28112022-ATR-01.qxd 11/28/2022 12:24 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE OPEN HOUSE: MOVE IN RIGHT DIRECTION, NEED MORE STEPS Need glorification of work culture, not gun culture, so that youth can remain focused, say city residents. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 2 FILM PRODUCER SURESH JINDAL PASSES AWAY AT 80 IN DELHI PAGE 3 Film producer Suresh Jindal has passed away. The 80-year-old producer had been keeping ill for over a month. MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C | YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET DAY 5:23 PM ARTIST BÉATRICE DE FAYS’ WORKS COME ALIVE WITH AR PAGE 4 The augmented reality exhibition by French artist Béatrice de Fays is underway in Chandigarh. SUNRISE DAY 6:59 AM MONDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2022 | AMRITSAR KMSC wants Swaminathan formula to fix MSP 8 phones seized in jail Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 27 Farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) are camping outside the deputy commissioner’s office here in support of their demands. The volunteers associated with the farmer union have also started cooking meals at the place to feed the protestors. The farmer leader stated that they would not leave the place until their demands are accepted by the government. The farmers took off their clothes in protest and shouted slogans against the government to express their resentment. The KMSC had initiated an indefinite protest on Saturday. General secretary of the union Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The Aam Aadmi Party government in state has left the BJP-led Central government behind in making false claims and spreading lies.” He said when the state is facing problems like drugs, unemployment, poor law and order and decreasing farmer incomes, it is illogical for the government to ask people to wait and give the government some time. “This is no time to wait. The government should act to resolve these prob- Fulfil promises made to farmers, Morcha leaders urge Centre Farmers stage a protest outside the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner’s office on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO lems,” he added. Farmer leader Gurbachan Singh Chaba said factories and industries are polluting river water and groundwater. He demanded that the government should act against the units disposing polluted chemical mixed in ground through reverse boring techniques. “While the state is staring at a huge water scarcity, the government has no policy to recharge groundwater reserve. Even the farmers and residents are forced to draw groundwater for irrigation and drinking purposes,” he said. The farmers demanded that the MSP of agricultural produce should be fixed using the Swaminathan formula which advocates 50 per cent profit over the input cost. They stated that the only way for the government to help the farming community survive is to give better prices for agricultural produce. The indefinite protest by the farmers outside the DC office is being managed on the pattern of the year-long agitation at Delhi borders. While the trolleys are being used to sleep at night, essentials such as milk, vegetables and others are being supplied by the volunteers from nearby villages. Politically, KMSC is one of the largest farmer unions with its core support base in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. The association though has been participating in all protest calls given by Samyukt Kisan Morcha but always maintained and asserted its separate identity. Even now when the SKM had announced to submit a memorandum to the Governor, the KMSC chose to hold protests at DC offices. Tarn Taran, November 27 On the second day of the Pucca Morcha launched by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab the leaders stressed on the acceptance of the promises made by the Union Government at the time of the end of Delhi Morcha a year back. Satnam Singh Manochahal, district president, was leading the Morcha in which womenfolk too participated in large numbers. Dial Singh Mianwind, Balwinder Singh Chohla and Harbhinder Singh Kang were among those who addressed the gathering on Sunday. The leaders laid stress on heavy punishment for those responsible for the sacrilege incident in the state five years back, release of Sikh detainees and end of corruption in government offices. The speakers also stressed on legal guarantee for the MSP , ownership to the tiller of the land, action against factories discharging polluted water and the sand mafia. — OC PK Jaiswar Amritsar, November 27 Amritsar Central Jail authorities seized eight mobile phones from high security jail complex here on Saturday. Besides mobile phones, the police also confiscated a charger, two data cables, two headphones, two heater spring and eight bundles of cigarettes. The Islamabad police have registered four separate cases against four prisoners in this regard. They have been identified as Sarbjit Singh of Teda Rajputa village in Ajnala, Mohammad Saqidar of Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Sharanjit Singh and Ritik Malhotra of Khai Mohalla. The unabated instances of sneaking of mobiles phones and other prohibited material, including narcotics, have been a challenge for the Central Jail authorities. Besides black sheep in the jail, its close proximity with densely populated areas is another reason behind the menace. Unscrupulous elements throw these materials, including phones and intoxicants, into the jail complex. Four days ago, the police had also nabbed a person identified as Mohit of Fateh Singh Colony, while he was trying to Big gaps in road dividers hinder smooth flow of traffic STRETCH OF PROBLEMS Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 27 Big gaps in dividers on the one-way roads hinder the smooth flow of vehicles and cause accidents on main roads of the city besides posing a risk to the lives of commuters. These open passages in dividers were once constructed to facilitate vehicles coming out and entering the adjoining colonies to escape long routes. Since the number of vehicles has alarmingly increased all these years, these gaps have become a traffic nuisance. Notably, a similar gap in the divider has been in existence outside the gate of the deputy commissioner’s residence for Cause accidents on main roads and lead to frequent snarl-ups the past several years, unmindful of the fact that there is a Green Avenue intersection only some yards ahead. The official residence of the DC is situated on the corner side of the colony and the front gate lies on the Maqboolpura road. This is not an instance in isolation as such examples are rampant across the city where gaps in dividers appear just before the intersection. To facilitate the smooth flow of traffic on the main roads of the holy city, a large number of these were declared one-way during the past two decades. Their numbers have sharply increased in the last seven years. Anil Vinayak, a resident of Race Course road, said there are 15 gaps in the divider erected on the 1.5 km stretch from Rattan Singh Chowk to Maqboolpura. Similarly, 20 gaps exist in the divider of the 2 km stretch from Sant Singh Sukha Singh (SSSS) Chowk to Green Field Colony on the Majitha road. So, traffic has become unmanageable on these roads and traffic cops also seem to be helpless. Similar gaps are found under the nearly 3.5 km elevated road which are juxtaposed with green belts. Many a time, heavy vehicles while taking a turn eclipse the entire view of motorists who invariably fear ramming their vehicles into those unseen approaching vehicles coming from the opposite directions. Jaspreet Singh of Green Avenue said commuters on the colonial era Court road and the Mall road also face similar situations. The stretch of the GT road, especially in front of the Khalsa College and the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) become extremely risky due to the plying of speeding heavy vehicles and the existence of a number of gaps between the dividers. Harpreet Singh Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, said he would take up the matter in the periodic meeting on traffic which is held with officials of the traffic police, MC and district administration. He accepted that keeping in view the deteriorating traffic situation in the city, they arrived at the conclusion that an expert should be engaged to find a solution for handling the traffic rush. 50 mobile phones found in Nov alone throw a mobile phone and other prohibited materials inside the jail premises. The police seized a mobile phone, cigarettes and tobacco from his possession at that time. The jail authorities have seized over 50 mobiles phones in November alone. Expressing concern over the spurt in sneaking of cell phones, Jail Minister Harjot Singh Bains along with the city police had raided the Central Jail complex a month ago and had recovered eight mobile phones. A jail official said following instructions from ADGP (Jails) B Chandrashekhar, jail authorities here have tightened noose around the offenders and regular search operations were being carried out to nail the perpetrators. He said local police were also being asked to nail those throwing prohibited material from outside the jail. Cops clueless in Rayya robbery case Tribune News Service The gap in a divider in front of the official residence of the Deputy Commissioner in Amritsar. SUNIL KUMAR Amritsar, November 27 The Beas police are yet to crack a robbery case in which armed persons barged in to a house in Rayya and decamped with valuables and mobile phones on Saturday morning. Before escaping, they had shot a youth in the leg, who was taken to a hospital for treatment. The police have got the CCTV footage of the suspects who were seen roaming in the area and launched further probe to identify them. The police have registered a case under Sections 379-B (2) and 397 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. Investigating officer SI Raghubir Singh said investigation was on to identify the suspects City jeweller’s licenced ‘Payment to cane growers within month of purchase’ Sandeep Rishi new pistol stolen from shop MC Commissioner Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 27 Two unknown persons stole a licensed pistol from a jewellery shop located on the Majitha Road area here on Saturday. The accused entered the shop on the pretext of purchasing some jewellery. Police officials, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Varinder Singh Khosa, reached the spot and started a probe. Ironically, the CCTV cameras in the shop were lying defunct for the past two months. This is the third criminal incident at the shop. Earlier, the owner’s son was shot at in one incident and in the second case, an employee of the shop was attacked by robbers. Roshan Lal Chohan, own- Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal er of the shop, told the police that around 4 pm on Saturday, two unknown persons came to his shop for buying some jewellery. He said the accused started talking to him and later went away without purchasing anything. He said he got suspicious and found that his licensed pistol, with six live bullets, was stolen from the safe. The police said investigation was under progress and CCTV cameras in the area were being analysed. A case has been registered. Amritsar, November 27 With the cooperative sugar mill at Bhala Pind starting its operations from November 25, the authorities have assured sugarcane farmers that payments of the crop would be released within a month of the purchase. Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said farmers would face no problem in getting the money for their crop. He said the state government was trying to use every by-product created by the sugarcane industry and the mills were being upgraded and co-generation plants were being set up. He said efforts were being made to complete the milling process by March-April so that the farmers do not have to wait for long to sell their crop. Dhaliwal claimed that all dues to farmers for the previous seasons had already been paid by the cooperative mills. — TNS Three arrested for demanding extortion Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 27 The Tarn Taran Sadar police arrested three persons including a woman for demanding Rs 8 lakh as extortion. The suspects have been identified as Gurpreet kaur of Pandori Gola, Jaspal Singh of Padhri Kalan and Balwinder Singh of Lalu Ghuman. The SHO said the suspects invited The accused in the custody of the Tarn Taran Sadar police. the victim, an NRI, to the residence of one of the suspects, on November 25. When the victim went to the place, the c m y b other two suspects, who were already present in the house, made a sleazy of the victim by threatening with him sharp edged weapons and then they demanded Rs 8 lakh in extortion in order to not to leak the video on social media. The victim assured them to pay Rs 6 lakh and got himself free from their net. The victim then lodged a complaint with the police. The SHO said a case under various sections of the IPC had been registered. The suspects were arrested on Saturday. He said probe was on. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 27 The state government replaced Municipal Commissioner Kumar Saurabh Raj with Sandeep Rishi today. Sandeep Rishi will return to the post a third time. Earlier on July 11, 2022, Rishi was transferred as Assistant Excise Commissioner to Patiala. After four months, he was again transferred back. Rishi was promoted as an IAS last year and his first appointment as Municipal Commissioner was in the holy city on November 21, 2021 but he was transferred soon. Kumar Saurabh Raj had taken a stand against the lack of political will to give relaxation to the shopkeepers who had encroached POSTED IN HOLY CITY THIRD TIME Sandeep Rishi will return to the post a third time. On July 11, 2022, he was transferred to Patiala. After four months, he was again transferred back. His first appointment as Municipal Commissioner was in the holy city on November 21, 2021, but he was transferred soon. upon the Heritage Street illegally. Speculations are rife that Kumar Saurabh has been transferred for his stand to make the heritage street encroachment free. Senior Deputy Mayor Raman Bakshi had issued a statement last week that the government may transfer him for his action against the encroachers on Heritage Street.