06012026-CT-01.qxd 1/6/2026 12:22 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune GUV INSPECTS SPORTS, HEALTH FACILITIES ACROSS CITY MAYORAL POLL: CONG READIES FOR TACTICAL PACT WITH AAP ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, SUBVERSIVE COMEDY, WINS BIG UT Administrator Kataria undertakes a series of visits to review sports and healthcare infrastructure in city. P3 Congress has decided that it will support any political organisation or alliance that is capable of defeating the BJP. P3 The Pitt, Adolescence, The Studio dominate TV prizes at the Critics Choice Awards 2026. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 103 PANCHKULA 97 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON 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 45, 35, Khuda Lahora, Khuda Jassu, Burail villages INBRIEF MAX 16°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 18.7°C | MIN 7.8°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:20 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE ~12 crore in 573 inactive accounts in city slips into RBI vault THE TRIBUNE SPECIAL Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 As many as 573 bank account holders in Chandigarh have lost access to nearly Rs 12 crore after their deposits remained unclaimed or accounts stayed inactive for the mandatory period, forcing banks to transfer the money to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under statutory rules. The data was shared by SK Singhal, Lead District Manager (LDM), Chandigarh, who said the transfer was made in line with RBI guidelines that mandated shifting unclaimed deposits to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) once an account remained inopera- tive for 10 years or the deposited amount was not claimed by the due date. According to the progress report on unclaimed bank deposits for the period from October 1 to December 31, 2025, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the Rs 11.95 crore transferred to the RBI pertains to accounts spread across several public and private sector banks operating in the city. Punjab National Bank accounted for the largest share, with 107 accounts involving Rs 8.89 crore, followed by the State Bank of India, which transferred Rs 2.22 crore from 258 accounts. Smaller amounts were transferred by other banks, reflecting widespread lack of awareness among depositors about account operations and timely withdrawals. Singhal said deposits were also moved to the RBI Ten years of inaction costs city depositors dear UNCLAIMED DEPOSITS TRANSFERRED TO RBI (October 1–December 31, 2025) Bank Accounts Amount (~ cr) Punjab National Bank 107 8.89 State Bank of India 258 2.22 Central Bank of India 16 0.41 Indian Bank 24 0.14 Punjab & Sind Bank 18 0.08 Bank of India 31 0.07 HDFC Bank 12 0.053 Union Bank of India 77 0.033 Canara Bank 9 0.027 Bank of Maharashtra 16 0.02 Indian Overseas Bank 5 0.004 Total 573 11.95 by the Central Bank of India (16 accounts, Rs 41 lakh), Indian Bank (24 accounts, Rs 14 lakh), Punjab & Sind Bank (18 accounts, Rs 8 lakh), Bank MONEY NOT LOST FOREVER money ❝Theclaimed is not lost forever and can be by the rightful owner, nominee or legal heir, but the process becomes longer if KYC or nomination details are incomplete. ❞ —SK Singhal, LEAD DISTRICT MANAGER, CHANDIGARH of India (31 accounts, Rs 7 lakh), HDFC Bank (12 accounts, Rs 5 lakh), Union Bank of India (77 accounts, Rs 3 lakh), Canara Bank (9 accounts, Rs 2 lakh), Bank of Maharashtra (16 accounts, Rs 2 lakh) and Indian Overseas Bank (5 accounts, Rs 40,000). Several other banks reported nil transfers during the period. First sunny day of New Year brings respite from chill Depts to speed up process to frame recruitment rules on Central pattern Minimum temperature to dip 2 -3 notches over next 4 days Chandigarh, January 5 The UT Administration has directed all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, offices, institutions, boards and corporations to expedite the framing/amendment to recruitment rules (RRs) in line with the Central Government pattern. In a communication issued by the Department of Personnel, the administration referred to its earlier decision allowing the continued operation of recruitment rules that were in force prior to April 1, 2022. This interim arrangement had enabled departments to fill posts through direct recruitment, promotion and deputation, as the finalisation of revised pay scales for various posts was pending. The communication noted that the Finance Department has since notified the Union Territory of Chandigarh Employees (Revised Pay) Rules, 2023, through a notification dated March 29, 2023. Following the issuance of the revised pay rules, departments were advised to expedite the framing, amendment and finalisation of recruitment rules strictly on the Central pattern. Reiterating these directions, the Department of Personnel has once again urged all departments to fast-track the process and ensure early finalisation of the rules for their respective posts. The Continued on page 2 FOUR FLIGHTS CANCELLED Mohali: Four flights were cancelled and several delayed due to fog at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport here today. The arrivals and departures from Jaipur and Dharamsala had to be cancelled early in the morning and evening. Bomb hoax at Dist Courts in Sec 43 again Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 Panic gripped the District Courts premises in Sector 43 here today after a bomb threat call was received on the official mail of the courts. Taking swift action, the police got the premises vacated and checked the whole area. This is the second time in the recent past that a bomb call has been received on the official mail of the District Courts. Advocate Vinod Verma said the police made it sure that there was no panic during the search operations. After searching for more than an hour, the police found nothing and allowed litigants and advocates to resume work. MOSTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 5:37 PM » TUESDAY | 6 JANUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST People enjoy boating on a sunny afternoon at the Sukhna Lake on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula woke up to a sunny morning on Monday, the first clear day of the New Year, snapping a week-long spell of dense fog that had blanketed the region. The return of sunshine came after a gloomy stretch during which the Tricity also received its heaviest rainfall of the season — 13.7 mm on New Year’s Day, ending a monthlong dry spell. The last such bright sunny day was witnessed on December 28. Sunshine had an immediate impact on temperatures, with the day temperature in Chandigarh shooting up by a massive 6.7 degrees to settle at 18.7°C. This turned out to be the highest maximum temperature in Haryana on the day and the second highest in Punjab, after 20.7°C recorded at Anandpur Sahib. With this sharp rise, the maximum temperature in the city also moved 0.5 degree above normal, providing much-needed daytime relief after days of cold wave conditions. Night temperatures, however, continued to tell a different story. The minimum temperature dipped marginally by 1.4 degrees to 7.8°C, but still remained 0.6 degree above normal, reflecting the lingering impact of moisture and calm winds. Relative humidity levels in Chandigarh ranged between 89% and 57% during the past 24 hours, while weather conditions remained dry across the Tricity. Mist and fog were observed earlier, but visibility improved significantly later. According to the India Meteorological Department, a yellow alert has been issued for the Tricity for the next four days from Tuesday to Friday, warning of dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions at isolated places. Weathermen expect minimum temperatures to fall by another 2 to 3 degrees over the next four days, with no major change thereafter. Weather is likely to remain dry, and conditions are expected to turn normal after the fog spell weakens later in the week. Tribune News Service He said many account holders or their families were often unaware that accounts turn inactive when transactions stopped or deposits were not claimed, eventually leading to the transfer of funds to the RBI after a decade. “The money is not lost forever and can be claimed by the rightful owner, nominee or legal heir, but the process becomes longer if KYC or nomination details are incomplete,” Singhal said. The Chandigarh data comes close on the heels of a much larger statewide picture in Punjab, where 83.32 lakh inactive bank accounts involving Rs 3,197 crore were transferred to the RBI, as reported earlier by the State Level Bankers’ Committee, Punjab. That disclosure triggered a renewed push for depositor awareness across the region. Both Chandigarh and Punjab are part of the Government of India’s ‘Your Money – Your Right’ campaign, a three-month public awareness drive conducted from October 1 to December 31, 2025, was aimed at helping depositors trace and reclaim unclaimed bank deposits, as well as unpaid mutual fund and insurance proceeds. Singhal urged residents to proactively check for dormant or unclaimed deposits through the RBI’s Udgam Portal or by visiting their bank branches. He said special camps were also being held to facilitate re-KYC, nomination updates and claim filings, stressing that timely action can prevent deposits from slipping into long-term dormancy. Two accused in PGI patient fund scam case denied bail Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 The CBI court here has dismissed the anticipatory bail applications of two dismissed employees of the PGI, Sunil Kumar and Gaganpreet Singh, in a case registered for allegedly siphoning off poor patient fund. The CBI had registered the case after a preliminary inquiry carried out by the CBI on the basis of the report of the Chief Vigilance Officer, PGIMER, Chandigarh, regarding the misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds worth Rs 1.14 crore in various beneficiary schemes under Private Grant Cell (PGC) at the PGI. Both accused argued that they had been falsely named by the chemists to protect themselves. They were working as contractual employees at the institute. They had not been named in the departmental inquiry but the committee made the contractual employees scapegoats, they alleged. The commission of crime had come to light in 2021, but the PGIMER had kept it concealed for over four years. They were ready to join the investigation. Since their services had been terminated, they were not having any control over the records of the institute, both accused argued. However, the prosecution opposed the bail. The court said both accused-petitioners had been working in the PGC. EMBEZZLEMENT The CBI had registered the case after a preliminary inquiry carried out by the CBI on the basis of the report of the Chief Vigilance Officer, PGIMER, Chandigarh, regarding the misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds worth ~1.14 crore in various schemes. It was also one of their duties to prepare utilisation certificates and issue these to the funding agency. At this stage, there can be no denial of any conspiracy between the accused petitioners and other officials/unknown persons, thereby facilitating and enabling the embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. The preliminary inquiry discloses specific procedural manipulation and abuse of the position by the accusedpetitioners and others. It is a matter of investigation as to whether they had the last access to the files when the same went missing or deleted and/or as to whether the files were lastly opened while using their IDs. At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that they have been made the scapegoats and prima facie, they deliberately acted in processing fraudulent files, preparing bogus noting, creating fake supply orders etc., thereby facilitating the diversion of grant funds to unauthorised beneficiaries. Woman, aide who drugged & 21 services for commercial vehicles go online robbed brick-kiln owner held Tribune News Service Mohali, January 5 The police have arrested Moga native Harjeet Kaur and Jalandhar resident Ishav Bhardwaj for allegedly drugging and duping a brick-kiln owner of his gold ornaments worth Rs 12 lakh and Rs 70,000 cash in Mohali two weeks ago. The police said Harjeet was arrested from Rajpura, while Bhardwaj was nabbed while trying to flee to Shimla. Both were produced in the court and sent to fiveday police remand. Harjeet, alias Aditi, alias Navdeep, and her accomplice had allegedly duped a 32year-old man, Ankit Jaggi, a resident of Ropar, of his gold ornaments worth Rs 12 lakh and Rs 70,000 cash after drugging him in a hotel. The complainant had reported that he was the owner of a brick-kiln, and came in contact the girl through a dating app. He fixed a meeting with her on December 13 around 10:30 pm near the Jubilee Walk shopping mall in Sector 70. While having coffee in his car, the girl asked him to get a cigarette. While he was out to get a cigarette, she mixed something in his coffee. As planned, they booked a room in Hotel Gill Lodge. After I lost consciousness in the room, the girl took away 6.5-tola gold chain, 5.5-tola gold bracelet and 5-gm ring he was wearing. She took him to the car and fled the scene in a white-coloured Punjab registration car along with a boy. — TNS Chandigarh, January 5 In a move aimed at strengthening the ease of doing business framework, the State Transport Authority (STA) has put its 21 services online for commercial vehicle owners in the city. The services are available through the VAHAN portal. The STA will also start issuing Registration Certificates (RCs) on doorstep through postal delivery from January 10. The services now available online include new vehicle c m y b registration, issuance of duplicate registration certificates, transfer of ownership and addition or termination of hypothecation. With this initiative, commercial vehicle owners and operators can apply for services entirely online without the need to visit the STA office. According to official data from the Transport Department, the city has around 38,000 registered commercial vehicles, including three-wheelers, goods carriers and others. The officials said the digitisation drive was expected to significantly The system also offers real-time status tracking of applications. FILE benefit commercial vehicle operators, who frequently required transport-related approvals and documentation and earlier faced delays due to manual procedures. The online system also offers real-time status tracking of applications. Applicants are informed through SMS in case any deficiency is found in their submissions, ensuring transparency and time-bound processing of services. Before making the services online, there used to be a great rush, as nearly 200 to 300 operators visited the office daily for getting their work done, said the official. The officials said the online transport services would improve efficiency and compliance and help reduce congestion at the STA office.