27092024-ATR-01.qxd 9/27/2024 12:20 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C HARMONY: TEMPLE, MOSQUE SHUN OVERLAP OF PRAYERS SDMS TO MONITOR STUBBLE BURNING IN MALERKOTLA MOHINDER TULI HOLDS SOLO EXHIBITION Separated by nine-inch-wide wall, temple and mosque are a testimony to reverence among Hindus,Muslims. P3 DC Pallavi flagged off two vans to spread awareness on disposing of agricultural waste. P3 Gives us a glimpse of his unique creations and a first-hand account of Chandigarh’s evolving art scene. P4 » » » SUNSET FRIDAY 6.20 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.22 AM FRIDAY | 27 SEPTEMBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Filing of nominations for rural elections begin today Man booked for sexually abusing girl Our Correspondent Scrutiny on Oct 5, withdrawal of candidature on Oct 7 Tarn Taran, September 26 The Sadar police have booked one Samuel Masih, a resident of Tarn Taran, for attempting to sexually abuse a teenage girl of a nearby village. The accused trespassed the residence of the victim as she was alone in the house. The statement of the victim’s side has been recorded by Inspector Narinder Kaur, in-charge of the women’s cell. The police said that as the victim was alone in the house, the accused molested her and made a rape bid. The incident took place on September 24 and the case was registered the next day, on September 25, but the accused has not been arrested yet. The accused has been booked under Section 74 of the Bharatiry Nyaya Sanhita and under provisions of the POCSO Act, on Wednesday by the Sadar police. Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 Candidates who wish to contest the panchayat elections would be able to file their nominations from September 27 to October 5, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney stated this here today while announcing the schedule for rural panchayat elections. The DC said that all arrangements are in place and the administration is ready to conduct the elections. She added that panchayat elections are the first step in a democracy and all efforts would be made to ensure that the maximum number of voters participate in the electoral process. The DC also held a meeting with police and civil administration officials. She also asked the Returning Officers for panchayat elections to make arrangements, right from the filing of nomina- Revolver, car used in crime seized; resentment among locals Tribune News Service Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney during a meeting with officials in Amritsar on Thursday. tions till the time the election process is completed. As per the election schedule, candidates would not be able to file nominations on days of public holidays. Scrutiny of nominations would be conducted on October 5. The candidates wishing to withdraw from the contest would be able to withdraw their nominations on October 7. Polling would be held on October 15 and the results would be announced in the evening on the same day. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Charanjit Singh said that no one would be allowed to create law and order problems during the elections. Arms licence holders have been asked to deposit their weapons immediately. He said that the local police is keeping an eye on anti-social elements in this regard. Open parking area at Nehru Shopping Complex adding to traffic chaos Manmeet Singh Gill BSF, police recover heroin from border village Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 Alert BSF troops confiscated a packet of heroin from Mahawa border village here today. It contained around 520 grams of heroin which was dropped by a drone. BSF officials said that their intelligence wing informed about the drone movement and dropping of a packet in Mahawa border village. He said a joint search operation was carried out along with Punjab Police which resulted in the seizure of a packet wrapped with yellow adhesive tape. A metal ring and two illumination strips were also found attached with the packet hinting that it was dropped by a drone. A case is being registered with the Gharinda police station here. VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 The open parking area at Nehru Shopping Complex on Lawrence Road has become a hot spot for traffic chaos, courtesy inadequate management and exorbitant fees at the multi-storey parking lot. Despite the availability of a dedicated parking facility, visitors prefer to park their vehicles in the open area as it is free, leading to congestion, gridlocks and frustration among drivers. The primary reason for this preference is the steep parking fee of up to Rs 50 for four-wheelers, which discourages people from using the multi-storey lot. However, regular visitors are charged Rs 30 for cars. “The parking fee is too high, so people prefer to park outside, causing chaos,” said Ramesh Kumar, a local resi- The Nehru shopping complex on the Lawrence road witnesses traffic chaos in its open parking area in Amritsar on Thursday. dent. “We urge the authorities to reduce the fee to make the multi-storey parking more accessible,” he said, adding that the purpose of these parking spaces is to decrease traffic chaos on roads and not to make contractors rich. Commuters and shopkeepers alike are affected by the traffic mayhem, with many calling for urgent action to address the issue. “The situation is unbearable, especially during peak hours,” said shop owner, Vineet. He added that they need a solution to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and safe parking. He complained that customers are afraid to visit the shopping complex because of the chaos here. Residents have demanded that the authorities reconsider the parking fee structure to encourage visitors to use the multi-storey facility. The residents demanded that Rs 20 parking fee for four-wheelers and Rs 10 for two-wheelers should be fixed as the maximum in city. Underutilisation of multistorey parking space seems to be the norm in the city as the situation is similar at Deen Dayal Upadhay market near Hall Gate. The residents suggested that if such places are managed properly and an affordable fee is charged, then it could be of help in solving the problem of roadside parking of vehicles. HC directs state govt to announce MC election schedule by Oct 14 Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed concern over the delay in scheduling Municipal Corporation and Municipal Council elections, which are long overdue. The court’s observations came following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a local resident. The court issued a stringent directive, calling the government to announce the election schedule by October 14, 2024. Parbodh Chander Bali, a local activist, filed the PIL on January 4 this year, drawing attention to the government’s persistent disregard for legal notices and its failure to adhere to the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act of 1976 (Section 7(2)(a)), which mandates timely municipal elections. Despite repeated Ex-serviceman guns down Nambardar, three nabbed legal interventions, the government’s inaction left no recourse but to seek judicial intervention. On September 23, the Punjab and Haryana High Court addressed the PIL filed by Bali. Presided over by Justice Sheel Nagu, who was accompanied by Judge Anil Kshetrapal, the court issued a stringent directive, compelling the government to announce the election schedule by October 14, 2024, under threat of judicial action. Chief Justice Sheel Nagu visibly expressed dismay at the government’s conduct during the proceedings. During the hearing, the Attorney General of Punjab cited pending Supreme Court litigation regarding ward delimitation as grounds for election postponement. However, the court dismissed the argument, emphasising that no stay order from the Supreme Court existed, rebuking attempts to subvert democratic processes. Parbodh Chander Bali criticised the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for prioritising political expediency over democratic principles, citing questionable ward delimitation tactics aimed at securing electoral advantages through covert manoeuvres. Despite adverse High Court rulings, the government appealed to the Supreme Court, ensuring a stay order (which was not even granted to the Punjab Government) that further delayed the elections. It is worth mentioning here that the Municipal Corporation General House was dissolved on January 21, 2023 and the election has been delayed till date. Political activists claimed that the delay in election is against the idea of democracy and Constitution. c m y b Amritsar, September 26 A Nambardar, around 60 years, was gunned down by an ex-serviceman over some trivial issue at Sarahali village falling under the Kathunangal police station here on Wednesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Bhagwant Singh. The armed assailants came in two cars and barged into the victim’s residence and opened fire leaving him dead on the spot. The incident sparked resentment among local residents raising a question mark over the law and order situation in the state. Acting swiftly, the police arrested three suspects within 24 hours of the murder. They were identified as Amanpreet Singh, an exserviceman, Daler Singh and Jagmanpreet Singh, all residents of Mardi Kalan village. The police seized a licensed revolver along with a car from their possession. A murder case was regis- 21-yr-old youth shot dead in Tarn Taran Family members and other residents mourn the demise of Nambardar Bhagwant Singh (inset) at Kathunangal near Amritsar on Thursday. tered against them and raids were on to nab the absconding suspects in the case, said DSP Jaspal Singh Dhillon and SHO Khushboo Sharma. The complainant, Raghubir Singh, told the police that the incident occurred at around 7pm when the victim was present in the house. The three accused along with their unidentified accomplices came on two cars. Carrying firearms, they barged into Bhagwant Singh’s house and shot him dead. Manjinder Singh, a relative of the victim, said both sons of Bhagwant Singh are NRIs who have been informed about the tragic incident. He said the incident has left the family devastated. The law and order situation in Punjab has totally deteriorated. “Earlier, it was rampant drug abuse and now goondaism has destroyed Punjab. On the other hand, the government has failed to fix the problem,” he said, while urging the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government to provide justice to the family. “Through meticulous investigation and tireless efforts, our officials have been able to identify, locate and arrest the individuals responsible for this heinous crime,” said Khushboo Sharma, adding that the police have recovered the weapon along with live cartridges and the vehicle used in the crime. Fire reduces dyeing unit to ashes Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 26 A 21-year-old youth was shot dead at the Tonk-kashatrya locality here on Wednesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Vinay Kumar who was running a shop in his locality. Romesh Kumar, father of the victim, who is an employee at the local Civil Hospital, said his son Vinay Kumar was strolling near his shop after closing it in late evening when three motorcycle-borne assailants appeared on the spot and opened fire on him. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead. DSP Kamalmeet Singh along with a police team visited the spot and collected evidence. SHO (City) Inspector Harjinder Singh said a case has been registered. Firemen douse the flames that engulf a dyeing unit in the Focal Point in Amritsar on Thursday. Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 24 A massive fire engulfed a dyeing factory at the Focal Point in the wee hours of Thursday, reducing the goods to ashes. The Fire Brigade Department of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation received a call at 3.35 am and rushed to the spot with a fleet of fire tenders. A total of 10 fire tenders from the Fire Brigade Department and the Sewa Samiti reached there. After a 4-hour battle, firefighters finally brought the blaze under control. However, the factory’s walls and roof had already collapsed, reduc- PSPCL junior engineer held taking bribe Inmate dies in hospital, family demands probe PK Jaiswar Amritsar, September 26 Gurdit Singh, a jail inmate died in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here today after he was referred from the Amritsar Central Jail in morning here today. The family members of the deceased alleged that he was beaten up in the hospital and demanded investigations into his death.However, the jail authorities said that he was already facing acute health issues when he was brought in jail two weeks ago. He remained admit in the jail hospital during the period. Rupinder Kaur, a relative of the deceased said that Gurdit was lodged in jail in a case. For one and half years he was bed ridden following a road mishap. He was unable to walk. He could not appear in the Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday arrested a Junior Engineer (JE), Ranjit Singh, posted at Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) subdivision, Amritsar South, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000. A Vigilance Bureau spokesman said that the accused has been arrested following a complaint lodged by Navdeep Singh, a resident of Amar Avenue, Ajnala Road, here. The spokesman informed that the complainant alleged that the accused demanded a bribe of ~1,00,000 for slashing continued on page 2 court because of this and they had applied for the bail. She alleged two weeks ago cops from proclaimed offender wing came to the house and forcibly took him away and send to jail. She said he had called from hospital that he was beaten up. Superintendent jail said that Gurdit was brought to jail on September 13. His both legs were swollen apparently due to some surgery gone wrong. He was facing acute health issues. He remained admitted in the jail hospital and even sent to GNDH for treatment a couple of times. Today morning his condition deteriorated and he was immediately referred to GNDH hospital where he died. The family members of the deceased demanded an inquiry into his death. — TNS ing the structure to ashes. “The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation,” said a fire department official. Fortunately, not even a single casualty has been reported. Authorities concerned will conduct a thorough probe to determine the cause of the fire and assess the damage. 501-gm heroin seized from border village Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 26 The police and the BSF in a joint search operation seized 501 gm of heroin from a field owned by farmer Bagicha Singh from border area Dall village here on Thursday. Preetinder Singh, DSP , Bhikhiwind, said on a secret information received regarding suspected persons searching some objectionable item in a field of Bagicha Singh. A police party rushed to the spot with BSF 103 BN Amarkot. On seeing the police party, four persons ran away. Two persons have been identified as Murti and his son Salwinder Singh, residents of Dall village, by the continued on page 2