11112026-CT-01.qxd 11/11/2026 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune KRISH SCRIPTS HISTORY WITH 2ND IGU TITLE IN A WEEK ‘SCORING FOR INDIA IN FRONT OF PARENTS SPECIAL MOMENT’ MISHITA, HETAKSH WIN U-11 TITLES AT CHD TT MEET Chandigarh’s Krish Chawla recently won the IGU North East Amateur Golf Championship in Assam. P3 UT midfielder Angad Bir was part of Indian men’s hockey team that won the Asian Champions Trophy. P3 Mishita defeats Shanaya of Saupin’s School, Sector 32, 7-11 11-7 11-6 11-2 in the final. P3 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 189 PANCHKULA Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CITY WATER SUPPLY ALERT CHANDIGARH: The evening water supply from 6 pm to 8:30 pm will remain at low pressure on November 12 and 13 due to the replacement of the damaged main water supply pipeline. TNS Devotees visit the ISKCON temple in Sector 36, Chandigarh, to celebrate Govardhan Puja on Tuesday. PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Tribune News Service Mohali, November 10 A scooty rider was killed after a car hit him on the ChandigarhIISER road on November 8. The victim, Rohit Kumar, was coming from the Chandigarh side and taking a right turn around 2.45 pm when a speeding car hit his scooter from behind. The driver fled the spot after the accident. On a statement of a relative of the deceased, the Phase 11 police registered a hit-and-run case against the unidentified driver on Monday. The police are trying to trace the accused with the help of the vehicle’s registration number. Chandigarh, November 10 The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, has received approval for 22 additional MD/MS seats for the academic session 2026-27, taking its total postgraduate intake from 155 to 177. The approval has been granted by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC). The newly sanctioned seats will be filled during the second round of postgraduate counselling for the current academic session. Calling it a significant achievement, Dr Ravneet Kaur, Director-Principal, GMCH, said the increase Newseatstobefilledinsecond round of PG counselling for 2026-27session marked another milestone in the institution’s efforts to strengthen postgraduate medical education. The enhanced intake will expand opportunities for aspiring medical specialists and help increase the availability of trained and qualified specialists in various medical disciplines, she said. Gaurav Kanthwal Mohali, November 10 The police have booked five persons, including the landowner of Automart World in Sector 117, his son and son-in-law, for allegedly setting 14 cars parked in the garage ablaze on Diwali night over a land dispute. The accused have been identified as Gurdeep Singh, Jai Singh, Jasveer Singh, Harman Singh (Gurdeep’s son), all residents of Ballomajra, and Garry, Gurdeep’s son-in-law, who resides in Bhagomajra. The fire gutted 14 cars parked in the garage. Initially, the police suspected foul play in the incident. Complainant Ajay Kumar, a resident of Sunny Enclave, Kharar, who owns a garage on the accused’s land, stated in his complaint that he had been embroiled in a dispute with Gurdeep for some time. Landowner, son, son-in-law booked A case regarding the dispute is pending in a Mohali court. “The arson was carried out by the suspects in retaliation for the court case,” he alleged. According to the complaint, Gurdeep allegedly uprooted solar panels from the garage roof on the night of November 7 and threw them into an adjoining plot. Ajay had left for his hometown in Gurdaspur that day. On November 8, he received a phone call informing him that his garage had been gutted in a fire. Police officials said the accused were absconding and efforts were underway to trace them. Based on Ajay’s statement, a case under Section 326(F) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Sohana police station on Monday. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 10 The Municipal Corporation has stepped up efforts to expedite approved development works across the city ahead of the coming Model Code of Conduct, directing officials to ensure that no project remains pending due to administrative or procedural delays. Taking note of several approved works yet to commence on the ground, Chief Engineer Sanjay Arora has directed Superintending Engineers of the Public Health, Buildings and Roads, and Horticulture and Environment wings to expedite the process and ensure the immediate commencement of all projects. The Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers concerned have been Chief Engineer seeks work-wise status report within 48 hours asked to identify and review all approved works pending commencement and complete outstanding formalities, including tendering, allotment, issuance of work orders and site handover, on priority. The officers have also been directed to ensure that work actually begins at the respective sites without further delay, while adhering to prescribed rules and code formalities. To ensure effective monitoring and accountability, all officers have been asked to submit a detailed work-wise status report within 48 hours. The report must mention the date of approval, allotment and issuance of work order, present status, reasons for non-commencement and a definite timeline for starting each project. Emphasising personal responsibility, the Chief Engineer has directed the Superintending Engineers to personally monitor progress and ensure that no approved work remains pending due to avoidable administrative or procedural delays. He has also warned that any further delay or failure to commence works within the stipulated timeline, without valid reasons, will be viewed seriously and may invite disciplinary action against officials concerned. The directions are aimed at ensuring timely execution of approved civic infrastructure and development projects, improve delivery of civic services and prevent unnecessary delays in public works ahead of the Model Code of Conduct. A man walks past a Le Corbusier-designed manhole cover on the PGIMER campus. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI After thefts, demand raised to secure UT’s manhole covers Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Age no bar: 10-yr-old, octogenarian share golf greens Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 10 “The most important shot in golf is the next one.” The famous quote by American golfing legend Ben Hogan aptly captures the spirit of women golfers at the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC), where passion for the sport transcends age. The opening day of the Punjab Open Ladies’ Championship brought together two participants representing the youngest and oldest ends of the age spectrum — 10-year-old Pareesha Pradhan and 81-year-old Gunwant Kaur. Both are competing not merely for the title but also for the sheer love of the game. The ladies’ section of the CGC is organising the 32nd edition of the Punjab Open Ladies’ Championship, which will conclude on November 13. One of the largest and most prestigious amateur women’s golf championships in North India, the event attracts leading women golfers from across the country. Over the years, it has provided a platform for emerging talent while encouraging aspiring and veteran golfers to compete at national and international levels. The increase is also expected to strengthen the institution’s academic and clinical infrastructure, enhance its teaching and training capabilities and improve access to specialised healthcare services in the region. In July this year, the NMC had approved an increase in the GMCH’s annual MBBS intake from 150 to 200 seats, with effect from the 2026-27 academic session. The addition of 50 MBBS seats has expanded opportunities for students seeking admission to the institution. Dr Kaur said the approvals reflected GMCH’s commitment to maintaining high academic standards, strengthening infrastructure and meeting the quality benchmarks prescribed by the NMC. Land dispute behind MC pushes development works fire at Mohali garage ahead of model code of conduct Tribune News Service 2-wheeler rider dies in accident FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE GMCH gets nod for 22 more MD/MS seats Religious fervour SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 31°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.3°C | MIN 13.5°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:45 AM /THETRIBUNECHD 153 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.29 PM » WEDNESDAY | 11 NOVEMBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Clockwise from left: 10-year-old Rea Saini, Pareesha Pradhan and 81-year-old Gunwant Kaur (third from left), who are participating in the Punjab Open Ladies' Championship. The youngest participant, Pareesha, is sharing the field with Gunwant, an enthusiastic 81-year-old golfer. “I started playing golf after retiring from my job, and it was the best decision of my life. My participation in the event is not about winning or losing; it is about celebrating the spirit of the sport. Owing to health complications, I cannot spend long hours on the greens every day. However, such events motivate me to share the field with the younger generation as well as golfers from my own age group,” said Gunwant, a retired academic. She added that golf helped keep the mind fresh and provided an opportunity to interact with others and share experiences. “The more one enjoys the sport, the better the outcome. Competition is quite intense these days, and technical knowledge is as important as physical fitness,” she said. Chandigarh has consistently remained an important nursery of golfing talent, producing several leading players on the Indian Golf Union (IGU) circuit and in amateur world rankings. These include Ojaswani Saraswat, Heena Kang, Ceerat Kang, Guntas Kaur Sandhu, Rebab Kahlon and Gairat Kahlon. Several of these promising golfers have also represented India in international compe- c m y b titions. Pareesha, who developed an interest in golf at the Yol Golf Course in Dharamsala, is following in her parents’ footsteps. They introduced her to the sport and she now trains under her father’s guidance. “She is completely devoted to golf and her studies. It has been only a couple of years since she developed an interest in the sport after watching us play at the Yol Golf Course. She must have been around four when she started accompanying us to the greens. For the past couple of years, she has been based in Chandigarh and playing here,” said her mother, Pranita Pradhan. “She has participated in several events, but playing on her home course is always special. This will be a good event for her and an important experience, irrespective of the result,” she added. This year’s championship has attracted nearly 110 entries, with participants from the NCR, neighbouring states and cities as far away as Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Pune and Indore. The three-day championship will have a cut after the first two rounds. The ceremonial tee-off will take place tomorrow. Aaditya is new Mohali DC Mohali, November 10 Aaditya Dachalwal, a 2016-batch IAS officer, has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner of Mohali. He replaces Komal Mittal (2014-batch IAS), who has been posted as the DC of Roopnagar in place of Dachalwal. Dachalwal, who hails from Rajasthan, has previously served as Commissioner of the Ludhiana and Patiala Municipal Corporations. Mohali SDM Damandeep Kaur (2014 PCS) has been assigned the additional charge of MC Commissioner, replacing Sundeep Garha. Innayat (2016 PCS) has been posted as GMADA LAC, replacing Rohit Jindal. GMADA Additional Chief Administrator Rakesh Popli has been replaced by Vikas Heera, who was serving as Additional Chief Administrator, GLADA. Similarly, Mohali ADC (Urban Development) Anmol Singh Dhaliwal is replaced by Naman Marken, who was serving as RTO, Fatehgarh Sahib. — TNS Chandigarh, November 10 With the police yet to make a breakthrough in the theft of heritage manhole covers from Sectors 45 and 46, concerns are mounting over the security of more than 3,000 such assets across the city. These covers have an indicative international market value of over Rs 900 crore. Taking up the issue, Ajay Jagga, member of the Administrator’s Advisory Council and the Chandigarh Heritage Item Protection Cell, has written to UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria and the Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, seeking urgent intervention to prevent thefts and ensure the protection, preservation and scientific inventory of Le Corbusier-designed heritage manhole covers. In his letters, Jagga described the recent thefts from Sectors 45 and 46 as a wake-up call for the UT Administration. He pointed out that these covers had fetched prices ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh at international auctions, taking their indicative cumulative market value to over Rs 900 crore. “This is not merely a matter of theft of municipal infrastructure. It is a systematic threat to the heritage identity, architectural legacy and cultural assets of Chandigarh,” he said. During meetings of the Chandigarh Heritage Item HERITAGE ASSETS Ajay Jagga, member of the Chandigarh Heritage Item Protection Cell, pointed out that heritage manhole covers had fetched prices ranging from ~15 lakh to ~30 lakh at international auctions. Protection Cell, it was informed that more than 3,000 Le Corbusier-designed heritage manhole covers were still in existence across the city under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation. Jagga expressed concern that such valuable heritage assets were lying unattended on roads and public premises without adequate security, identification, monitoring or protection against theft. The covers have previously surfaced at international auctions, including in Paris and London. Their high demand in the international market makes them particularly vulnerable to organised theft, illegal transportation and trafficking outside the country. The disappearance of the covers also raises questions about security arrangements, accountability of field officials and the effectiveness of the existing heritage protection mechanism, he said. Seeking immediate action, Jagga has urged the Administration and the MC to conduct a physical verification of all heritage covers and prepare a comprehensive sectorwise and location-wise inventory, supported by continued on page 3