15102024-ATR-01.qxd 10/14/2024 11:18 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune HOLD AT LEAST ONE BLOOD DONATION CAMP, RED RIBBON CLUBS URGED Youth Services Dept Assistant Director has instructed officials of Red Ribbon Clubs to hold at least one blood donation camp. P2 » CELEBS ROCK THE RAMP AT FINALE OF LAKME FASHION WEEK Sushmita Sen stole the limelight at Lakme Fashion Week, gracing the runway as showstopperfordesignerRashiKapoor.P4 FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR AT POSTER LAUNCH OF PUNJABI FILM, STARS HAD A STORY TO NARRATE A score of cast members gathered for the poster launch of upcoming Punjabi film Madhaniyan, in Mohali, on Monday. P4 » » MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.57 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:34 AM TUESDAY | 15 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Polling parties dispatched, dist all set for panchayat elections Manmeet Singh Gill Amritsar, October 14 The district is all set for panchayat elections with election staff leaving for their respective polling booths here on Monday. Polling staff members were issued ballot boxes and other poll-related material from election offices set up in various blocks of the district. Of the total 858 panchayats in the district, elections would be held for the post of 666 sarpanches as in 192 villages the candidate was elected unopposed. Similarly, 1,091 panchayat members too had been elected unopposed. District officials said the elections would be held at 1,030 polling booths. In all, 1,0491 employees from various government departments had been assigned duties to conduct panchayat elections. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney said people could cast their vote from 8 am to 4 pm. She said counting of votes would be held and election results New members of the gram panchayat at Jaintipur village on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Once again, Jaintipur residents elect gram panchayat sans polls Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 14 Jaintipur in Majitha constituency is probably the only village in Punjab where no panchayat elections have been held for the past four decades. The reason behind not holding elections is that the gram panchayat has been elected without any opposition. Keeping the tradition alive, the new gram panchayat was formed today in which Sandeep Kumar was unanimously elected as sarpanch whereas Roshan Lal, Mukhtiar Singh, Ashish Kumar, Kavita and Salina were nominated as panchayat members with the consent of all villagers. “Our village is an example of brotherhood kept live by the tradition of unanimous election of the gram panchayat for the past 40 years. It saves not only money usually pumped in to woo voters, but also negates chances of clash which are witnessed in other panchayat polls,” said Sandeep. Till date, it was for the ninth consecutive time that the Jaintipur gram panchayat was elected without elections. During this span, Gurlzari Lal and Rajinder Kumar Pappu Jaintipur were nominated twice as sarpanch. Similarly, Mukhtiar Singh, Beero and Ashwani Kumar were elected as sarpanch for one time each. On the same lines, Sandeep Kumar was elected as sarpanch with approval of all villagers. Former zila parishad chairman Rajinder Kumar Pappu honoured the newly elected panchayat members on the occasion. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Employees on poll duty check ballot box and other material at a distribution centre; and (right) election staff leave for polling booth in Amritsar. announced on the same day. The DC said voters could use their voter card, Aadhaar Card, Pan Card, passport, MGNREGA card, driving licence, ration card and BPL card as an identity proof to cast their vote. The administration has banned sale and consumption of liquor at public places in the rural areas to ensure law and order situation during the elections. As per administration orders, storage and sale of liquor on October 16 till 10 am was not allowed. Restaurants and hotels in these areas had also been instructed not to serve liquor on their premises. In order to tackle any medical emergencies during the elections, the administration had asked the Health Department to deploy medical staff in all health institutions of the rural areas till the polling process was over. The DC said elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner. She said the police were keeping a close watch on antisocial and criminal elements to ensure that they do not create any law and order problem in the district. She said people must participate in the elections and ensure that only deserving candidates were elected. Environmentalists riled over axing of Tight security in place for AAP leader, SHO get into spat over 50-yr-old neem tree on Plaah Sahib road polls in Tarn Taran district detention of illegal firecracker sellers Tarn Taran, October 14 Tight security arrangements have been made for conducting free and fair panchayat elections for which polling is scheduled on Tuesday in the district. The polling would start from 8 and continue till 4 pm. Counting of votes would be held at same polling booths and results would be announced on the spot here on Tuesday. SSP Gaurav Toora said, “Polling will be held at 252 booths in the district. Police parties have been despatched to manage security at polling booths. Sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths have been identified. Additional Amritsar, October 14 Insensitive people, who axed a 50-year-old neem tree on the Plaah Sahib road, which is situated close to the Airport road, have invited wrath of environmentalists. They rue that over the past two decades may trees were cut to pave way for development works. They said people did any fear law. It was an intentional crime to cut the tree. Members of the Hariawal Punjab, Mission Aagaaz, Ek Ped Desh Ke Naam, Just Sewa Society and others are pondering over whether to proceed strictly against persons, who felled the tree, so that in future such incidents could be prevented. The tree had grown on the side of a road which did not have enough space for footpath. “The incident is the outcome of fast paced urbanisation and constructing colonies without proper guidelines. Policy paralysis is on display as successive governments passed unauthorised colonies after some years to earn goodwill of buyers. No colony should be allowed to come up without earmarking sufficient space for green cover,” they said. In 2014, a number of age-old trees were axed by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) reportedly for construction of flats meant for the Irrigation Department in Canal Colony just close to the Army cantonment area here. Before this, 452 trees were chopped at the mental hospital despite strong protest by various environmental groups. In 2015, the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) had announced that saplings would be planted in its schemes to compensate the loss for the green cover due to development projects like the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) and widening of roads. Besides the BRTS, full-grown trees were axed on the McLeod road opposite the SR Government College for Women, Circular Road and in other areas of the city. — TNS PHOTO: GURBAXPURI The neem tree before being axed; and (right) stumps of the tree after it was felled in Amritsar. police force has been deployed at these polling booths.” The SSP said gazetted officers, heads of police stations and in-charges of police posts had been instructed to keep a close watch in their respective areas. The SSP said police teams had been formed for patrolling in the district. “In all, there are 573 panchayats in the district. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has deferred elections for 23 panchayats in Tarn Taran district,” he said. The SSP also addressed police personnel deployed on polling duty and issued guidelines to maintain law and order in the district. — OC SSP Gaurav Toora addresses police personnel in Tarn Taran. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 14 A high drama was witnessed last night when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Talbir Singh Gill entered into a heated argument with CDivision police station SHO Neeraj Kumar over detention of illegal firecracker sellers. A video of Talbir Singh Gill went viral in which he alleged that a gunman of the SHO demanded Rs 10,000 from firecracker sellers and when they refused to give money, the police arrested them. The AAP leader accused the police for not taking action against those selling heroin (Chitta) in the area. Gill said the police were not allowing the poor to feed their families family by selling firecrackers. Targeting SHO Neeraj Kumar, Gill alleged that he was not only corrupt, but also had links with gangsters. Gill said the SHO had danced in a party of gangsters. These statements, which went viral in a video, annoyed the Valmiki community. Some activists from Valmiki Samaj also demonstrated against Gill in favour of the SHO. A police officer pacifies AAP leader Talbir Singh Gill in Amritsar. According to information, cops at the C-Division police station had detained two persons, who were selling firecrackers in Gujjarpura on Sunday night. The family members of the suspects contacted AAP leader Talbir Singh Gill, who tried to contact police officials. Gill claimed that no police official answered his phone call. After this, Gill reached the police station along with his supporters at 11 pm. SHO Neeraj Kumar was not there, but Gill argued with policemen present there and asked them to release the detainees. Gill claimed that illegal firecrackers were being sold in the entire Annagarh area, but the police had arrested only two persons. He alleged that the cops had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the detainees. After this, Gill held a demonstration outside the police station and said that he would not allow injustice to the people. Meanwhile, SHO Neeraj Kumar reached the police station and claimed that a huge quantity of firecrackers had been recovered from the suspects. Action was taken as per law, he said. He refuted allegations of corruption. Vishal Jeet, ADCP (City), also arrived at the police station. A heated argument ensued between SHO Neeraj Kumar and Talbir Singh Gill. Senior police officers pacified both of them. At ~78 lakh, Harmanpreet most expensive buy in Hockey India League auction Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 14 A wave of happiness erupted among family members of Indian Hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who hails from Amritsar’s Timmowal village, as he was tagged the most expensive buy at Rs 78 lakh during the first day of the auction for the Hockey India League. He was signed by Soorma Hockey Club. Talking to The Tribune over phone from Bengaluru, where he is presently training, Harmanpreet said he was happy at the highest auc- tion bid. He said there had been an increase of over Rs 30 lakh in the signing amount. The skipper said he was preparing for the upcoming pro-league and Hockey India League. Harmanpreet’s father Sarbjit Singh said, “Our entire family is elated at the auction bid. It is the outcome of my son’s hard work on field and continuous good performance, which has earned him the epithet of ace drag flicker.” Harmanpreet’s elder brother Kamalpreet Singh said, “Harmanpreet industriousness and perseverance on the Astroturf has paid off. He will continue to shine on the hockey field for the country.” Veteran left winger Brig Harcharan Singh (retired), VSM and Arjuna Awardee, a medal winner hockey Olympian and a gold medallist in World Hockey Cup 1975, said, “As far as players from Punjab are concerned captain of the Indian hockey team, Harmanpreet Singh, who has been twice declared the player of the year by FIH, has remained the highest goal scorer in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Earning the highest auction price Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM c m y b is but natural.” He said, “We are really proud of him and other Punjab players, including five from the Amritsar district, who are doing a great job for the Indian hockey.” Harmanpreet’s stellar captaincy earned him the nickname Sarpanch which was promptly picked up by netizens. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed him as “Sarpanch” in a phone call made after his team secured the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics following their victory over Spain in the play-off match, Harmanpreet’s become popular as “Sarpanch” on the social media. In the bronze winning match Spanish skipper Marc Miralles had thrown a thumping challenge before his Indian counterpart by scoring the opening goal. Responding to the challenge, Harmanpreet scored a brace in the bronze medal match to power India to register a win over Spain. There are several reasons of him endearing to the public. His gesture to dedicate the bronze medal earned in the Paris Olympics to goalkeeper PR Sreejesh because it was his last match earned him goodwill from all. Last but not least, securing 10 goals in the Paris Olympics, Harmanpreet Singh, who has been twice declared the player of the year by FIH, emerged as the top scorer. Earlier, in the Tokyo Olympics, he was the highest scorer. After ace drag flicker Jugraj Singh, whose career was cut short by a road accident in 2003, Harmanpreet the second world class drag flicker Punjab has produced. In his three appearances at the Olympics, India won two bronze medals.