07042025-ATR-01.qxd 4/6/2025 11:16 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 36°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 17°C MEET THE CELEBS WHO PREFER SPORTS OVER GYM WILL SHAKES A LEG WITH SINGER DILJIT DOSANJH A DELICIOUS SYMPHONY OF SUGAR AND STORYTELLING Despite suffering a fatal injury, Randeep Hooda has made a remarkable comeback to horse-riding and polo. P4 Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh surprised his fans with a special video featuring Hollywood star Will Smith. P4 The City Beautiful witnessed an unforgettable affair with chocolate as Shivesh brought his new book. P4 » » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.42 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.03 AM MONDAY | 7 APRIL 2025 | AMRITSAR Gurdaspur BJP asks state govt to prosecute Pannu Day after pregabalin drug seizure, medical store owner arrested Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 6 A day after the drug wing of the district Health Department seized a huge quantity of habitforming drugs from a stockist in Shanker Market here on Saturday, the police have arrested the proprietor of Ganesh Pharma located in Katra Sher Singh area and registered an FIR against him under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Nevertheless, he was later released on bail. It was a joint operation conducted by the drug wing along with senior police officers. Yesterday, Kulzinder Singh, zonal licensing authority of the Drug Department, and Bableen Kaur, Drug Control Officer, had raided the unlicensed godown situated on the 4th floor of Shanker Market following a tipoff. The godown allegedly belonged to Ganesh Sharma and owned by Amit Kumar, a resident of Hathi Gate area. During the raid, they confis- Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, April 6 Joginder Chinna, state executive member of the BJP , has strongly condemned the derogatory remarks made by Khalistani idealogue Gurpatwant Singh Pannu against Dr BR Ambedkar, “the architect of the constitution and a Bharat Ratna awardee”. Chinna said the desecration of the statues of Ambedkar throughout the state was being done at the behest of Pannu. “He is a traitor and a fugitive who is trying to incite hatred and division among Indians while sitting in a foreign land. The vandalism on the statues is a conspiracy hatched by Khalistani elements,” said Chinna. He said the Punjab Government should maintain proper law and order and not let continued on page 2 Overcrowding becomes a headache for jail officials PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Officials of the drug wing of the Health Department during a raid at an illegal godown in Amritsar. cated 16 types of drugs, including pregabalin and analgesic tablets, worth ~69 lakh from the godown. The drug wing also collected six samples for the test and analysis. “Drug wing officials and the cops confiscated 1,48,800 capsules of pregabalin and 1,51,200 tablets of banned analgesic tablets of different trade names from the spot,” said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, adding that the accused could not produce any sale and purchase records of the medicines. The Health Department sealed the medical store run by Amit Kumar and further investigations are underway to establish his forward and backward linkages. The Police Commissioner said this was a massive recovery and he had instructed the senior police officers to keep a check on such illegal storages. Amritsar, April 6 The Punjab Government’s ongoing crackdown against illicit drug trafficking and putting behind bars a large number of smugglers to check the menace of drug abuse has only caused a headache for the Amritsar Central Jail authorities as the jail is already packed to capacity. The Central Jail was already overcrowded and arrest of more and more persons in the past month has only aggravated the problem of the jail authorities. Against a capacity to accommodate 2,200 prisoners, the number has crossed the 4100 mark. As a result, the jail authorities have stopped the intake of new prisoners and they are The Central Jail authorities have stopped the intake of new prisoners and now they are being shifted to Goindwal Sahib jail. being shifted to Goindwal Sahib jail, which is over 50 km from here, putting extra burden on the cops. “We have stopped taking new admissions of prisoners since April 1 and they are being shifted to Goindwal jail,” said Hemant Sharma, Superintendent Jail, while talking to The Tribune. He said they had informed the authorities concerned about the arrangement. As per the recent data, dur- Despite paying toll fee, commuters forced Kirti Kisan Union pays tribute to to travel on battered Amritsar-Jhabal road martyrs of farmers’ movement Amritsar, April 6 Commuters on the Amritsar-Jhabal road are expressing frustration and feeling cheated by the poor condition of the road infrastructure, despite paying a hefty toll fee. The toll plaza was established nearly three years ago, even before the project was completed, and since then, the road’s condition has deteriorated significantly. The road is riddled with potholes, with drivers having to slow down their vehicles to the extent of halting them to pass the potholes at various places. ”There is hardly a 500-m stretch which does not have potholes forcing drivers to slow down their vehicles,” said Inderbir Singh, a frequent traveler on the stretch. The four wheeler drivers PHOTO:VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service The Amritsar-Jhabal road in a pitiable condition on Sunday. have to pay Rs 40 for a oneway drive, but the road condition is worse than a link road, he added. Thousands of vehicles use this road daily, which connects Amritsar to places like Bhikhiwind and Khemkaran. Despite being one of the busiest road stretches in the district, its condition is unacceptable. ”A major portion of the road does not even have white markings on its sides which guide drivers on a foggy day,” said Gurnam Singh, another commuter. People do not mind paying toll fee but it is the duty of the government to ensure that they are getting the best service for their money, he said. Many commuters have reported close shaves and minor accidents due to the broken road. ”This is a ticking time bomb,” said Gurpreet Singh, a local resident. He added that the authorities must take notice of the problems faced by commuters before someone loses their life or limb. The lack of warning signs and maintenance on the road poses a significant risk to commuters. The government needs to take immediate action to address these issues and provide a safe and reliable transportation system for the public. Amritsar, April 6 The Kirti Kisan Union (KKU) paid tribute to martyrs of the farmers’ movement, including Baldev Singh Mann, Sarabjit Singh Bhittewad, Angrez Singh Kamalpura and Kabal Singh Lashkari Nangal, acknowledging their sacrifices. Leaders of the KKU, including state general secretary Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala, state vice-president Jatinder Singh Chhina and state press secretary Raminder Singh Patiala, emphasised the need for a new order in the farmers’ movement due to changing agricultural conditions. The leaders said state’s agriculture faces a severe underground water crisis due to two crop cycles of sowing wheatpaddy. The union advocated a shift from paddy cultivation to pro-nature, pro-farmer and sustainable farming models. They demanded that Punjab government should provide MSP for ing the anti-drug campaign in the past month, as many as 493 drug peddlers were arrested by the police. The city police have nabbed 237 drug peddlers while the Amritsar rural police have arrested 256 smugglers since March 1. In addition of drug peddlers, the police have also put snatchers, robbers and criminals wanted in other heinous crimes behind bars. Around 10 to 15 inmates were being released on bail. A jail official wishing not to be named said keeping them together in the same barracks with other criminals would have the danger of new drug modules. Moreover, the jail administration is already struggling with the shortage of manpower for the management of such a huge number of inmates. ‘Law on punitive steps for soiling water bodies being diluted’ Tribune News Service Members of the Kirti Kisan Union pay homage to martyrs of the farmers’ movement in Amritsar on Sunday. crops like basmati, maize, moong, potato, peas, etc. The union demanded from the government to ensure that canal water reaches every field for irrigation and household for drinking purposes. They also called for opening trade with Pakistan and other countries through Wagah and Hussainiwala border to boost Punjab’s agriculture, trade and business. Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Vala warned the Central Government against signing a free trade agreement (FTA) on US President Donald Trump’s terms, emphasising that it should not compromise on farmers’ interests. The union leaders, along with other farmers, labourers and employee leaders, addressed a gathering, highlighting the need for collective action to address these concerns. — TNS Amritsar, April 6 Ahead of the wheat harvesting season, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), the farmers’ body, has criticised the government for removing the provision of imprisonment for polluting water bodies under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. In a statement issued here on Saturday, KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the Central Government had last year brought the amendment after the state government led by the Aam Aadmi Party too had passed it. “Earlier, the Act had provision for imprisonment ranging from one year to six years if any industry was continued on page 2 ‘Resolving problems Residents experience unbearable Cross-border weapon smuggler scorching heat on Sunday among four nabbed with pistols a priority for state govt’ Amritsar, April 6 The state government is fully committed to provide the benefits of government schemes to the residents of villages, towns and cities falling under the Ajnala assembly constituency. Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal expressed these views while resolving the problems being faced by gram panchayats, ward residents and representatives of different sections in Ajnala today. Dhaliwal said he tries to solve the problems of the people by visiting Ajnala every week, and if anyone has any issues, they should bring it to his notice so that a solution can be found. He said that the officers of every government department have been instructed not to unnecessarily cause delay in providing the best administrative services to the people. The minister said that the Punjab government has implemented a large number of welfare schemes keeping in mind the convenience of every section of the population. — TNS Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal listens to people’s problems in Ajnala on Sunday. Tribune News Service A pedestrian quenches his thirst on a scorching afternoon on Sunday in Amritsar. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Amritsar, April 6 City residents experienced an unbearable scorching heat on Sunday afternoon, offering a glimpse of the intense heatwave ahead forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) a week back. The IMD had warned of intense heat with above normal temperatures and an increased number of heatwave days from April to June this year. The hot and humid conditions make it imperative that one takes ample precautions while going out in the sweltering heat. With heat engulfing the region earlier than expected, people are going for drinks and beverages that keep them hydrated. Summer delicacies like chilled lassi, sweet and salted lemon soda, ice candies and cold water are in great demand. Roadside stalls serving these cold drinks to beat the heat are in great demand. Known as summer cooler, ‘ice gola’ located at various nooks c m y b and corners of the city, is finding eager customers. The street vendors prepare it by grinding or rubbing ice on specially made equipment with sharpened blades. The grounded ice is then laced with sweetened flavour of different colours bringing out the child in everyone. Lemon soda, sugarcane juice, fruit and falooda icecream are among other beverages that are on offer to quench the summer thirst. — TNS Amritsar, April 6 The special cell of the Amritsar rural police has arrested a cross-border trafficker with a consignment of weapons and counterfeit Indian currency here. He was identified as Jarman Singh, a resident of Joti Shah village in Tarn Taran. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Sunday said as per a preliminary probe, the consignment was sent by ISI operatives to create unrest in the region. The police seized a 9mm Glock pistol, a .30 bore pistol and ~2.15 lakh of drug money from his possession. Maninder Singh, SSP , Amritsar (Rural), said the special cell of the rural police received an intelligence input that Jarman was involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons. As per information, he used to live in the house of his relative at Havelian village in Tarn Taran, which is located near the International Border. The informer also told Two pistols in custody of the rural police in Amritsar on Sunday. the police about his location. Immediately, police teams conducted a raid at a drain bridge at Rajatal border and recovered a bag containing the consignment of weapons and fake Indian currency. The SSP said further investigation was on to establish his backward and forward linkages to trace the entire nexus. Meanwhile, the Kathunangal police have arrested three persons, identified as Mohit, alias Moti, Sagar and Raja, all residents of Gilwali Gate, Bhagtanwala. They were riding a bike near Chawinda Devi village when the police intercepted Mohit and Sagar. During search, the police recovered a .32 bore pistol, two magazines and eight bullets from them. Their interrogation led to the arrest of their third accomplice Raja. A case under the Arms Act was registered against them.