29072026-CT-01.qxd 7/29/2026 12:40 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune POLL TO BE HELD IN 35 WARDS; 12 RESERVED FOR WOMEN HIGH COURT SEEKS TIMELINE ON CAPITOL COMPLEX MGMT PLAN TV STARS REMEMBER THEIR MENTORS ON GURU PURNIMA The number of Chandigarh MC wards to remain same, election is likely to be held by year-end. P3 UT Administration asked to obtain information from IIT-Roorkee on how soon it can submit the plan. P3 Karisma, Jaaved Jaaferi, Geeta Kapur, Rajeev Khandelwal express gratitude to their mentors. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.6°C | MIN 24.9°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.18 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.40 AM » WEDNESDAY | 29 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 36 PANCHKULA 46 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Students try to enter the VC’s office during a protest following the death of a PhD scholar; stage a dharna at the entrance to the office; and with the relatives of victim Jyoti at Panjab University on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: RAVI KUMAR WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 4 pm: Parts of Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26 10 am to 2 pm: Sectors 38 (West), 63 and Burail, Khuda Ali Sher villages 11 am to 1 pm: Sectors 39, 50 Boy drowns in rainwater-filled pit in Mohali Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, July 28 A six-year-old boy drowned after falling into a rainwaterfilled pit near a park under construction in Jujhar Nagar area of Badhmajra here on Tuesday. The deceased, identified as Virat, belonged to a migrant labourer’s family. He was the youngest of four siblings. His father, Harikesh, was at work when the incident occurred. Virat Following the rain, a deep pit near Jujhar Nagar had filled with water. Virat and five other children reportedly went there for a bath. Virat entered the deeper section of the pit and began drowning. Frightened, the other children ran back to the village to seek help. On hearing the children’s cries, a village resident, Satinder, rushed to the spot. With the help of other residents, he pulled Virat out of the water and rushed him to the Civil Hospital. However, doctors declared him brought dead. Harikesh said Virat had gone for a bath with his friends near their house when the tragedy occurred. PhD scholar electrocuted on PU campus Students lock gate of Vice-Chancellor’s office; seek resignation of Executive Engineer, relief for victim’s family Deepankar Sharda FAMILY OFFERED ~16L COMPENSATION Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 28 A 27-year-old PhD scholar was electrocuted during heavy rain on Panjab University’s South Campus in Sector 25 on Tuesday morning. The deceased has been identified as Jyoti, a resident of Rewari, Haryana, who was pursuing her PhD in the Department of Microbiology. According to sources, Jyoti had taken an unpaved path to avoid waterlogging while walking from Girls’ Hostel No. 10 to the Department of Microbiology. She reportedly came into contact with a live wire, suspected to have been exposed from a nearby electrical junction, and collapsed. A passerby attempted to revive her before she was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16. However, doctors declared her brought dead. “She was found lying near an electric pole by the roadside. She may have taken the shortcut from the hostel parking area to avoid waterlogging on the main road. Eyewitnesses also claimed ■ “PU authorities have promised a government job to Jyoti's brother and a compensation of ~16 lakh to the family. We demand a higher compensation and need students' support,” said a relative. ■ According to PU authorities, the compensation includes ~11 lakh from the office of DSW and ~5 lakh from the discretionary fund. The university has offered an electrician’s job (~19,900+400 GPA+DA) to the deceased’s brother. HUMBLE BACKGROUND Jyoti came from a humble background and was supporting her family, living in Rewari, Haryana, through her Senior Research Fellowship amount. She had recently returned to the university after the summer break. the girl was electrocuted as she slipped on the unpaved path and grabbed an electric pole,” said a resident of a nearby colony. Jyoti’s death sparked massive protests on the campus, with student groups locking the Vice Chancellor’s office and demanding action against FIR REGISTERED Protesting students light candles to pay tribute to victim Jyoti (L) on the PU campus on Tuesday. those responsible, along with compensation for the victim’s family. The victim’s relatives had reached the campus and were holding discussions with university officials when reports last came in. The students continued their protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office. The sources said the victim’s father worked as a driver at a private school in Haryana and was also engaged in small-scale farming. “She was supporting her family through the fellowship amount she received. The family is demanding a government job for one of its members and financial compensation,” said a close associate of the family. “She was talking to her mother when she was electrocuted. However, her mother is still unaware of Jyoti’s death. Her father went into shock and lost consciousness after learning of her death. He has A ‘sour’ farewell Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Renu Vig had to face students’ anger on the last day of her tenure — an unexpected farewell after serving as the university’s first woman VC for more than three years. The four-month extension granted to Professor Vig in March ended on Tuesday. For the first time in the university’s history, the Vice President of India, who is also the Chancellor of the university, appointed the Dean of University Instructions (DUI) as the acting Vice-Chancellor until a full-time appointment is made. continued on page 2 Prof Vig’s tenure ends, Meenakshi to be acting VC of Panjab varsity Rain floods roads, belies MC claims versity, to discharge the role Tribune News Service of Panjab University VC till a New Delhi, July 28 final call on the full-time ViceWith the expiry of the exten- Chancellor is taken. The decision granted to Pansion was taken in view jab University Viceof Tuesday being the Chancellor Renu last working day of Vig on Tuesday, the Professor Vig as VC. responsibility of the She was granted a VC will be disfour-month extension charged by Dr by the Chancellor on Meenakshi Goyal. March 28 with a She will assume search-cum-selection charge tomorrow. Dr Meenakshi Goyal committee set up to Vice-President CP find her successor. Radhakrishnan, who is ChanThe committee is yet to cellor of PU, had tasked Goy- take a final call on the matter al, Dean of University although a panel of names is Instructions at Panjab Uni- already under consideration. Chandigarh, July 28 Heavy rain left several parts of the city waterlogged, causing widespread traffic snarls and inconvenience to commuters on Tuesday. Residents were caught in long traffic jams during the morning rush hour. Pradeep Kumar, an employee of the Chandigarh Administration, said it took him nearly half an hour to cross the stretch from the Sector 16 roundabout to the next traffic light. “The road was submerged under knee-deep water,” he said. The waterlogging also led to multiple vehicle breakdowns, further worsening traffic congestion. Similar scenes were witnessed at the Sector 18/19 roundabout. Sanjeev, an employee of the Punjab Government, said his motorcycle broke down near the Sector 40 roundabout. Hitesh Puri, Chairman of the Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED), alleged that although the Municipal Corporation (MC) had claimed to clean the road gullies before the rainy season, the ground reality was different. He said clogged road gullies aggravated the traffic problem today. A visit to several parts of the city revealed that many road gullies had not been cleaned regularly. Several gullies along the road from the Sector 34 roundabout to the Hallomajra traffic lights were Aditi Tandon Professor Vig took over as acting VC of PU and was later appointed the 14th and first woman VC of the prestigious institution. The search committee for the selection of new VC is an all-woman committee. Its members are Lt Gen (retd) Madhuri Kanitkar, VC of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nagpur; Shashikala Wanjari, VC of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration; and Vibha Tandon, Director, CSIRIndian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata. PEC dogs removed for PM’s visit still at centre MC’s attempt to return canines to college campus stonewalled Pavni Arora Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 28 Ten days after being picked up as a “temporary” security measure for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July 17 visit to Punjab Engineering College (PEC), over 25 sterilised community dogs remain confined at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre in Raipur Kalan. The PEC authorities allegedly refused to let the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) return them to campus. Activists were denied entry to the centre to even see the animals. The prolonged confine- They breached the barricades outside the office to enter the premises. Jyoti came from a humble background and was supporting her family through her Senior Research Fellowship (SRF). She had recently returned to the university after the summer break. The UT police have registered an FIR for death due to negligence. Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said the matter was still under investigation. been hospitalised. We told her mother that Jyoti was injured and admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh. The entire family is shattered,” said Sunil Kumar, Jyoti’s uncle. “She was on the verge of completing her PhD and was finalising her thesis. She wanted to become a professor and support her family financially. This is a very unfortunate tragedy. We demand a CBI inquiry into the matter,” said Jatinder, the victim’s uncle. Community dogs that were temporarily removed from the PEC campus. ment, first justified as a routine VVIP security exercise, is now being defended by citing Supreme Court directions on stray dogs — a shift animal welfare advocates call an afterthought. They point to a precedent at Sukhna Lake, where dogs removed for a similar VVIP event were released back to their territory once the event concluded. When The Tribune visited the Raipur Kalan centre on Tuesday, entry was denied despite repeated requests. Veterinary Officer Dr Gaurav Lakhanpal said over the phone that there was no written order barring the entry of visitors, but prior permission from higher authorities was needed. He confirmed PEC had sent written communication stating that it did not want the dogs released back on the campus. On July 27, Law Offices of Arora and Narang served a notice on the PEC administration, addressed to Prof Rajesh Kumar Bhatia, Director (Ad Interim), a copy of continued on page 2 c m y b Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Schoolchildren cross a waterlogged road in Sector 25, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. PARDEEP TEWARI found choked with leaves, mud and plastic waste. Rainwater remained accumulated on several roads for several hours after the rain. Blocked road gullies were also noticed in Sectors 34, 46, 47 and 48. Heavy waterlogging was reported outside several houses in Sector 38. Joginder Singh, a local resident, said the road gullies were filled with leaves and cable wires. Waterlogging was also reported in Sector 51 and Kajheri village. Local residents alleged that despite repeated complaints, the road gullies had not been cleaned. In Sector 28, the road in front of Kheda Mandir was flooded. Heavy waterlogging was witnessed outside the gates of the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) in Sector 39, par- ticularly near the entry to the HIG housing area. Road gullies in Sector 17 were found damaged at several places. Sanjiv Chadha, a trader, said the parking area outside the post office in Sector 17 was once again waterlogged after the rain. The rain washed away recent patchwork and left potholes at several places. Roads in the Sector 34 market and near the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, suffered extensive damage. Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar said different teams had been deployed to address rainrelated complaints across the city. He said he had directed the officials concerned to immediately clean all blocked road gullies. Orange alert for downpour in Tricity today Chandigarh, July 28 Heavy rain lashed the city on Tuesday, inundating roads, streets and low-lying areas, once again exposing the poor storm-water drainage system. The rain came a day after the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of an active monsoon spell. Chandigarh recorded 45.6 mm rainfall at the city observatory and 58 mm at the airport observatory between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, making it the highest rainfall recorded in Punjab during the day. It was the second highest in Haryana after Palwal, which continued on page 2