28112022-JTR-01.qxd 11/28/2022 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE OPEN HOUSE: MOVE IN RIGHT DIRECTION, NEED MORE STEPS Need glorification of work culture, not gun culture, so that youth can focus on their career, say city residents. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 2 FILM PRODUCER SURESH JINDAL PASSES AWAY AT 80 IN DELHI PAGE 3 ARTIST BÉATRICE DE FAYS’ WORKS COME ALIVE WITH AR Film producer Suresh Jindal has passed away. The 80-year-old producer had been keeping ill for over a month. MAX 25°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET MONDAY 5:24 PM After two years, Phagwara sugar mill made functional PAGE 4 The augmented reality exhibition by French artist Béatrice de Fays is underway in Chandigarh. SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:07 AM MONDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2022 | JALANDHAR Path of devotion Decision taken in interest of farmers, says Agriculture Minister Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 27 The Punjab Government today approved the operation of Golden Sandhar Mills Limited, Phagwara, till February 20, 2023. The approval has been given after receiving the nod from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Disclosing this, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said in the interest of farmers, it has been decided to run the sugar mill with conditions. The mill had been shut since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Highlighting that an inter-departmental committee has been formed to ensure payment to farmers, Dhaliwal said the panel would CRUSHING BEGINS WITH ARRIVAL OF SUGARCANE Phagwara: The operation of the mill, which is now owned by Rana Group, began on Sunday with the bhog of the akhand path. Rana Gurjit Singh, an MLA and chairman of Rana Group, said no farmer would be harassed and payment of sugarcane would be credited in their bank accounts on time. More than 25 sugarcane-laden tractor-trailers have been brought by farmers to the mill for crushing. OC maintain complete supervision on the sugarcane coming to the sugar mill, sugar recov- ery and sale of the products, and would submit a report to the cane commissioner regarding the payment to the farmers within 15 days. The members in the committee are: the SDM, Phagwara; Project Officer (Cane), Jalandhar; Assistant Excise Commissioner, Kapurthala Range; DCFA, (Internal Investigation Organisation), Kapurthala; Assistant Sugarcane Development Officer, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar; and Bhartiya Kisan Union, Doaba, leaders Satnam Singh Sahni and Kripal Singh Musapur. He said the cane commissioner will report to the state government in this regard and if the mill failed to make the payment on time as per the agreement, its licence would be cancelled and sugarcane will be allotted to other mills. INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED WITH INTOXICANT Hoshiarpur: The Hariana police have arrested two smugglers and recovered 132-gm intoxicant powder from them. They have been identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Sajan, a resident of Bhunga and Ravdeep Singh, alias Ravi, a resident of Pandori Sumlan. An FIR under the NDPS Act has been registered. OC Farmers protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Jalandhar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Farmers’ dharna enters Day 2 Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 27 Farmers’ indefinite stir against the state government outside the Deputy Commissioner’s officer, here, entered Day 2 on Sunday. Farmer leader Salwinder Singh Jania accused the government of going back on its poll promises and imposing its decision on them. He demanded that the government should stop the hounding of tillers who had worked on their land for ages. He also demanded the implementation of the Swaminathan report on priority and the clearing of river waters of pollutants like sewage and efflu- GOVT HAS GONE BACK ON ITS PROMISES, ALLEGE PROTESTERS ent from factories so that clean water is available for irrigation. Farmers said waters of the Chitti Bein, Sutlej, Beas and other water bodies had been sullied by sewerage and industrial wastes from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Phillaur, etc. They said this water if cleansed could be a precious resource to water fields through canals. They demanded that drainage system in the state be fixed and cleansed and clean water be ensured to the tail-end fields and farms for irrigation. They also demanded that trees be planted by drains, rivers, nullahs, streams and roads. Other demands of the farmers are compensation and employment to the next of kin of those killed during the anti-farm law agitation, cent per cent subsidy for stubble management, relief for crops damaged in floods, cancellation of FIRs registered against them for burning stubble; land acquisition for highways at four times the market rate; and the state government’s resistance to the Electricity Act 2022. Jania said farmers would continue the dharna oustide the DC office until their demands are met. Retired & settled in US year ago, former principal appointed DEO! Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi Hoshiarpur, November 27 At a time when the state is grappling with the problem of unemployment, the Education Department has on its list of new district education officers (DEOs) a retired principal, who took voluntary retirement last year. If that’s not enough, Paramjit Singh is settled in the US and has no intention of coming back. In the orders issued in this regard on Saturday, 35 different postings have been made JDA rejects applications of 252 illegal colonies, proposes registration of FIRs Tribune News Service SECURITY SOUGHT AT CIVIL HOSPITAL Phagwara: Resentment prevails among the Nakodar residents over the failure of the district police authorities to provide proper security at the local Civil Hospital. They said the opiate therapy centre at the Civil Hospital has become a source of nuisance for residents of the town as well as medical authorities. Senior Medical Officer Sanjiv Kumar said addicts in large number visit the therapy centre daily for doses, creating law and order problems. He said he had requested the city police to provide adequate security. -- OC Panj Piaras lead the nagar kirtan on the eve of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom day in Jalandhar on Sunday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH PARAMJIT SINGH SURPRISED TO SEE HIS NAME; APPOINTMENT PROCESS COMES INTO QUESTION in the Education Department. In the order concerning the posting of PES A cadre officers, the name of Paramjit Singh has been mentioned as Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Baghpur, Hoshiarpur, at serial number six. He has been posted as DEO, Elementary Education, of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Nawanshahr. Interestingly, Paramjit Singh is no longer in service. He had taken retirement in June last year and has been in the US since then. Posting him as a DEO after about one and a half years of retirement raises questions on the process followed for the appointment. Almost all the work of the Education Department has already been computerised and online HRMS is used to manage all records and information related to the serv- ice of teachers and other employees. Even if any employee has to take any leave, that, too, is recorded through HRMS. Despite this, the posting of a retired officer in this way raises a big question. In this regard, when Paramjit Singh was contacted over the phone, he confirmed that he has taken retirement in June 2021 and has been living in America since July last year. He said he was to retire in June 2023 but he had taken premature retirement two years earlier. He expressed surprise on his appointment as a DEO. c m y b Jalandhar, November 27 Taking stern action against the mushrooming of unauthorised colonies in the district, the Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) has rejected the regularisation applications of as many as 252 such colonies on account of not fulfilling the norms laid down under the regularisation policy of the state government. JDA Chief Administrator Deepshikha Sharma said most of the rejected applications were not meeting the norms and requirements of the regularisation policy. Likewise, the promoters of these colonies, despite repeated notices served by City swimmers bag bronze in Haryana Jalandhar, November 27 Regwinder Bhatia, a Physical Education lecturer at Government Senior Secondary School, Mand, Jalandhar, bagged a bronze medal in 50m butterfly and 100-m butterfly stroke at the 18th Masters Swimming Federation of India competition recently held in Ambala. In the contest that was held from November 25 to 27, Rewinder bagged medals in the 40-44 age group. Regwinder was honoured by the Vice-President of the Swimming Federation of India, Balraj Sharma. Dr Surinder Shardar from Jalandhar also bagged a bronze medal in the 400-m free style and 200-m free style in the 65-69 age group. — TNS Swimmer Regwinder Bhatia (R) ACTION INITIATED IN 135 CASES ❝ The procedure of registration of FIRs has been initiated in 135 cases while the officials have also identified 40 more colonies developed without government approval, which will also face legal action as per provisions of the Act. Deepshikha Sharma, JDA CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR the JDA, failed to submit the requisite regularisation fee fixed by the government, she said, adding that the zero-tolerance policy has been adopted by the department against unauthorised colonisation. The JDA chief also stated that the procedure of registration of FIRs has also been initiated in 135 cases while the officials have also identi- ❞ fied 40 more colonies developed without government approval, which will also face legal action as per provisions of the Act. The FIR recommendations have been made to respective police authorities of districts concerned so that the action against unauthorised colonies could be taken as per the mandate of the PAPRA Act, she said. Notably, these applications were dismissed by the JDA on account of not depositing the requisite fee and documentation under the regularisation policy. She reiterated that the JDA would leave no stone unturned to rein in the practice of unauthorised colonisation in the district as a crackdown against such activities has already been launched by the authority. She asserted that the unauthorised colonies not only caused huge losses to the state exchequer but also inflicted fraud on the people as residents of these colonies suffer problems due to the lack of basic infrastructure like electricity, road, drinking water, and sewerage system among others. Two of vehicle thieves’ gang arrested with 3 motorcycles Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 27 The Jalandhar rural police of the Nakodar police station claim to have busted a gang of vehicle thieves with the arrest of two of its members. Both the arrested gang members are from Nakodar. The duo was held with three stolen motorcycles and sharp-edged weapons. INVOLVED IN ROBBERIES ON JALANDHARNAKODAR HIGHWAY The rural police said the gang members had been carrying out robberies and snatchings on the JalandharNakodar highway. Following a tip-off, the police nabbed the duo on the road leading to Sahim village. The duo has been identified as Amandeep Singh and Sukhjeevan Singh, both residents of Nakodar, Jalandhar. With the arrest, three motorcycles — all three without number plates — were seized. Sharp-edged weapons like a khanda, a kirpan and an iron pipe were also seized from their possession. A case was registered against the two under Sections 379-B (snatching and use of force), 34 (Acts done by several persons in further- The accused in the custody of Jalandhar rural police. TRIBUNE PHOTO TWO BOOKED FOR MOTORCYCLE THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked two unidentified miscreants on the charge of lifting a motorcycle. Avtar Singh, a resident of Chania village, complained to the police that he was returning from Lohian Khas and had parked his two-wheeler at Mussewal village on the Milesian-Nakodar highway on November 12 from where two unidentified miscreants stole it. Police said a case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered against the unidentified accused. DRUG PEDDLER ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The police have arrested a drug peddler on the charge of selling heroin. Investigating Officer (IO) Pippal Singh said that 50 gram of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Gurjit Singh alias Jassi, a resident of Madhe Pur village under Sidhama Bet police station in Ludhiana. Police said a case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Mehat Pur police station. OC ance of common intention) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code at the Nakodar police station on November 26. More details are awaited as a thorough investigation is under way.