04012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/3/2023 11:55 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE LESS TRAIN TRAFFIC MAY PUT PLAN FOR SATELLITE STATIONS ON HOLD PAGE 2 Due to less train traffic, there is no plan to decongest the railway station by consolidating infra at satellite stations. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 3 PUNJABI ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS SET FOR A BOOM With films, sequels and web series lined up for the year, the Punjabi entertainment industry is set for a boom. MAX 13°C | MIN 5°C | YESTERDAY MAX 10°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5:39 PM Special search operation held in Central Jail Amritsar, January 3 As many as 21 mobile phones along with a huge quantity of cigarettes and tobacco were seized during a special search operation in the Amritsar Central Jail here on Monday. While three mobile phones were seized from three prisoners, the rest were found unclaimed along with other prohibited materials. Three separate cases were registered with the Islamabad police in this connection. Further investigation is on to ascertain how the same FILE PHOTO Tribune News Service were sneaked into the high security jail complex. According to jail officials, the unclaimed prohibited material was thrown from outside the jail complex. According to information, a mobile phone along with a charger was confiscated from Kamaljit Singh, while two phones were seized from Karan Singh and Monu. Besides 18 mobile phones, the jail authorities seized 180 bundles of bidis, a packet of cigarette, seven packets of tobacco, 13 of tobacco cool lip, six mobile phone chargers and two headphones found abandoned on the jail premises. Earlier, on Sunday, jail officials seized a mobile SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:30 AM phone from an inmate, Shamsher Singh of Pandori Mehma village. Jail officials said due to minimal visibility because of dense fog, miscreants find it easy to throw banned material inside the jail complex. They said they had informed the local administration and police for patrolling around the jail which is surrounded by densely populated area. These prohibited materials, once inside the jail complex, are sold by miscreants at high prices for consumption by other inmates. Covid: City sees two cases in 48 hours Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 3 With two Covid cases reported in the past 48 hours, the number of active cases has increased to nine on Tuesday. Health officials said 583 samples were tested on Monday, of which two had tested positive for Covid. Of the 666 samples tested on Tuesday, none had tested positive. The officials said all active patients were under home isolation and none of them had severe symptoms. Meanwhile, health experts have advised residents to exercise caution and wear face mask while going out in public places. Doctors said once again, there is a need to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour which includes sanitising or washing hands frequently, maintaining physical distance from suspected infected persons and wearing a face mask. The officials stated that Covid-19 vaccines are available at vaccination centres across district and those who have missed any dose of the vaccine should get it at the earliest. While 20.91 lakh residents have received first dose of the vaccine, only 18 lakh (87 per cent) have got both the vaccine doses. Further, only 1.39 lakh residents have received the third precautionary dose. With the recent increase in positive cases, the number of people coming for vaccination at hospitals has started to increase. Officials said on Tuesday, 232 residents were administered vaccine, of them, 21 received the first dose, 71 received the second dose and 140 received the third dose. WEDNESDAY | 4 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR Eight days on, police clueless in Manawala murder case Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 3 Even after eight days of a murder of a person in the Manawala area, the police have failed to find any clues about the perpetrators. Statements of family and relatives of the victim, besides various other persons, were recorded in this connection. Amritsar rural police chief Swapan Sharma said the police were working on different theories, including robbery bid and personal enmity. He said the police would soon arrest those behind the murder. Kulwinder Singh (28) of Wadali Dogra village was shot dead by three unidentified persons, while his brother Parminder Singh was injured in the attack. Mehmoodpur resident robbed of motorcycle Farmers and laboures burn an effigy of the state government on Tuesday. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI KMSC burns state govt’s effigies Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 3 Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, burnt an effigy of the state government on Tuesday. They staged a protest against the alleged indifference of the state government towards demands of the farmers and the labour class. The KMSC is holding an indefinite protest outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC) and holding dharnas at Usman toll palaza and in Mannan villages stressing on their demands. KMSC district president Satnam Singh Manochahal and state leader Harpreet Singh were among others who spoke on the occasion. The leaders, in their address, condemned the state government for its attempts to PAGE 4 Ruhaanika Dhawan at the age of 15 bought a house worth crores. The actor also shared pictures of her new house. 21 phones, cigarettes seized in jail PK Jaiswar RUHAANIKA DHAWAN BUYS HOUSE WORTH CRORES AT THE AGE OF 15 get common barren lands of villages vacated from the farmers. The leaders also took a note of the issue of no action against a wine factory which is allegedly polluting underground water in the area. The leaders demanded that the barren lands which the farmers made cultivable should be allotted to them. Effigies were burnt at the Usman toll plaza and Mannan villages. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 3 A motorcyclist was robbed by four armed miscreants on Sunday night when he was on way to Valtoha. The victim Amarjit Singh, a resident of Mehmoodpur, was riding the motor-cycle of his friend Gurbir Singh, a resident of Cheema Khurd. The unidentified armed robbers stopped him on way and robbed his motorcycle at gunpoint. The Valtoha police have registered a case under Section 379 of IPC in this regard. DEC 26 INCIDENT Kulwinder Singh (28) of Wadali Dogra village was shot dead by three unidentified persons on December 26, while his brother Parminder Singh was injured in the attack. The incident occurred on December 26, when the duo was returning home from work. The victim suffered a bullet injury in his chest which led to his death, while Parminder had a gun-shot injury in his leg. The police also scanned CCTV footages in the area to find the clues about the per- petrators. According to information, Kulwinder Singh and his brother used to work as mechanic of the textile machinery and they usually return their house late in the evenings. On December 26, they were returning home on their bike and reached near Manawala Government Hospital when three persons intercepted them. The accused entered into a scuffle with the victim and later one of them took out a pistol and shot them. Kulwinder was shot in the chest while Parminder suffered a bullet injury in his leg. The accused fled the scene. Parminder somehow called his family who rushed them to hospital. Doctors declared Kulwinder dead while Parminder was admitted for treatment. Sewa Kendras’ timing changed Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 3 The district administration has announced changed timings of opening of Sewa Kendras due to inclement weather conditions. As per the new timings, the centres would open at 9:45 am and close at 5 pm. Additional Deputy Commissioner Surinder Singh said the new timings would remain effective till January 15. He said the situation would be reviewed on January 15 and if the present weather conditions, especially fog still persist, the working hours would be changed accordingly. He said with the change in timings due to fog, the general public would not have to travel too early in the morning. The earlier opening time of these centres was 9 am. The present weather conditions, especially intense fog, have already forced the state government to extend the winter vacations till January 8. The district administration also reviewed the progress of various social security schemes for the Scheduled Castes, tribes, widows, disabled and other disadvantageous categories. The ADC asked the officials of the various departments to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries of a scheme get the benefit. Amid drone threat, BSF grapple with Fire at immigration office in Ranjit Avenue foggy conditions, step up vigil along IB Tribune News Service PK Jaiswar BSF has also installed anti-drone systems to check the repeated air space violations by drones Amritsar, January 3 With dense fog enveloping the region, the BSF has been on high alert as drone intrusions have seen a significant rise the past one year. Anti-national elements, including Pakistan-based terrorists and notorious gangsters, were pumping in contraband, arms and explosives at the behest of Pakistan’s intelligence in order to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in Punjab. Earlier, the smugglers used conceal and clear methods, besides throwing or inserting PVC pipes for sneaking in heroin and arms, but these methods are hardly used now. The unscrupulous elements are using drones for the purpose. FILE PHOTO Tribune News Service On Tuesday, a Pakistan miscreant was shot dead by BSF jawans near Chhanna border outpost in Dariya Mansoor village here. Following intelligence inputs regarding increase in smuggling bids during the foggy season, the BSF troops have intensified the patrolling along the barbed fence to check illegal activities along the International Border (IB). The BSF has also installed anti-drone systems to check the repeated air space violations by drones. A BSF official said antinational forces in Pakistan were using drones for pushing in drugs and arms. He said the BSF had been on alert and taking the help of technology to thwart drone movements from across the International Border. He said patrolling has also been intensified to check the threat. Amritsar rural police chief Swapan Sharma said besides using high-end sophisticated drones, assembled drones were also being used for smuggling. He said the Punjab Police were taking appropriate measures to counter the threat. Amritsar, January 3 A major fire broke out in an office of an immigration firm in Ranjit Avenue on Tuesday evening. Goods worth lakhs were burnt to ashes. People present on the spot saw flames coming out from the second floor of the building and immediately informed the police and fire department about the incident. Two vehicles of the fire brigade reached the spot and started effort to douse the fire. After an hour of hard work, the flames were brought under control. But furniture and other goods were gutted. HS Dhingra, the owner of the immigration centre, demanded an investigation into the case. Dhingra said he along with his sons runs a busi- The building where fire broke out; (right) fire tenders in Amritsar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS ness in Ranjit Avenue. On Tuesday, his son and other employees left the office and went home in the evening. Around 6.30 pm, he got a call that his office was on fire and they immediately reached there. The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascer- tained and the police would probe. With the efforts of the fire department, the blaze was doused by 8 pm. Dense fog, ‘China dor’ to blame for power cuts in city: PSPCL Neeraj Bagga CITY RESIDENTS IRKED AT ERRATIC POWER CUTS Tribune News Service Commuters switch on headlights of their vehicles due to low visibility on Tuesday. VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, January 3 City residents are irked at erratic power cuts in the freezing cold and thick cover of fog. They find power outages highly inconvenient. Amid plummeting temperatures, electricityrun heaters and blowers are the main refuge for the aged and infirm. After the intensification of winter and fog, unscheduled c m y b ■ Amid plummeting temperatures, electricity-run heaters and blowers are the main refuge for the aged and infirm ■ After the intensification of winter and fog, unscheduled power outages have returned to power outages have returned to haunt city residents. Harpreet Singh Sethi, a resident of Ranjit Avenue, said there seems to be no solution to the unnecessary power cuts, which are imposed at haunt city residents ■ City residents are irked at erratic power cuts in the freezing cold and thick cover of fog. They find power outages highly inconvenient any time of the day. In biting cold, people, especially the elderly and children suffer the most because of implications for their health. They normally need the assistance of electrical gadgets to keep them warm and healthy. Sethi said people must ask the political leaders about their claims of Punjab becoming a power surplus state, which was only belied because of the power cuts. To meet the rising demand for power, the government must come up with a judicious policy to keep balance between generation, borrowing from other pools and customising consumption, he suggested. When contacted, PSPCL officials refuted such suggestions and attributed the power cuts to the prevailing thick cover of fog and acryllic string being used to fly kites, popularly known as ‘China dor’.