14122024-ATR-01.qxd 13-12-2024 22:42 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST COLD WAVE MAN HURT IN FIRING SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES PATIENCE & ADAPTABILITY KEY TO HER SUCCESS, SAYS RIYA B-TOWN APPLAUDS D GUKESH ON MAKING HISTORY A resident of Sheron village, who was seriously hurt in firing, succumbed to injuries at a private hospital. P2 Over past two decades, actress Riya Sen has transitioned seamlessly between Bollywood & regional cinema. P4 MAX 20°C | MIN 4°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 4°C Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh has made history by becoming the youngestever World Chess Champion. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 5.28 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:22 AM » SATURDAY | 14 DECEMBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Amritsar, December 13 A judicial probe has been initiated into an incident in which a youth allegedly shot himself in a police vehicle outside the Gharinda police station here on Wednesday night. The deceased, Manjit Singh, a resident of Khasa, along with his accomplice Parnam Singh, were detained following intelligence inputs regarding possession of illegal arms by them. The postmortem of the deceased was conducted in the presence of Justice Vinay Agarwal. The body was later handed over to the family of the deceased. The judicial officer recorded statements of the family members of the deceased and policemen who were present during the incident. The police registered a case under the Arms Act case against the deceased and his accomplice in this connection. The police claimed that the accused were picked up following intelligence inputs about their involvement in smuggling of arms and narcotics. The police had reportedly confiscated an illegal pistol from the accused. Manjit and Parnam were being taken to the police vehicle when the former allegedly shot himself with his licensed weapon, the police claimed. Charanjit Singh, SSP , Amritsar (Rural), said a judicial probe was initiated and everything would be clear following the inquiry. — TNS Civic body starts bioremediation project at Bhagtanwala dump for fourth time Residents term the move an eye wash ahead of the municipal corporation polls Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 13 A few days before implementation of the code of conduct for the civic body polls, the municipal corporation (MC) has resumed bioremediation project to remove legacy waste at the Bhagtanwala dump. This is for the fourth time since 2017 that politicians and the MC office have launched the bioremediation project with a promise to process 20 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of garbage lying on 20 acres at the Bhagtanwala dump since the past three decades. The solid waste management firm that installed a machine for bioremediation project on December 3 claimed that it would process 50 MT of garbage every day. Earlier, during the tenure of Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Minister for Local Government, six machines were installed at the dump, but after processing garbage for a few days, the firm stopped work. The machines were lying defunct at the Bhagtanwala dump. Residents of the areas nearby dump claimed that re-inauguration of the bioremediation project was just an eye wash before the elections. One PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Probe initiated after youth shoots self in police custody A machine installed for bioremediation of the legacy waste at the Bhagtanwala dump in Amritsar. machine was not enough for processing 20 lakh MT garbage, they said, while adding that it would not sustain for long as the company would stop work after the conclusion of the civic body elections. Sandeep Sharma, vice president, Sanji Sangharsh Committee, and convener Save Amritsar said, “More than seven years have passed after the installation of machines for bioremediation, but no change has been witnessed at the dump. Despite having a power connection, MC offi- cials operated machines with diesel. Funds were embezzled by showing use of diesel on papers. No politician or MC official is bothered about maintaining sanitation in the city. The MC staff is well trained to respond to queries of the Deputy Commissioner and or MC Commissioner, who hardly have six months tenure in the city.” Jatinder Singh Jassa, member of the pollution control committee and a resident of Bhagtanwala said, “The solid waste management firm does not c m y b have funds to operate machine. The machine has been installed at the dump just to influence the public to vote in favour of candidates of the ruling dispensation in the state.” Residents alleged that instead of bioremediation the solid waste management firm set garbage on fire. Last year, a major fire had erupted at the garbage dump, residents said. The city generates around 500 MT of waste daily, but it is not collected every day. Due to delay in lifting of the garbage, heaps of waste can be seen on corners of streets, footpaths, green belts, vacant plots and makeshift dumps. The MC hired a private firm in 2016 for door-to-door collection of garbage and bioremediation of the legacy waste. The company and the MC failed to make any changes in waste collection during the past eight years. Three governments have ruled the state, but residents witnessed no change in garbage collection and its processing in the holy city. When contacted, MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh said the civic body had initiated bioremediation work with one machine. The number of machines would be increased in the coming days, he said, while adding that the MC would monitor the bioremediation process on a daily basis and eliminate heaps of garbage from the dump. MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar claimed that he was well aware of the issue and was regularly making efforts to find a permanent solution to eliminate legacy waste. He said, “In the next two months, we will upgrade the infrastructure to remove legacy waste from the Bhagtanwala garbage dump.” The accused in custody of the police in Amritsar on Friday. Six snatchers nabbed 3 two-wheelers, 6 cellphones seized Amritsar, December 13 The city police have arrested six snatchers involved in three different incidents and recovered three two-wheelers and six mobile phones from their possession. According to the police, five of the snatchers were drug addicts. They were active in posh localities of Rani Ka Bagh, Ranjit Avenue and the Mall Road area. Those arrested were identified as Harwinder Singh, alias Bobby, and Rakesh Kumar, alias Babu, of Guru Amardass Colony; Harjit Singh, alias Jeeta, of Rana Garden; Nitin of Jawahar Nagar, Mehta Road; Vishal, alias Judge, and Shivam Kumar of Tarn Taran. Alam Vijay Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Law and Order, said all the accused were habitual offenders as several cases of snatchings and thefts were registered against them. Giving details he said Har- winder was arrested near Saroop Rani Government College by the Civil Lines police. His interrogation led to the arrest of Rakesh Kumar, who was lodged in the Amritsar Central Jail. They had robbed a local resident around five days ago. Rakesh Kumar had two cases of snatching and theft registered against him, the DCP said. Similarly, Harjit and Nitin were arrested at a naka near Lumsdon Club yesterday and two snatched mobile phones were recovered from them, the DCP said. The police recovered five snatched mobile phones from their possession during interrogation, the DCP said. The duo had snatching cases registered against them at the Majitha road police station here, he said. Vishal and Shivam were held in a snatching case registered two days ago, he said. They had snatched an iPhone from a local resident in Shashtri Market, the DCP said. — TNS