26052023-ATR-01.qxd 5/25/2023 11:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY SLOW PACE OF RENOVATION IRKS SWIMMING POOL USERS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ICON TINA TURNER DIES AT 83 ROSHAN KAPOOR BIDS ADIEU TO BADE ACCHE LAGTE HAI 2 Local swimming enthusiasts are a disappointed lot again as the AMC has failed to start its swimming pool . P2 The winner of eight Grammys, Turner died after a long illness at her home in Switzerland, on Wednesday. P3 Rohan says he was shocked when he got to know that the current season is coming to an end. P4 » » MAX 30°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.27 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:27 AM » FRIDAY | 26 MAY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF MAN ROBBED OF MOTORBIKE, CASH Amritsar: Six unidentified miscreants looted a bike and cash from a motorcyclist in Jandiala Guru area here yesterday. The victim Gurpreet Singh (35) of Wadala Johal village along with his friend Agyapal Singh of same village was returning after giving a juicer machine for repair at Jandiala. He told the police that he was driving the bike while his friend was riding pillion when six persons on two bikes stopped them near Gehrimandi village at around 8.30pm. They forcibly snatched his bike, a mobile phone and cash from them. The police have registered a case in this regard. TNS POLICE CHECKING AT RLY STATION Amritsar:The city police along with GRP on Thursday conducted surprise checking at the Amritsar railway station and the bus stand. Police teams led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Harjit Dhaliwal also pressed into service a sniffer dog squad. Police officials questioned suspicious elements there. Similarly, police teams checked the antecedants of suspicious elements with the help of Punjab Artificial Intelligence System (PAIS). TNS Finally, BRTS resumes smart card facility for Metro bus passengers Around 7,000 such cards issued in the last three days Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 25 Finally, BRTS authorities have restarted issuing smart cards for hassle-free travel to the passengers of Metro bus service. The BRTS authorities have issued 7,000 cards to passengers during the last three days. The smart cards had not been issued for the last one and a half years as the state government had some dispute with the private firm which issued the cards. In the absence of smart cards, passengers have to stand in long queues to get tickets every day. Moreover, the passengers get 20 per cent off for using the card. By travelling on daily ticket, they were not able to avail the benefit of concession. The BRTS authorities were also witnessing loss as it was tough to keep a check on the paper ticket, issued manually. With the use of smart cards, the misappropriation of funds would stop. Currently, the Metro bus service witnesses around 37,000 ridership daily. Out of this, around 20,000 passengers use this service daily. Around Tribune News Service Students and passengers stand in queues outside the ticket window of the Metro bus service in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR 8,000 college and school students use the service. The BRTS authorities started issuing smart card since Monday. They are charging Rs 150 for the card in which the passenger get Rs 50 for travel. One can recharge it by paying a minimum of Rs 50. The BRTS offers a 40 per cent concession on the college student card while the school students can travel free of cost. The students are not getting student smart card yet. “The student cards are also ready and the firm will start issuing it next week. Modi govt has done its bit for Punjab, says state BJP chief Tribune News Service Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma (2nd from left) addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR respect and abolition of the blacklist were some of the major steps taken by the Modi government. Sharma said the Modi government celebrated the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, 350th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and 400th anniversary of Guru Students can get smart cart by paying Rs 200 which would be valid for one year. We are also providing the facility to recharge the smart cards with digital mobile payment applications. The facility would be started soon once the BRTS signs an agreement with a mobile payment app,” said a BRTS official. Navraj Singh, a student from Khalsa College, said, “The smart card is useful, but the BRTS authorities are not issuing it to students. We are forced to stand in queues to get paper tickets.” Ex-minister Joshi acquitted in trespassing case Lists events to mark nine years of BJP-led govt at Centre Amritsar, may 25 State BJP president Ashwani Sharma attended a daylong meeting of the district executive body here today. BJP state and district executive members, office-bearers and district presidents besides general secretaries of the mandals were also present. In his address, the state BJP chief said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the country forward in terms of of development, he has also fulfilled his duty towards Punjab and Punjabis. Construction of Kartarpur Sahib corridor, the sentencing of 1984 anti-Sikh riots convicts after 39 years, FCRA registration for Golden Temple, bringing the saroops of Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan to India with Farmers protest, demand more water for irrigation Tegh Bahadur with enthusiasm in the country and abroad. The government also commemorated the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas. Declaring the day as Veer Bal Diwas shows the devotion and respect of the Modi government towards Sikhism, continued on page 2 Amritsar, May 25 A local court has acquitted former minister and now senior SAD leader Anil Joshi in an alleged criminal trespass case filed by advocate Vaneet Mahajan in 2012. Mahajan had accused then Municipal Corporation officials of razing down his legally constructed portion of hotel located on Batala road allegedly at the behest of Joshi. Joshi’s counsel Amandeep Singh said the court had acquitted the former as the complainant could not prove his role in dismantling alleged illegal portion of the building. Mahajan had filed the complaint under Section 452, IPC. The court observed that MC officials had gone at the spot as per law and under legal obligation, Joshi’s counsel said. He said the MC had issued notice to Vaneet Mahajan, a Congress leader, for stopping the construction of alleged illegal portion, but he did not. — TNS Amritsar, May 25 Farmers from four districts of the Majha belt — Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot — on Thursday staged a protest outside the Irrigation Department here demanding an increase in the sanctioned water release to the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) so that their irrigation needs are met better. The farmers demanded the rejuvenation and renovation of the UBDC system so that water could be made available to maximum number of fields. Farmers’ leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said, “We demand that the sanctioned water limit for the entire UBDC system is increased to 12,000 cusecs.” He said the sanctioned water for Khara Majha (named so because of its brackish underground water) should also be increased to 7.50 cusecs every thousand acres and the same should also be increased to 6.5 cusecs per Members of the Jamuri Kisan Sabha and farmers from the border belt protest outside the Irrigation Department office in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR 1,000 acres from the present 5.15 cusecs. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha president Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said, “Nearly 4,000 cusecs of water from the UBDC system is at present being diverted into the Beas from Bheempur area.” He said the same water should be ideally provided to agricultural fields so as to save groundwater reserves. Farmer leaders submitted a memorandum to the office of the superintending engineer, UBDC, and demanded that in view of the depletion of the water table at an alarming rate, the farmers must be provided with canal water available in abundance. “To save water, we have also demanded that underground Police solve Guru Ki Wadali robbery case; 1 arrested Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 25 With the arrest of a robber, the police on Thursday claimed to have cracked a snatching case in which a petrol pump owner, identified as Varinderjit Singh Manna of Azad Nagar area in Putlighar, was looted in Guru Ki Wadali area here on May 10. The armed robbers had decamped with his scooter and licensed pistol. His scooter had Rs 1.5 lakh cash besides important documents. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Prabhjot Singh Virk said the accused was identified as Gurlal Singh, alias Billu Bakra, of Guru Ki Wadali area in this connection. The police have recovered the pistol and scooter from his possession while raids were on to nab his accomplices who have been identified. However, the police did not disclose their names. One of the robbers in custody of the Amritsar police. Varinderjit Singh runs a filling station in Guru Ki Wadali area. He owned a piece of land and a poultry farm on Guru Ki Wadali to Kot Khalsa road here. He told the police that as per daily routine, he went to his petrol pump and during return he visited his poultry farm. He said on May 10 when he going to his poultry farm at around 9pm, three bike-borne persons came and hit his scooter due to which he fell down in the nearby fields. He said he took out his licensed pistol when the accused attacked him with sharp weapons. They snatched his pistol and Rs 1.5 lakh cash from his scooter. The police have registered a case under Sections 379-B (2) and 34 of the IPC against unidentified persons at that time. pipes are used to transport water to fields from canal minors instead of the present system of open irrigation channels,” said Raghbir Singh Pakiwa. The farmer leaders stated that officials of the UBDC had assured them of a meeting with the Superintending Engineer within a week so as to discuss their demands. Rishi takes charge as Tarn Taran DC Tarn Taran, May 25 Sandeep Rishi, Municipal Commissioner, Amritsar, assumed the additional charge of Tarn Taran DC Deputy ComSandeep Rishi missioner, Tarn Taran, today. The incumbent DC Rishipal Singh was transferred to Mansa on Monday. Sandeep Rishi joined office and met senior officials of different departments. Rishi stated that he would make efforts to provide the benefits of government welfare schemes to the common man and eradicate corrupt practices from government offices. Meanwhile, Amninder Kaur has also resumed charge of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) with additional charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) on Thursday. — OC Boost for inclusive edu as children with special needs fare well 26-yr-old dies by Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 25 Not letting their disabilities define their abilities to excel, students from the government special schools shone in the PSEB Class 12 Board results declared on Wednesday. Despite odds, including physical and intellectual disabilities, accessibility challenges and social stigma, some of these students scored above 60 per cent in science and humanities streams. Three students from Pehal Resource Centre, Karampura, a government-run special school —- Lovepreet Singh, Priya and Amritpal Singh — were among those to secure first division, all scoring above 60 per cent in PSEB Class 12 exams in the Humanities stream. Another student Rahil Sharma, from Government Senior Secondary School, Nag Kalan, from the non-medical stream, scored 445/500 with 99 in computer science and 92 in Maths. Rahil has autism spectrum disorder and had earlier been pursuing studies at the mainstream school in Nag Kalan, with the help of Block Special Educators. While Rahil’s parents are both educators in government-run colleges, he is soon leaving for Canada to pursue higher education in the field of computer science and technology. Lovepreet, who is visually impaired is also a national level sportsperson and comes from a low-income family. Priya and Amritpal also suffer from autism and have been part of Pehal Resource Centre’s flagship inclusive education programme as the centre is now promoting them to train at the ITI under National Skill Development Scheme. The fact that these students PSEB CLASS 12 RESULTS Rahil Sharma Priya come from families of daily wagers, farmers in border belt proves that achieving inclusive public education system is not a far-fetched dream. Rahil is not the only CWSN (Children With Special Needs) student, who has been inducted in mainstream government schools in the district. “We have set up 96 cluster-level resources centres for the purpose of making education accessible to children with special Lovepreet Singh needs, including children who suffer from locomotor disabilities. We have engaged special educators, with two educators in each block and one volunteer teacher at each resource centre to help identify, assess and then assign a specially curated learning schedule as per the needs of these children. This is the first time that we have had CWSN students from government schools clearing PSEB Class 12 exams with c m y b such good marks,” shared Dharminder Gill, co-ordinator, Pehal Resource Centre and SSA, Amritsar. The cluster-level resource centres are the first learning platform for CWSN from rural and border areas. They run classes from elementary till Class 10 and later children with locomotor disabilities are sent to local mainstream government schools for inclusive education. Social stigma, accessibility & geographical challenges The district education department under DEO (Secondary) Sushil Kumar Tuli and DEO (Elementary) Rajesh Sharma has expanded its inclusive education initiative to border belts including Attari, Ajnala, Baba Bakala etc. Santosh, a special educator posted in the district since 2011 is currently serving as Block Educator (rural) in Attari. Santosh says that over the years, the inclusive education initiative by government schools have managed to reach CSWN children from the lowest social strata. “I have 18 students, all with different disabilities, hailing from the border belt of Attari. These children come from families of drug addicts, daily wagers, with zero awareness and education. Most of the time, we have to first educate the parents, even go to their homes and convince them to let their child out of hiding and go to school. The biggest challenge is to get the child to school, rest is something we know how to navigate. Then there are issues of accessibility, lack of resources in the border belt,” she says. Santosh says that apart from social stigma, they have to ensure that these children do not fall prey to drug abuse which is rampant in border villages. suicide, 2 booked Amritsar, May 25 A youth, Raj Kumar alias Raja (26), committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in a room of the restaurant where he used to work as a waiter here on Wednesday. The police have booked two persons, including a woman, for abetment to suicide. They were identified as Khushi and her brother Rahul of Kishan Kot in Islamabad area. A case under Section 306 of the IPC was registered against them. However, no arrest has been made by the police so far. Jagjit Kumar, brother of the victim, said Raj Kumar had been working as a waiter at a bar and restaurant near the airport here for the past one year. He said he used to remain with the contractor, Rajesh Kumar, 24X7. He said that he had an affair with a girl, Khushi. He said her brother Rahul discovered about their relationship. He alleged on Monday Rahul assaulted the victim over the issue. He was threatening him to refrain from meeting his sister. He said the victim’s sister Babali was passing through the area and found Raj Kumar being thrashed badly by the accused. She intervened and rescued him. However, he said, Raj Kumar was very upset after the incident. He said yesterday when there was no one in the bar, he went to a room adjoining the kitchen and committed suicide by hanging himself. The police registered a case against Khushi and her brother Rahul. — TNS