23052023-ATR-01.qxd 5/23/2023 12:15 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY UNION DEMANDS RELIEF FOR UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER ALI FAZAL’S NEXT PROJECT TO RELEASE IN UNITED STATES HAIR COSMETICS CAN ENSURE SHINY & HEALTHY LOCKS Union members staged a protest against the state government at the District Administrative Complex. P2 Ali Fazal’s next Hollywood project, Kandahar, is set to release on over 2,000 screens in the US. P3 A better understanding of the hair shaft structure and hair cosmetics is of utmost importance. P4 » » MAX 41°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 44°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:29 AM » TUESDAY | 23 MAY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF TRANSFER CHOWKI IN-CHARGE: RMPI Amritsar: The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI) today sought the transfer of the Gumtala police chowki incharge after a rise in drug abuse in the area. The District Secretary of the party, Jagtar Singh Karampura, told the police that drug abuse is on the rise in the area. He also alleged the current chowki in-charge is hand in glove with some ruling political leaders. TNS SPECIAL TRAIN FROM MAY 26 Amritsar: With a view to meeting the rising demand of passengers to travel between the holy city and Gujarat's Gandhidham, the Railways will run 09461/09462 Gandhidham-AmritsarGandhidham weekly special train from May 26. For the convenience of passengers and to clear extra rush, the Railways have decided to run the special train for 12 trips. The train will leave the Gandhidham railway station every Friday and arrive at the Amritsar railway station the next day. The train will leave Amritsar at 6.30 am on every Saturday and arrive at the Gandhidham railway station the next day. TNS Ajnala residents hold protest over worsening law & order Amritsar, May 22 With no crop standing on its land currently, the Panchayat Department is all set to initiate campaign to take over repossession of 198 acres of land spread across 25 villages of this border district. The Panchayat department has started the campaign to free the land from today. After coming to power in the state last year, the AAP-led Punjab Government had launched a major drive to free government land from the clutches of individuals. The drive, withheld for some time, was restarted after Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal directed the DDPOs to remove encroachments from panchayat land by June 10. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in his recent address Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 22 Residents of Ajnala area, under the banner of Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, staged a protest against the police over the deteriorating law and order situation in the area here on Monday. They said while several police cases had been registered against innocent persons, criminals were roaming fearlessly. They said incidents of theft of bikes and milch animals from the area had increased, but the police failed to take any action. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha president Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said they also apprised police officials of the problems being faced by residents. Dr Satnam Singh said after the protest, police officials held a meeting with Residents of Ajnala during a protest outside the DSP office on Monday. the residents and assured them of help in all cases. He said the residents were hoping that the supply line of the drugs in the area would be broken after the new gov- ernment was formed in the state but it did not happen. He said drug abuse was one of the major factors behind rising cases of theft and crimes in the area. Case registered for hurting religious feelings Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 22 The Chheharta police have booked some unidentified persons for hurting the religious sentiments after a Panchayat Dept all set to get back 198 acres Tribune News Service Clash outside church: Cops book Nihangs in Chandigarh said that influential people connected to previous governments had encroached upon shamlat land. Instead of taking action against the encroachers, successive governments turned a blind eye. About 450 acres of panchayati land was found encroached upon by people, causing annual losses in crores of rupees to the state government. There are 770 villages in the district. DDPO Navdeep Kaur said nearly 252 acres of land was freed from encroachers last year and this time the department had vowed to free the remaining 198 acres. She said a majority of this land belonged to shamlat (common land), which is controlled by panchayats. These chunks of land are a meaningful source of revenue for panchayats, which auction them. Amritsar, May 22 The Amritsar rural police have booked Ranjit Singh and some of his unknown accomplices on charges of attempt to murder and hurting religious sentiments following a clash between them and members of the local Christian community at Rajewal village, on the Jandiala Guru-Tarn Taran road here on Sunday. Johnson, the president of the Sukhpal Rana Ministries (church) at Rajewal village, told the police that during a morning prayer on Sunday, several persons clad in the Nihang attire had arrived at the church. Led by suspect Ranjit, the Nihangs allegedly shown disrespect to the holy Christian scriptures. Moreover, the group of Nihangs allegedly assaulted some devotees and vandalised several vehicles parked in the area. Police authorities said a case has been registered under Sections 307, 452, 295A, 323, 324 and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code in this regard. Further investigation is under way. ADA cracks down on illegal colonies in city 33 FIRs filed, 6 unauthorised colonies razed Tribune News Service Amritsar, may 22 On the directions of the Chief Administrator, Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), Deep Shikha Sharma and Additional Administrator Rajat Oberoi, a team of the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) led by Town Planner Gursevak Singh Aulakh cracked down on unauthorised colonies and constructions in front of DR Enclave located on Ajnala Road and Brother’s Farms. As a result, construction work stopped at unauthorised colonies in the vicinity of city. The ADA officials also heard the problems faced by the residents of DR Enclave and assured to solve them. District Town Planner Gursevak Singh Aulakh stated that the ADA officials have asked the owners of these colonies to get their allotments regularised and follow the Punjab Government’s rules set by the PUDA. But the owners of these unauthorised colonies did not pay heed to the advice ADA Town Planner Gursevak Singh Aulakh along with policemen stop construction work at an illegal colony on Ajnala Road in Amritsar. and flouted the rules. “We took action against these illegal constructions under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995, last month,” Aulakh said. According to Aulakh, 33 FIRs have been registered by the police under the guidelines of the Punjab government and six illegal colonies have been demolished so far. “There is provision of 3 to 7 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2-5 lakh against a person who develops unauthorised colonies. After the five-month long investigation in a complaint lodged by Vipin Nayyar, the president of the Sanatan Maha Sabha-Punjab. A resident of Chheharta had complained that some unidentified persons had morphed some pictures of Hindu deities. The police have registered a case under Sections 295-A and 506 of the IPC against the unidentified persons. Amit Talwar is new DC of Amritsar SAD govt installed screens at Heritage Street for advertisements only: Activists Tribune News Service Charanjit Singh Teja Amritsar, May 22 In the recent reshuffle of administrative officials, Amit Talwar has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar while his predecessor Harpreet Singh Sudan has been given charge as Director, Sports. Talwar, who was till recently discharging duty as Special Secretary, Planning, and holding additional charge of Director, Sports, will assume office here later this week. During his eventful career, he was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Mohali, in April 2022. Prior to this, he had also served as SDM, Mohali, from 2010 to 2012. He then took on the role of Director, Transport, in Chandigarh Administration, before heading the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department. Tribune News Service Amritsar, may 22 Refuting claims of Akali leader Virsa Singh Valtoha, some local activists have stressed that large LCD screens were installed at the Heritage Street solely for the purpose of advertising. As per the tender documents of the project, the five screens were installed under development and face-lifting of façade project at Galiara and sole purpose of the screens was advertising. Former Aam Aadmi Party district president Suresh Kumar Sharma and RTI activist Satnam Singh stated that after CM Bhagwant Mann raised this issue of Gurbani telecast, the SAD spokesperson claimed that the government has not telecasting Gurbani on screens One of the LED screens installed on the Heritage Street in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR installed at the Haritage Street. Refuting the allegations of Akali Dal spokesperson Virsa Singh Valtoha, Sharma presented the tender documents of the advertisement screens to the media and stated that the tender of these advertise- ment screens was floated by the SAD-BJP government on March 23, 2016. There was no clause for telecasting Gurbani on those screens, he pointed out. Under the tender, four screens have been installed at Galiara parking and one screen at Santokhsar. The ten- der was floated by the SADBJP government through the Amritsar Development Authority and the tender rights were given to a Jaipurbased firm, NS Outdoor, for 15 years. Under the tender, the firm can advertise ads for 22.5 hours per day and 1.5 hours per day has been kept free for the government and the district administration. Sharma said that the tender process of these screens was completed by the SAD without adding any clause to telecast Gurbani. “Seven years on, the SAD is now blaming CM Maan for using screens for advertisements. It is a new low for the Akali Dal. The SAD spokesperson is misleading the public. Besides, there is an attempt by the Akali Dal to maintain monopoly of one channel on Gurbani broadcasting.” orders issued by the government to take strict action against such activities and illegal colonisers, PUDA is planning a major action against unauthorised colonies,” said Aulakh. The Town Planner appealed to the people not to buy plots in colonies not approved by PUDA so that they don’t lose their hard-earned money, resulting in problems for them. They must ask for NOCs (No-objection Certificate) before buying plots in any colony, he advised. BJP leader to raise issue of grounded Nanded flights Amritsar, May 22 Several direct flights from Amritsar to Sri Hazur Sahib Nanded were functional in the past, but since Tata bought Air India, the flights have been grounded. Pilgrims, in particular, have been facing a lot of inconvenience due to the grounding of flights. Senior BJP leader Gurvinder Singh Mamanke stated that PM Narendra Modi is well aware of various issues facing Punjab. Mamanke added that he would soon raise the matter of grounded flights between Amritsar and Sri Hazur Sahib Nanded with Union Minister for Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia. “Scindia will find a solution to the issue as it is a matter of the sentiments of the Sikh community,” he asserted. — TNS Animals damage fencing along Admn stops reconstruction work at Sikh warrior ’s house Cantonment-Khalsa College road Trust entrusted with the task of maintenance accused of demolishing the structure Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 22 The chain link fence set up to demarcate and protect green belts alongside the road from Cantonment towards Khalsa College and Guru Nanak Dev University has been broken by stray animals within three months of its installation. The administration had installed the fence after planting flowers and other saplings just before the G20 Summit in the city. However, stray animals, especially cows, have damaged it. Residents complain that stray animals are not only a big hurdle in maintaining green belts, but also cause a disruption in the smooth of traffic and road accidents in the city. “Cows can been seen grazing Gurdaspur, May 22 The Ramgarhia Sikh Heritage Trust which had been reconstructing the ancestral house of famous 18th century Sikh warrior Jassa Singh Ramgarhia has come under a cloud after reports surfaced that instead of preserving the dilapidated structure, the Trust was actually in the process of razing it to the ground. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Aggarwal has ordered the ongoing work to be stopped. “Let them show proper documents, only then can they proceed. I have also asked the Batala SDM to conduct a probe,” he said. Jassa Singh was a prominent Sikh leader and was widely considered to be one The dmaged chain link fence near Khalsa College in Amritsar. on the greenery on the central verges. While the administration plants saplings, these are eaten by stray animals,” said Kulwinder Sharma, a resident, demanding that all stray cows should be shifted to cow shelters. Residents say even though they are paying cow cess on electricity, alcohol and purchase of vehicles, the number of stray cows is increasing on roads with each passing year. “The money collected from the cow cess should be used for taking care of the animals as these have become a big problem in the city,” said another resident Harnam Singh. c m y b A part of the demolished structure of the ancestral house of Sikh warrior Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. of the most powerful Sikh generals of his time. He remained the chief of the Ramgarhia clan, also known as ‘Misl’ in local parlance. On April, 8,2015, the then Union minister Vijay Sampla had inaugurated the “renovation and conservation work” as stated on the foundation stone. It went on in bits and pieces before it had to be stopped due to the Covid outbreak. Once the pandemic was over, work restarted but could never pick up pace. On May 5, during the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, a Good Samaritan Inderjit Singh Hapura led a delegation of school-children for a tour of the ancestral house. “However, instead of being engrossed in renovation, the Trust had actually pulled down a part of the structure,” he said. DC Himanshu Aggarwal was promptly informed. He, in turn, asked the Naib Tehsidar to visit the site and also ordered him to stop the work. In the meantime, he ordered an inquiry to be conducted by Batala SDM Shayari Bhandari. The house had been built on a large area but following encroachments of various kinds over the last few decades, the total area has now been reduced to just a few hundred square yards. Inderjit Singh Hapura said that on several earlier occasions too he had come to know that the Trust was overstepping its jurisdiction. “Every time I challenged them, they would tell me that they had the requisite documents,” he remarked. “Something is definitely wrong somewhere. It is good that the DC has now intervened. Ramgarhia was our leader and we will not allow anybody to defame him,” he said.