26032025-CT-01.qxd 3/26/2025 12:22 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune GURDAS MAAN’S SHOW CANCELLED AT PU MP SLAMS CENTRE FOR DENIAL OF AMNESTY TO CHB OCCUPANTS OSCAR-WINNING PALESTINIAN DIRECTOR BALLAL ARRESTED Organisers failed to procure permission from UT Administration, claimed authorities. P2 Tewari raised question in Parliament, asking whether the Centre planned to introduce an amnesty scheme. P2 He was injured during a raid by Israeli settlers on his village in the occupied West Bank, as per a local official. P3 » » PARTLY CLOUDY SKY MAX 34°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 33.3°C | MIN 16.6°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6:37 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:19 AM » WEDNESDAY | 26 MARCH 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Power to get costlier as MC Up to four-fold increase in collector rates after 4 years hikes cess by 6 paise per unit Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH Chota Mela: An exhibition of artwork by children, curated by Mehak Bhan, House No. 105, Sector 11, 12 noon to 6 pm Press Photographers Awards and Exhibition: Underpass Gallery, Sector 17, on till March 28 from 10 am to 8 pm Book launch: ‘Speaking with Nature’ by Dr Ramachandra Guha at Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, on March 29 at 5.30 pm Exhibition: ‘Writing in French – A world of voices’, on till March 31, Alliance Française, Sector 36, 9 am to 6 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 and 52 Panchkula: Sector 25 Mohali: Phase 11 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Rejects proposal to transfer all V3 roads to Admn for maintenance Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 25 Electricity consumers will have to shell out more as the Municipal Corporation (MC) today approved a proposal to increase power cess by 6 paise per unit. The cess will rise from 10 paise to 16 paise per unit, bringing it on a par with the Punjab rate. The proposal had earlier been withdrawn by former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Mayor Kuldeep Kumar in November last. At today’s General House meeting, the proposal was passed without an objection either from the ruling party or the opposition. Municipal officials justified the hike as a necessary step to address the city’s financial crunch. Currently, the electricity tax generates Rs 15-16 crore per annum and the increase is expected to boost revenue to Rs 22-23 crore. In neighbouring states, Punjab levies a municipal tax of 2% on electricity consumption, amounting to 16 paise per unit, while Haryana charges 8 paise per unit. The Chandigarh MC argued that additional revenue Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh (left) and Saurabh Joshi of the BJP argue at the MC General House meeting in Chandigarh on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI generation was essential to sustain civic services. Both the AAP and Congress had previously opposed the hike and, in their Lok Sabha election manifestos, had promised free power and water while rejecting new taxes. The increase in the electricity cess awaits a formal notification before being implemented. Despite opposition from councillors, the MC House approved hiring of a new pri- vate firm for processing the third garbage mountain at the Dadu Majra dumping ground by July 2025. The exercise would cost an estimated Rs 12 crore. Meanwhile, the MC House rejected a proposal to transfer all V3 roads, covering 262 km, to the UT Administration for recarpeting and maintenance, following strong opposition from councillors. However, Municipal c m y b Commissioner Amit Kumar dissented, emphasising the need for road repair. Opposition parties raised their concern over the lack of financial support from the UT Administration. AAP Councillor Hardeep Singh stated, “The UT has not provided any additional funds to the MC so far. If we repair roads now, we cannot expect future assistance. Let people Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, March 25 Buying a property in Chandigarh is set to get costlier from April 1, as the UT Administration has approved a steep hike in collector rates across various property categories. The revised rates, which were notified today, mark the first increase in four years, with average hike reaching up to 128%. The sharpest increase is for residential properties in villages, where the collector rates have been raised nearly fourfold (400%). In prime city areas, properties in Sectors 1 to 12 will see a 130% hike, while those in Sectors 14 to 37 will witness a 96% increase. Properties in Sector 38 and beyond will see an 80% rise in the collector rates. The collector rates set the minimum property value below which a transaction cannot be registered and these directly impact stamp duty calculations. In the commercial sector, collector rates for Industrial Area, Phases 1 and 2, have been raised by 30%. A 25% increase has been applied to SCOs, SCFs and bay shops on Madhya Marg, Sector 22, Sector 34 and the road dividing Sectors 35 and 34. Meanwhile, the rates for SCOs and STEEP HIKE COMMERCIAL AREA NEW RATES HOUSING BOARD FLATS NEW RATES (~PER SQ YARD) Industrial Area, Phase I & II SCOs/SCFs in Sector 17 RESIDENTIAL AREA Sectors 1 to 12 Sectors 14 to 37 Sectors 38 & onwards RURAL AREA Residential Commercial (~PER SQ FT FOR FLATS) 83,100 Ground Floor 9,300 First floor 7,490 Second floor 6,810 Third floor & onwards 5,800 FLATS IN COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES & OTHERS Ground Floor 9,650 First floor 10,220 Second floor 9,140 Third floor & onwards 7,900 Uppals Marbel 13,850 Arch flats in Mani Majra 5,54,400 1,78,600 1,47,600 1,28,200 53,600 1,44,100 SCFs in Sector 17 have been raised by 6%. Agricultural land will also see a significant hike, with rates increasing nearly 2.5 times. Minor adjustments have been made for shops, offices in Elante Mall and sites in the IT Park. Officials said the new rates were determined based on sale deed data from the SubRegistrar Office, along with market trends and village surveys. The complete notification can be accessed at chandigarh.gov.in/information/public-notices. Kamaljit Singh Panchhi, president, Property Federation Chandigarh, has condemned the Administration’s decision to increase the collector rates, calling it an undue burden on the middle class. He highlighted that the majority of Chandigarh’s population consists of salaried individuals who cannot afford such a steep hike in the rates. Panchhi said if the collector rates were not brought down, middle-class families will struggle to secure loans for purchasing property, making homeownership increasingly unattainable. “The hike in too steep and will lead to litigation between buyers and sellers who have already entered into an agreement,” said Kamal Gupta, president, Property Consultants Association, Chandigarh.