21072026-CT-01.qxd 7/21/2026 12:42 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CITY AAP SEEKS OUSTER OF UNION EDUCATION MINISTER SANGATPREET WINS THREE SHOOTING MEDALS 11-MINUTE FIFA SPECTACLE FAILED TO GENERATE BUZZ The city unit of AAP holds a protest to press for resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.P3 Sangatpreet Singh of Strawberry Fields High School wins 3 medals at the Punjab shotgun meet. P3 Hollywood stars glitter at the FIFA World Cup final, where Tom Cruise led an A-list parade of celebrities. P4 » » 50 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE CHB mulls one-time settlement for small flat scheme rent defaulters 60 PANCHKULA MAX 28°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.4°C | MIN 26.4°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:35 AM /THETRIBUNECHD AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 7.23 PM » TUESDAY | 21 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Over 12K allottees owe board nearly ~52 crore Dushyant Singh Pundir 22.6-mm WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sectors 9, 18,19, 26, 44-A, B and D, 52, and Kajheri village 2 pm to 4 pm: Parts of Sector 44-C Chandigarh draft electoral roll to be out today rainfall in city leads to 6.6°C dip in max temperature Commuters brave the rain near Singhpura on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway in Zirakpur on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Orangealertforheavyraintilltomorrow Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 20 Active southwest monsoon conditions are set to strengthen over Chandigarh during the next 48-72 hours, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a significant increase in rainfall activity and issuing an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain till Wednesday. According to the IMD bulletin, the ongoing monsoon spell is expected to peak between July 20 and 22, with light to moderate rain at most places and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated locations in Chandigarh. Rainfall activity is likely to reduce on Thursday, when a yellow alert for heavy rain will remain in force. No weather warning has been issued from Friday onwards, indicating a gradual weakening of the current spell. Chandigarh received 22.6 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Monday. Seasonal rainfall since June 1 increased to 214.2 mm, though it remained 33.9 per cent below normal. Relative humidity ranged between 77 per cent and 93 per cent. The rainfall led to a sharp fall in the maximum temperature. Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 29.4°C, down 6.6 degrees Celsius from Sunday and 4.4 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature remained unchanged at 26.4°C, which was 0.5 degree below normal. The five-day forecast indicates generally cloudy skies with thunderstorms and rain from Tuesday to Thursday, followed by partly cloudy skies with thunderstorms and rain on Friday and Saturday. Maximum temperatures are expected to remain between 28°C and 32°C, while minimum temperatures are likely to stay in the 24°C to 26°C range. “Monsoon activity is expected to remain active over Chandigarh during the next two to three days. The current spell is likely to peak between July 20 and 22, with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places. Rainfall intensity is expected to decrease after Thursday, although monsoon conditions will continue,” the IMD said. Chandigarh, July 20 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is planning to introduce a one-time settlement scheme for rent defaulters of various rehabilitation programmes. The CHB had issued notices to 11,217 allottees of the Small Flats Scheme2006 to clear their licence fee dues by May 31. These dwelling units are located in Ram Darbar, Mauli Jagran, Maloya, Industrial Area, Dhanas, Sector 38-West, Sector 56 and Sector 49. Similar notices were issued to nearly 1,530 allottees of the Affordable Rental Housing Complex Scheme at Maloya. These housing units were allotted under various rehabilitation schemes. The defaulters were warned of cancellation of allotment if they did not pay up. The licence fee has to be paid by the allottees by the 10th of every month. In case of delay, interest at the rate of 12% per annum is charged for the delayed period. FILE Tribune News Service Instead of cancelling the allotments, the rent defaulters were likely to be given an opportunity to pay the dues, stated CHB officials. They said the data of all rent defaulters was being compiled to assess the principal amount and the interest accrued on the dues. Accordingly, they would be asked to pay a lump sum amount under the one-time settlement scheme, which was under deliberation. The CHB recently cancelled the allotment of nearly 90 beneficiaries of the Small Flats Scheme-2006 and the Affordable Rental Housing Complex Scheme for failing to pay rent. According to officials, the total outstanding amount has reached nearly Rs 52 crore, including Rs 25 crore in unpaid rent and nearly Rs 27 crore in accumulated interest resulting from years of nonpayment. The housing units were allotted under a licencebased system, requiring beneficiaries to pay a minimum monthly rent. However, many allottees failed to deposit even the basic rent over extended periods, making the dues run into lakhs per household. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 20 The UT Administration will publish the draft electoral roll of the enumeration phase under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) tomorrow. The enumeration phase was conducted from June 15 to July 14. As per the schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on July 21 with July 1 as the qualifying date. It includes the names of electors who submitted their enumeration forms during the house-to-house visits by booth-level officers (BLOs). Citizens whose names do not appear in the draft electoral roll may submit claims for inclusion of their names in the Electoral Roll, along with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, during the claims and objections period from July 21 to August 20. Young citizens who attained the age of 18 on or before July 1 are also eligible to apply for enrolment by submitting Form 6 along with the prescribed declaration. Electors seeking correction of entry in the Electoral Roll, replacement of Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or change of address may submit Form 8 either online through the ECINET mobile app, ECINET portal or offline through the BLO concerned. Citizens requiring any assistance may contact the Voter Helpline Number 1950 or avail the “Book a Call Request with BLO” facility available on the ECINET mobile app. 26-yr-old man killed as speeding Mohali police detain farmers, foil BMW car hits bike; driver held protest ahead of award process Ram Darbar resident suffered head injuries, died at GMCH LAND ACQUISITION FOR AEROTROPOLIS PROJECT Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, July 20 Ahead of the commencement of the award process for the owners of 3,864 acres spread across eight villages for the Aerotropolis project, the police on Monday morning took scores of farmers union leaders and landowners in preventive custody. Several farmer unions and landowners from the eight villages had decided to boycott the formal administrative process whereby the competent authority would assess the compensation and rehabilitation benefits to landowners. They had planned to stage a protest outside the GMADA office in Sector 62 here on Monday. However, the police conducted early morning raids and picked up farmer leaders A landowner being detained from outside the GMADA office. from their homes. BKU (Lakhowal) leader Nachattar Singh Baidwan was detained and taken to the Mataur police station. Farmer leader Sewa Singh Bakarpur was also picked up from his home and taken to the Phase 8 police station. The houses of SKM leader Paramdeep Singh Baidwan and farmer leader Makhan Singh Gige Majra were also raided, but they managed to give cops a slip. Farmer leaders claimed that some of them had reached the GMADA office in the morning to hold a protest, but were whisked away by cops. The land is being Continued on page 2 The BMW car involved in the accident. Royal Enfield bike. The speeding car, which was coming from the Mohali side, rammed into the bike, dragging it for some distance. Sources said the Ram Darbar resident received severe head injuries as he was riding the bike without helmet. The police are checking CCTV footage of the area to ascertain whether there was any altercation or road rage incident before the crash. “The victim succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The car driver has been arrested and the vehicle impounded. The probe into the matter is on,” said a police officer. Pratham worked in an IT company in Panchkula and was preparing for his elder sister’s wedding. — TNS New Delhi, July 20 Chandigarh is set to host the BRICS Health Meetings-2026 from July 21 to July 24, bringing together health ministers, senior officials and experts from member countries to dwell on strengthening cooperation in key areas of public health. The meetings will focus on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, digital health, mental health and wellness, healthy lifestyles and public health, according to an official statement. The deliberations are expected to advance discussions on building resilient, innovative and sustainable health systems through greater collaboration, knowledge sharing and exchange of best practices among BRICS nations. The meetings are part of the health cooperation framework aimed at enhancing partnerships among member nations to address emerging healthcare challenges and improve outcomes through coordinated policy initiatives. — TNS Traffic curbs hassle students, residents as Sukhbir appears before SIT in Sec 32 Tribune News Service Man gets 20-yr jail for raping minor Panchkula, July 20 The Fast Track Special POCSO Court here sentenced a man to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) after convicting him of sexually assaulting a minor girl two years ago. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. Continued on page 3 Chandigarh, July 20 A 26-year-old man died after a speeding high-end car hit his bike at the Industrial Area-Sector 31 light point here on Monday. The car driver has been arrested. The victim was identified as Pratham of Ram Darbar. He was returning home after a morning walk at a garden in Sector 31 when the mishap took place. Pratham sustained injuries in the accident. The car driver and passersby rushed him to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32. The car driver allegedly fled from the hospital after learning about the victim’s critical condition. The police later identified him as Aftab (24), a resident of Mohali. He was traced and arrested. The incident reportedly took place around 6.30 am when Pratham was coming from Sector 31 side on his BRICS health meet in city from today Commuters stuck in a long traffic jam at Sector 32 in Chandigarh on Monday. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR c m y b Chandigarh, July 20 Massive traffic disruptions were witnessed in Sector 32 today as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case at the Punjab Police Officers’ Institute (PPOI). Heavy police deployment and traffic restrictions on roads leading to the PPOI hassled commuters. Residents, shopkeepers and parents arriving to pick up their children from nearby schools faced inconvenience. There are three schools and a college near the PPOI. Anticipating disruptions, GGDSD College and PML SD Public School had declared a holiday today. The bus service for kindergarten students at St Anne’s Convent School began at 2 pm instead of the usual time of 12.30 pm. However, parents were allowed to pick up their wards at the usual closing time. There was no change in the opening and closing time of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 32. Saupin’s School, which is situated in the same sector, also kept its schedule unchanged. Badal reached the venue along with a large number of supporters. Vehicles of supporters were parked across Sector 32 and along the road separating Sectors 32 and 46 and near the Sector 46 sports complex. This resulted in heavy traffic congestion in the area. Vehicular movement was restricted on all roads leading to the PPOI. The police had cordoned off the entire area with barricades. Traffic at the inner Sector 32 market roundabout was allowed only in one direction, which caused inconvenience to many patients who had to visit the GMCH. “Police teams arrived in the morning and restricted traffic movement. Some residents opposed cops over the restriction. The situation remained the same till 3 pm. On normal days, traffic jams are witnessed in the area only around the school opening and closing times,” said Rachna, a local resident. The area was turned into a cantonment, as rumours that SIT may take action against Badal spread rapidly. A heavy security presence remained in place throughout the day, while Akali supporters gathered near the venue and raised slogans in support of the party chief. “Such scenes are scary for small children. Hundreds of people and vehicles have gathered here. There were rumours that the situation could turn ugly if Badal was arrested,” said Aniket, a parent. Continuous rain made the situation more troublesome. “The administration should not permit such events in the middle of the city,” said Anita, a parent who walked to a nearby school to pick up her child.