Tricity buzz | How old is Chandigarh? 55 or 70? Residents agree to disagree

On November 1, 1966, Chandigarh was designated a Union Territory, the joint capital of Punjab and the newly created state of Haryana. Residents say the foundation stone of Chandigarh was laid in 1952, and this should be considered its formation day, and not when it got the status of a UT

Is Chandigarh 55 or 70 years old? Last week, the UT Administration celebrated 55 years of City Beautiful’s foundation; some official releases used the word formation. On November 1, 1966, the city was designated a Union Territory, the joint capital of Punjab and the newly created state of Haryana. The administration marked November 1 as the city’s formation/foundation day, but some residents disagreed. Their contention: The foundation stone of the city was laid in 1952, and this should be considered its formation day, and not when it got the status of a UT. “If it’s about the city, it’s 70 years since its formation. The change of legal nomenclature or jurisdiction happened on November 1, 1966, but it shouldn’t be considered as its foundation day,” said a resident. A senior official contended, “On November 1, 1966, the city was declared a UT and by convention, it is considered the foundation day. So, the administration followed the tradition.”

The Chandigarh administration marked November 1 as the city’s foundation day, but some residents disagreed. (HT File)

600 cops were deployed to maintain law and order in Chandigarh on Diwali night. They ended up chasing cracker enthusiasts, who would scurry for cover the moment they heard the siren of a police vehicle. (Biswajit Debnath/HT)

Cops crack down on cracker ban violators

Enforcing the ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in Chandigarh this Diwali kept UT cops on their toes. Residents flocked to neighbouring Mohali, where crackers were easily available, and the ban went up in smoke on D-day. The 600 cops deployed to maintain law and order on Diwali night ended up chasing cracker enthusiasts, who would scurry for cover the moment they heard the siren of a police vehicle.

Former Punjab minister Balbir Singh Sidhu feeding cows at the gaushala (cow shelter) in Mohali on Diwali. (HT Photo)

On Diwali, former Punjab minister Balbir Singh Sidhu took time out to offer prayers at the Bal Gopal Gaushala in Balongi, Mohali, and later fed cattle fodder. A three-time Congress MLA, he is set to contest the assembly elections from Mohali early next year.

A sweet gesture from SP

With 600 Chandigarh Police personnel on law and order duty in the city on Diwali, superintendent of police (SP), city, Ketan Bansal was seen meeting and greeting his men on the ground. Bansal distributed sweets to the cops on duty and completed the celebrations.

Rough patch on road to Chandigarh’s glitzy mall

Chandigarh’s Elante Mall buzzes with customers from across the region once the festive season arrives. But the one impression that many visitors take back is of the potholed and broken road leading to the mall in Chandigarh’s Industrial Area. There is one patch that is always in need of repair and drives visitors to take the wrong way, leading to accidents.

Weather god ensures city breathes easy this Diwali

While the air quality index (AQI) in Chandigarh fell in the severe category on Diwali night, the weather god ensured that the city woke up to clean air on Friday. According to pollution control officials, at its peak, the air quality had gotten much worse than previous years, however winds blowing in the region from the northwest ensured that pollution was reduced. Diwali was celebrated relatively early before the temperature fell and air quality was back to normal within hours.

NEET result finally out after long wait

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) result for admission to medical colleges in the country was declared last week after giving students sleepless nights. While the Supreme Court had given the National Testing Agency the green signal to release the results last week itself, students had to wait till Monday evening. The results were emailed to students and all emails weren’t sent out at the same time due to which many students had to wait anxiously even while their peers were already celebrating. The coaching centres were also in a fix, checking with their toppers and verifying the results in a race against the clock, while the deadline of newspapers drew near.

Excitement back at PU as students prepare for fests

College students have begun preparing for the zonal youth festivals of Panjab University. The university has 12 zones, including Chandigarh, and the festivals will be held in this month itself. Students excelling in zonal festivals will participate in the inter-zonal youth festival in December. The students had missed the youth festival last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic but excitement is back on the campus again this year.

Inputs by Hillary Victor, Munieshwer A Sagar, Shailee Dogra, Tanbir Dhaliwal, Rajanbir Singh and Dar Ovais