17012026-CT-01.qxd 1/17/2026 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SECOND SUNNY DAY LIFTS TRICITY OUT OF DEEP CHILL FIELD SURVEY OF PROPERTIES LIKELY TO CONCLUDE BY JAN 31 SOUMYADEEP BEATS SHIVAM TO BAG TABLE TENNIS TITLE UT records maximum temperature of 19.5°C, a jump of nearly six degrees from previous day. P3 UT likely to complete field survey of nearly 7,000 properties under the NAKSHA pilot project by Jan 31. P5 Soumyadeep of Regional Sports Board, Indore, defeats Shivam of RSB-Indore to win singles title. P5 » » PANCHKULA FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Youth returning from court chased, stabbed to death 221 227 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 MAX 16°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 19.5°C | MIN 5.3°C SUNRISE SUNDAY 7.19 AM /THETRIBUNECHD AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET SATURDAY 5.45 PM » SATURDAY | 17 JANUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Was married weeks ago; old rivalry suspected behind murder Tribune News Service The police investigate the firing incident in Sector 21 on Friday. WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH COMEDY: Standup comedy show; Tagore Theatre, Sector 18; 7 pm onwards EXHIBITION: Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi organises Tricity School Art Teachers Exhibition & Awards; Government Museum & Art Gallery, Sector 10-C; on till January 23; 11 am to 7 pm. PLAY: Punjabi play, “Panjab — A Montage of Short Stories”, adapted and directed by Zubin A Mehta; Auditorium, St Kabir Public School, Sector 26; 6.30 pm onwards APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 40, 43 & 49 Panchkula: Sector 14 Mohali: Sectors 71 and 82 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com HC summons Chandigarh DGP Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Director-General of Police, UT Chandigarh, to remain present in court after the Public Prosecutor stated that he had received no instructions in a regular bail petition arising out of a cyber crime case. Taking note of the submission, Justice Sumeet Goel observed in the order: “The Public Prosecutor, very fairly, submits that he is unable to Continued on page 6 Hours after Sector 32 incident, shots fired at builder’s house Sec 21 resident had ‘received threat calls from Bishnoi’ Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 Hours after two gunshots were fired at a medical store in Sector 32, another incident of firing was reported at Sector 21 outside a builder’s house early Friday morning. The firing was reportedly carried out by gangsters outside the house of builder Ankit Sidana, who recently returned from Dubai. The incident occurred around 2.30 am. Panic gripped the local residents after they heard the sound of shots being fired. They reportedly fired around six shots and one of the bullets hit Sidana’s car parked nearby. As per the preliminary inquiry, five to six shots were fired by unidentified assailants. “One of the bullets was found struck in Ankit’s car parked outside. The shooters threw around 10 handwritten slips before fleeing the spot on a bike,” said a source. Some of the slips carried the names of gangsters Pawan Shokeen and Mohabbat Randhawa. However, no confirmation was made by the police in this regard. Earlier, Sidana had claimed to have received extortion calls from jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He was provided security by Punjab Police. Security personnel were present at the house at the time of the incident. The CCTV cameras installed outside the house were not working. Sidana reportedly came to know about the incident in the morning. “The occupants of the house mistook the bullet shots to the sound of firecrackers. They realised the house was attacked after they spotted holes on one of the cars, gate and on the wall. The police recovered handwritten chits and bullet shells. A team of the Sector 19 police station, along with a forensic experts, reached the spot. Police officers said the motive behind the firing was yet to be established. Chandigarh, January 16 A 21-year-old youth was chased and stabbed to death by two bike-borne assailants near the Punjab BJP office in Sector 37 on Friday afternoon. The victim reportedly succumbed to injuries, allegedly due to the delay in providing treatment. He was married barely weeks ago. The victim was reportedly returning on his bike after attending a hearing in the Sector 43 District Court Complex when he was attacked. The deceased has been identified as Sumit, alias Golu, a resident of Mauli Jagran, said the police. Sources said the police suspected an old rivalry behind the murder. “The accused were well aware about the whereabouts of Golu and his mother (Meena). The mother took a different route. After they left the court premises, the accused followed Sumit and stabbed him in broad daylight and fled the spot,” said the sources. One of the victim’s friends claimed that Golu had earlier HC seeks timeline for shifting animals from Raipur Kalan to new SPCA centre Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 Taking up a contempt petition alleging that an animal welfare activist was repeatedly denied entry to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Centre at the Raipur Kalan facility here, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Chandigarh Administration to place on record a clear timeline for the shifting of animals to the new SPCA shelter in Sector 38, along with details of facilities and CCTV coverage. The animals of the SPCA centre had been shifted to the Animal Birth Control facility at Raipur Kalan, as the Sector Activist was ‘denied’ access to Raipur Kalan facility where animals were kept temporarily 38 building of the society was under construction. The directions were issued by Justice Alka Sarin while hearing a petition filed by Shaurya Madan through counsel Anurag Chopra. Among other things he alleged that he was denied entry to the existing SPCA Centre despite multiple visits. Referring to the petitioner’s stand, Justice Sarin observed: “Affidavit has been filed by the petitioner stating therein all the instances when he had visited the Centre and he was denied entry.” On behalf of Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, it was stated that the construction of the new SPCA Centre in Sector 38 was nearing completion. The court recorded the submission: “The counsel appearing on behalf of respondent has stated that the SPCA Centre being constructed in Sector38, Chandigarh, is almost ready and all the animals would be shifted to the said Centre as and when the same would be ready.” Justice Sarin then directed the Administration to spell out specifics. “Let an affidavit be filed by the respondent clearly stating therein the timeline as to when the shelter would be ready and when all the animals would be shifted at the said Centre. The affidavit should also contain details about the facility which are going to be provided at the new centre and the details where all the CCTV Cameras are going to be installed,” the court ordered. The SPCA veterinarian, Dr Prateek Balana, contended that fresh standard operating procedures (SOPs) had now been framed. The court recorded: “The counsel for respondent (Dr Balana) has contended that it has now come up with certain SOPs and the petitioner is free to Continued on page 6 A policeman records the statement of a friend of the victim (inset) near the spot in Sector 37. managed to avoid getting traced by the accused. He had reportedly visited one of his friend’s house in Sector 38. “The friend informed him about the accused searching for him. As soon as he left his friend’s house, he was chased by the accused. “He was first stopped right outside the Sector 37 BJP office, near the petrol pump. However, he managed to escape. He was cornered by the assailants on the slip road of Sectors 37-38, and stabbed. He was rushed to hospital with severe stab wounds,” said an onlooker. The victim was declared brought dead at the hospital. A team from the Sector 39 police station and forensic experts reached the spot and collected blood samples. A case has been registered on a complaint filed by Golu’s mother, who has named four persons for the murder. She claimed that her son was receiving threat calls for a year and the same accused had attacked one of their relatives at Sector 17 last month. She also claimed that the family had filed complaints earlier, but to no avail. The family was to host a function on Friday night, she said. A murder case has been registered and teams have been formed to arrest the assailants, said the police. CAT relief for retired PGI employees Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 Providing relief to many retired employees of the PGI, the local Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has directed the institute to give hospital patient care allowance (HPCA) to them for the period from April 20, 1998, to June 30, 2017, within three months. These employees are likely to get Rs 2-3 lakh in arrears, according to their service period. The payment of the allowance to them was stopped after they were promoted from Group C posts to Group B. In the applications filed before the Tribunal through advocate Karan Singla and Nidhi Singla, the applicants, Darshan Singh and others, who had retired from the PGI, had prayed for the To get hospital patient care allowance from 1998 quashing of the order dated July 13, 2022, wherein the PGI rejected their claims for the grant of allowance. The applicants said they were recruited as Junior Technician (Anaesthesia), Group C, at the institute and subsequently promoted as Senior Theatre Master/Senior Technician (Anaesthesia), Group B (NonGazetted/Gazetted segment). They had been getting the HPCA before they were promoted to the Group B post. But after promotion, the payment of allowance was stopped by the PGI. They HPCA is granted to the employees for the risk of their exposure to the contaminated atmosphere of the hospital. They pleaded that their duties and the atmosphere where they worked remained the same even after promotion from Group C to Group B. The benefits were sought in light of CAT judgment dated July 10, 2013, which attained finality before the Supreme Court on January 11, 2019. The applicants were similarly situated. The petitioners said after the CAT judgement of 2013, the PGI had granted the allowance benefit to the members of the PGI Technologist Association, who are situated the same as the petitioners. After hearing of the arguments, the Tribunal quashed the orders of the PGI denying the benefits to them. It directed the institute and the Ministry of Health to grant the Continued on page 6 Driving licence suspension in Chandigarh surged again in 2025 Two pharma units raided, 1 Over 11,700 licences suspended since 2020; e-carts, e-rickshaws account for less than 0.5% of licences issued in UT sealed in Pabhat cle (LMV) licences dominated 4,78,282 registration certifiTHE TRIBUNE SPECIAL Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 Chandigarh has seen a sharp spike in suspension and cancellation of driving licences in 2025, reversing the steady decline witnessed over the previous three years. The overall numbers remain far lower than the highs recorded in 2020 and 2021. Official data accessed by The Tribune shows that enforcement action intensified in 2025, with authorities stressing zero tolerance towards traffic violations. According to figures shared exclusively by Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) Pradhuman Singh, a total of 1,118 driving licences were suspended or cancelled in 2025, a steep rise compared with 171 in 2024, 680 in 2023 and 1,104 in 2022. However, the VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS (2020–2025) YEAR-WISE SNAPSHOT (2020–2025) Year Motorcycles/scooters 4,78,282 Motor cars 4,35,741 REVENUE RECEIPTS 2020–21 ~1,136.94 crore 2021–22 ~1,829.13 crore 2022–23 ~2,536.51 crore 2023–24 ~3,107.35 crore 2024–25 ~3,418.45 crore (highest) 2025–26 ~2,447.21 crore 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 4,623 (highest in 6 yrs) 4,057 1,104 680 171 1,118 << A two-wheeler rider without a helmet at the Sector 38-25 traffic lights. PARDEEP TEWARI (SOURCE: RLA) figure is still far below 2020 (4,623 cases) and 2021 (4,057 cases), which remain the highest in the past six years. Between 2020 and 2025, 11,753 driving licences were suspended or cancelled in Chandigarh. 2020 recorded the maximum action, while 2024 saw the minimum. Helmetless riding continued Driving licences suspended/cancelled to be the single biggest offence over the six-year period, accounting for a major share of licence suspension each year. In 2025 alone, 425 licences were suspended for riding twowheelers without helmet, followed by drunken driving (161), red-light jumping (233), triple riding (102) and dangerous driving and miscellaneous offences (81). Overspeeding, which dominated earlier years, saw comparatively fewer suspensions in 2025. Data shows that enforcement had dipped sharply after 2021, touching its lowest point in 2024, before climbing again in 2025, indicating renewed focus on traffic discipline. On the licensing side, c m y b Chandigarh issued and renewed 96,676 driving licences between 2020 and 2025. The highest number was recorded in 2024 with 18,962 licences, while 2020 saw the lowest at 13,655. In 2025, 18,408 licences were issued across categories. Motorcycle licences with gear (MCWG) and light motor vehi- issuances throughout the sixyear period. Renewals of driving licences also rose sharply in recent years, peaking in 2025 with 39,288 renewals, compared with 18,220 in 2020, reflecting a growing base of motorists in the city. Notably, licences issued for e-carts and e-rickshaws remain negligible. Over the past six years, only 30 e-cart licences and 347 e-rickshaw licences were issued, taking the combined total to 377, which is less than 0.4 per cent of all driving licences issued since 2020. Issuance for these categories picked up only in the past two years, with 206 erickshaw licences and 21 ecart licences issued in 2025 alone, but their overall share remains marginal. Vehicle registrations also continued to climb. Over the years, Chandigarh has issued cates for motorcycles and scooters and 4,35,741 for motor cars. Revenue from renewal of vehicle registration certificates rose steadily, from Rs 1.19 crore in 2020 to a record Rs 11.01 crore in 2025, making 2025 the highest and 2020 the lowest revenue year in this segment. Revenue from issuance and renewal of driving licences showed fluctuations but remained robust. Combined revenue from new licences and renewals stood at about Rs 71.8 lakh in 2020, rose to its highest in 2021, and then stabilised in subsequent years. Overall transport-related revenue has shown a strong upward trend, peaking in 2024–25 at Rs 3,418 crore, before moderating in 2025–26. Pradhuman Singh said the data reflected both stricter Continued on page 6 Tribune News Service Zirakpur, January 16 A joint team of the food safety wing, state drug licensing authority and the police raided two pharma units and took samples of suspicious drugs. One of the units was sealed. Officials said drugs, syrups, allopathic and ayurvedic medicines, food supplements and cosmetic products were reportedly being manufactured, packaged in a godown under suspicious and unhygienic conditions. They said the owner of the one of the units, Gopal, could not produce the requisite documents. Zirakpur DSP Ghazalpreet Kaur said, “The godown area was being used for manufacturing and packaging of drugs under unhygienic conditions.”