Tag: tricity

Posted in City Updates, Know your Area

CAN MULTIPLEXES IN TRICITY BE OPEN 24 HOURS?

Posted on by gyannloaded

By Saakshi Sharma

If you are an avid news reader, you surely would know about the Maharashtra’s government decision to keep Mumbai city open 24*7. The shopping malls, multiplexes, bars; in short Mumbai is set to experience the life that’ll never stop.

“If we have to make Mumbai an international city, then we need to give them more facilities,” said tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray to The Economic Times, who’d floated the idea some years ago. “Putting Mumbai under a curfew is not good. We have tourists, we have people who work late in the night and we are trying to give them more facilities.”

The decision is a welcome move and will boost the state’s economy. Also it is great for late night commuters, night-shift workers and those who like to wander at odd hours.

The proposal cleared by the cabinet on January 22 states that the first phase of this project will come into effect from January 27, 2020, with no relaxation in excise rules.

Clearing the proposal is one thing but how feasible this is, is another. 

We talked to the multiplex owners of the Tricity to know their opinion on this initiative and what they feel about the proposal, following feedbacks were received.

According to Pankaj, duty manager at PVR, Cosmo Plaza (Zirakpur), keeping multiplexes open 24 hours is not really a great idea. The profit depends entirely on the movie and we do not get blockbusters every week. Movies like Baahubali can still be preferred for the 24 hour proposal but not movies that hardly flourish for two weeks. Also it might affect the business as more staff will be required.

It might be a really good option for a city like Mumbai or maybe Delhi too, but when it comes to smaller cities like Mohali and Panchkula, it is not so feasible. The requirement of more staff, late night transportation can still be managed but the bigger question will be about profits.

There’s no point in implementing a scheme that would bring more loss than profit.

Posted in City Beautiful, Know your Area

CITY BEAUTIFUL LOSING THE TITLE

Posted on by gyannloaded

By Saakshi Sharma

Chandigarh is losing its ‘City Beautiful’ status because of the decreasing green cover in the area. It has been noticed that hundreds of full-grown trees growing along various roads of Chandigarh and the parking areas are dying or have started to wither due to the reason that the area underneath these trees have either tar or are paved with interlocking bricks.

Dr.Harjit Singh Dhillon, horticulturist and ex executive engineer (horticulture), Chandigarh Administration, said, “Trees are dying. Our responsibility does not end by simply planting a sapling, but we need to care for it. Chandigarh is a beautiful city, the negligence towards trees while construction of buildings and roads needs to stop.”

A single tree provides cooling of 10 air conditioners. It not only provides oxygen and shade but is also home to birds and many living organisms. A tree is a future investment for the coming generations, he said.

THE PROBLEM:

The condition of trees is miserable these days. He mentioned that there is a special team of 10-15 doctors in China that are specifically recruited in divided areas where they care for the green cover belt.

@timesofindia

The construction of multi-level basement parking in malls has declined the water level. Now the roots of trees are unable to get water for photosynthesis and are slowly withering away.

  • It has been noticed that hundreds of full grown trees growing along various roads of Chandigarh and the parking areas are dying or have been start wilting due to the reasons that the area underneath these trees have either tarcol or paved with interlocking bricks.
  • With the results the rain water as well as the portable water by tankers is not liable to approach to their feeding roots.
  • The second reason of declining of these trees is the aeration of the feeding roots block its respiration and ultimately the plant roots died and so as the trees.
  • The third reason is the subsoil water is going down beyond the reach of trees tap root due to continuous de-watering of multi level basements of malls and sky touching buildings.

Having contributed more than 40 years to plant trees in the area, Dr.Harjit Singh says he is deeply pained after seeing present status of trees due to human negligence.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Dr.Harjit Singh feels that the government should take the initiative to save trees, that would in turn save the ‘City Beautiful’ title. There must be strict laws and guidelines dealing with architectural planning and landscaping of the city that prevent cutting of trees. There is a need for a separate Horticulture department in Municipal Corporation that has experts from horticulture background.

A survey of dry trees of tricity maybe conducted to replace dead trees with new saplings of 6-7 ft height. The sapling is to be protected with strong tree guards with a basin dug with help of JCB of minimum six feet diameter. It needs to be done to avoid the ugly look and to overcome the lost green cover. The health department should be given punishable instructions not to allow burning of dried leaves under these trees. The administration of tricity should ensure that no tree in future should die due to the said reasons.

  • The only solution to save these trees to make at least six feet basins with their level below the surrounding concrete / pavers so that the rain water or tanker water rush to their stem for their survival.
  • No raged pakka platform should be made around the tree trunks. The health department should be given punishable instructions not to allow burning of dried leaves under these trees.

The undue cutting of green trees for construction work, widening roads in the name of flyovers maybe given due consultation and multiple thoughts before loss of green avenue for which Tricity is famous.

Posted in City Beautiful, Know your Area

Is Public transportation convenient for women?

Posted on by gyannloaded

By Yati Hankar


Tricity encounters concerning sexual abuse cases:

Recent rape cases in Chandigarh have raised the question of women safety yet again.
Where lonely roads are a common sight in the city, it stretches out the risk of crimes happening to women in public convenience which they rely on, as a daily medium to reach their destination.

On 9th of february, a working nurse was raped by an auto driver and his aide who are yet unindentified are being searched by the police. The incident took place around 7 pm when the victim was coming back from her client’s place and was heading home. She took an auto for her way back where the accused and his aide took her to a secluded place and allegedly raped her. When she got the chance to raise an alarm for help the two accused fled, unfortunately this is one of the many traumatizing incidents where women travelling alone are taken advantage of.

Another incident took place on November of last year where an 11 year old girl was kidnapped and raped by an auto driver after she was abandoned by her aunt on Chandigarh railway station. Given the situation, when the minor took an auto on her way, the driver after learning the minor’s condition took her to his rented place, held her captive for days and raped her, later the accused was arrested and a case under POSCO Act was registered.

Looking into just past 3 years there are many cases that took place in the UT opening a void for the need of safety measures for women, being ensured in public transportation of their well being.

On the other hand we had a conversation with Gagan, an auto driver who believes that because of one every auto driver finds himself being questioned of morality. He says, “I feel like there are so many crimes happening with the involvement of auto drivers and because of some of them many lady passengers need the assurance that they are secure with us. Driving auto is my work and I get paid for it to support my family and like it is to any merchant, passenger for me is a god themselves.”

We need many like Gagan in our society who understands what the concept of morality is for a human being.

These were the incidents that came into light. However, thousands of cases are not even reported in the country. According to latest reports, India ranks on 131 out of 152 nations in terms of women safety.

How long do women need to constantly look over their shoulders and be worried about reaching home safely? We are growing in terms of technology, convenience, connectivity and what not. Why can’t the same be with morality? No, women are not asking men to treat them like some goddess or put them up on a pedestal, all they want is the freedom to move around freely.