11082026-CT-01.qxd 8/11/2026 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CULTURAL EVENT HELD UNDER HAR GHAR TIRANGA CAMPAIGN SHER-E-PUNJAB AUCTION OVER, SQUADS ANNOUNCED ‘I FEEL PROUD TO HAVE MADE BATWARA 1947’ A ‘Tiranga march’ by students, led by the Chief Secretary, was taken out on SD College premises. P3 Six franchises participating in the T20 League announced their squads after the auction. P3 Sunny Deol sat with Batwara 1947story for 16 years before finally collaborating with director Rajkumar Santoshi. P4 » » UT’s legal team prepares draft special leave petition Nitin Jain A group presents a dance item at an event held as part of the “Har Ghar Tiranga — 150 Years of Vande Mataram” campaign at GGDSD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh, on Monday. The event was organised by the UT Administration. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY PAGE 3 36 35 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 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 INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING Chandigarh: The police cracked a snatching case with the arrest of two accused. Following the complaint lodged by Mandeep Kaur, a police team started an investigation and tracked down Bilal and Aman, both residents of Manimajra. The team recovered the stolen items including a purse, an ATM card and the victim’s identity card from them. During interrogation, the police recovered two stolen Honda Activa scooters from one of the accused. TNS MAN ARRESTED WITH PISTOL Chandigarh: The police arrested Manpreet, a resident of Ferozepur, after recovering a pistol and four cartridges from his possession near the Sector 46 road here. A case under Sections of the Arms Act has been registered at the Sector 34 police station. The police said further investigation was underway. TNS 3 acquitted in Sec 44 murder case Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 10 A local court has acquitted Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Dhanas; Anil Kumar, alias Neelu, of Teen Colony, Sector 52; and Parvinder, a resident of Sector 44, in a six-year-old murder case, observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt. The accused were arrested after the body of an elderly man was found at Labour Chowk in Sector 44, Chandigarh, in November 2020. According to the prosecution, a blood-stained stone was found near the body. The police identified the deceased as Jaspal Singh, who was a plumber by profession. A case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC was registered. The police claimed that on the following day, when the SHO and a police party were present near Burail Chowk, a man, Jagvinder Singh Malik, produced three persons before them. According to the police, Malik told the investigating officials that on November 18, 2020, after feeding cows at a gaushala, he was returning in his car when the three persons approached him. They allegedly started weeping and requested him to save them, saying that they had committed a mistake and were afraid of the police. They allegedly told him that they had murdered Jaspal. The police subsequently arrested the three accused. After completing the investigation, the police presented InDrive operator’s licence suspended for 6 months Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 10 The State Transport Authority (STA) has suspended the aggregator licence of Indsystems IT Private Limited (InDrive) for six months with immediate effect, citing violations of regulatory norms and failure to comply with the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Rules. The order, issued by the STA, prohibits the company from operating cab and biketaxi services in Chandigarh during the suspension period. Officials said the action was taken after the company failed to comply with provisions of the Chandigarh Administration Motor Vehicles Aggregators Rules, 2025, despite repeated notices and directions. Authorities flagged lapses in meeting key compliance requirements under the aggregator policy. Among the violations cited were failure to implement mandatory driver-welfare measures, including health and term insurance and training provisions, non-submission of compliance reports and inadequate response to communications issued by the Transport Department. The officials also pointed to deviations from prescribed fare structures and other operational norms, besides irregularities detected during inspections. The STA has directed all drivers and vehicle owners associated with the InDrive platform to immediately cease operations under the company in Chandigarh. They have been specifically instructed not to accept bookings through the app. Authorities warned that any violation of the order would invite strict action, including the issuance of challans and impounding of vehicles. The public has also been advised against booking rides through the InDrive application during the suspension period to avoid inconvenience. Commuters have been asked to use other aggregator platforms authorised by the Chandigarh Transport Department. The move follows similar action against ANI Technologies Private Limited (Ola), whose licence was also suspended for six months for non-compliance with aggregator rules. a challan against the accused under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. Finding a prima facie case, the court framed charges against the accused. They pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The defence counsel argued that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The counsel submitted that there was no evidence connecting the accused with the death of the deceased and termed the prosecution story as fabricated. After hearing the arguments, the court observed that there was no direct evidence of the alleged occurrence and that the case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence. The court noted that there was nothing on record to establish how the three accused came into contact with the person they allegedly met outside the gaushala, how they reposed confidence in him and confessed to the crime, or why they allegedly requested him to take them to the police. The court further observed that there was no evidence or explanation regarding these circumstances, making the alleged extra-judicial confession highly doubtful. It also noted that there was no receipt for cattle fodder, CCTV footage or oral evidence establishing that the witness had visited the cowshed. Giving the accused the benefit of the doubt, the court acquitted Dinesh, Anil and Parvinder of the charges framed against them. Chandigarh, August 10 The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is set to challenge in the Supreme Court the Punjab and Haryana High Court order of May 29 scrapping the Tribune Chowk flyover project. The High Court had ruled that the flyover project violated the Chandigarh Master Plan (CMP) 2031. The UT Engineering Department formally forwarded the draft special leave petition (SLP) to the ministry on August 7. Official communications accessed by The Tribune reveal that the draft SLP has been prepared and duly vetted by the same legal team that had defended the project before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In a memo dated August 7, the UT Administration forwarded the draft SLP to the MoRTH for “taking further necessary action to challenge the High Court order dated 29.5.2026.” The ministry had first sought the draft SLP on June 8, and followed it up with a formal written reminder on July 15, noting that the draft was “still awaited” and asking for it “on a priority basis for taking further needful action.” Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said the decision to challenge the order before the Supreme Court was necessary given the scale of the traffic crisis at the Tribune Chowk. “The Tribune Chowk is one of the most congested intersections in the entire Tricity region, with over 1.5 lakh vehicles passing through it every day. The flyover was not a luxury but a necessity for today’s commuters and for the city’s future. We are committed to pursuing every legal avenue FILE Tribune News Service PANCHKULA FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Central Govt to move SC against High Court order quashing Tribune flyover THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE CHANDIGARH MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 31.5°C | MIN 25.8°C SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.48 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Patriotic vibes AIR QUALITY INDEX PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET TUESDAY 7.09 PM » TUESDAY | 11 AUGUST 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST TIMELINE FEB 2019: Project sanctioned at ~183.74 crore NOV 2019: Work awarded; HC stay imposed on tree felling APRIL 2024: HC stay vacated AUG 2025: Revised sanction of ~247.07 crore approved OCT 2025: Fresh tenders floated MAY 12, 2026: Work awarded PROJECT DOSSIER TOTAL SANCTIONED COST ~247.07CR to ensure that this critical infrastructure project sees the light of day,” Kataria told The Tribune. The HC had on May 29 issued a writ of prohibition restraining the Chandigarh Administration from constructing the flyover, holding it in direct violation of the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031, which explicitly bars overbridges and flyovers anywhere in Chandigarh on heritage grounds. The court had, however, permitted the Administration to construct the underpass component of the project and had restrained felling of any mango tree or other tree in and around the chowk. The project was awarded P’kula firm loses ~3.16 cr in online fraud Tribune News Service Panchkula, August 10 A construction company here was duped of Rs 3.16 crore after a fake ZIP file allegedly led to the compromised of its WhatsApp account, allowing fraudsters to pose as company owner Vijay Chilana and get the accountant to transfer funds to multiple bank accounts. After acting on the complaint, the police put Rs 1.5 crore, around 50 per cent of the stolen amount, on hold in various bank accounts, DCP Crime and Traffic Amrinder Singh told The Tribune. According to a copy of the FIR registered at the cyber crime police station, Sector 20, Panchkula, on August 8, the fraud took place between 11.12 am on August 6 and 12 midnight on August 7. The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The complaint was filed by Disha, wife of Vijay Chilana, one of four partners of RS Construction, a firm executing government contracts for the construction of railway bridges. The firm has its head office in Jind and a branch office in Swastik Vihar, MDC, Sector 5, c m y b WhatsApp account compromised due to fake ZIP file; raids underway in Mohali, Delhi, southern states Panchkula. Its ongoing projects include sites in Odisha, Kolkata and Jharkhand. According to the FIR, the company regularly dealt with Shree Shyamjee Steel in Odisha for steel supplies. On August 6, a ZIP file named “08.05 statements of account.zip” was received on the company’s WhatsApp number from a number displaying the name of the steel supplier. The company accountant, Ekta, downloaded and opened the file, which appeared blank. The following day, a message was received on the com- pany’s laptop from another number. The WhatsApp chat contained earlier conversations of Chilana’s genuine number. Since he used multiple mobile numbers, the accountant believed the messages were from her employer. The person posing as Chilana first asked her to check account balances of the company’s accounts and then directed her to transfer funds to specified accounts. The FIR states that Rs 80 lakh and Rs 30 lakh were transferred from the Yes Bank account of the company to accounts held in the names of to Singla Constructions Ltd (~147.98 cr) MAY 29, 2026: HC strikes down flyover; permits underpass; trees protected JUNE 8, 2026: Ministry seeks draft SLP from UT JUL 15, 2026:Ministry issues formal written reminder for draft SLP AUG 7, 2026: UT forwards vetted draft SLP to the ministry Punapureddi Pakashastralu Private Limited and Taiba Footwear. Two further transfers of Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.06 crore were made from an HDFC Bank account to the accounts held in the names of Sushil Gajanan Kolkar and Integrated Women Development Society Radhapuram. The four transfers totalled Rs 3.16 crore. A further instruction to transfer Rs 60 lakh was was not acted upon after Chilana called the office from his genuine number on receiving transaction alerts and directed the accountant not to make any more payments. The police have now launched a search for the accused. The DCP said raids were being conducted in Mohali, Delhi and other locations from where cash had been withdrawn from ATMs. “Around 95 per cent of the duped money had been channelised to different states, mainly Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala,” he said. The complainant has sought an investigation into how such large transactions were allowed from the company’s credit accounts. “We are working on different theories and hope to crack the case shortly,” the DCP said. Successful bid: ~147.98 crore Bidder: Singla Constructions Ltd Funding: 100% Centrally funded to Chandigarh-based Singla Constructions Ltd on May 12 at a bid price of Rs 147.98 crore, against the estimated cost of Rs 214.66 crore, after the ministry conveyed its formal approval. The project is 100 per cent centrally funded. The HC had found, among other things, that the UT Engineering Department had proceeded with the flyover without ever consulting the Urban Planning Department, which had in December 2020 formally stated that the CMP-2031 bars flyovers citywide and that no concurrence had been sought from it or given by it. The Centre is expected to file the SLP shortly. Rain likely in Tricity today Chandigarh, August 10 Clouds hovered over Chandigarh throughout Monday, but another yellow alert for heavy rain did not materialise. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast scattered rain with heavy rain at isolated places for Tuesday and fairly widespread rain on Wednesday with no weather warning. Another spell of scattered rainfall, with heavy rain at isolated places, is likely on Thursday. There is no weather warning from Friday through Monday. The maximum temperature fell sharply to 31.5°C, down 4.5 degrees from Sunday. The minimum temperature, however, rose by 0.8 degrees to 25.8°C, though it remained 0.6 degrees below normal. The maximum relative humidity was 84%. The IMD’s evening bulletin put the city’s seasonal rainfall since June 1 at 414.1 mm, with the deficit standing at 22.4% below normal. The five-day Tricity forecast puts maximum temperatures at 32°C on Tuesday, 34°C on Wednesday, 35°C on Thursday, 35°C on Friday and 34°C on Saturday, while minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 25°C and 27°C during the period. — TNS