04092025-JTR-01.qxd 9/3/2025 11:20 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 5 HDCA CRICKETERS SELECTED FOR SENIOR WOMEN T-20 SANJEEVANI SHARNAM - A UNIQUE HAVEN FOR THE GOLDEN YEARS ALIA BHATT, SRK, SEND PRAYERS TO PUNJAB FLOOD VICTIMS Pooja Devi, Shivani, Surabhi Narayan, Anjali Shihmar & Niranka selected for the Senior Women T-20 C’ship . P2 Life after 60 is often called the “second innings”, but for many senior citizens, these years are filled with challenges.P3 Actress Alia Bhatt has joined several celebrities in sending prayers and support to those affected. P4 » » FORECAST RAINY MAX 30°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.47 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:05 AM » THURSDAY | 4 SEPTEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR Panic grips Shahkot villagers as Sutlej bundh breaches HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Tribune News Service INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY Phagwara: The police have arrested two men for allegedly assaulting a petrol station worker, snatching his mobile phone, and forcibly taking fuel before issuing death threats. The incident took place at Akal Fuel, GT Road, Jamalpur. The complainant, Raj Kumar, an employee at the station, told the police that two youths arrived on a grey scooter and demanded petrol. When informed that the dispensing machine was not working, one of the youths attempted to snatch the worker's licensed rifle, while the other joined him in abusing, slapping, and manhandling him. They allegedly snatched his mobile phone, recorded a video, and threatened to make it viral on social media. The accused also warned the worker that they would shoot him with his own rifle if he resisted. The duo forcibly filled petrol worth ?300 and fled the scene after threatening the victim. OC BAN ON WALKING ON RIVER BANK Hoshiarpur: A ban has been imposed on bathing and walking along the banks and causeways of all such water bodies within the district. This order remains effective until November 2. Due to heavy rainfall, rivers, choes, and canals in the district have become dangerously fastflowing. District Magistrate Ashika Jain has observed that people often visit these areas to bathe or observe water levels. To prevent loss of life, she has invoked Section 163 of the Indian Nagrik Suraksha Samhita 2023 oc 3 ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING CASH Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested three miscreants on charge of snatching cash. The accused have been identified as Samayal of Seechewal village, Yuvraj of Yakopur and his brother Chandan. Kamaljit Singh of Nurpur Chatha village complained to the police that the accused waylaid him on September 2, threatened and attacked him and snatched Rs 1,000 and a smartphone. OC 3 BOOKED FOR SCOOTER THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked three miscreants on the charge of snatching a scooter. Dinesh Kumar of Mohalla Dheeran, Nakodar, complained to the police that the three persons took away his scooter. The incident of snatching has created a sense of insecurity among residents and put a question mark on the police. oc TWO BOOKED FOR WIRES THEFT Phagwara: The police have registered a case against two men for allegedly stealing motor wires. The accused Akash Gill belongs to Khallu village, and Lalo Mahato to Khallu Jugiya. OC Houses under water at Kukad village in Jalandhar on Wednesday. PHOTO SARABJIT SINGH Chitti Bein inundates crop in Cantt’s village Houses, shops, sports club, school under water in Kukad Pind Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 3 Farmers of Kukad Pind village, falling in Jalandhar Cantonment Assembly constituency, are in trouble second time since August. Earlier, they had to wage a long battle against the state government to get the land pooling policy withdrawn as their village land was proposed to be acquired to set up Urban Estate, Phase-3 locality. Now, the farmers of the village are hit yet again as their paddy crop has got submerged in the swollen Chitti Bein. They said their fields were under four feet deep water. Water from the overflowing Bein has not just flooded the crops, but also some houses, shops, sports club and even government primary school. The farmers said if the water HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH DEVASTATION BEFORE The Bein water had started flowing towards our village on Monday evening. Initially, only some paddy fields were covered. But by this afternoon, the waters covered the entire fields. A few houses have also been affected. We have not seen such devastation in our village since 1988. ❝ ❞ — Balvir Singh, FARMER did not recede in a day or two, they could face a total crop loss. Balvir Singh, a farmer leader from the village, said, “The Bein water had started flowing towards our village on Monday evening. Initially, only some paddy fields were covered. But by this afternoon, the waters covered almost the entire fields. A few houses, situated in the vicinity of the fields, have also been affected. We have not seen such devastation in our village since 1988.” Pritpal Singh, a villager said, “There has been no power in the village since the flooding started. It was today in the afternoon that the supply was restored. We also did not get any water supply without power. To add to our misery, rainwater has started seeping in all houses of the village. Our electric goods, including gensets, inverters and washing machines, have been at risk. Our troubles have been mounting each day”. Another farmer Sukhvir Singh from the village, who is the district president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) said, “Our village has been in the centre storm for the past nearly 1.5 months. We had to strive hard and combat against the government to get the land pooling policy withdrawn. Now this calamity has added to our misery.” It was in this village that Sukhvir Singh and AAP leader Rajwinder Thiara had entered into a battle as the former had opposed her entry. Post the yesterday’s faceoff, Thiara was again spotted in the village along with SDM Randeep Heer and ACP Jalandhar Cantt Babandeep Singh. “No one can stop me from entering the village and offering a helping hand”, she pointed out. Several other villages, including Kangniwal and Diwali, too are facing flooding from the Chitti Bein waters. Jalandhar, September 3 Even as the inflow in the Sutlej at Gidderpindi came down from 2.1 lakh cusecs in the morning to 1.97 lakh cusecs this evening, residents of Gatta Mundi Kasu village and Dhakka Basti locality (Shahkot) along its banks are living amid fears. The gushing water from the river has started entering the area through the base of the bundh, which had been built in 2023 when the floods last hit Shahkot. Congress MLA Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia said he had got information from the villagers about the breach in dhussi bundh and reached the spot this evening. Rain-hit, courts to be functional tomorrow Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Close shave for man as house falls off By the time the MLA reached the spot, the villagers had already started readying sacks of sand and putting them along the banks of the river to avoid any further damage. Officials of the Drainage Department and SDM, Shahkot, Shubhi Angra also reached the spot for damage control. At Sangowal village also along the banks of the Sutlej, the district administration had roped in the Army for help in prevention of damage to dhussi bundh. A big relief for those doing rescue and relief work was that the rain stopped around 1 pm and soon after there was sun bringing a ray of hope for everyone. This morning, a house in Basti Sheikh had fallen off. The owner of the house had gone to fetch milk from the market. By the time he came back, his house had already started fallen. Jalandhar, September 3 The incessant rain has not just hampered the education and businesses, but also the working of the district courts here for the past nearly three days. The working remained limited for the past two days as the rainwater had clogged not just the entrance but also the parking area and the basement. More than five feet water had gone to the basement area. Not just the staff of the courts complex, but also lawyers and judges had supervised the drainage of rainwater from the complex through suction pumps. Finally, the electricity was restored today and computers and printers could be in working condition. For the past two days, even the causelist was being issued in handwritten format, which otherwise is always a computerised list. The generator set in the complex could not be run for two days. The elevator in the fourstorey complex, however, is still not working. “We shall MP Chabbewal visits 60K acres of paddy under water in Sultanpur Lodhi villages, vows relief Ashok Kaura Phagwara, September 3 MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal on Wednesday visited flood-affected villages in Phagwara, assuring residents of government support in relief and rehabilitation. Accompanied by Kapurthala DC Amit Panchal, Additional DC Dr Akshita Gupta, SDM Jashanjit Singh and AAP halka in-charge Harji Maan, the MP toured Wahad, Bhakriana and Maheru villages to review damage and interact with the affected families. Chabbewal said immediate needs such as dry ration, drinking water, medicines, cattle fodder and temporary shelters were being prioritised. He assured compensation as per government norms after the joint damage survey. Panchal briefed the MP on health camps, sanitation drives, and relief distribution, with special focus on vulnerable families, the elderly, and womenheaded households. OC Case against actor Sonakshi dismissed Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 3 The court of Additional District Judge Rajeev K Beri has dismissed a petition filed against actor Sonakshi Sinha for allegedly passing casteist remark in a YouTube video. A resident of Mithapur RK Nahar had filed the petition against her on July 30, 2019, in which he had alleged that some specific avertments had been made against the Valmik community by the actor in a YouTube interview that he saw in his office. The complainant said he felt that the words had been intentionally used to intimidate the community. Counsel for Sinha Tejeshwar Singh said numerous opportunities had been granted by the trial court to the plaintiff but he failed to examine even a single witness. The complainant also did not appear as witness and kept delaying the matter. As many as 18 opportunities were granted to him by the court and hence the matter was dismissed. Kapurthala, September 3 Heavy rainfall and subsequent waterlogging have deepened the flood crisis in several parts of Punjab, with Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district emerging as one of the worst-affected regions. More than 60,000 acres of paddy crop have remained submerged under five to seven feet of water, raising serious concerns over agricultural losses and the livelihood of farming families. Officials reported that despite large-scale crop losses, there have been no casualties, injuries, or livestock deaths in the affected areas. Meanwhile, the rising levels of the Beas and Sutlej have kept the authorities on alert. The Beas, which had earlier receded to 1.84 lakh cusecs, has swollen again following recent rain, while the Sutlej is flowing above the danger mark near Gidderpindi village at 2.03 lakh cusecs. Officials cautioned that the increased flow is exerting pressure on the Dhussi bundh embankment. 100 houses in RCF Colony inundated Continuous heavy rainfall over the past three days has worsened the plight of Rail Coach Factory (RCF) employees and their families. Nearly 100 houses in the colony have c m y b Relief workers ferry belongings of villagers via a boat at Baupur village in Sultanpur Lodhi. MALKIAT SINGH been inundated after rainwater entered homes due to a faulty drainage system, damaging household belongings. RCF employees have blamed the crisis on administrative negligence. Admn inspects STPs Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Dr Akshita Gupta, accompanied by SDM Jashanjit Singh and officials from the Water Supply and Sewerage Board, including SDO Pardeep Chottani, carried out extensive inspections of sewage treatment plants and key civic infrastructure to review preparedness. Later, Dr Gupta and the SDM toured several flood-hit villages, including Bhaghana, Panchhat, Rawalpindi, Rampur Khaliyan, and Naroor. According to official estimates, floodwaters have impacted 19 villages in Phagwara, and submerging large swathes of farmland. Relief and rescue teams remain deployed, and a helpline (01824-260794) has been activated for emergencies. DC Amit Kumar Panchal visited Brindpur and Kala Sanghian, where waterlogging and road blockages were disrupting traffic. He directed the Public Works Department to act immediately to keep key roads functional and ordered the Drainage Department to ensure smooth outflow of rainwater. Political leaders pitch in Former Union Minister Som Parkash visited flood-affected villages of Phagwara and distributed ration, medicines, tarpaulins, and household essentials to needy families. He was accompanied by BJP leaders Avtar Mand, Rajiv Pahwa, and local volunteers. Local Bodies Minister Dr Ravjot Singh visited various villages of Vidhan Sabha constituency of Sham Chaurasi and took stock of the difficulties faced by the villagers during the rainy season. During this, he visited village Baheda, Kukanet and Pandori Khajur and met the local residents and listened to their problems seriously. More than five feet water has entered basement have to call in an expert before switching it on to see if it is safe for use now. We do not want any mishap or electrocution because of any dumpness in the area”, said lawyer Mandeep Sachdev. Another lawyer Parminder Vig said, “Drainage perhaps is still a big issue in our complex. The administration must ensure better facilities. If there cannot be proper facilities in this area, the complex can be shifted to a better location as was being planned earlier.” Owing to difficulty for lawyers, judges and petitioners in reaching the complex and be able to work, very few cases were heard for three days. “Things are getting normal and we hope that proper working will be restored on Friday. Tomorrow is no work day on account of the demise of senior lawyer Naresh Aggarwal”, said District Bar president Aditya Jain. Khaira blames state, Centre for floods Jalandhar, September 3 Chairman of the All-India Kisan Congress and MLA, Bholath, Sukhpal Khaira has blamed the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab and the BJP-led Centre for the catastrophic floods. Addressing the media, he said the floods have ravaged Punjab and caused unprecedented destruction to lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. He said, “The floods, were triggered by poor water management, neglected infrastructure, and unplanned urban development. These have exposed the failures of both governments in safeguarding the people of Punjab.” He said, “The AAP government’s inaction in maintaining and upgrading critical infrastructure such as dams, canals, and drainage systems has led to this avoidable catastrophe. The lack of timely desilting of rivers and canals, coupled with encroachments on floodplains, has worsened the impact of heavy rainfall. Similarly, the Centre’s failure to provide adequate support and funding for flood preparedness and disaster management has left Punjab vulnerable. This dual negligence has resulted in massive crop losses, destruction of homes, and tragic loss of lives.” — OC