22062024-ATR-01.qxd 6/22/2024 12:22 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY WOMEN PINK AUTO DRIVERS COMPLAIN OF HARASSMENT 5 DRIVING SKILL CENTRES SET UP IN STATE: MINISTER ACTORS ARE JUST PUPPETS, SAYS ACTOR PANKAJ TRIPATHI Several women operating pink autos have said they are not being allowed to pick up passengers. P3 Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has said the government has set up five automotive and driving skill centres in state. P3 Actor Pankaj Tripathi has said actors are just puppets and do what writers or directors ask them to do. P4 » » » MAX 40°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.38 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.26 AM SATURDAY | 22 JUNE 2024 | AMRITSAR Give district teachers promotions on time, says DTF Yoga Day celebrated with zeal, fervour at different venues in city Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 Irked over the delay in granting promotions to ETT teachers and stagnation in promotions, the Democratic Teachers’ Front has asked the Education Department to complete the process of promotions on time. Referring to the letter (dated 17.06.2024) issued by Punjab School Education Department office, Directorate (Elementary Education), Punjab, orders are being issued to follow the conditions and instructions issued in the letter and send a report in this regard to the head office in Mohali, DTF district president Ashwani Awasthi said district teachers have not been given promotions for a long time. “Officials cite incomplete seniority list, lack of on-time verification of the roster by the Social Welfare Department, previous promotional errors, etc, as some of the reasons behind the delay in continued on page 2 CASO: 23 drug traffickers nabbed in city,inrural areas Cops conduct search operations drug-infested localities Tribune News Service Members of the Bhartiya Yog Sansthan along with district administration officials; and (right) MLA Jeevanjot Kaur perform yoga at Company Bagh in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 Yoga sessions were held at different venues of the holy city to observe the 10th edition of the International Yoga Day here on Friday. The programmes were based on the theme given by the Ministry of Ayush — Yoga for Self and Society. The district administration held a yoga programme, led by AAP MLA (East) Jeevan Jyot Kaur, with the assistance of District Ayurvedic Department and Bharti Yog Sansthan at Company Bagh. Around 500 yoga practitioners performed which included MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jyoti Bala, SDM Mankanwal Singh Chahal and District Ayurvedic Officer Dr Dinesh Kumar. She said over 3,000 people in the district were benefiting from free yoga sessions being offered by the government under the CM’s Yogshala project. A team of expert yoga trainers were imparting training at 129 public places in the district. A programme was organised at Air Force Station, Amritsar Cantonment. All air warriors, civilians, MES personnel along with their families participated with enthusiasm. The session was conducted under the guidance of Seargent KK Mishra who introduced various yogic exercises. NCC cadets of the Army, Navy and Air Force wing under the aegis of NCC Group Headquarters, Amritsar, celebrated the International Day of Yoga at the iconic Khalsa College, Amritsar. In consonance with this year’s theme, NCC cadets continued on page 2 Amritsar, June 21 Days after the mass transfer of cops in Punjab and with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann alleging a nexus between policemen and drug peddlers for continuous and unchecked proliferation of drug peddling in the border state, Punjab Police has been carrying out cordon and search operations (CASO) to nail the smugglers. As part of the state-level drive on Friday, Punjab Police led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Armed Group) MF Farooqui, Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon and Deputy Commissioner of Police Alam Vijay Singh carried out search operations in suspected drug-infested areas in three zones of the holy city here. Among the areas where the raids were conducted includ- ADGP MF Farooqui along with Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon during a search operation in Amritsar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO ed Maqboolpura, Anngarh, Gujjarpura, Ghanupur Kale, Kapatgarh, Mustafabad and Verka. During the search operations, the police searched the residences of history sheeters identified by the police. “Around 250 smugglers were identified by the police and many of them were out on bail. We carried out search operations in their houses and checked their activities,” said Farooqui. The operation continued from 8am to 2pm. The Punjab Government has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards drug peddling and those who are involved in the illegal trade would be taken to task, said Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon. During the operation, the police arrested 10 drug traf- Stagnant sewer water outside market Work on restaurant-on-wheels near Golden Temple irks traders, visitors underway at city railway station Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 Despite the tall claims of Municipal Corporation of having desilted the sewer lines before monsoon, there are some prime areas where the sewer has been choked for several days with the Municipal Corporation failing to provide any solution. Stinking sewer water accumulated outside Burj Akali Phoola Singh irked traders and thousands of devotees, who parked their vehicles inside the gurdwara parking for Golden Temple. The business of food vendors has been badly affected as no one wants to eat in such unhygienic conditions. The traders in Burj Akali Phoola Singh market claimed that there is a major blockage in the sewer lines as the MC staff failed to address it despite making several attempts. Burj Akali Phoola Singh is Teen raped by cousin, four booked Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 A 15-year-old girl of Umarpura village in Ajnala was allegedly raped by her cousin after being taken to Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala. The incident occurred on June 6, but a complaint in this regard was lodged with the police only yesterday (Thursday). Following her complaint, the police booked four persons, including a woman, in the case. Those booked were identified as Laddi of Bagga Kalan village in Rajasansi, Karan and Soma of Sultanpur Lodhi and Anita of Kapurthala, who is a relative of Karan. The victim told the police that she was going to pay obeisance at a religious continued on page 2 Sewer water accumulated outside Burj Akali Phoola Singh in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR one of the main markets near the Golden Temple, where thousands of devotees park their vehicles and then walk toward Sheran Wala Gate to reach the Golden Temple. Sewer water accumulation at the entry of the road leading to Golden Temple creates a bad impression on the visitors. The traders claimed that they have made several complaints to the MC but it failed to provide any solution. “The sewer line blockage led to the overflow of the manhole in front of the market. Whenever we file a complaint with the MC, sewer men visit and put bamboo sticks inside the manhole and drain out the water. But after a few days, it gets choked again. The MC should find a permanent solution as it is a prime area of the city where thousands of tourists from other cities visit daily,” said Gurpreet Singh, a shopkeeper. A kulcha seller in the market claimed that routine accumulation of stinking water in front of his shop ruined his business. “The stinking water accumulated just at the entrance of the shop, how can someone eat here? My business has been ruined due to the negligence of authorities,” said the kulcha seller. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 A discarded train coach is being spruced up at the railway station to set up a restaurant-on-wheels to serve delectable Punjabi cuisine. Keeping in view the pace of work, the railway station is soon poised to have a trainthemed restaurant to attract tourists visiting the city of Golden Temple. The contract for setting up the restaurant was awarded in April, 2023 to a New Delhi-based company for five years at an annual licence fee of Rs 28.30 lakh. Months after allotment of the five-year contract, the authorities have already installed a model track (showpiece) and stationed a discarded coach, number 01056, on it in the railway station complex. Railway officials said the delay was on the part of the private company which was awarded the contract. They fickers leading to the seizure of 65-gm heroin, 500gm opium, over ~27 lakh of drug money and 50 bottles of illicit liquor. The police also detained 267 persons for questioning, besides taking 14 persons into custody under prevention act. Police personnel also interacted with residents of these areas and requested them to share information about drug traffickers in their areas while promising that their names would be kept a secret. Meanwhile, during the search operations in border areas of Attari, Lopoke, Ajnala and Rajasansi in Amritsar rural belt, the police arrested 13 persons in 12 cases and recovered 260-gm heroin and 450 intoxicating tablets were seized. SSP (Amritsar Rural) Satinder Singh led the search operation in Attari subdivision. Three booked for hurting religious sentiments PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service The discarded train coach that will be turned into a restaurant at the railway station in Amritsar. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR are incurring losses as they are paying the annual licence fee to the Railways but the project is yet to get off the ground. However, the project is expected to become functional soon, they said. A visit to the model rail coach revealed that whitewashing and carpeting have been done but the chairs are yet to be installed. A concrete staircase has been added from outside for the entry of people. At the Amritsar railway station, the model railway track was set up outside the continued on page 2 Amritsar, June 21 The Amritsar rural police have booked three persons for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. They allegedly threw water on the ‘parsad’ being distributed outside Ram Tirath temple here yesterday. Those booked included Ravi Kumar, Ram and Charanjit Singh, all residents of Ram Tirath area. No arrest has been made till now as the accused were absconding from their houses. Kush Raj, general manager of the Sri Valmiki Tirath Sthal, in his statement to the police said that the accused had hurt religious sentiments by throwing water in the ‘parsad’. The police said that they have registered a case under Section 295-A and 34, IPC, against them. Raids were on to nab them, the police added. Number of int’l students at GNDU Galliara around Golden Temple suffers increases four times since 2019 from lack of timely maintenance, repairs Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 The number of international students at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has increased almost four times since 2019 as the university takes a leap into the next academic session with an eye on attracting students from Central Asia, Africa and Scandinavian countries. In 2019, the total strength of international students in GNDU was 12 while in the current session, there are 60 international students pursuing various graduate and postgraduate courses. Last year, while hosting the Y-20 (Youth-20) event under India’s G20 presidency, several experts from the field of education at GNDU stressed on global job opportunities, scope of artificial intelligence- 13.65% OF FOREIGN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN STATE As per the 11th All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21 conducted by the Union Ministry of Education, as much as 13.65 per cent of the foreign students are enrolled in Punjab's higher educational institutions. The highest number of foreign students come to Karnataka (8,137), followed by Punjab (6,557). Bachelors in Technology seem to be a favourite among international students opting to come to Punjab for higher education. In Amritsar, after GNDU, Khalsa College attracts the maximum number of international students. based research and technology and agri-tech as the future field of interest in education. While hosting the Y-20 event, GNDU’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu had invited international students from G20 nations to explore the higher education programmes offered by GNDU. The varsity has also made efforts to collaborate with universities in Canada, the Netherlands and South East Asia. The number of international students seeking admission to GNDU has also increased over the years. The university also runs a knowledge exchange programme with PUM in the Netherlands, under which mentors and experts from that country visit GNDU annually to host workshops in the field of entrepreneurship. Prof PK Pati, chairperson of university’s International Student Cell, said that a good continued on page 2 c m y b Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 21 Lack of maintenance and timely repair are telling heavily upon the Galliara around the Golden Temple that serves as green lungs for residents living inside the walled city. A green garden unfolds a soothing sight for visitors coming from around the world and across the country before moving inside the holiest Sikh shrine. It offers a whiff of fresh air to the residents coming out of narrow winding streets. The walled city is characterised by labyrinthine streets whose residents look forward to the Galliara for fresh air. Jaswinder Singh, a pilgrim, said landscaping of the Gal- Heaps of garbage in Galliara area near the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR liara is appreciable but the less number of trees do not make it an ideal place for the visitors to take shelter from the searing heat. He pointed out that another glaring omission was lack of quick maintenance which is reflected in broken tiles and cracks in concrete steps and boundary walls. These should be repaired in time to protect from further damage and escalating cost of repair. Harjit Singh, a resident of Baba Sahib Chowk, said the homeless and beggars can be seen lazing around in the Galliara much to the discomfiture of visitors. Families, especially with children and women, avoid visiting the green belt due to security reasons. Another big menace is of rehri-phari (handcarts). People selling eatables and other articles on carts and sheets spread on the pavements and roadsides not only block the path but also eclipse the view of Galliara for the visitors. The portion of Galliara close to Gurdwara Atal Rai is perhaps in the most deplorable situation. Garbage can be seen thrown in different corners. Tardy continued on page 2
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