25102026-JTR-01.qxd 10/24/2026 11:49 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune TWO-MEMBER SURVEY TEAM INSPECTS SANITATION MODEL A two-member team inspects Seechewal model for sanitation facilities & wastewater treatment as part of a survey. P2 » CHANGING LIVES BY STITCHING TOGETHER, STICKING TOGETHER Liza Chawla takes women’s craft from dim-lit corners of their homes to the centre of a thriving enterprise.P3 » I HAVE SOUL CONNECTION WITH PUNJAB: IMTIAZ ALI At the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli, filmmaker expresses his love for Punjab and its stories. P4 » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 29°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.45 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6.38 AM SUNDAY | 25 OCTOBER 2026 | JALANDHAR Storm partly disrupts Valmiki Jayanti shobha yatra, decorative gates fall AAP leader Deepak Bali’s posters torn by Valmiki community members Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 24 A storm on Saturday evening partially disrupted the Valmiki Jayanti shobha yatra taken out across the city. Leaders from various political parties had begun arriving at the main stage set up outside Valmiki Ashram near Jyoti Chowk. Among those present were Punjab Congress Committee chief Pargat Singh, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, Mayor Vaneet Dhir, Deputy Mayor Malkeet Singh, former MP Sushil Rinku, former minister Manoranjan Kalia, former MLAs KD Bhandari and Rajinder Beri, and AAP Jalandhar Central halqa incharge Nitin Kohli. Most of the leaders had already left the main stage and joined the procession at another location when a dust storm, followed by rain, struck the city. Strong winds uprooted decorative entrance gates fitted with iron frames, while hoardings erected along the yatra route were blown down. By then, most devotees had left the main venue. However, some police personnel and passersby sustained injuries, while a few vehicles were also got damaged. Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Surinder Singh also attend- INBRIEF VILLAGER HELD FOR RAPING GIRL Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a villager on the charge of raping a girl. Investigating officer (IO) Parjindar Kaur said the accused was identified as Jasveer Singh, alias Shiri, a resident of Thammuwal village. A social activist of the same village complained to the police that the accused forcibly raped a girl of Thammuwal village. The IO said a case under Section 64(1, 2) (rape) of the BNS was registered against the accused. OC TWO BOOKED FOR BURNING STUBBLE Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked two farmers for burning paddy stubble in fields. Investigating Officer (IO) Tirath Ram said the accused were identified as Indarjit Singh, and his brother Amarjit Singh, both residents of Khosa village. The IO said nodal officer, panchayat secretary and area patwari had sent their reports against the accused. He said a case under Section 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the BNS was registered against the accused. OC ONE ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a drug peddler for selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer (IO) Parwindar Singh said 23 intoxicating tablets (loose) were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Balwindar Singh, alias Bhagi, a resident of Rampur village. The IO said a case was registered under Sections 22/61/85 of the NDPS Act against the accused. OC Devotees take part in the Valmiki Jayanti shobha yatra; and (below) a hoarding that was uprooted during a storm accompanied by rain in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH Former BJP minister slams disruptions in Assembly, seeks cut in MLAs’ allowances Hoshiarpur, October 24 Former Cabinet Minister and senior BJP leader Tikshan Sood criticised the uproar in the Punjab Assembly’s special session, alleging that the AAP and Congress were indulging in political oneupmanship instead of addressing public issues. He said the House was adjourned after just 11 minutes on the first day, while the second day was also marred by sloganeering and walkouts. Sood claimed that a day’s Assembly proceedings cost around Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore, placing a financial burden on taxpayers. He urged political parties to use the House for meaningful discussions and concrete decisions on Punjab’s issues. He also called for cuts in allowances of legislators who waste the Assembly’s time. — OC City hotels packed to capacity as Asian Champions Trophy draws visitors Flags of six nations participating in the Asian Champions Trophy flutter at the Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service CM Mann to hold Lok Milni at Sarihn village on Oct 28 Our Correspondent ed the programme. Earlier in the day, a controversy erupted when some leaders of the Valmiki community tore down banners of Deepak Bali, the newly appointed AAP halqa incharge from Jalandhar Cantonment. They objected to the design of the welcome gates carrying his photographs, alleging that Bali’s pictures had been placed above those of Lord Valmiki. They also raised objections to the use of the broom, the party’s election symbol, on Valmiki Jayanti posters. Community members announced that Bali would not be allowed on the main stage during the programme. Later, his son, Gautam Bali, visited the spot to pacify the protesters and ensure that the necessary changes were made. Phagwara, October 24 Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will hold a Lok Milni at Sarihn village on October 28. Nakodar MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann shared this information on social media today, adding that he would meet people, listen to their grievances and direct officials to resolve issues on the spot. Jalandhar, October 24 As the Asian Champions Trophy 2026 gets underway at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, visitors planning to watch the matches are finding it difficult to secure accommodation, with most premium and luxury hotels in the city reporting full occupancy. Hockey enthusiasts who delayed booking their stay now have limited options, largely restricted to smaller hotels. With international teams, sports officials, politicians, bureaucrats and fans already arriving for the tournament, hotels and major city roads are wit- nessing heavy rush. Around 280 rooms across seven city hotels have been reserved for participating teams. Gautam Kapoor of Hotel Radisson said, “We are running at full occupancy. Some rooms had already been booked because of the wedding season. After the arrival of the hockey teams, we have no rooms available.” Anil Chopra of Hotel Ramada said, “All our 81 rooms have been occupied for the past week. We do not have a single room available.” Kamaljit Hayre of Best Western Plus said Octoberend was traditionally a busy period for the hospitality sector in Jalandhar due to the wedding season and the arrival of the NRIs. “Many NRIs visit Punjab during this period because of the pleasant weather and to celebrate Diwali with their families. Our bookings were already strong, and the arrival of the international hockey teams has pushed occupancy close to full capacity,” he said. Nitin Dahiya, a trader from Sonepat, said he had been struggling to find accommodation in the city. “I have been trying to book a hotel since morning but have not received confirmation from anywhere. I plan to visit with my family, but now I am not sure. I have asked a local contact to help arrange a room,” he said. Bus services resume in city after contractual workers call off indefinite strike Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 24 Bus services resumed in Jalandhar from Saturday evening after contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) called off their indefinite strike following a meeting with Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. The meeting was held at the PRTC head office in Patiala with officials of both transport undertakings joining through video conferencing. The union said the government had agreed to address its demands, paving the way for the resumption of bus services. The strike had severely disrupted public transport in Jalandhar, with 158 of the 169 buses in the fleets of depot 1 and depot 2 remaining off roads. Bus services on major routes including Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Jammu, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Batala were also affected, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. The workers had been on strike since October 21. Their prominent demands include regularisation of contractual employees, bringing outsourced workers under direct contracts with the department and withdrawal of FIRs registered against them following Unions slam govt for withdrawal of sanitation workers’ festival advance Tribune News Service Mehatpur, October 24 The Safai Sevak Union Punjab and the Pendu Mazdoor Union have condemned the denial of the annual festival advance of Rs 10,000 to Safai Karamcharis ahead of Maharishi Valmiki Pargat Diwas. At a meeting held here today, the unions termed the Punjab Government’s stance on the demands of the Dalit community as discriminatory. Addressing the gathering, Tarsem Peter, state president of the Pendu Mazdoor Union Punjab, along with Subhash Valmiki, district leader of the Safai Sevak Union Punjab, and local leader Pappu Pradhan, said that while the state government was spending crores on facilitating pilgrimages under the Punjab Mukhyamantri Nishulk Teerth Yatra Yojana, sanitation workers were being neglected. The leaders said sanitation workers, who receive low wages, had traditionally been granted a festival advance of Rs 10,000 during the festive season. However, this year, ahead of Maharishi Valmiki Pargat Diwas, a major festival for the Valmiki community, the government informed employees through an email that the advance would no longer be provided. Instead, citing financial constraints, the government directed sanitation workers to avail themselves of loans against their Provident Fund (PF) accounts, they alleged. According to the union leaders, the communication was sent to Commissioners of Municipal Corporations, Additional Deputy Commissioners (Urban/General-Local Government), Executive Officers of Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats, Notified Area Committees and Improvement Trusts across the state. Leaders present at the meeting, including Salim Mehtapuri, Om Prakash, Shivcharan, Kamal Kishore and Naseeb, alleged that due to lapses on the part of the government and administration, PF contributions of many sanitation workers were not being deposited regularly. As a result, many workers would not be able to avail themselves of the proposed PF-based financial assistance during the festive season. They alleged that the decision reflected discrimination against the Valmiki and Dalit communities. The unions also demanded the regularisation of contractual sanitation workers. They said that although the AAP government had accepted demands related to insourcing outsourced sanitation workers and regularising their services following sustained protests, implementation of these decisions remained slow. They further claimed that resolutions for the regularisation of sanitation workers had not yet been passed in certain Nagar Panchayats, including Lohian Khas. The Jalandhar unit of the Safai Sevak Union stated that a delegation would soon meet the authorities and urge them to forward resolutions passed in favour of sanitation workers. c m y b violence during a protest against the kilometre scheme in Sangrur. Harkesh Kumar Vicky, state vice-president of the union, said around 7,000 contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways and the PRTC had participated in the strike during which over 2,700 buses remained off their routes across the state. In a press statement issued after the meeting, the union said the government had agreed to issue joining letters to outsourced employees for their induction on a contractual basis on October 26 and 27. Officials were also assigned the responsibility of resolving remaining demands at a meeting scheduled for October 29. However, the union warned that it would immediately resume the strike and intensify its agitation if the remaining demands were not met by October 29. Commuters board a bus in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH