26082026-JTR-01.qxd 8/25/2026 10:42 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune RISING GROCERY PRICES ADD TO HOUSEHOLD BURDEN SCIENCE JOURNALISM CAN HELP BUILD INFORMED SOCIETY: EXPERTS KANGANA RANAUT TAKES A DIG AT KRITI SANON’S RAKHI AD Household budgets are under strain with prices of several essential grocery items witnessing a sharp rise in city. P2 Pushpa Gujral Science City organised a seminar on science journalism to strengthen skills of budding journalists.P2 Kangana has questioned Kriti Sanon’s choice of outfit in a recently released Raksha Bandhan jewellery advertisement. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.59 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.00 AM WEDNESDAY | 26 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MISCREANTS OPEN FIRE AT SHOP Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked unidentified miscreants for allegedly endangering lives by opening fire. Jagir Singh, a resident of Rajewal village, told the police that unidentified persons fired shots at the shutters of his shop on the ground floor of his house early on August 23, putting the lives of his family members at risk. Investigating Officer Amandeep Singh said a case was registered against the unidentified accused. OC TWO ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested two men for allegedly selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer Paramjit Singh said 30 loose intoxicating tablets were recovered from Jatindar Singh of Jandiala village and Mandeep Singh of Pati Barri Jandiala village, under the Jamsher Sadar police station. A case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against the accused. OC MAN HELD FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a villager for allegedly selling illicit country-made liquor. Investigating Officer Angrej Singh said 51 bottles of hooch were recovered from Balkar Singh, a resident of Billi Chaharmi village. A case under Sections 61/1/14 of the Punjab Excise Act was registered against him. OC THREE HELD FOR BREWING LIQUOR Phagwara: The police have arrested three villagers for allegedly brewing illicit country-made liquor. Investigating Officer Parwindar Singh said 40 kg of lahan (raw liquor), equipment used for brewing hooch, a gas cylinder and a bhathi were seized from Jagir Singh, Karaj Singh and Charanjit Singh, all residents of Burrewal village. OC AGENT HELD FOR DUPING VILLAGER Phagwara: The Sadar police have booked a travel agent for allegedly duping a Nakodar village resident of Rs 28 lakh on the pretext of sending his children abroad. Nakodar DSP Onkar Singh Brar said the accused was identified as Pankaj of Kartar Estate, Phagwara. Krishan Lal of Uggi village told the Jalandhar (Rural) SSP that he had paid Rs 28 lakh to Pankaj to facilitate his children’s migration abroad. He alleged that neither were his children sent abroad nor was the money returned. The DSP said a case was registered against the accused following an inquiry. OC MAN DROWNS IN KALI BEIN Phagwara: A villager died after drowning in the Kali Bein rivulet. Nakodar Sadar SHO Palwindar Singh said the deceased was identified as Avtar Singh of Jahangir village. Pritpal Singh, brother of the deceased, told the police that Avtar Singh was returning home on his scooter when he lost control of the vehicle and fell into the rivulet. He drowned in the incident. The SHO said that, acting under Section 194 of the BNSS, the body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination. OC MC House meeting turns chaotic amid political slugfest foul smells in their respective wards. Councillor Mintu Juneja highlighted the situation in Urban Estate Phase 2, where he said a large garbage dump had come up close to a residential area. “People cannot eat food because of the unbearable stench,” he said. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 25 A General House meeting of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC), which began on a relatively calm note on Tuesday, descended into chaos after councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress exchanged heated words and raised slogans. The meeting began with Zero Hour at around 11.22 am, during which councillors raised a range of ward-related issues. The situation turned tense when Ward No. 1 councillor Ashu Sharma began raising her concerns but was interrupted by AAP councillors. “Who are you? Are you the Mayor?” Ashu questioned, triggering a verbal spat between Congress and AAP councillors. The exchange soon escalated, with members from both sides raising questions against each other and shouting slogans. Congress councillors also displayed photographs highlighting the alleged poor condition of Transport Nagar and the adjoining areas. Listed agenda passed within minute As the scenes in the House grew increasingly chaotic and showed no signs of calming down, the listed agenda was passed within barely a minute amid loud protests and high-decibel sloganeering. Slogans such as Issue of parking space shortage crops up Councillors argue during the Municipal Corporation meeting in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH “Dhakke-shahi nahi chalegi” (high-handedness will not be tolerated) and “AAP sarkar murdabad” (down with the AAP government) were raised in the House. Heated exchanges over installation of unipoles The meeting again witnessed heated exchanges when councillor Pawan Kumar raised the issue of alleged irregularities in the installation of unipoles in Jalandhar. He alleged that several unipoles had not been installed in accordance with the Municipal Corporation’s advertisement bylaws. “Tuaadi nakk thalle scam ho reha hai” (A scam is happening right under your nose). “You should do something. House nu dasseya jaaye ki eh ki hai” (The House must know what is happening),” Kumar said, demanding that the matter be brought before the House and investigated. The issue led to another round of interruptions, with AAP councillors asking Kumar not to take excessive time. Kumar, however, alleged that he was being interrupted because the ruling councillors did not want him to raise the issue. Garbage mgmt, sanitation remain major concerns Garbage management and sanitation remained among the major concerns raised by councillors throughout the meeting. The Ward No. 52 councillor said his ward did not have a proper designated garbage dump and complained about the unchecked growth of residential colonies. “Three to four colonies bann rahi hai mere ward vich. Hun nakel kasso” (Around three to four colonies are coming up in my ward. Do something about this),” he said while addressing Mayor Vaneet Dhir. He also complained that garbage was not being lifted regularly and that waste dumps had emerged even near his residence along the main road. Raising concerns over the lack of sewerage facilities, he said, “There are no sewermen,” and requested that his name be removed from the committee concerned, alleging that its members were not doing any work. Several other councillors also complained about garbage accumulation and Councillor Mukesh Sethi raised the issue of parking problems, saying that the shortage of parking space had become a widespread concern. Another councillor, Kanwar Sartaj Singh, raised concerns over roads not being constructed properly and questioned the availability of the super suction machine. He said the machine had unnecessarily become a “prestige issue” and questioned why councillors had to repeatedly prove that they had got sewerage or cleaning work carried out by clicking photographs with the machine. “Saade vargeya nu saboot dena painda hai ki asi gaar kadwayi hai, photo karvake” (We have to prove that we have got the mud removed from sewerage by clicking a photograph),” he said. Repeated transfer of MC Commissioners highlighted Congress councillor Jasleen Sethi took a sarcastic dig at the repeated transfers of Municipal Commissioners and called for a stable officer to ensure continuity in the corporation’s functioning. “Bullet ta rakheya patake paan nu, te Commissioner rakhe Singh karvaan nu” (The bullet (motorcycle) is kept for bursting firecrackers, while the Commissioner is kept to handle Singhs (police cases or crackdowns)),” she remarked. Councillors also highlighted a shortage of sanitation workers and alleged that they were being forced to deploy workers privately to meet sanitation requirements in their respective wards. Works approved during previous meeting not started The Ward No. 1 councillor further alleged that several development works approved during the previous House meeting had not even been started. Interestingly, the contentious Rs 607-crore Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Project did not figure in the House proceedings. Sanitation workers had remained on strike for five days over issues linked to the project. The strike was called off on Monday. According to information available, the project has been deferred. At the beginning of the meeting, councillor Pawan Kumar had also asked Mayor Vaneet Dhir to respond to the questions raised by councillors after they had finished speaking. Dhir said he would give the answers later. However, the meeting ended without the Mayor responding to the questions raised by the councillors. Networking firm directors accused of ~3 lakh, silver jewellery stolen duping people of ~24 lakh, case registered from house in Kapurthala village Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Garhshankar, August 25 The police have registered a case against the directors of a networking company following a complaint alleging a fraud of around Rs 24 lakh in the name of investment. Ram Pal, a resident of Hajipur village, alleged in his complaint, submitted to the police on August 24 that the directors of Ugen Home Solutions Private Limited collected money from him and several other people by promising good returns through the company’s networking business. According to the complaint, company directors Parvinder Singh and Husan Lal visited Ram Pal’s house in May 2024 and explained the company’s business model. They allegedly assured him that he could earn good returns by investing money and enrolling more people in the network. Ram Pal said his wife, Sunita Devi, initially deposited Rs 1,000 online, after which she was issued ID No. 53739. She was allegedly asked to make regular monthly investments. He alleged that several people, including Sunita Devi, Mamta Rani, Arvinder Kumar and Ashwani Kumar, were subsequent- ly linked to his ID, and the money deposited by them was also collected through the network. The complainant alleged that the accused did not provide receipts despite repeated requests and continued to ask him to enrol more people to increase his returns. He claimed that the total amount deposited by people linked to his ID had reached around Rs 24 lakh. When he demanded the money back, the accused allegedly gave him a written undertaking on April 27, 2026, promising to return the amount within five to six months. However, the complainant alleged that they later refused to honour the undertak- ing and threatened him when he demanded repayment. The complainant further claimed that several other people had submitted separate complaints against the same company and its directors at the Garhshankar police station on August 24. Those named in the complaints include Paramjit Kaur, Veena Rani, Kulwinder Singh, Rajni Bala, Satwinder Kaur, Neelam Devi, Radhey Shyam and Rakesh Kumar. SHO Gagandeep Singh Sekhon said, “A case has been registered. The role of the company, financial transactions and the alleged networking business are being investigated.” Phagwara, August 25 Unidentified burglars allegedly broke into a house in Tandi Dakhli village, under the Begowal police station, on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday and decamped with Rs 3 lakh in cash and approximately two-and-a-half tolas of silver jewellery. The family discovered the theft after returning home the following morning, following which the police reached the spot and launched an investigation. The house owner, Surinder Singh, a resident of Tandi Dakhli village, said his mother, Manjit Kaur, lived at the house with his younger brother's wife. He said his younger sister-inlaw had gone to her parental home for some work the previous day, following which he brought his mother to his own house. Surinder Singh said that when he returned home with his mother in the morning, he found the lock on the main gate broken. On entering the house, they found household belongings scattered across the rooms. A subsequent inspection revealed that the burglars had allegedly tak- en away around Rs 3 lakh in cash and silver jewellery weighing approximately two-and-a-half tolas. The family immediately informed the Begowal police, following which a police team visited the spot and inspected the premises. The police are also examining footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the surrounding area of the house to identify the accused. The police said an investigation was underway and efforts were being made to establish the identity of those involved in the burglary. Refund ~30 lakh to two flat allottees, commission tells JIT OPD services to remain Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 25 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to refund nearly Rs 30 lakh, including interest, to two more allottees of its Indra Puram (Master Gurbanta Singh Enclave) housing scheme for failing to provide habitable flats. In separate orders passed on August 21, the commission directed the JIT to refund around Rs 18 lakh to Jaspal Singh and around Rs 12 lakh to Lalit Kumar, including 9 per cent annual interest on their deposits. Jaspal Singh was allotted a low-income group (LIG) flat in the scheme in 2008 and had deposited Rs 3.80 lakh. Lalit Kumar was allotted an LIG flat in 2006 and had deposited Rs 5.21 lakh. Both alleged that despite making Flats of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH the required payments, they were not given complete and usable possession of their flats. They cited the absence of electricity, water supply and sewerage connections, inadequate approach roads and deficiencies in the construction of the flats. The JIT, in its defence, argued that the complaints were not maintainable, alleging that the complainants had not approached the commission with clean hands and had concealed material facts. It maintained that the allottees had already taken possession of their flats through possession slips and were therefore not entitled to any relief. In Lalit Kumar’s case, the c m y b JIT also pointed out that he had sought duplicate copies of his allotment and possession letters in 2023. It further argued that the complaint was barred by limitation, that the consumer commission lacked jurisdiction to entertain it and that no statutory legal notice had been served. The commission, however, rejected these objections. It observed that the possession slips relied upon by the JIT did not establish that complete and effective possession had been delivered. Although the slips recorded the construction work and certain facilities as satisfactory, photographs and official documents placed on record showed that development of the scheme remained incomplete. The commission also noted that the JIT had failed to produce completion certificates to establish that the flats and basic amenities had been completed as required. Rely- ing on earlier judicial rulings, it held that possession cannot be treated as complete in the absence of essential amenities and the required completion or occupancy clearances. Rejecting the limitation objection, the commission held that the failure to provide essential amenities constituted a continuing cause of action. It concluded that the JIT was deficient in service and negligent towards the allottees. Besides ordering a refund with 9 per cent annual interest from the dates of payment until realisation, the commission directed the JIT to pay Rs 30,000 each as compensation for mental agony and harassment, along with Rs 10,000 each towards litigation expenses. The commission has given the JIT 45 days to comply with the orders. In case of delay, an additional 3 per cent annual interest will be payable on the deposited amounts. suspended at Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital tomorrow Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, August 25 The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, Hoshiarpur, has decided to support the shutdown call given by the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union and other employee organisations on August 27. As part of the protest, OPD services at the Civil Hospital will remain completely suspended and all elective surgeries will be postponed on the day. Association district president Dr Kultar Singh and general secretary Dr Munish Kumar said the decision was taken in support of demands raised by various employee organisations and against the “rigid attitude” of the Punjab Government. However, emergency services would continue as usual. These include general emergency services, mother-and-child care, emergency surgeries, admission and treatment of indoor patients, medico-legal and postmortem related work, and judicial medical examinations. Members of the PCMS Association also submitted a memorandum to the Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur, informing him about the decision. Dr Ranveer Kaur, Dr Rahul Kumar, Dr Mandeep Kaur, Dr Parminder Kaur, Dr Vishali Verma, Dr Meenu Sidhu, Dr Neha Pal, SMO, Dr Kapil Dogra, DTHO, Dr Tejinder Pal Singh, Dr Ranjit Singh, Dr Jatinder Bhatia, Dr Amandeep Singh, Dr Amarpreet Singh and Dr Sanam were among those present on the occasion.