28102026-CT-01.qxd 10/28/2026 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune SECTOR 11 COLLEGE WINS PU YOUTH FEST OVERALL TROPHY SINGER DILJIT DOSANJH VISITS TAJ MAHAL Ahead of his India Aura Tour, Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh makes a surprise visit to Taj Mahal. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.6°C | MIN 14.7°C PRABHAS-STARRER FAUZI LANDS IN CONTROVERSY The event was held at Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Jhar Sahib, Ludhiana, from Oct 23 to 26. P2 FORECAST Grandnephew of Subhas Chandra Bose has raised objections to the teaser of Fauzi. P4 » » CHANDIGARH 64 PANCHKULA /THETRIBUNECHD SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH INTERACTION: Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to inaugurate “Viksit Bharat Yuva Samvaad – Know your vote”; MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36; 4:30 pm SHOW: Concluding day of “Hunar Utsav”; Sukhna Lake; 11 am to 6 pm FEST: Khadi heritage art fest; PU; 10 am to 5 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9.30 am to 1 pm: Parts of Sectors 21 (C and D), 33 ( B,C and D), Hallomajra, MC office 10 am to 2.30 pm: Sectors 9, 63, Mauli Complex, CTU workshop 11 am to 3 pm: Sectors 10 (A and D), 44 (A and B), rehabilitation colony at Maloya 1 pm to 5 pm: Sectors 21 (C and D), 36, Hallomajra, ITBP campus and behlana village Rain in Tricity likely today Chandigarh, October 27 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a yellow alert for gusty winds of 40-50 kmph and hailstorms at isolated places on Thursday and Friday. Rain at isolated places is likely on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The warning comes after another dry day on Tuesday, when Chandigarh and Mohali recorded maximum temperatures of 32.6°C and 32.5°C, respectively. These were among the highest readings across Punjab and Haryana, with Chandigarh recording the second-highest and Mohali the third-highest maximum temperature in the region, behind Bathinda’s 32.7°C in Punjab and Faridabad’s 32.7°C in Haryana. — TNS ■ Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday inaugurated Hunar Utsav 2026, the first skill festival organised by the Department of School Education, at Sukhna Lake. ■ It provides students with a platform to demonstrate their vocational skills and entrepreneurial abilities. The initiative is aimed at promoting skill-based education, experiential learning and self-reliance. People can visit stalls from 11 am to 6 pm. Chandigarh, October 27 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has once again failed to find buyers for its leasehold commercial properties, with none of the 79 units put up for auction attracting a bid. Experts have blamed high reserve prices and stiff terms for a poor response to the auction. The board had invited ebids for 79 commercial properties on a leasehold basis and 12 residential properties on a freehold basis. The bids were opened today, but only two residential units could be sold. The CHB had also failed to attract buyers for its commercial properties in an auction held in August. The 79 commercial properties comprised 57 booths in Manimajra, five service booths in Sector 40-A, 16 bay shops in Kajheri, Sector 61, and a site designated for a while deciding an appeal filed by the company. The order stated that Rapido’s operations would remain under intensive surveillance for the next two months to ensure strict compliance with local transport rules. Rapido was granted an aggregator licence on October 23, 2023, under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020. The licence was subsequently brought under the Chandigarh Administration Motor Vehicles Aggregators Rules, 2025. Following inspections and the issuance of a show-cause Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 27 Providing relief to daily commuters, the UT Administration today revoked the six-month suspension of the licence of aggregator Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited (Rapido), 45 days after the penalty was imposed. The State Transport Authority (STA) had suspended Rapido’s licence for six months on September 8, 2026. The suspension was revoked by UT Transport Secretary Diprava Lakra Operations to remain under intensive surveillance for 2 months notice in October 2025, the STA suspended the licence, citing three major violations of the 2025 rules. These included failure to comply with the notified fare structure, including overcharging and the use of subscription or recharge models instead of standardised metering; failure to maintain a functional local office; and allowing private, non-transport vehicles Chandigarh, October 27 Walk through the city markets this festive week and the scene looks familiar. Women crowd mehendi stalls, couples stroll past brightly lit shops and market lanes buzz with the usual pre-Karva Chauth rush. Ask the people behind the counters, however, and the mood changes. The crowds are back, but the festive cheer is yet to translate into sales. Traders say customers are visiting markets but spending less. Salons and spas are among the businesses faring relatively better, as many women book appointments for festive grooming. “I find a lack of craze so far this festive season,” said Sucheta, who runs a parlour and spa in Sector 22-C. She PROPERTIES OFFERED PROPERTY Booths Service booths Bay shops Restaurant site Residential units TOTAL restaurant in Manimajra. A senior CHB official said the board would examine the reasons for the lack of response to its leasehold commercial properties. Kamal Gupta, chief patron of the Property Consultants Association, Chandigarh, said the auction was unlikely to attract buyers as people were aware of the implications of purchasing leasehold properties. “Besides ground rent, buyers have to pay GST at 18 per cent every year. GST is also payable on the auction price of LOCATION Manimajra Sec 40-A Kajheri, Sec 61 Manimajra Various locations UNITS 57 5 16 1 12 91 SOLD 0 0 0 0 2 2 the property. Moreover, buyers cannot avail themselves of loans to purchase leasehold properties as the authorities do not permit them to mortgage such properties,” he said. The residential auction also received a lukewarm response. The 12 freehold properties included units in Indira Colony, Manimajra; Category I and IV properties in Manimajra, and an HIG property in Sector 46. Only two properties were sold, fetching Rs 1.82 crore Continued on page 2 to operate on its platform in violation of the regulatory framework. Inspections found Rapido’s registered local office locked or closed on multiple occasions. The company later cited a shift of its office from Sector 32-D to Sector 33-D. Challenging the suspension, the company argued that the shutdown had caused severe commercial distress and jeopardised the livelihoods of nearly 30,000 registered drivers and their dependants. While reviewing the appeal, Lakra observed that the company had already served 45 days of the suspension and that imposing the maximum penalty at the first instance appeared excessive. The licence has been reinstated with immediate effect, subject to two months of surveillance to ensure compliance with the rules. “Considering that they will abide by the rules... I hereby reinstate the licence granted to M/s Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited... with immediate effect, subject to the condition that their operations will be under surveillance for two months,” Lakra stated in the order. A rush of visitors at the Sector 22 market in Chandigarh. Park at schools, walk to nearby markets, 7 UT heritage furniture items sold Man gets 20-year jail for says police advisory for ~1.68 cr in France despite alert sexually abusing child ducted by Paris Oise Enchères in Chantilly, France. In a letter to Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria and the Secretaries of the Union Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs, Jagga said the auction proceeded despite advance intimation to the authorities concerned about the proposed sale. He added that the Chandigarh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 27 Seven heritage furniture items from Chandigarh were auctioned for Rs 1.68 crore in France on October 25. Ajay Jagga, a member of the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council, said seven of the nine heritage furniture items designed by Pierre Jeanneret were sold at an auction con- Administration, through its Culture Department, had initiated steps to register an FIR with the Chandigarh Police. A demountable administrative desk fetched Rs 42.53 lakh. Other items auctioned included a set of two office cane chairs, a monumental filing cabinet, a black teak sofa, a pair of black teak armchairs and a set of two Senate committee chairs. said bookings were at around 70 per cent of last year’s level. Mehendi artists, meanwhile, were busy. Outside Onkar Marketing in Sector 24, around 15 trained artists were offering free mehendi services. “Our job is getting much more fun these days. Women bring designs from Instagram, so we get to practise some very unique patterns, and customers leave happy too,” said Poonam, a mehendi artist. In Sector 22, some artists said the number of mehendi providers had increased this year, leaving each with fewer customers. Event organisers appear to have taken a bigger hit. “In 20 years, I have never seen such bad conditions. Gatherings are fewer and so are the budgets,” said Dharambir, owner of Red Tag Caterers. “Last year, I had six to seven PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI Tribune News Service Just 2 of 12 residential units sold for ~3.74 cr; commercial category gets no bids Relief for commuters, Rapido allowed to resume ops Panchkula, October 27 The Fast-Track Special POCSO Court has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a four-year-old child. The case was registered at the Sector 20 police station in 2022. Additional Sessions Judge Manish Dua convicted the accused under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POC- SO) Act and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. In default of payment, the convict will undergo an additional six months of simple imprisonment. According to DCP Aditi Singh, the case was registered in 2022 after a man living in a rented accommodation in Panchkula complained that a youth residing in the same accommodation had sexually abused his four-year-old child. — TNS Karva Chauth rush fills city markets, but sales remain low Aanavi Singh Arya FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE High prices, leasehold terms deter buyers at CHB auction ‘Hunar Utsav’ kicks off 50 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:35 AM » WEDNESDAY | 28 OCTOBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH AIR QUALITY INDEX SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.38 PM Women get mehndi applied to their hands at Sector 22 on Tuesday. Karva Chauth events. This year, none,” he added, attributing the slump to reduced purchasing power. Even customers who booked events were willing to spend less, he said. Nazam, who works with an event management company in Industrial Area, Phase I, reported a similar trend. “We have hardly one or two Karva Chauth events this year. Usually, we have at least 10,” she c m y b said, estimating a decline of 30 to 40 per cent. Banquet halls are also seeing fewer bookings. Sahil, a manager at a banquet hall in Sector 33, said bookings were down by at least 30 to 40 per cent compared to last year. Clothing stores, too, are struggling to convert footfall into purchases. Yawinder Singh, who owns a readymade suit boutique in Shastri Market, Sector 22, said sales were nearly half of last year’s level. “Even though people are coming to the markets, they are purchasing less,” he said. Not all retailers have experienced such a steep decline. Roopabh Kalra, who owns a traditional-wear shop in the same market, said sales were lower than last year, but by only 10 to 20 per cent. Jewellers reported relatively steady business. Varun, who owns a jewellery store in Sector 17-C, said gold prices were slightly higher than last year, but sales had held up. Sweets shops across the city reported steady business, although some said dry fruits were selling more slowly, possibly because of higher prices. “Our laddus and kaju barfi remain customers’ favourites, but dry fruits are selling more slowly this year,” said Mahesh, who owns a sweets shop in Sector 21-B. Despite the slowdown in some segments, the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal remains optimistic. “Dry fruits and other goods are comparatively more expensive, but the markets are still full. By the end of the festive season, vendors are expected to get better sales,” said Sanjeev Chaddha, president of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 27 With markets expected to witness a heavy rush ahead of Diwali, the Traffic Police have issued an advisory for the public, which will remain in force from October 28 to November 8. Residents have been advised to walk to nearby markets wherever possible, avoid peak hours and carpool to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. Motorists have also been urged to park in designated spaces without occupying extra room, remain patient during traffic jams and avoid unnecessary honking. The police warned that vehicles parked on roads could be towed or clamped. Parking or driving on cycle tracks and pedestrian pathways is also prohibited. Those whose vehicles are towed or clamped can contact the Traffic Helpline at 1073 or the emergency number 112. To ease the parking crunch, designated parking spaces have been arranged at government schools near markets. These can be used after school hours and throughout the day on holidays until Diwali. For the Sector 8 market, parking is available at Government Model High School, Sector 8-B. Visitors to the Sector 15 market can use Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 15C, near the gurdwara. Those visiting Sector 18 can park at Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18-D. For the Sector 19 market, parking is available at Government High School, Sector 19-D, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19-C. Visitors to the Sector 20 market can use Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20-B, and Government Model Senior Secondary School and Government Model High School, Sector 20-D. For Sector 22 market, the designated parking facilities are Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22-A, and Government Model High School, Sector 22-C. Visitors to the Sector 29 market can park at Government Model High School and Government High School, Sector 29-B, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 29-A. Those visiting Sector 30 can use Government Model High School, Sector 30, while visitors to the Sector 32 market can park at Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 32-C. For Sector the 34 market, parking is available at Government Model High School, Sector 34-C. For Sector 35 market, the designated sites are GMH School, Sector 35-D, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35-C. Visitors to Sector 36 can use GMH School, Sector 36-C. Similar parking arrangements have been made in other sectors of the city.