CHANDIGARH:
Preserving heritage items
The Chandigarh Administration has given its in-principle approval to an action plan of preserving heritage furniture designed by Pierre Jeanneret. It decided to depute a dedicated staff to secure the heritage items. From making an inventory to storing the heritage items, the team will be responsible for all issues related to the heritage property. Chances are all the heritage items will be kept on the first floor of the Government Press building in Sector 18. A fresh list of the heritage items was also placed before the team members. While the number of heritage manhole covers, designed by Le Corbusier, is around 3,600, there are about 1,000 furniture items by Jeanneret.
Smooth entry to Chandigarh
Entry to Chandigarh is soon expected to be hassle-free given that a seven-km flyover at a cost of Rs 800 crore will soon be constructed over Sector 29 and 31 roundabout. The flyover will be over the roundabout which divides Sectors 29 and 31 and the two phases of the Industrial Area. The roundabout will be retained so that commuters can keep using it. The flyover can be used by vehicles traveling on Dakshin Marg, which is a part of National Highway-22, towards southern sectors. The Chandigarh Administration has appointed Mumbai-based Stup Consulting Private Limited consulting agency to prepare a detailed project report (DPR). It has allocated 1.76 crore for preparation of the DPR. The firm is expected to submit it by July-end.
Housing scheme: Cabinet nod to be sought
The Chandigarh Administration will be seeking permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allocate about 100 acre of land to the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) at subsidised rates for affordable housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). A Cabinet note will be dispatched to the MHA and also to the Union Cabinet. The administration is contemplating to allot land to the CHB for construction of 10,000 houses, the note says. Land is available at Maloya, Dhanas and some other areas in southern sectors. At present, the administration cannot allot land below the market price. The CHB will construct houses for the people coming from economically weaker section, lower income group and middle income group.
Honour for city doctor
Dr Navneet Singh has taken over the chair of the IDEA Working Group of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for a two-year period at the society’s 54th annual meeting at Chicago, the US. Dr Singh is Additional Professor in the PGIMER’s Department of Pulmonary Medicine. ASCO is the world's largest professional body with a global network of nearly 45,000 oncology professionals (individuals working in the area of cancer care). It is a leading resource provider for the practice of clinical oncology in both academic and community settings as well as for the oncology research.
Preparation for yoga event
The Chandigarh Administration will be spending about Rs 40 lakh on International Yoga Day event on June 21. The hour-long event will be held at Plaza in Sector 17. The Department of AYUSH has floated tenders to invite companies for supplying the material required for the event - about 3,000 yoga mats, 4,000 T-shirts, eight LED screens, 146 boxes of drinking water, 16 loudspeakers, a decked-up stage with flowers, 10 single-seater VIP sofas and carpeting at Plaza. Besides an LED platform, the stage will be divided into three parts - main, second section for yoga experts and another for the media. A drone will also be there to capture the event. This year, nearly 3,000 participants are expected to attend the event. The government college of yoga education and health is teaching yoga at 31 centres. Registration is free of cost and those joining the yoga class will be trained as per the protocol to be followed on the day.