30122024-CT-01.qxd 12/30/2024 12:14 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PUNJAB STUN MUMBAI; CITY LOSE TO VIDARBHA PARA-CRICKETER GETS HELP FOR SETTING UP ACADEMY SHARVARI CLOCKS LAST WORKING DAY OF 2024 Prabhsimran Singh scored unbeaten 150 runs and international bowler Arshdeep Singh claimed a fifer. P3 Amir says he has got ~67 lakh grant to set up an indoor academy at his native village in Anantnag. P3 Sharvari, who rose to prominence with Munjya, punched her last working day of 2024 on sets of movie Alpha. P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 18°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 17.4°C | MIN 11°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.33 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.18 AM » MONDAY | 30 DECEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE gang behind P’kula Vijay Pal made president Nandu2 shooters identified killings, in AAP city unit overhaul Car used in crime recovered from Bathinda rly station Akashdeep Virk Tribune News Service Irked by restructuring, several leaders resign from party posts Tribune News Service Rang Parampara 2024: Seven-day theatre festival, Mini Auditorium, Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, from December 25, 6:30 pm Heritage Week Celebration: Opinder Kaur Sekhon showcases her exquisite collection of antiques, on till December 30, House No. 38, Sector 2, 11 am to 1 pm, and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43, 45 and Maloya Mohali: Phase V Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF THIEVES DECAMP WITH 18 KG GHEE Chandigarh: Thieves have stolen 18 kg ghee from a shop at Kishangarh village. Parsu Ram reported the ghee was stolen from his shop on December 27. The police have registered a case at the IT Park police station. TNS TAPS STOLEN FROM HOUSE Chandigarh: Subash Chander reported that taps were stolen from his house in Sector 20. The police have registered a case at the Sector 19 police station. TNS Chandigarh, December 29 After more than a year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has overhauled the city unit and appointed Vijay Pal, former DSP of UT, its president and Omkar Sunny Aulakh general secretary. A total of 76 office-bearers have been appointed. Irked at the restructuring, two party councillors, Jasbir Singh Laddi (vice-president) and Poonam (vice-president of SC Cell), along with other leaders, including former state general secretary Ramesh Kumar Taank and Poorvachal general secretary Virender Singh Veeru, tendered their resignations from their respective party posts. Also, the party has ignored many founder members such as Vikram Singh Pundhir, former party convener Prem Garg, incumbent Mayor Kuldeep Kumar and senior leader Chandermukhi Sharma, who were instrumental in a steady rise of the party in the city. The new appointments Dr SS Ahluwalia, co-incharge of city AAP, offers sweets to new president Vijay Pal, a former DSP. FOUNDER MEMBERS IGNORED The party has ignored many founder members, including Vikram Singh Pundhir, former party convener Prem Garg, incumbent Mayor Kuldeep Kumar and senior leader Chandermukhi Sharma, who were instrumental in a steady rise of the party in the city. have been made by Rajya Sabha Member and AAP national organisation secretary Dr Sandeep Pathak, city AAP in-charge and MLA from Delhi Jarnail Singh, and city AAP co-in-charge Dr SS Ahluwalia, who is Chairman of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Dr Ahluwalia congratulated Vijay Pal and other officebearers. Dr Ahluwalia also appealed to all office-bearers to make more efforts for the welfare of residents of the city. He said AAP was an honest party, which was working Continued on page 2 Panchkula, December 29 The police have identified two shooters linked to the Kapil Sangwan gang, also known as the Nandu gang, in the triple murder that took place outside a resort on Morni Road, Panchkula, recently. The police have also recovered the Honda City used in the crime from Bathinda Railway Station. Kapil Sangwan, a gangster based in the United Kingdom, was also named in the case of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Nafe Singh Rathi’s murder earlier this year. Vinit Gahlot, a gangster associated with the Manjeet Mahal gang, and two others were shot dead near the resort on the Morni Road on the night of December 23. Police sources said Sahil and Vijay, both residents of Najafgarh, had been identified as shooters behind the killings. Both are linked to the Kapil Sangwan gang and have a criminal history. They police had reportedly announced a cash reward for information leading to their arrest. Vinit, also known as Vicky Mitrau, was the main target The Sultanat resort where the killings took place. FILE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN INLD LEADER’S MURDER In February this year, four shooters opened fire at INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathi’s SUV at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district, killing him and his associate. The police named UK-based gangster Kapil Sangwan, alias Nandu, in the FIR. in the attack. He was shot multiple times by the assailants as he was about to enter his car outside the Sultanat resort. He was associated with the Manjeet Mahal gang, a criminal syndicate active across Haryana, Delhi NCR and Uttar Pradesh. Police records show that Vicky had been involved in serious crimes, including murder, dacoity and violations of the Arms Act and SC/ST Act, with cases registered against him in Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh and Panchkula. This attack is believed to be the latest in a series of violent confrontations between the Manjeet Mahal gang and the Kapil Sangwan gang. The two gangs have a longstanding rivalry. Vicky’s brother, Ashok Gahlot, is also a criminal with 18 cases registered against him. The attack on Vicky turned into a tragic triple murder as his 17-year-old nephew, Tirath, a resident of Najafgarh, was fatally injured during the assault, along with 22year-old Vandana, a resident Continued on page 2 Main accused in Z’pur Elite clubs cancel New Year events as mark murder case arrested of respect to ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh Tribune News Service Zirakpur, December 29 Three days after a 25-year-old youth, Akashdeep Singh of Gurdaspur, was stabbed to death near the Patiala chowk here, the police arrested the main accused, Simu of Lohgarh, today. The suspect was produced before the court and the Judge sent him to five-day police remand. Twelve suspects named in the FIR are absconding. The police said Simu and his 12 accomplices had been booked for murder, attempt to murder and rioting at the Zirakpur police station. The main accused is already facing rioting 12 named in the FIR are absconding charges in connection with an incident that took place at a Zirakpur hotel in July. On Friday night, Akashdeep was stabbed to death by a mob near the traffic police beat box at the Patiala chowk. The victim had heated arguments with two youths near an eatery and liquor vend. As tempers ran high, the youths stabbed him with sharp weapons. The assailant chased him as he tried to escape and stabbed him again near the beat box. Akashdeep sustained injuries on the head and neck. Pubs, discotheques, hotels in city to go ahead with their plans Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 The Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) and the Chandigarh Golf Range (CGR), two leading sports clubs of the city, and the Chandigarh Club have cancelled their respective New Year celebration programmes as a mark of respect to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The three clubs used to host lavish New Year parties for both their members and non-members. These clubs have a large number of members. While the Chandigarh Club was scheduled to host a musical night, the oth- er two had planned live music band performances. “Dr Manmohan Singh dedicated his life to the service of our nation, transforming India’s economic framework and elevating its global standing. In his memory and as a mark of respect to his extraordinary contributions, the Chandigarh Golf Association (which runs the CGR) has decided to cancel all celebrations until the January 1 (2025),” said a release issued by CGA officials. An official of Chandigarh Club said, “All celebrations stand cancel at the Chandigarh Club as a gesture of respect to the nation’s for- mer Prime Minister.” “The New Year Eve celebrations stand cancel due to the state mourning declared by the Government of India on the demise of Dr Manmohan Singh,” reads a circular issued by the CGC. Meanwhile, local pubs, discotheques and hotels will continue with their plans for the New Year celebrations. CITCO musical night on Jan 3 Following the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for observing a seven-day mourning, Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO) has announced that it will host a musical night on January 3 at Hotel Mountview. The event will feature renowned Bollywood singer and composer Shreyas Puranik. “This event is part of our initiative to promote weekend tourism in Chandigarh, and we invite everyone to join us and make the first weekend of 2025 a memorable one,” said Hari Kallikkat, Managing Director, CITCO. A circular by the MHA says, “As a mark of respect for Dr Manmohan Singh, it has been decided to observe a seven-day mourning from December 26 to January 1.” Khandelwal joins as UT SP Chandigarh, December 29 A 2015-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, Geetanjali Khandelwal has joined the UT Police on deputation as Superintendent of Police (SP). She has served as SP of North and Middle Andaman districts for two and a half years. Before clearing the Civil Services Examination and joining the police force, Khandelwal had served in the Army as Captain. — TNS Anil Masih controversy continues to haunt civic body House crucial votes of the AAP-Congress coalition, declaring BJP’s Manoj Sonkar as mayor. The move sent shockwaves across political circles and drew the ire of the public. Months later, the Supreme Court overturned the result, declaring AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar as the rightful mayor, leaving the BJP red-faced and Masih’s reputation in tatters. Dushyant Pundhir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 29 The life for Anil Masih, a nominated councillor, who was accused of tampering and defacing votes during Chandigarh’s Municipal Corporation Mayoral elections on January 30, seems unchanged — at least on the surface. Masih continues to attend Municipal Corporation General House meetings as a nominated Councillor, but his presence is a quiet reminder of the controversy that made him a household name across the country Outside the political arena, Masih remains a steadfast figure in his local community, active in the Church of North India (CNI), Sector 18, where he is seen more as a man of faith than one of politics. A businessman by profession, Masih, in his early fifties, studied at government school, Sector 11, and did his graduation from DAV Col- lege, Sector 10. His wife works as the manager at one of the girls’ hostels at Punjab Engineering Hostel (PEC), Sector 12. The family stays in government accommodation on PEC campus. A member of the BJP since 2015, Masih was the general secretary of the party’s minority cell since 2021. He was divested of the post after the vote-rigging and defacing controversy. The shadow of that fateful day lingers. During a recent Municipal Corporation meeting, the issue was raised yet again, a stark reminder that the city—and its councillors— have not forgotten the episode. MC Chandigarh has nine nominated councillors with a term of five years, for which Broken promises Ruckus prevails in MC House meeting over vote tampering clips of nominated councillor Anil Masih (pointing finger). FILE PHOTO they get an honorarium of Rs 15,000 per month, besides Rs 2,750 as telephone allowance. Masih’s role as a nominated councillor, meant to be advisory and non-voting might seem insignificant on paper, but his actions in the Mayoral elections will go down as a textbook version of c m y b “what not to do as a presiding officer in a Mayor’s election.” Tasked with this role, Masih made headlines when he tampered with and rejected the Both the BJP and the AAP faced criticism for failing to deliver on promises. AAP’s pledges of free water and BJP’s free parking for twowheelers remained unfulfilled. The then BJP Mayor Anup Gupta had announced on the day of Diwali that from December 1, 2023, two-wheeler drivers will not have to spend money in all parking lots in the city, but he could not fulfil the promise. The Aam Aadmi Party had promised to provide 20,000 litres of water free if voted to power, but failed to fulfil the promise even though, for the first time in 2024, an AAP councillor became the Mayor in Chandigarh. Party leaders explain away their inability to fulfil their promise by saying that a resolution to this effect has been passed in the House and that it has been sent to the UT Administrator, who has still not given his approval. The UT Administrator, on the other hand, has argued that he cannot pass such a resolution because the MC is already incurring huge losses. And if water and parking are now made free, then the other development works of the municipal corporation will come to a complete standstill. Financial woes Anil Masih’s actions notwithstanding, Chandigarh’s MC has been plunged into its worst-ever financial crisis, with losses exceeding Rs 200 crore. Development projects are halted, and no new tender has been floated since May. Employees have faced uncertainty over salaries. The year 2024 has proved to be quite challenging for the MC. No development work has been done for the last 7 to 8 months. All work has come to a standstill. Due to non-payment of dues, contractors have abandoned many works in the middle. Roads are broken, and there is no money to build them. The MC has been seeking money from the Administration, but the administration has refused to give additional grants at the moment. The Administration has suggested that the Municipal Corporation find its own, additional sources of revenue. The Administration’s inability to address critical issues, from parking woes to broken roads, has left the city’s residents disillusioned. The MC’s financial struggles further compounded these problems, with no relief in sight.