22022024-ATR-01.qxd 2/22/2024 12:43 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune MALERKOTLA AUTHORITIES GEAR UP FOR LS ELECTIONS RAKUL PREET SINGH, JACKKY BHAGNANI TIE THE KNOT Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani tied the knot on Wednesday in a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony.P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 21°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C CELEBS CONDOLE DEATH OF RADIO PERSONALITY SAYANI The district administration has pulled up socks for smooth conduct of elections at polling booths. P3 FORECAST Legendary radio personality Ameen Sayani passed away due to a heart attack late on Tuesday. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6.22 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7.05 AM » THURSDAY | 22 FEBRUARY 2024 | AMRITSAR Train service to be affected tomorrow City gets makeover as Rangla Punjab set to kick off on Friday Tribune News Service Event part of state’s bid to pitch City as tourist destination Amritsar, February 21 The New Delhi-Amritsar (12497) and Amritsar-New Delhi (12498) Shan-e-Punjab will be short terminated and originated due to construction work between the Sahnewal-Amritsar section for a day on February 23. A release issued here on Wednesday by Northern Railway informed that owing to construction of a limited height subway (LHS) between Phagwara-Goraya, which falls on the SahnewalAmritsar route in Ferozepur Division, the decision was taken to execute the work. The Amritsar railway station. Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 21 Several spots in city are getting a makeover once again as part of preparations for the highly advertised Rangla Punjab festival, being hosted by Punjab government to promote state as a global tourist destination. The MC has initiated work on drawing and paintings depicting Punjabi heritage on the walls along several prominent places in the city, just the way it got a facelift ahead of the G20 summit last year. MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh said that civic body officials were continuously making efforts to make the fair a success as directed by the Punjab government. He said that murals and wall paintings are part of Punjabi heritage, which is now being highlighted through Rangla Punjab. “During the earlier days, whenever there was a wedding or any other happy event in the house, the walls of the houses were decorated with beautiful paintings and the tradition is being followed by the present Unions condemn use of tear gas shells on farmers at Shambhu Say Central Government trying to use force to gag their voice Tribune News Service A special painting on the wall of a government building in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR generation,” he said. Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh, under whose leadership the mural carving team is working, said that in this form of art, they have Punjabi heritage along with Punjabi instruments, Punjabi dialects, flowers and Punjabi culture. Surinder Singh said that mainly the walls of government buildings adjacent to the road have been selected for the makeover. Rangla Punjab, which begins on February 23, will feature concerts by Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh, Punjabi artists Kulwinder Billa, Bir Singh, Kanwar Grewal and others at various tourist places like Heritage Street, Gobindgarh Fort, etc. Amritsar, February 21 Even as the protest by various farmer unions, members of which have not yet gone to participate in the Delhi march, continues outside the residences of district BJP leaders and at three toll plazas in the district, the widespread use of tear gas shells and rubber bullets on their counterparts at Haryana borders has angered the community in large. The farmers, who are associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and have not yet moved towards Delhi as their respective unions stated that their unions were not in favour of the Delhi march, strongly condemned the use of violent means to stop farmers from reaching Delhi. Kuljeet Singh Malawali, a farmer, said, “The farmers who are not associated with any union too are sad and Farmers under the banner of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugraha) protest in front of the residences of two local BJP leaders at Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR angry as the government has tried to use force to gag the voice of dissidents instead of accepting their genuine demands.” Singh said the violence would only result in increasing the number of protesters at the agitation site.” Gurnam Singh, another farmer, said, “A farmer was allegedly killed and many dozens others were injured. This has been done by a democratically elected government.” He said if the government was not ready to fulfill the demands, it should not have made such promises in the first place. Meanwhile, the protest by the farmer unions associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Mor- cha continues outside the residences of BJP leaders Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna and Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala. The protest at the three toll plazas — Kathunagal, Manawala and Chiddan — has been continued since February 17 as the farmers have made these free for the commuters. Ration depot holders ask govt Tutor robbed of ~10K, Minister ETO inaugurates work on to return their EPoS machines gold earrings by two upgrading Ajnala power substation Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 21 Members of the Amritsar Depot Holders Union have served a seven-day ultimatum to the government to return their EPoS (electronic point of sale) machines for smooth distribution of food grain from their depots. These EPoS machines were taken away to run the government’s Ghar Ghar Muft Ration (doorstep ration delivery) scheme. A beneficiary can avail the ration from the fair shop only after registering on the EPoS. Holding a protest led by union president Sanjeev Kumar outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday, the depot holders alleged that these biometric machines were taken away to run the government’s ambitious scheme over two Amritsar, February 21 The Kamboh police have booked a girl and her boyfriend for allegedly robbing a tutor in Madan Lal Dhingra Colony located on Ram Tirath Road here. The complainant, Deepika Sharma (23), alleged that the accused robbed her gold ear rings, ~10,000 cash and a pair of tops by brandishing a sharp-edged weapon. Both are absconding. The police have registered a case in this regard. According to police, her friend was identified as Suneha, a resident of Kot Khasa area, who was accompanied by an unknown youth during the incident. The victim told the police that at around 3.30pm on Tuesday, she was alone in Members of the Amritsar Depot Holders’ Union hold a protest outside the DC office in Amritsar on Wednesday. VISHAL KUMAR months ago. Sanjeev Kumar termed the ambitious doorstep ration delivery scheme to ensure hassle-free delivery of ration to the beneficiaries a damp squib. He said the beneficiaries were harassing them to release the ration after learn- ing online about the availability of stocks while they cannot do so in the absence of EPoS machines. The union president said machines taken away from them have been released to smart shops being run by continued on page 2 the house when Suneha along with a youth came to her house. She alleged that the youth put a knife on her neck and threatened to hand over whatever she had. Suneha took out his ear rings and the cash from her purse. The youth broke the locks of the trunk and took out a pair of tops before fleeing. ASI Manjit Singh, investigating officer in the case, said the police were analyzing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the area, but due to its poor quality it was of no use for the police. “The accused could be seen in the CCTV footage, but the picture became blurred when expanded, creating proper identification problem,” he said, while adding that a probe was on. Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 21 The power substation at Ajnala would be upgraded from 66 KV to 220 KV at a cost of ~35 crore. This was stated by PWD and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO while inaugurating the work of upgrading the station on Wednesday. The minister said the sub-station was being upgraded in view of the increased demand for electricity for commercial and residential use. He said the station was set up in 1968 and was never upgraded due to which people had to face long power cuts and other problems. “The new station would be able to provide an uninterrupted power supply to consumers,” he said. Harbhajan Singh said he Two nabbed with Five-day Amritsar Sahit Utsav begins eight stolen bikes Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, February 21 The Khalra police have busted a gang involved in vehicle lifting by arresting two members of a gang on Monday from border area Dall village. Eight stolen bikes have been seized on the information given by the arrested gang members. ASI Gurnam Singh who arrested the gang members said here on Tuesday that the gang members have been identified as Varinder Singh and Vijay Singh, residents of Van Tara Singh village. The ASI said the accused were arrested from Dall village with a stolen bike and the accused informed that they had some more stolen bikes with them. The accused informed that they had stolen the bikes from different places. The accused used to sell these at The accused in custody of the Tarn Taran police. GURBAXPURI cheaper rates to innocent people. A case under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC has been registered against the accused, who were produced in a court on Wednesday and the court sent them on two day police remand. The ASI said the recovery of more stolen bikes was expected during the interrogation. Amritsar, February 21 Punjabi singer and Lok Sabha MP Hans Raj Hans today called upon the youth to make books an indispensable part of their lives. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of Amritsar Sahit Utsav-2024 at Khalsa College here today, he also shared his own experience in the company of book spoke of how they had enriched his musical recitals. He described books as a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom that show one the path to live a meaningful life as envisaged by the Gurus and saints. “Books changed my life’s vision. It changed my way of presenting my singing. So, please read books and achieve big goals in life,” he said while lauding the efforts of Khalsa College in organising such book fairs. The Sufi music exponent along with Khalsa College Governing Council honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, opened the five-day lit- Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans (C), RMS Chhina, Dr Mehal Singh and others at Khalsa College in Amritsar on Wednesday. SUNIL KUMAR erature and cultural festival that saw the presence of several eminent names associated with Punjabi literature, including Brijender Dhahan from Canada, Sukhi Batth from Punjab Bhavan (Surrey), Canada, Dr Ajaib Singh Chatha, Chairperson, Global Punjabi Conference, Canada and others. Hans Raj Hans, while mentioning the International Mother Language Day that is celebrated annually on February 21, also spoke about how such liter- c m y b ary festivals and cultural events are important for promoting and preserving the Punjabi language. “Punjabi is our Maa Boli and when we move away from it, it takes away from our personality and that is never compensated. While it is mandatory today to imbibe diverse cultures and languages, it is also important to remain true to one’s mother tongue and not forget about it,” he said. Earlier in his presidential remarks, Chhina urged youth to imbibe the ‘book culture’. “In this era of computers and smartphones, we are getting away from books. Reading is a mental exercise and we all must adhere to good books,” he said. More than 110 publishers from various parts of the country have set up their book stalls at the festival. Books on diverse and unique subjects in various languages are available for the book lovers. The festival was off to a popular start with music and dance marking the first day of the event. The programme ‘Suran Dee Mehfal’ and poetry session ‘Nari Man De Gavan’ attracted the artists and audience. Day 1 culminated with a soulful singing performance by singer Bani Johal. Principal Dr Mehal Singh said that the literary festival has become an annual affair attracting artists, litterateurs and writers from across the country. A new edition of Punjabi Research Journal, ‘Samvad’ and a new book ‘Nankaana Sahib De Shaheed’ were released during the programme. Cabinet Ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal during the inauguration of the substation in Ajanala on Wednesday. had been frequently apprised of the power supply situation in the area, so it was decided to upgrade the system. Once upgraded, the new station would help nearly 115 villages of the area. He added that a new 18-km long transmission line would be set up. “The poor supply of electricity troubled residents. This is the reason why the area has no industrial units as the supply was erratic,” said the minister. On the occasion, Vardeep Singh Mander, Director (Technology), Satinder Sharma, Chief Engineer (Border Zone), Sanjiv Sood and other senior officials of PSPCL were also present. More women poets in Punjabi now, says Dhahanprizefounder Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 21 In an engaging session on Dhahan Prize, Punjabi fiction in global context and women in Punjabi literature, Brijinder Dhahan, founder of the prestigious Dhahan prize in Punjabi literature, said that Punjabi language and literature is witnessing a new wave, with contemporary writers, especially women, excelling in the field. He said that the fact that last two winners of the Dhahan prize were women writers and poets from Charda and Lehnda Punjab is a testimony to this uprising. The session titled ‘Naari Mann Da Gahan’, dwelt on women in Punjabi literature, telling their stories through narratives that derive from their social history as well as contemporary times. The ses- sion was moderated by famous poet Artinder Sandhu, and was followed by poetry recitals by popular upcoming women Punjabi poets. Dhahan, a Canadian entrepreneur, instituted the prize after his native village Dhahan in 2013. The Dhahan prize is awarded to three best works of fiction in Punjabi, penned in Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi scripts and honours talent from both Charda and Lehnda Punjab, while also being open to writers from across the world. It involves the highest prize money featuring in a literary award in South Asia, as it gives away 45,000 Canadian dollars to three writers with 25,000 Canadian dollars for the winner and two 10,000 Canadian dollar prize for the runners-up. In terms of prestige, its popularly has gained the status of a Booker Prize in Punjabi literature.
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