24042022-JTR-01.qxd 24-04-2022 00:50 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE EVENTS MARK WORLD BOOK DAY AT COLLEGES IN CITY PAGE 2 Various colleges of the city organised events and activities to mark World Book Day on Saturday. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 3 HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY WILL SMITH ARRIVES IN MUMBAI RAPPER BADSHAH & J BALVIN READY TO DO VOODOO Will Smith, who was in news recently for slapgate with Chris Rock at the Oscars, is in India currently. MAX 38°C | MIN 19°C | YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7:02 PM PAGE 4 Voodoo marks the first proper collaboration between rapper Badshah and Latinx icon J Balvin. SUNRISE MONDAY 5:48 AM SIT formed in Ravi Gill murder case 2 new Covid cases in dist Arrest other accused as I fear for my life, deceased’s wife asks police SUNDAY | 24 APRIL 2022 | JALANDHAR Tribune News Service gullible girls were being forced into prostitution by the gang of the accused. Ravi Gill was set on fire at the Kapurthala City police station on April 14 (as per the FIR), while he was trying to escape from some people chasing him. The deceased is survived by his wife and two children aged 6 months and two years. An FIR had been registered under Sections 302, 307-B, 120 and 34 of the IPC against 10 persons - Ranjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Soma, Manpreet, Raman, Narinder Singh Mansoo MC, Jassa, Jatinder Shera, Sukkha and Manoj Nahar. Of these, the Kapurthala police had arrested Manjit Kaur, Ranjit Kaur, alias Renu, Jatinder Shera and Sukha. The rest of them are still at large. Kapurthala SSP Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, who took charge today itself, said: “A fair investigation in the case is being conducted. It is diffcult to put a timeline on when the SIT’s report will come. But further inevstiagtion is on in the case and whoever is found guilty will be nabbed.” The SSP also said the police will look into the matter of provision of security to the family. While the CJM court had already ordered police surevillance for the family, after the family’s repeated pleas, a PCR team had been deputed for surveillance at the home of Ravi’s wife’s. After an application was moved by the applicant, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kapurthala had ordered the protection of the applicant (victim’s wife) by the Kapurthala police. The CJM’s order, issued on March 22, stated: “To avoid any untoward incident, endangering the life of the applicant and her family, as apprehended in the application, the SHO, Kapurthala City, is directed to keep surveillance of the residential address mentioned in this application by deputing police official till the next date, i.e. March 29, 2022.” As per the family’s advocate, the date for police surveillance had been further extended to April 27 in subsequent proceedings of the CJM court. Baisakhi Mela back at Kanjli Wetland after 20 yrs NRI attacked by robbers with sharp weapons Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 23 Nine days after a Kapurthala resident, Ravi Gill, was reportedly torched by people who allegedly forced his wife into prostitution, the deceased’s family sought security maintaining that they were under immense pressure till all accused were put behind bars. Meanwhile, the police said a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the case and it was conducting a thorough probe. Wife of Ravi Gill, while speaking to The Tribune, alleged: “Powerful people are behind my husband’s murder. I live with my children and I’m under immense pressure. I fear for my life. We demand that the rest of the accused be put behind bars. The police should also put on public record, the recovery of the car and the can used for pouring oil over my husband, which have been recovered by them and are prime evidence in the case.” “The police had been ordered to provide security to me and a PCR team visits the place for five minutes in daytime but there is no permanent deputation of officials,” she said. She also alleged that Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 23 After 20 years, the district administration of Kapurthala today organised the ‘Baisakhi Mela’ at the Kanjli Wetland in a bid to revive a tradition which was followed earlier. Held with an aim of conveying the message of conservation of environment, the initiative for reviving the fair was taken by Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal and the district administration. While the idea of the mela is to make all possible efforts to redevelop DC Vishesh Sarangal at a stall during the Baisakhi Mela at Kanjli Wetland in Kapurthala on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH the Kanjli wetland as a tourism hub, concerns that it might endanger the Wetland, which is a Ramsar Site, reign heavy among citizens. While on one hand myriad stalls and an array of cultural events regaled visitors, on the other, the administration failed to care for the conservation of the ecology at the wetland. Despite being a Ramsar site, use of plastic disposables and plates was allowed during the fair at the Kanjli Wetland today. Plastic disposables were strewn right along signboards of the continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 23 There has been a significant drop in electricity theft cases in the Doaba region. As many as 1,175 electricity theft cases have been reported in the financial year 2021-22 as compared to 2,400 cases reported in 2020-21. Officials said the theft cases have witnessed a decline owing to increased monitoring and checking being conducted by the enforcement wing of the PSPCL on a regular basis. They said the drop in theft cases had also helped the PSPCL receiving greater revenue. “Enforcement wing in Jalandhar circle of the PSP- THE FIGURES FINANCIAL YEAR 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 CL detected revenue pilferage of over 20 crore for the second consecutive financial year,” the officials added. Rajit Sharma, Deputy Chief Engineer, enforcement wing, Jalandhar circle, said revenue pilferage happens mostly due to electricity theft, tampering of power meters and meter reading concealment. He said at present, there were over 20 lakh consumers of various categories in the north zone of the PSPCL and CONNECTIONS CHECKED 84,000 1,58,000 1,10,000 approximately 60,000 new electricity connections were released every year. Hence, monitoring the consumption pattern of this voluminous data was a tough job. “However, by increasing checking and monitoring, we have managed to bring down the theft cases in the region,” he added. He said the PSPCL was regularly introducing the latest technology and tools to detect electricity theft and leakage of THEFT CASES 1,550 2,400 1,175 REVENUE PILFERAGE 17.50 cr 20.10 cr 21.00 cr FIR REGISTERED 1,750 1,190 1,075 revenue due to wrong metering. “Our main focus is on data mining and analysis,” he said. He said the data centre of the PSPCL at Patiala was equipped with the latest Meter Data Management System. Besides, electricity meters are being checked at sites through state-of-the-art electronic rotary substandard meters and secondary injection testing devices. “The PSPCL is installing smart meters wherever theft c m y b Teachers hold protest over non-payment of salary Say March salary delayed due to vacant posts of BPEO Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 23 Four days after a Hyundai Creta car was taken away at gunpoint from a couple near Model Town, another crime incident rocked the city when some miscreants with covered faces barged into a house at Randhawa Colony in the Ladhewali area here on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. As per information, some unidentified armed robbers continued on page 2 Power theft cases decline in Doaba region Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 23 Two new cases of Covid were reported from Jalandhar today. The Covid tally in in the district has reached 78,321. As many as 76,729 persons have been recovered from Covid in the district while the number of active cases in Jalandhar is 14. No deaths were reported today. As many as 1,578 persons died of the virus so far in the district. No Covid case or death was reported in Kapurthala today. The Kapurthala district tally remained at 23,877 cases today. As many as 582 persons died of Covid so far in the district. of electricity is detected. Enforcement officers of the PSPCL have been extensively trained to extract data even from damaged meters and that leads to detection of energy consumption concealment and exact date of pilferage by the consumer,” Sharma said. The Deputy Chief Engineer said the police station, antipower theft, Jalandhar, PSPCL, had registered an FIR against Section 135 of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003, against 1,075 consumers during 2021-22. Meanwhile, 80 outsourced meter readers were terminated during the past three years for involvement in electricity theft, concealment of readings in the north zone of the PSPCL. Nawanshahr, April 23 Under the banner of the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, primary teachers, who are awaiting their salary for March, along with other leaders of the morcha, staged a protest outside the District Education Office (DEO) here on Friday. The protesting teachers said all posts of Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) in the district were lying vacant due to which the March salary of the teachers could not be released. They said earlier their salaries for December, January and February were released in the last week of March due to budget-related issues. Now, the Primary teachers protest outside the DEO's office in Nawanshahr. March salary hasn’t been released as there is no BPEO in the district. If, the issue remains unresolved, the salary for April would also be delayed. Notably, the BPEOs are responsible for monitoring elementary and primary schools, release of salary bills and other coordinating jobs. The teachers said the functioning of primary schools is being affected in the absence of the BPEO and their salaries are being delayed repeatedly, but nothing is being done to resolve the matter. continued on page 2