Chandigarh airport to link with New Chandigarh
The 200-foot-wide International Airport Road will be extended by 10 km to connect Chandigarh International Airport in Mohali with New Chandigarh via Sunny Enclave. This will connect New Chandigarh directly with Mohali and shorten the distance between the two towns by around 5 km. The estimated cost of the project will be Rs 200 crore. The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority will initiate the project. The road will be extended from the Mohali-Kharar highway and pass through Sunny Enclave, Hussainpur village and Thaska to meet the Siswan-Kurali road at Majri.
Digital payments push
From February 1, the Sampark centres in the city will not accept cash payments of more than H 500 for electricity and water bills, and for paying the fees of 40 types of services rendered by different departments, as the Chandigarh Administration has reduced the limit for cash payments. In August 2017, the administration had fixed a limit of H2,000 for cash payments. The administration has taken the new decision to promote digital payments. A number of POS machines have been placed at the Sampark centres, where residents can make payments for their water and electricity bills and for other services by debit or credit cards.
Buses to have panic buttons
All 600 buses of Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) will have a panic button from April 1 following a directive from the Ministry of Road Transport to implement a Supreme Court order meant to ensure the safety of passengers. The step has been taken after a spate of gang rapes. The ministry has directed that all passenger transport vehicles, including buses, be equipped with a GPS device and a panic button. When the panic button is pressed, the CTU control room and the police will be alerted that there is an emergency on a bus, and will also come to know the registration number and location of the bus.
No bull bars!
Chandigarh Police have decided to penalise those who have crash guards, also known as bull bars, installed in front of their vehicles. The police are complying with a December 2017 order from the ministry of road transport and highways directing all states and Union territories to take stern action against those installing crash guards made of iron, steel or aluminium on their vehicles. The police are fining the violators Rs 1,000. These guards are fixed on vehicles to protect against damage in the event of a collision.
Metered power for slum-dwellers
The Chandigarh Electricity Department has proposed providing slum-dwellers in the city metered power supply. The proposal in this regard has been sent to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for approval. It is proposed that the applicants will have to submit an affidavit saying that the connection is an interim arrangement and would in no way be construed as a right to permanent installation of electricity meters.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com