08022025-ATR-01.qxd 2/7/2025 11:57 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 6°C PLANTATION DRIVE HELD AT NISHAN-E-SIKHI GNDU 2ND RUNNERS-UP AT NORTH ZONE YOUTH FEST ‘CINEMA HAS ITS OWN DISTINCT LANGUAGE’ Kar Sewa sect, Khadoor Sahib, organise plantation drive at Nishane-Sikhi in Tarn Taran. P2 GNDU won second runners-up position at 38th Inter University North Zone Youth Festival held at PU. P2 Actor Swapnil Joshi & producer Anand Pandit feel a well-told story in any language has potential to be pan-India success. P4 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.05 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:07 AM SATURDAY | 8 FEBRUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR ASI held for posing as CIA staff Vigilance arrests patwari for accepting ~10K bribe Tribune News Service Raids house along with retired cop, decamp with ~1.6L Amritsar, February 7 The police have arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), besides nominating a retired inspector for ‘raiding’ a house while posing as the CIA staff and allegedly decamping with Rs 1.6 lakh. Those booked include ASI Gurjit Singh, former inspector Surinder Mohan and their three unknown accomplices. A complaint in this regard was filed by Bobby, a resident of Mohkampura, and raids were underway to nab the accused, including the retired inspector. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alam Vijay Singh said ASI Gurjit Singh (55), a resident of New Partap Nagar, was posted at the Police Lines as he had been booked under similar offence by the Vigilance Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurjit Singh in custody of Amritsar police on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Bureau last year as well. He said Bobby told the police that on February 1, four persons entered his house while one stood outside. He said they told him that they were police personnel and wanted to search his house. Bobby said after they left, he went through CCTV footage of his house and found Rs 1.6 lakh missing. The DCP said ASI Gurjit was arrested from New Partap Nagar and was produced in the court, which sent him to two-day police remand. He said bobby had told that the accused had demanded Rs 1 lakh from him and forcibly took out Rs 5,000 from his pocket. He said a case under Sections 305, 308 (2), 333, 319 (2) and 61 (2) of the BNS and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against them and efforts were on to nab the accused. Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 7 The Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday arrested Patwari Ravi Prakash, posted at revenue circle Kot Khalsa, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. The VB spokesman said the accused had been arrested following a complaint lodged by Paramjit Singh, a resident of New Mohani Park. He alleged that the accused had demanded Rs 20,000 for correcting his loan amount which was erroneously mentioned as Rs 90 lakh instead of Rs 9 lakh in the revenue record. “After preliminary probe, the VB team from Amritsar range laid a trap during which the accused was caught redhanded while accepting a The accused in custody of the Vigilance Bureau on Friday. bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses,” said the VB spokesman. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Ravi at the VB police station, Amritsar. The accused would be produced in the court tomorrow and further probe was underway. Police step up efforts to CIA team attacked at India releases 5 Pak prisoners nab Army man for spying Saido village in Patti Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 7 The police have step up efforts to nab a serving Army man Rajbir Singh, who is posted in Nashik, in connection with spying and crossborder drug trafficking. Rajbir, who hails from Patti in Tarn Taran, was named in an FIR by the Amritsar rural police after his aide Amritpal Singh, a constable in the Army, was nabbed along with two other drug peddlers. The accused had allegedly shared confidential informa- Schools given ~4 crore to tackle natural disasters: Bains Rajbir Singh, who hails from Patti, is posted in Nashik tion of the Army with Pakistan-based agencies. The police had confiscated 500 grams of heroin along with Rs 10 lakh drug money, a cash counting machine apart from a .30 bore pistol from their possession. A car was also impounded by the police. According to the police, the accused shared vital information, location of Army’s units with Pakistan-based ISI. The racket had been operating for the past two years. Besides Amritpal Singh of Chamba Kalan village in Chohla Sahin in Tarn Taran, the police had arrested Mandeep Singh, alias Maddy, and Madhav Sharma of Rajasthan. They said accused Amritpal Singh remained posted at Jammu, Assam and Nasik and shared confidential information with the ISI. The accused have been booked under the NDPS Act, Arms Act and Official Secrets Act. Tarn Taran, February 7 The police team was attacked and held hostage at Saido village on Thursday. Led by Assistant SubInspector (ASI) Kanwarpal Singh of the CIA staff, the team had gone to Saido village in connection with a complaint lodged by Amritpal Singh against Rasal Singh of the same village. ASI Kanwarpal said as soon as they entered the house of Rasal Singh, he along with his wife Jyoti, mother Sukhraj Kaur, son The prisoners at Attari-Wagah border on Friday. for 17 years. He was lodged at Alwar jail in Rajasthan. Similarly, Nand Lal said he had ancestral land in Rajasthan which was grabbed by his relatives. He had come to take possession of his land. He added that his relative informed the police about his overstaying after which he was arrested. He was returning after seven years. Khadim Hussain stated that he had inadvertently entered into India while fishing and was arrested by the Gujarat Police. He was returning after five years. Illegal colonies demolished Unauthorised e-rickshaws cause at Pakharpura, Kathunangal traffic jams near Golden Temple BIS organises standardisation event in Ajnala Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 7 The Punjab School Education Department has allocated more than Rs 4 crore to educate staff and students on ways to respond during emergency or natural disaster related incidents. Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said elementary and secondary schools had been instructed to use funds for setting up display boards with emergency helpline numbers like Police 112, Fire 101, Ambulance 108, Women Helpline 1091, Traffic Helpline 1073 and Child Helpline 1098. Bains said principals had been instructed to prepare an evacuation plan and install emergency alarms, taking into account the safety of staff and students in an event of fire or natural disaster. He said the staff had been directed to inspect electrical equipment at regular intervals. The Education Minister said instructions had been issued to call on specialists to tackle natural disasters. He said the school heads would ensure timely uploading of funds on ePunjab portal. Bains said, “The Education Department is working to provide quality education and ensure safe environment for the students and staff.” Kanwar Singh and their relative Jyoti Kaur attacked and held the raiding police party hostage. ASI Kanwarpal said the accused tore uniform of Head Constable Jatinder Singh. ASI Sukhwinder Singh of the Patti Sadar police station said a case had been registered against five persons under Sections 132, 221, 191 (3) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). ASI Sukhwinder said the accused managed to escape from the spot by taking advantage of huge rush of the people. Amritsar, February 7 Five prisoners were repatriated to Pakistan after completion of their jail term through Attari-Wagah border today. Those released include Masroor of Karachi, Jafar Hussain and Nand Lal of Sindh, Khadam Hussain and Ajmal Hussain. Masroor said he had arrived in India in 2008 on a six-month visa but overstayed and as a result, was caught by the Indian authorities. He was sentenced for life imprisonment but after an appeal he was released after 16 years. Jafar Hussain was arrested on charges of spying and was sentenced The Amritsar Development Authority has written to the police to register an FIR against the colonisers. Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 7 In compliance of the guidelines issued by the Punjab Government, officials of the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) in the presence of police and other officials, demolished unauthorised colonies being raised at Pakharpura and Kathunangal village near the AmritsarPathankot highway on Friday. The action was taken as per the orders issued by ADA Chief Administrator Ankurjit Singh and Additional Chief Administrator Major Amit Sareen. The operation was led by District Town Planner (Regulatory) Gursewak Singh Aulakh, Duty Magis- trate Jagbir Singh and the sub-divisional engineer concerned. The District Town Planner said that in order to control the future course of development, the new unauthorised colonies being developed at Pakharpura village and Kathunangal village were issued notices under the PAPRA Act, 1995 to stop work and demolition action was taken. He said that the owners of these unauthorised colonies flouted government rules and despite the issuance of the notice, instead of giving an explanation regarding the said unauthorised colonies, development work continued on the spot, under which action was taken under orders of the higher authorities. Demolition proceedings were initiated against the unauthorised colonies through a communiqué dated January 16 but the colony owners resumed work, due to which the new constructions were demolished again. According to the amendment in 2024 to the PAPRA Act, 1995, imprisonment of 5-10 years and a fine ranging between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 5 crore can be imposed on a coloniser who carves out an unauthorised colony. The department has so far written to the police department to register an FIR against the colonisers and unauthorised builders for 15 illegal colonies. c m y b Amritsar, February 7 The rise in number of unauthorised e-rickshaws has been creating chaos in the narrow lanes around Golden Temple nowadays. In the absence of any regular modes of public transport, the unauthorised e-rickshaws have become a primary means of transportation in the city. This mode of transport has provided employment to many, sustaining numerous households. However, the growing number of e-rickshaws and the lack of regulations have led to problems for both locals and tourists, particularly in the vicinity of Darbar Sahib. Every day, over one lakh devotees and tourists visit Amritsar from across India and abroad. Many prefer erickshaws for their affordability and accessibility. However, the lack of designated parking stands forces the drivers to park their erickshaws haphazardly, causing traffic jams. Additionally, in the absence of an official list of fare, some erickshaw drivers overcharge passengers, leading to exploitation and negative experience for tourists. “The e-rickshaw drivers work hard to earn their livelihood, some opportunists have entered the business solely for their personal gain. These individuals not only create inconvenience for the residents but also exploit unsuspecting tourists. The competition among e-rick- shaw drivers to secure passengers often results in reckless driving, road congestion and arguments on busy streets. The situation is exacerbated by the local administration’s failure to implement effective traffic control measures,” said Pawan Kumar, a local activist. Despite being a major pilgrimage and tourist destination, Amritsar still lacks proper transportation facilities that can ensure a smooth travel experience for visitors. Until the administration takes strict measures such as setting up designated stands, issuing fare lists and enforcing traffic discipline, the problems caused by unchecked e-rickshaw operations will persist, said Davinder Singh, a local. The growing number of e-rickshaws and lack of regulations have led to problems for locals and tourists. Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 7 The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu and Kashmir branch office (JKBO), conducted a sensitisation programme for Sarpanchs, Panchs and panchayat secretaries at the Ajnala block office in the district. The event was organised under the guidance of Dr Sandeep Malhotra, District Development and Panchayat Officer, Amritsar, in the presence of Sukhjit Singh, BDPO, Ajnala, who commended the initiative. The programme aimed to raise awareness about BIS standardisation and its role in enhancing governance and public service delivery at the grassroots level. Around 50 panchayat representatives actively participated in the session, gaining valuable insights into the importance of adhering to quality standards in rural governance. Kamaljit Ghai, resource person, highlighted the significance of standardisation in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of panchayats. He explained how adopting BIS standards can enhance rural infrastructure and ensure consumer safety. The session was coordinated by Ashish Kumar Dwivedi, Standard Promotion Officer, BIS JKBO, who introduced the BIS Care App to the participants.