12072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/11/2025 10:36 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C EDU DEPT TO UP ENROLMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS THE SHIBORI WAY TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION ‘ACTRESSES GET MEATIER PROJECTS ON STREAMING’ Teachers told to go from door-to-door to persuade parents to send their wards to government schools. P2 Entrepreneur Heena stands out for her zero-waste creations that combine Shibori technique with Indian textiles.P3 Actress Vaani Kapoor is set to make her streaming debut with Mandala Murders premiering on July 25. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 7.37 PM » SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:34 AM SATURDAY | 12 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR Waste heap at Jallianwala Bagh blot on city heritage Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 11 Problems relating to garbage collection inside the walled city seem never ending, causing a mess even on Heritage Street, with uncollected waste piling up in the area. This is due to a combination of factors, including delay in garbage processing operations. The situation has led to public complaints and concerns about sanitation, while also impacting the cleanliness and aesthetics of the place. Jallianwala Bagh, which attracts a large number of tourists and visitors, had heaps of garbage and waste mounting up inside its premises. Garbage dumps could be seen at both the entry and exit gates of the Jallianwala Bagh. Piles of uncollected waste are also visible on Heritage Street, impacting the area’s cleanliness and aesthetics. The problem worsens during the monsoon as waterlogging adds to visitors’ woes. The local shopkeepers have on several occasions complained to the authorities regarding the persistent problem. Irked over the nonlifting of garbage, shopkeepers have protested against the MC, demanding routine lifting of garbage from all the collection points. Moti Kumar, a shopkeeper, said, “The lifting of garbage is not regular. When we ask safai karamcharis, they don’t respond. Garbage collection should be routine.” Archana Baghera, a tourist visiting the city from Gujarat, said that Jallianwala Bagh is a historic place and offers a sombre experience for visitors. “But the place lacks cleanliness and garbage is a sore point, especially the stench.” Garbage thrown in the open opposite the emergency ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital; and (right) waste thrown near geen composting pits adjacent to the new building of State Cancer Institute at the hospital complex in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Eyesore for patients at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital Heaps of garbage can be seen in the complex despite outsourcing of cleaning work Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 11 A hospital should have an atmosphere that promotes healing and recovery of patients by minimising stress and trauma and providing clean, well-maintained spaces and prioritise patient safety and comfort. However, when you enter Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), the prime health facility in the holy city, a huge garbage dump just opposite the emergency ward welcomes you. Even as the hospital has outsourced the cleanliness work to a private agency, plastic mixed waste can still be seen littered in the open space of the hospital’s sprawling complex. “It is mandatory that hospitals maintain rigorous cleaning protocols to prevent the spread of any infection. But it is disheartening to see such poor state of affairs as far as cleanliness in the hospital complex is concerned,” said Raman Kumar, who had come to attend to a patient in the hospital. During monsoon, the garbage dump can turn into a source of infectious diseases, he added. Plastic garbage could also be seen littered in the green compost pits constructed opposite the newly constructed state cancer institute building. Nevertheless, the problem is not because of the negli- gence of authorities alone. But the people and attendants coming with the patients are also said to be responsible for it. Hospital authorities pointed out that usually there are four to five attendants with a patient, who bring plastic waste with them. The 1,500-bed health facility is visited by over 10,000 people daily. “Over 90 per cent of the waste generated here is in the form of plastic bags. We have told a number times to the people, majority of whom belong to middle, lower middle class and economically weaker section, coming to the hospital not to bring plastic material with them which they threw in the open spaces. The hospital collects the waste near its outer wall along Majitha Road,” said Dr Karamjit Singh, Medical Superintendent, GNDH. He further said it was the responsibility of the munici- pal corporation authorities to get the garbage lifted from outside the emergency ward, which they do on every alternate day. “We have requested them to lift the garbage on a daily basis,” he added. The GNDH has outsourced the cleanliness work to a private agency PESCO (Punjab Ex-serviceman Corporation), but they are responsible for the cleanliness of the wards and inside the hospital premises. Private firm lauded for swift streetlight Drug addict escapes control during Op Sindoor blackouts from police custody Charanjit Singh Teja Heaps of unlifted garbage mount at the exit gate of the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Drug peddler hurt in shooting, two pistols seized Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 11 A drug peddler identified as Vikram Singh (22) of Bhakna village was injured and caught after a brief shooting with the Amritsar police near Bhagtanwala garbage dump here today. He suffered a bullet injury in the leg and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Vikram is the prime accused who had fired upon the Gharinda police party on June 11 near Neshta village during the seizure of 5 kg of heroin, which was smuggled from Pakistan. Gurjit Singh (35), a resident of Rasulpur village, Tarn Taran, was killed in the firing while the cops had a narrow escape at that time. He had come to meet some relatives at the village. Sharing details, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Police Commissioner, who visited the spot on Friday, said that Vikram, a motorcycle mechanic, was involved in cross-border drug and weapons smuggling. The police have confiscated two pistols — a 9mm Austriamade Glock pistol and a starmarked Pakistan-made pistol — from his possession. He said a police team of Anngarh police chowki had been holding a naka near the Bhagtanwala grain market when they saw a motorcyclist and signalled him to stop. The accused tried to take a Uturn to flee, but slipped because of mud on the road. “When the police teams tried to catch him, he opened fire at the cops, who had a narrow escape. In the retaliatory fire, Vikram suffered a bullet injury in the leg,” said Bhullar. He said Vikram was associated with another drug smuggler Happy, who had already been arrested by the rural police. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar (centre) at the firing spot in Bhagtanwala area, Amritsar, on Friday. VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, july 11 The Amritsar Smart City Limited (ASCL) has written a letter of appreciation to Samudra Lights, a private firm responsible for operating 76,975 LED streetlights in the city, for its prompt and efficient response during the recent emergency blackouts during the Indo-Pak tensions. The blackout was imposed across Amritsar as a precautionary measure following the drone attack by Pakistan after the Pahalgam shooting, and the company managed the situation effectively using its Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS). Sandeep Singh, in charge of ASCL and Superintending Engineer of the municipal corporation, said, “We acknowledged the services of Samudra because their team followed the administra- Two booked for defrauding cop Tarn Taran, July 11 The Goindwal Sahib police have booked a man and his son for defrauding a senior police officer. The police officials are tight-lipped on divulging details. According to the information collected from the official record, the accused have been identified as Harwinder Singh and his son Karanpreet Singh, both residents of Gulmoharpur, Dera Bassi. The case has been registered on the complaint lodged on April 18 by Atul Soni, DSP , Goindwal Sahib. The case was registered on Friday. In the report of the inquiry it has been mentioned that the accused from January 1, 2012 to October 17, 2024, had defrauded the victim of Rs 22.26 lakh. — OC The streetlights installed by Samudra firm in Amritsar. VISHAL KUMAR tion’s instructions flawlessly during the war-like situation. They were able to switch the lights on and off efficiently as per our directions. Being a border city, such prepared- ness is essential for the safety and security of our residents. We appreciate the company’s technical capabilities and the dedication of its staff.” The LED streetlight project, initiated in 2021 under the Smart City Mission, has been implemented in three phases. In the first phase, 66,993 LED lights were installed, followed by 1,638 in the second phase and 8,344 in the third. All these lights are connected to the CCMS panels for centralised operation and monitoring. Maninder Singh, the Amritsar representative of Samudra, said, “We have installed a total of 1,314 CCMS panels across the city, and more than 97 per cent of the lights are integrated into our wi-fi network. Our company has developed a dedicated cloudbased system to operate the lights remotely. During the blackout, we were able to turn off all streetlights across the city with a single click. It was a critical test of our system, and we are grateful that the administration recognised our efforts.” Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 11 A drug addict identified as Kulwinder Singh of Kukkrawala village escaped from the police custody at Ajnala sub-divisional court, where he was produced on Wednesday for hearing of his bail plea. After the court ordered to send him to judicial custody, he pushed the cops and managed to flee the court complex. Following this, the Ajnala police registered a case under Section 221 and 262 of the BNS against him on Friday. Kulwinder was arrested on June 3 while he was consuming heroin at Rajasansi area. The court at that time had asked the police to get him admitted to the Swami Vivekanand De-Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre. Assistant Sub-Inspector Balwinder Singh told the police that Kuldeep Singh, a former sarpanch of Kukkrawala came to him and said that his family had approached the Ajnala court for his bail. The application would come up of hearing on July 9, he added. He said he along with Kuldeep went to the rehabilitation centre. They took him a report from the doctors and produced Kulwinder in the Ajnala court, which rejected his bail and ordered his judicial custody. He said taking advantage of the crowd outside the court, the accused pushed the cops and fled. He said that they searched for him, but in vain. Another inmate escapes Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar, a resident of Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala district, escaped from Government Chest and TB hospital here. He was lodged in Kapurthala Central jail and was admitted to the hospital for treatment. MC to provide free Two arrested with 2kg heroin dustbins to shops on Heritage Street Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 11 During a meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, it has been announced that to keep Heritage Street, the main route leading to Darbar Sahib, clean, the municipal corporation will provide free dustbins to food shops operating there. She said that apart from this, large dustbins would also be installed on this route immediately. She said that Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sawhney has given a grant of Rs 2.51 crore from his discretionary quota for the mainte- c m y b nance of this road. This money will be spent on maintenence work and painting of the Heritage Street, which is going on and will be completed by July 31 at a cost of Rs 41 lakh. The Deputy Commissioner said that apart from this, two eight-seater golf carts have been purchased for the convenience of the pilgrims on this route, which will be put into operation soon. The MC and Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs have been directed to take strict action against any shopkeeper or vendor found littering. — TNS Amritsar, July 11 Following an intelligencebased operation, the Border Security Force in a joint operation with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) today arrested two cross-border drug smugglers and confiscated 2kg heroin in two instances in the past 24 hours. In the first instance, they arrested a man with 1kg heroin. He was identified as Roopa Singh of Chamyari village in Ajnala. Following his interrogation, the police booked his accomplice Paramjit Singh of Balarwal village in Ajnala. He was arrested from Khasa area here on Thursday evening. A BSF spokesman said that a meticulously planned tactical operation resulted in suc- Rural police with the accused in Amritsar on Friday cessful apprehension of the narco smuggler with 1 kg heroin apart from two mobile phones and a motorcycle. In the second operation, they arrested Lovepreet Singh of Kakkar village falling under Lopoke police station here on Friday. The police seized 1.15kg of contraband from him. The ANTF said separate cases under the NDPS Act had been registered.