06082025-CT-01.qxd 8/6/2025 12:49 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SUKHNA CHOE BRIDGE GETS HERITAGE COMMITTEE NOD NOTICE TO MC, OTHERS OVER DADUMAJRA DUMP B-TOWN CELEBS ERUPT IN JOY AFTER INDIA’S TEST VICTORY Four-lane bridge to replace low-level causeway near Bapu Dham Colony, tender within three months. P3 Green panel takes suo motu notice of problems being faced by people living nearby the dump. P3 The Bollywood film fraternity shows their love and support for the team after the victory against England. P4 » » RAIN MAX 31°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 30.9°C | MIN 24.9°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.12 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.45 AM » WEDNESDAY | 6 AUGUST 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Lay emphasis on traffic regulation rather than challans, DGP tells cops Orders manual intervention only over blatant violations, stresses zero tolerance to corruption, unprofessional conduct Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 5 In what appears to be a major shift from its present practice, the Chandigarh Traffic Police will now be seen laying more emphasis on traffic regulation and education instead of only concentrating on issuing challans to the violators. The directions to this effect have been issued by the Director General of Police (DGP), Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, after reviewing the working of the Traffic Police and taking note of the feedback received from the multiple stakeholders, it was learnt. At a review meeting with the senior officials of the Traffic Police, the DGP conveyed that the main focus of the traffic cops in the city should be to regulate the traffic movement and educate the commuters as well as general public about the traffic rules rather than just issuing manual challans. “Let the challans for routine traffic violations be issued through automated systems and less emphasis should be paid on manual intervention/challans for routine violations,” the top cop has directed the Traffic Police. However, the DGP has made it clear that the traffic challans 11-FOLD RISE IN CHALLANS YEAR CHALLANS MANUAL ITMS 2020 1,81,558 1,03,162 78,396 2021 2,42,937 1,33,736 1,09,201 2022 6,03,118 1,23,010 4,80,108 2023 9,93,558 1,01,579 8,91,979 2024 9,95,797 1,48,837 8,46,960 TOTAL FINE IMPOSED ~221.36-CR RECOVERED ~119.15-CR PENDING ~102.21-CR (SOURCE: MHA) FILE Nitin Jain should be issued manually in case of dangerous driving and other blatant/visible traffic offences/violations that may cause danger or prove fatal and impact the smooth traffic movement. It was learnt that there were complaints of unprofessional conduct, misbehaviour and unnecessary harassment to commuters, especially those driving vehicles with outstation registra- tion numbers in the city. Taking cognisance of the matter, the DGP has issued stern warning against any misconduct on the part of the cops while emphasising zero tolerance for corruption and misbehaviour. “Anyone found indulging in unprofessional conduct, misbehaviour or causing unnecessary harassment to the public/commuters will not be spared at any cost and strict departmental action will be initiated in all such cases,” Dr Hooda told the traffic cops, while reiterating his resolve for ensuring complete accountability, transparency and responsiveness in the day-to-day work- Rain spells traffic chaos in city Residents left in lurch due to civic mess, rainwater enters houses at Bapu Dham Colony ing of the Chandigarh Police. TEWARI RAISED ISSUE IN PARL Chandigarh MP and former Union Minister Manish Tewari recently raised the issue of exponential rise in the traffic challans in the city in Parliament. Commenting on the reply by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to his question on traffic challans issued in Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha last Tuesday, Tewari has endorsed the public perception that an extractive and extortive paradigm has been institutionalised through the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) in the city. Continued on page 2 Centre notifies OBC quota law for UT Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Music performance: Tabla solo by Rahul Kumar Mishra at the 310th Monthly Baithak Programme of Pracheen Kala Kendra, August 11, 6:30 pm, Pracheen Kala Kendra, Sector 35 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF SECTOR 21 WOMAN DUPED OF ~45K Chandigarh: A woman from Sector 21 was duped of Rs 45,000 in an online investment fraud. She reported that a fraudster promised her high returns on investment and siphoned off the amount from her account. An FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), and 61(2) of the BNS. TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 5 Massive waterlogging led to traffic chaos that brought the city to a halt during the peak morning hours on Tuesday. This was all caused by 10-mm downpour, which, as per the weatherman’s intensity description, comes under the “light rainfall” category. The city residents woke up to the early morning showers that brought cheer for giving relief from the hot and humid weather, but also led to traffic chaos, precipitated by the Municipal Corporation’s illpreparedness. A majority of roads and streets, especially in the lowlying areas, were waterlogged, causing a major disruption in the normal traffic flow. The Tribune Chowk, one of the busiest junctions, GMCH-32 roundabout, PGIMER junction, Madhya Marg grid, Transport Chowk, Hallomajra-Chandigarh barrier stretch and several other crossroads in the city witnessed a chock-a-block with vehicles moving bumper-tobumper at a snail’s pace. “I have to drop my son to school in Sector 26, which usually takes me 20 minutes, but today even after half an hour, I’m still not through the halfway mark,” shared a Mohali resident, Shweta Gujral, while resenting “very little” or “no” presence of traffic cops at most of the clogged junctions. Surinder Kumar, who has to drive his aged mother to the PGI from Sector 44, was caught in the traffic snarls and missed the doctor’s scheduled appointment. New Delhi, August 5 Days after the Supreme Court directed the Chandigarh Administration to provide 3 % OBC reservation in academic seats including MBBS to the local administration, the Centre on Tuesday night notified the enactment extending the OBC reservation to Chandigarh. The SC had ordered 3 % reservation for other backward classes in Chandigarh government institutes on a special leave petition filed before it after the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused to cancel the admission brochure of the Government Medical College, Chandigarh, for not providing OBC reservation in MBBS admissions. The SC direction has come after the Centre informed it that the law extending OBC quota to Chandigarh would be notified in a week. In accordance with its submission to the SC, the Ministry of Home Affairs tonight extended the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Act, 2016 to the Union Territory of Chandigarh, with several important modifications. The move was made under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. The significant development seeks to provide 27% reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government services and admissions in educational institutions under the Chandigarh Administration. In a key change in the enactment, the term “Back- Commuters stuck in a long traffic jam at the GMCH-32 chowk in Chandigarh on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: RAVI KUMAR Traffic chaos at the Patiala chowk in Zirakpur after the rain on Tuesday. A large number of office and school goers were seen struggling to find their way through the traffic bottlenecks. However, Mohali and Panchkula experienced very light rainfall, which measured 0.5-mm during the past 24 hours. Rainwater entered several houses at Bapu Dham Colony. The residents of Dadumajra, Khuda Ali Sher, Palsora and Behlana villages faced a lot of problems due to waterlogging. Ram Milan Sharma, a resident of Sector 45, said the rain had exposed the illpreparedness of the Municipal Corporation. Manjeet Singh, a resident, said visiting the Sector 26 mandi in the rainy season was no less than a nightmare. A tree was uprooted in Sector 18 in Chandigarh during the rain. Sunil Parti, a resident, said the MC was doing nothing to identify the old and weakened trees. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain coupled with thunderstorms at isolated places in Chandigarh and Haryana on Wednesday. Today, the mercury dipped considerably to settle at 30.9 and 24.9 in Chandigarh, 30.6 and 25.7 in Mohali, and 29 and 24.5 degree Celsius in Panchkula. TO BE INCREASED GRADUALLY 27% reservation to be provided to OBCs in government services and educational institutions functioning under the Chandigarh Administration, as well as institutions receiving grants from it. The reservation in educational institutions will be implemented over six years— starting with 3% in the first year and increasing gradually to 27% by the sixth year. ward Classes” used in the original Haryana Act has been replaced by “Other Backward Classes” throughout the extended version. The reservation will apply to those OBC communities listed in the Central List of Other Backward Classes for the Union Territory of Chandigarh, rather than those listed in Haryana’s state list. The Administrator of Chandigarh, appointed by the President under Article 239 of the Constitution, will now perform all the roles assigned to the State Government in the original Act. Several sections of the Act have been modified to reflect the Union Territory governance structure. Under the now extended law, 27% reservation will be provided to OBCs in government services and educational institutions functioning under the Chandigarh Administration, as well as institutions receiving grants from it. However, the reservation in educational institutions will be implemented in a staggered manner over six years— starting with 3% in the first year and increasing gradually to 27% by the sixth year. Continued on page 2 HC puts Sarangpur Guilty of drinking in public, Rafiq serves cows with dedication Bapu Dham Colony shifting plan on hold resident awarded 4-day Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 5 Making it clear that “no feasible and viable solution” had come forth from the UT Administration and the Bar Association on the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s shifting to a new site, a Division Bench has for the time being reverted to the possibility of reviving the previously proposed holistic development plan for the existing court complex. It has called for exploring the feasibility of going ahead with the much-debated plan. “Since there is no feasible and viable solution coming Seeks clarity on Lalit Hotel NOC, IT Park objections forth from either of the parties, it would be appropriate and in the fitness of things to revert back to explore the possibility of holistic plan being made feasible and viable,” the Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry asserted. The Bench, at the same time, made it clear that its latest course of action should “not be an indication of this Court having Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, August 5 Mohammad Rafik, a 39year-old resident of Bapu Dham Colony here, has been feeding cows and doing cleaning jobs in the gaushala at Sector 45 for the past two days. Cow vigilante groups, especially who think the Muslims are not expected to care for cows, may find it shocking, but Rafiq has proved them wrong. A local court had ordered Rafik to do community service at the gaushala for four days after pronouncing him guilty of creating ruckus in a public place after consuming liquor. punishment to do community service at Sec 45 gaushala The police registered the case on June 18 at the Industrial Area station. They filed the chargesheet against the accused for the offences punishable under Section 355 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 68 (1)B of the Punjab Police Act, 2007. Finding prima facie case, the court framed the charges against the accused, to which he pleaded guilty and claimed leniency. c m y b The court order says the BNS has introduced community service as an alternative punishment for minor offences, marking a significant shift in the criminal justice system. This provision is aimed at rehabilitating offenders. As per Section 23 of the BNS, punishment in the form of community service is aimed at promoting rehabilitation, reducing recidivism and providing an alternative to imprisonment for minor offences. Meanwhile, Rafik said he was enjoying doing community service as directed by the court. He is happy that instead of sending him to jail, the court has Mohammad Rafik cleans the floor at the gaushala in Sector 45, Chandigarh. PHOTO: RAMKRISHAN UPADHYAY given him an opportunity to serve the cows. He has realised his mistake and will not repeat it in future, said Rafik, while adding that he will voluntarily look after the cows again after completing his fourday punishment. Vinod Kumar, vice-president of Gauri Shankar Sewa Dal, which is managing the gaushala, said making the provision for the community service in the new criminal laws is a welcome change. He said the order of the court is appreciable as it will not only make the offender realise his mistake but also help him to reform. He praised Rafik’s dedication in serving the cows. From cleaning the gaushala to feeding the cows, Rafiq is doing all the work with dedication, he added.