18022026-CT-01.qxd 2/18/2026 12:49 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SALARY CAN’T BE WITHHELD IF RESIGNATION KEPT PENDING: HC 500 WOMEN CONSTABLES JOIN ITBP AFTER TRAINING AT BHANU HAVEN OF ASIAN CUISINE NEAR DHARAMSALA The HC has held that an employer who keeps a resignation pending can’t deny salary, service benefits for that period. P3 500 general duty women constables inducted into the ITBP on completion of initial training at Bhanu. P3 NomadGao Cafe in Dharamkot near Dharamsala offers Vietnamese and other Asian special food items. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 113 PANCHKULA 70 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH PUPPET FEST: “Jack and the Beanstalk” Group from India to perform on third day of International Puppet Festival; Tagore Theatre, Sector 18; 6:30 pm WEBINAR: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to hold webinar on advanced Excel and Power BI, a workshop on data analytics and visualisation; CII Northern Region, Sector 31; 10 am to 1 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com A first: ~12 cr to make UT a digital city; ~27 cr for development of gaushalas Ramkrishan Upadhyay 2026-27 ESTIMATES Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 17 The MC General House approved Rs 1,712-crore budget for 2026-27 in a special meeting held today. Out of the total amount, Rs 610 crore has been earmarked under the capital head (for expenditure on long-term assets and infrastructure) and Rs 1,102 crore under the revenue head. Mayor Saurabh Joshi said the budget was presented with a focus on achieving the objectives of “Viksit Bharat Viksit Chandigarh 2047”. He said for the first time Rs 12 crore would be spent on the improvement of information technology to make Chandigarh a smart digital city. Under this plan, AI smart single-window system, digital file tracking, AI-based grievance redressal, smart street light monitoring and online billing and payment system will be introduced. The important works proposed to be undertaken during the financial year 202627 include improvement of roads, parking and infrastructure facilities, achieving “Lakshya zero dumpsite”, upgrade of sewerage and drainage, smart parking solutions, and one-time HEAD ~140 cr Water supply system upgrade Stormwater drainage ~61 cr ~50 cr Sewerage system Ward devpt fund Key equipment ~44 cr Development of gaushalas Solid waste mgmt ~27 cr ~30 cr ~12 cr ~32 cr << Chandigarh Mayor Saurabh Joshi tables budget in a special House meeting on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI settlement scheme for property tax dues. Joshi said social media apps of the MC would be developed and the e-governance model implemented in a comprehensive manner. To improve efficiency and transparency, the Albased technology will be implemented across the key wings of the civic body. Out of Rs 610 crore under the capital head, the MC will spend over Rs 140 crore on the improvement of roads/parking, Rs 61 crore on water supply system, Rs 32 crore on solid waste management, Rs 50 crore on drainage system and Rs 13 crore on landscaping. For the first time, Rs 27 crore has been earmarked for the development of the gaushalas. The expenditure will be met through the receipts received and available under the relevant head on account of the cow cess. Recently, the MC had faced criticism after the death of over 50 cows outside the carcass incinerator centre at Raipur Kalan. The city has six gaushalas or cattle pounds located in Industrial Area, Maloya, Raipur Kalan Sectors 45 and 25. The MC is expecting a record Rs 461 crore revenue from various sources. Joshi also announced a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) for property Testing times tax dues, digital tax collection system, smart parking and digital advertisement policy. He said a PPP model for the smart multilevel parking, modern community centres, EV charging stations, green belts, theme gardens and commercial infrastructure development would be introduced. The ward development fund for the councillors has been increased to Rs 1 crore from Rs 80 lakh. FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE City man caught with protected species of turtle Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 17 A local resident has been booked under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, after he was caught selling a protected Indian Roofed Turtle for Rs 2,000. A complaint against him was lodged by the People For Animals (PFA). The accused, identified as Lovepreet Dhiman, was found attempting to sell the turtle in the Kajheri area here. Acting on a complaint filed by the local unit of the PFA, the Forest and Wildlife Department referred the matter to the Sector 36 police station, which swiftly registered an FIR against Dhiman. The FIR has been registered under Sections 9, 39, 40, 48A, 48B, 51 and 57 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which collectively cover illegal hunting, possession, trade and commercial exploitation of protected species. The rescued turtle has been taken into custody by the Wildlife Department. This turtle species has been listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — the highest tier of legal pro- Indian Roofed Turtle was being sold for ~2,000. tection afforded to any species under Indian law. Hunting, possessing or trading in a Schedule I species constitutes a serious cognisable offence, punishable with imprisonment and heavy fines. Meanwhile, PFA spokesperson Saarthak Jain said the swift registration of the FIR reflected effective inter-agency coordination between the animal rights body, the Forest and Wildlife Department, and the Chandigarh Police, and underscored the importance of public vigilance in reporting wildlife crimes. The PFA is one of India’s largest animal welfare organisations, led by former Union Minister and animal activist Maneka Sanjay Gandhi as its chairperson. Illegal parking in MC lots at night to invite clamping POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sectors 20, 21, 24, 30, 34, 41, 42, 44, 45, 49, Behlana, Dhanas villages 11 am to 3 pm: Parts of rehabilitation colony in Maloya 2 pm to 5 pm: Parts of Sector 22 and Behlana Tribune News Service INBRIEF IMMIGRATION AGENT BOOKED Chandigarh: The police have registered a case against M/S Shree Ram Overseas located in Sector 17. Ram Das, a resident of Shahabad, Kurukshetra, had alleged Deepak Sharma and others associated with the company cheated him out of Rs 7 lakh on the pretext of arranging study visa. TNS AMOUNT Upgrade of roads, parking lots MAX 27°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.2°C | MIN 11.2°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.59 AM /THETRIBUNECHD MC approves ~1,712-crore budget PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.13 PM » WEDNESDAY | 18 FEBRUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Students come out of an examination centre after taking the CBSE Class X mathematics exam in Sector 16, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Chandigarh, February 17 Parking of vehicles in all lots managed or controlled by the MC from 12 midnight to 6 am will invite strict action, including clamping of vehicles. According to the directions issued by MC Commissioner Amit Kumar, the prohibitory orders apply to all paid parking sites as well as the designated free facilities under the MC jurisdiction. The civic body has further clarified that parking on the MC land, including open grounds, green belts, road berms and paver block areas, is strictly prohibited at all times, except at locations specifically earmarked and officially noti- Vehicles enter a parking lot in Sector 7, Chandigarh. FILE fied for the purpose. The Commissioner stated that any vehicle found parked in violation of the orders would be liable to strict action under the relevant provisions of rules in force, including challaning, clamping and towing/removal at the owner’s risk and cost, without any further notice. However, vehicles of emergency services and those specifically authorised by the MC will remain exempt as per rules. 2 pedestrians mowed 21 foreigners among 2.6K register for Chandigarh Marathon down by speeding car Winners of full marathon to be awarded ~10L each Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Dera Bassi, February 17 Two pedestrians were killed as they were hit by a car while crossing the road near Indus Hospital here today. The car driver fled the scene, but people chased him and caught him on the Dera Bassi flyover. The deceased have been identified as Kuldeep Kaur (66) and Gurdevi Kaur (58), residents of Saha, Haryana. Dharampal was injured in the accident. The investigating officer, ASI Amarjit Singh, said Dharampal had come to see his relative admitted to Indus Hospital with his wife and another woman. While they were crossing the road to catch a bus, a speeding car coming from Ambala hit them. Kuldeep died on the spot, The car that ran over the pedestrians in Dera Bassi. while Gurdevi died during treatment at Indus Hospital. According to the police, the car driver, Rajan Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad, was travelling in the car with his wife and son. He tried to flee the spot after the accident, but people chased him and cornered him near the Dera Bassi flyover. They handed him over to the police. Chandigarh, February 17 The first-ever Chandigarh Marathon has received an overwhelming response with the organisers confirming 2,613 participants in four categories. The UT Chandigarh Administration and Sports Department will organise the marathon on March 1. The Tribune was the first to report the development in September last. With three more days still to go for registration, the department has received 258 entries for the full marathon (42 km), 597 for the half-marathon (22 km), 760 for the 10-km run and 998 for the 5-km event. Of these, 21 are international runners, who will participate in the full and halfmarathon events. “We have still three days to go before the entry closes. I think the number will go up. People take part in a marathon in Chandigarh. FILE PHOTO This is the highest number of participation received for any affiliated marathon in Chandigarh,” said Sorabh Kumar Arora, Director Sports. Not only in terms of the response, but the event also carries the highest prize c m y b money ever hosted by the UT Sports Department. The winners of the full marathon (42.195 km) will be awarded Rs 10 lakh each (men and women). The second position holders will get Rs 8 lakh each followed by Rs 6 lakh each for those finishing third. This is the highest ever prize money for an event organised by the department, though it has been organising the All-India Administrator’s Challenge Football Tournament, offering Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh prize money to the top three finishers, respectively. The half-marathon winners of both categories will bag Rs 5 lakh each, followed by the second finishers, who will get Rs 4 lakh each and third position holders Rs 3 lakh each. The winners of the 10-km event will get Rs 2 lakh each. The second position holders will get Rs 1.5 lakh each and those finishing third will be awarded Rs 1.25 lakh each. Besides, those finishing fourth will get Rs 1 lakh each, Rs 75,000 each for fifth position, Rs 50,000 each for sixth spot, Rs 35,000 each for seventh spot , Rs 25,000 each for eighth position, Rs 15,000 each for ninth spot and Rs 10,000 each for the tenth spot. The position holders will also be awarded medals and certificates, including those in the 5-km run. The full marathon, which must be completed within sev- en hours, will start from Chandigarh Club and pass through the loop of High Court Chowk, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake and will take a turn from Lake Club towards Matka Chowk, Transport Lights, Rose Garden road, PGI Gate No 3, towards Leisure Valley, CM House Chowk before ending at the Chandigarh Club covering 42.195 km. The half-marathon will be conducted on the same patch (single round), while the 10 km will start from Chandigarh Club and will pass through the same route until Matka Chowk, then to Air Force museum, Rose Garden, Government Museum before ending at the starting point. The 5-km run will start from the same spot as others and will pass the straight route covering the Sukhna Path. The top three finishers in competitive events will be ranked based on their run time.