05052026-JTR-01.qxd 5/4/2026 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune NAWANSHAHR TO GET 94 SPORTS GROUNDS AT COST OF ~37.92 CR SCHOOLS TO ROLL OUT ‘SUBJECT CIRCLES’ FOR HANDS-ON LEARNING GUNSHOTS FIRED AT CANADA CAFE, KAPIL SAYS NOT SCARED Lalit Mohan Pathak inaugurated a modern sports ground in village Langroa, located in Nawanshahr district. P2 For students, this means stepping beyond routine lectures and choosing what actually excites them.P3 Gunshots were fired at Kapil Sharma’s Canada café but the actor says he is focusing on Dadi Ki Shaadirelease. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.09 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:38 AM » TUESDAY | 5 MAY 2026 | JALANDHAR SOE transport push stalls amid low enrollment, cost concerns 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. Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service INBRIEF MAN HELD WITH DRUGS IN GORAYA Phagwara: The Goraya police have arrested a youth and recovered heroin from his possession during a routine patrol operation. A police team, conducting patrol duty in the area, apprehended Rahul, a resident of village Paddi Jagir. During the search, the police recovered 8 gram of heroin from his possession. Following the recovery, a case under relevant provisions of the law has been registered. OC VISA FRAUD: MAN LOSES ~15 LAKH Phagwara: A case of cheating and financial fraud has come to light following a complaint involving a failed overseas migration arrangement. The complaint was filed by Paraminder Singh of Pondori Khas near Nakodar. He alleged that accused Mohit Kumar of Nakodar took ~15 lakh on the pretext of facilitating the travel of his nephew to the US. He stated that despite receiving the amount, the accused neither arranged the promised travel, nor returned the money. OC THREE ‘DRUG PEDDLERS’ HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested a 'drug peddler' on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. As many as 23 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Ravindar Pal of Shaunkian village. The Lohian Khas police arrested Sandeep Singh of Yusafpur Aallewal village with 43 tablets. The Mehatpur police arrested Nirmal Singh of Khurlapur village with 56 tablets. OC 49 BOOKED FOR ATTACKING COPS Phagwara: The police have booked 49 persons, including women, for stealing wheat crop and attacking the police. The accused are Dalip Kau of Aadramaan village, her sons and daughters-in-law and their other accomplices. Paramjit Singh told the police that the accused harvested his wheat crop and violated the order of the DC. When the police reached the spot, the accused attacked the police team. A case has been registered against the accused. oc CRUELTY TO DOGS: VIDEO GOES VIRAL Phagwara: A case has been registered following the circulation of a disturbing viral video on social media. The complaint was lodged by Naveen Grover, president of the Voice for Second Innings Home Society. According to the complaint, the viral video shows persons from Kapurthala engaging in inhumane treatment of stray dogs. The footage reveals that the animals were forcibly placed into sacks and abandoned at an unknown location. A tempo was used in the incident. The accused has been identified as Kuljeet Kaur, Kapurthala. oc PSPCL workers try to erect electricity poles in Mahilpur division in Hoshiarpur on Sunday. After storm, city continues to reel under power cuts Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 4 A day after a powerful storm swept Jalandhar on Sunday, several residential and commercial areas remained without power even on Monday, as electricity infrastructure across the region bore the brunt of the severe weather. Localities, including Gadowali Colony, Central Town, Pacca Bagh, Suchi Pind and Sheikha Bazar, continued to experience power cuts lasting between one and two hours during the morning, roughly between 9 and 10 am today. Residents were left without electricity as PSPCL officials worked to repair the widespread damage left behind by the storm. Model Town, Cantt worst-hit According to officials from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the outages were primarily a result of extensive damage to electricity infrastructure caused by Sunday’s storm. Among the worst affected localities within Jalandhar city were Model Town and Jalandhar Cantonment, which together accounted for a significant share of the total damage. Of the 17 transformers damaged across the city, five were located in Model Town and four in the Cantonment area. The storm also brought down 11 electricity poles in the city with six of them falling in Model Town alone Power infrastructure loss estimated at ~ 91.71 lakh and two in the Cantt area, officials said. According to official data, the damage was not confined to Jalandhar alone. The PSPCL’s North Zone, which covers the districts of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr, reported a staggering total infrastructure loss estimated at Rs 91.71 lakh. Across this region, nearly 43 transformers were damaged and around 150 electricity poles were uprooted. Additionally, the PSPCL helpline 1912 was flooded with calls from distressed residents, logging 8,880 complaints from Sunday morning till Monday evening. Situation eases PSPCL officials stated that while Sunday saw the most acute disruptions due to the severity of the damage and the sheer number of outages reported simultaneously, the situation improved considerably by Monday. PSPCL Chief Engineer Des Raj Bangar said, “Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr recorded the maximum damage and power outages across the North Zone. Nearly 250 feeders were affected, but we have restored the supply across all impacted areas by 3 pm on Sunday.” Jalandhar, May 4 Despite being projected as the state’s flagship education reform, transport facilities remain a major gap in the functioning of Schools of Eminence (SOEs) in the district. Out of nine SOEs, only three are providing transportation, leaving a large number of students, especially those from far-flung areas, dependent on private means. School of Eminence heads said the issue was multi-layered, marked by low student enrollment, financial constraints and challenges in engaging private operators within the prescribed budget. Dinesh Verma, Principal of SOE, Nakodar, said, “The school had introduced a bus service in August last year on two routes, but it had to be discontinued within two months due to poor response. “A few students opted for the service. Moreover, arranging a private bus operator within the department’s budget is difficult. We receive around Rs 800 per student which is not viable for operators,” he said. The issue is further complicated by a sharp disparity in transport charges. While SOE students are required to pay Rs 240 per month, non-SOE Students leave Ladowali school, Jalandhar, on their own cycles instead of school bus on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH students pay between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500. Officials say the pricing imbalance discourages private operators who prefer more profitable contracts with other schools. At the SOE, Adampur, the transport service came to a halt after the existing contract ended on March 31. Principal Ram Asra said the school is still searching for a new contractor. “Earlier, around 45 students were using the single bus service. But finding a new operator has been difficult. Students are spread across different areas, making route planning another challenge,” he said. Another SOE principal pointed out that even the subsidised fee is not attracting parents. “Many parents are unwilling to pay even Rs 240 per month. Under the scheme, Rs 1,200 is the total cost per student with Rs 960 borne by the state and Rs 240 by the student. However, operators demand higher payments than what is collected and they prefer private schools where margins are better,” the principal said. The SOE heads also flagged delays in fund disbursement, saying it affects timely payments to operators and discourages them from taking BJP celebrates historic Bengal, Assam victory with dholbeats & laddoos Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 4 After nearly 4,500 students from Jalandhar appeared for the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday afternoon, most of them are of the opinion that the exam was relatively easier as compared to NEET-UG 2025. The students appeared for the three-hour examination at the centres set up in Kendriya Vidyalayas of the city. The examination started at 2 pm and ended at 5 pm. Metal detectors were installed at the entry points and any metal pieces that the students were carrying in their attire, be it in the form of hairpins, bracelets, footwear or belts, were removed. After appearing in the examination, the students said they found the biology section to be straight with all questions from the NCERT. “The questions and answer options in biology were statement-based and hence it took a lot of time reading, understanding and then marking the correct option. The physics paper was again lengthy and involved a lot of calculations. The chemistry part too was moderately diffi- Fire breaks out in telecom tower room in Kapurthala Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 4 BJP leaders in Jalandhar, under the chairmanship of district (Urban) president Sushil Sharma, celebrated the party’s victory in the West Bengal polls with the beats of dhols and distribution of laddoos. Party leaders congratulated one another on the historic victory of the party in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. Workers across 18 mandals of the BJP in the district expressed happiness by beating drums, bursting firecrackers and distributing laddoos. With Mamata Banerjee tasting defeat after a 15-year stint as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, BJP leaders, who remained glued to TV sets all day, beamed with happiness, as they came out to celebrate in the evening, waving party flags. BJP supporters wear Modi’s face masks during celebrations in Jalandhar on Monday. SARABJIT SINGH Sushil Sharma credited the good governance and development and public welfare policies of the Central Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the impressive performace of the party in the elections. He said Modi’s governance model across the country had won the trust of the public, which has resulted in the grand victory of the BJP in these elections. Apart from the district president, party leaders Manoranjan Kalia, Rakesh Rathour, KD Bhandari, Sushil Rinku, Sheetal Angural, Ashok Sareen Hikki, Sarabjit Singh Makkar, Rajesh Kapur, Raman Pabbi, Amit Bhatia, Ravi Mahendru among others joined the festivities. Leaders said the victory is the result of the hard work of BJP workers. They said the BJP will continue to accelerate the work of public service and development. NEET-UG exam easier than last year, say aspirants from city Tribune News Service up contracts. Additionally, in the absence of reliable school transport, the school heads said students are increasingly opting for their own bicycles, public buses and e-rickshaws for their daily commute. As these means are more time efficient and offer flexible routes, students prefer to opt these adding to the challenge of sustaining transport facility, they added. cult”, said Meir, an aspirant from Mayor World School. Meir has been a super medical student and has scored 99 percentile in JEE too. “But my ultimate aim is to follow the medical line”, he said. Suman, another aspirant, said, “From what I have gathered till now, the cut-off marks for government colleges this time is going to be higher. A relatively easier paper than in 2025 means that even high scorers will have to face a tough competition. So, this makes me a bit jittery”. Students come out after NEET exam in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH c m y b Kapurthala, May 4 A sudden fire in a telecom tower room atop a residential building triggered panic in Sheikhupur of Kapurthala on Sunday morning. While no injuries or loss of life were reported, the incident resulted in significant damage to technical equipment worth lakhs of rupees. The fire broke out around 11 am in a room housing a BSNL network tower on the rooftop of a house owned by Inderjit Singh. Eyewitnesses said thick black smoke was seen billowing from the tower room before it quickly turned into a blaze, triggering panic in the neighbourhood. Demonstrating the presence of mind, the homeowner immediately alerted the fire brigade. Fire Officer Gurpreet Singh stated that the department received the emergency call at 11:04 am, following which a three-member team was dispatched without delay. Equipped with fire tenders, the team reached the site swiftly. Firefighters worked diligently for nearly an hour to bring the blaze under control. Their timely intervention prevented the fire from spreading to the main residential structure and adjoining properties, averting a potentially larger disaster in the densely populated locality. Officials confirmed that although there were no casualties, the fire destroyed machinery and equipment installed in the tower room. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, however, preliminary assessments suggest the possibility of an electrical fault or overheating within the equipment.