24032024-JTR-01.qxd 3/24/2024 12:53 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune 54.2 TONNES OF LAHAN DESTROYED IN CHHANNI, BELI BORDER VILLAGES A joint operation was launched by officials of Himachal and Punjab in Chhanni and Beli villages on the border. P2 » SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY CAN ASSIST IN CROP MONITORING: EXPERTS Satellite technology can be beneficial for farming as it allows precise monitoring of crops leading to improved yield. P3 » AFTER PERSONAL TURMOIL, SHAKIRA PUNCHES BACK WITH NEW ALBUM Colombian singer Shakira has released her long-awaited new album called Women Don't Cry Anymore. P4 » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 16°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.42 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:24 AM SUNDAY | 24 MARCH 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF 1 ARRESTED FOR THEFT AT HOSPITAL Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Phagwara Senior Medical Officer Dr Lehimber Ram, the police have arrested one person under Section 380 of the IPC on the charge of stealing valuables from a hospital. The arrested suspect was identified as Punit Kumar, a resident of Kherra Chowk. He was caught red-handed by hospital staff while stealing valuables and handed over to the police. OC MAN HELD WITH 5 GM OF HEROIN Phagwara: The police arrested a drug peddler and recovered 5 gram of heroin from his possession on Friday night. The arrested suspect was identified as Pawan Kumar, a resident of Chhajj Colony. He was nabbed at a check point. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against him. OC GOODS STOLEN FROM FACTORY Phagwara: A Gun Metal Factory on Palahai Road was burgled on Friday night. Thieves entered the factory after demolishing its wall and decamped with goods worth thousands of rupees. A case was registered by the police in this connection. OC Students march to Bhagat Singh’s home; demand protection of martyrs’ legacies Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 23 In an election year, the fervour of the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh and his associates was missing at his ancestral village due to recent political upheavals in the state. Hundreds of students under the banner of the Punjab Students Union (PSU) organised a conference today and later marched to Bhagat Singh’s residence at Khatkar Kalan village to demand protection of martyrs’ legacies and sites associated with them. On the occasion, PSU state president Ranveer Singh Kurd and general secretary Amandeep Singh Khiowali said the governments were leaving historical legacies associated with the state’s martyrs unattended. The union leaders demanded that sites associated with martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Madan Lal Dhingra, Guru Gobind Singh and Dewan Todar Mal in Fer- Punjab Students Union members at the ancestral home of Bhagat Singh in Khatkar Kalan village. ozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ropar and Sirhind be protected and restored. The sites which leaders referred to included the secret abode and hide out of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his companions in Ferozepur; houses of Shaheed Sukhdev and Madan Lal Dhingra in Ludhiana and Amritsar, respectively; the historical ONE HELD FOR SNATCHING PHONE Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Shreya Pandey, a Lovely Professional University student, the police arrested a person under Section 379 of the IPC and recovered her snatched mobile phone on Friday night. The arrested suspect was identified as Vikki Pancholi, a resident of Gobindpura. The suspect was nabbed at a check point while he was driving his car bearing registration number DL-10-CB0962. The police impounded his car and handed over the snatched mobile phone to the victim. OC MAN ACQUITTED OF RAPE CHARGE Phagwara: Jalandhar Additional District and Sessions Judge Sarabjit Singh Dhaliwal has acquitted a Shahkot village resident of the charge of raping a minor girl. The court said the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against Sukhwinder Singh, alias Chhinda, a resident of Sohal Jagir village. The police had registered a case against Chhinda on April 10, 2022. OC TWO PROCLAIMED OFFENDERS HELD Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a proclaimed offender (PO) absconding since last year. Investigating officer (IO) Balwinder Singh said the PO was identified as Sukhpreet Singh, alias Sukh, a resident of Nihaluwal village. He was wanted in an attempt to murder case. The Shahkot police arrested PO Amrik Singh, alias Roki, a resident of Nihaluwal village, said IO Buta Ram. OC state leaders Amar Nath and Baljit Singh Dharamkot said dozens of writers, intellectuals, journalists and political prisoners, who had completed their sentences, were languishing in jails for no reason and should be released immediately. They said due to the New Education Policy, many schools and colleges would be closed. They said this would 21 cyclists pay tribute to martyr at Khatkar Kalan Agent booked for duping woman of ~4.5L on pretext of arranging visa WOMAN LIQUOR SMUGGLER HELD Phagwara: The police arrested a woman and recovered two boxes of illicit liquor from her possession on Friday night. The suspect was identified as Rekha, a resident of Chhajj Colony. She was nabbed at a check point, the police said. A case under the Punjab Excise Act was registered against the suspect. OC fort of Kotla Nihang associated with Guru Gobind Singh and the haveli of Dewan Todar Mall in Sirhind. The leaders said the sites were in a pathetic condition and needed restoration. They said historical buildings were source of inspiration for youth and the need of the hour was to protect them. Speaking on the occasion, deprive poor students from education and private institutions would loot people. They said education should be included in the state list of the constitution. The state government should prepare its own education policy. Students took an oath at Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s house to guard his ideology and that of his companions. PSU state leaders Dheeraj Kumar, Ravi Dhillwan, Mangaljit Pandori and DMF leader Germanjit Singh were among others who addressed the gathering. Sans the grand and high pitched political rhetoric of the previous years, politicians visit at Khatkar Kalan village remained a low-key affair today amidst the implementation of the Poll Code of Conduct and recent arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. A programme organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal in the presence of its chief Sukhbir Badal was more of a seminar than a political event. Tribune News Service The chaff-laden tractor-trailer that overturned killing the driver on the spot near Garhshankar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO One killed, another seriously injured as tractor-trailer overturns Our Correspondent Garhshankar, March 23 In an accident near Adda Satnaur on the local ChandigarhHoshiarpur road, a driver was killed when the hook of his tractor-trailer laden with chaff broke, while another person accompanying him on the vehicle was seriously injured. According to information, Gurpreet Singh (35), son of Harnek Singh, a resident of Muktsar, along with his friend Gurusevak Singh, son of Mandar Singh, also a resident of Muktsar, was going to a paper mill in Saila Khurd village with chaff on his tractor-trailer. When he reached near Satnaur village, the hook of the tractortrailer broke due to which the vehicle went out of control and overturned on the roadside. The accident was so horrific that the tractor was run over by the trailer and got stuck under it. Gurpreet died on the spot while Gurusevak was seriously injured. The injured was taken to the local Civil Hospital from where he was referred to a specialty hospital. After receiving information about the accident, ASI Lakhbir Singh reached the spot and started investigation. Jalandhar, March 23 In yet another case of fraud, the police have taken legal action against Sidharth Kataria, a local travel agent, whose office is located at Vasal Tower, near bus stand. Kataria stands accused of defrauding a city resident Priyanka of Rs 4.5 lakh under the guise of facilitating her visa application for Canada. The Navi Baradari police station registered a case against Kataria under relevant sections of the IPC and the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act, based on Priyanka’s complaint. Priyanka filed a complaint in 2021giving details of her coming into contact with Kataria regarding making arrangements for her travel to Canada, during which he solicited Rs 4.5 lakh from her. Despite receiving the payment, Kataria failed to deliver the promised visa or refund the money. Kataria operates a travel agency named Global Innovative Immigration and Placement, and is already in jail due to a fraud case registered against him last year. The recent FIR against him follows a thorough investigation by the police, confirming the validity of Priyanka’s allegations. Officials at the Navi Baradari police station said three FIRs had been registered against Kataria in the past month alone, including one by Priyanka. Additionally, numerous complaints had been received against his firm in the past, highlighting a pattern of fraudulent activity targeting residents from Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur with promises of immigration to Canada and Portugal. “Further investigation in these cases is underway. We are also verifying other complaints pending against him,” the police said. Yuvsatta members pay tributes to Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan village on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 23 On the occasion of the martyrdom day of Shaheed-EAzam Bhagat Singh today, a group of 21 cyclists halted their journey at Khatkar Kalan village to honour the revolutionary icon. Led by Pramod Sharma, founder of Yuvsatta, and Brig (retd) Ravi Muniswamy, the cyclists embarked on their “Pedal 4 Peace” bicycle yatra from Chandigarh, flagged off by senior peace activist Avtar Singh Paul. Thief makes away with gold jewellery, ~50K Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 23 Sandeep, alias comedian Pateela Ji, who is known for his funny reels on Instagram, and resides at New Geeta Colony in Bhargava Camp here, fell victim to a theft on Saturday. The perpetrator, who broke into his house, made off with gold jewellery and Rs 50,000 in cash. Upon receiving the information, officials from the Bhargava Camp police station initiated an investigation into the matter. A CCTV footage captured a video of a youth involved in the theft. Sandeep disclosed that they were not at home, and upon their return on Saturday, his son noticed a broken lock and a screwdriver in the room, sparking suspicion. Subsequently, the family reviewed the CCTV footage, confirming the burglary. The stolen items included gold jewellery and Rs 50,000 in cash. Assistant Sub-Inspector Balvinder Singh confirmed that Sandeep’s statement had been recorded. The perpetrator, a lone individual wearing a cap, breached the premises as observed in the CCTV camera footage, by scaling the perimeter wall. He said an investigation into the case was underway. Commencing with an interfaith harmony prayer led by religious leaders, including Maulana Mohammad Imran, Pandit Harish Sharma, and Col Jagtar Singh Multani, the initiative aims to foster peace and unity in South Asia. Despite initial plans to pedal to Bhagat Singh’s birthplace in Pakistan, visa constraints restricted their journey till Wagah Border, Amritsar. Their itinerary for the bicycle yatra included public meetings in various cities, paying homage at Khatkar Kalan and distributing material. Dasuya youth dies by suicide in Armenia Hoshiarpur: A Dasuya resident Mangat Ram (22) ended his life by hanging himself in Armenia on Friday. He had gone to Armenia in search of employment on February 13. Deceased’s sister said Armenia police informed the family today morning that Mangat had died by suicide. He was only son of the family. — OC Farmers drill deeper to install borewells as floods contaminate groundwater in Doaba Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 23 “How much deeper can we dig for groundwater. We fear, one day, we will find nothing. The rate at which we are going, this isn’t impossible,” says Nasirpur (Shahkot)based Nairvair Singh. The Doaba region has already been flagged for concerns regarding groundwater depletion and contamination as well as being declared a dark zone due to incessant water use. Repeated floods, which have ravaged the region, aggravated underground water crisis in the region. Across the Shahkot, Sultanpur Lodhi and Gidderpindi areas, farmers are dig- As flood water started receding villagers returned to their homes at Gidarpindi village of Shahkot in Jalandhar. FILE PHOTO ging deeper to install borewell in their fields and homes. Their previous borewells got contaminated after polluted water entered their fields. Besides underground water was also contaminated by recent floods. The minimum depth at which a farmer can find fresh water has increased from whopping 450 feet to 500 feet in the area. From the year 2000 to 2019, anyone installing a borewell would dig upto a c m y b minimum of 100 to 150 feet. After the 2019 floods in the Sutlej River, farmers across the Lohian, Shahkot and Gidderpindi areas had dug deeper to install borewells as industrial effluents laced with flood water contaminated the groundwater. In 2023, they had to dig even deeper for borewells. Shahkot and Lohian situated on banks of the Sutlej are the worst hit areas compared to Sul- tanpur Lodhi which is situated on the banks of the Beas River. Nirvair Singh says, “The Sutlej waters bring worst kind of effluents along with the Chitti Bein and the waste from Buddha Nullah. After floods, water from these sources contaminated our fields, homes and groundwater. Farmers are now digging from 450 to 500 feet for installing a new borewell. Earlier, fresh water was found at 100 to 130 feet. Each year, floods have led to more water contamination. We had installed a borewell in 2019. Now, it gives dirty water for five to seven minutes before clear water comes out. The cost of installing a new borewell is at least Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Not every farmer can afford it.” Salwinder Singh, a farm leader from the Jania village in Shahkot said, “The floods in 2023 brought much more sludge and dirt. We got one new borewell installed after the floods which too has gone bad and is gives dirty water. Now, we may have to install a new borewell. The water up to several layers is sludge ridden. That is unfit for both drinking and irrigation. Borewells are drilled from 400 to 500 feet into the earth to get fresh water.” He said, “I have just come back from home of another villager who is installin a new borewell as fresh water level has gone down considerably after floods.”
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