Kharar flyover thrown open to public
The 4.5-km-long Mohali-Kharar flyover has been finally thrown open to the public after the completion of 98 per cent works. Now, work on a 50-metre stretch of the flyover towards the Ropar side is pending, and is expected to be completed by January 15. The deadline for the flyover was September, but the project was delayed due to the lockdown. The Rs 368 crore project was given to Larsen and Toubro (L&T) by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in November 2015. It was initially planned to be completed by December 2018. Due to a delay in land acquisition, and other issues, the project missed many deadlines.
Pay more for waste collection as civic body hikes rate
From January, one will have to pay more for waste collection as the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is going to hike the charges for both commercial and residential users. For houses of up to 50 square metre area, the charge is Rs 50; those between 50 and 200 square metre will have to shell out Rs 100; those spanning 200-500 square metre will be billed Rs 200; houses spanning 500-1,000 square metre will be slabbed at Rs 250, while those above 1,000 square metre will attract a Rs 350 charge. Commercial establishments, shops, and eateries will be placed under Rs 500 slab; restaurants with a seating capacity up to 50 will have to shell out a levy of Rs 2,000. Joints offering a 50 above seating will have to pay Rs 3,000. Through this hike, the corporation expects to earn Rs 42 crore per annum as collection charges.
No restriction on New Year celebrations
The Chandigarh Administration has not imposed any restrictions on the new year celebrations on December 31 night. However, it has appealed to the residents not to crowd public places and positively return to comforts of their home by 1 am on the New Year’s day. Hotel and restaurant owners have been directed to follow Centre’s guidelines regarding the gathering. Earlier, the administration was planning to impose a week-long night curfew from December 24 to January 2. However, the plan was shelved.
Four PGIMER works in International Science Film Festival of India
Four regional films made by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) have been nominated under different categories to be showcased at the International Science Film Festival of India-2020. The theme this year is Science for Self-Reliant India and Global Welfare. The films are: War Against Covid-19, nominated under Science and Awareness on Covid-19 and other health emergencies; Breast Cancer, nominated under Science for Self-Reliant India category; two films Hypoglycemia and Badlaav, nominated under the student’s category.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh hsbajwa73@gmail.com