24012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/24/2023 12:13 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune MP AUJLA: WILL RAISE ISSUE OF MANF IN PARLIAMENT RICHA CHADHA TO PLAY FRONTLINE WARRIOR IN FILM Richa Chadha will be seen playing a frontline worker during the second Covid wave an untitled film. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 16°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 8°C SHEEZAN KHAN DENIED BAIL IN TUNISHA SHARMA CASE Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla said he would to raise the issue of MANF in the Parliament. P3 FORECAST Actor Sheezan Khan has been refused bail in the Tunisha Sharma death case. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.57 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:27 AM » TUESDAY | 24 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF ILLEGAL HOOKAH BAR BUSTED Amritsar: The police busted a hookah bar in the city and recovered four hookahs, besides flavours and illegal liquor from the spot. The police have arrested Raman Talwar, owner of Baba Bar Code and Restaurant, besides Hussainpura resident Amit Dhawan. ACP Varinder Singh Khosa said the police got information that certain beer bars and restaurants in Ranjit Avenue area were serving hookah illegally. He said late Sunday night, when a police team raided the bar and restaurant, it was found that the owners did not have licence for serving liquor. TNS PO seeks ~10L from ex-sarpanch, held PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 23 The Amritsar rural police have nabbed a notorious criminal and proclaimed offender (PO) identified as Sandeep Singh, alias Gaza, of Wadala Johal village. Recently, he had threatened a former sarpanch of Meharbanpura village in the name of gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and sought Rs 10 lakh as extortion money from him. He also threatened to eliminate his entire family and kidnap his granddaughters in case he did not give the money. A complaint was lodged with the police on Sunday, Accused has 11 criminal cases registered against him, says SSP DECLARED PO IN 2019 SSP Swapan Sharma said the accused was held during a cordon and search operation on Sunday. He said Sandeep had 11 criminal cases registered against him in different police stations, while he was declared a PO by a local court in a drugs case registered in January 2019. A case under Sections 387, 451, 506 and 323 of the IPC and a separate case under Section 229-A of the IPC was registered against him. << The accused in police custody. while the incident had occurred on January 18. SSP Swapan Sharma said the accused was held during a cordon and search operation on Sunday. He said Sandeep had 11 criminal cases registered against him at different police stations, while he was declared a PO by a local court in a drugs case registered in January 2019. He said Gurpal Singh, a former sarpanch of Meharbanpura village, told the police that on January 18, the accused entered his house and claimed to be a member of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang. He demanded Rs 10 lakh from him and threatened him with dire consequences on not giving the amount. “We have arrested him and further investigations are underway. His links are being established,” said the SSP . A case under Sections 387, 451, 506 and 323 of the IPC and a separate case under Section 229-A of the IPC was registered against him. Rule violations, shortage of staff add to chaos on city roads Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 23 Lack of traffic sense among the drivers and violation of rules in the absence of sufficient traffic staff to monitor the situation on roads and lack of will on the part of administration to take action against the violators has left the city in complete traffic chaos. Jumping signals, driving on the wrong side, changing lanes to get ahead of other vehicles are some of the common violations often seen at traffic junctions and on roads. While most drivers do not Commuetrs flout traffic rules at SSSS Chowk in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR care for traffic norms, the policemen too appear to be helpless. A traffic cop said, “It is not possible for one policeman to manage a chowk. If I stand on one side of the road, the drivers on three other sides, especially youngsters, would rush their vehicles at the first opportunity and jump traffic signals.” The traffic cops stated that apart from increasing their strength at all chowks, there is a need to take strict action against the violators. They stated that pressure is often brought to bear on them by a local politician or senior officials who ask them to be lenient. Meanwhile, residents complained that due to the present traffic mess, the people are forced to spend more time on the roads which is frustrating. “A person who has to take a right turn at traffic signals can be seen standing on the extreme right. And when he takes the turn, he forces the entire traffic to stop,” said Kuljit Singh, a local resident. The residents demanded that there is a need to make drivers aware of traffic rules and ethics. “The government must make all the traffic violators attend a seven-hour training session. It would not only serve as punishment but also make drivers aware of traffic norms. The residents stated that driving on the roads has become frustrating as traffic jams are witnessed at every nook and corner. Activists of the pharmacists’ association raise slogans against the government and burn an effigy of CM Bhagwant Mann. GURBAXPURI Pharmacists protest appointment in new Aam Aadmi Clinics Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 23 Pharmacists working under the Rural Development and Panchayat Department today staged a dharna to protest their appointment in the new Aam Aadmi Clinics being opened on Republic Day. The protest was staged in front of the District Administrative Complex. The protesting pharmacists burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and presented a charter of demands to the Deputy Commissioner. The pharmacists, under the banner of Rural Health Pharmacists Association, were on the agitation path demanding regularisation of services with full pay-scale besides fulfilment of other demands. State president of the union Kamaljit Singh Chauhan and district president Gurdeep Singh Kaler were among those who addressed the gathering. The leaders of the association said that they had been working on contractual basis since 2006 on meagre salary. They said the state government was appointing them in the new Aam Aadmi Clinics from January 25 without consent and they were still ready to perform their duty at their new place but their demand to regularise services with full pay-scale should be met without delay. They alleged that successive state governments had done nothing except to sit on their demands and warned of intensifying their agitation in case their demands were not met. Farmers to stage protest on Feb 6 Garbage collection vehicles await repair, services hit Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 23 Farmers’ unions and other organisations have come out openly against Rana Sugar Mills, Lauhka, allegedly for polluting the environment and contaminating the groundwater with chemicals used in the factory. A large number of farmers and workers, under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, organised a march on Monday in different villages of the area to make people aware of the ill-effects of chemicals being used by the mill while distilling wine and subsequent disposal of waste in the fields and canal distributaries. The activists participated in the march on two-wheelers. Meanwhile, farmers’ unions affiliated to the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, in a meeting organised here on Monday, decided to present a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner on Tuesday against Rana Sugar Mills in this regard. The march of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Com- POLLUTION BY RANA SUGAR MILLS Farmers and workers participating in a march to create awareness on pollution by industrial units. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI mittee, Punjab, was started from Kairon village which passed through Lauhka, Jaura, Naushehra Pannuan, Sarli Mandan, Khabbe Rajputan, Nandpur and other villages. State leaders of KMSC, Harpreet Singh and Satnam Singh Manochahal, were among those who addressed the protesters. The leaders alleged that the government had failed to check the industrial units polluting the environment and even the Punjab Pollution Control Board was not taking action against such units. The leaders alleged that the contaminated groundwater was responsible for making people infected with dreaded diseases like cancer, hepatitis, liver failure etc. The KMSC would stage a dharna in front of the District Administrative Complex on February 6 in case the administration failed to take action against Rana Sugar Mills. The KMSC demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court to locate the industrial units violating norms to maintain the environment. The unions associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha organised a meeting under the leadership of Nachhattar Singh of Kirti Kisan Union which was addressed by Daljit Singh Dialpura and others who alleged that negligence on the part of the administration was responsible for violations and subsequent environmental pollution. Amritsar, January 23 Door-to-door collection of garbage is yet to streamline in the city. A solid waste management company had assured the Municipal Corporation to get defunct vehicles repaired, which are lying off road since long but there is no development in this regard. Most of the localities on the outskirts of the city witnessed delay in door-todoor collection of garbage. The vehicles visit several localities on bypass road twice in a week. The solid waste management company has around 330 garbage collection vehicles. Of these, more than 50 vehicles are lying defunct. The teams of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs would visit the city to observe the sanitation conditions for nationwide swacch survey. In the absence of regular collection of garbage, residents often dump garbage on roadsides and in vacant plots. “Segregated garbage should be collected regularly, otherwise it is not possible Cong entrants in BJP alarm saffron rank & file Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 23 Former prominent Congress leaders who shifted their loyalty to the BJP are now making the saffron party leaders and ticket seekers apprehensive. They feel that they would be minnows in front of their political stature. Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, former Finance Minister Man- Dominance of ex-Cong leaders was visible in list of state office-bearers announced recently preet Singh Badal and former MP Sunil Jakhar have direct access to the Central leadership of the BJP while former Congress ministers Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Rajkumar Verka, Sunder Sham Arora, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Rana Gurmeet Sodhi exercise sway in polit- ical circles of the state. Capt Amarinder’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur and Sonu Sood’s sister Malvika Sood, who took part in the two-day executive meeting of Punjab BJP here, also have their star approach. Several of them, including Jakhar, Rajkumar Ver- ka, Jai Inder Kaur and Malvika Sood were present in the meeting. The dominance of former Congress leaders was visible in the list of state officebearers recently announced by the BJP Most of those . who joined the BJP belonged to different fac- c m y b tions of the Congress. Sources in the BJP state that these Congress leaders parachuted into the saffron party may take away a lion’s share of party tickets in the 13 parliamentary seats of the state. A section of them expressed concern that they may have to face the same treatment meted out to them by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) during the coalition. A solid waste management company had assured the MC to get defunct vehicles repaired. SUNIL KUMAR OF 330 VEHICLES, OVER 50 LYING DEFUNCT ■ Most of the localities on the outskirts of the city witnessed delay in door-to-door collection of garbage. The vehicles visit several localities on bypass road twice in a week. The solid waste management company has around 330 garbage collection vehicles. Of these, more than 50 vehicles are lying defunct ■ A solid waste management company had assured the Municipal Corporation of getting defunct vehicles repaired, which are lying off road since long but there is no development in this regard ■ Most of the localities on the outskirts of the city witnessed delay in door-to-door collection of garbage to manage two separate bins for three or four days,” said Satwant Kaur, a resident. MC officials claimed that they had warned the company officials to streamline garbage collection otherwise they will be penalised. The company has been planning to add more vehicles but due to shortage of funds, the issue remains unresolved. Ajnala abduction case: Priest held Amritsar, January 23 Two days after a 22-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped in Ajnala, the police have arrested a priest in connection with the case, and found the girl. According to the police, it was not a case of abduction as the girl has claimed that she had eloped with the suspect — Mukha Masih — of her own volition. The girl would be produced in the court for recording her statement. Ajnala DSP Sanjiv Kumar Eloped with suspect willingly, says girl said that following a probe, it was found that the two had an affair. The girl used to work at a salon in Ajnala. She was allegedly kidnapped while she was on her way back home in Diyal Bhatti village. The girl’s mother told the police that her daughter did not return home from work on Friday. The following day, the suspect called up her fiancé from her mobile phone and told him that she had been kidnapped. The family of the girl informed the Ajnala police, and subsequently, a case was registered under Sections 363 and 365 of the IPC. The Diocese of Amritsar, Church of North India (CNI), has suspended Mukha Masih, who is one of its evangelists, in view of the incident. — TNS