30062025-CT-01.qxd 30-06-2025 00:14 Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune THREE MORE HELD IN ~2.5-CR ‘DIGITAL ARREST’ CASE CITY ASSOCIATIONS TAKE UP ISSUES WITH MAYOR BABLA ACTOR VARUN SLAMS MEDIA’S COVERAGE OF SHEFALI’S FUNERAL The UT police have arrested three more persons in the ~2.5-crore ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud case. P3 FOSWAC members take up various issues concerning residents with Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla. P3 Actor Varun Dhawan criticises media for their insensitive coverage of actress Shefali Jariwala’s last rites. P4 » » RAIN MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 30.2°C | MIN 23.6°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.25 AM » MONDAY | 30 JUNE 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE More vehicles than people in city, highest density in country Over 14.27 lakh vehicles for 13 lakh residents, 2.03 lakh registered since 2020, 104 hitting roads daily THE TRIBUNE SPECIAL WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 & 45 Mohali: Sectors 70, 78 & Phase 5 Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF MAN HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Chandigarh: The police have arrested a man with illicit liquor near the Maternity Hospital in Kishangarh here. The accused, identified as Ram Babu, a resident of New Indira Colony, Mani Majra, was caught with 60 nips of illegal liquor. An Excise Act case has been registered. TNS Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 29 In what appears to be a record of sorts, Chandigarh has more vehicles than humans with the highest per capita vehicle density in the country. The vehicular count has surpassed the human population in the city with 2.03 lakh new vehicles registered here during the past five years, according to the official data. The number of vehicles registered in the first planned city of the country is 14.27 lakh, which is much higher than the estimated human population of 13 lakh. With as many as 2,02,667 vehicles registered in the city between January 1, 2020, and May 31 this year, the per month average of new vehicles hitting the city roads comes out to 3,118 and daily average stands at 104. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav told HIGH-END VEHICLES VEHICLE POPULATION RISING: DC Official data has revealed that the top 10 costliest vehicles registered in the city during the past five years were worth Rs 4.99 crore, Rs 4.66 crore, Rs 4.13 crore, Rs 4 crore, Rs 3.82 crore, Rs 3.77 crore, Rs 3.62 crore, Rs 3.57 crore, Rs 3.48 crore and Rs 3.38 crore respectively. These included imported Infinity 750S Spider, Rolls Royce Cullinan, Lamborghini Huracan and Bentley. over 100 ❝Withhitting thenew vehicles roads daily, vehicular population is rising in Chandigarh. Having already surpassed the human population, the motorisation boom is putting strain on the city’s road infrastructure. — NISHANT KUMAR YADAV, DC ❞ VINTAGE CARS NUMBER COSTLIER THAN VEHICLE A local resident bought a fancy registration number for ~22.02L for his vehicle, which was worth about ~15 lakh. Traffic at the Railway Station light point in Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI The city also has six vintage vehicles, which included Austin 40, Austin 8, Morris Minor 1000, Standard Gazel, Fiat 1100 and a Rajdoot motorcycle. These have been re-issued numbers as per the new series CHVAAA, exclusively meant for the vintage vehicles. in 2025, Rs 23.7 lakh for CH01CV0001 in 2024, Rs 17.3 lakh for CH01CT0001 in 2023, Rs 22.02 lakh for CH01CH0001 in 2022, Rs 13.17 lakh for CH01CE0001 in 2021 and Rs 8 lakh for CH01CC0001 in 2020. From all the services offered by it, including registering vehicles, issuing driving licences, various permits, and collecting road tax, the RLA has earned a revenue of Rs 1,262.62 crore from 2020 till May 2025. It has issued 63,096 new driving licences, at an average of 971 per month, in the past five years. TELLING NUMBERS ~56.97 crore Revenue from fancy numbers The Tribune that on an average, 104 vehicles were registered in Chandigarh as per the registration figures available since 2020. Besides the new vehicles, the extension to ply 15-year-old vehicles on the city roads is also pick- ing up pace. Around 20,000 such vehicles were given extension in 2024, which was the highest in the past five years. Another 9,000 old vehicles had been given extension here till May 31 this year. As many as 16,600 expired vehicles were granted extension in 2023, 11,775 in 2022, 10,784 in 2021, and 7,832 in 2020. Besides, the bids for fancy numbers, which have become a status symbol, have gone through the roof in Chandigarh. A vehicle owner paid Rs 31 lakh for getting CH01CZ0001 registration number recently. This was the highest bid received for the fancy numbers by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) governed by the UT Transport Department. The RLA has become richer by Rs 56.97 crore by selling 38,155 fancy numbers between 2020 and May 2025, said the officials. The highest bids received for the fancy numbers during the past five years included Rs 31-lakh for CH01CZ0001 38,155 Such numbers auctioned 2,02,667 Vehicles registered ~1,262.62 crore Total revenue earned 63,096 Driving licences issued (SOURCE: RLA, FIGURES FROM 2020 TILL MAY 2025) Downpour washes away Chd civic body claims Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service A waterlogged road near the Bapu Dham Colony in Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Region’s heaviest rain throws life out of gear in tricity areas UT records 119.5 mm rainfall, heavy to very heavy rain likely today Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 29 Chandigarh received the region’s heaviest rainfall, throwing the normal life out of gear in the city during the past 24 hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Monday. After receiving 34mm downpour a day before, the city experienced 119.5mm rain coupled with thunderstorm and light- ning till 8:30 am on Sunday, which was the heaviest in Punjab and Haryana, the weathermen confirmed. The heaviest monsoon rainfall left major parts of the tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, inundated. There were reports of roads caving in, trees and poles getting uprooted at several locations damaging the public property, and major disruption in power and water supply, which crippled the normal life. The civic authorities were caught napping once again with the residents left to fend for themselves in the waterlogged roads and streets. Cave-ins, clogged drains & road gullies, uprooted trees and poles led to chaos on roads in Chandigarh and Mohali. In Mohali, the residents once again spent the sleepless night with the power supply remaining suspended from 11 pm to 5 am. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials attributed the fresh disruption, after the 12-hour outage on Friday night, to a breakdown caused by the rain and thunderstorm. Confirming that the south- A man wades through the Green Valley-Sante Majra road in Kharar. VICKY REPORT ON PAGE 2 west monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Monday. “Light to moderate rainfall over many to most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely to continue over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana till July 1,” the weathermen said. The IMD said the chief amount of rainfall was recorded in Chandigarh (12 cm), Ropar (11 cm), Ambala Cantonment and Ambala City (9 cm each). Meanwhile, Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 30.2 and minimum 23.6 degree Celsius on Sunday, which was 3.7 degrees and 0.2 degree, respectively, less than Saturday, and below normal by 6.1 and 3 degrees, respectively. The weathermen have predicted a generally and partly cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain in the tricity till July 4. A flooded underpass in Sector 19, Panchkula. REPORT ON PAGE 2 c m y b Chandigarh, June 29 The Municipal Corporation’s claims of monsoon preparedness notwithstanding, rain on consecutive days wreaked havoc in the city today. Waterlogging and the resulting chaos on roads was a common sight across the city, exposing the civic body’s claims of all road gullies having been cleaned before the start of monsoon. Traffic snarls were witnessed at many roundabouts. Several vehicles were seen stuck on the road opposite Police Lines in Sector 26. The traders in the area said a water supply pipeline had been laid here recently. They accused the contractor of a “shoddy” job, which had resulted in cave-ins on the road. The underpasses between Sector 11 and 15 and Phase-I Industrial Area were flooded, rendering them unusable. A Mohali resident, who car broke down at the Sector 15 underpass, said the motor installed at the underpass for removing the water was not working. A tree was uprooted outside a government house in Sector 22. The civic body has received 20 such complaints. Complaints about water entering houses were An uprooted tree in Sector 22, Chandigarh. PRADEEP TEWARI 20 COMPLAINTS ABOUT UPROOTED TREES A tree was uprooted outside a government house in Sector 22. The civic body has received 20 such complaints. Complaints about water entering houses were also received from different parts of the city, including Sector 21, 23 and 24. also received from different parts of the city, including Sector 21, 23 and 24. Road digging banned The Municipal Corporation, in line with its terms and conditions for road cut permissions, has issued a directive restricting road cutting activities during the monsoon season. Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar passed the order, which shall be effective from July 1 to September 30. During the period, no road cut permission shall be granted across Chandigarh except for emergent works. To ensure public safety and minimise inconvenience during the rains, it has been decided that all ongoing works must be stopped within one week and the affected roads must be properly restored. In cases where permissions have already been granted but work has not commenced, the activity will not be allowed during the restricted period, unless declared emergent and approved by the Municipal Commissioner. A man tries to fix his car after it stopped on the waterlogged underpass connecting Sector 11 and 15. Residents claim the motor installed to drain water was non-functional. PRADEEP TEWARI