Admn awaits approvals from depts for Diljit show as locals fear total chaos

Amid the noise over traffic jams, inconvenience to people, closure of roads and effect on business during the live concert of famous Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh at the Sector 34 exhibition ground on December 14, the UT Administration is yet to receive necessary approvals from various departments to give a green signal to the organisers for hosting the show here.

The office of the Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, has received a request from the organisers for hosting the show in the heart of Chandigarh, Sector 34. However, till date, the office didn’t get the necessary no objection certificates (NOCs) from the municipal corporation, Fire Department, police and other departments to allow the organisers to hold the show.

Recently, a similar live concert by another famous singer Karan Aujla was organised at the same venue. And, sources claimed, all necessary permissions were given just a day before the event. “The office had received the request of hosting this event in October, and the same had been forwarded to other departments for taking necessary approvals. We are awaiting for the NOC, to proceed and plan further,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh.

Rs 33,000 nominal fee charged for the venue

Even as the organisers are likely to earn crore of rupees, the UT Administration has rented out the large chunk of Sector 34 land for a nominal fee of Rs 33,000 (in addition to GST). The exhibition ground known for hosting events like exhibitions, fairs or political rallies has lately hosted religious programmes and live concerts of singers. Sources claimed that the rent was formulated for hosting small exhibitions, but the corporates are now using it for hosting big events by spending minimal amount.

While the Administration is yet to go through a trial run for hosting the event, the fans are in high spirits for the upcoming singing concert. “I am excited for the event. I managed to buy two tickets during the pre-sale of the event and will go with my brother,” said Anshika, a resident of Sector 50.

The venue has been divided into four zones — fan pit, gold, silver and lounge. Sources claimed that the Chandigarh Police was yet to finalise the charges on the account of providing security to the organisers.

Locals inconvenienced

The Sector 34 arena, known as the business hub of the city, is surrounded with busy markets, hospitals, corporate offices and educational institutes. During the recent Aujla show, the localities faced the music owing to restrictions put up by the traffic police and the organisers.

“It was a complete mess last Saturday, during the Aujla show. The roads were completely blocked and there were traffic jams across the sector. The owners of the buildings were not allowed to stand on the rooftop and were asked to buy tickets for watching the show. The restrictions came into force after 3pm, which is peak time to carry business,” said Anand Manchanda, a businessman in Sector 34.

During the last show, the traffic police had issued an advisory, asking people to avoid all roads around the venue. As per the restrictions, between 5 pm to 7pm, the stretch from Sector 33/34 light point towards Sector 34/35 light point was closed for the general public. The stretch from Sham Fashion Mall to Sector 34 turn was also closed from 5pm to 10pm. Only concert ticket holders’ vehicles were allowed on these roads.

To avoid congestion, traffic was diverted from Sectors 44/45/33/34 chowk towards Sectors 33/45 intersection, and from Sectors 34/35 light point to the Sector-34 dispensary turn and from Bhavan Vidyalaya T-point to Sectors 33/45 light point, but to no avail as the vehicles were parked on the road.

Petrol filling station owner wrote to DC

The owner of the Allied Service (filling) Station, Sector 34, had written a letter to the office of the DC on December 6 before the Karan Aujla show, demanding adequate measures to avoid hassle to commuters at the fuelling station. The owner had demanded prohibition on fireworks, compensation for losses, adequate security measures and traffic management. "During a previous show (Arijit Singh), several individuals entered the filling station premises. There was corresponding loss of sales and also damage to the property," stated the owner in the letter.