Chandigarh tribune

FORECAST

PGI STANDING FINANCE
PANEL MEETING ON OCT 27
Among items on the agenda of the
meeting is construction of a centre at
Sarangpur for MBBS course. P3
TUESDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2023 | CHANDIGARH
PARTLY CLOUDY
MAX 33°C | MIN 22°C
YESTERDAY
MAX 33.5°C | MIN 22.5°C
YOUTH FESTIVAL: STUDENTS’ CIVIC BODY’S BIG PUSH TO
SUNSET
THEATRICAL SKILLS TESTED DOG STERILISATION IN CITY TUESDAY
Theatrical items performed on Day 3 An animal birth control centre 5:58 PM
of Panjab University Zonal Youth inaugurated at Raipur Kalan with a SUNRISE
» Festival at MCM DAV College. P3 » capacity to house 310 canines. P3 » WEDNESDAY
6:21 AM
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AIR QUALITY
INDEX
CHANDIGARH 140
UT AQI slips to ‘moderate’ level Admn plans shuttle bus
PANCHKULA
MOHALI
401-500 SEVERE
118
124
Expert attributes deterioration to pollution, weather change
Dushyant Singh Pundir component in understanding
service to Sukhna Lake
301-400 VERY POOR
Tribune News Service

201-300 POOR
101-200 MODERATE
51-100 SATISFACTORY
0-50 GOOD
INBRIEF
MAN ARRESTED FOR
OBSTRUCTING WAY
Chandigarh: The police have
arrested Kaimbwala resident
Biteshwar Kumar (22) for
obstructing public way by
putting up a rehri/farhi in front
of the UT Guest House, Sector
6, on Sunday. He was later
released on bail. A case under
Section 283 of the IPC has
been registered. TNS
GANGSTER HELD
WITH 2 PISTOLS
Mohali: A Gurdaspur native,
Ajay, was arrested with two
pistols and six live rounds near
Green Enclave, Balongi, on
Sunday. The police said the
accused, a member of the
Amrit Bal and Jaggu
Bhagwanpuria gang, is
already booked in cases of
murder and robbery. A fresh
case under the Arms Act has
been registered against him at
the Balongi police station. TNS
Chandigarh, October 9
In recent days, the air quality
in the city has witnessed a
concerning deterioration with
the Air Quality Index (AQI)
slipping to the “moderate”
level due to changing weather
and vehicular emissions.
According to the Central
Pollution Control Board, the
AQI shot up to 140 in the city
around 9 pm.
An official of the Chandigarh
Pollution Control Committee
said the AQI was recorded at
124 on October 8, 130 on Octo-
ber 7, 128 on October 6, 119 on
October 5, 115 on October 4,
105 on October 3, 109 on Octo-
ber 2, and 104 on October 1.
Barring a few days in the
month, the average AQI in
September remained “satis-
factory”, he said. Since the
beginning of the month, the
AQI remained at the “satisfac-
tory” level in the city. The min-
imum temperature of the city
also dropped from 23° Celsius
recorded on September 24 to
19.4° Celsius on October 5.
The city’s declining AQI
could be chiefly attributed
to vehicular pollution and
recent climatic shifts. As
ATMOSPHERIC
BOUNDARY LAYER
Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, Professor of
Environment Health, PGI, says with
the onset of wintry conditions, the
atmospheric boundary layer has
descended to a lower altitude,
between 7 km and 8 km above the
Earth’s surface, compared to its
usual height of 10 km to 12 km. This
change, which depends on local
meteorological factors, has a direct
and immediate effect on the AQI.
temperatures dropped
slightly in the past few
days, these conditions exac-
erbated the problem, said
Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, a dis-
tinguished Professor of
Environment Health from
the Department of Commu-
nity Medicine, PGIMER,
MINIMAL IMPACT OF
STUBBLE BURNING
Dr Khaiwal says the burning of
crop stubble in the neighbouring
states has a relatively minimal
impact on the city’s air quality. It
only becomes a significant
concern when winds carry the
pollutants towards the city.
who recently secured the
top position in the Atmos-
pheric Science category of
the 2023 Global Scientist
List released by Stanford
University.
He highlighted the signifi-
cance of the atmospheric
boundary layer, a crucial
air quality. With the onset of
wintry conditions, this layer
has descended to a lower alti-
tude, measuring between 7
km and 8 km above the
Earth’s surface, compared to
its usual height of 10 km to 12
km. This change, which
depends on local meteorolog-
ical factors, has a direct and
immediate effect on the AQI.
Addressing another critical
concern, Dr Khaiwal empha-
sised the burning of crop
stubble in the neighbouring
states of Haryana and Punjab
had a relatively minimal
impact on the city’s air quali-
ty. He pointed out that stub-
ble burning only becomes a
significant concern when
prevailing winds carry the
pollutants towards the city.
He said stubble burning
would only make an impact in
the city when prevailing winds
were blowing towards the city,
he said. Meanwhile, 23 farm
fires were reported in Punjab
and 31 in Haryana today
against 131 and 97, respective-
ly, yesterday, he added.
An increase in the AQI
causes breathing discomfort
to most people on prolonged
exposure. — TNS
Police Department prepares list of vacant parking places
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 9
To address the increasing
traffic chaos around the
Sukhna Lake caused by a
massive influx of visitors to
the Rock Garden, the Bird
Park and the lake at week-
ends, the Transport Depart-
ment has planned to intro-
duce the shuttle bus service
from the designated parking
sites to these closely located
tourist spots. Though the
area witnesses a heavy traffic
on all week days, the problem
aggravates during weekends.
An official of the department
said there was a lot of parking
problem at Sukhna Lake at
weekends. A plan was being
prepared in coordination with
the Police Department, which
is preparing a list of vacant
parking places in the city. On
Saturdays and Sundays, park-
ing near the UT Secretariat
and other government build-
ings near the lake remained
vacant. People could park
their vehicles at these desig-
nated places and the shuttle
bus service would ferry them
Traffic chaos caused by massive influx of visitors to the Rock
Garden and Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO
to the Sukhna Lake without
any trouble. Also, there were
no long queues of vehicles at
the lake at weekends.
He said they were ready to
introduce the shuttle bus
service, but waiting for the
police to identify pick and
drop points.
Recently, the Chandigarh
Heritage Conservation Com-
mittee (CHCC) had turned
down the proposal of the UT
Administration to construct a
multi-level parking in front of
the Sukhna Lake.
The proposal was placed
before the committee during
a meeting held here on Sep-
tember 14. During discus-
sions, the SSP (Traffic)
apprised the committee that
there was a proposal to con-
vert the existing parking lot
in front of the Lake Club into
a multi-level underground
parking with two basements
and the ground floor.
The committee was
informed that the parking,
which is reserved for mem-
bers of the Lake Club, could
be converted into a public
facility to ease the rush at
weekends. Expressing con-
cern, a member of the com-
mittee stated that the adja-
cent Lake Club building was
so carefully planned by Le
Corbusier at a lower level, so
that the view of the lake from
Uttar Marg was not hindered.

CIGARETTES WORTH
~6.02 CRDESTROYED
Mohali: Officials of the Ludhiana
Customs on Monday disposed
of 69.24 lakh sticks of foreign
origin cigarettes of various
brands worth Rs 6.02 crore at
M/S Punjab Chemicals and
Crop Protection Limited, Dera
Bassi. Office space of about
1000 sq ft has been freed after
the disposal of the cigarettes
seized for violation of the COTPA
Act, the officials said. TNS
KARNAL RESIDENT
BOOKED FOR RAPE
Mohali: The Balongi police
have registered a zero FIR
against a Karnal native,
Kamal, for raping a 17-year-old
girl. In her statement to the
police, the victim stated that
she became friends with the
suspect when she had gone to
Karnal. Later, Kamal visited
Chandigarh to meet her at the
Sukhna Lake. On September
7, he took her to his friend’s
house and developed physical
relations with her. The suspect
is absconding. TNS
HC puts Centre on notice
MORCHA PROTEST
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 9
Acting on a petition for
removal of protesters from
the YPS Chowk, the Punjab
and Haryana High Court
today issued notice to the
Union of India. The Bench
impleaded the Central Gov-
ernment as party after the
State of Punjab submitted
that the issue involved Cen-
tre-State matter and joint
action was needed.
The developments took
place more than six months
after a non-government
organisation filed a PIL seek-
ing the removal of encroach-
ments by the Qaumi Insaaf
Morcha protesters in Mohali
Among other things, the
petitioner-organisation,
Arrive Safe Society of
Chandigarh, had earlier con-
tended it was learnt that the
protesters were seeking the
release of Sikh prisoners,
including Balwant Singh
Rajoana –– a convict in for-
mer Punjab Chief Minister
Encroachments by protesters near the YPS Chowk. FILE PHOTO
Beant Singh’s assassination
case. They also wanted the
release of Devinderpal Singh
Bhullar –– a 1993 Delhi bomb
blast case convict.
The organisation, through
its president Harman Singh
Sidhu, submitted nobody
could be certain when and
under what circumstances
such a large gathering of per-
sons might turn violent and
the protest might take “shape
of a lawless mob disturbing
peace and harmony of inno-
cent passersby, those
engaged in their daily pur-
suits or those residing in their
property in Mohali and near-
by areas”. Describing it as a
“crucial issue”, Sidhu added
it required the High Court’s
timely intervention “at a pre-
emptive stage”.
Sidhu added it had been
reported in newspapers that a
clash broke out between pro-
testers seeking the release of
Sikh prisoners or the “Bandi
Singhs” and the police offi-
cials while the demonstrators
were heading towards Pun-
jab Chief Minister Bhagwant
Mann’s residence in Chandi-
garh. The injured included
seven policewomen. In all, 11
police personnel of Mohali
district were injured in the
incident and admitted to the
Civil Hospital, Phase 6.
Worker hangs
self in Sec 35
Remove golf practice area from
hotel’s kitchen park in week, MC tells Sec 4 RWA
Tribune News Service park, they added.
Chandigarh, October 9 Civic body may also Municipal Commissioner
A 40-year-old employee of the Anindita Mitra confirmed the
JW Marriott hotel in Sector 35
Chandigarh, October 9
The Municipal Corporation
terminate MoU notice had been issued.
reportedly hanged himself in a today issued a notice to the was not removed by the In October, Chandigarh Tri-
kitchen of the hotel today. He Residents Welfare Associa- RWA, then the civic body bune had highlighted how
has been identified as Bharat tion (RWA), Sector 4, asking it would dismantle it. If the the government property was
Bahadur, a national of Nepal. to remove within a week the RWA did not act on the direc- converted into a golf practice
The police said the victim golf practice area created in a tion, the civic body may also area. A local resident said the
left behind a suicide note, in public park. terminate the MoU signed MC was very much in the
which he mentioned his Officials said if the golf area with it for maintaining the know of the matter.
struggle with depression as
the reason behind the
extreme step.
The victim was found hang-
ing with a cloth inside the
kitchen around 12 noon. The
hotel staff rushed him to a
private hospital in Sector 34
where the doctors declared
him dead on arrival.
“We are trying to contact
the victim’s family in Nepal.
The body has been shifted
from the private hospital to a
government hospital. Mean-
while, the statements of staff
members of the hotel are
being recorded,” said a police
officer. Inquest proceedings
have been initiated by the
police at the Sector 36 station.

All-woman Ramlila team set to put on another show

Radhika Pasrija
Tribune News Service
Zirakpur, October 9
After a successful maiden
attempt last year, more than
45 women are set to stage an
all-woman Ramlila from
October 15 to 24 in Dhakoli,
Zirakpur. The group will
enact Ramlila under the ban-
ner of “Jadon se Judoo”, head-
ed by former councillor and
social activist Ekta Nagpal.
This 10-day event has a
budget of about Rs 30 lakh,
largely collected through
group funding. It appears
that for the first time, a nine-
month-old child will be par-
ticipating as this all-woman
troupe will showcase “the
birth of Lord Rama”, which
is usually not part of any
Ramlila. Among the partici-
pants are the 80-year-old
mother of Ekta Nagpal,
Pushpa Juneja, playing Guru
Maa. Her daughter, Janvi, a
Woman Ramlila artistes rehearse at Peer Muchalla in Zirakpur adviser at HDFC
on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR
Class X student, will be play-
ing Angad.
“I am proud that women in
my family, belonging to three
generations, are part of this
initiative I took last year. The
idea of women’s empower-
ment doesn’t lie in financial
independence alone. A
woman can harness her true
are prominently designed,
FINANCIAL ADVISER keeping in mind the maxi-
TO PLAY RAMA mum involvement of men in
■ 45 women to stage Ramlila from the enactment. Therefore,
October 15 to 24 in Dhakoli, Zirakpur these women got the Ramlila
■ A budget of about ~30 lakh is largely
apparel customised in Delhi
and Ambala. A few of the cos-
collected through group funding
tumes have also been self-
■ 80-year-old Pushpa Juneja will
stitched. Several Ramlila
play Guru Maa props are handcrafted, made
■ The group got their Ramlila apparel by women when they were
customised in Delhi and Ambala. not practising.
■ The role of Ravana will be played Another distinctive thing
by Ritu Kapoor, a classical dance about this Ramlila is that the
teacher, and that of Rama by team reserves a question-
Pratibha Singh, a financial naire (of 50 questions) for the
audience when the curtains
are drawn. The questions are
power only when she proves er and participants of this all- focused on the Ramayana
to be successful in connect- woman cast are hard to and Ramlila, and a pin-drop
ing the values and ideals of ignore. The heads (menfolk) silence is observed while chil-
the next generation with the of various Ramlila commit- dren aged below 15 partici-
previous ones,” said Nagpal. tees in the region have been pate in the activity.
Ramlila has always been a opposing the idea of women Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit
male-dominated arena, and enacting in Ramlila, claiming Singh Randhawa, Patiala MP
the kind of challenges this it to be anti-religious. Preneet Kaur and Mohali DC
embedded reality has been Not just this, the costumes Aashika Jain are a few of the
putting forth for the organis- used in this theatrical piece continued on page 2
CHANDIGARH PLUS CHANDIGARH TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2023
02

CAMPUS NOTES
One dead as
car hits bike Uncovered manholes, pits INBRIEF
3 BOOKED FOR

haunt Zirakpur commuters

Mohali, October 9
ORAL HYGIENE CAMP ORGANISED A man died while another
one was injured when a
Rayat Bahra Dental College carried out a two-day dental health speeding car slammed into
camp at St Stephens School, New Chandigarh. More than 600 them from behind on a road
students were thoroughly examined by a team of efficient near the Shiva Enclave in
pedodontists headed by Dr Umang Jagga (professor and head, Zirakpur late on Sunday. The
Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry). Oral health deceased, identified as
education was imparted and brushing techniques were also Sukhjit Singh of Nada Sahib,
demonstrated to the students. TNS was on his way back home on
his motorcycle around 10:30
EXPOSURE VISIT TO UNIVERSITY pm when a car hit his two-
wheeler and fled the spot.
Chitkara University hosted an “Exposure Visit” in collaboration Sukhjit was promptly taken
with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The event, to GMCH-32, where doctors
under the guidance of Dr Biswajit Saha, Director of CBSE, brought declared him dead.
together around 50 principals and educators from the tricity
region. The primary objective of the CBSE Exposure Visit was to
raise awareness regarding institutions of excellence across India
and fostering collaboration for the integration of skill (vocational)
education. Dr Madhu Chitkara also interacted with the
1 booked for
participants. duping man
STUDENTS SHINE IN CULINARY CONTEST Mohali, October 9
The police have booked Sector
Six students from Chandigarh College of Hospitality, CGC 49 resident, Amrinder Singh,
Landran, bagged the first prize in a culinary competition for duping a Karnal resident,
organised as a part of an event commemorating Rashtriya Sunil Kumar, of Rs 8 lakh on
Poshan Maah 2023 event, organised by AIMS Mohali. Arya Koul, the pretext of sending him to
Anjali Suhalia, Nandani Gumber, Manisha Gaur, Martina, and Australia in February 2022. A
Yukta, 4th year students of Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and case under the Immigration
Dietetics (BSND) sealed the top spot by making nutritious ladoos Act has been registered at the
and protein bars using millets as the principal ingredient. Phase-11 police station. — TNS
Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Mohali, October 9
Commuters fearfully
exclaim, “Ram Ram!” at the
sight of pits on Zirakpur
roads these days, even as the
Zirakpur Municipal Council
officials look the other way.
The roads in Zirakpur are
in tatters, but even worse is
the state of the civic body offi-
cials, who have abdicated all
their responsibilities towards
the local residents.
An open manhole in the
middle of the Kishanpura
road poses a threat to com-
muters and pedestrians
alike. Some residents have
carefully placed a plastic
drum over the hole in the
hope of averting any possi-
ble mishap. “If there were
just one or two patches, res-
idents could do something.
But the entire stretch here
is in a very poor condition,”
A damaged portion road poses a threat to commuters; (R) an open pit covered with a drum. RAVI KUMAR
a local said.
A pit was left uncovered fol-
lowing some recent digging
work on the Peer Muchalla
road near St Peter Little
Champ School, giving jitters
to commuters every time
they cross the stretch.
Despite the fact that the
roads witness multiple acci-
dents every day, the Munic-
ipal Coruncil, councillors
and the administration
remain unmoved.
It may be recalled that
barely a month ago, an unat-
tended 4-ft deep pit along
the VIP Road near the Orbit
Apartments had claimed the
life of a biker.
Locals said the pit had been
dug up by some Municipal
Council (MC) workers
two–three months ago in a
bid to find manholes buried
under the interlocking tiles.
The MC officials have, how-
ever, refuted the charge. The
spot remains littered with
loose earth and gravel.
ATTACKING MAN
Dera Bassi: In a horrific
incident of road rage, the
owner of a filling station in
Dera Bassi filling station owner
— Gurneet Singh — was
attacked by three persons near
the Bank of Baroda branch on
the Chandigarh–Dera Bassi
road on October 7. A case has
been registered in this regard
at the Dera Bassi police station
under Sections 323, 341, 506
and 34 of the IPC. TNS
TWO BOOKED FOR
SNATCHING
Dera Bassi: The police have
booked a Saidpura resident and
his accomplice for snatching a
mobile phone from a man,
Javed, on the night of October 7.
The victim, a factory worker,
was headed somewhere on foot
when two bikers snatched his
phone. The victim nabbed one
of the suspects, who identified
himself as Sameer. But in the
ensuing melee, the two
suspects managed to escape
from the scene. TNS

Centre holds training programme 3-day edu summit begins

on paddy residue management
Our Correspondent
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 9
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra
(KVK), Fatehgarh Sahib, under
the aegis of Punjab Agricultur-
al University (PAU), organised
a training programme on pad-
dy residue management for
the beneficiaries of Farmer
Producer Organisations
(FPOs), Registered Farmers’
Groups (RFGs) and Primary
Agriculture Cooperative Soci-
eties (PACS) who have availed
themselves of subsidies or
have applied for crop residue
management
machines. The programme
(CRM)
at Chandigarh University
EXPERTS TALK
■ KVK Associate Director (Training) Vipan Kumar Rampal gave a detailed Tribune News Service
account of various residue management machines at the PAU, such as the
happy seeder, mulcher, super seeder, smart seeder and surface seeder Mohali, October 9
■ Assistant Professor (Soil Science) Ajay Kumar exhorted the farmers to go for Chandigarh University (CU)
soil testing on their fields before sowing the wheat crop. He also emphasised today kicked off the three-day
the importance of a balanced use of fertilisers Global Education Summit
■ Assistant Professor (Horticulture) Arvind Preet Kaur dwelt on the use of paddy (GES-2023).
straw in vegetable production and mushroom cultivation. She also The academic leaders,
encouraged the tillers to sow vegetables and fruits in a nutrition garden including vice-chancellors,
presidents and top officials
ence) Ajay Kumar exhorted Professor (Animal Science) A naka set up in Dera Bassi. TRIBUNE PHOTO from more than 40 universi-
the farmers to go for soil test- GPS Sethi enlightened the ties from across 30 countries
ing on their fields before sow-
ing the wheat crop. He also
emphasised the importance of
participants about the use of
paddy straws for preparing
feed for animals. He also dis-
Nakas put up to check like the UK, the USA, Aus-
tralia, Canada, Ireland, Italy,
Russia, South Africa, Ethiopia,
Prof Abhay Purohit, president of the Council of Architecture
(CoA), speaks at the education summit on Monday. VICKY

was attended by more than 60

farmers.
KVK Associate Director
(Training) Vipan Kumar Ram-
pal gave a detailed account of
various residue management
machines at the PAU, such as
the happy seeder, mulcher,
super seeder, smart seeder and
surface seeder. He also con-
ducted technical sessions dur-
ing the training programme.
Assistant Professor (Soil Sci-
a balanced use of fertilisers.
Assistant Professor (Horti-
culture) Arvind Preet Kaur
dwelt on the use of paddy
straw in vegetable production
and mushroom cultivation.
She also encouraged the tillers
to sow vegetables and fruits in
a nutrition garden.
Assistant Professor (Plant
Protection) Reet Verma dis-
cussed the importance of seed
treatment and threw light on
the management of rodents in
paddy straw fields. Assistant
cussed the use of paddy straw
in dairy farming.
Assistant Professor (Home
Science) Manisha Bhatia
delved into the use of paddy
straw in preparing decorative
and various utility items for
household use. The farmers
were encouraged to see vari-
ous demonstrations and trails
at the KVK farm. Fatehgarh
Sahib Chief Agriculture Offi-
cer Rangeel Singh was also
present during the pro-
gramme.
illegal sale of paddy
Tribune News Service
Mohali, October 9
Six inter-state nakas have
been set up to check the
unauthorised transport and
illegal sale of paddy in Pun-
jab mandis from other states
during the paddy procure-
ment season this year.
The nakas, placed under
the supervision of SDMs and
DSPs, will check vehicles
round the clock.
Besides, four flying
squads have been constitut-
ed to keep tabs on internal
inter-state roads. Any illegal
movement of paddy will be
dealt with stringently. The
nakas are also aimed at
facilitating a hassle-free
movement of grains from
farm to mandis.
Malaysia, Thailand,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Kaza-
khstan, Japan and Uzbek-
istan, among others, are tak-
ing part in the seminar. The
summit is being held on the
theme ‘Creating Professional
Leaders for ‘One Earth, One
Family, One Future’. While 20
academic leaders are partici-
pating in the Global Summit
in person, 27 others are attend-
ing it in virtual mode.
The inaugural session of the
education summit was attend-
ed by Daffodil International
University Founder and Chair-
man Md Sabur Khan and the
president of the Association of
Universities of Asia and the
Pacific (AUAP), Bangladesh,
and the Indian Council for
Cultural Relations (ICCR) Dy
Director General Anju Ranjan.
On the first day of the educa-
tion summit, sessions were
held on topics like global col-
laborations in higher educa-
tion for achieving sustainable
development goals. It was
chaired by Prof Sibrandes
Poppema, Md Sabur and Kai
Peters.
On the sidelines of the edu-
cation summit, several univer-
sities formalised partnerships,
resulting in collaborative
research initiatives, student
exchange programmes and
joint academic projects. These
agreements pave the way for
future global collaborations in
education and research.

Arnav, Tuba win carrom titles All-woman Ramlila

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 9
Arnav Bahuguna and Tuba
team set to put on...
Sehar won the boys’ sub-jun- from Page 1 team includes women from
ior and women’s singles titles, dignitaries expected to all spheres of life, including
respectively, on the conclud- attend the event. This year, law, teaching, health, well-
ing day of the State Carrom the role of Ravana will be ness and homemaking.
Championship held at Set played by Ritu Kapoor, a “My two children aged 10
Stephen’s School, Sector 45. classical dance teacher. Prat- and 13 have taken over
In the boys’ sub-junior final, ibha Singh, a financial advis- household chores while I
Bahuguna defeated Abhinav er at HDFC, is set to play rehearse, arrange costumes
Sharma 21-09, 10-04. In the Rama. Wellness coach Abha and make props for the show.
semifinals, Bahuguna beat Shukla will appear as Hanu- This pushes me to work
Anish Kumar 21-00, 13-05, man, while theatre artiste harder and make myself
Students participate in an inter-school swimming competition in Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO while Sharma ousted Shoyab Khushboo Trehan will play realise my true power,” said
Ansari 06-04, 14-00. Meghnath. The Ramlila Pratibha Singh.

Swimmers question process Tuba won the women’s final

by overpowering a tough com-
petition by Nidhi Gupta 22-08,
Nidhi Gupta (L) and Tuba Sehar (R) during the women’s singles
final of the carrom tournament on Monday. PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL

of selection for national games 14-17, 14-10. In the semis, she

Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 9
Some local swimmers have
written to the Swimming
Federation of India (SFI),
alleging the use of ‘unfair’
means for the selection of a
local team for the upcoming
Goa National Games by the
Chandigarh Ad-Hoc Selec-
tion Committee for Swim-
ming, which functions
under the chairmanship of
SM Sharma.
The committee has selected
a three-member local contin-
gent for the Goa National
Games. However, the local
swimmers alleged that the
committee did not call them
for any trials and selected one
of the swimmers without any
consideration for merit.
“The team was selected in
complete secrecy, without
considering merit. There was
no formal announcement for
conducting any trials, and no
woman swimmer has been
selected to represent the city.
All this has been done to
accommodate a swimmer,
whose father is closely associ-
ated with the ad-hoc commit-
tee and works with the Sports
Department,” alleged the
parent of a swimmer.
“The swimmers who per-
formed with better timings in
various events, including the
nationals, were bluntly
ignored. And, till date, the ad-
hoc committee has not
informed the swimmers
about the criteria,” the parent
added. While the swimmers
claimed that they had been
sidelined from selection,
Sharma has maintained that
the selection was done purely
on the basis of merit.
“Due to the shortage of
time, the SFI asked us to
avoid conducting trials and
to select a team on the basis
of merit. We decided to pick
the same team that had rep-
resented the city in the
recently concluded Senior
National and the swimmers
who had participated in
Group I,” said Sharma. He
added, “These swimmers
and their parents were a
part of the previous selec-
tions, and no objection was
ever filed. The team for the
Goa National Games has
been picked on the basis of
merit, and the allegations
are baseless.”
prevailed over Vaidhavi Mam-
gain 24-05, 25-09.
Nidhi ousted Sanya Chad-
ha 23-03, 24-11. In the men’s
final, Mohammed Hassan
defeated Paras Arora 25-00,
25-10 to lift the title. In the
1 held for not paying for fuel
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, October 9
Police arrested a person
today for quarrelling with
the petrol pump staff and
then fleeing without paying
money. The suspect has
been identified as Jayant
Vijay of Mauli Jagran,
Chandigarh.
As per the police, on June
12, Dalip Kumar lodged a
semis, Hassan ousted Gopal
Kakkar 19-03, 19-06, and
Arora beat Amandeep Batra
25-01, 22-05.
In the boys’ junior title
clash, Kakkar recorded a
comeback 05-15, 21-00, 21-
complaint that he was on
duty at the petrol pump
and around 4 am, three per-
sons arrived on a motorcy-
cle, got fuel worth Rs 1,260
filled and drove off without
paying.
A case was registered
under Sections 323, 379, 34
and 473 of the IPC at the
Sector 2 police station. The
suspect has been sent to
judicial custody.
00 win over Bahuguna to
clinch the title. In the
semis, Kakkar defeated
Abhinav Sharma 21-01, 21-
01, and Bahuguna out-
played Krishna Gehlawat
19-05, 11-12, 18-12.
Statue of Bhagat
Singh to come up
at mini-secretariat
Ambala, October 9
A 12-ft statue of Bhagat
Singh will be installed on the
premises of the sub-division-
al mini-secretariat in Ambala
Cantonment.
The statue has been pre-
pared by noted sculptor Ram
Vanji Sutar, who was also
behind the design of the Stat-
ue of Unity. — TNS
Workshop on AI begins
Chandigarh, October 9
A three-day international
conference-cum-workshop
on Artificial Intelligence
Solutions for Pharmaceuti-
cal Research and Knowl-
edge (AI-SPARK 2023)
began at the National Insti-
tute of Pharmaceutical Edu-
Pensioners slam govt
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 9
The Punjab Government
Pensioners Association today
slammed the state govern-
ment for not fulfilling their
demands.
The district president of the
association, Prem Singh,
said, “A case has been filed in
cation and Research
(NIPER) in Mohali today.
The conference aims to
bring together leading
researchers, experts and
industry professionals for
use of Artificial Intelligence
in drug discovery and devel-
opment. — TNS
court over arrears. Now, the
Punjab Government will
have three months to take a
decision on the installments
of the DA.” He also ques-
tioned the manner in which
some journalists were recent-
ly interrogated by central
agencies. — OC
 03 CHANDIGARH TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2023
PGI finance panel meet on Oct 27
Setting up college for MBBS course at Sarangpur on agenda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 9
A meeting of the standing
finance committee of the
PGIMER will take place on
October 27. Items on the
agenda include construction
of a centre at Sarangpur for
MBBS course and imple-
mentation of Hospital Infor-
mation System-2 (HIS-2).
The PGIMER had pro-
posed setting up of a state-of-
the-art medical college with
intake of 100 students for
MBBS course at its Sarang-
pur centre. The proposal
envisioned a college campus
along with an attached hos-
pital fully equipped for qual-
ity education, research and
patient care.
Among the important
items on the agenda is the
proposal for hiring 50 phle-
botomists to be deployed
across various departments
INBRIEF
POSTAL WEEK
CELEBRATIONS
Chandigarh: The Department
of Posts on Monday began the
National Postal Week
celebrations, which would
conclude on October 13. VK
Gupta, Chief Postmaster
General, Punjab Circle,
Chandigarh, said the theme
for World Post Day this year
was “Together for Trust”. TNS
DHANAS MAN
HELD FOR ATTACK
Chandigarh: A Dhanas
resident alleged that her
neighbour Dewakar and his
associates Rajkumar, alias
Matri, Simon, Deepak and
four-five others attacked her
house with sticks, rod, kirpan
and threatened her on
October 5. The house property
was damaged in the attack. A
CHANDIGARH
Purohit launches
community
policing project
Chandigarh, October 9
six-month internship peri- UT Administrator and Pun-
od. In accordance with the jab Governor Banwarilal
Government of India Purohit today launched
guidelines, the stipend for ‘Samavesh’, a community
these students may see a policing programme. On the
substantial increase from occasion, 52 new motorcycles
Rs 500 per month to Rs were also flagged off from
13,150 per month. Tagore Theatre, Sector 18.
Another significant agen- Samavesh Kendras have
da item is the proposal for been established to provide
the additional requirement police services at one desk for
of 17 laboratory attendants effective policing at all levels, PGGCG-42 students perform during a mime competition on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI
NAMS FELLOWSHIP FOR SIX PROFESSORS on outsourcing basis, along especially at police stations.
■ The National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) honoured six faculty
members of the PGIMER and two of its former professors with fellowship
with the ex post facto sanc-
tion for 18 laboratory atten-
dants who have already
These centres would play a key
role in improving the image of
the police and police-public
Students’ theatrical skills tested
on Day 3 of PU zonal youth fest
at its 63rd annual conference, NAMSCON-2023, held in Bengaluru. been hired. relationship, the police said.
■ Karnataka Governor TC Gehlot awarded the fellowship to Dr Rati Ram
A significant workforce- The services that will be avail-
Sharma, Dr Arun K Aggarwal, Dr Sonu Goel, Dr Surinder Rana, Dr Arun related issue to be able at Samavesh Kendras are
Bansal and Dr Naveen Kalra. The fellowship was also conferred on PGI addressed is the regularisa- e-FIR registration, complaint Chandigarh, October 9 troller of Examination, PU, president, DAV College Man-
former professors Dr Ram Samujh and Dr Ramesh Sen. tion of 124 relief-cum- registration, character verifica- The Day 3 of Panjab Universi- who was the chief guest at aging Committee, New Delhi,
■ Union Health Minister SP Singh Bhagel, Union Minister of Science and
housekeeping workers and tion, employee verification, ty Zonal Youth Festival at the morning session, appre- was the chief guest at the
Technology Dr Jitendra Kumar and NAMS president Dr SK Sarin were 25 supervisors on a post fac- tenant verification, servant ver- MCM DAV College saw per- ciated the efforts of the man- evening session.
also present during the ceremony held at Ramaiya Medical College. to basis. These workers are ification, lost article report, formance of theatrical items, agement and staff members Winners of various contests
part of the 969-strong out- locked house registration, pass- heritage quiz and heritage art of the college for hosting the included PGGCG, Sector 11
at the PGIMER on out- posal to increase the sourced workforce port verification, know the sta- and craft competitions. mega event. (one act play), Khushi Shar-
sourcing basis. The panel stipend paid to BSc (Nurs- deployed through a service tus of complaints/case, applica- While dramatic performances Sanjeev Goyal, Director ma of Guru Gobind Singh
will deliberate on the pro- ing) students during their provider at the institute. tion for horse riding school, made the audience laugh as General of Audit (Central), College for Women (GGSCW),
application for shooting range, well as cry, the heritage quiz test- Chandigarh, was the chief Sector 26 (one act play-solo)
police clearance certificate and ed the mettle of participants. guest at the afternoon ses- and GGSCW-26 (histrionics
senior citizen sticker. — TNS Prof Jagat Bhushan, Con- sion. Justice Pritam Pal, vice- and heritage quiz). — TNS
MC’s big push to dog sterilisation
Centre with capacity to house 310 canines opened at Raipur Kalan
Tribune News Service
Awareness walk on mental health held at Sukhna
Chandigarh, October 9 Sarin encouraged the partici-
Chandigarh, October 9 More than hundred people, pants to take a pledge to take
Mayor Anup Gupta inaugu- including students, profession- care of their mental health
rated an animal birth control als and educators, participated and help others struggling
(ABC) centre at Raipur Kalan in an awareness walk organised with a mental crisis.
here today. He also flagged by the Citizens for Inclusive Aditya Vikram, member of
off an animal ambulance Living (CIL) Society, Chandi- CIL, highlighted the theme
donated by Jana Small garh, to mark World Mental of this year, ‘Mental health is
Finance Bank, which will Health Week, at Sukhna Lake a universal human right’,
operate throughout the city here this morning. and the responsibility of the
and take care of sick and Dr Simmi Waraich, senior citizens, society and the gov-
injured dogs. psychiatrist and vice-presi- ernment to make it a reality.
In his address, the Mayor dent of CIL, said, “We must Gurpreet Singh, a social
said the centre would collectively remove stigma worker, spoke about the
increase the dog sterilisation and come forward for treat- importance of the upcoming
capacity of the civic body. The Mayor Anup Gupta flags off an animal ambulance at the ment, if required. It is impor- Group Home, a world-class
centre has four dog kennels inauguration of an animal birth control centre in Raipur Kalan, tant to be aware of our own residential facility for per-
with a capacity to accommo- Chandigarh, on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR emotions and mental health.” People carry posters to highlight the importance of mental sons with mental disabilities
date 310 canines. Society president Neelu health during an awareness walk at Sukhna Lake on Monday. in Chandigarh. — TNS
The Chandigarh Municipal AMBULANCE TO ANIMALS’ AID
Corporation (MC) is already
■ Mayor Anup Gupta flags off an animal ambulance
running an ABC centre in
Sector 38 (West), which has a ■ It will operate across the city and take care of sick, injured dogs

case was registered at the capacity to house 104 dogs. ■ First aid will be provided to such canines immediately
Sarangpur police station. The Gupta said the animal ■ They will then be shifted to animal birth control centre for treatment
police have arrested Dewakar, ambulance would take care
a resident of EWS Colony, in of the complaints received by
the case. TNS the MC regarding sick and control centre in the ambu- Despite sterilisation, dog
injured dogs. He said while lance for further treatment. bite cases continue to rise in
ARMY WIVES HOLD first aid would be provided to Deputy Mayor Harjeet the city. The MC is working
the sick and injured dogs Singh, the area councillor on changing its strategy as
2-DAY EXHIBITION immediately, they would be and MC officials were present well as bylaws to control the
Chandigarh: Shaurya Haat, a shifted to an animal birth on the occasion. population of stray dogs.
two-day exhibition to nurture
entrepreneurial skills and
creativity of Indian Army wives,
was organised under the aegis
of Western Command at
Elante Mall here. The event
showcased creations by over
60 entrepreneurs, who
displayed paintings, ethnic
embroidery, jewellery, sarees,
candles and myriad home
decor artifacts. TNS

MC to pitch for
eco clearance
tomorrow
Chandigarh, October 9
To obtain environmental
clearance for installing a new
integrated garbage process-
ing plant in Dadu Majra for a
period of 15 years, the MC is
going to give a presentation
to the Union Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Cli-
mate Change on October 11.

NEW WASTE PLANT

The MC is setting up the
new plant after the previous
one established by Jaypee
Group in Sector 25 failed to
process the required garbage,
resulting in a mountain of
garbage at the Dadu Majra
dumping ground.
The ministry will evaluate
the project’s anticipated
effects on the environment as
well as socio-economic, cultur-
al and human health issues. It
will also evaluate its location so
that it can be distanced from
the eco-sensitive areas like
Sukhna Lake or Bird Park.
Besides, it will also assess pow-
er requirements, plant opera-
tional flow, site connectivity,
pollution and other environ-
mental-related aspects. — TNS
 TRIBUNE Italian concert
Rapper Kanye West is
planning to hold a
show in Reggio
Emilia, Italy, on
October 13. Kanye,
who legally
changed his name to
Ye, is yet to confirm
the report.

CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2023

Once
Despite upon a
multiple threads
of the narrative,
time...
Celebrated filmmaker
Martin Scorsese is
this drama pleased with the influ-
based around ence he has had on other
filmmakers, not just
flood-ravaged through his own work but
by recommending movies
Mumbai pans made by other people.
“I’ve always considered
out like a thriller myself a teacher more
than a filmmaker. I’ve felt
that has you on a sense of pride that I’ve
tenterhooks for influenced a couple of
people not necessarily
most of its with my work, but by rec-
ommending films. And
runtime then from their films, I get
inspired. It opens up a
whole new world,” he said

SCOOP
during a Q+A session at
the London Film Festival
hosted by Edgar Wright.

FLOOD
The Killers of the Flower
Web series: not stand out like a sore Chandra, the ghost from Moon filmmaker also told

of fame!
MUMBAI DIARIES SEASON 2 thumb. Besides, the person- her past is exceptional too,
Cast: Mohit Raina, Konkona Sen al lives of Oberoi and direc- only the final turn his char- Filmmaker Martin
Sharma, Prakash Belawadi, Shreya tor of social services, Chitra acter takes is a tad more Scorsese was not
Dhanwantry, Tina Desai, Balaji Gauri, Das (Konkona Sen Sharma), monstrous than required.
Mrunmayee Deshpande, Natasha in turmoil, there is a nurse As for the over-conscien- welcomed in Hollywood
Bharadwaj, Satyajeet Dubey during his early career

of emotion
forced to steal drugs so that tious doctors, which includes
Karishma Tanna wins Best Lead Director: Nikkhil Advani she can pay an agent for a Dr Sujata (Mrunmayee
job in Bahrain. Deshpande) and Dr Diya how he struggled to be
Actress award at Busan Film Festival Rating: ★★★
The drama pans out like a (Natasha Bhardwaj), well, accepted in the industry
Karishma Tanna has once again proved her mettle thriller, which has you on ten- it’s one thing for a doctor to even when he tried ‘to be
on the international stage by win- Nonika Singh terhooks for most of its run- go beyond the line of duty to a Hollywood guy’. He
ning the Best Lead Actress time. Despite multiple save lives, but getting obses- said, “They asked me to

award for the Netflix’s
series Scoop, helmed by
Hansal Mehta, at the
prestigious Busan
Film Festival 2023.
This remarkable
achievement marks a
momentous occasion
in her career, as she
becomes the sole Indian
actress nominated in not one
but two categories at the festival.
Interestingly, the actress celebrated two big wins as
Scoop also took home the award for ‘Best Series’.
In Scoop, Karishma captivated audiences world-
wide with her compelling performance, bringing
depth and authenticity to her character. Her por-
trayal of Jagruti Pathak was lauded for its sheer
brilliance and emotional depth. On the red carpet
of the Busan Film Festival, Karishma exuded ele-
gance while donning a saree.
D
ISASTER dramas are
not easy to capture on
screen. After creating
a compelling account
of the dastardly 26/11
Mumbai attacks, noted
filmmaker Nikkhil Advani
unfurls the second season
of Mumbai Diaries. This
time over he brings to us
the devastating Mumbai
floods, which brought the
city to a grinding halt. But
more importantly, he also
shines a light on humanity.
Essentially a medical dra-
ma, the eight-episode
series, intercutting person-
al and professional lives of
medical professionals,
takes off more or less from
where it left. Nine months
have passed since the 2008
terror incident. Bombay
General Hospital’s star doc-
tor Kaushik Oberoi (Mohit
Raina) has been hauled up
for medical negligence. The
wife of late ATS officer has
charged him for murder
and the TRP-obsessed
media has already pro-
nounced him guilty.
If a storm is brewing in his
professional life, yet anoth-
er is hovering over the
cityscape. Monsoon is an
integral part of Mumbai,
but in July 2005 (here the
timeline has been moved
forward to gel with the first
season) torrential rains led
to the loss of many lives.
Advani recreates the bed-
lam of flood-ravaged Mum-
bai, shuffles a few dates and
focuses upon how the first
line of responders, mainly
medical staff, acted in the
times of crisis.
Though the epicentre of
most action is the hospital,
Advani opens multiple
fronts. There are far too
many tracks and issues at
hand, which range from
child abuse to domestic vio-
lence to LGBTQ concerns.
Also, in the thick of things is
‘exclusive’ hungry televi-
sion anchor Mansi (Shreya
Dhanwanthary), literally
baying for Oberoi’s blood.
That she will revise her
opinion is fairly predictable,
yet her change of heart does
threads of the narrative, fre-
netic pace and huge ensem-
ble cast, Advani manages to
weave it all into a cohesive
whole. Where he truly scores
is how he is able to infuse
emotional heft in his retelling
of the calamitous moments.
Writing, which includes med-
ical terms, is on point.
Raina is brilliant in bring-
ing out the anguish of his
part with heartfelt emotion-
al range. Equally impres-
sive is Konkona Sen Shar-
ma. As we see her navigate
between her traumatic past
and the turbulent present,
she portrays both the vul-
nerability and strength of
her character. Parambrata
Chatterjee as Dr Saurav
sively involved in the person- leave around 1978-79. And
al lives of their patients not just because of the
seems a bit too obtuse. filmmaking. We were
Whatever may be the younger, and I was going
lags, Advani creates a mov- through teenage rebellion
ing portrait of distressing at the age of 27.” — IANS
times with hope shining
like a beacon. As he and his
cinematographer Malay
Prakash make us wade
through flood-hit city and
the ensuing chaos, Mum-
bai Diaries feels both per-
sonal and a leaf out of a
city’s diary. Streaming on
Amazon Prime Video, it is
indeed a microcosm that
paints a picture of the macro.
And without saying so in
words, it reminds us how the
commercial capital of the
country deserves better.

Shining King Khan’s Tough

screen
The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film
Festival is set to return and as
many as 250 films will be fea-
tured from October 27 to
November 5. Farhan Akhtar,
Rana Daggubati, Siddharth
Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya
Motwane, Zoya Akhtar,
Rohan Sippy, Ajay Bijli and
Anupama Chopra unveiled
the line-up in Mumbai on
Monday, which included over
40 world premieres, 45 Asia
premieres, and 70 plus
South-Asian premieres.
The festival promises to
spotlight contemporary films
and new cinematic voices
from South Asia. The main
event this year is the
South Asia Competition.
This section aims to
showcase break-
through contempo-
rary South Asian
films, and
will wit-
security task
beefed up
Jio MAMI Mumbai
Film Festival to
feature 250 films in Bradley Cooper needed five hours of
over 70 languages Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s
makeup for his role in Maestro
security is being beefed up to Y+ level. The
actor had requested the same from the Hollywood star Bradley Coop- “The last stage, he had cov-
Maharashtra government after he received er went through a five-hour ered pretty much every-
death threats over the Besharam Rang song makeup process to transform where, the bodysuit and arms.
from his blockbuster film Pathaan, which into Leonard Bernstein in That took over five hours. The
was released earlier this year. Maestro. The 48-year-old last stage, the whole time,
Various fringe outfits had taken offence to actor both plays the lead role our call time was one in the
the use of saffron colour in one of Deepika and directs the new biopic morning,” Hiro told an audi-
Padukone’s dresses in the song. These about the celebrated compos- ence at the films’s New York
groups said the song mocked saffron colour, er and the Oscar-winning Film Festival screening on
which was associated with Hindu sentiment. makeup artist Kazu Hiro. October 2. — IANS
Following the row over the song, Paramhans
Kabir Khan Acharya, an Ayodhya-based seer, had alleged-
ly issued death threats to the actor.
ness 14 films from debutant Under the Y+ category, SRK will get 11
and second-time filmmakers security personnel, including six comman-
from across India, dos, four police personnel and a traffic
Bangladesh, Bhutan and clearance vehicle. The Y+ securi-
Nepal, as well as diaspora The ty is provided by the state to
filmmakers from the UK and
Germany. — IANS
actor received those citizens who face a
threat to their lives. In
death threats over response to the state gov-
ernment’s directive, the
the Besharam Rang IG VIP Security scaled up
SRK’s security for which
song from his film he would have to deposit a
certain sum of money.
Pathaan Shah Rukh Khan has had
run-ins with the Mumbai
underworld earlier and has been
known to stand up to threats. — IANS

Rana Daggubati, Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar