20012026-CT-01.qxd 1/20/2026 12:34 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune LAND EARMARKED FOR BIOGAS PLANT AT DADUMAJRA LOCAL GOLFER GAIRAT WINS FIRST INTERNATIONAL TITLE ‘BEING PART OF BORDER 2 FEELS LIKE LIVING A DREAM’ The project is a step towards sustainable development, scientific waste mgmt and clean energy generation. P3 Wins the SportExcel International Junior Golf Tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. P3 Actor Vansh Bhardwaj speaks with gratitude about becoming part of a legacy he admired as a child. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 173 PANCHKULA 61 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD THE TRIBUNE SPECIAL TIMELINE Project conceptualised: Over a decade ago Land acquisition completed:2020 CCEA approval: April 9, 2025 Fresh tenders floated: June 2025 Stage-1 forest clearance: July 31, 2025 Bid deadlines extended: Seven times Stage-2 forest clearance: January 8, 2026 Last date for bid submission: January 28 (11 am) Technical bids opening: January 29 (11.30 am) Likely award of work:February Nitin Jain WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH DIALOGUE: India-Sri Lanka Cooperative Dialogue on Trade & Capacity Building; Sri Lanka Cooperatives Minister’s Advisor Shanta Jayaratne to be chief guest; Regional Institute of Cooperative Management (RICM), Sector 32-C; 10:30 am onwards MOHALI STONE-LAYING: Foundation stones for construction of six village link roads to be laid; main event Manauli-Siau link road near Mohali; 12 noon APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, and Dhanas Panchkula: Sector 15 Mohali: Sectors 68 and 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com WATER SUPPLY TO BE HIT TUESDAY Morning: 3:30 am to 9 am (normal pressure) Evening:6 pm to 8 pm (low pressure) WEDNESDAY Morning: 3:30 am to 9 am (normal pressure) Evening:6 pm to 8 pm (low pressure) Chandigarh, January 19 After remaining stuck in red tape for over nine months despite securing approval from the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the ~1,878-crore Zirakpur–Panchkula bypass has finally moved firmly into the execution mode. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to open technical bids for the project on January 29. According to the final bid schedule issued by the NHAI, the last date for online submission of bids has been fixed as January 28 (11 am). The technical bids will be opened at 11.30 am on January 29. The project is now on track as work will be awarded in February to the lowest and most eligible bidder, officials said. The development marks a decisive end to a prolonged bureaucratic impasse that kept the project stalled even after the CCEA approval in April last year, forcing the NHAI to extend bid deadlines repeated- MAP NOT TO SCALE Tribune News Service WHY THE PROJECT WAS STALLED FOR NINE MONTHS ■ Stage-2 forest clearance pending at state level for months ly — seven times since fresh tenders were floated in June — due to the absence of mandatory Stage-2 forest clearance. The breakthrough came after the Punjab Forests Minister approved the proposal on the recommendation of the Forests Secretary, a process that itself took weeks at the state level. Following the state’s nod, the file was forwarded to the Union Lab owner arrested for Sector 32 firing Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 19 A laboratory owner has been arrested by the UT police in connection with the firing incident at a medical store in Sector 32 last week. Rahul Bisht, who had some dispute with the medical store owners, was the key conspirator behind the attack, claimed the police. The shooters are at large. According to the police, Bisht had shared information about the shop and its owners with gangster Saba Gobindgarh, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The shop owners had received an extortion call demanding Rs 2 crore, which the police are still investigating. On January 15, two shots were fired outside the medical store around 9.32 pm by two assailants. ■ Inter-departmental delays despite compliance by NHAI Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), whose Integrated Regional Office (IRO), Chandigarh, granted the final Stage-2 forest clearance, authorising the NHAI to award and execute the project subject. The Tribune had earlier highlighted how the project remained trapped in red tape despite the NHAI completing Property dealers oppose UT move Chandigarh, January 19 The Property Federation of Chandigarh has condemned the proposal of the Estate Office to facilitate the sale and purchase of private properties, assuming the role of a property dealer or broker. A meeting of the federation was held over the issue here today. The federation unanimously resolved to oppose this move of the Administration. “The Estate Office is a statutory administrative body meant to regulate, Continued on page 2 Shastri Market to get ~8-cr makeover To have smart parking, WiFi, CCTV surveillance, solar power system Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 19 One of the oldest markets of the city, Shastri Market in Sector 22 will be developed as a modern shopping spot equipped with latest amenities such smart parking system, WiFi and CCTV surveillance. Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria today laid the foundation stone for this ambitious project The Governor said the old markets of a city were not merely centres of trade, but were the heartbeat of social, cultural and economic life. While redeveloping such markets, it was essential to give priority to civic amenities, security and environmental protection so that development remained inclusive and sustainable. The Governor said the project, to be completed by the end of 2026 at a cost of Rs 6-Rs 8 crore, will include raising the shop levels by approximately three feet, increasing the height of the roofs, developing the market on a solar energy basis and installing 100 to 150 CCTV cameras for security. Besides, provisions will be made for water tanks, Wi-Fi facility and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria unveils the foundation stone for the Shastri Market renovation project on Monday. It will be funded by the shopkeepers. PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI well-organised parking. Mukesh Goyal, president of the Market Welfare Association, said the renovation plan was approved after they met Kataria. He appreciated the project and directed the officers to approve it. He said the plan was approved in record 16 days, only because of the Administrator’s vision for development of the city. Goyal said three entry and an equal number of exit points will be created in the market, facilitating a hassle-free movement of visitors. While all expendi- ture on the renovation will be borne by the shopkeepers, the Municipal Corporation will provide firefighting system and other facilities such as drainage and stormwater system. Goyal stated there would be a smart parking system to alleviate traffic congestion. For fire safety, two underground water tanks with a capacity of 1.25 lakh litres will be constructed. Keeping environment protection in mind, solar panels will be installed on the market roof to illuminate the entire area. Former Chandigarh MP and Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain said the redevelopment project would not only promote business activities but also give the market a modern form in line with future requirements. Thousands of visitors visit Shastri Market every day. There are 322 booths in the market, which were allotted in 1992. The market, which came into existence in 1952, was the first project for rehri owners. They were allotted pucca booths after a survey. c m y b ■ Mandatory forest approval required before award of work all statutory requirements and clearing observations raised by the Forest Department. Officials had maintained that work could not be awarded without the final forest clearance, a mandatory pre-condition in the approval order. “The Zirakpur–Panchkula bypass will significantly decongest Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula and their surround- ing areas, which are bursting at the seams due to unprecedented urban growth,” Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkaritold The Tribune. Conceived over a decade ago, the six-lane bypass is the most critical road infrastructure intervention planned for decongesting the chronically choked NH-5 and NH-7 corridor through Zirakpur and Panchkula. The 19.2-km project, including a 6.195-km elevated stretch, five flyovers, multiple underpasses, bridges and a railway overbridge, is designed to divert heavy interstate and local traffic away from Zirakpur lights, Airport Road and the Panchkula gateway. The bypass also forms a key leg of the proposed Tricity Ring Road and is expected to improve connectivity to Himachal Pradesh, Ambala and Chandigarh airport, while cutting daily travel time. “After years of delay and nine months of post-approval red tape, the Zirakpur–Panchkula Bypass is finally set to move from files to the field, offering hope of lasting traffic relief for the Tricity,” said an official. MAX 24°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 24.6°C | MIN 6°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:18 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass step closerbids on Jan 29 | ~1,878-cr project aimed at easing trafficFeb to reality, work award in in Tricity NHAI to open MOSTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 5:49 PM » TUESDAY | 20 JANUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Western disturbance to break sunny spell, rainlikelyonThursday Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 19 The Tricity is set to see a marked change in weather as an intense western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of January 21, bringing a fresh spell of light to moderate rainfall to the region between January 22 and 24. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the wet spell is very likely to be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds blowing at 30 to 40 kmph at isolated places, a combination that could further intensify cold wave conditions across the region. According to the forecast, light to moderate rain is likely at isolated places in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on January 22, followed by rainfall at a few places on January 23 and 24. Minimum temperatures are expected to show no large change over the next three days, after which they are likely to rise by around 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. The change comes after the Tricity region enjoyed another clear, bright and sunny day on Monday, with day temperatures soaring well above normal. Chandigarh recorded Punjab’s highest maximum temperature of 24.6 degrees Celsius, which was 1.2 degrees higher than Sunday and a striking 6.2 degrees above normal. Despite the warm afternoons, nights remained relatively cold. Chandigarh’s minimum temperature stood at 6 degrees Celsius, marginally higher by 0.5 degree compared to the previous night but still 1.4 degrees below normal, underlining the sharp day-night contrast prevailing over the region. IMD observations over the past 24 hours showed dry weather across Punjab and Haryana, though dense to very dense fog was reported at isolated places, along with cold wave conditions in parts of Punjab. In Chandigarh, mist and haze were observed during morning and evening hours, while winds remained calm through the day. Relative humidity levels in the city ranged from a high of about 89 per cent to a low of around 34 per cent. The weatherman has also issued a yellow alert for dense fog at isolated places over the Tricity region for another two days.