03072026-CT-01.qxd 7/3/2026 1:20 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune TRAINED IN DERA BASSI, DOGS TO BE DEPLOYED IN NAMIBIA I AM NOT A POLITICIAN, SAYS SINGER DILJIT DOSANJH SILVER SPOON: GREEN BUTTER CHICKEN KARIGARI BY SOKHI Dogs trained at Punjab Home Guards Canine Training & Breeding Institute to help detect narcotics, explosives. P2 During a recent Instagram Live with fans, Diljit said he didn't want to be pulled into political debates. P3 At his new Chandigarh restaurant, Chef Sokhi, the ‘namak shamak’ guy, prepares his star dish.P3 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 33.6°C | MIN 24.5°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:25 AM » FRIDAY | 3 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Broken, clogged road gullies in UT belie MC claims Ramkrishan Upadhyay TRIBUNE PHOTOS: PARDEEP TEWARI Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 2 While the Municipal Corporation (MC) claims that over 85 per cent of the road gullies in the city’s stormwater drainage system have been cleaned ahead of monsoon, the ground reality appears to be different. A visit to various parts of the city found several road gullies either clogged or without covers, posing a serious safety hazard. In many locations, the covers are broken or missing, turning the gullies into potential death traps during rain. In Sector 48, several road gullies were found without covers. Randhir Singh, a local resident, said the gullies had remained neglected for nearly a year. “The covers are either broken or missing. During heavy rain, these open gullies become extremely dangerous,” he said. He added that neither proper repairs nor adequate cleaning had been carried out before monsoon. Last year, the open-air theatre in Sector 48 was inundated during the rainy season, and no additional drainage infrastructure has been created to prevent a repeat of the situation this year, he said. A road gully near the PGI roundabout was found badly damaged, while another on the Sector 14-15 road was SECTOR 27 SECTOR 11 MC officials claim that over 85 per cent of the road gullies in the city’s stormwater drainage system have been cleaned ahead of monsoon. TOTAL ROAD GULLIES REMAINING GULLIES TO BE CLEANED SOON: MC ❝The MC had deployed 18 teams and set up seven control the 30,453 handle rain-related complaints. Directions had been issued torooms to officials concerned to complete the cleaning of the remaining road 25,103 gullies without further delay.❞ CLEANED SO FAR Amit Kumar, MC COMMISSIONER completely blocked. Several gullies in Sectors 19, 25 and 27 were found blocked with garbage. In Sector 29, rainwater had accumulated around a clogged gully. Traders in the Sector 22-B market said work on a new stormwater drainage system, which began about two months ago, was still incomplete. Sanjeev Chadha, presi- dent of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, said the market was unprepared for monsoon. “The work on the road gullies is still incomplete. Traders will face major prob- 4 held for attacking cops during raid near Ghaggar APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 24 and 46 Mohali: Sector 68 and Phase 5 POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH ILLEGAL MINING 10 am to 1 pm: Parts of Sector 56 10.30 am to 1.30 pm: Charan Singh Colony, Mauli Complex, Motor Market, Sarangpur and Dhanas villages, Maloya 1 pm to 3 pm: Sector 32-C 3 pm to 3.45 pm: Mauli Complex Panchkula, July 2 Four persons have been arrested for allegedly attacking cops, obstructing public servants in discharge of official duty and ramming a police vehicle when a team tried to stop illegal mining near the Ghaggar river. According to the police, the Sector 25 police post received information that illegal mining was going on along the Ghaggar river near Sector 28. Acting on the tipoff, a joint team of the police and the Mining Department reached the spot and found four men loading sand and gravel into a trailer. Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said on seeing the police, the suspects started PM Modi likely to visit city on July 17 Chandigarh, July 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Advanced Neurosciences Centre and the Mother and Child Health Centre at the PGIMER, and a multi-purpose auditorium on the South Campus of Panjab University in Sector 25 during his visit to the city on July 17. — TNS pelting the team with stones and tried to escape on the tractor-trailer. As the team chased them, they unloaded the illegally mined material on the road. When cops tried to stop the tractor-trailer, the suspects allegedly rammed it into a police vehicle. The police arrested tractor-trailer driver Jaswinder Singh from the spot. A police constable, Ankit Kumar, fell off the vehicle and suffered injuries. He was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. A case was registered at the Chandimandir police station under the relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 21 of the Mining Act. During the investigation, Jaswinder disclosed that he, along with Gurjit Singh, alias Bablu; Deepak and Sonu, was involved in illegal mining in the Ghaggar river. A team from the Sector 25 police post raided a spot at Kakrali village, Mohali, and arrested the other three suspects. Gurjit, Sonu and Jaswinder Singh are residents of Kakrali village, while Deepak is from Rajiv Colony, Sector 17. The police said Gurjit was previously booked in a theft case. Jaswinder is also facing a snatching case. The police also impounded the tractor-trailer and equipment used in illegal mining. All four suspects were produced before the court and sent to judicial custody. — TNS City’s roadside tandoors to be shifted after SC order PARDEEP TEWARI Tribune Mews Service Chandigarh, July 2 Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri may not find the go-to roadside food at the famous Narinder Singh ji ka Dhaba during his next visit. The fate of the Sector 19 establishment, and countless others, is in limbo after the Supreme Court order over tandoor, parantha and chhole kulche stalls. The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed a 2020 UT Administration notification that had expanded the definition of Essential Service Providers (ESPs) to include vendors selling items such as chhole-bhature, kulche-chhole, parathas, fruits, vegetables and flowers outside places of worship. The roadside tandoors, as a result, will be relocated from their existing spots to the designated vending zones meant for SECTOR 29 A roadside tandoor in Sector 19, Chandigarh, which Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited in 2024. other non-essential services. Narinder Singh, owner of the namesake dhaba, said he has been running the tandoor from the same place for over 42 years. “My father started the tandoor in Sector 18. Then he shifted to Sector 19-C, where Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri paid a visit in 2024,” he recalled. Puri interacted with Singh’s father and relished the dhaba’s dal tadka. Among others, cricketer Dinesh Mongia continued on page 2 c m y b lems during the rains as there is no proper drainage system. Even the first spell of monsoon rain yesterday created chaos for traders and visitors,” he said. Road gullies in Sector 17 were also found damaged at several places. The parking area near the post office experiences waterlogging every time it rains, said local shopkeepers. The city has a total of 30,453 road gullies. The MC had set June 30 as the deadline to clean all gullies before the onset of monsoon. However, officials said only 25,103 gullies had been cleaned so far. Hitseh Puri, chairman of the Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED), said the MC must find a permanent solution to the city’s recurring waterlogging problem. “The stormwater drainage system is decades old and needs to be upgraded,” he said. Meanwhile, the MC has identified several waterlogging-prone locations, including the Sector 7 Sports Complex, Sector 4-9 road, Industrial Area underpass, iron market in Sector 29, Palika Bazaar in Sector 19, Sector 18-19 roundabout and the Sector 11-15 underpass. Waterlogging was also reported from Indira Colony in Manimajra. Residents have urged the UT Administration to repair damaged roads and implement permanent measures to address the recurring problem. Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar said the MC had deployed 18 teams and set up seven control rooms to handle rain-related complaints. Dedicated staff had been stationed at identified waterlogging-prone spots. He said directions had been issued to the officials concerned to complete the cleaning of the remaining road gullies without further delay.