01122024-ATR-01.qxd 11/30/2024 11:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MODERATE FOG MAX 24°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 24°C | MIN 11°C DEMOLITION DRIVE CARRIED OUT IN AMRITSAR AIDS AWARENESS RALLY HELD AT DAV COLLEGE ZOYA JOINS FELLOW JURY MEMBERS AT FILM FEST The estate wing of the Amritsar MC demolished encroachments in Sultanwind area. P3 An awareness rally to commemorate World AIDS Day was organised at DAV College in Abohar. P3 Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, a part of the jury of the 21st Marrakech Film Festival, walked the red carpet. P4 » » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.26 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7.13 AM SUNDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Drug peddler nabbed with 470-gm heroin Underpass construction leads to traffic snarls on bypass road Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 The Amritsar rural police have arrested a drug peddler identified as Sandeep Singh alias Bittu of Lahori Mall village and recovered 470gm of heroin from his possession. Kulwant Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Gharinda police station, said that the police team was patrolling from Attari to Atalgarh village, Rattan Kalan and Dhanoe Khurd village when it found a man in suspicious condition near Rattan Kalan village drain. On seeing the police party, the supect threw a polythene and tried to slip away from the spot. However, the police arrested him and later found 470gm of heroin in the packet. A case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against him. The police said he was brought on police remand for further interrogation to ascertain his backward and forward links. Amritsar, November 30 Long traffic jams are witnessed daily near the bridge construction site at Vallah and vehicle underpass construction site on Loharka road with commuters having to wait in long queues for traffic to clear. At times, the queues of vehicles stranded in the traffic jam are over a kilometre long and people have to wait for at least 45 minutes for the traffic bottlenecks to clear. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing a flyover at Vallah for the past over two years. As construction work has been going on at a snail’s pace, the residents are forced to go through the trouble daily. The side-lanes provided along the construction site are too narrow for the heavy flow of traffic. To add to the woes of the commuters, the side-lanes have been badly damaged due to use by overloaded trucks with large potholes coming up. At the vehicle underpass construction site too, work has been stalled for many months as the design was changed Two youths threw explosives at Gurbaxnagar post: Police PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service A long traffic jam due to construction work witnessed at the bypass near Loharka Road in Amritsar on Saturday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR during the construction. “It has been a nightmare every day in the past two years for those who have to cross these two points on the bypass road,” said Joginder Singh, a daily commuter on the stretch. The residents complained that no safety measures like warning signs and glow signs have been put up at the construction sites. Residents of Vallah village and nearby localities have demanded that the NHAI should at least repair the sidelanes so that commuters do not face any inconvenience. The stretch of the road is used by hundreds of vehicles coming to the international airport. With traffic jams becoming a frequent occurrence, the residents stated that work on the two projects should be completed at the earliest. “Traffic snarls have become a routine affair on the bypass road. Many accidents have happened in the side-lanes in the past but the authorities concerned seem indifferent,” said another commuter Kewal Ram. Amritsar, November 30 A preliminary probe into the blast in the Gurbaxnagar police post revealed that two youths had come on a bike and threw some explosive inside the structure leading to the blast here in the wee hours of Friday. Though the police have found the footage of CCTV cameras of the suspects, it was of little help for the police as the miscreants were yet to be identified. It is pertinent to mention here that hours after the blast, a social media post surfaced which claimed that it was executed at the behest of US-based gangster-turnedterrorist Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Pashia, and Gopi Nawanshehria along with another gangster Jeevan Fauji. The post had claimed that it has a hand grenade. Though the police are silent over the investigations carried out so far, an official said they are yet to get the forensic reports to ascertain what The police are exploring the incident from all angles to crack the case. caused the explosion. An explosion rocked the Gurbaxnagar locality in the wee hours of Friday. People came out on the roofs of their houses to find out what had happened. But they came to know about the explosion at the police chowki in the morning when a large number of police officials reached there for investigations. The Gurbaxnagar police chowki was among several chowkis which were shut down last year by the then police commissioner Naunihal Singh, though the building was still in possession of the police department. A permanent naka has been installed there. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said investigations are still in progress and nothing can be shared at this moment as it would hamper the probe. BSF’s anti-drug cycle rally ends at Attari JCP MC starts composting of wet waste at Bhagtanwala dump “We are exploring the case from all angles to crack the case,” he said, while adding that whoever perpetrated the act would be behind bars soon. The explosion occurred four days after a failed bid to blow up the Ajnala police station in which two bike-borne persons dumped IED attached with RDX along its wall. The rural police are yet to identify the suspects. Head constable killed in mishap Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 In order to mark the 60th Raising Day, the Border Security Force (BSF) organised an anti-drug cycle rally to spread the message against rampant drug abuse in the state. Commenced from the Sadqi border check-post in Fazilka on November 23, the cycle rally covered 491 km in eight days and passed through Punjab’s border towns and villages, including Fazilka, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, before culminating at the Attari joint check-post here on Saturday on the eve of 60th Raising Day of the BSF . IG, Punjab Frontier, Dr Atul Fulzele welcomed and felicitated the participants at the Attari JCP He said the aim of . the rally was to spread awareness and combating drug abuse. He said it received Tribune News Service BSF officials welcome the participants of the anti-drug cycle rally at the Attari JCP on Saturday. tremendous support from local communities and border population, drawing attention to the critical issue of drug abuse in border regions. “The rally is a part of the BSF’s broader community engagement efforts, which aims to foster a drug-free environment, particularly in border region where the threat of narcotic trafficking is a persistent concern. By organising the cycle rally, the BSF reiterates its role as a proactive force that works to safeguard the country’s borders and promotes overall well-being in society,” said the IG. The event was attended by senior BSF officials, school children and a large crowd gathered to witness the Retreat Ceremony. During the programme, the BSF displayed weapons and motivational placards to encourage the youth to join the force. Amritsar, November 30 Disappointed with the inaction of the solid waste management firm hired by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, officials of the MC started composting of fresh wet waste on their own at the Bhagtanwala dump. A concrete compost pad has been constructed by the MC to keep the wet waste. Senior health wing officials of the MC stated composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertiliser that can enrich soil and plants. “We have asked the solid waste management firm to compost the wet waste being collected daily from the city. The company officials did not respond positively. Then sen- MC staff work at the compost pad at Bhagtanwala dump in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR ior MC officials decided to start composting. Now we have deployed the workers, who process the garbage. They keep it on the compost pad and after the wet waste get dry they pack it in the sacks. A useful manure is being produced,” said a health official. On the other hand, the MC issued a tender to repair a bioremediation machine to start the processing of legacy garbage. “The company officials had promised to start the bioremediation this week, but they didn’t get the machines till date,” said the health officer. Tarn Taran, November 30 A Punjab Police head constable was killed in a road accident here on Friday. The mishap took place when the motorcycle he was driving was hit by an oncoming unidentified vehicle. The Goindwal Sahib police said the deceased has been identified as Angrej Singh (55), a resident of Gharka village here. He was posted with the Goindwal Sahib police station. He was on his way back to his village when some unidentified vehicle hit his motorcycle from the front near Khela village. He received serious injuries and was rushed to a local private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A case under Section 194 of the BNS has been registered against the driver of the unidentified vehicle who fled the spot after hitting him. He leaves behind his wife, son (18) and daughter (12). — OC BJP leader Jagmohan Singh Raju Creativeactivitiesmark Rise against fascist forces: RMPI seeks holy city status for Amritsar first ‘No-Bag Day’ Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI) organised a political conference to mark the death anniversary of freedom fighter and leader of the farmers movement, Dalip Singh Tapiala, at his native Tapiala village near here on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, the communist leaders exhorted the public to rise against fascist forces in the country. RMPI national general secretary Mangat Ram Pasla, while paying tributes to Dalip Singh and others, lashed out at the BJP government for its anti-minority politics. Pasla said the government is too busy in converting mosques into mandirs that it has forgotten about the welfare of the poor masses. He said that the policies of the BJP are against the integrity of the country. BJP leader Jagmohan Singh Raju at Akal Takht in Amritsar on Saturday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR “The government is diverting public attention from inflation, unemployment, corruption and other relevant issues by highlighting religious issues,” he said. Pasla added that injustice against the poor, Dalits and women continue but the government does not want to address these issues. He added that a united public force can force the political parties to adopt pro-people policies. Pasla also criticised the AAP government in Punjab, stating that corruption in government offices has increased. “The government had promised to weed out corruption but now one cannot get any work done without giving a bribe,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, farmer leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said, “Residents of the villages alongside the international border with Pakistan are being harassed by the BSF on the pretext of security checks.” He said farmers tilling land across the border fence are allowed to work in their fields for only three to four hours. Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala of the party said farmers have been looted by commission agents, traders and sheller owners on the pretext of moisture in crop. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 30 It was a day to have fun under the sun for students of several government schools as the first ‘NoBag Day’ was observed in the district after recent instructions by the Education Department. Students can now pursue creative and sports activities In order to free them of the stress of books and enable them to enjoy a day’s break from conventional learning, the last Saturday of November was observed as ‘No-Bag Day’, with student indulging in school games, music and other activities. At Government Elementary c m y b School, Gol Bagh, the students enjoyed a session of traditional rural games like khokho, tug-of-war, skipping rope in which they were joined by some teachers. “It is a welcome move as the students can now engage and pursue creative and sports activities, giving them a break from five days of textbook learning in schools,” said Paramjit Singh, a teacher. The school heads have been asked to encourage learning through alternative methods like storytelling sessions, colouring and drawing, creative writing and public speaking on ‘No-Bag Days’ to enable holistic development of the child. The new notification was passed recently, expanding on the ‘No-Bag Day’ in all government schools, throughout the district. Amritsar, November 30 Seeking holy city status for Amritsar, BJP leader Jagmohan Singh Raju, who had dabbled in politics after resigning as the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, renewed the demand by handing over a memorandum to the office of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh. The former IAS officer and member of the National Minority Commission, Dr Raju intensifying his efforts along with supporters gathered outside the Golden Temple here on Saturday. Addressing mediapersons, he said it was a matter of utter disappointment for Sikhism and city residents that the sanctity of the world famous Amritsar has not been recognised as a holy city. On the lines of Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, the pilgrimage of the Sikhs should also be given this status. Despite reminding the state government from time to time of this move, his efforts have An RMPI leader addresses a rally at Tapiala village to mark death anniversary of Dalip Singh Tapiala in Amritsar on Saturday. failed to bear fruit. He said he also put pressure on the Punjab Government through the National Minority Commission, but the attitude of the government in this regard has been disappointing. In the recommendations given to the commission, he advocated for the holy city that there should be a complete ban on the consumption and sale of alcohol and tobacco within a radius of about one mile of the historic gurdwaras of the city. Smoking and drinking alcohol should be banned in public areas. Like October 2, holy days like Gurpurb should be declared dry days. He demanded that liquor shops should be opened on alternate days. On March 29 last year, Raju had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this matter, on which the Bhagwant Mann government had given an undertaking that the proposal is under consideration.