05072025-JTR-01.qxd 7/4/2025 10:33 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MANUFACTURERS DEMAND IMMEDIATE TOLL RELIEF BAJWARA FORT CRUMBLES AS AUTHORITIES LOOK AWAY DILJIT RETURNS TO BORDER 2, BUT CONDITIONS APPLY The primary concern raised is the issuance of monthly vehicle passes at the Ladowal Toll Plaza. P2 Located in Hoshiarpur, the Mughal-era fort stands as a fading relic of the region’s military and cultural legacy. P3 Scrap the film now and it’s not just Diljit who loses — it's the crew, the co-stars & honestly, crores of investment. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.35 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:29 AM SATURDAY | 5 JULY 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF ROBBERS LOOT VEGGIE VENDOR Phagwara: A group of three armed robbers looted a local vegetable vendor on the Malsian-Kangna link road late Wednesday evening. The victim, Bhajan Singh, of Kangna village was returning home after selling vegetables when the incident occurred. As he neared a local factory past Malsian, he was intercepted by three unidentified men on a motorcycle. Their faces were covered and they were wielding swords. They snatched two mobile phones, a ring and Rs 1,200 from him before fleeing the scene. OC ~50,000 STOLEN BY WOMAN Phagwara: An amount of Rs 50,000 was stolen from a house located near Ramgarhia Chowk in Phagwara. According to Jatin Malhotra, his son Gitaansh Malhotra had taken Rs 50,000 from him with the intent to deposit it in the bank. He placed the cash beneath a pillow on the bed in the front yard and went to the washroom. When he returned, the cash was missing. On reviewing the CCTV footage, a woman was seen entering the premises and leaving with the money. OC 8 CHILD BEGGARS RESCUED Phagwara: The district-level task force in Kapurthala conducted a special drive, rescuing eight children found engaged in street begging. The operation, under the supervision of District Programme Officer Rajeev Dhanda. Following the rescue, the children were presented before the Child Welfare Committee in coordination with their families. OC THREE DRUG ADDICTS HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested three persons on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused have been identified as Amarjit Amrik and Kuldeep Singh of Shankar village. A lighter, a silver paper and a plastic pipe used for consuming contraband were recovered from their possession. oc 2 HELD FOR CASH SNATCHING Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested two miscreants on the charge of snatching cash. The accused have been identified as Paramjit Singh, a resident of Raulli village under Mehanna police station in Moga, and Inderjit Singh of Kokariphula Singh village. Varinder Kumar of Sabuwal village visited the main bazar on July 3 to purchase household goods. When he came out of a shop, two motorcycle-borne persons snatched his purse, containing Rs 1,100. He raised the alarm and the residents overpowered the accused. oc TRAVEL AGENT BOOKED Hoshiarpur: The police have booked a travel agent for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 30 lakh on the pretext of sending him to Canada. Ajaypal Singh of Yodhe, district Amritsar, told the police that Maninderjit Singh, alias Mani, resident of village Sadarpur Nagra of Dasuya, has allegedly cheated him of Rs 30 lakh. The police have registered a case. OC Shahkot tops NITI Aayog’s aspirational block rankings Wins ~1.5 cr award |Ex-DDPO Jeenat Khehra credited for achievement Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 Coming as a proud moment for Jalandhar, its Shahkot block has received a Rs 1.5 crore award money for executing development projects after achieving the top ranking in the NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Blocks Programme. Shahkot block has been officially declared as the top-performing aspirational block in the country (Zone II). Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal had presented the district’s achievements during a video conference with NITI Aayog officials, detailing the focused interventions made to uplift Shahkot’s performance across key parameters which included those on health, education, nutrition, self-help groups, ecology, DC Himanshu Aggarwal presents the district’s achievements during a video conference with NITI Aayog officials. farming and other aspects of rural development. Sharing details, Aggarwal said, “There are 500 underdeveloped aspirational blocks in the country, of which there are 10 in Punjab. Shahkot is one among these. We did quite a few activities in the area. We screened 50,000 residents for hypertension and diabetes. We checked Hb level of all schoolgoing girls and gave iron and folic acid tablets to them. We shall soon test them again to get the latest figures of girls who are now anaemia- free. We taught people on how they can reduce extraction of ground water. We made soil health cards and provided farmers with laboratory reports. We also made Farmer-Producer Organisation on turmeric and maize. We shall use more money on similar projects in the block for further progress”. A former District Development and Panchayat Officer Jeenat Khehra, who is currently posted in Gurdaspur, is credited for the success by the administrative officials. Talking to The Tribune, she said she was implementing the same projects in Kalanaur and Dera Baba Nanak blocks to make these aspirational blocks come on track. “The scheme initially does not provide any additional funds or staff. The projects have to be implemented from the avail- able resources only. We deployed Registered Medical Practitioners for the screening of people for BP and diabetes which tend to make patients prone to other diseases. We also took the services of the Senior Medical Officers in Shahkot”, she said. She added, “We also supported the self-help groups for making school uniforms and got these sold in the local government schools. We supported the groups that were engaged in hand embroidery and pickle making. We could see signs of improvement in the otherwise one of the most distressed blocks”. Jeenat had served in Jalandhar for almost a year and a half. She had moved from here about six months ago. The scheme had been rolled out by the Centre in January 2023. Five held with 5.3 kg heroin, 2 kg opium Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 In a major crackdown on drug trafficking and illegal firearms, the Commissionerate Police Jalandhar has arrested five individuals and recovered 5.3 kg of heroin, 2 kg of opium, one country-made pistol (.32 bore), and six cartridges. Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur shared the details of the recovery on Thursday. She said a crime branch team was stationed near Nakhan Wala Bagh Chowk, en route Dashmesh Nagar. During the naka, the police team apprehended a suspicious individual, identified as Harpal Singh, alias Pala, a resident of Bhalla Colony, Chheharta, Amritsar. The police team recovered 5.05 kg of heroin from him. Consequently, an FIR under Sections 21C, 61, and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered at Bhargo Camp, Jalandhar. The accused already has one case registered against him in Amritsar. In a parallel operation the same day, a team from the CIA staff, while on routine patrolling in the Transport Nagar area, apprehended three individuals. The accused are Sushil Kumar, alias Sujal of Tanda, Hoshiarpur, Mandeep Singh of Deep Nagar, Jalandhar, and Gagandeep Singh of Talwandi Mangey Khan village of Ferozepur. The police team recovered 2 kg opium from their possession. Accordingly, FIR under Sections 18, 61, and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered in Jalandhar. It was also revealed that Sushil Kumar had two previous cases pending under the NDPS Act. In a yet another recent case, a Special Cell team, while patrolling the MaqsudanNandanpur Road area, noticed a suspicious person near Ashok Nagar. Upon interception and checking, the police recovered 258 gm of heroin, a country-made pistol .32 bore, and six cartridges from his possession. The accused was identified as Harjinder Singh, alias Gora, resident of House No. 24, Navyug Colony, Maqsudan, Jalandhar. PSPCL JE caught taking ~15k bribe Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 4 A team of the Vigilance Bureau has arrested a Junior Engineer of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000. A spokesperson of the VB said a complainant, a resident of village Sikri, had approached the Vigilance and said the JE Baljit Singh, posted at PSPCL Sub-Station Kandhala Jattan, had demanded Rs 20,000 for installing a new transformer to rectify the power supply load in his vil- lage. On his request, the deal was settled for Rs 15,000. The spokesperson further said after verifying the complaint, a Vigilance team of Jalandhar Range laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A case has been registered against the JE under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Jalandhar Range. The accused will be produced before the court tomorrow. Commuters have a tough time after rain in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Rain boon for farmers, bane of residents, commuters Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 The rain has come as a blessing for farmers but because of poor road conditions and sewerage issue, it has become a nightmare for commuters. While the agricultural community is celebrating the much-needed showers that are ideal for paddy cultivation, residents are grappling with severe waterlogging and a poor sewerage infrastructure. According to official data, Jalandhar received 64.4 mm of rainfall this June — more than 23.7 mm recorded during the same period last year. This spike has cheered farmers who rely heavily on monsoon rain to nourish the water-intensive paddy crop. “Paddy needs a lot of water to grow and this year’s early and abundant rainfall has created the perfect conditions,” said Subeg Singh, a farmer from a Jalandhar village. Streets across Jalandhar have been filled with rainwater due to poor drainage and an problematic sewerage system. Areas like Lamma Pind, Basti Sheikh, Damoria Pul, etc, have witnessed water accumulated on roads and streets, making daily commuting a challenge, besides health and sanitation concerns. “It’s the same story every year,” lamented Deepa Sharma, a teacher said. “As soon as the rain begins, roads turn rivers. There’s no proper drainage and the water takes hours to recede,” Shipra, a bank professional, said. People from low-lying areas often complaint of water accumulation outside their homes and sometimes even entering their houses. The authorities claim that efforts are being made to desilt the drains and improve infrastructure, but people argue that the measures are too little and too late. DC reviews flood protection work on Sutlej embankment Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, July 4 With the onset of monsoon, Deputy Commissioner Ankurjit Singh visited Balachaur and inspected the flood protection measures today. During the visit, he directed officials to ensure that the ongoing stone-laying work at the Rail Majra embankment is completed by July 15. Accompanied by sub-divisional and departmental officials, the DC visited the Rail Majra complex and instructed the SDM to regularly monitor the progress of the work. Officials informed him that stone-laying is underway at two vulnerable points along the Sutlej embankment in Rail Majra, with a total estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. Once completed, the work is expected to strengthen the embankment and safeguard the nearby villages from potential flooding. Inspecting the Rail Majra choe, the DC emphasised that the flow of water should not be obstructed under any circumstances to avoid inconvenience to residents of adjoining villages. Reviewing the condition of the Kathgarh choe, he instructed Irrigation Department officials to ensure de-silting of the stream within 10 days. This move aims to improve water flow and minimise flood risk during the rainy season. Officials assured him that the de-silting and sand removal would be completed within two weeks. The DC also visited the Tonsa choe and issued directions after inspection. Later, at village Auliapur, the DC discussed the proposal for a stone-studded embankment to enhance flood protection. Officials stated that the tendering process for the Rs 70 lakh project has been finalised and tenders would be floated soon. Nawanshahr DC Ankurjeet Singh with officers visits a Sutlej bank at Rail Majra on Friday. Maize sown in 900ha, target yet to be achieved Agri Dept has fixed 1,500 ha target Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 The Agriculture Department’s target of bringing 1,500 hectare under the kharif maize cultivation in the district is yet to be achieved. According to preliminary official figures, around 900 hectare has been brought under the crop so far — falling short by nearly 600 hectare. However, these figures are tentative and will be confirmed only after a comprehensive field survey. “The exact picture will emerge once we complete the ground verification,” said an official. c m y b One of the reasons for the slow progress is the concurrent onset of the paddy sowing season, which dominates the agricultural landscape of Punjab. Paddy, despite being water-intensive, remains the preferred choice for many farmers. Department officials want to bring down the area under paddy. It is now difficult, but the officials remain optimistic. “The next 10 to 15 days are crucial. Kharif maize is increasingly being used for silage, and many farmers may still grow,” the official added. To encourage this shift, the government has announced the financial incentive of ?17,500 per hectare for farmers opting for kharif maize. The incentive is part of a broader strategy to promote crop diversification and reduce reliance on paddy, which is contributing to alarming groundwater depletion in the state. As part of the awareness drive, Kisan Mitras had been mobilised across districts. They conducted field visits and engaged with farmers directly to promote the benefits of maize cultivation, especially its lower water requirements. “We actively reached out to farmers through awareness campaigns and personal interactions,” an official said.