22052024-JTR-01.qxd 5/22/2024 1:14 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune OBSERVER REVIEWS POLL PREPAREDNESS IN K’THALA CM TAKES POETIC SWIPE AT SUKHBIR ON HIS HOME TURF OSCAR-WINNING SOUND DESIGNER RESUL ON BOARD General Observer Abhimanyu Kumar directed officials to ensure timely resolution of plaints. P2 Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack at Badals at their native village Badal. P3 Designer Resul Pookutty comes on board for Anupam Kher’s directorial Tanvi The Great. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 45°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 44°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7:14 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:25 AM » WEDNESDAY | 22 MAY 2024 | JALANDHAR MAN BOOKED FOR RAPING WIFE Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked a man on the charge of raping his wife living separately. Investigating officer (IO) Inspector Arshpreet Kaur said the suspect had been identified as Manjinder Singh Tagarr, a resident of Nurmahal. In her complaint to the police, the victim said she had been living separately for the past six years. The suspect barged into her house on the morning of May 19 and forcibly established physical relations with her. A case under Section 376-B of the IPC has been registered against the suspect. OC CASH STOLEN FROM HOUSE Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked a person on the charge of stealing cash from a house. Investigating officer (IO) Janak Raj said the suspect had been identified as Pal, alias Bhalu, a resident of Khan Pur Dhada village. Baljit Singh, a resident of the same village, told the police that the suspect barged into his house on the morning of May 18 and stole ~10,000 from his almirah. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered against the suspect. OC WOMAN HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Phagwara: The Bilga police have arrested a woman for selling illicit liquor. The suspect has been identified as Surjit Kaur, a resident of Sango Wal village. Investigating officer Dalvara Singh said nine bottles of booze were seized from her possession. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Punjab Excise Act has been registered. OC HUSBAND BOOKED FOR HARASSMENT Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked a man on the charge of harassing his wife. Investigating officer (IO) VM Singh said the suspect had been identified as Karan Rattu, a resident of Mithrra village. Ramandeep Rattu, a resident of the same village, told the police that her husband was mentally torturing her and harassing her. A case under Section 498-A of the IPC has been registered against the suspect. OC PO LANDS IN POLICE NET Phagwara: The Mehat Pur police have arrested a proclaimed offender (PO), who was absconding for the past one year. Investigating officer Davinder Singh said the accused had been identified as Charanjit Singh, alias Chana, a resident of Kaim Wala village. He was wanted in a case of drug peddling. OC 3 BOOKED ON ASSAULT CHARGE Phagwara: The Bilga police have booked three persons on the charge of assaulting a villager. Investigating officer (IO) Ashwani Kumar said the suspects had been identified as Narinder, Happy, and Bhura, all residents of Bilga village. Amrik Singh, a resident of Aujla, told the police that the suspects waylaid him on May 15. They attacked him and also threatened him with dire consequences. A case under Sections 323, 324, 341, 506 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against the suspects. Raids are being conducted to nab the suspects. OC City turns into poll battleground with publicity blitz Political rivals try to outdo each other through campaign material INDIA VOTES 2024 Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 21 With just few days left for the Lok Sabha elections, campaigning has reached a fever pitch. The air is thick with the clamour of wordy duel, thick and fast flying allegations and counter-allegations, touting of achievements and an intense ‘poster war’ as candidates vie for the attention of voters with eye-catching slogans and promises. Political rallies by party heavyweights, door-to-door campaigning and public meetings are in full swing, but the battle extends far beyond the traditional methods. The city has transformed into a pollscape with a deluge of posters and flex banners proclaiming party achievements and vision for the future. From every nook and corner, political advertisements scream for attention. Public and private properties alike have not been spared in this poster blitz. 12 arrested with 96 liquor bottles, lahan Tribune News Service PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH INBRIEF PUBLIC, PRIVATE PROPERTIES NOT SPARED Posters of various parties pasted on a wall; and (right) a worker readies flex banners in Jalandhar. Walls of flyovers near Pathankot Chowk, Chuggitti and some areas in Basti Bawa Khel are plastered with campaign material as are government buildings such as suvidha centres and Civil Hospital. Hoardings stretch along roads, dangle from electricity poles, and deface private residences, leaving no space untouched. Doaba Chowk, Domoria overbridge, Kishanpura Road, Model Town, Mai Hiran Gate, Phagwara Gate, local vegetable markets and major roads like 66 feet and 120 feet thoroughfares, Urban Estate Phase II, Nakodar Chowk and Ravidass Chowk have all become battlegrounds for large hoardings. Each party has staked its claim with vivid displays. The Congress has prominently featured former CM Charanjit Singh Channi with the tagline “ghar ghar chali hai gul, Channi krda masle hul,” while the BJP has plastered huge images of PM Modi and touted the achievements of its government. Notably, BJP posters for candidate Sushil Rinku emphasise a vote for Modi. Moreover, Rinku too, in his door-to-door efforts, echoes this sentiment, urging voters to cast their ballots for Modi through him. The Shiromani Akali Dal Public and private properties alike have not been spared in this poster blitz. Walls of flyovers near Pathankot Chowk, Chuggitti and some areas in Basti Bawa Khel are plastered with campaign material as are government buildings such as suvidha centres and Civil Hospital. Hoardings stretch along roads, dangle from electricity poles, and deface private residences, leaving no space untouched. (SAD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have showcased their leaders alongside local candidates, making bold promises for the future. Their posters and hoardings outline their vision and pledges, aiming to capture the public’s trust and votes. Amidst this flurry of activity, the administration has received over 400 complaints via the c-Vigil app regarding poll code violations, primarily involving defacement of property. Residents expressed frustration over unauthorised posters being fixed on their homes. Meanwhile, district administration teams, alongside Municipal Corporation officials, say they have been actively removing unauthorised publicity materials. So far, over 5,000 such pieces of election paraphernalia have been cleared from government properties across the district. Nawanshahr, May 21 The police arrested a total of 12 persons with liquor bottles and lahan from Mukandpur, Sadar Nawanshahr, Balachaur, Aur Pojewal and Banga here today. They recovered a total of 96 bottles of liquor from their possession. The police also destroyed 1,800 litres of lahan in Pojewal. The suspects have been identified as Ajay Kumar, Sagar Mahi, Gurmel Singh, Babbi Ram, Hardeep Kumar, Naresh Kumar, Vikram, Gurvinder, Babbu, Gurjeet Singh, Kulwinder and Roop Lal. Cases under Sections 61 and 14 of the Excise Act have been registered against the suspects. In view of the Lok Sabha elections, the police have been conducting checking at various places and are also laying nakas at sensitive areas with an aim to curb malpractices. The police administration has also appointed teams to ensure safe and peaceful elections. Brar quits AAP, joins saffron party Civic issues put on back burner in poll season Former MLA had stints with SAD, PPP, Congress Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 21 As Jagbir Brar started his new political innings quitting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) where he was its state secretary, he started his brush with the fifth political party since the start of his electoral career in 2007. He had then quit his job as the Block Development and Panchayat Officer in Muktsar and became Akali Dal MLA from the Jalandhar Cantonment seat. Brar was inducted into the saffron party by its national secretary Tarun Chugh in New Delhi on Tuesday. He had earned much popularity in 2007 as like his cousin Manpreet Badal, he used to drive his own car and avoided security cover. As Manpreet Jagbir Brar being welcomed into the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Badal, who was then Finance Minister of Punjab, left the party to float his new outfit People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), Brar too was quick to quit and join him. But the cousins could not go along together for a long time. Seeing that the PPP would not be able to make any major impact in 2012, he quit the party to join the Congress and contest again from Jalandhar Cantonment, but lost to then Akali Dal’s Pargat Singh. However, as the PPP merged into the Congress, the cousins Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 21 Residents are all set to cast their votes after a mere 10 days for the Lok Sabha elections. Campaigning is in full swing, parties are busy indulging in blame game and politicians are making big promises, but the key issues have been surprisingly put on the back burner. It seems strange that even though civic amenities continue to elude the residents, parties and leaders appear to be least bothered about it, perhaps caught in the multi-level complexity of parliamentary polls. Ironically, Local Bodies Minister Balkar Singh of AAP is from Jalandhar. With temperature soaring to nearly 45 degree Celsius, heatwave has been troubling people. To make the situa- WILL NOT CAST VOTE ❝ My son fell sick due to contaminated water. We do not even have a water filter to ensure clean drinking water for our children. I will not cast my vote. If these leaders cannot guarantee basic necessities like water for my child, why would I cast my — A woman Residents wait for their turn to fill buckets in an area in Jalandhar. vote? CONTAMINATED WATER SUPPLY ❞ Residents of New Shivay Nagar in Basti Danishmanda said people in the area had been grappling with the problem of contaminated water supply, but no solution was in sight. tion worse, residents in some places have been suffering from problems such as lack of water supply or supply of contaminated water, absence of solid waste management facilities and sewerage-relat- ed issues. Residents of New Shivay Nagar in Basti Danishmanda said people in the area had been grappling with the problem of contaminated water supply, but no solution was in sight. “My son fell sick due to contaminated water. We do not even have a water filter to ensure clean drinking water for our children,” said the mother of a six-year-old. She also added Continued on page 2 ACs selling like hot cakes as mercury soars Will not let CM Mann canvass Demand increases by 15 to 20 per cent as compared to last year in Adampur, says MLA Kotli Avneet Kaur MANUFACTURING FIRMS JACK UP PRICES Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 21 The soaring mercury has led to a surge in demand for airconditioners in the city. Market observers report that the demand for air-conditioners has risen by nearly 15 to 20 per cent as compared to the same period last year. This surge is attributed to the extreme hot weather and the rising cost of desert coolers, prompting consumers to opt for more energy-efficient air-conditioners. Abhishek Verma, Business Head of Air Conditioners Group at Panasonic, said the Indian Residential Air Conditioning (RAC) industry was experiencing a surge in demand due to increased disposable income, growing urbanisation and technological advancements. However, AC penetration in India continues to be at approximately 7 per cent. Verma noted that this season, demand Customers purchase ACs at a shop in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH Vivek Sharma, who owns an electronics shop at Phagwara Gate here, said the surge in demand for ACs this season led manufacturing companies to increase prices. Most manufacturing companies have raised the prices by 3-5 per cent across various models. Earlier, people preferred desert coolers over ACs. With the increase in prices of coolers, air-conditioners have now become a better option to beat the heat. was already up and they expect the Indian AC market to grow by 25 per cent as compared to last season. He highlighted that inverter ACs account for more than 95 per cent of their sales. In Northern India, inverter AC sales grew by 29 per cent from January to April 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023. Looking ahead, he said they expect to sustain this momentum and increase in prices of coolers, air-conditioners have now become a better option to beat the heat,” he said. Shyam Bahadur, who works at a car repair shop, was seen at an electronics shop purchasing an AC. Talking to Jalandhar Tribune, he said: “We have a cooler at home, but it’s not effective these days. My kids have been asking for an AC for a long time, so I decided to buy one on EMIs,” he said. achieve over 30 per cent growth across the entire Northern region. Vivek Sharma, who owns an electronics shop at Phagwara Gate here, said the surge in demand for ACs this season led manufacturing companies to increase prices. Most manufacturing companies have raised prices by 3-5 per cent across various models. “Earlier, people preferred desert coolers over ACs. With the c m y b Cops, intelligence teams likely to increase security Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 21 Saying that he was still feeling hurt over the alleged “anti-Dalit” remarks of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made in the Vidhan Sabha, Adampur legislator Sukhwinder Kotli has said that he would not let his roadshow enter his Assembly segment tomorrow. “He will get the same reception in Adampur,” Kotli warned the CM today. CM Mann is slated to hold roadshows in Phillaur, Nakodar, Jalandhar Cantonment and Adampur Assembly segments of Jalandhar tomorrow. After Kotli’s statement, the Jalandhar Rural Police and intelligence teams are likely to beef up security in the area tomorrow ahead of the event to avoid any untoward incident. Since AAP candidate Pawan Tinu is ex-MLA from Congress MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, along with other leaders, addresses a press conference in Jalandhar on Tuesday. PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Adampur, he too is making allout efforts to ensure good arrangement for the roadshow in the segment. Though Tinu continues to maintain a good hold in the segment even now, there are some Akali leaders in the area who are annoyed with him for quitting the party for his personal gains. MLA Kotli has questioned Mann on his unfulfilled promise of appointing a Dalit as the Deputy CM, over which he had reported- ly got humiliating repply. He also questioned him over Punjab SC Commission’s membership getting reduced from 10 to five, and their tenure shortened from six years to three years. On Shagun Scheme, the MLA hit the AAP government saying that the Congress provided ~31,000, while the AAP government promised ~51,000 but it was yet to deliver. Similarly, he sought Continued on page 2
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