16092026-CT-01.qxd 9/16/2026 12:56 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CHD-SHARJAH DIRECT FLIGHT SET TO RESUME ON OCT 26 ‘UNIVERSITIES CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS’ JEAN SMART, MATTHEW RHYS REWRITE EMMYS RECORDS Third international service at Mohali airport; four weekly non-stop flights in winter schedule. P3 Shekhawat inaugurates the office of Panjab University Campus Students’ Council president Ankit Bidhan. P3 Jean Smart has won her fifth Primetime Emmy Award for portraying a tenacious stand-up comic on Hacks. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 41 PANCHKULA 47 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9.30 am to 11.30 am: Parts of Sector 35, Khuda Ali Sher 10 am to 2 pm: Sectors 14,15, 26, 36, 51, Maloya, Dhanas, Manimajra, Ram Darbar 2 pm to 5.30 pm: Maloya, Manimajra, Khuda Ali Sher 17 challaned for littering in city Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 15 The Municipal Corporation (MC) conducted a challaning drive against littering and improper disposal of garbage at public places across the city today. Seventeen violators were challaned. The MC drive covered several locations, including Sectors 1, 8, 9, 17, 18, 24, 26, 43-B, 44, 51 and 52, besides the villages of Daria and Khuda Lahora, Vikas Nagar and Manimajra. The enforcement teams documented the violations through photographs and other evidence before issuing the challans. The violations included dumping garbage in open spaces, along roads, near markets and in residential areas. /THETRIBUNECHD Big relief for CHB allottees likely today Board to clear need-based changes in independent houses, lifts in flats Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 15 Lakhs of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) allottees are set to get major relief tomorrow. The Board of Directors will take up two long-pending demands — regularisation of need-based changes in independent houses and permission for lift installation in CHB dwelling units — at its meeting. The meeting will be chaired by Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad. A total of 35,000 CHB independent houses and flats are home to over 1.5 lakh residents in the city. The two agenda items are based on recommendations of a committee constituted by the CHB under the chairmanship of its Chief Executive Officer in May 2026. The committee on independent houses has recommended that demolition and reconstruction, as well as alterations, be permitted for all CHB independent houses, with the development control norms Alterations carried out in CHB houses in Sector 29, Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI ❝ GOVERNOR’S PUSH BEHIND THE RESPITE I have directed the CHB to regularise once and for all the need-based changes made in independent houses and flats, besides allowing lifts at these dwelling units in the larger public interest. Residents have been grappling with notices and penalties since allotment. However, no encroachment on government land will be allowed. Gulab Chand Kataria, PUNJAB GOVERNOR AND UT ADMINISTRATOR applicable to marla houses under the Chandigarh Building Rules (CBR) to apply at the time of seeking permission. Wherever the ground coverage and floor area ratio (FAR) allowed under earlier need-based change orders are higher than what the CBR permits, allottees will be entitled to the higher of the two, according to the recom- mendations. The committee has also proposed protecting lawful construction already carried out under earlier need-based change orders, subject to allottees intimat- ing such changes to the CHB within three months. The committee has also recommended that installation of lifts be permitted in all CHB flats and dwelling units, ending a prohibition that has applied since the township’s early housing schemes were launched. The committee, in its report, has observed that “lifts are no longer a luxury but a necessity.” Applications will have to be filed offline by a registered architect under a self-certification scheme, along with a modified building plan and a structural stability certificate as per Form-J of the CBR, 2017. These must be signed jointly by the architect and a structural engineer. The area occupied by the lift well has been proposed for exemption from ground coverage and FAR calculations for group housing flats, though this exemption will not extend to independent dwelling units. Where construction of a lift Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE 131 buildings found unsafe across UT, ownersto getnotices Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 15 The UT Estate Office has identified 131 unsafe buildings across the city and initiated the process of taking action against their owners. The UT Administration had constituted a committee to conduct structural audits of old and dilapidated structures following the collapse of a three-storey building in Sector 17 in January last year. Deputy Commissionercum-Estate Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav said notices would be issued to the owners of the unsafe buildings. They would be asked either to undertake necessary repairs or get a structural safety audit conducted. According to the list prepared by the Estate Office, Sector 22 has the highest number of unsafe buildings at 15, followed by Industrial Area, Will be asked to undertake repairs or get structural safety audits done; Sector 22, Industrial Areas top list Phase I, with 13 and Industrial Area, Phase II, with 10. Seven unsafe buildings have been identified each in Sectors 8, 18 and 21, while eight have been identified in Sector 20. Five unsafe buildings have been identified in Sector 26, four each in Sectors 24 and 27, three each in Sectors 15 and 23, and three in Manimajra. Sectors 17 and 32 have five unsafe buildings each. Six unsafe buildings have been identified in Sector 19, while Sectors 11 and 37 have four and five, respectively. One unsafe building each has been listed in Sectors 2, 5, 9, 29, 30, 31, 35, 38, 40, 46, 47, 50 and 52. Three get life imprisonment in 8-year-old murder case DNA evidence links accused Monu to 60-yr-old woman’s murder Chandigarh, September 15 A Fast-Track Special Court has sentenced taxi driver Monu Kumar to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a ly received a major breakthrough 60-year-old woman whose from DNA profiling conducted at body was found in Sector 54 the Central Forensic Science on February 28, 2024. Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh. This is the third rape-and- After the DNA report established murder case in which Monu a match between the accused has been sentenced to life and biological samples recovered imprisonment. The from the deceased, a court did not consider supplementary the case to be among chargesheet was the “rarest of rare” casfiled. The charge of es warranting the rape was added to death penalty. the case. Senior On August 21, 2026, Forensic Scientist Kumar was sentenced DS Yadav, from the to life imprisonment for CFSL was a key the rape and murder of prosecution witConvict Monu a 40-year-old woman ness. whose body was found near The counsel for the Snehalaya, Maloya, on Janu- accused, Sunil Kumar ary 12, 2022. In 2025, he was Pandey, argued that Monu also sentenced to life impris- had been falsely implicated. onment for the rape and mur- The public prosecutor, howder of a 22-year-old MBA stu- ever, submitted that the prosdent. Her body was found in a ecution had proved the case forest area in 2010. beyond reasonable doubt. In the latest case, the husAfter hearing the arguband of the deceased identi- ments, the court held Monu fied her body. He told the guilty under Sections 302 and police that his wife had come to 376-E of the IPC and senChandigarh from her native tenced him to life imprisonvillage in Uttar Pradesh two ment. The court also imposed and a half months ago. a fine of Rs 50,000 on him. During the investigation, Monu, who was already in Forensic DNA profiling police custody in another nails accused rape-and-murder case, Dr DS Yadav, Senior Forensic allegedly confessed to mur- Scientist and Assistant Direcdering the woman and steal- tor (Biology/DNA), led the forensic examination and ing her silver anklet (payal). Continued on page 2 The investigation subsequent- MAX 35°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.7°C | MIN 23°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.08 AM Taxi driver gets life term in third rape-murder case Ramkrishan Upadhyay PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.27 PM » WEDNESDAY | 16 SEPTEMBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Tribune News Service Vehicles stuck in a long traffic jam as Congress workers march to Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema’s residence in Chandigarh. RAVI KUMAR Cong protest triggers 3-hr traffic snarls Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 15 A Congress march to the residence of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema here triggered widespread traffic jams on Tuesday, with the UT police erecting barricades and using water cannons to stop the protesters. The Congress organised the protest over the suicide of Gulzar Singh in Sangrur district. The police took several leaders, including Sachin Pilot, AICC general secretary and Punjab Congress incharge; Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, PPCC president; and Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, into preventive custody. They were released around 3 pm. Several Congress workers and police personnel suffered injuries during a scuffle at the barricades. Madhya Marg witnessed long traffic jams for nearly three hours. The barricading put up to stop the protesters led to snarl-ups on internal roads in Sectors 11, 12, 14 and 15 through the afternoon. Commuters travelling to and from the PGI and Panjab University were stuck in traffic on Madhya Marg. Several ambulances were also caught in the long queues of vehicles. This was the second time in a week that a Congress march had caused traffic snarls in the city. A similar protest was held on September 8. The police had issued an advisory a day in advance, urging commuters to take alternative routes. Chandigarh, September 15 A local court has sentenced Sommy, Tarsem and a juvenile to rigorous imprisonment for life in an eight-yearold murder case. The case was registered on a complaint filed by Sunny, a resident of Sector 25. He told the police that on March 29, 2018, he was returning home with his brother-in-law. When they reached near a petrol pump in Sector 37, Tarsem abused them and threatened to kill them. The following day, Sunny was outside his house with his relative Aman when six youths allegedly attacked them. Tarsem allegedly stabbed Aman in the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital in a police vehicle but died during treatment. The police arrested the accused during the investigation. The counsel for the accused argued that they had been falsely implicated in the case. The public prosecutor, however, submitted that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. After hearing the arguments, the court held the accused guilty under Section 302 of the IPC and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for life. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each convict. Teen girl gives 10-year-old brother new lease of life GauravKanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, September 15 A 17-year-old girl from Durgapur, West Bengal, donated her stem cells to give her 10-yearold brother a second chance at life. Doctors of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (HBCH&RC), New Chandigarh, successfully conducted its first allogeneic stem cell transplant on the boy suffering from leukaemia. The boy was diagnosed with a second relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in April this year. The family travelled to Punjab to continue his treatment at HBCH&RC, a unit of the Tata Memorial Centre under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. Following intensive chemotherapy, the boy achieved remission. However, considering the high risk of recurrence, an allogeneic stem cell transplant was recommended as the best curative treatment. An allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT), also known as an allogeneic stem cell transplant, involves replacing a patient’s diseased blood-forming system with healthy blood-forming stem cells obtained from another person. “The patient’s elder sister was identified as the most suitable donor after a detailed donor evaluation. Her stem cells were collected and infused into her brother through a vein. The transplanted cells successfully engrafted and, following close monitoring and supportive care, the child has now recovered. He was dis- charged from the hospital in good health on Tuesday. We will continue to closely monitor him during the post-transplant period,” said Dr Jasmeet Sidhu. Dr Ashish Gulia, Director, HBCH&RC, said, “This story of a young brother and sister shows the hope that advanced cancer care can offer to families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We ensured that the patient’s family was supported medically, emotionally as well as financially.” The hospital’s Medical c m y b Social Work team facilitated financial assistance of over Rs 14 lakh through government schemes and other means, besides arranging accommodation for the family in a dharamshala during the treatment. “Since the inception of the BMT programme in 2024, the hospital has performed 15 stem cell transplants and three CAR-T cell therapy infusions. We are committed to providing world-class cancer treatment at an affordable cost across North India,” said Dr Gulia. Doctors of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre with the patient.