09112023-JTR-01.qxd 11/9/2023 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune DEFUNCT STREET LIGHTS MAY CAST SHADOW ON FESTIVITIES ‘MERE KHAYAALON MEIN ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES’ AMAZON MINITV ANNOUNCES THIRD SEASON OF CRUSHED Many roads, localities and key intersections in the city remain shrouded in darkness. P2 Singer-composer Armaan Malik has released the music video of his track Mere Khayaalon Mein. P4 Amazon miniTV is back with the latest installation of the most anticipated teen drama. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 13°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5:30 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:43 AM » THURSDAY | 9 NOVEMBER 2023 | JALANDHAR Deteriorating air takes toll on children, elderly INBRIEF MAN NABBED FOR RAPING DAUGHTER Hospitals witness steep increase in patients with respiratory illness Phagwara: The police have arrested a man on the charge of raping his daughter. Investigating officer Usha Rani said the police came into action after the 12-year-old victim lodged a complaint against her father, a resident of Gobindpura locality in Phagwara. The suspect was on Wednesday produced before a local judicial magistrate where he confessed to his crime. The court sent him to judicial custody. A case under the POCSO Act and Section 376 of the IPC has been registered. OC Aparna Banerji GOOD DIET MUST Asthmatics need milk, curd and bananas and a highprotein diet to guard themselves from the disease. Many parents are also in denial on their children having asthma. Some avoid inhalers, which aggravates the illness. Good diet and immediate treatment are needed to keep the disease at bay. Tribune News Service ❝ Jalandhar, November 8 With the tally of farm fires in Jalandhar reaching 876 and the AQI level touching a maximum of 313 (average AQI 266) today, children and the elderly are worst sufferers of this air pollution onslaught. According to paediatricians, there has been a steep rise in respiratory illnesses among children and the elderly. Persons who are immunocompromised are also adversely affected. Dr Gurdev Chowdhury, child specialist at Ankur Hospital, Jalandhar, said: “Around 70 to 80 per cent of the OPD cases we are getting are of children with respiratory illnesses, including asthma and bronchitis. As many as 10 per cent of these are severe, some of whom even had to be kept on a ventilator. Pollution levels are the prime cause. During the Covid pandemic, not a single case of such illness was reported. These illnesses were not there 10 to 15 years ago. The worsening respiratory health of children due to pollution levels is a recent phenomenon.” Dr HJ Singh, chest specialist and bronchoscopist, said: “There has been an alarming rise in FOUR NABBED IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: The Mehat Pur police have arrested four members of a family in a dowry harassment case. Investigating officer (IO) Gurnam Singh said the suspects had been identified as Kashmir Singh, a resident of Kang Wale Bilie village, his wife Manjit Kaur, son Sucha Singh and daughter-in-law Supreet Kaur. Gurpreet Kaur, a resident of Anga Kirri in Nakodar village, filed a complaint with the SSP Jalandhar (Rural) stating that her father-in-law, mother-inlaw, brother-in-law and sisterlaw had been harassing her and demanding more dowry since her marriage in 2020. They also threw her out from their house. The IO said a case under Sections 406 and 498-A of the IPC was registered against the suspects and Lakhwinder Singh, husband of the complainant, who is absconding. OC Motorists have a tough time as smog envelops the city reducing the visibility; and (below) a field set on fire near Shahkot in Jalandhar. PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH & MALKIAT SINGH AQI FARM FIRES 266 876 DOS AND DON’TS ■ Doctors say better air quality helps protect respiratory health ■ Wear mask whenever going outside and in polluted areas ■ Avoid air blast (stepping early in cases of childhood asthma. In many children, it gets passed off as common cough or allergy. Around 20-25 per cent of my OPD cases comprise children. There are some children with uncontrolled bronchial spasms and we have to prescribe oral steroids, which is other- the morning) as it might exacerbate asthma ■ Use inhalers as per doctor’s recommendation ■ Take a protein-rich diet wise rare.” Dr Nipun Mahajan, cardiologist, Tagore Hospital, Jalandhar, said: “There has been a rise in cardiac problems. The deteriorating air quality due to pollution directly impacts the lungs, owing to which the frequency of heart attacks and cardiac failures has increased. This is primarily being reported among elderly patients. Those with weak hearts are also highly susceptible.” Dr Ritu Dadra, District TB Officer, said: “There has been a persistent increase in patients of respiratory illnesses in our OPD. Around 50 to 60 cases we get per day are those of respiratory ill- nesses. Not just COPD or asthma, but flu, cough or a sore itching throat are also common symptoms among those who have been affected due to air pollution. The deteriorating air quality especially affects the elderly, chronic smokers, diabetics and those who have been on steroids for long.” Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, November 8 A total of 170 stubble burning spots have been identified in Nawanshahr. However, district agriculture department officials are ensuring that they visit every spot to check whether the information is correct or not. The police have already lodged 2 FIRs against farmers for burning stubble in the district. Apart from this, a fine of ~30,000 has been imposed on farmers for not listening to the department and burning the stubble. According to information, 25 teams have been constituted which remain vigilant day and night to ensure that there is no farm fire case in Nawanshahr. The officials have been claiming that the actual number of stubble burning cases is way lower than 170. “Some cases are related to other burning incidents. We have a team of officials from our own department and other departments,” said Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Gurdev Singh. Balachaur and Saroya blocks have reported hard- Actual figure less, claim Agriculture Department officials ACTING TOUGH The police have already lodged 2 FIRs against farmers for burning stubble in the district. Apart from this, a fine of ~30,000 has been imposed on farmers for not listening to the department and burning the stubble. ly one or two stubble burning cases and a majority of the incidents have been reported from Nawanshahr, Banga and Aur blocks. Districts like Jalandhar and Kapurthala are recording higher number of cases in comparison to Nawanshahr. Jalandhar had recorded 786 stubble burning cases till yesterday. Cops crack down on gambling Adopt zero tolerance towards farm fires: DC Arrest 22 persons, recover ~2.88L from their possession Asks officials to carry out joint patrolling along with cops in hotspots THIEVES FLEE WITH CASH, JEWELLERY Jalandhar, November 8 In a major crackdown on illegal gambling, the CIA staff of the city police formed various teams and conducted raids, resulting in the arrest of 22 persons. The operation was conducted in areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Police Commissionerate, aimed at quelling unlawful practices, including lottery and gambling, ahead of Diwali. Police officials said 16 persons were arrested during a raid at a house near Babrik Chowk, while six persons were arrested from a house at MAN HELD FOR BREWING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Mehat Pur police have arrested a person on the charge of brewing illicit country-made liquor. Investigating officer Dawinder Singh said the suspect had been identified as Gursharan Singh, a resident of Baghela village. As many as 150 litres of lahan (raw liquor), utensils for brewing and storing the liquor were recovered from the suspect. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered against the suspects. OC FILE PHOTO Tribune News Service Phagwara: The Nakodar city police have booked unidentified persons on the charge of stealing cash and jewellery from a house. Madan Gopal, a resident of Mohalla Jain, Nakodar, complained to the police that thieves barged into his house by breaking open locks on November 2 and stole cash and gold jewellery. Investigating officer Hans Raj said a case under Section 379 of the IPC had been registered. OC RAIDS AT HOUSES Police officials said 16 persons were arrested during a raid at a house near Babrik Chowk, while six persons were arrested from a house at Bhargo Camp. They said an amount of ~2.88 lakh and four sets of playing cards were recovered from them. Bhargo Camp. They said an amount of ~2.88 lakh and four sets of playing cards were recovered from them. Those arrested have been identified as Ram Saroop, Bharat Bhushan, Sham Lal, Saurav, Bunty, Jagdish, Vinod, Jatinder, Pawan, Avlal, Amandeep, Sunil, Himanshu, Rajinder, Subhash, Surinderpal, Suraj, Rinku, Sonu, Sudesh, Lalit and Ramesh. They have been booked under Sections 13, 3 and 67 of the Punjab Gambling Act. The officials said further investigations were on into the matter. They were also conducting raids to arrest other persons involved in the illegal practices. Truck driver dies in road mishap Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 8 A truck driver died on the spot after his vehicle rammed into a stationary canter from the rear near Chachoki village on the national highway here today. The deceased has been identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of Imban Kala village, Chativand police station, Amritsar Rural district. Jasbir Singh, in-charge of the Industrial Area police post, said the truck was on its way to Ludhiana from Amritsar. When the truck reached Chachoki village, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a stationary canter. Both vehicles were badly damaged in the mishap. The police have registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279 and 427 of the IPC. Forest Dept official caught taking ~30K bribe FILE PHOTO Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 8 A team of the state Vigilance Bureau today nabbed Sukhminder Singh Hira, regional manager, Punjab Forest Department, Phillaur, redhanded while accepting a bribe of ~30,000. Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the state Vigilance Bureau said the official had been ❞ Dr HJ Singh, CHEST SPECIALIST & BRONCHOSCOPIST 170 stubble-burning spots identified in Nawanshahr arrested on a complaint lodged by forest contractor Balkar Singh, a resident of Kalas Kalan village, Ludhiana district. He said the complainant approached the economic offences wing (EOW), VB, Ludhiana, and alleged that the forest official was demanding ~35,000 as bribe in lieu of axing trees under a tender allotted to his firm. The complainant said Sukhminder threatened him that no such tender would be allotted to him in future if he did not pay the bribe. The complainant alleged that the official took ~5,000 as first instalment and was demanding the remaining amount. The spokesperson said after a preliminary investigation, a VB team from the EOW, Ludhiana, laid a trap and nabbed the official while accepting a bribe of ~30,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the suspect. Further investigations were on in the case. c m y b Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 8 Calling for strict enforcement to ensure that now there are no farm fire cases in Jalandhar, Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal today directed administration officials to adopt zero tolerance towards stubble burning and carry out joint patrolling along with cops in hotspots. Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar, SSP Jalandhar (Rural), ordered all Station House Officers (SHOs) to step out of the police stations and keep a tight roundthe-clock vigil on fields. Meanwhile, rural police teams also began visits and special monitoring drives to check stubble burning in villages. They also started a social media campaign posting messages on the social media handles of the police asking citizens and farmers to Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal and SSP (Rural) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar hold a meeting with SDMs, DSPs and SHOs in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH abstain from burning stubble. Following the directions of the apex court to stop stubble burning forthwith, the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP held a joint meeting with all SDMs, DSPs and SHOs in the District Administrative Complex. The Deputy Commissioner said: “Eighty-five per cent of the paddy harvesting was already over in the district. We all need to give major focus on the areas where farmers are yet to harvest their crops”. He said cluster officers were already moving in such villages. The presence of cops along with them would send a strong message. Joint patrolling by civil and police officials would effectively deter the people from burning the residue. He asked them to take all measures, including preventive action, against the violators. Sarangal asked them to hold meetings with sarpanches, also conduct foot marches in the areas where harvesting was yet to be carried out and make public announcements through gurdwaras, temples and other places. He said this would help in effective monitoring and prevention of farm fires. He said as per directions of the apex court, SHOs would be held accountable if any farm fire incident was witnessed in their areas, and they must give priority to prevent any case. The SHOs must implement a beat system effectively to curtail the farm fires. Prominent among those present on the occasion included ADCs Varinder Pal Singh Bajwa, Jasbir Singh and Major Dr Amit Mahajan. SADE BUZURG, SADA MAAN Give priority to senior citizens in govt offices: Minister Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 8 Local Bodies Minister Balkar Singh on Wednesday directed officials to give preference to the elderly in government offices so that they do not face any problem. Presiding over a districtlevel ‘Sade Buzurg, Sada Maan’ event at Gandhi Vanita Ashram organised by Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, Minister Balkar Singh said population of the elderly was an asset to the nation and by seeking guidance from their experiences, one can take society in the right direction. He said that it was one’s Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh felicitates elderly persons at Gandhi Vanita Ashram in Jalandhar on Wednesday. PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH moral responsibility to respect senior citizens. The minister said the Punjab Government was committed to the welfare of the elderly and had launched several programmes for them. He also asked officials to ensure that the elderly get the benefit of schemes through proper awareness. During the programme, the department also felicitated elders above 80 years of age and distributed senior citizen cards besides handing over pension sanction letters. Further, 650 senior citizens were enrolled under various schemes. A health camp was held and medical examination of the senior citizens carried out. Free medicines were also distributed on the occasion. District Social Security Officer Manjinder Singh said that a total of 2.22 lakh elders were getting the benefit of various schemes in the district. Chairperson, Punjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation, Rajwinder Kaur Thiara was among those present on the occasion.