18032026-CT-01.qxd 3/18/2026 12:17 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune P’KULA MC’S CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE ENCROACHERS SOLO SINGING, DANCE EVENTS MARK DAY 3 OF JHANKAAR CHEF VIKAS KHANNA HOSTS ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR IFTAR The MC continues its early morning raids, looking to bolster sanitation and civic management in the city. P2 The third day of Jhankaar Fest-2026 at Panjab University sees enthusiastic participation from students. P3 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited celebrity chef Vikas Khanna at his restaurant, Bungalow, for Iftar. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 79 PANCHKULA 38 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Hry CM’s gunman dies of ‘self-inflicted’ gunshot at Sec 23 Chandigarh, March 17 A 42-year-old gunman, Tara Chand, attached to the Haryana CM allegedly shot himself in Sector 23 on Tuesday. He was rushed to the GMSH, Sector 16, where he died. His family claimed the incident occurred while he was cleaning his firearm. The police have not ruled out the possibility of suicide. — TNS No shortage of domestic LPG, demand up due to panic:UT Gang rivalry suspected |Police scan CCTV footage | Protest on campus Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 17 The UT Administration on Tuesday clarified that there was no shortage of LPG supply in the domestic sector even as consumption had increased slightly, which might be attributed to sporadic incidents of panic buying. However, oil marketing companies have informed the administration that they were maintaining sufficient stocks to meet daily requirements. As far as the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is concerned, the Union Government has limited the supply to 20 per cent of the average monthly sales. States and UTs have been advised to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. The UT Administration has ensured uninterrupted supply to hospitals, educational institutions and shelter homes. To prevent diversion of domestic LPG for other purposes and to stop double stocking and overcharging, area inspectors of the Food and Supplies Department have been directed to maintain constant vigil in their respective jurisdictions. Officials stated that the Prevention of Black-marketing Chandigarh, March 17 A firing incident was reported near the Department of Botany at Panjab University on Tuesday evening, raising fresh concerns over security on the campus. The incident is suspected to be a gang rivalry-related attack. Sources said two accused entered the campus on a twowheeler and, on reaching the parking area near the Department of Botany, fired two shots in the air. They then fled via the Ankur School road towards the temple inside the campus. The accused abandoned the two-wheeler at the spot, crossed the temple area on foot and exited the campus. According to CCTV footage, the accused were seen snatching a motorcycle at gunpoint before fleeing towards the Punjab border area. “The police are examining CCTV footage, including one from the temple, which clearly shows the accused running out of the campus on foot. They left behind the Activa scooter used to enter the premises and later snatched a bike on the main road. The scooter is also suspected to be stolen,” said a Cops inspect the spot after a firing incident at Panjab University on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY BAMBIHA GANG ‘CLAIMS ROLE’ PAST INCIDENTS ■ A social media post, allegedly linked to the Davinder ■ April 2016: An altercation between two student Bambiha, Gopi Ghanshampuria and Kaushal Chaudhary group, claimed responsibility for the firing ■ The post named Doni Bal and Shaganpreet as attackers and issued warnings aimed at Jashan and individuals associated with the Lawrence-SOPU faction groups led to firing on the campus, leaving three injured. FIRs filed against five ■ 2022: Two persons rounded up for allegedly firing in the air outside Girls’ Hostel No. 7, raising concerns over security lapses senior university official. The shots were reportedly fired in the air to threaten a student leader belonging to the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), pointing to an old rivalry. The incident occurred when the campus was under heavy security due to the ongoing student festival, Jhankaar. Kanwardeep Kaur, Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, said, “The police KEY FINDINGS ■ Probe report found the CSCL opened a single account before closure for transferring ~116 crore from multiple accounts ■ Revealed 11 fake FDRs worth ~116 crore created within 10 days, with IDFC Bank reporting none existed in its system ■ Showed over ~8 crore diverted to three private firms, prompting termination and suspension of MC staffers the report revealed that a dedicated single account was opened just before the closure of the CSCL. All funds held by it in different accounts were to be transferred to this account for meeting operational and maintenance costs of various projects. The CSCL was closed in March 2025. The decision to transfer the entire amount, around Rs 116 crore, from different accounts into a to the company’s closure. As per the report, a total of 11 FDRs amounting to Rs 116 crore were prepared in the bank between March 28 and April 6, 2025, for one year. When the Haryana scam came to light, MCC officers approached IDFC First Bank, Sector 32, Chandigarh, seeking encashment of the FDRs provided by Anubhav Mishra, an outsourced accountant who was custodian of the FDRs. However, the bank informed them that the FDRs did not appear in the bank’s system and were fake. The bank also informed that over Rs 8 crore had been transferred to three companies — Capco Fintech Services, RS Traders and Swastik Desh Project. These FDRs were reportedly issued by Rishab Rishi, then branch manager of continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 17 A local court has allowed an application of businessman Vikram Wadhwa, a key accused in the IDFC First Bank fraud case, seeking directions to the police to allow his advocate to meet him during the remand period as per the provisions of Section 38 of the BNSS. In the application filed through advocate Vinay Yadav, Wadhwa alleged that upon his arrest, he was made to sign various handwritten, typed, part-typed and blank papers, and he apprehended that the police may again adopt the same modus operandi to obtain his signatures and convert them into false and fabricated memos and disclosures to support a false case against him. City’s EV push gets national recognition CREST bags award for leadership in green policy, charging infrastructure Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 17 The Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST), under the Chandigarh Administration, has been conferred with the prestigious Most EV-Ready City — Policy & Infrastructure Leadership Award at the second National Mobility Awards Summit 2026 held in Hyderabad. The summit was organised by the Transport Department of the Telangana Government in association with ELETS Techno Media, bringing together key policymakers, industry leaders and stakeholders from across the country to deliberate on innovations and advancements in sustainable mobility. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Shots fired to threaten student leader at PU; suspects at large Court allows accused lawyer ~116-CR SCAM Probe flags lapses in Smart City accounts access in custody Ramkrishan Upadhyay single account was taken prior Chandigarh, March 17 In a significant development in the Rs 116-crore fake FDR scam related to IDFC First Bank, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has recommended a comprehensive audit of the entire funds of Chandigarh Smart City Company Limited (CSCL) by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). Sources said the recommendation had been sent to the Chandigarh Administration based on the findings of the corporation’s internal inquiry report. The CSCL has spent over Rs 900 crore on various projects during its existence, many of which later became mired in controversy. The MC has also submitted the internal report to the Chandigarh Police for further investigation. Sources said MAX 26.4°C | MIN 12.1°C YESTERDAY MAX 26.5°C | MIN 12.3°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.31 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Civic body wants audit by CAG Tribune news service PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.32 PM » WEDNESDAY | 18 MARCH 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST ‘FRONTRUNNER IN SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY’ has frontrunner ❝ ChandigarhThis established itself as astrengthens in the EV sector. achievement further the city's position as a leader in sustainable mobility and adds another feather in the cap of the Chandigarh Administration. — Navneet Srivastava, CEO, CREST ❞ The Commissioner, Transport Department, presented the award to CREST, recognising Chandigarh’s exemplary efforts in advancing electric mobility. “Chandigarh has already established itself as a frontrunner in the EV sector, having earlier bagged the Gold Award for Best Union Territory for EV – Overall at the Motoring World Green Mobility Awards2025 held in Delhi. Building on this achievement, the latest recognition further strengthens Chandigarh’s position as a leader in sustainable mobility and adds another feather in the cap of the Chandigarh Administration,” said Navneet Srivastava, CEO, CREST. This recognition underscores Chandigarh’s progressive and forward-looking approach to driving EV adoption, particularly through policy frameworks, incentive structures and the development of a robust EV charging ecosystem. CREST has been instrumental in implementing the city’s EV policy, promoting clean transportation and accelerating EV adoption across multiple segments, he said. c m y b have recovered two shells from the spot. Preliminary investigation suggests the shots were fired to threaten an individual named Jashanpreet (Jashan) Singh Jawanda. However, no continued on page 2 Vigil intensified to prevent diversion, black marketing Admn invokes strict laws to curb hoarding Tribune News Service and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980, and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, might be invoked if required to prevent hoarding or black marketing of LPG cylinders. The use of alternate fuel sources is being promoted. The government is encouraging consumers to shift to PNG, which is generally more economical, safe and efficient than LPG. A number of commercial establishments already use PNG. PNG supply is currently available in Sectors 10, 11, 17, 22, 26 to 28, 30, 32 to 38, 40 to 44, and 46 to 51. Sufficient stocks of motor spirit and high-speed diesel are also being maintained and no shortage has been reported, officials said. Accordingly, the administration has appealed to citizens not to panic, not to believe or spread unverified information, and not to encourage or participate in any black marketing or hoarding of LPG. Chandigarh, March 17 To prevent hoarding and black marketing of fuel and LPG, District Magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav today issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, directing strict monitoring of the supply and distribution of essential petroleum products in the Union Territory. The order was issued after the administration received reports that certain individuals, traders and entities were allegedly involved in hoarding, black marketing and stockpiling of petrol, diesel, CNG and LPG, leading to artificial scarcity and abnormal price increases in the market. Officials said such activities could create law-and-order issues and disrupt the smooth supply of essential commodities. To safeguard public interest and maintain uninterrupted availability of fuel and LPG, the District Magistrate exercised powers under continued on page 2