23122025-CT-01.qxd 12/23/2025 1:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune BIHAR NATIVE GETS LIFE TERM FOR STUDENT’S RAPE, MURDER CITY MAYOR LAYS STONE FOR BURAIL SEWERAGE UPGRADE ACTOR SAMANTHA RUTH PRABHU FACES CROWD CHAOS A Fast Track Special Court awards life term to a 25-year-old Bihar native in a rape and murder case. P3 Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla lays foundation stone for strengthening the sewerage system at Burail. P3 Videos show Samantha struggling to make her way through dense crowd as her security tries to escort her. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 161 PANCHKULA 251 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD CHANDIGARH FLOWER SHOW: The 16th chrysanthemum exhibition with over 100 flower varieties and 4,200 potted plants on display, including rare new blooms sourced from Kolkata and Solan; RC Paul Rose Garden, Panjab University; 3 pm onwards THEATRE WORKSHOP: “Rangmanch Karyashala2025”, a month-long theatre workshop by UT Cultural Affairs Department and Tagore Theatre Society, for house makers and working class (men & women aged 20 and above); Tagore Theatre, Sector 18; 10 am to 12 noon and 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm daily till January 19 PANCHKULA MELA: Ten-day Swadeshi Mela featuring local crafts, culture and food, promoting self-reliance with free entry; expect vibrant stalls and traditional items, a true celebration of Indian craftsmanship; Parade Ground, Sector 5; 10 am to 9 pm daily till December 28 APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, and Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sectors 68 and 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sector 51, Palsora village and Indra Colony and Subhash Nagar in Manimajra 11 am to 3 pm: Rehabilitation Colony, Maloya INBRIEF FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BANUR DISTILLERY Mohali: A massive fire broke out at a stubble storage unit of Chandigarh Distillers & Bottlers Ltd in Banur on Monday evening. Two fire tenders were rushed to the site. Locals said a large number of stubble bales were reduced to ashes. TNS Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 22 The police have deployed over 2,700 cops as part of extensive security arrangements for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the city on December 24. Shah is scheduled to attend several programmes at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Sector 3, Indradhanush Auditorium, Shivalik Country Club, Mansa Devi Temple, Atal Park and the BJP office. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Mohali IT City-Kurali expressway opens, travel time cut by 45 mins Pay ~1-lakh relief to dog bite victim, court directs owners ~1,525-cr bypass decongests Airport Road as interstate traffic skirts Mohali, Kharar Ramkrishan Upadhyay Chandigarh, December 22 The long-awaited Mohali IT City–Kurali expressway was opened for vehicular traffic on Monday, delivering immediate relief to commuters by slashing travel time by nearly 45 minutes, even as the overall distance remains largely unchanged. Built at a cost of Rs 1,525.3 crore, the six-lane, accesscontrolled Greenfield corridor allows vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 100 kmph, offering uninterrupted, signal-free movement between Mohali and Kurali. Crucially, the new expressway is expected to decongest the overcrowded Airport Road in Mohali, as interstate traffic that does not intend to enter Mohali or Kharar can now take this bypass directly from IT City Chowk to Kurali, completely skirting both busy towns. By diverting long-haul vehicles away from internal urban roads, the corridor will sharply reduce congestion, travel delays and pollution on one of the Tricity’s most stressed arterial routes. Vehicles ply on the Mohali IT City-Kurali expressway, which was opened to traffic on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY PROJECT DETAILS ■ Length: 31.23 km ■ Cost: ~1,525.3 crore ■ Lanes: 6 ■ Structures: 3 major bridges, 5 ■ Speed limit: 100 kmph ■ Width: 12.5 m–13.5 m (including paved shoulder + 2 m earthen shoulder) Spanning 31.23 km, the expressway has a carriageway width ranging from 12.5 metres to 13.5 metres, includ- ing paved shoulders and twometre earthen shoulders. It has been built with heavygrade infrastructure, featuring RLA auctions vehicle fancy numbers of CH01-DC series Chandigarh, December 22 The fancy vehicle registration number, “0001”, of the CH01-DC series fetched the second highest ever bid of Rs 31.35 lakh against the reserve price of Rs 50,000 in an e-auction of the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), which concluded today. The highest ever bid was received for registration number “0001” of the CH01DA series of Rs 36.43 lakh in August this year. The third highest bid of Rs 31 lakh was received for the same num- TOP GROSSERS Number 0001 0009 0007 9999 0005 0010 0006 0003 7777 Highest bid ~31.35 lakh ~20.72 lakh ~16.13 lakh ~13.66 lakh ~11.07 lakh ~10.17 lakh ~7.02 lakh ~5.63 lakh ~5.26 lakh ber under the CH01-CZ series in May this year. The RLA conducted the eauction of the new series num- ■ Cuts Mohali-Kurali travel time by about 45 minutes ■ Diverts interstate traffic away minor bridges, 7 flyovers, 23 underpasses, 83 culverts from Mohali and Kharar ■ Toll plaza: Ch. 19.600, Bajheri ■ Eases chronic congestion on village (toll not yet commissioned) Airport Road At ~31.35 lakh, ‘0001’ fetches second highest bid ever in city Tribune News Service WHY IT MATTERS bers from 0001 to 9999 along with the leftover fancy/special numbers of the previous series from December 20 to 22. The auction of a total of 485 registration numbers fetched the RLA a revenue of Rs 2.96 crore. Meanwhile, “0009” received the second highest bid of Rs 20.72 lakh, followed by “0007”, which was sold for Rs 16.13 lakh. The other numbers went under hammer included “9999” for Rs 13.66 lakh, “0005” for Rs 11.07 lakh, “0010” for Rs 10.17 lakh, “0006” for Rs 7.02 lakh, “0003” for Rs 5.63 lakh and “7777” for Rs 5.26 lakh. three major bridges, five minor bridges, seven flyovers, 23 underpasses and 83 culverts, ensuring smooth grade-sepa- sitting near a taxi stand around 12.30 pm when a youth of around 22 years came and asked him to accompany him for a discussion. The duo had walked for some distance when they got engaged in arguments. They kept arguing for 15 minutes before the youth stabbed Harwinder with a sharp weapon and fled the spot. The victim managed to reach the taxi stand and informed his friends about the attack. They rushed him to GMSH-16 where he died. Hospital authorities informed the police after which cops from Mullanpur began a probe. A murder case has been registered at the Mullanpur police station. Ten DCP and SP-rank officers, four additional SPs, 41 DSPs or ACPs and 90 inspectors are among those tasked with maintaining law and order. In addition, security personnel from various police ranges, commissionerates and districts across Haryana have been deployed. Police Commissioner Sibash Kabiraj chaired a high-level security review meeting at the Police Lines today to take stock of the aspects of security in view the Home Minister’s programme venues and VVIP movement. Senior officers, including SPs, DCPs, ACPs and DSPs, attended the meeting. The Police Commissioner asked the officers to ensure fool-proof security and effective coordination among all units to handle any situation effectively. DCP Srishti Gupta has been appointed the overall incharge of the security arrangements and will supervise deployments and security measures during the Home Minister’s visit. Following the meeting, Kabiraj, along with senior officers, conducted on-site inspections of the programme venues to assess preparedness. The police also issued a traffic advisory. The movement of traffic has been restricted in view of the programme at Tau Devi Lal Stadium. The police have told people to avoid roads from the Singh Dwar light point at Mansa Devi Complex via Old Panchkula to Tau Devi Lal c m y b Punjab, Haryana, HP and J&K ■ Strengthens the emerging Tricity ring-road network ■ Boosts development across Greater Mohali rated crossings throughout. A toll plaza has been established at chainage 19.600 near Bajheri Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, December 22 A local court has directed the owners of a dog to pay a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to a woman who was bitten by the canine. The court also directed the owners to pay Rs 30,000 on account of medical and incidental expenses. Dr Bhumika Gupta, a resident of Sector 49-B, Chandigarh, had filed the suit for recovery of Rs 30,000 with interest rate of 18% per annum on account of medical and incidental expenses for treating the injuries caused by a dog owned by Divya Setia and Manpal Setia, who lived in her society. She also sought damages and compensation of Rs 2,00,000 for the reputational, economical, mental and social loss caused to her. Gupta said on January 18, 2020, she went to the terrace of her building to collect clothes hung up for drying and found Divya and her five unchained pet dogs there. One of the dogs suddenly attacked her, making her fall down. Thereafter, the dog bit her on the forehead and scratched the flesh thereof. An extensive section of skin was completely torn off the underlying tissue. As she shouted for help, other residents of the society came out. She was taken to the hospital for medical aid. The police were informed about the incident. Both defendants admitted their mistake and requested not to take any legal action while assuring that they would bear the expenditure on her treatment. She agreed and no FIR was registered. Later, the plaintiff underwent medical treatment, which cost her around Rs 30,000. The injuries permanently disfigured her face. She had to remain at home for around a week, which also caused loss to plaintiff’s professional and social life. When asked to fulfil the commitments, including reimbursement of the medical expenses and compensation, the defendants did not give any satisfactory reply. The defendants, however, denied the allegations and claimed that they had kept only two pet dogs as per the permissible limit and the canines were duly licensed and registered with the MC. After hearing the arguments, the court ordered that the defendants to pay Rs 30,000 on account of medical and incidental Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 22 The cybercrime wing of the UT police arrested a key accused involved in a Rs 85lakh digital arrest fraud case. The accused was identified as Ankit Gupta (34), a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He was arrested during an investigation into a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on December 9. The complainant, a city resident, had stated that he received repeated phone calls from unidentified persons, who impersonated officials of Continued on page 2 40-yr-old man stabbed to death in Mullanpur Mohali, December 22 A 40-year-old man was stabbed to death in broad daylight by an unidentified youth near a taxi stand in Mullanpur Garibdas on Monday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Harwinder Singh, aka Binda, a resident of Bharonjian village. Locals said Harwinder was ■ Improves regional connectivity to Tribune News Service Key suspect in ‘digital arrest’ fraud held The victim was unmarried and used to work in Dubai earlier. He had returned from abroad around two years ago and was unemployed. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law. The victim had no enmity with anybody and used to come to the taxi stand often to meet his friends. — TNS Over 2,700 cops deployed for Shah’s P’kula visit tomorrow Sheetal MAX 23°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 24.5°C | MIN 8.3°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7.16 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET TUESDAY 5.28 PM » TUESDAY | 23 DECEMBER 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Stadium, Sector 6/7 light point via Shalimar Chowk towards Sectors 8/9 and 9/10 and Singh Dwar to Kohni Sahib Gurdwara (via Sai Dairy) from 12 noon till the conclusion of the programme. Those travelling from Chandigarh to Panchkula should use internal city routes via Housing Board light point and Sectors 17/18 road, said the police. The Chandigarh-Panchkula route via Saketri will remain closed on December 24. People bask in the sun at the Terraced Garden in Sector 33, Chandigarh, on Monday. PHOTO: VICKY City warmest in region as sun breaks five-day spell of fog Dense fog set to return with colder nights from midweek Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 22 Chandigarh recorded the warmest day in the Tricity on Monday. It also logged a higher maximum temperature than any station in Punjab and Haryana, as bright sunshine finally broke a five-day spell of foggy and cloudy weather. The clear skies brought daytime relief, though nights turned slightly cooler and are set to become markedly colder later this week. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Chandigarh observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 24.5°C, the highest in the region and well above Punjab’s highest of 24.1°C at Bhakra Dam in Ropar district and Haryana’s peak of 22.1°C at Gurugram. Mohali recorded a maximum of around 23°C, while Panchkula also remained above 22°C. Night temperatures dipped marginally by about 0.5°C, but Chandigarh continued to remain warmer at night compared with most parts of Pun- PANCHKULA AIR QUALITY IMPROVES Chandigarh:The air quality of Panchkula saw an improvement on Monday, a day after it turned out to be third most polluted city in the country. Pushed to the ‘very poor’ category, Panchkula’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 8 pm on Sunday was 340, just behind Delhi’s 373 and Ghaziabad’s 353. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in Panchkula improved to 251 at 6 pm on Monday, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. The air quality in Chandigarh was recorded at 161 and in Mohali 172. TNS jab and Haryana. The city’s minimum temperature settled at 8.3°C on Monday, while that of Mohali and Panchkula hovered in the 8-9°C range. In contrast, several stations in Punjab and Haryana reported lower night temperatures, with Ludhiana recording a minimum of 7.2°C and Narnaul in Haryana touching 6°C. The Tricity today saw a clear and sunny morning, ending the prolonged foggy spell. Relative humidity levels in Chandigarh remained high, with maximum humidity touching 94% and minimum around 37%, conditions conducive for fog formation once winds settle down again. The IMD has forecast a return of fog from Tuesday. A yellow alert for dense fog at isolated places has been issued for Tuesday, followed by an orange alert from Wednesday to Friday warning of dense to very dense fog at a few places across the Tricity. Another yellow alert for dense fog is in place for Saturday and Sunday. Skies are expected to remain mainly clear to partly cloudy during this period, with no forecast of rain. While minimum temperatures are not expected to change significantly over the next 24 hours, the IMD has warned of a sharp fall thereafter. Night temperatures are likely to drop by 3 to 5°C later in the week, making nights distinctly colder across the region, even as day temperatures hover around 20°C during the foggy phase.