20082026-CT-01.qxd 8/20/2026 12:38 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune GROUPS WOO VOTERS WITH ‘FREE TRIPS’ AHEAD OF PU POLLS HC NOTICES ON ‘TAKEOVER’ OF ANIMAL WELFARE BODY SAY HOLA TO BABITA: HARYANVI TWIST TO 2011 HIT SENORITA Even as the schedule for the PU polls is yet to be finalised, student groups are luring voters by offering ‘free trips’. P3 HC issues notices to UT Chief Secy, MC Commissioner, DC over a PIL challenging the ‘systematic takeover’ of the SPCA. P3 Self-taught musician Bodh gives the 2011 hit Senorita a hilarious Haryanvi twist, which fans can’t resist. P4 » » CHANDIGARH 32 PANCHKULA 45 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in Tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 11.30 pm: Parts of Sector 37 10.30 pm to 2.30 pm: Sector 20, fruit market in 22-D, Pipliwala Town, Mariwala Town, Shantinagar, Darshani Bagh INBRIEF MAN DIES IN MISHAP Fatehgarh Sahib: A man was killed after being hit by a car near Makaropur village. The deceased, Balwinder Singh of Makaropur, was going to the village when the car hit him. He was declared brought dead at the hospital. OC SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.53 AM » /THETRIBUNECHD rain. He said teams were deployed round-the-clock during the downpour, and his personal on-ground supervision ensured no major waterlogging or untoward incident was reported. The claim, however, is at odds with Tuesday’s ground reality, when several parts of Panchkula were left waterlogged, the Alipur-Khatoli bridge collapsed, couple of other small bridges washed away, road stretches caved in. Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Panchkula, August 19 Twenty-four hours after he was swept away in a seasonal drain at Rajiv Colony in Sector 17 here following Tuesday evening’s flashflood, 46-yearold scrap collector Rajesh Kumar remained untraced this evening. Teams of the the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), backed by divers, continued the search operation that had been suspended overnight. Rajesh, a native of Bhiwani in Haryana, who had settled in Panchkula in 1984, is survived by his wife and seven children, including six daughters and a five-year-old son. He was standing near the drain with his friend, Randhir Kumar, on Tuesday evening when incessant rain triggered a sudden current in the drain and its vicinity. Rajesh slipped into the drain and was swept away. Randhir attempted to rescue him but failed. He alerted the police and Rajesh’s family, after which a rescue operation was launched. Deputy Commissioner Satpal Sharma, speaking to The Tribune, confirmed that the rescue operation, launched immediately after the admin- AAP PROTEST TODAY ■ Councillors question the preparedness of civic body officials for rainy season ■ Mayor Saurabh Joshi highlights the problems faced by residents due to waterlogging in the city ■ AAP announces that it will stage a protest against the MC on Thursday eral affected areas, including Sector 16. He also contacted officials and asked them to extend immediate assistance to residents. Councillors also raised concerns over the delay in listing development-related agenda items pertaining to their respective wards before the F&CC. They said the delay was affecting development works in various parts of the city. In view of the strong resentment expressed by councillors over the two issues, the F&CC meeting was deferred. A total of 10 agenda items had been placed before the committee. These included a Continued on page 2 RESIDENTS SLAM CIVIC BODY The spot at Rajiv Colony where the scrap collector was swept away on Tuesday; and (right) the victim’s wife with their children. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: RAVI KUMAR istration was alerted on Tuesday evening, had to be called off during the night owing to the strong current and darkness. It was resumed early Wednesday morning. “The NDRF and SDRF teams with divers are on the job, but the person has not yet been traced,” Sharma said. Rajesh’s wife, Jasbeer Kaur, along with their children and relatives, remained at the site through the day, watching the search operation. Panchkula Mayor Shyam Lal Bansal visited the spot during the day, met the family and assured them of full administrative support. KALKA REELS UNDER WATER CRISIS Adding to the district’s troubles, nearly 40 per cent of Kalka households were left without drinking water after the old water-supply network serving several localities broke down in Tuesday’s rain. The DC confirmed the development and said water tankers had been deployed to supply potable water to Tribune News Service Mohali, August 19 A 38-year-old property dealer was allegedly killed by his brother-in-law and the latter’s friend at his office in Sector 87 here on Tuesday over a land dispute. The deceased has been identified as Amandeep Singh, a resident of Alampur village in Bhadson. He was living in Sector 66 with his wife and children. According to a statement given to the police by Amandeep’s wife, Raman- Assailant was upset over two-kannal land transferred to victim’s wife by mother deep Kaur, her widowed mother, Swaranjit Kaur, had transferred two kanals of land in Nanumajra, Sector 87, in her name. Amandeep was running a property dealing office there. Ramandeep told the police that her brother, Pradeep Singh, was upset over the affected residents. He said repair and restoration of the damaged pipelines could begin only after floodwater in the affected areas receded, adding that water levels were still rising in some pockets. Sharma said restoration of vehicular traffic on bridges and roads damaged by the rain was under way on a war footing. Road connectivity to Morni, disrupted by a road cave-in and blockage caused by mudslides, falling debris and uprooted trees, had been restored, he said. JCB machines and person- nel had been stationed at vulnerable locations to respond immediately to any emergency arising from the extreme weather. The DC appealed to residents to reach out to the local administration or the SubDivisional Magistrates concerned for assistance. He added that the district’s flood-control room was operational round the clock. PMDA CLAIMS NO WATERLOGGING The Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) claimed on Wednesday that its preparedness and prompt field action ensured effective drainage and prevented waterlogging in the city during Tuesday’s heavy rain, a claim that runs contrary to visuals and reports from the ground. PMDA CEO KM Pandurang said engineering teams remained on alert, cleaned and repaired road gullies, and strengthened the storm-water drainage network and Ghaggar riverbanks ahead of the Rain damages roads at two more junctions in city Governor Kataria visits areas hit by waterlogging, directs officials to take immediate action Tribune News Service Residents squarely blamed the MC for persistent gaps in the storm-water drainage. “Yesterday’s one-hour spell of heavy rain once again exposed the ill-preparedness of the civic body, which led to massive flooding and waterlogging of major parts of the city,” said Ajay Kumar, a local resident, demanding that civic officials be held accountable for what he termed a mess created by their lackadaisical and indifferent attitude. GHAGGAR AT NORMAL LEVEL The Ghaggar, which had gone into spate on Tuesday following heavy rain, with strong currents washing away bridges and stretches of road, was returning to normal levels on Wednesday. Light showers likely in city in coming days Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 19 Motorists faced inconvenience after the morning rain damaged roads at two more places — the Sector 9/10 light point and the slip road near Sector 40 — in the city today. Meanwhile, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria visited various parts of the city to take stock of the situation following the waterlogging caused by heavy rain yesterday. Kataria travelled through the affected areas in a CTU bus, accompanied by H Rajesh Prasad, Chief Secretary; VP Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor; Mandip Singh Brar, Home Secretary; and Dirpava Lakra, Finance Secretary. During the visit, Kataria inspected Sector 17, Sector 22, Sector 43, Sector 46, Sector 47, Jagatpura, Tribune Chowk, Shastri Nagar-Manimajra, Bapu Dham, the Sector 26 Mandi area and other locations. The Administrator directed officials of the Municipal Corporation and the Engineering Workers repair the Sector 28-26 road, which caved in due to heavy rain on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Department to take immediate and coordinated action to address waterlogging, fallen trees and branches, damaged roads and other obstructions. He stressed that affected areas must be cleared at the Realtor killed by brother-in-law over land Gaurav Kanthwal FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Rescue teams continue search, Mayor visits family; 40% Kalka households without water as pipeline breaks Ramkrishan Upadhyay Chandigarh, August 19 Councillors on Wednesday expressed resentment against Municipal Corporation officials over severe waterlogging witnessed in the city following heavy rain on Tuesday evening. They also questioned the preparedness of the official machinery to deal with the situation. The issue was raised at the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) meeting today. As the meeting began, Mayor Saurabh Joshi highlighted the problems faced by residents due to waterlogging. Joshi said during yesterday’s heavy rain, Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were reportedly not active on the ground in several areas. Severe waterlogging resulted in rainwater entering several houses and showrooms, causing inconvenience to residents and traders. The Mayor said he had received numerous calls from residents regarding the situation and had visited sev- MAX 34°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.4°C | MIN 23.2°C 24 hrs on, man swept away in P’kula drain untraced Waterlogging sparks councillors’ ire; F&CC meeting deferred Tribune News Service PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 6.59 PM THURSDAY | 20 AUGUST 2026 | CHANDIGARH AIR QUALITY INDEX FORECAST decision to transfer the land to her. On Tuesday, around 5.45 pm, Pradeep and an unidentified friend allegedly reached Amandeep’s office and slit his throat. Ramandeep took her critically injured husband to a private hospital in Sohana, where he died during treatment. The Sohana police station SHO, Inspector Simarjit Singh, reached the spot and called a forensic team, which collected evidence from the scene. On the basis of Ramandeep’s statement, the police have registered a murder case against Pradeep Singh and his unidentified accomplice. The DSP City-2, Harsimran , Singh Bal, said police teams had been formed to conduct raids and arrest the accused. “The accused will be arrested soon,” he said. The incident comes against the backdrop of soaring land prices in the area. Land in Sector 87 commands a premium of Rs 4-5 crore per kanal. GMADA is acquiring roughly 197-236 acres in Sector 87 for a major commercial hub in the region. c m y b earliest and that necessary repair and restoration work taken up without delay. Meanwhile, in an advisory, the authorities asked commuters to remain cautious while crossing the affected stretches at the Sector 9/10 light point on the Sector 9 side and the slip road at Junction 56 on the Sector 40 side. A portion of the road leading from the Transport Area light point towards the Grain Market chowk on the Madhya Marg was damaged yesterday. According to officials of the Engineering Department, the road caved in after an underground water pipeline burst. Rights commission seeks report from MC on UT drainage failure THE TRIBUNE IMPACT Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 19 The Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a report published in these columns highlighting how an hour-long spell of rain flooded large parts of the Tricity on Tuesday evening and exposed the poor preparedness of civic bodies for storm-water disposal. The report, “1-hr rain floods Tricity; bridges collapse in P’kula,” which appeared as the page one lead in Wednesday’s edition, detailed how 30.3 mm of rain in a single hour submerged roads, junctions and markets across Chandigarh and Panchkula, bringing traffic to a crawl and washing away a bridge in Panchkula district. A three-member Bench of the Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Sant Parkash, members Justice Gurbir Singh and Jitender Singh Shunty, took cognisance of the matter and directed the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, to submit a report a week before the next date of hearing on September 22. In its order, the commission noted that several stretches of Madhya Marg, the city’s main eastwest corridor, were submerged Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, August 19 A day after heavy rain triggered flashflood-like conditions across the Tricity, normal life began returning on Wednesday. Chandigarh and Mohali remained largely dry and Panchkula received intermittent light to moderate showers. Showers at isolated places are likely during the coming days. At least three major road cave-ins were officially confirmed in different parts of Chandigarh, while several road stretches and small bridges over seasonal drains and rivulets were reportedly damaged or washed away in Mohali and Panchkula districts. Chandigarh received only 0.5 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, while Panchkula recorded 17 mm and Mohali remained dry during the same period. Chandigarh’s maximum temperature remained broadly unchanged on Wednesday and continued to stay slightly above normal, while Mohali recorded a marginal rise. Night temperatures dipped further in Chandigarh and Mohali, remaining below normal, whereas Panchkula recorded a marginal rise. TUESDAY RAIN NARROWS SEASONAL DEFICIT The heavy rainfall on Tuesday significantly improved Chandigarh’s monsoon tally, narrowing the seasonal rainfall deficit, which still stands at 12.3%. The city’s cumulative rainfall since June 1 rose substantially to 550.2 mm till 5:30 pm on Wednesday after the 73mm spell recorded during the 24 hours ending 8.30 am Wednesday. The IMD has not issued any weather warning for the Tricity from Thursday. Showers at isolated places are likely in the coming days.