25042022-ATR-01.qxd 24-04-2022 23:49 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE RESIDENTS HOPE GENEROSITY WON’T EMPTY STATE’S COFFERS PAGE 2 Also raise apprehension over the government’s ability to arrange funds to balance state’s fiscal burden. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY INBRIEF 4 LAKH-MT WHEAT REACHES MARKETS Amritsar: With arrival of 33,058 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat in grain markets of the district on Saturday, nearly four lakh MT produce has reached markets in the current season. The government procurement agencies purchased 30,832 MT while private buyers bought 2,174 MT on Saturday. TNS A RUN TO SAVE SOIL FROM EXTINCTION Amritsar: Phulkari — Women of Amritsar (WOA) a local organisation, organised a ‘Run to Save the Soil’ at Rose Garden here on Sunday, wherein over 650 members, including 150 students from schools, participated. The event was organised in association with Isha Foundation. During the event, participants were made aware of the alarming statistics of the rapid rate of soil extinction and the imperative need to take up corrective measures. The run started after a short energising zumba dance choreographed by Dance Factory. Tina Aggarwal, president, Phulkari WOA, said: “It is horrifying to think that if the present rate of soil depletion continues, we have only 60 years of farming left on this planet. The time to act is now. Through today’s run, we have spread awareness about this alarming fact. The enthusiasm and commitment of participants to change this statistic is very encouraging.” Phulkari management team including vice-presidents Aarti Khanna and Kanika Mehra, secretary Sheetal Sohal, treasurer Payal Mehra and executive member Soumya Peshawaria Khurana, were also present on the occasion. TNS STORY TIME! AAMIR KHAN TALKS ABOUT SHARING A KAHAANI PAGE 3 SHAMITA SHETTY OPENS UP ABOUT HER BATTLE WITH DEPRESSION Aamir, who is awaiting the release of Laal Singh Chaddha, spoke about sharing a special kahaani on April 28. MAX 38°C | MIN 21°C | YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET MONDAY 7:06 PM PAGE 4 Shamita Shetty made an appearance on her sister’s chat show recently and opened up on her battle with depression. SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:50 AM MONDAY | 25 APRIL 2022 | AMRITSAR Long way to go: Only 4,300 NRI shot dead in Tarn Taran dogs sterilised in city so far Woman’s role suspected in killing Our Correspondent Number of strays over 55,000 | Need felt to escalate dog sterilisation drive Charanjit Singh Teja DOG-BITE CASES IN THE PAST Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 24 The Municipal Corporation (MC) has sterilised more than 4,300 dogs at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre since August 2021, but residents want that the drive should gather pace and a change should be witnessed at the ground level. According to veterinary officials, there are more than 55,000 dogs in the city and their numbe is rapidly increasing. Even after having a modern ABC centre, which is equipped with the required infrastructure, the Municipal Corporation sterilises 800 dogs per month. “It will take five years to sterilise 55,000 dogs in the city. Their number will further increase in these years. A canine gives birth to seven puppies on an average. There MC chief Rishi transferred Amritsar, April 24 MC Commissioner Sandip Rishi has been transferred as Chief Officer of Jalandhar Development Authority. The government has not appointed anyone on the post of Amritsar MC Commissioner so far. The post of Chief Officer of Jalandhar Development Authority was lying vacant. Rishi was promoted to IAS cadre last year and it was his first posting as MC Commissioner. Sandip Rishi served the city on various posts and was well aware about the city’s issues. — TNS ■ A 9-year-old child was brutally mauled by canines at Bhangoi village in Mehta here on April 2 leaving him grievously injured ■ A stray dog attacked five persons in Gol Bagh last year ■ A woman was attacked by a canine at Fathegarh Churian Road on September 28 last year will take ❝Itin the city.five years to sterilise 55,000 dogs Theit number will further increase in coming years. There is a need to speed up the sterilisation drive. More ABC centres should be established. Kuljit Singh, A LOCAL ACTIVIST is a need to speed up the sterilisation drive. More ABC centres should be established. There is a proposal of the government to set up an Animal Birth Control centre in each constituency. It will help the MC in controling the birth of canines,” said Kuljit Singh, a local activist. Dr Darshan Kashyap, in- charge, veterinary wing of the MC, said, “The sterilisation drive is going on at full swing. We make a roaster of different areas to catch dogs. Both male and female dogs are being sterilised. The effects of this drive will be visible after some years. There are some cities, where the number of dogs are decreasing, as they had initiated the sterilisation drive a decade ago. We are getting sufficient funds for the drive. The funds have been sanctioned for sterilisation of 10,000 more dogs.” The MC made several efforts to start ABC in the past several years and three projects had failed in this KMSC suspends rail roko stir Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 24 The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, has suspended the proposed “rail roko” stir with the government starting wheat procurement and disbursing payment of the crop. The farmers had given a call to observe “rail roko” on April 25. “The decision of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, to postpone the agitation has been taken as the Central Government started wheat procurement and releasing money to farmers. We will continue with our struggle for debt waiver and against drug menace,” said Satnam Singh Pannu, state president of the KMSC. Rare surgery saves life of a patient with complex heart condition Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh ❝The decision of thepostpone the agitation has been Committee, Punjab, to taken as the Central Government started wheat procurement and releasing money to farmers. We will continue with our struggle for debt waiver and against drug menace. Satnam Singh Pannu, STATE PRESIDENT, KMSC ❞ State general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said “rail roko” had been announced last week. But in the last few days, the Central Government had started the process of procurement of wheat and payment of purchased crop to farmers, he added. Farmers and labourers across the state were committing suicides due to debt, which was a matter of concern for Kisan unions, he said. The organisation would soon announce a major struggle in this regard, he added. Farmers also demanded that the Central Government should implement the written agreement to provide the MSP to farmers. Ajay Mishra, accused in the Lakhimpur Khiri incident, should be dismissed from the Cabinet, they said. State office secretary Gurbachan Singh Chabba, Ranjit Singh Kalerbala, Rana Ranbir Singh and Satnam Singh Manochahal were also present at the meeting. ❞ period. With the efforts of Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, the current project has been running without any interruption and residents are hopeful that it would bring the change at ground-level. Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, however, claimed that they would make efforts to speed up the project. Woman held with heroin Tarn Taran, April 24 An NRI of Sohawa (Sarhali) was shot dead at Chunk Char Khamba in Tarn Taran late on Saturday night by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants. Jatinderpal Singh (25) had come from Canada on April 16 and was to return in June. He was going back home from Tarn Taran in a Scorpio (GJ-12, DM-4006) along with his three friends, when the assailants fired at the SUV. Jatinderpal was sitting in the front seat next to the driver. A bullet pierced through his rib. He was brought to a local private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The post-mortem of the body was conducted at the local Civil Hospital on Sunday. DSP (City) Barjinder Singh said a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 24, 54, 59 of the Arms Act had been registered by the police against two unidentified persons. The DSP said according to the information collected from the mobile call details, they were in touch with a Amritsar, April 24 The city police seized 4-gram heroin from Gate Hakima area and 12 bottles of illicit whiskey from A-Division area here on Sunday. In the first incident, the police arrested a woman with 4-gm heroin. The accused has been identified as Mahinder Kaur, a resident of Angarh. The police said during patrolling SI Baldev Singh, incharge, Chowki Angarh, intercepted a woman and recovered 4-gram heroin from her. Meanwhile, the Division A police also nabbed a person, identified as Vinod Mehra of Rambagh, and recovered 12 bottles of illicit whiskey from him. A case under the Excise Act has been registered. — TNS woman, who was allegedly behind the killing. Jatinderpal and his friends went for a cocktail party at the local ‘ Panj Taraa’ restaurant before leaving home and had apparently called the woman, too, but she did not turn up. She had information regarding their every move. The police suspect that she was the one who had sent the bike-borne to kill Jatinderpal. Cops’ role, too, is under scanner as the spot where the incident occurred was just a few yards away from the local city police station. Moreover, religious programmes related to the 459th Parkash Purb of fifth Sikh master Guru Arjun Dev were being organised for the last eight days at the local Darbar Sahib. The district police had even installed nakas and increased patrolling in the surroundings areas. The accused not only committed the crime, but even managed to flee from the spot. Tarn Taran and Patti towns are already infamous for killings, robberies, snatchings and other criminal activities. Even AAP MLAs have expressed their resentment over these incidents with the SSP and other officials. According to the mobile call details, Jatinderpal Singh (in pic) and three others were in touch with a woman, who was allegedly behind the killing. Jatinderpal and his friends went for a cocktail party at the local restaurant before leaving home and had apparently called the woman, too, but she did not turn up. She, however, had information regarding their every move Tung Dhab — A ticking time bomb? Manmeet Singh Gill WAKE-UP CALL Blatant release of sewage, other pollutants into the drain a cause for concern Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 24 In another milestone achieved by the catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) at Government Medical College here, doctors have successfully performed the Ventricular Septal Rupture (VSR) surgery on a 52-year old patient. The VSR surgery, considered to be one of the most risky surgeries, has a merely 10 per cent chance of success. Medical professionals said only two such surgeries were performed at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, in the last five years and in both cases, patients had not survived. Dr Parminder Singh Manghera, in-charge, Cath Lab at GMC said: “In our heart, all four chambers are separate. One of the rare complexities of a heart attack is that the partition separating these four chambers gets ruptured.” He said the surgery was very risky and which was the reason why most of the surgeons avoid it. He said only three patients of total 1,000 who suffer a heart attack, develop VRS. GMC Cath Lab team with the patient on whom Ventricular Septal Rupture surgery was perfomed in Amritsar. FACT FILE ■ Ventricular Septal Rupture (VRS) surgery, considered one of the most risky surgeries, has a merely 10% chance of success. ■ According to medical professionals, only two such surgeries have been performed at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, in the last five years and in both cases, patients have not survived The long-awaited Cath Lab preformed its first surgery on October 13, 2021. In less than one year of its operations, the lab performed a total of 225 operations, many of which were life threatening. In the present times, heart ailments are no more seen as diseases of the rich and those with sedentary lifestyle. Even young and hardworking people are coming up with heart complexities. The Cath Lab run at the GMC is a boon for poor patients as it is providing cost-effective treatment to them. “The patient, who underwent this VRS, was not charged a single penny, as he had an Ayushman Bharat Insurance card. Even if he did not had any insurance cover, the surgery would have cost nearly ~78,000,” said Dr Jagdev Singh Kular, VicePrincipal, GMC. Dr Parminder said: “Here at the GMC, we provide world class stent surgery at a cost of ~55,000.” He said Cath Lab was proving a boon for poor patients. Amritsar, April 24 Over the years, Tung Dhab drain, also known as Gumtala drain passing through the outskirts of the city, has become just a sewage discharge nullah carrying million litres of daily waste and unchecked industrial effluents. Concerned residents of the Holy City, Swiss City, Royal Estate, Guru Amardass Avenue and Ranjit Avenue with members of the Amritsar District Citizens Environment Committee recently gathered along this storm-water drain to highlight the ill-effects of air and water pollution caused by the rampant and blatant release of sewage and other pollutants into the drain. Addressing the gathering Daljit Singh Kohli, member of Amritsar District Citizens Environment Committee, said, “Such uncontrolled pollution of water, soil and air at Tung Dhab defies all claims of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Tandarust Punjab and Smart City Missions in Amritsar. c m y b ❝ This has to stop immediately. As the city’s urban area has expanded beyond the bypass, people residing in areas of up to 3 to 5 km of this drain are exposed to lethal fumes emanating from it 24X7 resulting in breathing disorders, allergies, skin infections and vision problem. DRAIN BANE The NGT had passed strict orders to plug the sources, which released untreated sewage and industrial effluents into this drain, but to no avail. “Bureaucrats and political honchos of all parties need to step out of their swanky airconditioned offices and fix these environmental hazards on a priority. This is a ticking time bomb and the state and Central governments have to be made accountable for this mess. Over the years, the state government has turned a blind eye towards this health hazard in the holy city of Amritsar,” said Kohli. Yogesh Kamra, secretary, Amritsar Vikas Manch, said, “This has to stop immediately. As the city’s urban area has expanded beyond the city bypass, people residing in areas of up to 3 to 5 km of this drain are exposed to lethal fumes emanating from it 24X7 resulting in breathing disorders, allergies, skin infections and vision problem.” “The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had passed strict orders to plug the ❞ Yogesh Kamra, SECRETARY, AMRITSAR VIKAS MANCH sources, which relased untreated sewage and industrial effluents into this drain. The order also specifically directed the Municipal Corporation to plug all sewerage points and asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to adhere to its order, especially for real-time data monitoring of effluent treatment plants (ETPs) of all industries on their web server. However, nothing has been done to comply with the NGT order,” Kamra claimed. Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, an educationist and patron of the AVM, compared the effect of this drain to the after-effects of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings of Japan. “As per research and numerous studies done by Guru Nanak Dev University, it clearly indicates an alteration in the DNA of newborn children,” he said. Their NGO had been highlighting this issue on various occasions by regularly visiting various pollution source points alongside the drain, he added. Twice this issue was raised in the house of Parliament for prompt intervention, he said. Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla also met Minister of Housing and Urban Development Hardeep Puri last year to propose a viable solution to this polluted drain. A district-level task force was also constituted under the Deputy Commissioner, however, with the change of government, the core issue to cleanse the drain has taken a backseat again.