08092025-JTR-01.qxd 9/7/2025 11:05 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune GTU RAISES RS 31.20L TO REHABILITATE FLOOD VICTIMS REPLACE OLD PIPELINES, TREAT WATER & PENALISE NEGLIGENCE FILMMAKER ANUPARNA ROY BAGS BEST DIRECTOR AWARD GTU handed over a cheque for ~50,000 each to two needy families in Mukerian. P2 Test soil stability before laying pipeline and promote public awareness to curb littering. P3 The Indian filmmaker wins the Best Director award at Venice Film Fest for her film Songs of Forgotten Trees. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET MONDAY 6.42 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:08 AM MONDAY | 8 SEPTEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR 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. INBRIEF YOUTH ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Kapurthala police have arrested a youth and recovered 220 intoxicating tablets from his possession under the NDPS Act. A police party was on patrol near Markfed Chowk, old quarters area, when they noticed a young man. On seeing the police, the suspect tried to flee but was swiftly apprehended. The accused has been identified as Nishan Singh of village Latiaval, near Sultanpur Lodhi. During the search, the police recovered 220 intoxicating tablets from him. -- OC WOMAN’S EARRING SNATCHED Phagwara: Two motorcycleborne miscreants allegedly snatched a gold earring of a woman on Saturday late evening. Kulwinder Kaur of village Nangal said she was riding her scooter. As she reached near Guru Nanakpura, two men on a motorcycle came and snatched her earring before speeding away. The police were immediately informed about the incident. A case has been registered, and investigation into the matter has been initiated. — OC Schools reopen tomorrow, wait Cong leader to adopt 5 villages gets longer for Baupur students Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Village schools shut since Aug Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 7 With their school still submerged under seven-foot water, 137 students of Government Elementary School and Government High School, Baupur Jadid, won’t be able to make it to their classes on September 9. While the state government has declared that schools and colleges will open in Punjab Tuesday onwards, for students of the twin government schools of Baupur, the wait is going to be longer. It has been nearly a month since the students of floodaffected areas haven’t gone to school. Currently the red, double-storeyed building of the school is under water and is approachable only by a boat. As rain lashed Sultanpur Lodhi this morning, the water levels rose. Teachers said they have no hope of teaching students for 15 days to a month. Government Elementary School, Baupur Jadid, has 72 students and Government High School 65. Together, the 137 students haven’t attended school since August 11, when waters first inundated 17 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi. Flooded Government Elementary Schools, Baupur. In the past two years, the schools have flooded twice. The teachers said 2025 floods are the worst they have seen. Teacher in-charge of Government Elementary School, Baupur Jadid, Amandeep Singh said, “The flood this year is the worst. Earlier, in about 15 days, the water began receding, but this time, the classes are still under water. The directions have been given to get the premises cleaned before the classes begin, but in our school, we can’t even do that. Erosion in the Rampur Gaura advance bundh and strong current has caused much damage to the school. Most of our equipment and furniture is damaged. It will take more than 15 days to a month for classes to resume.” Amandeep has been deputed with Government Elementary School, Lakh Warian, (with 70 students), which too, acts as a relief camp for people. Amandeep adds, “Earlier, we used to hold classes at Baupur gurdwara but this time, that too is flooded. Even after schools open for days, we have to leave pumps on as the water comes out dirty and polluted. Fans have to be left on and classes dried up so that students may not get sick.” Jograj Singh, a 13-year-old student of the elemenraty school hasn’t gone to school since August 11. His class has 25 students whom he misses. TWO HELD FOR MURDER BID Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a woman travel agent on the charge of allegedly duping a Shahkot resident of Rs 15.65 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. The accused has been identified as Manjit Kaur, presently residing in Guru Arjan Dev Colony, Malrri village. Manreet Singh of Talwandi Madho village in Shahkot had complained to the police that he had paid Rs 15.65 lakh to the accused for facilitating his migration to England. However, neither did the accused send him abroad, nor did they return the money. — OC TWO WOMEN PEDDLERS HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested two women on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. Seventy tablets were recovered from the accused Kaushalya and Joti, both residents of Shankar village. A case has been registered. The police arrested a drug peddler Ravi Kumar with 38 tablets and Rahul with 30 tablets. — OC (service) to the affected villages. The mand areas are sparsely populated, with about 50 houses per village. Many local community members from Dakha have already contributed to the relief efforts. Singh’s team will focus on providing assistance by mobilising tractors to remove sand, laying water pipes where necessary, addressing medical needs as the floodwaters recede and supplying wheat seeds to affected farmers. The overarching goal is to rehabilitate the villages and help them recover. Relief efforts intensify Sultanpur Lodhi continues to receive significant help from various donors and organisations. Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa and Navtej Cheema, recently visited the affected areas to assess the situation. Rana Inder Partap, MLA of Sultanpur Lodhi, has also been praised for his support. Sood pledges support to flood-hit farmers P3 Youth killed, friend hurt as car overturns 23-yr woman run over by speeding truck Our Correspondent Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested two villagers on charges of attempt to murder and firing. The accused have been identified as Pashora Singh of Mundikalu village and his brother Kuldeep Singh. Rajindar Singh of the village had complained to the police that he, along with other villagers, had gone to strengthen the dhussi bundh on the Sutlej. The accused assaulted him, removing his turban, pulling his hair, and firing with the intention to kill. — OC WOMAN ARRESTED FOR VISA FRAUD While all children of the area have been sent off to relatives, Jograj cradles a sick “vacchi” (calf) as he aides his “bapu” (grandpa) at the bundh to take fodder to their other cattle. Jograj says, “We haven’t been to school. I’m getting bored. But we will have to wait for water to go down.” While some students were earlier going to private schools via boats, that journey, too, was deemed perilous amid rising currents. Jalandhar, September 7 Capt Sandeep Singh, Congress leader and halka incharge of Dakha, has decided to adopt five flood-hit villages in Sultanpur Lodhi. This is the first declaration from a political leader to adopt villages in Doaba. While several celebrities and artistes have already pledged to assist villages in Majha, Singh’s initiative focuses on Mand Inderpur, Mand Andreesa, Ramgarh Daleli, Shawala Nakki and Qutabpur in Sultanpur Lodhi. Singh, who has been sending rations and aid through his team since the onset of the floods, chose Sultanpur Lodhi for his rehabilitation effort due to the extensive damage in the constituency. He has been in contact with local Congress leader Navtej Singh Cheema regarding the relief work. “The Chhapar Mela in Dakha was called off due to the damage caused by the floods. It was during the cancellation meeting that the idea emerged to use the mela funds for flood relief. Sultanpur Lodhi was the first area affected by the floods and has suffered significant damage twice in three years. It’s just about an hour away from Dakha, so we decided to extend additional aid,” Capt Sandeep Singh told The Tribune. Though Singh does not agree with the term ‘adopt,’ he emphasised that the initiative aims to provide sewa Jalandhar, September 7 A 23-year-old woman was crushed by a truck near the Maqsudan flyover. The woman was riding her scooter on the flyover. The deceased has been identified as Tamanna Khullar. She was heading to work on her scooter when the incident happened. As soon as the victim got down the flyover, the speeding truck coming from the other side ran over her. The police reached the spot and arrested the truck driver, who was identified as Rimpu Daman. A case has been registered against the truck driver. — OC Hoshiarpur, September 7 A tragic accident occurred near Kurala village around 4:15 pm when a car travelling towards Tanda suffered a tyre burst, causing the vehicle to lose control, hit the divider, and overturn. The car was being driven by Satwinder Singh Gopi, a resident of village Satiyana, who died on the spot. His companion Ashwani Kumar from Sherpur sustained minor injuries. Upon receiving information, the Road Safety Force promptly arrived at the scene, HANDS OF HELP SAD president Sukhbir Badal distributes money in the flood-hit area of Nakodar, Jalandhar, on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Satwinder Singh Gopi administered first-aid to the injured, and cleared the vehicle from the highway to restore traffic flow. The local police have initiated an investigation into the incident. Floods to continue if de-silting Villagers, Army keep tabs on Sutlej bundh not doneat Harike barrage: MP DC reviews ongoing work at Burj Tahil Das embankment, says no need to panic Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Our Correspondent Phagwara, September 7 Renowned economist Dr Devinder Sharma visited the flood-affected area of Baupur Mand and interacted with victims. Rajya Sabha Member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who accompanied him by boat to a dera in Shangra village, said until the Harike barrage is de-silted, this region will continue to suffer from floods. He pointed out that since the construction of the Harike headworks, no silt has been removed, and as a result, the Beas flows at a higher level. Seechewal referred to the recent de-silting of Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah, stressing that if it had not been done, half of Ludhiana would have drowned in floods. Similarly, large-scale de-silting was carried out beneath the Gidderpindi railway bridge in 2020, but when it was neglected for two years, floods struck in 2023. He also noted that removing silt from the sacred Kali Bein has reduced the risk of flooding. The people of mand area have repeatedly urged ministers and senior officials for a permanent solution. The only lasting remedy to floods, he emphasized, is to deepen and widen the rivers. Shahi Imam Maulana Mohammad Usman Rehmani of Ludhiana also reached Sultanpur Lodhi today. Handing over relief material to Seechewal, he said only Seechewal can ensure it reaches the needy in the right manner. On the same occasion, Dr Devinder Sharma, known especially for his work on agriculture, toured Baupur Mand. Speaking with journalists in Shangra village, he highlighted the plight of a family that had built their house on higher ground, yet water entered their home. “What is their fault?” he asked. “Who will compensate them for the immense loss of their property?” c m y b Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, September 7 Satnam Singh, former Sarpanch of Tajowal village in Nawanshahr, along with villagers, has been tirelessly guarding the bundh day and night to protect their fields from potential flooding. “Asi poori taqat laga ditti hai, partmatka agge ardaas kr rahe haan (We are constantly praying and haven’t moved from here even for a minute. We’re putting in our full strength,)” he said. Deputy Commissioner Ankurjeet Singh today visited the Sutlej embankment at Burj Tahil Das to review its current condition and oversee the ongoing strengthening work. He confirmed that the situation is under control and reinforcement activities are continuing on a war footing, with the active participation of local residents. Providing an update on the status of the embankment, the DC said while the water level in the Sutlej continues to fluctuate, there is no immediate threat and the overall situation remains stable. He acknowledged a minor issue that arose recently due to the persistent rainfall and upstream water flow but emphasised that it was swiftly managed by the district administration and Army personnel, with the strong support from local villagers. Speaking with residents at the site, the DC expressed appreciation for their cooper- ation and assured them that the administration is committed to strengthening the embankment wherever required. He praised the collective efforts being made across the district, stating that community involvement is playing a vital role in maintaining stability. He also highlighted the similar ongoing embankment work at Bela Tajowal, Dhaingarhpur, Tajewal-Mandhala, Talwandi Shibu, and Pandrawal, where residents are working closely with the administration and Army teams. The DC further said essential supplies such as diesel for tractors and JCB machines, as well as tarpaulins and other materials, are being provided as needed to ensure uninterrupted progress.