02102026-CT-01.qxd 10/2/2026 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune FAKE CREDIT CARD CALL CENTRE BUSTED, 3 HELD FROM DELHI EX-CREST ACCOUNTANT DENIED BAIL IN ~83-CR FRAUD CASE ‘NEPALESE IN INDIA ARE LIKE MEXICANS IN AMERICA’ The police seize 13 mobile phones, nine SIM cards and four registers containing customers’ data. P3 Accused Sahil is former accountant of Chd Renewable Energy & Science and Technology Promotion Society. P3 Meet Ashim Ahluwalia, Niharika Singh and Vishwendra Singh, who are behind Hindi-Nepalese film Khoriya. P4 » » GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.6°C | MIN 21.8°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.07 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:17 AM » FRIDAY | 2 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE STARS ARRIVE FOR MULLANPUR TIE TRIBUNE PHOTOS: RAVI KUMAR Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, coach Gautam Gambhir and West Indies players arrive at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport ahead of their ODI match to be held at Mullanpur on October 3. PAGE 3 AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 55 PANCHKULA 41 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 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 DRY DAY TODAY Chandigarh: On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, October 2 will be observed as a dry day in Chandigarh. All liquor vends, bars, wholesale godowns of liquor and other excise establishments will remain closed from 12 midnight on October 1. TNS City’s GST growth slows for 3rd straightmonth, falls to 4% in Sept Tribune News Service TELLING NUMBERS Chandigarh, October 1 Chandigarh’s goods and services tax (GST) monthly growth rate has fallen steadily through the quarter — from 12% in July to 8% in August and now 4% in September — even as the national domestic GST growth rate for September stood at 10.1%, more than double the UT’s pace. The collections, however, grew 4 per cent year-on-year in September to Rs 238 crore, up from Rs 229 crore in 2025, according to provisional data compiled by the Union Ministry of Finance. Haryana’s September growth slumped to just 2%, its weakest this fiscal, while Punjab’s growth was 18% and Delhi’s 12%. Chandigarh’s April-September GST collections stood at Rs 1,621 crore, up 3.4% over the same six months last year — a marginal improvement on the 3.2% cumulative growth recorded till August. The pace ■ SEPTEMBER GROWTH: 4% — Chandigarh’s GST collection rose to ~238 crore in September 2026 from ~229 crore in September 2025, falling well short of the national domestic growth rate of 10.1%. ■ THREE-MONTH SLIDE: Chandigarh’s GST growth has declined every month this quarter: 12% in July, 8% in August and now 4% in September. ■ SIX-MONTH TOTAL: ~1,621 crore — Chandigarh’s cumulative April-September remains well behind Haryana (+10.1%) and Punjab (+9.7%) on a cumulative basis, though Chandigarh continues to outperform Delhi, whose cumulative growth stands at 2.7%. September threw up sharp swings. Manipur (+145%) and Assam (+88%) posted outsized gains, while Sikkim (-51%), Puducherry (-31%) and Jammu & Kashmir (-29%) declined steeply. Chandi- GST collection is up 3.4% over the same period last year, a slight uptick from 3.2% till August, but still behind Haryana (+10.1%) and Punjab (+9.7%). (SOURCE: UNION MINISTRY OF FINANCE) garh’s 4% growth placed it ahead of Himachal Pradesh (21%), Uttarakhand (-23%) and Puducherry, but behind Ladakh (+15%) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (+42%). The state GST settlement data continued to work in Chandigarh’s favour. For September alone, pre-settlement SGST rose 22% to Rs 67 crore, while post-settlement SGST, which includes the UT’s IGST share, grew 17% to Rs 211 crore. Over the cumulative April-September period, however, the pattern remains skewed: presettlement SGST is up 11% at Rs 414 crore, against a 22% rise in post-settlement SGST to Rs 1,365 crore, underlining that Chandigarh continues to be a net beneficiary of the Centre-state settlement mechanism this fiscal. Taxpayer base increases Chandigarh’s registered taxpayer base rose to 34,431 GSTINs as of September 30, up from 34,333 in August, split between 15,115 under central jurisdiction and 19,316 under UT jurisdiction. Nationally, gross GST revenue for September touched Rs 2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%, while net revenue after refunds rose 18.1% to Rs 1,76,520 crore. Import-linked integrated goods and services tax (IGST) collections grew 25.9% during the month. All figures are provisional. UT Administration to enrol voters left out in final rolls Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 1 After the final electoral rolls showed Chandigarh’s electorate down by more than 30 per cent from the 2024 Lok Sabha rolls, the UT Administration will undertake a special drive to enrol eligible citizens left out of the electoral rolls. The focus will be on young and first-time voters. The final photo electoral rolls-2026 for the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency was published on September 22, with 4,60,209 voters. This was 1,99,596 fewer electors, or 30.26 per cent below the 6,59,805 voters recorded for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The final rolls, however, had 9,927 more electors than 4,50,282 in the draft rolls, following the claims and objections process during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The new enrolment drive will see Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct house-to-house visits and assist eligible citizens with BLOs to conduct house-to-house visits; special camps at all polling stations on October 10-11 enrolment and other voter-related services. They will help citizens fill and submit the prescribed forms, particularly those facing difficulties in completing the process. Special camps will be held at all polling stations across Chandigarh on October 10 and 11 from 10 am to 3 pm. BLOs will remain available at their respective polling stations to assist with new enrolment, correction of particulars and other voterrelated services. The administration will also conduct a special outreach programme for young and first-time electors through Electoral Literacy Clubs in educational institutions. The initiative will focus on creat- ing awareness among eligible students and facilitating their registration as voters. Eligible citizens can submit Form 6 for new voter registration, Form 7 for objection/deletion and Form 8 for shifting of residence, correction of entries, replacement of EPIC or marking of PwD. Voter services will also be available through the ECINET app and portal, besides the “Book a Call with BLO” facility. Citizens can contact the Voter Helpline at 1950 for information and assistance. In his latest letter, MP Manish Tewari has sought a ward and booth-wise reconciliation of every elector deleted or not included since June 1, 2024, including the EPIC number, date and specific reason for each deletion or omission. He has also sought details of electors classified as “enrolled elsewhere” and those not included in the draft rolls because their enumeration forms were not received. ~94 cr for Kharar sarovar named after Lord Ram’s grandfather UT heritage chair finds Water body to be redeveloped in shape of bow and arrow; tendering process to begin soon Nitin Jain KEY FEATURES OF Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 1 The Centre has given in-principle approval to a Rs 93.94crore plan to redevelop the ancient Maharaja Ajj Sarovar at Kharar, on the Chandigarh-Kharar National Highway (NH-21). The sarovar, named after Maharaja Ajj, the grandfather of Lord Ram, will be developed in the shape of bow and arrow. Speaking to The Tribune, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced the clearance under the Swadesh Darshan scheme when they met in New Delhi on Tuesday. The project was cleared in three rounds starting in July. It got the final nod on September 15 at a high-level steering committee meeting headed by the Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism. The Punjab Tourism THE PROJECT ■ Sarovar View Café ■ Auditorium for 100 persons with turntable ■ Open-air theatre ■ Floating musical fountain ■ Spiritual park & wellness centre ■ Children’s park WATER THE KEY The project will be complete only when the sarovar is filled with water, Jain said. Under the plan, surplus water from the BBMB’s Kajauli pipeline will be diverted in winter and on low-demand days to fill the sarovar. A REPRESENTATION OF THE SAROVAR REDEVELOPMENT PLAN. Department will execute the project. Funds will be released to the Punjab Government once the formal sanction is issued. A senior Punjab Tourism Department official said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann personally monitored the project before it was cleared for funds by the Centre under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. The Centre gave in-principle approval at the steering committee meeting, which senior officials of the department also attended, he said. “Under the CM’s special push to promote tourism, we will begin the tendering process of the project immediately after receiving the formal sanction letter from the Centre,” the official said. Kataria said he had visited the sarovar in March for the inauguration of the Ram temple on its banks and had promised to pursue the project. He spoke to Chief Minister Mann, who directed officers to prepare a project report to be submitted to the ministry. The plan was prepared by the engineering wing of the Punjab Tourism Development Board after the approval of the Tourism Minister and the Chief Minister. c m y b The Ram Mandir Ajj Sarovar Vikas Committee, Kharar, assisted in the exercise. Committee president Shashi Pal Jain said the sarovar spreads over 133 kanals along the highway. “We are indebted to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for getting the project prepared and sanctioned by the Union Government. This is the largest ever grant for a religious site in the region. It is a dream come true and the culmination of 40 years of struggle to get the site recognition and funds,” Jain said. SITE’S SIGNIFICANCE Archaeological remains of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain origin were excavated at the site during the British rule. The then Deputy Commissioner, Ambala (under which Kharar fell during joint Punjab), issued orders to protect it in 1891, 1896 and 1926. Jain led efforts to save the site. With public contributions, the ghats were repaired and an air-conditioned community centre, Shri Ram Bhawan, was built. A sum of Rs 10 crore was sanctioned for the site during the tenure of Charanjit Singh Channi, who hails from Kharar, as Chief Minister. The Punjab Government has set up a Sarovar welfare committee, headed by the Mohali Deputy Commissioner, to oversee local works. no takers at Paris auction Chandigarh, October 1 The Pierre Jeanneret heritage chair listed at the Artcurial auction house, Paris, on September 30 remained unsold. A second auction of two “Xleg armchairs” from Chandigarh’s administrative buildings is scheduled to be held at Hessink’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Netherlands, on October 10. The Chandigarh Police is yet to register an FIR that the Administration had sought on September 25 to trigger diplomatic intervention to stop the auction. However, police sources said the process to register the case was in progress as per law. Heritage activist Ajay Jagga, a member of the UT Heritage Items Protection Cell and the Administrator’s Advisory Council, confirmed today that the item at the Paris auction — Lot No. 73, “Chair V Type Cane Seat Cane Back,” circa 1958, solid teak with cane seat and backrest, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 — did not sell. However, he said the development should not be Police yet to register an FIR even as 2nd sale is scheduled for Oct 10 in Netherlands treated as closure. Jagga had flagged both auctions. “The first auction has passed. The second opportunity has not. There is still time to act,” he told The Tribune. THE NETHERLANDS LOT Lot No. 28 is a set of two Pierre Jeanneret “X-leg armchairs”, estimated at 5,000 to 7,000. The auction catalogue lists the provenance as “From the Administrative Buildings, Chandigarh, India”. One Euro is equal to Rs 108.64. — TNS