18092023-ATR-01.qxd 9/18/2023 12:30 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY YOUTH WING OF CONGRESS OBSERVES ‘UNEMPLOYMENT DAY’ ACTRESS PRAJAKTA ENGAGED TO BEAU VRISHANK KHANAL SAHI HAI SAHI HAI IS VICKY KAUSHAL’S NEW LIFE ANTHEM The Congress youth wing observed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday by staging a protest. P2 Actress Prajakta Koli announced that she and her beau Vrishank Khanal have got engaged. P3 MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C Actor Vicky Kaushal, who appeared on the stage of India’s Got Talent Season 10, revealed his life anthem. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.32 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:16 AM » MONDAY | 18 SEPTEMBER 2023 | AMRITSAR One killed, another hurt in road accident Tarn Taran, September 17 A man died on the spot and his younger brother, who was sitting on the rear seat of the motorcycle, got injured seriously when their bike collided head-on with a Creta SUV on the National Highway No. 54 today at their native Naushehra Pannuan village. ASI Gurpreet Singh, Investigation Officer (IO), said that the deceased was identified as Jatinder Singh (37). His injured brother Barkat Singh was admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar. The ASI said the brothers were way back home after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Beer Baba Budha Sahib, Thatha, on Sangrand. The accident happened at the T-point of Naushehra Pannuan. The siblings were brought to the Tarn Taran Civil Hospital where doctors declared Jatinder dead and referred Barkat to the Amritsar hospital. The ASI said the car driver was identified as Sawaraj Singh of Reshiana village. He was booked under Sections 304-A, 279, 337, 338 and 427 of the IPC. — OC Drug peddler held with 50-gm heroin Amritsar, September 17 The CIA staff has arrested a drug peddler identified as Gurjit Singh, alias Saba, a resident of Mehmood Nagar in Cheecha village, falling under the Gharinda police station in the rural belt. The police recovered 50 gm of heroin besides Rs 13.50 lakh drug money from his possession. Sub-inspector Gurwinder Singh of the CIA staff said during patrolling, they got a tip-off that the suspect was roaming in the area under the Cantonment police station here and was carrying heroin. The police team raided the designated spot told by the informer. The police seized 50 gm of contraband and drug money from his possession. A case under the provisions of the NDPS Act was registered against the suspect and further probe was on to ascertain his backward and forward links. — TNS 10% rebate helps civic body collect ~14 cr property tax Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 With the offer of the state government to give 10 per cent rebate on depositing property tax under one-time settlement policy, the tax recovery has increased in the city. The residents were paying pending as well as current tax for 2023-24 fiscal, officials of the MC property tax wing claimed. So far, the property tax wing has collected Rs 14 crore in the current financial year. To accommodate tax payers, the citizen facilitation centre and zonal offices of the municipal corporation (MC) opened on Saturday, the weekend holiday. Apart from this, a large number of residents are paying property tax online through the MC web portal. As compared to the corresponding period last year, the MC has collected Rs 2 crore more tax till date. Last year, Rs 11.90 crore was collected by the MC till September 17. department to collect tax in ❝Themarkets. Thewould hold campsorganised for the various camps would be benefit of traders with the help of the Mall Road Welfare Association, Focal Point Association and other business associations. Tax payers are being made aware through SMS service to pay their dues regularly. ❞ Vishal Wadhawan, NODAL OFFICER, PROPERTY TAX DEPARTMENT The MC has set a target to collect Rs 25 crore tax till September 30 this year. Vishal Wadhawan, nodal officer, Property Tax Depart- ment, said, “The department would hold camps to collect tax in various markets. The camps would be organised for the benefit of traders with the help of the Mall Road Welfare Association, Focal Point Association and other business associations. Tax payers are being made aware through SMS service to pay their dues regularly.” The Punjab Government had announced a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for owners, who did not pay or had partially paid their property or house tax, levied up to March this year. Providing a major relief, the government waivedoff all penalty and interest levied on the outstanding principal amount, which can be paid till December 31. The property tax is calculated on the basis of covered and open area of commercial and residential properties. The OTS is going to provide a major relief to defaulters, who are otherwise supposed to pay 20 per cent penalty and 18 per cent interest, on the outstanding principal amount of all previous financial years. Mini-bus plan to link city with rural areas moves at snail’s pace Amritsar, September 17 Three weeks after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed the Transport Department to press into service mini-buses to link the rural areas with cities, especially those that have religious centres, the authorities here are moving at a snail’s pace on the project. On August 25, Mann had held a special meeting with officials of the Transport Department and announced by tweeting, “Had a meeting with officials of the Transport Department today and discussed resuming bus service connecting villages to cities…We want that the facility of the government mini-buses should be given to villagers so that they face less commuting hassles. Also considered running special buses for religious places.” Harjit Singh of Jagdev Kalan village said all mini-buses in his area and even in the entire district were being run by private transporters. Plying of state-run buses would end the monopoly of private trans- of ❝The advantagethese mini-buses is that vehicles can easily reach villages linked with narrow roads. Families living in such villages can stay connected with cities and main markets. ❞ Bhagwan Kaur, JANTIPURA VILLAGE RESIDENT porters. He said they expected the service to resume soon after the announcement but it appeared that the authorities would take a couple of more weeks to start plying minibuses in villages. Madhu Pushp, General Manager, Amritsar II, said the Transport Department would chalk out a plan to resume mini-bus service to connect the holy city with the rural areas. He added that Amritsar was in the priority list of the department and the objective was to provide a convenient mode of transportation to the rural folks. — TNS Amritsar, September 17 A week after a youth died of drug overdose, the police have booked two persons on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Manpreet Singh (25), had injected drugs at a vacant plot on the main GT road falling under the Maqboolpura police station here. He died on the spot due to overdose of drugs. Those booked were identified as Harjinder Singh, alias Mota, of Fatehgarh Shukarchak village, and Shamsher Singh, alias Talli, of Maqboolpura. The police have arrested Harjinder while Shamsher is absconding from his house. Sub-inspector Rajinderpal Singh, investigating officer (IO), said Harjinder and Manpreet Singh, a resident of Rana Garden Colony, had consumed drugs at a vacant plot on September 9. While Manpreet died of overdose after taking injection, Harjinder fled from the spot after the incident. The IO said he was arrested by the police. During preliminary probe, Harjinder revealed that they had bought drugs from Shamsher. A raid was conducted at Shamsher’s house, but he had already absconded. The IO said raids were on to nab him. — TNS India-Middle East-EU corridor can fuel growth: Experts Cop’s wife booked for assaulting neighbour Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Days after India, the UAE and the US launched IndiaMiddle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) eyeing multiple routes via sea and land to ferry merchandise, city-based progressive farmers, industrialists and hospitality experts demanded that one of the potential routes should pass through the holy city. Historically, the city’s businessmen exported green tea, brass kitchenware, traditional shoes, shawls and other material sourced from different parts of the country to Afghanistan and its neighbouring areas. In return, traders used to import dry fruits, fresh fruits and herbs from the land-locked country. Experts are of the view that the proposed route could restore the pristine Stakeholders opine that Amritsar can gain maximum if the route passes through the border state. glory of trade ties between the holy city and Kabul. At present, the share of citybased traders in the total dry fruit imported by Indians from Afghanistan is only 10 per cent. Experts said moving ahead, the holy city could be the gateway of prosperity for northern states by extending its present land trade route to Afghanistan via Pakistan to adjoining Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The land route is further linked to Iran and Iraq, which leads to the Gulf countries. Closer ties with the Gulf and parts of Central Asian countries would bolster hospitality, farming and manufacturing sectors of the state in the long run, the experts said. Kulwinder Singh, a progressive farmer, said the proposed route to the Gulf countries could be a harbinger of promising future for the farming industry of Punjab, which has been facing stagnation for the past some years. Already, the Majha belt comprising Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, was annually exporting aromatic basmati rice worth crores to the Gulf. Export of fresh farm produce to the Gulf could be a game changer with profit percolating to the grassroots level, he said. The region used to export fresh farm produce by air from the local airport to London, he said. Instead of eyeing Europe for the vegetable export, which was located far away from here, he opined that the Arab countries held an impressive market. Gunbir Singh, a businessman, said, “From Punjab standpoint, if policy and agrarian experts dig between the lines, the era of rice and wheat economies has all but lost momentum. Millets and vegetables will hold centre stage.” He said, “It is always remarkable when diverse nations are able to agree upon a common path conceding to work together despite parochial yet understandable commitments of their own.” APS Chatha, a hotelier, said availability of the state-of-the-art Continued on page 2 Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 17 Rajbir Kaur, a resident of Gali Ajit Singh Wali on Kaji Kot road, Tarn Taran, had to run from pillar to post for two months to get a criminal case registered against her neighbour, the wife of an ASI in Punjab Police and her two accomplices, who attacked her. Rajbir Kaur was returning home from market on July 19 when the suspect, Pardeep Kaur, wife of ASI Gurpreet Singh, Sehnaz Kaur, her domestic servant, and Amandeep Kaur, her neighbour, attacked her in the street. Rajbir was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Tarn Taran. She was given a medico-legal report (MLR) and a copy of it was sent to the city police Potholes, choked sewers plague Ward No. 11 Local iron & steel industry losing shine WARD WATCH WARD NO. 11 AMRITSAR Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Ward No. 11 comprises Gopal Nagar, Oden Street, Ghala Mala Chowk and the Gopal Mandir areas. The residents of the area have been facing several development-related issues. Though most streets in Gopal Nagar are made of concrete and are in good condition, the main road which links Gopal Mandir with Ghala Mala Chowk is in a pathetic condition. Commuters have to bear a bumpy ride on the main road due to potholes. During the rainy season, the area witnesses waterlogging. Potholes on the main road get Youth dies of drug overdose,2booked A waterlogged road leading from Ghala Mala Chowk to Gopal Mandir at Basant Nagar in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR is the busiest roads in ❝It areone ofpotholes on the road. the area. Ironically, there big It gets flooded even after a moderate spell of rain as the drainage system is inadequate. The municipal corporation should recarpet the road so that people do not face inconvenience. ❞ Sunita Kumari, LOCAL RESIDENT filled with rainwater because of which commuters have to face a lot of inconvenience. Sunita Kumari, a local resident, said, “It is one of the busiest stretches in the area. Ironically, there are big potholes on the road. The condition of the road is deteriorating with each passing day. It gets flooded even after a moderate spell of rain as the drainage system is inadequate. We have raised the issue with public representatives in the past but to no avail. The MC should recarpet the road so that people do not face inconvenience.” The residents of Ward No. 11 also face the problem of choked sewer lines. Water overflows from manholes and enters homes. The area councillor arranges for workers to open choked sewer lines, but the problem remains unsolved. Mamata Dutta, former councillor from the area, said, “There is some issue with the sewer lines in several streets. The main lines were desilted with supper sucker machines a few years ago. But in the last two years, desilting has not been done by the MC. The narrow sewer lines in streets often get choked. Regular complaints are received in this regard. We arrange for workers and address the issue, but regular desilting of main and small sewer lines is required.” c m y b Amritsar, September 17 Known for the iron and steel industry about a decade ago, the holy city has now only 122 working units against 800. Loss of the holy city is gain of China imported material, hardware industries based in Jammu and Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi, UP’s Aligarh and Gujarat’s Rajkot, said hardware manufacturer Ranjan Aggarwal. He said the malady was that no government ever bothered to know the reason behind closure of the industry. He said as a result, the employment generation capacity of the industry also came down from about 50,000 over a decade ago to around 8,000 presently. The hardware industry here was a leader in the country in manufacturing and supplying screws, nails, fastners, POP screws, bolts and nuts. The city is fast losing its edge of being a domestic market leader in screws and nut and bolts to China, industry watchers have observed. Samir Goel, another hardware manufacturer, said Workers make screws, nuts and bolts at a factory in Amritsar. ❝Chinese screw is a little costlier thanisthe preferred domestically manufactured. However, it still for being superior in quality and strength due to technical upgrade of Chinese small scale industry. ❞ Samir Goel, HARDWARE MANUFACTURER almost all local hardware units fall under the MSME category. The government must extend support to these units with research and development aid and associate them with engineering colleges. Only then there was a slim chance of their revival, he said. After the government closed all its laboratories except one in Batala, they do not have any other Continued on page 2 immediately for initiating legal proceedings. The victim, Rajbir Kaur, said that she was made to run from pillar to post in the last two months to get a case registered against the suspects. She said it was in the evening on Saturday that the city police registered a case under Sections 323, 324 and 34 of the IPC against the suspects. Rajbir alleged that she was harassed for no fault of hers just to appease the ASI, Pardeep Kaur’s husband. Sub-inspector Baljit Kaur, SHO, when contacted, refused to respond or reply to the SMS sent to her phone on WhatsApp. Rajbir said she would approach the higher authorities if she was discriminated against in the case. Father-in-law, wife booked on man’s complaint Tarn Taran, September 17 On the complaint of Sukhbir Singh, a resident of Doburji village, the police have registered a case against his wife and fatherin-law on the charge of stealing cash, gold ornaments and other documents from his house before departing for her parental home in East Mohan Nagar, Amritsar. Sukhbir, who has been in Doha, Qatar, for the last four years, said his father-in-law Swaran Singh and his sisterin-law (wife’s sister) Prabhsimran Kaur came to his home in his absence and took his wife Maninder Kaur with them. In the meanwhile, Maninder lodged a complaint with the Mahila Mandal, Amritsar, against Sukhbir. After coming back to his village, Sukhbir lodged a complaint against his wife and father-inlaw for stealing valuable articles from his house. The lock of the almirah in Sukhbir’s room was broken in the presence of village Continued on page 2