11032024-JTR-01.qxd 11-03-2024 00:24 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HC JUDGE VISITS GURDASPUR JAIL, INTERACTS WITH INMATES INTERNATIONAL DRUG CARTEL: 9 MORE LAND IN POLICE NET ACTRESS PRIYANKA CHOPRA CHEERS FOR NITA AMBANI Mahabir Singh Sindhu, Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge, visited the Gurdaspur Central Jail. P2 The police have arrested nine more smugglers and 22 kg opium has been seized from their possession. P3 Nita Ambani honoured with ‘Beauty with a Purpose Humanitarian Award’ at the 71st Miss World finale.P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 25°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 24°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET MONDAY 6:28 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:35 AM » MONDAY | 11 MARCH 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF HIT BY SPEEDING CAR, BIKER DIES Rail traffic hit, passengers a harried lot Farmers sit on tracks, halt trains at Jalandhar Cantonment railway station RAIL ROKO AGITATION Tribune News Service Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked an unidentified vehicle driver on charges of causing death by negligence, rash driving and mischief. Jasjit Singh, a resident of Sadik Pur village, told the police that the suspect, who was driving the car rashly and negligently, hit a motorcycle being driven by his father Satam Singh on the evening of March 8. He died in the road mishap. A case under Sections 279 (rash driving on a public road), 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 427 (mischief) of the IPC has been registered. OC 6 BOOKED FOR ILLEGAL MINING Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked a former woman sarpanch and five others for illegally selling earth. The suspects had been identified as Sarabjit Kaur, former sarpanch of Narang Pur village, Ranjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Shital Singh, Gurmukh Singh, and Balwant Singh, all residents of the same village. Baldev Singh, secretary of the Narang Pur village gram panchayat, told the police that the suspects were excavating earth illegally using a JCB machine and selling it. A case under Section 21 of the Punjab Mining Act has been registered against the suspects. OC MAN ARRESTED UNDER MINING ACT Phagwara: The Shahkot Bilga police have arrested a Hoshiarpur resident on the charge of illegal sand mining. The suspect has been identified as Sukhjinder Singh, alias Sukha, a resident of Ghorre Waha village falling under the Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur. Investigating officer Kashmir Singh said the suspect was indulging in illegal sand mining and selling it on fake slips. A case under Sections 420 (cheating) and 379 (theft) of the IPC and Section 21 of the Punjab Mining Act has been registered against the suspect. The police also impounded a tipper loaded with illegal sand and a mobile phone. OC 2 TRAVEL AGENTS BOOKED FOR FRAUD Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked two travel agents for allegedly duping a person of ~3.56 lakh on the pretext of sending his relative abroad. The suspects have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Aujla village falling under the Bilga police station, and his brother Gaurav Kumar. Vinoj Kumar, a resident of Sidham Mustadi village, told the Jalandhar (rural) Senior Superintendent of Police that he paid ~3.56 to the suspects to facilitate his relative’s migration to Canada. The suspects neither sent him abroad, nor returned the money. A case under Sections 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC has been registered against the suspects. OC Jalandhar, March 10 Hundreds of passengers had a harrowing time due to the farmers’ rail roko agitation at the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station here today. Protesting farmers sat on railway tracks and blocked several trains. Rail traffic remained affected on the JalandharAmritsar and JalandharPhillaur-Ludhiana route from 12 pm to 4 pm. Train services resumed only after farmers lifted the dharna. New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi and Humsafar Special Express from Amritsar to Jay Nagar remained stranded for three hours at the Jalandhar Cantt railway station. While New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi remained stranded at the station from 12.30 pm to 4 pm, Humsafar Express remained stranded from 12.05 pm to 4 pm. Passengers remained a Clockwise from top: Farmers hold a protest; passengers wait for trains at a platform; and protesters block rail tracks at the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH Over 2K plaints solved at 2-day Samadhan camps Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Samadhan camps organised by the city police got an overwhelming response from public. Around 2,000 complaints were resolved on the spot during the twoday camp. Divulging details, Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said these camps were organised to address the complaints of people. The camps held at police stations and police posts on March 9 and 10. Sharma said these camps would be held on weekends from 10 am to 2 pm. ADCPs and ACPs would be stationed at each police station and police post to supervise and ensure smooth operation of this campaign. ~65 lakh given to villages for development works Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Local Bodies Minister Balkar Singh said the Punjab Government would develop villages on par with cities to uplift the living standards of more than 70 per cent population of the state. While distributing grants worth ~65 lakh to various villages for development works here today, the minister said the Punjab Government had chalked out a comprehensive plan to provide all basic facilities such as sewerage, street lights, drinking water and quality health and education to people. Talking to people at Jalowal and Mumandpur villages, the minister reviewed the facilities provided to them during “Aap di Sarkar, Aap de Dwar camps”. He also asked officials of departments concerned to personally monitor the development works. MP Rinku writes to Railway Minister Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 MP Sushil Kumar Rinku today appealed to the Railway Minister to expedite the ongoing construction work of five limited height subways, also known as underpasses, at PhagwaraPhillaur, Bhattian-Phillaur and Phillaur-Ludhiana railway crossings. The MP has written a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav to speed up the pace of these projects. Rinku said the subways at these five crossings would provide much-need- Seeks speedy construction of underpasses ed relief to people. He said these subways would ease traffic, thereby providing relief to thousands of commuters who use these roads to travel between Jalandhar, Phillaur, Phagwara and Ludhiana. Rinku said a large number of people had to wait for long due to the closure of these crossings. These subways would ensure smooth and hassle-free passage to commuters. harried lot due to the protest. However, some also expressed solidarity with the farmers. Balbir Singh, a passenger, said: “People have to face inconvenience due to the protest.” A woman passenger said, “Though we face trouble, we will have to cooperate with farmers.” The rail blockade was held on a call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha in solidarity with the protesting farmers. Organisations such as BKU Sidhpur, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and Bharti Kisan Union Doaba took part in the protest today. Salwinder Singh Jania, leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said: “The success of the farmers’ “Delhi Chalo march” is necessary to ensure guaranteed MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and employment for labourers. So, we held a protest in solidarity with them.” Immigration firms continue to violate norms, admn oblivious Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Despite the significant scandals involving Brijesh Mishra that ensnared several Punjabi students in legal trouble in Canada, and the recent ‘Donkey flight’ Nicaragua case, it appears that the administration and police have failed to learn any lessons. The immigration firms are openly violating the law, some even operating without a valid licence, right under their nose, yet no action is being taken. After receiving complaints about Japnoor Travels, a travel company with four branches in Jalandhar, the Jalandhar Tribune utilised RTI to obtain information regarding its licensing status, any issued notices, FIR lodged, and related details. It was discovered that the firm’s licence had expired in July 2023, yet it persists in operating without renewal. Furthermore, it was learnt through RTI that a person named Karanpreet Singh, had lodged a complaint against this firm for operating without a licence, and acting on it, the DC office wrote to the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, on September 19, 2023, requesting an investigation and appropriate action (copy is in pos- session of Jalandhar Tribune). Despite this, no action has been taken. It has been eight months since the firm’s licence expired, and it continues to operate without oversight or renewal. In January also, the Jalandhar Tribune covered a report concerning Midwest Immigration Consultant, which was found to be operating despite the suspension of its licence by the district administration the previous year. However, the administration failed to take action in this case as well. Meanwhile, when this correspondent called at the office of Japnoor Travels to speak with its owner, she was informed by the person answering the call that she would relay the message. Surprisingly, upon receiving a call back from the office, the caller declined to disclose his name, resorted to foul language, and evaded answering questions about licence details. Instead, he blamed the administration for failing to renew his licence, asserting that he had already applied for renewal and was entitled to continue operating the business regardless. He boldly stated that he is authorised by the Government of India to operate the business, and was unfazed by any complaints lodged against him and questioned the administration’s rationale for withholding his licence renewal. Upon reporting the incident to SDM Jai Inder, he assured to take stringent action against the travel agent and a thorough investigation into the matter will be conducted. Police, admn in deep slumber From the list obtained from the Government of Punjab’s website, it was learnt that the district administration has a total of 1,602 registered immigration and travel agencies. Of the total 1,602 registered agents, the administration has cancelled the licences of about 254 companies. Surprisingly, despite their licences being cancelled, several of these companies are still active on social media platforms, even though their offices were found closed upon inspection. Some firms were even found operating from their registered office addresses. 4 held for attacking cops, freeing man from custody Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 10 The Nurmahal police have arrested four persons, including three juveniles, on the charges of attacking cops and freeing a person from their custody. The suspects have been identified as Mohamad Sipahi, a resident of Chema Kala village, and his three accomplices, all juveniles. In his statement, Shash Pal Singh, SHO of the Purana Shala police station in Gurdaspur, said the police got a tip-off that a person, identified as Saif Ali, alias Saifu, a resident of Bundala village in Nurmahal, who was wanted in a case of kidnapping, was hiding at Chemma Kalan village. He said after getting information, the police team reached Dera of Mohamad Sai outside Cheema Kalan village and arrested Saif. Shash Pal said when he, along with his team, was returning to Nurmahal, an SUV in which five persons were sitting with sharp weapons intentionally hit a police vehicle. They attacked police personnel and forcibly freed Saifu from police custody. A case under Sections 186, 353, 225, 120-B and 341 of the IPC had been registered. Saifu and Mohamad Sai are absconding. Marathon motivates city residents to vote fearlessly Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 The 15th edition of the CT Half Marathon drew hundreds of participants from the district and nearby areas here today. Held under the theme, “Vote Kar Befikar”, to underscore the significance of voting, the annual sporting extravaganza witnessed participants from all ages. The marathon, stretching from the Shahpur Campus to the Maqsudan Campus, kicked off with a flag-off ceremony by notable figures, including super-centenarian marathon runner Fauja Singh, business stalwart and social activist Sukhi Bath, Punjab’s singing sensation Yuvraj Hans and Zora Randhawa. After completing the 21-km route, the marathon culminated at the Maqsudan Campus, where the closing ceremony witnessed performances by Punjab singer Singha, Raaj Sohal among others. Rohit clinched the top spot in the male category, followed by Sonu Kushwah and Manjit Singh. Arpita emerged victorious in the female category, followed by Rimpi and Ruhi. The winners were given cash prizes of ~25,000, ~11,000 and ~5,100 respectively, along with other rewards. As many as 14 other runners were also felicitated for their performances. Manbir Singh, managing Director of CT Group, expressed gratitude to all participants, sponsors and supporters for their contribution to the success of the event. He urged everyone to exercise their voting rights fearlessly, emphasising the enduring spirit of sportsmanship and community engagement showcased during the Half Marathon. Olympian Gurjit to captain Punjab women’s hockey team Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Olympian Gurjit Kaur has been appointed as the captain of the Punjab women’s hockey team that will participate in the 14th Hockey India Senior Women’s National Hockey Championship. The championship will be organised by Hockey India in Pune, Maharashtra. The women’s hockey team of Punjab was selected in the selection trials held at Olympian Surjit Hockey Sta- c m y b Punjab women's hockey team with selection committee members in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH dium in Jalandhar. Giving information, Hockey Punjab president Nitin Kohli and general secretary Amrik Singh Powar said the selection committee, including Olympian Hardeep Singh, Olympian Sanjeev Kumar, international player Ripudaman Kumar Singh, international player Amandeep Kaur and Parminder Kaur, finalised the team. International player Baljit Kaur has been made the vice-captain of the team. The team members include goalkeeper Yogita Bali, goalkeeper Rashanpreet Kaur, defender Gurjit Kaur, Priyan- ka, Shreya Mishra, midfielder Jyotika Kalsi, Shalu Mann, Preeti, Antim, Mithali, Kamalpreet Kaur, forwards Devika Sen, Baljeet Kaur, Taranpreet Kaur, Kirandeep Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Navjot Kaur and Sarbdeep Kaur. The team will be coached by international player Daljit Singh Dhillon, manager Amandeep Kaur, Asian Games medallist, and assistant coach Gurpreet Singh (Railways). The team will play its first match against Rajasthan on March 15.