28012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/28/2023 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST CLOUDY MINISTER INAUGURATES AAM AADMI CLINIC AT SABHRA ACTOR ANNU KAPOOR ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL SHIVANGI TO APPEAR IN EKTA KAPOOR’S UPCOMING SHOW Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar reiterated AAP’s promise to provide free medical facilities to people. P2 Kapoor, known for several films as well as TV shows, was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. P3 Shivangi was last seen in Khatron Ke Khiladi 12. She is known for her role in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. P4 » » » MAX 19°C | MIN 2°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 3°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.00 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:25 AM SATURDAY | 28 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR Man killed in road mishap Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 27 A scooterist lost his life and the woman riding pillion was injured after a speeding car hit them in the BRTS lane near the Putlighar Chowk today. Some onlookers rushed the two to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared the scooterist — identified as Chirag (24) of Model Town area — dead. His relative Sonam (23), a resident of Chheharta, who sustained serious injuries in the accident, was admitted to hospital. The passerby also managed to nab the car driver and handed him over to the police. Two other occupants of the car, however, managed to flee the spot. The police said a case was registered against the car driver and further probe was on. Notably, the BRTS lane was exclusively made for the plying of BRTS buses. However, the road has become prone to accidents as commuters often enter the lane, in violation of the traffic norms. Smart Road deadline Man charred to death Two years down thejumps 28-monthincomplete line, 7.4 km road remains as building catches fire Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 27 A man was charred to death after a three-storey building located at Baba Sahib Chowk caught fire in the wee hours on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Paramjit Singh Pamma (50). A youth, Vir Singh (22), who used to work at a shop in the building, managed to escape in time. Due to congested streets and roads, the firemen faced trouble in dousing the fire. They had to reach out to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) authorities to use the water from the ‘Sarovar’ of Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai in the Golden Temple complex, for dousing the fire. A short circuit is stated to be the reason behind the incident. Division B police station SHO Parduman Singh said that the fire erupt- Firefighters try to douse the fire at Baba Sahib Chowk in Amritsar. ed between 3.30 am and 4 am. He said that due to the presence of some plastic and flammable cosmetic material, the fire spread rapidly. Vir managed to escape the inferno by jumping into a nearby building, but Pamma could not do that. A preliminary examination has revealed that he died due to asphyxia as a result of the toxic fumes, and his body was later charred in the fire. Amritsar, January 27 Work on upgrading the outer circular road to a smart road has jumped the deadline set for its completion. As per the government’s announcement during the inauguration of the Rs 118.65crore project, it is supposed to be completed within 28 months, i.e., till January 2023. During the last two years, the Municipal Corporation and Amritsar Smart City Limited only re-carpeted the road. The trenches made for laying the electricity wires are lying open. The sewer manhole covers are not property placed and the proposed street infrastructure, lights and other required equipment are yet to be installed. Construction work on the 7.4-km outer ring road was inaugurated by then Cabinet Minister OP Soni on September 18, 2020. During the past 28 months, the condition of the outer ring road has not improved much. As per the proposed plan, 1.8-metre wide cycle tracks R-Day hues As per the proposed plan, 1.8-metre wide cycle tracks would be constructed on both sides of the road. would be constructed on both sides of the road. Lights would be installed on roadsides and a parking lot would also be set up to facilitate travellers and streamline traffic. The project is one of the major initiatives taken under the Smart City Mission and desilting of sewerage would also be done under the plan along with laying of new sewer lines as per requirement. All power wires and other cables would be laid underground, eliminating the need for digging to lay cable lines in future. Footpaths for pedestrians, parking facilities for cyclerickshaws and auto-rickshaws would also be constructed. Landscaping would be done for beautification of the road, along with installation of street furniture, green belt, bus stop shelters, lights, signboards and digital advertising boards. New street vendor zones would also be provided for put- ting up stalls without encroaching upon footpaths. “It seems that no one is concerned about the deadline. The work was initiated but has suffered a long delay. The officials often visit the site and ask the contractor to speed up work but it is still going on at a snail’s pace. There should be provision for imposing penalty on the contractor in case of delay in completion,” said Suresh Kumar, a social activist. Punjab registered record rise in GST revenue, says Cheema Tribune News Service INBRIEF MOBILE PHONES SEIZED FROM JAIL Amritsar: As many as eight mobile phones were retrieved from the Amritsar Central Jail complex over the past two days. Three of the phones were seized from prisoners. Those booked are gangster Davinder Singh, Navjot Singh of the Baba Budha Ji Avenue and Gurbhej Singh of Bhikhiwind. The jail authorities have also seized a headphone and a mobile charger. TNS BODY OF NEWBORN BABY FOUND Amritsar:A new born baby was found dead at the railway quarters in the B block area here yesterday. The police have registered a case against some unknown persons in this regard. ASI Gurmeet Singh said after receiving information, a team of cops then reached the spot and found the body wrapped in a shawl. TNS Education Dept targets 15% rise in enrolment in govt schools this year Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 27 The Education Department has been conducting meetings to increase enrolments in secondary schools and primary schools. The department has started with training and awareness campaigns to increase enrolments for particular schools. The government schools in the district had seen a rise in enrolments during the 2021-2022, but it dipped slightly in 2022-23. With the enrolment drive for 2023-23 session now open, officials are now set on achieving a target of 15 per cent rise in enrolments from previous year. “Zone level meetings are being held keeping in mind that Amritsar is the only district that has started with the ground work to increase BETTER INFRA ❝We are expecting up to 15% rise in enrolment. The govt schools have been able to upgrade their education and learning standards. — Jugraj Singh, DEO ❞ enrolments in schools. As many as 15 educational blocks have been divided into four zones, we have asked teachers to set a target to increase enrolments by 15% this year. We are using awareness tools like street plays, using public address systems to create awareness regarding government school facilities among general public,” said Narender Singh, district mentor and coordinator and nodal officer, Amritsar-II. The schools have been told to create access for students living in areas without government schools. With eight government schools in district set for total infrastructure overhaul to make them modern in every sense, the focus would be to highlight the academic and infrastructure upgradation of government schools vis-a-vis private schools. DEO Jugraj Singh, who is chaired zonal meetings of district education officers, said, “We had been able to increase enrolment rate by 12.97 previously during the pandemic. This year, we are expecting up to 15 per cent increase, both in primary as well as secondary schools. The fact that the government schools have been able to upgrade their education and learning standards has been a big factor in getting more students.” c m y b Tehsil complex inaugurated Amritsar, January 27 Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today inaugurated the tehsil complex at Ajnala. He also announced building of a new court and a patwarkhana will also be built. The construction of a new building will be done at a cost of around Rs 4.5 crore, which includes SDM, tehsildar, naib tehsildar and other offices. “It will bring great relief to the people of the constituency,” said Dhaliwal. He said the longstanding demand of the people for the new patwarkhana will also start at this place soon. At the inauguration today, SDM Rajesh Sharma, tehsildar Raubanjit Kaur, XEN Dayal Sharma, nagar panchayat president Jaspal Singh Dhillon, urban president Deepak Kumar Chainpuria, sarpanch Manjinder Singh and other dignitaries were present. — TNS PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Various patriotic events were organised at Guru Nanak Stadium and Wagah Border to mark Republic Day in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR/VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, January 27 Punjab registered a record increase in GST and excise revenue, said Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema after unfurling the Tricolour on the 74th Republic Day celebrations held here on Thursday. Elaborating the revenue growth, he said the state registered a record increase of 24.5 per cent in revenue from GST and 34 per cent increase in excise revenue. He said the introduction of Aam Aadmi clinics in the state brought a revolution in the health sector as more than 10 lakh people availed free treatment in 100 such clinics opened so far. Talking about works carried out by his government, he stated that many pro-people initiatives were taken during its 10-month tenure. These initiatives included restoration of old pension for government employees, opening of Aam Aadmi clin- Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema distributes a sewing machine during the Republic Day celebrations at Guru Nanak Stadium. ics, recruitment in government jobs, war against corruption, setting up of schools of eminence, new initiatives for Punjabi language, conducting Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan, waiver of electricity bills up to 300 units per month, removal of illegal encroachments from panchayat lands, resump- tion of government bus services to Delhi Airport and establishment of new medical colleges. He paid tributes to freedom fighters and soldiers who laid down their lives for the freedom of the country. Tableaus showing government schemes were presented by various departments. 2 bike-borne robbers snatch woman’s purse Farmers planning protest over drug menace detained Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 27 Two unknown bike-borne persons snatched the purse of a local resident, Lakhbir Kaur, near Ghala Mala Chowk here on Wednesday. According to the complainant, her purse contained gold jewellery worth Rs 14.5 lakh and Rs 50,000 in cash. The police have registered a case and a probe is under way. The victim told the police that she and her husband were about to deposit their gold ornaments in the locker of the Punjab National Bank located on Majitha road when the incident took place. She also alleged that she was physically attacked by them before they made off Amritsar, January 27 Ahead of the arrival of Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to inaugurate the launch of tahe Aam Aadmi Clinic in Putlighar, a group of farmers was detained by the police in the cantonment area. The farmers, led by Kisan Naujwan Sangharsh Committee president Bachitter Singh Kotla, have been demonstrating outside the office of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Attari, for the last 20 days the menace of drugs prevalent in the area. The farmer activists claimed that they wanted to raise the issue of drug menace with Kejriwal. with the purse. She revealed that the purse contained two gold sets, a gold chain, two gold bangles, two lady bangles, two sets of earrings, four gold rings and a mobile phone, among other things. The police registered a case under Sections 34 and 379-B of the IPC and further investigation is under way. Police officials have been scrutinising the CCTV footage, hoping to find a clue.