22092024-JTR-01.qxd 9/21/2024 10:56 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune NONAGENARIAN POET AZAD GETS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 500 STUDENTS RECEIVE DEGREES AT CONVOCATION RASHMIKA TALKS ABOUT ‘EXTREME PERSONALITIES’ WITH HER FANS Punjabi poet Pritam Singh Azad was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by Punjabi Virsa Trust. P2 Students were awarded graduate and PG degrees at the annual convocation of Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women. P2 Actress Rashmika Mandanna recently talked about ‘extreme personalities’ and it involved working out at odd hours.P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.24 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:16 AM » SUNDAY | 22 SEPTEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR Ammonia gas leak at ice factory claims life, triggers panic among residents 2 migrants, one woman fainted after inhaling gas; fire officials suspect pipe rupture Man, 2 others hurt in attack by drug peddlers Tribune News Service Avneet Kaur The ice factory where ammonia gas leaked in Jalandhar on Saturday. INBRIEF TWO YOUTHS DIE BY SUICIDE Phagwara: A youth identified as Manpreet Singh(25) died by suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his home at Shivpuri locality here on Friday night. Manpreet had been married for about a year and had been struggling with mental stress. The police have registered a case and handed over the body to the family members. Another youth died by suicide on Friday. IO Sulindar Singh said the deceased has been identified as Balvir Chand (27) of Kaniya Khurd village. Gurmail, father of the deceased, told the police that his son consumed some poisonous substance and ended his life. OC Jalandhar, September 21 An ammonia gas leak at the Jain Ice Factory on Old Railway Road, near the Damoria flyover here, caused panic on Saturday afternoon, resulting in the death of one factory worker and affecting nearby residents. The leak, which occurred between 2pm and 2.30pm, quickly spread, forcing nearby shopkeepers to immediately close their businesses. As per information, four workers were trapped inside the factory during the leak, including 68-year-old Sheetal Singh, who died of suffocation. His body was sent to the Civil Hospital for a postmortem. The other three workers were rescued in time and were now reportedly stable. The gas leak also impacted several others in the vicinity. Two migrants on a bicycle passing by the factory as well as a woman who had come to a nearby market fainted on the road due to the toxic fumes. Although they regained consciousness shortly after, their collapse MALKIAT SINGH Tribune News Service Wailing relative of the person who died in the ammonia gas leak; emergency response team members get ready before entering the factory, near the Damoria Bridge. PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH raised an alarm and the local residents reported the matter to the police control room. Kamlesh Rani, a local resident, said after two people on bicycles fell on the ground, some residents went near the factory and saw the gas leaking from the factory, and panic spread quickly. “Everyone shut the doors and windows of their houses and covered their faces as the smell was everywhere and you could feel the suffocation till 1km,” she added. After having received the information, teams from the fire brigade and Division Number 3 police station rushed to the scene, sealing off the area and setting up MAN BOOKED FOR GAMBLING Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked Balwindar Kumar of ward no. 9 for gambling. The accused was selling betting slips in his house. A case has been registered against the accused who managed to flee from the spot. OC 1 ARRESTED FOR STEALING SCRAP Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police arrested a thief on the charge of stealing spare parts scrap from a workshop. The accused had been identified as Lachhmann Kumar, a resident of Padda Colony, ward no. 7. OC days. He confirmed that technical experts were called to inspect the factory, which has since been sealed. The factory’s licences and other documents are being reviewed by the administration and the municipal corporation. The SDM further said efforts to contact the factory owner had been unsuccessful so far, and the exact cause of the leakage was still unclear. CP Swapan Sharma, Joint CP Sandeep Sharma and other senior officials visited the site. Speaking to the media, police officials said the teams acted quickly to bring the situation under control within two hours. Three miscreants scuffle Travel agent couple booked for with ASI, one arrested duping man of ~15.84 lakh Man killed over minor dispute, two arrested Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 21 A farmer of Sarupwal village in Mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi has been shot dead over a minor dispute on water. Malkit Singh was standing outside his house supervising the construction of his house when he was shot dead by his neighbour today. Two persons have been arrested by the Kabirpur police in the case, Malkit’s neighbours Tarsem Singh Soni and his wife Sandip Kaur. An FIR has been registered under Sections 103 (1) and 3 (5) of the BNS and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. There was a minor dispute between Malkit and Tarsem regarding the water drainage from a pipe. Previously also, the duo had heated verbal exchanges over the issue. However, when the altercation escalated today, Tarsem, who is also an ex-serviceman, shot Malkit with his licensed revolver, who died on the spot. The incident happened in the afternoon. pistol before fleeing. Later the Hoshiarpur Sadar police managed to arrest one of the three youths while the search for his two companions was on. The arrested youth was identified as Sukhbir Singh of Mehtiana. His companions have been identified as Amardeep Baba and Jindi, both of Tanuli village. The police have registered a case against the three youths. — OC Our Correspondent Phagwara, September 21 The Lohian Khas have booked a travel agent couple for allegedly duping a man of Rs 15.84 lakh on the pretext of sending his relative abroad. Investigating Officer (IO) Prem Lal said the accused has been identified as Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Sansarpur village under The 16 persons in the custody of the Jalandhar Rural Police. 16 held for illegal betting in Lohian, ~18,500 seized Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 21 The Lohian police have arrested 16 individuals involved in illegal betting in the town. The operation, conducted on September 20 as part of a broader crackdown on unlawful activities, also led to the recovery of Rs 18,500. This action follows a series of efforts by the Jalandhar Rural Police to target criminal elements under the ongoing special campaign. The arrested individuals have been identified as Sonu Kumar, Rajiv Kumar, Gurdeep Ram, Naresh Kumar, Bodh Raj, Gurpreet Singh, all residents of various wards in Lohi- an. Other individuals arrested include Amarjit Singh, resident of Toti, Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala; Ranjit Singh, resident of Mohalla Llarian, Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala; Baljinder Kumar, resident of ward no. 13, Lohian; Mukh Singh, Sonu Singh and Gurpreet Singh Ghuda, all resident of Toti, Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala. The other accused are Gaurav Kumar of ward no. 07, Lohian; Gurcharan Singh of Manak village, Lohian; Shalu of ward no. 1, Lohian; and Princeof Mohalla Llarian, Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala. Jalandhar SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the entire operation was conduct- ed under the supervision of DSP Onkar Singh Brar of Shahkot subdivision. The police team was led by SubInspector Labh Singh, SHO of Lohian police station. Acting on a tip-off, the police team apprehended the accused, including the main suspect, Balwinder Kumar, when they were placing bets. In this regard, an FIR had been registered at Lohian police station and further investigations are going on. Those arrested will be produced in the local court, where the police will seek their remand to further investigate the organised betting operations. c m y b Jalandhar Cantt police station and his wife Poonam Kataria. Jhilmann Singh, a resident of Sindharr village, complained to the police that he had paid Rs 15.84 lakh to the accused for facilitating his son’s fiancée’s migration to Canada. However, they neither sent her abroad, nor returned the money. The IO said a case under Sections 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC has been registered against the accused after an inquiry. Meanwhile, The Bilga police has also booked a travel agent Harpindar Singh of Kotla Janga village under Nakodar Sadar police station and his wife Rannjit Kaur on the charge of cheating Sahil Kumar of Bilga village of Rs 5.62 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. Cars collide, passengers escape with minor injuries Hoshiarpur, September 21 Three youths riding a bike scuffled with an ASI and tore his uniform at Chak Sadhu Naka on Hoshiarpur-Una Road yesterday, when he stopped them for checking. The police claimed that when the accused broke the naka and fled, ASI Rakesh chased them. On being stopped, the accused abused him, tore his uniform and also tried to snatch the government TWO YOUTHS HELD UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Phagwara Police have arrested two youths and seized 195 intoxicant tablets from them on Friday night. City SHO Jatinder Kumar said the accused have been identified as Pawan Kumar of Chhagg Colony and Gurpinder Singh of Rattanpura locality, both in Phagwara. They were nabbed at a checkpoint near the Urban Estate. OC barricades to prevent further exposure. Traffic was diverted and a disaster management team was called in to support the rescue efforts. The situation was brought under control within two hours, with emergency teams working to contain the leak and evacuate the area. While the exact cause of the ammonia leak is still unknown, fire officials suspect that a pipe within the factory may have ruptured. However, a formal investigation is underway. Jai Inder Singh, SDM, has been tasked with conducting a thorough inquiry and submitting a detailed report within 15 Jalandhar, September 21 A man was brutally attacked at the city’s Tobri Mohalla after he attempted to confront drug peddlers operating in the area. The incident occurred late last night, and the victim along with two others were rushed to the Civil Hospital for treatment. The victim, Surinder Singh, alleged that drug dealers had been openly selling narcotics in the locality. He claimed that anyone who tried to stand up against the illegal activity was made to face severe repercussions. Surinder, who had been vocal about the increasing drug menace, said he had repeatedly written to senior officials about the issue, but no action had been taken. Late last night, after he spotted a drug dealer selling ‘chitta’ he confronted him and told him not to sell it near his home. Following this, he was attacked by a group, including members of a local family residing near his home and several unidentified youths. “They are selling ‘chitta’ in huge quantities here, and if you speak up, they retaliate with violence. My life is in danger, simply for protesting against this,” he said, expressing fear for his safety. He added that his mother and sister-in-law were also injured during the attack. The victims are currently receiving treatment for their injuries. Meanwhile, no official complaint in this incident has been made so far. When checked with police officials of Division Number 2 and 8, they claimed that they had received no information in this regard, and no complaint had been lodged by the victims. They said since the incident was related to drug selling, they would visit the locality to gather information, and meet the victims to take necessary action. Ayushman Bharat: Nursing cell suspends cashless service Garhshankar, September 21 Two cars were badly damaged when an I-10 car coming from the link road hit a Swift car today on the Garhshankar-Balachaur Road near Samundra. The four passengers in both cars escaped with minor injuries. Yadwinder of Dhadwara village, near Banga, Nawanshahar district, was going to his sister’s village Chakk Gujraan in Garhshankar in the Swift. Ranjit Singh, a resident of Mubarakpur, Nawanshahar district, was coming on the link road in his I-10 car. As soon as the I10 car reached the main road, it collided with the other car. The I-10 car skidded off the road, fell into a waterfilled ditch and stopped after colliding with a tree, while the Swift car was badly damaged. Its driver had a narrow escape as both air bags opened in time. On the other hand, the driver of the I-10 car and two other women aboard the car suffered minor scratches. They were pulled out by the people. — OC Jalandhar, September 21 Members of the Nursing House Cell, IMA Punjab, the association which represents private hospitals and nursing homes across the state, today announced the suspension of cashless services under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme for Punjab residents due to pending payments of Rs 600 crore to hospitals. Association members said the decision came after months of unresolved payment issues, with huge payments pending for the last six months. The association apologised to the people of Punjab for this measure and said the hospitals were now deeply in debt due to nonpayment of dues. Secretary, Nursing House Cell, IMA Punjab, Navjot Dahiya, said representatives of the cell had previously engaged with the CEO of the State Health Agency, Punjab, and the Health Minister to resolve the payment issues. But despite repeated assurance of payment clearance within 15 days, no action has been taken to address the issue. With no resolution in sight and hospitals facing punitive action for refusing treat- Tribune News Service ~600 crore dues leave hospitals in debt Members of the Indian Medical Association hold a press conference in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH ment, the Nursing House Cell, IMA Punjab, has officially halted these services. In Jalandhar, there are about 200 private hospitals, of which the Ayushman Scheme was running in 69. Union members said the State Health Agency, Punjab, had violated the memorandum of understanding (MoU) by delaying payments and had no legal right to take action against hospitals for denying the services. They said despite around 300 mails sent by hospitals, the CEO of State Health Agency, Punjab, had ordered action against them, which points to a vindictive attitude towards private healthcare providers. They said the current situation had forced hospitals into bankruptcy as the state government continued to push free healthcare schemes without sufficient funding. The scheme has been expanded to include patients who can afford private healthcare, thereby overburdening hospitals and depriving the poor of access to care, they said. Many hospitals were struggling to pay their staff and suppliers, taking loans to cover operational costs, they added.