21032023-JTR-01.qxd 3/21/2023 12:23 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune ABSCONDING FOR 3 MONTHS, EX-SARPANCH LANDS IN VB NET CO-PRODUCER DUPED ME OF ~2.6 CRORE: DEEPAK TIJORI SONY’S BBC EARTH LAUNCHES SECOND SEASON OF DYNASTIES Had collected rent of panchayat shops and ‘khokhas’ to tune of ~ 8,04,000 through fake receipts. P2 Actor Deepak Tijori has registered a case against co-producer Mohan Gooal Nadar for ~2.6 cr fraud. P3 Sony BBC Earth announced the second season of wildlife series Dynasties on March 20. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.39 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:29 AM » TUESDAY | 21 MARCH 2023 | JALANDHAR Ahead of poll, dist gets ~95-cr grant from state 127 NEW WORKS FOR MC APPROVED Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 20 Ahead of polls, the District Urban Infrastructure Committee (DUIC) headed by Deputy Commissioner Jaspreet Singh has given a green signal to as many as 276 development works worth Rs 95 crore in the areas falling under the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, and other municipal councils of the district. During a meeting held here at the District Administrative Complex, the DC approved new works worth Rs 95 crore for a total of 12 municipal councils and one municipal corporation. Giving more information, the DC said about 127 new ■ During a meeting held here at the District Administrative Complex, the DC approved new works worth Rs 95 crore for a total of 12 municipal councils and one municipal corporation. ■ He said about 127 new development projects have been approved for the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, at an outlay of a whopping amount of Rs 52.07 crore. development projects have been approved for the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation at an outlay of a whopping amount of Rs 52.07 crore. Likewise, 21 development projects would be started in Nakodar Municipal Council at a cost of Rs 5.02 crore, 33 works at Rs 3.02 crore in Adampur, three works in Alawalpur at Rs 1.18 crore, 13 works in Kartarpur 22 development projects in Bhogpur at Rs 2.73 crore, one project in Phillaur at Rs 48 lakhs, 21 projects in Goraya at Rs 2.19 crore, 20 works in Noormahal at Rs 2.80 crore, seven works in Lohian Khas at Rs 1.90 crore, eight works in Shahkot at Rs 3.27 crore, seven works in Mehatpur at Rs 2.56 crore, and 25 development works would be executed in Bilga Municipal Council at an expenditure of Rs 5.07 crore, he said. Singh said the state government had issued a grant Irreparable loss TRIBUNE PHOTO : MALKIAT SINGH of Rs 95.15 crore for urban development in the district of which the district urban infrastructure committee has given its nod to spend this grant on 276 development projects. He said the committee approved the execution of these works in the larger public interest adding that district administration is making concerted efforts to start all these projects at the earliest. He said these works would further give a fillip to the infrastructure development of the urban areas in Jalandhar. He categorically said that the works would be completed in a time-bound manner as senior officials continued on page 2 Officials pulled up for not sending pension files to PSPCL headquarters 5-member team of Powercom from Patiala reached city to review cases Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 20 Officials of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) were pulled up for not completing the files related to pension cases of retired employees and for not sending the same to the headquarters in Patiala. Today, a five-member team from Patiala head office reached the city where superintendents and accountants from around 19 divisions turned up with the files of pension cases. Deputy Chief Engineer (Tech to Director Admin) Sukhwinder Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer (Headquarter) Balwinder Pal and Deputy Secretary Nishi Rani held a meeting with the officials of PSPCL, North Zone, A team of PSPCL officials during a meeting in Jalandhar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Jalandhar, and reviewed the cases of pensions. The meeting was held as per the directions of CMD PSPCL Baldev Singh Sran and Director Admin Ravinder Singh Saini. During the meeting, the Flag marches continue in city Tribune News Service A farmer inspects wheat crop flattened due to strong winds and rain at a village in Jalandhar. INBRIEF Youth killed in Phagwara village WOMAN ENDS LIFE, TWO ARRESTED Phagwara, march 20 A youngster was murdered by his friend in Bhabhiana village last night. The deceased has been identified as Gurdev Singh. Inderjit Singh, brother Hoshiarpur: Reportedly troubled by her son and daughter-in-law, a woman of Shoda Kandi village ended her life by consuming some poisonous substance. The Hajipur police have arrested the accused couple after registering a case against them. According to information, Monika Devi lodged a complaint with the police that her mother Sunita Devi used to live separately in a joint house with her younger son Manish Kumar and daughter-in-law. She told that her brother Manish Kumar along with his wife Priya used to mentally torture her mother. She said that due to it, her mother allegedly ended her life by consuming some poisonous substance. OC TWO HELD FOR SMUGGLING Hoshiarpur: The district police arrested two smugglers from different places and seized intoxicants from them. According to information, cops at the Model Town police station stopped a car at a naka and during search 48 bottles of liquor were seized from the possession of Saurabh Sharma, a resident of Tibba Sahib. In another case, the Talwara police seized 4.44 kg of ganja during the search of a car at a naka erected in the in the area and arrested Dharmapal, a resident of Talwara. Separate cases have been registered. OC of the deceased, a minor money dispute was the cause of the murder. The police held Ravi Kumar of the same village. A case under Section 302, IPC, has been registered. — OC Jalandhar, March 20 The police continued its crackdown on Waris Punjab De elements wanted in several cases on the third day today. The city police and paramilitary forces conducted a flag march here on Monday to instill a sense of security and confidence among the masses. Following the directions of the Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal, DCP (Headquarters) Vatsala Gupta led the flag march which started from Milap Chowk here and after crossing Phagwara Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk, Damoria overbridge, finally culminated at city railway station. ADCP-2 Aditya and ACP North Daman Veer Singh and among other senior officers were also present. At the city railway station, the police officials also car- Cops and Rapid Action Force (RAF) hold a flag march in the city and railway station area on Monday. ried out a search operation. The luggage of a few passengers was checked, and some persons were also questioned on suspicion. The police officials also took a round of the station premises to ensure passengers safety and to take stock of the security arrangements. Doaba hit by operation against Amritpal, aides But de-addiction activities of Waris Punjab Debased mostly in Malwa, Majha Aparna Banerji VISITED TALHAN SAHIB GURDWARA Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 20 Despite the relatively less Doaba connect to Amritpal’s Waris Punjab De organisation, the police action against Amritpal and his aides has had a considerable impact on Doaba region as much of the operation and chase on Saturday was based here. Doaba first woke up to Amritpal’s influence in December 2022 during the course of his previous Khalsa Vaheer in the region. Amritpal Singh’s supporters took out furniture from Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Model Town where they broke sofas and chairs, taking them outside and setting them on fire. A gurdwara at the Biharpuria village in Kapurthala was also similarly vandalised on December 9. The incidents took place during his previous Khalsa Vaheer which passed though Doaba and was welcomed as it passed. During that phase of his Khalsa Vaheer in Doaba, he had passed through Kapurthala, Kartarpur, ■ During that phase of his Khalsa Vaheer in Doaba, he had passed through Kapurthala, Kartarpur, Jalandhar, Kukkar Pind, Talhan and Phagwara. At Kapurthala, he also addressed a gathering at a school and visited a popular local godman. ■ He also visited the Talhan Sahib Gurdwara in Jalandhar. In the present leg of his Khalsa Vaheer, he was to head to Muktsar – where all his supporters were gathering for the second phase. Jalandhar, Kukkar Pind, Talhan and Phagwara. At Kapurthala, he also addressed a gathering at a school and visited a popular local godman. He also visited the Talhan Sahib Gurdwara in Jalandhar. In the present leg of his Khalsa Vaheer, he was to head to Muktsar – where all his supporters were gathering for the second phase. However, leaders said even though the Waris Punjab De group was also known for de-addiction activities, these ‘nasha chudau’ activities were primarily in Majha and Malwa. Basant Singh, one of the five arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) and sent to Assam, was the in-charge of two de-addiction centres – one of which was at Amritpal’s native village Jallupur Kehra and another at Barnala. Farm leader Nirmal Singh based in Shahkot, Jalandhar, said, “I have several villages under me. We do not know any Khalsa Vaheer activity planned by Amritpal at anytime. While he got some support among the youths, he had no great base in Doaba. In our area, Waris Punjab De has a very limited support base. However, the operation has had a considerable impact on villages. On the day of the operation, many closed shops early and until now, there are stringent checks in the villages. Cops also regularly check vehicles. While people are aware that something big has happened, the internet ban has also impacted us and made us cancel some meetings. c m y b Other than that, everything is going on normally.” Sikh activist Sukhdev Singh Phagwara said, “During the Doaba leg of Amritpal’s visit, he was welcomed at big pandals. At Phagwara, his event saw a gathering of 8,000 to 10,000 people. However, the de-addiction activities of Waris Punjab De were centred in Majha and Malwa. Basant Singh was the in-charge of two centres in Jallupur Khera and Barnala. But in Doaba, the group had no de-addiction centre. Also, all the five supporters of the group arrested by the police are also based in Malwa and Majha.” All arrested five supporters of Amritpal Singh also hail from Majha or Malwa. Uncle Harjit Singh is a native of Amritpal’s native village Jallupur Khera, associate Daljit Kalsi was arrested from Gurugram and Basant Singh is the in-charge of de-addiction centres. And Facebook influencer Pardhan Mantri Bajeke and Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala, a furniture trader, both hail from Moga. Addressing the media during the flag march, DCP Gupta said the atmosphere of the city is completely peaceful and there is no need to panic. “The general public is appealed not to believe in any sort of rumours and that they must inform the police about any suspicious activity in their area,” she added. She said the Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety and security of the citizens. She further said that if anyone found disturbing the law and order situation in the city, he or she would have to face the music. team grilled the officials of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur continued on page 2 Man booked for hurting religious sentiments Phagwara, March 20 The Bilga police have booked a man on the charges of deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. Investigating officer (IO) Anwar Masih said the accused had been identified as Ram Parkash, alias Pashi, a resident of Gumtali village. Ram Lubhaya, a resident of the same village, complained to the police that the Guru Ravi Dass Nau Jawan Sabha had installed ‘nishan sahib’ on panchayat common land. He said in his complaint that the accused removed the nishan sahib on March 15 night and took it into his house and thus disrespected the nishan sahib. The IO aid a case under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered against the accused. — OC Admn convenes peace panel meeting in Nawanshahr DC, SSP lead march; officials seek cooperation from residents Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 20 To give out a strong message to anti-social elements as well as to instil confidence among the masses, DC Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa and SSP Bhagirath Singh Meena led a massive flag march consisting of armed district police and CAPF contingents. Starting from the old SSP office, the march covered the old city from railway road to Arya Samaj Road, Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Garshankar Road, Mehndipur, Kulam Road to Chandigarh Chowk, here. Interacting with the media persons before leading the armed forces’ march, the Deputy Commissioner Randhawa said the main motive of the flag march was to instil a sense of security and maintenance of law and order among the residents in wake of the action against antisocial elements. DC Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa and SSP Bhagirath Singh Meena lead a flag march of armed police and CAPF contingents. He said the district police led by SSP Bhagirath Singh Meena were taking out flag marches continuously for the last three days to create fear among the anti-social elements so that nobody could dare to disturb the peaceful environment in the district. He added that we should not rely on fake news and support the administration by posing faith in the police force. SSP Bhagirath Singh Meena while issuing warning to the anti-social elements said that the district police was committed to maintain continued on page 2