23032024-ATR-01.qxd 3/23/2024 1:01 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 18°C SIX THIEVES ARRESTED IN MALERKOTLA; GOODS SEIZED PUNJAB AGRICULTURE VARSITY PRODUCES SURPLUS SEEDS WORLD WATER DAY: COPS BRIEFED ON CONSERVATION The Malerkotla district police claimed to have arrested six miscreants of two separate gangs. P3 After struggling for two years, Punjab Agricultural University has managed to replenish its seed stocks. P3 The police roped in social organisations to spread awareness about causes of depletion of water table. P3 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.44 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.29 AM SATURDAY | 23 MARCH 2024 | AMRITSAR Over 25% weapons deposited with police, gun houses so far PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 22 Even as the period for depositing arms with the police after the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct in view of the declaration of the LS poll has already elapsed, just over 25 per cent of weapons were deposited with the police or gun houses so far. According to information, around 9,500 licensed weapons were deposited with the police and the gun houses in the city commissionerate as well as in the rural police district since the announcement of the general election to the 18th Lok Sabha. Both City commissionerate and rural police combined have 41,900 arms licensed weapons. The district administration has asked the arms licence holders to deposit their weapons by March 19. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the city police have registered as many as 15,702 weapons of different types. “Around 4,500 licensed weapons were deposited with Three held with illegal arms in separate cases ‘DEPOSIT ARMS TO AVOID UNTOWARD INCIDENT’ The Punjab Police and the district administration are committed to conducting the elections in a free and fair manner and it is necessary that these weapons are deposited in time to avoid any untoward incident during the poll, said the Police Commissioner. the local police till now,” he said, while adding that police officials were reaching out to licence holders to deposit their arms without any further delay else they would face stern action. “The Punjab Police and the district administration are committed to conducting the elections in a free and fair manner and it is necessary that these weapons are deposited in time to avoid any untoward incident during the poll,” he said. Similarly, the rural police have registered 26,237 licensed weapons and out of which around 5,000 arms were deposited so far. Satinder Singh, SSP, Amritsar rural police, said police teams have been making announcements in villages appealing to the arms licence holders to deposit their arms with police station concerned or with gun houses forthwith. Deputy Commissionercum-District Electoral Officer (DEO) Ghanshyam Thori said the district administration would extend the period as the time earlier provided was very short. “We ask the arms licence holders to deposit their weapons within a week or two,” he said. He also directed the guns houses to maintain the records of the arms deposited with them. As per the orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner, the persons with high threat perception as recommended by the police authorities concerned, persons having licences in their official capacity like armed forces, police besides armed security guards of banks and other institutions dealing in cash or precious items were exempted from the prohibitory orders. Tribune News Service The goods seized by the Amritsar police during a CASO operation on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO 3,300-kg lahan, 420 ltrs of illicit liquor seized Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 22 The Amritsar Rural Police carried out a Cordon and Search Operation in Lopoke area here on Friday. During the operation, the police seized a huge quantity of lahan and illicit liquor. The police arrested five persons in this connection, who were booked under the Excise Act. Those arrested were identified as Karam Singh of Khiala Kalan village, Ajay Pal Singh of Bhullar village, Resham Singh of Boparai Khurd vil- lage, Raja Singh and Nishan Singh of Khiala Kalan village, falling under the Lopoke police station here. Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar (Rural), said during the operation, the police seized 3,300 kg of lahan (raw material for manufacturing illicit liquor) and 420 litres of illicit liquor and a running illegal still. The seizure was made on the heels of the hooch tragedy that killed around eight persons in Sangrur district in the past couple of days. Amritsar, March 22 The Ramdass police have arrested William Masih for allegedly possessing a .32 bore revolver from near his house in Pachhiya village here on Friday. His brother Bikram Masih, who has a criminal background, is facing cases, including kidnapping, murder and drug peddling. The police also impounded a luxury vehicle from the spot. The police said they got a tip-off that Bikram Masih, alias Bikar Masih, and his brother were allegedly involved in illegal arms smuggling and drug peddling. Following this, a raid was conducted at their house in Pachhiya village in Ramdass area. Satinder Singh, SSP Amrit, sar (Rural), said police teams found two persons standing near a car. On seeing the police party, one of the accused fled away while another identified as Willam Masih was arrested by the One of the accused in custody of the Amritsar Rural Police on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO police. He said he told the police that the absconder was his brother Bikram Masih. The police registered a case under the Arms Act against him and produced him before a court which sent him to police custody for further investigations. The police recovered a .32 bore revolver along with six live bullets and a Mahindra XUV 300 from the spot. “The revolver was apparently a licensed one, which is Army veteran writes to President, wants Cong leaders hold poll review dignity of soldiers to be maintained Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 22 An armed forces veteran and MD in Microbiology, Maj Dr Sunil Bhardwaj has written a letter to the President after failing to find his name in the list of candidates selected for the post of assistant professor (AP) advertised by the Directorate of Research and Medical Education (DRME) demanding his intervention. Dr Bhardwaj has been denied this post on the grounds that he had not served in rural areas during his service, which is a requisite in case the candidate has not completed his senior residency (SR). As he had completed only one and a half years of SR at the time of applying for the post of AP under the promotional quota from PCMS, Dr Bhardwaj had only two years and three months of service to his Maj Sunil Bhardwaj credit after joining PCMS in September 2009. However, he had served nearly five years in the Indian Army out of which he had served two years and seven months in Kashmir along with the 21 Rashtriya Rifles. As per the service experience certificate issued by the Directorate General Medical Services (Army), his service in Kashmir was classified as service in a remote area. Dr Bhardwaj said at the time of filling of the applica- tions in December 2022, the DRME had raised objections to his eligibility but the Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked it to consider the application. “Now after the selection list was approached on March 15 this year, my name is still missing even though I was on the top in the seniority list prepared by the department for selection of APs. I am being forced to go to court again,” he said. Alleging that the Punjab Government is not concerned about the welfare of armed forces personnel, Bhardwaj said, “As per Punjab Government notification, a Service Selection Commission officer has to be granted advance increments equal to years of service rendered in the armed forces but I had to fight for one and a half years to get the same.” Further discussing his dis- pleasure with governments, he said, “At the time of Covid-19 when I was sent to Muktsar, my salary was not released for 13 months on flimsy grounds.” He said in the letter addressed to the President, he has requested the President, senior armed forces officials and other functionaries of the government to look into the grave matter of disallowing their rightful dues to the veterans of armed forces. “When I was with Rashtriya Rifles for two years and seven months, the medical officer was required to carry a gun and tend to wounded soldiers in the middle of firing in a jungle in Kashmir. Can someone say that was not a rural service. Then I served in Operation Kosi Prahar, a national calamity in Bihar in the year 2008. If that too cannot be considered a service in a rural area,” said Dr Bhardwal New DC has his task cut out in border district Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, March 22 The new Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vishesh Sarangal will have his hands full in grappling with the problems that this district is beset with. Every DC in the last 15 years has had his own agenda of development. When they were shifted, some had excellent results to show while others faded into oblivion after making below-par efforts. All eyes are now on the new incumbent. Residents say they are sure he must be wellversed with the principle of Archimedes’ lever which says: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I shall move the world.” In other words, if a DC is given proper facilities and is surrounded by a suitable work environment, he can change the face of this border district. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vishesh Sarangal Sarangal joined office today in the morning. The first and foremost challenge for the new incumbent is the repair, re-carpeting and reconstruction of the perennially decrepit 25 km stretch of the Gurdaspur-Mukerian road. Rs 18 crore has already been sanctioned for this project. Such is its condition that commuters often have to take their vehicles for wheelrealignment once they have travelled on it. Such is its reputation that residents, on more than one occasion, have demanded a probe. They say the focus of the inquiry should be on how many times the road has been repaired by the PWD in the last 20 years and how much money has been spent on it. The DC will have to go full throttle ahead in this venture keeping in view its strategic importance. The Tibri cantonment is located on this road. Cane farmers use this stretch to take their produce to sugar-mills. Significantly, it links Gurdaspur to Hoshiarpur and Chandigarh. Politically speaking, Sarangal will have to be on the same page with AAP leader and Halqa in-charge of Gurdaspur Raman Bahl. Any misunderstanding between the two will have the potential to jeopardise development projects. On the contrary, if the two work in harmony, together they can negate the thinking that nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget. Out of a total of seven assembly seats this district has, five are represented by Congress MLAs. The new officer will have to play the trapeze artist to near perfection if he has to keep the Opposition MLAs in good humour. Many of these legislators are in the habit of using language that will not exactly be music to the ears of the officer. Villagers, for whom change is anathema, will have to be told that the changes they dread the most may have their salvation inherent in it. Ex-DC Himanshu Aggarwal had started the concept of ‘Abaad camps’ in border villages. This meant the entire district administration machinery is shifted to a particular village near the continued on page 2 c m y b Tarn Taran, March 22 Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Lok Sabha Member, have called upon Congress workers to unite to defeat forces creating hatred in society and work for people’s welfare. The Congress leaders were here today to address party workers. The meeting was convened by Hrithik Arora, state senior vice-president, NSUI Punjab. The leaders said that the hollow claims about the honesty of senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders had been exposed with corruption cases being slapped against them. The party leaders also shared views on how to motivate the cadres on the ground level. — OC Film screenings at Majha House rooted in sub-continental turmoil Movies by Anam Abbas, Bani Singh highlight shared pain Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 22 The second day of Majha House Literature, Performance and Film Festival hosted two short film screenings at Thakar Singh Art Gallery in collaboration with Film South Asia. The two films, one by Pakistani filmmaker Anam Abbas, ‘The Stained Dawn’ (Yeh Daagh Daagh Ujala) and the other, an award winning homage from a daughter to her father, Bani Gill’s ‘Taangh’ (Longing), had narratives that highlighted a shared pain and perspective on things common to both sides of the border in this part of the world, woven with intensity. The screenings are part of Travelling Film South Asia, a mobile festival which globally hosts screenings of films on tour by acclaimed filmmakers from across the South Asian continent. The festival was opened by Kanak Mani Dixit, eminent Nepali author, editor and publisher, who said that instead of dividing ourselves through geo-political borders, we must see each other as fellow South Asian citizen, showing empathy and celebrating shared history. ‘This Stained Dawn’ by Anam Abbas, a documentary about Karachi’s feisty, spirited women activists, who organise an Aurat March, which has now become a movement against patriarchy and social-political injustice Author and editor Kanak Mani Dixit and (right) Bani Singh at the art gallery in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR against women in Pakistan, opens with a dialogue on how her country goes through a repeated nightmare, never learning from it once. It follows a group of women, students, human rights activists, lawyers and average citizens, as they negotiate through the dangers and risks of organising the Aurat March, amidst threats from far right religious groups and a politically risky climate in their country. Right from conducting doorto-door visits to engage more women, discussing their demands and negotiating with the security agencies, these women encounter prejudice, backlash and turmoil, but never give up. The issues raised through the documentary regarding crime and violence against women, suppression in the name of religion, and economic equality, have been major triggers for the beginning of Aurat March, a movement that started in 2018. By 2024, it has expanded to 11 cities of Pakistan. The second film, ‘Taangh’ by Bani Singh, is a homage from Bani to her father Grahnandan ‘Nandy’ Singh, Olympian hockey champion, who was part of the gold winning team in 1948. Against the backdrop of Partition, Bani traces the roots of her father, when he migrated from Lahore after Partition to his winning an Olympic gold in 1948. The film shows the trauma the family went through during riots in 1947, the quest to build a new life by her father and the longing that remained till the last, to go back to the place that was once his home. It also celebrates independent India’s first hockey team win against England, the erstwhile colonial power, to win the gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Bani documented interviews, profiles of her father’s team-mates, his friends that remained in Pakistan and how his life was impacted throughout because of the Partition. The film won the Best Film Award at Film South Asia 2022, and has been showcased in Pakistan. either snatched or stolen. We were verifying its details,” said the SSP . According to the police, Bikram Masih faced around five criminal cases, including of kidnapping, murder and robbery. He had recently come out on bail. The SSP said raids were on to nab him. Meanwhile, the Kathunangal police have arrested Dilbagh Singh, alias Baga, of Talwandi Dasaundha Singh continued on page 2 IT Dept sets up control room to check illegal cash flow LS ELECTIONS Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 22 The Income Tax Department has issued a toll-free number to prevent the use of black money during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. District Election Officercum-Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori stated here on Friday that the Income Tax Department has been given the responsibility by the Election Commission as a nodal agency to prevent the misuse of black money, hawala cash etc during the elections. For this purpose, the Income Tax Department has established a 24X7 control room at Aayakar Bhawan, Sector 17-E in Chandigarh. Its toll-free number is 18001802141 and WhatsApp number is 7589166713. The control room will hear complaints regarding black money, hawala cash flow etc in the elections. Meanwhile, under the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme, a cycle rally was held to make voters aware of their right to franchise at DAV College, Hathi Gate, on Friday. Barinderjit Singh, Nodal Officer, SVEEP Amritsar , Central, said that students of nine colleges and institutes under the Central Government downloaded the voter helpline app. In addition, students over 18 years old took an oath to cast their votes without caste discrimination, greed or religious affinity. They vowed to vote impartially, without any pressure. The app was also downloaded by 1,500 learners on the occasion. Encouraging the students, he said that the right to vote has great importance in a democratic system and it is very important for all of us to be aware of this.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
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