01042025-CT-01.qxd 4/1/2025 12:31 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PANJAB VARSITY IN SPOT OVER MEGA EVENTS ON CAMPUS JHANJHERI LAD ASHWANI STRIKES BIG IN IPL DEBUT AAMIR KHAN'S SWEET GESTURE... Recent incidents call for addressing issues regarding availability of proper infra for hosting big events. P3 Stars aligned perfectly for Ashwani as he bagged a rich haul of four wickets in his debut IPL match. P3 On Eid, superstar Aamir Khan spends some quality time with his family members. P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Tree walk: By Chandigarh Tree Lovers, Botanical Garden, Panjab University, April 6, 8 am, register for free by dropping an email at chandigarhtreelovers@gm ail.com before April 5, with the contact details and number of participants Cotton and Silk Expo: Himachal Bhawan, Sector 28, on till April 3 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sector 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Three injured in fire at house Tribune News Service Mohali, March 31 Three persons were injured, including a woman who jumped off the first floor of her house, after a fire spread from cooking gas cylinder in a Mohali village today afternoon. The victims were rushed to Phase-6 Civil Hospital where they are being treated for burn injuries and others. Eyewitnesses said the cylinder caught fire from the defective supply pipe. The blaze soon spread across the house and the panicked woman jumped off the first floor into the verandah to continued on page 2 MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.5°C | MIN 15°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.14 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Threefold hike in property taxnotifies 2-time increase in levy on commercial sites on residential units UT also Speeding snuffs out three young lives in Mohali crash Tribune News Service Mohali, March 31 Three passengers died when the driver lost control over a speeding car after hitting a speed bump near the Boothgarh light point around 10:30 pm last night. The driver suffered severe injuries. Shubham Jattwal, a student of PhD Forensic Science at Panjab University and resident of Boys Hostel 3; Saurabh Panday, a former PU student from the Human Genome Department; and Hisar native Rubina died on the spot. Saurabh graduated from the PU in 2023 and was associated with the PGI also. Eyewitnesses said the driver of the speeding car coming from Chandigarh side lost control over the vehicle after it hit a speed bump. The car flipped several times before ramming into the road divider. Local residents rushed to the spot for help. They cut the roof of the car to extricate the driver and rushed him to the PGI. The bodies were extricated hours after and shifted to the Phase 6 Civil Hospital mortuary. Car driver Maanvendra, a research scholar in forensic science at PU, suffered severe injuries in the accident. Chandigarh, March 31 The UT Administration has notified a threefold increase in property tax on residential properties and two-time hike on commercial ones. All government properties are exempt from the hike. The new tax will be applicable from April 1 for 2025-26. The Municipal Corporation (MC) had introduced the property tax at the rate of 3% of the annual rateable value on commercial, industrial and institutional land and buildings in 2004. The residential land and buildings were brought within the tax ambit in 2015. The levy had not been revised since it was first introduced. According to the notification issued by the UT Local Government and Urban Development Department, “For the assessment year 2025-26, the property tax on residential sites and buildings shall be increased by three times the rates already specified by the administration (9% of the annual rateable value). The property tax on commercial and industrial lands and buildings shall be charged at 6% of LEVY FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY ZONE SECTORS 1 1.2.3, 4. 5. 6. 7. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 26, 26(E), 27 & 28 II III EXISTING RATE Rs 2.5 per sq yard on the vacant plot area plus Rs I.25 per sq ft on the total covered area on all floors Rs 2 per sq yd on the vacant plot area plus Rs 1.0 per sq ft on the covered area on all the floors 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38.38(West). Modern Housing Complex Shivalik Enclave, Industrial Area Phase I & Phase II, AIl SCFs 39. 40, 41.42, 43, 44, 45, Rs I.5 per sq yard on the 46. 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53. vacant plot area plus 54. 55, 56, 61 & 63. Others Rs 0.75 per sq ft on total covered area on all floors CHB flats, Cooperative Rs 1.0 per sq ft of societies and other residential total covered area flats having covered area of 500 sq ft and above the annual rateable value.” The notification further stated that properties that fall in the category of service charges shall continue to be charged at currently applicable 3% of the annual rateable value. In February this year, the MC wanted to increase the property tax across all categories by four times to enhance its annual revenue by nearly Rs 200 crore. Also, the MC had proposed a 1% annual hike on commercial properties (until reaching the limit of 15%) and 5% annual hike on residential properties. However, the proposal was rejected by all councillors cutting across party lines, but MC Commissioner Amit Kumar wrote a dissent note, stating that it was the need of the hour to improve MC’s financial conditions. The proposal was sent to the UT Administration, which approved the increase in the tax. The increase would provide 12 SCO sites go for ~45 crore in maiden Sec 39 mandi auction Bids go up to ~3.85 cr against reserve price of ~3.70 cr Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 31 The UT Agricultural Marketing Board has managed to auction 12 shop-cum-office (SCO) sites at the new mandi in Sector 39 for Rs 45 crore on a leasehold basis. According to officials, the bids ranged from Rs 3.72 crore to Rs 3.85 crore against the reserve price of Rs 3.70 crore. An applicant submitted bids for six shops, but ultimately bought only two. The board had received 34 bids for 16 SCOs, out of a total of 23 sites. The auction concluded today. After the delay of nearly two decades, the UT Administration had decided to auction 23 SCOs at the new mandi in the first phase, as part of the relocation of the Sector 26 mandi. For the first NEW SITE SPREAD OVER 75 ACRES The Sector 26 mandi operates on 24 acres, whereas the new facility in Sector 39 is spread over 75 acres, and is aimed at catering to the growing demands of the tricity. Unlike the existing Mandi in Sector 26, where farmers rely on cold storage facilities in Punjab and Haryana, the new facility will have two dedicated cold storages. time, the auction was open to the general public as well. Each shop, measuring 120 square yards, has a reserve price of Rs 3.70 crore. Unlike the previous system, where shops were sold on a freehold basis, these will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years. In the first phase, 23 out of the proposed 92 SCO sites were to be auctioned. The existing commission agents had demanded sites on a freehold basis. The remaining sites will be put up for auction in the second phase, as per the terms and conditions of the Chandigarh Estate Rules, 2007. The Sector 26 mandi operates on 24 acres, whereas the new facility in Sector 39 is spread over 75 acres, and is aimed at catering to the growing demands of the tricity. Most of the vegetables reaching Chandigarh come from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. With the new location in Sector 39, traffic congestion on the Vikas Marg and Purva Marg is expected to ease significantly, benefitting commuters. However, those travelling from Delhi and Shimla may face slightly continued on page 2 High Court flags decline in family values amid rising land-dispute litigations Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 31 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed that property disputes among blood relatives have surged alarmingly over the past quarter-century, highlighting the erosion of familial bonds in the face of material greed behind such conflicts. Justice Vikram Aggarwal of the High Court asserted that family disputes over property were in existence for centuries, but their frequency and intensity had escalated significantly with the rise in land prices. “No doubt, such litigation and disputes have existed since times immemorial but over the last quarter of MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 6.39 PM » TUESDAY | 1 APRIL 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST WHAT COURT OBSERVED “It is unfortunate that in many cases, disputes do not arise during a person’s lifetime, but the moment he or she leaves the mortal world, battle lines are drawn,” the court observed. a century, such disputes have witnessed a sharp increase,” the Bench observed. The court added familial bonds were strong in the “good old times”. The young members of the family had enormous respect for the elders and they, too, were fair and caring. “In most families, proper property disputes were looked down upon, espe- cially when disputes erupted between blood relations and close family members,” observed Justice Aggarwal. The Bench added the values declined as property prices rose over a period of time and disputes turned murkier and violent. “Murders take place over property disputes and civil litigation has become the order of the day,” Justice Aggarwal added. The court was adjudicating a dispute involving an entire family where no conflict arose while the head of the family was alive. However, the moment the individual passed away, a bitter legal battle ensued over property. “It is unfortunate that in many continued on page 2 c m y b REVISED TAX Rs 7.5 per sq yard on the vacant plot area plus Rs 3.75 per sq ft on the total covered area on all floors Rs 6.0 per sq yard on the vacant plot area plus Rs 3.0 per sq ft on the total covered area on all floors Rs 4.5 per sq yard on the vacant plot area plus Rs 2.25 per sq ft on the total covered area on all floors Rs 3.0 per sq ft of total covered area some relief to the MC facing the financial crunch, as it would increase its revenue by nearly Rs 100 crore — Rs 72 crore from commercial properties and Rs 27 crore from residential ones. Mayor blames Oppn Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said the agenda for increasing the property tax was brought to the MC House and was later rejected by all parties. continued on page 2 PU scholar, former student, girl die on the spot Tribune News Service The mangled remains of the car after the accident at the Boothgarh light point near Kurali. ACCIDENT-PRONE LIGHT POINT Local residents said the Boothgarh light point witnessed frequent accidents. The traffic lights mostly remain non-functional. Despite the stretch being part of a toll road, the basic infrastructure is missing. The Majri police post in charge said he had written to the officials concerned to remove the shortcomings on the stretch. The police said they were acting on the statements of eyewitnesses and once the driver regains consciousness, they will get to know more about the accident. Meanwhile, the police are scanning the CCTV footage of the area to find if any other vehicle was involved in the accident. Majri police post in charge Sunil Sharma said, “On a statement of a relative of deceased Shubham, a case has been registered against an unidentified truck driver.” The university authorities have informed the families of the victims who reached the hospital. The police said all victims were of the same age group and were going to Kurali to receive a common friend.