24102026-JTR-01.qxd 23-10-2026 23:34 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 280 UNLABELLED CAPSULES SEIZED FROM MEDICAL STORE Drug Control Department seizes 280 unlabelled capsules from Kohli Medical Hall at Ranipur village in Phagwara. P2 » DAV UNIVERSITY HOSTS INDO-SOVIET ART WORKSHOP DAV University organises “Rangotsava 2 An Indo-Soviet Art and Cultural Exchange Programme”, a three-day event.P3 » KAREENA, SHAHID REUNITE AT IIFA-2027 PRESS CONFERENCE FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5.46 PM The former co-stars and ex-lovers shared a warm hug when they met on the red carpet. P4 SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.37 AM » SATURDAY | 24 OCTOBER 2026 | JALANDHAR Four held with 5 kg heroin in Phagwara Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 23 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested four persons and seized 5 kg of suspected heroin near a hotel in Phagwara. A local court has remanded the accused to the agency’s custody for further interrogation and investigation into the alleged narcotics seizure. The accused, identified as Arshpreet Singh, Nitish, Anish Kumar and Deepak Kumar, were produced before Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Supreet Kaur following their arrest. According to a court document dated October 22, the DRI sought their custody to investigate the circumstances surrounding the recovery and establish possible links to a wider supply network. Special Public Prosecutor Puneet Sareen appeared before the court alongside Investigating Officer Nidhan Singh and the seized case property. The proceedings concerned the agency’s request for custodial interrogation of the four accused. The case has been registered under various sections DRI secures custody of accused of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The provisions address prohibited activities involving narcotic substances, attempts, abetment, criminal conspiracy and other applicable offences and legal requirements. The agency is expected to investigate the source and intended destination of the suspected contraband, along with the possible involvement of other persons. However, the court document examined did not specify the origin of the substance, its intended destination or any established links to a larger trafficking network. The custodial remand will allow the DRI to question the accused and pursue further leads within the scope of the court’s order. The allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings. Roadways staff strike enters Day 3 Phagwara liquor vends to remain closed today Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 23 The Department of Excise has issued directions for the closure of liquor vends in specified areas of Kapurthala district on account of religious observances, with the aim of maintaining public order and ensuring that sentiments of the public are respected. According to an official order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Kapurthala, liquor vends in Phagwara subdivision have been ordered to remain closed tomorrow. Liquor vends in rest of Kapurthala district will also remain closed tomorrow. The order has been issued in connection with the observance of Bhagwan Valmiki Parkash Utsav on October 26 and associated religious considerations mentioned in the notification. The order invokes Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, along with Rule 37(9) of the Punjab Liquor Licence Rules, 1956, to direct the closure of licensed liquor vends and prohibit the sale of liquor during the specified period. The directions are intended to ensure that the prescribed restrictions are observed in the interest of public peace and religious sentiments. A man stands near a kiosk razed by the market committee in Phagwara. 50 illegal structures razed in Phagwara markets Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 23 The Phagwara Market Committee on Thursday launched a major antiencroachment drive in the city’s grain and vegetable markets, demolishing around 50 unauthorised shanties and kiosks erected on government land and clearing the encroached premises with the assistance of a heavy police contingent. Market committee chairman Anurag Mankhand said the committee had decided to take action to reclaim government land and ensure that the market premises remained accessible and properly managed for farmers, commission agents and other legitimate Japanese hockey team arrives in city Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Asian Champions Trophy Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 23 The Japanese hockey team received a traditional Punjabi welcome, with energetic bhangra performances and dhol beats upon arriving in Punjab for the Asian Champions Trophy 2026. The team arrived at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium on Friday and took to the field for its practice session, drawing the attention of spectators who were delighted to see an international team already gearing up for the tournament. The players began with warm up exercises before moving on to their practice session. Speaking to the media, the Japanese hockey men’s team head coach for this tournament said that Punjab was an amazing place and expressed happiness at being part of the event. “We arrived at the airport yesterday and received a Japanese hockey team players during a practice session in Jalandhar on Friday. SARABJIT SINGH warm welcome. We are very happy to be here and are glad that the event has been organised in Punjab,” he said. The coach also said that although he had not yet tried the local food, he was confident that he would enjoy it. Amrik Singh Powar, General Secretary of Hockey Punjab described the hosting of the international tournament as a memorable occasion for the state, highlighting its significance for the sport. “It is a memorable event for Punjab, as an international tournament is being held here for the first time. It will also serve as a motivation for hockey. We are very excited,” he said. The arrival of the Japanese team and its first practice session have added to the excitement surrounding the tournament, with the event expected to provide a significant boost to hockey in Punjab. Man gets one-year jail for Rice millers’ strike ends burningwheatstubble,trees Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, October 23 The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge PS Kaleka has sentenced Gurbachan Singh to one year’s imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for a fire incident that destroyed wheat stubble and hundreds of trees. In case of non-payment of the fine, the convict will have to undergo an additional two months’ imprisonment. Advocate Naveen Jairath said the case dates back to May 3, 2013, when Malkeet Singh, a resident of Khadiala Sainian, lodged a complaint at the Bullowal police station. According to the complaint, Gurbachan Singh, a resident of Nangal Kalan village, was burning wheat stubble in his field. Malkeet Singh’s son, Kulwinder Singh, tried to stop him, but he allegedly refused to listen. Strong winds caused the fire to spread to neighbouring fields, destroying around twoand-a-half acres of stored wheat stubble belonging to Malkeet Singh, 500 poplar trees in his field and 150 eucalyptus trees in the adjoining field of farmer Kulwant Singh. Fire brigade vehicles were called to control the blaze. The police registered a case against Gurbachan Singh on the basis of Malkeet Singh’s statement and initiated an investigation. After hearing the case, the court convicted Gurbachan Singh and awarded him the sentence on Friday. Phagwara, October 23 Paddy procurement and lifting operations resumed smoothly at the Phagwara grain market after rice mill owners withdrew their strike following the administration’s intervention on Thursday. Addressing the media after a meeting of the Arhtiya Association, chaired by its president, Kulwant Rai Pabbi, he said the situation arising from the rice millers’ strike and its potential impact on paddy lifting at the local grain market was reviewed. He noted that a substantial quantity of paddy was arriving in the mandi every day, raising concerns over the availability of storage space if lifting operations were delayed. The possibility of adverse weather conditions had further heightened concerns among commission agents and farmers. Pabbi said that, in view of the situation, he approached the District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) and Member of Parliament Raj Kumar Chabbewal, seeking their intervention for an early resolution of the issue. According to Pabbi, the administration assured commission agents and farmers that they would not be allowed to face undue hardship due to delays in paddy lifting. He added that if bottlenecks arose at the local level, efforts would be made to arrange lifting through facilities at other locations to prevent the accumulation of paddy in the mandi. c m y b users. Mankhand further said concerns had also been raised over activities on the premises after sunset, with complaints of disputes and alleged incidents of snatching and clashes involving people in the surrounding localities. The chairman said people from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had been residing in shanties. However, their migration status, documentation and any alleged involvement in unlawful activities would require verification by the competent authorities. Supporting the action, grain market president and Punjab Arhtiya Association senior vice-president Kulwant Rai described the demolition drive as a necessary step towards restoring order in the market. Jalandhar, October 23 Commuters continued to bear the brunt of the indefinite strike by contractual workers of Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) at the Jalandhar bus stand on Friday, as 158 of the 169 buses in the fleet here remained off roads on the third day of the protest. The contractual workers of both transport undertakings have been on strike since Wednesday under the banner of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union. They are demanding the regularisation of contractual employees under service rules, engagement of outsourced workers on direct contract by the department and the withdrawal of FIRs registered in connection with the violence erupted during a protest against the kilometre scheme in Sangrur last year. Gurpreet Braich, a senior union leader said, “We will not call off the strike until the state government issues a written notification accepting our demands.” “The government has passed a bill during last Assembly session to bring outsourced workers into direct contract with departments but it has not been implemented yet. For several years, the government has Commuters suffer as contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways and the PRTC continue their strike in Jalandhar. MALKIAT SINGH held meeting after meeting and assured us that our demands will be met but no action has followed,” he said. A meeting with the transport secretary was also held on Friday, but it failed to break the deadlock and the union decided to continue the strike. Ranjit Singh, district secretary of the union, said, “We are now continue staging sit-in on roads until the government resolves our concerns,” he said. Meanwhile, hundreds of commuters dependent on government buses continued to face difficulties. With most services suspended, passengers were forced to turn to private buses or wait for hours to board a few buses still operated by regular employees. According to officials, only 11 of the 169 buses in Jalandhar remained operational on Friday. These buses were running on just three routes Delhi, Amritsar and Noormahal while services to several major destinations including Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Jammu, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Batala remained completely suspended. Officials at the Jalandhar bus depots said they were trying to operate services with the available workforce, prioritising routes where private buses were unavailable. Routes with heavy passenger traffic, including Delhi and Amritsar were also being given priority. However, the limited workforce made it difficult to operate buses on other routes, leaving passengers with fewer options as the strike continued.