28072026-CT-01.qxd 7/28/2026 12:27 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SIR IN UT: 1.37 LAKH TO GET NOTICES OVER DISCREPANCIES GURNOOR, AVTARANN WIN BADMINTON TITLES JYOTIRMAYEE NAYAK WINS INDIAN IDOL SEASON 16 Chandigarh DC Nishant Kumar Yadav chairs a review meeting with officers to assess SIR progress. P3 Gurnoor beats Anayaa, while Avtarann outplays Kartik to win the women’s and men’s singles finals. P3 Hailing from Odisha, Jyotirmayee delivered breathtaking performance on ‘Saiyaan o saiyaan’. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 37 PANCHKULA Official records list 1,200 such properties across the city Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 12 noon: Parts of Sector 30, Old Ropar Road area, Shantinagar, main bazar, Shastri Nagar and Fish Market in Manimajra 11 am to 2 pm: Sector 42, Subhash Nagar, and Modern Housing Complex in Mani Majra. 12 noon to 3 pm: Sector 7 4 pm to 6 pm: Dhanas village and Ambedkar Colony FIR sought over controversial comments at Jantar Mantar Ramkrishan Upadhyay FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE UT set to take possession of resumed properties Risky ride SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.8°C | MIN 25.4°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.38 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 43 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 7.20 PM » TUESDAY | 28 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST A two-wheeler rider passes through a road covered with slush at the Sector 26 mandi on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Roof leaks at city museum flagged in LS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 The Union Ministry of Culture has told Parliament that the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10-C, has deteriorated in certain parts, with roof leakages during monsoon and ageing climate control systems, while confirming that no central financial assistance has been extended to it in the past five years. The admission came in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday to an unstarred question by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari. He had sought details on the muse- Centre confirms no funds released in 5 years despite Grade-I heritage status of the building um’s condition and the steps proposed to make it a “worldclass” facility. Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the government had taken cognisance of the deterioration in certain portions of the building, including roof leakages, poor display infrastructure and the need for conservation of the Grade-I heritage structure. He said periodic repair and maintenance was carried out and that the Engineering Depart- ment’s Civil Wing had initiated waterproofing work, which will be completed soon. To a specific query on whether any financial assistance had been provided by the Centre for the conservation, restoration and modernisation of the museum over the past five years, the minister’s one-word reply was “No.” The minister confirmed that the Chandigarh Administration had submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for the museum’s upgrade under the ministry’s Museum Grant Scheme, estimated at Rs 30.33 crore. The preservation needs of the collection and the adequacy of existing infrastructure were assessed regularly by museum authorities, and the requirement to modernise conservation laboratories, HVAC systems, storage and exhibition infrastructure had been incorporated into the DPR, he added. The steps listed in the DPR include building conservation, upgrade of interiors and exhibition display, fire safety and risk management, security and CCTV surveillance, continued on page 2 Chandigarh, July 27 The UT Estate Office has initiated the process to take possession of the resumed properties and then put them up for auction in the city. Nearly 1,200 properties, including residential and commercial ones, are listed as resumed in the records of the Estate Office across the city. Many of these properties have been lying vacant for years, with owners either untraceable or failing to respond despite repeated notices. In several cases, allottees violated lease conditions or defaulted on premium and instalment payments, leading to resumption of their properties under the rules. According to officials, the records of these properties are being updated and their legal status reviewed. Discrepancies are also being corrected in the official records to ensure that possession can be taken of the legally valid resumed properties. “Once the revised list is prepared, it will be placed in the public domain for objections and suggestions. After all objections are examined and disposed of, the final list will be notified, following which the properties will be put up for e-auction,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer. According to officials, nearly 70 per cent of these resumed properties are residential and are located in WHY UNITS ARE RESUMED The Estate Office cancels the allotment and reclaims a plot, house or commercial unit when the owner violates the terms of allotment, fails to pay rent, dues or instalments, or carries out illegal constructions. E-AUCTION AFTER FINAL LIST Once the revised list is prepared, it will be placed in the public domain for objections and suggestions. A final list will be notified, following which the properties will be put up for e-auction. ❝ Nishant Kumar Yadav, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER-CUM-ESTATE OFFICER. prime sectors across Chandigarh. Although around 1,200 properties are currently listed as resumed in official records, several entries are either incorrect or legally disputed. The record verification exercise is aimed at eliminating such errors and preventing future litigation. Officials said possession proceedings would also be initiated in cases where resumption orders remained valid after the verification process. They said resumed properties could be restored to the owner on the payment of the pending instalments with penalty and fulfilling the conditions of the allotment. Meanwhile, the Estate Office is also planning to reduce the reserve prices of the properties to be put up for auction in the city after the department received a lukewarm response to its recent auction of residential properties. The bidders submitted bids for only two units out of 10 due to high reserve prices. Officials believe the high reserve price discouraged bidders and to attract buyers, the department was now considering to bringing the reserve prices in line with the prevailing collector rate of the area. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 A local court has directed the Chandigarh Police to file a status report on a complaint filed by advocate Vibhu Saini seeking the registration of an FIR against activist and social reformer Sonam Wangchuk, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party Abhijeet Dipke and comedian Kunal Kamra. The petition has been filed under Section 175 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, seeking directions to the police to register an FIR. According to the complainant, he had earlier submitted a complaint to the Chandigarh Police requesting the registration of an FIR against the three individuals, but no action was taken. The complainant alleged that Kamra made objectionable remarks during a protest at Jantar Mantar. He further claimed that Dipke and others were present when the remarks were made. He contended that the alleged remarks hurt religious sentiments and were also derogatory towards the dignity of women. He urged the court to direct the police to register an FIR against the three individuals under the relevant provisions of law. During the preliminary hearing, the court issued a notice to the Chandigarh Police, directing it to file a status report by August 18. The police are expected to inform the court about the action taken on the complaint, the nature of any inquiry conducted, whether a prima facie case is made out, and whether an FIR is warranted. The petitioner has also impleaded the UT Administration and the Station House Officer (SHO) of the police station concerned as respondents in the case. Traffic survey at rly station a day 3 firing case accused held after encounter after MP Tewari flags chaos Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 A day after Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari flagged traffic chaos outside the railway station on social media, the UT traffic police today conducted a joint survey with officials of the Ambala Railway Division and experts from the Chandigarh Road Safety Society (CRSS) to identify the causes of congestion at the entry and exit points. Tewari had yesterday stated that it took commuters up to one-and-a-half hours to cover the one-kilometre stretch from the Madhya Marg light point to the station. Many passengers missed their trains due to traffic chaos. Repeated requests to the Railway Protection Force and the Chandigarh Police to manage the Team identifies unauthorised halting of taxis, indiscriminate pick-up and drop-off by autos, illegal parking, CTU bus stop as key causes traffic had gone unheeded, he claimed. The survey found that congestion at the station was primarily due to unauthorised halting of taxis, indiscriminate pick-up and drop-off by auto-rickshaws, and illegal parking. Based on the findings, the joint team has proposed channelising the existing CTU bus stop to allow buses to halt in proper parallel alignment, and shifting the U-turn used by buses near the railway station light point about 100 metres ahead to provide adequate turning space and smoother signal clearance. The feasibility of shifting the bus stop beyond the station’s exit gate is also to be explored in consultation with the authorities concerned. The team also proposed stringent regulation of taxis halting immediately before the station’s entrance gate through dedicated deployment of traffic personnel, along with designated pickup and drop-off points for auto-rickshaws. It also laid emphasis on the need for enforcement against unauthorised parking of vehicles outside the station. The survey further found that congestion increased significantly in the afternoon during the arrival and departure of multiple Vande Bharat Express trains. Since the continued on page 2 Mohali, July 27 Three accused were arrested after a brief police encounter in Sector 83 on Monday afternoon in connection with the firing on two members of an anti-narcotics team on the LandranBanur Road on Saturday. The police have identified the accused as Lakhwinder Singh and Jaskaran Singh, both residents of Gigemajra, and Gagan. According to officials, the accused were intercepted while travelling on a motorcycle in a secluded area of Sector 83. They allegedly opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory action. Lakhwinder and Jaskaran suffered bullet injuries to their legs, while Gagan surrendered at the spot. The police said two other accused, Shanty of Tangori and Husan of Gudana village, had already surrendered before a court. Police personnel inspect the encounter site in Mohali on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR The police recovered the motorcycle used in the crime, two pistols and several empty cartridge cases from the encounter site. The officials said the accused were suspected drug peddlers and one of them was already facing charges in a rioting case. However, two days after the attack, several questions remain unanswered. It is unclear why only two anti-narcotics personnel, reportedly dressed in shorts and T-shirts, were pursuing suspects allegedly carrying contraband. Questions have also been raised over the circumstances in which Head Constables Paramjit Singh continued on page 2 Scientific temper key: Wolf Prize laureate to pupils Tribune News Service Prof Jainendra K Jain being felicitated for his scientific contributions during a public lecture in Chandigarh. c m y b Chandigarh, July 27 A packed Tagore Theatre welcomed Prof Jainendra K Jain, the 2025 Wolf Prize laureate in physics, today as he traced his journey from a village in Rajasthan to becoming one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. Delivering a public lecture titled “My Journey from a village in Rajasthan to the frontiers of quantum physics”, Professor Jain held students, teachers, scientists and citizens spell- bound as he explained composite fermions — the theoretical breakthrough that reshaped understanding of the Quantum Hall Effect and brought him global recognition. The lecture, organised jointly by the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation (CCF) and the Society for Promotion of Science & Technology in India (SPSTI), drew a large turnout of students. Young attendees listened closely as Professor Jain wove personal recollections into an account of cutting- edge physics. His central message: curiosity, perseverance and family support count for more than privilege in the pursuit of scientific excellence. He urged students to nurture scientific temper, stay intellectually curious, and pursue ambitious goals regardless of circumstances. The session ended with an animated question-andanswer round, with students asking about quantum research and career pathways in science. The CCF representatives said the lecture reinforced the foundation’s effort to connect young minds in Chandigarh with eminent personalities across disciplines. The event closed with the felicitation of Professor Jain for his scientific contributions and his interaction with the city. Nineteen schools from Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and Kaithal participated in the programme. More than 800 students, teachers and members of the general public attended the lecture.