19022025-CT-01.qxd 2/18/2025 11:51 PM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune MAN ARRESTED FOR RAPING MINOR IN PUBLIC TOILET DELHI’S SARTHAK IN NEXT ROUND OF CLTA TOURNEY PICS OF AMEESHA, HRITHIK ROSHAN REUNION GO VIRAL A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 28-year-old man in a public toilet at Mauli Jagran. P3 Second seed player defeats Deep Munim of Madhya Pradesh in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. P3 The reunion of Bollywood actors ignites fans' wishes for movie Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai 2. P4 » » WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 and 52 Panchkula: Sector 25 Mohali: Phase 11 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 26°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 27.4°C | MIN 10.9°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.58 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Tricity Metro committee UT staff to retain seniority after transfer to MC: Court fails to reach consensus Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service CHANDIGARH Photography exhibition: “Beyond The Façade” by Sanjay Kaushal and Shubh Mohan Singh, from February 19 to 27, CLKA underpass connecting Sector 17 to Rose Garden, 10 am to 8 pm Free yoga demo class: Alliance Francaise, Sector 36, February 20, 9 am to 10 am Book Launch: “The Middle of Everything” by Vivek Atray (Ferntree Publishing), February 23, 4:15 pm, CII, Sector 31 Nrityaanjali: Three-day CSNA Classical Dance Festival, from February 21 to 23, 6:30 pm, Rani Laxmi Bai Bhawan Auditorium, Sector 38-C PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.14 PM » WEDNESDAY | 19 FEBRUARY 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Members asked to submit report on ridership for each corridor the cities of similar size. The committee was constituted on November 1, 2024, by Kataria to evaluate the financial and economic feasibility of the Metro system. The panel was initially expected to submit its findings by mid-January 2025. However, with today’s developments, the deadline has been extended further. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 18 The launch of Metro in the tricity is likely to get delayed. The eight-member committee formed to examine the financial viability of the project has failed to reach a consensus at its second meeting held here today. The meeting, chaired by Haryana Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Khemka, reviewed ridership estimates, financial projections and feasibility analysis. However, no final decision was taken in the meeting and the committee members were directed to submit a detailed report on ridership projections and methodologies for each proposed corridor by next month. Expressing disappointment, officials said they were expecting a green light today, but with further discussions and the next meeting scheduled for next month, the project will face a delay of at least three months. During the meeting, the committee concluded that while the project is viable for ~24,000 crore plan PROJECT TO GET DELAYED FURTHER Expressing disappointment, officials concerned said they were expecting a green light on Tuesday. However, with another meeting of the eight-member committee having been scheduled for next month, the project will face a delay of at least three months. the tricity, profitability for operators may not be achieved before a decade of operations. Drawing comparisons from the existing Metro system in Ahmedabad, Kochi, Jaipur and Noida, the committee noted that recovering the initial Rs 24,000 crore investment could take at least five years, with long-term profitability achievable only over a 30-year operational horizon. The Ahmedabad Metro, which was launched in 2019, was cited as a case study. The committee observed that unforeseen challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, had delayed the Ahmedabad Metro’s financial recovery. The report emphasised that a similar long-term vision would be crucial for the tricity project. In September last year, UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria had asked the Administration to examine the financial viability of the project in c m y b The Tricity Metro, estimated to benefit the residents of Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali, is estimated to cost Rs 24,000 crore. Project consultant-RITES has proposed Metro train network spanning approximately 154.5 km in two phases for the tricity. Under Phase-I, 85.65 km of route has been proposed in the tricity with 16.5 km of underground route in heritage sectors of Chandigarh. As per the Alternative Analysis Report prepared by RITES, two-coach Metro has been found as most viable MRT System for the tricity. Work on the Phase-I corridor would be completed by 2032. Chandigarh, February 18 Putting an end to a nearly 30year-old controversy, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the employees moved from the Chandigarh Administration to the Municipal Corporation will keep their original seniority as on May 1996. This means their rank in the parent department at that time will decide their seniority in the MC. The Division Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Lapita Banerji set aside the Single Bench ruling, which had directed that the seniority of employees already transferred to the MC should not be adversely affected by subsequent movement from the admin- Their rank in the parent dept at that time will decide seniority in MC istration to the corporation. The Bench was hearing an appeal filed in the matter by the Union Territory of Chandigarh and other appellants through senior advocate Amit Jhanji with counsel Abhishek K Premi. The court ruled that the seniority of employees who exercised their option for transfer later could not be disregarded. It noted that 18 respondentemployees, who joined the corporation subsequently, were senior to four other respondent-employees in the Chandigarh Administration before their transfer. “It is not a case where the four respondents had responded to the call of the nation to serve on the border. They had only opted earlier than the 18 respondents to be transferred to the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh,” the Bench observed, emphasising that mere early transfer did not confer seniority. Tracing the history of the dispute, the court noted that in 1996, the Chandigarh Administration had sought options from employees for their transfer to the MC following a government notification. Some employees challenged the process before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), arguing that they were not given adequate time to exercise their option. continued on page 2 Admn to revise collector rates Chandigarh, February 18 After nearly four years, the UT Administration is set to revise the collector rates in the city. A meeting of the committee constituted for the revision of collector rates was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav today. It deliberated on the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which are crucial for determining the current market value of properties in Chandigarh. A draft of the revised collector rates is to be prepared and published by March 5. Residents can submit their representations till March 20 at the DC Office. The committee will review all representations and publish the updated rates by March 25. These revised rates will come into effect from April 1. The current collector rates were last revised in 2021. — TNS