02092023-ATR-01.qxd 9/2/2023 12:38 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MC CALLS APPLICATIONS FROM VENDORS FOR CREDIT SCHEME POOJA BELIEVES STORIES ARE NOT JUST ABOUT LEAD ACTORS ESHA SAYS IN CREATIVE FIELD, STRONG REPUTATION IS VITAL The MC has called applications under the PM Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi for street vendors. P2 Actress Pooja Gor could not have possibly refused Guns & Gulaabs! Rather she beams, “I think I manifested it.” P3 There was a time when men used to step out for work. Singer Esha Gaur talks about current scenario. P4 » » MAX 37°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.53 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:06 AM » SATURDAY | 2 SEPTEMBER 2023 | AMRITSAR Pen-down strike by patwaris paralyses work in 156 circles Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 Following a state-wide call for pen-down strike from today by the Revenue Patwar Union Punjab, its members abstained from work in 156 patwar circles of the district. There are only 163 patwaris available for 319 patwar circles. They have been given additional charge of 156 patwar circles. During strike, union members held a meeting and raised slogans against the government. They submitted a memorandum at the DC office to express their resentment against the government’s attitude. Saurabh Sharma, union general secretary, said though there was no severe effect of flood in any part of The members of the Revenue Patwar Union Punjab hand over memorandum to the DC in Amritsar. the district, they did not stop work in any patwar circle. The union in the memorandum demanded that the government should hire educated youth to fill vacancies in 3,193 patwar circles. It warned to challenge the transfer decisions taken by deputy commissioners as per rotation. Members of the Kanungo Union also extended support to the Revenue Patwar Union. Working in 156 patwar cir- cles where no patwari is posted was hit as no intkal of (mutation) fard, attestation of certificates for residential purpose, caste-based certificates and other documents were issued. Dengue cases surge in Tarn Taran district Tarn Taran, September 1 Dengue and chikungunya cases have surged in the last few weeks in the district. The arrangements for the treatment of vector-borne diseases are limited. According to data of the Health Department, 58 out of 66 dengue cases were reported till August-end. Dr Simran Kaur, District Epidemiologist, said 36 chikungunya cases were reported till date of which 35 were detected in August. Fogging and insecticide have to be sprayed as per schedule, but that is happening only on papers, say social activists. The residents alleged that no fogging was conducted in their area. Meanwhile, dengue larvae were found at several places in the district today. Dr Simran Kaur said teams of the Health Department were conducting fogging in areas where dengue larvae was found. — TNS Youth held for duping farmer on pretext of arranging arms licence Amritsar, September 1 The Chheharta police have arrested Ravinderjit Singh, alias Ravi, of Paradise Enclave for allegedly duping a farmer on the pretext of arranging an arms licence. The victim alleged that the suspect took Rs 3 lakh cash through a UPI app on different dates. The victim told the police that he had asked his nephew Karanpreet Singh about the arms licence. Karanpreet used to visit the Golden Temple every day where he met Ravinderjit Singh. He told Karanpreet that he had links with police officials and could arrange an arms licence in the name of his uncle Gulzar Singh. He said Karanpreet introduced the suspect to the victim. Ravinderjit demanded Rs 3 lakh for getting the licence issued. He said that from October 2022 to March 2023 he paid Rs 1.89 lakh to the suspect through a UPI app. The suspect also took Rs 1.10 lakh in cash in presence of his son Harsimarjit Singh. The victim said around two months ago, the suspect came to him and handed over a ‘receipt’. He asked the victim to get licence from the licensing branch of the city police. The victim said a few days ago, he went to the branch and give the slip given by Ravinderjit. The victim said yesterday, he went to the dealing clerk for the licence. After seeing the record, the clerk said they did not have any record of licence mentioned in the slip. The victim said the suspect had defrauded him on the pretext of arranging an arms licence. A case was registered against the suspect. — TNS Man arrested for duping migrant Amritsar, September 1 The police have arrested a Tarn Taran resident for allegedly duping a Bihar resident on the pretext of arranging a job for him in a private bank. The suspect was identified as Karandeep Singh, alias Karan, of Bugge village in Tarn Taran district. The police have confiscated a mobile phone and five SIM cards from the suspect. A case was registered against the suspect at the Sadar police station. Bipin Kumar, who originally hailed from Bihar and now lives in the Ajit Nagar area, told the police that he came in contact with the suspect through a social media application. He said they met each other and the suspect promised to get him recruited in a private bank. He said till now, the suspect had cheated him of Rs 23,600 and was demanding more money from him. The victim said he got suspicious when the suspect demanded Rs 7,000 from him. — TNS Traffic police, MC impound 40 autos defying life cap of 15 yrs Drone, 400-gm heroin seized near IB Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 The municipal corporation along with traffic police and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) impounded 40 illegal diesel and petrol auto-rickshaws on the first day of the drive against three-wheelers that have outlived their specified age of 15 years here today. The MC had passed a resolution by using the powers given under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act and banned the operation of 15-year-old diesel/petrol autos within the corporation limits. Today, teams led by Joint Municipal Commissioner Hardeep Singh, Regional Transport Officer Arshdeep Singh and senior traffic Officials during a drive against diesel auto-rickshaws in Amritsar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO police officials initiated the drive. Five separate teams were constituted for each Assembly constituency and special nakas were laid at different intersections in the city. More than 40 auto-rickshaws were impounded and challans issued to their own- ers. The process of issuing challans and impounding autos would continue over the next few days too, said MC officials. Hardeep Singh, Joint Municipal Commissioner, said that 15-year-old diesel and petrol autos had been completely banned in the city. He urged drivers of these vehicles to buy e-autos as soon as possible to avoid challan. They would get Rs 1.25 lakh subsidy and Rs 15,000 for the old auto. According to information, more than 10,000 diesel/petrol autos were plying on the city roads even after the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to register diesel autos in the city in 2012. Around 3,200 diesel auto drivers were registered under the Rejuvenation of Auto-Rickshaws in Amritsar through Holistic Intervention (RAAHI) project. Despite efforts by the MC staff, only 350 persons have purchased e-autos under the Smart City project. Meanwhile, diesel and petrol auto-rickshaw drivers also gave a call for holding demonstrations in the city. Office-bearers of the autorickshaw union said they would meet the MLAs and also stage protest against the government’s move. Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 The rural police today confiscated 400 gm of heroin filled in a plastic bottle, which was dropped by a drone in Dhanoe Khurd village, located near the International Border (IB). Sheetal Singh, SHO, Gharinda police station, said they got a tip-off that a drone had fallen in fields at Dhanoe Khurd village. He said police teams rushed to the spot and started a search operation with the help of village defence committees (VDCs). The search operation led to the seizure of the DJI drone and plastic bottle containing contraband hanging with it. On weighing the bottle, it was found that it contained 400 gm of drug. A drone and a bottle containing 400 gram of drug recovered from Dhanoe Khurd village on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO The police registered a case under Sections 21, 23, 29, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act against unknown persons. Sheetal said investigation was under progress to find those involved in smuggling of the consignment. Satinder Singh, SSP Amrit, sar (Rural), said the police had formed VDCs within the vicinity of the Indo-Pak border to curtail drugs and arms smuggling activities. He said the seizure was the result of the collaborative effort of the rural police and the VDCs. ‘Bill Liao Inaam Pao’ More to Punjab youth than addiction & migration, says Jaskaran of KBC fame scheme launched Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 The “Mera Bill” app was formally launched by uploading a bill under the “Bill Liao Inaam Pao” scheme on Friday by Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar here today. The purpose of launching the app was to encourage the common man to get bills from shopkeepers while purchasing goods and to increase the government revenue collection. Talwar said the reward would be five times more than the tax paid for the purchase goods or services availed. The maximum amount of the reward would be Rs 10,000. Ten prizes would be awarded in each district and the eligible bill amount for the scheme was Rs 200. He urged residents to download the “Mera Bill” app to take advantage of the scheme. — TNS Amritsar, September 1 Twenty one-year-old Jaskaran Singh, a native of Khalra village in Tarn Taran, has become the first crorepati of the Season 15 of Sony TV’s quiz reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. The young lad, who dreams of becoming an IAS officer, would be seen attempting the Rs 7 crore question in the upcoming episodes of the KBC that would be aired on September 4-5. Jaskaran is a student of BSc (Economics), Semester V at DAV College and comes from a middle class family with his father being the sole breadwinner, running a small catering business. Apart from earning the title of being this season’s first crorepati, Jaskaran also represented the youth of Punjab, who are progressive and willing to work towards bringing a change. “Usually, a lot is said about the youth in Punjab. Talk about Jaskaran being felicitated by faculty at DAV College in Amritsar. addiction and migration are the only things that define them. But I want to share that there are also youngsters, who being part of the system, want to be the change that we so desire,” he said. He had been trying to participate in the show for the past four years. Jaskaran, who was also felicitated by his college faculty and principal Dr Amardeep Gupta, said winning a huge amount on the KBC could help him further his goal in life. “I want to work towards making education accessible, especially to the youth in rural, remote villages of Punjab, where accessibility to quality education is still a challenge. My college in Amritsar is four hours away from my home in Khalra village. I have to com- mute like many other youngsters from the border villages to ensure that I can pursue education and make something of my life.” He also shared this dream with Amitabh Bachchan on the show, something that got him applause and appreciation from the Big B himself. A voracious reader, Jaskaran had bagged the title of ‘Star Reader’ of the college. “I believe that this habit of reading for long hours helped me reach the KBC hot seat,” he said. Sanitation, unpaved streets major issues in Ward No. 12 MalaysiaAirlinestostartflightsfromNov8 WARD WATCH WARD NO 12 AMRITSAR Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 Though most streets and roads of Ward No. 12 have been recarpeted and sewer lines laid during the last five years, some localities in the area are still being ignored. Former Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu took an initiative to start development A muddy street at Professors Colony in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR works in the ward during his tenure. However, sanitation remains a major issue. There still remain some areas which are deprived of carpeted streets. The residents of Ganda Singh Wala are facing poor sanitation. In the absence of proper lifting of garbage, the residents dump waste on vacant plots. Heaps of garbage can be seen in vacant plots. Sanitation workers in the area claim that door-to-door collection vehicles arrive to collect garbage but some residents prefer to dump waste on vacant plots. ”The people from lower income groups don’t even pay the minimal charges to the door-to-door gargbe collection firm. They dump waste on nearby vacant plots. When the public is not concerned about sanitation, how can the MC clean private properties. The vehicles of solid waste management company provide regular service,” said Rakesh, a resident of Gan- c m y b da Singh Wala area. Most localities are also deprived of proper parks and a green belt. However, wild grass and weeds on footpaths and plots irk residents. “After rain, the wild grass has covered all footpaths and vacant plots in the area. It looks like a jungle amid residential colonies. It is a safe haven for snakes and rats. No one from the municipal corporation takes care of footpaths,” said Ravi, a resident of Rishi Vihar. The Professors Colony, an area dominated by migrant population, is also deprived of paved streets. Some streets of this unauthorised colony are yet to recarpeted. Amritsar, September 1 In a significant development for travellers hailing from Punjab and the global Punjabi diaspora, Malaysia’s leading carrier Malaysia Airlines is set to become the third airline to offer direct flights connectivity between Amritsar and Kuala Lumpur. Starting from November 8, Malaysia Airlines would initiate non-stop flights connecting Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport (SGRDJIA) in the city. Presently, Batik Air operates three-week direct flights while AirAsia X would commence four flights per week on the route from September 3 onwards on the route. According to the schedule available on its website, the airline would launch two flights per week on every Wednesday and Saturday. The airline would deploy 160seater Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route. Departing from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 6:50 pm, the flight would land at the SGRDJIA at 10:10 pm. The return flight would takeoff from Amritsar at 11:25 pm and arrive at the KLIA at 7:30 am the following morning. Sameep Singh Gumtala, global convener, and Yogesh Kamra, convener, FlyAmritsar Initiative, said, “We’ve advocated for increased air connectivity with Amritsar. Malaysia Airlines’ decision is a testament to Amritsar’s potential as a tourism and business hub. The diaspora would now have multiple options to travel on different airlines, with shorter travel times, cost savings and avoiding the hassle of traveling via Delhi Airport.” The addition of Malaysia Airlines would strengthen the air link between Punjab and Southeast Asia, connecting Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Auckland, Bangkok, Phuket, Hong Kong and Manila within two to three hours via the KLIA. — TNS