04022023-ATR-01.qxd 04-02-2023 00:25 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 23°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 6°C FOUR TRAINS TO REMAIN CANCELLED ON FEB 9,11 KARTIK AARYAN, SARA ALI KHAN COME TOGETHER FOR AASHIQUI 3 RUPALI GANGULY IS HAPPY TO BE CALLED ANUPAMAA Four long-distance trains with halts at Amritsar railway station will remain suspended on February 9 and 11. P2 Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, who were last seen in Love Aaj Kal 2, will now come together for Aashiqui 3. P3 Rupali Ganguly is elated by success of her show, Anupamaa, which continues to top TRP charts for two years. P4 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.07 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:21 AM SATURDAY | 4 FEBRUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF ARMY JAWAN ATTACKED, ROBBED Amritsar: An Army Jawan was attacked and robbed by two armed snatchers in Beas while he was returning home from his duty. Parvat Malakar, who originally hailed from Medhanipur estate in West Bengal, lives in a rented accommodation in Beas. He told the police that while he was returning home on his bike on Wednesday night, two bikeborne persons came from behind. They suddenly attacked him with an iron rod. They snatched his mobile phone before fleeing from the spot. The police said a case under Section 379-B (2) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against unidentified persons. Further investigations were on to identify the suspects. The police were scanning CCTV cameras to get clues about the miscreants. TNS scam: HC status Mystery shrouds man’s death, ECHS from state seeksCentre report govt, family members allege foul play PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Unidentified persons booked for culpable homicide, theft Tribune News Service AUTOPSY REPORT AWAITED: COP Amritsar, February 3 A man died under mysterious circumstances in the Talwandi area falling under the Kathunangal police station here. The man was found under a bridge near Talwandi village on Monday. He was taken to the Batala Civil Hospital where he breathed his last late on Wednesday evening. He was identified after his family came to the hospital searching for him. According to his family, Saab Singh, a resident of Navi Abadi on the FatehgarhChurian road, who drives an e-rickshaw, had gone to drop a passenger at Chawinda Devi village temple in the Kathunangal area on Mon- Investigating officer ASI Jasbir Singh said as per the family, the victim was given liquor laced with some poisonous substance that led to his death. The body was handed over to the family members after conducting post-mortem examination. He said the exact cause of the death would be ascertained after getting the postmortem report. There were no injury marks on his body. day, but did not return home. Ramandeep Kaur, wife of the deceased, said she was married to Saab Singh in 2008. They had two sons from the wedlock. She said her husband was plying e-rickshaw for the past six months. Earlier, he used to work as a labourer. She said he went to Chawinda Devi village temple to drop a passenger on January 30. However, he did not return home in the evening. He also did not Visitors jostle for space outside commercial buildings in city Amid inaction by MC wing, people forced to park vehicles on road Vehicles parked on the Mall Road in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR PARKING PANGS – IV Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 3 In the absence of any check by the Municipal Town Planning Wing of the Municipal Corporation, commercial buildings on prominent roads and markets are not providing parking space to visitors. People visiting these commercial establishments are forced to park their vehicles on road. Instead of assuring space for visitors, the MC has been collecting parking fee from people parking vehicles on road. A number of government offices, including passport office and the court complex, don’t have parking for visitors. Iconic Mall Road and Lawrence Road have been facing traffic congestions as parking space in the private commercial establishment is inadequate. The Mall Road used to be a residential lane since the British era. In the past two decades, the Municipal Corporation started giving change of land use (CLU) to property owners. Now, major hospitals, banks, malls and shopping complexes are functional on the lane. The MC has no check as to which commercial establishment has parking space. Some of the commercial establishments have parking space in their basement, but they are using it as a storeroom or have rented for some commercial activity. Visitors have to park their vehicles on the Mall Road, leading to traffic jams on a routine. Similarly, Lawrence Road witnesses traffic jam as prominent shopping malls, grocery stores and sweet shops either don’t have parking space or not open for public. “The Municipal Town Planning Wing is in deep slumber and residents are facing traffic congestions and harassment due to non-availability of parking. The MC should check the parking space in hospitals and malls on major roads and take action in case they are not properly utilising the space shown in the building plan,” said advocate Kuljit Singh, a local activist. Meanwhile, officials of the Continued on page 2 respond to repeated phone calls. She called her relatives to inquire about Saab Singh next morning, but to no avail. Ramandeep said she, along with some relatives, went to Chawinda Devi village where she was told that a man was found unconscious under the Talwandi bridge and he was taken to the Batala Civil Hospital in the 108 ambulance. When they went to the Civil Hospital, she was told that the man had died and his body Industrialists express dismay over spate of robberies, thefts PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 3 Even as the Punjab Government is making efforts and inviting industrialists to set up their units in the state, the business community here is in fear following a spate of robberies and thefts by armed persons on their premises. The Punjab Police have failed to nail the perpetrators. The industrialists in the holy city, especially those having their units on the Jandiala-Tarn Taran road and the rural belt, are peeved over the apathy of the police and the state government. Amritsar has three ministers in the Punjab Cabinet. Despite that, law and order has become a major issue here. Instead of nailing the suspects, the police were hiding these cases from the media as it could led to disappointment among the prospective businessmen interested in investing in the border state. Yesterday, over 20 armed persons looted a tile and pipe factory in Beharwal village falling under the Lopoke police station area. The police were still clueless about the miscreants. Factory owner Kabal Singh reportedly suffered a loss of around ~25 lakh. The suspects detained the guard and labourers and snatched their mobile phones at the time of instance so that they could not contact their owners. Online ‘Janta Darbar’ to be held on Feb 6 Amritsar, February 3 The state government will hold an online public forum, ‘Janta Durbar’, to resolve complaints related to the Water Supply and Sanitation Department on February 6. Residents from remote areas and villages could lodge their complaints online. Narinder Singh, district supervising engineer of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa, along with officials, would listen to problems related to was kept in the mortuary. She identified the body. She said his e-rickshaw, a mobile phone and purse were missing. The police have registered a case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and theft against unidentified persons. Investigating officer ASI Jasbir Singh said as per the family, the victim was given liquor laced with some poisonous substance that led to his death. The body was handed over to the family members after conducting postmortem examination. He said the exact cause of the death would be ascertained after getting the post-mortem report. There were no injury marks on his body. Call details report was also inconclusive so far. Further probe was on into the matter. To address plaints of Water Supply and Sanitation Dept water supply through online medium from 11:30 am to 2 pm on February 6. The Janta Darbar would be held after every 15 days to hear the grievances of people for appropriate redressal. The Superintending Engineer said officials related to the head office of the Janta Darbar would be present along with the Minister of Water Supply and Sanitation, Continued on page 2 c m y b RECENT CASES ■ On Thursday, over 20 armed persons looted a tile and pipe factory in Beharwal village falling under the Lopoke police station area. ■ Around a week ago, around 30 armed robbers decamped with grains worth over ~60 lakh from a godown located on JandialaTarn Taran Road. WILL NAB SUSPECTS SOON ❝ The police are working on these cases. We have also taken a serious note of these back-to-back instances and the probe was on. We will hopefully nab the suspects soon as we are working on certain clues. ❞ Mohnish Chawla, IG, BORDER RANGE They took away iron frames used for making tiles and pipes. This is not the sole incident. Around a week ago, around 30 armed robbers decamped with grains worth over ~60 lakh from a godown located on the Jandiala-Tarn Taran Road. They came in two trucks and loaded the grains after detaining guards. Even Continued on page 2 Amritsar, February 3 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought status report from the state and the Central governments regarding the alleged Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) scam that rocked the holy city in the end of 2020. Two FIRs were registered in Amritsar and Pathankot where a number of doctors and ex-servicemen were booked for bungling huge government funds by claiming fake medical bills. The Union Ministry of Defence had later disempanelled seven private hospitals and a laboratory in June 2021 for their alleged involvement in the scam. The High Court passed the order following a writ petition by Gurmeet Singh Bablu, RTI activist and president of the Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Youth Front. The court has fixed March 6 as the next date of hearing. The court has asked the Punjab Government, ADGP (security), Amritsar Police Commissioner, SHO, Cantonment police station, Secretary, Union Ministry of Defence, and Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to submit the status report. The case In October 2020, the Cantonment police had booked 24 doctors, including owners, managing directors and doctors of six private hospitals, following a 204-page inquiry report by Brig MD Upadhyay, Station Commander, Station Headquarters, Amritsar Cantonment. In his complaint to the police, he had alleged that hospitals had made false admissions with an intention of fraud with cardholders “without providing them the services that are as per the files of the hospitals”. The cardholders were also kept in the hospitals “for a few days” even when the records suggest they stayed longer. An Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP)-rank officer was deputed to probe the case. However, several doctors were given a clean chit during the probe. In December, the Pathankot police had registered a similar case against a doctor and the owner of a private hospital. Bablu had alleged that police did not involve the Army authorities in the probe and gave a clean chit to doctors. He had also alleged that he was receiving death threats from foreign numbers for pursuing the case and had demanded security for his family.