14012025-ATR-01.qxd 1/13/2025 11:34 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune UNIONS BURN DRAFT COPIES OF NEW AGRI MKTG POLICY EXTENDING A HELPING HAND FOR WILDFIRE VICTIMS Leader says the Centre wanted to enforce black laws that were repealed during 2021 after year-long farm stir. P2 Celebrities donate generously to families and workers impacted by the Los Angeles fires. P4 » » FORECAST VERY DENSE FOG MAX 15°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 15°C | MIN 5°C FIGHTING CHILD MARRIAGE WITH FOOTBALL SUNSET TUESDAY 5.48 PM Kicking Balls adjudged Best Documentary Short at the New York International Film Festival. P4 SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:30 AM » TUESDAY | 14 JANUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 13 An 18-year-old youth tragically lost his life after a plastic kite flying string severed his throat while he was driving a motorcycle on Ajnala-Amritsar Road. The fatal accident happened when the plastic string, often referred to as “China Door” got entangled around his neck leading to severe injury. The deceased has been identified as Pawan Singh, a resident of Ugar Aulakh near Ajnala. Family members of the victim said Pawan was driving bike on Ajnala-Amritsar Road when a plastic kite flying struck his neck causing a fatal wound. Karaj Singh, a victim’s relative, said, “Pawan was driving bike when a kite string slit his neck and he fell down. Two passersby rushed him to the Civil Hospital and informed his family.” Despite receiving immediate medical attention at the Ajnala Civil Hospital, doctors said Pawan died due to the severe injury. Dr Raman, who attended to Pawan Singh who died in Ajnala. the victim at the hospital, confirmed the cause of death. He said, “The young man was brought in an injured condition. Unfortunately, he suc- cumbed to the injury caused by the China Dor.” The tragic incident has left the victim’s family devastated. The victim’s family and relatives have demanded immediate action against the use of dangerous plastic kite string. They are calling for a complete ban on the sale and use of the “China Dor” which has caused multiple fatalities and injuries in recent years. “We demand that the government should take a swift action and stop the supply of the deadly kite string. No family should face such loss,” said Resham Singh, one of the Pawan’s family members. The Ajnala police have initiated a probe into the incident. “We are conducting a thorough investigation into the case. Appropriate legal action will be taken against those responsible for the use and distribution of dangerous plastic kite flying string,” said an official of the Police Department. The incident has once again raised concerns over dangers of use of banned plastic kite flying string. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Plastic kite string kills biker in Ajnala after it gets entangled around neck A resident carries kites on the closed BRTS flyover on the Batala road in Amritsar on Monday. Lohri celebrations: Use of plastic kite string at its peak Flyovers, elevated roads closed for two-wheeler riders Two arrested for abstaining from court proceedings Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 13 The district police have arrested two proclaimed offenders (POs) who remained absent from court proceedings in connection with cases registered against them for recovery of drugs. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhimanyu Rana said here on Monday that the proclaimed offend- ers were identified as Veer Singh, a resident of Chabal village, and Prabhdeep Singh, alias Peter, a resident of Pahuwind village. Both were booked five years ago by the Chabal and Bhikhiwind police, respectively, the SSP said. The “district police have launched a special drive to arrest proclaimed offenders who have been evading arrest for years. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Residents throng a stall selling sugarcane juice in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Residentskeepalivetradition of cooking ‘rauh di kheer’ Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service One of the proclaimed offenders in custody of the police. GURBAXPURI Amritsar, January 13 Keeping alive the tradition of cooking “rauh di kheer”, a staple Lohri dish, city residents thronged at stalls selling sugarcane juice on the festival day today. The rates of per litre cane juice remained high to an unusual Rs 40 to Rs 50 per litre. But that did not prove as deterrent as long queues of residents waiting for their turns at all sugarcane juice stalls were seen from the early morning today. Even local traders had set up extra number of stalls to cash upon the opportunity. “We ordered for two tractortrailers of sugarcane for today. Last year, we had only one and were out of cane juice stock by afternoon,” said Harminder Singh, a local farmer, who set up a stall on the Majitha road, especially for Lohri celebrations. Gurdial Kaur, a senior citizen and a resident of the Batala road said, “The Lohri celebrations are not complete without the cooking of kheer. There is an old saying about the tradition of cooking kheer. “Poh ridhi, magh khadi” (Cooked in the month of Poh and eaten in the month of Magh). Lohri is celebrated on the last day of the month of Poh and Maghi. The first day of Magh month marks the beginning of new year as per Punjabi calendar.” Even as children and youngsters celebrate Lohri by flying kites, which is usually accompanied by loud music played on DJs on the rooftops, elders still feel that there could be no better way to celebrate the festival than by sticking to the old tradition. The kheer is also a way to welcome summers as it is kept all through the night and served cold on the next morning. For oldies, eating “rauh di kheer’, which is served cold with curd mixed with red chillies to beat the sweetness, also marks the beginning of summers. “It is served cold as temperature starts to increase and Maghi marks the beginning of summers,” explained Jagtar Singh, a Punjabi teacher. Amritsar, January 13 Despite ban on the plastic kite flying string also known as “China dor”, awareness campaigns and police seizures of the string, its use was at peak on the festival of Lohri celebrations, which is synonymous with kite-flying festival in the city. Though authorities seemed helpless to implement a ban on the use of killer plastic string, the traffic police made alternative arrangements for the safety of commuters. In October 2024, a Verka resident Haramritpal Singh, aka Rajan, lost his life after a dangling Chinese kite string slit his throat on the BRTS flyover bridge on Batala Road. Considering the risk of lives on flyovers, the police barricaded all elevated roads and flyover bridges, while restricting the entry of twowheeler riders. Maghar Singh, traffic police in-charge said, “We have launched a special drive to save commuters from the killer string. We have restricted the entry of two-wheeler vehicles on flyovers heading from the Bhandari bridge to Alpha Mall. We have completely closed the BRTS flyover on Batala Road. The entry of two-wheelers is completely restricted on all elevated roads and overbridges for the safety of the public.” Meanwhile, commuters were seen arguing with the police to allow them drive two-wheelers on flyovers. The traffic police admitted that despite strictness and awareness campaigns, people were still using the banned plastic kite flying string. After restriction on the entry of vehicles on the Batala road flyover, it was free for all residents to fly and chase kites. Residents were seen flying and chasing kites on the flyover bridge. Meanwhile, a pigeon, which was suffering after plastic kite flying string got entangled around its neck, was saved by the Verka SHO, who was on patrolling duty. Inspector Supinder Kaur was patrolling in the Verka area when her sight fell on a pigeon, whose neck was wrapped with China Dor. The SHO rescued pigeon by removing string from its neck. Man booked for abducting distantly-relatedsister’sdaughter Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 13 A man who was living with his distantly related sister at a village abducted her minor daughter on Sunday on the pretext of marrying her. The suspect has been identified as Jugraj Singh, a resident of Bharobhal village (Gharinda). The girl’s father, in his complaint to the Sadar police, said that his wife’s brother was residing with them due to his family’s poor condition. The victim’s father said that a few days ago, he noticed that the supect had malafide intentions towards his minor daughter. The victim’s father said he asked the suspect to leave the house. The victim’s father said he was away for his work on Sunday during the daytime and when he returned home, he noticed that the suspect had abducted his minor daughter with an intention to marry her. On the basis of the statement of the girl’s father, the Sadar police registered a case under Sections 137 (2) and 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Sub-inspector Sukhdev Singh said the police was conducting raids at the possible hide-outs of the suspect to nab him and recover the girl. Expansion plan on cards for Cabinet ministers, officials join residents to celebrate Lohri Ajnala sugar mill, says minister Dhaliwal says quality of sugarcane here best in Punjab Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 13 After paying a surprise visit to the state-run Ajnala Sugarcane Mill near here on Monday, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal announced that the mill would be expanded in the near future. The minister also inspected the sale of sugarcane at the mill and listened to problems of farmers, besides interacting with mill officials. After holding a discussion with sugcane mill officials and farmers, Dhaliwal said the crushing capacity of the mill would be increased. He the machinery of the mill would upgraded so that farmers do not face any problems. He said it had been decided earlier to increase the crushing capacity of sugar mills in Batala and Gurdaspur. He said following discussions with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the upgradation project would be undertaken soon. About discussions with farmers today, he stated that he did not find any major problem as crushing of sugarcane was going on and payment was also being made. “The big thing is that the quality of our sugar is the best in Punjab,” said the minister who represents Ajnala in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. He assured the farmers that they should continue to support the cooperative and the government would stand shoulder to shoulder with them by buying their crops and products. Expressing sympathy with the farmers celebrating Lohri at the dharna site, he said due to the stubborn attitude of the Central government, the farmers were facing tough times. He also said that the demands of the farmers have not yet been accepted by the Centre. Dhaliwal alleged that the largesse of the Centre was aimed at benefiting the industrialists of the country instead of the farmers due to which their condition was deteriorating. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the initiative in fulfilling the demands of the farmers. Amritsar, January 13 Cabinet Ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Harbhajan Singh ETO along with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney joined residents to celebrate Lohri. They visited several institutions to participate in the festivities. Dhaliwal started the day by celebrating the first Lohri of newborn girls and their families at the Civil Hospital in Ajnala. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur and her team were present while Dhaliwal congratulated families of newborn daughters on the holy festival of Lohri. He distributed Lohri — comprising peanuts, jiggery, sweets and goodies — among those present on the occasion. Dhaliwal said he prays to God that these daughters should learn to read and write and bring honour to their families and the country. He said it’s was commendable that Amritsar had a women as senior administrative officers, includ- c m y b Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal with families of newborn daughters at Civil Hospital in Ajnala. ing the DC, Additional Deputy Commissioners , two SDMs, Civil Surgeon and more. On the occasion, the minister also announced that a machine to clean ambulances and air-conditioners would be provided to the Ajnala Civil Hospital. Later, Dhaliwal joined Harbhajan Singh ETO and DC Sakshi Sawhney to celebrate Lohri with inmates of Man- awala branch of Pingalwara. Dhaliwal presented a cheque of Rs 5 lakh from his discretionary fund to Pingalwara Society as Lohri for the development and education of children with special needs. While celebrating Lohri with children of Pingalwara, Harbhajan Singh ETO said today he felt happy that he had come to such an institution where free food, free accommodation and education were provided to the helpless, homeless and other needy people. ETO said the festival of Lohri brought warmth and inspired everyone to head in the right direction. The Voice of Amritsar celebrated Lohri with children of Central Khalsa Orphanage, Putlighar. Sharing details about the event, NGO presi- dent Indu Aurora said sports equipment and food items were distributed among children as Lohri gifts. Executive members of the NGO assured that they would continue to provide every possible help to children in the future. Phulkari, Women of Amritsar (WOA), celebrated Lohri at the School of Eminence, Karampura, which has a special resource centre for children with special needs. The Lohri celebrations were organised for students who were receiving training under “The learning programme” conducted by the Phulkari WOA for children from the lower income bracket. Programme heads Sangeeta Seth and Rajni Bajaj organised the celebrations. The celebrations included graduation ceremony of 54 students on successful completion of computer training under “The learning programme”. Students were awarded certificates by founder Praneet Bubber, president, Phulkari, WOA. — TNS