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Congress’ Chandigarh unit protests hike in LPG prices
Chandigarh Congress president Harmohinder Singh Lucky said the cost of an LPG cylinder in 2014 was less than ₹400, but has been increased by 170% in the last eight years
Congress’s UT unit on Wednesday organised a protest against the hike in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price by the Union government.
Protesters commenced a march from Congress Bhawan in Sector 35 towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector 33, but were stopped by police, who put up heavy barricades just as the march began.
Speaking on the occasion, Chandigarh Congress president Harmohinder Singh Lucky said, “The cost of an LPG cylinder in 2014 was less than ₹400 but it has been increased by 170% in the last 8 years to more than ₹1,050. This makes the most popular cooking fuel so exorbitant that it is eating into the budget of most households in the country.”
He also alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government is forced to tax common man in order to meet the government’s wasteful expenditure including buying luxury aeroplanes and unbridled publicity for the Prime Minister across the length and breadth of the country.
Pointing out that this was the fourth such hike this year, he further alleged, “Such myopic policies of the Union government to unreasonably tax almost everything used by the middle and weaker sections of the society is leading to unprecedented slump in the economy. The purchasing power of the people is being considerably weakened by the government by such decisions, which is killing demands for other non-food items in the country.”
Party workers, which included office bearers of pradesh, district and block Congress committees, Youth Congress, the party’s seva dal and presidents of various cells, carried placards to denounce the unwarranted hike in the LPG and demanded that the government reduce taxes on petroleum fuels.
75% emerging diseases zoonotic: Mohali civil surgeon
Government health institutions across the district observed World Zoonosis Day on Wednesday. The day is annually observed on July 6 to commemorate administration of the first vaccination against rabies in 1885 and to raise awareness about other zoonotic diseases such as Covid, bird flu and Ebola. Speaking at a government high school in Boothgarh near Kurali at a district-level function, civil surgeon Dr Adarshpal Kaur said, “Animals play a major role in spreading zoonotic diseases, with 75% new or emerging diseases originating from them.” She advised people to ensure their pets were vaccinated and taken for regular check-ups. HTC
Govt teachers’ house robbed in broad day light
Unidentified persons broke into a school teacher’s house in broad daylight on Tuesday and made away with ₹25,000 and gold jewellery. The complainant, Pawan Kumar of Sector 46, teaches at Government High School, Kajheri, while his wife teaches at Government Model School, Sector 23, Chandigarh. “My duty hours are 7am to 2pm, while my wife works from 11am to 5.30pm. On July 5, I returned from work to find my locks broken and my house ransacked. I found cash and two gold bangles, two pairs of golden earings missing. A case was registered under Sections 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 454 (house trespass) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)at the Sector 34 Police Station. HTC
Man loses ₹17k in fraudulent withdrawal
Jaspal Singh of Sector 27 lost ₹17,000 to fraudulent withdrawal from his account using a stolen debit card, which he has lost en-route to Housing Board chowk from Sector 17 in an auto-rickshaw. A case under the IT Act was registered at the Cyber Crime police station.
Legal Aid camp at Model Jail
The department of prisons and correctional administration, under the guidance of inspector and joint inspector general of prison, Deepak Purohit and Palika Arora, organised a Legal Aid camp at the Model Jail, in collaboration with the secretary, District Legal Services Authority that saw the participation of 16 advocates.
SPCA issues 20 challans issued at Dhanas open meat market
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) inspector Dharminder Dogra issued 20 challans for not keeping animals in unhygienic condition at the open meat mandi put up near EWS Colony, Dhanas. Dogra said the fish being sold were not kept in hygienic water tanks and live fish were also being sold at some places which was not allowed. He noted that chickens were also kept in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. A total of 10 challans were issued for fish and poultry-related violations each. The challans were issued under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the accused will have to pay a fine in court.
Kiran Bedi attends Rotary Club event
The installation ceremony of the 46th president of Rotary Club, Chandigarh Midtown Rtn, Dr Sanjay Kalra and Board (2022-23) was held on Wednesday in presence of Puducherry’s former lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi, who was the chief guest for the event. Speaking on the occasion, Kalra expressed gratitude for being entrusted with the responsibility as the president for the 2022-23 period and reassured the commitment of the club to work with devotion and dedication on several ongoing projects. The outgoing president Salil Chopra presented an elaborate report of the services done to reach out to the local community. Bedi, meanwhile, remembered her visit to the club 20 years ago, when Balram Gupta was inducted as the president of the Rotary Chandigarh Midtown Rtn. Gupta had taught Bedi during her time at the Panjab University.
UT estate office camp to resolve pending cases from July 9
The UT estate office will hold a two-day camp to resolve pending cases. A spokesperson said, “Those whose files and applications are pending, they can participate in the camp with necessary documents and slips issued by the department, so that their approval can be given soon. Necessary guidelines will be issued to the officers during the camp itself, so that the work of the people does not hang in the department for a long time.” For residents of Sectors 1 to 30, a camp will be organised at the community centre in Sector 19 on July 9, while for other sectors, a camp will be held at the community centre in Sector 38-West on July 10.
