18012026-ATR-01.qxd 1/17/2026 11:40 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 13°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 12°C | MIN 4°C FOUNDATION STONE OF ADR CENTRE LAID IN TARN TARAN TARN TARAN ADMN, HEALTH DEPT SHUTTER ILLEGAL REHAB JASHAN SINGH GEARS UP FOR HIS NEXT RELEASE NAINA MILE The foundation stone of an ADR centre, to be built at the Tarn Taran District Court, was laid on Saturday. P2 District administration officials conducted a raid on an illegal drug de-addiction centre in a Tarn Taran village. P3 Jashan is now gearing up for his upcoming release, Naina Mile featuring Malti Chahar, known from Bigg Boss. P4 » » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.51 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7.29 AM SUNDAY | 18 JANUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR 3 AK-47 rifles, ammo seized in Pathankot Two killed, 3 injured in two road accidents Pathankot, January 17 Acting on intelligence inputs, the Pathankot police on Saturday recovered three AK-47 rifles along with five magazines, two pistols with two magazines, and 98 live cartridges of different calibres from a car. Considering the sensitivity of the matter, DIG (Border) Sandeep Goel rushed from Amritsar to Pathankot to address a press conference. He said that acting on specific inputs, a police team led by DSP (City) Jagdeesh Raj and SHO Harinder Singh signalled a car to stop near Bhoma Mothan village. The car was being driven by Harinder Singh. During questioning, the driver failed to give any satisfactory explanation regarding the weapons, following which he was arrested on the spot. A case has been registered against the accused at the Division No. 4 police station. A senior police officer said that investigations are underway to ascertain the source and intended destination of the recovered weapons. — TNS Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 17 Two persons were killed on the spot and three others were injured in two separate road accidents that occurred at different locations in the district on Friday evening. According to information, one person was killed and two others were injured in a road accident near Dugri village on the Sheron-Jamarai road. The deceased was identified as Varinder Singh (32), a resident of Bhai Ladhu. He was returning after dropping his brother-in-law, who had arrived from Dubai, after picking him up from the Amritsar airport. The group was travelling towards Tur village. Varinder Singh was driving the car, while his brother-in-law Amritpal Singh and his elder brother were seated inside. The car reportedly lost control and rammed into a roadside tree near Dugri village. Varinder Singh was rushed to a private hospital in a critical condition, where doctors declared him dead. Amritpal Singh and Varinder’s brother sustained injuries and were discharged after receiving first aid. In this connection, the Sarhali police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). In another incident, a speeding car hit a motorcycle on the Tarn Taran-Attari road near the bridge at Dode village, killing the motorcyclist on the spot. The deceased was identified as Manpreet Singh (42), a resident of Cheema Kalan. His wife, Rajbir Kaur, who was riding pillion, sustained injuries. The couple was returning to their village from Amritsar when the accident occurred. The driver of the car fled the spot along with the vehicle. The Chabal police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Rajbir Kaur was admitted to a hospital, where her condition is stated to be satisfactory. Posthumous centenary award for mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 Recognising the inspiring efforts and contributions of the late Jaswant Singh Gill, popularly known as Capsule Gill, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad has announced that it will confer upon him the Special Centenary Award 2026 (posthumous). Making the announcement, IIT Dhanbad stated that the institute has a long-standing tradition of honouring distinguished alumni and eminent personalities from industry, academia, and research for their exemplary contributions during its prestigious alumni reunion, BASANT. The upcoming edition of BASANT holds special significance as it coincides with the Centenary Year of the institute. The Centenary BASANT celebrations are scheduled to be held Late Jaswant Singh Gill from February 6 to 8 at the IIT (ISM) Dhanbad campus. To mark this historic milestone, the institute has introduced a special award category titled the “Special Centenary Award”, applicable only for the Centenary Year 2026. Jaswant Singh Gill’s son, Dr SS Gill, said that his father was selected for the honour in recognition of his exceptional, sustained and impactful contributions to the institute and the nation, which merit special recognition during this landmark year. Jaswant Singh Gill etched his name in history following his daring rescue operation of 65 trapped coal miners at Raniganj in 1989 by designing a specialised rescue ‘capsule’. For his bravery and innovation, he received several honours, including the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak from the President of India in 1991. Gill was an alumnus of IIT-ISM Dhanbad, where he studied Mining Engineering. The institute also announced the establishment of the “Jaswant Singh Gill Memorial Industrial Safety Excellence Award” to recognise individuals or teams for developing innovative technologies or processes that enhance workplace safety. CASO held at 11 drug hotspots in city Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 As part of a state-wide crackdown on drug peddling and smuggling, the Amritsar city police on Friday conducted a massive cordon and search operation (CASO) at 11 identified hotspots, including the historic yet drug-infested Guru Ki Wadali area under the Chheharta police station limits. Guru Ki Wadali has long been notorious for rampant drug abuse and peddling. The operation in the area was personally led by Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who supervised the searches and interacted with local residents. Sharing details of the police action, Bhullar said that during the past year alone, as many as 39 drug peddlers had been arrested from Guru Ki Wadali in connection with 17 FIRs registered under various provisions of the NDPS Act. “During this period, the police seized more than 9.5 kg of heroin along with Rs 69,000 in drug money from Man found dead in sealed house identified Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 The police have identified the man who was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside a sealed residential property in the posh Ranjit Avenue locality here on Friday. Robin Hans, SHO of the Ranjit Avenue police station, said the deceased was identified as Rajan Kumar (50), a resident of Professor Colony. As per the preliminary investigation, the victim apparently died a natural death, though the exact cause will be ascertained after the postmortem examination. “We are waiting for the consent of the deceased’s family members. Once it is received, further appropriate action will be initiated as per the continued on page 3 Anti-drug drive: 7,400 addicts get help Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 Reflecting a growing shift towards treatment-based intervention in drug-related cases, the Amritsar city police have facilitated the admission of 4,235 drug addicts to rehabilitation centres, and enrolled another 3,177 individuals in Opioid Assisted Treatment (OATT) centres during its anti-drug campaign launched under state government’s Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign in March last year. These figures underline the holistic approach of the government and the Punjab Police towards rehabilitation and medical care of the drug abuse victims, instead of punitive action. The initiative is being carried out in line with the spirit of Section 64A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. “Section 64A provides immunity from prosecution A view of Swami Vivekanand De-addiction Centre in Amritsar. to addicts who voluntarily seek de-addiction treatment for personal consumption of drugs. The provision aims to encourage substance users to come forward for medical help without fear of arrest, while clearly excluding drug traffickers and those involved in commercial quantities from its ambit,” said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, while speak- ing to The Tribune. Our endeavour is not only to curb drug peddling by way of cutting the supply line, but also work on its demand aspect by weaning addicts away from the scourge, he added. Bhullar said the rising number of admissions to rehabilitation and OATT centres demonstrated growing awareness and acceptance of the approach. Rehabilitation centres focus on detoxification, counselling and behavioural therapy, while OATT centres provide longterm medical support through supervised medication and psychological counselling, particularly for opioid dependence. He said, during the monthslong anti-drug campaign, cops identified drug users, and exhorted them to seek treatment instead of initiating criminal proceedings. “Sending addicts to jail does not solve the problem. Rehabilitation helps them recover and prevents relapse into crime,” he said. Human rights activist and lawyer Sarabjit Singh said the clause recognised addiction as a health and social issue, rather than solely a criminal act. He urged for wider public awareness of Section 64A, so that addicts and their families were informed about the legal protection available for voluntary treatment. c m y b Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar interacts with people during CASO at Guru Ki Wadali in Chheharta area on Saturday. the accused,” the Police Commissioner said. Besides Guru Ki Wadali, similar search operations were carried out simultaneously at 10 other locations across the city, all identified as vulnerable pockets with a high incidence of drug abuse and trafficking. The operations aimed at identifying suspects, verifying records and sending a strong deter- rent message to smugglers and their associates. Bhullar highlighted the importance of public participation in the anti-drug drive. He said the police had received several valuable inputs through the ‘SAFE’ mobile application launched by the Punjab Government, which allows citizens to share information anonymously. “The identity of informers is kept completely confidential, and such cooperation has significantly helped the police in nabbing smugglers,” he added. The Police Commissioner said that during the past year, the Amritsar police had confiscated a total of 282 kg of heroin, 37 kg of opium, over 8 kg of ICE (methamphetamine), 9 kg of ganja, besides a huge quantity of synthetic drugs sourced from other states. He maintained that the intensified fight against drug abuse launched by the Punjab Government in March 2025 had started yielding positive results, with residents of several hotspot areas reporting a noticeable decline in drug peddling and consumption. During his visit to Guru Ki Wadali, Bhullar also interacted with local residents and children, urging them to support the police in eliminating the menace. “The police alone cannot eradicate this scourge. Public cooperation is essential to make society drug-free,” he asserted. Apart from Guru Ki Wadali, CASO operations were conducted in Anngarh, Khalsa Nagar, Pandora village, Faizpura, Bal Sachander village, old vegetable market, Chamrang Road, Maqboolpura, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar flats and Rasulpur Kalar village. During the operation, seven FIRs were registered under the NDPS Act and nine persons were arrested in drugrelated cases. HC judges hear lawyers’ issues during city visit Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 A three-member delegation of judges from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday held an inter-active meeting with members and office-bearers of the Amritsar Bar Association (ABA) to understand the issues confronting the legal fraternity, with particular focus on the challenges faced by young lawyers. The delegation, comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar, Justice Rohit Kapoor and Justice Kuldeep Tiwari, was in the city to review the functioning of the district courts. During the interaction, ABA president Gurpreet Singh Panesar highlighted the acute shortage of chambers for newly enrolled advocates. He said the lack of adequate workspace was severely hampering their professional growth and day-to-day functioning. Taking serious note of the concern, the judges, accompanied by ABA office-bearers, 4-kg tumour removed from woman’s stomach Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 17 Doctors at the Civil Hospital, Tarn Taran, successfully performed surgery to remove a 4-kg tumour from a woman’s stomach. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Senior Medical Officer Dr Neeraj Lata and is the largest tumour removal surgery performed at the hospital so far. The surgery was conducted by a team of expert doctors, including surgeon Dr Gurpreet Singh, anaesthesiologist Dr Rajpinder Kaur, Dr Kirti and Dr Harman Kaur. The medical team was supported by staff nurse Rajwinder Kaur, Prabhjot Kaur, OT technician Nirmal Kaur and staff member Lovepreet Singh. Members of the Amritsar Bar Association with three administrative judges from the Punjab and Haryana High Court during a meeting in Amritsar on Saturday. visited several locations in and around the District Courts Complex to explore viable options for the construction of new chambers. The delegation assured the Bar Association that concrete steps would be taken to address the issue at the earliest. Justice Ashwani Kumar and Justice Rohit Kapoor were in Amritsar as part of their inspection of the district courts, while Justice Kuldeep Tiwari arrived in the holy city after completing a similar exercise in Tarn Taran. Earlier, the visiting judges were accorded a warm welcome by ABA president Gur- preet Singh Panesar, vicepresident Rajdeep Singh Ghumman, secretary Vicky Mehra, joint secretary Saurabh Sharma, treasurer Rakesh Sharma, executive members Amit Arora and Harpreet Grover, along with other members of the Bar association. Civic body to take over sanitation in AIT-developed localities Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 17 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) will now take over sanitation work in localities developed by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT). Earlier, the Improvement Trust had been getting cleanliness work carried out in its colonies developed under various schemes through private contractors. The decision was taken during a recently held meeting in Chandigarh. Following this, the municipal corporation will be responsible for sanitation in around 10 Improvement Trust localities, including Ranjit Avenue, Jahazgarh, New Amritsar, Kabir Park and other areas. Amritsar Improvement Trust Chairman Karamjit Singh Rintu has written to the MC Commissioner in this regard. In his letter, he stated that the Trust had been managing sanitation in its schemes through a contractual system. However, after the expiry of the sanitation tender, these areas have now been formally handed over to the municipal corporation. He has also requested that sanitation workers engaged under the contractual system be adjusted by the MC to ensure uninterrupted cleanliness services. It is worth mentioning that the sanitation contract issued by the Improvement Trust expired on December 5. After the end of the contract period, several Trust localities witnessed the accumulation of garbage. Even parking areas in posh localities such as Ranjit Avenue C Block Market were found littered with heaps of waste, causing inconvenience to residents. The Amritsar Improvement Trust was spending nearly Rs 25 lakh every month on sanitation. The last contract, awarded in 2024, ended on December 5. Due to the delay in making a new arrangement, residents faced serious problems as garbage remained unattended at many locations. Residents had also complained that sanitation staff dumped waste at random locations, leading to the creation of new garbage dumping points across the city. With the new arrangement, this issue is expected to be resolved. Chairman Karamjit Singh Rintu said that the responsibility of garbage collection will now rest with a single agency, which will eliminate confusion and blame-shifting between departments. He added that the Improvement Trust has jurisdiction over only about two per cent of the city area.