01122022-ATR-01.qxd 12/1/2022 12:26 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE BORDER SECURITY FORCE TO CELEBRATE RAISING DAY AT GNDU PAGE 2 JLO REVEALS BEN’S MESSAGE ENGRAVED ON HER RING ADG (Western Command) PV Rama Sastry said BSF’s 58th Raising Day Parade has been scheduled at GNDU. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY INBRIEF AADHAAR-BASED ATTENDANCE Amritsar: In line with the guidelines of the National Medical Commission, the Government Medical College here is all set to initiate Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system for the faculty from Thursday. College officials said the NMC had instructed medical colleges to install biometric attendance systems before December 1. They stated that the attendance would be directly monitored by the NMC on real time basis. The college officials stated that the objective is to ensure that all faculty members and doctors reach their workplaces on time and leave only after their duty is over. The new system is expected to better the teaching and medical services at the institute. TNS PAGE 3 Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez has new details to share about her second engagement ring from Ben Affleck. MAX 25°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5:26 PM PAGE 4 MANOJ IS RE-LIVING SATYA DAYS WITH REPRISED SONG KUDI MERI Manoj Bajpayee will feature in new video titled Kudi Meri. The song is a recreation of the original directed by Ganesh Acharya. SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:13 AM THURSDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2022 | AMRITSAR Dangling wires a threat to motorists, pedestrians alike TANGLED MESS Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 Nehru Shopping complex and Lawrence Road, posh areas of the holy city, are marred with hanging electricity, internet and networking cables, posing risk to passersby. Residents and shopkeepers are at the receiving end because of the negligence and apathy of the Municipal Corporation. It’s a free run for Jio fibre, Connect, Net Plus, Airtel and BSNL cable operators and even Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), which can hang wires with boundary walls, Webs of hanging electricity wires on Lawrence Road in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR trees and poles while giving connections to consumers. Even electric cables are hung on bent poles. Ironically, most of the service providers didn’t even pay the MC for installing their network. There is no check by the MC on the webs of cables and wires in the city. Until private companies and government departments are made accountable to officials of the MC, the situa- tion wouldn’t improve. Last year, then Estate Officer Sushant Bhatia had taken action against telecom companies for installing fibre cables illegally. After his transfer, no one is keeping a check on the practice. A large number of cables have been tied to electricity poles at Nehru Shopping Complex and Lawrence Road. It poses a serious risk. Shopkeepers blame service provider companies for this mess. However, most of the residents aren’t aware that MC is authorised to collect fee from service provider companies and is responsible for proper fitting of wires. “The cables cause unwarranted inconvenience to public and are a threat to their safety. These wires are defacing the markets. Webs of these wires lead to the fire incidents, which further pose a threat to human life and property,” said Bikram Singh, a trader at Lawrence Road. Estate Officer Dharminderjit Singh said: “Our civil wing collects charges from companies. There are a number of companies in business. We will plan some action in this regard.” Farmers’ protest enters Day 5 Drive from bus stand to Hussainpura Chowk a test of endurance Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 30 The indefinite protest launched by farmers and labourers, under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC), entered the fifth day in Tarn Taran on Wednesday. A large number of farmers and labourers from different villages became a part of the “Pakka Morcha” today. KMSC district president Satnam Singh Manochahal is leading the morcha. KMSC state president Satnam Singh Pannu, while addressing the gathering on the occasion, condemned the Centre and the state government for their appeasement tactics to collect votes and not paying heed to the promises made to STRETCH OF FREQUENT TRAFFIC JAMS PROBLEMS Distance between the bus stand and Hussainpura Chowk is 500 metres but the journey takes around 15 to 20 minutes to cover the stretch due to frequent traffic jams caused by auto-rickshaws picking and dropping passengers. Tribune News Service Farmers hold a protest in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI voters after elections are over. He said the Centre had failed to fulfil any promises made with farmers at the end of the protest at Delhi borders. He demanded that the government must cancel criminal cases registered against farmers who participated in the Delhi Morcha. He also demanded release of compensation to families of the farmers who lost their lives during the protest at Delhi borders. Amritsar, November 30 Distance between the bus stand and Hussainpura Chowk is 500 metres but the journey takes around 15 to 20 minutes to cover the stretch due to frequent traffic jams caused by autorickshaws picking and dropping passengers. The journey not only tests driving skills but also tests patience and endurance levels. Frequent traffic jams in the area are being witnessed for the past many years. In order to streamline the flow of vehicles, the traffic police had carved out << Auto-rickshaws parked on the GT road outside the bus stand. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR a separate road for autorickshaws earlier this year. The purpose of the separate lane was to let other vehicles cross without the road being blocked by an auto-rickshaw driver waiting for passengers. However, the lane is seldom used by auto-rickshaw drivers as they prefer the main road. Even at Hussainpura Chowk, auto-rickshaws and private buses wait for a long time to get more passengers. While autorickshaw drivers compete with each other to get passengers, they drive rashly and often cause traffic snarls in the area. Sarwan Singh, a commuter, said: “The police must take action against erring drivers who cause traffic jams. Each rickshaw stops for five to 10 minutes to wait for passengers. Meanwhile they are not bothered regarding the disruption they are causing.” The residents stated that the traffic police must ensure that auto-rickshaw drivers use the separate lane. “The number of autorickshaws in the city has increased many folds during the past few years. Most of the drivers do not care about other commuters and stop anywhere to pick or drop a passenger,” complained another commuter Gurjeet Kaur. President awards MAKA trophy to GNDU VC Cabinet Minister apologises Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday presented the coveted “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy” (MAKA) to the Guru Nanak Dev University for its allround best performance in sports for the year 2021-22 in an investiture ceremony held at Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening. The university received the award for a record 24th time. Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Dr Kanwar Mandeep Singh, incharge, Sports Department of the University, received this trophy. The replica of trophy and award money of Rs 15 lakh was also presented to the university by the President for the promotion and development of sports. University bags award for record 24th time President Droupadi Murmu presents the coveted MAKA trophy to the GNDU Vice-Chancellor. Before the presentation of award, a citation was also read out depicting the commendable sports achieve- ments of the University. The GNDU has won the India’s prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA Trophy) of the year 2021-22 with Overall top performing University in International/National/Inter-University Championships. With this win, in the field of sports, Guru Nanak Dev University now rates as the top performing university among 609 universities in the country. The university has produced six Padma Shree awardees, 36 Arjuna awardees, two Dronacharya awardees and 44 Maharaja Ranjit Singh awardees. Prof Sandhu congratulated sports personal, affiliated colleges, their principals, faculty, coaches, students and the University Sports Department for their sincere contribution. He said the honour is not only for the university alone, but it is also for the whole of Punjab. for his remark on Punjabis Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 AAP leader and Local Bodies Minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar invited criticism from several quarters for a statement that sparked controversy. Dr Nijjar also issued an apology in a video message. He said he choose wrong words to convey a message with right intent. While interacting with the media in Amritsar on Wednesday, Dr Nijjar called out landlords and farmers on their reluctance for crop diversity. While trying to make a point regarding the need for crop diversity and dwindling groundwater level, he said: “Punjabiyan toh bewakoof kaum koi ni (There Minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar (C) during a press meet in Amritsar. is no community stupider than Punjabis).” Meanwhile, he said farmers of Punjab had become complacent and comfortable with the wheat-paddy cycle and choose to use groundwater, without any consideration for switching to canal water. “During our childhood, we used canal water for irrigation. Now, the landlords and farm owners use groundwater through tubewells and motors that keep on running without any check,” he said. While he also talked about continued on page 2 Elderly crushed to death in Tarn Taran Activists blame political patronage for encroachments on Heritage Street Tarn Taran, November 30 An elderly person was crushed to death by a PRTC bus on National Highway No. 54 near Thathian Mahanta village on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Natha Singh (74) of Jhamka Kalan village. ASI Paramjit Singh said a case had been registered. The accused driver has been identified as Harmander Singh. — OC Amritsar, November 30 Local activists have alleged that the political patronage behind illegal encroachments on Heritage Street is defacing the image of the holy city. Interestingly, shopkeepers, who have encroached upon the street, had distributed ‘Laddoos’ to celebrate the transfer of Municipal Corporation Commissioner Kumar Saurabh Squatters distribute ‘ladoos’ to celebrate transfer of MC Commissioner Raj recently. Manmohan Singh Brar, Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, Charanjit Singh Gumtala, Daljit Singh Kohli all patrons of Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM), president Hardip Singh Chahal, secretary Yogesh Kamra, Jatinder Pal Singh, Anantdeep Singh Dhillon along with other members of the AVM condemned the political patronage provided by the local c m y b politicians to the illegal encroachers. “Political patronage has become evident from the thanks given by the encroachers to MLA Dr Ajay Gupta and distribution of sweets after the transfer of the MC Commissioner, who had constituted a team of the MCA employees for not allowing any encroachments on the Heritage Street. The lawabiding citizens of the holy city along with the tourists and pilgrims are annoyed over the political shield provided to the encroachers,” said Manmohan Singh Brar. continued on page 2 Illegal encroachments on the Heritage Street in Amritsar. FILE