29012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/29/2023 12:15 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST CLOUDY DEVOTEES OBSERVE BABA DEEP SINGH’S BIRTH ANNIV SHAH RUKH KHAN CALLS SALMAN KHAN ‘GOAT’ MOUNI ROY RECALLS ‘SEVEN PLEDGES’ ON WEDDING ANNIV The 341st birth anniversary of Baba Deep Singh was celebrated with religious fervour. P2 Shah Rukh Khan, who is basking in the success of his film Pathaan, has called Salman Khan “GOAT”. P3 MAX 18°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 3°C Actress Mouni Roy and Suraj Nambiar have completed one year together as a married couple. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 6.01 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7:25 AM » SUNDAY | 29 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR Rash driving in BRTS lane big concern Thefts at tubewells irk farmers Commuters use lane as thoroughfare, continue to violate rules with impunity Tribune News Service PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 28 Rash driving inside Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) lane is fast becoming a cause for concern among the people. It has become an accident prone as motorists, especially car driver and bikers, tend to drive at higher speed with no regular traffic on the stretch from the railway station to Chheharta area. Yesterday, a man lost his life while his woman relative was injured after a rashly driven car tried lost balance and hit the scooter after overtaking BRTS bus near Putlighar chowk corridor. In another instance, a bike collided with the BRTS bus near Chheharta area. He was injured in the accident. A similar incident had occurred on January 8 late evening when an SUV hit a teenage boy in the BRS corridor near Chheharta killing HAVING A FIELD DAY Commuters use BRTS lanes, jeopardising their lives, in Amritsar on Saturday. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR him on the spot. The traffic chaos has become an order of the day at various cross sections and roads owing to closure of Rigo Bridge for heavy traffic and four wheelers besides under construction railway flyover at 22 number railway crossing near Islamabad. Therefore, to avoid getting stuck in the traffic jams, the people are lured to use BRTS lane. The traffic police also remained lenient to the commuter plying in the BRTS corridor owing the dismal traffic scenario on the roads. However, using of BRTS lanes by common traffic defeat the very purpose for which it was laid. Due to entrance of regular traffic in the corridor the timings of the BRTS buses gets delayed by considerable time. A driver of the BRTS bus said the district authorities were requested a number of times for not allowing the regular traffic in the corridor. But the situation remained the same. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amandeep Kaur told that the situation is really worrisome but we are taking appropriate measures. GOVT LEAST BOTHERED Every year hundreds of electricity transformers are stolen. The electricity transformers are a property of PSPCL, which is a government body but still never has anyone been arrested for these thefts. Manmeet Singh Gill ❝ Amritsar, January 28 Petty thefts, presumably by the drug addicts, have become a big nuisance for farmers in the rural belt as they complain of thefts of electricity wires, transformers and even iron pipes attached on the tubewell borewells. A young farmer from Malawali village, Sahib Singh said, “The thieves stole electricity cable attached with the submersible pump and the iron part of the main pipe which was above the ground.” “The problem with the theft of electricity wires is that it costs the farmers dearly as they have to change the entire cable from the switch starter to the submersible pump set. The cost of the entire cable is around Rs 8,000.” He claimed that the theft was committed by drug addicts who would sell the stolen items for Rs —Rattan Singh Randhawa, OF BORDER AREA SANGHARSH COMMITTEE 300- Rs 400.” Kuljit Singh Malawali of the same village said, “There have been a number of such incidents. Usually there is no one guarding the tubewells at night and these spots being away from the residential areas are most vulnerable to thefts by drug addicts.” The farmers stated even if they hand over a thief to the police after investigating the incident on their own, the police usually take no action. Another farmer, Kewal Singh, said two transformers from his tubewells were stolen in less than a year and the police are yet to arrest a culprit. He said if willing the cases could be cracked Draft notification of new Shopkeepers encroach upon parking space boundaries yet to be issued ❝ Amritsar, January 28 Shopkeepers at Nehru Shopping Complex have started constructing pavements outside their shops occupying the parking space. The illegal construction would further congest the parking space. The Amritsar Improvement Trust had failed to adress the regular traffic jams in the area. The practice of occupying the parking space has left regular visitors and traders worried. “The shopkeepers made concrete pavements to keep the vehicles away from their shops. The Nehru Shopping Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 28 The 8th Amritsar Literature Festival, commencing from February 1, will focus on various aspects of the human life. Amritsar Sahitya Utsav would be organises by Naad Pragas, a literary body, at Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar. During the festival, there will be a discussion about the current trends in Punjab’s contemporary thought, literature, music and cinema. Poets of sub-dialects of Punjabi, Poonchhi, Dogri, Gojri, Bangru will also participate in the function. Scholars, teachers, — A resident, ❞ complex is already facing shortage of parking space. Residents avoid visiting the market due to traffic jam. A number of vends have been installed. Now, the pavement will further shrink the space,” said a resident. — TNS Shopkeepers construct payments outside their shops at Nehru Shopping Complex in Amritsar on Saturday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR easily as there are not many shops in an area which sell electricity transformer parts and transformer oil. Rattan Singh Randhawa of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee said, “Every year hundreds of electricity transformers are stolen. The electricity transformers are a property of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited which is a government body but still never has anyone been arrested for these thefts.” Singh said that there is no decline in sale and usage of the drugs in the rural belt and the addicted youths normally resort to such petty thefts to buy drugs. Labourer dies while laying sewer pipe Amritsar, January 28 A labourer lost his life today after earth fell upon him while working in a channel dug up to lay sewer pipe on a stretch outside the Waheguru city in the Chabhal area. MLA Dr Ajay Gupta said instructed the Municipal Corporation’s JE Jaswinder Singh to give due compensation to the family of the deceased. He said the O&M Department of the MC dug up the stretch to lay sewerage. — TNS Urdu heritage of Punjab, need to preserve it: Akhtar A DEEP RELATIONSHIP Neha Saini REPORT SUBMITTED ❝ After preparing the draft of delimitation, the govt issues a draft notification regarding new boundaries. We have submitted our report and now govt will issue the draft. ❞ — Hardeep Singh, JOINT COMMISSIONER, MC According to information, the state government will conduct the elections at Municipal Corporations Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala on same date. The delimitation survey is not completed in other cities. Due to the delay in other cities, the elections would be delayed. The draft notification of Amritsar would be issued along with other cities. The former councilors from various wards are submitting their objections prior to draft notifications. The MC is getting their objections but can’t hear them until the government not issue the notification. The most of the objections are about the change of category of the ward. The numbers of wards are also got changed after new survey. Several wards reserved for the women in 2018 elections, would be no more reserved. Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 28 Candid as he as always, Javed Akhtar, famous poet, lyricist and writer, who written uncountable songs in his over 35-year long career as a lyricist, expressed his disappointment over the lack of songs in today’s films. Akhtar, who has penned down memorable songs Yeh Kahan Agaye Hum (Silsila), Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (1942 — A love story) and many more, said lack of songs is a loss for cinema, “Songs, if they were not connected to the story, were connected to the audience, their emotional recollection. They Amritsar Lit Fest on Feb 1 Tribune News Service Shopkeepers have built concrete pavements to keep the vehicles away from their shops. It will further reduce the parking space. researchers and are joining from various academic institutions of the country. The highlight of the festival is that the poets belonging to the sub-dialects of Punjabi language like Poonchhi, Dogri, Gojri, Bangru also participate in the “Chhadiya Basant Kavi Darbar” organised on the third day. Varinderpal Singh, secretary, Naad Pargas, said in the festival, along with academic thinking, various events related to fine arts will be organised. Seminars, dialogues, basant raga vadan, singing, kavi darbar, chitrakala, wood carving, traditional instruments and book exhibitions are also included. c m y b Urdu ❝Language, I believe is of region, not any religion.the main found its origins in Hindustan, Punjab being one of regional epicenters. Its not a foreign language, Punjab’s relationship with Urdu is deep and all big writers and litterateur in Punjab wrote in Urdu. — Javed Akhtar SUNIL KUMAR Amritsar, January 28 After the completion of delimitation survey, the Municipal Corporation submitted a detail report to the state government about the new boundaries and numbers of the wards last week. However, the government didn’t issue the draft notification of delimitation to date. The Department of Local Bodies was supposed to issue the draft notifications regarding new boundaries of the MC wards this week. After that, the MC would invite the residents and political parties for their objections and suggestions. “There is a set pattern of delimitation process. After preparing the draft of delimitation, the government issue a draft notification regarding new boundaries. We have submitted our report and now government will issue the draft notification. After that we will get the objections and suggestions. Then we make changes or amendments as per the suggestions. Then government will issue final notice. Now, it is on government, when they issue the draft notification of delimitation,” said Hardeep Singh, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation. ADDING TO WOES ❞ Lyricist Javed Akhtar during an event in Amritsar on Saturday. were force of Indian cinema,” he said to an enthusiastic audience, that has turned up to hear him talk in a session by FICCI FLO chapter. He also launched book, Talking Life, by Nasreen Munni Kabir, in which Javed Akhtar talks about life, poetry, films and everything else with noted documentarian and biographer, Kabir. The book gives a refreshingly honest take on Javed Akhtar’s life, from his early childhood to his career as a poet and later, in hindi films. He also talks about his life, including his encounters with noted poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his struggles. Recently, the world wit- ❞ nessed the camaraderie between Javed Akhtar and Gulzar in a viral video, showing the conversation between the two at an event. Akhtar said they have always been friends, contrary to the popular perception. “People like to make assumptions and then believe them. So, we being rivals because we both worked in the same industry, continued on page 2