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Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
UT allots tender for construction of verandah outside CJ's court
Chandigarh: After completing technical and financial evaluations of tenders received, the UT engineering department finally allotted a tender for construction of a verandah outside court room number 1 (Chief Justice Court) of the Punjab and Haryana high court. The work was allotted for approximately Rs 9 lakh against the tender amount of around Rs 13.50 lakh. As per terms and conditions, the successful bidder will have to complete work in two months from the date of allotment of the tender. The bidder will have to comply with the work criteria mentioned in the tender document, keeping all clauses in mind. "Since the area of Punjab and Haryana high court falls under the Capitol Complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site, senior engineering officers are monitoring the work to ensure that it goes according to plan. A member of the sub-committee of the UT's Chandigarh Heritage Committee (CHC) also visited the site last week," sources said. The new verandah is to be constructed outside court room number 1, like the verandahs from court room numbers 2 to 9 in the high court. "All dimensions are given approximately and must be verified on-site before execution of the work. The proposed verandah will be constructed as per the existing one in front of court numbers 2 to 9 in terms of design, specification, and structural feasibility. All electrical services shall follow the same pattern as in front of the existing court numbers 2 to 9," the engineering department has been instructed. Sources in the Chandigarh administration revealed that to construct the new verandah outside court room number 1, around 22 iron poles will be installed and covered with RCC battens. This will minimise the need for any major construction work with the existing building. The matter was already discussed in the heritage committee of the UT administration. In May, the Supreme Court upheld a Punjab and Haryana high court order directing the Chandigarh administration to construct a verandah (covered walkway) outside the Chief Justice's court in the Punjab and Haryana High Court building. The Supreme Court's decision came after the Chandigarh administration appealed the high court order, raising concerns about potential violations of Unesco guidelines. Box: Heritage panels' nod Both the Chandigarh Heritage Committee (CHC) and a sub-group of the heritage committee approved the project. The Chandigarh administration also sent the matter to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to recommend the case for consideration and approval by the World Heritage Committee. "The ASI is the nodal agency to communicate and deliberate with the World Heritage Committee for such matters, as the Chandigarh administration cannot directly approach the World Heritage Committee," sources in the UT said. Highlights of new structure Tender allotted: UT engineering department has awarded the tender for constructing a verandah outside Court Room No. 1 (Chief Justice's Court) Cost: ₹9 lakh (against the original tender estimate of ₹13.5 lakh) Timeline: Work to be completed within 2 months from the date of allotment Design & Specifications: Verandah will match the design of existing verandahs outside Court Rooms 2 to 9 Around 22 iron poles will be installed and covered with RCC battens Electrical services will follow the existing pattern Heritage considerations: The site is part of the Capitol Complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site Monitored by senior engineering officers and visited by a member of the Chandigarh Heritage Committee (CHC) Legal background: Supreme Court upheld the High Court's directive to construct the verandah Chandigarh administration had raised concerns about Unesco guideline violations Approvals: Approved by both CHC and its sub-group Matter referred to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for recommendation to the World Heritage Committee MSID:: 122280065 413 |
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Not keeping pace? Citco hotels record dip in profits
Chandigarh: Profits of all three prominent hotels of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (Citco) — Mountview, Shivalikview, and Parkview — dipped in the financial year 2024-2025. The profits were lower than those recorded in 2023-2024. Records show that Mountview, the only five-star hotel of the Chandigarh administration, located in Sector 10, suffered a significant dip in profit, amounting to Rs 63 lakh in 2024-2025 as compared to 2023-2024. Hotel Shivalikview, a four-star hotel of UT, witnessed a dip in profit of around Rs 41lakh up to Feb 2025. Profits of the three-star hotel, Parkview, also dipped by around Rs 33 lakh in 2024-2025 as compared to 2023-2024. I by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo n what comes as serious cause for concern for authorities, the income of Hotel Mountview, UT's main five-star hotel, showed the maximum reduction among the three UT hotels in 2024-2025. Records show a significant dip in the room rent, coffee shop, bar and bakery of hotel Mountview, following which overall income reduced from Rs 28.83 crore in 2023-2024 to Rs 27.73 crore in 2024-2025, which is over Rs one crore less. The miscellaneous income segment also showed considerable decline. Despite their prime location, hotels Shivalikview and Parkview failed to increase profits by attracting customers. However, Hotel Parkview registered an increase in the income segment from Rs 16.17 crore in 2023-2024 to Rs 16.62 crore in the 2024-2025 financial year. Though there are multiple reasons for the dip in profits of all these Citco hotels, administrative decisions, non-regular managing director (MD), and pending renovation for over a decade are cited as key reasons. "Though the matter of major renovation was discussed and even approved in the board of Citco in the past, no major renovation, especially of the rooms and related areas, was started. The entry, exit, and overall ambience of any hotel are major attractions but in Citco hotels, the entry and exit are not that attractive. Besides, withdrawing the power of discount from the hotel units a few years back also led to people losing interest in Citco hotels," sources in Citco said. No MD for nearly 2 to 3 years Citco has not had a regular managing director (MD) for the past almost three years. The Citco managing director used to be a Punjab cadre IAS officer before 2022. From 2022, the post has been with an AGMUT cadre IAS officer. In 2022, after relieving Punjab cadre IAS officer Jaswinder Kaur, who went back to Punjab after completing her three-year deputation period with the Chandigarh administration as Citco managing director , the charge was initially given to AGMUT cadre IAS officer Purva Garg. Currently, MD Citco's charge is being looked after by AGMUT cadre IAS officer, Hari Kallikkat. Kallikkat is a non-regular MD, as he is also looking after multiple charges of the UT administration. Besides MD, Citco, he holds charges of excise and taxation commissioner, secretary, information technology, secretary, animal husbandry, and secretary, agriculture. MSID:: 121708037 413 |
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UT water crises precipitated by inter-state dispute: MC
Chandigarh: With several areas of the city experiencing a severe water crises, MC engineering department officials revealed that Chandigarh received less water due to the tussle between governments of Punjab and Haryana over release of water. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Replying to questions of councillors during MC house meeting, engineering department officials said that since the issue had been resolved, Chandigarh had started receiving water at full capacity. However, it would take time for things to go back to normal. "During the tussle between Punjab and Haryana governments over release of water, pumping remained slow in Kajauli canal, from where Chandigarh gets water. Due to this, water level in Kajauli went down 2 feet, causing water scarcity. Now, proper water supply has been restored but stabilisation is taking time. Engineering officers of Punjab did not tell us about this at the time," an executive engineer of the MC said while replying to questions of councillors. As per records, currently, the MC gets 87 MGD water supply on a daily basis, of which around 62 MGD comes through the Kajauli water canal, while the remaining 25 MGD is taken from tubewells located across the city. Raising the issue of the water crises in their respective wards, they said that this was the first time the city had experienced such a severe situation. When most councillors raised the issue of water crises in their respective municipal wards. They said that this was the first time such an extreme water crisis-like situation had occurred. Deputy mayor Tarun Mehta said, "Though there are problems with water supply in the summer, such an extreme water supply crisis has occurred for the first time." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now BJP's Jasmanpreet Singh said, "I have been constantly telling officers concerned about the persisting water crises in my municipal ward, but the problem remains." AAP's Jaswinder Kaur said that a number of councillors were getting water supply through MC tankers but questioned how long it could serve the purpose. Box: Complaint of muddy water AAP councillor Suman Devi, who represents Indra Colony, brought a bottle of muddy water from her area to show the extent of the water supply problem. Raising questions on water supply, she said that area residents had been receiving muddy water for many days, but the problem had not been resolved. According to her, the officer concerned told them that the problem was caused by soil in the water supply pipleline and had been resolved. Box: 24X7 water supply project questioned Raising questions on the 24X7 water supply project, Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi demanded that it be cancelled immediately and a Vigilance probe be conducted. He also demanded closure of the 24X7 water supply project in Manimajra. Gabi pointed out that the consultancy fee of Rs 29 crore, which had been paid, was nearly 8% of the total project cost and unheard of anywhere in the world. He also criticised the MC for removing tubewell operators, saying that it takes 20 to 25 minutes to start a single tubewell. He questioned how one operator could manage three tubewells at once. MSID:: 121602488 413 |
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UT asks MC to give utilization certificate for village devpt funds
Chandigarh: The UT finance department has asked the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) to provide a utilisation certificate for Rs 50 crore allocated under the village development fund (VDF) in 2021. The funds were distributed across various developmental projects, with Rs 19 crore designated for the building and road wing, Rs 90 lakh for horticulture initiatives, and the remaining amount for public health infrastructure. The finance department has forwarded a detailed communication to the MC, requesting comprehensive utilisation details in a segregated format. A specific proforma accompanies the letter, requiring the MC to provide information about individual projects, including administrative approvals, payment details and associated liabilities. The official communication states: "It is to inform you that the Chandigarh Administration, dated March 26, 2021, provided a Grant-in-Aid of Rs 50 crore for the development works in 13 villages and an additional Rs 25 crore towards committee liabilities under the revenue head. The Utilisation Certificate (UC) for the total amount received from the Chandigarh Administration for the works under the Village Development Funds should be sent to the quarters concerned under intimation to this office. List of works to be undertaken in this financial year. You are therefore requested to submit the above information by today positively. This may be treated as top priority." Department sources said the MC's continuous requests for additional funding, coupled with their failure to submit previous utilisation certificates, prompted this directive. The VDF allocation was supplementary to the regular grant-in-aid (GIA). Mayor's request The finance department's move on the UC comes shortly after the city mayor's appeal for dedicated village development funds. Despite the mayor's letter to the UT chief secretary in late April, requesting specific funding for village development projects , the UT has not released any additional funds. A recent financial review meeting concluded that with ongoing GIA disbursements to the MC, additional funding allocations are presently unfeasible. MSID:: 121239161 413 | Chandigarh: The UT finance department has asked the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) to provide a utilisation certificate for Rs 50 crore allocated under the village development fund (VDF) in 2021. The funds were distributed across various developmental projects, with Rs 19 crore designated for the building and road wing, Rs 90 lakh for horticulture initiatives, and the remaining amount for public health infrastructure. The finance department has forwarded a detailed communication to the MC, requesting comprehensive utilisation details in a segregated format. A specific proforma accompanies the letter, requiring the MC to provide information about individual projects, including administrative approvals, payment details and associated liabilities. The official communication states: "It is to inform you that the Chandigarh Administration, dated March 26, 2021, provided a Grant-in-Aid of Rs 50 crore for the development works in 13 villages and an additional Rs 25 crore towards committee liabilities under the revenue head. The Utilisation Certificate (UC) for the total amount received from the Chandigarh Administration for the works under the Village Development Funds should be sent to the quarters concerned under intimation to this office. List of works to be undertaken in this financial year. You are therefore requested to submit the above information by today positively. This may be treated as top priority." Department sources said the MC's continuous requests for additional funding, coupled with their failure to submit previous utilisation certificates, prompted this directive. The VDF allocation was supplementary to the regular grant-in-aid (GIA). Mayor's request The finance department's move on the UC comes shortly after the city mayor's appeal for dedicated village development funds. Despite the mayor's letter to the UT chief secretary in late April, requesting specific funding for village development projects, the UT has not released any additional funds. A recent financial review meeting concluded that with ongoing GIA disbursements to the MC, additional funding allocations are presently unfeasible. MSID:: 121239161 413 |
Time of India
11-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
UT starts work on installing iron railings around choes
1 2 In order to accomplish the challenging task of keeping choes in the city clean, the administration has started work on covering all the choes with iron railings at least 8-feet in height. The UT engineering department has identified 40 crucial and vulnerable locations on choes across the city and has started work on the railings were installed at a few locations on the choes earlier, majority of the sites were open, allowing dumping of garbage, debris, and other waste inside. After discussions between senior officials, including Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) and departments concerned, it was decided to cover all possible choe sites or areas with iron railings to stop dumping of garbage and other waste."Since the CPCC, along with UT departments concerned, is overseeing matters related to choes of the city, it was unanimously decided to proceed. Following this, the engineering department floated the tender and allotted work to the eligible bidder, who started work on the ground. The project has been planned at an approximate cost of Rs 1.50 crore. Work is being carried out under the direct supervision of engineering officials concerned to ensure that it meets terms and conditions laid down," sources in the UT choes clean and free of effluents is under the purview of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The CPCC and MC play a vital role in taking corrective measures in this regard. In a recent meeting held last week on issues related to the NGT, the chief secretary asked authorities concerned to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of the choes to prevent flow of effluents in MC public health wing monitors the choes to ensure proper cleanliness and to plug effluent points. CPCC plays a monitoring role, conducting regular inspections of the choes and submits reports to senior UT officials about the factual conditions. These are shared with the NGT. Project In A NutshellThe Project: Chandigarh administration is installing 8-foot-high iron railings around choes to prevent waste dumpingLocations: 40 crucial and vulnerable locations have been identified for this projectCost and supervision: The project is estimated to cost around Rs 1.50 crore and is supervised by the engineering departmentDepts involved: The Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) and Municipal Corporation (MC) are overseeing the and compliance: Continuous monitoring and regular inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelinesObjective: The main goal is to keep the choes clean and free of effluentsMSID:: 121079830 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
