31032024-ATR-01.qxd 3/31/2024 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune RAILWAY BOARD MEMBER INSPECTS RCF KAPURTHALA HATHAWAY’S FLOWERVALE STREET TO RELEASE IN 2025 Director & writer David Robert Mitchell’s mysterious new feature film has finally got a release date and a title.P4 CLEAR SKY MAX 28°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 29.5°C | MIN 19.1°C DILJIT SHARES HILARIOUS BTS VIDEO FROM CHAMKILA Satish Kumar, member, traction and rolling stock, Railway Board, visited Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. P2 FORECAST The BTS video is from the last day of shooting schedule of Diljit’s co-actor in the film, Parineeti Chopra. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 6:49 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:19 AM » SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | AMRITSAR Farmers protest ‘dissolution’ of market panels MC sets record, collects Say will not allow AAP candidates to enter villages | A group leaves for Shambhu border ~37 crore property tax Tribune News Service Protesters burn an effigy of the CM at Golden Gate; and (right) a group of farmers on their way to join the protest at Shambhu Border, in Amritsar. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 Up in arms against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government for allegedly dissolving at least 26 market committees in Punjab, the farmers burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and threatened that party candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections would not be allowed to enter villages. Led by Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC) general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, the farmers accused the AAP government of backstabbing farmers. Pandher said the government had dissolved 26 market committees, which would affect hundreds of dana mandis. “With this decision, the government has helped nine pri- vate silos which are managed by big corporate. People of Punjab need to understand that Bhagwant Mann is no better than Narendra Modi. While we are already protesting against the Central Government at Haryana borders, the KMSC would also fight against the decision of the Punjab Government on streets,” added Pandher. The KMSC leader said farmers’ interests could not be protected if they have to sell their agricultural produce to corporate houses. He said they demand that the procurement of agricultural produce should be done by the government. The KMSC has also asked arhtiyas, employees of market committees to join the protest being spearheaded by farmer bodies to force the government to roll back its decision regarding dis- solving market committees. Meanwhile, a group of farmers, including women, left for Shambhu border from railway station here on Saturday to participate in the ongoing protest against the Central Government over the issue of legal guarantee for minimum support price. Pandher said our protest had completed 45 days and would continue till demands were accepted. Amritsar, March 30 Despite the weekend, the offices of the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar remained open on Saturday to collect property tax, pending water and sewerage bills, and licence fee as the fiscal year is set to conclude tomorrow. In an all-time high, the civic body has collected Rs 37.30 crore property tax in the financial year 2023-34 till date. The MC had collected a total property tax of Rs 33.56 crore in the last fiscal. MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh claimed that the property tax wing of the civic body has set a new record with the highest ever collection of Rs 37.30 crore. It is claimed that property tax was being collected continuously in the past months and a number of buildings were sealed to prompt property tax defaulters to clear their dues. On the directions of the MC Commissioner, property tax is being collected at Citizen Today last date to pay dues Residents pay tax at an MC office in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO Facilitation Centers in all the zone offices of the corporation and Municipal Corporation head office at Ranjit Avenue on March 29, 30 and 31, despite government holidays on these three days. The department is also accepting the online payment of property tax on mseva.lgpunjab.gov.in. The corporation has collected more than Rs 1 crore property tax on the weekend. The Municipal Corporation Commissioner said there was still one day left to pay property tax without penalty. To avoid penalty and interest, those who have not paid their property tax for the financial year 2023-24 should pay it on Sunday. After March 31, the defaulters have to pay an additional 20 per cent on the pending tax amount. They have to pay one-and-a-half per cent interest per month along with the penalty. Shell out more at district toll plazas Youth injured as Cong Charanjit Singh Teja NEW TOLL RATES APPLICABLE FROM TOMORROW Tribune News Service The suspects in the police custody. TRIBUNE PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Three arrested with heroin worth ~10 cr Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 30 The Bhikhiwind police have arrested three persons of a four-member gang of drug smugglers and recovered 2 kg of heroin from their possession. The recovered consignment is estimated to be worth Rs 10 crore in the international market. In a press conference here on Saturday, SSP Ashwani Kapur said that two of the accused, Ajay and Ashish, who are residents of Khemkaran, were arrested on Friday. Their third associate Sajan was arrested on Saturday. However, the fourth gangmember, identified as Balveer Singh (alias Baljinder Singh), is still at large and the police is conducting raids at his hide-outs. The police have registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Amritsar, March 30 There would be a hike of Rs 5 at the two toll plazas on the national highways in Amritsar district for cars and light vehicles. The new toll rates would be implemented on April 1. The firm operating the Nijjarpura plaza on the national highway from Amritsar to Jalandhar was currently collecting ~60 as one-way toll and ~90 for the return journey. With the implementation of revised rate list, the return journey from Nijjarpura toll plaza would cost ~95. Similarly, the rates have been revised at the Waryam Nangal toll plaza on the Amritsar-Pathankot national highway. As per the revised rate list, now the return journey would cost Rs 175 instead of Rs 170. The authorities have been collecting Rs 110 as oneway toll and Rs 170 for return journey. There would be a nominal hike in toll rates for large and commercial vehicles too. ■ The new rates will be implemented on April 1. ■ The firm operating the Nijjarpura plaza on the national highway from Amritsar to Jalandhar was currently collecting ~60 as one-way toll and ~90 for the return journey. Amritsar, March 30 Three armed persons looted cash and jewellery from the house of a grocery store owner after detaining the couple in Ajnala in the wee hours of Friday. They allegedly decamped with Rs 16 lakh in cash and ornaments worth Rs 25 lakh. The police have managed to get the CCTV footage of the incident, but the accused are yet to be identified. Following preliminary probe, they suspect that an insider was involved in the loot. Victim Surinderpal Sehgal runs a grocery store in Ajnala. He said he usually goes to his shop in the early hours of the day. On Friday, as he came out of his house around 5 am, Miscreants decamped with ~16 lakh in cash, ~25 lakh ornaments the robbers caught him at gunpoint and took him back inside his house. The accused allegedly tied the hands and mouth of Surinder Sehgal and his wife with tape and threatened to kill them if they tried to raise an alarm. It is learnt that the miscreants knew that the couple was alone at the time. The CCTV camera footage revealed that they were in the house for over half an hour. After they decamped with cash and jewellery, Surinderpal Sehgal’s wife called her son-in-law and later the revised rate list, the return journey from Nijjarpura toll plaza would cost ~95. ■ Similarly, now commuters would have to pay ~175, instead of 170,for return journey at the Waryam Nangal A NOMINAL HIKE toll plaza on the AmritsarPathankot national highway ■ The authorities have been collecting ~110 as one-way toll and ~170 for return journey. ■ It is learnt that there would be a nominal hike in toll rates for large & commercial vehicles too. POOR ROADS DESPITE FREQUENT HIKE ❝ ❝ The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revised the rates from time to time. It is not an annual hike, but the increase at the Nijjarpura toll plaza is very nominal this time. It would not put much burden on commuters. We will display the new rate charts tomorrow. The hike is unfair. We used to pay ~25 for one-side journey till 2020. Now, it has increased to ~60 within a couple of years. Meanwhile, the road infrastructure has deteriorated during these years. Also, we continue to face frequent traffic jams and other problems while commuting on the highways despite paying toll. — Yadwinder Singh, IN-CHARGE, NIJJARPURA TOLL PLAZA — Ranjit Singh, TEACHER, PRIVATE INSTITUTION, BEAS ❞ “The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revised the rates from time to time. It is not an annual hike, but the increase at the Nijjarpura toll plaza is very nominal this time. It would not put much burden on commuters. We will display the new rate charts Ajnala store owner, spouse detained at house, looted Tribune News Service ■ With the implementation of police was informed. The CCTV footage revealed that the accused had been carrying out the recee of the house and were waiting for the victim to come out in the morning. As soon as he came out, they detained him at gunpoint. It is worth mentioning that the incident occurred just a few metres away from the police naka in the area. Although the Model Code of Conduct has been imposed by the Election Commission, the instances of robberies and loots have continued unabated despite the Punjab Police being on high alert. Ajnala police station SHO Harpal Singh said they were analysing the CCTV cameras and the accused would be arrested soon. c m y b tomorrow,” said Yadwinder Singh, in-charge at the Nijjarpura toll plaza. However, the commuters have raised concerns over the ‘regular’ hike on the toll plazas. Ranjit Singh, a teacher at a private institution in Beas, said, “The hike is unfair. We used to pay Rs 25 for one-side ❞ journey till 2020. Now, it has increased to Rs 60 within a couple of years. Meanwhile, the road infrastructure has deteriorated during these years. Also, we continue to face frequent traffic jams and other problems while commuting on the highways despite paying the toll.” leader ‘opens’ fire amid pigeon-flying contest PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 It has come to light that a Congress leader had allegedly opened fire over pigeon-flying competition, leaving a youth injured in the Katra Karam Singh area on Thursday. Though the police confirmed the incident, they are yet to lodge an FIR as no one from the victim’s side has approached them yet. It has been learnt that they even left the private hospital, where the victim was taken for treatment, after the hospital authorities said they were calling the police. The police are scanning the CCTV footage to identify the two groups that had clashed, leading to the firing. It is worth noting that the district administration and the police have asked the people with licensed firearms to deposit their weapons with No FIR registered the police in view of the Lok Sabha elections. However, such incidents raise concerns about the large number of arms’ licence holders, who are yet to deposit their weapons. The administration has also extended the date for depositing arms till April 5. Sukhinder Singh, SHO of the Division C police station, said eyewitnesses told the police that a Congress leader had allegedly opened fire, following a quarrel after differences erupted between two groups during a pigeonflying competition. Initially, the two groups indulged in a verbal duel, but soon the situation turned ugly and the Congress leader fired with his licensed pistol. The bullet hit the neck of a youth, who was rushed to a hospital.
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