20092023-JTR-01.qxd 9/20/2023 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FAKE BILLING: 12 FIRMS FACE ~ 50.19 CRORE GST PENALTY WAMIQA BACK AS CHARLIE CHOPRA TO SOLVE SOLANG VALLEY MYSTERY MOUNI ROY WENT OVER 200 OUTFITS FOR SULTAN OF DELHI The Punjab GST Department has imposed 12 firms ~50.19 crore penalty on 12 companies. P2 A huge fan of dramas, documentaries and thrillers, actress Wamiqa Gabbi hails from Chandigarh. P3 Mouni Roy went through over 200 outfits for her character in debut streaming series Sultan of Delhi. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.27 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:14 AM WEDNESDAY | 20 SEPTEMBER 2023 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TWO BOOKED FOR SNATCHING CASH Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked two unidentified persons on the charge of snatching cash from a petrol pump and criminal intimidation. Amarish Sharma of Model Town, Kapurthala, told the police that his cousin owned a a petrol pump at Kullar village. Amarish said two motorcycleborne persons with faces covered snatched a bag containing more than ~1 lakh and three smartphones from two salesmen at the petrol pump around 2.20 pm on September 18. The pillion rider was holding a pistol in his hand. The salesmen said that the suspects threatened them. OC TWO ARRESTED ON CHARGE OF THEFT Phagwara: the Shahkot police have arrested two persons on the charge of stealing cash and jewellery. Investigating Officer Salinder Singh said the suspects had been identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Bunti, of Baupur Bet, and Jasvir Singh, alias Neelu, of Rampur village. Mandeep Singh had complained to the police that the suspects barged into his house on the night of September 16 and stole ~1 lakh in cash and gold jewellery. A case had been registered against the two suspects. OC MAN HELD FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling country-made liquor. Investigating Officer (IO) Jagtar Singh said 15 bottles of liquor were recovered from the possession of the suspect, identified as Gurjit Singh, alias Jeeta, of Jafferpur (Tanga Torri) village. The IO said a case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act was registered against the suspect. OC Study hampered as floods ruin infra of Baupur Jadid school Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 19 The Government Middle and High School in Baupur Jadid, Sultanpur Lodhi, is grappling with several difficulties in conducting classes as floods have ruined the school infrastructure. Until last week, teachers used the village gurdwara premises for conducting classes due to extensive damage by floods to the school. Presently, the situation has reached a point where students of two or three classes are crammed into a single classroom in a desperate attempt to accommodate all of them. The Baupur Jadid school premises has two buildings, one designated for the primary wing and the other for the higher classes. Both these buildings are submerged in floodwaters. In particular, the floors of two primary school classrooms have developed cracks, rendering them completely unusable. Besides, essential infrastructure such as benches and cupboards were swept away in the deluge. Sources in the school have revealed that for the past three weeks, classes had been held in the gurdwara hall. Moreover, students are ferried to school via boats as a Teachers take class at a gurdwara; an employee removes silt at Government School, Baupur Jadid village. MALKIAT SINGH UNSAFE BUILDINGS My son is a Class X student. This year, he would be appearing in the board exams. How can he concentrate on his studies when both his home and school buildings are unsafe and riddled with cracks. Gurpreet Kaur, parent ❝ ❞ significant portion of the village remains inundated due to a breach in the advance bundh along nearby Rampur Gaura village. Despite Herculean efforts and sacrifices by teachers, no government aid has been forthcoming, nor has repair work commenced. “It was teachers themselves who, along with hired labour- ers, painstakingly removed silt from school premises and arranged essential infrastructure,” said a teacher. Expressing concern about the situation, Kamlesh Singh, a parent from Baupur Jadid village, remarked, “It’s perplexing that despite being fully aware of the ground reality, the Education Department has failed to provide No end to students’ ordeal studyinginsideleakingtents Rendered homeless by deluge |Forced to face vagaries of nature TRUCK DRIVER HELD FOR NEGLIGENCE Phagwara: The Nakodar city police have arrested a truck driver on the charge of causing death by negligence. Investigating Officer (IO) Mandeep Singh said the suspect was identified as Kulwinder Kumar of Khuram Aanadgarh village in Hoshiarpur. Mohamad Javed of Tehsil Bazaar, Nakodar, complained to the police that a truck driver crushed to death Tahir Khan, who had fallen on the roadside while riding pillion on his brother's scooter, on September 17. He said a case under Sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC was registered against the suspect, who was released on bail. OC SEVEN BOOKED FOR TRESPASS Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked seven persons on charges of trespass, criminal intimidation, mischief and theft. Investigating Officer (IO) Major Singh said the suspects were identified as Satnam Singh, Gurnam Singh, Toto, Binder, Gurkaran Singh, Raja and Binder, all residents of Gandharan village. Kuldeep Singh of the same village complained to the police that the suspects intentionally destroyed his paddy crop on August 29, prepared a watercourse intending to encroach his land and threatened to kill him. The IO said that a case under Sections 447 (criminal trespass), 379 (theft), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 427 (mischief) of the IPC was registered against the suspects and raids were on to nab them. OC Kids prepare for exam at a camp; and (below) students wade through water to reach school in Lohian. MALKIAT SINGH assistance or initiate repairs of the school buildings. What if the floor gives way or the roof collapses? Who will be held responsible for that?” “Many residents are still hesitant to send their children to school due to unsafe buildings. They fear that the structures may be unstable and pose a risk to their children,” he said. Speeding bus hits bike, youth killed Garhshankar, September 19 A speeding bus hit a bike from the rear and dragged it for at least 400 feet crushing its rider on the spot. The mishap took place near Goliyan village on the GarhshankarHoshiarpur road. The deceased was identified him as Manpreet Singh (32) of Bhaddi, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib district. He was going from Garhshankar to Hoshiarpur on a bike. When he reached near Goliyan village, a speeding Volvo bus of a private company hit his bike while overtaking another vehicle. The bus driver and the attendant fled from the spot. DSP Garhhankar, Daljit , Singh Khakh, said the vehicles had been impounded and the body of the deceased taken into custody. A case would be registered against bus driver and owner, he said. When contacted, SHO Jaipal said the deceased’s family had been informed. He said an action would be taken after registration of the case. — OC Gang of illegal travel agents busted, 2 held Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 19 In a major operation, the city police busted a network of illegal travel agents, who were preying on unsuspecting residents, promising them journeys to European countries and the United States, while siphoning off lakhs. The crackdown, led by officials from the Navi Baradari police station, was initiated on a tip-off indicating the presence of three unlicensed travel agents doing illicit dealings at a private hotel. Acting swiftly on the basis of the information, the police conducted a raid at the specified location, resulting in the detention of two individuals, identified as Vishal, a resident of Hoshiarpur, and Karanbir Singh, hailing from Reru Chowk in Jalandhar. Both suspects have been charged under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the PTPR Act. A sum of Rs 38.86 lakh in cash was recovered from their possession during the operation. Aditya, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police II, said these agents used deceptive tactics for luring unsuspecting victims with promises of journey to European countries and the United States via routes going through Spain, Kazakhstan and Mexico. The victims were enticed with tantalising visions of foreign lands only to be swindled. “The arrested individuals are scheduled for a court appearance tomorrow. Following their arraignment and after securing police custody for interrogation, we aim to uncover the full extent of their illicit activities. This will include identifying additional victims, who fell prey to their schemes, and ascertaining any potential accomplices within the gang,” he said. Health officials raid Soya Cafe, find kitchen full of cockroaches, flies Several injured in group clash near Valmiki Gate Jalandhar, September 19 Late last night, a major uproar was witnessed near Valmiki Gate as two groups engaged in a fierce confrontation. The situation escalated when one group resorted to gunfire from a licensed pistol and created panic among area residents and bystanders. The initial spark for the violent clash was reportedly the use of caste-related slurs directed at children playing near Valmiki Gate. The exchange of abusive language quickly spiralled into physical violence, leaving a few persons injured. Continued on Page 2 Unhygienic conditions prevail in the kitchen of Soya Cafe in Hoshiarpur. TRIBUNE PHOTO Hoshiarpur, September 19 To ensure healthy, hygienic and quality food items in the upcoming festivals, District Health Officer Dr Lakhvir Singh, Food Safety Officer Munish Kumar and a food safety team raided various restaurants and sweet shops in the city today. Fourteen samples were collected from eateries. During raid at the famous Soya Cafe, officials were shocked to find the kitchen dirty and many eatables lying uncovered. The kitchen was full of cockroaches and dead flies. A sample of soya chaap and cheese was collected from the cafe. The district health officer gave one week to the cafe owner to clean the place. He said if the situation continued till next week then the cafe would be sealed. The district health officer warned owners to maintain cleanliness to avoid sealing of their eateries. The 14 samples collected include six of vegetable oil, one of rice, one of moth dal, two of lobia, one of masur dal, one of moong dal, one of cheese and one of chaap. These samples were sent to the food testing lab. Dr Lakhvir said it was important for food business owners (FBOs) to obtain necessary licence and registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act. He said licences of many FBOs had expired. He warned that fines would be imposed on FBOs if they did not obtain licence and their shops could also be sealed. — OC Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 19 Left homeless due to floods, 13year-old Hardeep Singh and Jashandeep Singh get a little time to prepare for the exam that would be held tomorrow. They take out their books and study inside a ‘leaking’ tent. The folding bed on which they sit is drenched by incessant rain since morning. The rainwater has entered their tents and ruined everything. At present, mid-term exams are being held in schools. For kids, who lost their houses in deluge, life is proving to be the hardest exam ever. Most of them are students of the Government Middle School, Mundi Cholian. They are unable to study because of difficult living conditions. There are many such children, who have been staying in tents at Nahl Mandi in Lohian, for over 70 days. Some of them do not even have books. All day, children try to cope up with extreme weather conditions. Today, they helped their family members drain out rainwater from tents. Education has taken a backseat as they do not get prop- NHAI agency gets 15 days to build service lanes across Dakoha underpass Tribune News Service er time and favourable environment to study. Hardeep Singh’s father died years ago and he lives with his mother and three siblings in a tent. “My mother works as a daily wager and feeds us. Living here is not easy at all. Rainwater entered our tent today,” he shared. Jashandeep Singh said he was preparing for a science exam to be held on Wednesday. “I just have books for two subjects. Books of other subjects were swept away in floodwater,” he said. Sona Singh (13) and Jaspreet Kaur (12) also shared the ordeal they were facing. “I was born in a house that collapsed in the floods at Dhakka Basti. I visited the house five days ago. I felt emotional on seeing bricks lying all around. I don’t know when we would get a proper shelter to live in,” he said. For Jaspreet Kaur, there is just one concern, when would all this end? “The weather was very hot during the last few days. Now, there is water everywhere. I don’t know when this would end. We cannot even study,” she said in a feeble tone. Kulwinder Singh, head teacher of the Government School, Mundi Cholian, who is also the district president of the Democratic Teachers Union (DTF), said he had arranged books and notebooks for students. “We ensure that that students get proper education in schools. At Mandi, students are studying on their own, which is definitely a challenge for them,” he said. c m y b Three rounded up for trader’s murder Phagwara, September 19 Three persons, including a woman, have been rounded up for the brutal murder of a young trader. The family members of the deceased had decided not to cremate the body till the arrest of the killers. The deceased, Pankaj Duggal, who had a business of confectionary items in Himachal Pradesh was shot dead by unidentified assailants at his residence in New Mansa Devi Nagar here last night. The body of the deceased was kept a the Civil Hospital mortuary for post-mortem, which could not be conducted due to various reasons, said Senior Medical Officer Dr Lehimber Ram. When contacted, Rajpal Singh Sandhu, Senior Superintendent of the Police (SSP) said during preliminary investigation, it was found that personal enmity could only be the reason behind murder. Continued on Page 2 Jalandhar, September 19 Taking serious note over the slow progress in the construction of Dakoha Vehicle Underpass (VUP), which is causing traffic snarls on the busy Jalandhar-Panipat national highway, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vishesh Sarangal on Tuesday gave a deadline of 15 days to build service lanes across the VUP to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Chairing a meeting with NHAI officials at the district administrative complex, the DC said it was disheartening to see long traffic jams at the particular junction due to the carelessness of the agency carrying out the work. He said the project was already moving at a snail’s pace and due to potholed service lanes, commuters were harried a lot. He made it clear that such kind of attitude would not be tolerated at any cost and Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam at the under-construction Dakoha underpass in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH ordered the NHAI to immediately press the agency concerned to construct service lanes in the next fortnight. He said the administration would take strong action if any mishap occurred on the stretch due to potholes after the expiry of the deadline. Later, NHAI officials told the DC that a notice was issued to the agency concerned and a team had been deputed to supervise the work to ensure its timely completion. Sarangal said a joint team of the administration and the NHAI would conduct a physical inspection of the site on October 4. Sarangal also directed officials for speedy disbursement of land acquisition compensation under the various NHAI projects, including the six-lane Jalandhar bypass, Amritsar-Bathinda projects, Delhi-Katra Expressway. He asked officials to settle compensation cases to avoid further delay in projects. Our Correspondent