27112025-ATR-01.qxd 11/26/2025 11:33 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY REHRI MENACE CHOKES CITY DESPITE FRESH DRIVE SARHALI COLLEGE STUDENTS CELEBRATE CONSTITUTION DAY RU-BA-RU WITH YUVA PURASKAR AWARDEE HARWINDER SINGH The estate wing of the Amritsar MC has kicked off a drive to remove 'rehris' (handpulled carts) in city. P2 Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Sarhali, celebrated Constitution Day on Wednesday. P2 The 20th Winter National Theatre Fest showcased an impressive spread of performances and activities. P4 » » » MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.26 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7.09 AM THURSDAY | 27 NOVEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Farmers accuse fertiliser vendors of overpricing, forced selling Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 26 Farmer organizations held a protest outside the office of Chief Agriculture Officer, seeking acceptance of their demands, here on Wednesday. They said DAP and urea are being sent through cooperative societies, along with these farmers of the society are being forced to buy sulphur, nano urea, zinc and other non-essential products. This process should be stopped immediately and action should be taken against the officials of the guilty cooperative society, they sought. Private fertilizer vendors are selling fertilizers to farmers at higher prices or are forcibly selling products beyond their needs like sulphur, zinc, nano urea, potash and other products tagged with fertilizers. When fertilizer vendors are asked, they say that they are being forced to buy these items with fertilizers by wholesale fertilizer vendors. According to the rules of the Garbage piles up at PITEX venue ahead of expo; cleanup ordered Neha Saini Tribune News Service Members of various farmer organisations during a protest held outside the office of CAO in Amritsar on Wednesday. Agriculture Department, the consumer cannot be forced to buy more products, the department should take action against such wholesale vendors by conducting an impartial investigation into such cases without coming under political pressure, they demanded. Shopkeepers who sell fake or inferior seeds or fertilizers, do not pay bills on sale of products, do not maintain stock boards should be checked and appropriate action should be taken as per the law, they demanded adding that provisions should be made to deal with the shortage of fertilizers that are actually and intentionally produced in each season. The number of employees in the Agriculture Department, like other departments, is less, so new recruitment should be made to provide employment to the youth to run the work smoothly. Raising an additional issue, they said the functioning of the Passport Office is causing inconvenience to the public and its working style needs immediate improvement. Amritsar, November 26 The city continues to struggle with its waste management system, with open garbage dumps now appearing across areas where they should never exist. A lack of adequate dustbins and irregular garbage lifting has worsened the situation, and the latest site reflecting this neglect is the Ranjit Avenue exhibition ground, the venue of the upcoming PITEX trade expo. The vast ground, where skeletal structures have now been erected for PITEX, one of the region’s biggest trade exhibitions, is surrounded by heaps of garbage, in complete disregard for basic sanitation and hygiene. Food waste and single-use plastic from nearby eateries have accumulated around the developing exhibition site, even as work progresses to prepare the arena that will host hundreds of exhibitors and visitors from December 4. The area around the PITEX venue is scheduled to be held has been littered with garbage in Amritsar. Today, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh held a review meeting with officials regarding the preparations for PITEX, scheduled from December 4 to 8. Taking stock of the arrangements, he said around 500 businessmen from India and abroad would participate in the expo. He instructed all departments to nominate a nodal officer to ensure smooth coordination and avoid any operational issues during the event. Officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, includ- ing Guriqbal Singh, were directed to ensure strict sanitation and hygiene at and around the venue throughout the expo. However, a single visit to the site would reveal that even the basics have not been addressed. Dry waste, plastic debris and burnt trash lie scattered outside the barricaded exhibition area, raising serious concerns about the unscientific and unsafe methods being used for garbage disposal. “The trade expo is the biggest business event hosted in Amritsar each year, and all departments have been told to ensure arrangements, including cleanliness and parking, are properly managed,” the DC said. Meanwhile, MC officials claimed that the open dumps at the Ranjit Avenue sports ground and near the ITI had been levelled and dumping halted following criticism from residents and political leaders, including MP Gurjeet Aujla, over the civic body’s disregard for public health and hygiene. Two held with pistols Three newspaper vendor shops gutted in fire Drone, heroin seized in Tarn Taran villages Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 26 The CIA staff on Tuesday arrested two alleged smugglers reportedly linked to cross-border arms smuggling. Ajayraj Singh, Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), informed mediapersons on Wednesday that the arrested suspects have been identified as Sher Singh Gori of Dall and Sukhbir Singh Sukha of Kalake. The Superintendent of Police said the suspects were arrested by a police team led by Inspector Prabhjit Singh, in-charge of the local CIA, from the border area of Daliri village on Tuesday. The duo was travelling on a motorcycle without a number plate when they were stopped by the police, who recovered two foreign-made revolvers along with four cartridges. The Superintendent of Police added that the weapons had reportedly been ordered from across the border and were meant to be supplied to various parts of the state. He said the accused confessed to having links with cross-border smugglers. Both have been booked under Sections 25(6), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act at the Khalra police station. The Superintendent of Police also revealed that Sukhbir Singh is already facing four cases of heinous crimes, including murder, attempt to murder and other serious offences. The Superintendent of Police said that during the police remand granted by the court, further details regarding their criminal activities and smuggling network are expected to emerge. Amritsar, November 26 A massive fire broke out at a cluster of shops, mostly newspaper vendors, located outside the periphery of the Hall Gate here this afternoon. Three shops were reportedly severely damaged by the time of filing this report. Locals alleged that they had informed the Electricity Department about a short-circuit risk in the wiring nearly 15 days ago. Despite the arrival of three fire tenders, the blaze was so intense that it could not be brought under control immediately. All goods stored inside the shops were reportedly reduced to ashes. Savita Narang, one of the shop owners, said she had lodged a complaint with the electricity board about 15 days earlier, stating that the wires were damaged and that she could feel electric current even in her shop shutters due to a possible short circuit. She said that when electricians came to Our Correspondent Residents gather near the shops engulfed by a fire near the Hall Gate in Amritsar on Wednesday. repair her lights, she had requested them to tape the wires, but they allegedly failed to do so. She suspects the fire was triggered by the same faulty wiring. Another shopkeeper, Parveen Sehgal, said his neighbour, Ashok Kumar, alerted him after noticing smoke coming from the shop. He immedi- ately called the Fire Brigade, leading to panic in the area. Civil Defence Officer Sukhchain Singh said he reached the site soon after receiving information. He confirmed extensive damage, noting that the shops were stocked with large quantities of newspapers, causing the fire to spread rapidly. The blaze continued to smoulder intermittently as his team worked to remove and remix the tin roofs. Two more Fire Brigade vehicles were called to fully control the situation. Till the time of reporting, efforts to dismantle the tin roofs and extinguish remaining flames were still underway. — TNS Tarn Taran, November 26 The Chabal police and the BSF in a joint search operation launched on Tuesday night seized a drone from a drain at Sohal village. Besides, the Khalra police recovered heroin from a field in border area village Rajoke. Sub-Inspector Balwinder Singh of the Chabal police station said the police and BSF teams, based on the information received, launched the searched operation in the field of farmer Gurdeep Singh near the drain and recovered a drone. The police have registered a case under Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act. Sub-Inspector Sahib Singh of the Khalra police station said a police party led by him recovered a pack- The seized contraband in the possession of the police. et, dropped by a drone from the Pakistan side, from the field of farmer Gurbinder Singh of Rajoke village. Heroin weighing 417 grams was found from the packet. Sub-Inspector Sahib Singh said cases have been registered under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act. 2 brothers held with IED; cops Food Commission member pays visit to govt school, linkthemtocross-bordernetwork checks quality of mid-day meal in Khairabad village Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 26 The Amritsar Rural Police on Wednesday arrested two brothers allegedly linked to a cross-border smuggling network and recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from their possession. The accused have been identified as Akashdeep Singh, alias Akash, and Yuvraj Singh, both residents of Ranike village in Amritsar. The police also seized two mobile phones and impounded the motorcycle reportedly used in their activities. The recovery came a day after reports claimed that a grenade had been thrown outside the city police station in Gurdaspur on Tuesday evening, though the police denied those reports. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations indicate that the brothers were in direct contact The seized improvised explosive device in the custody of the police in Amritsar. with a Pakistan-based handler, pointing to strong crossborder links behind the plot. He said the investigation is underway to trace both the forward and backward link- ages of the module. Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Border Range, Sandeep Goel said the duo was allegedly planning to carry out a terror attack aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony in the border region. “Police teams are questioning the accused to identify other operatives and handlers connected to the module,” he added. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, Suhail Qasim Mir said the arrests were made by the special cell following specific intelligence inputs. He added that the recovered IED was secured and later safely disposed of by forensic experts. A case has been registered under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, along with Section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), at the Gharinda police station. Further investigations are in progress, police officials said. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 26 Punjab State Food Commission member Vijay Dutt visited Government High School at Khairabad village here on Wednesday. During his inspection visit, he placed special emphasis on nutrition awareness among schoolchildren by adopting the kitchen garden of the school. He said kitchen gardens play a crucial role in apprising children of the importance of healthy food, fresh vegetables and a balanced diet. He directed the school staff to ensure that children are regularly educated on proper nutrition and healthy eating habits so they can adopt a healthy lifestyle from an early age. Dutt also instructed schools that currently do not have kitchen gardens to immediately identify a suitable space, develop kitchen gardens and start growing sea- c m y b Punjab Food Commission member Vijay Dutt checks the quality of mid-day meal at a government school in Amritsar on Wednesday. sonal vegetables, herbs and other nutritious crops. Following this, Dutt conducted a surprise inspection of various government schools and anganwadi centres in Verka and Amritsar-3 blocks. The visit aimed to assess the ground-level implementation of nutrition and food security schemes under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). During the inspection, he reviewed the kitchen facilities, food storage, cleanliness standards, and the overall quality of the mid-day meal being served. He emphasised that regular health check-ups of mid-day meal workers must be ensured and that the cooking process should strictly adhere to hygiene and safety norms. Dutt also talked to students regarding the quality of midday meal and joined them for lunch. He noted that the TDS level of drinking water in several schools was not satisfactory. He instructed the department concerned to get the water tested immediately and ensure a clean, safe drinking water supply to the staff and students. He further directed that all schools and anganwadi centres must prominently display the Punjab State Food Commission Complaint & Helpline Number: 9876764545 so that beneficiaries can directly report any grievance without hesitation. Dutt said any negligence in schemes related to children’s health, nutrition and food security will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against those found responsible for irregularities.