Arvind Chhabra

What tricity is talking about | Lake no more and eight years of Walmart in Zirakpur

Chandigarh has never attracted tourists, except those who want to study architecture. But still the residents have been very proud of their limited attractions—Sukhna Lake and the Rock Garden.

CBSE Class 12 result: How Chandigarh cracked the code

DAV School student Bhoomi Sawant, a science student, scored 99.4% marks to emerge as the all-India second topper. Bhavan Vidyalaya students Mannat Luthra and Aditya Jain jointly bagged the third rank, scoring 99.2% in commerce. The school hasn’t just stopped there.

Selection of late applicants raises questions on nominated councillors in Chandigarh

Four out of the nine councillors this time were picked from among persons who had applied after the “last date” for the tenure starting 2017, reveal documents accessed under Right to Information Act by activist RK Garg.

What tricity is talking about | The Uber way and cocktails or mocktails

Uber: “As the route taken was much different than the GPS (global positioning system) suggested one, the upfront price of your trip was changed.”

What tricity is talking about | No fans under Ujala and Verka restaurant shut for now

Courts aren’t only option for justice, says Supreme Court judge

Justice Lokur, who also heads the Juvenile Justice Committee, said crimes against children are far more than the crimes committed by them.

What tricity is talking about | Winds of change at lake club and babu’s fancy

Now the authorities want to change the existing system and have offered club’s bar and restaurant on lease. The lessee can throw it open to the public like it’s in any other restaurant — of course at a price.

Fall of the malls in Chandigarh and why Elante still stands tall

Barring Elante Mall in Chandigarh’s Industrial Area Phase 1 that has been a roaring success -- and to some extent the North Country Mall in Mohali -- most other malls in the tricity are struggling.

SC booze ban: Chandigarh admn rules out Haryana-type benefit to hoteliers

500-METRE PUZZLE! UT administration says aerial and not road distance will count

‘Lal battis’ to rats in court: What tricity is talking about

From red beacons to rats creating a ruckus in city courts, here is a roundup of all the tricity has been talking about:

Cheers! Khattar govt’s new rules to benefit bar owners

The Haryana government has issued fresh instructions which will bring a major respite to the hotel and bar owners affected by the liquor ban in the state, including Gurgaon and Panchkula.

Leprosy back in Chandigarh, officers blame it on migrants

Leprosy, which had been eliminated in Chandigarh years ago, is back with 128 new cases coming to the fore from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, in the UT. The union territory is getting a fresh case of leprosy every third day, says district leprosy officer Dr Simrat Kaur.

Tell guards not to wear khaki uniform, Chandigarh police to PGI, Panjab University

The move comes days after students’ clash with police and private security guards in varsity

HT Special | Sick state: Medicos left in the lurch as Gian Sagar medical college closes

With 1,500 students and an equal number of staffers, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital in Banur, 35 km from Chandigarh’s bus stand, was a beehive of activity till about a year ago. Its hospital attracted 1,000-odd patients and their attendants from the adjoining areas every day.

How sedition charge was invoked against PU students, and then dropped to escape heat

Timely dropping of the sedition charge against protesting Panjab university students at the behest of Chandigarh’s director general of police Tajender Singh Luthra and some other officials after Tuesday’s violence saved not only the police but also the Narendra Modi-led central government from possible embarrassment.

No sedition charge against PU students after university takes back complaint

As many as 52 students were taken into custody after Tuesday’s protest against fee hike turned violent.

What tricity is talking about

This is the time to pay fee for the new session in most tricity schools. One good thing is cashless transactions that many schools have resorted to. While most schools have this as an option, some have completely moved on to cashless transactions. This is definitely a sign of progress on the lines of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been insisting. But there’s a serious problem. For some, it means spending more. Payment by debit card mode online attracts over Rs 200 extra in some banks. Now, when parents are reeling under the massive fee hike, they surely can’t take any more burden.

GST will reduce Chandigarh administrator’s power

The UT administrator will lose some of his powers with regards to levy of taxation with the goods and services tax (GST) that have been passed for the union territories including Chandigarh. The GST is expected to be introduced from July 1.

Harman Sidhu: The man behind the liquor ban on highways loves his drink

Harman Sidhu filed a petition in Punjab and Haryana high court seeking a ban on sale of liquor along highways.

Large number of bars, pubs in Chandigarh to close down as SC refuses to relax highway ban: Here’s a list

In a bodyblow to the hospitality and tourism industry in the city, a major part of the city, including five-star hotels, will go dry from Saturday. Inner markets of sectors are likely to be out of the barred zone, hence permitted to sell liquor.

Sprucing up house to make Punjab CM feel at home is a challenge

The chief minister’s bungalow in Sector 2 here is being renovated these days for the new Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who is expected to move in about a month’s time. Those involved in the maintenance of CM’s residence over the years say it’s always a challenge to live up to the expectations of the CM.

What tricity is talking about | Former UT finance secy is Punjab CS

The news of Karan Avtar Singh taking over as the chief secretary of Punjab instantly became the talking point in the UT secretariat. The 1984batch Punjab-cadre officer had served as the UT finance secretary a few years ago, and now he’s back in favour with the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government after the ouster of Akalis .

A house for Mr Badal: Five-time former CM goes house-hunting in Chandigarh

For the first time in decades, Punjab’s outgoing chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been forced to look for a house on rent in the capital of the state of which he has been chief minister for five times. Sources say that his staff has been hunting for a house in and around Sector 8, Chandigarh.

Capt Amarinder’s oath-taking at Raj Bhawan to be a low-key affair

In contrast to the ex-Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s grand oath-taking ceremony in 2012, Captain Amarinder Singh will take oath as the next CM at the Punjab Raj Bhawan on Thursday in a low-key affair.

Punjab assembly election 2017: Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Dr Gandhi fail to make impact

The Fourth Front didn’t have much to write home about in the Punjab polls, which remained a triangular contest. All candidates fielded by Sucha Singh Chhotepur’s Aapna Punjab Party (APP) and Patiala member parliament (MP) Dr Dharamvira Gandhi’s Punjab Front lost their deposits, not winning a single seat.

Chandigarh police against extending party hours beyond midnight

No party beyond midnight: DGP Luthra says safety of residents paramount; owners of clubs, discos, restaurants claim to have lost business to the ones in neighbouring SAS Nagar, Panchkula

After April 1, bars may survive; Chandigarh mulls way to save liquor shops

With the attorney general of India clarifying that the supreme court’s order on ban of sale of liquor within 500 metre of state highways applies only to liquor vends and shops, the city’s bars, clubs and hotels may escape the ban. However, the UT administration is considering ways to save its liquor vends, all of which face a shutdown from April 1.

Party on in Gurgaon: Bars, restaurants along highways in Haryana can sell liquor

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi told the Haryana government that the Supreme Court’s order banning sale of liquor within 500 meters of national and state highways across the country was only applicable to shops and vends and not to restaurants and bars.

Chandigarh stares at total liquor ban from April 1

Each liquor shop in the city — whether in a five-star hotel, a restaurant or a vend — is staring at closure from April 1, when the December judgment of the Supreme Court on closure of liquor shops on state highways and national highways takes effect.

HT Special | Reviving Chandigarh Sector 17: Heart is there, but where’s the beat?

Once upon a time, it used to throb with life. People from the city and nearby towns would wear their party best and descend on the Sector 17 plaza in the evenings. Many would sit around on the benches and even stairs as the musical fountain swished back and forth.