22042024-ATR-01.qxd 4/21/2024 11:56 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY ACTOR RAJKUMMAR RAO ON HIS ROLE IN SRIKANTH CELEBS TALK ABOUT BETTER FUTURE OF THE BLUE PLANET FORMER SPICE GIRL VICTORIA CELEBRATES 50TH BIRTHDAY In the upcoming film, he plays the role of visually impaired industrialist named Srikanth Bolla. P4 From avoiding plastic to conserving water, reducing waste and recycling is their mantra. P4 Victoria Beckham, fashion designer and former Spice Girl, marked her 50th birthday in grand style. P4 » » MAX 34°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.04 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.52 AM » MONDAY | 22 APRIL 2024 | AMRITSAR 2 teenage girls abducted in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Commission agent receives extortion call from Pak-based terrorist Rinda PK Jaiswar Tarn Taran, April 21 Two teenage girls were reported to be abducted from their respective villages and the police of the villages have registered cases under relevant sections. The police said here on Sunday that Gurpreet Singh, alias Kauda, a resident of Baler village, abducted a girl, who is a Class IX student of Government Adarsh School at Baler. The victim’s father in his statement to the police stated that the family went to bed on April 7 and found the girl missing the next morning. The family visited their continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 A commission agent and gas agency owner in Amritsar rural police district has got an extortion call from a gangsterturned-pro Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, who is on the most wanted list in the country. The victim, in his complaint to the police, alleged that the accused demanded Rs 5 crore as extortion money while threatening to eliminate his family if he did not cough up the amount. Rinda, an A+ listed gangster, drug and arms smuggler based in Pakistan, has been carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for any information about him. He was allegedly the mastermind in the RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) attack on Punjab Police intelligence Headquarters at Mohali in May 2022. The victim in his complaint to the police alleged that he got a WhatsApp call from a virtual number four days ago. The caller identified himself as gangster Rinda and demand Rs 5 crore in extortion money. Scared, he immediately disconnected the phone. He said that he again got calls but did not attend to them. Later, he got a voice message threatening to kill him and his entire family. Initially, the victim was frightened and hesitated to register an FIR. However, he later approached the police which have registered a case in this regard and launched further probe. SSP Amritsar rural, Satin, der Singh said that they were verifying the details and nothing can be said at the moment. Further probe was in progress, he added. Civic issues in rural areas remain unresolved Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 When it comes to solving sanitation problems and ensuring development in rural areas or periphery towns, hardly any political party takes the problems seriously let alone solving them. Even political leaders never visit rural areas and people to get to know of their predicament. Most of the link roads in Amritsar district are in a pathetic condition. Residents of border villages and small towns claim that the previous Congress government and now the AAP government has ignored Amritsar areas as they have set the focus on the Malwa region. A number of roads, re-laid during the SAD-BJP regime, are now in urgent need of repairs. The road projects approved during the Congress A road stretch in a pathetic condition at Majitha near Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR regime are yet to complete. PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO had announced to re-carpet some link roads a few months ago but projects are yet to take off. A number of roads are in a pathetic condition in the Majitha Assembly constituency. The re-carpeting of the main road is still incomplete. The road outside the residence of AAP leader and constituency in charge Lally Majithia has been incomplete for the last two years. Commuters face inconvenience as stones strewn on the road prove a hurdle in the smooth movement of vehicles. Sanitation is another major issue plaguing residents of various towns. There is no proper lifting of garbage by local councils. “Politicians never tire of making tall claims of development but the parties they are affiliated to are no more in power. Most villages and towns are deprived of basic amenities. Rural roads are rife with potholes with commuters experiencing a bumpy ride. The PWD and Mandi Board do not have funds to carry out a patchwork,” said Ravinder Singh, a resident of Majitha. “The Akali government had re-carpeted the roads. After that the Capt (Amarinder) government ignored civic issues and now the AAP regime is ignoring border areas. The MLAs are unable to arrange funds for development. There is no infrastructure for solid waste management in small towns and villages,” said Gurpreet, another resident. SAD, Cong slow off the block as AAP, BJP list their candidates Farmers in Chabal area of Tarn Taran oppose BJP candidate from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency Manjit Singh Manna. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, April 21 Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency, predominantly a rural belt, is yet to gain momentum though the top two of the four political parties in the state have declared their candidates. It is the only Lok Sabha seat which is spread over all three regions of the state— Majha, Malwa and Doaba. It is the ruling AAP that declared its candidate first from the constituency, in Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, followed by the BJP’s Manjit Singh Manna alias Mianwind. Manjit Singh Manna who switched over from the Akali Dal to BJP is , three-time SAD MLA. He represented Khadoor Sahib Vidhan Sabha seat twice, in 2002 and 2007, and won once from Baba Bakala, in 2012. The Congress party and the SAD are yet to declare their candidates. The CPI is all set to declare Gurdial Singh Khadoor Sahib as its candidate from here while Harpal Singh Baler has been nominated as its candidate by SAD (Amritsar). Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and certain other political parties too are thinking seriously of fielding their candidates from here too. From the point of view of campaigning for elections, it is the AAP which was at the top till date as its candidate Laljit Singh Bhullar was in the first list of party candidates and has covered all nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies by holding workers’ meetings. The party has seven of its nine MLAs falling under the jurisdiction of the parliamentary constituency. The remaining two Vidhan Sabha seats are Kapurthala and its neighbouring Sultanpur Lodhi. Rana Gurjit Singh is the Congress MLA from Kapurthala and it is his son Rana Inder Partap Singh who is an Independent MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi. The AAP also has more manpower to boost its election campaign. The Congress and SAD are the major political parties which have neither declared their candidates from here nor have started their election campaign though these have sufficient party cadre at the grassroots level in the area. The Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency has 57 per cent of its population from a rural background and the remaining 43 per cent have an urban base. BJP candidate Manjit Singh Manna whose candidature was declared just 10 days back is facing resentment by the agitating farmers. He could not come to pacify the farmers logically. These days, campaigning for poll is yet to gain momentum from Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency. c m y b In 2022, there were unconfirmed reports that Rinda had died due to drug overdose in Pakistan. He hailed from Nanded in Maharashtra and took over the reins of Babbar Khalsa International outfit in Pakistan after the killing of Harpreet Singh alias Happy PhD. He had migrated to Nanded from Sarhali village in Tarn Taran district many years ago and was wanted in many cases by the police forces of Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Haryana, West Bengal etc including those of large-scale cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons. NIA has classified him as a major threat to national security. Youth ends life after girlfriend refuses to marry Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 A Dubai-returned youth, Gurpreet Singh, committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling in a hotel room here recently. He was upset after his alleged girlfriend refused to marry him. The police registered a case in this regard on Saturday after the victim’s sister lodged a complaint against the suspect. The accused, identified as Diksha of Jagdambay Colony, who is reportedly a lawyer, has been booked by the Civil Lines police on the charge of abetment to suicide after his sister lodged a complaint with the police. continued on page 2 Wheat arrival picks up pace in district 7,417 MT arrives in grain markets in 24 hours Amritsar, April 21 Wheat arrival at the grain markets in the district is increasing with each passing day as harvesting is picking up pace. Officials of the district Mandi Board reported arrival of 7,417 MT wheat on Sunday. With this, a total of 15,544 MT of crop has arrived in the district markets so far. District officials stated that 60 per cent (9,145 MT) of the total produce which has arrived in the markets has been procured. Of the total, the government procurement agencies has procured 8,431 MT while the share of private players is merely 714 MT. Of the government procurement agencies, Markfed has so far purchased a maximum of 3,462 MT, followed by Pungrain 2,360 MT, Punjab Warehousing Corporation 1,329 MT and Punsup 1280 MT. Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Government procurement agency, has so far made no procurement in the district. Wheat crop was sown on 1.88 Labourers fill sacks with wheat grain at the Bhagtanwala market in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR lakh hectares in the district and arrival of 7.5 lakh metric tonnes of produce is expected to reach the markets by the end of the season. As harvesting has picked up pace, the district administration has also asked the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation and procurement agencies to ensure timely lifting of the produce from the mandis. The Mandi Board officials stated that harvesting would reach its peak by the end of this week. They stated that efforts were being made to ensure timely procurement of the produce immediately after reaching the market. The district administration has appealed to the farmers to ensure that the crop is fully ripened before it is harvested. The officials stated that the farmers are also being exhorted to use eco-friendly means for the management of crop stubble. — TNS Three arrested with 1-kg heroin Amritsar, April 21 The Jandiala police have arrested three persons and recovered 1kg heroin from their possession here on Saturday. Those held were identified as Jagjit Singh of Raipur Kalan village, Akash of the old vegetable market and Sandeep Singh of Talwandi Nahar. SSP Amritsar (Rural), , Satinder Singh said a police party headed by SI Sukhdev Singh was on patrol in Sheikhupura Mohalla when they intercepted a Verna car with Delhi registration number (DL-4C-AQ-9631). On seeing the police party, the accused tried to run away by taking a U-turn but they were nabbed by the police. During their search, the police seized 400 gm of heroin from Jagjit Singh while Akash and Sandeep were having 300 gm each of the contraband. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against them. — TNS
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