06012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/6/2023 12:13 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY INPICS: BEARING THE BRUNT OF COLD IN HOLY CITY DAVE SAYS MAKING GUARDIANS MOVIES ‘WASN’T ALL PLEASANT’ PRIME VIDEO RELEASES TRAILER FOR SEASON 2 OF HUNTERS With mercury dipping, Tribune lensman captures images of people coping with harsh weather conditions in city. P2 Dave Bautista is fine saying goodbye to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyfranchise. “It was hard playing the role,” he says.P3 Amazon Studios has released the official trailer for the second season of Hunters, premiering on Prime Video on Jan 13. P4 » » » MAX 14°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 11°C | MIN 5°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.41 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:31 AM FRIDAY | 6 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF POLICE SEIZE 100-GM HEROIN Amritsar: The police arrested a man for allegedly possessing 100-gm heroin. He was travelling on a scooter when he was intercepted at a naka. He has been identified as Ashish Randhawa of Kirpal Colony. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against him and further probe was on to ascertain the source of contraband. Meanwhile, the police also arrested three persons — Pawan of Indira Colony, Harjit Singh and Pawanpreet Singh of Ram Nagar Colony — for allegedly possessing 13-gm heroin. They were travelling in a car when they were arrested. TNS SEDATIVE PILLS CONFISCATED Amritsar: The police nabbed Lovepreeet Singh and Jaspal Singh of Verka and recovered 470 sedative pills from their possession. They could not produce any documents regarding the intoxicating tablets. A case was registered against them. TNS ROLLS OF CHINESE KITE STRING SEIZED Amritsar: The police arrested Kapil Kapur of New Jawahar Nagar for allegedly indulging in illegal sale of Chinese kite string. The police confiscated 30 rolls of synthetic string and a case under Section 188 of the IPC was registered against him. TNS Racket involved in pilfering wheat meant for Atta-Dal scheme busted PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 5 Officials of the Food and Civil Supply Department havebusted a racket, which was allegedly involved in pilfering government wheat meant for distribution under the Atta-Dal scheme and MidDay Meal Scheme. A team of the department confiscated over 145 quintals of wheat from a truck following a tip-off. A preliminary probe pointed out that the confiscated wheat was being diverted to a flour mill in Pathankot. Investigations were on to identify the flour mill and its owner. The police arrested the driver of the truck along with the trader who picked up the government wheat and sold it to the Pathankot flour mill. They were identified as Gopal Das of Pathankot and Jaspal Singh of Ramdas. A case under Sections 379, 411, 420 and 120-B of the IPC was registered in this connection. The police also nominated a Batala resident, Bittu, who procured the same from Jaspal Singh. The truck was seized by a flying squad team of the Food and Civil Supply Department headed by Inspector Vinod Khosla. Wheat was being diverted to Pathankot flour mill; 2 nabbed The truck from which 145 quintals of wheat was confiscated; (right) the seized bags. TRIBUNE PHOTO As per the complaint, the vigilance wing of the department received a tip-off that certain traders from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan were allegedly pilfering Punjab’s wheat from ration depots of border districts and later diverting them to Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in illegal manner. The wheat was meant for distribution under the Atta-Dal scheme and Mid-Day Meal scheme. Following this, a naka was set up in Ramdas area where a truck (PB-06-G-9213) was intercepted. On quizzing, the truck driver, Gopal Dass, revealed that the wheat belonged to Jaspal Singh of Ramdas. He sold the same to another trader, identified as Bittu of Batala. However, he could not produce any documents regarding the procurement of grains. The truck was detained by the Ramdas police and Jaspal Singh was summoned. On his disclosure, the department’s team reached his storage point where they found 300 empty bags of 30kg wheat released under the National Food Security Act and 35 empty sacks of 50-kg wheat. These bags had stamps of the Punjab Government. Jaspal could not give satisfactory answers to the queries hinting that the same was meant for public distribution and was released to ration depot holders. The wheat unloaded at storage points were further sold to private traders after filling it into private bags. The police said further investigations were underway to unearth the entire racket. Many ration depot holders would also be brought to book after further investigations. Snatchers on prowl, car agency employee among three fall prey Amritsar, January 5 A man snatched a car from an employee of a car agency on pistol-point after he took the same on the pretext of a test drive. The accused was identified as Rajvir Singh of the Ranjit Avenue area. The Chatiwind police have registered a case under Sections 379-B (2) and 336 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against him and further probe is on. Sarabjit Singh, the employee of the Novelty Hyundai car agency located on main GT road, told the police that on Wednesday, around 3.15 pm, a man wearing a mask entered the showroom and sought details of I-10 Grand car. He said the salesman, Vinay Kumar, detailed him about all features. He identified himself as Rajvir Singh and submitted his Aad- haar card and driving licence with the agency. He asked for a test drive and took Vinay along with him. While returning from Manawala side, the accused pointed a pistol at him and asked him to leave. Later, he fled the spot with the car. The police said a case had been registered and CCTV cameras were being scanned on roads and toll plazas to identify the suspect and trace him. Meanwhile, the Jandiala police have booked three persons for snatching a mobile phone from a local, identified as Amandeep Singh of Chhapa Ram Singh village. He told the police that on Tuesday evening, he was returning from his fields when three bike-borne persons with covered faces stopped him and snatched his mobile phone while pointing a pistol at him. He said when they were fleeing, he pushed their bike and the trio fell down. Their face covers were removed and he identified them as Karan, Arshdeep Singh and Harpreet Singh, all residents of the same village. On raising alarm, people started gathering there and the trio fled the spot. The police said a case had been registered while the accused was on run. Efforts were being made to arrest the suspects. In another incident, the Beas police nabbed two snatchers while one of their accomplices managed to flee the spot. Those arrested were identified as Ajaypal Singh and Vijay Masih of Cheema Bath village and the absconder was Jugraj Singh of same village. They had snatched a mobile phone from Kumod Kumar of the same village. — TNS Drive for 3rd dose of polio vax Amritsar, January 5 The district health department launched the third dose of fractional inactivated poliovirus vaccine for control of polio. District Immunisation Officer Dr Kanwaljit Singh said though India had been declared a polio-free nation by the World Health Organisation, due to such cases being reported in neighbour- ing countries, they are taking all precautions. He said the first dose of the vaccine is already being giv- en to children in district before the age of six weeks. He said the second dose is given before the age of 14 weeks. The third dose of the vaccine in country was launched on January 1 this year and as such it has also been launched here. He said the dose is required to be given on attaining the age of nine months. — TNS Parking lot unused, haphazard parking creates chaos Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu inaugurates development works in Amritsar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Development works inaugurated Amritsar, January 5 A major portion of the parking lot inside Nehru Shopping Complex is lying unused due to the mismanagement of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT). On the other hand, the vacant area and nearby roads witness traffic jams due to haphazardly parked vehicles. After taking action against the owners of tea stalls at Novelty Chowk, there is no respite to visitors on the Lawrence Road. Residents say that in the absence of designated parking space for The Nehru Shopping Complex; and (right) haphazardly parked vehicles on Thursday. SUNIL KUMAR vehicles, the Lawrence Road and the Mall Road witness regular jams. The parking lot can accommodate more than 300 cars at Nehru Shopping Complex, but only a few vehicles are seen parked here. The workers at the parking Amritsar, January 5 Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu inaugurated civil works of streets in Ward No. 19 in North Assembly constituency. In his address on this occasion, the Mayor said development works worth crores had been implemented by the Municipal Corporation in all wards of the city. “Works have been started in those wards which were left in the past. Under the series, construction of various streets has been started. It was a major demand of residents of Ward No. 19. Area residents were facing problems and will be benefitted now,” said the Mayor. He said the state government would fulfill all its promises of development. He assured the residents that other works which were required to be done in the ward would also be taken into consideration. There is no shortage of funds for devel- Tarn Taran, January 5 The state committee of PSEB Employees’ Federation (AITUC) in its meeting held here on Thursday extended its support to the agitation of the electricity employees of Maharashtra. Gurpreet Singh Gandiwid, state president, Surinder Singh Lahauria, general sec- retary, and Baljit Kumar, state treasurer, respectively, of AITUC, in a joint press statement issued here said the Maharashtra Government in the name of Bijli Bill-2022 wanted to give the whole control of the electricity department to the corporate sector led by Ambani group. — OC Cow dies under mysterious circumstances 12 yrs on, Punjab Roadways driver yet to get revised pension as per 5th pay panel report Cabinet ministers visit convention centre at GNDU Amritsar, January 5 A cow died under mysterious circumstances in Sohian Kalan village on Fatehgarh Churian road here. The incident came to light today morning when a local resident found the cow seriously injured. He informed animal lovers about it. The front legs of the cow were broken. Dr Rohan Mehra, president, Anti-crime and Animal Protection Association, said Animal Husbandry Department authorities were called but the cow died in the noon. They sought probe into the incident. — TNS Gurbaxpuri not been got the benefits of the revised pension as per the Fifth Pay Commission, the recommendations of it released in 2022, have gone remote. The office of the Accountant General (AG), Punjab, in its office letter No. PEN—7/G56/2008-09 /22404-07, dated November 30, 2010, sanctioned the approval for the revised pension according to the Fifth Pay Commission and the copies of the letter were sent to the District Treasury Officer and other concerned offices. Gursharan Singh said that he along with his wife Raj Kaur went from one office to the oth- Amritsar, January 5 Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora and Harbhajan Singh ETO visited the international-level Golden Jubilee Convention Centre at Guru Nanak Dev University here on Thursday. They said because of the state-of-the-art convention centre, eminent organisations were interested in holding national and international level events in campus. Earlier, Prof SS Behl, Dean Academic Affairs, and Prof KS Kahlon, Registrar, welcomed the Cabinet Ministers. They also apprised them of the facilities being offered by the centre. — TNS Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, January 5 Gursharan Singh (73), a resident of Kasel village, who retired from the Punjab Roadways as a driver in 2008, has lost all hopes of getting the benefits of revised pension accordingly to the Fifth Pay Commission report. He has been moving from pillar to post for more than 12 years to get the benefit of his revised pension. The harassment affected him mentally and physically as a result of which Gursharan Singh became bed-ridden. While Gursharan Singh has opment works, said the Mayor. He urged the residents to plant as many trees as possible to preserve the environment and also nurture them. He appealed to people to cooperate with the Municipal Corporation to keep the city green and clean. On the occasion, the ward councillor and residents thanked the Mayor for the development works. Councillor Gurjit Kaur, former councillor Anek Singh and locals were also present. PSEB staff to support Maha stir er including the District Treasury Office and the SBI branch in Tarn Taran and Kasel where he had his account, but failed to get a positive response. District Treasury Officer Rajinder Pal said his office had made a case with the letter received from the AG office soon after in 2010 to the Manager, State Bank Of India, Tarn Taran. Vandna Parashar, the bank’s chief manager, said the case must be sent to the SBI branch at Kasel where Gursharan Singh has his account. But despite this, Gursharan Singh has not received the benefits of his revised pension till date. c m y b lot say there is enough space outside on roads to park vehicles, so no one wants to pay money for parking. Around 100 cars of residents from nearby localities are permanently parked at this parking lot. They pay Rs 1,500 per month as they do not have space in their house to park their vehicles. Only 40 shopkeepers from the shopping complex park their vehicles in the parking lot and pay Rs 600 per month. Only 35 to 40 visitors park their vehicles inside the paid parking lot. The workers at parking lot say they have closed the gate towards the Lawrence Road as no one uses it. Visitors to tea stalls block the way by parking vehicles on the lane leading towards the parking lot. On the directions of AIT staff, the parking staff on Thursday opened the gate towards the Lawrence Road. “There is not much income from the parking,” said parking staff. Moreover, the parking contractor overcharges from car owners from other cities and states. — TNS New barricades help ease traffic congestion in Pathankot district Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Pathankot, January 5 Pathankot’s decades-old fight against traffic congestion has taken a new turn with the cops using the newly acquired expandable barricades at high-density traffic locations, enabling residents to commute smoothly, particularly in the inner parts of the city. From 2000 till 2010, the city had to fight the menace of stray animals which caused accidents and traffic congestion alike. From 2010 onwards, hundreds of illegal auto-rickshaws drivers used to come early in the morning everyday creating chaos. On the busy city roads, their daily incomes did increase but so did the congestion. These factors became the driving force behind traffic problems in the city. The police were at their wits’ end trying to solve the dilemma. At one time, on a conservative estimate, nearly 3,000 autos plied in the city, half of them from adjoining towns. And with private banks easily providing loans, the vehicle The new barricades that have come up in Pathankot. TRIBUNE PHOTO count also increased complicating things. SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said that after studying the problem, the police hit upon the idea of putting up expandable barricades and taking the existing ones off the roads. Residents claim ever since the new system has been put in place, the flow of traffic has been controlled to a large extent, if not fully. A traffic officer said, “Expandable plastic barricades are easy to use and can be moved quickly wherever you need them. These are lightweight as compared to the ones we handled earlier, are impact resistant and can expand several feet wide.” These contraptions are also called ‘Kenchi’ (scissors) barricades. The SSP said these barricades had been set up with much success at places where the traffic flow is heavy, including Gandhi chowk. “Suppose during the daytime, we have to check the flow of traffic in a particular area, but at night we have to open it up to vehicular traffic, then we use these barricades. They can be easily transported from one area to the other which was not the case earlier.” With traffic snarls reduced considerably, traffic cops as well as the locals are breathing easy for now.