12052026-JTR-01.qxd 5/11/2026 11:39 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 152 VEHICLES BLACKLISTED OVER PENDING DUES STUDENTS TO PRESENT BUSINESS IDEAS AT STATE EXPO PRIYANKA CHOPRA SHINES IN CHIKANKARI GOWN Nawanshahr has blacklisted 152 vehicles whose owners failed to deposit the compounding fee. P2 The initiative aims to provide early exposure to entrepreneurship, innovation and financial literacy at the school-level.P3 Priyanka Chopra wore an off-white Chikankari gown to receive Global Vanguard Honour in Los Angeles. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.14 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:33 AM » TUESDAY | 12 MAY 2026 | JALANDHAR Son of e-rickshaw driver PSEB Special coaching by Edu Dept helps students shine Class X topper in dist, 3rd in state Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Scores 98.92%, he dreams of becoming a cardiologist at AIIMS-Delhi Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 11 Defying financial hardships through determination and discipline, Mahesh Kumar Thakur, son of an e-rickshaw driver, has emerged as the district topper in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class X examinations, the results of which were declared on Monday. A student of Government Girls Secondary School on Ladowali Road, Mahesh secured 643 marks out of 650, scoring 98.92 per cent. He also secured the third position on the state merit list. Coming from a modest background, Mahesh said his family’s financial limitations became a source of motivation rather than discouragement. His father drives an erickshaw to support the family, while his mother is a homemaker. Mahesh now hopes to study medicine and become a cardiologist at All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. He said the increasing number of deaths caused by heart attacks inspired him to choose the field of cardiology. “Cases of heart attacks have increased a lot in recent years. Seeing this made me think seriously about becoming a cardiologist so that I can help people,” he said. Sharing his study routine, Mahesh said he depended largely on self study and consistency instead of coaching or expensive resources. After returning from school every day, he would dedicate nearly two or three hours to focused study. “When resources are limited, education becomes the strongest support for the future,” he said. The PSEB Class X results also saw other students from Jalandhar securing top positions in the state merit list. Pavani Kashyap, a student of School of Eminence, Adampur, secured the second position in the district and fourth in the state by scoring 642 out of 650 marks. Similarly, Prabhnoor Municipal staff continue strike in Kapurthala Two arrested for armed robbery near Goraya dhaba Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Kapurthala, May 11 Members of the Municipal Mulazim Action Committee, Punjab, continued their strike on Monday, protesting against the government for allegedly ignoring their longpending demands. Municipal employees in Kapurthala also joined the statewide agitation and staged demonstrations, demanding regularisation of services, implementation of pension benefits and improvement in working conditions. The protesting employees, including sanitation workers, sewer men, gardeners, beldars, sewadars, electricians, pump operators and others raised slogans against the government and urged the authorities to address their concerns. Waste lifting has also been stopped which has led to accumulation of waste and garbage in various parts of the district. The protesting employees warned that if the government fails to address their demands soon, the agitation could be intensified in the coming days. Phagwara, May 11 The Goraya police arrested two persons involved in an armed robbery that took place on the GT Road near a dhaba early this morning. The police have also recovered the stolen mobile phones, the motorcycle used in the crime and a sharp-edged weapon used to threaten the victims during the robbery. Phillaur DSP Bharat Masih stated that the case was registered following a complaint lodged by Shakti Narayan, resident of Rooppura village in Rajasthan. The complainant 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. District topper Mahesh Thakur (in blue shirt ) celebrates with his father, brother and sister at an e-rickshaw in Jalandhar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Pavani Kashyap, a student of School of Eminence, Adampur, who secured the second position in Jalandhar. stated that he was travelling from Jammu in his vehicle. The incident reportedly occurred around 1:30 am near International Dhaba along the GT Road near Goraya. As per the complainant’s statement, he had stopped his vehicle by the roadside for a brief halt. Two youths arrived on a motorcycle and allegedly threatened him with a datar, a sharp-edged weapon commonly used in rural areas. The accused forcibly snatched his mobile phones before fleeing from the scene. Acting swiftly on the complaint, the police launched an investigation and initiated efforts to identify the accused. During the course of the investigation, police teams succeeded in arresting two suspects identified as Manpreet, resident of Jamalpur near Phagwara, and Vishal, resident of Virk near Goraya. DSP Masih stated that during interrogation and subsequent recovery proceedings, the accused were found in possession of the stolen items and the vehicle allegedly used in the commission of the crime. Officials said the prompt arrest of the accused helped in solving the case quickly and prevented the possibility of further such incidents in the area. Bhelle from Government Girls High School, Talwan, secured the third position in the district and sixth in the state with 639 marks out of 650. Prabhnoor said she plans to pursue the medical stream. Overall, Jalandhar district recorded a strong performance in the board examinations this year, with 17 students featuring on the state merit list. Across Punjab, the PSEB Class X examinations witnessed high pass percentage. Of 2,69,505 students who appeared for the examination, 2,54,744 passed, taking the overall pass percentage to 94.52 per cent. Girls continued to outperform boys in the board examinations this year as well. The pass percentage among girls stood at 95.96 per cent, while boys recorded a pass percentage of 93.23 per cent. Kiranjot, a student of Baba Bhagat Singh Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bilga, got 18th position on state merit list Jalandhar, May 11 In a major boost to academic performance in the PSEB Class X examinations, a special coaching initiative launched by the district Education Department (secondary) helped Jalandhar produce five students in the state merit list this year. Among them is the district topper Mahesh Thakur, a student of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, who secured 643 marks out of 650 and scored 98.92 per cent, bagging the third position on the state merit list. Other students from Jalandhar who made it to the state merit list through these coaching classes include Navjot Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School, Khanpur Dhadda, who secured 633 marks out of 650 with 97.38 per cent and obtained the 12th position in the state. Tamanna, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Naugajja, scored 632 marks out of 650 with 97.23 per cent and secured the 13th position. Suhail Singh of School of Eminence, Adampur, scored 629 marks out of 650, securing 96.77 per cent and the 16th position on the state merit list while Kiranjot Kaur of Baba Bhagat Singh Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bilga, secured 627 marks out of 650 with 96.46 per cent and stood 18th in the state. Officials said the achievement was backed by a structured academic support pro- Navjot Kaur, student of Govt Senior Secondary School, Khanpur Dhadda, bagged 12th position in the state. gramme run by the Education Department. Under the initiative, online coaching classes were conducted for 23 weeks from June to February with a focused approach towards board preparation, subject wise revision and regular assessments. Navjot Kaur, a teacher associated with the initiative said,” The classes began in the first week of June and continued till February. Nearly 80 to 90 students from government senior secondary schools in Jalandhar, who had scored above 90 per cent in their Class 9, were initially selected for the programme.” “Based on their performances, the number gradually came down to 36 students by February. The idea was to provide focused preparation to serious candidates,” she added. Teachers selected for the programme conducted online coaching in mathematics, science, English, social science and Hindi or Punjabi with regular practice sessions, sample papers and Tamanna, a student of Govt Senior Secondary School, Naugajja, at 13th position in the state. Suhail, a student of School of Eminence, Adampur, secured 16th position on the PSEB Class X state merit list. pre-board examinations. Navjot Kaur, student from Government Senior Secondary School, Khanpur Dhadda, said the classes helped her preparation, particularly in Maths and language subjects. Gurinderjeet Kaur, District Education Officer (Secondary), said teachers remained actively involved throughout the programme and even conducted sessions on Sundays to support students ahead of the board examinations, leading to exceptional results. ASI suspended after pulling revolver during argument with bus conductor Our Correspondent Kapurthala, May 11 A dramatic incident in a private bus near Dadwindi village in Sultanpur Lodhi created panic among passengers after a Punjab Police ASI Balbir Singh allegedly pulled out his revolver during a heated argument with the bus conductor over a seat. The matter gained widespread attention after videos of the incident surfaced on social media, following which the police department took immediate action and suspended the officer. SSP Gaurav Toora Videos go viral, SSP seeks further action from PAP authorities told The Tribune this afternoon that he had written to the Commandment 75th Bn, PAP for further action. , The incident took place when a dispute erupted between the conductor of the bus and PAP-deployed ASI Balbir Singh regarding seating arrangements inside the bus. Eyewitnesses said the argument quickly escalated and the ASI took out his ASI Balbir Singh revolver in anger, triggering fear and chaos among passengers travelling in the vehicle. Passengers present on the bus recorded videos of the incident on their mobile phones and the footage soon went viral on social media platforms. The viral videos sparked sharp public reactions, with many people questioning the conduct and behaviour of the police official.The accused ASI is PSO with a politician of Sultanpur Lodhi. Following the incident, the bus conductor submitted a written complaint to the police authorities. Storm batters PSPCL infra worth ~92 lakh, triggers prolonged outages Max damage reported from Hoshiarpur, where losses pegged at ~74 lakh Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 11 Strong winds accompanied by overnight weather disturbance on Sunday caused widespread damage to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) infrastructure across Jalandhar and adjoining districts, disrupting electricity supply for several hours and leaving the power utility with losses estimated at over Rs 92 lakh. According to official PSPCL data, the maximum damage was reported from Hoshiarpur district, where losses alone were pegged at nearly Rs 74.16 lakh. The extent of damage also led to prolonged power outages in several areas, with electricity supply in parts of Hoshiarpur remaining affected for nearly 10 hours. In Jalandhar district, power supply remained disrupted for around one hours. However, several rural pockets continued to face interruptions as repair work continued through the night and early morning hours. Among the affected areas in Jalandhar were Jagral village, Patara, Raowali and Raipur-Rasoolpur where strong winds damaged electricity infrastructure and disrupted supply from 12:40 am to 2:10 am. The PSPCL’s North Zone which includes Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr, reported large scale damage to its distribution network. Official figures showed that 53 transformers and 286 poles of 11 KV lines were damaged. In addition, nearly 2.04 kilometre of aluminium conductor steel reinforced cable, commonly used in overhead power transmission and distribution lines, was also damaged. The impact of the weather was also reflected in the feeder breakdowns. As many as 162 feeders went offline across the zone, with Hoshiarpur alone accounting for 154 of them. c m y b In Hoshiarpur, Aslamabad, Kameti Bazaar, Mall Road, Krishna Nagar, Kamalpur and Sutehri Road were among the worst-affected localities that witnessed prolonged electricity disruption for over 10 hours. PSPCL officials noted that teams were pressed into restoration work soon after the damage was reported. The supply was restored in phases, though repairs in severely affected areas took longer due to the scale of damage caused by the winds. A view of the damaged transformer in Hoshiarpur. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH