14072026-CT-01.qxd 7/14/2026 12:48 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune UNFINISHED CIVIC WORKS LEAVE ZIRAKPUR STRUGGLING PGI DETAILS ~1,200-CR INFRA PLANS AHEAD OF PM’S VISIT STARS ATTEND WEDDING RECEPTION OF AKANSHA Broken manholes, potholed roads, dug-up sewer lines pose a threat to residents of Zirakpur. P2 Modi will open Advanced Mother & Child Centre and Advanced Neurosciences Centre at PGI. P3 The couple exchanges vows during an intimate ceremony held at their residence in Mumbai. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 54 PANCHKULA 66 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 29 and 56, & Dhanas Mohali: Sec 68, 71 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10.30 am to 1.30 pm: Parts of Maloya area 11 am to 1 pm: Sector 24 Tricity drivers’ march halted Chandigarh, July 13 Representatives of the Chandigarh Tricity Driver Union and the Jai Durga Auto-rickshaw Welfare Association were stopped by the UT police from approaching the Punjab Governor’s residence here today. The union members have continued on page 3 GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 36.1°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.26 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:31 AM » TUESDAY | 14 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Sharp increase in fire safety Fresh threat mail to Tricity schools ahead of PM’s visit fines in city under new Act Tribune News Service Penalties in multiple sections increase from ~10K up to ~1 lakh under Haryana Act-2022 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 13 Penalties for fire safety violations in the city have gone up several times under the Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, extended to the Union Territory by the Union Home Ministry. Fines set at Rs 10,000 under multiple sections have now gone up to Rs 1 lakh. The penalty under Section 25, for drawing water without authorisation during firefighting operations, rises from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. Fees under Section 26, levied for non-appointment of a fire safety officer, move from a range of Rs 10 to Rs 50 per square metre to Rs 100 to Rs 200 per square metre. Offences under Sections 29, 30 and 31, covering false fire reports, general contravention of the Act and offences by companies, earlier carried imprisonment up to three months, a fine up to Rs 10,000, or both, with a further daily fine for continuing offences. Under the extended Act, these carry only a monetary penalty, up to Rs 1 lakh, imposed directly by the Chief Fire Officer or an officer KEY POINTS IN NEW ACT WHAT CHANGED: The Home Ministry notification extends Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, to Chandigarh, repealing the Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986. WHO’S IN CHARGE NOW: Administrator replaces Government; Chief Fire Officer replaces Director; Municipal Commissioner replaces District Magistrate. LONGER VALIDITY: Fire safety certificate validity set at five years uniformly, up from three years for highrises/special buildings under the earlier Haryana Act. PENALTIES UP: Fines of ~10,000 NOC APPLICATIONS PILE UP: Rules under the raised to ~1 lakh in several sections; extended Act not Section 25 penalty up from yet framed; NOC ~50,000 to ~2 lakh; and certificate jail terms under renewals pending Sections 29 and 31 for several Chandigarh societies replaced with and institutions since November. monetary penalty. authorised by him, which doubles for a repeat violation. Prosecution before a magistrate is replaced by an administrative penalty in these cases. The notification, issued under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, replaces the Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986, which had governed fire safety in Chandigarh until now, and applies the Haryana law with 40 modifications suited to the Union Territory’s administrative structure. Under the extended Act, the Municipal Corporation becomes the sole local authority recognised under the Act, and references to the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973, are replaced with the Punjab Municipal Corporation Law (Extension to Chandigarh) Act, 1994. Fire safety certificate validity has also changed. Under the Haryana Act as it stood, certificates for high-rises and special buildings were valid for three years, and for residential buildings above 16.5 metres for five years. Under the extended Act, all covered buildings will have a uniform five-year validity, for both fresh certificates and renewals. The annual selfdeclaration by owners under Section 19(6) is replaced with a requirement to furnish an continued on page 2 Chandigarh, July 13 Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Chandigarh and Punjab, several schools in the UT and Mohali received a fresh bomb threat email on Monday, claiming that blasts would take place at various locations in Chandigarh and Jalandhar on July 17. The email also carried a death threat against Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu. The email threatens that bombs will be planted in schools, the Mohali Mayor’s office and IED blasts carried out in the railway stations of Chandigarh and Jalandhar. The sender claimed that bombs would explode in schools at 1.11 pm and at the Mohali Mayor’s office at 3.11 pm on July 17, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana to inaugurate and announce various development projects. The email also contained a life threat to BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu and was purportedly issued in the name of the Khalistan National Army. The email was sent from the address kengakira@gmail.com. In the recent past, several schools in Chandigarh and Mohali had received similar threat emails, putting security agencies on high alert. Soon after receiving the email, school authorities informed the police. The matter is under investigation. Youth convicted in rape case Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 13 A Fast-Track Special Court here has convicted a 30-yearold man in a rape case registered two years ago. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Tuesday. According to the prosecution, an FIR was registered on December 8, 2024, at the Sector-IT Park police station under Section 65(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 6 and 14 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The complaint was Quantum of sentence to be pronounced today filed by the victim’s mother, who lives in a rented accommodation at Kishangarh. She said her daughter studies in Class III. The accused had earlier lived in an adjoining room but later shifted elsewhere. On the day of the incident, she had gone to buy milk, leaving her seven-yearold daughter alone at home. When she returned about 30 to 45 minutes later, she found the accused sitting inside the room. Later, the child informed her that the accused had sexually assaulted her, the complainant alleged. During the investigation, the victim was medically examined at the Civil Hospital, Manimajra, and the accused was arrested. The defence argued that the accused had been falsely implicated. However, the Special Public Prosecutor contended that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a shadow of doubt. After hearing both sides, the court held the accused guilty of the charges framed against him. URO & KIDNEY Care Get expert consultation, advanced screening and complete urology & kidney care guidance from leading specialists at Park Hospital. Expert Kidney & Urinary Care Week Farmers take out a protest rally from Nature Park in Mohali to Sector 34 in Chandigarh on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: VICKY  | 13th July - 19th July 2026 Camp Schedule ⏰ | 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Another farmer rally hits traffic in city Package 1 Package 2 Package 3 BKU-Rajewal holds protest amid heavy deployment of police, paramilitary personnel (Kidney + Stone Care) (Kidney + Stone Care) (Prostate Screening) Dakshin Marg, including Kisan Bhawan Chowk and the Sector 20/30-32/33 junction. Several schools revised their timings, while the Sector 20-21/34-35 (Old Labour Chowk) and Sector 34-35 junctions were heavily barricaded. The Sector33-34 road also witnessed a heavy police deployment. The police also diverted traffic on the stretch from the Sector 20/21-33/34 junction via the Sector 33/34-44/45 chowk and the Sector 44/45-50/51 junction (Gaushala Chowk) to the Mohali barrier on Sarovar Path, including the Sector 20/21 light point and the Sector 45-46/49-50 chowk. As the rally entered the city under police escort, traffic diversions caused long snarlups at the Sector 43/44 chowk, the Sector 34-36 road and junctions in Sectors 42 and 37. The rally passed through Sectors 43, 35, 22 and 18 before returning along the same route. Heavy police deployment was also made around the Sector 34 Exhibition Ground, where the rally was expected to culminate. However, the protesters halted there only briefly before returning to Mohali. Commuters, who were stuck in traffic jams, questioned the UT Administration’s decision to permit such rallies on a working day. “The road closure towards Kisan Bhawan from Sector 43 c m y b `999/- CBC KFT PSA Urine Routine Examination Urine 24/hr for stones USG (whole abdomen) Diet Consultation Nephrology Consultation Urology Consultation `1499/- KFT PSA Urine R/E KFT Ultrasound KUB Urine R/E Urology Consultation Ultrasound KUB Uroflometry Urology Consultation SERVICES AVIALABLE • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management • Hypertension & Kidney Care • Diabetic Kidney Disease Management • Hemodialysis & Hemodiafiltration (HDF) • 24×7 Emergency Dialysis Support • CRRT & SLED for ICU Patients • Kidney Transplant Evaluation & Follow-up • Glomerular Diseases & Nephrotic Syndrome Care • Permacath / AV Fistula Creation • Renal Diet & Lifestyle Guidance • Kidney Stone Treatment & Laser Surgery RIRS, PCNL & Minimally Invasive Endourology • Enlarged Prostate (BPH) Treatment - HOLEP, TURP, MIST Procedures • UTI, Blood in Urine & Urinary leakage Management • Andrology & Reconstructive Urology • Kidney, Bladder, Prostate Cancer Management • Dialysis access & AV Fistula creation simple/ complex • Laparoscopic and Robotic Urology Surgeries Empanelled with CGHS for Cashless Treatment Facility Park Hospital Next to Mansa Devi Mandir, Panchkula 0172-5010000 24x7 Helpline: 6262828243 www.parkhospital.in Terms & Conditions Apply A road closed to traffic on the rally route in Chandigarh. `1500/- UROLOGY SERVICES Chandigarh, July 13 Traffic movement and school timings were significantly affected as the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Rajewal) held a protest rally in Chandigarh amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel on Monday. The BKU-Rajewal took out a motorcycle rally against the proposed India-US trade agreement and other issues. The union also threatened to launch a nationwide protest if the agreement is signed. This was the second such protest organised by Punjabbased farmer unions in the past four days. In view of the rally, the UT police imposed traffic restrictions from 10.30 am to 3 pm on several major roads across the city. The affected stretches included the Sector 51/52 light point to the ISBT Sector 43 chowk; the Sector 34-35/43-44 junction (South End Chowk) to the Sector 21-22/34-35 junction (Piccadilly Chowk), including the Aroma light point. Restrictions were also imposed on the road from Piccadilly Chowk to the Sector 20/21-33/34 junction on resulted in the diversion of the entire traffic to the Sector 42 road, causing massive congestion. Such events should be avoided on working days for the convenience of the public,” said Poonam Chauhan, who was returning from the District Courts in Sector 43. Meanwhile, the protesting farmers alleged that the government’s trade policies favoured multinational companies and global trade interests at the cost of farmers and the dairy sector. “If the bilateral trade agreement with the US is signed, protests will be held across the country. Also, all toll plazas in Punjab will remain toll-free for two hours on July 17 in protest against the proposed trade deal. We also oppose the depleting groundwater table in Punjab and the challenges posed by climate change to agriculture,” said union president Balbir Singh Rajewal. On July 10, the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and other organisations had held a rally from Sector 34 to Matka Chowk, demanding cancellation of the proposed trade agreement. That protest, carried out on tractor-trolleys, buses continued on page 2 NEPHROLOGY SERVICES Tribune News Service