06062023-ATR-01.qxd 6/6/2023 12:06 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune INSANITARY CONDITIONS PREVAIL IN TRIKONA PARK CELEBS PAY TRIBUTES TO GUFI PAINTAL, WHO DIED AT 78 Sarvjeet Singh Paintal, better known as Gufi Paintal, breathed his last on Monday morning. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 39°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 25°C ZEE5 TO PREMIERE SIRF EK BANDAA KAAFI HAI IN TAMIL Heaps of garbage on the roadside and poor upkeep of roads belie all claims of it being a posh area. P2 FORECAST ZEE5 is all set to launch the movie in the Tamil and Telugu languages sfor its audience on June 7. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 7.33 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.25 AM » TUESDAY | 6 JUNE 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF ONE INVOLVED IN SNATCHINGS HELD Amritsar: The Gharinda police have arrested an alleged snatcher, Akashdeep Singh of Algo Khurd village falling under the Valtoha police station in Tarn Taran, on Sunday. He allegedly used to snatch belongings of tourists who would come to see the beating retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah joint check post. He used to rob them by brandishing sharp weapons. He was arrested from the grain market in Attari during patrolling. The police seized a bike and two snatched mobile phones from his possession. TNS 1 ARRESTED WITH STOLEN MOTORBIKE Amritsar: The Division B police have arrested a vehicle lifter, identified as Lovepreet Singh of Chheharta. The police seized the stolen bike from his possession. A case has been registered and further probe was underway. TNS Frequent traffic jams outside bus stand irk city residents Travel agency, clients duped of ~34L; four UP residents booked Tribune News Service Auto-rickshaws cover a major portion of the road outside the bus stand in Amritsar. VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 5 Though the traffic police has initiated a number of steps to solve the problem of traffic snarls in the city, it has failed to check recurring traffic jams near the bus stand where auto rickshaws are the major reason of traffic disruptions. Though spate bylanes have been carved for auto rickshaws and the Metro buses, traffic jams on this stretch are a routine affair as auto rickshaw drivers can be seen standing everywhere to pick passengers. While competing with each other to pick passengers, auto rickshaw drivers not only block the main road but also the passage to the BRTS station. Commuters complain that due to the ubiquitous presence of auto rickshaws, the entire traffic continued on page 2 Amritsar, June 5 In a bizarre instance, a travel agency and its clients have been defrauded of Rs 34 lakh by swindlers on the pretext of providing working visas for Poland and Portugal. Ranjit Avenue police have booked four Uttar Pradesh residents on Saturday after a year-long probe in the case. Police officials said the case has been handed over to Economic Offence wing for further action and investigation. Those booked have been identified as Avinesh Singh and Swarnima Singh, residents of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, Malik Mohammad of Lucknow and Khush Kumar of Azamgarh in UP . Complainant Pavneet Singh runs a travel agency in ‘FAKE’ JOB LETTERS LED TO SUSPICION When the complainant asked the suspects to provide the approval letters issued by the Poland government, as promised by them, they failed to give satisfactory answers. The suspects later sent job letters from Poland but they were found to be fake. The cat was out of the bag and the complainant and his clients started demanding their money back. the D block of Ranjit Avenue locality in the city. In his statement to the police, he said in April last year, he got a message from on his mobile from the suspects who claimed that they provided work visas for Poland and Portugal and can contact their Indian agent Anuj in this connection. Soon, the complainant received a WhatsApp call from Anuj. The latter asked for the data of his clients and copies of their passports. The complainant said he shared the details of some of his clients. The details of 32 clients were sent to the suspects, following which they asked to deposit Rs 34 lakh in a bank account for the visa fee. When the complainant asked the suspects to provide the approval letters issued by the Poland government, they did not give satisfactory answers. The suspects did send job letters from Poland but they were found to be fake. When the cat was out of the bag and the complainant and his clients demanded their money back, the suspects said that they had links with some Punjab-based gangsters and threatened of dire consequences if the victims approached the police. The police said a case was registered following an investigation by the Anti Human Traffic unit and ACP Financial crime. Investigations revealed that the suspects had approached the victim with the fake names of Lucas, Winsky, Anuj and Raghunar, while their actual names were Avinesh, Swarnima, Malik Mohammad and Khush Kumar. The police have registered a case under Sections 420, 120-B and 506 of the IPC against the four suspects. Now, the case has been handed over to EO wing and efforts are on to nab them. Agri Dept intensifies MC officers, employees found drive for DSR in dist absent during surprise check Tribune News Service Devotees enjoy sweetened water at a chhabeel organised on the occasion of the birth anniversary of sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind Singh in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR ‘Follow the path shown by Guru’ Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 5 Devouts organised chhabeels of sweetened water to mark the Gurpurb of Guru Hargobind Sahib on Monday, which coincided with the hottest day in the past one week. A large number of sangat paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and took a holy dip in the Amrit Sarovar. The SGPC celebrated the Parkash Purab at Akal Takht. Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, Jathedar Raghbir Singh of Takht Kesgarh and other religious personalities were present. JATHEDAR GIANI HARPREET SINGH GREETS SANGAT After the conclusion of Akhand Path of Guru Granth Sahib, a ragi jatha rendered the Gurbani Kirtan. During his address, Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh greeted the Sangat on the birth anniversary of the Guru and said he had ordered Sikhs to be armed and inspired them to fight against oppression. Accordingly, the Guru Sahib fought four wars and emerged victorious. After the conclusion of Akhand Path of Guru Granth Sahib, a ragi jatha rendered the Gurbani Kirtan. During his address, Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh greeted the Sangat on the birth anniversary of the Guru and said he had ordered Sikhs to be armed and inspired them to fight against oppression. Accordingly, Guru Sahib fought four wars and was victorious. He also encouraged the Sikh community to follow the path shown by the Guru and continue working for the advancement of Sikhism. Meanwhile, Dhami also congratulated the community on the birth anniversary of Guru Hargobind. He said Guru Hargobind was instrumental in creating the concept of Akal Takht which is a symbol of free existence of the Sikh community and it was the duty of every Sikh to guard this principle. Amritsar, June 5 On the instructions of Director Agriculture Dr Gurvinder Singh Khalsa and Chief Agriculture Officer Jatinder Singh Gill, agriculture extension staff visited farmers to encourage them to go for direct seeding of rice (DSR). During his visit to several villages of the district, Extension Officer Prabhdeep Singh Gill appealed to the farmers of the district to adopt the DSR technique. Gill said by sowing paddy crop through this technique, 15 to 20 per cent water could be saved, thereby recharging 10 to 12 per cent underground water. It would also help in saving labour cost and there was less attack of diseases on the crop sown via the DSR technique. With the DSR, the farmers could manage straw easily in the fields and field could be prepared for the next crop. Last year, farmers had done direct seeding of rice in their fields, thus saving water and their additional expenditure. Extension Officer Prabhdeep Singh Gill further said the Punjab Government would give financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to the farmers for adopting the DSR. The farmers should sow rice directly only in medium-to-heavy soils and avoid doing so in poor soils. He appealed to all the farmers to bring at least onethird of their land under the technique so that the groundwater level could be checked from going down further. He said it was necessary to have the right spraying techniques for the control of weeds and spraying of weedicides should be conducted in the evening. Sub-Inspector Sandeep Singh, officers, employees and farmers were present on the occasion. Agriculture Department officials visit fields to urge farmers to adopt the technique near Amritsar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh checks attendance at the MC office in Amritsar on Monday. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 5 A number of officials and employees of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation were found absent during a surprise check by Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh this morning. After the Punjab Government’s decision to open government offices at 7.30 am, there were frequent complaints that officers and employees of ther MC were coming late to the office. Responding to complaints, the Joint Commissioner checked the attendance of three departments of the MC at 7.50 am at the head office in Ranjit Avenue. During the checking, a number of officers and employees were found absent. The Superintendent of the health wing of the MC and almost all staff, including clerks, were found absent. Health wing superintendent Neeraj Bhandari, JE Jeevan Jyoti , Inspector Satyanand, clerks Kanchan, Neeraj, Simran, Kuldeep Kumar, Happy, Abhishek, Vishal, Harmeet Suri and Manpreet, Pritpal Singh, Deepika, Rakesh Kumar, Rajan, Narendra Pal, Manoj, Shiv Gill, Baldev Raj, Veena and sevadar Deepak Kumar were found absent during the checking by the Joint Commissioner. In the Municipal Town Planning (MTP) wing, Head Draftsman Dinesh Kumar, Draftsman Navdeep Kumar, Building Inspector Nirmaljit Verma, Building Inspectors Madhavi, Environment Day: Walk for clean air organised Tight security ahead Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 5 Numerous programmes marking World Environment Day were held here on Monday. On another occasion, the International Human Rights and Crime Control Council (IHRCCC) hosted an international conference in which actress and politician Jaya Prada was the chief guest. Prada said the organisation has been doing tremendous public welfare works in various areas. It is playing a leading role in the conservation of nature and making social harmony a part of society, she added. MC Commissioner Actress and politician Jaya Prada being felicitated in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Sandeep Rishi flagged off a ‘ Walk for clean air’ on the occasion. Over 100 residents participated in the walk that began from Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama (company c m y b garden) and passed from Sant Sukha Singh School, Urban Haat, SG Thakur Singh Art Gallery and culminated at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama. The walk was a joint initiative between the Amritsar MC and ‘Clean Air Punjab’. It was supported by ‘Voice of Amritsar’, Millenium School, Phulkari and other NGOs based in the city. Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal said one lakh saplings would be planted from July 1 in the Ajnala constituency. He added that these plants would be planted around schools, hospitals, sports stadiums and roads in the constituency. The minister said forest CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 of Op Bluestar anniv Amritsar, June 5 A day before the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, the city police remained on their toes to thwart any untoward incident. Intense barricading has been done in the city, especially near the Golden Temple. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (City-I) Dr Mehtab Singh Gill said police teams were patrolling the walled city area using bikes and cars. He said the cops were also stationed on the streets leading to the shrine to check the movement of unscrupulous elements. Around 4,000 policemen have been mobilised while four companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in the holy city. ADGP (Law & order) Arpit Shukla had supervised the security arrangements yesterday. Police authorities said that no one was taken into preventive custody with regard to Tuesday’s programme at Darbar Sahib. They said they had already held meetings with various organisations for keeping a peaceful atmosphere even as the Dal Khalsa, a radical outfit, had given a call for Amritsar bandh tomorrow. Dr Mehtab said the march carried out by the organisation on Monday remained peaceful. — TNS Raj Rani, and Kulwinder Kaur were found absent. Meanwhile, in the Accounts Branch, Superintendents Raj Sethi, Rohit Arora, Aastha, Harpreet Singh, Amandeep, Vishal Sharma and Harsh Jarial and workers Sahil, Kishan Kumar, Jatin Mehta, Usha Rani were found absent. Similarly, executive engineer civil clerk Danish Behl, clerk Sonia and five beldars were found absent. The Joint Commissioner issued show-cause notices to all the absentees. Absent officers and employees were asked to submit their reply. Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh said now biometric machines would be used for attendance. He said departmental action would be taken against the officers and employees for absenteeism and coming late to the office. 164 passengers fined for chain pulling in trains Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 5 The Ferozepur Railway Division arrested 164 passengers for pulling emergency chain to stop moving trains and imposed a fine of about Rs 46,000 during the months of April and May. There is a provision of Rs 1,000 fine or one year imprisonment or both for chain pulling without proper reason. During the 2022-23 financial year, under Section 141 of the Railway Act, 1,152 passengers were arrested and a fine of about Rs 4 lakh was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2