25022025-ATR-01.qxd 2/24/2025 11:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY FARMERS RESCHEDULE THEIR DELHI MARCH TO MARCH CONCLAVE TRIUMPHS WITH BEST CAST ENSEMBLE INDIAN FILM FRATERNITY CONGRATULATES TEAM INDIA The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have rescheduled march towards Delhi. P2 The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards celebrated exceptional talent across both film and television. P4 MAX 21°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 10°C The fraternity came together to congratulate Team India on their victory over Pak in Champions Trophy. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.25 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:01 AM » TUESDAY | 25 FEBRUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR SDMsconductsurpriseinspection at offices of Sub-Registrars in city PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Corruption will not be tolerated at any cost: DC Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at a programme held at Guru Nanak Dev University; and (right) the minister pays obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday. Farmers are backbone of country’s economy: Union Minister Hardeep Puri Tribune News Service Amritsar, FEBRUARY 24 Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri attended a programme organised at Guru Nanak Dev University here on Monday on the occasion of the release of the 19th instalment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Addressing gathering on Police constable held on charge of corruption Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 24 The Amritsar police commissionerate has arrested a police constable on charges of corruption after his audio clip regarding striking a deal for saving a drug peddler went viral on social media. The process has been initiated to dismiss him from service with immediate effect. Besides, the police also transferred the Station House officer of the Division C police station to the Police Lines. The constable, identified as Varinder Singh, was posted at the said police station. Police Commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said a case under Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against the accused. He said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations) Harpreet Singh Mander and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishaljit Singh had been entrusted with the probe in the case. “We have transferred SHO Neeraj Kumar to the Police Lines subject to investigation. DCP Mander and ADCP Vishaljit will be conducting a probe into the matter. Anyone found involved in corrupt practices will face the music,” said Bhullar. Sharing details, the CP said last night an audio clip had come to his notice in which constable Varinder Singh was allegedly demanding money from one Bunty through another person Deepu while assuring him to save Ajay Kumar, alias Billi, wanted in the NDPS case. “Varinder has been arrested and will be dismissed from the police Service under Article 311 (2), (B). He is being interrogated to ascertain the role of other police official,” the CP said. Earlier, the city police dismissed two policemen under similar charges. They were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurjit Singh and senior constable Sukhjit Singh. the occasion, Puri said, “The foremost priority of the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is welfare of farmers. Farmers are the backbone of India’s economy. They are protectors of our land and our food security.” He said, “Our farmers now have become producers of energy. Earlier total ethanol blending was 1.5 per cent, but now it has reached 19.6 per cent, due to which farmers have been paid approximately Rs 90,000 crore. The Central Government is making continuous efforts to increase ethanol blending across the country, which will benefit farmers.” He claimed that the prices of petrol and diesel had come down in the past three years. Puri said, “An amount of Rs 3.45 lakh crore has been dis- tributed among more than 11 crore farmers through 18 instalments of the PM-Kisan Nidhi Yojana. With the release of the 19th instalment, a total of Rs 3.68 lakh crore will reach accounts of farmers.” “With the release of the 19th instalment, more than 9.8 crore farmers, including 2.41 crore women farmers, across the country have benefited,” he said. After his address, the Union Minister honoured farmers and dignitaries. While raising questions on the performance of the Aam Aadmi Party’s state government, the Union Minister said many promises made before the elections, including check on consumption of drugs and crediting Rs 1,000 per month in account of each woman of the state, had not been fulfilled. Challenges in border dists not new, says SSP (Rural) Maninder Singh PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 24 The newly appointed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar (Rural), Maninder Singh (IPS), is not new to challenges that postings in the border districts bring along. Earlier, he was posted as Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Amritsar city police commissionerate and also worked on the post of Superintendent of Police in adjoining Tarn Taran district before he was deputed as aide-de-camp (ADC) to the Punjab Governor. The two border districts — Amritsar and Tarn Taran — have remained the hotspot of smuggling large quantity of contraband and weapons from across the international border (IB). Maximum numbers of drones shot down by the BSF are in these two districts. Maninder Singh today assumed charge as the SSP , Amritsar (Rural) replacing Charanjit Singh, who was shifted as AIG (Intelligence) in Mohali. The police presented a guard of honour at the Amritsar Rural Police Lines in Daburji before the SSP joined the office. He also held a meeting with officials of the rural police. SP Harinder Singh welcomes newly appointed Amritsar (Rural) SSP Maninder Singh (left) on Monday Apart from drone activities another major challenge, which the new SSP would face, is the recent spurt in blasts at the police establishments unleashed by ISIsponsored foreign-basedgangster- turned terrorists Happy Passia, Lakhbir Singh Landa Harike, Mann Ghanshampuria, Jeewan Fauji and Pakistan-based Harwinder Singh Rinda. Since November 23, Punjab has witnessed around 11 such blasts wherein the police arrested operatives of foreign-based terrorists. Till now, the police have failed to find any solution to stop these attacks. Talking to The Tribune, the SSP emphasised on the community participation in policing. He pointed out that the experiment of constituting Village Defence Committees (VDCs) had given exceptional results as far nailing drug peddlers in the border areas was concerned. Seizure of large number of drones and drugs by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police were only because of the active participation of these VDCs, the SSP said. He said soon he would meet VDCs and also work for their strengthening in order to get concrete results. “Policing is not just responsibility of the police force alone. It requires collective efforts of both the administration and the public. I will encourage citizens to support us in building a crime-free society,” the SSP said. “The safety and well-being of our citizens are of paramount importance. I pledge to work tirelessly towards a secure and peaceful society,” the SSP said. He also assured transparency and swift grievance redressal, while adding that every complaint would be addressed with fairness and urgency. “My doors will always be open to those seeking justice. My team will ensure prompt action on public concerns,” he added. Amritsar, February 24 In a surprise move, all SubDivisional Magistrates (SDMs) in Amritsar conducted surprised inspections of Sub-Registrar offices in their respective jurisdictions today. The inspections were carried out on the instructions of Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney. The DC emphasized that the government had a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. The inspections aimed to ensure that sale deeds were registered in a corruption-free manner, providing a hassle-free experience for buyers and sellers. “This move is part of the government’s efforts to promote transparency and accountability in public offices,” she said. During inspections, the SDMs reviewed office records, interacted with visitors and gathered feedback. They also informed Sub-Registrars and Joint Sub-Registrars that any instances of corruption would result in severe consequences. Today, SDM Gursimran Singh Dhillon inspected Amritsar Sub-Registrars 1, 2, and 3 offices, SDM Ravinder Singh inspected Sub- Registrar offices in Ajnala and Ramdas, SDM Gursimranjit Kaur inspected Sub-Register office at Lopoke, SDM Amanpreet Singh inspected Baba Bakala Sahib Sub-Registrar office and PCS Officer Khushpreet Singh inspected Majitha Sub-Registrar office. The DC directed SDMs to inspect at least one Sub-Registrar/Joint Sub-Registrar office daily and gather feedback from visitors on any bribery incidents. — TNS An SDM interacts with a visitor at the Sub-Registrar office in Amritsar on Monday. Five FIRs registered against travel agents Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, February 24 The district police have initiated a special campaign against travel agents, who have been motivating youths to settle abroad through illegal ways, while ignoring all set of norms. While addressing a press conference here on Monday, SP (Head quarter) Parwinder Kaur said, “The police have registered five FIRs in this regard under Section 318 (4) of the BNS, Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act and other relevant sections.” The SP said one of the five FIRs was registered on the statement of Yashpal Singh of Chohla Sahib who was deported from the USA a month ago. The SP said a number of victims of fraudster travel agents had lodged complaints with the police. She said after registering five FIRs, the police initiated further process to take strict action against fake travel agents. The SP said there were certain travel agents who were working without proper permission. The SP said before making payment to travel agents, youths must verify documents given to them by agents. “The police have also launched a drive to check records of immigration agencies,” the SP added. The accused in custody of the Amritsar police on Monday. Drug peddler arrested with 417 gram heroin, over ~22K drug money Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 24 The Division A police have arrested a drug trafficker identified as Rohit Kumar, alias Lobhi (30), of the Ghah Mandi area and recovered 417gm of heroin along with Rs 22,400 drug money from his possession. The police also seized an electronic scale apart from a car from the accused during an operation. The police said the accused had three criminal cases, including that of Narcotic Drugs (NDPS) and Psychotropic Substances Act, Arms Act and Protection of Children from Sexu- al Offences Act Act, registered against him. He also had an FIR registered against him for procuring arms licence on the basis of forged documents. A fresh case under NDPS Act was registered against the accused after the current seizure of the drug. Police Commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the accused was arrested following an intelligence input about his movements near the old vegetable market area where he was waiting for his clients. He was produced in a court and brought on police remand for further investigation to establish his backward and forward links, the CP said. Visitors at ‘Kothe da Mela’ face traffic chaos as Vallah flyover construction delayed Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 24 The annual fair — “Kothe da Mela” — at Vallah village on the outskirts of the city has become a test for visitors’ patience, thanks to the delayed construction of a flyover on the route. For the third year in a row, devotees flocking to the fair are forced to navigate through traffic jams and chaos before they reach Vallah. “It’s frustrating to see that the flyover construction work is still incomplete,” said Gurmeet Singh, a visitor from a nearby village. “We come to pay respects to Guru Teg Bahadur, but the traffic congestion makes it a nightmare,” he said. The fair, which celebrates the visit of the ninth Sikh Guru to Vallah village, attracts thousands of devotees every year. The festival, also known as — “Maian da Mela” — is a month-long cel- ebration, but Sundays see the highest footfall of visitors. As the vegetable market from Hall Gate was shifted to Vallah over a decade ago, tractor-trailers ferrying vegetables from fields and trucks transporting produce to other places create heavy traffic congestion in the area. The area also witnessed large-scale residential and commercial constructions during recent years. “Traffic jams have become a regular affair on this route,” c m y b local resident Kuldeep Kaur said, while adding that it was not just devotees, who were affected, but daily commuters, who used this highway, were also facing harassment. Despite chaos, the devotees remain undeterred. “We will continue to come at Vallah and pay respects to our Guru. We hope that the authorities concerned will take note of our plight and complete the flyover construction soon,” said Ranjit Singh. The construction of the flyover at Vallah village in Amritsar district is yet to be completed. VISHAL KUMAR