24072025-CT-01.qxd 7/24/2025 12:28 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CITY RESIDENT LOSES OVER ~16L IN FRAUD VIA TELEGRAM GUINNESS GLORY FOR CITY SKATER JANVI JINDAL JAFAR PANAHI HONOURED AS ASIAN FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR A city resident was duped of over ~16.45 lakh by cybercriminals via Telegram, WhatsApp. P3 Janvi Jindal (17) gets confirmation from Guinness World Records for achieving five milestones. P3 The Iranian filmmaker has been named the Asian Filmmaker of the Year by the Busan International Film Festival. P4 » » WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Panchkula: Sector 5 Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF MAN ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT Chandigarh: Sanjeevan, a resident of Kaimbwala village, was robbed of his purse at knifepoint by two unidentified persons in Sector 40 on Wednesday. It contained the registration certificate of an erickshaw, Aadhaar card photocopy and Rs 10,200 cash. The police have registered a case at the Sector 39 police station on a complaint filed by Sanjeevan. They have launched an investigation to identify the suspects.TNS 44 registries in fortnight in country’s first-of-its-type initiative Nitin Jain SPEEDY DISPOSAL Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 23 The auto-mutation of properties has brought a big respite to the residents of the city, cutting red tape and long wait involved in getting the mutations done earlier. “I got my family transfer deed registered for a commercial booth site on July 8 and I receive a message that my property has been successfully mutated in my name the very next day,” shared Rosy Chawla. She called it a welcome move towards digital governance, making property transfers more efficient and citizen-friendly. Pardeep Kumar Chadha got his commercial SCO site deed registered on July 7 and it was mutated in his name automatically on July 9. It was a pleasant surprise for him. In a first, the Estate Office had on July 7 rolled out the auto-mutation system based on registered property deeds with the objective of ensuring timely, transparent and citizenfriendly delivery of services in property ownership transfer. Of the total 75 property DATE DEEDS AUTO REGD MUTATED 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2 12 12 9 4 9 4 3 3 5 1 9 4 5 1 6 1 3 0 75 44 The new system provides a major relief to property buyers as it not only saves their time but also ends the corruption and favouritism, which was allegedly rampant in the old system. Earlier, more than 50% of the footfall of the visitors to the Estate Office pertained to the applicants of property transfers through the manual system. It required property buyers to repeatedly visit the Estate Office to apply for the mutation with no fixed timeframe. July 7 July 8 July 9 July 10 July 11 July 14 July 15 July 16 July 17 July 18 July 21 July 22 July 23 Total deeds registered with the Sub-Registrar office here from July 7 to 23, 44 properties have already been automutated in the buyers’ names while the process to mutate the remaining 31 properties is under process. “As of date, there is no pending work stretching more than seven days, within which all property registration deeds are being automutated without requiring from the date of property registration has been fixed for completing the automutation following which the new ownership records will start reflecting on the online portal of the Estate Office,” he disclosed. Sharing the salient features of the auto-mutation system, Yadav said under the new system, there is no need for manual application as the Continued on page 2 People register properties in Sector 17. PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI BIG RESPITE FROM RAMPANT ‘CORRUPTION’ the buyer to follow any separate process,” said Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav while talking to The Tribune. He said the initiative was launched in line with the Chandigarh Administration’s commitment to leverage technology for enhancing public convenience and administrative efficiency. “A timeframe of one week MAX 31°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.8°C | MIN 25.2°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.37 AM /THETRIBUNECHD No more red tape, property auto-mutation brings relief PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 7.21 PM » THURSDAY | 24 JULY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE ALCHEMIST GROUP MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE ED attaches ~127-crore assets of Alchemist, Ojas hospitals Tribune News Service Panchkula, July 23 The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Delhi Zonal Office, has provisionally attached shares valued at Rs 127.33 crore in two immovable properties — Alchemist Hospital and Ojas Hospital, both situated here. These hospitals are reportedly beneficially owned by Karan Deep Singh and have now been seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attachment is part of a wide-ranging investigation into a major financial fraud and money laundering scheme involving the Alchemist Group, its promoters, directors and related entities. The ED’s probe was launched following an FIR by Kolkata Police, later transferred to the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Lucknow. The FIR was filed under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. According to officials, the Alchemist Group was engaged in an extensive conspiracy to defraud the public by illegally raising funds through collective investment Alchemist Hospital in Panchkula. FILE PHOTO schemes (CIS). These schemes promised abnormally high returns or offered plots, flats and villas that were never delivered. Investigations revealed that M/s Alchemist Holdings Ltd. and M/s Alchemist Township India Ltd. collected nearly Rs 1,848 crore from unsuspecting investors, which was later diverted for unauthorised use. The ED found that these illicit funds were laundered through a complex web of transactions across Alchemist group companies to obscure their origin. A significant portion was then invested in acquiring shares and constructing Alchemist and Ojas Hospitals. The two healthcare facilities are majority owned by M/s Sorus Agritech Pvt. Ltd., a company beneficially held by Karan Deep Singh, son of the group’s main promoter, Kanwar Deep Singh. In a related development, Kanwar Deep Singh was arrested by the ED on January 12, 2021. A prosecution complaint was subsequently filed before the Special Court (PMLA), New Delhi, on March 2, 2021, followed by a supplementary complaint on July 19, 2024. To date, properties worth Rs 238.42 crore have been provisionally attached across five separate orders. The ED confirmed that further investigation in the case is ongoing. Vibrant parade welcomes new Chandigarh DGP Hooda Notice to UT, power Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 23 Chandigarh Police extended a ceremonial welcome to its newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP), Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, with a vibrant parade held at the Police Lines, Sector 26, here this morning. The event, marked with precision, honour and camaraderie, was attended by top police officials and over 350 personnel from various units of the force. The welcome parade was led by Dheeraj Kumar, DSP Crime, along with Rohitash Kumar Yadav from the Traffic Wing. A total of 14 contingents took part in the march-past, including three all-women groups led by ASI Pratibha, ASI Aanchal and ASI Kirti, showcasing the inclusive strength of the UT police. Adding to the ceremony’s splendour were two bands — a pipe band and a brass one — that performed as the parade presented a general salute to Dr Hooda. The event also featured the dog squad New UT DGP Sagar Preet Hooda takes the salute during the welcome parade at the Police Lines, Sector 26. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY with six trained canines and their handlers, a mounted unit with 10 horses and accompanying staff and six cycling traffic police person- nel, symbolising the department’s focus on mobility and innovation. Senior officers present at the parade included IGP Pushpender Kumar, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, SSP (Traffic & Security) Sumer Partap Singh, SP (Headquarters) Manjit Sheoran, SP (Cyber Crime) Geetanjali Khandelwal, SP (City) KM Priyanka, and others. In his address, Dr Hooda, an AGMUT cadre 1997-batch IPS officer, thanked the force for the meticulously organised and disciplined reception. He emphasised the need for professional conduct, citizen-centric policing and a justice-oriented approach in line with the evolving legal framework. “We must work with empathy, transparency and accountability. Our focus must remain on delivering justice with compassion, especially under the new laws,” he remarked. Dr Hooda holds a PhD in Sociology from Panjab University and is an Edward S. Mason Fellow from Harvard University. His distinguished service includes key postings in Delhi Police, including Special Commissioner (Law & Order). He was also awarded the President’s Police Medal for his exemplary service. The parade concluded with a high tea, accompanied by melodious tunes from the Chandigarh Police band, fostering a spirit of unity and renewed purpose in the force. firm over non-refund of excess meter rental Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 23 The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has issued a show-cause notice to both the UT Electricity Department and Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) for the non-refund of wrongly charged meter rental for 16 months. The commission has told them to file a reply within two weeks. “In case, you fail to file the reply within time, it shall be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and suo motu proceedings will be initiated against you in the absence of such replies,” read the notice. Members of the Indian Citizens Forum (ICF) have been continuous efforts to get the refund meter rental wrongly charged from the consumers of all categories for 16 months by the Chandigarh Electricity Department (CED), which has now been handed over to the CPDL. The JERC stated that the order passed by the Consumers Grievances Redressal Forum (CGRF), Chandigarh, against a complaint was upheld by the Ombudsman on April 16. An appeal was made that both the CED and the CPDL should make efforts to refund the meter-rental charged from consumers along with interest base rate as on April 1 of the prevailing year, payable annually. Meanwhile, Indian Citizens Forum president SK Nayar and secretary Narinder Sharma met Arun Kumar Verma, Director, CPDL, and MP Singh, general manager. Verma assured them that the refund would be released through bills immediately after the company got the list of consumers from the CED. Muddy roads, heaps of rotten vegetables raise a stink at Sector 26 mandi Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 23 Stinking garbage heaps, muddy roads and encroachments welcome visitors to the fruit and vegetable mandi in Sector 26. Despite the Administration’s tall claims, sanitation at the market has remained poor over the years. Rakesh Kumar, a regular visitor, said, “The stench of the garbage is severe during the monsoon. It has become unbearable. The market committee should put in extra efforts to ensure cleanliness.” Residents of Sector 26 Police Lines also complained about the foul smell emanating from the heaps of garbage lying around the market. Mohit Sood, president of the Grain Market Welfare Association, said the market lacked a proper planning. “All departments are passing on their responsibilities. There is also no clarity on who is responsible for its upkeep.” On a representation of the association, the Deputy Commissioner’s office had sought a clarification regarding responsibility and control of the grain market land from the chief engineers of the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the UT Administration. However, no information has been provided so far, he added. Sood said while they were paying commercial property tax and garbage charges to the civic body, they were not being providing any facility. The MC officials, meanwhile, said the area did not fall under their jurisdiction. Amid the continued apathy, the market road, street lights and other infrastructure has also deteriorated to a point where it is unusable. Raj Kumar Bansal, chairperson of the market association, said the roads are in a pathetic state. “The condition deteriorates in the rainy season. The market is already crammed, with vendors encroaching upon every inch of the mandi and muddy roads make it impossible to move. Besides, there is no proper space for parking vehicles.” A delegation of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal recently met Agriculture Department Secretary Hari Kallikat to discuss the deteriorating state of the market. The organisation’s president Sanjeev Chadda said they raised the issues of sanitation and illegal encroachments. When contacted, Paviter Singh, Market Committee Administrator, said they would soon have enforcement and powers to seize goods from illegal vendors. “The bylaws are in the final stage. Once notified, it will solve the problems of the illegal vendors,” he added. He would look into the sanitation problems, he said, while adding that road repairs will also begin after clarification over the land ownership. c m y b SHIFTING OF MARKET HANGING FIRE The UT Administration has failed to act on its plan to shift the Sector 26 mandi to the New Grain Market in Sector 39 for the past 30 years. The project was first conceptualised in 1996. In 2009, the Administration decided to construct a Modern Terminal Market instead, but scrapped that plan as well. Efforts to shift the market were renewed in recent years, but the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition by the Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association and a few traders, in April stayed e-auction of 23 fruit and vegetable shops at the Sector-39 market. << A road covered in slush at the Sector 26 mandi in Chandigarh. PRADEEP TEWARI