15072024-ATR-01.qxd 7/14/2024 9:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY INNER WHEEL CLUB ELECTS OFFICE-BEARERS ANANT & RADHIKA WEDDING GALA BEDAZZLED WORLD FOR DAYS AISHWARYA, KIM KARDASHIAN GO VIRAL ON INSTAGRAM Dr Monika Gupta elected president of the Tarn Taran chapter of Inner Wheel Club for the year 2024-25. P2 Cannesredcarpetlookedpaleincomparison astheAnantAmbani&RadhikaMerchant weddinggalabedazzledworldfordays.P4 MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C International star Kim Kardashian shared a delightful moment with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on her Instagram account. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 7.36 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:36 AM » MONDAY | 15 JULY 2024 | AMRITSAR 5 linked with Landa gang in police net, weapons seized Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 14 The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate has made further progress in its crackdown on the notorious Lakhbir Landa gang, arresting five more persons associated with the group. The arrested persons were involved in various contract killings and extortion activities. The police also seized weapons, including three pistols and several cartridges. Police Commissioner Swapan (CP) Sharma, in a press conference, said the latest arrests were made following the ongoing investigations into an extortion case, targeting a local industrialist. The arrested persons were identified as Simranjit Singh, alias Simma, Paramjit Singh, alias Pamma, Dilbagh Singh, alias Baga, Dilpreet Singh and Sajandeep Singh, alias Sajan, all from Tarn Taran. The suspects have been charged under Sections 2554-59 of the Arms Act. The CP said during investigation, Paramjit admitted to possessing a .30-bore pistol and one cartridge. Another suspect Simranjit Singh confessed to having a .32-bore pistol and one cartridge, while Dilpreet Singh, a close associate of Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa, was found to be threatening traders and shopkeepers in Tarn Taran and Amritsar at Landa's behest. He said the police seized .30 bore rounds from Dilpreet Singh. “Dilbagh Singh, also in contact with Landa, is involved in demanding extortion from traders and shopkeepers in Tarn Taran and Amritsar. A .30-bore pistol has been seized from him. Sajandeep Singh, alias Sajan, is similarly booked for seeking extortion from traders, arhtiyas, and shopkeepers in Tarn Taran and Amritsar,” said Sharma. He further said while Dilbagh Singh had a case pending against him, no previous criminal records have been found against four other gang members. This gang was also involved in the extortion-related shooting incident that occurred at Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran on July 2. According to Tarn Taran police, the arrested gang members would be brought to the district on a production warrant for investigation into this case. Contaminated water supply, choked sewer irks Chheharta residents Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 14 Despite holding protests against the municipal corporation (MC) and the state government, there is no relief for residents of the West constituency, who have been getting supply of contaminated potable water and facing regular blockage of sewers. Residents of Chheharta, Partap Mill, Guru Ki Wadali and Khandwlaa have been facing the problem of choked sewer for the past few years. They have been regularly demonstrating against the MC. Last week, a big protest was organised by the locals outside the MC Zonal office in Chheharta. Former Senior Deputy Mayor and senior Congress leader Raman Bakshi also joined residents during the protest. Residents alleged that they were residing in hell like conditions as sewer water accumulated in streets and they were getting contaminated potable water supply. Former Senior Deputy Mayor Bakshi raised the question on the experimental Residents of the Chheharta area hold demonstration against the MC in Amritsar on Sunday. meeting last week and ❝I held athe issueswith the Municipal Corporation Commissionerwork of desilting discussed in detail. Due to hot and humid weather, the was stopped for three to four days. After rain, the work has resumed. Super sucker machines are now desilting sewer lines. Jasbir Singh Sandhu, MLA, AMRITSAR WEST CONSTITUENCY ❞ efforts of the MC to address the issues. He said, “The MC has failed to provide any solution to the problems. Officials are experimenting with improper methods to solve issues instead of using technical methods.” He said, “All localities in the Chheharta area were flooded after rain. It took six hours to drain rainwater through disposal pumps. There is no end to the woes of the public. Residents are suffering from diseases as the water supply is contaminated.” Residents have given a call for a demonstration against the MC on Wednesday. Gurdev Singh, a resident said, “We know that demonstrations are not sufficient to wake up the government from deep slumber, but we don’t have any other option.” Jasbir Singh Sandhu, MLA, Amritsar West constituency, said, “I held a meeting with the Municipal Corporation Commissioner last week and discussed the issues in detail. Due to hot and humid weather, the work of desilting was stopped for three to four days. After rain, the work has resumed. Super sucker machines are now desilting sewer lines.” Talking about permanent solution to the sewer choking issue, the MLA said, “Desilting of sewer lines is not a solution. The capacity of the sewage treatment plant (STP) should be increased. It was enhanced 20 years ago. The incumbent governments did not make efforts to increase its capacity. Now, leaders are demonstrating against the government. What have they done during their tenure?” He said, “We have sent a proposal to the Central Government to enhance the capacity of the STP from 95 MLD to 150 MLD. We will start the work soon after the approval of the Central Government.” Nihang enters IIM campus, ‘threatens’ studentsnottosmoke and entered the campus after threatening him. Then he boarded the bus, and threatened students and driver. A student has written to the student council to make security arrangements for them. Students said they cannot smoke cigarettes on campus as it was restricted by the authorities concerned. “That is why we smoke outside campus,” said students. After the incident, the IIM management beefed up the security and deployed extra guards on the institution gate. An IIM official said security had been increased on the campus and the police had been informed about the incident. “The incident occurred just outside the institute premises. We have reported the matter to the police. An investigation is under way. Security has been enhanced to ensure safety and well-being of everyone in the institute,” said an IIM official. However, officials at the Chheharta police station said they didn’t get any formal complaint from the IIM authorities in this connection. — TNS Amritsar, July 14 An unidentified Nihang entered Indian Institute of Management (IIM) located near Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) and allegedly threatened students not to smoke outside the campus. Students alleged that a Nihang entered the campus and threatened to chop the arm of person, who dared to smoke cigarettes. Students uploaded a video of the incident on social media and demanded strict ban on the entry of outsiders on the IIM campus. The incident took place when students were heading towards hostel from the temporary IIM campus on the institute’s bus. The Nihang entered the bus and warned students to not smoke. He argued with the bus driver and asked him to tell all students not to smoke outside campus. The Nihang alleged that students blew cigarette smoke on faces of other people while arguing with the bus driver. Students claimed that the Nihang slapped a security guard standing at the IIM gate Commercial establishments switching Heavy rains trigger veggie price hike to solar power from conventional energy Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 14 With a view to bring down expenses on electricity tariff, solar power is gradually replacing the conventional source of energy in commercial establishments which figure among power guzzling entities. Commenced in 2015 with insignificant production of some Kilowatt (kW), Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) now has over 1,200 grid rooftop solar (RTS) connections with 43 MW load. Out of these, two mega solar plants are at Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas with a combined capacity of about 2 MW. Both the union and the state governments have been promoting the transition from conventional to solar power as it is environment friendly, besides aiming to cut down the reliance on pricey conventional electricity. Solar panels installed on the rooftop of Khalsa College Girls Senior Secondary School in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR There is no denying the fact that the number of those opting for solar power has come down since free power was introduced in the district. For instance, there were 944 grid rooftop solar (RTS) connections here till July 2022. Since the introduction of the free power scheme, only 264 connections had been added. Ignored by domestic consumers, a majority of solar units have been adopted by those whose power consumption is high. In 2016, leading by example, Punjab Naatshala had adopted green and clean energy by switching over to solar power for its energy consumption. It installed a 20 kW solar-power panel to cut down on 75 per cent of its power expenses. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC), which runs 18 educational institutions, switched over to solar energy for a majority of its institutions. Guru Nanak Dev University also got a rooftop solar power plant of 3 MW capacity installed under the Union Government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in 2018. In 2019, the Punjab State War Memorial and Museum became the first government building in the city to use solar power under the Smart City project. In 2021, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in association with the United Sikh Mission, USA, took a lead by installing a solar power plant on the Golden Temple premises. It plans to install similar panels in other gurdwaras managed by it. Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International airport, Amritsar railway station, and several other government-run institutions have installed grid rooftop solar (RTS) panels. Amritsar, July 14 Heavy showers during the past week have substantially reduced the production of vegetables resulting in a steep hike in their prices. The humble ‘kadu’ (pumpkin) is being sold for Rs 120 per kg while the prices of vegetables used in salad have gone up to Rs 60 per kg. Vegetable growers say heavy showers had washed off flowers, which would have matured into vegetables, from plants and reduced production. Vegetable sellers say the prices had started increasing since the last two days. Sellers said they expected vegetable price to increase further. Earlier, harsh summer conditions troubled cultivators. Now, weeds had grown in fields after it rained. “Usually start of monsoons is the end of summer season vegetables. With rains, the growth of weeds covers plants and farmers usually uproot them,” said Lakhbir Singh, a vegetable grower. He said if production continued to remain low, farm- A vendor sells vegetables in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR ers would start uprooting old vegetable crop by the next week. Another farmer Satwinder Singh said other reason for hike in prices was that most farmers cultivated basmati after growing summer vegetables. “As such the prices are bound to increase as the area under vegetables at this particular time starts decreasing,” he added. Meanwhile, the prices of other vegetables such as tomatoes have reached Rs 80 per kg, ladyfinger Rs 100 per kg and gourd Rs 60 per kg. A homemaker Jagwinder Kaur said, “The prices of vegetables are too high for the common people. This hike has disturbed the kitchen budget.” She further said, “Earlier, I used to buy pumpkin for Rs 30 per kg which is now being sold at Rs 120 per kg.” — TNS Only two out of the five Sikh hardliners on Amid plantation drives, civic body chops 20 most-wanted men list survive in Pak trees to lay canal water supply pipeline Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 14 Only two out of the five Sikh hardliners, who figured on a list of 20 most-wanted men sought by India released following an attack on the Parliament House in December, 2001, survive. They are still believed to be hiding in Pakistan under the patronage of the Pakistani government. These two are Wadhawan Singh Babbar over-70-year-old chief of Babbar Khalsa International, and Ranjit Singh Neeta, chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force. Babbar Khalsa International was involved in an insurgency in Punjab during the 1980s. Its chief Babbar is wanted in over a dozen cases of sedition, murder and in connection with the assassination of Punjab’s then Chief Minister Beant Singh. Neeta, chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force, is wanted in cases of murder, bomb blasts and smuggling of arms. It is learnt that after the assassination Paramjit Singh Panjwar (63), a key leader of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), in Lahore on May 6 last year, both Babbar and Neeta were relocated to an undisclosed location. Besides Panjwar, Lakhbir Singh Rode and Gajinder Singh also passed away in Pakistan. Panjwar was accused of trying to revive the Sikh insurgency in Punjab. He was wanted in more than a dozen cases of murder, treason, conspiracy and arms smuggling. Rode, a leader of the International Sikh Youth Federation, was wanted in cases of arms smuggling and conspiracy to attack government leaders in Delhi. Gajinder Singh, a founder of Dal Khalsa, along with four other Sikh activists, had hijacked an Indian Airlines plane en route DelhiSrinagar-Lahore on September 29, 1981, nine days after the arrest of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Gajinder was arrested by Pakistan after he hijacked the plane to Lahore. In 2008, Gajinder had announced his willingness to return to India on certain conditions, but it did not materialise. The Indian Government has been seeking the extradition of 20 most-wanted terrorists for a long time. After the Shehbaz Sharif government came to power in Pakistan, the intelligence circles here are abuzz that the new government in the neighbouring country was trying to recreate the doctrine of bleed India with a thousand cuts was exercised during the tenure of the Nawaz Sharif government. Ambush of Indian military convoys in the Jammu region, besides sighting of suspected people in Army uniform in Gurdaspur and Pathankot, both border districts with road connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir, points towards Pakistan’s bleed India strategy. c m y b Trees cut on Majitha-Verka bypass road |Environmentalists oppose move Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 14 Though all MLA, MPs and government departments have initiated plantation drives, the municipal corporation (MC) has been chopping fully grown trees on the Majitha-Verka bypass road. Environment activists have voiced concern with some of them visiting the site and trying to stop the MC workers. Ironically, the MC had got approval from the Forest Department to axe trees in the green belt along with national highway to lay the canalbased 24x7 water supply line. The main line from Vallah water treatment plant to the PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Neeraj Bagga MC workers load chopped trees on tractor-trailer in Amritsar. city is being laid on the bypass road. The project has been getting delayed as the company did not have the approval for chopping trees. Now after getting the approval, the trees are being axed. The environmentalists visited the spot and spoke to the project in-charge asking him to stop chopping trees. However, officials pacified them by inform- ing about the importance of the project. The activists claimed that despite having the technology to transplant a fully grown tree, hundreds of trees were being uprooted on the national highway which was worrisome. Earlier, the authorities had axed more than 300 trees on the bypass road while constructing service lanes. “We are already facing an environmental crisis. Yesterday, Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla launched a campaign to plant saplings and today the authorities are chopping fully grown trees. The administration should make effort to transplant trees instead,” said activist Ranjodh Singh.