19082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/18/2025 11:17 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune GARBAGE HEAPS ALONG BYPASS RAISE ALARM DC VISITS AJNALA TO INSPECT AREAS ALONGSIDE RAVI RIVER Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited villages along the Ravi in Ajnala area this morning. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 23°C SWIFT REACTS TO RUMOURS ABOUT HAPPY GILMORE 2 The bypass road has turned into an open dumping ground, causing inconvenience to commuters. P2 FORECAST Taylor Swift has put an end to all the rumours that she had a cameo as a bear in Happy Gilmore 2. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.56 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.52 AM » TUESDAY | 19 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR Thieves strike at four shops, steal cash, valuables Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, August 18 Cash and other valuable material were stolen from four shops in the border town of Khemkaran on the intervening night of August 16 and 17. ASI Kanwaljit Singh of the Khemkaran police said according to evidence collected from CCTVs and a complaint from the victims said five thieves came to the spot in a white-coloured car. They struck at the (electrical) shop of Varinder Singh, the hardware shops of Bhatar Soi and Sandeep Kumar and that of Sarwan Kumar and stole Rs 51,000 and copper wire worth Rs 2 lakh from all shops and fled away in their car. The ASI said a case under Sections 331 (4), 305, 191 (3) and 190 of the BNS has been registered. The shopkeepers said the rise in theft cases is due to the lack of security arrangements by the police. They alleged cops are never seen on night patrolling. The Khemkaran police station too was not for away from Chaura Bazar of the town where the shops are located. Man held with illegal pistol Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 18 The Amritsar Rural Police have arrested Rajandeep Singh, alias Raja, of Chhajalwaddi village and confiscated a .32 bore pistol along with a magazine and two live cartridges from his possession. The police said he was arrested from near the Timmowal village canal bridge by cops on patrol. During search the police seized the pistol while the accused could not produce any document regarding the weapon. A case under the Arms Act was registered against him and further probe was on to find out the source of the pistol. His criminal antecedents were also being looked into. The police said more arrests are likely to be made during further investigations. 234 gm heroin, drug money seized, 14 held in CASO operation Amritsar, August 18 Cracking a whip on miscreants and drug peddlers active in the city, the Amritsar police commissionerate held a cordon and search operation (CASO) in various sensitive areas located in three zones of the city here on Monday. He said the operation was aimed at nailing bad elements and maintaining law and order. The cops were led by Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police-rank officials, Assistant Commissioners of Police, SHOs and chowki incharges while SWAT teams and armed cops were also part of the search operation. Among the areas where CASO was conducted included Gate Hakima, Anngarh, Fateh Singh Colony, Sultanwind village, 88-foot road on Majitha Road, Yaseen Road near Aanum cinema, Housing Board Colony, Gumtala, Guru Ki Wadali, Bansa Wala Bazaar, Ekta Nagar, Maqboolpura flats and Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar areas. During the search operation, the police registered 12 cases under the NDPS act against 14 persons and a total of 234 gm of heroin, Rs 6,720 of drug money, three lighters and silver foil papers were seized. In addition, Two die after drinking dirty water at Khankot village Locals says sewage water getting mixed with drinking water supply Tribune News Service Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar talks to residents in Majitha Road area in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR three cases under the Excise Act were also registered against three persons and recovered 110 bottles of illicit liquor. While preventive action was taken against 12 persons and a stolen scooter was recovered. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said special focus was on the suspicious elements who were out of jail on bail and drug peddlers. Their current activities were also monitored. He interacted with local residents and urged them to share information about blacksheeps in their areas while assuring that their names would be kept secret. Meanwhile, the city police have arrested a total of 1,655 drug traffickers in 863 FIR registered with the police since March 1 when the government launched the statewide Yudh Nashiyan Virudh campaign. Bhullar said 190 kg of heroin, 13.5 kg of opium, 372 gm ICE drug, 9 kg ganja, 15 kg charas, 325 kg of narcotic powder and Rs 2.68 crore of drug money were seized and 81 vehicles recovered. The police also recovered 113 pistols smuggled from Pakistan from 99 suspects in 48 FIRs while the police also recovered Rs 10.5 lakh of hawala money from them. — TNS Amritsar, August 18 In a tragic incident that took place at Khanokot Sardaranwala village near here, two persons died and many others fell sick after consuming contaminated drinking water. Local residents alleged that sewage water is getting mixed with the governmentsupplied drinking water, leading to the outbreak of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea and vomiting. The deceased were identified as an 82-year-old man and a 42-year-old man. Initial reports indicated three deaths. However, Health Department investigations revealed that the third victim, a woman, died due to a liverrelated ailment. Residents complained that though the issue had been reported to the authorities concerned many times over the past several months, no step was taken in this regard by them. Officials of the Health Department during a visit to Khankot village in Amritsar. On receiving the reports of the health issue, a team of the Health Department rushed to the village. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur personally visited the area to assess the situation. Health officials also collected water samples from multiple homes and began distributing medicines and chlorine tablets to residents. An official stated that a sewerage pipe had broken in the area, leading to contamination of the drinking water supply. A team of the municipal corporation also visited the village and initiated repair work. Water tankers have been sent to the village to meet the residents’ drinking water needs, the officials added. The Civil Surgeon said residents have been advised to boil water before drink- ing until lab results from the water samples are received. People are also advised to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting or dehydration. She said at present, four residents of the village are undergoing treatment for the same symptoms and their condition is stable. Stray dog menace continues to haunt New Fresh setback to Cong as two Amritsar residents; bank staffer bitten by dog party councillors join AAP Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 18 Despite the ongoing debate over the Supreme Court’s directions to round up stray dogs and shift them to shelters, attacks by canines continue to haunt city residents. The latest victim of dog bite is a bank employee from BBlock of New Amritsar, who was bitten on August 14. Victim Jatinderpal Singh said he was returning home from the market on his bike when three dogs began chasing him. “The dogs chase every vehicle. I did not realise that they were following me till I reached my house. The moment I got off the bike, one of them pounced on me and bit my left leg. It was a traumatic experience,” he recalled. Jatinderpal Singh said he Stray dogs roam on a road at Company Bagh in Amritsar. VISHAL KUMAR later visited Guru Ramdas Hospital where he was administered anti-rabies injections. “I have heard about compensation in dog bite cases, but I am not aware of where to file the complaint. The entire process is too com- plicated. The government should simplify it by setting up a help desk in government hospitals where patients come for anti-rabies treatment,” he suggested. Residents allege that stray dogs in the locality have become a constant source of fear, especially for children and elderly persons. They claim that dog lovers regularly feed these canines and there are certain streets in the area where 15-20 stray dogs roam freely. “The sterilisation project, launched years ago to control the stray dog population, has failed to yield any results,” said Lakhbir Singh Chuhan, another resident. He said the Supreme Court’s recent directive to shift stray dogs from Delhi to shelters outside the city should also be implemented in Amritsar. The residents demanded immediate action from the authorities, stressing that the menace of stray dogs should be addressed before more people fall victim to such attacks. Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 18 In a fresh setback to the Congress, two of its councillors, Shivani from Ward No.79 and Dr Avtar Singh from Ward No. 72, quit the party and joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Chandigarh. They were formally inducted into the party in the presence of Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora and Amritsar Mayor Moti Bhatia. Both councillors said they were impressed by the “pro-people policies” of AAP, while Aman Arora claimed their decision reflected the growing trust of people’s representatives in the party. The development is being seen as a blow to the Congress, which had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the removal of Mayor Jitender Singh Moti Bhatia, alleging irregularities in the mayoral election. Congress leaders argued that despite having a majority, the party was denied the mayor’s post through alleged collusion between AAP and officials. With two councillors crossing over, the Congress’s strength has further dwindled, making it difficult for the party to prove its majority in the court. The results of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections had thrown up a frac- tured mandate. Of the 85 wards, Congress had won the highest number with 40 councillors, while AAP secured 24, BJP 9, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) 4, and Independents 8. Despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party, AAP’s Jitender Singh Moti Bhatia was declared Mayor on January 27 with Priyanka Sharma as Senior Deputy Mayor and Anita Rani as Deputy Mayor. The Congress had alleged foul play in the election process. With the latest defections, the Congress’s numerical edge has diminished, potentially altering the legal and political battle over control of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation. Religious sect, locals come to aid of farmers Political hoardings deface Hathi Gate area Our Correspondent Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, August 18 The increased water level in the Beas and Sutlej rivers has led to the erosion of riverbanks of the rivers at places and to prevent it, farmers and followers of the Sarhali-based Kar Seva sect have started work on strengthening the embankments of the Sutlej and Beas for the last two days. As many as 40 villages along the Beas and Sutlej were under threat and thousand acres of standing crops are still submerged. These villages also faced the same fate in the year 2023 and at that time, not only crops of farmers were lost but their land too was rendered uncultivable due to the accumulation of silt. The threat is still staring at the farmers. Baba Sukha Singh, head of the sect, informed the farmers on the mobile phone that he is away to a Kar Sewa sect followers and farmers busy in strengthening river embankment at Sabhra village. foreign country and will cut short his tour and return to the country soon. He said the sect followers under the leadership of Baba Beera Singh have been working tirelessly to prevent the threat of the erosion of riverbanks. Sabhra, Kot Budha, Dumniwala and Ghadunm were among the most-affected villages by the floods now. Jasbir Singh, former sarpanch of Sabhra village, said as many as 800 followers of the Kar Sewa sect and area farmers were busy in strengthening embankments with tractor-trolleys round the clock. Navneet Singh, SDO (Irri- gation), said the water level in the upstream and the downstream has decreased a little — from 98,000 cusecs to 95,000 and 75,000 cusecs to 72,000, respectively — here on Monday. A large number of youths from various villages are also working on a war footing to make the embankments strong. c m y b Amritsar, August 18 While people and countries across the globe continue to make conscious efforts to preserve, restores, cherish heritage structures, the scenario in the holy city is quite opposite. The state of heritage structures here tells a different story. For example, the historic 12 gates, some of which were preserved and brought to old glory a couple of years ago, have been defaced with hoardings and posters. These massive hoardings with political figures of every party tied with the Hathi Gate, one of the 12 historic gates of walled city, are no less than an eyesore. Huge billboards and hoardings came up during the Janmashtami festival. Hardly a thought was spared for the rich heritage value of the gate before putting up these hoardings. Ironically, the office of A view of large hoardings at Hathi Gate in Amritsar. AAP MLA Dr Ajay Gutpa is located just in the vicinity of the Hathi Gate. The AAP government came into the power to bring a ‘difference’ in the governance. Nevertheless, it is no different from other parties as it is giving scant regards to rules and regulations. This is the blatant violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders also. The 12 historic gates of Amritsar were once part of a fortified wall constructed by the legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh to protect the city. These gateways are: Hall Gate, Hathi Gate, Lahori Gate, Khazana Gate, Hakima Wala Gate, Sultanwind Gate, Chatiwind Gate, Gilwali Gate, Bhagtan Wala Gate, Lohgarh Gate, Mahan Singh Gate and Sheran Wala Gate. “Hoardings and posters are often put up, defacing the historic gates of the holy city. These gates have over the time become prime locations for affixing advertisements, especially political ones, with the civic body authorities turning a blind eye to this blatant violation and failing to enforce the regulations,” said Manpreet Singh, a heritage lover. Municipal Corporation Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh said taking a serious view of the hoardings put up at Hathi Gate, the same were removed today and stringent steps are being taken to ensure that such violations are not repeated in the future.