21102024-ATR-01.qxd 10/20/2024 10:42 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 32°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 20°C PROTECT LIVELIHOOD OF STREET VENDORS BUT MAINTAIN ORDER PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS FLIES OUT OF MUMBAI CASE FILED AGAINST EKTA KAPOOR, HER MOTHER Allocate separate sites for sale, fix timings and prevent chaos on roads, say residents. P2 Landed in India to attend a brand launch and the screening of her Marathi film production Paani. P4 A case has been filed under POCSO Act for allegedly showing inappropriate scenes involving minor girls. P4 » » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.51 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.39 AM MONDAY | 21 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Residents, farmers for action against burning of garbage 27 cellphones, chargers, SIM cards seized in Asr Central Jail Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 20 In yet another seizure, Amritsar Central Jail staff confiscated 27 mobile phones along with SIM cards, chargers and cigarettes and tobacco packets from prisoners during a search operation here on Saturday. Sarabjit Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Jail, said during the search operation, staff confiscated 27 mobile phones (six touch phones and 21 keypad phones), 10 SIM cards, eight chargers, a cigarette packet, 120 bundles of bidis and four packets of tobacco from jail inmates. Following a complaint by jail authorities, the Islamabad police have booked 11 prisoners in the case. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishaljit Singh said investigations are on to find out how the prohibited material was sneaked into the high-security prison. He said those involved in the illegal activity would be booked. Burning of waste in parks being taken lightly by admn: Farmers Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal with other AAP leaders and workers in Amritsar on Sunday. Panchayat election results augur well for AAP in state, says Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 20 Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Sunday claimed that sarpanches and panches associated with AAP were elected in 155 gram panchayats in the Ajnala assembly constituency. Excited over the outcome of the rural elections, Dhaliwal claimed that the recent panchayat election results have set the stage for the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) triumph in the 2027 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. Addressing the “Fateh Sanman Divas” ceremony, Dhali- wal stated that the people of Punjab have endorsed the AAP government’s policies under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership. He said they have spent ~325 crore on development works in Ajnala during the last two and a half years. He said the Punjab Chief Minister released ~2,400 crore for road construction, in which Ajnala received ~60 crore. Dhaliwal urged panches and sarpanches to work for the people with devotion. Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO also congratulated the elected sarpanches in various panchayats of Jandiala. He emphasised the importance of not imitating previous governments and instead focusing on empowering villagers through awareness of their rights. Speaking on the occasion, MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar advised panches and sarpanches to prioritize environmental protection, stubble management and village development. He said the party candidates contested and won elections on the issue of development following the policies of the continued on page 2 Amritsar, October 20 Even as the administration is working hard to stop the burning of crop residue in the agricultural fields and has imposed fines, marked red entries in revenue records and even registered FIRs, burning of waste heaps continues unabated in the city. Burning of waste heaps, including plant residue, dry leaves and plastic items, is a common practice witnessed frequently by the roadside. However, the administration has so far failed to take notice of it. Farmer unions have repeatedly stated that they are being blamed for pollution but other sections of society have been getting a lenient view. “Burning of waste in public parks, by the roadside and even at Bhagatanwala garbage dump goes on throughout the year. Even the remote sensing centre spotted these fires but no one seems interested in checking the pollution caused by it,” said Burning of waste heaps, including plant residue, dry leaves and plastic items, is a common practice witnessed frequently by the roadside at different places in Amritsar. Balram Singh, a local resident. A large heap of waste was seen burning on the stretch from Batala road to Gopal Nagar, near pillar number 9. The smoke emanating from the waste heap set on fire caused trouble to the residents and they complained that such incidents occur frequently. The residents demanded that action should be taken against those burning waste in the city as a large number of people have to suffer because of the high density of population. “It takes hours for the smoke to dissipate if a garbage heap is burnt. Children and elderly stay at home and they have to face breathing problems due to the smoke,” said Rajinder Sharma, a local resident, adding that pollution Gangster claims responsibility for firing Alert residents thwart 5-yr-old’s at trader’s house in Sundar Nagar locality kidnapping in dist village, 3 held PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 20 A day after gunshots were fired outside the residence of the owner of a soda-manufacturing unit in Sundar Nagar locality by three unidentified armed persons, Portugal-based gangster Mann Ghanshampuria has ‘taken the responsibility’ for the attack. However, police said that they were working on different theories, including the attack by gangster and personal enmity. He said that according to the initial inquiry, the victim Jasdeep Singh alias Sajan had monetary disputes over gambling. He also had cases of gambling registered against him. After the incident, Mann Ghanshampuria uploaded a video of the firing while threatening that it was an outcome of him (Jasdeep) talking to Jaggu Bhagwan- A CCTV grab of the firing incident that took place in Amritsar. puria over a video call. Jaggu Bhaganpuria is a rival gangster of Mann Ghanshampuria. It may be mentioned that three armed persons fired gunshots at the gate of the residence of Jasdeep Singh on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The family was asleep in the house. The accused fled the scene on a scooter after the firing incident. The entire instance was captured in CCTV cameras. The miscreants came on a scooter, two of them alighted and came in front of Jasdeep Singh’s house while one of their accomplices kept the engine of the scooter running. One of the accused fired the gunshots while the other filmed it. After firing, they fled the scene. The incident led to panic in the area. Jasdeep Singh said that initially they thought someone had burst crackers. In the morning, they learnt of the gunshots being fired at the gate and informed the police. Gurinderbir Singh Sidhu, Assistant Commissioner of Police (East), said that nothing concrete can be said as the investigation was in its initial stage. He said the victim had confessed to several monetary disputes due to his gambling habits. He said a social post had also come to light in this regard. “We are investigating all possible theories to crack the case. Efforts are on to identify and arrest the suspects,” he added. Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 20 Three persons allegedly tried to kidnap a five-year-old boy at Wadala Johal village falling under the Jandiala Guru police station here on Saturday. They took the boy and bundled him into a car before residents got alerted and surrounded the car. On receiving information, the police reached the spot and arrested them. Those arrested were identified as Akashdeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh, both residents of Maari Buchian village in Gurdaspur, and Sarabjit Singh of Hothian village in Amritsar. The police registered a case against them after a complaint lodged by Ajmer Singh of Wadala Johal village. The motive behind the kidnapping has yet to be ascertained. In his complaint, Ajmer Singh told the police that Yuvraj was his elder son. He said yesterday, there was a programme to celebrate the A CCTV footage of the kidnapping attempt at Wadala Johal village. birth anniversary of fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das, at a local gurdwara, which is located just 100 metres away from the house. He said his son was going to the gurdwara when a car arrived there. The occupants stopped the car and took the boy into it. However, nearby residents got suspicious and immediately surrounded the car and informed the family and the police. Mukhtiar Singh, SHO, Jandiala police station, said the accused were arrested from the spot while a case was registered under Sections 137 (2), 62 and 3(5) of the BNS against them. He said a probe was on and the motive behind the kidnapping attempt was yet to be ascertained. Two nabbed for selling liquor Qatar Airways to launch non-stop smuggled from Chandigarh service between Doha and Toronto Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 20 Ahead of Diwali festival, the city Police have arrested two persons allegedly involved in the smuggling and selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) after procuring it from Chandigarh illegally. The police confiscated 369 liquor bottles (30 boxes) of various brands from them. They were identified as Ritik Kamal Kohli of Rajinder Nagar, Batala Road and his maternal uncle Raj Kumar alias Babba of Tehsilpura locality. Maninderpal Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (North) said that they had the tipoff that the Ritik and Raj Kumar were selling IMFL in Two accused and the seized cases of liquor in custody of the police in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR different parts of the city after illegally procuring them from Chandigarh. Raj Kumar was a liquor contractor. He said the seizure was made from the residence of Ritik. Following his disclo- sure the police raided the farm house of Raj Kumar and seized 9 bottles of scotch of different brands from there. One of their accomplices Ashu of Rajinder Nagar was continued on page 2 Amritsar, October 20 Qatar Airways announced a new non-stop service between Doha in Qatar and Toronto in Canada, starting on December 11, 2024. The new route offers seamless one-stop connectivity to Amritsar. The office-bearers of FlyAmritsar Initiative (FAI) welcomed the announcement by Qatar Airways. Sameep Singh Gumtala of FAI stated that the development provides much-needed travel options for the Punjabi diaspora in Toronto, many of whom have been seeking alternatives to flying through Delhi. Sharing details, Anantdeep Singh Dhillon from FAI said, “The flight from Amritsar c m y b departs early in the morning at 4.10 am, arriving in Doha at 6.05 am. After a 3-hour-45minute layover, passengers will board the flight from Doha on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 9.50 am, reaching Toronto the same day at 3.55 pm. The return flight departs from Toronto on the same day at 8 pm, arriving in Doha the next day at 4.30 pm. Passengers will then board a connecting flight at 8.40 pm, landing in Amritsar the following morning at 2.40 am. The total travel time is approximately 20 hours and 10 minutes.” Qatar Airways has been operating daily direct flights from Amritsar, providing short transit connections via Doha to sev- eral destinations in the USA and Montreal in Canada providing further connectivity within Canada. With the introduction of this new route, Amritsar will now have 10 weekly flights to Canada via Doha, offering much-needed relief for travellers who have previously endured long road journeys to Delhi, extended layovers and multiple checkins. The new route simplifies the travel experience, making it faster and more convenient. Gumtala cited Neos Air as another option for travellers seeking to avoid Delhi. Neos connects Amritsar and Toronto via Milan, with two weekly flights, increasing to four weekly for the month of December. caused by the burning of crop residue or burning of waste is the same and should be dealt with equal seriousness. Despite the waste collection vans covering most city areas, such heaps are a common sight. Instead of handing over the waste to these vans, people throw them on roadsides and in vacant plots. It is then set on fire by the safai sewaks or residents. Farmer nabbed, 18 booked for stubble burning in Tarn Taran Tarn Taran, October 20 In a crackdown on the farmers indulging in stubble burning, the district administration registered 18 cases against farmers here on Saturday. One farmer was arrested while others managed to escape from the spot. Teams of the Agriculture Department and others under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Paramveer Singh visited different villages of the district and booked the farmers for violating the District Magistrate’s orders to not burn paddy stubble in the fields. Sources revealed that Baljit Singh, a farmer of Dall village, was arrested by the Khalra police for farm fire and the other farmers who violated the orders were identified as Jugraj Singh of Chuslewar village, Sahib Singh of Nabipur village, Kashmir Singh of Surwind, Harpal Singh and Gurmeet Singh of Chabal, Manhohar Singh of Fazalpur village, Sewa Singh of None, Balwant Singh of Pahuwind, Harjinder Singh of kairon, Jagir Singh of Sarai Amanat Khan, Santokh Singh of Valtoha, Kulwant Singh of Naushehra Pannua, Sukhpal Singh Sukha of Thathian Mahantan, Jit Singh and Gurnam Singh both of Khadoor Singh, Satnam Singh of Kairowal , Narinder Singh and his brother Devinder Singh of Mughal Chack Gillan. Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Harpal Singh Pannu said the police have registered cases under Section 223 of the BNSS against the farmers. The CAO said that the department received 285 locations of farm fires, but of them, farm fires were spotted at 79 spots. The department has imposed a fine of ~1.25 lakh to 49 farmers for violating norms. Red entries have been marked in the revenue record of 52 farmers. Teams of the administration with officials of the Agriculture Department visited the field to check farm fire cases. They were accompanied by NGT officials. — OC