07102026-CT-01.qxd 10/7/2026 12:43 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune FORMER CREST CEO DENIED BAIL IN ~82-CRORE SCAM 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AT DERA BASSI ACTOR TIGER SHROFF SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABUZZ Indian Forest Service officer Navneet Srivastava served as Chief Executive Officer of CREST. P2 The accused assaulted the victim, a student of Class VII, and extorted money by threatening her. P2 Action star Tiger Shroff’s latest six-second transformation post has created an uproar online. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 99 PANCHKULA Will rope in political parties for enrolment drive Nitin Jain Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH FEST: Five-day Kala Mahotsava to celebrate, promote rich diversity of Indian music, dance and theatre; Navrang Theatre, Bal Bhawan, Sector 23; 69 pm daily till Oct 11 Members of the Punjab Youth Congress stage a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar near the Election Commission’s office, Sector 17, in Chandigarh on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Chandigarh, October 6 Facing mounting demand for transparency over a 30 per cent fall in Chandigarh’s electorate after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has announced a wider enrolment drive. For the first time, the lists of electors dropped from the rolls will be made public and political parties’ booth agents involved in the verification process. The final electoral rolls, published on September 22, had put Chandigarh’s electorate at 4,60,209 — down 1,99,596, or 30.26 per cent, from the 6,59,805 electors recorded for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These, however, showed a net gain of 9,927 electors over the draft rolls. Chandigarh MP Manish Action follows HC order to probe ‘cash-for-transfer scam’; CM’s OSD, five others booked Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, October 6 A CBI team on Tuesday evening raided the Kharar flat of Nitin Gohal, accused of acting as a “liaisoner” in the alleged “cash-for-transfer scam”. The central agency also raided a Phase 11 house linked to AAP leader Bir Devinder in connection with the case. Both were absent from their respective premises, said sources, adding that they might have left after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the CBI to probe the case involving graft allegations against Punjab officials. Though the CBI remained tight-lipped about the raids on the premises of Gohal and Bir Devinder, the agency said in a statement that six persons, including Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman, had been booked. Eyewitnesses said CBI officials, accompanied by police personnel, reached Gohal’s flat in Western Towers and cordoned off the premises before beginning the search. Gohal has been accused of acting as a “liaisoner” in the alleged “cash-for-transfer scam”. He is also alleged to have facilitated CLUs for builders and developers by using his access to Ghuman. In May, Gohal was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for two days after Rs 25 lakh, kept in two bags, Tribune News Service was allegedly thrown out of his ninth-floor flat in Kharar. A video of the incident had also surfaced online. In Mohali, the CBI raided the house linked to AAP leader Bir Devinder, who has also allegedly been described as a liaisoner. The CBI raid was swift, with sleuths beginning the action Continued on page 2 claimed to be an employee of the Punjab National Bank’s credit card wing. Soon after, Bains received WhatsApp messages from another number containing two links. He downloaded both links and returned to his work. The fraud came to light on October 3 when Bains went to the bank to withdraw money and found that there was no balance in his account. Bank officials informed him that a transaction of Rs 5,24,700 had Continued on page 3 Chandigarh, October 6 The Tricity is set for another weather swing, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting thunderstorms from Wednesday to Saturday, along with scattered showers through the week. A yellow alert has been sounded for the period from Wednesday to Friday for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Despite the approaching change, temperatures remained high across the Tricity on Tuesday. Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 34.8°C, 2.2°C above normal, and a minimum of 24.6°C, 3.7°C above normal. The maximum rose marginally by 0.1°C from the previous day, while the minimum rose 1.6°C. Panchkula coolest in region Panchkula remained the coolest in the Tricity. Its maximum of 32.7°C was below Chandigarh’s 34.8°C and Mohali’s 34.7°C, while its minimum stood at 23.1°C. Mohali recorded a maximum of 34.7°C and minimum of 24.7°C, with the night temperature remaining 1.4°C above the previous night’s figure. The contrast was sharper across the region: Haryana’s highest maximum was 38.1°C at Hisar, while Punjab’s highest was 36°C at Bathinda. Humidity remained high in Chandigarh, with the weather observatory recording maximum relative humidity of 85 per cent and minimum relative humidity of 53 per cent. The IMD forecast indicates rain at isolated places over Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, followed by scattered rain on Saturday. Sunday and Monday are also likely to witness rain at isolated places. For the Tricity, the maximum temperature is forecast to be 32°C on Wednesday, 33°C on Thursday, 32°C on Friday, 31°C on Saturday and 32°C on Sunday. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain at 24°C on Wednesday, 23°C on Thursday and Friday, and 22°C on Saturday and Sunday. UT challans 915 cabs operating illegally, collects ~91.5L fine Writes to Central Government again seeking ban on apps of four suspended aggregators Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 6 The State Transport Authority (STA) has challaned or impounded 915 vehicles found illegally operating through four suspended cab aggregators since September 9 and collected a fine of Rs 91.5 lakh. The Administration has written afresh to the Centre seeking a ban on the companies’ mobile applications to effectively check the violations. According to official data, bike taxis accounted for the majority of violators — 569 challaned and 67 impounded — followed by taxis, with 194 challaned and 14 impounded. As many as 49 auto-rickshaws were challaned and 22 impounded. In all, 812 vehicles were challaned and 103 impounded, taking the combined figure to 915. A fine of CAMPS FROM OCT 7 TO 11 ■ Camps to be held at all polling stations from October 7 to 11 ■ BLOs to compare pre and post-SIR rolls ■ Names of absent, shifted, dead and duplicate electors to be made public Tewari has since written twice to CEO Prerna Puri, first seeking the identity of the deleted electors and later flagging a separate mismatch between polling booths and the Municipal Corporation’s ward boundaries ahead of the December civic polls. According to the CEO, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will now compare the current rolls against the pre-SIR rolls to identify electors whose names existed earlier but are missing now. The lists of absent, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) electors compiled during the SIR will be made available and “appropriately publicised” for citizens and other stakeholders — a direct response to the kind of disclosure Tewari had sought. The BLOs will conduct house-to-house visits to verify the present status of these electors and enrol them wherever found eligible. They will also identify left-out, young and first-time voters. Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties will be associated with the exercise, with booth-wise lists shared with them to independently flag eligible electors who may have been missed. Special camps will be held at all polling stations across the UT from October 7 to 11, with BLOs available from 10 am to 3 pm to help citizens submit Continued on page 2 CBIraidspremiseslinkedtoGohal,AAPleaderingraftcase Audit raps MC for Man loses ~5.24 lakh Weather set to change again in Tricity Rain at isolated places likely through week; in credit card fraud temperatures to remain above normal Chandigarh, October 6 A resident of Attawa was duped of Rs 5.24 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as officials of the credit card wing of a public sector bank. The cybercrime police station, Sector 17, has registered a case against unidentified persons on a complaint filed by Barinder Kumar Bains (53), a resident of Attawa. Bains told the police that he received a call on September 29 from an unknown mobile number. The caller FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE UT to publish list of voters dropped from rolls after SIR Cong protests ‘vote chori’ SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WORKSHOP: Film appreciation workshop in collaboration with FTII, Pune; Golden Jubilee Seminar Hall, PU; 10 am PANCHKULA YATRA: Sewa Jyoti Yatra under Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan with PM’s address live streaming; Indradhanush Auditorium, Sector 5; 9:30 am APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 32°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.8°C | MIN 24.6°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.19 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 61 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.01 PM » WEDNESDAY | 7 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL CABS (SEPT 9 – OCT 6) Category Challaned Impounded Taxis 194 14 Bike taxis 569 67 Autos 49 22 Total 812 103 Total: 915 vehicles | Fine: ~10,000 per vehicle | Cumulative fine: ~91.5 lakh (SOURCE: STA) A Motor Vehicle Inspector issues a challan to a taxi driver at Sector 43, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Rs 10,000 was imposed on each vehicle. In a communication to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Administration stated that despite the suspension of their licences, the aggregator companies “have not stopped their operations,” necessitating a ban on their applications to stop what the office termed their “illegal” and “wilful” defiance of the suspension orders. The communication lists the suspension dates of all four companies — ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd (Ola) on June 17, Indsystems Pvt Ltd (InDrive) on August 10, Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd on September 8, and Roppen Transportations Pvt Ltd (Rapido), also on September 8. It further cites an earlier request made by the Transport Department in c m y b 2024 to the Centre, seeking a similar app ban. “To stop the illegal action of aggregator companies who are wilfully disobeying the suspension orders by continuing operation of vehicles attached with the application, banning of the application is required,” STA Secretary Nitish Singla told The Tribune. Commuters bear the brunt With vehicles under four major platforms remaining off the roads and only Sahkari Taxi Cooperative Limited’s Bharat Taxi, launched on September 18, left as the principal legal service, lakhs of daily commuters across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula continue to face reduced cab and bike-taxi availability and high fares. Brigadier Hardeep Singh Sohi (retd), a Shaurya Chakra awardee, has alleged on social media that fares have more than doubled since the suspension, calling it “daylight robbery” arising from a lack of choice. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari subsequently took up the matter with the Deputy Commissioner, the Finance Continued on page 3 failing to recover ~70.41-cr ad dues Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 6 The Municipal Corporation has failed to recover advertisement fee amounting to Rs 70.41 crore from seven defaulting agencies, according to an audit report of the Director General of Audit (Central). The audit pointed to inadequate enforcement of contractual provisions and a weak recovery mechanism on the part of the civic body, resulting in substantial municipal revenue remaining blocked and the risk of loss to the exchequer. According to the Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 1954, fees prescribed in the schedule for various types of advertisements are required to be paid in advance. In the case of newly exhibited advertisements and “sky-signs”, the fees are to be paid within 10 days of their display. A penalty equivalent to 25 per cent of the due fee is also applicable in case of delayed payment, apart from other action permissible under the law. During a test check of records, the audit found that the MC had allotted the operation and maintenance of public toilets to seven agencies on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The agencies were required to construct or renovate toilets on MC land and were provided advertise- ment space in return. They were required to pay licence fees as per the agreements as well as advertisement fees under the Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 1954. The audit revealed that the agencies had failed to deposit the advertisement fees within the prescribed time limits. Although the MC issued several notices to the agencies for recovery of outstanding advertisement fees, penalties, service tax and applicable interest, no effective recovery was made, the report said. The audit noted that despite the dues remaining outstanding since the allotmentoftheworks, the corporation failed to take strict measures such as cancelling contracts, blacklisting defaulting agencies and expeditiously recovering the dues. According to the audit, the outstanding amount had accumulated to Rs 70.41 crore as of March 31. The audit observed that the prolonged default indicated inadequate enforcement of contractual provisions and a weak recovery mechanism, resulting in the blockage of substantial municipal revenue. In its response, the department concerned stated that proceedings for recovery of the outstanding amounts had been initiated under the Land Revenue Act and were being processed by the District Magistrate, UT Chandigarh. Zirakpur man held with cocaine near Sec 23 market Chandigarh, October 6 The UT police have arrested a Zirakpur resident after recovering 22.10 grams of cocaine from his possession near the Sector 23-C market. The suspect has been identified as Rakesh Kumar, alias Karan (34), a resident of Victoria City, Zirakpur. According to the FIR registered in this regard, a team of the UT police Operations Cell was on patrol duty on Sunday when, acting on an input, it reached the parking area in the Sector 23-C market. The police claimed that a man carrying a black backpack took a U-turn on seeing the team. According to the police, the accused tried to throw the bag away. On checking, the police allegedly recovered a white wax-sealed pouch containing an off-white powder, which was tested and found to be cocaine. — TNS