03112026-ATR-01.qxd 02-11-2026 23:21 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 16C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 16°C 279 FAMILIES GET LAND OWNERSHIP PAPERS EX-CRICKETER MADAN LAL SHARMA REVISITS ALMA MATER FROM CHILDHOOD DREAM TO INT’L ART RECOGNITION Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO distributes ownership documents among 279 beneficiaries. P2 Former India cricketer Madan Lal Sharma visits his alma mater Hindu College in Amritsar. P3 From a childhood fascination with cartoons to printmaking, Sharma’s journey has been marked by persistence. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.36 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:43 AM » TUESDAY | 3 NOVEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Arms and drug seizure: Cops on toes as border turns porous Kunwar’s development claim holds no water: AAP takes dig at ex-MLA on his crossover to BJP Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Reacting to the crossover of former Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh to the BJP the Aam Aadmi , Party today went into an attack mode. Belying his claim that had achieved 90 per cent of the targets he had set as a legislator, AAP North halqa incharge Karamjit Singh Rintu said since his appointment in July 2025, he has been clearing the backlog. “The entire sewer network of the segment was choked. With machines and manpower, I, somehow, managed to complete 97 per cent of the work,” he added. Rintu said 150 metalled roads were recarpeted, including the stretch connecting Trilium Mall with the Kachehri road, Medical Enclave, Green Avenue, Tagore Avenue and 88 Feet Road.Also, roads falling under the Baba Deep Singh panchayat, Naushehra Kalan and Naushehra Khurd, were repaired. Taking a dig at Singh’s statement that “Punjabis are in danger”, the AAP leader said: “Imagine the heights of opportunism that a non-Punjabi is saying such a thing,” said the AAP North halqa incharge. “Around the time of Bargari sacrilege too, Singh had made such statements. Will he deliver justice with the help of the BJP which has , been offering convenient paroles to Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?” he asked. On the shift, four-time Congress councillor from the North constituency Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky said: “The constituency has not seen any development in the past four-and-a-half years. It’s strange that the government, which is facing a political 20-yr-old killed as car hits bike in Tarn Taran More connectivity for flyers from city in winter flight schedule Our Correspondent Charanjit Singh Teja Amritsar, November 2 The recovery of over 120 pistols, two AK-47 assault rifles, an M16 rifle and five hand grenades in the border belt over the past 33 days has exposed the growing scale of illegal arms trafficking in the region. This also leaves one wondering if the city has become a major corridor of arms and drug smuggling. The seizures made in a series of operations by the Punjab Police and sister agencies, including the Border Security Force, point towards organised networks based in Pakistan, along with their accomplices here, allegedly using drones and local couriers to push sophisticated weapons into the border state. The recovery of militarygrade weapons, particularly AK-47s, M16 rifles and hand grenades, has raised concerns over the availability of sophisticated firearms to criminal networks operating in border districts. Punjab has also witnessed a spurt in targeted attacks on police personnel and establishments in the past over one year. In high possibility, the weapons trafficked from the neighbouring country have been used in these instances, gang rivalries and other The police have recovered over 120 pistols, two AK-47 assault rifles, an M16 rifle and five hand grenades in the border belt over the past 33 days in Amritsar. organised crimes. In one of the recent operations, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police arrested four persons, including two juveniles, and seized 16 pistols and seven cartridges. In another case, the Amritsar rural police arrested seven persons, including serving Army personnel, and recovered 14 pistols and 20.130 kg of heroin. On Sunday, the Amritsar rural police arrested four persons and confiscated five pistols in separate incidents. The Gharinda police arrested Amritpal Singh of Naushehra Pannuan (Tarn GROWING CONCERN ■ The recovery of military-grade weapons, particularly AK-47s, M16 rifles and hand grenades, has raised concerns over the availability of sophisticated firearms to criminal networks operating in border districts. ■ Punjab has also witnessed a spurt in targeted attacks on police personnel and other establishments in the past over one year, say the police. Taran), Harpartap Singh of Chavinda village, while the Rajasansi police nabbed Jagdev Singh of Ballia village and Akashdeep Singh of Rane Kale village with three pistols, apart from a total of 273 gm of heroin. In a separate incident, the Gharinda police seized 550 gm of heroin, a pistol and a broken drone at Rorawala Kalan border village. Apart from this, the BSF also recovered a pistol from near Rania border outpost. The latest seizures underline that the challenge in the Amritsar border belt extends beyond narcotics trafficking. The movement of sophisticated firearms and explosives through suspected cross-border networks has been another security concerns in the region. Artist and the art Neeraj Bagga ‘HUGE BACKLOG, NO INFRA UPGRADE’ ❝Such was the North has not Pratap SinghVijay ❝Amritsar ❝Kunwar had state of affairs that I had to get even the sewer network fixed. I had a huge backlog to clear. ❞ — Karamjit Rintu, AAP seen any development in the past four-anda-half years. finished almost all works before being suspended by the AAP. — Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky, CONG — APS Chatha, KUNWAR'S ❞ ❞ CLOSE ASSOCIATE challenge ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, has started all works all of a sudden.” APS Chatha, who is close to Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, rubbished the claims of the opposition parties, saying that the former MLA had finished almost all works before being suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party. He said the list of these works was extremely long. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party for five years on June 29, 2025, for alleged anti-party activities. Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, November 2 A 20-year-old youth was killed after being hit by a car at Khebbe Dogra village here today. The deceased was identi- Victim suffers fatal head injury; car driver booked A woman sells earthen lamps amid Diwali festivities in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR fied as Akashdeep Singh, a resident of Malia Khurad. The police said he was on his way home on a motorcycle when a speeding car hit him. Akashdeep suffered head injuries and he died on the spot. Area SHO Baljit Singh said a case had been registered against the car driver. Amritsar, November 2 The winter flight schedule for Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, is out. In all, 84 entries will cover domestic and international arrivals and departures, including 21 entries each for domestic arrivals, domestic departures, international arrivals and international departures. Also, there will be connected flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Srinagar and Noida in the domestic sector, while international services will connect Amritsar with Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Singapore, Birmingham and Bangkok. Delhi has the highest number of domestic flight options, with Multiple flights through the day services operated by Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo. Multiple flightswillbeavailable through the day, while regular services have also been scheduled for Mumbai and Pune.Other domestic destinations include Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Srinagar and Noida. In the international sector, Kuala Lumpur features multiple services operated by Malaysia Airlines, with flight Lok-Raj Party Punjab set to make People’s safety our foremost concern, illegal electoral debut in Assembly poll cracker makers can’t get away, says top cop Tribune News Service THE STRATEGY Amritsar, November 2 A new political outfit, LokRaj Party Punjab, has announced its decision to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from select constituencies, claiming that it would focus on key issues concerning the state, while avoiding the division of votes among like-minded political groups. The party made the announcement after a meeting attended by residents from several flood-affected villages of Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts. Outfit’s president Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa said the party would field candidates only in constituencies where it believed it had a realistic chance Outfit’s president Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa says the party will field candidates only in constituencies where it believes it has a realistic chance of winning. of winning, keeping in view the need to prevent fragmentation of the Punjabi vote. Randhawa said its political initiative had emerged from its campaign, highlighting the alleged use of dams as a means of releasing large volumes of water, which it claimed contributed to unnatural flooding in Punjab. The issue had been raised at the interna- tional level, he added. Party president Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa said the organisation was committed to establishing a governance system based on truth, justice, equality, compassion and public service. He claimed that its proposed model would leave no room for caste discrimination, social inequalities, hatred or divisive politics. The party also appealed to gram sabhas across Punjab to form security teams for the protection of the Guru Granth Sahib. Party general secretary Dr Gurmeet Singh, an expert in human and social health, claimed that the organisation had worked out time-bound solutions to several problems confronting the state. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 The Amritsar Police Commissionerate has warned against the illegal manufacturing and storage of firecrackers in residential areas, particularly in Anngarh, saying those found running such units without mandatory permissions would face strict legal action. In May this year, a woman was killed and a couple others injured at an illegal firecracker storage unit in the Anngarh area. Recently, reports of illegal manufacturing and storage of firecrackers in the same area had emerged. Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said the police had information c m y b In May this year, a woman was killed and a couple others injured at an illegal firecracker storage unit about the involvement of some persons in the illegal manufacturing of firecrackers in Anngarh in the past. He said such activities posed a serious threat to human lives and property, especially in densely populated localities. Gill warned that if an explosion or fire caused by illegally manufactured firecrackers resulted in loss of life, those responsible could face murder charges and other stringent legal provisions under the Explosives Act. He said the entire police machinery had been put on alert to identify and keep a watch on illegal firecracker manufacturing and storage units. The Police Commissioner said the police would not allow the manufacturing or storage of firecrackers in public places, residential areas or crowded localities in violation of safety norms. He also appealed to residents to inform the police about any illegal firecracker manufacturing or storage facility in their neighbourhood so that timely action could prevent a major mishap. Gill said the safety of people and their property was the police’s foremost priority and no laxity in dealing with such violations would be tolerated. MC reseals octroi post after fresh encroachment Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 The Municipal Corporation resealed its octroi post property near Rigo Bridge, barely 23 days after it had first sealed the premises, following a breach of the seal and fresh encroachment. The civic body’s Estate Department sealed the property on October 9 after taking its possession. However, the seal was subsequently broken and the premises reoccupied. Acting on the violation, the Municipal Corporation carried out a fresh sealing operation. The department also wrote to the Police Commissioner, seeking action against those responsible for breaking the seal and illegally occupying the property. According to the civic body, the property measures around 150 sq yards and was earlier used as an octroi post. Following the abolition of octroi in 2006, the site was left unattended, eventually paving the way for its unauthorised occupation. The repeated breach of the corporation’s sealing order has raised concerns over the protection of municipal properties. The civic body has now sought police intervention to prevent further encroachment attempts. timings and operating days varying across different periods between November and March. Services to Dubai and Sharjah have also been included, along with flights to Doha, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Birmingham. However, some flights listed in the winter schedule are currently not operational. These include Akasa Air’s Abu Dhabi service, Batik Air and AirAsia flights to Kuala Lumpur, and Thai Lion Air’s Bangkok service. The schedule also provides for changes in the timings and operating days of certain Malaysia Airlines flights between Amritsar and Kuala Lumpur during different periods of the winter season. Passengers have been advised to check the latest flight status with airlines before travelling. Heroin, 4 pistols seized near IB Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 2 The police and the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 1.9 gram of heroin, four foreign-made pistols and 50 live rounds during a joint search operation in the border village of Mari Megha on Sunday. Khalra SHO Amarjit Singh said they received a tip-off about the suspected movement of a drone from the Pakistani side near Mari Megha village. Following which, the police and the BSF launched a joint search operation in the area. Officials recovered 1.9 grams of heroin, four foreignmade pistols, empty magazines and 50 live rounds.A case has been registered.