22082024-ATR-01.qxd 8/21/2024 11:00 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY DEMANDS NOT IMPLEMENTED, POWERCOM EMPLOYEES PROTEST FARHAN AKHTAR TO RELEASE HIS NEW SINGLE REACH FOR THE STARS AMMY VIRK BELIEVES PUNJABI FILM INDUSTRY NEEDS HIGHER BUDGETS Employees staged a protest rally in front of the Tarn Taran powercom office over not implementing accepted demands. P2 Filmmaker-actor-singer Farhan Akhtar is all set to release his upcoming single titled Reach For The Stars on August 29. P4 Actor Ammy Virk, who made a mark with film Khel Khel Mein, believes Punjabi film industry needs higher budgets. P4 » » » MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.06 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:00 AM THURSDAY | 22 AUGUST 2024 | AMRITSAR Woman hit by train, dies Tarn Taran, August 21 A woman died on the spot when she was hit by a running train between the SangranaGohalwar railway stations on Wednesday. The deceased has not been identified yet. Her body has been kept in the mortuary of the Government Railway Police (GRP) police station in Amritsar. ASI Jaswant Singh, incharge, GRP police post, said the deceased appeared to be in her mid-sixties. She was wearing a blue colour salwar kameez. A report under Section 194 of the BNS was registered at the local GRP police post, the ASI said. — OC Two arrested with pistol Amritsar, August 21 Acting on a tip-off , the CIA staff of the Amritsar (Rural) police arrested two persons and recovered a Glock pistol, smuggled from Pakistan, from their possession on Wednesday. Those arrested were identified as Hardev Singh and Robin Singh, both residents of Attari, a border village. Confirming their arrest, Harinder Singh Gill, Superintendent of Police (SP), Investigation, said an FIR under the Arms Act was registered against the duo and a preliminary probe initiated in this connection. He said, “The pistol has apparently been smuggled from Pakistan. Links of the arrested suspects with Pakistan based anti-national entities are being ascertained.” — TNS Health team deployed at ICP MONKEYPOX SCARE Amritsar, August 21 The District Health Department has deputed a surveillance team at the Attari Integrated border Check-Post (ICP) in view of the monkeypox threat. Health officials said a team would keep an eye on persons arriving at Attari and intervene only if they felt that someone was sick. Civil Surgeon Dr Sumit Singh said in the last two days, doctors deputed at the ICP had not come across anyone who had fever or any other symptoms related to monkeypox. He said the team was deployed at the ICP as a precautionary measure and there was no need to panic. — TNS Patients face heat as doctors continue protest at Government Medical College Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 21 Patients coming to the Government Medical College (GMC) here are paying the price for the ongoing protest by the resident doctors’ association as its members are boycotting the OPD services and elective surgeries. Doctors at the college are protesting over the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a medical college in Kolkata. After the incident, voices regarding the safety of medical professionals at government hospitals have grown louder. Various government functionaries have visited the college and promised to take steps suggested by doctors regarding improving security for the staff at the health institution. Doctors and students protest at the Government Medical College in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR However, a visit to the college on Wednesday revealed that patients at the hospital were not getting medical advice as the OPD doors were closed. Security personnel told me that I should come after the strike is over.” He said everyone felt sympathetic for the unfortunate doctor who was murdered after rape. Patients said they did not create any security issues or pose any kind of threat to medical professionals as most of them considered doctors next to God. Resident doctors said sometimes they had to face the public wrath despite not being at any fault. “After listening to political statements on the media, patients come here hoping that they would get a five-star treatment and that too free of cost. But they are forced to buy medicines from the market which forces them to think that the government is sending all supplies to the hospital, but doctors are dishonest and corrupt,” a doctor said. 2 sent to police remand for ~4.41L PNB robbery Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 21 Though the police have arrested two suspects involved in a robbery at the Punjab National Bank (PNB), their third accomplice is still at large. The arrested suspects were produced in a court which sent them to twoday police remand. Three armed persons had looted a branch of the PNB at Basarke Gillan village here on gunpoint on Saturday. The looters had decamped with Rs 4.41 lakh from the woman head cashier of the bank. On Saturday around 4.30 pm, two unidentified persons with covered faces entered the bank premises. One of them was carrying a pistol while the other held a sharp weapon. Immediately after entering the bank, they threatened employees. The man with a sharp weapon entered head cashier Rompi’s cabin and asked her to handover whatever cash was lying there. As she got frightened, the suspect opened the cash box and took out Rs 4.41 lakh lying in it. He put the money in a bag. Both the suspects fled from the bank with their accomplice who was waiting for them outside on a bike. “The police scanned footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area to find clues about robbers. Following a tip-off, the police arrested two suspects identified as Satnam Singh and Simranjit Singh, both residents of Ramuwal village and recovered Rs 2.77 lakh, besides a toy pistol with four potash cartridges from them yesterday. The bike used in the crime has also been impounded,” the SSP (Rural) said. He said raids were on to nab their third accomplice who was on the run. Drug peddlers’ properties worth ~37 crore frozen Amritsar, August 21 Within one-and-half-month of the arrest of two drug peddlers with the contraband, the Amritsar (Rural) police have identified their properties and frozen them after getting approval from the competent authorities. The police froze their properties worth Rs 37.72 crore located in Mode, a border village, and a commercial property on the Kale Ghanupur road. Charanjit Singh, SSP Amrit, sar (Rural) police, said Jatin Singh and Ajaypal Singh of Mode border village falling under the Gharinda police station were arrested with 500 gm of heroin and an illegal .32 bore pistol. The SSP said a case under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act was registered against the duo at the Gharinda police station on July 2. “The police identified their properties which they had pur- chased from the ill-gotten money earned through the illegal drug trade. The list was sent to the competent authorities which gave their go ahead to freeze properties,” the SSP said. The police seized a residential building of Jatin Singh located in Mode village. The market value of the building was stated to be Rs 5.85 lakh. Similarly, the police froze properties belonging to Ajaypal which include a house, a shop and a banquet hall located opposite the OCM Mill on the Chheharta road. The police also froze another property — a residential house in Mode village — that belonged to Ajaypal. The market value of the properties that belonged to the two drug peddlers was estimated at Rs 37.72 crore. The SSP said, “There are clear cut instructions to identify properties of drug peddlers and freeze them in order to break their back financially.” — TNS surgery and had come to the hospital for a check-up said, “I came all the way from my village to the hospital only to find the OPD closed. A security guard Ensure 100% waste segregation by year end: DC to officials Cops paste notice on a property of a drug peddler in Amritsar. present at the OPD gates were turning patients away while stating that doctors were on protest. Gurjinder Singh, a patient who had undergone a leg Underage driving: Extended deadline ends, residents drop wards at schools Amritsar, August 21 At a meeting of the district administration regarding solid waste management in the district, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori asked officials to ensure 100 per cent segregation of waste at the point of generation by the end of this year. Thori said segregation into wet and dry waste had started in seven nagar councils of the district. He said September 15 was the target date to cover maximum number of homes in these areas for segregation of the garbage. Thori said management and disposal of waste in Rayya, Majitha, Baba Bakala and Ramdas nagar councils was going on smoothly. He said the segregation work in Ajnala and Jandiala Guru was at an initial phase and would be streamlined in the coming days. Additional Deputy Commissioner Nikas Kumar said the project to process waste collected from households was also underway. Kumar said 80 per cent of the project work in the four nagar councils had been completed. Thori said segregation of waste was important for its proper disposal. He said people need to be made aware so that they dispose of dry and wet waste in separate dustbins and hand it over to garbage collection teams. — TNS Students arrive at their respective schools on two-wheelers in violation of the norms in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 21 Even as the extended deadline for enforcing underage driving rules ended on Tuesday, children were still found violating the norms at several places in the city. They came to their institutions on twowheelers and that too without wearing safety headgear. Despite such incidents of flouting of the norms, the number of violators certainly declined today as majori- ty of students were dropped by their parents and family members at their respective schools. Some students arrived on school transport at their respective educational institutions. The underage driving rules were to be implemented on August 1, but during awareness programmes organised by the traffic police, parents had sought some time for preparing learning licences and procuring vehicles under the stipulated norms for their wards. The police extended the deadline by 20 days on parents’ pleas. Traffic cops also kept a vigil near school gates to catch violators of underage driving rules today. Harpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Traffic, said from today onwards, the police implemented the underage driving norms in letter and spirit. He said no underage kid would be allowed to drive vehicles other than those stipulated under the rules. “It's good that if residents understand the value of following the traffic norms. It's the collective responsibility of all members of society to make our roads accident free by abiding by the traffic rules,” the ADCP said. Under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, a penalty of Rs 25,000 can be imposed on parents of an underage driver, besides an imprisonment of three years or both. Another spell of rain brings back waterlogging woes for residents EPFO grievance redressal camps to be held on Aug 27 Three hour morning showers leave commuters stranded in traffic jam on the GT road |Sewer water enters shops and homes Amritsar, August 21 In order to address grievances of employees, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) would organise Nidhi Aapke Nikat 2.0 grievance redressal camps in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Batala and Pathankot on August 27. The camps would be held at Hotel Taj Swarna on Circular Road in Amritsar, Gupta Rice Mill at Kadgil village in Tarn Taran, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Senior Secondary School at Hasanpura in Batala (Gurdaspur), and Sumeet Earth Mover at Nirankari Bhawan in Pathankot, stated Lokendra Singh, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, in a statement here today. — TNS Amritsar, August 21 Another spell of rain brought back same set of woes for residents. After the early morning heavy rain, the low-lying areas of the holy city and even the main GT road witnessed deluge. It seemed that tall claims of officials of the municipal corporation (MC) to tackle monsoon-related issues went down the drain. Waterlogging was witnessed in sever residential colonies of Putlighar, Chheharta, Batala Road, the walled city and even posh area like Ranjit Avenue. Commuters on the busy GT road got stuck in traffic jam due to waterlogging along the BRTS route. Engines of Two-wheeler riders drive through a waterlogged road near Khalsa College on the GT road in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR c m y b many vehicles stopped in middle of the inundated road. Three hours of rain in the morning today laid bare the truth of MC’s failure. Despite desilting of drains, rainwater inundated many areas in the city. Stench of sewer water that overflowed from drains troubled commuters on all busy routes. Rainwater was drained through motor pumps at sewer disposal stations located in various areas of the city. At several places these motor pumps failed to work. In the Kot Khalsa and Islamabad areas, rainwater entered residents’ homes. A few days ago, MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla held a meeting with MC officials to discuss the issues of open garbage dumping and clogged sewers across the city, especially inside the walled city areas. Despite instructions to officials, heaps of garbage aggravated the problem of waterlogging today as plastic and other waste blocked drains. “The cleaning of sewer and rain chambers before monsoon seems like a Herculean task for the MC. With every rain, the problem is getting worse. Open disposal of garbage adds to the problem. Last year, we saw chikungunya outbreak in the city after the monsoon. Even this year, we might get another outbreak of some other disease due to waterlogging,” shared Vaishali Sharma of Bhalla Colony in Chheharta. — TNS