Top Headlines of the Day

1. HRTC to resume interstate bus service from Wednesday: Only non-AC bus service has been resumed for now.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the minister stated that the interstate bus service would be resumed on 25 routes in the first phase. These routes include Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, and Ludhiana in Punjab, Ambala in Haryana, Haridwar in Uttarakhand, and Union Territory Chandigarh, he added. Only non AC buses will ply on interstate routes and night bus service has also been included in it.

Singh further said that the interstate bus service would be started from October 14 onwards because of the upcoming festive season and Navratri. The bus service would also be started for other states shortly, he added. Covid-19 guidelines would be strictly followed during the resumption of interstate bus service, the minister said.

2. Chandigarh to allot govt houses through online bidding

The Administration has adopted an online bidding process from 1st to 8th of every month based on the vacant houses list uploaded on its website www.eawas.chd.gov.in.

The allotment of government houses will be made to the senior-most applicant from the total bids received against that house based on their eligibility and priority. Intimation regarding the allotment of government house to the successful applicant through the online bidding process will be given through SMS. They can also check their status on the website.

The entire online procedure ensures transparency and fairness. The UT Administration does not entertain any written request or recommendation for the allotment of a particular house in this bidding process.

3. Apply online for the installation of free rooftop solar panels in Chandigarh

The UT Administration has asked residents to apply online for the installation of rooftop solar panels free of cost.

Benefits to the consumer

• Zero investment
• Will get cheaper solar power than the current applicable tariff
• Zero expense on operation and maintenance of rooftop solar plant till the transfer period
• Solar panels act as an insulator for the rooftop and will thus directly reduce the A/C load of the top floor.
• Proud to be a green power generator

“The detailed information on the scheme is available on the web portal. Interested consumers can apply to www.solarchandigarh.com. The capacity of plants will be 5kWp to 10kWp for residential sectors and it will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis,” – Debendra Dalai, Chief Executive Officer, CREST

4. Chandigarh University filed most patents in 2018-19: Report

The university had filed 336 patents in a year, according to the annual rankings for 2018-19 recently released by the office of controller general of patents, designs, and trademarks. The university has filed 779 patents so far.

CU announced that as per the Intellectual Property India’s annual report, in the overall patent filing category, 27 IITs have collectively filed 557 patents and are leading the table. However, with 336 patents in a year, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, has emerged as the leading stand-alone institution to file the highest number of patents, followed by Tata Consultancy Services with 239 applications, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research with 202 applications, and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited with 173 applications.

5. No arrests yet in 3 shooting incidents in Chandigarh

First Shooting: Gurlal Brar (26), state president of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), was allegedly shot dead by three motorcycle-borne miscreants outside Emporium Mall while he was waiting for his friends in his SUV.

Second shooting: The suspects in the Sector 9 firing incident are at large. Three shots were fired outside the Eskobar club following a fight between two groups on Sunday night. A 22-year-old youth, Sourav Gujjar, who is popular on TikTok and Instagram for making short videos, suffered injuries in the incident.

Third Shooting: The third firing incident was reported in Sector 45 on Sunday night. Gangster Lawerence Bishnoi’s aide Monty Shah had fired a gunshot to threaten deceased Sonu Shah’s brother Parveen and his associate Tirath.

Last year, Sonu Shah was murdered at his office at the behest of Bishnoi. Parveen and Tirath are witnesses in the Sonu Shah murder case. 

No arrests have been made by the police in the case so far.

6. 324 kg synthetic paneer made from chemicals & milk powder seized from the Barwala shop. 

Meer Hassan of Mauli Jagran, Chandigarh, sold the item under two categories — Rs160 per kg and Rs190 per kg — which is almost half the price of paneer sold in the market

 Meer told cops that he used to bring paneer from Narwana in his car and a mini pick-up truck which has also been seized. He said he used milk powder, milk powder, milk, and some chemicals to make synthetic paneer. The seized paneer was prebooked for some function. The accused used to sell paneer to sweet shops and caterers for function. The average market price of paneer is between Rs 320 and Rs 350 per kg.

7. Chandigarh police losing battles with gangsters on another plane: Social media

As of now, Chandigarh police have identified more than 250 accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter being operated in the name of gangsters and other criminals, which are run by their associates.

After Sunday’s murder of Gurlal Brar, 26, student leader and close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, a group loyal to slain gangster Davinder Bambiha posted a message claiming responsibility for the crime. Bishnoi’s group retaliated, announcing the beginning of a “new war.”

Jurisdiction issues make things difficult. “Tracking locations from where the accounts operate and people running them is not easy as multiple people have access to the accounts,” said an official.

The fact that Chandigarh police have managed to get only 105 accounts blocked on various social media platforms has not acted as a deterrent as multiple new accounts have sprung up.

“We have directed the cyber cell to trace the accounts from which threats (In the Brar and Bambiha case) were issued. We are scanning the accounts operational in names of various gangsters and are trying to ascertain if the persons uploading these are involved in any anti-social activity. Accordingly, action will be taken,” said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh.

8. Chandigarh UT: Administration confirms the ban on hookah bars operating in the city

• Under Section 144 of the CrPC, “no hookah shall be served for smoke/consumption in hotels/restaurants/taverns/bars/hookah bars, etc”.
• Any person violating this order shall be punished under Section 188 of the IPC.