23042025-CT-01.qxd 4/23/2025 12:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune MC GIVEN DEPTS WITH LOW EARNING, HIGH COSTS: MAYOR ALL GOVT BUILDINGS IN UT TO HARVEST RAINWATER ON WORLD BOOK DAY, CELEBS REVEAL MOST-LOVED READS Describes civic body’s income as “pittance” amid rift with UT Administration over funds. P3 Plan on conserving water in alignment with the Centre's 2025 Jal Shakti Abhiyan. P3 I don't read e-books because I just can't. I've tried reading them, but it felt very odd, says Rukhsar Rehman. P4 » » MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 38°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 38.7°C | MIN 23.5°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.52 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.50 AM » WEDNESDAY | 23 APRIL 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Sitting, former mayors rise above party Less allocation of funds to blame for MC fiscal mess: MP lines to seek rollback of property tax hike Tribune News Service Meet Governor, demand more funds for civic body, less burden on residents Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 22 Sitting Chandigarh Mayor and her 10 predecessors on Tuesday rose above party lines and put up a united front to seek immediate rollback of threefold increase in the property tax. At a meeting with Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, they termed the tax hike “unjustified”. Harpreet Kaur Babla and 10 former mayors demanded that the tax hike must be rolled back immediately as it has put a heavy burden on the residents of the city. A day after the BJP leaders, Mayor Harpeert Kaur Babla and councillors met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan, Kataria held a meeting with the former mayors of the past 10 years today. The purpose of the meeting was not only to seek suggestions of the former mayors to improve the financial condition of the Municipal Corporation (MC) but also to understand the reasons for the fiscal crisis reaching an alarming level. The civic body is struggling to even pay the salaries of its employees. Sitting Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla and her 10 predecessors with Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at the Punjab Raj Bhawan on Tuesday. Babla, the MC Commissioner and other senior officers were also present at the meeting. The former mayors who attended the meeting were Subhash Chawla, Anup Gupta, Sarabjit Kaur Dhillon, Ravi Kant Sharma, Poonam Sharma, Arun Sood, Asha Kumari Jaswal, Davesh Moudgil, Rajesh Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor. Chawla suggested that the Administration must give 30 per cent share of the taxes to the Municipal Corporation as per the recommendations of the Delhi Finance Commission Report. The former mayors said taxes should be increased gradually. Sood said the MC must identify the ghost employees who are working at the houses of individuals but are getting salary from the MC. All sitting and former mayors were of the view that the MC must be given departments like the Registration and Licensing Authority, which generates a lot of revenue. They said the Adminis- tration had handed over only those departments to the Municipal Corporation, which generate less income but incur high expenditures. They said the MC spent a lot of money on maintaining sanitation, water supply, parks and green belts, but the income from these department was almost nil. Chandigarh, April 22 Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari has stated that the root cause of the problems faced by the city is the woefully less allocation of funds to the Municipal Corporation. He said only Rs 570 çrore was allocated last year against the due grant of over Rs 1,600 crore. This year also, the corporation is being allocated just Rs 675 crore against its due share of more than Rs 1,700 crore on the basis of the recommendations of the Delhi Finance Commission. Tewari was speaking in a meeting of the Chandigarh Pradesh and District Congress Committees held today at the Congress Bhawan in Sector 35 to discuss the party’s future course of action in view of the increase in the Collector rates and property tax. The meeting was presided over by HS Lucky, president of Chandigarh Congress. Vidit Chaudhary, secretary, All-India Congress Committee, also addressed the party workers. Rajiv Sharma, chief spokesperson for the Chandigarh Congress, said the meeting unanimously resolved to Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari addresses a press conference at the Punjab Pradesh Congress Bhawan, Sector 15. PRADEEP TEWARI CONG TO INTENSIFY STIR AGAINST TAX HIKE Rajiv Sharma, chief spokesperson for the Chandigarh Congress, said the meeting unanimously resolved to intensify the peaceful agitation against the BJP and the Chandigarh Administration intensify the peaceful agitation against the BJP and the Chandigarh Administration demanding the rollback of the hike in property tax and Collector rates. The meeting also resolved that a “save Constitution sabha” would be organised at the Congress Bhawan soon. Lucky alleged that the local BJP and its councillors had a tacit understanding with the Administra- demanding the rollback of the hike in property tax and Collector rates. The meeting also resolved that a “save Constitution sabha” would be organised at the Congress Bhawan soon. tion, which works directly under the control of Union Home Ministry, to impose heavy taxes on the residents. He alleged that earlier this year, the BJP supported the administration’s decision to pave the way for the privatisation of the Electricity Department. Vidit said the anti-people policies of the BJP stood exposed before the city residents. 61 300 UT employees Another slum, Sanjay Colony, RANK to get old pension set to become history today Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Annual function: Jang and Rani Dilawari Foundation to celebrate remarkable progress of students, GMSS School, Sector 14 West, Dhanas, 10 am APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 and 52 Panchkula: Sec 25 Mohali: Phase 11 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Chandigarh, April 22 Following a recent communication from the Centre, nearly 300 employees of the UT Administration will now be able to avail of the benefit under the Old Pension Scheme. Notably, employees had been demanding to make the switch back to the Old Pension Scheme for the last few years. According to the letter sent by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to UT Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules will now be applicable in place of the National Pension System for the employees recruited against the posts/vacancies notified on or before December 22, 2003. The employees who were recruited on or after January 1, 2004, were kept in the National Pension Scheme. However, since the process of most of these recruitments had started before January 1, 2004, the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules will be applicable for those employees as well. In other words, the change will be also applicable to the employees whose recruitment process for the respective posts had begun before January 1, 2004, even if they joined after the cutoff date. Following demands from employees, the UT administration on June 26, 2024, sent a letter to the MHA. The MHA stated that UT may adopt the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare order dated March 3, 2023, and complete the entire process within the next three months. Admn demolition drive to free 10-acre prime land Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 22 The UT Administration is all geared up to demolish Sanjay Colony, one of the major slums in Industrial Area, Phase I, on Wednesday. Spread over nearly 6 acres, this slum has nearly 1,000 jhuggis. The demolition drive would start around 6 am. According of officials, a camp was organised at the colony to give a last chance to the eligible slum dwellers to submit their documents. Nearly 20 residents submitted their documents. However, none met the eligibility criteria for rehabilitation under the Affordable Rental Housing Scheme of the Central Gov- SECTOR 25 JANTA COLONY NEXT The Administration will initiate a similar drive at Janta Colony, Sector 25, which has 2,500 shanties spread over 10 acres of government land. The slum is home to more than 10,000 people. The land worth about Rs 350 crore has been earmarked for a dispensary, a primary school, community centre and a shopping area. ernment. The residents’ review petition against the demolition drive had been dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Meanwhile, a number of colony residents staged a protest as the others vacated their jhuggis. After the demolition drive in Sanjay Colony, the Administration will initiate a similar action at Janta Colony, Sector 25. After successfully carrying out the demolition drive in Colony Number 4 on May 1, 2022, the UT Administration had reclaimed 65 acres worth nearly Rs 2,000 crore. In May 2022, public notices were issued, asking residents of Sanjay Colony and Janta Colony to vacate the slum areas immediately. The UT has demolished Colony Number 5, Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony in the city in the past 20 years 28 liquor vends unsold, yet Admn rakes in ~449 crore Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 22 Even as 28 of the total 97 liquor shops have not yet found any takers, the UT Administration has already earned over Rs 449 crore from the auction of 69 vends this fiscal, said officials. The Excise and Taxation Department has invited fresh bids for the sale of the left-out 28 liquor vends. The bids will be opened and the allotments made to the highest bidders on April 29. The auction of 69 liquor shops for the current financial year 2025-26 has generated Rs 449.43 crore, which is almost 9 per cent more than Rs 413.14 crore earned from the sale of 89 vends during the past fiscal 2024-25. The development assumes significance as the earlier auction of liquor vends had come under the judicial scanner. Fresh bids invited for auction of left-out shops on April 29 TELLING FIGURES YEAR 2025-26 2024-25 RESERVE PRICE AUCTION PRICE 443 449.43 452 413.14 VENDS 69 89 HIGHEST & LOWEST (2025-26) LOCATION RESERVE PRICE Palsora 10.22 Khuda Ali Sher 1.83 BID PRICE 14 3 STATUS Operational Operational 12.77 1.81 Term ended Term ended 2024-25 Indl. Area-1 Kaimbwala Rush at a liquor shop in Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI The Chandigarh Wine Contractors’ Association had challenged it before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Though the High Court had stayed the auction process, the Supreme Court later vacated the stay while accepting the UT Administration’s appeal. While criticising the High Court’s interim order for lacking reasons, the Apex Court had ruled that the functioning of the vends cannot be kept stalled without proper justification and had directed the HC to resolve the matter. After getting relief from the SC, the UT Administration went ahead with the sale of 9.78 1.6 (SOURCE: UT ADMINISTRATION, PRICE IN RUPEES CRORE, FIGURES OF 202526 TILL APRIL 22, 2024-25 ENTIRE FISCAL) liquor vends and auctioned 96 shops in the first auction. However, the allotment of 49 shops had to be later cancelled after the allottees failed to deposit the stipulated bank guarantee amount. While one vend was sold in the second round of auction, the third phase held on c m y b April 21 found takers for 20 more liquor shops, still leaving 28 unsold. Calling this year’s excise policy as transparent and both customer and contractor friendly, UT Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC) Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar told The Tribune on Tuesday that the department had already surpassed the last year’s total revenue with the sale of 28 liquor vends still pending. Brar said he was confident of a better response to the coming auction of the left-out 28 retail units. However, the liquor contractors have termed the UT’s policy as “anti-trader”. “Instead of keeping the same reserve price for the cancelled liquor vends, the department has revised it on a par with the bid amount, which is unjust,” a trader Shakti Dureja said, while citing the hike in reserve price as the main reason for the 28 liquor vends remaining unsold so far. Bacchus lovers left high & dry With 28 liquor vends still lying closed and 20 shops auctioned on Monday yet to open, the Bacchus lovers are continued on page 2 Aastha Singh with her parents at Peermuchhala in Zirakpur. 3 tricity girls shine in civil services exam Tribune News Service Mohali, April 22 Three girls from the tricity have cracked the Civil Services Examination 2024, the results of which were declared on Tuesday afternoon. Aastha Singh (21), a resident of Peermuchhala, Zirakpur, has secured the 61st rank and Riya Kaur Sethi (27) of Sector 72, Mohali, the 89th place in the order of merit. Tanvi Gupta (28), a resident of Sector 2, Panchkula, has achieved the 187th rank. While the brilliance of Aastha shone in her first attempt, it took Riya four years to crack the exam. Tanvi also cleared the exam in her fifth attempt. At present posted as AETO in Panchkula, Aastha is an Economics (Honours) grad- uate from Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. She believed in self-study and hard work. She also credited her parents, who guided her to become an IAS officer, for her success in the very first attempt. Daughter of Brijesh Singh, a pharmaceutical firm employee in Baddi; and Shalini Singh, a house maker, Aastha is the younger of the two siblings. Her elder sister is an IT professional. “It is indeed a very satisfying moment for the whole family. I wanted to be a civil servant from my school days. My grandfather was a big motivation for me. I want to prove myself as a good civil servant and work in the field of education and woman empowerment.” continued on page 2 89 RANK Riya Kaur Sethi in a jubilant mood at her home in Mohali.