As we stand at the dusk of 2016, let’s celebrate the wonderful year it has been.
January, 2016
Francis Hollande in Chandigarh
“Chandigarh is a very beautiful city. I welcome the idea of being called here”.
French President, Francis Hollande became the first foreign dignitary to visit Chandigarh this year and Chandigarh was all decked up to welcome the state premier of the country which gave us Le Corbusier.
February, 2016
First Car Free Day
Chandigarh administration comes up with an innovative way to deal with the menace of growing pollution levels and traffic congestion around the city by observing a car free day. No private vehicle was allowed on the roads.
March, 2016
Chandigarh Airport Bags National Award for Best Landscape & Interiors
The prestigious award, Vishwakarma award from CIDC (Construction Industry Development Council) is conferred to the best construction project in India. The architecture of the place is aesthetically pleasing, the lavish landscaping inside and mural paintings that grace the wall give a snapshot of the life and culture of the city.
April, 2016
Chandigarh Launches a Mobile Food Testing Lab
Distressed about the ever-increasing instances of food adulteration in the UT, the UT Health Department launched a mobile food-testing laboratory. Set up in an old ambulance of the department, the van will tour the city, collecting samples and spreading awareness about common food adulterants from Monday to Friday. The test costs Rs 30 per sample.
May, 2016
Smart City Finally
Having missed to figure in the Smart City list in January, Chandigarh finally made it in the fast-track competition. An improved plan with focus on start-ups co-ordination department helped it sail through.
June, 2016
Tricity gets a Council
In a first-of-its-kind meeting of mayors of Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar, it was decided to have a council for effective co-ordination of development plans of the tricity.
July, 2016
World Heritage Status to Capitol Complex
A proud moment for Chandigarh came when UNESCO announced that it had conferred World Heritage Status to the Capitol Complex. UNESCO inscription was under “The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier an outstanding contribution to the Modern Movement”.
August, 2016
Free Wi-Fi at Railway Station
In collboration with search engine giant Google, the free wi-fi facility has finally been commissioned by RailTel at Chandigarh railway station. The users get up to 40 megabits per second (mbps) speed on their devices for one hour, beyond which the internet speed will come down to 1 mbps.
September, 2016
Panchkula Rural Declared Open Defecation Free
Joining the national drive of Swachh Bharat, rural Panchkula made itself 100% open defecation free, the first in Haryana.
Chandigarh Airport Becomes International
After an year of its inauguration, Chandigarh Airport finally became global with its maiden international flights to Sharjah and Dubai. While Air India Express began its flights to Sharjah thrice a week, Indigo Airlines started with Dubai.
October, 2016
Chandigarh Police uses Drones for Surveillance during Festive Season
Adding to the its arsenal to ensure safety and keep an eye on the miscreants this festive season, Chandigarh police used drones with cameras in various areas of the UT.
November, 2016
Chandigarh Administration Ropes in Experts to Teach in Government Schools
Experts from all the walks of life from CAs to architects to lawyers to psychologists to economists, Chandigarh administration roped them in as guest faculty to teach on voluntary basis in Chandigarh schools.
Chandigarh Airport gets a Web Portal – AirSewa
Union Civil Aviation Ministry has launched a portal, AirSewa, that provides all the information about Chandigarh International Airport. You can register your grievances, check your flight status and get more such information from this portal. Other than a web portal, a mobile app for both android and iOS platforms has also been launched.
December, 2016
Speed Governors Made Mandatory for Transport Vehicles
UT administration came up with a novel idea to thrust upon the drivers to better stay within speed limits. In its fresh orders, the administration made speed governors must for all transport vehicles, including school buses and CTU buses by December 31. The speed governors conforming to Standard AIS: 018 must be fitted in the buses.
Chandigarh Ranks One in Obesity Among Girls
According to the latest data released by National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), Chandigarh tops the list of obesity in women (in the age group of 15-49) in the nation with 42% of them obese. Also, women here figured second in the anaemic list with 76% affected with it.
What a wonderful year it has been!
Wish you even more wonderful 2017.
Image Credits: Google Images