Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Chandigarh have always played a positive role in becoming a bridge between the public and the administration. Residents generally hesitate to contact the police, as a confidence-building measure, CRAWFED (Chandigarh Residents’ Associations Welfare Federation) invited Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur to its executive committee meeting. She has agreed to look into the issues of the residents, and at the same time has also requested the common people to cooperate with the police.

CRAWFED Chairman Hitesh Puri, General Secretary Anish Garg, General Secretary Rajat Malhotra, Senior Vice Chairman Umesh Ghai submitted a memorandum to the SSP.

Residents Problems Raised

The foremost problem raised by CRAWFED was the security of senior citizens. “Our city is home to many retired government employees. With their children working in other cities or abroad, old people are left alone. We said that the police should visit them atleast once a month to know about their well-being,” says Hiten Puri, CRAWFED Chairman, while talking to  CityWoofer.

The second issue raised was of aunathorized street vendor making rounds of the residential areas within the sectors during the day and indulging in robberies, theft, pilferage during the night.

Thirdly, the chowkidars patrolling the streets at night must have direct contact with the police station in their area. “They must be trained by the police so that incase of any eventuality, they can directly contact the police rather than the RWA president who will be of little help at night,” says Puri.

‘Police for Public Only’

Responding to their probems,  SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said that the police is for the public only, and through such frequent police public meetings, they are getting to know the problems by meeting the common people and most of the problems will be solved immediately and some problems will take some time.

The SSP said that from next month the problems of the common people will be solved under the Chandigarh Police SAMAVESH program. The SSP said that the PCR is continuously monitored at the Police HQ and if anyone has any complaints, they can get them noted and usually the PCR reaches the spot in 3 to 4 minutes.

“Women run their families with such ease, they work more, the new SSP has taken the feedback from us about the residents’ problems, she is energetic and committed, I am quite sure she will deliver in a better way,” says Puri.

Kasauli, which is the most sought-after summer destination of Tricity residents due to its proximity, is hosting the much-awaited annual Kasauli Week celebrations. The 101st Kasauli Week is being held at the iconic Kasauli Club which was established in 1880.

The week-long extravaganza formally commenced on a grand note as Chairman of Kasauli Club Brig C S Pathania, VSM, inaugurated the celebrations, in the presence of prominent individuals from different walks of life.

Kasauli Club is a prestigious social and recreational institution with a list of members that boasts of the creme-de-la-creme of not just the region but also other parts of India.

The inaugural day was enlivened by a captivating performance of the army band, followed by  a soulful ghazal night by Ranbir Kumar.
Brig C S Pathania, VSM, Chairman, Kasauli Club said, “Kasauli has in a way become synonymous with the Kasauli Club. So to celebrate Kasauli, the management of the famous Kasauli Club holds a week-long celebration every year, to showcase the rich history, cultural heritage, and natural beauty of the beautiful hill station”.

Col  S S Sidhu, Executive Secretary, Kasauli Club said, “Kasauli Week is a beloved tradition that encapsulates the spirit of our favourite hill town – Kasauli. The celebrations have started and shall be held till June 10. The week-long extravaganza will offer a diverse range of activities and festivities.”
Balbir Singh Mangat, Chairman of the Sports and Entertainment Sub Committee, Kasauli Club, said, “There will be culture and cuisine with an equal measure of community activities thrown in. This celebration aims to showcase the unique heritage and charm of Kasauli. There will be  activities  including cultural performances, food festivals, sports tournaments, workshops, and competitions, to embrace the spirit of Kasauli, an enchanting hill station.”
The Kasauli Club Committee has meticulously planned various activities from morning to evening during the week.

On June 5, a military seminar and sports events are planned, followed by a Sufi night featuring Vishal Arora of Sa-Re-Ga-Ma and Voice of Punjab fame.

On June 6, there is a seminar by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on the role of Kasauli and Dagshai in India’s Independence, followed by Karma Band Night by specially-abled persons.

On June 7, there will be yoga, art, and sports events, followed by Rajasthani folk night.

On June 8, there will be a meditation session by Inner Wellness Coach and Guru Madhu, followed by a Punjabi Night by renowned singer Hanit Taneja.

On June 9, dance classes, magic shows, and sports events have been planned, followed by a fashion show and the much-awaited Members’ Night, while on

June 10, cooking classes by Chef Mandy will be held followed by a live performance by Pritika Bhasin and Gig Veda Band. The beating retreat is scheduled for June 11.

A unique book titled ‘All one must know about the Sikh faith’, authored by Col (retd) Daljeet Singh Cheema and published by Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh was released on June 3 at the Chandigarh Press Club.

With this being Col Cheema’s 19th book, he has done pioneering work in guiding youth. He is a guest faculty at the National Centre of Good Governance, LBSNAA (Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration), Mussoorie, where IAS officers receive training, besides being a part of many other universities and educational institutions. He is currently a Professor at Shoolini university, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Recognising his intellectual achievements, he was awarded Panjab Rattan in 2008.

Eminent dignitaries who were the guests of honor included Gen V P Malik (Retd), AVSM,PVSM, former army chief; Madhav Kaushik, President National Sahitya Academy and Chairman Chandigarh Sahitya Academy; Professor (Dr) P K Khosla, Chancellor, Shoolini University; Vivek Atray, former IAS officer, well-known author, columnist and motivational speaker, and Roopinder Singh, former Senior Associate Editor, The Tribune.

As the compere, famous international poet Lily Swran, kept the audience glued to their seats with her exceptional oratory skills and sharp wit.

The event began on a soothing note of the mool mantar sung in the very melodious voice of Sunaini Sharma, well-known culture conservationist, daughter of Dolly Guleria and granddaughter of legendary nightingale of Punjab late Surinder Kaur.

In his opening remarks, Vivek Atray appreciated Col Cheema to have made an attempt to bring to light the message of love, compassion and peace of the Sikh faith.

Gen Malik spoke about the need of such a book in a strife-torn world of today. He said despite their small number, Sikhs have excelled in all aspects of human endeavor and shared his experience of commanding a battalion of Sikh soldiers.

Professor Khosla revealed certain unknown facts that make Sikhism a unique religion and why Sikhs all over the world are respected for their righteousness, integrity, humility, entrepreneurship, and of course the world-famous sewa and langar.

Later, Roopinder Singh and Col Cheema discussed the unique features of the book that make it a must-read for everyone who want to make the world a better place, particularly, the new generation which seems lost while seeking their real identity. The author felt that it was the responsibility of all who are trustees of their cultural and religious heritage to share it with the next generation .

Col Cheema had a special word of praise for the publishers, father-son duo of Bharat Bhushan and his talented actor son Vaibhav Mehndiratta for sharing the concept of spreading goodness and helping mankind become instruments of peace.

In a step towards achieving sustainable development goals and making the city more beautiful in its true sense and spirit, Municipal Corporation and Chandigarh Smart City Limited are collaborating to generate awareness for the environment by celebrating World Environment Week from June 1–7, 2023. Under Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), a series of activities have been planned to make the city roads safer and the environment healthier.

Camp Chipkar

A Road Safety Camp CHIPKAR was organized with the support of partner organization Patiala Foundation. Many people riding bicycles become victims of horrific road crashes just because their bicycles are not visible to motorized vehicles in the dark or fog. Such mishappenings can be effectively prevented by just pasting reflective stickers on their cycles. Under the CHIPKAR Camp, reflective stickers were pasted on the cycles of Municipal workers who use it as their daily mode of transportation.

Patiala Foundation had started the road safety initiative ‘SADAK’ in the year 2017 with the motive of serving the weaker sections of society and protecting their lives from road mishap.

Cyclothon of Workers Held

On World Bicycle Day, June 3, a cyclothon of municipal workers, officers and councillors, was organized to encourage cycling.

On June 4, a city-wide toilet cleaning drive is being conducted to improve the hygiene and sanitation of public toilets. MCC aims to sustain the open defecation and open urination free status of the city by promoting the use of public & community toilets.

On June 5, celebrated as the World Environment Day, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh will culminate the 15-day long campaign of Meri LiFE Mera Swachh Sheher. Under this campaign, which ran from May 20 to June 5, MCC had established RRR Centres in each of the 35 wards for citizens to donate items that were old but in good condition viz. clothes, shoes, used plastic, old books, toys, decorative pieces, wooden items, metallic items and various other goods for recycling or reuse.

RRR Campaign a Success

To ascertain contribution of its employees and staff in the RRR campaign, MCC also established its own RRR Centre in the office premises itself. Additionally, MCC also deployed a mobile collection vehicle named “Swachh Sawari”, RRR on wheels, facilitating citizens to make donations at their doorstep. To conclude this successful campaign and express gratitude towards the humongous contributions made in the RRR Centres by the citizens of Chandigarh, a cleanliness drive cum thanksgiving event will be organized by MCC in all the 35 wards on the World Environment Day and spread the message of making the “City Beautiful” cleaner and greener.

What is Rupee Store?

On June 6, to continue with the objective of Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, MCC will be inaugurating its first permanent RRR Centre in the Sector 17 market plaza. It will be a significant step taken by MCC in encouraging the citizens of Chandigarh to continue the practice of donating old and good quality useable items from their households which will eventually be refurbished, repaired, and recycled before distribution among those in need.

On June 7, MCC will set up pop up ‘Rupee Stores’ to make the items collected under “Meri LiFE Mera Swachh Sheher” campaign, available to people who need them.

The collected items through the RRR campaign were upcycled by handling partners such as SHGs and NGOs. These up-cycled items will be available for purchase at this store at a nominal price of Rs 1, providing support to the poor and needy to buy and use these articles. The primary objective of the Rupee Store is to provide a solution that bridges the gap between affordability and quality. By refurbishing items that would otherwise go to waste, MCC aims to reduce environmental impact and promote the reuse of resources. This approach aligns with MCC’s commitment to sustainable practices and social responsibility.

The Competent Foundation which is headed by BJP leader and UT Cricket Association president, Sanjay Tandon, has taken the initiative of promoting sports at the school level along with its ongoing campaign of boasting school education.

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit launched the sports kits distribution programme at the Punjab Raj Bhawan wherein ten players along with their coaches were given sports kits.

Appreciating the efforts of the Competent Foundation, the Governor said that this initiative would definitely be fruitful to bring out the sporting talent of school children. He emphasized that along with government support, corporate companies should also sponsor such activities.

Sanjay Tandon, who is also the president of the UT Cricket Association, said that under the Sports Kits Distribution Program being initiated by the Competent Foundation, as many as 175 sports kits would be distributed among the deprived children showing interest in sports across all government schools in Chandigarh.

These sports kits are meant for baseball, judo, football, handball, softball, gatka and kickBoxing. The kit will include players’ jerseys and sports equipment. He said that this benefit will be given to the children of 10-16 years of age belonging to low income group families, who are unable to show their talent in sports due to financial constraints.

Fencing Started in Sector 10 School

He said that apart from distribution of these kits, the foundation’s effort is also to promote the sport of fencing in the city, under which fencing equipment has been sponsored for the fencing center set up at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10.

Gully Cricket Tournament a Success 

Expressing gratitude to UT Sports for this program, Sanjay Tandon affirmed that children from poor families have shown excellent performance in the recently concluded gully cricket tournament organized by UTCA. They are being groomed to participate in BCCI level events. There is a need to identify the hidden talents of the underprivileged children.

Competent Foundation

Competent Foundation was formed in the year 2006 by former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and former Governor of Chhattisgarh late Balramji Das Tandon. Apart from social upliftment programmes, the Foundation organizes blood donation camps twice a year at the national level, free treatment to poor patients in PGI and GMCH 32 and provides equipment in medical institutions at regular intervals.

The Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT), Mohali, held a display exhibition Suvyan ’23 to showcase the final design collection of the graduating students of the Textile Design Department.

Meanwhile, NIIFT Mohali also declared admissions as open at NIIFT centres and the last date of submission of applications is June 4, 2023. For details one can visit www.niiftindia.com

The final collection showcased an integration of the learning, hard work and toil of the students of the Textile Design Department. Three years of rigorous learning and efforts culminate at the annually-held final event.

Through the media of colors, materials, finishes and techniques, students expressed individual statements as design solutions for fabrics , home furnishing and other products.

This year ‘Suvyan’ showcased 42 collections including apparels, accessories and home furnishing products. All the products have been designed keeping in mind the latest, trending and unique themes that the industry  demands.

Faculty members Dr Shweta Sharma, Dr Deepti Sharma and Dr Meeta Gawri played a vital role in guiding and mentoring the students . The jury that selected the products included prominent textile designers and industry experts, Sanjay Kulsheshtra (Vice President) Fabric Quality Analyst(Wovens), Nahar Fabrics and Pradeep Rattan,Director,Pihu Home Decor,Noida.

Work With Industrial Clients

Each student worked with an industrial client for a period of 5 months which led to the development of their individual collections. The industrial clients included Nahar Fabrics, Trident, Mittal International, Shingora Shawls, Reino Designs, Pihu Home Decor, Art Age, Jawandsons Pvt.ltd, Apex International, CTA Apparels, Valutex International and Neelambari Home and Lifestyles.

More About  Textile Design

Textile Design forms the core of the whole business of fashion. The rapidly expanding activities in the export and domestic sector of the Indian apparel demands professional inputs in design and development of textiles and raw material, which is responsible for 60-80%of the cost of the product. Textile Design today is that strategic value adding activity that can make all the difference in transforming a fashion business into an economically viable and profitable proposition.

Textile Design Award Winners And Their Collections

1)    Best Design Collection-   Ishika Raheja

2)    Most Innovative Collection – Khushi Garg

3)    Most Commercial Collection- Muskan Raj

4)    Special Jury Award-  Shweta Rani

5)    Best Design Methodology – Ashutosh Jha

Ishika Raheja: Interned with Mahamaya Global Pvt Ltd, Gurugram

Project 1: Chikankari: She displayed a cushion collection that was very light , minimal , elegant- yet royal and luxurious. Ishika said, “I have used very neutral colors with little tones of ivory, yellow, green, blue and dusty pink . The collection includes premium fabrics like linen , pure cotton , silk which are embellished with beautiful surface techniques like aari work , premium beads , authentic embroidery stitches of chikankari.”

Project 2: ‘Bidri Art : The Lost Art of India’ – ‘Bidri Art’ has been carried forward for more than 400 years. Hand-embroidered cushions took a minimum of 10 to 50 human hours of time depending on the intricacy of design. Artisanal cushions , handcrafted with metallic gold zardozi thread , cutdana and zari thread which is set upon feather touch velvet and cotton silk.

Project 3: ‘Suzani: The Language of Love & Pride’: The Suzani collection centers its leitmotifs around indigenous floral elements, delicate twills and hints of paisley to draw the collection together. Soft motifs and colorful tones of this collection reminds one of the beautiful land of Kashmir.

Khushi Garg: Interned at Mittal International,Panipat, she explored hand artworks and used digital print technique for creating a home furnishing collection.

Muskan Raj : Interned at Mahamaya Global, Gurugram, she worked on three themes –

Badamwari, the garden of almond Flowers; Parsi Gara Embroidery and our very own Phulkari.

Shweta Rani : Interned with Pihu Home Decor,Noida, she worked upon themes like Fall Nature/Easter/Thanksgiving. The techniques showcased in the collection were digital printing, rotary printing, vectors and free hand designs on various products like cushions,throws and rugs.

Ashutosh Kumar Jha: Interned at Shree Lifestyle, New Delhi, he worked on three themes for digital printed apparels, textures and bags with upcycled fabrics- Rasleela-inspiration Pichwai Art, Tarang for prints and Katran that  was showcased in the bags collection. The technique used was upcycled fabric waste.

Courses At NIIFT, Mohali

Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology in 1995. For providing industry with trained professionals in the fashion business, NIIFT, Mohali has also set up two centres, one at Ludhiana and another at Jalandhar in theyear 2008 and 2009 respectively. NIIFT shall be offering the following programs at its centers’ for Academic Session 2023 affiliated to Inder Kumar Gujral (IKG) Punjab Technical University(PTU).

1. B.Sc. Fashion Design
2. B.Sc. Textile Design
3. B.Sc. Knitwear Design & Technology
4. B.Voc. Fashion Design & Garment Technology
5. M.Sc. Fashion Marketing & Management
6. M.Des. (Fashion & Textiles)

The office of Registering & Licensing Authority (RLA), UT Chandigarh, where you go for registration of your new vehicle or for your driving licence/learner licence or any such vehicle–related services has gone completely online/contactless for the convenience of the general public. These services can be applied online by uploading necessary documents and fees on the Vahan Portal of Govt. of India and physical interaction of the applicant is not required for submission of any sort of document/fee. ​​

Vehicle-related Services at RLA which are Available Online 

1. Renewal of Registration Certificate (RC)
2. Transfer of ownership of vehicles within the State
3. Transfer of ownership of vehicle in death case
4. Transfer of vehicle in public auction
5. Change of Address in Registration Certificate (RC)
6. Termination of hypothecation from RC
7. Addition of hypothecation in RC
8. Continuation of hypothecation in RC
9. Alteration in Registration Certificate (RC)
10. Issue of No Objection Certificate (NOC) of vehicle
11. Cancellation of Registration Certificate (RC)
12. Updation of Mobile No. in Registration Certificate (RC)
13. Backlog of old Registration Certificate (RC)
14. Issue and Renewal of Trade Certificate (For Automobile dealers).

Apply for Driving Licence Online

Services related to issuance of driving licence at the RLA have also been made online through Parivahan Portal of Govt. of India.

All services of driving licence can be applied online by uploading documents and fees etc. similar to the service of Registration of Vehicles. Physical presence of the applicant is required for capturing the photograph and biometric. However, applicants can directly visit the office of RLA without any prior online appointment after applying for these services online on the Parivahan Portal.

However, the office of RLA is also in the process of discontinuing the requirements of biometric and photograph and the same will also be done in due course so that these services are availed by the general public without visiting the office of RLA.

No Offline Transaction/services from June 1 at RLA Office

Services with regard to vehicle registration will not be entertained manually/offline in the office of Registering & Licensing Authority, UT Chandigarh w.e.f. June 1, 2023. However, in case any applicant faces any technical issue(s) while availing the online services, he/she can apply for that service offline in the office of Registering & Licensing Authority UT Chandigarh on the basis of prior appointment. Appointment slots for these services will be available on the official website of RLA i.e. www.chdtransport.gov.in  from June 1, 2023 afternoon. The offline servicewill be available only between 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM.

Where to go for online services?

Necessary links/manuals/procedure and documents required for each and every service are also available on the official website of this office www.chdtransport.gov.in. In case of any sort of query regarding contactless services, applicants may contact 0172-2705270 or 0172-2706270.