23062026-CT-01.qxd 6/23/2026 1:05 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CHANDIGARH KINGS LOSE TO WARRIORS IN RAIN-HIT TIE SGGS, SEC 18 ACADEMY TO CLASH FOR WOMEN’S TITLE MAANVI SPEAKS ON BODYSHAMING & HER LATEST FILM HEER SARA Shivam slams 14 boundaries and 15 sixes to post 171 runs off 63 balls for Chandigarh Kings. P3 SGGS College, Sector 26, eves post a 3-2 victory over KISCOE, Sector 42, in a semifinal match. P3 Maanvi Gagroo was recently seen in the film Heer Sarawhere she played a body-shamed firecracker. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 64 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Govt to route pending relief payment through Reference Court THREE-YEAR DEADLOCK ENDS Nitin Jain Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 7 am to 10 am: Parts of Sector 30 8.30 am to 12.30 pm: Mauli Complex, Motor Market, Charan Singh Colony, Mauli village, Vikas Nagar, Raipur Kalan, Bal Niketan 10.30 am to 2.30 pm: Badheri, Kaimbala villages 3 pm to 5 pm: Sarangpur, Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26 Chandigarh, June 22 In a major breakthrough for the long-stalled Aerotropolis expansion near the international airport in Mohali, the Punjab Government has decided in-principle to route pending compensation payments through the Reference Court. The government’s decision has paved the way for the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to finally take possession of land in Aerotropolis Pockets A, B, C and D and resume development works that have remained virtually frozen for over three years due to the multi-crore guava orchard compensation scam. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held recently, which was also attended by the sarpanches of the majority of villages falling under the Aerotropolis acquisition area. A formal notification giving legal effect to all enhancements will be issued shortly, top government functionaries told The Tribune. The move seeks to break the deadlock created by Vigi- ■ Pending compensation to be deposited in Reference Court, enabling GMADA to take possession of land ■ ~137-crore guava orchard scam had triggered scrutiny of orchard compensation claims ■ Direct relief to genuine claimants: Compensation for structures/orchards not covered by the guava orchard scam FIR to be released directly. ■ Long-delayed infrastructure projects in Aerotropolis Pockets A, B, C and D expected to move ahead. ■ Government to frame transparent norms for valuation of orchards and structures to avoid future disputes. FARMERS’ INTERESTS FOREMOST: MANN hostage to ❝Punjab’s development cannot remainthe interestspending disputes. We have decided to safeguard of genuine farmers, ensure transparency in compensation, and fast-track possession and development of Aerotropolis so that this flagship project moves forward without further delay. — BHAGWANT MANN, PUNJAB CHIEF MINISTER ❞ lance Bureau FIR No. 16 of 2023, registered in the Rs 137crore guava orchard compensation scam that exposed alleged manipulation of orchard assessments on land acquired for the Aerotropolis project. Investigators alleged that influential beneficiaries, in connivance with officials of the revenue, horticulture and land acquisition departments, fraudulently claimed massive compensation for fruit-bearing guava orchards shown on acquired land. The probe has since led to multiple arrests, prosecution sanctions against officials and parallel money-laundering proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate. The controversy had triggered a series of administrative restrictions on compensation disbursal. A subsequent order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, expressing apprehensions about the assessment of orchards and structures, became the princi- pal hurdle in releasing compensation and taking possession of acquired land. According to the officials, that order was later stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, creating a legal and administrative impasse that effectively stalled payments and delayed development works across Aerotropolis Blocks A-D. The government has now decided that all pending cash compensation and other disputed payment amounts will be deposited by the Land Acquisition Collector before the competent reference court. Once deposited, GMADA will be able to secure possession of the acquired land and proceed with infrastructure development without waiting for the final adjudication of individual compensation disputes. In a significant relief for many landowners, compensation relating to structures and orchards that are not under the Vigilance Bureau investigation will be released directly to beneficiaries. Officials said the government would also formulate a fresh transparent policy governing assessment of structures and fruit-bearing trees to prevent future disputes and ensure timely compensation in subsequent acquisition exercises. The decision assumes significance as Aerotropolis Blocks (from A to D) form part of the larger airport-region development strategy around Mohali. While compensation awards for the area were announced earlier, physical progress on the ground remained constrained due to unresolved compensation disputes linked to the orchard scam. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Court rejects former CREST accountant Kukkar’s bail plea Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 22 A local court has dismissed the bail application of Sahil Kukkar, former accountant of the Chandigarh Renewable Energy & Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST). He was arrested for the misappropriation of over Rs 83 crore belonging to the society that was deposited with IDFC First Bank. The FIR in the case was initially registered by the UT police on March 12 for fraudulent banking operations and fictitious transactions to divert government funds to shell entities in connivance with bank officials and public servants. Later, the case was transferred to the CBI. The counsel for the accused said he was falsely implicated in the case. The applicant was arrested in the case on March 31, 2026. He was not named in the original FIR, claimed the counsel. Kukkar’s name surfaced during the investigation. He was merely an accountant engaged on a contractual basis and was neither a IMD extends yellow Weather delight alert for thunderstorms in Tricity till Friday Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 22 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has extended the yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 4050 kmph at isolated places across Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana till Friday. Scattered showers are likely at isolated locations during this period. However, the weather office has forecast dry conditions for Saturday and Sunday, with no warning or alert in place for the weekend. For the Tricity, the forecast suggests a gradual rise in temperatures from Tuesday onwards. Maximum temperatures are expected to remain around 38°C throughout the week, while minimum temperatures are likely to climb from 24°C on Tuesday to 27°C from Thursday onwards. A senior meteorologist said the region is currently witnessing a transition phase between pre-monsoon thunderstorms and the eventual arrival of the southwest monsoon. “The thunderstorm activity being witnessed over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana is pre-monsoon in nature and should not be confused with monsoon onset. The southwest monsoon’s advance slowed considerably during the past two weeks because of unfavourable large-scale atmospheric conditions and repeated western disturbances over North India. While isolated thunderstorms and showers will continue to occur, a sustained wet spell associated with monsoon arrival is more likely towards the end of June. Until then, temperatures are expected to rise again after the temporary cooling caused by Sunday’s storm,” the meteorologist said. The thunderstorm that swept across the Tricity on Sunday night brought 5.1 mm rainfall to Chandigarh and triggered a sharp fall in both day and night temperatures on Monday. According to the IMD, Chandigarh recorded 5.1 mm rainfall, making it the third-highest 24-hour rainfall station in the PunjabHaryana region, behind Yamunanagar (7.5 mm) and Amritsar (6.7 mm). Other stations reported only light rainfall or traces. Chandigarh’s maximum temperature plunged to 35°C, a sharp fall of 4.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature dropped to 22.4°C, down 2.6 degrees Celsius. The IMD data showed Chandigarh recorded the coolest night in Punjab and the second coolest in Haryana after Bhiwani, which reported a minimum of 21.5°C. Weather conditions varied sharply within the Tricity itself. While Chandigarh experienced one of the coolest nights in the region, Mohali recorded a minimum temperature of 26.5°C, making it the second warmest night in Punjab after Bathinda’s 27.3°C. Yet during the day, Mohali emerged as one of the coolest places in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 34°C, second only to Nawanshahr (31.8°C). In fact, Mohali’s maximum temperature was lower than every reporting station in Haryana on Monday. MAX 38°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 22.4°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:23 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Punjab clears way for Aerotropolis compensation, land possession PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 7:27 PM » TUESDAY | 23 JUNE 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST ~83-crore scam director nor a key managerial person of the society. He had no authority to sanction, approve, authorise or release any funds and had no control over the bank accounts involved in the present case, the counsel informed the court. Jai Hind Patel, Public Prosecutor for the CBI, opposed the bail application. He claimed that Kukkar was actively involved in the conspiracy. The mobile number of the accused was registered with all three of CREST’s bank accounts for receiving SMS alerts. Being an accountant during the entire relevant period, he was responsible for supervision of financial affairs of CREST, scrutiny of financial transactions, maintenance of records and overall financial management of the society. The hotel bills totalling Rs 2.91 lakh for the accused’s personal visit to Rajasthan were paid by accused Ribhav Rishi, a bank officer, from the account of CAPCO Fintech Services, said Patel. After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the bail application of the accused. INBRIEF 72 CHALLANED IN CITY MARKETS Chandigarh: The Municipal Corporation on Monday carried out an extensive enforcement drive across the city to ensure free movement of pedestrians and encroachment-free public spaces in markets. During the day-long drive, encroachments were removed from markets in Burail, Sectors 45, 34 and 22, where shopkeepers had illegally occupied MC land and public corridors. A total of 72 challans were issued for various violations. TNS YOUTH ARRESTED IN ARMS ACT CASE Chandigarh: The police have arrested Akash, a resident of Sector 26, with a knife. A case under Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered against him at the Sector 26 police station. TNS Tourists throng the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh amid the pleasant weather on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI More city heritage pieces to go under hammer in Paris on June 25 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 22 Even as the ink has barely dried on the Brussels sale of seven pieces of Chandigarh heritage for Rs 1.6 crore on June 18, two more Pierre Jeanneretdesigned armchairs from the city’s Capitol Project are scheduled to go under the hammer in Paris on June 25, through an independent Parisian auctioneer, François Epin. Heritage activist and advocate Ajay Jagga, a member of the UT Heritage Items Protection Cell, today informed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Indian Ambassador to France Sanjeev Singla about the auction and urged for diplomatic intervention to halt the sale before Wednesday. Seven articles were sold for ~1.6 cr in Brussels barely week ago BY THE NUMBERS 12,793UT heritage items Over 100 ~40-50 cr identified in 2012 inventory across 190 categories international auctions estimated realisation held since 2009 abroad ■ Single highest sale (a PU library table) at Tel Aviv in 2018 fetched ~1.92 crore: ■ A pair of chairs was sold for ~ 78.22 lakh in Paris in October 2021 ■ 7 items were sold in Brussels on June 18 Unlike his earlier representations, which had been addressed only to New Delhi, Jagga this time copied the letter to the Indian Embassy in Paris directly, attaching a pointed appeal to the Ambassador to raise a formal objection. Both pieces are teak-andcane armchairs and carry the institutional identification c m y b marks that establish their government provenance beyond any dispute. The first, estimated at ^5,000 to ^7,000 (approximately Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6.3 lakh), bears the marking PU/Chem/55, indicating its origin from Panjab University’s Chemistry Department. The second, estimated at ^4,000 to ^5,000 (Rs 3.6 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh), carries the marking PGI/W/CH-0202. In his representation, Jagga has stated that the sale is being handled not by an established design auction house but by François Epin, described as a specialist who previously headed the Decorative Arts and Design Department at Pierre Bergé & Associés in Paris and Brussels. It is one of the most prominent French auction firms historically associated with Chandigarh-era modernist furniture sales. In his letter, Jagga has reiterated that the Ministry of Home Affairs order of February 22, 2011, expressly prohibits not just the export but even the inter-building transfer of Chandigarh heritage furniture without authorisation, making these sales prima facie illegal under binding government instructions. “This loot by foreigners should not continue after 79 years of independence,” he wrote. Jagga invoked India’s obligations under the United Nations treaty framework on cultural artefacts, urging that diplomatic channels be activated urgently for both the Paris sale and any future listings. Seven items were sold in Brussels for Rs 1.6 crore on June 18 despite intimation to the two central ministries two days before the auction. Seven items fetched Rs 1.16 crore at a Wright auction house sale in Chicago on June 4, which had included MLA Hostel furniture from Punjab Vidhan Sabha, prompting Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to seek a custody report from the Chandigarh Administration. Across at least 100 open international auctions since 2009, Chandigarh’s heritage furniture is estimated to have generated Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore for foreign dealers and auction houses, with individual pieces fetching as much as Rs 1.92 crore, a Panjab University library table sold in Tel Aviv in 2018.