25042022-JTR-01.qxd 4/24/2022 11:50 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE FISCAL PRUDENCE NEEDED TO OFFSET BURDEN OF FREE POWER PAGE 2 Residents welcome decision, bat for well-thought-out policymaking in long run to strengthen state finances. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY INBRIEF HOSHIARPUR MAKES A MARK Hoshiarpur: The District Employment and Business Bureau has added another feather in its cap with its mention in the Coffee Table Book on Good Governance Practices and Good Governance-2021 launched by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The book mentions Hoshiarpur district of Punjab has made an invaluable contribution by providing jobs to unemployed youth under the Ghar Ghar Rozgar Yojana. District Employment Officer Gurmail Singh said the District Employment Bureau had always brought laurels to the district in the field of employment. He said this feat could be achieved only with the cooperation of placement officer Mangesh Sood, career counsellor Aditya Rana and the entire team of the District Employment Bureau and the administration. OC PAGE 3 STORY TIME! AAMIR KHAN TALKS ABOUT SHARING A KAHAANI 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 ONE BOOKED FOR ABDUCTING TEEN Hoshiarpur: The Mahilpur police have registered a case against unidentified person for luring away a teenager (aged 19). The complainant, a resident of Khairad Rawal Bassi village, told the police that his daughter had gone to cattle shed on Saturday to feed cattle, but did not return. He apprehended that she might had been lured by an unidentified person. After registering a case, the police have started investigation. OC ONE HELD WITH DRUG CAPSULES Hoshiarpur: The Mahilpur police arrested a smuggler and seized 100 intoxicating pills, 600 intoxicating capsules and ~8,000 drug money, besides some other items from him at a naka here on Saturday night. The accused has been identified as Gurpreet Singh Monu, a resident of Kotla. He has been booked under the NDPS Act. OC NO NEW COVID CASE IN DISTRICT Jalandhar: No new Covid case was reported from Jalandhar district today. The Covid tally in district stands at 78,3291 cases. As many as 76,732 people have recovered from the disease while the number of active cases in the district was 11 today. No death due to virus was reported today. The tally of deceased remained at 1,578. Meanwhile, Kapurthala district reported two new Covid cases. The district tally of positive cases reached 23,879 today. No new death was reported in the district. TNS PAGE 4 Shamita Shetty made an appearance on her sister’s chat show recently and opened up on her battle with depression. SUNSET MONDAY 7:03 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:47 AM MONDAY | 25 APRIL 2022 | JALANDHAR Water conservation: Rurka Kalan takes centrestage SCRIPTING A SUCCESS STORY With 6 ponds & 30 soak pits, village is conserving 1 billion litres every year Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 24 There are six ponds, 30 soak pits and two rainwater systems at Rurka Kalan village in Jalandhar, which ensure at least 1 billion litres of water at the village is recharged and reused every year. A village with a population of 9,000 to 10,000 people is conserving billions of litres of water-starved Punjab even as a majority of state villages (and cities) waste gallons of water every day. This unique water conservation and recharge system is now gaining countrywide acclaim. On the 75th year of Independence, during the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at the Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi, on April 15, Rurka Kalan was also one of the progressive village panchayats invited from across the country to detail their success story. While the event included discussion of all-round development projects of the rural gram panchayat, its sterling multiple water conservation and management projects garnered much acclaim. Kulwinder Kaur Kauldhar, The event, at which the Rurka Kalan gram panchayat was hosted, was called “Iconic Week” celebration as per the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, under the title, ‘Panchyaton ke Navnirman Ka Sankalpotsav’, to celebrate healthy and socially secured villages. sarpanch of the Rurka Kalan gram panchayat, had a special presentation on the occasion. Works discussed included laying of sewage pipes, interlocking tiles, green projects, beautification and heritage restoration projects, ambulance and fire brigade services, sporting achievements as well as the myriad water conservation, harvesting, filteration and recharge projects. The panchayat received adoration from the Rural Development Secretary, Government of India, among other key officials. Gurmangal Das, founder, YFC, Rurka Kalan, said, “We run multiple development projects. As far as water A rickshaw-pullar is seen quenching his thirst on a hot summer afternoon in Jalandhar on Sunday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH WOMAN DUPED OF ~2.5L, TWO BOOKED Hoshiarpur: A case has been registered against two Maharashtra residents, who were accused of duping Rs 2.5 lakh on the pretext of selling onions. Reema Devi, wife of Arvind Chaudhary, a resident of Purhiran, told the police that Bal Nath Namdev Khule, a resident of Nasik, and Varinder Kumar, a resident of Bhawanipur Chowk, Maharashtra, had allegedly taken Rs 2.5 lakh from her through NEFT for sending onions, but neither did they send onions nor returned her money. The Model town police have booked the accused under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC. OC SHAMITA SHETTY OPENS UP ABOUT HER BATTLE WITH DEPRESSION is concerned, at present we save a billion of water, but other water conservation projects are coming up in the village through which we will conserve 3 billion litres of water per year. At present 30 to 40 per cent of our target is achieved but the plan is to ensure that no water goes waste.” “In total we plan 200 soak pits, 20 rooftop (rainwater conservation) plants, and we also want to instal water flow metres across the village to calculate water usage. With rampant groundwater depletion a growing concern in the state, such water conservation projects go a long way to ensure sustainability of individual villages and eventually we hope it will also contribute to groundwater recharge,” Das added. Kulwinder Kaur, sarpanch of Rurka Kalan village, said, “It was wonderful to share village development plans and water conservation programme with panchayats from across the country. Our ultimate aim is to ensure total water sustainability of the village. At present, all kinds of waste waters — be it sewage, kitchen, washroom or farm water — is being put to use through recharge.” 6 held in drive to nab proclaimed offenders Police taking tech help to trace their whereabouts Tribune News Service Residents advised to stay indoors HEATWAVE Increase your liquid intake, drink sufficient water Jalandhar, April 24 Launching a drive against the wanted criminals, the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate led by Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Toor have arrested six proclaimed offenders (POs) in the last few days, who were booked in several criminal cases and avoiding arrest. Divulging the details, Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Toor said a special drive had been launched to catch all those habitual offenders, who were on the run. Under this special drive, he said he was personally monitoring day-to-day progress regarding the arrest of POs, adding that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Reiterating his commitment of more responsive and effective policing in the city, the CP said no stone would be left unturned to maintain law CP Gurpreet Singh Toor during checking near Model Town, Jalandhar. moderate health concerns for the vulnerable people. To beat the heat stroke, the advisory further stressed on the usage of protective goggles, umbrella and hat while going out in the sun. For labourers and those working in the open, it was suggested that they should cover their head, neck, face and limbs with a damp cloth. For residents having pets and for farmers having livestock, it was advised to take special care of them. “Arrangements should be made to keep pets and livestock under shade and in cool spaces. Besides, they should be given water at regular intervals,” the advisory reads. Talking to The Tribune, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Ranjit Ghotra, said, “Keeping in view the rising temperature, the advisory has been issued for the prevention of the heat stroke and other illness caused due to the heat wave.” “The rising temperature can cause dehydration in the body and a person may feel dizzy and fall unconscious. Therefore, it is advisable that people should increase their liquid intake and drink sufficient water as often as possible, even if they do not feel thirsty,” he said. He further added that children, the elderly and pregnant women were at a higher risk of getting heatstroke, so they should take precautions in order to protect themselves. and order at all costs. Toor said a list of absconding criminals was prepared and being reviewed by senior officials on a daily basis. He said the police were resorting to human and technical intelligence to trace the whereabouts of such POs and chasing them to send them behind bars. He also solicited people’s support in curbing crime in the city and appealed to them to approach him directly in case of having inputs against criminals and gangsters while assuring them of strict action at the earliest. Toor further revealed that the drive would further be intensified in the coming days to ensure the arrest of remaining POs by the police. He also asked officials to accord top priority to this task and warned that any kind of negligence in this task would be highly unwarranted. Strict action would be taken against erring officials, he added. Campaignagainst drug menace set for launch today LPU professor sacked for hurting religious sentiments A pioneer in spl edu, who made it to National Trust Stubble burning: Admn adopts tough stance Tribune News Service Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 24 In view of the prevailing extreme weather conditions in the region, the District Health Department has advised residents to avoid exposure to sun, especially between 12 noon to 4 pm, as heat wave is intense during these hours of the day. The advisory also asked residents to stay indoors as far as possible as the heat wave could lead to severe to Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, April 24 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Sharma said the civil and the police administration would launch a massive awareness drive against drug menace from Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, tomorrow. Presiding over a meeting at his office, the DC accompanied by the SSP said under , this sensitisation drive, the civil and the police administration would hold face to face interactions with residents of villages and listen to their suggestions and take feedback on how to wipe out the menace from society. In such public interactions, senior officers would motivate people to work shoulder to shoulder with the government to eliminate the social evil from their areas and help in making society drug free, the DC added. Public meetings and interactions would be held regularly in villages under this campaign for making it social movement to save youth from scourge of drugs, the DC said. Suggestions and information from the people at the grassroots level would help build robust mechanism against the menace and make the district drug free, the DC added. Meanwhile, SSP Sandeep Kumar Sharma said the police was taking strict action against persons involved in drug smuggling. The menace would be nipped in the bud, the SSP added. The administration needed fulsome support of the people in this noble cause to save the future generations from drugs by creating awareness, strengthening the social structure and taking strong action against smugglers, the SSP said. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 24 After a video of a faculty member of Lovely Professional University (LPU) went viral on social media, in which she could be seen hurting religious sentiments, the university management reportedly issued orders and relieved her from service with immediate effect. We wish to clarify that ❝views shared by her are the absolutely personal. ❞ LPU statement Meanwhile, acting on the remarks made by her, the LPU in its statement, said: "We understand that some people have been hurt by the video shared on social media where a faculty member can be heard sharing her personal opinion. We wish to clarify that the views shared by her are absolutely personal. The university does not endorse any of them. We have always been a secular university, where people from all religions and faith are treated equally with love and respect. c m y b Jalandhar, April 24 When her son was three-anda-half-year-old, she like lakhs of other parents with special children, didn’t know, which school to send him or whether there was an institution in Punjab for children like him. Amanpreet Kaur, who is a member of the Jalandharbased Chanan Association for MR children, has been elected as a member of the board of the National Trust for the welfare of persons with autism and other multiple disabilities. A mother of two, today she is a pioneer in the field of special education, a woman with many firsts to her credit, including ensuring advocacy and empowerment for the rights of children with special abilities. Her 19-year-old specially-abled son Supreet Fateh Singh is the light of her life. Amanpreet’s sole aim in her past years was to empower other parents so that they didn’t face the dilemma that she did. She was among the eight members of the board of the National Trust, who were elected on Friday (April 22). Of the eight members of the Amanpreet Kaur A mother of two, she has many firsts to her credit, including ensuring advocacy & empowerment for the rights of children with special abilities National Trust board, two are from Punjab, including Amanpreet Kaur and Guriqbal Bedi, and one each from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Manipur and Bihar. Amanpreet Kaur, 44, said, “When Supreet was born, parents had miniscule information about children with special abilities. I was no different. I was clueless, so were my relatives. We searched schools across cities for him. I reside in Tarn Taran, but my awareness and freedom came from the Chanan Association in Jalandhar.” “In 2013, I came in touch with Amarjit Singh Anand (Disability activist) and the Chanan Association. Anand sir told me that I will have to educate myself and find a way to bring up my child. So I did,” Amanpreet added. Having worked for the Chanan Association for the past over five years, she was chosen member of its governing body in 2020. With her exposure to the association, she enrolled in many courses and training workshops to understand her child better. Amanpreet is the only two of the master trainers in entire Punjab in the selfadvocacy campaign and also a member of the faculty of the India branch of the US-based Keystone Institute, which works to provide independent and dignified lives to persons with disabilities. A training in the social role valorisation (SRV) theory dramatically changed her outlook in life. Amanpreet has also been the joint state continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 24 Adopting a tough stance against the practice of stubble burning, the district administration has imposed an environmental compensation worth Rs 5,000 in two cases after the confirmation report from staff while field visit in five cases is pending for confirmation. Imposes environmental compensation of ~5,000 in two cases Divulging the details, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said a multipronged strategy was being adopted by the authorities to curb such instances ranging from IEC campaign to enforcement drive. So far, 268 fire incidents had been reported in the state, out of which 12 cases were from Jalandhar, the DC said , adding that the field staff had conducted spot visits in seven cases and stubble burning was confirmed only in two cases. He said environmental compensation of ~2,500 each was imposed against both cases reported from continued on page 2