10102026-ATR-01.qxd 10/9/2026 11:42 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 28°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 23°C WOMEN CALL FOR ACTION TO PROTECT CITY’S HERITAGE MISSION TO MAKE ROOM FOR WINE AT INDIAN TABLES TORONTO FILM FEST AWARD SAYANI’S BIRTHDAY GIFT Vatrukh Foundation brings together women leaders from diverse backgrounds to discuss the issue. P2 Sonal C Holland has earned one of the world’s rarest distinctions, but her aim is to make wine more accessible. P3 Sayani Gupta on her birthday got the South Asian Screen Excellence Award in Toronto IFFSA. Lifestyle » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6:04 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:31 AM SATURDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2026 | AMRITSAR BSF, police seize over 9 kg heroin, 1.22 kg ICE Amritsar: The district administration on Friday cancelled the licences of two immigration firms. Additional District Magistrate Pallavi Mishra issued orders cancelling the licences of DY Management Consultancy Private Limited and Prabvisa.com. She said officials had been directed to take necessary action in both cases and proceed in accordance with the applicable rules. The district administration appealed to the public to verify an agent’s or consultancy’s licence before seeking overseas travel, work permits or other immigration-related services. People were also advised to exercise caution while handing over their passports, other important documents and money to avoid fraud or financial loss. TNS Tribune News Service Tribune News Service IMMIGRATION FIRMS LOSE LICENCE MC to desilt 75-km sewer line in next 3 months; work to begin within week Pawan K Jaiswar INBRIEF Amritsar, October 9 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation will undertake the second phase of sewer desilting, covering 75.3 km of sewer lines across four Assembly constituencies within three months, to address recurring blockages and complaints of contaminated drinking water. The work is scheduled to begin within a week. The drive will cover the East, West, North and Central Assembly constituencies, where frequent sewer blockages and complaints of contaminated drinking water have been reported. The hotspots have been identified on the basis of reports submitted by junior engineers responsible for the respective areas. The civic body plans to get the work executed through government-empanelled contractors under the rate contract system, without floating separate tenders. Work orders are expected to be issued within a week. Amritsar, October 9 The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Amritsar rural police have seized around 9.7 kg of heroin and 1.22 kg of ICE (crystal methamphetamine) in separate cases along the Pakistan border. The drugs were allegedly airdropped from Pakistan using drones. BSF personnel recovered 1.07 kg of ICE from the Saharan area on Thursday. The contraband, packed in a packet sealed with yellow tape, was handed over to the Ramdas police for further investigation. In another case, the Gharinda police arrested three persons for allegedly selling ICE. A police team led by ASI Manjit Singh recovered 150 gm of the narcotic substance from them. The accused were identified as Rajan of Kamal Avenue on Fatehgarh Churian Road; Kartik of Devi Nagar Colony in Nangali MAN DIES AS CAR RAMS INTO TREE Tarn Taran: A 21-year-old man died after his car crashed into a tree near Vainpoin village on the Goindwal Sahib-Tarn Taran road.According to the information available, the victim lost control of the car, which rammed into a tree. The impact was so severe that the car’s wheels flew off, and the driver died on the spot. The deceased was identified as Vishu Kumar, a resident of Chheharta in Amritsar. He was travelling from Goindwal Sahib to Amritsar when the accident occurred. OC SEIZURES ALONG BORDER The BSF seizes 1.07 kg of ICE in the Saharan area I The force seizes 9.7 kg heroin from Rajatal and Mahawa I Battha; and Abhishek Kumar of Harnamdas Colony on Sultanwind Road. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against them. Meanwhile, in two other cases, BSF personnel recovered 4.9 kg and 4.8 kg of heroin from packets found The Gharinda police arrest three for allegedly selling ICE I Suspected to have been airdropped from Pakistan using drones I during patrolling in the Rajatal and Mahawa areas, respectively. The BSF later handed over the packets containing the contraband to the police. Drug detection kits confirmed that the seized substance was high-grade heroin. Cases under Section 21(C) of the NDPS Act have been registered in connection with the recoveries. Project to focus on areas with maximum plaints in four Assembly segments the North and 14 km in the Central constituency. Charanjit Singh Teja Most plaints from Central, West Assembly segments MC employees clean a sewer in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO Second phase A key component of the second phase will be the cleaning of the main sewer line from Gumanpura to the sewage treatment plant. The work is expected to benefit around 1.5 lakh residents living in nearly 10 wards of the West constituency by reducing sewer overflows and recurring blockages. The MC began desilting 73 km of sewer lines in April this year, of which around 90 per cent of the work has been completed. The next phase will prioritise areas reporting the highest number of complaints. The MC plans to clean a total of 75.3 km of sewer lines across the four Assembly constituencies within three months. The work will cover 20 km in the East constituency, 11.6 km in the West, 29.7 km in The Central and West constituencies have reported a high number of complaints related to sewer blockages and contaminated water. An official of the MC’s operations and maintenance wing said the drive would primarily focus on areas from where complaints of sewer blockages and contaminated water supply had been received frequently. He said the drive was aimed at addressing these issues and improving the city's sewerage system. Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh, a resident of the Chheharta area, said people in the West Assembly constituency had been facing problems related to sewer blockages and contaminated drinking water for the past four years. “Residents have staged several protests over the issue in the past, but the problem persists,” he added. AAP leaders’ outreach at PTMs sparks row; BJP alleges politicisation People get hold Minister, MLAs highlight govt schemes; mothers asked to record messages for CM on monthly stipend plan of shooter in Tarn Taran Tribune News Service aim is to make parents aware constituencies and interacted Amritsar, October 9 Mega parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) held across schools on Friday saw an AAP minister, MLAs and councillors highlighting the party’s welfare schemes. The participation of political leaders drew criticism from the BJP which alleged that an , educational exercise was being given a political colour. In Amritsar district, the meetings were held in 827 primary, 192 middle, 107 high, 119 senior secondary and 52 government-aided schools. Public Works Department Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO attended PTMs at four government schools in the Jandiala Guru Assembly constituency, highlighting the government’s education initiatives and the importance of parental involvement in students’ development. MLAs representing Amritsar’s urban constituencies — Ajay Gupta, Jeevanjyot Kaur and Jasbir Singh — also visited schools in their respective BUILDINGS SEALED OVER TAX DUES Tarn Taran: The Tarn Taran Municipal Council on Friday sealed four premises over nonpayment of property tax. The executive officer of the municipal council, Randeep Singh Waraich, said the sealed properties were Holland Tractor on Sarhali Road, Sood Cold Drinks near St Francis School, Golden Era Restaurant and Golden Gym on the Amritsar-Chabal bypass. The officer said several notices had been issued to the owners in the past, but they had failed to pay the outstanding tax. He said Holland Tractor owed Rs 6 lakh in property tax, Sood Cold Drinks Rs 4 lakh, Golden Era Restaurant Rs 12 lakh and Golden Gym Rs 2.5 lakh. He added that the owners of the properties would now have to clear their outstanding dues along with the applicable penalty. OC with parents. The meetings were organised to assess students’ learning and encourage greater parental participation in education. Addressing the gatherings, ETO stressed that coordination between parents and teachers was essential to improving students’ academic performance, attendance and learning outcomes. He also briefed parents on the AAP government’s Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign. Some mothers were also asked to record messages for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about the MawanDhiyan Satkar Yojana, providing a monthly stipend to women. Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala alleged that government instructions asking parents to record video testimonials praising the stipend plan had introduced a political dimension to an educational exercise. Khiala claimed that the instructions required the videos to be shared on social Punjab Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO attends a parent-teacher meeting in a Jandiala school. media, with 10 selected videos to be uploaded to an official portal. “Should parents attend school meetings to discuss their children’s education or to praise government schemes?” he asked, arguing that the primary purpose of the PTMs should be to review academic performance, address learning gaps and discuss problems faced by students and schools. He also questioned whether parents were free to offer critical feedback on the schemes or only favourable testimonials would be selected for publicity. He demanded clarity from the government on the purpose and implementation of the alleged video-collection exercise. Minister rejects charge Countering allegations, ETO said, “Our government has undertaken extensive work to upgrade schools under the Sikhiya Kranti initiative. The of the improvements in infrastructure, academics and facilities now being provided at government schools. That is why I met parents and interacted with students.” Meanwhile, Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu, District Education Officer (Elementary), inspected the PTMs at Government Elementary School, Tungbala, and the school on Circular Road. He discussed the Education Department’s Mission Samarth with parents and reviewed students’ learning levels. Harjinder Singh, District Education Officer (Secondary), inspected the PTMs at Government Senior Secondary School, Kartarpur, and schools in Butala, Sathiala, Sathiala, Bal Sran and Beas. He briefed parents on the English project being implemented in secondary schools, including the English mobile app, skill education and coaching for JEE and NEET examinations to support students. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, October 9 An alleged shooter was overpowered by people at Adda Bazar in Tarn Taran after he opened fire at a shop on Friday. He was seriously injured after being thrashed by the public, while his accomplice managed to escape from the spot. The accused was identified as Rahul, a resident of Mohalla Nanaksar in Tarn Taran district. The accused allegedly opened fire at a shop owned by Gurdev Singh. City police station SHO Paramjit Singh said members of the public acted swiftly to overpower the accused. They seized his pistol and later handed it over to the police. The SHO said the case appeared to stem from personal enmity. The accused has been admitted to the CIvil Hospital here for treatment. ‘Seer’two others dupe Congress leaders criticised for , Arrested from Gujarat, main shooter woman of jewellery skipping Jallianwala Bagh visit MAD SANDHU MURDER remanded in 7-day police custody Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 9 The alleged main shooter in the murder of social media influencer Madhusudan Singh, popularly known as Mad Sandhu, was brought to Amritsar and produced before a magistrate, who remanded him in seven-day police custody for further interrogation. Meanwhile, other suspects were also remanded in police custody until October 12. Deputy Commissioner of Police Prabhjot Singh said Parminder Singh, alias Kaka, a resident of Lohian Khas in Jalandhar, was brought from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, where he had fled after committing the crime. The police have so far arrested six persons in the case. The other five are Amandeep Singh, Paramvir Singh and Baljinder Singh, all residents of Tarn Taran, and Balraj Singh and Vikas, both from Amritsar. Virk said the role of foreignbased gangster Goldy Dhillon in the conspiracy was being investigated. Dhillon and Lucky Johal had claimed responsibility for the murder. The investigation had revealed that Rs 16,000 was transferred online to Amandeep’s account by persons allegedly linked to foreignbased criminals. Of this amount, Rs 11,000 was transferred by Amandeep to Parminder, while Rs 5,000 was allegedly transferred to Paramvir Singh. QR code helps trace him Amandeep was already under investigation when Parminder contacted him for money. The police asked Amandeep to send a QR code to Parminder on the pretext of making a payment. When Parminder scanned the code, his location was traced, and the Ahmedabad Crime Branch was alerted. Amritsar, October 9 A 65-year-old woman was allegedly duped into handing over her gold jewellery to a gang of three persons, including a woman. One of them had posed as a seer and promised to perform a prayer for her. The incident took place in New Pratap Nagar of Maqboolpura. The victim, Sarabjit Kaur, told the police that the incident occurred on October 6 when she was returning home after a walk near Tara Wala Pul Park. The case was registered on Thursday. According to her complaint, a turbaned man approached her and asked her for directions to a gurdwara. After she showed him the way, he left. Soon afterwards, a couple on a c m y b Had promised to perform a prayer for her motorcycle approached her. The couple told her that the turbaned man was a seer and that she was fortunate to have met him. They then persuaded her to accompany them to meet the seer for a prayer. When she accompanied them to the self-styled seer, the group asked her to remove her jewellery before he performed the prayer. As soon as she removed her jewellery, the group fled with it. The stolen jewellery comprised gold earrings, two gold rings and a gold bangle, weighing around 19 gm in total. Tribune News Service, Amritsar, October 9 Members of the Jallianwala Bagh Freedom Fighter Foundation on Friday criticised Congress leaders for skipping a visit to the historic memorial during their visit to Amritsar a day earlier. Newly appointed state Congress president Pargat Singh and the party’s state in-charge, Sachin Pilot, had paid obeisance at several religious places, including the Golden Temple, during their visit. Association president Sunil Kapoor, whose greatgrandfather Wasu Mal Kapoor was killed in the 1919 massacre, said it was unfortunate that the leaders had ignored the Jallianwala Bagh. “Instead, they sipped tea at a famous stall, which raises questions about their priorities,” he said. “How can the leadership of a political party associated with India's freedom struggle overlook a historic site like the Jallianwala Bagh during a visit to Amritsar? The Jallianwala Bagh is a historic site where hundreds of innocent and unarmed people were killed during the struggle for India’s independence. If time could be spared to enjoy tea, why was time not set aside to visit the Jallianwala Bagh?” he added. Kapoor said paying respect to the martyrs was a moral responsibility of every political party, and no party should shy away from it. ‘Visit was purely religious’ When contacted, senior Congress leader Raj Kumar Verka acknowledged that not visiting the Jallianwala Bagh was a mistake. The Congress leader added that his party leaders’ visit was purely religious, as they had visited shrines of different religions in the city.