24092025-JTR-01.qxd 9/23/2025 10:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune EKTA MARCH CALLS FOR STRONGER PUNJABI-MIGRANT SOLIDARITY KBC 17: A CLASS 12 PASS CARPENTER WINS ~50 LAKH ISHAAN CALLS HOMEBOUND RARE FILM IN TODAY’S TIMES The march witnessed participation from several labour and farmer organisations. P2 On September 1, he took a general knowledge test and got 19 out of 20 questions correct. P3 He was on cloud nine when he heard the news that Homebound is India’s official entry for the Oscars. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.16 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:12 AM » WEDNESDAY | 24 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. One more held in cyber fraud racket, total arrests reach 39 Bhagat said that the Punjab Government would ensure smooth and hasslefree procurement of paddy so that farmers can be supported in every possible way during this difficult time caused by floods. He further said that despite the challenges caused by the recent floods, foolproof arrangements have been made across Punjab to ensure that farmers did not face any problem in selling their crop. He informed that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy had been fixed at Rs 2,389 per quintal and that the government had already secured a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 15,000 crore for September and Rs 27,000 crore for October. He also mentioned that adequate arrangements had been made for gunny bags to prevent inconvenience to farmers. The Cabinet Minister assured that lifting and payments would be carried out simultaneously, and the payment for the procured crop would be transferred directly into the farmers’ bank accounts. He also directed officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Mandi Board and district administration to personally monitor operations to ensure transparency and efficiency in the mandis. The minister appealed to farmers to bring only fully dried paddy to the mandis, as high moisture content could hinder procurement. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Amaninder Kaur, Chairman Improvement Trust Ramneek Singh Randhawa, AAP leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, Dinesh Dhall, Nitin Kohli, DMO Arvinder Singh, DFSC Harveen Kaur, and officers from various departments were also present on the occasion. Improvement Trust cracks the Govt school students roped whip on illegal constructions in to combat stubble burning Helpline for reporting farm fires Ashok Kaura INBRIEF BURGLARS TAKE AWAY GOLD, CASH Phagwara: Unidentified burglars broke into the residence of a local resident Pyara Singh, during the night of September 21–22, making away with gold, cash and important documents. According to the complaint lodged at Sultanpur Lodhi police station, the intruders gained access by breaking through the wall of a room inside the house. They reportedly forced open a steel almirah, stealing 30 tolas of gold, Rs 40,000 in cash, and other essential documents. Police have registered a case under Sections 457 (housebreaking by night) and 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the IPC. Further investigation in the cse is on. — OC 3 BOOKED FOR ABETTING SUICIDE Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested five members of a family, including a woman, on the charge of abetting suicide. Investigating Officer (IO) Balwinder Singh said the accused have been identified as Raj Singh, a resident of Gatta Mundi Kasu village, his wife Harnesh Kaur and his brothers Hardev Singh, Malkit Singh and nephew Boby, son of Malkit Singh. Kulwindar Kaur, wife of Surjit Singh, a resident of the same village, complained to the police that his son Gurpreet Singh committed suicide due to harassment by the accused who encroached upon her land and refused to vacate it though she has filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The IO said that a case has been registered. — OC WOMAN DRUG PEDDLER HELD Phagwara: Nakodar Sadar police have arrested a woman drug peddler on the charge of selling poppy husk. Investigating Officer (IO) Jagtar Singh said that 400 grams of poppy husk were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Baksho, wife of Krishan Lal, a resident of Bajuha Kalan village. The IO stated that a case has been registered under sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act against the accused. — OC MARRIED WOMAN COMMITS SUICIDE Phagwara: A married woman on Sunday committed suicide. Police said that the deceased has been identified as Dalveer Kaur, wife of Taranjit Singh, a resident of Salaichan road. Shahkot police said that acting under section 194 of the BNS, on a statement from Sukhraj Singh, son of the deceased, the body was handed over to the family after postmortem. He told the police that his mother consumed some poisonous substance and died. — oc Bhagat initiates procurement of paddy in city grain market Phagwara, September 23 In a significant follow-up action to the recent busting of a major international cyber fraud syndicate in Phagwara, Kapurthala Police have arrested another accused from Ludhiana and recovered Rs 2.05 crore hawala money from his possession, taking the total number of arrests to 39 and the total recovered amount to Rs 2.15 crore in this case, said Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday. The arrested accused has been identified as Pawan, a resident of Bikaner in Rajasthan. As per the information received, Kapurthala Police had busted a major cyber fraud racket in DGP Gaurav Yadav said total recovered hawala money is Rs 2.15 cr and police had zeroed in on a Ludhiana-based operator Phagwara that primarily targeted people in the USA and Canada in the guise of providing software solutions, arresting 38 accused persons and recovering 40 laptops, 67 mobile phones, and Rs 10,00,000 in cash. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the police teams have also zeroed in on a Ludhiana-based hawala operator and raids are being conducted to nab him. Preliminary investigations have revealed that transactions were primari- ly conducted through Bitcoin and hawala channels have also been found involved, he said. The DGP said that further investigations are on to establish forward and backward linkages in this case to expose the full nexus. Sharing details of the operation, SSP, Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora said that following the humanbased and technical investigations into the case, police teams have established involvement of Ludhiana-based person in this racket. Acting swiftly, police teams under the supervision of SP (Investigation) Prabhjot Singh Virk and led by DSP (Detective) Parminder Singh, incharge CIA Jarnail Singh and SHO Cyber Crime Amandeep Kaur conducted a raid at the premises of the hawala operator in Ludhiana, where his assistant Pawan was arrested from the spot and cash worth Rs 2.05 crore was recovered. The SSP said that the racket was being operated by a local individual, identified as Amrinder Singh alias Sabhi Tohri, who had leased the premises in Phagwara. He is linked to Suraj from Delhi, who is further linked with a suspect named Shen from Kolkata. In this regard, an FIR has already been registered under sections 111, 318(4) and 61(2) of BNS and sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology (IT) Act at the cyber crime police station, Kapurthala. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 23 Punjab Minister Mohinder Bhagat on Tuesday initiated the procurement of paddy in the main grain market of Jalandhar district. Farmer Jagdeep Singh from Nauli village near Adampur expressed his gratitude to the government for the immediate purchase of his paddy brought to the mandi and for ensuring proper arrangements. The minister said that no farmer would face any difficulty in the mandis as the government had ensured robust arrangements. He also directed the District Mandi Officer and District Food and Civil Supplies Controller to make sure that there was no shortage of facilities for farmers and labourers in the mandis. He added that he would continuously review the procurement arrangements. Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, September 23 The Hoshiarpur Improvement Trust carried out a major drive against illegal encroachments, clearing unauthorised constructions from roads, public corridors and green belts under various Trust schemes. During the drive, illegal constructions were removed from Scheme No. 10 (Dr Ambedkar Nagar), where Urban Kebab had set up a kitchen in the green belt, and from Scheme No. 11 (Sant Harchand Singh Longowal Nagar), where Master Chef had encroached on public land. Similarly, in Scheme No. 11 (Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha), encroachments made by three shopkeepers on the ground floor public corridor of multi-storey shops were NEW INITIATIVE Tribune News Service also cleared. According to officials, the Trust had been receiving repeated complaints from the public and shopkeepers that certain antisocial elements were occupying public spaces with temporary kiosks and unauthorised parking, creating nuisance by consuming liquor and meat. Their misbehaviour discouraged women and fam- ily shoppers from visiting the market, causing hardships to local traders. Despite repeated notices and warnings from the Trust, the encroachers failed to remove their unauthorised structures, forcing the department to act. Chairman Gurvinder Singh Pabla emphasised that the Trust’s action was aimed at safeguarding public interest and restoring civic order. Nawanshahr, September 23 Students in government schools across the district are actively spreading awareness about the harmful effects of stubble burning. Through morning assemblies and special school activities, students are educating their peers and community members about the importance of protecting the environment. Under the directives of Deputy Commissioner Ankurjeet Singh, the initiative aims to sensitise students about the environmental damage caused by burning paddy stubble and motivate them to influence their families and farmers in their villages. “Stubble burning not only harms natural resources but also negatively impacts human health, soil fertility and beneficial insects,” said DC Ankurjeet Singh. He urged farmers to support the campaign and help achieve the goal of zerostubble burning cases during the current Kharif season. Commending the efforts of students, the Deputy Commissioner added that their active involvement would help spread the message to even the remotest villages. District Education Officer (DEO) Anita Sharma informed that awareness campaigns are being conducted in all 211 government schools of the district. Students are participating in poster-making, painting and essay competitions to promote sustainable stubble management. “Children are being taught that the smoke from stubble burning is not only harmful to health but can also lead to serious illnesses,” said Sharma. She added that students are playing a vital role by encouraging farmers in their communities to adopt alternative methods. Special programmes have been organised at various schools including Government Middle School, Bharoli, Government Senior Secondary School, Bahlur Kalan and Government High School, Chak Dana, among others. These efforts are part of a broader campaign to make villages smoke-free and environmentally conscious. Phagwara, September 23 Punjab government has issued a helpline number with the aim of helping farmers dispose of crop stubble in the field itself. Farmers can directly contact the cooperative societies of the Cooperation Department on the helpline number 89686-41990 to get agricultural machinery for proper disposal of stubble. DC, Kapurthala, Amit Kumar Panchal said that 22 cooperative societies in the district have about 156 machines, mainly tractors, reversible ploughs, balers, rotavators, rotary ploughs, mulchers etc, which are used for stubble disposal. Inspector Jobanjit Singh is the nodal officer for the helpline, while Assistant Registrar Guryadevinder Singh will head the control room. — OC With no access to school, mid-day meal Post GST 2.0, automobile cook’s home doubles up as classroom owners see spurt in sales AFTER THE FLOODS Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 23 In the aftermath of devastating floods, Government Primary School, Dhakka Basti — one of the worst affected schools — is battling tough conditions to ensure that the education of its students does not come to a halt. The school building is in dire need of cleaning. Despite efforts by the staff to restore the premises, recurring floodwaters have made the task difficult. A few days ago, teachers had cleaned the school, but the water has returned. With no functioning school building to return to, classes have now been shifted to the home of the school’s mid-day meal cook. More than 40 students are currently attending Classes being held for students of Government Primary School in the home of a mid-day meal cook in Dhakka Basti of Lohian in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO their lessons in the temporary set-up — a modest home. Yet, the commitment of the teaching staff is unwavering. A team of three dedicated teachers continues to walk 1.5 kilometers daily through damaged roads and muddy paths to reach the makeshift classroom. Their determina- c m y b tion stems from a shared belief: that no child’s education should suffer due to natural calamities. School in-charge, Prabhjinder Singh, expressed the resolve of the teachers, saying, “We do not want them to lose touch, and that would only happen if we (teachers) meet them daily. We can do anything for our students.” Without conventional teaching aids, the teachers are improvising — using notebooks and verbal lessons to keep the learning going. Students, despite the challenges, attend regularly, their enthusiasm a reflection of the teachers’ dedication. Sarabjit Singh, another teacher, said that in a few days, the teachers will ensure that the school is safe and then the students will shift back to school. “We have been visiting the school daily and carrying out cleaning operations,” he said. Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 23 As Navratris have coincided with the rollout of GST 2.0 regime, automobile dealers in the city have been witnessing roaring sales since Monday. While Maruti dealers are the happiest of the lot, the agencies selling twowheelers too say that they have been seeing a sudden spurt in business. Says Amit Mittal of Lovely Autos, “For us, it is as if Diwali has arrived four weeks earlier. In a single day on Monday, we sold out 285 cars, mostly Brezza and Swift. These cars saw a reduction of Rs 1 lakh in price. All those who had been holding up the purchase have dropped in all of a sudden. We too had been anticipating this to happen and had prepared accordingly.” Activa scooters too have “The sentiments of the buyers is high. We are waiting for it to convert into sales. It has been a bit slow but we expect it to gain momentum soon,” said Seema Handa, Toyota dealer. been seeing roaring sales after the slashing of GST from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. The dealers say that there has been downward revision of an average Rs 8,000 depending on the model. “People are upgrading from 110cc Activa to 125cc models as the price of the higher version has now become almost equal to 110cc scooter. The demand for smart, keyless Activas is also on the rise. Yesterday, we sold out 133 two-wheelers, including bikes”, said Gurinder S Honda, a city- based dealer. He, however, added that it was all a pent-up demand as there had hardly been any sales in the last two weeks of August and the first three weeks of September. “Ever since there had been a meeting of the GST Council, people had stopped buying vehicles as they were waiting for the new GST regime with price reduction in the offing,” he discussed. Toyota dealer Seema Handa, however, said that the number of inquiries had multiplied since Monday. “The sentiment of the buyers is high. We are waiting for it to convert into sales. It has been a bit slow sale for us but we expect the momentum to gain soon”, she said. She added that the price range of Toyota vehicles had seen a drop from Rs 20,000 to Rs 15 lakh, the highest being for Land Cruiser.