14092026-ATR-01.qxd 13-09-2026 23:10 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY K’THALA FARMER REPLACES UREA WITH DAIRY SLURRY REGULAR CHECKS NEEDED TO CURB FOOD ADULTERATION CELEBS SHARE WHAT MAKES GANPATI FESTIVAL SPECIAL Sukhjinder Singh of Mahabalipur village in Sultanpur Lodhi stopped using urea on his paddy crop . P2 Locals say inspections need to be a regular affair rather than a seasonal exercise limited to festival season. P3 MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C For these celebrities, the festival is about cherished childhood memories & lessons that they will never forget. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.29 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:07 AM » MONDAY | 14 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR 14-hour power outage leaves city’s industrial units reeling Manufacturers flag losses; PSPCL promises uninterrupted supply Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 A nearly 14-hour power cut was imposed in industrial areas here, just days after the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) assured industrialists that unscheduled electricity cuts would be discontinued. On September 8, the corporation had assured industrialists of providing an uninterrupted power supply. The power supply remained disrupted from 3.40 pm on Saturday until 6 am today at Bal Kalan, Focal Point and other industrial areas in the city. Focal Point Industries Welfare Association president Kamal Dalmia said the power supply to all 10 industrial areas in the city remained snapped for about 14 hours. These units are supplied power from a Category 2 supply line, which caters to 90 per cent of the manufacturing units, and Category 3 feeders that serve furnace units. He said till now the standard norm was to impose power cuts on industrial units falling in these two groups as the last resort. “But yesterday, domestic and commercial power consumers Workers wait for the operations to resume at a factory in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO were spared while industrial units faced the power cut,” Dalmia said. Sundeep Khosla, president of the Bal Kalan Industrial Welfare Association, said the information of the power cut was shared on a WhatsApp group of the PSPCL border zone, of which industry leaders were also members. He said the message was posted at 3.50 pm, 10 minutes after the clamping of the power cut. Khosla said the authorities were needed to understand that unscheduled power cuts could inflict severe financial and operational damage to manufacturing units, bleeding them financially. He said the units manufacturing plastic and food products and involved in the processing of chemicals faced losses due to it as they were forced to dispose of unfinished products, causing financial losses. “In addition, restarting operations is not a simple proposition. An elaborate procedure, including extensive cleaning of equipment, recalibration and heating cycles, is employed before resuming production. This leads to increased expenditure,” he added. He said sudden power cuts cause mechanical jams, tool breakages, or electrical surges that damage sensitive computerised components. Reacting to this, Basant Garg, Chairman and Managing Director of PSPCL, assured industrialists that they would not face the problem again in future, as both thermal plants at Talwandi Sabo and Nabha had resumed power generation. Farmers level ground for stir outside minister’s residence Centre ignored state during power crisis, alleges AAP To protest today on call given by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha Amritsar, September 13 Punjab AAP’s chief spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the power crisis that the state faced during the past week was the result of the Centre’s “negative attitude” and its policy of depriving the state of its rightful share. He said whenever any state faced a technical crisis, it was the Centre’s duty to support it. “During such a difficult time, the Centre abandoned Punjab,” he alleged. “However, thanks to the dayand-night efforts of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Powercom officials, Punjab has now completely emerged from this crisis,” he claimed. Addressing a press conference here, Dhaliwal said that the problem had arisen due to technical faults in the units of the private thermal power plants at Talwandi Sabo and Nabha, which had now been completely rectified. “Since 6 am on Sunday, uninterrupted electricity has been supplied across Punjab to agricultural, industrial and domestic consumers without any outage,” he said. He said Punjab’s own power generation had reached 5,300-5,400 MW and all 10 thermal units in , the state were functioning smoothly. “The total demand of 15,700 MW is being successfully met,” he added. — TNS Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 Farmers on Sunday ploughed the open ground near the residence of PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO in New Amritsar ahead of their protest tomorrow. They also cleared the site of garbage and debris. Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, which has given a call for a statewide protest tomorrow, used tractors and earthmoving machines to level the ground, which will be used as a protest site. The union is seeking an immediate resolution to the shortage of electricity and fertilisers, procurement of basmati rice, maize, moong, mustard and potatoes at minimum support prices, and a complete loan waiver. Their other demands include compensation and government jobs for the kin of farmers and labourers who died by suicide, effective measures to prevent floods, solutions to tackle groundwater depletion, withdrawal of the land pooling policy, and an end to the alleged forcible acquisition of farmland for the Bharatmala projects. The ground opposite the minister’s house is among the eight protest sites announced by the organisation, with other demonstrations planned out- Farmers plough the ground near the residence of PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO KEY DEMANDS Immediate resolution to the shortage of electricity and fertilisers I Procurement of basmati rice, maize, moong, mustard and potatoes at MSP I Relief and government jobs for the kin of farmers and I side residences of ministers in Sangrur, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Muktsar Sahib, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Farmers will also stage a protest outside Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s residence in Faridkot. The preparation here was made by members of the BSF recovers heroin, Pathway dispute turns violent, 50 rounds fired at border village pistols from suspected cross-border shipment Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 The Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered two .30bore pistols, four magazines, 11 live cartridges, 510 gm of heroin and 2.3 kg of opium from a parcel suspected to have been smuggled from across the international border with Pakistan in the Chhanna area. The recovery was made by the 117 Battalion personnel. The contraband and arms were found concealed in separate parcels, according to the FIR registered in this regard. The seized consignment also included two magazines, packing material, a small tube, a large tube and a 10metre rope, suggesting that the material was intended to be transported further after being received from across the border. The BSF handed over the recovered material and sealed samples to the police for further investigation. The case has been registered under Sections 21-C, 18B and 61-85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 25(8), 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. The police are investigating the intended recipients of the consignment and the crossborder network involved in its transportation. strength formulations exceeding 75 mg as the medicine is increasingly being misused as a recreational drug. The ban was imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The accused has been identified as Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Khiala village. According to the police, they found the banned formulations at his shop in Khurmania village under the Gharinda police station area. During the inspection of the premises on September 11, the drug control team allegedly found several formulations of Pregabalin stocked at the shop. These included Pegacob300 and Gabacob-300, besides Pegcob-150 and Pegcob-M capsules. The case has been registered under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (the disobedience of a lawful order duly promulgated by a public servant). The complaint was lodged by Drugs Control Officer Gurdeep Singh. The drug control authorities seized the medicines under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and submitted the inspection and seizure documents to the police. Opium recovered from fields Chemist booked for selling banned drug The police here have registered a case against a chemist for stocking and selling highstrength formulations of Pregabalin capsules. The district administration had on August 5 imposed a ban on the sale of high- Tarn Taran: A joint team of the police and the BSF recovered a packet containing around 4 kg of opium from the fields at Wan Tara Singh village here. Khalra police station SHO Dilbagh Singh said he had received information that a drone had been sighted in the village. Amritsar, September 13 A dispute over a pathway turned violent at Bhaggupur Utar village here last evening, with two groups engaging in heavy cross-firing. According to reports, more than 50 rounds were fired during the clash, creating panic in the densely populated border area. The police have booked Lakhwinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sukhman Singh, Subeg Singh, Mukhtar Singh, Ghulla, Lakha Singh, Karan and Taran, along with at least 50 unidentified persons. .The case has been registered under Section 125 of the BNS and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. A man shows a damaged wall of a house at Bhaggupur Utar village in Amritsar on Sunday. Former village sarpanch Lakhwinder Singh alleged that a group of around 50 armed men reached his house around 5 pm on Satur- day over a dispute concerning a pathway passing through their ancestral land. He named Subeg Singh, Lakha Singh, Jinder Singh, Goru, Kalu, Ghullan Singh and Bhatto Singh among those allegedly involved. Lakhwinder alleged that the attackers opened an indiscriminate fire at them. He said his nephew Ravinder Singh sustained serious injuries in the firing and was initially taken to the Lopoke government hospital before being referred to Amritsar. He alleged that bullets damaged his house and punctured tyres of tractors parked there. Family members, including women, took shelter inside the house during the firing, he added. However, the other side denied the allegations and accused Lakhwinder Singh’s group of opening fire first. Subeg Singh and Lakha Singh’s family members claimed that the pathway passed through their land and had been ploughed over by the rival group, following which their side came under fire. They said three to four members of their family were injured. Jagbir Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the two groups had a heated exchange, after which they resorted to aerial firing in an attempt to overpower each other. The FIR states that no medical report or medicolegal report had been received by the police till the registration of the case. The police have maintained that if any medical report or other evidence is subsequently received, appropriate sections will be added during the investigation. GNDU reaches out to US leaders for Amritsar-450 initiative Seeks to expand global academic engagement ahead of 450th anniversary of city’s foundation Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 Taking its Amritsar-450 initiative beyond Punjab, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has begun reaching out to influential political leaders and diaspora circles in the United States. The university aims to strengthen international academic and community engagement through the initiative, which will mark the 450th anniversary of the founding of Amritsar. As part of the efforts, GNDU alumni association brand ambassador Jaspreet Singh, a US-based attorney, met former president Barack Obama and Hakeem Jeffries, Leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. At a dinner hosted by Jef- fries, Jaspreet Singh briefed him about the university, its academic and research profile, and its initiatives aimed at strengthening international academic and community engagement. He shared details of the university’s plans to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of Amritsar in 2027 through a series of academic, cultural and international programmes. The initiative seeks to bring together scholars, institutions, community leaders and members of the Punjabi and Sikh diaspora to reflect upon Amritsar’s rich heritage and collectively envision its future. During the gathering, Jaspreet Singh also had the opportunity to interact with former US President Barack Obama and Congressman c m y b Josh Gottheimer. Wider issues concerning the Sikh community, immigration and challenges being faced by truckers were also discussed during these interactions. University Vice-Chancellor Karamjeet Singh appreciated efforts of Jaspreet Singh in carrying the message of Guru Nanak Dev University to influential international platforms. He said the support of the global Punjabi and Sikh diaspora would be an important part of the initiative. “Amritsar belongs not only to its residents; its spiritual and civilisational message has a global resonance. Through Amritsar-450, GNDU aspires to connect the city’s extraordinary heritage with a forwardlooking vision based on scholarship, dialogue, service and Sarbat da Bhala,” the VC said. GNDU alumni association brand ambassador Jaspreet Singh interacts with former US President Barack Obama. labourers who died by suicide Effective measures to prevent floods I Steps to tackle groundwater depletion I End to the alleged forcible acquisition of farmland for Bharatmala projects I Kisan Mazdoor Morcha Kisan. Union leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said farmers would start gathering there from Monday. The union said if the government failed to hold talks and meet the demands, its leaders would meet on September 16 to decide on the next course of action. ‘Hamare Ram’ to be staged in city on Sept 16, 17 Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 The state’s AAP government will organise the staging of the play “Hamare Ram” across Punjab, with its shows scheduled for September 16 and 17 in the city. Addressing mediapersons here on Sunday, Amritsar Central MLA Ajay Gupta and Majha zone in-charge of the Sanatan Seva Samiti Pranav Dhawan said the government intended to take the message of family bonds to people in 12 cities. The play will be staged in the Dasmesh Auditorium of Guru Nanak Dev University for the two days. Dr Gupta said four shows over the two days would be staged in the city. He said on both days, the first show would be held from 2 pm to 5.30 pm and the second from 6.30 pm to 10 pm. He said entry would be free of cost, with 750 spectators allowed per show. Entry will be through passes, which can be booked through the ‘BookMyShow’ app. He said the passes for shows could also be obtained from the offices of the Tourism Department and Deputy Commissioner or the Sanatan Seva Samiti. Dhawan appealed to the city residents to register themselves to watch the play. He said the play, produced by Felicity Theatre, was an elaborate Hindi stage production bringing the epic Ramayana alive through captivating visuals. He said renowned actor Ashutosh Rana would portray the role of Ravana, while Rahul R. Bhuchar would play the role of Lord Ram.