04102024-JTR-01.qxd 10/3/2024 11:00 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune SDM’S MEETING WITH ARHTIYAS, LABOURERS REMAINS UNFRUITFUL CELEBRITIES TALK ABOUT DIETS, HEALTHY HABITS & FITNESS WE SEE GLIMPSES OF THE OLD AASHIQUI BOY AS RAHUL ROY The indefinite strike of grain market labourers & arhtiyas continued in mandis of Hoshiarpur district on Thursday. P2 In the world of entertainment, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for staying fit, energetic and camera-ready. P4 Rahul Roy, who was in Chandigarh for an event, tells how he is gathering pieces of his life after brain stroke. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.08 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:23 AM FRIDAY | 4 OCTOBER 2024 | JALANDHAR ONE NABBED FOR SNATCHING Hoshiarpur: The Model Town police have arrested a man for snatching earrings. The buyer of the earrings has also been booked by the police. Prince Kumar, alias Prince, a resident of Sukhiabad, was arrested on charge of snatching gold earrings of a woman, a resident of Kamalpur, on September 29. During interrogation, the suspect told the police that he had sold earrings to Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Bahadurpur, for ~6,000. The police registered a case the snatcher and buyer and initiated further action against the suspects. OC Passengers a harassed lot as farmer unions block rail tracks TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH/SARABJIT SINGH INBRIEF MINI TRUCK STOLEN Phagwara: A mini truck (Tata Ace) bearing registration number PB-29X-6066 was reportedly stolen near vegetable market here in the wee hours on Thursday. Vehicle owner Tilak Raj, a resident of Lakhanpal village, told the police that he went to sabzi mandi to purchase vegetables. When he came out of the mandi after buying vegetables he found his vehicle stolen. The police have registered a case and initiated probe into the matter. OC MAN ARRESTED WITH PISTOL Phagwara: The Rawalpindi police arrested a man and recovered an imported pistol, two magazines and 10 live cartridges from his possession on Wednesday night. The arrested suspect, was identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of Bohani village near Phagwara. The suspect was arrested at a check-point and the Indica car, which he was driving, was impounded by the police. A case under the Arms Act was registered against the suspect. OC Passengers wait for trains at the Jalandhar railway station; and (right) farmer unions block rail tracks at Phillaur on Thursday. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 3 As various farmer unions, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) blocked the passage of trains at various locations in Jalandhar, commuters remained a harassed lot. As the passage of trains remained blocked for over two hours between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm, passengers kept waiting for trains some of which were cancelled or delayed by four to five hours. Majority of those waiting for trains at the station were migrants, who were unaware of the rail blockade today. Passengers said they were waiting for the arrival of trains from Amritsar side heading towards various destinations in Bihar and UP . At Phillaur, leaders of the BKU (Doaba) and the BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) led the protest while KMSC leaders held a protest at Lohian Khas railway station. Holding protests, BKU (Doaba) president Manjit S Rai and KMSC state chief Salwinder S Janian flayed the Centre for inaction over the case of crushing four farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri village on October 3, 2021. They alleged that the main accused BJP leaders still wielded powers. The farmer leaders claimed that the previous Congress regime led by then Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was always more sup- portive of their cause than the present Aam Aadmi Party ruling dispensation. On the issue of stubble burning, they disagreed with the state government claims of having provided ample machinery for crop residue management. They demanded deployment of labour available under the MGREGA scheme for clearing fields after harvesting crops. KMSC president Sarwan S Pandher said farmers had been long pleading with the governments to provide them manual labour for quickly removing stubble from fields under MGNREGA, but their suggestions had gone unheard. “We need a mix of machinery and manual labourer to clear farms within a few days after harvesting paddy so that farm- Infant’s body found floating in Basti Bawa Khel drain YOUTH HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Phagwara: The police arrested a youth and recovered 12 bottles of illicit liquor from his possession on Wednesday night. The arrested youth was identified as Sohan Lal, a resident of Gobindpura locality in Phagwara. A case under the Punjab Excise Act was registered against the suspect. OC BSNL stops landline service in Phagwara Phagwara, October 3 After closing rural telephone exchanges last year, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has now closed all urban telephone exchanges which managed landline services. Tilak Raj SDO, (Telephones), Phagwara, said as per instructions of the senior authorities, the BSNL had closed all rural and urban telephone exchanges for landline services since August 31. He said the BSNL was working on increasing the number of FTTH (Fiber to the home) connections. The SDO said in Phagwara, all 13 telephone exchanges, including the one in the city, Rampur Sunrra, Rihana-Jattan, Panchhat, Chiherru, Khurampur, Bhanoki, Sukhchain Nagar, Chahal Nagar, Hadiabad, Ranipur, Sangatpur and Wahid, had been closed. He said the number of landline connections in Phagwara was below 300. Interestingly, no lineman was available at the Phagwara telephone exchange. — OC ers can cultivate vegetables like peas, carrots, potatoes in this season. Since farmers don’t get machinery on time, they resort to burning crop residue,” said Pandher. He alleged that Punjab farmers were being unnecessarily made villains. “The industry causes much more pollution than farm fires. It is just that the air begins to get cold and moist and starts to settle in October-November, making it difficult for the smoke to pass. The whole blame of smog comes on us,” he said. On red entries, he said, “The biggest trouble for farmers with this action is issues they face for preparing passports for sending their children abroad. They also cannot sell their village lands to show funds for Tribune News Service Despite appeals to refrain from burning paddy stubble, a farmer sets crop residue on fire in a field along the Jalandhar-Nawanshahr road near Phagwara. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Two farmers booked for setting crop residue on fire in Kapurthala 9 farmers challaned | Red notice issued to five violators Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 3 The paddy harvesting has just begun in the region. A few cases of paddy stubble burning have been reported in Kapurthala. The police on Wednesday registered two FIRs against farmers for burning crop residue in their fields. The FIRs were registered at the Sultanpur Lodhi and Kabirpur police stations against two farmers of Shatabgarh and Talwandi Chaudhrian villages on Wednesday. The two FIRs were registered by the Kapurthala police under Section 223 of the BNS. Both farmers were named in the FIR. The action has been taken amidst a comprehensive awareness campaign launched by the district administration in Kapurthala with an aim to curb stubble burning. Besides, the administration said strict action had been initiated against farmers who set their fields on fire. In a case registered at the Kabirpur police station, a police party on patrol duty spotted a farm fire while heading from Lakhwaria village to Kaduwal village. The police saw a Talwandi Chaudhrian village farmer setting paddy stubble on fire at 5.25 pm on Wednesday. The farmer said he was preparing his fields for sowing wheat crop by burning crop residue. In the second case, the Sultanpur Lodhi police received a tip-off about a farmer at Shatabgarh village setting paddy stubble on fire. The incident was reported by a passerby. Notably, Sultanpur Lodhi is the first area to report farm fires in the region. Till Wednesday evening, 16 farm fire cases were reported in Kapurthala of which most were from Kabirpur and Sultanpur Lodhi. No farm fire was reported in Kapurthala today. Comparatively in Jalandhar, seven farm fires were reported during the past one week. Paddy harvesting has been delayed in Jalandhar as its seeds are still unripe. Environmental compensations have been imposed on nine farmers in Kapurthala. Farmers have been issued challans ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 15,000 for burning stubble. Red notices have also been issued to five farmers in Kapurthala. Amit Kumar Panchal, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kapurthala, said farmers were being made aware of the ill effects of stubble burning. He said on Wednesday, teams led by Sultanpur Lodhi SDM Aparna, which included convener Dr Jaspal Singh, DSP Joga Singh and PPCB officials visited Chak Kotla, Sanchan, Shalapur Dona, Deepewal, Dadwindi and Shatabgarh villages. A team also toured several villages in Phagwara on Thursday, he said. The DC said at least 32 balers, which made bales of straw for using it as fuel in boiler units, were functional in the district. c m y b Jalandhar, October 3 A four to five months old infant’s body was found floating in Basti Bawa Khel drain this afternoon. Panic spread in the Basti Bawa Khel area after the body was found. Earlier it was speculated that the child was abandoned by his mother. However, the police said there was no foul play behind the incident. The police said a poor family, including child’s mother, had as per their traditional ritual immersed body in drain after the infant’s death. The child’s body was seen floating in the drain around 12.30 this afternoon. The police retrieved the body and traced mother of the child who was questioned. While speaking to The Tribune, Baljinder Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Basti Bawa Khel police station, said, “The child’s mother originally hails from Nepal. She stays at Mithu Basti in Jalandhar. She is a poor domestic help and the family has very less earnings.” The SHO further said, “The family did not even have money to perform the last rites of the child. The woman said the child (a baby boy) was sick for the past four to five days after which he died. The family said as per traditional norms, they immersed the child’s corpse in the water body.” The SHO said the child was not unwanted and died due to sickness. obtaining visas.” BKU (Doaba) chief Manjit S Rai said, “The government claims that there is 1.5 lakh machinery available for 12,000 villages of Punjab to manage stubble, but the ground reality is quite different. There is not a single super seeder available in my own Pur Hiran village of Hoshiarpur district. The number of farmers who get balers, mulchers and other machines on subsidy is far lower than those who apply for it.” 2 killed as speeding car hits motorcycle Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 3 A speeding vehicle left two of a family dead in Phillaur on Wednesday. A 26-year-old woman Soma died on the spot and her two-year-old child Gurpreet died at the Phillaur Civil Hospital after the bike on which they were travelling was hit by a speeding car while the victims were way back to their Ganna Pind village near Phillaur on Wednesday. Soma’s husband Vinod Sharma is under treatment at the Phillaur Civil Hospital. As per Vinod’s statement to the police, while they were heading to Ganna Pind village after attending a fair, their bike was hit by a speeding car near Khanpur. A truck was not giving pass to his bike. When he tried to go past the truck, a speeding car hit their bike while passing them. While Soma died on the spot, Gurpreet was declared brought dead by doctors at the hospital. A case has been registered against unidentified persons at the Apra police station in Phillaur in this connection. The police said the car which hit the bike was yet to be identified. Rail Roko Andolan Tanda Urmar (Hoshiarpur): Rail Roko Andolan was held at Tanda railway station by Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) under the leadership of district president Paramjit Singh Bhulla and Kuldeep Singh Begowal. Hundreds of farmers, labourers and women staged a dharna on railway track around 12.30 pm. Speaking on the occasion, Bhulla said during the Delhi agitation, Ashish, son of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Ajay Mishra, brutally killed farmers by running a vehicle over them at Lakhimpur Kheri village. Even after a case was registered, the victims and farmers did not get justice. He said till now the Central Government had not given MSP on crops. False FIRs registered against farmers during the Delhi agitation were not cancelled. Bhulla said the KMSC had appealed to farmers to boycott the panchayat elections. Woman, 2-yr-old son die in road accident Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 3 In a heart-wrenching incident, a 26-year-old woman and her two-year-old son lost their lives after they were hit by a truck near Shamshabad on Tuesday. The accident occurred when the driver lost control over the speeding truck, which veered off the road and hit mother and child, who were walking along the road. The victims, identified as Gurpreet Kaur and her son, were killed instantly. Eyewitnesses reported that the truck driver fled immediately from the spot after the accident leaving the victims on the road. Harjit Singh of the Phillaur police station arrived on the spot and started an investigation into the matter. Efforts were on to trace the truck driver. The police said the driver would be arrested soon. The tragic accident has left the local community in a shock with many residents expressing grief and anger over the incident. Gurpreet Kaur’s family is devastated and has called for strict road safety measures. The bodies of the victims were taken to a local hospital for post-mortem examination. The incident serves as a grim reminder of increasing number of fatal accidents caused by reckless driving on roads. Man booked for rash driving Our Correspondent Shahkot, October 3 The Shahkot police have booked a Jalandhar resident for rash driving and causing grievous injuries. Investigating officer (IO) Sulindar Singh said the suspect was identified as Parwinder Singh, a resident of FCI Colony, Jalandhar. Jagtar Singh, a resident of Jaffarwal village, complained to the police that the suspect was driving a vehicle (bearing registration number PB-08-DC9299) fast and negligently on September 9. The complainant said the speeding vehicle hit his brother Lal Chand leaving him seriously injured. The IO said a case under Sections 281 (rash driving on public highway), 125(a), 125(b) (causing grievous hurt) and 324(4) (mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita had been registered against the suspect. Health Department officials get substandard sweets destroyed in Mukerian on Thursday. ShopsraidedinMukerian,Hajipur, substandard sweets destroyed Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, October 3 District Health Officer Dr Jatinder Bhatia and Food Safety Officer Munish Sodhi along with their team raided sweet shops in Mukerian and Hajipur today. A sweet making factory was also checked in Mukerian. The Health Department destroyed substandard sweets on the spot and also collected three samples from shop. The samples were sent to the food lab in Kharar for testing. Further action would be taken after receiving lag report, said Bhatia. The factory owner was reprimanded and an improvement notice was also issued to him. Bhatia said due to festival season, sweets were being prepared on a large scale. He said many shopkeepers were playing with the health of the people for earning more money. He said the Health Department was keeping a close watch on them. No wrongdoer would be spared, he added. Bhatia said it was important for employees of dhabas, sweets shops, bakeries and eateries to wear aprons, caps, gloves and masks while working. He also instructed shop owners to use government approved colours while preparing sweets.