12032024-ATR-01.qxd 3/12/2024 12:38 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY ANIMAL SMUGGLING RACKET BUSTED BY MALERKOTLA COPS ‘CHILLI PROCESSING PLANT TO COME UP IN ABOHAR’ SEED FARM SETTLERS PROTEST OVER LAND ACQUISITION Malerkotla police claimed to have busted an inter-state cattle smuggling racket and rescued 15 bovines. P3 FisheriesMinisterGurmeetSinghKhudian hassaidPunjabAgrowouldsetupachilli processingplantinAbohar.P3 Residents of Seed Farm have demanded ownership of the land they had been cultivating for past about 60 years. P3 » » » MAX 28°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 13°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.36 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.43 AM TUESDAY | 12 MARCH 2024 | AMRITSAR Baljeet’s accomplice nabbed from Man posing as Army Hoshiarpur in drug seizure case officer held by police Tribune News Service PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 11 Two days after the arrest of Hoshiarpur-based drug peddler Baljeet Singh, the Amritsar Rural Police have arrested his accomplice Pankaj Rana from Hoshiarpur. His name came up during the interrogation of Baljeet who was a courier and used to further supply drugs to Ranjit Rana and his son Pankaj Rana in Hoshiapur on the instructions of Canada-based drug peddler Honey. Their interrogation further led the police to a Patiala jail inmate Mandeep Thakur, alias Manna, who was part of the drug and Hawala racket. Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural Police, confirmed the arrest of Pankaj Rana. He said he was produced in a court and brought on five-day police remand for further investigations. According to information, during the probe, the police found that Mandeep was running the racket with the help of Canada-based drug trafficker Honey. On his disclosure, the Patiala jail authorities confiscated a mobile The packets of the contraband seized by Amritsar police. FILE PHOTO phone from Mandeep and an FIR was registered by Patiala police in this connection. The SSP said Mandeep would also be brought on production warrant from Patiala jail during further course of investigations in the case. He said Baljeet was working as a courier who used to retrieve the contraband and supply to Ranjit Rana and Pankaj Rana. They were distributors who further supply the contraband in different parts of Punjab. Baljeet Singh, a resident of Chohal village, was arrested by the special cell of the Amritsar Rural Police with 2.892 kg of heroin and ~2.5 lakh of drug money from near Khasa on the AmritsarAttari road on Saturday. A police patrol party in Gharinda received specific information that Baljeet Singh was involved in illicit drug peddling from across the border fence. The informer told the police that the accused was travelling in an i20 car (PB02-DU-6178) and was going towards Attari. Following this, the police put up a naka near the Khasa bus stop and the accused was intercepted. During search, the police found the contraband concealed in a bag from beneath his seat. The bag also contained ~2.5 lakh of drug money. Amritsar, March 11 The city police in a joint operation with military intelligence nabbed a man impersonating as an Army officer on Monday. The police recovered Army uniforms of different ranks (including restricted pattern) from his possession. The police said inter-state and international links are also being investigated after bringing him on police remand. Dr Pragya Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City), said that the accused was identified as Sandeep Singh of Cheekna village in Anandpur Sahib. Following an input, the police carried out an operation with the help of military intelligence wing, she said. The accused was arrested from Gole Bagh area. “The accused was wearing an Army uniform of Major rank. When the police demanded proof, he could not give a satisfactory answer to the queries,” the DCP said. Preliminary probe revealed that he bought these uniforms from Dehradun. He had even visited Roorkee Army cantonment, Jammu Army area besides Press owners told not to violate advertising policy Follow EC guidelines on published material: MC Tribune News Service The accused in custody of Amritsar police on Monday. Amritsar Army cantonment. DCP Jain said that the police was probing into the motive behind his wearing uniforms and any possible inter-state or international links. The accused Sandeep Singh’s antecedents were also being investigated. The police have registered a case under Section 420 (cheating), 171 (wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent), 140 (wearing dress or carrying any token used by a soldier, sailor or airman with intent that it may be believed that he is such a soldier, sailor or airman), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC added with Section 6 of Official Secrets Act against him. Amritsar, March 11 In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the imposition of Model Code of Conduct, the Municipal Corporation has asked printing press owners and flex board printers not to violate state advertising policy and comply with the guidelines of the Election Commission. Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh discussed the various aspects of advertising policy of the state government with the printers. The Additional Municipal Commissioner stated that it has been observed that several commercial organisations, brand stores, shopping complexes, political and religious organisations have been regularly defacing the city though the advertisement wing of MC makes regular efforts to remove illegal hoardings and flex boards from markets. Due to the approaching Lok Sabha elections, the deface- Printing press owners during a meeting with MC officials in Amritsar on Monday. ment of city is expected to increase. As per the advertisement policy of the Municipal Corporation, no printing press owner can print boards or promotional materials without the approval of authorities. “The printers have been instructed to follow the procedure and avoid violation of advertisement policy of the state government. Otherwise, a police complaint will be filed against the publishers printing the advertising material,” said the MC Additional Commissioner Taking measures before the imposition of election Code of Conduct, the MC also made the press owners aware about the guidelines of Election Commission. After the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Municipal Corporation has to remove the hoardings of political parties and their leaders from the city. The printing press owners have to display the contact number, publication and approval of authority on each poster and hoarding. Soon after the announcement of elections, the Election Commission would issue instructions to political parties contesting the elections to remove hoardings and other publicity material. Failure to remove the publicity material within the stipulated time will result in action as per the provisions of Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. Municipal Corporation Secretary Sushant Bhatia and Superintendent, Advertisement wing, were also present in the meeting. MC seals four buildings of property tax defaulters 15 cellphones, data Powercom bills of ~2.6 cr remain Pensionersholdprotest, burncopies of Budget cable seized from jail unpaid for Tarn Taran admn Tribune News Service Gurbaxpuri Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 11 Amritsar Central Jail staff confiscated yet another haul of mobile phones from jail inmates during a search operation here on Sunday. According to information, jail staff seized 15 mobile phones, including nine touch phones, 12 SIMs and a data cable from. With this, the number of mobile phones seized from the jail premises since January reached 210. Ajmer Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Jail, said the seizure was made from 13 prisoners, including Abhiraj Singh, alias Abhi, son of slain councillor Gurdeep Pehalwan. Abhiraj was lodged in the jail in a case of attempt-to-murder and firing in Lohgarh gate area. The jail authorities lodged a complaint with the Islamabad police station here which have registered a case under Sections 42 and 52-A of the Prisons Act against the violators. Besides Abhiraj, other inmates booked by police Tarn Taran, March 11 The district administration has turned out to be a major defaulter of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) as electricity bills of more than Rs 2.60 crore remain unpaid for months. Though the district administration availed the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme of the Powercom and had been exempted an amount of Rs 40 lakh, the bill payment has been not been made to the Powercom till date. Sources revealed here on Monday that the offices of the Deputy Commissioner, SSP besides others working from the District Administrative Complex (DAC) have been consuming power for months but the bills have not been cleared yet. Sources said that there was one bill worth the payment of Rs 1.5 crore, another of the amount of Rs 1.13 crore which are part of the defaulting amount. Hardeep Singh Sekhon, Senior Execu- Amritsar, March 11 Major revenue generating departments of the Municipal Corporation are struggling to achieve their recovery targets for the year 2023-24. The Municipal Town Planning and advertisement wings achieved their goals while the Operation and Maintenance wing, Cow cess, GST and Licence departments are still away from achieving their targets. The property tax wing, which is one of the major revenue generators for Municipal Corporation , is still away from its recovery target. However, Municipal Corporation officials claimed that the target of Rs 45 crore would be achieved till March 31. Today, the property tax wing of Municipal Corporation sealed four buildings at Ranjit Avenue and Lawrence Road including a restaurant, jeweller’s shop, boutique and beauty parlour. The Municipal Corporation recovered only Rs 11 lakh from various establishments. The property tax wing has collected around Rs 34 crore and more than one lakh residents have paid their tax till date. To achieve the target of Rs 45 crore, the Municipal Corporation has to collect around Rs 11 crore more in the next 20 days. Despite the fact that most tax payers pay their tax in the last days of fiscal, the target amount still remains quite substantial. Pardeep Rajput, Superintendent, Amritsar Municipal Corporation , said, “Our teams are regularly visiting the defaulters and sealing the properties on nonpayment of tax. We urged the residents to pay property tax before March 31 to avoid penalty and interest on the tax amount.” The Amritsar Central Jail building. TRIBUNE PHOTO were identified as Rahul Mattu, Sawinder Singh, Sanyam alias Sanjam, Sandeep Singh, Pardeep Singh, Gurlal Singh, Sagar Kumar, Gursewak Singh, Dhruv Kumar, Sucha Singh, Vardan Masih and Jasmeet Singh. Meanwhile, the police also booked two prisoners for assaulting and scuffling with jail staff. Those booked included Lovepreet Singh and Navjot Singh. According to the police, the accused had stopped jail staff from discharging their duties by scuffling with them. Pensioners during a protest in Tarn Taran on Monday. GURBAXPURI Our Correspondent The multi-storey building of the DAC in Tarn Taran. PHOTO BY WRITER tive Officer of the local Operation Suburban Division, said though the district administration was a defaulter and a huge amount remained to be paid, the power supply cannot be disconnected. The XEN said that the district administration under the one time settlement scheme of the Powercom contacted the department to pay the defaulting amount and was exempted an amount of Rs 40 lakh but the rKemaining sum has not been paid, said XEN HS Sekhon. An official pointed out that the district administration always remains a defaulter for the Powercom as new bills are received to be paid even as old bills are settled. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Varinderpal Singh Bajwa, when contacted, expressed his ignorance over the issue and said that he would have to apprise himself of the development. There are many other departments that have defaulted on Powercom bills as the non-availability of funds makes timely payment tough. Tarn Taran, March 11 Members of the Government Pensioners’ Union, Tarn Taran, in its meeting organised at the local Gandhi Municipal Park here on Monday condemned the state government for not fulfilling the demands of the pensioners. Jaswinder Singh Manochahal, Surjit Singh Jhamka, Dr Ajmer Singh and Kulwant Singh Hellan, among others, addressed the gathering on the occasion. They stated that the state government Budget was against the aspirations of the employees and the pensioners. The leaders demanded the implementation of the report of the Sixth Pay Commission. They said the government should release the arrears of 66 months due to be given to the pensioners. They also wanted the restoration of the suspended allowances. The leaders warned the state government that in case their demands were not met, the pensioners must teach a good lesson to the government in the coming election. During their protest, the pensioners also burnt copies of the state government Budget. Church joins drive against drugs Relocate Kos Minars of Maharaja Ranjit Amritsar, March 11 A campaign against drug deaddiction by the Diocese of Amritsar (DoA), Church of North India (CNI), is set to gain momentum with the DOA all set to collaborate with the Punjab Government, the Health Department and the police to spread awareness against the drug menace. Stating that awareness about drug abuse was the first step towards de-addiction, Daniel B Das of the CNI said the diocese was already running awareness campaigns at different levels. “We aim to reach out to the maximum number of addicts for their benefit and that of the society they live in. This is why we desire collaboration with the Punjab Government, Health Department and police, besides kin of affected folks,” he said. Addressing the gathering, Singh’s era to proper place, say commuters Tribune News Service Office-bearers of the Diocese of Amritsar (DoA), Church of North India (CNI), in Amritsar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Anurag Paul, vice-president, AAP minority wing, who is also a social activist, said the youth should avoid the contraband. Bhikhiwind DSP Preetinder Singh said the police were doing their best to curtail drug circulation by taking preventive measures. “Besides enhancing patrolling of the areas that are most prone to drug trafficking, we are making a large number of seizures daily besides nabbing the peddlers and spreading awareness through various means about the drug menace among the victims of abuse,” he added. Sarwan Singh Dhun, MLA, said the state Punjab Government was taking all possible measures to curtail it. — TNS c m y b Amritsar, March 11 For those of us who have often wondered as to why two pillar-like structures stand in the middle of the GT Road near the exit gate of the local railway station, these are the Kos Minars constructed during the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the Ajnala-Gobindgarh road. These are the only Kos Minar’s from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s era which have withstood the test of time. And these too are standing in middle of one of the main arteries of the city. The former head of Sri Guru Ram Das School of Planning at A Kos Minar stands in the middle of the GT Road in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Guru Nanak Dev University said, “These minars should be relocated to a place where they do not pose any prob- lem to traffic. Besides, people need to be made aware of the importance and history of these minars.” Kos Minars alongside the major roads were first built during the period of Sher Shah Suri when he was constructing the ‘GT Road’ from Lahore to Delhi. While most believe that the present GT Road is the same which Sher Shah had built. The original road passed through Sarai Amanat Khan, Taran Taran, Ludhiana and then on to Delhi. The Kos Minars near Sarai Amanant Khan, Noordi and other places are the proof of the route of Sher Shah Suri’s road. Many of the Kos Minars on the road, which are much bigger in size, are still being preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. Commuters say that a huge rush of vehicles can be seen at the place. They say that the Kos Minars should be shifted to some suitable place so that space can be freed and vehicles can pass the space without any hurdle. Advocate Kuljeet Singh Malawali said, “Most of the residents are not aware of the history of these monuments. The administration must make efforts to preserve these. Looking at the present position of these minars, it is hard to believe that there used to a road which went towards Gobindgarh Fort.
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