27022026-CT-01.qxd 2/27/2026 12:43 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PANEL TO VET PLAN ON PU TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT AGE 320 COMPETE IN SPORTS MEET FOR KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS VIROSH SEAL THE DEAL IN DREAMY UDAIPUR WEDDING The Centre sets up a three-member panel to examine PU proposal to raise retirement age of its teachers. P2 The UT Education Department holds annual inter-school sports meet for children with special needs. P2 Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika tie the knot at a private ceremony attended by close family and friends. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 138 PANCHKULA 85 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH PUBLIC LECTURE: CRRID & Chandigarh Citizens Foundation to hold public lecture on “Economics & policy innovation in India” by Nobel laureate Prof Michael Kremer; MGSIPA, Sector 26; 11 am PLAY: “Out of frame”; mini auditorium, Tagore Theatre, Sector 18; 6:30 pm MOHALI ANNUAL FEST:“Tattva 2026”, three-day second edition of annual science festival opens; IISER, Sector 81; 9 am APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 24 and 46 Panchkula: Sector 20 Mohali: Sector 68 and Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com 26-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, BROTHER-IN-LAW DIE BY SUICIDE IN SEC 41 A 26-year-old woman and her brother-in-law allegedly died by suicide at Buterla village in Sector 41, Chandigarh, on Thursday afternoon. Her two children, aged three and four, were present in the room at the time of the incident. P3 MAX 28°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 27.7°C | MIN 14°C SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.50 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Punjab clears trimmed ~10 crore-per-km Mohali road plan Chief Secy gives in-principle nod to project after cost revised downward from ~783 cr to ~666 cr; HC hearing, opening of financial bids today THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 26 Pushing ahead despite a legal challenge, the Punjab Government has given a formal in-principle approval to its ambitious and controversial Mohali Next Generation Roads Programme, the cost of which has been trimmed and the scope of work revised. In a significant development, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has revised the cost of the project downward from Rs 783.46 crore to Rs 666.41 crore, citing a change in the scope of work, even as the project faces a crucial twin test on Friday — with both the opening of financial bids and a resumed Punjab and Haryana High Court hearing scheduled on the same day. The revision was notified through an official corrigendum issued by the Divisional Engineer (C-3), GMADA. The corrigendum states that due to a change in the scope of work, the tender amount has been revised from Rs 783.46 crore to Rs 666.41 crore, with revised schedules. Despite the cost revision and the pending High Court challenge, the state government is pressing ahead with the project. Senior government functionaries in Chandigarh confirmed to The Tribune that following the evaluation of technical bids, the authority is set to open financial bids on February 27 — the same day the High Court is scheduled to take up the matter for PROJECT AT A GLANCE ~783.46 CR ORIGINAL COST ~666.41 CR REVISED COST 83.4 KM LENGTH OF ROADS 10 YEARS CONCESSION PERIOD Model: Hybrid annuity model Current status: Formal nod accorded, financial bids opening, HC hearing today a resumed hearing. The project has received a formal in-principle approval at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary KAP Sinha in Chandigarh recently. The meeting had approved the Request for Proposal (RFP), Schedules and Draft Concession Agreement (DCA) for upgrade, resurfacing, beautification, operation and maintenance of 83.4 km of key roads and junctions across Mohali for a 10-year concession period under the hybrid annuity model (HAM). The approval came with conditions — it is subject to clearance by the General House of the Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC); the proposal must be certified as party neutral; and the entire financial liability must be borne by GMADA and the MC, with nothing passed on to the state exchequer or the Finance Department. After evaluation of financial bids, the most eligible bidder or bidders will be awarded the project in due course, officials said. Project has drawn sustained fire The Mohali Next Generation Roads Programme has been under scrutiny since The Tribune first reported it on January 18, triggering sharp public reactions over the unprecedented cost and the decade-long outsourcing structure. Critics, including Punjabi actor and activist Amitoj Mann, questioned the rationale of spending nearly Rs 10 crore on existing roads and handing long-term control of public infrastructure to private players. The project was subsequent- ly challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court by GMADA contractors and others. A Division Bench headed by Justice Lisa Gill issued notices on February 2 to the state of Punjab, GMADA, its Chief Engineer and the Mohali MC after a petition filed through advocate HC Arora questioned the tendering process. Senior advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains, assisted by advocate Sunaina, appeared for the petitioners. The petition alleged that clubbing the entire GMADA area into a single compact package effectively excluded Class-I and Class-II contractors registered with GMADA and Punjab Government departments. It further alleged that the project cost and earnest money deposit of Continued on page 2 Guv approves CHB policy on need-based changes Nearly 80% of 68K flats are structurally altered Tribune News Service WHAT’S ALLOWED Chandigarh, February 26 Providing relief to thousands of occupants of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) houses, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria today approved the recommendations of committee constituted to review the need-based changes order dated January 3, 2023. Earlier, a high-level committee, constituted by the UT Administration under the chairmanship of Secretary, Estate, UT, had undertaken a comprehensive review of the consolidated 2023 order. The exercise was carried out in light of the Supreme Court’s judgment dated January 10, 2023, directing freezing of the floor area ratio (FAR), along with representations received ■ Construction of projections over windows and doors provided in the end walls of the corner dwelling units (DUs) only ■ Provision of grille-glazing in the verandah/balcony ■ Temporary car shed with steel pipe frame and polycarbonate sheet/fiber glass cover with transparency to be installed only within the boundary wall ■ Coverage of balconies with lightweight materials in the form of sunshades adjoining the units of HIG (Upper) category in Sector 45- A ■ Allottees of HIG (Upper) Cat 1, HIG (Upper), HIG (Lower) Cat 2 Type A and HIG (Lower) Cat 2 Type B of Sectors 45-A and 39-B allowed to use the roof of the parking space at first floor level as terrace by converting the window abutting the terrace into a door and to provide high MS railing only ■ Increase in the total capacity of water tank to the maximum 1,000 litres from stakeholders and the prevailing ground realities. The committee reviewed the need-based changes policy of January 2023 of the CHB. Over 10 days ago, it recommended that the policy be implemented with certain exclusions. The Administrator today approved the recommendations of the committee. Further, the CHB has been directed to start the implementation of Clauses 2-21, 24, 26-28 of the 2023 order with immediate Continued on page 2 ■ Additional windows to be Alleges illegal detention; DGP promises fair probe as Maneka Gandhi, HC step in Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Saarthak Jain, who exposed canine cruelty at MC shelter activist who first flagged the gruesome cruelty at the Raipur Kala Animal Birth Control Centre and whose intervention had drawn nearly 15 volunteers to the MC facility earlier this week, has submitted a detailed written complaint to DGP Dr Sagar Preet Turn your skills into a powerful portfolio - master real projects through hands-on modules! ■ Coverage of the corridor area We were ‘caged’ for speaking up: Activist Chandigarh, February 26 Two days after The Tribune exclusively reported the shocking case of a pregnant stray dog being caged for 60 days at a Municipal Corporation-run shelter — driven to eat her own newborn puppies — the controversy has deepened, with an animal activist filing a formal complaint before the Director General of Police alleging illegal detention, wrongful arrest and deliberate false implication at the hands of a senior MC official whose conduct is already under court and administrative scrutiny. Saarthak Jain, the animal MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET FRIDAY 6.20 PM » FRIDAY | 27 FEBRUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Hooda, alleging a brazen pattern of procedural irregularities, coercive detention, and false implication orchestrated against him on February 25. The DGP has assured a fair investigation into the complaint. He has made clear his zero-tolerance stance for any misconduct, wrongdoing or excesses on the part of anyone at any level in the police force. According to the complaint, Jain was present at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday morning — where a related animal welfare matter was listed — before receiving phone calls alerting him to a MC dog-catching van operating in Sector 40-A. He proceeded to the spot on behalf of Peo- ple for Animals (PFA), arriving approximately 22-25 minutes after an alleged obstruction incident had already taken place and well after the MC van had come to a standstill. No dog-catching activity was going on when he reached there. He neither stopped the vehicle nor obstructed any official. Despite this, Jain alleges, all four individuals present there, including him, were taken to the Sector 39 police station where the SHO verbally declared them “under arrest” without explaining any reason, confiscated his phone, refused to formally record his statement and told him he would “get an opportunity to Continued on page 2 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 Registrations Open Now Course Begins: 04.04.2026 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. 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