18082025-CT-01.qxd 8/18/2025 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SUKHNA FLOODGATE OPENED, FOURTH TIME THIS MONSOON BJP GOVT BENT ON KILLING DEMOCRACY: BANSAL CELEBRATING JOY OF HAPPY ACCIDENTS, LUCKY TURNS One floodgate opened around 2.45 pm after the water level reached near danger mark. P3 The BJP-led Union government is stealing votes through EC, alleged Pawan Kumar Bansal. P3 Serendipity Day: Celebrating life’s gentle magic, unplanned turns and fortunate accidents that lead us to destiny. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 28.8°C | MIN 26.4°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.02 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.52 AM » MONDAY | 18 AUGUST 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Rain exposes poor road infra in tricity region Cash-strapped Chd MC shuts eyes to damage P’kula residents seek urgent repairs Ramkrishan Upadhyay 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 ASSAULTED IN SECTOR 49 Chandigarh: A violent assault was reported in Sector 49 which left a 29-year-old resident, Sunil, injured. According to the complaint, Santosh of Sector 49, along with Guddu, Vivek and others, allegedly attacked Sunil with sticks and stones. The police arrested all suspects. TNS VISA SEEKER DUPED OF ~14.25 LAKH Chandigarh: Sudhir Roy, a native of Bhabhanipur, West Bengal, alleged that he was duped of Rs 14.25 lakh in a visa fraud. The complainant alleged that Rohit Gupta, proprietor of C2A Group, based in Sector 34/A, promised to arrange a visa but failed to deliver the same. The Sector 34 police booked Gupta under cheating and fraud-related provisions of the BNS. TNS Sheetal Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 17 The cash-strapped Municipal Corporation has failed to maintain the city roads, the condition of which has become worse in monsoon. The one-week rain spell has wreaked havoc on the roads in several areas, turning them into death traps. The road near the Chandigarh Golf Club is riddled with potholes. The parking area of the Sukhna Lake has been badly damaged. The Sector 29-30 stretch is in a really bad condition. All roads in Dadumajra have been completely damaged. Most roads in the Manimajra have developed potholes, which pose a risk to scooterists in the rainy season. Local residents have started drives to fill the potholes themselves in many areas. Gurpreet Singh, Congress councillor, said he had never seen such a bad condition of the roads in the city. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Sector 45, said all internal roads had been damaged in the sector. President of the city Congress HS Lucky said the BJPled MC has failed on every front. It has failed to get sufficient funds for the recarpeting of the roads. Vijay Pal Singh, president of city AAP said the MC had failed , to ensure the maintenance pf basic infrastructure. The condition of the roads is really bad in villages and colonies. Baljinder Singh Bittu, president of the Federation of Sector Welfare Association of Continued on page 2 Panchkula, August 17 The condition of several key roads here has deteriorated to an intolerable level, with residents citing deep potholes, waterlogging and poor maintenance as reason for daily jams, accidents and damage caused to their vehicles. Despite repeated complaints, the civic authorities have failed to provide lasting solutions. The residents say the stretch from the BEL traffic lights to the Panchkula exit towards Hallo Majra is dotted with potholes, some over one-foot-deep. The slip road to the Tau Devi Lal Stadium from the underpass is in an equally poor condition, while the last exit from Sector 21 towards Sector 20 has become unsafe for motorists. The back lane behind the showrooms in Sector 8 and 9 is badly damaged, and the road opposite Raj Hans Cinema in Sector 5 needs immediate attention of the authorities. Equally troubling are the road leading to Mansa Devi temple, the entrance to the liquor vend parking in Sector 20 market, where motorists struggle to find way through huge potholes, and the stretch leading to the Gaushala near the temple. Civic activists have expressed concern over systemic delays. “In general, the condition of Panchkula roads is far from satisfactory, causing accidents and severe damage to vehicles. Whenever we raise the issue, the standard response from multiple agencies is that tendering is A badly damaged road near the petrol station in Sector 20. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Mohali residents resent civic apathy Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, August 17 The condition of potholed roads is getting worse with each spell of rain in the district, giving a tough time to road users, especially twowheeler riders. One of the riskiest roads in Mohali is in the busy market area of Phase-3B2. The road was scraped for recarpeting but the work was stopped abruptly ahead of the rainy season. “Slush and gravel on this uneven road pose a risk to two-wheeler riders,” said Krishan Lal, a local resident. Area councillor and Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi said the city roads need a complete overhaul. In Phase 11, residents said garbage piled up on one side Boy swept away in rivulet, another drowns in pond 5 kids lost in such incidents in Mohali this monsoon Tribune News Service Mohali, August 17 One child drowned and another was swept away in seasonal rivulets in the past 48 hours. Five children have died in such incidents in the district this monsoon season. A five-year-old boy died after falling into a pond near Ward No. 2 of Mubarikpur. Deceased Adhiraj, son of Akhilesh, was playing on swings near the pond when he slipped and fell into it around 11 am. He was rushed to the Dera Bassi subdivisional hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The family, hailing from Muzzaffarpur in Bihar, lives here in a rented accommodation. In the other incident, a 14year-old boy was swept away in a rivulet near Nadiali vil- Victim Harshdeep Singh BANUR INCIDENT 14-year-old Harshdeep was swept away in a rivulet near Nadiali village in Banur on August 15. His friends raised the alarm. Passersby rushed to rescue the boy, but could not catch hold of him. lage in Banur on August 15. Harshdeep Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, from Jansli village, had gone to the rivulet along with his friends. The water level in the rivulet had increased due to overnight rain. His friends raised the alarm. Passersby rushed to rescue the boy, but could not get hold of him. A team of divers searched for the boy, but in vain. Officials of public health, drainage and police departments visited the spot. On July 2, two children drowned in stagnant rainwater at a vacant park in Sector 119. Aradhya (8) was playing near the park when she fell into the 10-foot-deep water. Aryan (10), who was also playing nearby, tried to rescue the girl, but both drowned. A day later, 10-year-old Harishanker, son of Hari Chander, a migrant labourer from Bihar, drowned in a pit in the low-lying area of Bakarpur village in IT City. Officials at the rivulet in Nadiali village where Harshdeep was swept away. Roads dug up for laying sewers not recarpeted The potholed Kharar-Landran road in Mohali. PHOTO: VICKY of the road leaves little room for motorists. “Foul smell and garbage scattered on the road make driving on this stretch a horrible experience,” said Kulwant Singh. Woman dies in mishap at Mohali gaushala Shopkeepers of the Phase 11 market said the road, which was dug up for laying sewer lines, witnessed traffic chaos on rainy days. Traffic Continued on page 3 An entrance to the parking lot in the Sector 20 market. SYSTEMIC DELAYS Civic activists have expressed concern over systemic delays. “In general, the condition of Panchkula roads is far from satisfactory, causing accidents and damage to vehicles. Whenever we raise the issue, the response from multiple agencies is that tendering is in process. But this ‘process’ seems an endless wait for residents,” said Mohit Gupta, founder of Solution Box, a group of activists. in process. But this ‘process’ seems an endless wait for residents,” said Mohit Gupta, founder of Solution Box, a group of activists. Residents also reported that the Panchkula–Chandigarh border near Industrial Area, Phase II, has been witnessing long traffic jams for the past several days. “The main reason is deep potholes filled with rainwater and barricades placed in the middle of the road. Despite being an inter-state road, no government — Haryana or UT Chandigarh — has taken responsibility. People are being forced to suffer,” said SK Nayar, president of the Citizens’ Welfare Association, Panchkula. The residents accused the civic authorities of negligence and short-term fixes. “Either the MC does not repair the roads for years or, when it does, the patchwork last hardly three months. Don’t know whether it’s a shortage of material, or just our bad luck,” said Deep Krishan Chauhan, a Sector 20 resident. Another resident said the entrance to Block GH-33 in the Sector 20 market has turned into a virtual pond, where vehicles often scrape. Continued on page 3 Sukhna parking submerged Tribune News Service Mohali, August 17 A 52-year-old woman died as her dupatta got entangled in a fodder-cutting machine and the sudden jerk snapped her neck bone. The victim, Aman, a resident of Kharar, had gone to a gaushala in Phase 1 to feed cows. She was rushed to a private hospital nearby where the doctors declared her dead on arrival. The deceased is survived by her daughter. The police said further action would be taken after recording the statement of the victim’s kin. Visitors cross a waterlogged patch to reach their vehicles at the Sukhna Lake parking on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO PARDEEP TEWARI Leaders of student parties go vocal for local PU ELECTIONS Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 17 From pahari topis to local dialects, regional identity has found several forms of expression in the campaigning ahead of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections. Looking to build a rapport with the diverse varsity crowd, comprising youngsters from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and other distant parts of the country, student leaders are leaving no stone unturned. They can be spotted donning the pahari topis during interactions one day and heard talking to students in Haryanvi the next. c m y b Even within Punjab, distinctions are traced back to Doaba, Malwa and Majha. At the heart of the strategy is the shared aim of student parties expanding beyond their traditional vote bank. Notably, the varsity boasts of several parties to whom regional identity was the founding principle. While parties like HIMSU and HPSU have a dedicated base among students from Himachal, HSA and INSO find firm backing from Haryana-based students. It was natural for bigger parties, even those backed by national political parties such as the Congress, the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party to understand the value of “regional” groups. REGIONAL IDENTITY PU has several parties to whom regional identity was the founding principle. While parties like HIMSU and HPSU have a dedicated base among students from Himachal, HSA and INSO find firm backing from Haryana-based students. “There are many political groups representing states. If we talk about Himachal and Haryana, at least two groups each represent their interests. Punjab finds representation in multiple parties given the deep-rooted connection with state politics…so the PUCSC elections are not just to elect the student body, but a mandate of regional politics as well,” said Gaurav, a student of political science studying in a Sector-26 college. His classmate, Poonam added, “We do observe the representatives of various political groups carrying their ‘agenda’ at the Student Centre and campus hostels, the way of approaching the voters clearly indicates the importance of native region.” A sense of familiarity also helps build kinship in an age of factions and political differences. “There are two groups from Haryana (INSO, HSA) and two from Himachal (HIMSU, HPSU) as well. Groups from Leh-Ladakh are equally active. Despite limited strength, they are given due importance because of the ground presence of the parties,” said Praveen Sharma, a student from Himachal who added that he was enjoying being part of such a dynamic election. “Let’s not forget about the outfits backed by Punjab’s political parties and students from Uttar Pradesh, the North East. Perhaps, the university is the only centre in the region where voters come from such diverse backgrounds come together to elect a council,” he said, adding that the PUCSC election is no less than a microcosm for larger national politics.