11092026-CT-01.qxd 9/11/2026 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune ABANDON DRUG TRADE OR FACE ACTION, GUV WARNS PEDDLERS CITY LAD AJEETESH EXTENDS LEAD TO 3 SHOTS AT CHENNAI OPEN NETAS, CRICKETERS TURN BACK THE CLOCK TO 80S UT Administrator has called for a sustained movement to make city a healthy, safe and drug-free city. P3 Ajeetesh Sandhu dominates Chennai Open by shooting a bogey-free fourunder 68 to extend his lead. P3 Ministers, cricketers & movie stars had the same idea — rewind clock & let Internet decide who did it best. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 55 PANCHKULA 39 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 24 and 46 Mohali: Sector 68 and Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9.30 am to 11.30 am: Parts of Sector 37 11 am to 2 pm: Sectors 20, 25, 32, 41, 42, 53, 54, Maloya village, Indira Colony, Subhash Nagar (Manimajra), Palsora 2 pm to 5.30 pm: Sectors 20, 25, 32, 41, 42, 53, 54, Maloya village INBRIEF THEATRE FESTIVAL Chandigarh: A three-day “Comedy Theatre Festival-26” will kick off at Kalagram here at 6.30 pm on Friday. On the inaugural day, play “Nek Chor” will be staged by artistes from Jaipur. TNS PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 36.5°C | MIN 24.8°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.33 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.05 AM » FRIDAY | 11 SEPTEMBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE UT notifies new tenancy rules, sets 2-month deadline for agreements Tribunal quashes dismissal orders of four UT policemen Chd Tenancy Rules-2026 provide for 3-tier mechanism for dispute resolution Ramkrishan Upadhyay Dushyant Singh Pundir TIME-BOUND DISPUTE RESOLUTION Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 10 Every tenancy agreement in Chandigarh will now have to be intimated to the Rent Authority within two months of its execution under the Union Territory of Chandigarh Tenancy Rules-2026, notified by the UT Administration on Thursday. The Estate Department notified the Rules, operationalising the Assam Tenancy Act, 2021, as extended to the Union Territory. The Rules apply to the whole of Chandigarh. Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cumEstate Officer, said the rules would bring greater ease, transparency and predictability to landlord-tenant relations while ensuring a structured mechanism for resolving disputes. Welcoming the notification, Hitesh Puri, chairman, Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED), described the Rules as a progressive and balanced step that would benefit both property ■ Applications before the Rent Authority will require the opposite party to file a reply within 15 days. The period may be extended up to 30 days for recorded reasons. ■ Appeals before the Rent Court and Rent Tribunal will have to set out the grounds concisely and in numbered form and be supported by certified copies of the impugned order. owners and tenants. Puri said the framework would bring greater clarity, transparency and accountability to landlord-tenant relations and help reduce tenancy-related disputes by clearly defining the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Kamal Gupta, chief patron, Property Consultants Association, Chandigarh, said the rules would benefit residents if implemented in the “true spirit”. “As per the Rules, residents (owners/tenants) will not have to face long litigations or make repeated rounds of courts. Litigants can plead their cases themselves. The terms and conditions mentioned in the rent agreement shall be binding on both parties, which will reduce litigation time,” Gupta said. Under the Rules, landlords and tenants will have to jointly or separately intimate the details of every tenancy agreement to the Rent Authority within two months of execution through an online mode. On receiving the intimation, the Rent Authority will ~200-cr boost to sports infra as Sec 42 to get multi-purpose hall, girls hostel ■ The Rent Tribunal will be required to decide appeals within 60 days of service of notice, with generally only one adjournment being permitted. ■ Execution of orders by the Rent Court will have to be completed within 30 days of service of notice on the opposite party. The court will also have the power to appoint advocates or competent officers to ensure compliance. issue a unique identification number (UIN) to the parties as an e-receipt within seven days. The UIN will be sent to their registered mobile numbers or email addresses. The Rent Authority will set up a digital platform within three months of its constitution to facilitate online submission of tenancy documents. Tenancy details will be uploaded on the portal within seven days of registration, with OTP-based validation to secure submissions. All tenancy records and documents will be maintained with strict confidentiality and will be accessible only to the parties concerned and authorised officials of the Rent Authority. Landlords or tenants may approach the Rent Authority for fixation or revision of rent and other charges, including electricity, water, maintenance and security services. The Rent Authority may consider prevailing rents in the same vicinity while deciding such applications. If a party is aggrieved by the Rent Authority’s decision, a government-recognised valuer may be appointed to assess the premises, with the fee borne by the applicant. Landlords or their legal heirs, in case of the landlord’s death, may approach the Rent Court for recovery of possession from a tenant during the continuance of a tenancy agreement. Parties may appear in person or authorise a representative or legal practitioner, including an advocate or attorney, to represent them before the Rent Authority, Rent Court or Rent Tribunal. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 10 The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the orders issued by the SSP , Chandigarh, dismissing four police personnel from service with immediate effect by invoking Clause (b) of the second proviso to Article 311(2) of the Constitution. The tribunal held that the orders dismissing the applicants from service, by dispensing with departmental inquiries without satisfying the requirements of Article 311(2)(b), could not be sustained in law. ASI Akhtar Hussain and three other police personnel had challenged their dismissal orders through advocate Rohit Seth. The tribunal took up all four original applications together. The four police personnel had been dismissed from service after the CBI registered cases against them on allegations of corruption. Hussain said a CBI case was registered against him under Section 120-B of the IPC and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was arrested by the CBI’s Ganesh Chaturthi fervour Anti-Corruption Branch, Chandigarh, after duty hours. He contended that the department subsequently dismissed him from service with immediate effect vide order dated October 10, 2023, by invoking Clause (b) of the second proviso to Article 311(2) without adhering to the parameters prescribed by the Department of Personnel and Training. He filed an appeal in 2024, contending that the competent authority was required to satisfy itself and record reasons before dispensing with a departmental inquiry under Article 311(2)(b). He argued that his dismissal was arbitrary and contrary to law. The counsel for the respondents, however, submitted that the dismissal orders had been passed in accordance with law after following the prescribed procedure and principles of natural justice. After hearing the arguments, the tribunal observed that the respondents had failed to demonstrate that circumstances existed on the relevant date, which made the holding of a departmental inquiry not reasonably practicable. The reasons recorded by Continued on page 2 TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Centre begins deliberations ahead of Asian Relays Championship-2027 Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 10 Chandigarh is set to get an international-level multipurpose sports hall, an indoor allweather swimming pool and a 300-bed girls’ hostel at a combined cost of Rs 200 crore. A proposal for the project has been sent to the Centre. The Union Sports Ministry has begun deliberations on the proposal, Director, Sports, Sorabh Kumar Arora told The Tribune. Arora said the proposed facilities, to come up in Sector 42, are aimed at equipping the city with infrastructure capable of hosting national and international competitions and training camps. Punjab Governor and UT SALIENT FEATURES ■ Total cost: ~200 crore ■ Swimming disciplines, 4,000-seat capacity complex: Olympicsize pool for diving events and practice sessions ■ Girls’ hostel: 300-bed capacity Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said the timing was critical with Chandigarh set to host the 3rd Asian Relays Championships in May 2027 — the city’s biggest international sporting event since the 1989 Asian Rowing Championship, and only the second major continental meet in nearly four decades. He said the upgraded infrastructure would strengthen the city’s case to be considered for future international assignments as well. Kataria said he had taken up the matter with Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, who had responded positively and assured support for the proposal. To ensure the 2027 event and related preparations go through smoothly, Kataria said he had recommended a one-year extension in service for Arora, citing the need for continuity in planning and execution in the run-up to the championship. According to Arora, the indoor multi-purpose sports hall will accommodate 12 disciplines — badminton, judo, ■ Location: Sector 42, Chandigarh ■ Multi-purpose hall: 12 boxing, wrestling, table tennis, fencing, volleyball, basketball, handball, kabaddi, netball and gymnastics — under one roof, with seating for 4,000 spectators. It will also house a physiotherapy hall, fitness hall, rooms for coaches and doctors, a medical room, a sports physiology and anthropometry hall, a conference hall and recreational rooms. The indoor all-weather swimming pool complex will have an Olympic-size competition pool, a diving pool and a practice pool, and will be equipped to host diving, water polo and other aquatic disciplines. The girls’ hostel will accommodate 300 players, with a kitchen, dining hall, recreation room and study room. A woman checks out Lord Ganesha idols ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls on September 14, at a shop in Zirakpur on Thursday. First set of platforms shut as 36-day block begins at UT railway station Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 10 The 36-day block at the Chandigarh railway station began today, with the first set of platforms being closed for roof work and dismantling of the old overbridge. The Rs 462-crore redevelopment of the station, aimed at turning it into a world-class multimodal hub, has missed four deadlines in the past three years. The tender was floated in September 2022 and awarded in November 2022, with construction beginning in January 2023. Passengers are likely to face disruption on almost every visit to the station through mid-October — a cancelled train on one date, a short-terminated service on another and a changed platform. With 442 trips can- celled, 18 trains rerouted or truncated at Ambala Cantonment and 76 more shifting platforms across the three phases, the elderly and first-time travellers, who are less used to checking real-time updates, are likely to face hardship. The block, overlapping with the festival season when trains typically run full and families travel together, is expected to compound passengers’ inconvenience. RAILWAY ADVISORY The Railways has advised all passengers to verify train status before starting their journey through the NTES app, Rail Madad (139), or the station enquiry counter, since berthing and timings may see further last-minute changes through the block period. << Roof work in progress at Platform No. 5-6 at the Chandigarh railway station on Thursday. PHASE 1: TILL SEPTEMBER 21 Lines 6, 7 and 8 (Platforms 5 and 6) go out of use. Twenty trains that normally berth here, including the Chandigarh–Yesvantpur Express (22686), Chandigarh–Madgaon Express (12450), Chandigarh–New Delhi Shatabdi (12046) and both Ajmer–Chandigarh Vande TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Bharat services (20977/78), will arrive and depart from different platforms during this window. Passengers should check the platform indicator or ask at the enquiry counters rather than head straight to their usual platform. PHASE 2: SEPT 22 TO OCT 3 Lines 4 and 5 (Platforms 3 and 4) to remain shut, affecting 17 trains, including the Amritsar–Chandigarh (12411/12412), Howrah–Kalka Mail (13051) and Lucknow–Chandigarh Express (15011/12), all of c m y b which move to revised platforms during this period. Kalka–Howrah Mail (13052), Kalka–New Delhi Shatabdi (12011/12) and the Bathinda–Amritsar Express pair. TRAINS CANCELLED Twelve train services will remain fully cancelled through their respective windows till October 15 or 16. These are the DelhiKalka Express (14331/32), Ambala-Kalka Express (54531/32), ChandigarhAmritsar Express (14541/42), Chandigarh-Ferozepur Express (14629/30), AmbalaJalandhar City service (74645/46) and Ambala-Delhi service (74991/92) — together accounting for 442 lost trips. PHASE 3: OCTOBER 4 TO 15 The final and longest phase will see the closure of Lines 1, 2 and 3 (Platform 2), shifting 39 trains, including the Nanded–Amritsar Express (18309/10), TRAINS THAT WILL START OR END AT AMBALA Six more train pairs will be short-terminated or shortoriginated at Ambala Cantt on specific dates rather than running the last leg to Chandigarh — passengers must board or alight at Ambala Cantt on these dates: ■ Rishikesh–Chd (15063/64): Sept 14, 21, 28, October 5, 12 ■ Ajmer–Chd (12983/84): multiple dates through Oct 13/14 ■ Udaipur–Chd (20989/90): September 23 onward through October 15 EXTRA STOP AT MOHALI FOR EIGHT TRAINS To offset the crowding at Chandigarh, eight long-distance trains, including the Sabarmati-Amritsar/Tata–Asr pair, Agra Cantt-Haridwar Express and AmritsarDehradun Express (both directions), will get a temporary additional stop at Mohali for the entire 36-day period, giving Tricity passengers a closer alternative boarding point. Driver gets 20-yr jail for sexually assaulting minor Tribune News Service Panchkula, September 10 The Fast Track Special POCSO Court of Additional Sessions Judge Manish Dua on Thursday convicted a 53-year-old auto driver of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. Non-payment of the fine will attract another six months of simple imprisonment. According to DCP Aditi Singh, the victim’s mother had filed a complaint in this regard at the women’s police station, Panchkula, in November 2025. The complaint stated that the accused worked as an auto driver and was a close relative of the girl. He used to take her to school Continued on page 2