12092024-CT-01.qxd 9/12/2024 12:02 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune BJP, CONG CANDIDATES FILE NOMINATIONS FROM KALKA MONKEY THAT ATTACKED 70 IN ROPAR TRANQUILLISED JASLEEN ROYAL TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST T-SERIES Accompanied by a large number of supporters, Pardeep Chaudhary of Cong holds roadshow in Kalka. P2 A team of Rupnagar Forest Dept cages monkey that attacked about 70 residents in Ropar. P2 Singer Jasleen Royal files a lawsuit against T-Series, lyricist Raj Ranjodh and singer Guru Randhawa. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 36.4°C | MIN 25.5°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.35 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.04 AM » THURSDAY | 12 SEPTEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Panic grips Sec 10 as explosive device lobbed in house Windows, pots damaged | Close shave for 100-year-old owner | Attack linked to plot against old tenant WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Exhibition ‘Smoke & Clay’: Alliance Francaise, Sector 36A, on till September 14, 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm Silk India: Exhibition of traditional handlooms, Kisan Bhawan, Sector 35, on till September 17 Exhibition ‘The Dreamland’: By Navpreet Kaur, Lalit Kala Akademi’s Open Hand Art Studios, Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19, on till September 15 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sector 76 Panchkula: Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Mandip Brar gets charge of Home Secy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 11 Upon joining by Haryanacadre IAS officer Mandip Singh Brar in the Chandigarh Administration, he has been assigned the charge of Secretary, Home, Police, Prisons, Coordination and Protocol. He has also been assigned the charge of the Secretary, Revenue, Local Government and Urban Development, Water Resources, Environment and Forests, Urban Planning, Estate/Housing and Chief Administrator. Further, IAS officer Abhijit Vijay Chaudhari has also been relieved from the charge of Special Secretary Home, Police and Prisons. He will function as Special Secretary to UT Administrator in addition to his own duties. Amit Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 11 Panic gripped the Sector 10 area this evening when two persons, who came by an auto-rickshaw, hurled some explosive substance at a house. The auto driver, identified as Kuldeep, has been nabbed. Sources said there were two more persons in the vehicle. The explosive substance that landed in the lawn caused a small pit. The explosion shattered windows. No one was injured. Explosion and the auto-rickshaw were captured on a CCTV camera installed in the area. The house owner, KK Malhotra (100), a retired college principal from Himachal Pradesh, was sitting in the lawn reading a book just before the attack. Moments after he went inside, the suspects arrived there. According to the sources, three suspects were involved in the attack. One of them hurled the explosive substance. The authorities were immediately alerted around 5.30 pm, following which senior police officials, including IG Raj Kumar Singh, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur and SP (City) Mridul rushed to the spot. “A loud noise occurred, possibly from a low-intensity pressure blast, causing damage to some windows and POLICE SOURCES SUSPECT HAND OF PAK TERRORISTS Personnel of various security agencies inspect the crime scene at Sector 10 in Chandigarh on Wednesday; and (right) the spot covered with a utensil. PHOTO: VICKY pots,” said the SSP . Fire brigade and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also dispatched to the scene. The bomb disposal squad and a forensic team quickly arrived there to inspect the scene. The sources said retired Punjab police AIG Jaskirat Singh Chahal had previously rented the house but shifted after a plan to attack the house was exposed about two years ago. Two suspects were held while carrying out a recce. The police suspect the same suspects are involved in the attack. The arrested suspect is being interrogated. The Court for swift action on road-widening study PGI-KARORAN STRETCH ALONG CHOE Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 11 Mohali district administration has informed that the feasibility and viability of widening the road along the choe from the point behind the PGI to Karoran is being assessed by a team from Punjab Engineering College (PEC). An affidavit to this effect was placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal by the Mohali Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development). The ongoing study is crucial to determining the potential for the road expansion, which is aimed at addressing infrastructure concerns in the region. The road, if widened, will benefit the residents of not just Karoran but also Nayagaon, Nada and Singhadevi. It may eventually benefit people taking an alternative route to Himachal Pradesh. Taking a note of the submission, the Bench asked PEC to expedite the submission of the feasibility report. “The Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, is requested to expedite the submission of the report,” the court asserted, underlining the urgency of the matter. The Bench further directed both Union Territory of Chandigarh and the Punjab Government to work togeth- er once the feasibility and viability report was submitted by PEC. “The Union Territory, Chandigarh Administration, and the Punjab Government are required to work in tandem and make their submissions,” the court stated. The collaboration between these entities is vital to ensure timely and effective action following the report’s submission. The High Court, in a related matter in December last year, had questioned the prolonged denial of basic public amenities to a staggering 2 lakh residents over the past decade in Punjab. The court expressed its surprise at the situation, stating, “We fail to understand as to why 2 lakh continued on page 3 New entrance to HC parking lot irks residents Chandigarh, September 11 A new entrance to the green belt being used for paid parking on the Punjab and Haryana High Court complex has irked residents of the nearby area. Footpath as well as green cover has been damaged to create the new entrance to the green belt. According to the parking staff present there, the place had been used for parking for a long time. The original entrance to the parking lot opens towards the High Court. This new entrance has now been created on the opposite side. This “kutcha” arrangement has been made some distance from the Rock Garden parking lot, which has taken local residents by surprise. “A new A car comes out of the parking lot from the new opening near the High Court. PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI road has been built inside the green belt. It is really sad,” said a local resident. City Chief Engineer CB Ojha said it was not to his knowledge that any such road had been built in this green belt. Earlier, the UT Administration had dug up a public park. After the local residents raised the issue, the work was stopped. Vikas Malik, president, Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, said, “With the permission of the UT Administration, we have built this ‘kutcha’ road. The administration will construct a proper stretch later. This entry provision has been made to curb traffic jams. This is the paid parking for visitors and clients.” — TNS c m y b Punjab Police sources said two individuals were apprehended about two years ago for allegedly plotting an attack on a retired Punjab police officer. “The suspects were conducting a recce when the officer stayed in the same house,” said the sources. They suspect that the same individuals, possibly backed by Pakistan-based terrorists, might be involved in the incident. police are conducting raids to apprehend his accomplice. Sources said the possibility of some terrorist’s hand behind the attack cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, Punjab police officials, including those from the Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF), also arrived at the scene to inves- tigate the matter. Multiple teams of the UT police from the Operations Cell and Crime Branch are investigating the case. A case has been registered at the Sector 3 police station. Malhotra and his family reside on the ground floor, while tenants occupy the first floor. Governor to take final call on MC studytourtoKochi, Lakshadweep Shakti Rani of BJP wealthiest in P’kula dist, but least qualified Tribune News Service The police have announced ~2 lakh reward for info on two suspects. Cong candidate Chaudhary faces criminal charges Ravneet Singh Chandigarh, September 11 Administrator will now take a final call on the proposed study tour of councillors to Kochi and Lakshadweep. Mayor Kuldeep Kumar had earlier written to the UT Administration to allow the study tour. The Mayor said there were several projects, including waste processing plant, which councillors will visit during the tour. “We will learn about good practices and projects introduced by the civic bodies of the two cities. They can be implemented here and a lot can be learnt about how to improve the working,” said the Mayor. The tour has been criticised in the light of the acute financial crisis in the civic body, which is struggling to release the salaries of its employees on time. Such tours are also draw criticism as no report, barring a few instances, regarding these is made public and good things about projects in the cities visited by councillors are rarely implemented here. The councillors are expected to leave for the tour by the end of this month, soon after the MC House meeting scheduled for September 26, provided they get the Administrator’s nod. His permission is necessary for such study tours. Previous Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had in 2022 changed the location of the study tour when his permission was sought. Tribune News Service Panchkula, September 11 The BJP leader, Shakti Rani Sharma is the wealthiest among prominent leaders who filed their nomination papers in the district today. Shakti Rani and Pardeep Chaudhary of the Congress filed their papers for the Kalka Assembly seat, while Gian Chand Gupta of the BJP filed his nomination for Panchkula seat. The most qualified among the three, Chaudhary faces criminal charges. The leaders held their respective roadshows. Shakti Rani (71) has the lowest educational qualification. She passed Class X (matric) from Jabalpur in MP . She and her husband Venod Sharma have total cumulative assets worth Rs 145 crore. They have collective moveable assets worth Rs 112 crore and immovable properties worth Rs 33 crore lakh. However, the couple owns only vehicle, a 2012 model Maruti Vitara Brezza worth Rs 9.22 lakh, which is registered on Venod Sharma’s name. They have Rs 38 lakh in cash besides gold, silver and precious stones worth Rs 1.86 crore. Among SHAKTI RANI (BJP) ~145 CR Movable assets: 112 crore Immovable: ~33 crore Cash: ~38 lakh Bank deposits: ~1.46 crore Investments in bonds: ~99.91 crore Vehicles: Maruti Vitara Brezza worth ~9.22 lakh Gold and jewellery:~1.86 crore BJP Kalka candidate Shakti Rani Sharma during a roadshow after filing her nomination on Wednesday. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR immovable properties, the two own agricultural land, including an orchid at Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, parcels in Hallo Majra village of Chandigarh, land in Solan, Manali and Barog. They also own residential properties in New Delhi, Ambala and Chandigarh. Gian Chand Gupta (76) and his wife have total cumulative assets worth Rs 19.37 crore. Gupta’s assets have grown by Rs 7 crore (from Rs 12.21 crore in 2019 to Rs 19.37 crore in 2024) during his past five-year tenure as Panchkula MLA. His educational qualification is higher secondary. With Rs 2.30 lakh cash, Gupta owns a Baleno car worth Rs 3.90 lakh and an Innova worth Rs 29.68 lakh, which is registered in his name. The two have jewellery worth Rs 41.80 lakh. The couple owns agricultural properties in Barwala worth Rs 3.65 crore along with commercial properties and shares in Chandigarh and Mohali, and a residential property in Sector 17, Panchkula. continued on page 3 GIAN CHAND (BJP) PARDEEP (CONG) ~19.37 CR Movable assets: ~3.13 crore Immovable: 16.15 crore Cash: ~2.30 lakh Bank deposits: 1.28 crore Investments in bonds: None Vehicles: Baleno worth ~3.90 lakh, Innova worth ~29.68 lakh Gold and jewellery:~41.80 lakh ~37.96 CR Movable assets: ~2.16 crore Immovable: ~35.80 crore Cash: ~5.20 lakh Bank deposits: ~35.55 lakh Investments in bonds: None Vehicles: 2 Innovas, a Grand Vitaras, a Scala worth ~81 lakh Gold and jewellery: ~94.50 lakh