26112022-ATR-01.qxd 11/26/2022 12:13 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE ENCROACHMENT-FREE HERITAGE STREET A CHALLENGE FOR MC PAGE 2 The civic body had recently deputed a permanent six-member team to check encroachments on the Heritage Street. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 3 RANBIR-ALIA BHATT REVEAL DAUGHTER’S NAME AS ‘RAHA’ Sharing a picture on Instagram, Alia mentioned in the caption that the name was chosen by Neetu Kapoor. MAX 26°C | MIN 10°C | YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5:27 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:08 AM Seals two under-construction hotels | Demolishes unauthorised colony ❝The campaign will continue in the coming Tribune News Service days, the Commissioner has given strict orders regarding illegal constructions. ❞ Pradeep Sehgal, MC’S CENTRAL ZONE ASSISTANT TOWN PLANNER (ATP) << An under-construction hotel sealed by the MC in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Similarly, the team sealed and stopped the work of an illegally constructed hotel in Chhajju Mishra Gali in the inner city. ATP Sehgal stated that as per the orders of MC Commissioner Kumar Saurabh Raj and guidelines issued by MTP Meharban Singh, they would not tolerate any illegal construction. ATP Sehgal said the campaign would continue in the coming days, the Commissioner has given strict orders regarding illegal constructions. The MC and its team are working to end the financial loss caused to the MC due to illegal constructions in the city. Meanwhile, another team of the MC led by ATP Vazir Raj demolished an illegal colony in Kaptangarh. The MC PAGE 4 Created by Dice Media (Pocket Aces), the series will feature Aadhya Anand, Naman Jain, Urvi Singh and others. MC cracks whip on illegal buildings Amritsar, November 25 The Municipal Corporation (MC) cracked the whip on illegal under-construction buildings in the city. Two hotels have been sealed for being constructed without getting an approval of the building plan from the MC. The Municipal Town Planner (MTP) wing of the MC sealed two under-construction hotels under a campaign launched against illegal constructions in the city. MC’s Central Zone Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Pradeep Sehgal, Building Inspector (BI) Vishal Rampal and the MC team sealed an under-construction hotel on a street behind the old office of the Improvement Trust. AMAZON MINITV SET TO RELEASE SECOND SEASON OF CRUSHED demolished the boundary wall, sewer and water supply lines with a ditch machine. Colonisers and some politically influential people entered in a verbal duel with the MC officials. MC officials claimed that the drive would continue in the coming days. SATURDAY | 26 NOVEMBER 2022 | AMRITSAR PSPCL officials not depositing replaced goods in stores: RTI Tribune News Service LOSS OF CRORES Amritsar, November 25 Junior engineers (JEs) of the Power State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have not deposited the defunct/old equipment back in the store after replacing these with the new ones, reveals the reply of an RTI application filed by Suresh Sharma, an RTI activist and former district president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the PSPCL. Sharma claimed that the JEs get new goods issued from the store to replace the old equipment, but the old equipment are not returned to the store due to which the government is losing crores of rupees. Suresh Sharma said a large number of issue voucher Suresh Sharma, an RTI activist and former district president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claimed that the JEs get new goods issued from the store to replace the old equipment, but the old equipment are not returned to the store due to which the government is losing crores of rupees. (store requisition) is pending to return in the stores. “In the coming days, the accounting of all pending vouchers will be shared with the Audit Department. Not returning old goods to store is a big scam. More facts will be brought to the attention of government,” said the RTI activist. Sharma said the sub-division (East) had not returned the goods to the store against 100 vouchers. These voucher years are 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22. The sub-division (Mall Mandi) had not returned goods against 47 vouchers from 2016 to 2022. Goods have not been returned to the store against 85 issue vouchers in the subsivision (Chaugavan). These issue vouchers are for years 2020-21 and 2021-22. The subdivision (Mall Mandi) have 41 pending vouchers of 2020-21 and 2021-22. Suresh Sharma said the scam has been brought to the notice of the Chief Minister, Cabinet Minister, Chairman PSPCL and chief engineerso that the government can issue future instructions to the officials to stop this scam. India needs incorruptible young men, women dedicated to serve society: Governor GNDU’S 48TH ANNUAL CONVOCATION GNDU students in a jubilant mood after receiving their degrees in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 25 Governor of Punjab and Guru Nanak Dev University Chancellor Banwarilal Purohit awarded degrees, medals and certificates to 304 students at the 48th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University on Friday. In his address, he said India needs incorruptible young men and women dedicated to serve society through individual pursuits. “This will lead India as Vishwa Guru again. One must have to build their character to aim for success and recognition follows,” he said. He also inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Convention Centre at the GNDU. Two eminent personalities, Iqbal Singh Chahal (IAS), Municipal Commissioner & Administrator of Brihanmumbai, Muncipal Corporation, Maharashtra and Prof Gagandeep Kang (FRS), Department of Gastrointestinal Science at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, were honoured with honoris causa degrees. They were honoured for their contribution in their respective fields. As many as 136 PhD, two MPhil, 95 postgraduate and 71 undergraduate degrees and 177 medals were awarded to students from various faculties. Vice-Chancellor (VC) Jaspal Singh Sandhu welcomed the chief guest and other digni- Chemist shop looted by armed miscreant Our Correspondent Amritsar, November 25 Snatching and robbery incidents continue to rock the city with yet another robbery incident being reported. An armed person looted a chemist shop near Circuit House here late last evening. The suspect had covered his face and was carrying a pistol. He entered the shop while speaking to someone on a cell phone and when the customers went out of the shop, he took his pistol Tarn Taran, November 25 AAP MLA from Tarn Taran Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal has called the dharna staged outside his residence in town for the last five days by differently abled persons as a politically motivated move to pressurise the administration. AAP MLA Dr Sohal, while taries. He also honoured the chief guest and other guests with a memento on behalf of the university, which included a phulkari shawl and a coffee table book. Governor said in the wake of the National Education Policy-2020, we must ensure that we impart quality education to our students and make them responsible citizens. He said quality education must No repressive tactics, says MLA Sohal on dharna by differently abled in Tarn Taran Tribune News Service Governor Banwarilal Purohit (C) awards a degree to a student. become accessible and affordable. It should lead to a positive transformation in an individual’s outlook, societal cohesion and inclusive national development. “We must harness this power of education, and unleash the creative energies of young heads, hands and hearts. The new India we are dreaming of will be built on soaring aspirations and acquisition of new competencies,” he added. Iqbal Singh Chahal and prof Gagandeep Kang shared their experiences of life with the students. They inspired the students to respect their parents and teachers and contribute to nation’s development. Incident captured on CCTV camera; accused decamps with ~35,000 out and pointed at the employees. After sequestering the employees in a corner, he took out the cash from the cash box and fled from the spot. The entire incident was recorded on a CCTV camera. He decamped with around Rs 35,000. After receiving the information, a police team reached the spot and started a probe into the matter. Assistant Commissioner of Police Varinder Singh Khosa said the CCTV footage had been recovered and the suspect would be identified soon. A case had been registered in this regard, said Khosa. addressing newsmen here on Friday, said the Municipal Council had not removed any differently abled woman employee. He said the women employees whom the leaders of the differently abled persons were claiming to represent were actually employees with some private company and that they were recruited as sanitary workers (safai sewaks). The MLA denied removing the two differently abled women employees by the Municipal Council but said that the civic body was ready to give them work as sanitary workers. The dharna by the differently abled persons entered its fifth day on Friday. Lakhbir Singh Saini, state president of the Punjab Diviang Action Committee condemned the move saying that the administration was threatening to remove dharna from outside the MLA’s residence. He said they were fearing that the administration might use force to remove them from the dharna site forcefully at night and they were ready to face the repressive tactics of the administration. AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal during a press conference in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Min: Rejuvenation project on lines of Choked footpaths leave little space for pedestrians Buddha Nullah for Tung Dhab drain STRETCH OF Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 25 Local Government Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar said the state government has decided that a rejuvenation project of the Tung Dhab drain in Amritsar would be designed on the lines of Buddha Nullah. Presiding over a meeting of the urban and rural area committees formed to clean the drain, the Local Government Minister said in order to make the state pollution-free, more attention towards cleanliness of rivers, streams and seasonal drains was the need of the hour. While focusing on various aspects to clean the Tung Dhab drain, Nijjar said the project should be divided into three parts for dealing with industrial, dairy and domestic waste separately. The Cabinet Minister was apprised that 39 industries were situated along the 20-km drain passing through the city. Of these, 19 industries discharge 28 MLD polluted waste into the drain. Similarly, domestic sewerage of 17 villages is also being discharged into the drain. Besides, 176 dairies discharge about 550 KLD waste, throw livestock dung and other animal waste into the Tung Dhab drain. Dr Nijjar instructed officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to strictly prevent the industrial waste containing toxic chemicals from falling into the drain and to ensure constant checking of the industries. He said Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) should be set up in industrial areas as per the requirement. The minister directed officials of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) to initiate action to immediately deliver land to the PPCB for setting up CETP Similarly, he . also asked officials of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board to initiate process of expansion of two sewage treatment plants (STPs) of the city. The minister directed officials of the MC and Rural Development Department to collect cow dung and other waste from the dairies in and outside the city to prevent dairies from throwing waste into the drain. He said also told the officials to prepare a proposal for setting up a biogas plant so that cow dung and other waste from dairies could be utilised and the usage of the gas produced from the plant can be ensured. c m y b PROBLEMS Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 25 Fast paced urbanisation is expanding the holy city like never before. Its biggest fallout is the widespread commercialisation with the humble pedestrians being biggest victim as they do not find enough space, safety and friendly infrastructure to move on the roads. To facilitate the smooth plying of fast moving vehicles, a large number of key roads have been made one-way. On these roads, the flow of vehicles hardly halts while there is no logistic help like zebra crossing and other road signs to ensure the safe crossing of pedestrians. Pedestrians struggle to cross a road in Amritsar on Friday. VISHAL KUMAR Anil Vinayak, a resident of Race Course road, said in the current traffic scenario, the elderly and children can not cross key roads without assistance. He said fast moving vehicles enabled the commuters to zip past everything, literally in a tearing hurry while endangering the lives of fellow commuters. Pedestrian safety norms remain are simply not complied with. The statement that ‘roads are for everyone’ does not seem to fit in this city, especially in the case of pedestrians. Changing traffic scenario is throwing up a gamut of problems. So pedestrians, especially children and the elderly, may find themselves in situa- tions where it is important to know the essentials needed to stay safe. They must be mindful of surroundings and aware of the rules to go a long way. Ordinary outings like simply walking to a school and undertaking a trip to a nearby market have become a challenging task, said Vinayak. Jarnail Singh of Rani Ka Bagh locality said the tendency of shopkeepers to display goods on footpaths, outside their shops, besides plying carts selling commodities, leave little or no space at all for the road’s original users, the pedestrians. For instance, the footpaths from the Railway Link road to the Cooper road, Dausandha Singh road to Crystal Chowk, on the Court road and the Mall have been encroached upon. There is hardly any footpath for the people to walk in markets. In such a situation, pedestrians continued on page 2