30062026-CT-01.qxd 6/30/2026 12:53 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune POWER WOES: FARMERS BLOCK ROAD AT SAIDPURA VISHAL GARG, VANI WIN U-19 STATE TABLE TENNIS TITLES TEYANA TAYLOR WINS BIG AT THE 2026 BET AWARDS Rural areas in Mohali have been facing endless power cuts in peak summer season. P2 1st Chandigarh State Ranking Table Tennis Championship concludes at the Sector 23 table tennis hall. P3 Teyana Taylor was a top winner on Sunday at the Black BET Awards, which honours Black actors, singers & sports stars. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 49 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE body prepares Ruckus in MC House over city BJP Civicof solid waste draft chief’s remark ‘against Punjabis’ management rules Oppn stalls meeting for over 2 hours; BJP councillor seeks Malhotra’s resignation Tribune News Service Tribune News Service APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Two more held in Panchkula fraud case Tribune News Service Panchkula, June 29 The police have arrested two more accused from Rajasthan in a three-year-old online fraud case. A Panchkula resident was duped of Rs 14.13 lakh. The accused have been identified as Vikram Singh Bhandari, a resident of Bharatpur; and Dilkhush Meena, from Dausa district in Rajasthan. A total of four accused have been arrested in the case so far. Ayush Kumar Mishra and Piyush Kumar Tripathi, both residents of Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh, were arrested in 2023. A portion of the crime proceeds and several ATM cards were recovered from them. According to cybercrime police station in-charge Yudhveer Singh, the accused, posing as CISF officers, made the victim transfer Rs 14.13 lakh to various bank accounts. A case was registered in May 2023. The victim had transferred Rs 8.40 lakh to Vikram’s account. During interrogation, he admitted to selling his account to criminals. He revealed the name of co-accused Dilkhush Meena, who was also arrested. Chandigarh, June 29 Today’s meeting of the MC General House witnessed pandemonium over a statement made by city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra during a sports function, which, the Opposition claimed, was allegedly derogatory towards the Punjabi community. While councillors of the Congress and AAP carrying , posters inside the House, demanded Malhotra’s resignation, one of the BJP’s councillors, former Senior Deputy Mayor Kuljeet Sandhu, supported the Opposition’s demand. The protesting councillors did not allow the House to function for over two hours. Sandhu, BJP councillor from Ward No. 14, attended the House meeting through videoconferencing from Australia. He said the alleged statement made by Malhotra about Punjabis was unfortunate. It has damaged the party’s image and he must resign from the post, he added. Congress councillors Gur- Opposition councillors stage a protest against city BJP chief Jatinder Pal Malhotra in MC House on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR preet Gabi, Premlata, Sachin Galav and Jasbir Singh Bunty demanded that Malhotra should tender an apology. Gabi said Punjabis had done a lot for the nation and using such words was an insult to them. The AAP councillors also raised the issue of alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple’s donations in Ayodhya. The BJP councillors raised the controversy over the pur- ported video related to Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and demanded his resignation. Mayor Saurabh Joshi said the issue had been settled after Malhotra ten- dered an apology. He said the Congress had committed atrocities on Sikhs. The Congress councillors raised the demand for 20,000 litres of free water per month for every household. Chandigarh, June 29 In a move to strengthen solid waste management and ensure a cleaner urban environment, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has made it mandatory for all households and establishments to adopt a four-bin waste segregation system. The MC has prepared the draft solid waste management rules 2026, which were tabled in the House today. However, the House deferred the agenda as councillors sought time to study them. As per the draft, the residents are required to segregate waste at source using four bins — green (for wet waste such as kitchen refuse), blue (for dry waste including paper, plastic and metal), black (for domestic hazardous waste) and red (for biomedical and sanitary waste such as used masks, gloves, bandages and expired medicines). Every street vendor shall keep suitable containers for storage of segregated waste and dispose of it at a wastestorage depot or in a container as notified by the MC Proposal put off as councillors sought time to study it STRINGENT NORMS ■ Four-bin system mandatory ■ ~400 fine for non-segregation of waste by households ■ A fine of ~10,000 will be levied for violations by marriage, party organisers ■ Spitting gutkha/paan in public places to invite ~500 fine ■ ~200 penalty for open urination, defecation ■ Dumping waste in water bodies will invite a fine of ~25,000 USER FEE If the user fee is paid in advance for the entire year, then the users will be charged only for 10 months. The user fee shall stand automatically increased by 5% per year, with effect from continued on page 2 Agenda item on floating smart Cong stages protest over free water demand parking tender postponed Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 29 The MC House has deferred the agenda for inviting a tender to select a contractor for the operation and management of 89 paid parking lots under the civic body. The MC has proposed to increase the parking rates by 30-40 per cent. Mayor Saurabh Joshi said the House was not in favour of increasing the rates, but wanted smart parking without putting any burden on the residents. The House also rejected the proposal for 100-fold increase in penalty for encroaching on green belts close to residential houses. The House approved the proposal for Rs 21.44-crore plan for the augmentation The MC has proposed rate hike by 30-40% of canal water supply to Wards 7, 8 and 9 from the Sector 32 waterworks. Over one lakh residents of Mauli Jagran, Raipur Kalan, Makhanmajra, Raipur Khurd, Industrial Area, Phase 1, Daria, Vikas Nagar, Ambedkar Colony, Charan Singh Colony and Small Flats will get canal water. Meanwhile, the MC also approved the resolution put forth by the Mayor. He has urged the UT Administrator and the Centre to initiate appropriate legislative, statutory and administrative measures for the devolution of all municipal functions envisaged under the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution of India to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, in accordance with the legislative intent of the Capital of Punjab (Development & Regulation) Act, 1952. The Twelfth Schedule provides for powers relating to the urban planning regulation of land use, construction of buildings, building regulations and other municipal functions. Meanwhile, the Commissioner informed the House that an inquiry into the installation of CCTV cameras from the ward development fund had been marked to the official concerned. Harpreet Kaur Babla, former Mayor, had raised the matter of CCTV cameras having been procured at exorbitant prices. Pay dues before July 15 or face notices: CHB Chandigarh Housing Board to hold dues reconciliation camp from July 1 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 29 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has warned allottees that failure to resolve discrepancies before the July 15 deadline will trigger recovery proceedings. The CHB on Monday announced a public camp for verification and reconciliation of outstanding dues on properties held under leasehold, licence, hire purchase, rental and tenancy schemes. The camp will be held at the multipurpose hall (sixth floor) of the CHB office from July 1 to 15 on all working days between 11 am and 4 pm. Freehold properties are excluded from the exercise. The CHB has asked all allottees and transferees of MAX 40°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 39.6°C | MIN 30.3°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:24 AM Ramkrishan Upadhyay WHAT’S ON PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 7:28 PM » TUESDAY | 30 JUNE 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST ABOUT THE RECONCILIATION CAMP For whom: CHB allottees or transferees under leasehold, licence, hire purchase, rental and tenancy schemes What: Verification and reconciliation of outstanding dues Online portal: payonline.chb.gov.in/Account Statement/Show residential dwelling units and commercial properties under its jurisdiction to Camp period: July 1-15 Timings:11 am-4 pm, all working days Venue: Multipurpose hall, 6th floor, CHB office Excluded: Freehold properties Post-deadline: CHB finalises dues as per own records; recovery notices to follow first verify their outstanding dues online at https://payonline.chb.gov.in/ AccountStatement/Show before approaching the office. Those who find discrepancies in figures displayed on the portal must visit the CHB office with original payment receipts and supporting documents for account reconciliation. The board has made it clear that it will treat the exercise as final. Once the July 15 deadline lapses, the CHB will finalise outstanding dues as per its own records and issue demand notices for recovery. The move is significant given the large volume of CHB properties across Chandigarh held under non-freehold tenures, where long payment histories, partial settlements and disputed ledger entries have historically created reconciliation backlogs. c m y b Chandigarh, June 29 Demanding 20,000 litres of free water for every household in the city, the Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) today staged a protest against the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation (MC) outside the civic body office in Sector 17. The protest was led by HS Lucky, president of the CPCC, along with Chetan Chauhan, secretary of the All-India Congress Committee and co-in-charge of Chandigarh. Members of the district and block units, Youth Congress, NSUI and the Mahila Congress also took part in the protest. Carrying Congress flags and placards reading “20,000 litres of free water is our right” and “Fulfil the promise made to the people”, the protesters marched towards the Kalka man held with illegal pistol, cartridge Tribune News Service Panchkula, June 29 The police have arrested a youth with a countrymade pistol and a cartridge from Kalka. Nikhil Chaurasia (33), a resident of Kalka, was waiting for someone on the Tipra Bypass-Green Valley stretch. The police found his activity suspicious and searched him. They recovered an illegal countrymade pistol and a live cartridge from his pocket. A case was registered against him under Section 25 (1B) (A) of the Arms Act at the Kalka police station. The accused already has two assault cases registered against him. The police produced him before the court and the judge sent him to judicial custody. The Congress stages a protest outside the Municipal Corporation office. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR MC office. As they attempted to lay siege to the office, the police stopped them by putting up barricades. The Congress workers tried to push through the barricades, resulting in a brief scuffle with the police. They raised slogans against the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Addressing the gathering, Lucky said though the proposal for providing 20,000 litres of free water to the continued on page 2 1-kanal plot in Sec 21 fetches ~18.88 cr Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 29 A one-kanal freehold residential plot in Sector 21 was auctioned for Rs 18.88 crore and a 10-marla site in Sector 15-B fetched Rs 8.33 crore at the Estate Office’s e-auction on Monday. The Sector 21 plot was sold for a premium of over 14 per cent. The two sites together yielded Rs 27.21 crore, Rs 2.45 crore above their combined reserve price of Rs 24.76 crore. However, eight of the 10 residential freehold plots put up for auction drew no bids. The Sector 21 plot carried a reserve price of Rs 16.52 crore. The Sector 15-B site went for Rs 8.33 crore against a reserve of Rs 8.23 crore, a marginal premium of 1.21 per cent. Speaking to The Tribune, Deputy Commissioner and Estate Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav said the strong premium on the Sector 21 plot Sold at 14% premium; 8 of 10 plots remain unsold reflected enduring investor appetite for freehold residential properties in central sectors. “A 14 per cent premium over the reserve price on a onekanal freehold site in Sector 21 is an encouraging market signal. The unsold sites will be reauctioned shortly and we expect broader participation in the next round,” he said. WHY SEC 21 COMMANDS A PREMIUM Demand for residential plots auctioned by the Administration in Chandigarh has consistently concentrated in the city’s heritage sectors — roughly Sectors 15 to 22, where Le Corbusier-era planning, mature green cover, proximity to the city centre and estab- lished social infrastructure sustain valuations well above the Tricity average. The eight unsold plots, in Sectors 20, 23, 27-D, 30-A, 37-A, 44 and 44-B, ranged from 100 sq yd sites in Sector 44-B with a reserve price of Rs 3.30 crore each, to a 500 sq yd plot in Sector 44, priced at Rs 16.58 crore. According to property dealers and market observers, government reserve prices in the city’s outer sectors now rival plotted development options in Mohali and Panchkula, dampening competitive bidding. The e-auction was conducted on eauction.gov.in from 9 am to 11 am. Bidders were required to hold a Digital Signature Certificate and pay earnest money through RTGS/NEFT. The notice had been published on June 2, with document and earnest money deposit submission closing on June 23.