25012024-ATR-01.qxd 1/25/2024 12:41 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune CENTRE’S GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATE COACHING INSTITUTES CRITICISED The Punjab unit of the Coaching Federation of India criticised the Central Government guidelines concerning private institutes.P2 » SHRUTI HAASAN TO STAR IN INDO-UK CO-PRODUCTION CHENNAI STORY Shruti said: “Hailing from Chennai, a story showing the diversity and uniqueness of Chennai is so special to me.” P3 FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 12°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 9°C | MIN 6°C VIDISHA SRIVASTAVA SHARES HER MAKEUP MANTRA IN THE SHOW Vidisha Srivastava, who portrays Anita in the sitcom Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, has elaborated on her makeup & styling in show.P4 » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.53 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:16 AM » THURSDAY | 25 JANUARY 2024 | AMRITSAR Drug smuggler arrested with heroin, arms Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 24 The local CIA staff led by subinspector Charanjit Singh arrested a Thar-borne drug smuggler with heroin, illegal arms, ammunition and drug money from the national highway near Bath crossing on Tuesday. SSP Ashwani Kapur said on Wednesday that the smuggler, had been identified as Novpreet Singh, a resident of Ghanupur Kale, Amritsar district. According to the police, the smuggler was in a Thar bearing registration number PB10 BW-6363 when the police signalled him to stop. The police, during a search, recovered 1.3 kg of heroin, an Australia-made Glock pistol and a country-made pistol with 20 cartridges from the vehicle. The police also recovered Rs 1.07 lakh drug money from smuggler, the SSP said. Smuggler’s vehicle was impounded and a case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and the Arms Act was registered in this connection. The suspect was produced in a court on Wednesday and sent to threeday police remand. Homeless continue to brave chill, avoid night shelters Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 The night temperature has dipped to 4°C and four people have reportedly died of cold at railway stations in the district recently. The district administration is yet to ensure that no homeless person stays out in the night. A large number of homeless people can be seen sitting around bonfires at intersections on the Mall road, the Court road, under railway bridges, at railway station and bus stand and outside gurdwaras, temples and gaushalas. A city resident Anil Vinayak said death of four persons at railway stations in the district within a span of a week due to cold wave showed apathy of the civil administration and the railway authorities towards homeless. The city boasts of sufficient number of night shelters, dharmshalas and religious places. Deaths due to cold were unheard of earlier in the holy city. Officials of the Police People without home spend night along a road near Ram Bagh in Amritsar on Wednesday. SUNIL KUMAR Department associated with shifting homeless to “raen baseras” (night shelters) run by the district administration and its staff said, “Homeless do not like to spend nights at shelter homes which are equipped with all essentials including beds, warm clothing and washrooms. They prefer to stay away from secure and safe environment.” The staff of another night shelter adjoining Gol Bagh, opposite railway station, claimed that around 15 per- sons stayed at the facility during the night, but most of them were visitors who can’t afford a hotel or any other accommodation in the city. They claimed that most homeless, who spend their night on footpaths, were addicted to tobacco and alcohol. Since such activities were prohibited at night shelters, they preferred to stay outside. Besides, people offered cash, blankets and eatables to the homeless on several occasions outside religious shrines and gaushalas, they said. Groups of migrants from Rajasthan and Central India can be spotted at various intersections and Novelty and Income Tax Chowks in the city. They not only beg but forcibly clean windshields of vehicles to get money from occupants. Mostly, small girls and mothers carrying infants beg from commuters. A text message in this regard to Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori did not elicit any response. Punjab Police personnel take a selfie during a full dress rehearsal in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Full dress rehearsal held ahead of R-Day function Security beefed up, flag march held The police carry out a flag march at Hall Bazaar in Amritsar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Amritsar, January 24 Ahead of the district-level Republic Day programme, a full dress rehearsal parade, led by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ghanshyam Thori was held here on Wednesday at Guru Nanak Stadium. Thori performed the ceremony of hoisting the national flag on the occasion. After hoisting the national flag, Thori inspected parade. The flag hoisting ceremony was followed by a march past by men and women contingents of the Punjab Police, Home Guard and police band led by parade commander ACP Khushbir Kaur Chahal. It was followed by presentation of a cultural programme. Thori said Cabinet Minister Aman Arora would be the chief guest on the occasion and unfurl the national flag. He said the attendance of all government officials was mandatory during the function. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, ADCP Harpreet Singh, SDM-I Mankanwal Singh Chahal, SDM-II Nikas Kumar and Assistant Commissioner (General) Gursimran Kaur were present on the occasion. —TNS Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 Security has been tightened in the city ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. The police held a flag march from Hall Gate to Katra Jaimal Singh, Heritage Street, Guru Bazaar and some other parts of the walled city in order to inculcate a sense of security among residents. The police teams from Division E, Division D and Gate Hakima participated in the flag march which was led by Surinder Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Central. Heavy police force has been deployed at important locations in the city while vehicle checking has also been intensified. The police have banned flying of drones and drone cameras near Guru Nanak Stadium where the district administration would be organising the Republic Day celebrations. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Manmohan Singh Aulakh said, “In view of the security reasons, the police have banned flying of drones and drone cameras in the periphery of the stadium.” Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “The police is keeping a close watch on anti-social and criminal elements in order to thwart any untoward incident. The police teams have carried out search operation in hotels and inns.” Bhullar said companies of the Punjab Armed Police had also arrived for providing security during the Republic Day celebrations. Biting cold, fog disrupt normal life; trains cancelled, delayed Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 Amidst intense cold and foggy conditions, several trains were cancelled and many were running behind scheduled time. Amritsar-Nanded Sachkhand Express, which departs from the local railway station at 5:30 am, and AmritsarBilaspur-Chhattisgarh Express, that leaves railway station at 4:10 pm, were cancelled for today and tomorrow. The Amritsar-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus train (CSMT) was also cancelled today. New Delhi-Amritsar Swarna Shatabdi Express arrived 27 minutes late behind its schedule time at 1:57 pm at the Amritsar railway station. Malout resident arrested for rape Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 24 The Tarn Taran Sadar police arrested a rape accused on Tuesday. He raped a teenage minor girl after abducting her on his motorcycle. The police said the suspect was identified as Akashdeep Singh, a resident of Karmian village, falling under the Malout police station in Muktsar district. The police said the suspect abducted the victim on Sunday on his motorcycle and took her to a tubewell room in the Chabal area. The suspect raped the girl in the room. Later, the suspect dropped victim outside her village the next day (Monday). The victim told her family about the incident after which her kin approached the police. Inspector Parmila Rani recorded the victim’s statement. A case under Sections 363, 366 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act was registered against the suspect on Tuesday and he was arrested by the police. Two-wheeler drivers cover faces on a cold Wednesday morning. Thick cover of fog disrupted schedule of several buses as visibility was low in the morning. Commuters also faced trouble while driving on roads. To escape shivering cold, people gathered around bonfires on roadsides to keep Admn marks inquiry into sub-registrar’s role in alleged land fraud case Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 The district administration has marked an inquiry to investigate the role of subregistrar, Amritsar-III, in an alleged land fraud case. The inquiry was marked to Finance Commissioner, Revenue, in this connection. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ghanshyam Thori has suspended a class four employee Gurdhir Singh in the case and issued a charge-sheet to him. Yesterday, Thori wrote to Police Commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar for registering an FIR against several suspects, including a woman, who posed as an Indian Foreign Service Officer for the registry of the said property located at Haer village on the airport road on the basis of forged documents. The property was registered in August last year. Complainant Sudha Bhandari had lodged a complaint with the DC in December 2023. Now, aspirants can file online applications for Agniveer scheme from Feb 8 to 21 ❝For onlinecandidates examination, Tribune News Service No need to fear Canada’s decision to cap study visas: Experts Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 In a move that aims to limit entry into the country through study visa, Canada has announced a cap on granting study visa over the period of next two years. The Canadian government stated that it would cut grant of visas to 35 per cent. Approximately 360,000 study permits would be approved in 2024, according to a statement released by the Canadian government. The news doesn’t come as surprise as in last five years, the country known for its open door policy for international students witnessed a huge increase in international student migration eventually having a direct impact on its resources. While the move as stated by the Canadian authorities is temporary and would protect students’ interests, it seems to have raised concerns among students in India. Keeping in mind panic and rumours among students aspiring for a Canadian visa in the next two years, immigration experts from the city say the Canadian government has taken a right decision. “Canada has seen unprecedented increase in international student migration over the last decade due to ease on visa regulations and open door policy, especially after the post Covid pandemic. The staggering numbers of student visa applications from India alone reached around nine lakh in a year recently,” shared Rajwinder Pal, an immigration industry expert, who has 15 years of experience as an educator. Experts opine that the Canadian Govt has taken right decision. He said, “During October 2022 to October 2023, Canada saw an increase of 1.25 million in its population (approximately 3.42 per cent) triggering a housing crisis, inflation and unemployment. So, the decision to cap international student migration was inevitable and should be seen as a positive step to tackle the growing issues faced by the people there. The cap is only for undergraduate students and not for postgraduate or PhD students.” Pal said, “The move also aims to raise the quality of education in Canada, which saw a decline due to mushrooming of private colleges, who preyed on eager international students during the last five years. These colleges are affiliated with public-run universities. They lure students and charge high fee, but fail to provide quality education or employment. The student visa for all such colleges has been capped. It will encourage students to choose public universities and colleges, which have a scope for full academic growth and job placement.” He said, “Spouse of an undergraduate student will c m y b not get open work permit. This would curb the trend of “contract marriages” in which girls as young as 18 years are married to boys who aspired to migrate to Canada, but could not clear IELTS.” Bikram Chabal, another immigration expert, agreed that the decision should be seen as a step in right direction and would prove beneficial for genuine students. “There is no denying that international students make for a substantial economic growth in Canada. But the current housing and job crisis has put a pressure on students, who have migrated to Canada after taking huge loans. Canada grants 3.64 lakh study visas on an average. The capping will now ensure that there are added filters in place to reduce pressure on its resources,” he said. Amritsar, January 24 The online application process under Agnipath scheme would open from February 8 to 21. This was stated by armed forces officials today while asking aspirants to visit the online portal joinindianarmy.nic.in to file their applications. Colonel Chetan Pande, Recruiting Director, Army Recruitment Office, said that for online examination, candidates would have to pay an examination fee of Rs 250 per applicant. The recruitment of Agniveers for the year 2024-25 would be done in two phases, he said. He said, “The first phase will be an online computerbased written examination (online CEE). The second phase will be a recruitment rally (physical strength, measurement and checking of documentats). It is mandatory for candidates interested in recruitment to register their names on the website.” themselves warm. Footfall of passengers at the railway station was low today. Vendors said only those people ventured out, who had important work, while others avoided travel in the biting cold. will have to pay an examination fee of ~250 per applicant. It is mandatory for candidates interested in recruitment to register their names on the website. ❞ Col Chetan Pande, RECRUITING DIRECTOR The Recruiting Director said aspirants from the districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, who were in the age-group of 17-and-a- halfyear to 21 years and had the requisite educational qualification, could apply for the post. Officials of the district administration said aspirants would be provided free of cost training at C-PYTE institute at Kanjala in Kapurthala district . Officials said aspirants from Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts were eligible for free training provided by the state government. The DC marked a probe to SubDivisional Magistrate-II in this connection. The SDM submitted his report to the DC on January 4 in which he recommended registration of an FIR under the Registration Act 1908 and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Following this, the DC summoned all parties, including private persons, who purchased the land, its original claimant and government officials, for personal hearing in the case. After the hearing, the DC recommended registration of an FIR against Sher Singh, who purchased the land, unknown seller, deed writer Ashwani Kumar and nambardar Rupinder Kaur and James Hans (both witnesses) and Narain Singh, alias Shera, a private person working in the court complex. The DC also pointed out that there was no evidence regarding the involvement of government officials and employees in the fraud. Illegal constructions continue as MC fails to crack the whip Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 24 Despite a report by the vigilance wing of the Local Bodies Department about illegal construction of hotels in the city, a number of illegal as well as new constructions are going on. Last month, a team from the office of the Chief Vigilance Officer of the department conducted a survey of illegal constructions. After staying in Amritsar for two days, the team issued a list of 28 illegally constructed buildings and sought action against them. But out of the 28 listed buildings, only a few were demolished by teams of the municipal town planning (MTP) wing. During the partial action, the MTP wing officials were reportedly under pressure from the influential people, especially political leaders, to stop the demolition of illegal buildings. After this, the MTP wing of the MC retracted over its action against illegal constructions. Ironically, continued on page 2
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