09082024-JTR-01.qxd 8/8/2024 10:52 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 'WALK WITH COMMISSIONER' GETS POSITIVE RESPONSE CHOKED SEWERAGE POSES RISK OF DISEASE IN FEROZEPUR HINDI REMAKES OF POPULAR FILMS CONTINUE UNABATED The ‘Walk with commissioner’ programme receives an overwhelming response from city residents. P3 The choked sewerage system has forced the residents of Ferozepur city to go through ‘nightmarish’ conditions.P3 Despite some not going down well with the audiences, Hindi remakes of popular films continue unabated. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.16 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:49 AM » FRIDAY | 9 AUGUST 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF THREE AFRICAN NATIONALS HELD Phagwara: Four African nationals living in a PG accommodation near Miherru village attacked and injured their colleague and took away a laptop, mobile phone and some cash after ransacking the room of the victim on Wednesday night. SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said on a complaint lodged by Zimbabwe resident Nyasha Mutanda, the police have registered a case against the four accused. The police had arrested three accused of Nigeria. The victim was admitted to a hospital. OC MOTORCYCLE STOLEN Phagwara: The bike of Block Samiti member Mohan Lal, a resident of village Kultham, was found stolen near a confectionery shop in Hargobind Nagar, Phagwara, Wednesday night. The victim went to a shop after parking his bike (PB-78-8706) but found it stolen when he came back. The police have registered a case. OC DOCTOR INJURED IN ACCIDENT Phagwara: Dr Sunil Pandey of Gandhi Hospital, Phagwara, was injured when a speeding car hit his scooter near Urban Estate on Wednesday night. He was going to his home in Kirpa Nagar on his scooter, when the speeding car hit his scooter. Dr Pandey was admitted to a hospital in Jalandhar. The police have identified the car driver as Raman Kumar, a resident of Nawanshahr who has been booked. No arrest has been made so far. OC WOMAN HELD FOR DRUG PEDDLING Irate Bhogpur residents block Pathankot road for over 3 hrs Ask govt to scrap bio-CNG plant plan on sugar mill premises SSA staff to stage protest at CM’s event on Aug 15 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 8 Led by Congress MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, angry residents of Bhogpur blocked the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway for more than three and a half hours, demanding that the agreement to set up a bio-CNG plant on the premises of Bhogpur Cooperative Sugar Mill be scrapped. A large number of farmers gathered at the grain market of Bhogpur around 9 am on the call of Adampur legislator Kotli and a 51-member Sangharsh Committee formed. They held a protest for an hour, asking the government to scrap bio-CNG plant plan on the mill premises. Around 10 am, they marched toward the Bhogpur T-point on the JalandharPathankot road where they pitched tents and started a protest after blocking the highway. The police tried to block their movement towards the highway by shutting the gates of the grain market but they all managed to cross these. Shopkeepers of Bhogpur also pulled down their shutters and joined the protest. Over 800 agitators gathered at the site. The agitators included sarpanches, panches, MC councillors and block committee members. Kotli said the protest had been held after the district administration dithered from its commitment to stop the construction activity at the plant site. President of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee Jalandhar, August 8 Non-teaching employees under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and mid-day meal scheme of Punjab’s Education Department will hold a protest during the state-level Independence Day function on August 15 near Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, if their demand for job regularisation remains unfulfilled. They have also announced plans to protest the AAP’s campaign for the upcoming byelections. District leaders of the Daftari Karamchari Union, including Shobit Bhagat, Gagandeep Sharma, and Kuldeep Singh, released a joint statement emphasising their grievances. They said the CM had assured them that their demand for job regularisation would be fulfilled after the Jalandhar West byelection, however, a month had passed since elections got over, but nothing had been done. The union leaders highlighted that SSA and mid-day meal scheme employees were detained multiple times in the past during protests in the district. “We have organ- Bhogpur residents, farmers and Congress leaders on a dharna on Jalandhar-Pathankot highway. PLANT TO POSE HEALTH RISK residential colonies right ❝There aremill. The health of those next to the sugar residing in these colonies is at stake. If the soil and groundwater get contaminated, the farmers in the area too could be adversely affected. ❞ Balwinder S Malli Nangal, DOABA KISAN SANGHARSH COMMITTEE Balwinder S Malli Nangal said the plant could affect their lives by causing air, soil and water pollution. “There are residential colonies right next to the sugar mill. The health of the families residing in these colonies was at stake. TRAFFIC DIVERTED ■ After the protest staged by the residents, traffic on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway was diverted, which increased the travel time of commuters by nearly 15 minutes ■ The commuters were made to turn from Bhogpur sugar mill towards Adampur to move further ■ The diversion led to some traffic congestion but the vehicles kept moving slowly If the soil and groundwater get contaminated, the farmers in the area too could be adversely affected”, he said. The agitators lifted dharna around 1:30 pm when SDM Balbir Raj and SP Manpreet Dhillon reached the spot and Phagwara: The police have arrested a woman drug peddler on the charge of selling heroin. Investigating officer Harjit Singh said 4.5 gram of heroin was seized from the possession of the accused Priya of Shahkar village. A case under has been registered against the accused. Meanwhile, the police arrested Jainder of Mohalla Bagh Wala, Shahkot, with 245 intoxicated capsules. OC FIVE BOOKED FOR SNATCHING Phagwara: The police have booked five miscreants on the charge of snatching the earrings of a man. Bhushan Kumar of Mohalla Chopra, Shahkot, complained to the police he was returning home with his niece on a scooter on July 6 when three car-borne accused stopped before his vehicle and then two motorcycle-borne accused came and snatched her gold earrings and a silver 'kara' and fled. A case has been registered. OC ised several protests in the past and now decided to protest outside Guru Gobind Singh Stadium on Independence Day as CM Bhagwant Mann will unfurl the flag here,” they stated. The leaders also recalled the CM’s announcement on September 5, 2022, about the appointment of 8,736 contractual employees in the Education Department, followed by a notification on October 7. However, they pointed out that no official orders had been issued to date, forcing them to resort to protests. Additionally, the employees raised concerns about a Rs 5,000 salary cut, affecting block-level employees, which they described as a gross injustice. “Despite being in the same cadre, these employees are being paid less,” they added. They further said if the state government continued to ignore their demands, they would be forced to intensify their protests. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 8 The Commissionerate Police has busted a gang involved in supplying opium in the city by arresting one of its members. Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma said the police had got a tip-off that a gang was involved in the smuggling of opium. Acting on the information, a team from Police Station Division Number-1 laid a naka near CJS Public School Service Lane, GT Road, where they saw an individual coming from the Bidhipur village side, carrying a handbag. Sharma said the police team stopped the individual Ram Parsad of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and searched his handbag and recovered 1.6 kg opium. An FIR against the accused was registered and during the investigation he confessed that he had been driving a rickshaw, but due to financial difficulties, he began selling opium. The CP said links of the accused are being investigated. He said no criminal history of the accused had been found so far, adding that the city police had launched a crusade against drugs and no stone was being left unturned to wipe out this menace from the city. 5 nabbed with 33 gm heroin Nawanshahr, August 8 The police today arrested five persons, including two women, and seized 33 gm heroin and intoxicated tablets and injections from their possession. The peddlers were arrested from Nawanshahr, Aur, Kath- garh, Pojewal and Rahon. From Rahon, Kushal Kumar was arrested with 5 gm heroin. From Nawanshahr and Pojewal, women peddlers Tejinder and Sarabjot Kaur were arrested with 15 gm and 10 gm of heroin, and from Aur, Parminder Singh was arrested with 3 gm heroin. Peddler Amarjit Kumar was arrested from Kathgarh and 35 intoxicated tablets and injections were seized from his possession. In all cases, FIRs have been registered under Sections 2161-85 of the NDPS Act. Drug smuggling accused gives police the slip MAN NABBED FOR MINOR’S RAPE Phagwara: The police have arrested a resident on the charge of raping a minor. The accused has been identified as Nahum of Mohalla Ravidas Pura, Nakodar. The victim complained to the police that the accused promised to marry her and made physical relations for months. But when she became pregnant, he refused to marry her. A case under POCSO Act has been registered against him. OC assured them of a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal soon. They also got an assurance from the mill management for stopping the construction of the plant till their meeting with the DC. Demand regularisation of job, threaten stir Police arrest migrant with 1.6kg opium PARIS OLYMPICS Family members of hockey player Mandeep Singh celebrate Indian team’s victory, in Jalandhar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Hockey players’ kin on cloud 9 after Olympic win against Spain Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 8 The Indian hockey team clinched a bronze medal by defeating Spain 2-1 in Paris Olympics today. From Jalandhar, four hockey players were part of the team — Mandeep Singh, former captain Manpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Hardik Singh. The captain Harmanpreet Singh has also taken his training in the Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, for years. Parents of all players celebrated the win and said they would hold a grand celebration once the players arrive in Jalandhar. “I was doing ardaas for the team. Once they come home, we will do a grand celebration,” said Manpreet’s mother Manjit Kaur. Mandeep Singh’s father was seen drinking water numerous times when the match with Spain was going on. He said his blood pressure was increasing with every passing minute. “But, I am so proud of my boys. They have won bronze again. Nothing else could have given me happiness,” he added. Paternal uncle of Mandeep shared that just like he (Mandeep) gave bronze to the family again, they would also give a medal of ‘marriage’ to him. “He is going to get married in November this year,” he said. The parents celebrated, distributed laddoos, did Bhangra, got emotional as they watched their sons winning bronze c m y b Hoshiarpur, August 8 The accused arrested by the Hariana police on Wednesday with narcotic powder escaped from the police station by dodging the cops. According to information received, Sunny of Mohalla Pratap Nagar, Hoshiarpur, was arrested by the police on August 7 with 65 gram of narcotic powder. After arresting the accused, the police registered a case against him under the NDPS Act at Hariana police station. The police claimed to have arrested the accused during patrolling near Woodland Overseas School near village Sataur. According to sources, the accused escaped from the police station on the afternoon at lunch time by pushing the sentry aside. The police were searching for the absconding accused. — OC Bilga resident hurt in assault PHAGWARA: The police have booked five persons on the charge of assaulting a Bilga resident. Mandeep Singh of Bilga village complained to the police that he was going to his field when a car-borne accused attacked him with weapons and seriously injured him. A case has been registered. — OC Members of the Punjab Students Union protest the state government’s decision to make eight government colleges in state autonomous, in Hoshiarpur on Thursday. Students protest govt decision to make colleges autonomous Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 6 A protest was held by members of the Punjab Students Union in Hoshiarpur against the decision of the Punjab Government to make eight government colleges autonomous . They held rallies in various departments of Government College Hoshiarpur and conducted a signature campaign, submitting a demand charter through the principal of the college to the government. They said if their demand was not met, then they would protest against the state government on the issue during Chabbewal byelection. State finance secretary of the PSU Baljit Dharmakot, student leaders of the college Anuradha and Jaspreet Kaur said the Bhagwant Mann government was withdrawing its hands from imparting education by making the colleges autonomous under the New Education Policy of the Centre. The government had not given any draft or notification to the colleges regarding their autonomy. However, they said the DPI office is ordering verbally to the college principals to register the name of the college for autonomy on the UGC site. They said the government following in the footsteps of the Central Governemnt was moving towards privatising government colleges. Granting autonomy to colleges means increase in the fee which will put an additional financial burden on students. The leaders of union warned the government that if this decision was not withdrawn, the union would launch a strong agitation against it. Tajinderpal, Sharanpreet Badhan, Baljit Singh, Raj Kumar, Shalini, Phoolan Rani, Mamta Sharma, Aarti Arshdeep Kaur, Arpita, Payal, Jasdeep Kaur, Amandeep Kaur and Sandeep Singh were present.