14092025-ATR-01.qxd 9/13/2025 10:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune TEACHERS' UNION DONATES ~2 LAKH FOR FLOOD VICTIMS EARLY BASMATI HARVEST FACES PRICE SLUMP IN TARN TARAN The Mandi supervisor said the highest price at the start was Rs 3,275 per quintal, which has decreased to Rs 3,231. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 26°C WHEN THE NAMAK SHAMAK GUY FORGOT TO PUT SALT! A teachers' union handed over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to DC Sakshi Sawhney as contribution to the flood relief fund. P2 FORECAST Chef Harpal Sokhi admits that he has turned many a kitchen disaster into favourable outcome. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 6.37 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6.14 AM » SUNDAY | 14 SEPTEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Minister visits flood-hit areas in Gurdaspur, talks to dist officials Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Government of India, Shobha Karandlaje arrived at the city airport on Saturday. She was received by senior officials of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Regional Offices, Amritsar and Jalandhar. She then proceeded to visit flood-affected areas in Gurdaspur district. It is noteworthy that this visit followed the inspection and review undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Punjab. Karandlaje inspected the confluence place of the Ravi and Beas rivers and visited several affected villages, including Marara, Makorda Patan and Awen. During her visit, the minister held discussions with officials of the district administration to review the progress of relief and rehabilitation REVIEWS PROGRESS OF RELIEF MEASURES ■ Karandlaje inspected the confluence place of the Ravi and Beas rivers and visited several affected villages, including Marara, Makorda Patan and Awen. ■ During her visit, the minister held discussions with officials of the district administration to review the progress of relief and rehabilitation measures. She also met flood-affected families, listened to their concerns and assured them of government support. ■ She said the Central Government stands firmly with the people of Punjab in this hour of crisis. measures. She also met floodaffected families, listened to their concerns and assured them of government support. While addressing the concerns of local residents, she said, “The Central Government stands firmly with the people of Punjab in this hour of crisis. All possible assistance will be extended in coordination with the state government and the local administration to ensure effective relief and rehabilitation.” She further stated that the Central Government is committed to extending welfare benefits to the affected people. “Farmers are being supported under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). We are also also working to provide ESI and Provident Fund benefits to all gig and platform workers. In addition, affordable and quality medicines are being made available to the common people through the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, benefitting especially the working class,” she added. Apart from this, she held a meeting with the ADC at the BSF headquarters. Girdawari begins, compensation to reach affected families within 45 days Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 The girdawari to assess the losses in the flood-affected villages of the district started today. The administration has assured that the survey would be completed at the earliest and that the compensation would reach the affected families within 45 days. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney held a meeting with officials in Ajnala and instructed all departments to complete their reports quickly. She said the survey must include damage to crops, livestock, houses and land covered with sand so that every family receives timely compensation. The Deputy Commissioner directed that before starting the survey in any village, the teams must make an announcement at the local Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal briefs officials before the start of the girdawari in Amritsar. gurdwara to inform the village representatives and involve the panchayat secretary. This way, everyone in the village will know about the survey and can report their losses, she said. She said villages where crops and houses have been completely destroyed should be given priority so that compensation can be released without any delay. As per government policy, farmers will receive Rs 20,000 per acre for crop loss. For houses, the compensation is Rs 1.20 lakh in case of complete damage and Rs 40,000 for partial damage. Families who have lost their cattle due to the floods will also be compensated, she added. In addition, families will be given money to remove sand accumulated in their fields. Land that has been completely eroded by the river will also be covered in the survey so that the affected families get relief. Earlier in the day, 25 teams of patwaris from the revenue department, and 48 teams of junior engineers from the Panchayat Department, PWD, and PUDA were dispatched for the affected areas from Cooperative Sugar Mill at Bhala pind. Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal asked the teams to send their reports to the SDM office within a fortnight. He said the SDM and other senior officials would check at least 10 per cent of the reports by visiting the villages and ensure that no affected family is left out. 30,460 cases settled at National Lok Adalat Over 12,200 cases settled in Gurdaspur Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 A total of 30,460 cases were amicably settled during the National Lok Adalat held at the District Courts and the Sub-Divisional Courts at Ajnala and Baba Bakala Sahib here on Saturday. The lok adalat was organized as per the directions of the National Legal Services Authority, said Baljinder Singh, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA). Amardeep Singh Bains, Civil Judge (Senior Division)cum-Secretary, DLSA, said cases related to criminal compoundable matters, bank recovery, cheque bounce, matrimonial disputes, electricity and water bills, telecom, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) matters, labour disputes, and summary traffic challans were taken up. Parties attend a National Lok Adalat in Amritsar on Saturday. A total of 33 benches were constituted: 24 benches at the Amritsar District Courts, one at Permanent Lok Adalat, one at Industrial Tribunal (Labour Court), four benches at Ajnala, and three benches at Baba Bakala Sahib. Special benches were also set up for matrimonial and family disputes with the support of the Police Department’s Crime Against Women Cell. The District and Sessions Judge highlighted that lok adalats provide an alternative dispute resolution mechanism where both pre-litigation and pending cases are settled amicably without litigation costs. He said that in recovery cases, court fees paid at the time of filing are refunded, making this process quick, cost effective and beneficial for litigants while helping reduce the burden of pending cases in courts. Several significant cases were resolved during the lok adalat. A family dispute pending since 2022 was settled after the husband agreed to pay a lump sum of Rs 16.5 lakh. Another case between Kotak Mahindra Bank and Amarbir Singh was disposed of after a settlement of Rs 2.96 crore. In yet another case between Utkarsh Small Finance Bank and Malti Industries and others regarding a cheque matter of Rs 1.36 crore was resolved through court intervention. Overall, 35,931 cases were taken up, out of which 30,460 were settled, with awards worth Rs 39.18 crore passed by the benches. The DLSA termed the National Lok Adalat a major success, bringing relief to thousands of litigants by providing speedy and cost-free justice. Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, September 13 A National Lok Adalat was on Saturday organised in the Gurdaspur judicial complex here in which a total of 12,541 cases were taken up, out of which 12,218 were decided on the spot and an amount of Rs 12.82 crore was awarded. The event was held on the directions of Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Executive Chairman of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar, and under the guidance of Dilbagh Singh Johal, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairperson of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and Harpreet Singh, Secretary of the DLSA. Various types of cases, including those pertaining to bank recoveries, matrimonial disputes, labour disputes, land acquisition cases, electricity and water bill cases, A National Lok Adalat in progress in Gurdaspur on Saturday. service matters relating to pay allowance, revenue cases and retrial benefits were taken up. The National Lok Adalat is a nationwide ‘people’s court’ mechanism, which was established by the District Legal Services Authorities in 1987. It basically provides an alternative to conventional courts for the amicable resolution of disputes outside the jurisdiction of formal courts proceedings. These Lok Adalats are organised by the National Legal Services Authority. Lawyers say these forums offer a faster, cheaper and accessible path to justice for cases pending in courts or those which are at a pre-litigation stage. The decisions of these lok adalats are final and binding and have the status of a civil court order. The main aim is to provide prompt, accessible and affordable justice, reducing the backlog and pressure on traditional courts. ‘City’s air quality at Diwali last year was worse than Delhi’ Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Cops check the house of a suspected drug smuggler in the Anngarh area of Amritsar on Saturday. Houses of suspected peddlers, habitual offenders checked Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 Acting on the instructions of Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, a search operation was conducted in the Anngarh area by a team of the Gate Hakima police post, led by ASI Ashwani Kumar. The police said the opera- tion focused on checking the houses of suspected drug smugglers, habitual offenders and persons released on bail. During search, detailed inquiries were made about their activities. The team interacted with local residents and urged them to support the police in curbing crime. People were asked to immediately report any incident of drug trafficking or illegal activities by dialing 112. Authorities assured that the identity of those providing information would be kept strictly confidential. Officials further stated that the police are fully committed to maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of the public around the clock. Amritsar, September 13 During a case hearing on Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice BR Gavai questioned why firecracker bans apply only to Delhi-NCR and not to other cities suffering from severe pollution. He recalled, “I was in Amritsar last winter and the pollution was worse than in Delhi.” His observation raises alarm for citizens and authorities, especially the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and district administration. Gavai’s point is valid that Amritsar turned into a gas chamber last Diwali, with the air quality index (AQI) soaring to 360. This occurred after two years of relatively better air quality during the festival of lights. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows that from October 26 to 30, Amritsar’s AQI readings were 228, 310, 160, 185, and 185, respectively. On October 27, the AQI of 310 dipped into the “very poor” category, and on October 30, 2023, the city’s AQI was still a concerning 195. On October 31, 2024, Amritsar remained the most polluted city in Punjab in the week c m y b Environmental engineer Vinod Kumar explained that the city’s immediate environment had become stagnant last winter. FILE PHOTO before Diwali, with AQI fluctuating between the “moderate” and “poor” categories. However, the average AQI breached the 350 mark on November 2, 2024, a day after Diwali celebrations. The city’s air quality worsened to a hazardous level, with the AQI hitting 370 in the evening. This high pollution trend continued for three consecutive days, raising serious concerns about the city’s air quality. Environmental engineer Vinod Kumar, who was posted in Amritsar last winter, explained that the city’s immediate environment had become stagnant. When temperatures drop, temperature inversion occurs—a phenomenon where cold air traps pollutants near the ground beneath a layer of warmer air, preventing their dispersion. This led to the elevated pollution levels in the city. Stubble burning, open garbage burning, and vehicular pollution remain major contributors to Amritsar’s poor air quality. Kumar warned that this dangerous trend could pose serious health risks. The Indian government has also raised concerns about large-scale farm fires in Pakistan’s Punjab, as Amritsar, being a border district, receives pollutants drifting across the border. In addition to falling tem- peratures, unchecked violations related to farm fires and firecracker burning made Amritsar the most polluted city in Punjab for a brief period last year. Doctors reported an increase in chest ailments during the last winter. Patients with chronic asthma and respiratory illnesses faced severe health issues due to the deteriorating air quality.