13102026-CT-01.qxd 13-10-2026 00:35 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SHOCK EXIT FOR MANIKA IN NATIONAL TT CHAMPIONSHIP ANSH CLINCHES SILVER AT BENDIGO BADMINTON MEET THE MANY SHADES OF NAVRATRI Manika Batra loses to Diya Chitale in 2nd national ranking TT meet being held in Panchkula. P2 Ansh put up a tough fight before losing gold to second seed Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese Taipei. P2 Celebrities reflect on finding Navratri festival’s meaning in faith, family and celebratory outfits. P3 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 38 PANCHKULA FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Sept 22 electoral rolls to be used for MC polls PU students protest against CEC SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH CONFERENCE: “From Gujarat to reunion: Migration, trade and building shared society”; PU Gandhi Bhawan; 12 noon APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 32°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.2°C | MIN 17.2°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.23 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 43 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 5.54 PM » TUESDAY | 13 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Cops stop a PU student from marching towards the Election Commission office during a protest at Sector 17. RAVI KUMAR (PAGE 2) Chandigarh, October 12 The State Election Commission has decided to use the existing electoral rolls of the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency for the upcoming Municipal Corporation (MC) elections instead of preparing a separate voter list for the civic polls. The electoral rolls were published in its final form on September 22, 2026, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). According to a notification issued by the commission, the term of the existing MC House will end on January 7, 2027. The civic elections must, therefore, be held before the expiry of its Revisions made up to last date for filing nominations to be included REGISTERED VOTERS 4,60,209 term to ensure the timely constitution of a new body. The commission has opted to use the revised parliamentary constituency electoral rolls to save the time and additional expenditure involved in preparing a separate voter list for the municipal elections. According to the final electoral rolls published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Chandigarh, on September 22, the city has 4,60,209 registered voters. The roll will serve as the basis for elections in all 35 municipal wards. The notification clarifies that amendments made or to be made under Sections 22 and 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, after the publication of the final electoral rolls will also be taken into account. Any revisions made up to the last date for filing nominations will be incorporated into the electoral rolls. This will ensure that eligible voters whose names are added or whose electoral details are amended within the stipulated period are included in the relevant ward-wise voter list. POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 1 pm: Parts of Sectors 20, 22, 37, 47 10 am to 2.30 pm: Sectors 30, 46, 51, 39, Manimajra, Mauli, Vikas Nagar, Raipur Kalan 2 pm to 5 pm: Maloya village No written test for ex-Agniveers in UT police recruitment Chandigarh, October 12 Former Agniveers have been granted several concessions in the recruitment of Constables (Executive) in Chandigarh Police, including exemption from the written examination and relaxation in the upper age limit. The UT Home Department has also exempted eligible candidates from the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and Physical Measurement Test (PMT), subject to the prescribed conditions and submission of valid documentary proof. The mandatory Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course and driving licence requirements have also been waived. According to a notification issued by the Home Department, former Agniveers will get a three-year relaxation in the upper age limit for constable recruitment. Those belonging to the first batch under the Agnipath scheme will be eligible for a five-year relaxation. The age relaxation will be over and above the concessions available to candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). An earlier notification issued in January had provided for a four-year age relaxation. The concessions will initially be available to former Agniveers who are bona fide residents of Chandigarh. If eligible local candidates are unavailable to fill reserved vacancies and the posts remain vacant, these may be filled by eligible former Agniveers who are bona fide residents of Punjab or Haryana, in accordance with the prescribed rules. — TNS ‘0001’ of CH01-DG Centre clears ~18.46 cr for digital UT heritage chairs sold series fetches ~21.31L makeover ofLe Corbusier Centre for ~3.21L in Netherlands Nitin Jain Chandigarh, October 12 The much sought-after fancy registration number “0001” of the CH01-DG series fetched the highest bid of Rs 21.31 lakh against a reserve price of Rs 50,000 at an e-auction conducted by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), which concluded today. The RLA conducted the eauction of registration numbers from 0001 to 9999 in the new series, along with leftover fancy and special numbers from the previous series, from October 10 to 12. The auction of 527 registration numbers generated revenue of Rs 2.97 crore for the RLA. The registration number CH01-DG-0007 attracted the second-highest bid of Rs 11.71 lakh. The registration number “0001” of the CH01-DD series had fetched the highest-ever bid of Rs 53.88 lakh in March this year. The RLA had earned a record revenue of Rs 4.48 crore in that auction. Dushyant Singh Pundir TOP 10 BIDS NUMBER CH01-DG-0001 CH01-DG-0007 CH01-DG-0009 CH01-DG-0003 CH01-DG-0002 CH01-DG-0005 CH01-DG-0008 CH01-DG-0004 CH01-DG-0010 CH01-DG-0011 HIGHEST BID ~21.31 lakh ~11.71 lakh ~10.90 lakh ~8.70 lakh ~8.27 lakh ~7.39 lakh ~6.01 lakh ~5.25 lakh ~5.21 lakh ~5.16 lakh The second-highest bid of Rs 37.63 lakh was received for “0003” of the CH01-DE series, while the auction generated total revenue of Rs 4.13 crore. The third-highest bid on record, Rs 36.43 lakh, was received for “0001” of the CH01-DA series. — TNS Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 12 A pair of armchairs designed by Pierre Jeanneret and originally housed in Chandigarh’s administrative buildings was auctioned for 3,000 (approximately Rs 3.21 lakh) at Hessink’s Fine Art Auctioneers in the Netherlands on October 10. The Chandigarh Administration had been alerted to the auction on September 25, leaving time to register an FIR and initiate diplomatic intervention to stop the sale. Similar interventions had stalled overseas auctions in Paris in June and Barcelona in July. Ajay Jagga, a member of the UT Heritage Items Protection Cell and the Administrator’s Advisory Council, has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and the Chandigarh Administration, seeking an investigation into how the armchairs were removed from the city’s administrative buildings and why the intervention process failed to prevent their sale. Chandigarh, October 12 The Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs 18.46 crore for setting up the city’s first fully digital museum at the Le Corbusier Centre in Sector 19 here. The UT Administration had submitted a comprehensive proposal to the ministry under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme to further strengthen Chandigarh’s identity as a globally recognised centre of architecture and urban planning. The museum will offer visitors immersive experiences through virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), holographic installations, interactive displays and digital archives. It will trace the architectural journey of Le Corbusier, with one gallery dedicated to his contribution to Chandigarh and another to his work across the world. The museum will have sev- Seven galleries to showcase architect’s journey through virtual reality, holographic displays en galleries — Early Life, Architectural Journey, Gaming Zone, Contribution to Chandigarh, Miniature Gallery, Contribution to the World and Sketch-like Le Corbusier Museum. Other facilities will include a library, workshop and conference room, scholars’ room with workstations, reading room, souvenir shop and ticketingcum-reception area. According to officials, the proposal is aimed at making the museum more interac- tive through VR tours and AR displays. Built as a temporary office in 1951, the building served as the planning headquarters where Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and his team prepared the master plan for Chandigarh. International architects, including Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, worked alongside Indian architects in the building to shape the city’s distinctive urban design. Administration alerted on Sept 25 but failed to register FIR in time, missing chance for diplomatic intervention FIR delay stalled diplomatic intervention The Director of Culture, Chandigarh Administration, had written to the Chandigarh SSP on September 25, seeking registration of an FIR covering the Netherlands auction. The same legal step had helped stall auctions in Paris and Barcelona. However, the FIR was not registered in time. Without a criminal case on record, the Administration lacked authenticated investigative material to forward to the Ministry of External Affairs. At the Artcurial auction in Paris on September 30, another Chandigarh heritage lot flagged on September 25 remained unsold, offering the Administration an opportunity to pursue further action. Sector 26 mandi remains mired in slush despite Governor’s visits Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 12 Waterlogging, muddy slush and inadequate drainage continue to plague the Sector 26 mandi during rain, despite four visits by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, and directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Every spell of rain exposes the poor condition of the city’s main wholesale market. Despite repeated directions from the UT Administrator, sanitation and drainage remain persistent concerns at the mandi. Vendors said that although routine cleaning was carried out, vegetable waste mixed with rainwater and mud turned into slippery slush, making movement difficult for traders and visitors. A visit to the market revealed waterlogging at the exit point towards the Police Lines and outside the mandi’s boundary wall. Shopkeepers and traders said the existing infrastructure was inadequate to tackle the problem and called for an upgraded drainage system and renovation of the market. The Administration has already prohibited retail vendors from operating inside the wholesale market. However, traders said improvements in sanitation and waste management were essential Rotten vegetables and slush on a road at the Sector 26 mandi on Monday. RAVI KUMAR to maintaining hygiene and ensuring smooth movement within the premises. Rajen- c m y b der Singh, a trader, said a major overhaul of the mandi was needed to address the recur- ring problems of muddy slush and waterlogging. Residents of the Sector 26 Police Lines also complained about the foul smell emanating from waste accumulating near their premises. Brij Mohan, president of the Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association, said the mandi required comprehensive infrastructure upgrades, particularly to its drainage network and approach roads. He said the recurring problem could not be resolved through cleaning drives alone and required long-term measures to prevent water from accumulating during rain. Officials said infrastructure improvement works had been planned for the wholesale market. The proposed measures include improved drainage, upgraded internal roads, designated parking areas and better traffic management. These are expected to improve hygiene and ease congestion at the mandi. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier taken serious note of the unhygienic conditions in the market following reports of heaps of rotten vegetables, muddy roads and poor civic maintenance. It had directed the Chandigarh Administration and the Market Committee to ensure proper sanitation and remove encroachments affecting the smooth functioning of the wholesale market. Following the UT Administrator’s recent visit, the Mandi Committee secretary was also transferred.