06032025-JTR-01.qxd 3/5/2025 10:45 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MINISTER LEADS EFFORTS TO COMBAT DRUG TRADE ISHWAK’S FILM ROLE REMINDS HIM OF HIS PARENTS’ LOVE STORY NAYANTHARA DOES NOT WANT TO BE CALLED LADY SUPERSTAR Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema urged officials to ensure community participation in battle against drugs. P2 Actor Ishwak Singh is set to make his silver screen debut with film Tumko Meri Kasam. P4 In a heartfelt note to her fans, actress Nayanthara has requested that they stop referring to her as Lady Superstar. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 23°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.29 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:47 AM THURSDAY | 6 MARCH 2025 | JALANDHAR Mayor’s promise falls flat on garbage front INBRIEF TWO DRUG TRADERS HELD Phagwara: The police have arrested two 'drug peddlers' and seized 20 gm of heroin from their possession in two separate cases. SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said here on Wednesday that a youth Madan Lal of village Narangshahpur near Phagwara was arrested at a check point near village Gandhwa and recovered 10 gm of heroin from him. In the second case, the police nabbed another youth Harwinder Singh of village Gandhwan with 10 gm of heroin at a naka near his village on Tuesday night. She said two different cases under the NDPS act had been registered. OC BIKE STOLEN FROM HOUSE Phagwara: A motorcycle (PB08W-0554) was found stolen in front of the house of Sajjan Singh in Daddal Mohalla, Phagwara, on Tuesday night. The victim told the police that he parked his bike before his residence but found stolen after some time. The police have registered a case under Section 379, IPC, and investigating the matter. OC MAN BOOKED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT Phagwara: The police have booked a villager on charge of outraging a woman's modesty. The accused has been identified as Shingara Singh of Badli village. Baljindar Kaur of Meda village complained to the police that the accused, who is her close relative, assaulted and outraged her modesty. A case has been registered against the accused. No arrest has been made and raids are being conducted to nab him. OC BOOKED FOR HURTING FEELINGS Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked unidentified persons on the charge of deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feeling of any class by insulting its religion. Baljindar Singh of Shahpur village under Bias police station, Amritsar, complained to the police that he found religious books, photos and other items wrapped in a religious cloth thrown at a dirty place at Canal Puli on Shahkar Road. A case has been registered against unidentified persons. oc THREE DRUG PEDDLERS HELD Phagwara: The police have arrested three 'drug peddlers' on the charge of selling intoxicated tablets. As many as 162 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Harwindar Kumar, alias Billa, and Sunni of Mohalla Guru Nanak Pura and Kuldeep Kumar of Chak Kalan village. Cases under the NDPS Act had been registered against the accused. oc MAN HELD FOR ASSAULTING WIFE Phagwara: The police have arrested a man on the charge of assaulting his wife. The accused has been identified as Lakhveer Singh of Meda village. Sarabjit Kaur, wife of Lakhveer Singh, of the same village had complained to the police that her husband, mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law attacked and seriously injured her. A case was registered against the accused. oc Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Kidnappers’ gang busted, 5 nabbed Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 5 In a major breakthrough, the police have dismantled an inter-district gang of criminals involved in the kidnapping of a UP resident Kamal along with his car (UK-08AS8389) and arrested five kidnappers. SSP Gaurav Toora said the five arrested suspects had been identified as Ravi Kumar, a resident of Mehli Gate, Phagwara, believed to be the mastermind. Palwinder Singh, a resident of village Ramgarh, Raj Kumar of village Padrana, Sehzad Kumar of Garhshankar and Jeevan Kumar of Mahilpur were the gang members. Toora said the police had rescued the kidnapped youth Kamal and also recovered his car. Toora said the kidnappers sent a few whatsapp messages to the family of the abducted boy, demanding ransom. A police team, led by SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti, carried out the operation. The police launched a raid based on intelligence inputs. The police said the police had identified two other accomplices of the kidnappers who are still at large. Both were identified as Navpreet, resident of Garhshankar, and Amarjit, resident of village Wahid near Phagwara. The police have also recovered a luxury car bearing a Delhi registration number, which was reportedly stolen. A case has been registered under Section 140(3) of the BNS. The police are conducting further investigations to uncover additional links and other potential suspects. Jalandhar, March 5 Despite Mayor Vaneet Dhir’s tall claims of prioritising civic issues after assuming office nearly two months ago, the city continues to grapple with mounting garbage heaps and deteriorating sanitation. Far from any visible improvement, prominent locations like Police Lines, PUDA Complex and the boundary walls of the district administration office remain engulfed in filth, exposing the glaring gap between promises and reality. In a striking irony, a small board outside Police Lines reads “Throwing garbage is prohibited here”, yet the spot lies buried under heaps of waste — right under the police’s nose. Just a few metre ahead, another garbage dump thrives along the Police Lines boundary wall and on the road, leading to the Indo-Canadian bus stand, with mounds of trash piling up unchecked. “If even the police’s warning is openly flouted, what can we expect from other parts of the city?” asked a A huge garbage dump near the boundary wall of the Police Line, Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH commuter. “Garbage dumps, broken roads and choked sewers have become the face of the city, but the authorities don’t care.” The PUDA Complex, home to several media offices, banks, finance companies and eateries, presents a grim picture. Vacant plots across the complex have been turned into garbage dumping grounds, with the area reeking of neglect. Computer lab upgraded in Kalyanpur school Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 5 Master Gopal Singh Memorial Government High School, Kalyanpur, is an example in itself. With the help of NRI Hari Singh Auluck, the school has become a cynosure for all eyes. Today, the inauguration of the new and upgraded computer lab of the school was also done. For the last 10 years, toppers of classes 5th, 8th and 10th have been given cash prizes along with the trophy. The name of the school was kept after Hari Singh’s father in 2014 under a policy by the former government when Singh donated Rs 20 lakh. It was in 2014 when he donated for the school for the renovation of the building. Then he donated for the construction of library, a science lab and also donated a lot of books for the students to read. Until now, he has donated Rs 60 lakh for the school. As per information, it was a middle school and got upgraded to high school in 2001. Even after the upgrade, the infrastructure could not be provided by the government accordingly. When Auluck visited the school, he thought of donating to the school. Sukhvinder Paul, Punjabi master of the school, said Auluck was generous towards the school. “Library and computer labs have ACs as well. He has spent Rs 4 lakh on various books,” he said. Auluck visits his village every year in November. “His main focus also remains on upgrading the library because for Auluck, it is very important that the school students read books,” he said “We’ve made countless complaints to both PUDA and the Municipal Corporation, but the two departments keep shrugging off responsibility,” said an employee at the complex. “What’s worse is that waste collectors themselves unload garbage carts here, turning the vacant plots into permanent dumps. Yet, no one takes action.” The civic apathy has left residents exasperated, with the city sinking deeper into filth each passing day. “Everywhere you go, it’s just garbage dumps and clogged drains. Politicians come, make big promises and disappear. Nobody is ready to bring a real change,” said Kamani Gupta, a local resident. Meanwhile, Mayor Dhir remained unavailable for comment, with his family informing that he was out of station. DC assures rehab patients skill training Jalandhar, March 5 As part of the state government’s ongoing ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign, the DC, Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, visited the de-addiction and rehabilitation centre in Sheikhe village, near Jandu Singha, on Wednesday. Dr Aggarwal directed health department officials to ensure patients receive proper care, counselling and are engaged in productive activities to help them fully overcome drug addiction. The 30bed facility is currently treating 11 patients. Accompanied by SDM Randeep Singh Heer and Civil Surgeon Dr Gurmeet Lal, Dr Aggarwal interacted with the patients to learn more about the services provided at the centre. He assured the patients the district administration would offer skill training and employment opportunities to aid in their rehabilitation. Dr Aggarwal then visited the Opioid Treatment Centre, where staff informed him that between 700 and 800 individuals receive medication daily. Dr Raman Gupta, Dr Abhiraj and the staff at the centre were present during the visit. Later, Dr Aggarwal inspected the Ladhewali flyover, directing officials to improve traffic management and review the high-tension wires passing over the flyover. — TNS 6 years on, Phagwara gets regular MC Commissioner Our Correspondent NRI Hari Singh Auluck welcomed by students and staff members of Government High School, Kalyanpur, in Jalandhar. Phagwara, March 5 After six years, the Phagwara Municipal Corporation got a regular Commissioner when Akshita Gupta joined the office on Wednesday. Bakhtawar Singh transferred from the MC Commissioner’s post on September 3 in 2019 but after that eight officers worked with additional charge of the MC Commissioner. Now after the elections of the Municipal Corporation, Phagwara, and taking charge by Mayor Ram Pal Uppal, regular MC Commissioner Akshita Gupta has taken the charge. MC Commissioner Akshita Gupta took around of the MC building and visited almost all offices in the MC office. She held a meeting of MC officers and advised them to work efficiently to resolve the problems of the people. MC Commissioner Dr Akshita Gupta along with SDO Pardeep Chotanni inspects a sewage treatment plant in Phagwara Dr. Akshita Gupta also met the Mayor Ram Pal Uppal and discussed the issues of the Municipal Corporation. Meanwhile, Dr Gupta along with SDO Water Supply & Sewerage Board Pardeep Chotanni visited sewage treatment plant near Palahai and inspected its working. ‘Drug smuggler’ held Members of District Bar Assn take oath MP asks Centre to help kin of after encounter Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 5 The special cell of the Commissionerate Police arrested a ‘drug smuggler’ after a dramatic encounter in the Basti Guzan area on Wednesday evening. The accused, identified as Sandeep, alias Gini, of Jalandhar, was found in possession of 20 gram of heroin. Acting on a tip-off, the police had laid a trap in the area. Sandeep, who was travelling in a white car, tried to flee on spotting the police. When the police surrounded his vehicle, he allegedly attempted to run over one of the cops. In response, the police opened fire, shooting at the car’s tyre to stop the vehicle. Witnesses at the scene reported that four or five rounds were fired during the chase. While they claim there were three or four persons in the car, the police confirmed that only Sandeep was there and he had been arrested. A press card was also recovered from the car, raising further questions. Jaspal Singh, in-charge of the special cell, confirmed Sandeep’s arrest and the recovery of heroin. He said an FIR was being registered and further investigations were underway. Regarding the press card, Singh said it appeared to belong to someone else but not Sandeep and efforts were on to verify its owner and its presence in the car. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 5 Newly elected members of the District Bar Association, Kapurthala, were sworn in on Wednesday at the Bar Room of the District Courts under the guidance of District and Sessions Judge Harpal Singh. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by judicial officers, including Additional District Sessions Judges Sanjay Agnihotri, Sanjay Joshi, Gurmeet Singh Tiwana, Principal Judge, Family Court, Rana Kanwardeep Kaur, Civil Judge, Senior Division, Suman Pathak, Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinita Luthra and Secretary, DLSA, Rajwant Kaur. The office bearers who took the oath include president SS c m y b Malli, vice-president Rajat Dhillon, secretary Amandeep Singh Bawa, joint secretary Gurpreet Singh Bhatti, junior vice-president Manjit Kaur, treasurer Harmandeep Singh Bawa and assistant joint secretary Kulwinder Pannu. Former President Rajbir Bawa congratulated the new team and assured full cooperation in the coming days. The ceremony was witnessed by advocates, including Harcharan Singh, Karam Singh Ahluwalia, Neelam Pratap, JJS Arora, RK Sharma, Mohit Kapoor, Rajiv Puri, TS Dhillon, Manu Dev Gautam, Anuj Anand, Mukesh Gupta, Piyush Manchanda, BS Momi, Rajesh Sharma, Hamish Kumar, Ajay Kanda, Pawan Kalia and Suket Gupta. youth stuck in Russia warzone Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 5 Two days after Goraya’s Jagdeep Kumar, brother of Mandeep Kumar, who is stuck in Russia, met Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal asking for help, the latter has written a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs to provide assistance for a family member keen to travel to Mocow. In the letter, the MP has stated, “Concerned and distressed, the families have repeatedly approached officials in the ministry for assistance. Now, they wish to travel to Moscow to search for their missing relatives and gather information about their whereabouts. We request that assistance be provided to these family members upon their arrival in Moscow so that they can trace their missing loved ones.” The MP has also asked the Indian Embassy in Moscow to extend all possible support to these families, including guidance, legal assistance and coordination with the local authorities. Seechewal has also arranged the ticket of Jagdeep. Mandeep has been missing for over a year now, with Jagdeep last speaking to him on March 3, 2024. Since then, Jagdeep and his family have made multiple trips to Delhi in search of help but have been left feeling helpless. In a video released by Mandeep last year, he was seen crying and pleading for his brother’s help. He named several travel agents who allegedly duped him, leaving him stranded and suffering. Today, Jagdeep also released a video saying that he was thankful to Seechewal for issuing this letter. “Apart from this, my main concern is that we should not be troubled by immigration in Moscow. I really hope that I get to know information regarding my brother and when I am back, I am not alone. I want my brother to be with us and be home safe” he said.