Tricity buzz: HT Chandigarh reporters’ tracker on all those making, or faking, news

MC’s garbage collection drive finds few takers, Chandigarh cops go the extra mile to track vehicle thieves, politicians forget Covid safety in Panchkula MC campaign, and more...

MC’s garbage collection drive finds few takers

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation’s latest attempt at door-to-door segregated garbage collection hasn’t got the expected response. While the garbage collection vehicles made umpteen rounds of Sectors 1 to 30 over the past three days, city residents didn’t seem interested. Many of them didn’t even come out of their houses to hand over the garbage leave alone segregate it. “The MC will have to change its strategy and go to houses the way the garbage collectors do with rehris (carts). In Chandigarh, the literacy level may be high but awareness about such issues is low. A little inconvenience and people don’t participate,” said an MC official involved in the drive.

Chandigarh cops go the extra mile to track vehicle thieves

With vehicle thefts on the rise, Chandigarh Police have finally got cracking. Breaking from the practice of the station house officers (SHOs) not being a part of raids to arrest vehicle theft accused, an SHO of a police station in the south division of the UT was recently asked to lead the team conducting raids in another state. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal asked the inspector to go the extra mile. “SHOs can’t pass the buck. A crime is a crime and arresting the accused is the aim,” a UT police officer said.

Politicians forget Covid safety in Panchkula MC campaign

Leaders campaigning for the Panchkula municipal corporation elections did not adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines whether it was maintaining social distancing or wearing masks properly. There seemed to be no concern about the health of voters. A video shared on WhatsApp showed Panchkula BJP MLA Gian Chand Gupta and other leaders interacting with children and dancing to rhymes in a packed room without masks. It would have been a welcome gesture in normal times but certainly not during the pandemic. No parent would appreciate putting their child at risk, particularly at a time when the leaders have been holding rallies and interacting with people of all walks.

Online talent show for dogs leaves pet lovers awestruck

Pet lovers had a reason to cheer when Rotaract Club, Chandigarh Himalayan, organised Pawestruck, a virtual talent show for pets, recently. Nearly 70 pets participated and were given challenges to complete at home over four days which concluded on December 20. Five winners were selected and won free grooming sessions for their pets.

Chandigarh has country’s biggest RWA umbrella?

The Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) which started two years ago, now boasts of 93 member RWAs, which members claim make it the biggest umbrella RWA body of the country. In fact, chief spokesperson Anish Garg said that he is in touch with officials of the Limca Book of Records and their status as the biggest umbrella RWA body in a city in India is being reviewed.

Inputs by Munieshwer A Sagar, Shailee Dogra, Tanbir Dhaliwal and Rajanbir Singh