18042026-JTR-01.qxd 17-04-2026 22:44 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune JOINT PANEL FORMED TO PROBE ILLEGAL MINING CLAIMS COLOURS, CONVERSATIONS MARK KALAKRITI 7.0 AT LPU A ROCKING START OF INDIAN NATIONAL CINE AWARDS Pungrain head writes to CM, seeks investigation into ‘negligence’ by officials in Ludhiana, Jalandhar. P2 The five-day painting camp witnessed the participation of 10 eminent artists from across India. P3 The first edition of Indian National Cinema Awards 2026 witnesses huge star presence. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 37°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.58 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:55 AM » SATURDAY | 18 APRIL 2026 | 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 STUDENT INJURED IN CAMPUS CLASH Phagwara: A Class XII student of Swami Sant Dass School, JP Nagar, was injured after he was reportedly attacked with sharpedged weapons during a clash after the school got over on Friday. The incident occurred outside gate no. 4 of the school compound. After the attack, the friends of the victim took him home so that his parents could get him treated for his head injury. The clash started following a minor argument. The parents of the victim have lodged a complaint with the police. The parents of the accused too maintain that their son too has suffered injuries in the clash. A video of the clash has surfaced wherein several students can be seen making videos of the incident on their phones as this happened. OC MAN HELD WITH STOLEN BIKES Phagwara: The Bilga police apprehended a suspected vehicle thief and recovered four stolen motorcycles near a highway point in the Bilga area. The operation was carried out by a police team following information that two individuals were involved in motorcycle theft and were attempting to sell the stolen vehicles. One of the accused Rakesh Kumar was arrested on the spot and found in possession of four stolen motorcycles. The second accused Arjun managed to evade arrest and is absconding. The case has been registered. OC MAN DUPED OF ~4.43 LAKH Phagwara: A resident of Mehijitpur village Dilroz Singh has reportedly fallen victim to an online fraud, losing Rs 4.43 lakh after being allegedly deceived through fraudulent phone calls. According to the complaint, the accused contacted the victim using different mobile numbers and convinced him to follow certain steps, resulting in unauthorised financial transactions. The victim later realised that he had been defrauded and approached the police for action. A case has been registered. OC ‘Statue of Swami Vivekananda unveiled in US’ Phagwara, April 16 Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna on Friday said a lifesize bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda was unveiled in Seattle, the US. Installed at the prominent Westlake Square, the statue is the first of its kind to be installed in the US, symbolising growing recognition of India’s spiritual and philosophical heritage on an international platform. Khanna stated that the statue, created by artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat, commemorates Swami Vivekananda’s historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. — OC Back to his rootsFootball star’s return transforms Rurka Kalan village Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Rurka Kalan, April 17 Amid many villages raising concerns over drugs or unemployment, a silent sporting movement is sweeping Rurka Kalan village at Adampur in Jalandhar, where youths are so busy that they have no time for drugs or even social media. At the heart of this movement is India’s football star Anwar Ali, who has returned to his native village after an illustrious two-decade-long professional career to nurture grassroots talent. With 35 international appearances for the Indian senior national football team, Ali has come back to his alma mater — the Youth Football Club (YFC), Rurka Kalan — to give back to the institution that shaped him. Founded in 2001 by Gurmangal Das Soni of Rurka Kalan, the YFC has produced countless sporting stars, including national and international names in football. Anwar Ali, who himself is a Anwar Ali, football coach, with players during a practice session at Rurka Kalan, in Jalandhar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO SARABJIT SINGH product of the YFC, was a part of the earliest batches of the sporting academy. It is under coach Ali, currently head coach at the YFC, that a team of 10 boys will represent India at the Street Child World Cup 2026 to be held in Mexico City alongside the FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. During his two-decade-long football career, Ali, born and brought up at Rurka Kalan and having studied at Government Senior Secondary School here, has rubbed shoulders with ace international football legends Roberto Carlos (Brazil), who also coached Ali, Alessandro Del Piero (Italy), Robbie Keane (Irish), Italian defenders Alessandro Nesta and Marco Materazzi, Nicolas Sébastien Anelka and Florent Malouda, (France) and PSPCL steps up efforts to curb outages as city braces for heat Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 17 As Jalandhar braces for scorching heat in the coming days, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has stepped up efforts to minimise power outages and strengthen electricity supply across the city, officials privy to the matter said. The exercise is expected to bring relief to residents in several key areas, including Nehru Garden, Basti areas, Civil Lines, Mai Hiran Gate, Industrial Area, Patel Chowk, Maqsudan and Jandu Singha, along with parts of the rural cantonment. With temperatures expected to rise sharply and drive up electricity demand, the power utility has rolled out an outage reduction plan aimed at improving distribution efficiency and easing the load on existing infrastructure. As part of this plan, bifurcation work is being carried out on PSPCL men working on electricity poles to replace fibres in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH 21 feeder lines of 11 KV at an estimated cost of Rs 7.5 crore. The project which began in July last year, is nearing completion and is likely to be wrapped up by May. According to officials, bifur- cation involves splitting a single electricity feeder into two or more lines so that the load is distributed evenly. This helps reduce pressure on individual feeders and prevent frequent tripping or breakdowns, particularly during peak demand hours. Alongside feeder bifurcation, the PSPCL is also focusing on strengthening transformer capacity in the city to meet the anticipated surge in demand. In total, 63 distribution transformers are being installed or upgraded across various parts of the city. Officials explained that this augmentation process involves either increasing the capacity of existing transformers or replacing these with higher capacity units, enabling these to handle greater electricity load without overheating or failing. Of these, 21 transformers are being set up in Jalandhar West, 20 in Jalandhar East, 13 in Model Town and nine in Jalandhar Cantonment. In terms of capacity, 13 transformers are of 315 kVA, 49 of 200 kVA and one of 100 kVA. Power department officials said these measures will help significantly reduce outages and improve supply stability during the peak summer months, when electricity consumption typically surges due to increased use of cooling appliances. Diego Forlan (Uruguay), who was the best scorer of the 2010 World Cup. Speaking at the YFC grounds during a training session, Ali said his decision to take up coaching stemmed from a desire to return to his roots. “I joined the YFC two years ago. Before this, I played professional football for 20 years. When I decided to move into coaching, my first thought was to start from where I began as a player,” he said. “We already had an academy that was producing players for under-14, under-17 and senior teams. I felt my experience could be best utilised here. Many players dream of moving directly to the Indian Super League or professional clubs, but children must be developed for positions and roles at an early stage. That’s our focus,” he added. Reflecting on the growth of the YFC, Ali said the academy already had a strong foundation. “The YFC has had an illustrious footballing history. The groundwork was firmly in place and with the efforts of the founders, the academy has continued to grow. I’ve trained and played across the country and seen infrastructure in various states, academies and professional clubs. The YFC stands among the best grassroots football academies in India,” he said. Students from across the state are happy with the diet here. On its comparison with other academies, Ali replies, “One can’t compare academies. But here stress is laid on proper nutrition. As a coach, I’m very happy to see my wards’ diet, regimen and training with world-class gyms, fields and infrastructure. As a coach, the management fully supports me. This is the best opportunity for kids and the same is being replicated for the team going to Mexico.” Ali says the YFC has sent 15 to 20 players to the national team for the under-14, U-17, U-19, categories. Players from the YFC have also represented India in seniors football. Power staff stage protest over dues, vacant posts Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 17 PSPCL employees and pensioners staged a protest at Shakti Sadan in Jalandhar on Friday as part of a statewide agitation over their pending demands, including release of dues and benefits and filling of vacant posts in the power department. They pointed out that a significant number of posts remain unfilled, increasing the workload on the existing staff and demanded that the department make the requisite appointments. The protest was organised on a joint call by unions, including the PSEB Employees Association, Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Substation Employees Union Powercom and Transco Pensioners Union (AITUC) and Pensioners Welfare Federation. Will hold demonstration outside CM’s residence in Sangrur in May Union leaders such as Kulwinder Singh Dhillon and Gurpreet Gandiwind said employees and pensioners have been raising several issues for a long time but the authority have failed to take any concrete action. Hence, to press for their demands, they will continue their workto-rule protest across state. Under this, employees are performing only assigned duties and avoiding additional responsibilities. They also announced the next phase of protests, including a state-level demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Sangrur in May. In addition, a two-day strike has been planned in the second week of June. Woman attempts Pargat targets state govt over ‘procurement lapse’ suicide in Phagwara, blames ex-sarpanch Tribune News Service Phagwara, April 17 A 39-year-old woman Manjit Kaur was hospitalised after allegedly consuming phenyl in an apparent suicide attempt near Phagwara. She was rushed to the local Civil Hospital by her family members after her condition deteriorated. According to doctors, she is currently stable and out of danger. The incident came to light on Friday after a video recorded by the woman while consuming the toxic substance surfaced on social media. In the video, Manjit Kaur, a resident of village Sunder Rajputa in Phagwara, accused a former sarpanch of being responsible for her extreme step. She alleged that around seven or eight years ago, the former sarpanch took her to Mohali on the pretext of marriage and lived with her in a live-in relationship for several years before abandoning her. She claimed the relationship had left her socially ostracised, with neither her parental, nor matrimonial family supporting her and that she continues to face taunts from society. In the video, she stated that she was ending her life and held the former sarpanch responsible for her condition. She also made allegations regarding his past conduct, claiming he had similarly been involved with another woman earlier. Additionally, she alleged that his wife was aware of his actions. — OC Jalandhar, April 17 Former Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh on Friday visited grain markets, including of village Jandiala in the Jalandhar Cantt constituency. He raised serious questions about the government’s approach towards procuring wheat lying in the mandis. He alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is concerned about ED raids on his ministers and leaders, but has no concern for farmers and their crops. He said Mann has not spoken a single word in favour of farmers. He expressed concern that heaps of wheat have accumulated in the mandis. “There is a severe shortage of gunny bags. Neither procurement is taking place, nor is lifting being carried out. The weather is also unfavorable. There are no proper arrangements, not even tarpaulins, to pro- c m y b MLA Pargat Singh on Friday visits a grain market in the Jalandhar Cantt constituency. tect the crop. If it rains, who will be responsible? The government will then claim that the grain is unfit for consumption and the FCI will refuse to lift it, leading to heavy losses for farmers. However, if lifting is done simultaneously, such a situation can be avoided,” he said. He alleged that the farmers are distressed due to the government’s attitude and poor management regarding wheat procurement. They have been sitting in mandis for 5-6 days, but their crops are not being purchased. After six months of hard work, they have prepared their crop. Due to adverse weather, there is also a risk of the grains turning black. Pargat said, “Unseasonal rain and hailstorms have already caused significant damage to crops. The government has not provided any compensation to farmers so far. The government should stop worrying about its leaders and focus on farmers. It must immediately ensure the lifting of crops. Farmers are being forced to block railway tracks in protest against the lack of procurement of their crops. But the government and procurement agencies appear unaffected.” Pargat said even during previous Congress governments, farmers never had to wait for procurement of their crops, not even during Covid. He added that the BJP has been troubling farmers for a long time, and now the Aam Aadmi Party is doing the same. Both parties are antifarmer, he said.