19102026-CT-01.qxd 10/19/2026 12:41 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CITY BATTERS FALTER AGAIN, HARYANA TAKE 36-RUN LEAD CITY SWIMMERS BAG 10 MEDALS AT ASIAN C’SHIP RANBIR KAPOOR SINGS YJHD HIT WITH HARSHDEEP KAUR After a poor show with the bat in Ranji opener against Mumbai, Chandigarh falter again in tie against Haryana. P3 City swimmers win 10 medals for India at the Asian Masters Swimming Championship in Bengaluru. P3 Actor Ranbir Kapoor recreates Kabira magic with Harshdeep Kaur at Mumbai Durga Puja pandal. P4 » » MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 30°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.4°C | MIN 17.3°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.48 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.27 AM » MONDAY | 19 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Come March, last 170 CTU diesel buses to be taken off Tricity roads Nature’s hues GREEN PUSH To be replaced with electric buses, 328 vehicles to reach city by July Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service A floss silk tree (Ceiba speciosa) in full bloom at Sector 26 in Chandigarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 57 PANCHKULA 52 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43 & 45 Mohali: Sectors 70, 78 & Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sectors 24-A, C and D, 48, 32, 39, 56, 50, Dadumajra Colony, CSIO Laboratory 11 am to 2 pm: Parts of Sector 17-B, 41, 42-A and B, 43-B, 46-C, 50, 52, 53 and 54, Railway Colony, Vikasnagar, Bapudham Colony, Attawa village, Kaimbwala, Subhash Nagar, Modern Housing Complex, Nagla Mohalla, Pocket No. 1, Manimajra and Kajheri 3 pm to 6 pm: Parts of Sector 23C market, Sector 23-D, Dhanas village, Aman Colony, Chaman Colony and Ambedkar Colony Mohali firm fined for handing over flat without completion certificate Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, October 18 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mohali, has directed Janta Land Promoters Limited (JLPL), a real estate firm owned by local MLA Kulwant Singh, to pay interest at the rate of 9% per annum on Rs 42,13,678 deposited by a Sector 66 resident for a flat in Galaxy Heights, Sector 66, which was handed over without occupation and completion certificates. The commission also directed the firm to pay a compensation of Rs 75,000 for mental agony and harassment, along with litigation expenses. It further ordered JLPL to provide all basic amenities and facilities as promised in the brochure, rectify defects and obtain occupation and completion certificates from the competent authorities within three months of receiving the order. Finance Dept told to frame SOPs in 15 days MANPOWER TENDERS Chandigarh, October 18 In the wake of alleged irregularities in the allotment of manpower tenders, the UT Administration has directed the Finance Department to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) or standard bidding documents to ensure a fair and transparent outsourcing process. In a communication to the Finance Secretary, UT Chief Secretary (CS)-cum-Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) H Rajesh Prasad flagged alleged favouritism and restrictive conditions in tenders floated by various departments for engaging outsourced manpower. The CVO also called for an examina- tion of the existing practices and directed that SOPs or bidding documents be issued within 15 days, in compliance with the applicable General Financial Rules (GFR). One of the major conditions was that the bidders were required to have a an existing office in the Tricity. Such a condition could exclude manpower service providers operating outside the region, even if they meet the other eligibility requirements, the letter stated. It also pointed to discrepancies in experience criteria prescribed by different departments. In some cases, narrowly defining previous experience as having performed the “same work”, rather than accepting experi- ence in “similar services”, could limit participation by otherwise qualified agencies. The imposition of excessive experience requirements has also come under scrutiny. The letter cites a seven-year experience requirement in the bid document of The Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank Ltd, observing that such requirements could unfairly exclude firms with fewer years of experience despite their ability to provide the required services. Another concern flagged in the letter is the absence of uniform recruitment and selection guidelines across departments. The communication noted that recruitment criteria are sometimes omitted from bid documents, creating the possibility of ad hoc hiring, compromised candidate quality and undue financial burden on candidates or applicants. Variations in financial eligibility conditions have also been highlighted. Different departments reportedly prescribe different turnover thresholds for technical evaluation, raising questions about the need for standardised criteria for engaging manpower agencies. The letter also flagged the conditions relating to statutory compliance and certification. Officials stated that the SoPs and bidding documents would provide departments with a common framework for tendering. — TNS An electric CTU bus plies on Madhya Marg in Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Government recently floated a tender for supply of 328 electric buses to the city. With their arrival, the total number of electric buses on local routes will touch 508. The city had earlier received 80 and later 100 electric buses in a phased manner, which are run on local and semi-urban routes. The arrival of 328 new electric buses will help control pollution by reducing particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). Replacing diesel buses will also improve the air quality in the city. Each electric bus has a range of nearly 130 km on a single charge and takes nearly two hours to charge fully. A bus can carry a maximum of 54 passengers at a time and covers an average 200-300 km a day. For the first lot of 80 electric buses, the UT Administration had signed an agreement with the operators. Under the hiring model, procurement, maintenance and operation are handled by the operator, while the revenue is collected by the department. Later, 12-metre low-floor electric AC buses with a range of 224 km on a single charge were inducted into the fleet. Their key features include a 400-mm low floor for easy boarding, particularly for senior citizens, children and women; a poweroperated ramp and electronically controlled kneeling mechanism for Divyangjans; a seating capacity of 36 passengers, in addition to the driver, and wheelchair space, and a standing capacity of 20 passengers. The buses are also equipped with passenger information display screens at the front, sides and rear as well as voice-enabled destination announcements. For enhanced safety and monitoring, the buses are equipped with cameras to count passengers at both doors, five CCTV cameras, GPS devices and panic buttons integrated with the Command Control Centre of the State Transport Authority. They also have stop-request buttons for passenger convenience. Boy stabbed at Mauli Jagran Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 18 A 15-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed at Charan Singh Colony in Mauli Jagran on Saturday. In his complaint to the police, the victim accused Abhishek and Umesh, alias Assa, both Mauli Jagran residents, of attacking him. The boy sustained injuries and was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 for treatment. A case under Sections 118(1), 3(5) and 351(2) of the BNS has been registered at the Mauli Jagran police station. Investigation in the case was underway, said the police. Tigress Diya at Chhatbir Zoo in Zirakpur. FILE Mohali ex-Mayor, Cong workers flout traffic rules at rally ChhatbirZoo’sstar Gaurav Kanthwal City resident loses ~2L in cyber fraud Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 18 A Burail resident has allegedly been cheated out of Rs 2,15,000 in a case of cyber fraud. In her complaint, the victim, Kamini, stated that an unidentified person sent her an APK file. The fraud took place after she downloaded the file. A case under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2) and 61(2) of the BNS has been registered at the Cyber Crime police station. Meanwhile, an Ambala Cantt resident, Vipin Kumar Sharma, has allegedly been cheated of Rs 2,78,804 in a similar fashion. A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime police station. The complainant, Kuldeep Singh, stated that he had booked a flat on the sixth floor of Galaxy Heights for Rs 42,13, 678, on August 1, 2015, with possession due by July 30, 2018. However, possession was handed over to him without occupation and completion certificates on December 5, 2022. The complainant alleged deficiency in service and objected to “one parking space being converted into two”. Continued on page 3 Chandigarh, October 18 In a transition towards environment-friendly transportation, the UT Transport Department has planned to phase out its remaining fleet of 170 diesel buses operating on local and suburban routes by the end of March 2027. According to department officials, the buses would be taken off the roads in a phased manner after the completion of their operational lifespan of 15 years and replaced with electric buses. The department will start getting 328 electric buses sanctioned under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme from March next year. The entire lot is likely to reach the city by the month of June or July, officials said, adding that the department was already operating 180 electric buses in the Tricity. Recently, the ageing fleet of 100 diesel buses, which were no longer roadworthy, was taken off the local routes. These buses, which includes non-AC green and AC red, were allotted to the city under a special scheme during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had approved 328 electric buses for Chandigarh, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards becoming a carbon-free city. The Central Former Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu and other Congress workers ride without helmets during an anti-drug bike rally in Mohali on Sunday. Mohali, October 18 Without wearing helmets, former Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu and hundreds of Congress workers took out a bike rally against the drug menace, while traffic police remained mute spectators to flagrant violations as the rally passed through main roads of the city on Sunday morning. Congress workers posted pictures and videos of the rally on their social media handles, amplifying their blatant disregard for traffic rules. Mohali SP (Traffic) Ramandeep Singh, however, claimed that he had not seen the rally, while DSP (Traffic) Karnail Singh clarified that he was on leave and out of station. “I did not see it. Traffic cops on duty will be able to tell what action was taken,” said Mohali SP Ramandeep c m y b Participants ride bikes without helmets Singh, without committing to whether any action would be taken against the violators. Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, who is also the ex-Mayor’s elder brother, led the bike rally, although he was travelling in a four-wheeler. Notably, the Mohali police issue hundreds of traffic challans daily for violations detected by CCTV cameras on the major intersections of the city. Meanwhile, Sidhu expressed concern over the continuing drug crisis and the recent killing of activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who had been raising his voice against drugs in Punjab. “Jhota’s killing and other recent tragedies linked to the drug crisis have raised serious questions about the safety of those fighting against drugs and the state government’s response. Numerous families across the state are suffering because of addiction, yet the AAP government has failed to provide the decisive action people were promised,” he said, while demanding accountability and effective measures to protect Punjab’s youth. Sidhu termed the AAP government’s Yudh Nasheyan Virudh campaign a complete failure. He said publicity campaigns and political announcements meant little when concerns about drug availability remained. He demanded a strict crackdown on drug suppliers, accountability for officials who ignore complaints and better rehabilitation facilities for those battling addiction. attraction Diya dies at 13 Tribune News Service Zirakpur, October 18 White tigress Diya died at Chhatbir Zoo on Sunday morning due to age-related issues. Diya was 13 years, 2 months and 21 days old. Born at Chhatbir Zoo on July 28, 2013, Diya was the offspring of white felines Lucky and Dolly. Over the years, she remained an important attraction for visitors and contributed to the zoo’s captive breeding and conservation programme for tigers. Diya gave birth to three cubs in 2019 — Arjun, Amar and Dilnoor. While Arjun continues to be housed at Chhatbir Zoo, Amar was shifted to a zoo in Rohtak. Her offspring Arjun has further contributed to the breeding programme and has sired cubs with Gauri, a tigress brought from Rajkot, Gujarat. At over 13 years of age, Diya had lived beyond the commonly cited average lifespan of 10–12 years for white tigers in captivity. The management of Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park (Chhatbir Zoo) mourned Diya’s demise. “The loss of Diya has left an irreplaceable void in the hearts of her caretakers, veterinary teams and wildlife enthusiasts. Her demise is a big loss for the zoo and the dedicated staff who cared for her over the years,” officials said. The feline is being taken to GADVASU, Ludhiana, for a post-mortem examination by a panel of veterinary doctors to ascertain the cause of death. Chhatbir Zoo has been abode to white tigers since 1980s.