02032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/1/2026 10:59 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune INDIAN DELEGATION AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONFERENCE STREAMLINE TRAFFIC, ENFORCE RULES & CLEAR ENCROACHMENTS Prominent BJP leaders of the country and state represented the Indian delegation at the event. P2 Levy congestion charges during peak hours and enhance patrolling to monitor traffic offenders.P3 » » VIOLA DAVIS CALLS LIFE A ‘HERO’S JOURNEY’ FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 28°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET MONDAY 6.26 PM Viola Davis delivered one of the night’s most resonant speeches at the 57th NAACP Image Awards. P4 SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:52 AM » MONDAY | 2 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR 3 Shahkot schools await funds as kids study in makeshift spaces HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service INBRIEF YOUTH FOUND MURDERED Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked some miscreants on the charge of murdering a Shankar village (Nakodar) resident. The deceased has been identified as Iqbal Singh, alias Bablu, of Shankar village. His father Dalip Singh said his son was living at Rampur village and was running a cloth shop in Nakodar. He often used to phone him after reaching Rampur, but on February 28, he did not make a call, causing concerns. He, along with his grandson, went in search of Bablu, and when they reached near Rampur, they saw a body which was of his son. The body had deep marks of sharp-edged weapons. The body was sent to the Phillaur Civil Hospital for post-mortem. OC TWO BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked two persons on the charge of hurting religious feelings. The accused have been identified as Lovpreet of Taggar Fatehpur village and Baljit Kumar. Balwant Singh of Kot Badal Khan village complained to the police that the accused came in a vehicle on the evening of February 20 and tried to steal chairs from his store, and when he stopped them, the accused assaulted him and Lovpreet removed his turban. OC Night domination operation led by DIG Naveen Singla in Phagwara. Night domination op after false blast claim in Phagwara Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 1 Senior police officers carried out an intensive night domination drive across Phagwara on Saturday after a social media post falsely claimed that a blast had occurred at a local police station, triggering panic. The claim was later found to be baseless, following which the police undertook the exercise to reassure the public and maintain law and order. Deputy Inspector General of Police Naveen Singla, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh Virk and Superintendent of Police Madhvi Shar- ASHA, mid-day meal workers march to minister’s house NINE BOOKED FOR MURDER BID Ask him to fulfil poll promise or face stir Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have booked nine miscreants on the charge of attempt to murder. The accused have been identified as Amandeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Balwant Singh, residents of Bute Dian Chhana village, and their six unidentified accomplices. Amar Kaur, wife of Mohindar Singh sarpanch of the same village, complained to the police that the accused waylaid her and her husband and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons, seriously injuring them and threatening to kill them. OC Jalandhar March 1 The Daily Wage Workers Sanjha Morcha held a protest march to the houses of six Cabinet Ministers and the executive president of the Aam Aadmi Party today to remind them of the election promises made to daily wage workers. A massive protest was held by ASHA and mid-day meal workers of the Doaba zone in front of the house of minister Mohinder Bhagat, which was jointly led by Mandeep Kaur WOMAN HELD UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a woman on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. As many as 72 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Manjit Kaur, a resident of Chak Kalan village. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. oc COUPLE BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked a couple on the charges of outraging a woman's modesty and voluntarily causing hurt. The accused were Balwindar Singh of Talwandi Salen village, and his wife Parmindar Kaur. Jaswindar Kaur of the same village complained to the police that the accused assaulted and injured her and outraged her modesty. oc ma, personally supervised inspections at the city and Satnampura police stations and key checkpoints, including Paper Chowk and the bus stand. During the drive, 28 persons were challaned for various violations. SP Sharma said all four police stations and posts under Phagwara were thoroughly checked and secured, and no suspicious activity was reported. A police team also conducted a search operation at the local railway station. The police dismissed the viral post claiming responsibility for a grenade blast as fabricated and urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information. Jalandhar, March 1 Three government primary schools in Shahkot are still awaiting the release of sanctioned funds, leaving students to study in temporary arrangements despite repeated assurances from the authorities. The affected schools — Government Primary School (GPS)-Sidhupur, GPS-Janian Chahal and GPS-Chak Wadala — have reportedly been declared unsafe for regular classes. However, even months after funds were sanctioned for reconstruction, no construction work has begun. According to information, Rs 43.9 lakh has been sanctioned for GPS-Jania Chahal, while Rs 57 lakh has been approved for GPS-Chak Wadala. Despite the approvals, the projects remain stalled due to various reasons. Sources said the PWD was initially assigned the responsibility of constructing the building of GPS-Janian Chahal, but the task is now likely to be handed over to another department, further delaying the process. In the meantime, students continue to face hardships. Children of GPS-Sidhupur are currently attending classes in a village Panchayat Ghar. Students of GPS-Janian Chahal are studying out- Bilga, Sakuntala Saroy, Kulwinder Kaur Amanatpur. Workers from Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar participated in the rally. Addressing the rally, Gurjit Kaur from Shahkot, Kalwinder Kaur and Rajwinder Kaur from Phagwara and Rajwinder Kaur from Nawan Shahar said before coming to power, the AAP had assured the workers that the meager wages they were getting would be doubled and their salaries would be increased every year, but even after four years, their salaries have not been increased The leaders said the party had made many promises to every section and assured them to resolve their problems but the government had failed. They said people were disappointed with the government as a result of which, workers were protesting in front of the houses of ministers. Leaders warned that if the government neglected the workers in its final Budget, they would intensify their struggle. A memorandum was given to Bhagat. TNS Students study in the open in government primary school at Shahkot. FILE PHOTO side classrooms, while those enrolled at GPS-Chak Wadala have been shifted to a nearby residential house to continue their education. Teachers from government school, Sidhupur, say the overcrowded single-room set-up housing students from classes 1 to 5 along with anganwadi children makes effective teaching and learning extremely challenging. The original school building had developed cracks after the floods and the collapse of the verandah roof further deteriorated its condition, rendering it unusable. Parents and teachers across the block are urging the authorities to expedite repair work and provide safe, adequate learning spaces to ensure that children’s education is not compromised. Deputy District Education Officer (Dy DEO) Munish Sharma stated that the grants would be released at the earliest. “The department is actively working on the matter. The construction work will begin soon,” he assured. Meanwhile, Shahkot MLA Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia expressed concern, urging the government to take concrete action. “There is much talk about ‘Sikhya Kranti’, but there must be visible work on the ground,” he said. Residents and parents have demanded immediate intervention, stressing that students’ safety and education should not suffer due to administrative delays. It is difficult for the school authorities as well to teach students properly in such circumstances. PSPCL raises cash payment cap for power dues to ~50,000 till March 31 Tribune news Service Jalandhar, March 1 In a move aimed at facilitating the settlement of pending dues, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has approved an increase in the maximum limit for depositing defaulting electricity amounts in cash at its counters from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 till March 31. The decision comes at a time when the power utility is carrying out a recovery drive to improve its financial position ahead of the closing of the ongoing financial year. Officials said the move is expected to help consumers clear a larger portion of their outstanding electricity bills in one go and avoid repeated visits to PSPCL offices for making payments. According to a notification on February 17, the proposal to enhance the cash deposit limit for defaulting electricity dues was approved by the Committee of Whole Time Directors of the corporation. Officials said the decision has been taken to make the payment process easier for consumers who prefer to settle their pending bills in cash, particularly in cases where large dues have accumulated. Earlier, the limit was Rs 10,000. Gulshan Chutani, Deputy Chief Engineer, said the limit has been enhanced to facilitate consumers in depositing higher amounts at one time. “The power corporation has increased the limit to deposit cash amount of electricity bills from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 till March 31 to facilitate consumers in paying their out- standing bills,” he said. He further advised consumers to make payments only through official channels. Consumers depositing cash must ensure that the payment is made at the authorised PSPCL cash counters and should always obtain a receipt or payment slip for the transaction. Officials also cautioned consumers against handing over cash to any private person or even to any PSPCL employee outside the designated counters. Mandi Fentonganj stinks, heaps of garbage pose health threat to traders Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 1 Despite being one of the largest wholesale grocery markets of Jalandhar, Mandi Fentonganj near railway road, continues to grapple with poor solid waste management, raising serious concerns over hygiene and public health. The mandi, which houses around 150 to 200 shops dealing in food items, is plagued by a persistent foul smell, swarms of flies and heaps of decomposing waste lying in the open. The situation not only creates unhygienic conditions for traders and customers, but also poses a potential health hazard as the market handles essential food commodities on a daily basis. Shopkeepers said the situation has worsened due to a large garbage dump located in the middle of the market. The dump, surrounded by shops handling food products daily, has turned into a persistent eyesore as waste often remains unattended for days. Manav, a shopkeeper in the mandi, said the market is over 100-year-old and caters to hundreds of traders, yet it lacks basic sanitation facilities. “This mandi accommodates around 200 shops, but it does not have proper sanitation. There is a garbage dump right in the middle of the mandi which remains unattended for days. The sanitation team visits only once or twice a month to clear the garbage. Till then, we are forced to work amid the rotten smell and swarms of flies,” he said. Traders also point out that the mandi lacks a proper sewerage system. According to them, sewer blockages occur frequently, further worsening sanitation conditions and A huge garbage dump at Mandi Fentonganj in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH making the market environment unhygienic for both traders and customers. c m y b However, Subhash Puri, president of the Mandi Fentonganj Managing Commit- tee, asserts, “Basic amenities, including cleanliness, in the mandi are looked after by our committee. However, garbage dumps fall under the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar.” Puri claimed that garbage is lifted every three or four days and there are no major hygiene issues in the market. Responding to the allegations, Dr Krishan Sharma, Assistant Health Officer, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, said the mandi is a private establishment and is responsible for managing its own solid waste. He explained that under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, private institutions such as schools, colleges and mandis generating more than 100 kg of waste per day are categorised as bulk waste generators and are required to process their waste within their premises. He further noted that the rules empower urban local bodies to revise the threshold for identifying bulk waste generators by lowering the existing cap of 100 kg of waste generated per day to between 50 kg and 20 kg. Exercising this provision, the MC had around two to three years ago reduced the threshold in the city from 100 kg to 50 kg per day. “They must segregate waste into wet and dry categories and ensure proper processing at the site itself. We have repeatedly asked the mandi authorities to comply with these rules, but they have failed to do so,” Sharma said. He added that although sanitation staff are occasionally sent to lift the waste after complaints, the primary responsibility of waste processing lies with the mandi authorities. Sharma further stated that the cost of setting up a solid waste processing system must be borne by the private institution itself as mandated under the rules.