Administration moots renaming proposals
The Chandigarh administration has mooted a proposal to rename Manimajra as Sector 13. It has also proposed to rename the Sarangpur Institutional area as Sector 12 (West); Dhanas, also including Milk colony and Rehabilitation Colony, among others, as Sector 14 (West); Maloya and Dadumajra as Sector 39 (West), Pocket No 8 below Vikas Marg as Sector 56 (West), Industrial Area Phase I as Business and Industrial Park I, Industrial Area Phase II as Business and Industrial Park II and Industrial Area Phase III as Business and Industrial Park III. Residents can file their suggestions and feedback till December 16.
Sector 17 Plaza on road to beautification
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has started beautification and municipal work of Sector 17 Plaza. It will write to the tourism department to hold cultural events at the plaza, especially on weekends. It has also decided to carry out a mechanised sweeping of the plaza at night. Work on repairing non-functional decorative lights in the area is also underway.
From the first week of January, ten golf carts purchased by the municipal body will be stationed at the no-vehicle zone and will ferry visitors from the parking lots to the main plaza for free. As part of the beautification work, the plaza premises was washed clean and 1,000 plants and flower pots were placed. To maintain 24x7 surveillance, 24 CCTVs and three PTZ cameras were installed in the area.
Plan to put kids in foster care
The Chandigarh Child Protection Society has planned to expedite the process of placing more children in foster care, enabling foster parents to take temporary care of the children. Last month, the society, in association with the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) and a few doctors from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), celebrated 52 successful adoptions facilitated since 2014. It is already in the process of placing a few children in foster care and hopes that more parents would volunteer to be foster guardians in future.
Several sectors rid of street vendors
Sector 1 to 6, including Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, apart from Sector 17, have been made free of street vendors. Even other sectors, including 19 and 22, are now open to only a limited number of street vendors. A total of 4,284 registered street vendors have been allotted alternative sites to sell their wares from. Now the biggest vending zone is the one adjoining DAV Model School, Sector 15. However, locals there have voiced their objection to the presence of vendors. A total of 850 street vendors have set up shop there. In a 2016 survey, as many as 9,356 vendors were registered in the city.