10032026-TTC-01.qxd 3/10/2026 12:42 AM Page 1 c m y b 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 67 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 CONG’S ANURAG SHARMA ELECTED UNOPPOSED TO RAJYA SABHA HIMACHAL /thetribunechd HYDEL PROJECT ON CHENAB TO BE READY IN 44 MONTHS: GOVT J&K PM CONGRATULATES BALEN ON NEPAL POLL VICTORY WORLD TMC TO BRING MOTION FOR REMOVING CEC IN PARLIAMENT NATION tuesday | 10 march 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com EAM now says Iran had sought nod Amid energy crisis, govt raises domestic LPG booking period from 21 to 25 days for docking of 3 ships at Indian ports Restaurant body flags gas supply disruption; B’luru hotels shut from today At Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar had stated help was sought for just one Aditi Tandon Ujwal Jalali New Delhi, March 9 Amid an unfolding energy crisis in the wake of the West Asian conflict, the government on Monday changed the domestic LPG cylinder refilling rule raising the refill period from 21 to 25 days. This even as top sources said India was in the process of ensuring LPG supplies from the US, Canada, Algeria, Australia and Norway. The gov- Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 Iran had sought India’s permission for three of its naval ships to dock at Indian ports amid the escalating West Asia conflict, and New Delhi approved the request a day later, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament on Monday while outlining the government’s response to the regional crisis. Making identical suo motu statements in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar said the Iranian side had requested permission on February 28 for three ships sailing in the region to dock at Indian ports. The approval was granted on March 1 and one of the vessels — IRIS Lavan — docked at Kochi on March 4, with its crew currently accommodated at Indian naval facilities. “We believe this was the right thing to do,” the minister said, adding that the Iranian Foreign Minister had conveyed appreciation for the “humane gesture”. However, a couple of days ago, the EAM had, during a session at Raisina Dialogue, stated Tribune News Service ernment raised the minimum waiting period for booking LPG cylinders for domestic use from the current 21 days to 25 days to prevent hoarding. The decision, the sources said, would prevent black marketing with an average home consuming eight LPG cylinders of 14.2 kg per year. The sources said a refill was not usually needed in less than six weeks. “We have come across instances where people earlier booking LPG cylinders in 55 days had started booking in 15 days. So the booking period had to be revised,” a source said, explaining the move. Meanwhile, the National Restaurant Association of India today, in a letter to Oil and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri, sought assurance of smooth supplies and warned of potential disruptions should supplies be erratic. The Bangalore Hotels Association said the supply of gas cylinders for commercial use had been stopped from today and hotels would be closed from tomorrow due to the gas supply being cut off. “Oil companies had said that there would be no disruption in gas supply for 70 days. However, the sudden stoppage of supply is a big blow to the hotel industry. Therefore, we expect the Union Ministers concerned to take immediate action in this regard and resume commercial gas supply and provide continued on page 8 SENSEX TANKS Son succeeds Khamenei as oil 1,352 prices touch record $119/barrel POINTS Bloodbath on D-Street Tribune News Service Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav and other Opposition leaders stage a protest over the West Asia crisis in New Delhi on Monday. PTI that the Iranian side had approached India seeking help for only one ship and not three as informed in Parliament. “We got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, presumably closest to our borders at that point, wanted to come into our port… On March 1, we said you can come in. It took them a few days to sail in and then they docked in Kochi,” the minister had said then, denying reports that India refused aid to Iranian ships, especially to the one which was sunk by US strikes in the Indian Ocean. In Parliament, Jaishankar’s statement came amid repeated disruptions as Opposition members created a ruckus demanding a detailed discussion on the escalating war in West Asia and accusing the government of maintaining “silence” on key developments. Briefing MPs on the situation, the minister said the current round of hostilities began on February 28 and involved direct military confrontation between Israel and the US on one side and Iran on the other, with the conflict continued on page 8 Tribune News Service Ramkrishan Upadhyay Chandigarh, March 9 Casting serious doubt on the credibility of the CBI probe into the Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has found that the prosecution’s case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim rested primarily on the shifting testimony of a witness who “kept on tossing from one side to the other like a ping pong ball”. Tribune News Service a barrel, its highest level since mid-2022, after markets braced for prolonged instability triggered by the escalating conflict. The appointment, announced after a meeting of Iran’s clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, marks the first dynastic transfer of power in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. It also underscores that hardline factions remain firmly in control at a moment of intense regional turmoil. Iranian institutions, military commanders and continued on page 8 CLOSES AT 77,566 ■ Sensex & Nifty nosedived nearly 2% on Monday as soaring crude oil prices and weak global trends triggered a sharp sell-off. Sensex tanked 1,352.74 points to settle at 77,566.16, while Nifty dropped 422.40 points to end at 24,028.05. Sharjeelgets10-day interimbailtoattend brother’s wedding Saurabh Malik After Haryana, ~116-cr IDFC fraud comes to fore in Chandigarh MC New Delhi, March 9 Iran appointed cleric Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes late last month, even as the West Asia war entered its 10th day on Monday amid a massive surge in global oil prices and fears of one of the worst energy supply disruptions in decades. Brent crude spiked past $119 Mojtaba’s rise signals hardliners still in command HC tears into CBI in Ram Rahim case, says key witness was mishandled Dera chief ‘given benefit of doubt’ amid witness flip-flop In its detailed judgment released today, the high court observed that the prosecution failed to prove Ram Rahim’s involvement in the alleged conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt, while holding that the evidence against the three coaccused remained intact. “It is a settled principle of law that where two possibilities, one of commission of the crime and the other of innocence, are reasonably possible, the accused is entitled to the benefit of doubt,” it said. In its 111-page judgment, the Bench of continued on page 8 Chandigarh, March 9 An alleged scam of over Rs 116 crore involving funds of Chandigarh Smart City Ltd (CSCL) and the Municipal Corporation has come to light. Following the revelation, the city police registered an FIR against missing MC employee Anubhav Mishra, an outsourced accountant, and Ribhav Rishi, former branch manager of IDFC First Bank, Sector 32, along with other bank officials. The FIR was registered on a complaint by the accounts officer of the corporation seeking action over suspected financial bungling in various bank accounts of the CSCL and the MC maintained at the IDFC First Bank’s Sector 32 branch. The complaint stated that certain news reports in leading newspapers had highlighted financial irregularities relating to Haryana Government funds deposited with IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. Taking cognisance of the development, the MC took up the matter with the bank con- Issued fake FDRs against smart city funds; civic body accountant missing cerned for the withdrawal or transfer of funds. The CSCL project had been closed in March 2025 and its assets, records and financial matters were transferred to the corporation. The CSCL had maintained multiple accounts in IDFC First Bank. During the process of closure and transfer of funds to MC, a dedicated account was opened in IDFC First Bank for consolidation of the CSCL funds. As per the records handed over to the MC, all funds held by the CSCL in different bank accounts were to be transferred into this account to meet expenses related to the smart city project. Following developments in Haryana, the MC approached IDFC First Bank, seeking encashment of FDRs provided by Mishra, who was the custodian of the FDRs, bank statements and records of CSCL funds, and transfer of the entire balance along with continued on page 8 Iranians show support to Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran. REUTERS NEW DELHI: A court on Monday granted 10 days’ interim bail to Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, to enable him to attend his brother’s wedding and care for his ailing mother. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai allowed Sharjeel to remain out on bail from March 20 to March 30, subject to conditions. The court directed that Sharjeel must not interact with the media or use social media platforms during the period of interim bail. — TNS Turn your skills into a powerful portfolio - master real projects through hands-on modules! Introduction to AI & AI Tools AI Creativity & Presentations Workshop Building with AI: Websites, Games & Apps AI Avatars & Chatbot Development From Idea to Business Plan (Launch Your First AI Project) Recap & Finale IndiGo’sManchester flight turns around midair after 7 hours NEW DELHI:A Delhi-Manchester IndiGo flight was forced to return to the capital after flying for nearly seven hours on Monday, following last-minute airspace restrictions triggered by the evolving tensions in West Asia. Flight 6E33 had departed from Delhi early in the morning for Manchester in the UK. However, midway through the journey, the aircraft was forced to turn around near the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, said data from flight tracking platform Flightradar24. — TNS Registrations Open Now Course Begins: 04.04.2026 MASTER AI- SHAPE THE FUTURE A comprehensive AI Certification Course : Designed exclusively for students from Class 6 to 12 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence Data, Automation & Real-World Use Cases India 2nd largest importer of arms:Report Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 India has yet again emerged as the world’s second-largest importer of weapons, accounting for 8.3 per cent of global arms sales for a five-year block (2021-2025), according to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Ukraine, which is involved in a war with Russia, occupies the top spot and accounted for Accounted for 8.3% of global weapons sale in 2021-25 PAKISTAN FIFTH LARGEST BUYER Pakistan is the fifth largest importer of weapons, accounting for 4.2 per cent of all global imports. China supplied 80 per cent of all weapons with Turkiye and the Netherlands being the second and third largest suppliers to Islamabad. 9.7 per cent of global imports between 2021 and 2025. The SIPRI report — “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2025” — was released on Monday morning and had a positive note that India’s dependence on imported arms had reduced. The report compared a previous five-year block (2016-2020) with the latest assessment (2021-2025) and said: “Indian arms imports fell by 4 per cent between 2016-20 and 2021-25.” The decrease could be partly attributed to India’s growing ability to design and produce its own weapons, although there were often substantial delays in domestic production, the report said. It also highlighted that India’s recent orders or planned orders, including up to 140 combat aircraft from France continued on page 8 c m y b AI Education by Certified & Experienced Faculty No coding experience required SCAN TO REGISTER While others wait, smart students are already building apps, games & tools. Equip yourself with the #1 skill of the 21st century! Inaugural Offer: ₹ 9,999 [Full Fees: ₹ 15 000] 15,000] Register Online at learning.tribuneindia.com For more information learnaiwithtribune@tribunemail.com