03072026-ATR-01.qxd 7/2/2026 11:04 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY, RAIN SKM ANNOUNCES FRESH AGITATION ON JULY 22 CHESS REVOLUTION TAKES ROOT IN GURDASPUR SCHOOLS KANGANA RANAUT SCHOOLS RAM KAPOOR ON LOCK UPP 2 Farmer leaders have announced that they will protest against the proposed Indo-US trade agreement. P0 Observers of the game believe that a chess revolution is taking shape in this once-backward district. P3 MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C Kangana entered Lock Upp 2as Janta Ki Awaaz and called out contestant Ram Kapoor over his conduct. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.39 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:29 AM » FRIDAY | 3 JULY 2026 | AMRITSAR End of the road for ~600-crore Bus Rapid Transit System in Amritsar Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 2 It is the end of the road for the Rs 600-crore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city. Nearly a decade after it was launched, the Punjab Government has decided to remove its dedicated bus corridor here. Amritsar West MLA Jasbir Singh Sandhu announced that approval had been granted to dismantle the corridor, signalling the end of the Metro Bus project. With the closure of the BRTS, the city’s decades-old dream of having a reliable public transport system has also come to an end. The Metro Bus service has remained shut since July 2023, and its fleet of 92 buses has been lying idle at the Verka Bypass depot, slowly turning into scrap. The BRTS is not the first public transport project to fail in Amritsar. The City Bus Service, launched in 2015, also ceased operations within a few months, leaving around 60 buses unused. The Metro Bus service was launched in 2016 by the then SAD-BJP government and received a good response from commuters in its initial years. The project was later neglected during the Con- A BRTS lane in Amritsar being used by commuters on Thursday. PHOTO VISHAL KUMAR A DREAM PROJECT GONE AWRY ■ The Metro Bus service has remained suspended since July 2023, with its fleet of 92 buses lying abandoned at the Verka Bypass depot. ■ The closure has left nearly 1,000 employees jobless and deprived over 40,000 daily commuters, mainly students and office-goers, of a reliable public transport service. ■ Launched in 2016, the project suffered from lack of permanent funding, repeated disruptions due to disputes with private operators and neglect gress government and was only partly revived when Navjot Singh Sidhu was the Local Bodies Minister. However, the biggest problem was the lack of a permanent funding system. Operations and staff were managed through private companies. Due to frequent disputes between the companies and the government, the service was suspended several times before it was finally shut down in July 2023 after the operating company’s contract ended. The closure of the service left nearly 1,000 employees without jobs and affected more than 40,000 daily commuters, mainly students and 4.3 kg heroin seized; youth held with pistol Gold worth ~70L seized at airport Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 2 Customs officials at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, seized 484 gm of 24-carat gold valued at Rs 70.66 lakh from a passenger, who arrived from Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur late on Wednesday night. According to the Customs, the passenger, a male traveller, arrived on Flight MH 118 on the night of July 1. Acting on suspicion, Customs officers intercepted him and conducted a detailed examination, including X-ray screening and frisking. During the search, officials seized the gold in the form of two bangles and one chain. The Customs Department said the gold had been confiscated under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. The passenger has been arrested, and further investigation is underway. Amritsar, July 2 The Amritsar Rural Police seized a large consignment of heroin and arrested an accused with an illegal firearm in two separate operations. In the first case, a team of Gharinda police station on patrolling duty received specific input about a suspicious yellow packet lying near a house in Shiv Nagri locality of Attari. Acting on the tip-off, the police seized the packet and found it containing 4.379 kg of heroin. The contraband was seized after following the prescribed legal procedure, and a case under Sections 21(c) and 61/85 of the NDPS Act was registered. In another operation, a police team conducting patrol duty near Bhakha Tara Singh village on the main road towards the newly constructed national highway intercepted a youth walking along the roadside near Gujjapir village. He was later identified as Sagarpreet Singh, a resident of ward No. 15, Ajnala. During his frisking, the police seized an illegal .30bore pistol, along with a magazine, from his possession. The accused was taken into custody, and a case under the relevant provisions of the Arms Act has been registered. Further investigation is underway in both cases. Tribune News Service ■ by successive governments. The decision to remove the corridor has revived concerns over the waste of public money and the environmental cost, as hundreds of old trees were cut to build the BRTS infrastructure. office-goers, who lost an affordable and dependable mode of transport. Sandhu has called the approval to remove the BRTS corridor a major achievement, saying it will help reduce traffic problems. However, the municipal corporation has so far only passed a resolution to remove the corridor. The cost of dismantling the infrastructure has not yet been made public. The project also came at a heavy environmental cost. Hundreds of centuries-old trees along the Mall Road and GT Road were cut down to build the BRTS corridor. Over the past year, authorities had already started removing ticket counters and other equipment from the BRTS stations, indicating that there was little chance of the service being revived. Social activist Pawan Sharma described the failure of the BRTS as a “collective failure” of successive governments and the administration. He said public money had been wasted on a project that failed to provide lasting benefits. Sharma also questioned the decision to remove the corridor without consulting the people and said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should explain the government’s stand on closing the project. “Now, political leaders and officials are waiting for 100 electric buses to be provided under a Central Government scheme. We fear that the e-bus service could meet the same fate if the government does not fix accountability of officials concerned and political leaders.” Nihang booked on charge of assault Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 2 The Mohkampura police have registered a case against a Nihang, following an alleged attempt to murder that left a man seriously injured in Rasulpur Kallar village near Jora Phatak here. The incident occurred on June 28, while a complaint was lodged with the police yesterday after the victim was discharged from the hospital. According to the police, the victim, Gurjant Singh, alleged that the accused, Nihang Jugraj Singh, had been defaming the women of his family. On June 28, Gurjant confronted the accused outside his house over the issue. The accused abused him and started quarrelling with him. He said that after he returned to his house, the accused lodged a complaint with the police. He further alleged that his family members along with some respectable persons also went to the police station in this regard. The accused allegedly reached Gurjant’s residence armed with a kirpan. The complainant alleged that Jugraj repeatedly attacked him with the kirpan, causing injuries to his fingers, left arm, thumb, back and shoulder. Gurjant managed to escape after raising an alarm, following which the accused fled from the spot. The injured man was taken to the Civil Hospital here, where he underwent treatment. After his discharge, he approached the police and submitted his medico-legal report. Based on his statement and medical evidence, Mohkampura police have registered an FIR. The accused is yet to be arrested. Further investigation is underway. 55 pistols, two submachine guns seized in city in month Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Seizure Amritsar, July 2 In the past month, the police commissionerate here has busted as many as eight cross-border arms and drugs trafficking modules, leading to the confiscation of as many as 55 pistols, two submachine guns, apart from over 33 kg heroin. On Wednesday, the Amritsar Police arrested two alleged members of an illegal weapons supply network, including the owner of a de-addiction centre, and seized seven sophisticated pistols and 40 cartridges from them. The seized cache includes one 9mm Glock pistol, one .30-bore Tisas Turkiye pistol, one specially modified .30-bore pistol and four .30-bore pistols, besides 40 cartridges. Those arrested were identified as Surjit Singh (33), a resident of Sur Singh village in Tarn Taran, and Gulbagh Singh (26), who runs a deaddiction centre on Bhai Youth murdered, kin injured at Harike, 5 booked Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 2 Last night, a youth was killed by three motorcycle riders in Harike, while his younger brother was injured in the incident. Harike police station Sub-Inspector Balbir Singh said that the deceased had been identified as Angadjot Singh (17), a resident of Harike. His brother Gurlal Singh (15) had a narrow escape. The SHO said that Angadjot and Gurlal had gone to a fast-food shop at Harike when they met three motorcycle-borne youths who had studied with them and had been harbouring some enmity with both. They attacked Angadjot with a knife and stabbed him several times in his stomach and chest. He was taken to the hospital, where the doctors declared him dead. A case has been registered and the accused have been identified as Gursher Singh (18), Saroop Singh (19) and Simranjit Singh (18), all residents of Marhana, while two more have also been found to be involved in this case. The SHO said that efforts were being made to arrest the accused. ARMS, DRUG SEIZURES IN AMRITSAR July 1: Seven pistols seized June 27: 10 pistols, nine cartridges seized; four arrested June 25: Two sub-machine guns, 8 pistols and contraband seized June 18: 11 sophisticated pistols and eight bullets seized June 8: Eight sophisticated pistols seized June 5: Six pistols, over 1 kg heroin and ~5 lakh drug money seized June 3: Six pistols, over 1 kg heroin and 12 cartridges seized Manj Singh Road in Sultanwind here. As per preliminary investigations, the accused were in contact with foreign-based smugglers through social media applications and were receiving consignments of illegal weapons through cross-border channels. Police Commissioner (CP), Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said police teams acted on specific intelligence and initially seized two pis- tols from the accused. During sustained interrogation and based on their disclosure statements, five more weapons were seized, taking the total seizure to seven pistols. He said the drone drops were reported from the Tarn Taran border belt. Police verification has revealed that Surjit was already wanted in a commercial quantity narcotics case registered at the Bhikhiwind police station in Tarn Taran, indicating his alleged links with organised crime. Another police official wishing anonymity said that Punjab’s border with Pakistan had been serving as a transit point for drugs and weapons. The weapons smuggled from the neighbouring nation were further transported to other parts of the country. Earlier, the police had also arrested a resident of Madhya Pradesh who had arrived near the international border for getting a pistol smuggled from Pakistan. Ahead of poll, Cong assigns key roles to Amritsar leaders Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 2 As political parties in Punjab begin preparations for the Assembly elections, the Congress has entrusted several senior leaders from Amritsar with significant organisational responsibilities, signalling the party’s strategy to strengthen its base in the Majha region. As per the latest appointments announced by the AllIndia Congress Committee (AICC), Lok Sabha member Gurjeet Singh Aujla has been named co-chairperson of the party’s manifesto committee. The move reflects the party’s confidence in Aujla’s electoral experience and his ability to connect with grassroots workers as well as voters. Rajasansi Congress MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria has also been appointed co-chairperson of the same committee. Former minister Raj Kumar Verka has been appointed executive president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Considered an influential Dalit face of the party, Verka’s new role is being viewed is being seen as politically significant as Congress seeks to strengthen its outreach among various social groups. The party has also assigned important organisational responsibilities to senior leaders OP Soni and Sukhbinder Singh Danny. Soni has been made cochairman of the election management and coordination committee, while Danny has been appointed executive president. The appointments are particularly noteworthy in the district, where AAP currently has only one minister. However, the real test for the party will be to ensure unity. While former BJP leader Anil Joshi, who is in the Congress, along with former MLA Sunil Dutti, are main contenders in Amritsar north Assembly segment, a similar situation is being witnessed in Amritsar south, where former MP Jasbir Singh Gill and former Improvement Trust Chairman Dinesh Bassi are interested. In Ajnala too, a section of Congress workers are demanding that for Sukh Aujla, brother of MP Aujla, be fielded as the party candidate. However, former MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala is also in the race. Gym owner alleges extortion, Four docs honoured for excellence in healthcare death threats; FIR lodged Tribune News Service Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 2 The police have finally registered a case against unidentified persons for allegedly demanding extortion from a city-based trader and gym owner. The victim, Chandeep Singh, a resident of Dashmesh Avenue, had earlier alleged that despite submitting complaints regarding extortion demands and death threats, no concrete action had been taken by the authorities concerned, leav- ing his family to live under constant fear. A case under Sections 308 and 351 (2) of the BNS has been registered, the police said, while adding that further investigation was going on to identify and arrest the suspects. Chandeep said that he had been receiving threatening WhatsApp calls and voice messages from unknown international numbers for the past two-and-a-half months. The callers allegedly claimed links with a notorious gangster network and initially demanded a large sum of money as extortion. According to Singh, after he refused to pay and stopped responding to the suspicious calls, the threats intensified. He alleged that the callers threatened to kill him and his family members. The businessman further alleged that after the callers threatened to blow up his residence, the family had been living in constant fear and severe mental stress. He said the continuing threats had affected both his personal life and business activities. Amritsar, July 2 Four distinguished medical professionals from the district, including Civil Surgeon Satinderjit Singh Bajaj, were honoured at the State-Level Doctors’ Awards function organised by the Punjab Department of Health and Family Welfare in Chandigarh on Thursday. The awards recognised their outstanding contributions to healthcare, medical education, public health and patient care. Civil Surgeon Satinderjit Singh Bajaj received the award for his pioneering efforts in introducing the c m y b Dr Rakesh Sharma from Government Medical College receives the award from Health Minister Balbir Singh. Diplomate of National Board (DNB) postgraduate course at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, during his tenure there. The initiative helped strengthen specialist medical training in the government healthcare sector. Bajaj has also made notable contributions to medical education as the author of a competency-based medical education (CBME)-aligned pharmacology textbook widely used by medical students. Renowned ophthalmologist Rohit Om Parkash was felicitated for his contribution to eyecare. Having performed more than one lakh phacoemulsification cataract procedures, he has played a significant role in restoring vision to thousands of patients. Parkash has also trained international surgeons in advanced phaco surgery techniques and is credited with organising over 1,000 eye camps, bringing quality eyecare services to people across the region. Another recipient, Rakesh Sharma, professor in the Department of Surgery at Government Medical College, Amritsar, was recognised for introducing free laparoscopic and cancer surgeries in government healthcare facilities. Rashmi Vij, District Immunisation Officer, was honoured for helping achieve the highest human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage in Punjab. She is also credited with securing the first MusQan certification for the Civil Hospital, marking a significant milestone in improving maternal and child healthcare services.