26092024-JTR-01.qxd 9/26/2024 12:14 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FARMERS PROTEST, DEMAND FIXING OF MSP FOR BASMATI JASLEEN ROYAL MOVES COURT AGAINST ANOTHER SINGER AARYA BABBAR RETURNS TO THE SMALL SCREEN The Kirti Kisan Union has urged the government to fix the MSP of basmati and guarantee procurement. P3 Singer Jasleen Royal has moved court against Guru Randhawa and others for ‘stealing’ her composition. P4 Actor Aarya Babbar is back on television after eight years with ZEE TV’s show Jagriti – Ek Nayi Subah. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.14 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:13 AM THURSDAY | 26 SEPTEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF 12 BOTTLES OF ILLICIT LIQUOR SEIZED Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked a person for allegedly selling illicit liquor. Investigating Officer (IO) Sulindar Singh said 12 bottles of illicit liquor were seized from the accused, who was identified as Vijay Kumar, a resident of Sai Pur Jhirri village. A case under Section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against the Vijay, who is on the run. OC THREE HELD ON ASSAULT CHARGE Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested three members of a family, including two women, for allegedly assaulting a woman. Investigating Officer (IO) Kabul Singh said the accused had been identified as Lakhvir Singh, a resident of Kullar village, his wife Pindar and daughter Jassi. Kuldeep Kaur, a resident of the same village, had complained to the police that the accused had attacked and seriously injured her. The IO said a case had been registered against the accused. OC MAN DUPED OF ~25 LAKH Hoshiarpur: The police have registered a case against a man for allegedly duping Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Urmar Tanda, of Rs 25 lakh. According to information, the victim said the accused, Varinder Singh of Kunta village, had promised him that he would send him to United States of America in exchange of money. The investigation is underway. OC 1 ARRESTED WITH 55 GM NARCOTICS Hoshiarpur: The police have arrested a man and seized 55 gm narcotics from him. The accused has been identified as Jatin Rehla, a resident of Kakkon. OC TWO BOOKED IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Simran Kaur, a resident of Bhagatpura in Phagwara, the police have booked her husband Dildar Singh and his mother Maan Kaur, residents of Pathankot, under Section 406 and 498 of IPC on the charges of torturing the complainant physically and mentally to fulfill the demand for more dowry. No arrest has been made so far. The police is investigating the matter. OC New Local Bodies Minister faces Computerteachersto hold rally in Khatkar daunting task of cleaning civic mess Kalan on Sept 28 Dr Ravjot Singh will have to address allegations of bungling in Smart City project Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 25 With the Ministry of Local Government going to Sham Chaurasi MLA Dr Ravjot Singh on Monday, the Hoshiarpur-based doctor is beset with the uphill task of setting right a trail of wrongs in the implementation of the Smart City project in the region. The AAP is faced with a slew of charges in the implementation of the Smart City project in Doaba cities — especially Jalandhar and Kapurthala — and Dr Ravjot Singh has inherited the troubled legacy of addressing these allegations that pertain to corruption, delay and inaction. It may be mentioned that Jalandhar has been the most controversial city in terms of the Smart City project in Doaba region. When Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh had been tasked with addressing these issues in June last year (when he got the ministry), he went on an assurance-making and foundation-laying spree in the early months of his tenure. However, with mounting charges of inaction and corruption, the poor condition of civic amenities remained A view of the Wariana garbage dumping site in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH GREENHORNS REWARDED In the fourth cabinet reshuffle of the AAP on Monday, two Doaba ministers were divested of their portfolios while two greenhorns were rewarded with ministries. It is for the first time that both Jalandhar West MLA Mohinder Bhagat and Sham Chaurasi MLA Dr Ravjot Singh have bagged ministerial portfolios in the state government. Bhagat has got the ministries of Defence Services Welfare, Freedom Fighters and Horticulture (all three held earlier by Chetan Singh Jouramajra) while Dr Ravjot Singh has got the important portfolios of Local Government and Parliamentary Affairs (both ministries earlier held by Balkar Singh). the key issue during the twin elections which Jalandhar saw this year — the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Jalandhar Assembly bypoll. During both of these, the BJP repeated charges of Garhshankar, September 25 Ruckus erupted in Garhshankar after a man died during treatment at a private hospital and his family members staged a protest against the doctor and the police on Wednesday. They alleged that the police were not taking action. They further refused to get the postmortem examination done or let the body be cremated until a case was registered against the doctor. According to information received, Mohan Lal, father of victim Pankaj Kumar (32), said his son Pankaj Kumar had fallen ill due to alcohol consumption a few days ago, and was admitted to a private hospital on the Chandigarh-Hoshiarpur road for treatment on Tues- erage and garbage problems went from bad to worse. A public fallout of it was also witnessed in Kapurthala when after several deaths following a diarrhoea outbreak earlier this year, Jalandhar, September 25 Computer teachers under the banner of ‘Computer Adhyapak Union’ have announced a ‘mega rally’ at Khatkar Kalan on September 28, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Frustrated by the state government’s failure to address their long-standing demands, hundreds of computer teachers from across the state, along with their families, are expected to gather. The teachers have been on a hunger strike in Sangrur since September 1, demanding their merger into the Education Department and the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s benefits. Despite appeals, the government has shown little interest in resolving their issues, forcing the teachers to escalate their protest. Those leading the protests like Paramveer Singh Pammi, Johnny Singla and Pradeep Kumar Maluka, among others, have been vocal about their grievances, noting that successive governments in the state have ignored their pleas for nearly two decades. According to the teachers, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who once criticised the Congress government Admn puts ban on Bhogpur sugar mill to procure 70,000 MT burning paddy straw stubble for crop residue management Jalandhar, September 25 Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal on Wednesday issued an order prohibiting the burning of paddy residue/straw within the limits of Kapurthala district, using the powers conferred under Section 163 of the Indian Citizen Protection Act-2023. Apart from this, harvesting paddy through combines would be prohibited in Kapurthala district from 6 pm to 10 am, the Deputy Commissioner said. He said usually the residue/straw/grass left after the harvesting of pad- Use of combines prohibited from 6 pm to 10 am dy in the fields were set on fire, causing damage to the environment, animals, adjacent crops and roadside plants/trees. As a result, there would be a complete ban on stubble burning, he added. The Deputy Commissioner said these orders would remain in force from September 25 to November 23 this year. — TNS Man dies during treatment at pvt hospital, kin stage protest Our Correspondent over Rs 600 crore alleged scam in MC Jalandhar. In turn, the AAP hurled the charges back at the previous Congress government — with the residents caught in the whirl even as roads, sew- Kapurthala’s Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh openly criticised the MC Commissioner and questioned the Local Bodies Minister on the MC’s inaction and sought an inquiry. “Local Bodies is a tricky department with years of corruption and inaction. Fifteen months ago, Balkar was given a chance as it was thought that the former cop would be able to deal with an iron hand and get the work done and bring about at least some improvement in the department’s functioning. But the minister’s tenure proved inconsequential and the problems became insurmountable this summer and during the monsoon. Corrupt officials didn’t face the action they should have. Additionally, both with Balkar and Jimpa, many complaints were going unaddressed even at the party workers’ level,” a senior AAP leader said. Even during the Jalandhar Assembly bypoll which Mohinder Bhagat won with a decisive margin, the CM’s visits and roadshows were held through many areas with clogged streets and blocked sewers with the notorious 120-feet road getting special vehicles and machines from other districts to pump out excess water. Tribune News Service Family members allege police not taking action day. He said the doctor had put him on an intravenous drip and after some time, he injected something in the same bottle. After 10 minutes, Pankaj’s body turned blue and he fell unconscious. He alleged that after this, the doctor discharged Pankaj, saying he could not treat him, and asked them to take him to the Civil Hospital here. Before his family members could reach the Civil Hospital, Pankaj had already died, following which the doctors of the Civil Hospital informed the Garhshankar police. His family members alleged that the police did not take any action. In the afternoon, they staged a protest outside the police station, accusing the officials of not taking any action. However, the police officials tried to pacify the protesters. During this, an attempt was made to snatch the cameras of the journalists who were covering the incident. Later, the police assured the victim’s kin that they would take action, but till evening, the police had only written the DDR while the family members were demanding that a case be registered against the doctor. Meanwhile, Garhshankar police station in-charge Baljinder Singh Malhi told the mediapersons that the police were investigating the matter and if found guilty, the doctor would be dealt with as per the law. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 25 The Bhogpur Co-operative Sugar Mill is gearing up to procure around 70,000 MT of stubble this year as part of its ongoing crop residue management initiative. DC Himanshu Aggarwal said the mill had installed an 80 tonnes per hour (TPH) boiler, along with a co-generation plant having a capacity of 15 MW. In the previous year (202324), the mill successfully procured over 60,000 MT of paddy and generated 22,376.6 MW of electricity. This initiative not only helped curb the stubble burning issue in the district but also contributed to sustainable energy production. Aggarwal further said the mill procured stubble from local fields at a rate of Rs 1,750 per tonne, generating wealth from waste while simultaneously increasing farmers’ income and creating employment opportunities in the region. As the mill recommenced 41-yr-old killed in road mishap Hariana, September 25 A 41-year-old man was killed after a truck collided with the tractor-trailer he was travelling in near Hariana around 6 am on Wednesday. The victim, identified as Gurdial Singh, was on his way to Hoshiarpur in his tractor-trailer when a speeding truck rammed into his vehicle. Gurdial fell off the tractor and was run over by the truck, resulting in his death. — OC c m y b DEMAND MERGER WITH EDU DEPT ■ The teachers have been on a hunger strike in Sangrur since September 1, demanding their merger into the Education Department and the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s benefits. ■ The protest will coincide with Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary for similar inaction, has not met them despite scheduling around 30 meetings in the recent past. The rally, which aims to remind the Chief Minister of promises made during the elections, will see the participation of not only teachers but also farmer groups from across the state. The demands of computer teachers remain unchanged: they are seeking a merger with the Education Department as outlined in 2011 orders, full benefits under the Sixth Pay Commission and financial support for the families of teachers who have died during this prolonged struggle. The computer teachers have warned that their protest will only grow in intensity if their demands are not met, placing the responsibility for any escalation in the stir on the Punjab government. Ex-councillor held over illegal construction in Dakoha Tribune News Service The initiative will not only check stubble burning but also contribute to sustainable energy generation. operations on September 16, 2024, it aims to procure around 70,000 MT of stubble during the current year (2024-25). Aggarwal emphasised that the mill’s contribution was crucial in managing crop residue and significantly reducing the pollution caused by stubble burning. This initiative continues to benefit both the environment and the local farm community. The Bhogpur sugar mill’s efforts underlined a sustainable approach to crop residue management while addressing key environmental challenges in the district, he added. Environmental Engineer Sandeep Kumar said farmers who wanted to sell their stubble to the sugar mill could dial 7888590170 and 9877556394. Won’t offer services under scheme until dues paid, IMA tells state govt AYUSHMAN BHARAT Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 25 A delegation of the Punjab Chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) met Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and said until all their pending dues amounting to Rs 190 crore under Ayushman Bharat Scheme were paid, they would not offer services related to scheme to patients. Punjab IMA president Dr Sunil Katyal and honorary secretary Dr Baljit S Johal said other than the backlog of Rs 190 crore, as many as 89,000 cases involving around Rs 200 crore were yet to be processed. They said the delay in the payment by the government had affected the financial health of the hospital and healthcare services being provided to patients. The IMA has also demanded that the government must de-reserve all packages under the scheme wherein select packages had been given to only certain hospitals. They said it was leading to an uneven playing field. They have also urged the minister to not to allow backdated applications. Jalandhar, September 25 The Rama Mandi police have arrested former councillor and senior Congress leader Vijay Dakoha in connection with an illegal construction case. The arrest took place on Wednesday morning in the Dakoha area following the filing of an FIR against him under relevant sections of the BNS. According to SHO Parminder Singh, the former councillor had illegally occupied approximately 30 marlas of prime land in Dakoha, where he was constructing six houses of five marlas each. He said the official records revealed that the land in question belonged to a gurdwara and was currently under litigation. “A court order had imposed a stay on any construction on the disputed land, which he allegedly violated,” he said. SHO Singh said despite being issued warnings, Vijay continued with the construction work, claiming that he had court orders which allowed him the permission regarding it. However, the court had issued a ‘status quo’ order just two days prior, prohibiting any construction activity on the site. While he owns land in the Dakoha area, the SHO said the disputed area where the houses were being built did not belong to him. Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders, including former MLA Rajinder Beri, have accused the police of acting under political pressure to harass their leaders.