18102025-ATR-01.qxd 10/17/2025 11:35 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 30°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 18°C SCHOOLS, COLLEGES HOLD DIWALI EXHIBITION GURU AMAR DASS INSTITUTE STUDENTS EXCEL IN TALENT EXAM AAP, BJP CANDIDATES FILE NOMINATION PAPERS BBK DAV College for Women in Amritsar hosted its annual edition of a 'Diwali Fiesta' exhibition. P2 Two students of Guru Amar Dass Institute have excelled in the Indian Talent Olympiad examination. P2 Four candidates filed their nomination papers here today for the upcoming by-poll in Tarn Taran. P2 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 5.54 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.36 AM SATURDAY | 18 OCTOBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Five arrested with 2 kg heroin, four Glock pistols, ammunition Man arrested with 700 gm of heroin Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 17 The Amritsar Rural Police achieved a major success when the Gharinda police arrested one accused with 700 grams of heroin and arrested a person in this regard. The arrested accused has been identified as Shamsher Singh, alias Shera, a resident of Gehri village falling under the Sarai Amanat Khan police station in Tarn Taran. While on patrol near the Kaccha road leading from Gharinda Colonia, a police team intercepted the accused and recovered 700 grams of heroin along with a mobile phone from his possession. A case has been registered under various sections of the NDPS Act at the Gharinda police station. DSP Yadvinder Singh said investigations are underway to trace the forward and backward links of the accused to identify others involved in the drug network. — TNS Amritsar, October 17 The State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, in coordination with a central agency, arrested five members of an international smuggling module and seized four 9mm Glock pistols, ammunition and 2 kg of heroin from their possession. The arrested individuals have been identified as Shivam Arora of New Jaspal Nagar, Sultanwind Road; Gurpreet Singh of New Kapoor Nagar; Anmoldeep Singh of Sultanwind Road; Abhishek Singh and Kulmit Singh, both from Dhand village in Tarn Taran. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Friday that as per preliminary investigations, the accused were operating on the directions of a Dubai-based smuggler, who was in contact with Pakistani handlers. “The seized consignment originates from Pakistan,” Yadav confirmed, adding that efforts were underway to He is key aide of Happy Jatt wanted for murder, attack on cops Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service The contraband, four pistols and ammunition seized by the police near Amritsar on Friday. arrest other members and dismantle the entire network. Providing further operational details, AIG, SSOC, Amritsar, Sukhminder Singh Mann said acting on reliable inputs, joint teams of the SSOC and a central agency carried out an intelligence-led operation leading to the arrests. The recovered consignment, comprising narcotics and sophisticated weapons, was meant to be delivered to local criminals, Temporary cracker market becomes operational in city PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 17 Ahead of Diwali, the temporary cracker market became operational on Friday as the district administration approved the setting up of only 10 stalls this time. These were selected through a draw of lots. As many as 480 traders had applied for the same. A temporary crackers retail market was set up at the New Amritsar locality. Permitting cracker traders to sell only green crackers, the city police issued temporary licences to 10 stall operators. As per the norms, 70m space around each temporary stall was kept open to sky and generators were placed 30m away from the radius of the market. A kiosk measuring nearly 10 feet People buy crackers from stalls in New Amritsar on Friday. by 25 feet (10×25) in size was set up. The police have deputed cops at the site for security reasons. Besides, fire engines and ambulances have also been stationed at the site to deal with any untoward incident. The police have deployed Gangster Jasvir Singh Lalla held after brief encounter cops, including traffic police personnel, to manage crowd. Proper arrangements for lights have been made for the site. Vendors said customer footfall was not encouraging on the first day. However, it would likely to increase soon, they said. he added. Mann further said investigations are being conducted to trace the forward and backward linkages of the module to expose the full chain of operatives involved. “The accused will be produced in court,” he said. A case has been registered under Sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act, Section 25 of the Arms Act, and Section 61(2) of the BNS at the SSOC police station in Amritsar. Amritsar, October 17 The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), Punjab, in a joint operation with the Amritsar Rural Police, arrested gangster Jasvir Singh, alias Lalla, a key associate of foreign-based gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Jatt, and the Bambiha gang, following a brief encounter at Wadala Bhitewind village. Police teams recovered a foreign-made .30 caliber pistol along with eight live cartridges from the arrested gangster. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Friday said initial interrogation revealed that Lalla had been receiving directions from his foreign-based handlers to target rival gang members. He said the accused was wanted for the murder of The pistol recovered from the encounter site in Amritsar on Friday. Parminderdeep Singh, alias Prince, in July 2024 and in an attack on a police party in February 2025, in which an Assistant SubInspector (ASI) of Punjab Police was injured. Providing operational details, AIG, AGTF Sandeep , Goel said acting on specific intelligence, police teams led by DSP AGTF Bikramjit Brar and DSP (D), Amritsar Rural, Gurinder Pal Singh Nagra intercepted the accused at Wadala Bhitewind. On being cornered, the gangster opened fire in a bid to escape but was overpowered after a brief exchange of fire. Lalla was one of the key shooters of US-based gangster Happy Jatt and wanted in several cases of murder and attempt to murder. SSP , Amritsar Rural, Maninder Singh said the accused has a long criminal history with multiple cases of murder, attempt to murder and violations under the Arms Act registered against him. Further investigations are underway and more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days, he added. A case under Sections 109, 111, 221 and 132 of the BNS and Section 25(8) of the Arms Act has been registered at the Kamboh police station here. Student injured by No breakthrough in IED, RDX, air rifle pellet during hand grenades seizure case DiwalieventatGNDU Amritsar, October 17 A 25-year-old student of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) here sustained serious injury in the face after being accidentally hit by a pellet from an air rifle during a Diwali celebration event on the university campus on Thursday afternoon. The injured student, identified as Waris Singh Sandhu, was struck on the upper lip by a pellet while passing near a balloon-shooting stall set up in the parking area of the Mathematics Department, where the festivities were being held. The bullet tore through his upper lip causing heavy bleeding. With no arrangement for first aid available at the site, Devotees face parking problem around Golden Temple as festival rush peaks Waris was rushed to the university clinic by a friend in an auto-rickshaw. Doctors at the clinic removed the bullet. Waris said, “Balloons were being shot with air rifles, but the pellets were flying all around. I was just passing by when a pellet hit me. The stall was installed without any safety measures, which is a serious lapse.” He added that since the incident, he has been unable to eat or drink properly and is in pain. On Friday, Waris submitted a complaint in writing to the vice-chancellor’s office, demanding accountability and adequate safety measures during future campus events. — TNS Amritsar, October 17 Even after a lapse of two days, the Amritsar Rural Police are yet to make any breakthrough in the IED, RDX and hand grenades seizure case. These were recovered at Tedi village in Ajnala subdivision here. The explosives were believed to be smuggled from Pakistan via drones and later hidden in agricultural fields for further supply to unscrupulous elements. “We are holding technical investigations to identify the suspects who retrieved the explosives from near the International Border and concealed here,” said Amritsar (Rural) SSP Maninder Singh. The police have registered a case against unknown persons and launched further probe. The police recovered three The ammunition seized by the police from Tedi village in Ajnala. hand grenades, an improvised explosive device with RDX, a detonator, a remote control, mother board with timer, a battery and mechanism parts. They were wrapped in yellow adhesive tape in different packets. The police had termed it a major recovery ahead of the Diwali festival. The border districts of Punjab were already on high alert in view of the constant smuggling of sophisticated weapons and explosive materials from ISI-backed Pakistanbased anti-national entities. The incident came to light when a local farmer noticed dogs tearing at the bag. On approaching the spot, the farmer found hand grenades and other explosive materials and alerted the police. — TNS Garbage heaps along bypass roads expose municipal corporation’s apathetic attitude Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 17 With the festive season at its peak, chaotic parking of vehicles around the Golden Temple is causing undue inconvenience to thousands of devotees and visitors, many of whom remain stranded for hours in search of a parking spot. The limited parking space in the periphery of the shrine has led to long queues, traffic jams and frustration among pilgrims, who come from across the country to pay obeisance. The main Saragarhi parking, the only largest facility near the Golden Temple, is often full to capacity, especially on weekends and festive days. Visitors complain that they have to wait for hours to park their vehicles, while many are forced to leave them on the roadside, adding to traffic congestion in the already crowded heritage zone. What makes matters worse is that a significant number of local traders and residents also park their vehicles inside the Saragarhi parking, reducing space for outstation visitors. Adding to public’s woes, sev- Amritsar, October 17 Heaps of garbage have once again resurfaced along green belts and bypass roads of Amritsar, exposing the failure of both the municipal corporation and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to maintain basic cleanliness on the major roads of the city. Uncollected waste, foul smell and unhygienic conditions have turned many stretches into virtual dumping grounds, leaving commuters and residents fuming over official apathy. Large heaps of solid waste have appeared along the bypass road as garbage lifting has been irregular for weeks. The problem worsened after the private solid waste management firm, which was responsible for garbage collection, stopped operations in September. Though the municipal corporation has made temporary arrangements by hiring some former employees of the previous company, garbage lifting remains inconsistent and largely ineffective. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Charanjit Singh Teja Devotees and visitors are forced to park their vehicles on the roadside near Golden Temple in Amritsar. eral illegal parking lots have mushroomed around the area. These unauthorised operators charge exorbitant fees from helpless devotees who have no alternative. “We were charged Rs 200 for two hours at an illegal parking near Gheo Madi Gate. The attendants said the main parking was full and we had no choice,” said Sandeep, a visitor from Delhi. Rajinder Singh, another devotee from Ludhiana, said, “We come to the Golden Tem- ple every year, but this time the parking problem is unbearable. There is no proper direction or help from the authorities. Families with elderly people and children are struggling to reach the shrine due to the chaos.” Residents and shopkeepers in the area also complain that traffic congestion caused by roadside parking is affecting their businesses. “During the weekends, cars are parked along every inch of the road, blocking customers and deliveries. The administration must create a separate parking facility for local residents and traders,” said Harvinder Singh, a local trader near Heritage Street. Despite repeated appeals, no concrete steps have been taken by the administration or the civic bodies to expand parking facilities around the Golden Temple. Urban planners have long suggested developing a multi-level parking structure but the proposals remain on paper. c m y b Ahead of Diwali, a number of garbage heaps emerged at green belts along the bypass roads in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Residents allege that in the absence of strict supervision, private sanitation workers have begun dumping waste in green belts and on roadside areas to avoid long trips to the dumping site. The growing heaps of garbage not only emit unbearable stench, but have also become breeding-grounds for flies, mosquitoes and disease-causing pests. Stray dogs and cattle often gather around these garbage mounds, blocking roads and increasing the risk of accidents. Commuters say the situation is deteriorating with each passing day. “This problem has been persisting for months. Earlier, only a few marriage palaces dumped waste, but now it seems like everyone is doing it. The smell is unbearable and the sight is awful. Authorities must clear the heaps and stop further dumping,” said Narinder Singh, a local resident. Residents have also pointed out that despite repeated instructions by the municipal corporation, large commercial establishments and banquet halls continue to dump solid waste along the roadside. The civic body had earlier directed big waste generators to install their own waste processing units, but most of them failed to comply, resulting in unchecked dumping. Local environmental activists warn that the constant piling of waste along the bypass not only pollutes the environment but also undermines the city’s image.