15042024-ATR-01.qxd 4/15/2024 12:44 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY SKY MAX 27°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 17°C FARMERS PROTEST AGAINST BJP LEADERS IN MALERKOTLA VIDYA SHARES MANTRA FOR SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN MAKERS’ TICKET DEAL The Malerkotla administration remained on toes while controlling the protesting activists of Bharti Kisan Union (U).P4 Vidya Balan, who is gearing up for her upcoming film Do Aur Do Pyaar, revealed mantra to her successful marriage.P4 To make the film more accessible to larger audience, the makers have come up with a new ticket deal. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.59 PM » SUNRISE MONDAY 6.00 AM MONDAY | 15 APRIL 2024 | AMRITSAR Main roads in city to be lit up Man wanted in three with new LED lights by MC caseslandsinpolicenet Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation has started replacing Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) lights with LED lights on all the main roads of the city. MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh said most of EESL lights on city roads are lying defunct and lead to road accidents at night. Now, all EESL lights are being replaced with LED lights with a five-year guarantee. The project will cost ~4.50 crore with free maintenance. The MC Commissioner said a private firm has been hired to replace the EESL lights with LED lights on main roads of Amritsar city. The work order has been issued to the company and the firm will provide five years of free maintenance. Before changing these lights, new cables have been installed at Circular Road, Ratan Singh Chowk to Kachehri Road stretch, from Ratan Singh Chowk to Maq- Ahead of paddy sowing, farmers want rejuvenation of UBDC canal An MC worker replaces an old light in Amritsar on Sunday. bool Road, Cantonment Road, SSSS Chowk to Majitha Road Bypass, Tarn Wala Pul to Tarn Taran Road Overbridge, and from Daburji to Sultanwind Chowk. Under the first phase, the work of installing cables has been initiated at Circular Road. Superintending Engineer Sandeep Singh, Executive Engineer Sarvrajinderpal Singh, JE Raman Kumar and Surinder Singh are supervising the ongoing work. Superintendent Sandeep Singh said the LED lights would be installed on all the main roads at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore. Commissioner Harpreet Singh said that a few years back, these EESL Lights were installed on main roads, but as the maintenance of EESL lights is expensive, they are now being replaced. — TNS India-Australia Youth Cup 2024 inaugurated Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 Ahead of the upcoming paddy transplantation season, farmers have urged the government to repair and rejuvenate the Upper Bari Doab Canal and its branches so that they can get enough canal water for irrigation. Farmer leader Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said, “If the capacity of the UBDC is increased to 12,000 cusecs of water, it can easily provide water to the fields which means that the farmers would not have to draw groundwater through tubewells. If the government is serious, the groundwater table can be recharged by discouraging use of tubewells.” He said UBDC caters to the irrigation needs of farmers in four districts of the Majha region. Dr Ajnala said at present, the sanctioned strength of water in UBDC is around 8,200 cusecs. The canal, at continued on page 2 DC Ghanshyam Thori inaugurates a cricket match between the clubs of India and Australia in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori inaugurated the India-Australia Youth Cup 2024 being organised by the Madan Lal Cricket Academy (India) along with Adams Cricket (Australia) here on Sunday. After inaugurating the tournament, Thori said participation of cricket academies across Punjab will give good exposure to the players from this region. Matches will commence from tomorrow and will conclude on April 24. Cricket matches of junior players will be held at Amandeep Cricket Academy, in which the teams of Madan Lal Cricket Academy, Delhi and Ludhiana will participate. Local players who perform well in the tournament will also get a chance to travel to Australia to play in the tournament later this year in September. Former international cricketer Madan Lal and Amritsar Games Association honorary secretary IS Bajwa were also present on the occasion. Amritsar, April 14 The police have arrested yet another miscreant wanted in three separate cases. The accused, identified as Akashdeep Singh (34), had changed his identity as Garcha Singh of Bhai Manjh Singh in Sultanwind area after donning the Nihang attire. Recently, he had assaulted a devotee with a kirpan at a shrine when he was partaking langar. Dr Darpan Ahluwalia, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said Garcha Singh was an addict. Around two years ago, he was a cut surd. Recently three criminal cases of assault and criminal trespass and snatching were registered against him. She said Garcha was among the group of miscreants who had attacked the house Jaspal Singh, a resident of Kot Wadhawa Singh. They had burned his son’s bike parked outside Minor girl raped, youth booked Amritsar, April 14 Gharinda police have booked a youth for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in Khaparkheri village here two days ago. The accused was identified as Sonu, a vegetable vendor of the same village. The victim told the police that on Friday, she had gone to former Sarpanch Lakhbir Singh’s shop to buy vegetables for home. She said Sonu, who works at the shop, allegedly took her inside the house for buying fresh vegetables and raped her. She said her cousin Roshan came there while looking for her and she returned home with him. She said she was frightened after the incident and did not tell anyone about this at that time. Later, she narrated her ordeal to her grandmother and had now lodged a complaint with the police. Gharinda police said that a case under Section 376 of IPC and Section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered against Sonu. — TNS the house. They had thrown petrol bombs inside his house. She said Jaspal had opposed them from drug peddling in his locality. Similarly, he had attacked Sandeep Kumar of Sant Mishra Singh Colony after waylaying him. They had attacked him with sharpedged weapons and snatched his mobile phone. He was returning from a birthday party on April 1. In another incident, he had assaulted Simran Singh of Mata Ganga Ji Nagar with a sword when he had gone to a gurdwara at Bhai Manjh Singh Road on April 3. He forgot to cover his head while partaking langar. Angered over this, he attacked him. The Additional Deputy Commissioner said Garcha was an associate of another notorious criminal Raju Bhaiya who was arrested by the police on Saturday. In the aforesaid two criminal cases, both Garcha and Raju were involved. 62-yr-old farmer found murdered in Tarn Taran His body was found in fields; 8 booked by police Gurbaxpuri WAS GRAZING CATTLE Tarn Taran, April 14 Avtar Singh (62), a farmer of Jamarai village, was shot dead in his fields here on Saturday. Property dispute is said to be the reason behind the incident. On the statement of Gursewak Singh, son of the victim, eight persons of the village have been nominated as the accused in the case. Sub-Inspector Paramjit Singh, SHO, Goindwal Sahib, said the accused have been identified as Nishan Singh, his wife Sarabjit Kaur, son Paramjit Singh, Jarnail Singh, his wife Amandeep Kaur, brother Mukhtiar Singh, Sajjan Singh and an unidentified person. Gursewak Singh said his father had gone to the fields to graze their cattle in the Gursewak Singh, son of the victim, stated that his father had gone to the fields to graze their cattle in the afternoon. Meanwhile, another farmer Dildar Singh of a nearby field informed him that as no person was around to watch over their cattle, their cattle head had entered his fields. When they visited their fields, they found him murdered. afternoon. Meanwhile, another farmer Dildar Singh of a nearby field informed him that no person was around to watch over their cattle and their cattle head had entered his fields. Gursewak said he along with his brother and sister went to search here and there for their father. The family members led by Gursewak Singh reached the fields and saw the body of Avtar Singh lying in a pool of blood. The Cong celebrates postmortem of the body was conducted at the local Civil Hospital on Sunday. The accused have been booked under Sections 302, 148, 149 and 506 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act by the Goindwal Sahib police. The accused are absconding, said the police. Gursewak told the police that as their family had a property dispute with the suspects, so they allegedly killed his father. Four held with illicit liquor in separate cases Tribune News Service Congress leaders and workers celebrate after the party announced sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla as a candidate in Amritsar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO FarmerstoavoidBJPleaders:KMSC Tarn Taran, April 14 The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, with focus on grassroots farmers and farm workers, held a meeting at Piddi and Alowal villages here on Sunday. During the meeting, they warned the BJP leaders against visiting people to seek their votes for the LS election. While addressing the gather- ing, KMSC state leader Satnam Singh Pannu, district president Satnam Singh Manochahal, Jasbir Singh and other leaders called upon the workers of the farmers’ body to paste banners and posters of the questions to be answered from BJP leaders when they visit them during canvassing. The leaders urged the farmers to boycott those persons who work for the BJP in the villages. They said BJP leaders should not come to villagers to seek their votes as it has no right to seek their votes as the Centre has totally ignored their voice at the Shambhu border and now the farmers would avoid the party leaders. They said now the BJP would have to tell them farmers why Shubhkaran Singh was shot dead. — OC Amritsar, April 14 The city police have arrested two persons with 26 litres of illicit liquor in Kale Ghanupur area here on Saturday. They were identified as Jagtar Singh and Jasbir Singh, both residents of Makhi Mohalla at Kale village falling under the Chheharta police station here. Assistant Sub Inspector Tejvir Singh posted at the Kale Ghanupur police chowki said a police team headed by him was present near Fateh Farm Colony in Kale Ghanupur village when they noticed two persons coming through a broken wall of Max City. Carrying polythene bags, they were going towards Makhi Mohalla. He said the police team signalled them to stop but they tried to flee after leaving the polythene bags containing plastic containers. However, they were intercepted and arrested by the police. When continued on page 2 Photo artist Bajwa awarded SAD stands for amity in Punjabi society, says Anil Joshi for lifetime achievements Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 Noted photo artist Harbhajan Singh Bajwa was awarded for his lifetime achievements by Uttam Singh Nijhar Foundation at Baba Aya Singh Riarki College, Tugalwala. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of Baisakhi. A book of photographs taken by the photo artist was also released on the occasion. The book has been edited by Naresh Kumar and Gagandeep Singh Virk and published by Baba Aya Singh Riarki College, Tugalwala. Welcoming the writers and guests participating in the event, Principal Swaran Singh Virk said that Bajwa has handed over his library and magazines to the college and a separate wing has been Eminent literary photographer Harbhajan Singh Bajwa being honoured in Amritsar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO established in the name of Harbhajan Singh Bajwa in the college library. Conducting the forum, Dr Naresh Kumar, Head, Punjabi and Dogri Department, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, said that Harbhajan Singh Bajwa had taken a unique initiative by clicking the photographs of Punjabi writer Gurbakhsh Singh Pritlari, Gurmat scholar Prof Sahib Singh, Sobha Singh continued on page 2 Amritsar, April 14 Hours after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced former Cabinet minister Anil Joshi as its candidate from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, Joshi said that he stood for social harmony among Punjabis and overall development of the border district. The SAD is independently contesting the seat for the first time which had traditionally been held by the BJP while in alliance with the SAD. Political observers stated that SAD is implementing its moderate Punjabi agenda which was adopted in the 1996 conference held at Moga when the SAD dropped its Panthic image. As part of this agenda, Anil Joshi has been fielded from the Amritsar seat. Elected twice as an MLA from the Amritsar North constituency, Joshi said he had c m y b SAD candidate Anil Joshi addresses mediapersons at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO come to Guru Sahibs seeking their blessings to permit him to carry out sewa so that he could once again go to the people. He added that he was lucky to live in this city which was blessed by Guru Ramdas. He congratulated people on the occasion of Khalsa Sirjana Diwas and Baisakhi. Three years after joining the SAD, he has been selected to represent the party from the prominent Amritsar Lok Sabha seat from where the BJP and AAP have fielded Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, respectively. The Congress is yet to disclose its candidate from the Amritsar seat. Within 40 days after being expelled for six years by the BJP for anti-party activities, Anil Joshi had joined the SAD on August 20, 2021. At that time, he was disheartened that his party had shown him the door after he had put in 35 years of life in its service. In a two-page reply to the notice served by the BJP he had favoured that , the Centre should talk to farmers and resolve the matter as per their satisfaction. In addition, he had favoured resolution of farmers’ grievances to maintain harmony among communities living peacefully in Punjabi society. Talking to the Tribune, Joshi, who had been a Minister for Local Bodies, Medical Education and Research in the erstwhile SAD-BJP coalition government, said he preferred to join the SAD over other parties as being a regional party, it knew the pulse of Punjabis besides standing for ‘Bhaicharak Sanjh’ (communal harmony). Earlier, his political career had seen a meteoric rise out of the slugfest between Navjot Singh Sidhu and SAD leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia. Once a close ally of Sidhu in the BJP relations between , Joshi and Sidhu had turned sour. Anil Joshi was made a minister in the then SADBJP government. On May 25, 2023, a local court had acquitted Joshi in an alleged criminal trespass case filed by an advocate Vaneet Mahajan in 2012. Mahajan had accused the Municipal Corporation officials of razing his legally constructed portion of a hotel located on Batala road, allegedly at the behest of Joshi. Born in Tarn Taran’s Sanghe village, Anil Joshi’s father Kishori Lal, a retired government teacher, was killed by terrorists in 1991. He did farming at the family agricultural land in his continued on page 2