22102026-CT-01.qxd 10/22/2026 12:25 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune MULLIGANS TOP GROUP A, REACH KNOCKOUT STAGE AYAAN BOOKS SEMIS BERTH IN AITA CHAMPIONS SERIES DEEPIKA, RANVEER NAME SECOND DAUGHTER DEVI Defending champions Mulligans complete round-robin campaign to top Group A in the golf league. P3 Ayaan Chandel registers a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Trishir Dhawan in the boys’ U-16 quarterfinals. P3 Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have named their second daughter as Devi Padukone Singh. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 68 PANCHKULA Aanavi Singh Arya Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH SESSION: Capacity-building programme on “Healthy and mindful living”; CDOE auditorium, PU; 10 am LECTURE: Extension lecture on “Authshashtra and modern India: Ancient wisdom for contemporary economic changes”; multipurpose hall, PU; 11 am Mayor flags civic deficiencies in Sectors 16, 24 Women celebrate Sindoor Khela during the Durga Puja festivities in Sector 35, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Tribune News Service Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 21 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed the Estate Officer, HUDA, Sector 6, Panchkula, to refund Rs 9,900 to a Manimajra resident for a community centre booking cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The commission has also ordered payment of 9% annual interest on the amount and Rs 5,000 as compensation for mental agony and harassment, along with litigation expenses. In his complaint, Harvinder Pal, a resident of Manimajra, told the commission that he had booked the Panchkula Community Centre in Sector 6, MDC, on November 2, 2019, for his daughter’s marriage scheduled for April 26, 2020. The booking amount was Rs 74,900. However, the function could not be held due to the Covid-19 lockdown, following which he sought a refund of the entire amount through a request dat- UT invokes Hry ESMA, bans power staff strike Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 21 The UT Administration has invoked the Haryana Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (HESMA), 1974, prohibiting employees of Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) from going on strike for the next six months. According to a notification issued by the Administration, any strike by the CPDL employees could adversely affect electricity distribution and supply, an essential service in the Union Territory. The CPDL had informed the Administration that the UT Powermen Union, Chandigarh, had called for agitation, raising concerns about a possible disruption in power supply during the festive season. It said an Chandigarh, October 21 A 56-year-old businessman from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, was found dead in his room at the Taj hotel in Sector 17 on Wednesday morning. The deceased was identified as Deepak Mittal, director of Sanjay Grain Products Private Limited. Hotel staff found him unconscious in room No. 303 around 8 am. The door was open. He was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, where doctors declared him brought dead. The police said they had not found any evidence of foul play so far. The exact cause of death would be established after the release of the postmortem report, they added. Chhattisgarh resident checked in on Tuesday, cops await post-mortem report Sources said a woman known to Mittal had reportedly visited him on Tuesday night and informed the hotel staff about his deteriorating health. The police said no information had emerged to suggest that the woman was a suspect. Mittal’s family has been informed about the incident. Liquor and some medicines were recovered from the room, while a forensic team examined the spot. The Sector 17 police are also examining the hotel’s CCTV footage and investigating the circum- stances leading to his death. The police said Mittal was reportedly suffering from blood pressure and diabetesrelated ailments. His body was kept in the mortuary and a post-mortem examination was conducted. Mittal had checked in on Tuesday and was reportedly scheduled to attend a meeting related to Punjab Markfed on Wednesday. He was associated with the rice-milling business and dealt in government food-supply tenders for rice, oil and pulses. In a statement, the hotel management said, “We are saddened by this unfortunate incident and offer our deepest condolences. We are extending our support to the family and assisting the authorities.” Panel tells HUDA to Illegal cigarettes worth ~3,300 refund ~9,900 for seized in joint raids across UT cancelled booking Tobacco products worth Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 21 Chandigarh Mayor Saurabh Joshi today conducted surprise inspections in Sectors 16 and 24. He was accompanied by officials from the public health, horticulture, buildings and roads (B&R), electrical and medical officer of health (MOH) departments. During the inspections, the Mayor flagged several civic deficiencies requiring urgent attention and questioned officials about issues affecting residents’ daily lives. Acting on complaints received from residents, Joshi directed the departments concerned to take immediate action and resolve pending civic issues on priority. He emphasised that public convenience, the quality of civic services and departmental accountability must remain top priorities. Joshi appreciated residents who had voluntarily taken responsibility for maintaining neighbourhood parks through their own resources. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Bizman found dead in Taj hotel room Durga Puja fervour SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in Tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.7°C | MIN 15.8°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.29 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 48 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 5.45 PM » THURSDAY | 22 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST uninterrupted electricity supply was essential for hospitals, water supply systems, public utilities and other essential services, and any disruption could cause serious inconvenience to the public. Until recently, the East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1947, was applicable in Chandigarh. The Administration had replaced it with Haryana ESMA, citing the latter’s stricter provisions. Officials said that under the earlier law, action could be taken against employees directly participating in a strike. Under the Haryana ESMA, however, even those who plan a strike or provide funds for it can face penalties. The Act also contains other stringent provisions aimed at ensuring an uninterrupted power supply. ed May 7, 2020. He received a refund of Rs 65,000, leaving Rs 9,900 outstanding. Despite repeated requests, HUDA did not refund the remaining amount. In a letter dated September 18, 2025, the Estate Officer, HSVP Panchku, la, rejected his claim, stating that the Rs 9,900 represented GST pertaining to the financial year 2020-21 and could not be adjusted in the financial year 2024-25. The complainant also submitted documents relating to a similar case in which the booking amount for a cancelled community centre reservation had been refunded in full. These included the booking receipt, cancellation receipt and bank statement. The commission observed that there was no material on record to establish that the complainant was liable to forfeit Rs 9,900 or bear the amount despite cancellation of the booking. It held that the explanation regarding GST and financialyear adjustments did not, by itself, justify retaining the amount when the booking had been cancelled due to the pandemic. Chandigarh, October 21 The UT Administration conducted joint raids at several locations across the city today to strengthen enforcement of tobacco control laws and curb the sale of illegal tobacco products. The joint team, led by the Health Department, also comprised officials from the police, excise and taxation, legal metrology, and food safety and drug control departments. It inspected shops and tobacco vendors in Manimajra and Sector 16 and detected violations of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and provisions of the Excise Act. During an inspection of Shiv Shankar Confectionery and Departmental Store at Sector 13, Manimajra, the team found cigarettes being sold without proper billing and the mandatory warning signage. The shop operator, Jai Dayal, was fined Rs 1,000 by the Health Department and Rs 500 by the Excise Department. Seven packets of cigarettes worth Rs 2,100 were also seized for lack of proper billing. At a kiosk outside in the NAC, Sector 13, loose ciga- ~34,500 destroyed in enforcement drive RAIDS TO CONTINUE ~5,500 IN FINES Penalties imposed on shopkeepers for violations of tobacco control laws. ■ Violations: Shops in Manimajra and Sector 16 were found selling loose cigarettes or tobacco products without mandatory warning signage or within 100 yards of educational institutions. ■ More raids planned: The UT Health Department will continue enforcement drives through the Permanent Task Force to curb illegal tobacco sales. rettes were found being sold by Umesh without the mandatory warning signage. The Health and Excise departments imposed fines of Rs 500 each. Two packets of imported cigarettes worth Rs 600 were seized, while the vendor destroyed 15 packets of loose cigarettes valued at Rs 6,000. Similarly, a kiosk operated by Gaya Prasad near the HDFC Bank branch in Manimajra was found selling loose and imported cigarettes without the prescribed warning signage. The Health and Excise departments imposed fines of Rs 500 each. Imported cigarettes and related products worth approximately Rs 600 were seized, while the vendor destroyed 15 packets of loose cigarettes worth Rs 6,000. The team also inspected shops in Sector 16-D, where tobacco products were found being sold within 100 yards of educational institutions. At Sharma Confectionery and Juice Bar, Booth No. 5, operated by Ramesh Chand, the health and excise officials imposed fines of Rs 500. Sixty packets of tobacco products worth approximately Rs 6,000 were seized and destroyed. At Sharma Confectionery, Booth No. 16, the Health Department imposed a fine of Rs 1,000. Another 165 packets of tobacco products valued at approximately Rs 16,500 were seized and destroyed. During the drive, the departments imposed total fines of Rs 5,500. The Excise Department also seized illegal and imported cigarettes with an estimated wholesale value of Rs 3,300. The seized cigarette packets did not carry the Continued on page 2 Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda pays homage to police martyrs at the Sector 17 police station. UT pays homage to police martyrs Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 21 The UT police observed Police Commemoration Day today with a parade at the Sector 17 police station ground to honour personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Chandigarh DGP Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, along with other officers, paid floral tributes at the Martyrs’ Memorial in the presence of the families of the martyrs. The day is observed every year on October 21 in memory of 10 CRPF personnel who were killed in an ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh in 1959. Between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, as many as 154 personnel of state police forces and central forces laid down their lives in the line of duty. The UT police also paid homage to its 10 personnel who have been killed in the line of duty since 1966. Inspector Jagjit Singh, then SHO of the Sector 39 police station, was killed during a raid on terrorists in Sector 45 in 1988. ASI Amarjit Singh was ambushed near Kajheri in 1989, while Constable Shamsher Singh was shot dead by militants outside his home in January 1991. Continued on page 2 Visually impaired students craft candles, light up lives Workshop at Sector 26 institute promotes self-reliance, confidence; institution struggles to meet expenses Stuti Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 21 As Diwali approaches, students of the Institute for the Blind in Sector 26 are learning to make candles, turning a festive activity into an opportunity to develop practical skills, earn an income and move towards greater independence. At a candle-making workshop organised by the institute, students learn the art of making and packing candles for sale in the market. The proceeds go towards supporting the institution’s activities. The initiative gives students an opportunity to learn practical skills, work as a team and take on responsibilities beyond the classroom. While staff members supervise production and ensure safety, students assist with packaging and other organisational tasks. “I have been working with Visually impaired students pack candles at the Institute for the Blind in Sector 26. PHOTO: VICKY these children since 1993. They are bright and capable of performing every task assigned to them. We primarily work with wax, keeping safety precautions in mind, and produce around 50 kg of candles a day. c m y b The children help us with packaging,” said Durga Bahadur, the candle-making superviser. For the students, such opportunities reinforce the belief that visual impairment need not limit their ability to contribute independently. “These activities help us become independent. They are encouraging,” said Sunny, a Class XII student. His classmate Sukhwinder described how students help pack the candles, carefully arranging 24 pieces in each packet. Chairman and senior vicepresident Dinesh Kumar Kapila said the candle-making activity did not generate substantial revenue but helped the institution build lasting relationships with patrons and potential donors by showcasing its work and the capabilities of its students. Beyond candle-making, students are introduced to activities such as loom work and rugmaking. However, the institute is increasingly focusing on technology and assistive learning tools to help students become more self-reliant. The institute currently has 160 students, including 104 residential students living in its boys’ and girls’ hostels. Education, boarding, lodging and uniforms are provided free of cost, with the institution relying largely on dona- tions to sustain its operations. The institute provides education in science and mathematics up to Class X. Braille, Orbit Reader devices, smart classrooms and exposure to technology, including JavaScript, form part of its efforts to prepare students for changing educational and professional environments. Despite its efforts to provide a comprehensive learning environment, sustaining the institution remains a persistent challenge. Its expenditure includes staff salaries, food, electricity, water and other operational costs, while donations remain a key source of support. The institute accepts financial contributions as well as donations in kind, including ration supplies. Kapila said individuals could also sponsor meals for students, with lunch sponsorship costing from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000.