14022025-ATR-01.qxd 2/13/2025 11:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY GIFT SHOPS, FLORISTS, CAFES OFFER ARRAY OF CHOICES ILLEGAL HOARDINGS ON MAYOR’S WIN DEFACE CITY AS YOU CELEBRATE LOVE, GET TO KNOW THE DATING TERMS Florists and gift shops in the city have already displayed a variety of gifts for Valentine's Day. P2 Illegal hoardings congratulating the newly elected mayor can still be seen defacing public property. P2 Whether celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, it is about time to know dating terms doing the rounds! P4 » » » MAX 23°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.16 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7.12 AM FRIDAY | 14 FEBRUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR ASI, accomplice held taking bribe Youth arrested with illegal weapon Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 13 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday arrested Assistant SubInspector (ASI) Gurmeet Kaur, posted with ERV wing (South), and her accomplice Harpreet Singh, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ~40,000. A spokesman for the VB said duo was arrested following a complaint lodged by Sikander Singh, a resident of Wazir Bhullar village in Baba Bakala tehsil here. He said the complainant approached the VB while alleging that the accused had demanded a bribe of ~1,50,000 for favouring the complainant, his father and brother in a police case being investigated by the ASI. The accused had already taken ~10,000 through Google Pay and had been demanding the second instalment of bribe amounting to ~40,000. Man booked for construction activities in Army dump area The suspect in custody of the Vigilance Bureacu in Amritsar. VB officials said after verifying the facts, a VB team, Amritsar Range, laid a trap during which Harpreet Singh was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant on her behalf in the presence of two official witnesses. Subsequently the accused ASI was also arrested in this case. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against them at the VB police station, Amritsar Range. They would be produced in a court on Friday. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 13 The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has failed to take possession of a residential property, occupied by a bidder after paying just a small amount, at Sector-C in Ranjit Avenue since 2001. The AIT Chairman had issued directions to take possession of the property on January 6, 2023 but officials claimed that despite writing to the police department, they did not get police protection to get back the possession of the property. The AIT has written several letters to the Police Commissioner in this regard during the past two years. An RTI activist Prabhjot Singh, who raised the issue, says he found the delay in taking action quite intriguing. According to records, the Amritsar Improvement The Amritsar Improvement Trust building. Trust allotted a residential plot of 250 square yard under the Ajnala Road Scheme to a successful bidder for Rs 4,600 per square yard on August 29, 2001. The allotment letter was issued after receiving 15 per cent of the total payment. The buyer was supposed to pay 10 per PK Jaiswar Amritsar, February 13 A high drama was witnessed outside Sadar police station here today when an ASI, Gurnam Singh, duty officer, along with several activists of a Dalit organisation, started a protest against SHO Harinder Singh for allegedly physically assaulting him here on Thursday. Though the SHO denied the allegations, the police have started a probe into the incident. Gurnam Singh told the mediapersons after his video went viral that he was physically assaulted by SHO Harinder Singh, his ALLEGATION FALSE: SHO ■ SHO Harinder Singh refuted the allegations and added that the ASI was not performing the duties assigned to him. He denied assaulting him physically. A medical examination of the ASI was also conducted, he said. gunman Germanjit Singh and their accomplice Billa in the police station premises last night. His uniform was also torn by them. He alleged that the accused later bundled him in a car and took him for medical examination and harassed him. About the reason, he said the SHO was unnecessarily burdening him with extra Diocese of Amritsar CNI’s 2-day foundation day celebrations begin A bike rally being taken out to celebrate the foundation day celebrations in Amritsar on Thursday. Amritsar, February 13 More than 300 motorcycle riders associated with the Diocese of Amritsar (DoA), Church of North India (CNI), participated in a motorcycle rally marking the beginning of the two-day foundation day celebrations of the church here on Thursday. Held under the aegis of Reverend Dr PK Samantaroy, Bishop, Diocese of Amritsar, Church of North India, the motorcycle pending amount of Rs 26.12 lakh on August 5, 2010. When he didn’t respond, the AIT passed a proposal to cancel the allotment and seize the deposited amount on November 25, 2010. Meanwhile, the buyer moved court against the decision. The court had ordered to duties. He was given the charge of duty officer in the police station and also of putting up a naka in the area. He alleged that he also signed up for another duty which led to a verbal duel. He said the SHO, his gunman and their accomplice, scuffled with him. He urged the senior police officials to provide him with justice and demanded action against the police officials responsible. SHO Harinder Singh refuted the allegations and added that the ASI was not performing the duties assigned to him. He denied assaulting him physically. A medical examination of the ASI was also conducted, he said. Tribune News Service Youth dies of drug overdose in Kadgill village AIR station project still in limbo after 18 yrs Amritsar, February 13 Three bike-borne armed persons shot at a man, identified as Sukhdev Singh, husband of the woman sarpanch of Timmowal village falling in Jandiala Guru area, leaving him seriously injured. He was rushed to a private hospital in Amritsar. The police have started a probe into the incident. Arun Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Baba Bakala, said they received information that Sukhdev Singh was shot at by armed persons at Timmowal village. The police have recovered bullets from the spot and rally started from St Paul’s Church, Court Road, Amritsar, and passed through key boulevards of the city to promulgate the message of peace before culminating at Alexandra School, Queen’s Road. “The rally was organised to spread the message of peace, brotherhood and interfaith harmony. The church has always worked for promoting peace by fostering understanding, strengthening relationships and promoting dialogue among people of different faiths,” said Bishop Samantaroy. Terming peace as the absolute need of the hour, Bishop Samantaroy said the rally is a reiteration of the continuation of peace-building measures even in the years to come. Meanwhile, over 3,000 members of the diocese from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir are expected to join the two-day celebrations, which would include a thanksgiving service and a cultural programme on tomorrow (February 14). Baba Bakala DSP Arun Sharma during investigation on the spot at Timmowal vilagge in Jandiala Guru area on Thursday. further investigations are in progress. He said the motive behind the incident was yet to be ascertained. “We have reached the spot and started investigations. Sukhdev was admitted to hospital and undergoing treatment,” said the DSP . Kashmir Singh, grandfa- ther of the victim, said Sukhdev was coming from Makhanwindi village on a bike when the three bikeborne persons were coming from the Khakh village side. Their faces were covered with cloth. He said the accused immediately started firing at him leaving him WORLD RADIO DAY PK Jaiswar Our Correspondent Tribune News Service cent more 30 days after getting the allotment letter, but he didn’t pay anything. Prabhjot Singh, an RTI and social activist, filed an application under the Right to Information Act and got details of the case in March 2010. The AIT had then asked the buyer to pay the consider the case sympathetically and asked the buyer to pay the dues in February 2011. The buyer paid 50 per cent of the pending amount, i.e., Rs13.06 lakh in April 2011. Finally, the Amritsar Improvement Trust led by Harpreet Singh Sudan, then Deputy Commissioner-cumChairman, Amritsar Improvement Trust, passed a resolution regarding taking possession, but no action has been taken till date. Rajbir Singh, Executive Engineer, Amritsar Improvement Trust, said, “We have written around 10 times to the authorities to deploy a duty magistrate and provide police force to execute the orders. In case of residential property, we visit in the presence of the duty magistrate only. The authorities are lingering over the matter but we will put up the matter again.” ASI accuses SHO, his gunman of Timmowal village sarpanch’s husband shot assaulting him in police station at by three bike-borne assailants; probe on Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 13 The Vallah police have booked Karnail Singh of Shukarchak village for allegedly carrying out construction work in an area prohibited by the Army. He was yet to be arrested though a case under Sections 223 and 125 of the BNS has been lodged against him. An Army official, in his complaint submitted on January 27, said that the accused was carrying out construction work in the Army dump’s prohibited area of 1,000 yards, banned by the district administration as this could be harmful for the people. — TNS Amritsar, February 13 The Majitha police have arrested a person for allegedly possessing an illegal gun. After registering a case, the police launched a probe. He was identified as Agyapal Singh of Galowali Colonia. The police said the police got a tip-off that Agyapal Singh was having an illicit weapon. He was going from Amritsar to Majitha. He was intercepted at a checkpoint near the Majitha bus stand. During the search, the police recovered a single barrel .12 bore calibre gun. He could not produce any documents or arms licence. Following this, the suspect was arrested and a case under the Arms Act was registered against him. The police also impounded his scooter. Further investigation was underway to ascertain the source of the weapon. Bidder occupying property by paying part sum since 2001 as AIT fails to act Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, February 13 A resident of Kadgill village near Tarn Taran town died of drug overdose on Tuesday. ASI Rajinder Kumar of the local Sadar police said that the deceased has been identified as Amritpal Singh (28). Krishna Kaur, mother of the deceased, told the police that her son was an addict and had returned home after receiving treatment in Himachal Pradesh a month back. Krishna Kaur said that on Tuesday, her son was standing near his house when Resham Singh and Shamsher Singh, both residents of the village, took him along to an undisclosed destination. At night, her son Amritpal was found lying on the ground in an unconscious state. He was brought to a local private hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Amritpal Singh is survived by his twomonth-old daughter. The police have registered a case under section 105 and 3 (5) of the BNS on Wednesday. The post-mortem of the body was done at the local Civil Hospital on Thursday. Amritsar, February 13 Even as the country is celebrating World Radio Day today, the All India Radio (AIR) station project for Amritsar is yet to see the light of day. Residents of the city rue that successive governments at the Centre as well as in Punjab failed to set up the AIR station even after 18 long years had elapsed. Construction of the Rs 20 crore project was started in 2007 in Gharinda area. The project was conceptualised to counter the false propaganda of Pakistan in the border belt here. Under the project, a 300 meter (around 1,000 feet) high transmission tower was to be constructed in Gharinda district at Amritsar with a 100-km range, covering parts of Pakistan and India including Jalandhar. The construction of the tower was completed in six years. After its completion, a team from IIT-Roorkee inspected the tower and found a tilt in its upper portion which could have possibly led to a tragedy. The Prasar Bharati asked the contractor to correct the tilt which he did not. Later, a comparatively smaller tower with a height of 100 c m y b The All India Radio (AIR) tower at Gharinda in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO meter was built nearby and the FM-transmitting antenna removed from the high tower was put up on this tower with a much shorter range of just 50 kms which completely defeated the cause for which it was conceptualised. The transmission from this antenna served only some downtown areas of both Lahore and Amritsar and that too very poorly. In 2020, the around 80 meter long upper portion of the tow- er was removed and so far, neither the Central Government nor the state government has taken any interest setting up the tower and start the radio station which is imperative for this border belt to counter Pakistan’s anti-India propaganda through their radio channels which are easily available in the border villages. Harjap Singh Aujla, an engineer who prominently raised the issue, pointed out that seriously injured. A bullet pierced through his waist and another a hip joint. A nearby shopkeeper said the victim was riding his bike when the three accused fired at him. The firing led to a panic in the area. People started gathering at the spot and visited the victim’s house. The police have started scanning the footage of CCTV cameras to find clues about the perpetrators. Initial reports suggested that some monetary dispute seems to be the reason behind the incident. However, police officials said they cannot said anything for sure at this time as investigations are in progress. Amritsar radio station is the most botched up project in the history of Prasar Bharati and All India Radio, starting from 2007 to date, mired in a colossal 18-year-long delay. Aujla urged the government to restart the project. “Let the project be started afresh. The Prasar Bharati should go back to the drawing board and get a strong reinforced cement concrete (RCC) tower of 400 meters height designed through a reputed structural designing organisation like IITs in Roorkee, Delhi or Kanpur. After the approval of design, worldwide bids should be invited to construct the concrete tower with an observation-cum-breakfast, lunch and dinner gallery at a height of 300 meters, to be constructed within a specific time-frame. A professional inspection team should also be hired to inspect the work continuously during the period of construction. An office-cum-studio also be designed and constructed. This city due to its size, status and proximity to Lahore, deserves its own full-fledged programmeoriginating facility. There should also be a small rest-house of the I&B Ministry.