03052022-JTR-01.qxd 5/2/2022 11:46 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE FROM CLIMBING FOR HOURS TO TAKING A STEEL CABLE 400M HIGH Every new session is a delight for most kids, but some children do not get to take a pleasant stroll to a bus stop. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY INBRIEF ANTI-DRUG HELPLINE NUMBER LAUNCHED Nawanshahr: In a bid to crackdown on the drug menace in Nawanshahr, DC Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa on Monday launched drug free helpline 9501065718 and asked the people to share the information about the persons involved or associated with the drug peddling in the district. He said anyone can give tip-off about drug menace in their areas either by sharing messages, videos or pics, adding that this would help the administration to eliminate the drug smuggling from Nawanshahr. He further said the identity of person giving information on drugs and liquor would not be revealed. TNS LICENCE MUST FOR LIQUOR VENDS Nawanshahr: With the liquor has been brought under the ambit of Food and Safety Standards Act, 2011, each liquor vend has to obtain mandatory licence or registration from the food safety wing of the Health Department in the district. Assistant Commissioner Food Manoj Khosla said all liquor vends with an annual turnover of above Rs 12 lakh need a licence while those having annual sale below Rs 12 lakh have to get registered with the food safety wing of the department. TNS 2 NEW COVID CASES SURFACE IN DIST Jalandhar: Two new cases of Covid were reported from Jalandhar district on Monday. With this, the Covid tally in the district has reached 78,344 cases. As many as 76,753 persons have recovered in the district so far while the number of active cases has reached 13 on Monday. No deaths were reported in the district. Meanwhile, the Kapurthala district reported one new case of Covid and the district tally reached 23,884. No new death was reported in Kapurthala district as well on Monday. TNS PAGE 2 PRITHVIRAJ DIRECTOR ON HOW HE LIVED WITH PROJECT FOR 18 YRS PAGE 3 Yash Raj Films’ Prithviraj is being directed by noted film-maker and historian Chandraprakash Dwivedi. MAX 39°C | MIN 27°C | YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7:08 PM ACTRESS HIMANSHI KHURANA IS ASIM RIAZ’S PEACE OF MIND PAGE 4 Bigg Boss-13 fame Asim Riaz has collaborated once again with Himanshi Khurana for the music video Pinjra. SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:40 AM TUESDAY | 3 MAY 2022 | JALANDHAR Dist admn rejects wife’s appeal to hold Cops fail to arrest Cong councillor’s husband’s bhog outside police station rape accused son Cops fear supporters of arrested accused may create law & order problem Aparna Banerji DISTRICT POLICE INVOKE PATIALA INCIDENT Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 2 The Kapurthala administration has refused to allow the wife of Ravi Gill, who was allegedly murdered by setting on fire, to hold her husband’s bhog outside the city police station. She was seeking permission from the district administration. The Kapurthala police have yet again (second time) denied permission to the victim’s wife to hold her husband’s antim ardas on Tuesday (May 3). The police have invoked the Patiala incident as one of the reasons for rejection. The police have also expressed concerns that an arrested accused’s supporters (Ranjit Kaur, alias Renu, who has already been arrested) might cause a clash in the city. The denial was formally issued by the Kapurthala The police have invoked the Patiala incident as one of the reasons for rejection. The police have also expressed concerns that an arrested accused’s supporters (Ranjit Kaur, alias Renu, who is already arrested) might cause a clash in the city. OFFICIALSPEAK ❝The permission has been rejected by us. She can hold the bhog at her home, but not outside the police station. ❞ Surinder Singh, DSP, KAPURTHALA (CITY) SDM (The Tribune has a copy of the letter) on the basis of a report issued by the local police and the DSP . Earlier (on April 27) also, she was not granted permission for the antim ardas. This time a string of reasons categorically say that law and order in Kapurthala might take a turn for the worse if the bhog is allowed outside the police station. On the other hand, the SSP , Kapurthala, repudiating his own department’s report said the Patiala incident and the Ravi Gill case were very different and there is no communal tension in Kapurthala. 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 victim is survived by his wife and two children (aged 6 months and 2 years old). Gill had already lodged a complaint against the accused for pushing his wife into prostitution. An FIR had been registered under Sections 302, 307B, 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 them, Kapurthala police had arrested Manjit Kaur, Ranjit Kaur, alias Renu, Jatinder Shera and Sukha. The rest are still at large. What the letter states The letter states that a detailed report was sought from the local police over the issue of the permission sought by Ravi Gill’s wife to hold her husband’s antim ardas outside the Sadak Ali Mohalla at the Kapurthala city police station. The SDM’s letter states, “There is much public movement near the chowk and this could obstruct the movement of the general public. If the permission is given to them, then clashes may arise between supporters of the complainant and the opposite party (Renu who is among the key accused charged in the case). Hence it has been recommended that they hold the bhog at home.” Jalandhar, May 2 Even after a lapse of six days, the Rama Mandi police have failed to arrest the son of Congress councillor Bimla Rani, who has been accused of raping a 21-year-old girl on the pretext of giving her a job. Meanwhile, the family of the victim is saying that efforts are being made by the family of the accused to hush up the matter. They even alleged that they were being pressured into withdrawing the case. “Earlier, the police were reluctant to file an FIR, and now they are not able to trace his whereabouts. It seems the police are working under the pressure of Congress leaders,” alleged one of the family members of the victim. He further said despite having access to the best of technology and other resources, the police have failed to trace the location of the accused. “Till the accused is arrested, we are afraid of our daughter’s security. We are not letting her go outside, she is going through mental trauma,” he added. Meanwhile, the family of the accused maintained that their son is being implicated in a false case. They alleged that the victim’s family is demanding a huge sum of money for their son’s release. Rama Mandi SHO Navdeep Singh said, “The police are conducting raids and cops have been deployed near his residence and other locations, but as his phone is switched off, we are unable to trace his location.” — TNS Another credit war erupts, now at Phillaur A wedding at police station! Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 2 Following a 10-day-old incident of credit war that erupted between Congress Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh and his AAP rival Surinder Sodhi over roadwork inauguration, another such case has emerged at Phillaur. As two fire tenders were to be received from the office of ADC-cum-MC Commissioner, Phagwara office, for Phillaur and Goraya municipal councils, Phillaur Congress MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary as well as AAP leaders Joginder Singh Mann and Prem Kumar also reached the Phagwara MC office. While Chaudhary claimed that the fire tenders came on his request to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and that he being the legislator of Phillaur had the right to receive and launch them in his constituency, the AAP leaders said since it was their government in power in the state, this right was with them. A huge ruckus got created in Jalandhar, May 2 An unusual scene was witnessed at the Navi Baradari police station on Monday when a young couple arrived with a complaint stating that they both are adults and want to get married but their parents are against their relationship. The girl, Geeta, who hails from Nurmahal, in her statement told the police that the boy was a drug addict in the past, but now he’s recovered and no longer takes drugs but her family members are still not ready to accept him, she said. On the other hand, the boy, Ajay Sidhu, who belongs to Nagra village in Phillaur, told the police that his family was against his relationship because they believe the girl was responsible for his drug addiction. They claimed that they have approached the Women’s Commission too in this regard. The Women’s Commission had called both the families for counselling Phillaur Congress MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary as well as AAP leaders Joginder Singh Mann and Prem Kumar were involved in a credit war over the new fire tenders in Phillaur on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO the office of Daljeet Kaur, ADCcum-MC Commissioner, Phagwara. Both sides indulged in arguments and counter-arguments against one another. Chaudhary had the support of Phillaur MC chief Mahinder Ram Chumber, Goraya MC chief Kamaldeep Singh Bittu, Phillaur block samiti chair- man Davinder Singh Lasara, Phillaur Market Committee chairman Makhan Singh Khaira, Goraya Market Committee chairman Dara Singh Rai, Phillaur block samiti vicechairman Jaswinder Singh Jassi and Zila Parishad member Gurpreet Kaur. The ZP member filed a written com- plaint against AAP leader Joginder Mann with Phagwara SP Harinderpal Singh Parmar. Chaudhary said: “Prem Kumar, who had lost the Assembly poll from Phillaur against me, has no constitutional position to take the firefighting vehicles with him to Phillaur.” continued on page 2 A couple gets married at Navi Baradari police station on Monday. today, but their families were still not ready. They said they then contacted the leaders of Shiv Sena Samajwadi and narrated their whole story to them. After that, the leaders of Shiv Sena sought permission from the Police Commissioner for marriage and made them exchange garlands at the police station. Police officials at the police station said though the marriage has taken place in the police station, there is no role of the police in it. They said both the boy and the girl were adults and the marriage was solemnised by leaders of Shiv Sena. “The only job of the police was to protect the couple,” they added. Much-touted ‘Lab on wheels’ project Saving water: Agriculture Dept plans in Nawanshahr is yet to pick up pace to give a big push to DSR technique Only 100 out of 634 govt schools covered in the district so far Targets 50,000 hectares of paddy sowing with this method Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 2 The much-touted ‘Lab on wheels’ project that was started in September last year is running at a snail’s pace in Nawanshahr. Promoted as a first-of-itskind, the project was started for the students of 423 primary and 211 upper primary schools in Nawanshahr district. But, so far, 87 high and senior secondary schools have been covered in Nawanshahr and 13 in Balachaur. This means out of 634 government schools in the constituency, only 100 have been covered. And none of the primary schools have been covered yet. Sources in the department said the project remained on hold because of one reason or another. Former Nawanshahr Deputy This moving lab has been prepared at a cost of ~48 lakh. FILE Commissioner Dr Shena Aggarwal had shown a great interest in the project. It was started with the aim of drawing maximum number of students towards science and develop- ing a scientific approach among the students by providing them practical training in an interesting manner. This moving computer and science lab has been pre- pared at a cost of Rs 48 lakh. It is equipped with 12 computers, WiFi facility, LEDs, various science related instruments, microscopes, various models of physics, chemistry and biology giving out a detailed information of concepts such as DNA, heart, skeleton, laws of reflection of light, periodic table, etc. The idea behind the initiative is to make the subjects interesting for the students so that they enjoy while attaining knowledge. The bus will cover all primary, middle and senior secondary schools in the district. District Education Officer, Nawanshahr, Kulwinder Singh Sarai said the exams are going on, which is why it is put on hold right now. “But we will ensure that it covers maximum schools in future,” he said. c m y b Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 2 The Agriculture Department is gearing up to encourage farmers to adopt direct seeding of rice (DSR) method after the government announced to give Rs 1,500 aid to the farmers who would sow paddy by using DSR technique. The aim is to prevent groundwater depletion. Unlike traditional method, DSR doesn’t need much water and it also cuts labour cost. In Jalandhar, 25,000 hectares of paddy was sown with DSR technique last year, while two years ago, around 15,000 hectares of paddy was sown using this method. As per the information, last year, due to fear of failure of the technique, some farmers who used DSR technique The state government announced to give ~1,500 aid to the farmers who would sow paddy by using DSR technique. TRIBUNE PHOTO destroyed the paddy sown on around 5,000 hectares. Chief Agriculture Officer Surinder Singh said the farmers who tried using the technique but could not succeed would be given special attention. “We will focus on them so that they use the technique again this time. The departmental staff will help them,” he said. This year the department is determined to increase the paddy sowing up to 50,000 hectare with DSR. Camps to sensitise the farmers have already started at village level. In DSR technique, the seed is sown directly and no puddling is required which ultimately saves labour cost. Lakhwinder Singh, a farmer from Turna village in Lohian, said he adopted the method four years ago. “If done properly, the yield using this method is very good,” he said adding that the government’s announcement of giving Rs 1,500 would also give a push to more farmers towards adopting this technique. Recently, a district-level farmer training camp and farm exhibition was held by the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department, Kapurthala, where it was discussed that the responsible use water as a natural resource, direct paddy seeding was the need of the hour.