23032021-JTR-01.qxd 3/22/2021 11:15 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE WORLD WATER DAY: PLEDGE TO PRESERVE THE ELIXIR OF LIFE PAGE 2 Students told to participate in protecting, restoring local streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. FORECAST RAIN INBRIEF BHAGAT SINGH’S STATUE UNVEILED Jalandhar: A day ahead of the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Jalandhar North MLA Bawa Henry unveiled the newly renovated Bhagat Singh Chowk that bears the statue of the leader. Readied through Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, the statue in marble is all white instead of the previous one which had black, blue and white colours. Another major change in the statue is that while it depicted Bhagat Singh in hat earlier, the new statue has his turbaned look. To beautify the statue, a canopy has been created and spot lights have been installed. The entire roundabout has been renovated with new stones and railings put up all around. On the occasion of its opening on Monday, the statue was bedecked with marigold flowers and foliage. Henry said that he felt fortunate to have got a chance to unveil the statue of the revolutionary icon. He touched the feet of the statue, offered flowers and gave it a salute. Members of the Bhagat Singh Chowk Shopkeepers Association also participated in the function along with MC councillors Salil Bahri, Anjali Bhagat and others. TNS Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 22 The city police continue to grapple with the rising crime incidents such as murders, firing and offenders of Covid19 norms and seem inefficient in controlling petty crimes such as snatchings and vehicle thefts and robberies at homes. For the last 4-6 months, such crimes have increased manifold and due to the non-traceability, these are only amplifying. Post the lockdown, thieves have become more active and valiant in the city, as they mostly strike in broad day light. This has created a sense of insecurity among residents, as the police have also failed to nab them. While last night three motorcycle-borne miscreants targeted a house is Gobind Nagar, in the area of police division eight, the dealers at Phagwara electricity market are continuously complaining against theft in electricity stores. At a house in Basti Danishmanda, jewellery worth lakhs and cash amounting of ~10,000 was stolen on Sunday. Even though the CCTV footage of the incidents go viral on social media, the police, in most of the cases, fail to identify and trace criminals. In the wee hours on Monday, two miscreants managed to barge into an electrical store and fled with goods worth lakhs. The incident took place between 4.30am and 5 am, during the curfew hours. Sanjay Kochhar, the owner of the shop located in Char Bagh, Phagwara electricity market, said two men came in a vending cart and after breaking the locks, stole all electrical items. Meanwhile, they also made three rounds to take away all items. He said robbery incidents have become common in the market. This was the PAGE 3 As per Karan Johar, Sanjay Kapoor and Maheep’s daughter Shanaya will be launched under Dharma banner. MAX 23°C | MIN 16°C | YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6:41 PM AJAY SINGH TALKS ABOUT HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE TAJ MAHAL PAGE 4 Ajay Singh says, “This was my first visit to the Taj Mahal and it will be embedded in my memory forever.” SUNRISE DAY 6:26 AM TUESDAY | 23 MARCH 2021 | JALANDHAR MC may fall short of ~42-crore target Treesbeingaxed on Kapurthala road, residents protest move Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Kapurthala, March 22 As hundreds of young trees on either side of the Jalandhar-Kapurthala 703, a national highway, are being axed, the residents are daily standing at the site holding placards as a mark of their silent protest. The trees are being axed along the 10 km stretch of the highway from Mand village in Jalandhar to IKG Punjab Technical University in Kapurthala. Most of the trees include varieties of babool, kikkar and eucalyptus. Forest Range Officer Davinder Singh said, “The trees had to be axed owing to a project for widening of the highway. We have taken due clearance from the Ministry of Environment, which is a long drawn process.” Asked if the young trees could be transplanted instead of being axed, “It is not an easy process to transplant such a huge number of trees. The root system of the plant gets disturbed and the mortality rate is very high after such a herculean task.” Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 22 With the financial year coming to an end, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation may fall short of its target of recovering ~42 crore as property tax. The civic body has been able to recover only ~24 crore to date. Last year, the property tax wing had recovered ~29 crore. Officials said they could not meet the target in the wake of the pandemic. Officials sealed four properties and a hotel in civil lines and the Police Lines area today. The defaulters have been asked to pay property tax till March 31 to avoid penalty. On daily basis, around four properties were being sealed by the MC. Bhupinder Singh Brring, superintendent, property tax wing, said due to the Covid19, collection of recovery tax started in July 2020. “We are asking defaulters to pay property tax before March 31. Else, they will have to pay 20 per cent penalty There’s no stopping snatchers, robbers Ajay Joshi KARAN JOHAR ANNOUNCES SHANAYA KAPOOR’S LAUNCH Despite having visuals, cops clueless; unable to trace miscreants leading to more crime PROPERTY TAX Civic body recovers ~24 cr, which is ~5 cr less than last fiscal ❝ We are asking defaulters to pay property tax before March 31. Else, they will have to pay 20 per cent penalty along with interest. People thought some relaxations will be given in the wake of the pandemic, but there is nothing as such. To avoid further action, defaulters should pay the tax ❞ Bhupinder Singh Brring, SUPERINTENDENT, PROPERTY TAX WING along with interest. People thought some relaxations will be given in the wake of the pandemic, but there is nothing as such. To avoid further action, defaulters should pay the tax,” he said. Billboards have also been installed at various places to encourage residents to deposit property tax and messages are also being sent on mobile phones. Officials were also planning to run awareness campaign on Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 22 The district on Monday reported 309 new Covid infections and nine deaths. With this the total case tally crossed the 26,000 mark and the death toll rose to 825. After 215 persons tested positive on Monday, the tally rose to 11,879 in the district, while with 10 deaths the district toll reached 463. Dr Ranjit Singh, Civil Surgeon said of the 215 new positive patients found on Monday, 15 were from the city, while the remaining were from other health blocks in the district. The number of active cases is 1,766, while 10,386 patients have recovered so far. Bankers, senior citizens get the jab sixth such incident in the last 4-5 months. Earlier, ML Tools, Tirath electricals, Unique electricals, Chopra electricals and Shivraj Garah cycle store were among the targeted stores. A Verna car was also stolen from Central Town area. Kocchar said no FIR was registered in the case and cops at police division three only registered a complaint. Residents claimed that the police were making false claims of tightening the noose around thieves, as they had failed to check theft incidents in the city. The rise in cases betray the city police claims of launching drives to keep a check on the activities of criminals. Amit Sehgal, president, Phagwara Electrical Market Association, said the non-availability of security at the market was promoting robberies in the area. Shopkeepers have also continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Most trees are of babool, kikkar & eucalyptus ❝The trees had to be axed owing to a project for widening of the highway. We have taken due clearance from the Ministry of Environment, which is a long drawn process. The clearance we get for uprooting trees is always on the basis of creating an alternate plantation of trees elsewhere. We will surely do plantation at an alternate site. Locals hold placards in protest on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road. Enquired about an alternate site where compensatory plantation is to be done, he said, “The clearance we get for uprooting trees is always on the basis of creating an alternate plantation of trees elsewhere. We will surely do plantation at an alternate site.” A senior government functionary shared that the road widening project had been planned nearly two years back ahead of the 500th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak so that there could be an easy movement of traffic. While the gurpurab celebrations got over in November 2019, the work has begun now and many feel that it was actually not required. Meanwhile, not just the residents, even the students ❞ Davinder Singh, FOREST RANGE OFFICER of IK Gujral Punjab Technical University have been actively participating in the protest against the felling of trees. A placard by one of the students read, ‘every year over 700 crore trees are axed’. Another beamed, ‘if trees could bleed, there would have been a gushing flow of blood across all highways of Punjab’. District reports 9 deaths, 309 new infections 10 die, 215 positive in Hoshiarpur district A CCTV grab of the thief at Phagwara Gate electricity market in Jalandhar. radio as well. Inspectors have been going to the field to recover property tax and defaulters who have not paid the tax were being served notice under Section 112 of the Municipal Corporation Act, to which the owner must give a reply within three days, failing which another notice of sealing the property is served under Section 138 of the Municipal Corporation Act. Deepkamal Kaur The Citizens Urban Cooperative Bank kick-started the Covid-19 vaccination drive for its staff and senior citizen members. The vaccination Rule breakers queue up to get tested by the Health Department in Jalandhar on Monday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH HELPLINE NUMBERS FOR COVID PATIENTS ■ Helpline number of Ambu- lance: 108 ■ Emergency helpline: 104 ■ Jalandhar Helpline for Covid JALANDHAR UPDATE NEW CASES TOTAL CASES NEW DEATHS TOTAL DEATHS RESULT AWAITED TOTAL DISCHARGED ACTIVE 309 26,283 9 825 4,241 22,880 2,578 camp was inaugurated by bank chairman KK Sharma. The camp was organised in association with superspe- or other medical queries: 0181-2224848 ■ District Immunisation Officer contact: 94171-64164 ■ Website for Covid bed info: https://jalandhar.nic.in/ ciality hospitals in Jalandhar. On the first day, 62 eligible persons were registered for the first dose of vaccina- tion. The drive will continue in a phased manner over the next few days covering senior citizens and the bank staff. The chairman appreciated the relentless service of the staff members amid such tough times and felt that to ensure sustenance of uninterrupted customer service, the team of the bank should be hale and hearty. Sharma appreciated the spirit of senior citizens for their whole-hearted participation and ensured that the bank stands with them in this tough time. “The pandemic has impacted almost every corner of life, causing global economies to stall, changing the way we work and interact with our loved ones. Covid-19 vaccination is now offering a way to transition out of this phase of the pandemic,” he said. The chairman ruled out all misconceptions precipitating regarding the safety of Covid19 vaccination by being the first member to get the jab and said large scale administration of the same was the need of the hour. 49,600 DOSES ADMINISTERED IN HOSHIARPUR SO FAR Hoshiarpur: As many as 49,600 doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the district through more than 50 session sites at government hospitals and health centres, while more than 10 private hospitals in the district were also administering the vaccine. Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait has appealed to the eligible beneficiaries to get vaccinated at their nearest hospital or health centre as soon as possible. Riyait said 7,927 health care workers have been administered the first dose and 3,288 the second dose. Similarly, the first and second doses of the vaccine have been administered to 6,284 and 3,150 frontline workers, respectively. As many as 28,951 persons aged 60 years or above and those aged 45 to 59 years having co-morbidities have been vaccinated. Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal was administered the first dose of the vaccine at the local Civil Hospital. He appealed to the eligible beneficiaries to come forward for immunization, which is urgent at present. Meanwhile, Covid vaccine was administered to 360 beneficiaries at the Police Lines hospital on Monday. OC HOSHIARPUR POLICE DISTRIBUTE 14,257 MASKS Acting tough against violators, the police on Monday took as many as 1,616 persons roaming without mask to civil hospitals/health centres for RT-PCR tests and booked four persons for violation of directives. Cops are conducting a vigorous campaign to sensitise and educate people about the pandemic and its effects. The SSP warned that no one violating the Covid appropriate behaviour would be spared at any cost. Of the total 1,616 violators, a total of 125 tests were conducted in Garhshankar, followed by 203, 385, 180, 327, and 369 in Tanda, Dasuya, Mukerian, Hoshiarpur rural, and Hoshiarpur city, respectively. As many as 27 persons were taken to health centres for tests by the traffic wing. Total 14,257 masks distribution comprised 1,700, 1,800, 3,500, 1,400, 3,000 and 2,800, in Garshankar, Tanda, Dasuya, Mukerian, Hoshiarpur rural, and Hoshiarpur city subdivisions, respectively, besides 57 masks were distributed by the traffic police. OC Biz First Portal — a faster way to set up enterprise 2 booked for opening fire on car Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 22 Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori on Monday issued an in-principle approval certificate under the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020, to businessman Karun Dhawan for setting up a pipe fitting industry in the city. The DC accompanied by SDM Rahul Sindhu and General Manager (Industries) Deep Singh Gill handed over the certificate to Dhawan for starting a pipe fitting unit in Jalandhar, Welbond Pipes & Fitting Pvt Ltd, after he applied at Business First Portal. Thori said under this Act, all the NOCs related to setting DC Ghanshyam Thori hands over the certificate to businessman Karun Dhawan for starting a pipe fitting unit in Jalandhar after he applied at the Business First Portal. TRIBUNE PHOTO up a new enterprise were completed within 15 days after applying at the ‘Business First Portal’. All the formalities and NOCs related to the new business/business start-up would be awarded c m y b through this single medium in a record time, he added. The DC further mentioned that the applicant needed to obtain the requisite NOCs from the departments concerned within a time period of three years. However, he got an in-principle approval certificate to start his business. The DC said the Department of Industries and Commerce had taken this new initiative to promote the business in the state, besides providing ease of doing business with the required approvals. He also mentioned that the advent of new industries would also open new vistas of employment for the youth. Deep Singh Gill urged the industrialists to avail the benefits of ease of doing business initiatives for various regulatory clearances and fiscal incentives through Business First portal of the Department of Industries and Commerce, Punjab. Hoshiarpur, March 22 Some assailants fired seven shots at a car at Talwandi Araiyan village close to Sham Chaursai town here on Monday afternoon. Luckily, no occupant present in the car was seriously injured in firing. In Talwandi Araiyan, a village close to Sham Chaurasi town in the district, some assailants fired seven bullets on a vehicle, but luckily, there was no serious injury to the occupants. Sukhjit Lal, alias Sabi, son of Kashmiri Lal, a resident of Araiyan village, was taking his father to hospital in his car when some assailants on a motorcycle surrounded their car on the way. Just before he could get understand anything, they opened fire on their car and escaped. Luckily, Sabi and her father Kashmiri Lal had a narrow escape during the incident. He informed the police about the incident. On receiving the information, Shamchurasi outpost incharge Inderjit Singh and Bullowal SHO Pradeep Singh along with the police party reached the spot and started investigation into the case. Police Station Bullowal SHO Pradeeep Singh told this reporter late in the evening that a case had been registered against two accused Ashish Kumar, alias Ashu, a resident of Chalupur village, and Sukhwinder Singh Sukkhi, a resident of village Rapur, in this regard. According to the SHO, an old enmity is being stated as the reason behind the firing incident. — OC