02032025-JTR-01.qxd 3/1/2025 11:57 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 2-DAY FLOWER EXHIBITION BEGINS IN CITY REGO OVERBRIDGE CONSTRUCTION WORK CONTINUES AT SLOW PACE JOHN ABRAHAM TALKS ABOUT HIS CAREER TRAJECTORY AAP minister Mohinder Bhagat attends the opening ceremony as the chief guest. P2 The slow progress of work has caused major inconvenience to residents and commuters. P2 Actor-producer John Abraham says his audience has kept him going, something that he respects & wants to repay. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.26 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6.52 AM SUNDAY | 2 MARCH 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF PO NABBED IN PHAGWARA Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have arrested a proclaimed offender, who had been absconding for the last few months. Station House Officer Krishan Gopal said the accused was identified as Manish Kumar, a resident of Nahal village. He had been wanted in a snatching case since in 2021 and was declared a PO in 2024. OC GANG OF THIEVES BUSTED, 3 HELD Phagwara: The Shahkot police have busted a gang of thieves involved in stealing farmers’ transformers by arresting its three members. Investigating officer (IO) and Malsian police post in-charge Nirmal Singh said the accused were identified as Kamal Preet, Raman Kumar, Simran Preet, all residents of Mureed Wal village under the Lohian Khas police station. Mandeep Singh, a resident of Nimajipur village, had filed a complained with the police, stating that the accused stole transformer and motor wire from his fields at the behest of Avtar Singh Thekdar. IO said a case under Sections 303 (2) and 62 was registered against the accused. OC DRUG PEDDLER ARRESTED Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a drug peddler and seized 1.17 kg ‘charas’. Investigating officer (IO) Nirmal Singh said the accused was identified as Nikka, alias Papi, a resident of Mohalla Dhorra in Shahkot. He said a case under Sections 20, 27, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against him. OC Police wage war on drugs; 45 arrested Tribune News Service 12 NDPS cases registered in Hoshiarpur Jalandhar, March 1 Following a state-level meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the police of Jalandhar city, Jalandhar Rural, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala launched a new flagship campaign ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ for combatting drug menace in a big way on Saturday. Search operations were held at 11 hotspots of all the districts with some arrests and seizures made. In Jalandhar city, a largescale search operation was held at 11 different locations in the city on Saturday. The operation was led by Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur and aimed to dismantle the supply chain of narcotics and curb street-level drug peddling. Kaur took out the search operation in the Bhargo Camp area, an identified drug hotspot. The operation was executed simultaneously across other sensitive locations in the city area, including Division Number 5, Basti Bawa Khel, Bhargo Camp, Cantt, Sadar, Division Number 6 and Rama Mandi. ACPrank officers, along with a sufficient police force, were deployed to ensure thorough searches in areas where complaints of drug trafficking had been received. During the search operation, the police registered 11 FIRs and arrested 11 persons allegedly involved in drugrelated activities. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of 98.81 gm heroin, 300 intoxicant tablets, 1 kg poppy husk and Rs 3,900 in drug money. The operation marks one of the largest coordinated efforts by the Commissionerate Police in recent months. HOSHIARPUR: The police under Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) carried out searches in drug hotspots following which 12 FIRs under NDPS Act were registered with the arrest of 12 accused and one proclaimed offender. SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik said the search operation was being carried by multiple teams of several police station under the supervision of ADGP Naresh Arora (Human Rights). The SSP said as many as 12 FIRs were registered under NDPS Act, while 12 accused involved in drug smuggling and a proclaimed offender were arrested. “The police have seized 20 g heroin, 255 g drug powder, 1,417 habit forming drug tablets and recovered Rs 5,500 of drug money,” he added. Police officials during a search operation in Jalandhar on Saturday. 2 POs nabbed in Jalandhar JALANDHAR: Nineteen FIRs were lodged and 29 arrests were made during a search operation against drugs by the Jalandhar Rural police. The crackdown began early morning in 11 identified drug hotspots across the district. SSP (Jalandhar Rural) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the operation was executed with the deployment of four SP-rank officers, 12 DSPs and 525 police personnel. A total of 28 raids were conducted, during which 110 suspected smugglers were checked. Two proclaimed offenders were also arrested on Saturday. One of them was a 17year-old PO wanted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), against whom a reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced. The police seized 2,907 intoxicating tablets, 200 loose capsules and 100 g heroin during the operation. Additionally, Rs 5 lakh in drug money was recovered. Law enforcement agencies also seized a car and three motorcycles used in illicit activities. As part of the enforcement drive, 35 traffic challans were issued, and nine motorcycles were also impounded. DSP officials also visited OAAT centres throughout the district, interacting with drug addicts to motivate them to abandon substance abuse and reintegrate into mainstream society. 1 arrested in Kapurthala KAPURTHALA: Under the campaign, , the Kapurthala Police Travel agent booked for duping woman of ~14.6L Phagwara, March 1 The Shahkot police have booked a travel agent for allegedly duping a woman of Rs14.60 lakhs on the promise of sending her abroad. DSP Onkar Singh Brar said the accused was identified as Narindar Singh, alias Narindar Kumar. In her complaint, Neetu said she had paid Rs 14.60 lakh to the accused for the work, but neither did the agent send abroad nor did he return the money. The DSP said a case under Sections 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Profession Regulation Act had been registered against the accused. — OC Food commission member inspects ration depots Phagwara, March 1 A member of Punjab State Food Commission, Vijay Dutt, conducted surprise inspection at various government ration depots in Kapurthala on S. The objective of the inspection was to evaluate the implementation of welfare schemes under the National Food Security Act. He inspected ration depots in Wadala Kala and Kot Karar Khan villages, and interacted with the beneficiaries to take a feedback on the ration supply by depots. He said the government was running a wheat distribution scheme from January to March. — OC A waterlogged road in front of the DC office in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH City grappling with waterlogging woes, civic body’s apathy exposed Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 1 The rain that lashed the city on Friday has once again laid bare the tall claims of the Municipal Corporation, leaving several roads and localities waterlogged even a day later. The situation has sparked outrage among residents, who accused the civic body of failing to address long-standing drainage issues. Key stretches such as Ladowali Road near the DC office, Pratap Bagh, Gazi Gulla Road and Johal Market remained submerged, making commuting a nightmare. Industrial Area roads were also inundated, severely affecting commuters, roadside vendors and cart-pullers. Residents of Gandhi Camp, Kabir Nagar and Kalia Colony reported that sewage-mixed water had already been flooding their streets due to choked sewer and now, the rain had further deteriorated the situation. Anita Kumari, a resident of Gandhi Camp, said, “Most people living in these colonies belong to poor families who don’t know how to file complaints or approach MC officials. As a result, our area is often ignored. Sewer lines should be cleaned regularly to avoid such problems.” She also pointed out the dangers of hidden potholes beneath waterlogged roads, which often led to accidents and vehicle damage. “Despite the residents’ grievances, the civic body has made little headway in resolving the issue. MC officials claimed that addressing waterlogging was a priority and work was underway, but no significant improvement was visible on the ground,” she added. Many residents expressed disappointment over the inaction by the newly elected mayor and councillors, who had promised to prioritise civic issues during elections. “It’s been almost two months since the new mayor took charge, but nothing has changed. The situation remains the same, with garbage littered all around and waterlogging everywhere, even outside prominent offices like the DC office on Ladowali Road,” said Mahesh, an employee at PUDA Complex. c m y b on Saturday conducted a large-scale search operation in 11 hot spot areas across the district. During the operation, houses of 38 suspects and 60 suspicious vehicles were checked. A total of 13 vehicles were impounded. A case related to drugs was also registered at the City police station in Kapurthala. In the operation at Kapurthala, one man was apprehended with over 100 intoxicant tablets. Police officials said no seizures of heroin were made during the operation. Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said under the policy of enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation, efforts were being made rehabilitate the youth suffering from the effects of drugs. 7 drug smugglers arrested NAWANSHAHR: Seven drug smugglers were arrested and narcotics seized during a special operation conducted by the Nawanshahr Police under the campaign. The operation was carried out under the supervision of ADGP (Traffic Punjab) AS Rai. Senior Superintendent of Police Mehtab Singh said multiple teams comprising 169 police personnel, including two SPs and five DSPs, were deployed across drug hotspot villages and towns in the district. The crackdown resulted in the registration of seven cases and the arrest of seven persons. The police also seized 46 gm heroin and 80 narcotic pills during the operation. He said the operation was to disrupt the drug supply chain, monitor the activities of drug peddlers and identify drug users for rehabilitation. BJP dismisses AAP’s fight against drug as ‘political gimmick’ Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 1 BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday described the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to fight drugs in the state as yet another political gimmick being played by the AAP government. Chugh said it took 36 months for the BhagwantKejriwal led AAP government to take this step which should have been taken within 36 hours of assuming power in 2022. Chugh ridiculed how Cabinet ministers would perform the task of police to check drug peddlers. Ever since the AAP government came to power in Punjab, drug mafias had flourished as much as the liquor mafias in Punjab. He said in fact a dope test needed to be conducted on the Cabinet committee members and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to make sure if they meant business. He said after the party’s crushing defeat in Delhi Assembly elections, it had suddenly woken up to become hyperactive in Punjab. “This is a cosmetic exercise which will expose the AAO inefficiency and lack of commitment once again in days to come,” he said. Chugh said it would be another pretext for the AAP government to splurge tax payers’ money on fake advertisements.