਜ�ਙ"ੱ੍�" 1 Creation of LILO of both circuits of 220 kV Badshahpur- Shikohpur, Hassanpur, Tehsil- Badshahpur & Manesar 01744-231680,
B XEN/TS, HVPNL, Kurukshetra 66 kV Substation, Pipli, Kurukshetra
9315353639
ੰੱੀ1/"�ੌ�੍. ੰੱੀ1/"ਭ�੨ਸੰ�ੌਭ"ਜ�ੰ੨.
Panchgaon (PGCIL) D/C line (Now 220 kV Sohna Darbaripur, GMDA Manesar
Road-Panchgaon D/C line) at 220 kV substation Sectoral Road of District- Gurugram C XEN/TS, HVPNL, Kaithal 132 kV S/Stn, Power House Colony, Kaithal 01746-224456
੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ�
�� DPR/Pb/4357 ੍ਯ੨"ਭIੰ੪."ਜ�ੱ੦ੋਯ���" Sector-75A by extending already erected LILO of 220 Sector- 76, Gurugram,
kV Badshahpur-Panchgaon (PGCIL) D/C line at Sector- GMDA Partition 3. SE/TS, HVPNL, Rohtak 132 kV S/Stn. IMT Rohtak –
77, Gurugram to 220 kV substation Sector-75A on M/C Sectoral Road of A XEN/TS, HVPNL, Rohtak 132 kV S/Stn. MDU Rohtak 01262-280213
OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL, towers (approx. 2.5 KM).
132 kV
Sector-70 & 75 A
B XEN/TS, HVPNL, Panipat Gohana Road, Power House Colony, Panipat 0180-2652978

PT. JLN GOVT. MEDICAL COLLEGE CHAMBA (H.P.) 1 Creation of 132 kV D/C Line from 220 kV Substation, 1. Deroli Ahir Narnaul/ Rewari 1
CE/TS, HVPNL Hisar
SE/TS HVPNL, Hisar Vidyut Nagar, Hisar 01662-223084
No. M-Estt./ Interview(Vol-II)/162/21- Dated:- Deroli Ahir to 132 kV Substation, IMLH/HSIIDC, 2. Simha Mahendergarh
Nangal Chaudhary (approx. 29 Km) 3. Khanpur A XEN/TS Bhiwani BTM Road, Bhiwani. 01664-242797
CORRIGENDUM 4. Rampura 01662-220998,
5. Hudina B XEN/TS Hisar Qtr. No. 215-218 Type-4 V.N. Hisar-125005
In continuation of this office advertisement of even No. 5440-55 9315016214
6. Mayee
dated 23-04-2021 for the faculty posts on contract basis, the 7. Faizabad C XEN/TS Sirsa 132 kV S/Stn Barnala Road, Sirsa-125055
01666-248162,
online interview shall be conducted for these posts at Akhand 8. Azampur 9315315623
Chandi Palace, Pt. JLNGMC Chamba on dated 10-05-2021 at 9. Hazipur D XEN/TS, HVPNL, Jind 132 kV S/Stn Jind New, Near Vita Plant 01681-225031
10. Husainawas
11:00 AM instead of walk in-interview as there shall be "Corona 11. Niwazpur
2 SE/TS HVPNL, Gurgaon 66 kV S/Stn, M.G. Road, Gurgaon 0124-2320318
curfew" in Himachal Pradesh from 6 AM of 7th May, 2021 to 6 12. Dharsu A XEN/TS Rewari 220 kV Substation, Jhajjar road, Rewari 01274-258595
AM of 17th May, 2021 vide Revenue Department-Disaster 13. Silarpur B XEN/TS Gurgaon 66 kV Mehrauli Road, Gurgaon 0124-2315580
Management Cell, Government of Himachal Pradesh order No. 14. Mandlana
C XEN/TS Manesar 220 kV S/Stn. IMT Manesar 0124-2291038
15. Gahli
Rev(DMC)(C) 20-2/2021-COVID 19-III dated 05-05-2021. 16. Raghunathpur 66 kV Substation A-4, Sector-18,
3 SE/TS, HVPNL, Faridabad 0129-2222132
The interested eligible candidates may also apply for the 17. Mukhaspur Near By Pass Road Faridabad
faculty posts through this office e-mail i.e. 18. Thana Quarter No. 262/264, Thermal Colony,
19. Kanwariyawas A XEN/TS Faridabad 0129-2230174
gmchchamba@gmail.com, rest of instructions/terms and 20. Amarpur jorasi
Sector-23, Faridabad
conditions remain unchanged. 22. Bosirpur B XEN/TS Palwal 66kV S/Stn. Rasulpur Moad, Palwal 01275-246466
Principal, 23. Mukandpur
24. Talot With the commissioning of these transmission systems, there will be a big boost to Agriculture & Industry
Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru Govt. Medical College, 25. Kultazpur in Haryana, besides appreciable relief to domestic consumers.
Chamba, District Chamba (H.P). 26. Ghataser It is hereby notified that the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) is undertaking and
01899-223958/223959. DPR/HP/704 2 Stringing of 2nd circuit of 132 kV Seka- Nangal 1. Bhojawas Sr. 01 to 06 Rewari executing the sanctioned scheme/works and shall have the powers under section 164 of the electricity Act,
Chaudhary line with LILO at 132 kV substation, 2. Muraripur Tehsil-Nangal 2003 (36 of 2003), conferred by the Governor of Haryana to HVPNL with all the powers possessed by the
SHIMLA JAL PRABANDHAN NIGAM LIMITED IMLH/HSIIDC, Nangal Chaudhary (approx. 22 km) 3. Kanvi
4. Totaheri
Choudhary
Distt- Mahendergarh
telegraph authority under part-Ill of the Indian Telegraphs Act, 1885, (13 of 1885), in respect of electrical lines
and electrical plants established or maintained, or to be so established or maintained for the transmission of
5. Nangal Shalu
WATER DISTRIBUTION DIVISION 6. Karota Sr. 07 to 14 electricity or for the purpose of telephonic or telegraphic communication necessary for the proper coordination
Tehsil-Narnaul of the works.
Mail: agmwd.sjpnl@gmail.com 7. Dhani Bathota
Distt- Mahendergarh
8. Dongli Accordingly, placing and maintaining of electrical lines or electrical plants under, over, along or across
Tel. 0177-2650313 09. Tazipur
posts in or upon any immovable property for the purpose of telephonic or telegraphic communications
10. Mukandpura
necessary for proper coordination of the works, the vesting and exercise of the powers of the telegraph authority
NOTICE INVITING TENDERS 11. Tehla
12. Amarpur Jorasi of the Indian Telegraphs Act, 1885 (13 of 1885), with respect to the placing of the telegraph line and post
13. Talot established or maintained or to be so established or maintained stands conferred on the HVPNL.
Sealed item rate Offline tenders on form 6 & 8 14. Ghataser
The sanction/ execution of the aforesaid works in the scheme by the Nigam Limited (HVPNL) is hereby
are hereby invited by the undersigned on behalf of 3 Creation of 132kV D/C Nonand- Kharkhoda line, part- Nonand, Pakasma, Rohtak Rohtak notified for the information of general public by the publication in the Official Gazette of Haryana Government
ly on multi circuit towers, from Nonand by using exist- Kansala, Assan, (Distt. Rohtak) and
Governor of Hlmachal Pradesh from the eligible ing RoW of 132 kV S/C Sec 3, Rohtak- Kharkhoda line Humayunpur, Garhi Kharkhoda and in two numbers leading local dailies.
(approx. 27.146 km). Sisana, Sisana, Matindu (Distt. Sonepat) HVPNL reserves the right to augment/ modify or amend the list being notified. The list as notified covers
registered contractors in any department/
4 Creation of 132kV D/C Nonand-Sec 3 Rohtak line Nonand, Pakasma, Rohtak Rohtak the works approved so far. Any new works approved will be notified in subsequent list.
Government undertaking of appropriate class for 6 partly on multi circuit towers using existing RoW of Bhalot, Bhaiyanpur, (Distt. Rohtak) Notice is hereby given that any licensee or other person interested may raise any objection and/or may
No. Works. Details i.e. name of works, terms and 132 kV S/C Sec 3, Rohtak- Kharkhoda line. Balyana, Bahar, Rohtak make representation upon the above scheme within 2 months of the publication of this notification, after which
5 Creation of 2 No. 132 kV S/C Lines on D/C towers Gangaycha Jat, Mastapur, Palhawas, Rewari Rewari no further objection and/or representation shall be entertained and the scheme shall be deemed to be
conditions are available on SJPNL website from132 kV substation Gangaicha Jat in such a way Mohdipur, Tehna, Rohrai, and sanctioned with or without modification by the Nigam.
www.sjpnl.com. The tender forms can be head that one circuit will be terminated at 132 kV S/stn.
GLS Foils (approx. - 5 KM) and second circuit will
Basona, Nangaliya
Ranmokh, Khera
Distt. Rewari
Necessary plans showing the indicative transmission line routes may be seen on any working day in
from this office against cash payment (Non- be terminated at 132 kV S/stn. GLS Polyfilms Aalampur, Chandanwas, the concerned T/S Division of HVPNL listed above. Objection and/or representation, if any, should be sent
(Approx. - 11 kM). Palhawas, Gurawara. to the undersigned.
refundable) up to 20.05.2021 till 04:00 p.m. 6 Temporary Connectivity to M/s GLS Foils and M/s Nangaliya Ranmokh Palhawas, Distt. Rewari
GLS Polfilms Pvt. Ltd. at 132 kV level through existing and Gurawara Rewari
Sd/- DEPUTY SECRETARY/PROJECTS,
Sd/- Additional General Manager, 132 kV S/C Rewari-Machhroli line through radial HARYANA VIDYUT PRASARAN NIGAM LTD,
Water Distribution Division, SJPNL arrangement in such a way that M/s GLS Foils will be
connected from 220 kV substation Rewari and M/s SHAKTI BHAWAN, SECTOR - 6,
DPR/HP/60 US Club, Shimla – 171001. Polyfilms from 132 kV substation Machrauli.
PRDH-1052/11/6/2022/2851/31/4 PANCHKULA.
No. S.E.(O&M)/NIT-24/CE/WS/G
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, JALANDHAR
LOCAL GOVT. DEPTT. PUNJAB
Dt. 05.05.2021
10 WORLD THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021

NOTICE INVITING E-TENDERS ( Tanga Br. and O&M Br. )

China suspends economic

(Website: eproc.punjab.gov.in)
E-tender No. MCJ/OM/2021-22/07
Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar invites e-tenders on Two Bid System, for the
Tanga and O&M branch works mentioned at www.eproc.punjab.gov.in. Time to time
instructions issued by Govt./CVO will be followed for bidding as well as execution of

dialogue with Australia

works. All the bidders should comply with the latest instructions issued vide notification

GLOBE TROT
No. 5/82/2018-2lg4/1892 dt 02.08.18.
06 Work related to O&M Branch
SCHEDULE OF TENDERS for CO- Last date & time for online Submission of E-bids
OP L/C SOCIETIES 24.05.2021 up to 14:00 p.m.
Bid Start from 07.05.2021, 14:00 Date & time of opening of Eligibility/Tech. Bid
Onwards 25.05.2021 up to 12:00 p.m.
SCHEDULE OF BALANCE TENDERS Date & time of opening of Eligibility/Tech.Bid
FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Bid Start from 28.05.2021, 14:00
07.06.2021 up to 14:00 p.m. Beijing rejects G-7 foreign ministers’ criticism on human rights record
Onwards Beijing/Sydney, May 6 tech giant Huawei from its
Other terms & conditions can be seen at e-tender website eproc.punjab.gov.in
China “indefinitely” sus-
In US, India’s stance 5G network.
Sd/- Er. Satinder Kumar,
Superintending Engineer (O&M Br.)
pended all activity under a on Chinese firms hailed Relations worsened last
DPR/Pb/4334 09646046223 China-Australia Strategic ■ Washington: Top US law- year when Australia called
Economic Dialogue, its state makers have applauded for an independent investi-
economic planner said on India’s decision to not gation into the Covid origin,
PUNJAB WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE BOARD Thursday. This is the latest allow Chinese telecom prompting trade reprisals
RE-TENDER NOTICE INVITING ONLINE BIDS setback for strained relations companies to conduct 5G from China.
BID No. - 31/PWSSD FEROZEPUR DATED: 05.05.2021 between the two countries. ‘RESPONSE NECESSARY’ trials in the country. Australian Trade Minister
https://eproc.punjab.gov.in China also rejected criticism ■ “This is good news for Dan Tehan said the commis-
On behalf of Chief Executive Officer, Pb. W/S and Sew. Board Chandigarh,
Executive Engineer, Pb. W/S & Sew. Divn. Ferozepur invites bids from the eligible
bidders for the works detailed below:-
PERPLEXED: Chimpanzee Jonny looks in bewilderment as this
lensman shoots his picture at a zoo in Germany. At 60, Jonny is
of its human rights and eco-
nomic record by G7 members. ❝ It was a necessary
response to Australia for
the people of India and
the world,” House For-
sion’s decision was disap-
pointing because the eco-
S r. Description of Work Earnest Cost of Document/ Period of Approx. one of the oldest chimpanzees ever. AP/PTI “Recently, some Aus- abusing the concept of eign Affairs Committee nomic dialogue was “an
No. Money Tender Comp- Value of
tralian Commonwealth Lead Republican and Chi- important forum for Aus-
Processing Fee
(Rs.)
letion the Work
Indian-origin expert makes it to National Academy of Sciences Government officials
national security. na Task Force Chairman tralia and China to work
NEW YORK: Sankar Ghosh, an award-winning Indian-origin launched a series of meas- Wang Wenbin, FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN Michael McCaul said. through issues relevant to
1 O&M of W/S System at Rs. Rs. 1000/- As per 10 Months Rs. Lump
Ferozepur City and Basti Tankan 162040/- Website Sump immunologist, has been elected to the prestigious Nation- ures to disrupt the normal our economic partnership”.
Wali for period of 10 Months
al Academy of Sciences in recognition of his “distin- exchanges and cooperation
IT’S COLD WAR MENTALITY: BEIJING’S REFORM PANEL “We remain open to holding
(01.06.2021 to 31.03.2021)
2. Impurtant dates are as under: guished and continuing achievements in original between China and Aus- China’s National Development and Reform Commission has the dialogue and engaging
i) Period of availability of tender online shall be : From up to 07.05.2021, 11.00 AM
research”. Ghosh was among the 120 newly elected mem- tralia out of Cold War mind- said some Australian Commonwealth Government officials at the ministerial level,” he
ii) Last date and time for online submission of : 20.05.2021 up to 5.00 PM
bid shall be bers announced by the Academy last week, a statement by set and ideological discrimi- recently launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal said in a statement. The last
iii) Date and time of opening of Technical Bid : 21.05.2021 at 11.00 AM
Columbia University Irving Medical Center said. PTI nation,” China’s National exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia out meeting was in Beijing in
“For detailed terms and conditions refer to website: https://eproc.punjab.gov.in of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination.
If any corrigendum issued will be loaded & seen at website: http//eproc.punjab.gov.in Development and Reform 2017, when Australia’s trade
Sd/- Executive Engineer, UK royals’ birthday wishes to Meghan and Harry’s son Commission (NDRC) said in minister signed an agree-
Punjab W/S & Sew. Divn., Ferozepur.
DPR/Pb/4349
LONDON: Britain’s royals sent birthday messages to Archie, a statement on the decision. “necessary and legitimate sharply on the news and was ment on cooperation on Belt
the son of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan who unwit- The commission did not say response to Australia for as low as 0.7701 to the Unit- and Road projects in third-
tingly became the centre of one of the family’s biggest what specific measures abusing the concept of ed States dollar from party countries. Australia
������� ����� ��� ��������� ����� crisis in decades earlier this year. The youngster turned prompted the action. national security to pressure Wednesday’s $0.7747. has, however, declined to
����� ��� ��� ����� ��������, ������ ������ two on Thursday. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the sev- China’s foreign ministry cooperation with China. Bilateral ties were sign agreements on direct
����� ���, ������� ������, �������, �����-171001 enth-in-line to the British throne, lives with his parents in spokesman Wang Wenbin “Australia must bear full strained in 2018 when Aus- participation in China’s
����� Los Angeles after they left Britain and stepped away said at a daily conference responsibility,” he said. tralia became the first coun- flagship foreign policy ini-
���� ������������ ��� ���� ���� ������ �� ������
� , ������ ��� �������
� �� ��� ������ from their royal duties last year. REUTERS that the suspension was a The Australian dollar fell try to publicly ban Chinese tiative. — Reuters
������ �� ��� ����� ��� ��� ������� ������ ����� ���� ��� �� ����� �� ������� ������ ���
44 ��� ������ �������� �� ������ �� �������� �� ������ �� �������� ���� ����

Blinken in Ukraine to show solidarity World must help India

��� ����� ������ ��� ���� ������� ������/�������� �� ��:����� ����, ������,
���������� ������, ������� ������ ��� �������� ������ �� �� ��� ���� ���� ���� ��
����� ��� ���� �������� ������� ��� ���� ��� ������� ������� �� ����� ��
����������� �� ��� ���� ������� ����
�����-19 ������� �� �������� ������ �� �� ����� ��� ������� �� �������� ���
���� ��� �����-19 ������ ������� ��� ���������� ������ �� ���� ��� ��������� ����
Kyiv, May 6
US Secretary of State Antony
“We are aware that Russia
has withdrawn some forces
fightvirus,saysUNICEF
1077, 104, 1075 ��� 1800112545 �� ������� ������� �� �� ���� ��� ������ �� Blinken said on Thursday from the border of Ukraine, United Nations, May 6
��� ������ ����� �� ����� ������ ���� �� ��� ���������� �� ������ ������� ���� Washington could increase but we also see that signifi- The “tragic” Covid situation in TRACKING VIRUS
�� ��� 1098 �� ������ �� ���� ���� ��� ���� ���� �� ����� ��� �������� �� security assistance for cant forces remain there, sig- India should raise the alarm NATIONS DEATHS
�������� �� �� �� ����� �� ���� ������� �� ��� ���� ������� ������� ���� �� ���� Ukraine after what he called nificant equipment remains bells for all of us and there will
�������� ������� �� ���� ��� ������� ������� �� �� ������ �� ���� ��� ���� Russia’s “reckless and there,” Blinken said, speak- be reverberations across the
US 5,93,262
�������� ���������� ��� ���� ��� ������� ���������� �� ���������� �� ������ ���� � aggressive” actions in mass- ing alongside Zelenskiy. region and the world in terms BRAZIL 4,14,645
���� ������ ���� �� ������ ���� ing troops near its border. “We are monitoring the sit- of virus-related deaths, virus
During a visit to Kyiv intend- uation very, very closely,” he mutations and supply delays
MEXICO 2,18,007
���� �� ������� ���� �������� ������� ���� ��� �������
��� ������� �� ������ ���� ������� �� ������ ���� ed to show support for said. Zelenskiy said Russia unless the world steps up and UK 1,27,583
�������� ���� ������ �������� ���� ������ Ukraine, Blinken said Russia US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine President had withdrawn only about helps the country now, ITALY 1,22,263
�������� 01978 221514 7018229430 01978 221614 9418176958 had left behind significant Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a meeting in Kyiv. REUTERS 3,500 of the tens of thousands UNICEF Executive Director
numbers of troops and equip- of troops deployed to the Henrietta Fore has said. WORLDOMETER
���� 01899 220307 9805125123 01899 220306 7018134363 TILL MAY 6, 10 PM
ment despite announcing a standoff that alarmed the West. Ukraine, but gave no details Crimea peninsula which it The UN children’s agency
������� 01972 225085 9418036831 01972 223344 9816855355
withdrawal of its forces from Blinken also said President on that or on Ukraine’s aspi- annexed from Ukraine in has sent additional critical million face shields and
������� 01892 227114 9418044529 01892 222645 8988048880 close to the border after a Joe Biden was keen to visit rations to join the NATO. 2014. — Reuters supplies to India, including 2 200,000 surgical masks. — PTI
������� 01786 223436 9816085766 01786 222107 8628854436
������ 01902 222105 9418792280 01902225233 9418467225
�����-������ 01900 202862 9816710919 01900 202730 9816710919
���� 01905 223845 9882204230 01905 221148 9418582168
BUSINESS
BSE NSE GOLD SILVER
����� 0177 2627360 9418030907 0177 2627362 9418407545 USD EURO POUND JPY YUAN CAD AUD SGD HKD
������ 01702 225607 9459965623 01702 225608 9459150555 ~73.78 ~89.0 ~102.55 ~0.67 ~11.40 ~60.37 ~57.21 ~55.28 ~9.49
272.21 106.95 ~45,290 ~69,900
48,949.76 14,724.80 (MCX) Mumbai (MCX) Mumbai
���� 01792 221934 9418148003 01792 225388 9418579200
��� 01975 228499 9805004920 01975225850 9418115932

Non-residents to be taxed in India Google to move to

COQ/GO/62

GOVERNMENT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

if transaction value exceeds ~2 cr hybrid work week

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER NATIONAL HIGHWAYS,
BLOCK-D, NIRMAN BHAWAN,
NIGAM VIHAR, SHIMLA-171002
New Delhi, May 6 stitute a ‘business connec- New Delhi, May 6
NOTICE INVITING BID Non-residents undertaking tion’ in India. Google will move to a
Bid No. PW-CE-NH-CTR-Tender Notice/EPC-26/2021-360-68 Dated: 06.05.2020
transactions with Indian These provisions were hybrid work week, where
RFP for Improvement of Road Safety on NH-70 from km. 58/400
to 114/0 by Providing fixing Thrie metal beam crash barrier, parties will trigger taxabili- further amended vide most Googlers spend
construction of R/wall, B/wall, construction of U-Shape drain with ty under the domestic law Finance Act, 2020 which approximately three days
edge wall and Providing and fixing of Signboards, Rumble strip, in India even if they do not defined SEP as transac- in the office and two days
solar blinkers, Thermoplastic paint and Delineators on NH-70 in the
State of HP on EPC mode of execution (Tender Job No. EPC 26/2021). have physical presence in tion in respect of any “wherever they work
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways through Chief Engineer the country and operate goods, services or proper- best”, according to a note
NH H.P. PWD Shimla is engaged in the development of National Highways digitised businesses. ty carried out by a non- by Google and Alphabet NEW NORMAL
and as part of this Endeavour, it has been decided to undertake the work
for “Improvement of Road Safety on NH-70 from km. 58/400 to 114/0 The Central Board of resident with any person chief executive officer ■ About 20% of workforce
by Providing fixing Thrie metal beam crash barrier, construction of Direct Taxes has notified in India including provi- Sundar Pichai. will continue to work
R/wall, B/wall, construction of U-Shape drain with edge wall and new rules for operation of sion of download of data About 20% of Google’s remotely after its offices
Providing and fixing of Signboards, Rumble strip, solar blinkers,
business by non-residents or software in India, if the workforce will continue to reopen later this year,
Thermoplastic paint and Delineators on NH-70 in the State of HP on
EPC mode of execution”. (Tender Job No. EPC 26/2021) through an under which any transac- aggregate of payments work remotely after its while about 60%
tion over Rs 2 crore (apex arising from such transac- offices reopen later this
Googlers will come
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contract.
Himachal Pradesh Public works Department through Chief Engineer
CBDT NOTIFIES NEW GUIDELINES together in the office for
$27,100) in respect of any tion or transactions dur- year, while about 60%
NH HPPWD Shimla now invites bids from eligible contractors for the ■ The CBDT has notified new rules for operation of business a few days a week
following project: goods, services or proper- ing the year exceeds a Googlers will come together
State NH Tender Name of Work Estimated Comp- Defect ty carried out by them by non-residents under which any transaction over ~2 crore threshold or systematic in the office for a few days a ■ Google staff will also be
No. Job No. Civil letion Liability with any person in India,
in respect of any goods, services or property carried out by and continuous soliciting week, Pichai said. able to temporarily work
Cost of Period Period them with any person in India will attract tax in India from a location other
Project* including provision of of business activities or “Since in-office time will
■ The provisions of Significant Economic Presence (SEP) than their main office
Improvement of Road download of data or soft- engaging in interaction be focused on collabora-
were introduced in the legislation in 2018 with intent to for up to four weeks per
Safety on NH-70 from ware in India, will attract with a defined number of tion, your product areas year (with manager
km. 58/400 to 114/0 by
tax in India. tax non-residents operating digitised businesses which users in India. and functions will help
Providing fixing Thrie
function without a physical presence approval) going forward
metal beam crash The provisions of Signifi- The new provisions are decide which day teams
barrier, construction of
R/wall, B/wall, cant Economic Presence applicable with effect from will come together in the also noted that the compa-
Himachal
70
EPC- construction of U-Shape Rs. 27.27 18 (SEP) that become the base activities are solicited (or to tax non-residents oper- Financial Year 2021-22. It office. There will also be ny will offer opportunities
Pradesh 26/2021 drain with edge wall and Crores Months 5 Years
Providing and fixing of for taxability of non-resi- who are engaged in interac- ating digitised businesses had become fully functional roles that may need to be on for employees to apply for
Signboards, Rumble dents in India will also tions) exceeds 3 lakh. which function without a now with CBDT notifying site more than three days a completely remote work
strip, solar blinkers,
Thermoplastic paint and apply if the number of The provisions of SEP physical presence. It the thresholds for trigger- week due to the nature of (away from team or office)
Delineators on NH-70 in users with whom systemat- were introduced in the leg- meant that SEP of a non- ing SEP and consequently the work,” he added. based on their role and
the State of HP on EPC
mode of execution ic and continuous business islation in 2018 with intent resident in India shall con- tax liability in India. — PTI The India-born executive team needs. — PTI
*The Estimated Project Cost is the Civil Cost of the work without GST and
is used only for Evaluation Purpose. The bid should be quoted as per BoQ
inclusive of GST.
The complete BID document can be viewed / downloaded from official portal
of e-procurement portal of MoRT&H (https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app)
from 06.05.2021 (1800 Hrs. IST) to 21.06.2021 (up to 1100 Hrs IST).
Bidder must submit its Technical Bid & Financial Bid at
NuvocoVistas
files~5,000-cr
Shortage of laptop key components, courtesy lockdowns
(https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app.) and also Technical Bid at Vijay C Roy ply chain disruption now selling at Rs 5,500,”
IPO papers REPAIR BECOMES DEARER
(https://bims.gov.in.) on or before 21.06.2020 (up to 1100 Hours IST).
It is mandatory to submit the Technical Bids on (https://bims.gov.in.) also.
Tribune News Service because of the lockdown said a technician. Insiders
Bids received online shall be opened on 22.06.2021 (at 1130 Hours IST). Chandigarh, May 6 in Mumbai and Delhi and say many dealers’ repre-
❝ We are facing back-end
Bid through any other mode shall not be entertained. However, Bid New Delhi, May 6 Planning to get your lap- prices are changing on a sentatives in metros are
issues regarding supply of key
Securing Declaration, document fee receipt deposited through Bharatkosh/ Nuvoco Vistas Corporation top or desktop PC daily basis. complaining about delay
NTRP only. Power of Attorney and Joint Bidding Agreement etc. shall be components as most of these
Ltd, part of the Nirma repaired? You may end “We are facing back-end in hardware shipments as
submitted physically by the Bidder on or before 22.06.2021 (at 1100 come from Delhi or Mumbai.
Hours IST), Please note that the Chief Engineer, NH, H.P. PWD, Shimla- Group, on Thursday filed up paying more as the issues regarding the sup- most of them are import-
As there is a lockdown in
2 reserves the right to accept or reject all or any of the BIDs without papers with SEBI to raise prices of key components ply of key components as ed from China.
assigning any reason whatsoever. these two cities, it is difficult to
Rs 5,000 crore through IPO. have increased by 40-60% most of these come from With work from home and
Officer In-charge source such components❞
The initial public offering in the past 15 days. The Delhi or Mumbai. As online classes becoming
For and on Behalf of Governor of HP - Arun Kumar, SALES EXECUTIVE
(IPO) comprises issue of region is witnessing a there is lockdown in these new norms, there is a signif-
Chief Engineer,
National Highway, Nirman Bhawan shares worth Rs 1,500 crore shortage of key compo- two cities, it is difficult to icant demand for old and
H.P. PWD, Shimla-171002 and an offer for sale of Rs nents such as screen, source such components. the past 15 days,” said sories dealer. new laptops. The sudden
Phone/Fax 0177-2629416 3,500 crore by promoter Niyo- SSD, hard drive and On an average, the prices Arun Kumar, a sales exec- “A high definition spurt in demand has also
E-mail: ce-nh-hp@nic.in gi Enterprise, as per draft red RAM. According to the of key components have utive working with screen, which used to cost expanded the second-hand
Chief Engineer (NH) herring prospectus. — PTI industry, there is a sup- increased by 40-60% in Chandigarh-based acces- Rs 3,500 a fortnight ago, is laptop/desktop market.
DPR/HP/692 H.P. PWD. Shimla-2.
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
Tokyo hopes of Saina, Srikanth all but over
BAI trying to get Indian squad to play in Malaysia Open with relaxed protocol
New Delhi, May 6
The hopes of Saina Nehwal
and Kidambi Srikanth to
make it to the Tokyo
Olympics hang in balance as
negotiations are on for their
participation in the
Malaysian Open in the midst
of a ban on flights from India.
Malaysia has imposed a
ban on travellers from India,
which is witnessing a mas-
sive surge in Covid-19 cases.
However, the Badminton
Association of India (BAI)
said it has not given up hope
and is waiting for a response
from the Badminton World
Federation (BWF). “Indian
nationals won’t be allowed
in Malaysia as well as in Sin-
gapore… This is why we had
written to both the Member
Countries to consider our
request as a special case
with respect to the Olympic
Qualification of some of our
players,” BAI general secre-
tary Ajay Singhania said.
“The matter has been taken
up with BWF as well and we
are awaiting Badminton
Malaysia’s response.”
Saina Nehwal is ranked No. 22, while Kidambi Srikanth is No. 20 in the qualification standings.
Both need to break into the top 16 to gain direct qualification to the Olympic Games. FILE PHOTOS
Travel ban
Earlier, the Sports Authori-
ty of India (SAI) had stated
that due to the travel ban by
Malaysia, the Indian team
would have to withdraw
from the event.
“The Indian badminton
team will have to withdraw
from the Malaysian Open,
scheduled from May 25 to
30, owing to a temporary
travel restriction imposed
by the Malaysian Govern-
ment on travellers from
India,” a SAI statement said.
“However, with 19 days
left for the competition to
begin, the possibility of
travel cannot be ruled out
completely,” SAI added.
The Malaysia Open is the
second-last event that pro-
vides points for Olympics
qualification. The final qual-
ifying tournament is the
Singapore Open, scheduled
to be held from June 1 to 6.
The Indian Sports Min-
istry, through the Ministry
of External Affairs, had
approached the Malaysian
authorities requesting
them to permit the Indian
team to participate without
serving the mandatory
quarantine. The latter, how-
ever, denied the request.
SPORT 11
Women boxers to resume training in Pune
NEW DELHI: The training camp for India’s Tokyo-bound women
boxers has been shifted from coronavirus-plagued New Delhi
to Pune as the country chases its best Olympics performance
was disrupted last month when 21 athletes and coaches test-
ed positive for Covid-19, though they did not include any of
the country’s Olympics-qualified boxers. “With a surge in
COVID-19 cases, the decision was taken to shift the camp to
ever later this year in the Japanese capital. Their Delhi camp Pune,” the Boxing Federation of India said in a statement.
The BAI had earlier stated
that it was trying to send the
players to Malaysia via Doha.
If they are allowed to par-
ticipate in the Singapore
Open, Saina and Srikanth
will have to make it to the
final at least to have any
hope of qualifying for
Tokyo. Currently, Indians
wishing to enter Singapore
must be in quarantine in a
foreign country other than
India for 14 days before they
are allowed to enter Singa-
pore. Alternatively, visitors
from India must serve 21-
day quarantine in Singa-
pore. — TNS, agencies

BRIEFLY
TENERIFE (SPAIN)
Solid 4-under start
for Shubhankar
Indian golfer Shubhankar Shar-
ma overcame an early double
bogey to card a 4-under 67 that
placed him tied-15th at the
Canary Islands Open here
today. Sharma, who missed the
cut in his last two events, start-
ed with a double bogey on the
10th hole, but five birdies in his
next seven holes ensured it was
a profitable day. Also finishing
with decent cards were SSP
Chawrasia (68) and Gaganjeet
Bhullar (69), who were tied-24
and tied-36, respectively.
LONDON
‘English counties offer
to host IPL’
A group of English counties has
offered to host the remainder of
the IPL 2021 season in Sep-
tember this year, according to a
report by cricket website espn-
cricinfo.com. According to the
report, three clubs — MCC
(based at Lord’s, London), Sur-
rey (based at The Oval, London)
and Warwickshire (based at
Edgbaston, Birmingham) — are
part of the group who wrote to
the England and Wales Cricket
Board (ECB), inviting them to
make the offer to the BCCI.
Wrestler Sumit one win away
from Olympics qualification
Sofia (Bulgaria), May 6
Sumit Malik was still in con-
tention to qualify for the
Tokyo Games but it was all
over for Amit Dhankar and
Satywart Kadiyan, who were
ousted from the World
Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers
after losing at different
stages of the competition
here today.
In his 125kg qualification
bout against Kyrgyzstan’s
Aiaal Lazarev, Malik was
trailing 1-2 till the last 25 sec-
onds but got a push-out point
towards the end and won on
criteria, when the scores
were tied at 2-2. His next bout
was against Moldova’s
Alexandr Romanov. He
trailed 0-1 after losing a point
on passivity. In the second
period, he lost another point
when he was pushed out by
his opponent but as has been
his strategy — Malik attacks
Sumit Malik has entered the
semifinals in the 125kg
freestyle category. FILE
in the closing stage of the
bout — he pulled off a two-
point throw to make it even
and finally won 3-2.
In the quarterfinal against
Tajikistan’s Rustam Iskan-
dari, Malik was in trouble at
one stage as he trailed 2-4
after leading 2-0 but logged
four two-pointers to win eas-
ily. Venezuela’s Jose Daniel
Diaz Robertti stands
between Malik and his
Olympics qualification. The
finalists at this competition
will qualify for Tokyo Games.
Dhankar lost his 74kg qual-
ification bout 6-9 to Moldo-
va’s Mihail Sava. After trail-
ing 0-4, Dhankar put up a
spirited fight in the second
period, but the Moldovan was
up to the task. Dhankar’s
defeat means that India will
go unrepresented in the 74kg
at the Tokyo Games.
Kadiyan won his pre-quar-
terfinal 5-2 against Evan
Amadour Ramos from Puer-
to Rico. In the quarterfinal
against Bulgaria’s Ahmed
Sultanovich Bataev, Kadian
blew away a 5-1 lead to go out
of the competition as he lost
the bout on criteria, conced-
ing four points in the last 20
seconds. — PTI

BENGALURU
Veda loses sister too to
Covid after mother’s death
Indian cricketer Veda Krishna-
murthy, whose mother died of
Covid-19 on April 23, suffered
another bereavement when
her elder sister passed away
on Wednesday after being
infected with the virus. Veda’s
sister Vatsala Shivakumar,
who was 42, had been admit-
ted in a hospital in Chikma-
galur for the last few days. She
was reported to be recovering
earlier this week, but her con-
dition took a turn for the worse
and she passed away on
Wednesday evening.
NEW DELHI
IPL exits: Aussies out,
Kiwis fly today
The Australians flew off to the
Maldives, the South Africans
headed home and the ones
from New Zealand waited to be
sent back tomorrow as the sus-
pended IPL’s foreign cricketers
bid adieu to India. AGENCIES
TODAY ON TV
EPL
LEICESTER VS NEWCASTLE
STAR SPORTS 00:30AM
(SATURDAY)
Nagal fights into
Prague quarters
New Delhi, May 6
India’s Sumit Nagal came
from a set down to defeat
Ukraine’s Sergiy
Stakhovsky 4-6 6-1 6-4 in the
Round of 16 at the Prague
Open, an ATP Challenger
Tour claycourt event, today.
The 23-year-old, who
defeated Czech Republic’s
Zdenek Kolar in straight
sets in the previous round,
showed grit to bounce back
strongly against the veteran
Ukrainian, 35, after drop-
ping the opener. Stakhovsky
Barty enters final
MADRID: Rafael Nadal defeat-
ed Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 to
make it to the Madrid Open
quarterfinals today. Third-
ranked Daniil Medvedev lost
to Cristian Garin 6-4 6-7(2)
6-1. Earlier, Dominic Thiem
defeated Alex de Minaur 7-
6(7) 6-4. Top-ranked Ash-
leigh Barty cruised into the
women’s final with a 6-4 6-3
win over wild card Paula
Badosa. Barty will be play-
ing in her fourth final this
year, having won the previ- Ashleigh Barty in action against
ous three. AP/PTI Paula Badosa. REUTERS
is a former top-50 player.
Bopanna-Shapovalov beat
top seeds
Madrid: India’s Rohan
Bopanna combined with
his Canadian partner Denis
Shapovalov to stun top
seeds Juan Sebastian
Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3
6-4 to reach the quarterfi-
nals of the Madrid Open
Masters 1000.
This was the 41-year-old
Bopanna’s first win on the
ATP tour in 2021. — Agencies
Chelsea make
it English May
Beat Real Madrid,
to face Man City in
final on May 29
London, May 6
Chelsea’s decision to fire a
club legend suddenly does-
n’t seem so callous after all.
While Frank Lampard’s
name has hardly been forgot-
ten by the Chelsea fans —
there were chants outside
Stamford Bridge before kick-
off last evening — new man-
ager Thomas Tuchel is quick-
ly creating his own legacy
after leading the London club
into the Champions League
final against Manchester City.
Chelsea made record 13-
time European Cup champi-
ons Real Madrid look ordi-
nary as goals from Timo
Werner and Mason Mount
sealed a 2-0 victory that oust-
ed Madrid 3-1 on aggregate.
Perhaps the stragglers leav-
ing the bars near Stamford
Bridge could hear the roar
Tuchel let out on the field
inside the empty stadium
long after his players had
departed the field. “I am very
grateful to have this opportu-
nity,” said Tuchel. — AP/PTI

Indian archers denied Swiss

visas, to miss World Cup Stage 2
NEW DELHI: India’s Olympics-bound archers will not get to
compete in the Stage 2 World Cup in Lausanne as their
short-term visa application was rejected by the Switzerland
embassy. India has been battling a second wave of the
Covid-19 pandemic that has forced many countries to ban
travellers from India. The Indian archers will now directly
compete in the Stage 3 World Cup in Paris, which will be the
last Olympics qualification event for the Indian women’s
recurve team. The seven-day competition will begin on June
23. “Swiss embassy did not allow any short term visa and we
had little time for the Stage 2 World Cup (May 17-23). Our
focus is solely on the Paris World Cup now,” Archery Associa-
tion of secretary general Pramod Chandurkar said. PTI
12
Didi announces ~2L each for Defence forces engaged in
post-poll violence victims’ kin helping Covid-hit: Rajnath
Four-member central team visits Bengal to probe killings
Tribune News Service/PTI
Kolkata, May6
West Bengal Chief Minister-
Mamata Banerjee on Thurs-
day said 16 persons had died
in post-poll violence in the
state and announced a com-
pensation of Rs 2 lakh each
for their families.
Mamata, during a press
meet here, also said her gov-
ernment would provide jobs
of Home Guard to one family
member each of all five per-
sons killed in CAPF firing in
Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi
area last month. She further
said a CID team had initiated
a probe into the incident of fir-
ing in Cooch Behar that took
place when the voting exer-
cise was underway for the
fourth phase of the Assembly
elections on April 10.
“At least 16 persons — mostly
from the BJP and the TMC and
one of the Samyukta Morcha —
died in post-poll violence. We
will pay a compensation of Rs 2
lakh to their family members.
Our government will also pro-
vide jobs of Home Guard to
their next of kin,” she said.
Meanwhile, a four-member
fact-finding team of the
Union Home Ministry, tasked
with looking into reasons for
Cooperate in Jadhav
case: Pak court to India
Islamabad, May6
A top Pakistan court hearing
the case of death row convict
Kulbhushan Jadhav has
asked India to cooperate in
the legal proceeding over the
matter, saying appearing
before the court did not mean
a waiver of sovereignty.
A three-member Bench of
the Islamabad High Court
(IHC), comprising Chief Jus-
tice Athar Minallah, Justice
Aamer Farooq and Justice
Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb,
on Wednesday resumed hear-
ing on the petition by Pak-
istan’s Ministry of Law and
Justice seeking appointment
of a lawyer for Jadhav.
Attorney General Khalid
Jawed Khan told the Bench
that to comply with the ruling
of the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), Pakistan last
year promulgated the law, CJ
(Review and Reconsideration)
Ordinance, 2020, to enable
Jadhav to avail himself of the
statutory remedy, a newspa-
per reported.
However, he argued, the Indi-
an Government deliberately
avoided joining court proceed-
ings and was raising objections
to a trial before a Pakistan court
and had declined to even
appoint a counsel for the IHC
Printed and published by Rajesh Ramachandran for The Tribune Trust
Printed at The Tribune Press, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh.
Published at The Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh.
RNI No. 15/57.
Copyright © The Tribune Trust. All rights reserved.
Telephones: 0172-2655066-72
Circulation: 0172-2670419, Advertisement: 0172-2670256, 257
Editor: Rajesh Ramachandran*
*Editor for purpose of PRB Act, 1867
‘BJP MUST ACCEPT
PEOPLE’S MANDATE’
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee said her govern-
ment was not even 24
hours old and the BJP-led
Centre had started bom-
barding it with MHA teams.
“I request the government
to refrain from doing these
things. It is happening
because the BJP
is not able to
accept the
mandate.
Accept the
verdict of
the people,”
Mamata said.
MHA SEEKS REPORT ON
LAW AND ORDER
New Delhi: The Union
Home Ministry has asked
West Bengal Governor
Jagdeep Dhankar to give a
report on the law and order
situation in the state. PTI
the post-poll violence in West
Bengal, arrived in the state on
Thursday. Led by an addition-
al secretary of the ministry,
Kulbhushan Jadhav
WHAT IT SAYS
The Chief Justice of the
Islamabad High Court has
asked Attorney General
Khalid Jawed Khan to
remind the Indian Govern-
ment that appearing before
the court did not mean a
waiver of sovereignty and
the court had acknowl-
edged their sovereign rights.
proceedings saying it “is tanta-
mount to surrendering sover-
eign rights”. “It appears the
Indian Government has object-
ed not for non-implementation
of the ICJ verdict but to engi-
neer default on the basis of
which it would try to justify
going to the ICJ again,” he said.
The Chief Justice
expressed surprise that the
Indian High Commission in
Islamabad was questioning
the legitimacy of the court,
the report said. — PTI
Central team members at the BSF’s office in Kolkata on Thursday. PTI
MoS’ convoy ‘attacked’
Kolkata, May6
Union Minister of State for
External Affairs V Muraleed-
haran’s car was allegedly
attacked with bamboo sticks
and stones were pelted at the
vehicle by unidentified people
at Panchkuri village in West
Midnapore district on Thurs-
day while he was visiting the
area in connection with
alleged post-poll violence on
saffron party workers.
Muraleedharan alleged in a
the team visited the state sec-
retariat and held a meeting
with the home secretary and
DGP, sources said. The team
Prepare for
vaccination of
staff, airports told
New Delhi, May 6
The government today
issued guidelines to facilitate
expeditious vaccination of
aviation personnel working
in public and private sector
entities and asked airports to
quickly provide all logistic
support for the purpose.
Officials in the Ministry of
Civil Aviation, which issued the
guidelines, said a dedicated
vaccination facility would be
established by the airport oper-
ators in their respective premis-
es to facilitate expeditious vac-
cination of staff. Priority during
vaccination should be given to
the air traffic controllers, cock-
pit and cabin crews. — TNS
155 mn faced acute hunger last year: UN Monsoon likely to
Says conflicts, Covid’s economic fallout worsened crisis
United Nations, May6
At least 155 million people faced
acute hunger in 2020, including
1,33,000 who needed urgent
food to prevent widespread
death from starvation, and the
outlook for 2021 is equally grim
or worse, a report by 16 organi-
sations has said.
The report, which focuses on
55 countries that account for 97
per cent of humanitarian assis-
tance, said the magnitude and
severity of food crises last year
worsened as a result of pro-
tracted conflicts, the economic
fallout of the Covid-19 pan-
demic, and weather extremes
that exacerbated “pre-existing
fragilities.” Over 155 million
people faced “crisis”, “emer-
BACK PAGE
tweet that the “TMC goons”
were behind the attack on his
convoy. CM Mamata Banerjee,
without naming anyone or
mentioning any specific inci-
dent, accused central minis-
ters of visiting villages even
after completion of the election
process to instigate violence.
“I was moving from one
house to another with my con-
voy when a group of people
started charging towards us ,”
Muraleedharan said. — PTI
is likely to visit several areas
in the city as well as South 24
Parganas, Godkhali, Sunder-
bans and Jaggadal.
Javadekar slams Rahul O2 plant donated by Italy
on foreign aid remark starts at ITBP-run hospital
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
Union Minister Prakash
Javadekar today countered
Lok Sabha member from
Wayanad Rahul Gandhi’s “no
transparency” jibe, saying the
Congress leader was “deliber-
ately misleading the people as
he cannot rise above his petu-
lance even at such times”.
“Questions about Covid for-
eign aid: What all supplies has
India received? Where are
they? Who is benefitting from
them? How are they allocated
to states? Why no transparen-
cy? Any answers, GOI?” he
gency” or “catastrophe/
famine” levels of food needs,
an increase of around 20 mil-
lion people from 2019, it said.
According to the report, two-
thirds of the people in those cri-
sis levels were in 10 countries —
Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan,
Syria, Sudan, northern Nigeria,
Tribune News Service/PTI
NewDelhi, May6
The armed forces as well as
organisations like the
Defence Research and Devel-
opment Organisation and
National Cadet Corps (NCC)
are engaged in mitigating the
sufferings of the people amid
the Covid-19 surge, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh said
here on Thursday.
In a blog post on his web-
site, Rajnath enlisted the
steps, including mobilisation
of health professionals and
setting up of new Covid facil-
ities, taken by the defence
ministry’s organisations to
deal with the surge.
Some 200 drivers of the
armed forces are on a standby
for driving oxygen trans-
porters to various parts of the
country, he said in a post. Also,
10 TATRA (a truck used to
transport heavy equipment)
and 15 large vehicles are on a
standby to trans-ship any
medical supply arriving at
the Palam airport.
The Army on Friday
mobilised two of its field hospi-
tals from Northeast by air to
Patna to assist the government
of Bihar, while separately set-
ting up an exclusive Covid
management cell in Delhi with
a Lt General-rank officer head-
ing it. The cell will coordinate
Flays ‘efforts to mislead,
confuse people ’
had asked in a tweet yesterday.
Countering the questions
and the allegations, Javadekar
tweeted, “Yet another attempt
by Rahul Gandhi to deliberate-
ly mislead the people. Knowing
fully well that the aid received
has not only moved fast and
delivered at many places, Mr.
Gandhi cannot rise above his
petulance even at such times.”
In another tweet, the minis-
ter “condemned his efforts to
mislead and confuse people”.
CHILDREN HIT HARD
75.2 million under 5 years
across 55 countries
“stunted” in growth
STARING AT CATASTROPHE
■ 142 million people in 40 countries likely to face
food crises, emergencies or catastrophes this year
■ 1,55,000 people brace for “catastrophe/famine”
through mid-2021
Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zim-
babwe and Haiti. The 1,33,000
facing starvation, death and
destitution were in Burkina
Faso, South Sudan and Yemen.
“The number of people facing
acute food insecurity and
requiring urgent food, nutrition
and livelihoods assistance is on
Army personnel receive an oxygen generator plant sent by Ireland.
The plant will be installed at Base Hospital in Delhi Cantt. PTI
B’DESH SENDS 10,000
VIALS OF REMDESIVIR
Dhaka: Bangladesh on
Thursday sent to India
10,000 injections manufac-
tured locally on the instruc-
tion of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina. PTI
Members of US armed forces load relief material to be sent to
India onto a defence aircraft in Trenton, Ontario. PTI
real-time responses to address
the exponential rise in Covid
cases across the country, includ-
ing Delhi where assistance to
Tribune News Service
NewDelhi, May6
A medical oxygen genera-
tion plant, which has been
sent by Italy to tackle the
Covid-19 health emergency
in India and can support 100
patients at one time, was
operationalised at a CAPF
hospital located in Greater
Noida on Thursday.
Officials said the machinery
for the plant was brought to
India onboard a special flight a
few days back and the Centre
had deployed it at the CAPF
referral hospital.
“Italian Ambassador to India
15.8 million
underweight,
malnourished
the rise,” UN Secretary-Gener-
al Antonio Guterres wrote in
the forward to the 307-page
Global Report on Food Crises.
“There is no place for
famine and starvation in the
21st century. We need to
tackle hunger and conflict
together,” he said. — AP
CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 7 MAY 2021
OZ’S VICTORIA STATE TO
PROVIDE $41 MN AID
Melbourne: The Australian
state of Victoria on Thursday
announced $41 million
worth of aid and medical
equipment, including 1,000
ventilators, for India. PTI
civil administration in the
form of testing and transporta-
tion of medical equipment is
already being provided.
Facility can support
100 patients at a time
Vincenzo De Luca switched on
the plant at a ceremony that
was attended by senior ITBP
officers. The plant has been
installed and made opera-
tional at the hospital campus
within 48 hours, the border
guarding force stated.”
It will supply medical oxy-
gen to more than 100 Covid-19
beds available at the hospital,
it added. The CAPF hospital
primarily caters to the person-
nel of various police and para-
hit Kerala on June 1
Tribune News Service
NewDelhi, May6
The southwest monsoon will
arrive in Kerala around June
1, its normal onset date, the
government said today. M
Rajeevan, Secretary, Min-
istry of Earth Sciences, said
in a tweet that the India
Meteorological Depart-
ment’s extended range fore-
cast suggested seasonal
rains would arrive over the
Indian mainland on time.
This is an early indication,
he said, adding the depart-
ment would issue an official
monsoon forecast on May 15
and rainfall forecast update
THE TRIBUNE
Supplied 730 MT
O2 to Delhi,
Centre tells SC
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
The Centre on Thursday told
the Supreme Court that
instead of 700 MT oxygen, it
had supplied 730 MT to Delhi
on Wednesday against an allo-
cation of 590 MT for treating
Covid-19 patients.
Solicitor General Tushar
Mehta told a Bench of Justice
DY Chandrachud and Justice
MR Shah that a survey con-
ducted in 56 major hospitals
of the national capital on May
4 revealed that they had sig-
Audit of oxygen
supplied to Delhi and
its distribution sought
nificant stock of liquid med-
ical oxygen (LMO).
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
wrote to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to express his
gratitude on behalf of the peo-
ple of Delhi for the supply of
730 MT oxygen. “I request
you to supply the same
amount of oxygen daily to
Delhi,” he wrote. As Mehta
submitted the oxygen supply
to Delhi might come down to
560 MT in the next two days,
the Bench said supplying
700 MT oxygen a day in
terms of its order would help
the national capital to build
sufficient buffer stock to
deal with the situation.
military organisations, their
families, veterans of these
forces that function under the
command of the Union Min-
istry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Speaking at the switching-
on function, Luca said the
plant would be at the hospital
“permanently” and it was a
sign of friendship and solidar-
ity between the two countries.
Recounting as to how some
Italian tourists in India were
treated at the ITBP medical set-
up when they contracted Covid
last year, he said, “We do not
forget this (gesture by India)...
this friendship and solidarity
with India will continue...”
around May 31.
The monsoon, which irri-
gates nearly two-thirds of
India’s agricultural tracts, is
expected to be normal this
year. According to the IMD,
the Long Period Average is
expected to be 98 per cent with
an error margin of 5 per cent.