News / Author / Vivek Gupta

Vivek Gupta

Vivek Gupta is a senior correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Panchkula, besides writing on medical education.

Articles by Vivek Gupta

Monsoon a month away, only 10% road gullies cleaned in Chandigarh

Municipal corporation sets target to clean all 30,000 road gullies by June 30, also asks UT to get seasonal choes cleaned

Residents have complained of blocked road gullies leading to waterlogging during rain.(HT file photo for representation)

cities

Updated on May 27, 2020 10:58 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta and Rajanbir Singh, Chandigarh

In corona times, water crisis adds to woes in Chandigarh villages

Complaints of water shortage are also pouring in daily from other villages in the periphery—Daria, Hallomajra, Ram Darbar, Kishangarh, Palsora, Dhanas and Maloya

Residents of Daria village, Chandigarh, protesting against the shortage of drinking water in their area on Tuesday.(Sant Arora/HT)

cities

Updated on May 26, 2020 11:02 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

₹155 cr development works on agenda in Chandigarh MC House meet

The meeting, for the first time, will take place through video conferencing

The MC’s engineering branch had prepared three major agendas worth ₹155 crore — civic amenities for villages for ₹100 crore, road works due for 2020-21 fiscal for ₹45 crore, and ₹10 crore of development works for Manimajra.(HT Photo for representation)

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Updated on May 25, 2020 11:01 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Ex-bureaucrat’s Covid positive son goes missing: Family on the run too

Civil surgeon complains to police, also seeks legal action against family under the Epidemic Act for not cooperating with health authorities

cities

Updated on May 23, 2020 01:26 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Panchkula | ByVivek Gupta, Panchkula

Deadline of Chandigarh smart city projects extended by 2 months

Web portal already launched, e-governance project likely by June 1

The public bicycle sharing project that was to start from June in a phased manner will now commence from August, said smart city officials.(HT Photo for representation)

cities

Updated on May 21, 2020 12:46 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh MC resumes road repairs, priority is stalled projects

The civic body’s chief engineer said they are aiming at completing allotted works worth ₹30 crore before the monsoon sets in

After the lockdown delayed road re-carpeting and repair works, contractors on Wednesday, began basic road cleaning work, while the laying of bitumen and tar-coal will begin in the next few days in Chandigarh.(HT file photo)

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Updated on May 21, 2020 12:26 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh gets just 3 stars in Centre’s garbage-free rating

In 2019 when the rating was begun, the city got only two stars, but the MC was aiming for five-star this year and planning to achieve the highest seven-star rating next year

Failure to achieve 100% segregation, lack of scientific processing, cleaning of public places are among reasons for Chandigarh’s poor show.(HT Photo for representation)

cities

Updated on May 20, 2020 12:40 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Centre turns down Chandigarh’s request to quarantine foreign returnees at home

The UT administration was of the view that home quarantining foreign returnees was possible in Chandigarh since residents here were mostly well educated and houses were large enough to allow self-isolation protocols

As per Centre’s policy, quarantining in hotels is the only option currently.(HT File Photo)

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Published on May 18, 2020 07:59 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

MHA found no fault with admn’s curfew relaxations: UT adviser

UT and MHA officials held a video conferencing meeting on Saturday in which the curfew relaxations were thoroughly examined, and MHA found no fault in UT’s orders, says adviser

The UT administration has maintained that Sukhna Lake is not a place of entertainment, and only walking is allowed there.(HT FILE)

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Published on May 17, 2020 12:20 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Man confesses to raping 21-year-old daughter: Police

A marketing executive at a kitchen appliance company in Panchkula, the 49-year-old man used to force himself on his daughter mostly in an inebriated state, when other family members were asleep

The accused, who has three daughters and two sons, has been sent to judicial custody.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on May 16, 2020 08:48 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Panchkula | ByVivek Gupta, Panchkula

Father held for rape as 21-year-old woman delivers stillborn baby in Panchkula

Police say though the woman maintained that no other member of the family was aware of her plight, there were many gaps in her statement, as no noticed her nine-month pregnancy

The victim revealed to the police that her father had been repeatedly raping her, resulting in the pregnancy.(Representative photo)

cities

Updated on May 16, 2020 12:17 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Panchkula | ByVivek Gupta, Panchkula

Odd-even restrictions might be lifted for shops in Chandigarh’s neighbourhood markets

Centre focusing on welfare of small traders, say sources, administration officials non-committal on other relaxations

After imposing the curfew on March 24, UT administration had allowed shops to reopen on rotation basis from May 3.(HT File Photo)

cities

Updated on May 15, 2020 02:12 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh seeks Centre’s nod on home quarantine of foreign returnees

UT adviser Manoj Parida said he was optimistic about a nod from the Centre, as people of the city are well educated and houses are large enough to follow self-isolation protocols

Chandigarh residents want to home quarantine their family members who have returned from abroad as many fear for the safety of their daughters and womenfolk in hotels.(HT file photo)

cities

Published on May 14, 2020 12:47 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

After fear, uncertainty, homecoming sweet for foreign returnees in Chandigarh

A 20-year-old had to borrow money for the super expensive flight ticket from Singapore to Delhi

Among the five who returned to Chandigarh, were four students from Singapore and a doctor from PGIMER who was on a sabbatical in Dhaka.(HT photo)

cities

Published on May 14, 2020 12:43 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Now, people returning from abroad can rent a place for ₹100-10,000 a day in Chandigarh

First batch of 5 passengers reached UT late Tuesday; Covid testing made mandatory for all returnees

cities

Published on May 13, 2020 01:12 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh admn allows home isolation of mild Covid patients after 10 days of hospitalisation

Only those patients who have adequate facilities for home quarantine and can follow proper isolation and social distancing will be released under this move

UT adviser said detailed guidelines issued by the central government in allowing home isolation of positive cases will be strictly followed in permitting such cases.

cities

Updated on May 13, 2020 12:00 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Just 12 houses in Chandigarh’s Bapu Dham Colony account for three-fourths cases

People sneaking out of containment zone remains a challenge for authorities; 1,000 residents under home quarantine

There are 2,500 houses in Bapu Dham Colony, which is a major hotspot in Chandigarh, with 110 of the total 174 cases in the city.(Keshav Singh/HT)

cities

Updated on May 11, 2020 12:22 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Drop in number of fatalities as civic bodies struggle to update data due to Covid-19 lockdown

Municipal officials in many other cities Hindustan Times reporters got in touch with did not provide any data on the deaths citing lockdown restrictions.

Officials of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) visit Dharavi slums during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on May 10, 2020 10:48 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai/Chandigarh/Bhopal/Jaipur | ByEeshanpriya M S, Vivek Gupta, Ranjan, Urvashi Dev Rawal | Edited by: Amit Chaturvedi

Chandigarh residents coming from abroad to be brought back home

Around 5,000 NRIs are expected to return to Chandigarh; They will be brought here in buses and housed in quarantine facilities

Different level of spaces will be created at hotels on payment basis.(HT File Photo)

cities

Published on May 10, 2020 02:27 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta Rajanbir Singh, Chandigarh

Property tax: 1 lakh assessees in Chandigarh to get advance notices by May end

Payment with rebate can be made between June 1 and July 31, following which 25% penalty will be imposed

MC targets Rs 48-crore collection this year.(HT File Photo)

cities

Published on May 10, 2020 02:03 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

MC works worth ₹400-crore approved for 2020-21 unlikely to be finished in Chandigarh

MC’s 2020-21 budget cleared in February had outlined ₹443 crore for capital expenditure in which major focus was on roads, waste management, water storage capacity augmentation, better civic amenities in villages and changing of the defunct storm and sewerage lines.

cities

Updated on May 10, 2020 09:25 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Fresh case in Panchkula after 18 days, count reaches 19

Last case was reported from Pinjore’s Nava Nagar village on April 20.

Panchkula, like Chandigarh, got its first case in mid-March, but the number of cases did not spike after a family of nine in Sector 15 and seven people with Tablighi link were tested positive.(ht file photo)

cities

Published on May 09, 2020 12:25 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Panchkula | ByVivek Gupta, Panchkula

32% spike in non-Covid deaths of senior citizens in April in Chandigarh, admn to examine trend

Last year, 118 deaths of senior citizens were reported in April, which increased to 156 this time, as per data obtained from the municipal corporation’s birth and death control department

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Updated on May 05, 2020 11:08 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh’s ‘super spreader’ cries foul, seeks to clear name

The GMCH-32 medical attendant denies throwing a party leading to spread of virus in Bapudham; police, too, said they found no evidence of a party

Bapudham colony became Chandigarh’s first main hotspot, accounting for almost half of the city’s positive cases to date.(HT file photo)

cities

Updated on May 04, 2020 10:35 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Chandigarh curfew to be lifted at Sunday midnight

Containment zone curtailed to six pockets, wider relaxations in remaining city under new odd-even experiment for shops, vehicles from tomorrow

Besides this relief coming after 40 days, the whole city will not remain a containment zone and these will be restricted to the six Covid-19 affected pockets, including parts of hotspots Bapu Dham Colony and Sector 30, where no relaxations will be granted.(HT FILE)

cities

Published on May 03, 2020 12:55 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

Fresh Covid cases in new areas giving Chandigarh administration nightmares

A major cause of worry for the administration was the discovery of fresh cases in erstwhile unaffected area of Sector 15 and resurgence of a new case in Sector 38 with no links to the existing Covid patients

A drone is deployed by the Chandigarh Police to keep a check on people in a sealed area of the Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Friday.(KESHAV SINGH/HT)

cities

Updated on May 01, 2020 11:27 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

After Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 30 emerges as second biggest Covid hotspot in Chandigarh with 16 cases

The locality’s 600 households are home to approximately 4,000 people living in multi-storey 2 marla houses

Chandigarh administration workers installing CCTV cameras in Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26—Chandigarh’s major Covid hotspot—after the area was sealed on Thursday.(Ravi Kumar/Hindustan Times)

cities

Updated on May 01, 2020 01:36 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

How Bapu Dham Colony became Chandigarh’s first major hotspot

Since April 24, 23 cases have been reported in the area

Health workers, policemen and Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Wednesday.(Anil Dayal/HT)

cities

Updated on Apr 30, 2020 05:38 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta and Shub Karman Dhaliwal, Chandigarh

Free ration rumour triggers commotion in Chandigarh’s Hallomajra

Police dispersed crowd that had gathered near a government dispensary in the area, where 3,000 beneficiaries have been awaiting free ration from the administration for days

cities

Updated on Apr 27, 2020 11:05 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

MHA order on opening shops brings no respite to Chandigarh

Order does not allow commercial establishments to open in cities declared containment zones

cities

Published on Apr 25, 2020 11:56 PM IST

ByVivek Gupta, Chandigarh

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Vivek Gupta

Vivek Gupta is a senior correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Panchkula, besides writing on medical education.

Municipal corporation sets target to clean all 30,000 road gullies by June 30, also asks UT to get seasonal choes cleaned

Complaints of water shortage are also pouring in daily from other villages in the periphery—Daria, Hallomajra, Ram Darbar, Kishangarh, Palsora, Dhanas and Maloya

The meeting, for the first time, will take place through video conferencing

Civil surgeon complains to police, also seeks legal action against family under the Epidemic Act for not cooperating with health authorities

Web portal already launched, e-governance project likely by June 1

The civic body’s chief engineer said they are aiming at completing allotted works worth ₹30 crore before the monsoon sets in

In 2019 when the rating was begun, the city got only two stars, but the MC was aiming for five-star this year and planning to achieve the highest seven-star rating next year

The UT administration was of the view that home quarantining foreign returnees was possible in Chandigarh since residents here were mostly well educated and houses were large enough to allow self-isolation protocols

UT and MHA officials held a video conferencing meeting on Saturday in which the curfew relaxations were thoroughly examined, and MHA found no fault in UT’s orders, says adviser

A marketing executive at a kitchen appliance company in Panchkula, the 49-year-old man used to force himself on his daughter mostly in an inebriated state, when other family members were asleep

Police say though the woman maintained that no other member of the family was aware of her plight, there were many gaps in her statement, as no noticed her nine-month pregnancy

Centre focusing on welfare of small traders, say sources, administration officials non-committal on other relaxations

UT adviser Manoj Parida said he was optimistic about a nod from the Centre, as people of the city are well educated and houses are large enough to follow self-isolation protocols

A 20-year-old had to borrow money for the super expensive flight ticket from Singapore to Delhi

First batch of 5 passengers reached UT late Tuesday; Covid testing made mandatory for all returnees

Only those patients who have adequate facilities for home quarantine and can follow proper isolation and social distancing will be released under this move

People sneaking out of containment zone remains a challenge for authorities; 1,000 residents under home quarantine

Municipal officials in many other cities Hindustan Times reporters got in touch with did not provide any data on the deaths citing lockdown restrictions.

Around 5,000 NRIs are expected to return to Chandigarh; They will be brought here in buses and housed in quarantine facilities

Payment with rebate can be made between June 1 and July 31, following which 25% penalty will be imposed

MC’s 2020-21 budget cleared in February had outlined ₹443 crore for capital expenditure in which major focus was on roads, waste management, water storage capacity augmentation, better civic amenities in villages and changing of the defunct storm and sewerage lines.

Last case was reported from Pinjore’s Nava Nagar village on April 20.

Last year, 118 deaths of senior citizens were reported in April, which increased to 156 this time, as per data obtained from the municipal corporation’s birth and death control department

The GMCH-32 medical attendant denies throwing a party leading to spread of virus in Bapudham; police, too, said they found no evidence of a party

Containment zone curtailed to six pockets, wider relaxations in remaining city under new odd-even experiment for shops, vehicles from tomorrow

A major cause of worry for the administration was the discovery of fresh cases in erstwhile unaffected area of Sector 15 and resurgence of a new case in Sector 38 with no links to the existing Covid patients

The locality’s 600 households are home to approximately 4,000 people living in multi-storey 2 marla houses

Since April 24, 23 cases have been reported in the area

Police dispersed crowd that had gathered near a government dispensary in the area, where 3,000 beneficiaries have been awaiting free ration from the administration for days

Order does not allow commercial establishments to open in cities declared containment zones

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