26082025-CT-01.qxd 8/26/2025 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune UNCHECKED GROWTH LEAVES PANCHKULA IN WILDERNESS 22-YEAR-OLD BEATEN TO DEATH OVER FAMILY RIVALRY TAMANNAAH BHATIA-STARRER SERIES TO BE OUT THIS SEPT Residents of trans-Ghaggar sectors irked over wild growth at sidewalks, green belts. P2 A clash had broken out between members of the two families in Mohali's Gobindgarh village. P2 Tamannaah and Diana Penty will soon be seen headlining a new series Do You Wanna Partner. P4 » » WHAT’S ON Residents told to remove violations or lose supply connection encroachments. Failure to comply with the instructions will lead to the disconnection of electricity supply without any further notice, and appropriate action will be initiated as per law, said the officials. The information regarding the notices served to residents has also been shared with the departments concerned, including the Chandigarh Housing Board, Municipal Corporation and Police Department, for necessary action. The officials said they were in the process of serving more notices to the owners of houses where unauthorised constructions close to power lines have been raised. Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH Lecture and interactive session: With eminent artist Prem Singh, to be organised by Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi and Fine Art Department, University Institute of Design, Chandigarh University; August 26, 11 am, Government Museum Sector 10 Leadership development programme: The Centre for Academic Leadership & Education Management (CALEM), Department of Education, PU, to organise leadership development programme for college principals; PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Renu Vig to be chief guest, Punjabi University VC Dr Jagdeep Singh to deliver inaugural address; Hall No. 1, CALEM building, Sector 25, PU South Campus, 9 am APNI MANDI Chd: Sectors 29 & 56, and Dhanas Panchkula: Sec 15 Mohali: Sectors 68 and 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Chandigarh, August 25 As many as 805 household owners in the city have been issued disconnection notices by Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) for carrying out unauthorised constructions dangerously close to electric poles and overhead lines. These violations include extended buildings, balconies, boundary walls, and encroachments on poles and lines. Following the CPDL’s takeover of the city’s power distribution system in February 2025, a detailed survey was carried out covering villages and colonies to identify such violations. The CPDL officials said violations were found in various areas and 805 notices had been issued to the violators in Sector 25, Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26; Daria, Khuda Jassu, Khuda Lahora, Dhanas, Hallomajra, Faidan, Manimajra, Mauli Jagran, Mauli village, Vikas Nagar, Charan Singh Colony, Palsora, Burail, Dadumajra, Dadumajra Colony and Maloya. These unauthorised constructions/alterations are in contravention of provisions of Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2010, and the Balconies extended beyond an electricity supply line pole in a locality in Chandigarh. MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN POWER LINES, STRUCTURES CATEGORY VERTICAL HORIZONTAL Low voltage lines (up to 415 Volts) 2.5 m 1.2 m High voltage lines (above 415 Volt sand up to 11 kV) 3.7 m 1.2 m 3-High voltage lines (above 11 kV and up to 33 kV) 3.7 m 2.0 m 4-Extra high voltage lines (above 33 kV) 3.7 m* 2.0 m* *plus 0.30 m for every additional 33 kV or part thereof Electricity Act, 2003, which mandate minimum clearances between electrical infrastructure and nearby structures to ensure public safety. The officials said maintaining the prescribed distance is crucial to prevent electrical hazards as well as protect lives and property. The residents have been instructed to remove the UT INVOKES ESMA, BANS STRIKE BY CPDL STAFF Chandigarh: The UT Administration has invoked the Haryana Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA), 1974, prohibiting any strike by employees of Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) till January 26, 2026. A notification issued by the Administration states any strike by the employees of the CPDL shall affect the generation and maintenance of supply of electricity, which is an essential service to the community and is likely to adversely affect the power generation and supply in Chandigarh. —TNS Monsoon intensifies, heavy rain likely today Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 25 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) today predicted widespread heavy to very heavy rain in the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. Noting that monsoon was vigorous over the region comprising Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana during the past 24 hours, the weatherman said heavy to very heavy rain was reported at isolated places over TRICITY METER CITY Chd Mohali P’kula Punjab and Haryana . The IMD has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm at isolated places in the region on August 26, and a yellow alert for heavy rain on MAX 30.6°C 30.5°C 31.9°C MIN RAIN 23.7°C 46.2-mm 24.2°C 31.5-mm 25.1°C NA Wednesday and Saturday. “The current spell of widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana for the next 36-48 hours and will reduce thereafter,” the IMD said. “Heavy rainfall (7cm or more) is likely during August 26-27 and 29-30 at isolated places over Punjab. Heavy rainfall (7cm or more) is likely on August 26, 27 and 30 at isolated places over Haryana,” said the IMD forecast. It stated that heavy rainfall (7cm or more) is likely on August 26 at isolated places over Chandigarh. MAX 32°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 30.1°C | MIN 23.7°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.56 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 805 notices issued for illegal structures near power lines RAIN SUNSET TUESDAY 6.53 PM » TUESDAY | 26 AUGUST 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Hit by charges of corruption, MC braces for stormy meet Agenda on transfer of V3 roads to be tabled in House today Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 25 With the Opposition councillors busy preparing strategies to attack the ruling BJP over the poor state of city roads, alleged corruption in the enforcement wing and financial woes, the Municipal Corporation (MC) General House meeting scheduled for August 26 is likely to be a stormy affair. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors held separate pre-House meetings today to discuss issues on which they can corner the ruling party. The BJP councillors also held a meeting to chalk out a plan to counter the Opposition. The AAP unit president, Vijaypal Singh, said all party councillors will raise the issue of alleged corruption in the civic body. “Every day, new corruption charges are emerging,” he said, taking note of an enforcement wing employee’s recent video “exposing a systematic extortion racket” ON THE TABLE ■ Approval to the adoption of stringent Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act ■ Single parking pass for all paid parking lots under MC ■ Auction of five plots at Pocket No.6 of Manimajra in the department. “A massive scam also took place in the community centre bookings under the guise of free weddings for EWS families,” Singh added. City Congress president HS Lucky said the party councillors had decided to raise the issue of city roads being in a deplorable condition. They will also raise the problem of waterlogging in the House meeting. In this backdrop, the agenda to transfer of all V3 (sectordividing) roads to the UT Administration’s Engineering Department for upkeep could turn into a major talking point. The civic body has faced mounting criticism for failing to maintain the roads, which have deteriorated further since the onset of the monsoon season. Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla decided to again bring the agenda before the House after it was unanimously rejected in an earlier House meeting. She maintained that the aim was to ensure welfare of the residents. The agenda for the recommendation of the committee for GIS-based mechanised and manual sweeping of southern sectors (Sectors 31-56, 61 and 63) except Behlana will also be placed before the House. Other agendas set to be tabled include the conversion of the free parking area at Hallomajra and Ram Darbar and behind Fun Republic, Manimajra, into paid parking facilities for tourist buses, the proposal to assign operation and maintenance of C&D Waste Management Facility for five years and the selection of Indian Oil Corporation Limited as the agency setting up a segregated organic municipal solid waste based compressed biogas plant. QR code to check bus routes, timings Chandigarh, August 25 The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has displayed QR codes at interstate terminals and bus queue shelters across the city to help passengers plan their journey according to information about bus routes and timings. This initiative is aimed at providing commuters with expected arrival time information about buses, so that they can plan a seamless journey directly from their smartphones. Upon scanning these QR codes at any of the designated bus queue shelters, commuters will be instantly directed to the web page, wherein they can insert his/her destination and get to know about the arrival time of buses in real time. They will also get information about routes to his/her destination. —TNS The police nab the criminal at the encounter site in Kharar. Wanted criminal nabbed after shootout in Kharar Tribune News Service Mohali, August 25 The police arrested a wanted criminal, Bhupinder Singh, a native of Ludhiana, after a brief shootout at a spot between Simbalmajra and Rurki Pukhta in Kharar this afternoon. He sustained a bullet injury on his right leg and was shifted to the subdivisional hospital. The police said Bhupinder and his three accomplices, including Pargat Singh and Taranjeet Singh Soni, all residents of Malerkotla, had snatched a luxury car at gunpoint from two employees of CGC Jhanjheri, Tara Singh and Tushar Sharma, on the Landran-Sirhind road near Continued on page 2 UT ahead of MP, Odisha in scrapping of old vehicles 8,646 units junked in over two years; Punjab lags behind with 4,553 vehicles Tribune News Service A vehicle scrapping facility in Industrial Area, Phase I, Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO Chandigarh, August 25 People of the city are not only ahead in buying new vehicles but have also taken a lead among many big states of the country when it comes to scrapping old vehicles. Under the Central Government’s Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (VVMP), 8,646 old vehicles have been scrapped in Chandigarh in two-and-a-half years. According to data presented by Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in the Lok Sabha, Chandigarh is ahead c m y b of states like Madhya Pradesh (6,892), Odisha (2,737) and Punjab (4,553) in vehicle scrapping. Despite the small area, 8,646 old vehicles have been scrapped in Chandigarh since the implementation of the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy in April 1, 2023, to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles. According to the policy, commercial vehicles over 15 years old and passenger vehicles over 20 years old will have to be mandatorily scrapped if these do not pass the fitness and emission tests. However, some experts say CHD ALSO LEADS IN NEW PURCHASES Year 2023 2024 2025 4-wheelers sold 31,416 24,753 14,453 (TO DATE) that the figures for Chandigarh are also high because many vehicles from neighbouring states also come to Chandigarh for scrapping at the Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility in Industrial Area, Phase I. At the same time, Uttar Pradesh is at the forefront of scrapping vehicles across the country, where 1,21,206 vehicles have been scrapped so far. It is followed by Haryana (38,993) and Maharashtra (19,310). Gujarat (15,448) and Rajasthan (15,420) also rank high on this list. Road tax exemption According to the vehicle scrappage policy, the beneficiaries get upto 25 per cent rebate on road tax for the scrapping of old non-transport vehicles and 15 per cent for transport vehicles on the registration of new vehicles after submitting the Certificate of Deposit (COD). Once a vehicle is scrapped, a certificate of deposit (COD) is issued and it is de-registered, and this certificate is valid across the country. Also, the vehicle owner can retain the registration number of the scrapped vehicle at the e-vahan portal. The value of the scrap is calculated on the basis of the weight of the vehicle. The owner is paid as per the current rate of the scrap, which is calculated on the basis of its steel. The Administration has also told the departments that new vehicles can be purchased only when these produce the scrapping certificate of the old vehicle.