03052022-ATR-01.qxd 5/2/2022 11:46 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE SPL TEAMS CONDUCT CHECKING AT PSEB EXAMINATION CENTRES PAGE 2 A total of 12 teams led by the DEO conducted inspection in 37 schools and checked the arrangements. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY INBRIEF PANIC IN MAJITHA ROAD LOCALITY Amritsar: Panic gripped residents of a locality on Majitha Road after an unidentified person started firing in the air outside a house besides using abusive language. Geeta, the complainant, alleged that the unidentified person came outside her house and started firing and hurled abuses while taking the names of her nephew John. The police have registered a case under Sections 336 and 506 of the IPC and Sections 25/54/59 A of the Arms Act in this regard. TNS TWO HELD WITH SNATCHED MOBILES Amritsar: The city police have nabbed two snatchers identified as Vishal Kumar, alias Shelly, and Sahil. The police have seized as many as 12 stolen or snatched mobiles from them. They were arrested following a tip-off. They were brought on police remand for further investigation. More recoveries are likely to be made from their interrogation, the police said. TNS MAN ROBBED OF HIS MOBILE Tarn Taran: Shamsher Singh, a resident of Sarli Kalan village, was injured when two robbers tried snatching his mobile on Saturday night. Shamsher Singh, a clerk (munshi), was coming back from work from the brick kiln. When he reached near his village, two robbers stopped him and scuffled with him. They injured him with sharpedged weapon and took away his mobile. The Verowal police have registered a case under Sections 379-B and 34 of the IPC on Sunday. OC DOOR-TO-DOOR JOB CAMP ON MAY 4 Amritsar: Under the door-todoor employment and business mission, a placement camp will be organised at the District Employment and Business Bureau here on May 4. Candidates who have passed matriculation or have a postgraduate degree could take part in the camp. Vikramjit, Deputy Director, District Employment and Trade Bureau, on Monday said renowned companies like BYJU’s, SBI, Credit Card, Audmons Pvt Ltd, Soldier Security and Hawk Eye Security Company will take part in the placement camp. TNS ILLICIT LIQUOR, LAHAN SEIZED Tarn Taran: Teams of different police stations seized one working still, 15,750 ml illicit liquor and 125 ltr lahan from different places during raids in villages on Sunday. While three accused were arrested, one absconded. In a joint raid, the Excise Department and Patti city police conducted a raid in Patti and seized one working still, 35 ltr lahan and 750 ml Illicit liquor from the residence of Dharambir Singh, who was arrested. Gursewak Singh of Patti town was held with 50 ltr lahan. Patti Sadar police arrested Resham Singh of Saido village with 15,000 ml illicit liquor. Goindwal Sahib police led by ASI Lakhwinder Singh seized 40 ltr lahan from the residence of Kuldeep Singh Soni of Gujarpura village. The accused managed to abscond from the spot. Cases under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act by the police stations concerned. OC PRITHVIRAJ DIRECTOR ON HOW HE LIVED WITH PROJECT FOR 18 YRS Yash Raj Films’ Prithviraj is being directed by noted film-maker and historian Chandraprakash Dwivedi. MAX 39°C | MIN 28°C | YESTERDAY MAX 40°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7:11 PM Drug addiction snuffs out another life in city Third person to die of drug abuse in the family Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 Drug abuse snuffed out another life in the holy city. A 40-year-old man reportedly died due to the menace in the Kale Ghanupur area here on Monday. This was the third death due to drug abuse in the family. The incident has sparked a great resentment in the area as residents alleged that change in the ruling dispensation has changed nothing at the ground level as far as this rampant drug addiction was concerned. The victim even got infected with HIV due to the alleged sharing of syringe for consumption of drugs. The police took the body of the deceased in custody and sent it for autopsy for ascertaining the cause behind the death. They said the investigations were on and appropriate PAGE 3 SITUATION GRIM IN BORDER BELT ■ Having a close proximity with the international border with Pakistan, rampant drug abuse has assumed alarming proportions in the holy city. Successive governments claim to eradicate the problem by taking 'stern' steps, but the situation remains grim at the ground level. ■ Rattan Singh Randhawa, a farmer leader and resident of the area, pointed out that people voted for a change with a hope of sincere efforts to end the menace. Nevertheless, the current dispensation has failed to take concrete steps so far, he said. action would be taken. Family members of the deceased wishing not to be named said the victim fell in the deadly trap of drug abuse around three years ago. He used to consume medicinal drugs besides smack and heroin. Earlier, his father and brother, too, had lost their lives due to the consumption of drugs. “We tried convincing him to shun drugs, but in vain. He had started taking intravenous injection to get high instantly,” they said, adding that his habit also led to the HIV infection. Today, when we tried waking him up in the morning, he did not respond.” He apparently died in the midnight. It was also learnt that he was arrested by the police with narcotics and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. He had recently come out of jail. Bigg Boss-13 fame Asim Riaz has collaborated once again with Himanshi Khurana for the music video Pinjra. SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:42 AM Narcotics seized beyond border fence Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 The Border Security Force deployed on ‘kisan security duty’ recovered heroin lying abandoned in the fields ahead of the border fence on the India-Pakistan border falling under Amritsar sector on Monday. According to information, three packets containing the suspected narcotics was discovered by the BSF troops while a farmer was cutting stubble and tying the fodder. Three packets were concealed inside a pair of dark blue socks. Search of the area was still on. No arrest was made. On Sunday, heroin weighing 1.02 kg was recovered from a farmer, identified as Dilbag Singh of Hardo Rattan village. He was returning after working in the field. DIRECT SEEDING OF RICE TECHNIQUE ~1,500 aid welcome, but farmers need training too! Manmeet Singh Gill THE TECHNIQUE Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 Even as the Punjab Government has announced an aid of ~1,500 per acre for farmers opting for direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique, and it is expected to decrease area under manual transplantation — a time-consuming, costly and water-guzzling technique, experts warned that farmers must acquire proper knowledge of the new sowing method before trying it at their fields. Experts said the technique should not be applied in fields with a problem of excessive germination of weeds. They said preferred varieties for DSR technique are the ones having fast initial growth and farmers must acquire knowledge about this aspect. Farmers are also required to spray weedicides immediately after sowing to control germination of weeds. Experts said any farmer opting for DSR technique for the first time must not do it on one-fourth of the total land on which he plans to cultivate ■ In direct seeding of rice (DSR), paddy seeds are drilled into the soil using happy seeder or super seeder machines. The technique requires knowledge of the germination process. The technique is still evolving with each passing year ■ Agriculture Department officials said training camps for farmers will be organised in the coming days, where farmers would be demonstrated the correct method of using DSR technique. They said the aid announced by the government will certainly help in increasing the area under this technique paddy. They said farmers must get hands-on training and experience before shifting to the DSR technique. However, as the DSR technique does not require flooding of fields during the first few weeks of sowing, it is considered to be helpful in saving water. Comparatively, a newer technique of sowing paddy, rather than the earlier transplanting methods, the DSR technique helps not only in saving water, but also reduces input cost. In manual or machine transplantation of paddy, farmers have to spend a minimum of ~3,000 per acre as transplantation costs. In many areas, with less labour hands available for transplanting, labour costs are much higher. The cost incurred on preparing fields and puddling of fields is additional. In direct seeding of rice (DSR), paddy seeds are drilled into the soil using happy seeder or super seeder machines. The technique requires knowledge of the germination process. The technique is still evolving with each passing year. Agriculture Department officials said training camps for farmers would be organised in the coming days where farmers would be demonstrated the correct method of using DSR technique. They said the aid announced by the government would certainly help in increasing the area under this technique. Power consumption expected to go up during paddy season Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 The demand for power is expected to go up considerably with the commencement of paddy season from June 1. Meanwhile, urban, rural consumers are concerned about the capability of PSPCL (border zone) whether it will deliver the assured power supply or not. The border belt, comprising Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran besides Amritsar together, is known for producing highquality basmati rice. This belt is famous for its basmati which has long grain and aroma. It is exported to European and Gulf countries. A rough estimate suggests that over ~6,000 crore basmati is exported from this belt. The unexpected rise in temperature not only adversely impacted wheat har- Urban, rural consumers concerned about PSPCL’s ability to deliver assured power supply vest, but also threw normal life out of gear last month. Intensification of heat wave and lack of rain triggered an increase in power demand, leading to outages. The dependence of consumers on electronic gadgets such as desert coolers and air-conditioners among others has also increased. With the start of paddy season from June 1, power consumption will surge in villages. Officials of the Powercom said the c m y b PAGE 4 ACTRESS HIMANSHI KHURANA IS ASIM RIAZ’S PEACE OF MIND demand for electricity has increased due to the early onset of summer. Balkrishan, Chief Engineer of the PSPCL (Border Range), said: “The department does not have a break-up of the supply and demand of power from the border region. However, one thing is sure that there would be at least 10 per cent hike in power consumption from June 1 as compared to the last paddy season.” Meanwhile, the PSPCL has made arrangements to register complaints in case of power cuts in the paddy season. Junior Engineers (JE) and Linemen have been asked to register complaints in their areas in case of load shedding. Nodal complaint centres would also be set up. Already existing 1912 will continue to serve as nodal complaint centre number. TUESDAY | 3 MAY 2022 | AMRITSAR Scrap dealer robbed at gunpoint Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 Two bike-borne persons posing as customers looted a scrap dealer in the East Mohan Nagar area here on Monday. The accused decamped with ~2.70 lakh and his mobile phone. Senior police officials, including DCP Rashpal Singh and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), reached the spot and started investigation. The police took the CCTV footage and digital video recorder in their custody. For now, a case was registered against unidentified persons at the Division B police station in this connection. Rahul, the victim, told the police that the accused posed themselves as customers and interacted with him. He said he did not have any inclination that the two were robbers. He said around 1.45 pm, he was sitting in his office, when two youth came on a bike. On the pretext of purchasing something, they gained entry inside the office. He said after a few Miscreants entered as customers, then decamped with ~2.70 lakh and his mobile phone A cop checking the CCTV camera footage of the incident. IN A NUTSHELL Rahul, the victim, told the police that the accused posed themselves as customers and interacted with him. He said he did not have any inclination that the two were robbers. He said around 1.45 pm, he was sitting in his office, when two youth came on a bike. On the pretext of purchasing something, they gained entry to the office. He said after a few minutes of interaction, they took out country-made weapons and pointed at him. While threatening to kill, they immediately took out ~2.70 lakh from the cash box. They also snatched his mobile phone and fled away. minutes of interaction, they took out country-made weapons and pointed at him. While threatening to kill, they immediately took out ~2.70 lakh from the cash box. They also snatched his mobile phone and fled away. The ACP said the police teams were scanning the CCTV footage in the area to get clues about the robbers. Farmers seek enough power for tubewells Lawyer, British NRI clash: Scribes meet Protest outside Irrigation, SDM offices top cop Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 Farmers from 16 kisan unions under Sanyukt Kisan Morcha staged a protest outside the office of Executive Engineer of Canal and Irrigation Department here on Monday complaining that fields were not getting canal water for irrigation. Farmer leaders alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state was no better than the previous Congress and SAD governments as it had not fulfilled its promises regarding adequate power supply for tubewells and supply of canal water. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha president Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, Kirti Kisan Union leader Jatinder Chinna and All-India Kisan Sabha leader Lakhbir Singh Nizampura alleged that water has not been released into canals till date. They demanded that repair works, if any, should be done, when there is no demand for water in fields and it was not wise to initiate these works when crops are required to be irrigated. Leaders also demanded that in canals which are being paved with concrete, designated spaces should be constructed for bathing of animals. They leaders also complained that the tubewells were getting less than three hours of power supply daily, which was not sufficient. They demanded ~1,000 per quintal bonus for wheat has not been ❝Waterinto canals till released date. Repair works, if any, should be done, when there is no demand for water in fields and it is not wise to initiate these works when crops are required to be irrigated ❞ Farmers’ leaders growers reasoning that loss of yield had put farmers in financial trouble. In a separate protest, farmers under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan staged a protest outside the office of the Sub Divisional Magistrate here alleging that farmers were facing problems in getting fair compensation for the agricultural land for the construction of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra National Highway. Balwinder Singh Mahal, a union leader, alleged that lands owned by politically connected persons were being declared as commercial lands and their owners were being paid much more compensation than ordinary farmers. He said adjoining agricultural plots were being arbitrarily classified into agricultural and commercial lands. He alleged that huge amount of money have exchanged hands to benefit the owners of alleged commercial lands. The union also levelled allegations of corruption against the officials overseeing the land acquisition and compensation process. Farmers under the banner of the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan protest outside the SDM office in Amritsar on Monday. VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 2 Three days after a bloody clash took place at a senior lawyer’s office at Nehru Shopping Complex, a delegation of journalists on Monday met Police Commissioner Arun Pal Singh, while protesting the inclusion of a woman journalist’s name in the FIR. Seek unbiased probe as a woman reporter was also booked in the case The Police Commissioner assured them of scrutinising the instance and deputed Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Prabjot Singh Virk for the same. Mamta Devgan, the aggrieved journalist, maintained that she had approached lawyer Sandeep Gorsi to get his version on the altercation that turned ugly with an England-based NRI family over a matrimonial dispute. The clash occurred at Sandeep Gorsi’s office located at Nehru Shopping Complex leaving Gorsi and British NRI Satish Mehta injured. Mehta received head injury in the clash. A day after, the Civil Lines police have booked Satish Mehta and his family members besides the woman journalist under murder bid, snatching and theft besides other serious offences. Lawrence Road police authorities said the opposite party failed to record their statement as they absconded after registering the FIR. “The matter will be examined on merit,” the Police Commissioner said, adding that appropriate action would be taken after a thorough probe. The Amritsar Press Club Association has strongly opposed registration of criminal case against the woman journalist. Representatives of various media organisations also supported and met the Police Commissioner on Monday.