07042024-ATR-01.qxd 4/7/2024 12:56 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune GULZAR, PROF YOGESH HONOURED WITH HONORIS CAUSA DEGREES Bollywood personality Gulzar & ex-PGIMER director Prof Yogesh Chawla were bestowed with honoris causa doctorate degrees.P2 » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 35°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 14°C PALAK SHAH’S EXHIBITION GOES BEYOND ICONIC GHATS & TEMPLES VIGIL AGAINST CROSS-BORDER ARMS, NARCOTICS SMUGGLING STEPPED UP The administration, police and BSF have joined hands to prevent smuggling of arms and narcotics near International Border.P3 SUNSET SUNDAY 6.54 PM If you are a backpacker, it might turn into a fulltime profession to document people & places, just like it happened to Palak Shah.P4 » SUNRISE MONDAY 6:09 AM » SUNDAY | 7 APRIL 2024 | AMRITSAR Man shot at, injured by 3 assailants Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 6 A Dasuwal village resident Manjinder Singh Mannu was shot at and injured by three bike-borne unidentified assailants on Thursday night when he was heading back home after closing his IELTS centre nearby Toot Village. The victim told the Valtoha police that he was going back home on his motorcycle when three bike-borne assailants, who came from the front, stopped him and fired three shots at him. He said the suspects fled from the spot when he raised an alarm. Manjinder was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Patti, where his condition was stated to be stable. Subinspector Sunita Rani, Station House Officer (SHO) Valtoha, said the exact cause behind the incident was yet to be ascertained as the victim said he had no rivalry with anyone. A case under Sections 307 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act had been registered in this connection, the SHO said. 4 robbers loot ~12L from ICICI Bank branch on Tarn Taran road Amritsar, April 6 Despite tall claims by of the Punjab Police to have beefed up security in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, robbers are looting residents in different parts of the holy city. On Saturday, four armed persons looted the ICICI Bank branch on the Tarn Taran road here. The suspects with covered faces decamped with Rs 12 lakh from the bank. While one of the suspects remained outside, three of them entered the bank and barged into cashier’s cabin. They pointed a pistol at the cashier, looted cash and fled from the spot. Senior police officials, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Investigations, Harpreet Singh, reached the spot and initiated probe. He scanned footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area and on the bank premises to find clues about the perpetrators of the crime who came on a scooter. In a major lapse on the part of the bank authorities, there was no security guard at the bank which made it an easy Cops investigate at the ICICI Bank in Amritsar on Saturday. target for robbers. “We have asked for a report from the bank regarding the security parameters it has and whether it follows instructions issued by the police from time to time,” the DCP said. As per information, the incident occurred around 2 pm. Lakhwinder Singh, a bank official, said three persons came inside bank. One of them was carrying a pistol. They entered the cashier’s cabin and looted cash. The DCP said a case had been registered and investigation was in progress. He said, “We have some clues after scanning footage of the CCTV cameras, but we cannot share it with the media at this point. The suspects will be arrested soon.” Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “The police have identified the suspects involved in the ICICI Bank dacoity and raids are on to nab them. We are not sharing the names of assailants as it will hamper the investigation. We are also looking into the money trail in the incident.” In the second incident, two women were robbed of their scooter, mobile phones and cash in the Kathunangal area here yesterday. Though the police have identified the suspects, they are yet to be arrested. Komalpreet Kaur, a resident of Dhade village in the Kathunangal area, said she along with her relative Komal were going to her parents’ home in Hasanpura village on scooter. She said when they reached near Bhelowal village T-point, two unidentified youth intercepted them. They hit their scooter following which the victims fell down. Komalpreet sustained injuries in the incident. She said the suspects first snatched their mobile phones and took away their scooter. They had their purses in storage compartment of the scooter which contained Rs 10,000 in cash. She said one of the suspects was carrying a pistol. The incident occurred yesterday around 11am. She said the suspects were identified as Jorawar Singh and Pragat Singh, both residents of Babowal village. The Kathunangal police have registered a case and launched further probe in this connection. — TNS Deadline to deposit licensed weapons extended by 9 days Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 6 The district administration has extended the deadline for depositing licensed weapons to April 14. Earlier, April 5 was the last date for depositing weapons. So far, only 60 per cent of weapons have been deposited at police stations and gun houses by license holders in the city and the rural areas of the district. As per information, there are 15,702 weapons against arms licences issued by the city police commissionerate out of which 9,266 have been deposited. The Amritsar (Rural) police have 28,026 weapons registered against licences issued by arms branch of the district police out of which 17,075 have been deposited. Deputy Commissionercum-District Electoral Offi- Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 6 A joint drive was conducted by all departments of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) in south zone of the city today. The drive was led by MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh in which officials and staff of the sanitation, civil, operation and maintenance (O&M) and streetlight wings and the Horticulture Department were present. All required equipment, including tippers, super-sucker, jetting and suction machines were deployed during the drive for removal MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh with staff during a drive in Amritsar. of construction and demolition debris and cleaning of sewer from Chattiwind Gate, Tarn Taran Road, Sultanwind Road and the adjoining areas falling under the south zone. Superintending Engineer Sandeep Singh, Executive Engineer Bhalinder Singh, SDO Karan Kumar, JEs and sanitation staff removed debris and garbage during the drive while safai karamcharis cleaned roads. Health officer Dr Yogesh Arora, chief sanitary inspector Ranjit Singh, JP Babbar and others were present during the drive. Horticulture staff removed wild grass from central verge of main roads. Streetlight wing staff repaired dysfunctional streetlights on main roads and in bazars and streets of the south zone. MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh said joint operations had been planned by all departments of the civic body to provide amenities to residents and give a facelift to the holy city. He said similar drives would be conducted on regular basis in other zones of the city. He said residents could give suggestions for improvements in the drive. He appealed to residents to segregate wet and dry waste. He said garbage should never be thrown on streets and roads. — TNS ❞ Ghanshyam Thori, DEPUTY COMMISSIONERCUM-DISTRICT ELECTORAL OFFICER cer, Ghanshyam Thori said the date for depositing weapons had been extended by nine days. “Also certain categories like petrol pump security and jewellers’ shop guards would be exempted from depositing weapons after screening. The persons with threat perceptions will also be excused from doing so,” said Thori. Amritsar, April 6 BJP candidate from Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency was shown black by activists of farmer unions during his roadshow that passed through Thotha village near Ajnala here on Saturday. Activists raised slogans against the BJP while accusing the party of murdering farmers. They said hundreds of farmers had died during the agitation on the Delhi borders, but the government failed to fulfil promises made by it. The event in Ajnala was organised by former MLA and BJP leader Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala. Bonny ❝Hundreds of farmers have died during the agitation on the Delhi borders, but the government has failed to fulfil promises made by it. Activists of farmer unions ❞ had earlier shifted his allegiance from the SAD to the BJP. Ajnala is also the constituency of Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections, against Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Earlier on Thursday, BJP candidate from Faridkot, singer Hans Raj Hans, had Lack of proper firefighting facilities in Police crack whip on drug peddlers, rural areas of district a cause of concern bootleggers, model code violators faced the ire of farmers during a road show organised by him. Many farmer unions have asked their supporters to not allow BJP leaders campaign in their villages. The activists said BJP leaders did not support them against the government when they held an agitation in Delhi or more recently when the Haryana Government used heavy force on farmers moving towards the National Capital. “They did not care for us. So, we do not want them now,” said a farmer. The BJP candidates would certainly be facing more resistance in the coming days when election campaign picks up pace. Agri experts issue advisory to protect wheat fields from fire Tribune News Service PK Jaiswar FIRE SAFETY Tribune News Service PART - III Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 6 During the peak harvesting season, the rural areas see a surge in farm fire incidents. Crops like paddy and wheat are vulnerable to blaze. Due to lack of proper infrastructure in peripheral towns, fire stations in Amritsar got overburdened. The peripheral towns and sub divisions of the district have been without firefighting facility for long. There are 10 peripheral towns including Beas, Rayya, Baba Bakala, Jandiala, Kathunangal, Majitha, Rajasansi, Lopoke Chugawan, Ajnala and Attari near the city in the district. There is no firefighting facility in these towns except in Jandiala and Majitha. The government provided two fire tenders for each of the two towns last year. During paddy and wheat harvesting seasons, the Fire Department of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation gets maximum calls of fire incidents from the rural areas. As fire spreads rapidly in fields, it is always a chal- The Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency having 11 Assembly constituencies – five in the city and six in the rural belt – has 528 critical polling stations and over 600 designated as vulnerable by the district administration. The District Electoral Officer has asked the Police Department to keep a vigil on the sensitive locations where polling stations are located. The police have busted a number of terror and narcoterror modules and arms smuggling rackets in the border district recently. The security and intelligence agencies are also keeping a close watch on developments in the city. Thori said if arms licence holders, who were not exempted by the screening committee, failed to deposit their weapons, stern action would be taken against them. BJP candidate faces wrath of farmers at village near Ajnala Manmeet Singh Gill MC removes construction debris, cleans sewers in south zone ❝ Certain categories like petrol pump security and jewellers' shop guards would be exempted from depositing weapons after screening. The persons with threat perceptions will also be excused from doing so. A multi-storey building at Ranjit Avenue caught fire due to short circuit in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO lenge for firefighters to reach the spot and douse flames in the rural areas. The divisional headquarter of the Fire Department in the city attends around 700 fire calls in a year. According to department officials, the number of fire calls from the peripheral towns and the rural areas have increased. With the four functional fire stations in the city, firefighters have to attend fire calls from as far as 70 km from the city. There is no firefighting facility even Tarn Taran district. Apart from the district, the staff in Amritsar also attends fire calls from Taran Tarn, Khadoor Sahib, Khemkaran, Jhabbal and Mehta. The teams from Amritsar visit Khemkaran (65 km) and Sri Hargobindpur (70 km) to tackle fire incidents. “Each town in the district must have fire tenders. When our fire tenders and vehicles go out from the city we face inconvenience while attending calls from residents in the city,” said a fire officer. Rural panchayats and gurdwara committees have made firefighting “jugaads” to control the blaze fire. They fit an engine with a water tanker, which pumps out water with pressure to douse flames. However, fire officials claimed that these ‘jugaads’ cannot be an alternative of fire tenders, but are good stop gap arrangement. Firefighters should be trained to avoid getting injured while doing their job, they said. c m y b Amritsar, April 6 The Punjab Police have initiated a drive against drug peddlers, bootleggers and violators of the model code of conduct following the announcement of General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha on March 16 that would be held by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Since the imposition of the model code of conduct, the police have seized huge cache of contraband, besides other narcotic substances and a large quantity of illicit liquor in the city as well as in the rural belt of the border district. In order to ensure maintenance of law and order situation across the Amritsar parliamentary constituency spread over 11 Assembly constituencies, the police have arrested 157 persons under various offences punishable under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the Excise Act and the Arms Act. The city police commissionerate and the rural police have confiscated over 10.7 kg of heroin, 207 gm of opium, 54 kg of poppy husk along with 2,920 litres of illicit liquor and 173 quintal of Personnel of paramilitary forces and the Punjab Police hold a flag march in the Hall Gate area of Amritsar. FILE PHOTO lahan, besides 10 pistols/revolvers along with 28 bullets and magazines. A total of 20 inter-district nakas along with eight as second line of defence near the international border have been set up to check smuggling of arms, narcotics, liquor or unaccounted cash in view of the upcoming elections. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said cops were keeping a close watch across the city limits and the police stations for ensuring proper implementation of the model code of conduct and nailing unscrupulous elements. He said 15 inter-district nakas had been set up at various chowks and vital locations where cops along with paramilitary personnel had been deployed. Vehicles fitted with CCTV cameras were patrolling the city to check illegal activities, he said. Satinder Singh, SSP , Amritsar (Rural), said in order to ensure implementation of the poll code in letter and spirit regular coordination meetings were being held with the district administration and police officials at various levels. Special control rooms had been set up and social media groups created to share information about violations, he said. Amritsar, April 6 In an advisory for wheat growers to protect the standing crop from fires, the Agriculture Department has asked them to ensure that no fire is lit near fields. The department has asked farmers to ensure that no person smokes a bidi or a cigarette while they are in fields as a single spark was sufficient to spread fire in dry wheat fields. Agriculture experts said, “It has come to light that sparks produced by agricultural machinery can also cause a fire. As such all efforts must be made to reduce friction in grinding parts of agricultural machinery to prevent fire.” Experts said, “Applying grease on such parts of the machinery could be of help.” The department has also advised farmers to switch off electricity transformers in agriculture fields as any short circuit could also cause fire. They said farmers had comparatively no need for irrigating their fields and as such transformers supplying power to tube wells could be switched off.
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