03022026-ATR-01.qxd 2/2/2026 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 20°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 7°C TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS CAUSE DAILY JAMS OUTSIDE VALLAH MANDI INTENSIVE REVISION UNDERWAY IN SCHOOLS AHEAD OF EXAMS GRAMMY AWARDS CELEBRATE ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE The road outside the Vallah sabzi mandi has emerged as a major traffic choke point during peak hours. P2 Teachers are conducting regular revision sessions, holding extra classes and closely monitoring students’ progress.P3 Kendrick Lamar, SZA win Record of The Year for their song Luther defeating Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars . P4 » » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.06 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7.21 AM TUESDAY | 3 FEBRUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR 43-KG DRUG SEIZURE CASE Dubai-based Karan Chheharta nominated as prime accused Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 2 The Amritsar Rural Police have arrested two more accused in connection with the case involving the recovery of nearly 43 kg of heroin, four hand grenades, a Glock pistol and a large quantity of ammunition here on Monday. Investigations have revealed that the consignment was sent at the behest of a youth, identified as Karan Chheharta, who is currently based in Dubai. Police officials said Karan has links with drug traffickers operating from Pakistan and had earlier facilitated the disposal of consignments of heroin and RDX. Following the arrest of Sonu, an auto-rickshaw driver, and Mohit, a courier, the Rajasansi police have now also named Karan Chheharta as an accused in the case. Neeraj Kumar, DSP (Rajasansi), and Harsimran Kaur, SHO, Rajasansi police station, said that during a crackdown conducted on Monday, Anil Poddar and Ritik, both residents of Bhalla Colony in Chheharta, were arrested in the case. Police teams are also searching for Ritik’s brother, who is suspected to be a key link in the network. Preliminary investigations revealed that Anil, Ritik and Mohit are involved in the construction business and mostly work with private contractors. Sources said Ritik’s brother had earlier, in connivance with autorickshaw driver Sonu, helped dispose of consignments of heroin and explosive material, including hand grenades. The police said more arrests are likely in the coming days as the investigation progresses. The process to issue a lookout circular (LOC) against Karan Chheharta, who is believed to be operating from abroad, has been initiated. Meanwhile, the Rajasansi police detained three more suspects on Thursday in concontinued on page 2 SAD leaders jubilant after SC grants bail to Majithia Tarn Taran, February 2 Several district-level leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have expressed happiness over the Supreme Court granting bail to party leader Bikram Singh Majithia, demanding that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann resign from his post immediately. Party leaders and former MLAs Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, Virsa Singh Valtoha and Iqbal Singh Sandhu, along with former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Alvinderpal Singh Pakhoke, and SGPC members Gurbachan Singh Karmunwala, Gursewak Singh Sekh and Bibi Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa termed the grant of bail to Bikram Singh Majithia a moral defeat for the Punjab Government. They alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann attempted to implicate Majithia on the basis of blatant falsehoods. According to them, the bail granted by the Supreme Court is a clear signal for the government to refrain from further entangling itself in what they described as false cases against its political opponents in Punjab. — OC Vallah flyover delay sparks protest, residents seek pillar-based design Manmeet Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 2 Holding a protest along with local residents, senior Congress leader and former Improvement Trust Chairman Dinesh Bassi issued an ultimatum demanding that work on the stalled Vallah flyover be restarted within a month. He warned that if construction does not resume within the stipulated time, a major protest and road blockade would be launched with public support. Addressing the gathering, Bassi said the flyover project, initiated nearly five years ago, has turned into a major problem for the entire area. He stated that work began around 2022, but the contractor abandoned the project in October 2025, bringing all construction activity to a complete halt. “Since then, no fresh tender has been floated, no design has been finalised and the public has received no relief,” Bassi alleged. He further claimed that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) now plans to Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service A view of the under-constuction building behind Akal Takht in Amritsar on Monday. VISHAL KUMAR SGPC CLARIFIES ■ SGPC assistant secretary Harbhajan Singh said that no construction work is being carried out beyond the height at which the building work was earlier stopped. He clarified that the work currently underway is confined only to the lower floors. A senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal had reported- ly directed SGPC officials to raze the elevated portions of the under-construction building that were visible from the ‘parikrama’. However, after remaining suspended for nearly 10 to 11 months, the construction work has now been resumed. continued on page 2 construct a solid wall-type bridge instead of the originally proposed pillar-based structure. According to him, such a design would block all roads passing underneath the flyover and severely affect the livelihoods of hundreds of shopkeepers operat- ing in the area. Local residents demanded that a pillar-based bridge be constructed so that roads remain functional and businesses can survive. They said nearly 7,000 to 8,000 families are suffering daily due to the incomplete flyover. People are Undertrial makes failed bid to escape police custody Public support key to end drug menace in state: Sonia Mann Our Correspondent SGPC resumes construction of building near Golden Temple complex, AVM objects Amritsar, February 2 The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has recently resumed construction of a multi-storey building adjacent to the Golden Temple complex and Sri Akal Takht Sahib. The work had been stopped in February last year after several organisations raised objections to the project. Following the resumption of construction, office-bearers of the Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) have expressed serious concerns, claiming that the high-rise structure poses a significant threat to the sacred character and heritage value of the Golden Temple complex and may overshadow Sri Akal Takht Sahib. They further alleged that the construction violates existing laws. In February last year, after AVM highlighted the “religiously and aesthetically objectionable construction” to senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC, the work was halted. Senior Congress leader Dinesh Bassi (in white pyjama kurta), along with residents, after submitting an ultimatum, demanding work on the stalled Vallah flyover be restarted within a month in Amritsar. ambulances stuck for hours. The Vallah vegetable market, one of the major markets in North India, is also facing heavy losses due to dust, congestion and increased transportation costs. Bassi also demanded that details of the action taken against the contractor who abandoned the project — including blacklisting and penalties — be made public. With the month-long fair at Gurdwara Kotha Sahib underway and thousands of devotees visiting daily, residents alleged that only temporary and cosmetic cleaning was carried out after complaints, while the service lanes remain in a deplorable condition. Bassi claimed that one person had died and another lost a leg due to the unsafe condition of the bridge site. He demanded that police cases be registered against the responsible officials and the contractor. Local councillors and residents also criticised the government for ignoring repeated complaints related to the project. Amritsar, February 2 While urging the people to cooperate with the Punjab Government in eliminating the drug abuse from the state, AAP leader Sonia Mann, who is incharge of the Nasha Mukti Morcha, Majha zone, said that all information of the informer would be kept a secret. Addressing a gathering at Adliwala village, Sonia Mann said under the campaign Yudh Nashiyan Virudh 2.0, awareness drives are being held across Punjab to sensitise people about the dangers of drugs. She urged the residents that if they have any information regarding drug smugglers, it can be shared through the drug de-addiction Morcha mobile app while assuring that the identity of informers will be kept completely confidential. Mann said the Chief Minister has issued a clear warning to drug traffickers to stop their illegal activities or leave Punjab. “No drug smuggler will be spared and properties acquired through illegal Tarn Taran, February 2 An undertrial made a bid to escape from police custody on Sunday while being brought to the Central Jail, Goindwal Sahib, after being produced in court here. Police informed here today that the undertrial, Jagjit Singh, a resident of Bugha, was produced in court here on Sunday and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. ASI Sukhdev Singh, who produced the undertrial in the court, said the police had handcuffed him and was ready to send him to the Central Jail at Goindwal Sahib. The accused tried to escape by entering into a scuffle with the police team as soon as he came out of the district courts. The police arrested the accused a short distance away. A case has been registered against the accused under sections 262, 221 and 132 of BNS. forced to pass through muddy and broken roads even to reach the cremation ground, with conditions worsening during the rainy season. The Vallah bypass, an important route for medical emergencies, often witnesses massive traffic jams, leaving Tribune News Service AAP leader Sonia Mann distributes cheques to village panchayats during a programme in Amritsar on Monday. means will be demolished,” she said, urging people to support the government in safeguarding future generations. On the occasion, Sonia Mann distributed cheques for Rs 5 lakh each to panchayats in Harsha Chhina block that were elected unanimously. She said the government is honouring the Chief Minister’s commitment to incentivise consensus-elected panchayats. The funds may be utilised by panchayats for development works as per local needs. Around 20 panchayats received a total of Rs 1 crore. Beneficiaries included Kotli Sakka, Lalla Afghanana, Dharamkot, Jagdev Kalan, Ranewali, Kot Sidhu, Banga Khurd, Banga Kalan, Chainpur, Raipur Khurd and Kotli Korotana, among others. Zila Parishad members, sarpanches, block officials and representatives of the Drug De-addiction Morcha were also present at the event. Scare in Meritorious school as Attari farmer leads by example with carbon credit farming 7 girls taken ill in Gurdaspur Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, February 2 Seven girls of Government Meritorious School were taken ill on late Sunday night sending a scare among staff and other students. SDM Anupreet Kaur and District Education Officer (DEO) Paramjit Kaur rushed to the school early this morning to ascertain the exact cause of illness. The SDM ruled out food poisoning. “Scores of students had their dinner from the same mess in the school premises. Had it been a case of food adulteration, other students too would have been taken ill. The school children are given folic acid (iron) tablets every week ostensibly to take care of iron deficiency and anaemia. Last night too these tablets were taken by the students. However, this medicine was given around 11 pm while the students started getting sick around 8.30 pm. Hence, this angle is also ruled out,” said SDM Anupreet Kaur. All the seven girls were taken to the Civil Hospital last night from where they were discharged after med- ical aid. “Four of the girls will again be undertaking a medical check-up. I have asked the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) to treat the girls on a priority basis,” said Anupreet Kaur. Doctors at the Civil Hospital, too, ruled out food poisoning. “One of the girls had breathing problems while two had blood pressure symptoms. The remaining girls turned hysterical on seeing the condition of the colleagues,” he said. The SDM said everything was normal now and there was no cause to worry. Amritsar, February 2 Attari block’s Nesta village is witnessing a notable example of climate-friendly farming, where progressive farmer Satinder Singh is adopting sustainable agricultural practices to reduce harmful emissions. Cultivating six acres of land, Satinder Singh has shifted to direct seeding of paddy and completely avoided burning crop residue — steps that significantly cut the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Satinder Singh explained that adopting direct seeding of rice instead of the tradi- c m y b Satinder Singh from Attari block in Amritsar. tional puddling and transplanting method helps reduce methane emissions from waterlogged fields. After harvesting paddy, he manages crop residue within the field using various techniques rather than setting it on fire. For wheat cultivation, he uses machines such as the Super Seeder, which allows sowing without burning paddy straw. He describes this environment-friendly approach as carbon credit farming, as it helps prevent the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere. Satinder Singh also pointed out that excessive use of nitrogen-based fertilisers leads to the emission of nitrous oxide, another potent greenhouse gas. Keeping this in mind, he avoids unnecessary chemical fertilisers and applies nutrients strictly according to crop requirements. In addition to residue management, Satinder Singh is actively working on crop diversification. To break the traditional wheat-paddy cycle, he has started cultivating maize and other alternative crops. He said diversification not only improves soil health but also reduces pressure on groundwater resources and minimises environmental damage. To formally measure and benefit from these sustainable practices, Satinder Singh is associated with a firm, Grow Indigo, for carbon credit initiatives. His efforts are being viewed as a model for farmers in border areas, demonstrating that agriculture can remain productive while also being environmentally responsible.