12082026-JTR-01.qxd 8/11/2026 10:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PHAGWARA POLICE CONDUCT CASO IN CHHAJ COLONY VIP ROAD TURNS ‘SNAKE ROAD’ AMID POOR UPKEEP OF PLOTS FIVE WOMEN AND A TOXIC TALE! The operation was part of the police department’s efforts to strengthen law and order in the area. P2 Residents fear that the presence of snakes could lead to a serious incident if preventive measures are not taken. P3 Actor Yash says the world is yet towitness the full power of Nayanthara, Kiara, Huma, Tara and Rukmini’s performances. P4 » » » FORECAST RAINY MAX 31°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.13 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:51 AM WEDNESDAY | 12 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR 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 YOUTH BOOKED FOR ABDUCTION Phagwara: The police have registered a case against a Jalandhar resident for allegedly abducting a 17-year-old girl on the pretext of marriage. According to the police, a case was registered on the complaint of Surjit Kaur of Dhadhal Mohalla, Phagwara. She alleged that Raman Kumar, a resident of Maqsudan, Jalandhar, had allegedly lured her minor daughter with a promise of marriage and taken her to an unknown location. Efforts were underway to trace the minor girl. OC TWO HELD FOR ILLICIT LIQUOR Phagwara: The police have arrested two villagers for selling illicit country-made liquor. Twenty bottles of hooch were recovered from the possession of Kuldeep Singh and Raj Pal Singh of Khehra Mushtarka village. The Shahkot police arrested a migrant Ram Avtar Saini of Rajasthan and living in Shahkot mohalla, with 7 bottles of hooch and utensils for brewing liquor. OC MANY BOOKED FOR CATTLE THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked unidentified persons for stealing cattle. Kuldeep Singh of Kullar village complained to the police that unidentified persons decamped with a buffalo and two calves. The police also booked unidentified thieves for stealing items from the house of Kulwindar Kaur of Chak Peer village. OC WOMAN ROBBED OF CASH Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have arrested a miscreant on the charge of robbing a woman of cash. The accused has been identified as Manpreet of Ismailpur village. Rajwindar Kaur of Uppal Khalsa village complained to the police that the accused and his two accomplices waylaid her at Uppal village and snatched her purse containing Rs 4,100, other documents and her wristwatch. oc TWO ARRESTED FOR BIKE THEFT Phagwara: The police have arrested two persons on the charge of stealing a motorcycle. The accused have been identified as Gagan Deep Singh of Bopa Rai Kalan village in Nakodar and Amit of Turna village. The accused stole a motorcycle without registration number and a case has been registered. oc 2 BOOKED FOR SNATCHING Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked two unidentified miscreants on the charge of snatching a woman’s ornaments. Yunas Masih of Gandharan village complained to the police that two unidentified accused snatched his daughter-in-law’s earrings and gold chain. oc 4 months on, Jalandhar school students still await uniforms Rishika Kriti TO BE GIVEN SOON Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 11 Four months into the academic session, students in government schools across Jalandhar are still awaiting uniforms. As a result, many are attending classes in casual clothes, while some newly admitted students have been forced to wear uniforms from their previous schools. Teachers said a few students have also had to purchase uniforms at their own expense. The delay has raised concerns among educators as uniforms are part of the government’s support for children studying in state-run schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Under the RTE provisions, children aged six to 14 years are entitled to free textbooks, uniforms and mid-day meals. For providing uniforms, School Management Committees (SMCs) receive a grant of Rs 600 per student to provide a set comprising a shirt, pants, cap, socks, shoes and sweaters for boys and a salwar suit or shirt and skirt, along with socks, shoes and sweaters for girls. However, earlier this year, when SMCs voiced their concerns that a quality uniform ❝Around 60 per cent of the uniforms had been delivered by last Thursday. The remaining uniforms have already been stitched and only need to be distributed to schools. The delivery process is expected to be completed within a week. Divya P, ADC FILE HEALTH & WELLNESS could not be procured within Rs 600, they were given the option of either procuring uniforms themselves or getting these through the government. Under the latter arrangement, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been roped in under the Pahal Project to take students’ measurements, stitch their uniforms and deliver it to the schools. Karnail Singh Phillaur, district president of the Government Teachers Union, said, “The SMCs that procured the uniforms on their own received the grants in June and were able to provide the uniforms to students by July. However, where uniforms are being supplied through the Pahal Project, students are still waiting.” He also flagged concerns over the quality of uniforms supplied under the project, saying ill-fitting uniforms could add to the students inconvenience. Teachers have also raised concerns over the disparity in uniform assistance between different categories of government schools. While students in non-Schools of Eminence (SOEs) are provided Rs 600 for uniforms, those in SOEs receive Rs 5,000. Teachers said the wide difference in assis- PSPCL outsourced workers’ stir continues despite Bill’s passage Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 11 Despite the Vidhan Sabha passing the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill, 2026, on Monday to bring outsourced workers under contractual employment, PSPCL outsourced employees continued their strike, saying the legislation had failed to address their concerns. The employees, posted at Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Suvidha Centres (Customer Relation Centres), metering labs and stores, have been on strike since July 23 under the banner of the Outsourced Employees Federation Punjab (PSPCL). The workers, who fall under the non-hazardous category, said the Bill does not clearly specify how they would be inducted into the PSPCL or the terms and conditions governing their transition to contractual employment. Under the Bill, the state government has proposed to engage 28,000 outsourced personnel on a contractual basis removing the role of outsourcing firms. It divides outsourced personnel into two categories, including those engaged in hazardous occupations and those working in non-hazardous jobs. The legislation also provides for statutory benefits such as PF gratu, ity, maternity leave and 10 days of casual leave a year. Kuljit Singh Lohka, president of the federation, said, “We have decided to continue our strike as it is not clear how the government will cover our cadres under the nonhazardous category. After the Vidhan Sabha session on Monday, a meeting was scheduled with Power Minister Tarunpreet Sond, but it was later postponed to August 13. The meeting will also be attended by the PSPCL CMD. After this meeting, we will decide our next course of action,” he said. Explaining the deadlock, Lohka said the workers were expecting a broader framework from the government but the provisions have narrowed down to essential services. “Earlier, during the meeting on May 24, the government had assured us that we would be brought under the direct contract system and the process would be completed by June 15. But they failed to act on these assurances. Hence, based on our past experience, we will end the strike only after receiving a written assurance and clarity on how we will be covered under the proposed law,” he said. Meanwhile, the strike has slowed down several consumer-centric services of the department. tance create a sense of discrimination among students. As per the minutes of a meeting held on February 18 this year, the district administration had decided to procure uniforms for around 1.2 lakh students across 17 education blocks under the Pahal Project. The meeting record stated that the uniforms would be stitched by members of SelfHelp Groups, with the project also aimed at providing livelihood opportunities to women in rural areas. Gurinderjeet Kaur, District Education Officer (Secondary), said, “There were Rishi gets addl charge as MC Commissioner Jalandhar, August 11 Sandeep Rishi has been given the additional charge of Commissioner of the Jalandhar MC, barely a month after he was transferred from the post. Rishi had earlier been transferred and appointed as Chief Administrator of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). His transfer came after Nikas Kumar, a 2020-batch IAS officer, was appointed as the Jalandhar MC Commissioner. However, within a month of Kumar taking charge, Sandeep Rishi has been given the additional charge of MC Commissioner. Rishi had earlier assumed charge as Commissioner of the Jalandhar MC in August last year. Soon after taking over, he had outlined a clear roadmap for the civic body. — TNS ❞ some financial issues with the Self-Help Groups as they were supplying uniforms at a loss. However, whatever quantity we receive is immediately distributed among the students. It is expected that the uniforms to remaining students will be delivered within a week.” Divya P Additional Deputy , Commissioner (Rural), who is overseeing Pahal Project, said, “Around 60 per cent uniforms had been delivered till Thursday last week. The remaining uniforms have been stitched and only need to be delivered to schools. It will be done within a week,” she said. AAP focuses on booth network ahead of polls Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 11 Aam Aadmi Party Punjab incharge and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia reviewed the party’s booth-level organisational work during a meeting with booth in-charges and block presidents here last evening. The meeting focused on strengthening the party organisation at the booth level, reviewing the work completed so far and assessing preparations for the upcoming elections. Sisodia interacted with booth in-charges and block presidents and discussed ways to further strengthen coordination and grassrootslevel activities. Addressing party workers, Sisodia said booth-level organisation is the foundation of a strong political party. He stressed that effective work at every booth would help the party expand its reach and strengthen its organisation. He expressed satisfaction over the work being carried out at the booth level and appreciated the efforts being made to connect people with the govern- Rain pain ment’s welfare schemes. During the meeting, discussions were also held on various initiatives of the government, including the Mukh Mantri Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana for women, Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna and free electricity. Jalandhar Central halqa incharge Nitin Kohli was also present at the meeting. Kohli said the organisational work in Jalandhar Central was progressing smoothly under Sisodia’s guidance and supervision. He said the focus was on strengthening the party at the booth level and ensuring that workers remained connected with people and government schemes. During the meeting, AAP Punjab state secretary Sandeep Saini spoke on the development works and welfare initiatives being undertaken by the government. District Planning Committee Chairman Amritpal Singh briefed the gathering about the party’s activities and organisational work in the district. Sisodia also welcomed the government’s move to regulate fee hikes in private unaided schools. Bus rams into parked tipper, five injured Our Correspondent A huge traffic jam in Lamma Pind Chowk after heavy rainfall in Jalandhar on Tuesday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Hoshiarpur, August 11 Five passengers were injured when a bus travelling from Hoshiarpur to Chandigarh rammed into a parked tipper near Nangal Shahidan village here on Tuesday morning. According to information, the bus (PB-07-CA-0434) had left Hoshiarpur for Chandigarh when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle near Nangal Shahidan. The bus crashed into the parked tipper, causing extensive damage to its front portion. Five passengers sustained minor injuries in the accident. A team of the Road Safety Force reached the spot and shifted the injured to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, for treatment. The police also reached the spot and initiated further investigation into the circumstances leading to the accident. Villagers on edge as weak Beas bundh sparks fears in Sultanpur Lodhi Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Kapurthala, August 11 On August 11 last year, a breach in the bundh at Baupur village in Sultanpur Lodhi changed the lives of residents forever. Today, villagers remembered the day as they continued to grapple with the memories of the devastating floods. In Aahli Kalan village, fear has resurfaced as villagers reported that stones placed alongside the bundh had been swept into the river, raising concerns about the vulnerable stretch. A video released by residents showed a villager urging people from the village to come forward with sandbags and help strengthen the weak portion of the bundh to prevent any untoward situation. The development comes weeks after the Beas witnessed a rise in water levels in July, when water briefly entered some fields. The situation later eased as the river level receded. With memories of last year’s devastating floods still fresh, residents remain apprehensive about the possibility of a repeat and are urging the authorities and A fearful villager in Sultanpur Lodhi. FILE c m y b villagers to take precautionary measures before the situation worsens. However, the administration has maintained that there is currently no reason to panic. Officials said the Beas is presently flowing at around 22,000–25,000 cusecs, and the situation is under control. Farmer leader from the village Rashpal Singh said there were efforts to strengthen the bundh but faced a shortage of labour on Tuesday. He said more residents had been urged to come forward and assist with the strengthening work. “We cannot forget what happened last year. That still haunts us and we are just praying every day that that doesn’t repeat,” Singh said. An official of the Drainage Department said the administration had already provided sandbags for strengthening work. “There is nothing to worry about. We have also provided sandbags to them and if there is an increase in the water level or if we see that something is happening, we will inform them beforehand,” the official said. Earlier, SDM, Sultanpur Lodhi, Jasjit Singh had said that the administration had put precautionary measures in place in view of the vulnerable stretches along the Beas. “Nine relief centres have already been established. Officials from the Drainage Department and tehsildars have already been directed to conduct joint inspections of the dhussi bundh. Weak points have been identified and strengthening work has already begun. Extra sandbags, reserve stocks of petrol and diesel, food packets and other essential supplies have been arranged,” the SDM had said.