13082025-CT-01.qxd 8/13/2025 12:38 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune PARTIES TURN TO OLD-SCHOOL CANVASSING FOP PU POLLS SOON, SARANGPUR TO HOST BIG EVENTS HOMECOMING FOR POLLYWOOD’S BELOVED STAR JIMMY SHERGILL From hostels to university grounds, representatives of student parties have stepped up campaigning. P2 UT Administration plans to set up convention-cum-exhibition centre on 25 acres in Sarangpur. P3 Actor Jimmy Shergill returns to Pollywood in a turbaned avatar with Maa Jaye— a tale of brotherhood.P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Governor to open ‘Cosgynae-25’: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria will inaugurate ‘Cosgynae-25’, a two-day international interdisciplinary conference focusing on advances in gynaecology, cosmetic gynaecology and various aspects of women’s health; Hyatt Regency, Industrial Area, Phase I; August 14-15, 10 am. APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF TRAFFIC PLAN FOR I-DAY REHEARSAL Chandigarh: In view of the Independence Day rehearsal that will be held on August 13 at 8:30 am on the Parade Ground, Sector 17, traffic will be regulated till 9:15 am on the routes from the Punjab Raj Bhawan via Hira Singh Chowk, Sector 3/4-9/10 Chowk and the War Memorial to the venue. Road users are advised to take alternative routes during that. TNS MAN HELD WITH 15.28-GM HEROIN Chandigarh: The police have arrested a 24-year-old youth, Deepak, from the IT Park. On August 11, seeing a patrol team near Lalit Hotel, the accused attempted to flee after discarding a plastic pouch. The police found the pouch contained 15.28 grams of heroin. The accused, a fruit seller, was produced before the court and sent on remand. TNS FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Stray dogs unleash terror, but Mohali shelters on paper only Only 2 victims awarded compensation since committee formed a year ago NEED TO RAMP UP STERILISATION DOG MENACE Around 8-10 dogs are being sterilised in Mohali on a daily basis, according to MC Medical Officer of Health Sanjeev Kamboj. Experts, however, say it takes around two-third of population to be sterilised within a period of 12 months to see tangible results. Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, August 12 Of the several dog bite victims in the city, only two have received compensation since the formation of the stray animals accidents compensation committee around a year ago. The city does not have a single animal or dog shelter and also lacks exact data on canine population. While one of the victims received Rs 20,000, the other was provided Rs 10,000 in compensation after running from pillar to post. Municipal Corporation (MC) officials, meanwhile, said one more case was under consideration. The laborious process to seek compensation has left POPULATION FIGURE NEEDS UPDATE Stray dogs near the Vice-Chancellor's office at Panjab University, Chandigarh. PARDEEP TEWARI HIGH COURT DIRECTIONS ON COMPENSATION On Nov 13, 2023, the High Court directed that the state government shall be responsible for paying compensation to dog-bite victims. It mandated that the minimum many victims frustrated. One of the applicants said he was told that around 80 applications were languishing at various stages when he began pursuing his case. “The biggest hurdle is that financial assistance would be Rs 10,000 per tooth mark. The court asked the governments to set up committees headed by the DCs to determine the compensation. police the do not file an FIR in stray dog bite cases easily,” an applicant said, adding that the complex documentation and civic body’s lackadaisical attitude in owning up the responsibility add to their woes. HC restrains PGI workers’ union from going on strike Warns of registration cancellation in case of breach Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 12 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has restrained the workers’ union at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) here from holding any strike, abstentions or protests in the future, while warning that any breach of its order could lead to the union’s registration being cancelled. Issuing a writ of prohibition, the Bench of by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry directed: “Considering the importance of services ren- dered, this Court by way of a writ of prohibition, restrains (workers’) union from resorting to any strike, or abstentions, or protest in the future. Furthermore, the respondent-union is prohibited from using the premises of PGI, Chandigarh, for furthering the union activities except at the place earmarked as union office, if any. By no means, the union activities will obstruct or hinder the uninterrupted movement of patients, their family members, doctors, visitors, etc. within the PGI, Chandigarh.” The Bench made it clear: “In case of breach of this order by the respondentunion, the ALC (Central), Chandigarh or any other competent authority shall proceed to initiate the process of cancellation of registration of respondent-union under the Trade Union Act or any other enactment.” Before parting, the court observed the PGI was a premier institute of national importance catering to patients not only from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh but also Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. No such plan, MHA informs Lok Sabha in reply to Chd MP Tewari’s query Chandigarh, August 12 A day after Punjab scrapped its land pooling policy following widespread protest by stakeholders and politicians, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday demanded a similar policy for the villages that fall under the jurisdiction of the Union Territory (UT). However, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which governs the UT Administration, has said neither any such policy has been formulated in the past nor is there any plan under consid- MAX 32°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 31.8°C | MIN 24.3°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.49 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Pb scraps, UT villages seek land pooling policy Tribune News Service PARTLY CLOUDY, RAIN SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.06 PM » WEDNESDAY | 13 AUGUST 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST CHANDIGARH MODEL NEEDS RESET: MP assurances, this ❝Like all otherto be a chimera, aassurance has also proven mirage. The Chandigarh administrative and governance model requires a reset. — MANISH TEWARI, CHANDIGARH MP eration for Chandigarh. “The people of 22 villages in Chandigarh have been demanding for a very long time that a land pooling policy must be put in place in order to ensure that lands, which can no longer be utilised for agricultural pur- ❞ poses, are put to use for the development of the city,” said the Congress parliamentarian and former Union Minister. Tewari said over a period of time, different political dispensations, especially the ruling party, have been giving assurances to the people of these villages that a land pooling policy is being formulated. Unfortunately, like all other assurances, this promises has also proven to be a chimera, a mirage. “In response to my Parliament question above, the government has made it clear that no land pooling policy is being formulated or even being contemplated for that matter,” the senior Congress leader said. He said the legitimate aspirations of the residents of these 22 villages in Chandigarh are being repeatedly Continued on page 3 c m y b The compensation committee is led by Mohali Deputy Commissioner as the chairperson and includes the Municipal Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development), Municipal Corporation officials said the population of stray dogs in Mohali is estimated to be between 18,000 and 20,000. However, a fresh census is yet to be conducted. civil surgeon, Animal Husbandry Deputy Director and executive officers of the Urban Local Bodies. “My 11-year-old son was attacked by a stray dog. He Continued on page 3 The process to set up a dog shelter in Lalru has been hanging fire for a long time. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR IMPLEMENT SC ORDER IN CHD: MAYOR Chandigarh: At a time when the Municipal Corporation (MC) is struggling to control the population of stray dogs, the recent Supreme Court order on the menace in Delhi has given residents hope of a positive change in Chandigarh as well. Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said she has directed officers to seek legal opinion on how the order can be implemented in Chandigarh as well. Babla said the civic body would take all steps required to implement the order in Chandigarh as well, given that the city is also facing problems with strays. Ajay Jagga, advocate and member of the UT Administrator’s advisory council, in a letter written to Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma has requested for implementation of the SC orders in Chandigarh. 9,000 STRAY CANINES IN CITY BEAUTIFUL NO TAKERS FOR STERILISATION WORK The population of strays has been on the rise in the City Beautiful. On an average, from 50 to 60 dog bite cases are recorded every day at dispensaries and general hospitals of the city. According to the officials of the Municipal Corporation, there are approximately 9,000 stray dogs in the city. The tenure of the agency hired for the carrying out sterilisation ended a few months ago. Presently, the MC is undertaking the task on its own. Of the total stray dogs, close to 8,500 have been sterilised and vaccinated against rabies. MC officials added that a tender calling for sterilisation work was floated twice but no takers came forward. INPUTS BY RAMKRISHAN UPADHYAY Woman, son hurt as roof collapses during night rain at Badheri village Chd residents brave bumpy ride as patchwork washes away Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 12 A 23-year-old woman and her six-year- old son were injured when the roof of their room collapsed during the rain at Badheri village here on Monday night. The continuous rain also played havoc on the roads here with patchwork carried out on most stretches getting washed away. The local residents said the roof collapsed around 2.30 am. They woke up after hearing a loud sound and rushed to the house. They called the police and rescued the injured from the debris. The police took both injured to the General Hospital, Sector 16. The residents said the house was very old and its roof was made of wood. Bunty, the woman’s husband, said he was in another room when the roof collapsed. He rushed out and shouted for help. He had a miraculous escape as the roof of his room collapsed partially. He is a daily wager and doesn’t have money to rebuild the house. He demanded that the administration must help him. Hardeep Singh, local councillor, said he had assured the family of all possible help. Meanwhile, the patchwork done on the potholed stretches completely washed away in the rain, which continued during the night. The monsoon has exposed the tall The owner removes the debris after the roof of his house collapsed on Monday night. PARDEEP TEWARI TRICITY METER CITY Chd Mohali P’kula MAX 33.1°C 30.8°C 30.5°C MIN RAIN 24°C 41.4-mm 24.9°C 31-mm 24.5°C 0.5-mm claims of the Municipal Corporation, as there is no respite from waterlogging, which is taking a toll on the roads. The residents of Sectors 15, 34, 33 and 54 said all patchwork had been washed away and the potholes had resurfaced. They also expressed resentment over the delay in the repairs of the roads that caved in during the rain earlier. The roads in Sector 26 mandi turned muddy causing inconvenience to the visitors. Yellow alert for 3-day heavy rain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 12 The night-long showers once again inundated most parts of Chandigarh and Mohali, exposing inefficiency on part of the Municipal Corporations of both towns. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana for three days, beginning Wednesday. Meanwhile, Chandigarh received 41.4-mm and Mohali 31-mm downpour during the past 24 hours, which left the low-lying areas, major roads and junctions waterlogged, much to the inconvenience of the local residents. Chandigarh recorded the third highest rainfall in the region after the highest of 69.5-mm downpour at Pathankot in Punjab, followed by 55.6-mm at Karnal in Haryana. As the day remained almost dry, the mercury shot up compared to yesterday. The night temperature fell slightly. The relative humidity Continued on page 3