08092026-JTR-01.qxd 9/7/2026 10:44 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FARMERS TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGNS OVER ~28-CR CANE DUES STUDENTS EXPLORE FARMING THROUGH HYDROPONICS KHOSLA, JANI’S 40 YEARS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP & COUTURE BKU (Doaba) to join proposed gherao of Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat’s residence from September 14 to 18. P2 The students were introduced to soil-less farming, wherein plants are cultivated using nutrient-rich water. P3 Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla mark four decades in fashion with a dazzling celebration of style & glamour. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.43 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:08 AM » TUESDAY | 8 SEPTEMBER 2026 | JALANDHAR Despite ban on addl duties, Anganwadi staff told to verify ration card details 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. Union announces boycott, says extra work to affect child welfare services Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service INBRIEF SIX HELD WITH INTOXICANTS Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a man on the charge of selling heroin. As much as 4.42 gram of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused Baljit Singh of Kang Kalan village. The Nakodar police have arrested Kamaljit Kaur of Bir Pind village with 2 kg of poppy husk. The police also arrested Kulwindar Singh of Fatehpur village with 26 intoxicating tablets and Manjit Singh of Bir Pind with 27 tablets. The Shahkot police arrested Jagdeep of Kotli Gajran village with 20 tablets. The Bilga police arrested Ajay Kumar of Bilga village with 17 tablets. OC 15 BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked 15 miscreants on the charge of assaulting a villager. The accused have been identified as Boby, Rajat, Sunil, Rajveer and Rohit, all resident of Seham village, and their 10 accomplices. Ajay Kumar of Awann Chaharmi village complained to the police that the accused waylaid him on September 4 evening and attacked with weapons and seriously injured and threatened him. OC TWO NABBED FOR ILLEGAL MINING Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested two migrants for illegal mining. The accused have been identified as Rohit Kumar of Sriganganagar district and Atul Kumar of Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. Mining Inspector Ajay Kumar had complained to the police that the accused had excavated earth illegally in Tutkalan village. oc The associations appealed to the government and PSPCL to restore 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to industrial areas. Industry demands uninterrupted power supply Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 7 The Joint Action Committee, along with the Rubber Goods Manufacturers Association and other industrial associations, today held a press conference in Jalandhar to highlight the serious problems being faced by the industry due to frequent and unscheduled power cuts. The associations appealed to the government and PSPCL to restore 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to industrial areas. “Power is being cut without any prior intimation, particularly during the evening hours, and sometimes the supply does not return for the entire night. This is severely affecting continuous manufacturing processes, causing production losses and increasing opera- tional costs,” they said. Gursharan Singh, a senior industrialist and convener, Joint Action Committee, said the power cuts are also creating a serious labour shortage as migrant workers are unable to get sufficient overtime and are, therefore, reluctant to return. Complete darkness in industrial areas is also increasing the risk of theft and robbery, creating serious security concerns. Industry representatives urged the government to immediately restore continuous power supply, so that industries can operate smoothly, protect employment and contribute to the economic growth of Punjab. Industrialists from the Rubber Goods Manufacturers Association and All-India Valve and Cock Association were also present. Jalandhar, September 7 As many as 116 Anganwadi workers in Lohian, Begowal, Nadala and Bholath blocks in Jalandhar have been asked to verify the details of ration card beneficiaries, despite a state-level directive prohibiting the assignment of additional duties to the Anganwadi staff. An order issued by the SubDivisional Magistrate (SDM), Shahkot, on September 3 directed the workers to complete the verification exercise by September 23. Marked as “Most Urgent”, the order instructed officials to ensure the exercise was carried out within the stipulated timeframe. The assignment has drawn opposition from Anganwadi workers who stated that they are already handling duties related to SIR, BLO work and the Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, leaving them with limited time to carry out their core responsibilities at Anganwadi centres. Earlier, the Directorate of Social Security and Women and Child Development Department, Punjab, in a directive dated May 29, had asked all DCs not to assign Anganwadi workers and helpers additional duties of other departments, citing the potential disruption to essential services provided to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children between six Anganwari workers stage a protest in Jalandhar. FILE months and six years of age. The letter also noted that Anganwadi workers in several districts continued to be assigned additional responsibilities despite similar instructions issued in 2019. However, union leaders alleged that the directive has remained largely ineffective on the ground. Subhash Rani, general secretary of the Punjab Anganwadi Workers Union, said, “We are fed up with the additional duties and have announced to boycott the Art meets divinity Tribune News Service Phagwara: The police have arrested a Ludhiana villager on the charge of attempted murder. The accused has been identified as Mandeep Singh of Madhepura village in Ludhiana. Karnail Singh of Beetal village had complained to the police that the accused and his accomplices had attacked him with sharp-edged weapons and seriously injured him. oc An artisan prepares an idol of Lord Ganesha ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Jalandhar on Monday. SARABJIT SINGH Hoshiarpur: The police have arrested three persons in separate cases and claimed to have recovered intoxicants and banned tablets from them. The accused have been identified as Happy Sahota of Balmiki Mohalla near Ghanta Ghar, Supinder Kumar of Sham Chaurasi and Ganesh of Sundar Nagar. oc ‘DRUG ADDICT’ ARRESTED Phagwara: The police have arrested a person on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Suresh Kumar of Dherian village. One lighter, silver papers and plastic pipes used for consuming contraband were recovered from his possession. OC trict president of the union, said, “We are responsible for ensuring proper nutrition of infants and children up to six years of age, looking after their health and well-being and providing them with basic education at Anganwadi centres. We also have to ensure that various services and benefits meant for these beneficiaries reach them on time. These are our primary responsibilities, which require regular interaction with beneficiaries and visits to the centres. When we are Protest by farmers over power supply VILLAGER HELD FOR MURDER BID THREE HELD WITH BANNED TABLETS ration card verification duty. While visiting beneficiaries to verify their details, in case of deletion, we have to face their queries and wrath, leading to security concerns,” she said. Rani added that despite repeated instructions from the department against assigning such work, local authorities continue to do so. “When we refuse these duties, officials threaten us with departmental action. The directive has remained limited to paper,” she alleged. Similarly, Nirlep Kaur, dis- Jalandhar, September 7 Members of the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) (Doaba) and BKU (Lakhowal) today held protests and submitted memoranda to powercom officers against power cuts. Farmers of the BKU (Doaba) gathered at Dana Mandi, Banga, from where they proceeded to the office of XEN and submitted a demand letter, seeking eight hours of power supply to field motors. The BKU (Doaba) farmers have warned that if 8-hour power supply isn’t provided soon, they will begin an indefinite protest and block Behram Toll Plaza from September 12. In Jalandhar, members of the BKU (Lakhowal), Jalandhar, held a dharna outside the PSPCL office in Jalandhar at Shakti Sadan and indulged in sloganeering against the state government. The farmers sat on a dharna at the PSPCL office, Jalandhar, for three hours. The SE of powercom assured the farmers that sufficient electricity will be supplied to them from today. They ended the dharna with the warning that if the farmers do not get electricity for eight hours in two days, the office will be gheraoed again and the main GT Road will also be closed, for which the government and the power department will be responsible. Farmers demand plan to save Chitti Bein from pollution Submit memo to Jalandhar admn, seek immediate halt to industrial effluents and untreated sewage into stream Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 7 Farmer leaders, village panchayat representatives and residents from villages along the Chitti Bein, including Shahkot and Lohian, on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Jalandhar district administration, expressing serious concern over the discharge of polluted water and industrial effluents into the stream. The farmers and activists demanded an immediate halt to the flow of industrial waste and sewage into the Chitti Bein and called for a compre- hensive, time-bound action plan to restore the water body. The delegation reached the DC’s office to submit the memorandum. In the absence of the DC, the memorandum was handed over to the Additional DC. Led by social activist Sukhjit Singh Khose, the protesters sought restoration of the Chitti Bein to its earlier pristine condition. Khose said the Chitti Bein is not just a water stream, but an important natural resource related to the land, agriculture, environment and life of the people of Doaba. ABOUT CHITTI BEIN The Chitti Bein originates in the Hoshiarpur region and flows through several parts of Doaba before joining the Sutlej near Gidderpindi in Jalandhar district. Its waters influence important aquatic ecosystems, including the Harike Wetland. He said it’s the responsibility of the government and the administration to save it from being converted into a dirty drain. Khose alleged that the major sources of pollution included industrial wastewater, urban sewage, c m y b the Kala Sanghian drain and other contaminated drains. He said effluents generated by the leather complex and other industrial units in Jalandhar, along with untreated sewage, had remained a long-standing concern. He further said various government reports and court records had highlighted serious pollution levels in the Chitti Bein and the Sutlej. Issues such as oxygen depletion, biological contamination and the presence of heavy metals in sediments indicated that the problem required sustained action rather than temporary measures. The farmers claimed that water quality in the Chitti Bein had improved during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 when industrial activity was largely suspended, underscoring the need to control industrial pollution. Farmers demanded that the government, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Municipal Corporation, industrial units and related departments should come together to make a time-bound action plan and monitor it publicly. Among their key demands were an immediate stop to the discharge of untreated industrial waste and sewage into the Chitti Bein, independent inspection of sewage treatment and common effluent treatment plants, action against polluting units, regular scientific testing of water and sediment quality, public disclosure of test reports, restoration of the stream’s natural flow and issuance of monthly progress reports. Khose warned that if the pollution issue was not permanently resolved, residents would be compelled to pursue all legal and democratic means to protect the water body. assigned duties of other departments, it takes away from the time and attention we need to devote to these responsibilities.” DC Varjeet Walia said, “As the duties have been assigned by the SDM office, he is the right person to speak on the matter. Still, I will look into the issue to address the workers grievances.” Meanwhile, despite repeated calls and texts, Aditya Gupta, SDM, Shahkot, remained unavailable for comment. 3 school buses challaned in Kapurthala Tribune News Service Kapurthala, September 7 Keeping the safety of schoolchildren in view under the Safe School Vehicle Policy, a team of the Transport Department led by Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Harkaram Singh Randhawa conducted a surprise inspection of school buses in the city. During the drive, officials checked vehicle documents, fitness certificates and compliance with safety standards. Randhawa said serious violations were detected in buses belonging to Sacred Heart School. During the inspection, officials found that some buses were carrying students beyond the prescribed seating capacity, while two buses were operating without valid documents. Taking immediate action, the department issued challans to three school buses for violating safety norms. “The safety of children cannot be compromised under any circumstances,” Randhawa said, adding that similar inspection drives would continue in the coming days. He warned school managements and bus operators to ensure that all vehicle documents are valid and buses are not overloaded. Strict legal action will be taken against violators, he said. For information or complaints related to school transport, residents can contact the district administration helpline at 01822-233777.