02102025-JTR-01.qxd 10/1/2025 10:39 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AMANDEEP STRIKES TWICE AT NAT’L ATHLETICS MEET IN RANCHI AFTER THE DELUGE: WHEN WATERS RECEDE, BUT DANGERS REMAIN CELEBS SHARE THEIR COFFEE LOVE ON WORLD COFFEE DAY Daughter of a labourer and domestic worker secures 800m bronze and 4x400m silver. P2 Jalandhar, Kapurthala’s flood damage now raises public health concerns over hidden post-disaster risks. P3 Sumbul Touqeer says coffee is my mood-lifter. I enjoy it the most when I'm relaxing after a busy day. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.11 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:22 AM » THURSDAY | 2 OCTOBER 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 3 OF FAMILY HELD FOR TRESPASS Phagwara: The police have arrested three members of a family on the charge of criminal trespass. The accused have been identified as Buta Singh of Hundal Dhadda village, his wife Nidar Kaur, and son Gurpreet Singh. Tara Singh of Seechewal village had complained to the police that his sister-in-law Daljit Kaur is not allowing him to cultivate his land and fight with him. The complainant said on August 20, his sisterin-law, with other accomplices, ploughed his millet crop and they had set afire his motor room. OC DRUGS DESTROYED BY POLICE Jalandhar: The Commissionerate Police has destroyed narcotics seized in 40 pre-trial and post-trial cases. The CP said the destruction took place at ABS Food and Beverages, Raowali village, after all necessary legal formalities were completed by the Commissionerate's Drug Disposal Committee. The destroyed narcotics included 11.195 kg of poppy husk, 2.266 kg of heroin, 2.52 kg of Ganja and 10 gram of intoxicating powder. oc Cops get 4th effigy of ‘drugs’ installed on Dasehra Security beefed up, 1,200 personnel deployed | 100-ft tall effigies draw crowd at Sai Dass School ground Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 1 Amid the colourful effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran that have been installed at more than 44 sites across the city today, the police got installed the effigy of a fourth demon - that of drugs. The fourth effigy has been installed at Ladowali Road, Adarsh Nagar and Burlton Park ground Dasehra venues. Planning to spread across the message against drugs through Dasehra, the police have got readied their own effigies against ‘nashe’ and shall get these blown up amid a huge crowd of tens of thousands of people while conveying a message of Punjab’s fight against drugs. Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur, DCPs Manpreet Dhillon and Naresh Dogra shall visit these sites to deliver speeches before the effigies go up in smoke. The police have deployed 1,200 men across the city for ensuring adequate security. “All police personnel shall be out at nakas. Our 10 DSPs have been deputed at the 10 big Dasehra points. Dog squads too have been out checking all vulnerable points”, he said. The police Phagwara: The police have arrested a person on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, a resident of Burj Hassan village. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act against the accused. The Lohian Khas police arrested a 'drug addict' Sandeep Singh of Kakarr Kalan village for consuming heroin. OC TWO ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested two miscreants on the charge of snatching earrings from a woman. The accused have been identified as Jatindar of Mullewal Aaryan village and Harsh Kumar of Mullewal Bahmanna village. Surjit Singh of Fajalpur complained to the police that the accused snatched his mother's earrings on September 29 while she was walking. OC LAGHU UDYOG DONATES ~2.5 LAKH Phagwara: To support floodaffected families, the president of the Laghu Udyog Bharti, Phagwara, Inder Pal Khurana, on Monday handed over a cheque for ?2.5 lakh to Kapurthala DC Amit Kumar Panchal for the Chief Minister's Rangla Punjab Fund. Panchal said the contribution would directly benefit families in need and help in their rehabilitation. Prominent members present included the organisation's patron Ashok Sethi, IPP Pankaj Gautam, state treasurer Puneet Gupta, and secretary Arvind Bagga. oc have stepped up vigil even at all entry points, bus stand, railway stations and market areas. Meanwhile, to mark the victory of good over evil, the city is all geared up to soak in Dasehra festivities on Thursday. Nine days of fasting for the Navratris are set to be over. The mythological jour- ney through traditional folk theatre in the form of Ramlila is set to conclude. The Bengali community has made preparations for playing Sindoor Khela and immersion of idols of Goddess Durga. As the day of victory of Lord Rama and Ravana Dahan is set to arrive, arrangements for the festival have been made at main locations, including Sai Dass School ground, Ladowali Road, Burlton Park, Model House, Central Town, Adarsh Nagar, Friends Colony, Kirti Nagar, Bhargava Camp, Gandhi Camp, Satnam Nagar, Jalandhar Cantt and Beant Singh Park. The Dasehra committee that holds mela at the Sai Dass School ground has installed effigies of the demon kings which are 90-100 feet tall. Tarsem Kapur, who leads the committee, said, “Our theatre teams will be out to hold a massive shobha yatra through the city before they assemble at the main venue for the last show by the afternoon.” At the Adarsh Nagar ground, the effigies have been beautifully lit up. Since these got installed last night, they have been a centre of attraction for residents. The organisers have also added sound effects that gel with the lights blinking on the faces, eyes and bodies of the three demons. Ex-Congress MLA Rajinder Beri, who works with Dasehra committee of Ladowali Road, said, “We have made arrangement for 15,000 viewers. There shall be 3,000 seats available around the stage.” Fromjalebisto pakoras24x7 langar fuels NPS employees hold fast volunteer spirit in Ahli Kalan village over OPS restoration Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service TWO ‘DRUG ADDICTS’ HELD The effigy of ‘drug demon’; and (right) effigies of Ravan, Meghnath and Kumbhakarn illuminated with LED lights installed in the Adarsh Nagar Market park by Upkar Dasehra Committee in Jalandhar on Tuesday. PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH AND MALKIAT SINGH Kapurthala, October 1 The aroma of freshly cooked food — crispy jalebis, steaming pakoras and hot chai — fills the air in Ahli Kalan village, where an extraordinary community effort is underway. Following a breach in the temporary bundh (embankment) last month at the village in Sultanpur Lodhi, villagers have united to run a 24×7 langar right on the site of the repair efforts. What began as a simple sewa in the village gurdwara has now expanded to the bundh — where volunteers are working tirelessly day and night to plug the breach. For the past 10 days, hot meals and refreshments have been served directly at the work site, keeping morale and energy levels high. The panchayats of both Ahli Kalan and Ahli Khurd are actively involved, coordinating food, supplies, and manpower. People, especially youngsters from across Punjab and even other states, have arrived, bringing tractors, diesel, and heartfelt donations. “The langar hasn’t stopped since the day of the breach,” said Rashpal Singh, a farmer and one of the key coordinators. “It’s running continuously at the gurdwara and now also here on the bundh. People come asking what they can do to help — they bring ingredients, and money,” he said. To streamline the process, a tent has been set up at the site, equipped with a trolley loaded with all necessary ingredients. “This way, it’s easy to serve hot chai and meals to helpers, volunteers, and anyone passing by,” explained Shaminder Singh, another farmer and active volunteer. He said desilting of the field is also being done by the volunteers. Warn of mega rally in Delhi on Nov 25 Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 1 Government employees under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) observed a one-day fast at the tehsil complex in Phagwara, demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). The protest was organised under the joint banner of the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS) and the CPF Employees’ Union, with large number of teachers and government workers participating in the demonstration. Prominent among those who sat on the fast were Jasbir Saini, Jasbir Bhangu, Daljit Saini, Parminder Pal Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Rachhpal Singh, Paramjit Langar being served near a bundh where volunteers are working to plug the breach at the mand area in Sultanpur Lodhi. >> Complaint to CM against felling of 100 trees by NGO Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 1 Jalandhar social and environmental activist Tejaswi Minhas has written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, complaining against the alleged illegal felling of trees on the Jalandhar bypass. On behalf of the NGO AGAPP Minhas has raised con, cerns over the cutting of 100 trees at the site. He has also demanded an FIR against those who got the trees cut. Activists of the AGAPP also held a protest on Tuesday. While amid rampant defor- estation and conversion of ever newer areas to residential and commercial sites, the AGAPP has repeatedly spoken out against incessant felling of trees in Jalandhar on various sites, including the Civil Hospital, various residential colonies, etc. Tejaswi said, “Around 100 trees were cut illegally on the night of September 28 and 29. These are planted along the Jalandhar Cantt Bypass Road, Opposite Haveli Organic Farm. These trees were planted by the Horticulture Department and a major plantation drive in this area was done by Baba Sewa Singh of Khadoor Sahib. These were healthy trees. Some of these were around 20-30 year-old.” Minhas has alleged that the cutting of the trees was ordered by the owner of a private mall in Jalandhar. A protest was organised at the site by environmentalists of the city, who demanded strict action against the coloniser and re-planting of saplings at the same spot. Apart from the CM, a complaint has also been filed with the DC, DIG and the PWD. c m y b Pay property tax with rebate by Oct 31 Phagwara, October 1 In a citizen-centric move under the One Time Settlement (OTS) Policy-2025, the government has fixed October 31 as the last date for depositing pending property tax with 50 per cent exemption on penalty and interest. Municipal Commissioner Dr Akshita Gupta stated that as per the notification issued by the Department of Local Government, property owners, who paid their original outstanding tax amount in full by August 31 received a complete waiver on penalty and interest. — OC Chauhan, Rattan Lal, Shaminder Pal Singh, Meena Prabhakar, Manjinder Kaur, Khushdeep Kaur, and Sonia Soni, among others. The protest saw a large turnout, reflecting the growing unrest among employees working under the NPS. Addressing a gathering, teacher leaders warned that if their demand for OPS is ignored, a massive rally will be held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 25. They strongly criticised both Central and state governments for paying mere lip service to the cause of employees, while denying them actual social security in the form of a guaranteed pension. They alleged that the Punjab Government has failed to implement its own notification issued three years ago regarding the restoration of the OPS. The half-baked notification has proven to be nothing more than a symbol- ic gesture. The protesters also lashed out at the Centre, accusing it of imposing the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and diverting employees’ hard-earned savings into market-driven instruments, favoring corporate interests at the cost of workers’ welfare. Originally scheduled for September 5, the fast was postponed due to widespread loss of life and property caused by recent floods. It was rescheduled for October 1 to coincide with a broader call to action across Punjab. The protest also received widespread support from various employee and pensioner associations, including the SCBC Teachers’ Union, Government Teachers’ Union, Computer Teachers’ Union, Punjab Pensioners’ Welfare Association, Government Pensioners’ Union, Master Cadre Union, and Bhartiya Kisan Union Doaba. Pargat seeks judicial probe into Ferozepur drug deaths Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 1 Secretary of the AICC Pargat Singh on Wednesday expressed anger over the death of three youths due to drug overdose in Lakho Ke Behram village, Guruharsahai constituency, Ferozepur. When grieving families and villagers placed the bodies on the Ferozepur–Fazilka road in protest, it became not just a sign of despair, but also a damning verdict on Punjab’s governance, said the Congress leader. 3 youths die due to drug overdose in Guruharsahai village “First Khadoor Sahib, now Ferozepur — these are not isolated tragedies, they are mass killings of youths. When parents are forced to carry their children’s bodies onto the streets, this is not just protest, it is a desperate cry for justice. I will continue to fight for Punjab’s youth until justice and decisive action are delivered. AAP beats the drum of a Nasha Mukt Punjab (War on Drugs), but in reality, it is a war being lost at the cost of our young lives. What bigger proof of governance failure do we need?” Singh said. He accused the AAP government of reducing the antidrug campaign to mere publicity stunt. “The truth is written in the tears of families and the anger of villages. Even the police system has compromised with drug peddlers. Punjab does not need more slogans, it needs urgent and concrete action,” he added.