25022026-CT-01.qxd 2/25/2026 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune BLOOD CAN NEVER BE FOR SALE, SAYS ORGANISER OF 70K CAMPS SAKSHI CROWNED BEST ATHLETE AT COLLEGE MEET RETURN OF BOLLYWOOD’S RETRO ERA QUEEN Apurba Ghosh honoured with the Kanta Krishen Award of Excellence for his five-decade work. P2 Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Sector 11, holds its 69th annual athletics meet . P3 Original diva of Bollywood’s retro era Usha Uthup got audience grooving at Sacred Amritsar Festival. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 122 PANCHKULA 30 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH NATIONAL SEMINAR: Oneday national seminar on “Significance of Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s poetry in modern Punjabi literature”; Mohan Singh Diwana Hall, Arts Block-1, PU; 10 am LECTURE: First Prof SR Bawa memorial lecture; Biophysics Seminar Hall, PU; 10 am SEMINAR: “Good governance under the Indian Constitution”, in memory of BS Ojha, ex-Haryana Chief Secretary; ICSSR Complex, PU; 10:30 am PLAY: “Daroga Ji”, a Hindi play on story written by Munshi Premchand; miniauditorium, Tagore Theatre, Sector 18; 6:30 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sectors 19, 20, 24, 27, 28, 42, 46, 48, 49, Sarangpur and Dhanas villages, Pipaliya Town, Mariwala Town, Shantinagar, New Darshanibag and Old Darshanibag in Manimajara, Burail, Raipur Khurd, SDM office, MC office and Maloya 2 pm to 5 pm: Parts of Sector 23 and Raipur Khurd Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 24 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal CommissionII, Chandigarh, has held that an insurance company cannot reject a motor insurance claim merely on the ground that the vehicle allegedly did not possess a route permit for a particular territory. The commission has directed the company to reimburse Rs 3,07,790 along with interest at the rate 9% per annum from July 01, 2020, till realisation, and pay Rs 25,000 towards compensation and litigation expenses. The commission passed the order on a complaint filed by Sukhvir Singh through counsel Raman Sihag. He said his truck, insured with United India Insurance Company Limited, met with an accident on at Sector 25/38 (West), Chandigarh, on July 9, 2019. Its repairs at a workshop cost Rs 3,07,790. However, despite appointment of a surveyor and assessment of loss, the insurance company repudiated MAX 29°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 28.9°C | MIN 11.8°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.52 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE ‘Challangarh’ no more: Focus on public-friendly policing In 5 years, 36.2L challans issued, UT raked in ~127 cr | 2025 marks a reset after initiative by new DGP Hooda THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE ple-friendly traffic regulation. Nitin Jain CHALLAN EXPLOSION Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 24 They call it Challangarh — and the numbers show why — but 2025 marked a reset as the new DGP pivoted from penalty to public-friendly policing to shed the nickname ‘Challangarh’, invoked by Chandigarh MP on the floor of Parliament. In just five years from 2021 and 2025, the Chandigarh Traffic Police issued a staggering 36.2 lakh challans to violators and collected over Rs 127 crore in fine. The city — with a vehicle population racing towards 15 lakh against an estimated human population of just 12.5 lakh and an average of over 100 new vehicles being registered every single day — has witnessed an explosive surge in traffic enforcement activity. Official data, exclusively accessed by The Tribune from the Chandigarh Traffic Police reveals a dramatic year-on-year escalation in challans between 2021 and 2024, a record haul of fine, and a sharp spike in vehicles of violators impounded. When DGP Sagar Preet Hooda took over in July 2025, he ordered that punitive enforcement should give way to peo- In 2021, the police issued 2,39,654 challans — a figure that would look modest in retrospect. By 2022, challans nearly tripled to 5,96,779 as the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) went into full swing with AIenabled cameras installed across the city. Then came the deluge: 2023 saw challans cross the 9.9 lakh mark, and 2024 held the line at 9,91,706 — making Chandigarh one of the most intensely policed traffic jurisdictions in the country, if not the most. The cumulative total of 36,20,867 challans over five years works out to over 7,000 challans every single day on average — in a city with fewer than 13 lakh people. No other city in India is believed to come close to Chandigarh’s per capita traffic challan density, making the Union Territory a de facto national leader — and lightning rod — in traffic fines enforcement. Chandigarh Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Manish Tewari had raised the issue in Parliament, citing a reply from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which confirmed an over 11-fold rise in automated VEHICLES IMPOUNDED, LICENCES SUSPENDED FIVE-YEAR LEDGER YEAR CHALLANS VEHICLE SEIZED DL SUSPENDED FINE 2021 2,39,654 ~15.52 Cr 2,870 8,403 2022 5,96,779 ~31.09 Cr 4,266 2,944 2023 9,90,004 ~31.78 Cr 10,366 1,726 2024 9,91,706 ~28.48 Cr 5,576 800 2025 8,02,724 ~20.60 Cr 3,657 619 TOTAL 36,20,867 ~127.49 Cr 26,735 14,492 CHALLANS ARE A TOOL, NOT A GOAL ❝ Challans are a tool, not a goal. Anyone found indulging in unprofessional conduct or causing unnecessary harassment to the public will not be spared. Drive safe, follow the rules, and we will be by your side, not against you. A two-wheeler rider jumps the red light in Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI TOP 5 OVERSPEEDING OFFENCES OVER FIVE YEARS (CUMULATIVE) CHALLANS — Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, CHANDIGARH ZEBRA CROSSING VIOLATION RIDING WITHOUT HELMET WRONG PARKING The number of impounded vehicles shot up from 2,870 in 2021 to a high of 10,366 in 2023 — an increase of over 261 per cent — before moderating to 5,576 in 2024 and declining further to 3,657 in 2025. Over five years, a total of 26,735 vehicles were seized. Driving licence suspension recommendations, however, tell a contrasting story: from 8,403 in 2021, they fell sharply to 2,944 in 2022, then to 1,726 in 2023, 800 in 2024 and just 619 in 2025. The total over five years stands at 14,492 — a cumulative decline of 92.6 per cent from 2021 to 2025, suggesting a shift in enforcement philosophy even before the formal policy change ordered by the new DGP . THE 2025 RESET RED LIGHT JUMPING 15,29,969 traffic challans from 78,396 in 2020 to 8,91,979 in 2023 and 8,46,960 in 2024. Tewari described the ITMS-driven system as an “extractive and extortive paradigm” — words 7,06,051 4,70,694 that resonated with residents across the city. Traffic fine crossed the Rs 31-crore mark both in 2022 and 2023 — Rs 31.09 crore and Rs 31.78 crore respective- 3,10,842 1,41,471 ly — before tapering slightly to Rs 28.48 crore in 2024. The 2021 figure stood at Rs 15.51 core. Over the five-year span, total fine collected amounted to over Rs 127.48 crore. The year 2025 has brought a palpable change. Overall challans have dropped to 8,02,724 — a decline of nearly 19 per cent from 2024’s peak — while fine collection has moderated to Rs 20,60,48,912, the lowest since 2022. The number of vehicles impounded has also fallen steeply. The shift traces back to DGP Hooda’s directive, who, after reviewing the working of the Traffic Police and consulting multiple stakeholders, ordered a fundamental reorientation. The new philosophy: prioritise traffic regulation and education over mechanical challanissuance. Manual challans, the DGP directed, should be restricted to dangerous driving and blatant violations that pose a genuine threat to lives. Routine violations should be handled through the automated ITMS system, without manual intervention. The DGP also took stern cognisance of complaints that traffic policemen were harassing commuters — particularly those with outstation registration numbers — and warned of zero tolerance for corruption and unprofessional conduct. ‘AWARENESS KEY’ “Enforcement data shows that red light jumping and overspeeding continue to be the biggest killers on our roads. Awareness and compliance are far more powerful than any challan — we want safe roads, not just fine collection.” — Sumer Pratap Singh, SSP Traffic, Chandigarh CHANDIGARH ON NATIONAL MAP On the national scale, cities such Continued on page 2 Boy dies as cylinder catches fire in flat at village near Nayagaon LPG was being ‘pilfered in shop-cum-room’; trader arrested Mohali, February 24 A 10-year-old boy died and his elder brother sustained severe burns as an LPG cylinder caught fire at a flat in Nada village, near Nayagaon, on Monday afternoon. Both children ran out of the house with clothes on fire, but could not get first aid in time. Anmol succumbed to injuries at the PGI, while Sunny (19), who was employed at the shop, is battling for life. Anmol’s mother works as a domestic help Police officials reached the spot and found several domestic and commercial LPG cylinders stored in the house. They suspected LPG was pilfered and illegally transferred from one cylinder to other in the shop-cumroom. The fire erupted due to an inflammable object kept near the cylinder. “The victim could have Insurance firm cannot deny claim over route permit: Panel Ramkrishan Upadhyay MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.18 PM » WEDNESDAY | 25 FEBRUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Directs company to reimburse ~3.07 lakh to truck owner the claim on the ground that the vehicle did not have a valid route permit for plying in Chandigarh, though it had a valid permit for Punjab. Sihag argued that that the insurance company had wrongly and arbitrarily rejected the claim on a hypertechnical ground, despite the fact that the alleged permit issue had no connection with the accident. After hearing the parties and examining the record, the commission observed that there was a clear distinction between absence of a route permit altogether and an alleged territorial irregularity when the vehicle otherwise held a valid permit. It held that the alleged absence of a Chandigarh permit had no connection with the occurrence of the accident or the damage caused to the vehicle. The commission relied upon precedents set by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and the Supreme Court, holding that technical or minor irregularities, which do not contribute to the cause of loss, cannot be treated as fundamental breaches justifying repudiation of insurance claims. The commission said needless to mention here that the purpose of obtaining an insurance policy is not for any luxury but to cover up for some unforeseen eventuality. However, it is usual with the insurance companies to show all types of green pastures to customers at the time of selling insurance policies, and when it comes to payment of the insurance claim, they invent all sorts of excuses to deny the claim. Holding the repudiation to be unjustified and arbitrary, the commission found the insurer guilty of deficiency in service and directed it to reimburse Rs 3,07,790 along with interest at the rate of 9% per annum from July 01, 2020 till realisation. been saved had he got first aid on time. A case under Section 106 of the BNS has been registered at the Nayagaon police station. A shopkeeper has been arrested in the case. Multiple irregularities have been found at the spot. The Food Supplies Department has also been informed about the clandestine activities going on there,” said Nayagaon SHO Gurbir Singh Waraich. — TNS Turn your skills into a powerful portfolio - master real projects through hands-on modules! Introduction to AI & AI Tools AI Creativity & Presentations Workshop Building with AI: Websites, Games & Apps AI Avatars & Chatbot Development From Idea to Business Plan (Launch Your First AI Project) Recap & Finale Sarpanch arrested for demanding ~50K bribe Registrations Open Now Course Begins: 04.04.2026 Tribune News Service Mohali, February 24 The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Gurcharan Singh, Sarpanch of Devinagar village (Abhravan) in Mohali district, for allegedly demanding a bribe Rs 50,000. A spokesperson for the state VB said the arrest was made following a complaint lodged on the Chief Minister’s AntiCorruption Action Line portal. During the verification of this complaint, it came to light that Gurcharan allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1,00,000 in lieu of releasing an impounded tractor of the complainant from the Banur police station. On a request of the complainant, who is a resident of the same village, the amount was settled at Rs 50,000. The complainant had recorded the entire conversation. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Mohali range VB police station. Further investigation is underway, he added. c m y b MASTER AI- SHAPE THE FUTURE A comprehensive AI Certification Course : Designed exclusively for students from Class 6 to 12 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence Data, Automation & Real-World Use Cases AI Education by Certified & Experienced Faculty No coding experience required SCAN TO REGISTER While others wait, smart students are already building apps, games & tools. Equip yourself with the #1 skill of the 21st century! Inaugural Offer: ₹ 9,999 [Full Fees: ₹ 15 000] 15,000] Register Online at learning.tribuneindia.com For more information learnaiwithtribune@tribunemail.com