Tricity buzz: HT Chandigarh reporters’ tracker on all those making, or faking, news
Manoj Parida’s bitter tweet irks Chandigarhians, Punjab officers face the heat as green building turns furnace, Colleague’s cough sends secretariat into tizzy, and more...
Manoj Parida’s bitter tweet irks Chandigarhians
Chandigarh adviser Manoj Kumar Parida has been active in disseminating information on Twitter during the Covid-19 pandemic but his remark on Friday did not go down well with residents. “It was sad to see educated people bringing small kids to Sukhna Lake. I really don’t mind these stupid adults’ ‘early departure’, through corona, but risking young innocent lives of future generations is criminal,” he tweeted. Many thought such a tweet from an officer of his standing was uncalled for. Unapologetic, Parida stood his ground saying his remark was just to ‘provoke’ people to think and stay safe in these difficult times.
Punjab officers face the heat as green building turns furnace
In 2010, the Forest Complex in Sector 68, Mohali, was built on the green building principle to conserve energy. A high-performance glass façade was installed to let in adequate light and keep the heat out. Sadly, that has not worked. Punjab government officials are literally facing the heat with the central air-conditioner switched off as a precautionary measure to check the spread of coronavirus. The state headquarters of the forests and wildlife preservation department has no fans either, forcing officials to keep their doors open. One of them said they failed to understand why the AC was switched off when there’s no public dealing.
Colleague’s cough sends secretariat into tizzy
Panic gripped the UT Secretariat in Sector 9 this week when one of the employees complained of cough and Covid-19 symptoms. He was immediately taken for a test and was said to be in regular contact with senior UT officials amid concern that the office may have to be sealed. Though the employee tested negative, his colleagues were visibly upset with the management over allowing visitors to the office. “There are two entries to the secretariat. At the one from which officers enter, there is some pretension of screening. But at the other, there is no check. We have not seen any sanitisation drive on any floor.”
Charity for their own a cause
During the coronavirus pandemic, both the Congress and BJP leaders have been actively donating masks, sanitisers and food to needy residents of Chandigarh. But every evening, they flood the inbox of mediapersons with press notes, proudly showcasing their charity.
To save ₹100, woman loses gold bangle
A resident of Zirakpur lost her gold bangle to a gang operating in town. The woman hitched a ride in a cab for Rs 50 after declining an autorickshaw driver charging her Rs 150 to drop her to office. The woman was robbed of her gold bangle en route and ended up paying a heavier price just to save Rs 100. Police have cautioned people to beware of such offers but not many pay heed.
Mind your speed on Chandigarh roads
The Chandigarh traffic police have started using the three recently acquired automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems to issue e-challans for speeding. The number of such challans has seen a spike of late. Deputy inspector general of police (DIG), traffic, Shashank Anand took to Twitter to share the highest speed recorded by the system. “The highest speed recorded on a road with a 60km/hr speed limit is 106 km/hr,” he said, adding that the licence of the defaulter will be suspended for at least three months.
Health professionals offer healing touch
The administration at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research were in for a surprise when they received a phone call from the health authorities in Jammu that a Covid-19 patient suffering from liver failure, was on his way to hospital. The 40-year-old patient’s samples were taken in Jammu, but the condition worsened the family decided to move to PGIMER, without waiting for test results. The family was on the way when they got a phone call that the patient has tested positive. Dr Vipin Koushal, additional medical superintendent of the Covid-19 hospital in Chandigarh, said that they had swiftly acted on the communication and arrangements were being made to admit the patient and his suspected relatives. However, it took some time to set things right, while the patient waited in their vehicle.
Virtually impersonating the Panjab University V-C
Two days ago, Panjab University employees received a spam email in which an impersonator posing as vice-chancellor Raj Kumar asked them for favours. The Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Computer Science Centre of the university swung into action and wrote an email to university employees, directing them not to respond or click on any link provided by such an emails.
Checkmate at UT education dept
Last week, the UT education department ordered banning the increase in school fee, proving that it’s still in the game of fee during the lockdown. Not only is it in the game, but the UT education department is also winning the battle against the city’s private schools. The order, released under the disaster management Act, which makes it difficult for schools to challenge it, is unlike previous orders with no legal standing.
(Inputs by Surender Sharma, Hillary Victor, Shailee Dogra, Munieshwer A Sagar, Rajanbir Singh, Dar Ovais, Amanjeet Singh Salyal and Srishti Jaswal)