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Tricity buzz: HT Chandigarh reporters’ tracker on all those making, or faking, news
Mohali cops take press route to impress tough boss, health dept prescribes Covid curbs amid rising cases and more
Celebrate this Diwali with Beej Bombs instead
The Chandigarh administration and the Haryana government have banned firecrackers this Diwali, but Panchkula-based Tanika Bansal has come up with eco-friendly Beej Bombs to spread the cheer. Packed as chakris, rockets and phooljhadis, the special crackers carry seeds of herbal plants and flowers. “Phooljhadis have seeds of flowers such as calendula and poppy, while anaar bombs have seeds of fruit trees such as pomegranate, guava and papaya trees,” she says. The bombs can be planted directly and come with a set of instructions on how to care for the plants.
Mohali cops take press route to impress tough boss
It’s raining press conferences ever since tough boss Satinder Singh took charge as the Mohali district police chief on September 30. Incidentally, it’s not Satinder Singh but his subordinates who have been convening press conferences at the drop of a hat to announce the solving of a crime or the arrest of an accused. In these Covid times, SPs, DSPs and SHOs have been calling at least four press meets a week to tom-tom their achievement even if it’s a small drug recovery. We hope the boss is impressed.
Battle of press notes in run-up to Chandigarh MC elections
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections are nearly a year away but the political battle has picked up pace. The weapon of choice is the press note and the aim public perception management. The BJP has a well-oiled press note churning setup that puts out at least two releases daily. A copy of all press notes is marked to the state BJP president and the party sure has a lot to say from sector-level functions to international issues. The Congress is catching up with leaders releasing multiple press notes at both the organisational and individual levels. Most notes are directed against the BJP and letters issued to the UT administration at a personal level. The latest entrant in the press note battleground is the Aam Aadmi Party. Though it is still building its base, AAP press briefings show the party is proactively taking on the BJP in the city.
Health dept prescribes Covid curbs amid rising cases
With the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh, a number of health department officials are in favour of restrictions in market areas amid the festival season as safety guidelines are being flouted openly. Of late, markets have started seeing crowds and restrictions in terms of timings or strict monitoring of safety measures being followed is required, officials said.
Everything illegal about it
There was much drama at the Chandigarh district court on Friday during the District Bar Association elections. As the voting ensued the advocates, much to their horror, found a man falsely representing himself as a lawyer all ready to cast his ballot. The hungama that ensued after he was caught wasn’t surprising: After all, who carries out an illegal act to elect a legal member of the Association?
No announcement on student council yet
As no decision was taken on allowing the members of the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) to continue, PU is yet to have the students council in place for this academic year. The matter was also discussed in the university’s last syndicate meeting, but no formal announcements were made. Tch, tch! Sad, that in this tough year with Covid and all that, the students (so far) don’t have anyone to speak up for them.
12-year-old pens adventure novel
Jaiveer Singh Katial, a 12-year-old student of St John’s High School, has written a 238-page adventure novel. Titled “The Double Force and The Fallen Kingdom”, it was completed in three years and was released by school principal Kavita Das in association with Chandigarh Literary Society on Saturday. It is a story of twin brothers John and Jeremy, always looking for an adventure. “It reminded me of Hardy Boys, and I feel it has the potential to be turned into a web series,” said author Khushwant Singh.
Inputs by Hillary Victor, Munieshwer A Sagar, Rajanbir Singh, Tanbir Dhaliwal, Dar Ovais and Amanjeet Singh
