25062026-CT-01.qxd 6/25/2026 1:01 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune NEW SCORING SYSTEM FOR BADMINTON MEET AC MECHANIC ARRESTED IN EXTORTION CASE MY WORLD IS VERY RICH AND SATISFYING: SAIF The Badminton World Federation had approved a new scoring system recently. P3 A jeweller had allegedly received extortion threat in the name of gangster Goldy Dhillon. P3 Saif Ali Khan on his father, legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and the choices he made in life. P4 » THURSDAY | 25 JUNE 2026 | CHANDIGARH AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 68 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Centre acts on Admn’s request; UT to explore recovery of heritage furniture Nitin Jain Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 11 am: Parts of Sector 9-B 9 am to 1 pm: Sectors 35 and 51, Vikas Nagar, Kalagram 12 noon to 2 pm: Pipliwala Town, Mariwala Town, Shantinagar and Darshani Bagh 2 pm to 5 pm: Bank Colony, Police Colony, farm houses on Kishangarh Road 4 pm to 5 pm: Indira Colony and Subhash Nagar Chandigarh, June 24 In a major breakthrough for the protection of Chandigarh’s architectural legacy, the proposed auction of two Pierre Jeanneret-designed chairs in Paris on June 25 has been put on hold following urgent diplomatic intervention by the Centre. The Chandigarh Administration had raised the issue and registered two criminal cases over the suspected theft and illegal export of the furniture. The development marks a historic first in the city’s long battle against the steady outflow of its modernist heritage. Never before has an overseas auction of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture been stalled following official intervention by the Administration. Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, who took cognisance of a series of The Tribune reports on the impending Paris auction and earlier sales in Brussels and Chicago, directed Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad to act swiftly to prevent the sale. He was asked to initiate legal action and explore all possible OVER 100 INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONS OF UT HERITAGE ITEMS SINCE 2009 FETCHED AN ESTIMATED ~40-50 CR THE MARKINGS TELL THE STORY The two Paris-listed chairs carry government inventory codes — PU/Chem/55 (Panjab University, Chemistry Department) and PGI/W/ CH-0202 (PGIMER, Chandigarh) — that establish their institutional provenance beyond dispute. CENTRE MOVES ON CHANDIGARH’S SOS avenues for tracing and recovering Chandigarh’s heritage furniture already dispersed across international markets. Confirming the development, Kataria told The Tribune that the Administration was committed to safeguarding Chandigarh’s unique heritage for future generations. “Chandigarh’s heritage furniture is not merely government property; it is an integral part of the city’s identity and India’s cultural legacy. We will leave no stone unturned to protect it, prevent its illegal sale and pur- RECOVERY MODE Chandigarh has, for the first time, initiated efforts to identify, trace and explore the return of heritage furniture already auctioned overseas over the past two decades. The Administration’s letter to the Ministry of External Affairs sought immediate suspension of the auction, verification of ownership, preservation of the furniture and eventual repatriation if illegally exported. sue every possible avenue for the recovery of heritage items that have been taken out of the country unlawfully,” he said. The Chief Secretary said the Administration had acted swiftly after the matter came to light. “The successful postponement of the Paris auction demonstrates that timely and coordinated action can make a difference. We have initiated criminal investigations, sought diplomatic intervention and will continue pursuing all legal and administrative measures to establish provenance, fix accountability and facilitate recovery of heritage assets wherever possible,” he said. The breakthrough follows a communication sent by the Administration’s Secretary, Culture, to the Ministry of External Affairs on June 23. The letter described the proposed sale as a matter of “national and international cultural importance” and urged immediate intervention through the Indian Embassy in France and French authorities to stop the auction, preserve the furniture pending Civic body’s finance panel clears 82 works worth over ~20 crore Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service The newly elected president of the Zirakpur Municipal Council being congratulated by Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa at the MC office on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Chandigarh, June 24 The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), Municipal Corporation, has approved development works worth Rs 20 crore aimed at ensuring a balanced development in every sector, village and colony of the city. A total of 82 agenda items were presented in a meeting of the F&CC held under the chairmanship of Mayor Saurabh Joshi. It was attended by MC Commissioner Amit Kumar, committee members Harjeet Singh, Jasbeer Singh Bunty, Kanwarjeet Singh, Rajinder Kumar Sharma, Yogesh Dhingra and other senior officers of the MC. The approvals cover a wide spectrum of civic works, including the strengthening of storm water drainage, improvement of roads, footpaths, parks and green belts; augmentation of water supply, installation of street lights, upgrading public toi- lets and the beautification of public spaces across the city. The important works approved by the committee include the strengthening of the existing storm water drainage in Burail village, putting in place additional security measures in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) building at Sector 38West and carrying out landscaping in the parks of Sector 36. The meeting decided to constitute two committees, which Continued on page 3 investigation and facilitate its eventual repatriation if found to have been unlawfully removed from India. The Administration informed the Centre that the two chairs listed for auction carried original inventory markings — PU/Chem/55 and PGI/W/CH-0202 — clearly linking them to Panjab University and the PGIMER, Chandigarh. It argued that the appearance of such marked government furniture in an overseas auction market raised serious concerns of theft, illegal removal, unauthorised disposal and unlawful export of heritage property. Invoking Chandigarh’s UNESCO World Heritage status, the Administration stressed that furniture designed for the city’s public institutions formed an integral component of the original vision of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret and was inseparable from the heritage fabric of the city. The Administration registered two FIRs on June 23 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, launching investigations into the suspected theft, Continued on page 3 MAX 38°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 39.8°C | MIN 26.1°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:23 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Paris auction of heritage chairs put on hold after UT’s diplomatic push, FIRs PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 7:28 PM » » FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Temperature rises again as Tricity awaits monsoon Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 24 The brief respite brought by Sunday night’s thunderstorm has begun to fade, with both day and night temperatures rising again across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. The wait for monsoon continues. A day after Chandigarh recorded the coolest night in the entire Punjab-Haryana region following 5.1 mm rainfall, the city witnessed a sharp rebound in temperatures on Tuesday. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh’s minimum temperature jumped by 3.9 degrees Celsius to 26.1°C, one of the sharpest overnight increases in the region. The maximum temperature also increased by 0.8 degree Celsius to 39.8°C, remaining 2.3 degrees above normal. The rise in temperatures comes even as meteorologists continue to track the progress of the southwest monsoon, which is yet to reach the Tricity. While the monsoon has advanced into several parts of central and eastern India, its northwestern advance has remained slow, delaying its arrival over the region. Weather experts attribute the delay to the absence of a strong monsoon-driving system and intermittent atmospheric conditions that have prevented a sustained northward push. The forecast for Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula indicates a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of thunderstorms and light rain on Thursday and Friday, followed by a mainly clear sky from Saturday onwards. The IMD has retained a yellow alert for Thursday and Friday, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places along with scattered showers. “The recent thunderstorms have provided only temporary cooling. The sharp rise in night temperatures indicates increasing moisture and humidity in the lower atmosphere. While isolated thunderstorms and light showers will remain possible over the next two days, widespread rainfall is unlikely until the monsoon advances further into northwest India,” a meteorologist said. In nature’s lap A man takes a nap under a banyan tree in Sector 29, Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Gurpreet Virk elected president of Zirakpur 115 CCTV cameras defunct, zebra crossings missing at 80 locations Municipal Council Chandigarh’s road safety infrastructure riddled with gaps as committee flags unresolved action points Tribune News Service Zirakpur, June 24 In the first meeting of the newly elected House of the Zirakpur Municipal Council held today, Gurpreet Singh Virk, from Ward No. 31, was elected president. Gurwinder Singh Rangi, from Ward No. 21; and Jashanpreet Kaur, from Ward No. 28; were elected senior vice-president and vicepresident, respectively. The proceedings of the meeting were conducted by Dera Bassi Sub-Divisional Magistrate Amit Gupta, who had been appointed as convener by the Deputy Commissioner, SAS Nagar, for the purpose. Prior to the election process, he administered the oath of office to all 31 councillors. It is the first time AAP has bagged the top three posts in the council. Sixteen candidates of the party had won in the May 26 elections. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) got six seats while the Congress and the BJP secured wins in four wards each. An Independent also emerged victorious. Virk said, “Cleanliness, traf- Rangi elected senior vice-prez, Jashanpreet Kaur vice-prez fic management, drainage and infrastructure upgrade are my priorities.” Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa expressed gratitude to the residents of Zirakpur for reposing faith in the party and giving it a clear mandate. Congratulating the newly elected president, senior vice-president and junior vice-president, the MLA called upon all office-bearers and councillors to work in close coordination and with a spirit of collective responsibility for the overall development of Zirakpur. He said the council must work with commitment and unity to address civic issues, strengthen urban infrastructure and ensure better public services. The election for the post of Lalru Nagar Council president will be held on June 26. Zoravar Singh and Jarnail Continued on page 3 NIIMS junction, which was non-functional at the last meeting, has been made operational. However, the light at the Sector 49/50 point (cycle chowk) remains on blinking mode, falling short of full functionality. THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 24 As many as 115 CCTV cameras installed across Chandigarh were non-functional as of June 19, zebra crossings missing at 80 locations and tree pruning was overdue at 43 spots. These glaring gaps in the city’s road safety infrastructure were flagged at the 25th meeting of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) chaired by Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Tuesday. The alarming figures, placed before the committee by the office of the DSP/Police Control and Command Centre (PCCC), painted a worrying picture of civic upkeep in what is touted as one of India’s best-planned cities. At the previous DRSC meeting in February, the number of non-functional CCTV cameras stood at 63 — meaning the count has nearly doubled in four months. “Road safety is not a seasonal exercise — it demands constant vigilance, timely CYCLE TRACK LEAKAGES PARTIALLY ADDRESSED Zebra lines missing at the Sector 19-7 traffic lights on Madhya Marg in Chandigarh. PARDEEP TEWARI action and zero tolerance to neglect. Every non-functional camera, every missing zebra crossing and every encroachment on a road berm can lead to a potential tragedy. I will not accept pendency as an answer,” DC Yadav told The Tribune. Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has consistently emphasised the importance of making Chandigarh a model in road safety governance. “Chandigarh must c m y b lead by example. The infrastructure we build or fail to maintain directly determines whether our citizens return home safely. I expect every department to treat road safety as a priority, not a routine agenda point,” said Kataria. SIGNALS, BLINKERS, LIGHT WORKS PENDING The meeting also revealed that solar-based estimates for the installation of approximately 195 blinker lights at 61 road entry and exit points merging with V-3, V-4 and V-5 roads are still under preparation — a project pending since at least February. Similarly, solar-based estimates for six pedestrian Pelican lights at vulnerable junctions are under process, as are flashing light estimates for Dhanas Bridge near the dumping ground, Matka Chowk and the T-point on the Hallo Majra-Panchkula stretch towards the Baltana turn. The flashing light at the On the city’s signature cycling infrastructure, the committee reviewed household water drainage seeping onto cycle tracks across multiple sectors. The MC’s XEN (R-2 Division) informed the DC that water leakage has been rectified in Sectors 35-D, 36 B&D, 37 B, C and D, 41-A and 39-B, while remaining locations are being attended to. A WhatsAppbased coordination group for cycle track maintenance has been activated between the engineering wings. FATAL CRASH AUDIT WORK IN PROGRESS Out of 83 fatal road crash sites that had been jointly inspected and whose recommendations were circulated to departments, the XEN (CP-2) informed the meeting that 31 sites fall under CP-1 Division — of which five had no roadrelated recommendations. Engineering interventions have been implemented fully or partially at 16 locations, while work at the remaining nine is in progress. The MC’s R-2 Division stated that remedial measures are being taken regularly. ROAD WIDENING, CYCLE TRACK WORK PENDING The cycle tracks from the Hallo Majra light point to the Makhan Majra turning point and from the airport light point to the UT boundary have been completed up to the WMM (Wet Mix Macadam) stage, with carpeting still pending. Earth settlement has been observed at deep-filling stretches, while road widening along the airport light point stretch will commence only after the removal of 68 trees — permission for which has already been obtained. The cycle track from Tribune Chowk to Transport Chowk is nearly complete, with 3.2 km done and only a 150-metre stretch pending where earthfilling is in progress.