26072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/25/2026 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 2-HR ROAD BLOCKADE FORCES RESTORATION OF POWER SUPPLY 10 NEW AAM AADMI CLINICS TO STRENGTHEN HEALTHCARE YASH OPENS UP ABOUT PLAYING RAVANA Farmers blocked a road in Hajipur to protest the suspension of electricity supply for the past five days. P2 As part of the initiative to set up 100 new Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab, 10 clinics were inaugurated in the district. P2 As anticipation builds up for Ramayana, actor Yash,who is also producing the film, joinedthe team to promote the epic. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.29 PM » SUNRISE MONDAY 5:39 AM SUNDAY | 26 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR 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. INBRIEF FOUR BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked four persons on charges of assaulting employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Investigating Officer Jiwan Singh said the accused have been identified as Manohar Singh of Sihari Wal village, his sons Vishal and Raj, and Kamal, a resident of the same village. The Sub-Divisional Officer of Malsian subdivision complained to the police that the accused had disrupted government work and assaulted the employees. OC MAN ATTACKED, TWO BOOKED Phagwara: The Nakodar City police have booked two residents of Nakodar on charges of attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Investigating Officer (IO) Rajindar Pal Singh said the accused have been identified as Honey Kundi and his brother, Bablu Kundi. Nitish Sharma, a resident of Malrri village, complained to the police that the accused, along with their unidentified accomplices, allegedly waylaid him on the evening of July 24, attacked him with weapons and threatened him with dire consequences. OC THREE DRUG PEDDLERS HELD Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a drug peddler for allegedly selling heroin. Investigating Officer (IO) Major Singh said that 4 grams of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Jaspal Singh alias Bhati, a resident of Pati Haveli Malsian village. The IO said that a case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. Meanwhile, the Nakodar Sadar police arrested two alleged drug peddlers, Naresh Kumar of Sidhma Station village, and Aditya of Bir Pind village, with 57 intoxicant tablets, said IO Paramjit Singh. OC MAN HELD WITH 40 LIQUOR BOTTLES Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit liquor. Investigating Officer Davindar Singh said that 40 bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Satnam Singh of Umre Wal Bille village. A case under the Excise Act has been registered against the accused. oc TWO DRUG ADDICTS NABBED Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested two persons on charges of consuming heroin. Investigating Officer (IO) Balveer Chand said the accused have been identified as Rajdeep Singh of Barra Budh Singh village and Sawan Kumar of Puwar village. The IO said that a lighter, silver foil papers and plastic pipes allegedly used for consuming the contraband were recovered from their possession. oc Jalandhar students protest, march in solidarity with Jantar Mantar youth Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 25 A huge protest was held by students of Jalandhar in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the students’ stir at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Hundreds of students gathered at the PUDA ground opposite the DC Complex in Jalandhar and also held a march on the Ladowali Road in the evening. Students carried posters seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and protesters in the tent where the protest was being hosted cheered after news spread of the resignation of the minister this evening. Students raised slogans ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ while holding the protests. Many of the posters bearing the PM’s and Dharmendra Pradhan’s faces bore striking similarities to the cheeky wit of the posters on display in Delhi. Students protest near the DC office in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH A big poster on the venue read “We are the voice they can’t ignore! United for justice, united for future!” As students marched, another bunch of students followed on a tractor, ‘Mera Rang De Basanti Chola’ played on a loudspeaker and a protester in a Spiderman mask atop the tractor raised slogans. Volunteers of the ‘ Tera Tera Hatti’ conducted ‘jal sewa’ (water service) for protesting students and commuters at the spot all day. In the evening, when the protest came to a close, students stood up as the national anthem played on a loudspeaker. Himanshu, a Jalandhar-based student said, “I heard about the protest from my friend and joined it after knowing that one was being hosted in Jalandhar too. We completely support the students’ protest at Delhi. The corruption within the education system needs to go. We welcome the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. We hope the government promptly responds to all the demands kept forth by the students.” Simran, a protester from Jalandhar, said, “We were planning to head to Delhi today, but stayed back hearing of the Education Minister’s resignation.” Amit Kumar, a student and one of the organisers of the protest, said, “The protest today was in support of the students protesting at Jantar Mantar. It is against the Centre and the Delhi Police for the lathicharge against peaceful students. Ours was a peaceful protest only by Jalandhar students with no involvement of any political party. It was successfully concluded today. Pradhan has just submitted his resignation but the results (of the student protests) are awaited. The protest isn’t just about the resignation, but many more things — equal education for all, quality education for all, transparent recruitment — as our posters also stated. We hope all these demands will be immediately met by the government.” Youngsters brought ‘arrogant’ govt to its knees: MLA Ashok Kaura Phagwara, July 25 Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal welcomed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, calling it the first major victory of the country’s students who fought an honest and democratic battle. He said that the “arrogant” government was finally forced to bow before the determination and struggle of the students, making this a victory for the unity and resolve of the nation’s youth. Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal said that if accountability could be established for the paper leak issue at the Centre, then those responsible for paper leaks and recruitment scams in Punjab must also be held accountable. He stated that thousands of young aspirants invest their hard work and time in preparing for competitive examinations, but incidents such as paper leaks shatter their trust in the system. He further said that serious questions have been raised over Punjab’s recruitment and examination system in recent times. In such circumstances, the minister concerned should accept moral responsibility and resign. He added that when repeated irregularities occur under the jurisdiction of a department, those in charge cannot evade responsibility. Dhaliwal appealed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to inform the youth of Punjab about the concrete and effective measures his government has taken so far to prevent paper leaks, ensure transparency in examinations and restore public confidence in the recruitment system. He said that every deserving student has the right to a fair, transparent and corruption-free examination system. Since the future of both the country and the state depends on its youth, governments have a duty to take the strictest possible action against those who jeopardise the future of young people. Left parties, activists support Delhi stir Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 25 A state-level protest was held at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall here today in solidarity with the youth protesting against NEET paper leaks at Jantar Mantar. The call for the protest was given by RMPI, CPI (ML) Liberation, CPI (ML) New Democracy and MCPI-U. Leaders Mangat Ram Pasla, Sukhdarshan Nat, Pargat Singh Jamarai, Gurmukh Singh Mann, Dharminder Singh Mukerian and Gagandeep presented their views. The speakers sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, which came in hours after the protest. Leaders held Pradhan responsible for the suicides of dozens of students. They also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology on the issue. They called on all countrymen, especially Punjabis, to raise their voices strongly from every platform to ensure strict punishment to those responsible for beating up peaceful protesters on July 20. A unanimous resolution was passed on the occasion, demanding adequate compensation to parents of children who committed suicide due to the paper leak; to Left parties hold a march in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Manpower crisis deepens as more workers join PSPCL strike Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 25 The manpower crisis in PSPCL deepened on Saturday as CHB (Complaints Handling Bikes) workers, employed as contractual linemen, went on a state-wide strike from noon, leaving the department with fewer hands to attend to power faults and maintain electricity supply. Regular linemen and other field staff have already been away from work since July 22 as part of a mass leave protest. With the department relying heavily on CHB workers to attend to faults and maintain supply, their strike has further strained PSPCL’s field operations. PSPCL employees in Jalandhar said the department is currently managing the situation with the help of staff who had not joined the protest, including those nearing retirement, employees awaiting promotions and those who had recently joined the department. However, the redress of complaints registered through the 1912 helpline has come to a standstill in several areas as both the staff handling these complaints at nodal complaint centres and the CHB workers responsible for rectifying the faults are on strike. The situation could become particularly challenging in the event of major faults or feeder breakdowns as most of the technical staff responsible for repairing those are away from work. PSPCL officials said that, if required, private manpower working under the department’s contractors could be roped in to keep operations afloat and respond to consumer complaints. Rural belts worst hit Officials said electricity supply is still being managed in urban pockets with the available manpower but rural areas are likely to be worst affected as the ongoing paddy season has increased dependence on electricity for agricultural tubewells, but there is little technical staff available to attend to faults. The CHB workers are on strike under the banner of the Coordination Committee of Powercom and Transco Theka Mulazam Punjab. They have extended support to the ongoing protest by regular PSPCL employees and outsourced workers employed at nodal complaint centres and Suvidha centres. Inderpreet Singh, a union representative in Doaba, said around 1,905 CHB workers across the PSPCL North Zone, comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr, had halted work from Saturday afternoon. “We held a meeting with the PSEB Employees Joint Forum and Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab on Friday evening, following which we decided to join the protest in solidarity with regular and outsourced employees,” he said. The employees are demanding the release of the pending 18 per cent dearness allowance, enhancement of the quota for promotion from AAE to Assistant Engineer (AE), revision of pay scales for employees recruited after July 17, 2020, payment of full salary during the probation period and release of arrears pending since January 1, 2016. They are also seeking fast-track filling of vacant posts and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. The outsourced employees working at nodal complaint centres and Suvidha centres are separately demanding that they be brought under direct contractual employment with PSPCL. 18 months on, work to fix power woes in ward no. 42 stays on paper Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 25 Nearly 18 months after PSPCL approved work to address persistent voltage fluctuations in street no. 16 of New Model House area in ward no. 42, residents are still waiting for the work to begin. Amid humid weather, this inaction has left them to deal with recurring load shedding and power disruptions. The work was cleared following a complaint lodged through the Punjab Government’s Grievance Redressal Management System (GRMS) portal. In a letter issued by the Model Town division in December 2024, the department said the complaint had been received from the office of the Punjab Chief Minister. Acting on it, they issued a work order to a private contractor on December 5, 2024. However, nearly one-anda-half years later, residents say the problem continues as the sanctioned work has not been carried out. While the PSPCL letter did not specify the exact nature of the work approved, residents said they had requested the installation of a new transformer to ease the existing load in the area. According to them, PSPCL officials later said that instead of installing a new transformer, they would replace the deteriorating wires to improve the power supply. Residents, however, said that even this work has not been carried out. The problem becomes particularly severe at night when voltage fluctuations cause air conditioners to trip. Residents said the existing infrastructure is unable to cope with the load, leaving nearly half of the households affected. The area also witnessed three instances of load shedding last month. While PSPCL c m y b staff carried out temporary repairs following complaints, residents said the measures had failed to provide a permanent solution. Rommi Wadhwa, councillor, Ward No. 42, said he had not received any complaint from residents so far. “I will check if there is any issue,” he said. Ravi, Sub-Divisional Officer at the Boota Mandi office, said, “I do not have any Junior Engineer with me at present due to the mass leave protest. I will look into the matter on Monday.” PSPCL men working on power >> poles in Jalandhar. FILE stop the government’s “planned conspiracies” to destroy the education system; and to cancel the New Education Policy 2020 that “deprives” Dalits and the poor of education. A separate resolution condemned the police brutality on sanitation workers in Barnala under the orders of the Punjab Government and demanded strict action against the guilty policemen. Aditi, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) and national leader of the AllIndia Students’ Association (AISA), and student leader Amin Amitoj, who has been on a hunger strike for 23 days, joined the protest. Apart from the Left leaders and activists who arrived from all over Punjab, prominent writers, intellectuals and other social figures led by Sushil Dosanjh, Darshan Buttar, Lakhwinder Johal, Satnam Chana, Makhan Kuhar, Makhan Mann, Principal Navjot, Santokh Lal Virdi also joined the protest. Kashmir Singh Ghuggshore, Manjinder Singh Dhesi, Jaswinder Singh Khatkar, Rattan Singh Randhawa, Gurnam Singh Daud, Prof Balvir and Armaan Singh were also present on the stage. Two held with opium after brief chase Our Correspondent Kapurthala, July 25 In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the Dhilwan police in Kapurthala district arrested two alleged drug smugglers and seized 225 grams of opium from their possession. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at Dhilwan police station. Station House Officer (SHO) Harjinder Singh said that SI Kuldeep Singh, along with a police team, was conducting vehicle checks at the hi-tech naka in Dhilwan when they signalled a car coming from the Amritsar side to stop. On noticing the police, the driver allegedly tried to flee, but the vehicle was intercepted after a brief chase. The occupants of the car were identified as Gurmukh Singh, a resident of Mudi Kalu village, and Resham Singh, a resident of Khoaspur village. During a search of the vehicle, the police recovered 225 grams of opium from their possession. SHO Harjinder Singh said both accused had been arrested and booked under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act. They were produced before a local court, which granted the police one-day remand for further interrogation.