01062022-ATR-01.qxd 5/31/2022 11:36 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE PAGE 2 CIVIC BODY THWARTS BID TO ENCROACH DRIED-UP POND Some persons were reportedly laying the foundation of boundary wall with the intention of encroaching the pond. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY INBRIEF FOETUS FOUND IN GURDWARA TOILET SIMON CURTIS OPENS UP ON DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA A sequel to the British TV show and movie, Downton Abbey 2 is all set to hit the theatres in India on June 3. MAX 41°C | MIN 25°C | YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 23°C 2 posing as I-T officials held, booked for fraud SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7:30 PM Amritsar: A foetus was found in the toilet of Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh on Monday. The 3-month-old foetus was first seen by Ajaib Singh, a tea stall owner, who runs his stall near the gurdwara. An unidentified person had thrown the aborted child in the bathroom. The police took it in its custody and sent it to the Civil Hospital for examination. ASI Santokh Singh, Investigating Officer, said a case under Section 318 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified person. TNS Amritsar, May 31 The Amritsar rural police have arrested two persons for allegedly attempting to defraud a shopkeeper by posing as Income Tax officials. They were held after the shopkeeper got suspicious of them. They were identified as Kuldeep Singh of Budha Theh and Ravinder Singh of Dole Nangal village. They were handed over to the police following which the fake identity cards of Income Tax Department were recovered from them. A case under Sections 429, 420, 468, 471, 511 and 34 of the IPC was registered against them and further investigation was underway. Surinder Singh, a resident of Chhapianwali village, told the police that he runs a readymade garment shop at Baba Bakala Sahib in the name of Dhariwal Fashion Corner. He said around 3.30pm on Monday, the two persons came and introduced themselves as Income Tax officials and demanded to show their I-T returns. He said as they got suspicious after some questioning, they got panicked and tried to flee. However, they were held and handed over to the police. ASI Charan Singh, investigating officer in the case, said both were arrested and produced in a court. They were brought on police remand for interrogation. The police also impounded the bike they were travelling. WHEN KAMYA FORGOT ENVELOPE WITH ~1L AT A PANIPURI STALL The actress said she was too engrossed in eating & clicking pics that she forgot to pick up the envelope when she left. SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:26 AM Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 31 The Deputy Commissioner and Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu had assured timebound inquiry into the digging case and submission of report within a week, but even after 19 days of the incident, the administration hasn’t filed the report yet. Those affected with the digging of the upcoming hotel and owner of the adjoining Grand Hotel demanded to table the report and make it public. Simran Singh, resident of one of the affected houses, said: “Though we are concerned about justice, our priority is to get our houses reconstructed. We are living in rented accommodation on the assurance of the administration and politi- Amritsar, May 31 A decade after the city was accorded the smoke-free city status, a mere walk through the market places reveals the futility of holding vigorous exercise to get the said status, as smoking at public places is a common sight. On Tuesday, when World No Tobacco Day is being observed all over the world, the Amritsar Tribune team visited the markets to check the dismaying ground reality. The city was officially accorded the smoke-free city status on April 15, 2012. The exercise involved creating awareness among residents and tobacco sellers, putting up warning signs at each and every public place, including eateries, and issuing challan books to all government on April 15, 2012. The exercise involved creating awareness among residents and tobacco sellers, putting up warning signs at each and every public place, including eateries, and issuing challan books to all government departments to penalise public smokers at their offices ■ However, over the last decade, except for the Health Department and to a limited extent the traffic police, none other departments have ever issued a challan to anyone. In the present scenario, only the Health Department conducts inspections every month and issues challans departments to penalise public smokers at their offices. However, over the last decade, except for the Health Department and to a limited extent the traffic police, none of the other departments has ever issued a challan to anyone. In the present scenario, only the Health Department DIGGING CASE conducts inspections every month and issues challans. A health official said: “It’s a big city. The Health Department neither has manpower, nor the infrastructure to check smoking at public places.” The official said department’s inspections mainly focus on tobacco WRITTEN AGREEMENT ALSO NOT FINALISED ❝Everything is on by record and violations Residents of the affected houses were assured that they would get a written agreement about rebuilding their houses. They were not satisfied with some of the terms and conditions and asked to make some amendments in it. “It is not finalised yet. We have six-room houses. Now, we are staying in single-room rented accommodations. No one visited for demarcation even. How can we trust that they will reconstruct our houses?” asked Simran Singh, one of the affected residents. the builder and negligence of officials is clear. Why are they taking this much time to table the report? It should be tabled and the administration should make it public soon. ❞ Sanjay Kumar, OWNER OF GRAND HOTEL cians that they will get our houses repaired.” Sanjay Kumar, owner of the Grand Hotel, said: “Everything is on record and violations by the builder and negligence of officials is clear. Why are they taking this much time to table the report? It should be tabled and the administration should make it public soon.” According to information, SDM-II Harpreet Singh has prepared the report and would submit it soon. Sources claimed that inquiry officers found the proprietor of the upcoming hotel on the wrong side of law by digging beyond the permissible limit thereby posing risk to the adjoining building. The inquiry panel found that the owner of the adjoining hotel had the permission to dig up to 39.4 feet, but the builder dug the basement for more than 60 feet. Moreover, as per the approved building plan, there should be 6 metre setback around the building, but the builder reduced it to 2 metres, which led to the collapse of Grand Hotel and damage to adjoining houses. The inquiry officials also found that the authorities received 15 complaints Octogenarian who has 16 Limca records in his name honoured Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 31 Nearly 60 years after passing out from the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Surinder Singh Azad (80) was felicitated by the school on Tuesday for registering a large number of records in his name. He cleared his Class XII in 1961. School principal Amarjit Kaur and the staff honoured him with a trophy. Recalling those days, he said all senior secondary passouts were immediately given job letters. Partap Singh Kairon, the then Chief Minister, had ordered that no senior secondary passed out should be left idle. Azad said he has registered 16 records in the Limca Book of Records under different categories. He is passionate to register more records. “I was pleased to visit my school where I spent my childhood. I heartily thank the SGPC and the school staff for bestowing me with the honour,” he said. He also penned his thoughts on the school’s visitor book. It was in 1990 that the Lim- RECORD YEAR ■ Chest expansion 22.8 cm 1990 ■ Drove scooter from Amritsar to Pinjore and back covering 534 km in 4th gear only 1993 ■ Clapping 9,400 times in an hour 1994 ■ Clapping 10,354 times in an hour 1996 ■ Clapping 12,178 times in an hour 1997 ■ Driving scooter in fourth gear since 1979 1997 ■ Snapping fingers 11,510 times in an hour 1997 ■ Slowest scooter driving i.e 2.35 km in an hour 1997 ■ Slowest scooter driving i.e 2.65 km in an hour 1997 ■ Snapping fingers 246 times in one minute 1997 ■ Snapping fingers 278 times in one minute 1997 ■ Highest fuel efficiency record i.e. 70 km/l 1997 ■ Driving scooter with nine pillion riders in fourth gear only 1997 ■ Snapping fingers 290 times in 1 minute 2001 ■ Rotating the wrist twist 292 times in 1 minute 2001 ■ Rotating the arms i.e. 136 times in 1 minute 2001 ca Book of Records had acknowledged his feat of expanding his chest by nine inches (22.8 cm). The normal expansion is not more than 6.3 cm. The recognition developed in him a penchant for setting records. This recognition nurtured in him a desire to do more extraordinary things, to see his name enshrined in the record book. Though records such as snapping fingers and clapping may sound amusing, he WEDNESDAY | 1 JUNE 2022 | AMRITSAR MAY 31: WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY ■ The city was officially accorded the smoke-free city status Despite assurance, inquiry panel report not filed even after 19 days Charanjit Singh Teja PAGE 4 City’s smoke-free tag goes up in smoke Tribune News Service Tribune News Service PAGE 3 regarding the digging work, but no action was taken. Moreover, in November 2021, on the directions of the then Commissioner, a structural engineer had submitted a report that digging was conducted beyond the limit, which may damage the adjoining buildings. seen smoking ❝People caninbethe evenings. at market places Though it is annoying, no one can dare question anyone as the other person might get offended. The smoke-free status should be implemented strictly and the administration must find a way to check violations. ❞ Sukhwinder Singh, A CITY RESIDENT venders to ensure that COPTA guidelines are followed. Meanwhile, residents complained that smoking at public places is a menace, as it exposes non-smokers to passive smoking. They said the number of smokers increases at public places as soon as it gets dark. Sukhwinder Singh, a resi- dent, said: “People can be seen smoking at market places in the evenings. Though it is annoying, no one can dare question anyone as the other person might get offended.” He said the smoke-free status should be implemented strictly and the administration must find a way to check violations. Two remanded in 3-day police custody SNATCHING CASE Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 31 The city police have arrested the snatchers who had pulled out a woman tourist from Gujarat from an auto-rickshaw leading to her death. They were identified as Gurpreet Singh and his brother Onkar Singh, both residents of Dashmesh Nagar, Taran Wala Pul, on the GT Road here. They were produced in a court, which remanded them in three-day police custody. The police recovered the bike used in the crime. Further interrogation was underway to recover the mobile of the victim, said Gurbinder Singh, SHO, Sadar police station here. He added that the police amended the FIR and added section of murder to it. The victim, identified as Meenakshi Kumari from Gujarat, sustained a serious head injury when the snatchers pulled her out of Five test +ve for Covid in district the auto-rickshaw on the Fatehgarh Churian road bypass flyover on Saturday. She along with her family was on their way to Amritsar airport for their return flight. She along with her husband Ashish Jha and two daughters had come to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple on Friday. They had a return flight on Saturday. They hired an auto-rickshaw for the airport from the hotel and reached the Fatehgarh Churian flyover, when two bike-borne persons came from the rear. Meenakshi was looking at her mobile phone when the accused came near the autorickshaw and tried to snatch the mobile. She resisted and held her phone tightly. The pillion rider then caught her from wrist and pulled her out of the auto-rickshaw resulting in a serious head injury to her. She was rushed to a private hospital where she was under treatment and succumbed to her injury on Monday. Youth procures weapon for ‘fashion’, held Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Eighty-year-old Surinder Singh Azad being felicitated by staff of his alma mater in Amritsar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO says, he had put his best efforts to achieve these. The desire to do something exceptional drove him to do exercises like the bench press, push-ups and sit-ups daily. His feat of driving his scooter from Amritsar to Pinjore and back, covering 534 km in fourth gear way back in 1993, bagged him another record. He claims that he has been driving a scooter in the fourth gear since he bought it in 1979. It fetched him the third national record. In 1997, his two records — one for clapping 12,178 times and the other for snapping his fingers 11,510 times in an hour each — were also included in the Limca book. He snapped his fingers 290 times in a minute, which paved the way for his sixth record. His seventh record even baffled the engineers at Bajaj Auto Ltd. as he had driven his scooter for 70 km in a litre. He had created the eighth c m y b record by driving the slowest scooter ever in fourth gear i.e. 2.35 km per hour. His ninth record was for driving the scooter in fourth gear with 10 pillion passengers. This record earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records in 1997. In 2000, his two more records — which raised the number of records to 11, i.e. rotating the wrist 292 times in one minute and rotating his arm 136 times in a minute — were acknowledged in Limca book. Amritsar, May 31 With a total of 72 Covid-19 positive cases reported in the month of May this year, the spread of the infection seems to have slightly increased in the district as compared to the previous two months — March and April. The district health authorities reported five positive cases on Tuesday. Of these, two are new cases, while three are contacts of positive patients. The district has reported total 59,477 positive cases till date. However, no deaths have been reported in the month of May. In April this year, the district reported only 20 positive cases. In March, the total number of cases remained 43. The district luckily has reported no deaths due to the disease since March 1. However, a total of 1,682 persons have lost their lives to the disease since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Even as the number of May recorded maximum 75 cases as compared to March & April, which recorded 20 and 43 cases, respectively cases has slightly increased in the current month, in the general public’s perception, the disease is no more dreadful, as it was perceived during the first two waves of the infections. The district health officials said the immunisation for Covid-19 has helped in checking the spread of the disease. They said in most cases, where patients test positive, the need for hospitalisation is not felt. The district at present has a total of 10 active cases only. Amritsar, May 31 The city police have nabbed a teenager for allegedly possessing a country-made pistol and bullets here on Monday. He was identified as Akashdeep Singh, alias Lilly Khera (19), a resident of Khera village in Gurdaspur. Nirvail Singh, Investigating Officer, said he was nabbed from the Golden Gate area. During search, the police recovered a .32 calibre pistol along with two magazines and four live cartridges from him. A case under the Arms Act was registered against him. During preliminary probe, he told the police that he bought the weapon from Bilaspur in Uttar Pradesh. He said he procured the weapon just for ‘fashion’. He left his education after completing matriculation. The police said he did not have any previous criminal record. He was produced in court on Tuesday and brought on two-day police remand for further interrogation.