17082024-JTR-01.qxd 8/16/2024 11:11 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune SPECIAL SANITATION DRIVE IN PHAGWARA FROM AUG 19-23 PROTEST TO SHIFT HADDA RORI ON IN MALERKOTLA INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST BEGINS IN SHIMLA The govt is set to launch a state-level special sanitation drive across cities from August 19 to 23. P2 Residents of two localities in Malerkotla protested as the MC had failed to remove hadda rorifrom the area. P3 The three-day event is showcasing no less than 105 films from 27 countries. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.11 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.57 AM SATURDAY | 17 AUGUST 2024 | JALANDHAR Excise inspector held for taking ~10,000 bribe phagwara, August 16 The Vigilance Bureau has registered a case of corruption against two officials of the Excise and Taxation Department, Punjab, posted at Kapurthala. These officials have been named as Inspector Jatinder Pal Singh and Sanjiv Malhotra, a clerk in the department, for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. The two were reportedly demanding Rs 20,000 more. Inspector Jatinderpal Singh has been arrested in the case. A case has been registered on the basis of a complaint by Neeraj Sharma, a resident of Mohalla Kiampura, Kapurthala city, on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line. The complainant stated that he has an electronic goods shop at Kiampura and had sold a cooler in March. The accused had intervened to settle a dispute with the customer. He alleged that both the accused had asked him on his mobile phone to come with his accountant to the office where they demanded a bribe of Rs 45,000 to settle irregularities in the said bill. Sanjiv had taken Rs 10,000 as the first installment the next day and was now demanding Rs 20,000, the balance sum of bribe money. The complainant submitted the call recording to the VB. — OC OPD services hit; Civil Hospital staff share security concerns KOLKATA BRUTALITY Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 16 In the backdrop of the gruesome rape and murder of a resident doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, OPD services at all public health care centres remained suspended today in response to call by the PCMS association, demanding justice for the victim. Emergency & medico-legal services, however, continued to remain functional. Patients were seen waiting for the doctors to come to the OPDs. An elderly was seen lying on a chair. "I am waiting for the doctor. I want earlier admitted here, have come here to get medicine," she said. In line with its zero-tolerance stance towards violence against healthcare professionals and its steadfast commitment towards ensuring their safety, PCMSA strongly urged the government to walk the talk on the issue by ensuring a safe, secure and conducive environment, effec- Doctors stage a dharna at the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH HOSHAIRPUR DOCTORS SEEK JUSTICE SEEK FAIR PROBE Hoshiarpur: To protest the murder of a female doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, OPD services and elective surgeries at CHCs, PHCs, sub-divisional and district hospitals across the district were closed at Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur. Dr tively aimed at providing seamless healthcare delivery services to the people of the state. “It is an everyday struggle for us as women. Many times drunk relatives of Manmohan Singh, Chief Advisor, PCMSA, Hoshiarpur, demanded a fair probe into the case and strict action against the culprits. PCMSA president Dr Kartar Singh said if such incidents were not stopped from the front, then doctors will have to intensify their action. — OC the patients try to get too close whenever we are on duty at night,” said a medical staff from Civil Hospital, Jalandhar. A doctor shared that it was common for her to deal with an uncomfortable gaze whenever she was on night duty. “Whenever we feel that something might go wrong, we immediately call the security guard,” she added. The horrific rape and murder incident in Kolkata Hospital has shaken everyone and scared them.. The Tribune talked to women medical staff who were on duty at the Civil Hospital and everyone of them said that they were scared. Another medical staff member who was performing her duty at a ward expressed her feelings, “We live in an environment of fear. Kolkata-like incidents can happen anywhere.” As per the information, three ASIs by the Punjab Police remain on duty at night, while earlier there were around seven of them. Dr Geeta, Medical Superintendent, (MS) said, “I have always asked my staff to inform immediately if they feel any discomfort and I will get the FIR lodged. There are CCTV cameras, but we will increase the number of the cameras now. Also, we have put up the request to increase the number of security guards by the Punjab Police.” The MS further added, “This incident has scared them, but I want to assure them that their security is our foremost responsibility.” Cops nab 4 members of Bhagwanpuria gang Chandigarh/Jalandhar, August 16 Amidst the ongoing drive against organised crime as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jalandhar rural police arrested four members of the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang after a hot chase on the Jalandhar-Batala highway and recovered a huge cache of arms and vehicles, exposing an international network supplying illegal weapons to Punjab, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday. Those arrested have been identified as Asrat Kanth alias Sabi, Kamalpreet Singh alias Komal Bajwa, Pardeep Kumar alias Gora, and Gurmeet Raj alias Juneja. Police teams have recovered four weapons including a China-made 7.65 mm Glock, two .30 bore pistols and a revolver along with four live cartridges and three magazines, besides impounding two vehicles— Mahindra XUV (PB-09-3039) and Brezza (PB-09-EP-7100) used in commission of crime. DGP Gaurav Yadav said during questioning, the gang leader, Asrat Kanth alias Sabi, confessed that seized weapons were supplied by Movement needed to save Punjab's water: CM’s I-Day message HONOURS 15 EMINENT PERSONALITIES Aparna Banerji Tribne news Service Bodies of two missing persons found in rivulet ■ Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann conferred state awards to 15 eminent personalities for their outstanding contribution in various fields besides bestowing Chief Minister’s Rakshak Padak on three police officers/officials, Chief Minister’s Medal for Outstanding Duty to 18 cops and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Punjab State Annual Environment Award to two ■ These awardees included social activists, artistes, litterateurs, poets, environmentalists and government officials besides a student, who have made outstanding contribution in their respective fields CM Bhagwant Singh Mann inspects the Independence Day parade at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH the Tricolour at the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar. State DGP Gaurav Yadav was also present on the occasion. CM Mann said, "It has lives. We also bore the pain of the bloody episode of partition in which 10 lakh lives were lost. Freedom came at a very heavy price but the contributions made by Punjabis despite these wounds, remains unprecedented." The CM said while the state remained at the forefront in addressing India's food needs, making India food surplus through the Green Migrant labourer’s daughter scales Mt Kilimanjaro My parents borrowed rifle for Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi HOSHIARPUR TRAGEDY Hoshiarpur, August 16 A search-and-rescue operation that was going on for four days ended after the bodies of two persons missing in the flood accident in Jejon Choe of Hoshiarpur were found. Both the bodies were handed over to the family members after the post-mortem. DC Komal Mittal said on August 11, an Innova car was swept away due to strong currents in Jejon Choe. There were a total of 12 people in the car, of which one was rescued while the remaining 11 were swept away in the waters. The bodies of nine people were found the same day. Two people were missing since the accident. To find them, a largescale rescue operation was conducted in collaboration with SDRF and local residents. The bodies of the two missing persons were found from Baddowal Khad on Wednesday evening. — OC been 78 years since the country's Independence and freedom has special meaning for Punjabis. Eighty per cent sacrifices for freedom were made by Punjabis. Be it the Kuka Lehar, Ghadar Movement, Komagatamaru incident, Babbar Akali Movement or other movements, Punjabis were at the forefront. Baba Ram Singh, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Diwan Singh Kalepani and many others sacrificed their Aman alias Anda, a key figure in the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, currently based in Germany. The arms were funnelled through Sanju alias Sahil Kumar, a Batala resident who is currently incarcerated, he added. The DGP said that the arrested individuals are linked to multiple criminal cases, including attempted murder, illegal arms possession and gang-related violence across various districts in Punjab. SSP Jalandhar rural, Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said police teams laid a naka near Lahdra village. They managed to stop Brezza car, and immediately arrested Sabi and Komal Bajwa. The police team was led by in-charge CIA staff Jalandhar Rural and SHO, Bhogpur, Sikander Singh who laid the naka. However, persons in the XUV managed to escape, leading to a chase that ended near Jinda Road in Maqsudan, where Gora and Juneja were apprehended, he added. A fifth suspect, Sajandeep alias Loda, remains at large. — TNS Priyanka Dass with the Tricolour at Mt Kilimanjaro. TRIBUNE PHOTO Garhshankar, August 16 Priyanka Dass, daughter of a migrant labourer living in Moranwali village, etched her name in history books by scaling Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. She received help from Shaheed-a-Azam Bhagat Singh Football Club, Garhshankar, and financial assistance from the kin of a retired Armyman at whose residence she used to work as a help. Advocate Jasvir Singh Rai, president, Shaheed-aAzam Bhagat Singh Football Club, Garhshankar, told The Tribune, “Priyanka passed her graduation recently. During her studies, she had attempted to get recruited in the police but could not succeed. She then joined the NCC in college and learnt mountaineering. Army’s retired Subedar Kewal Singh Bhajjal of Garhshankar and retired Subedar Lakhwinder GOT ASSISTANCE FROM FOOTBALL CLUB ■ When Priyanka got an invitation to go for Kilimanjaro expedition, arranging the expenses (around Rs 3 lakh) of the expedition was the biggest hurdle. “Our club came forward to support her and also major assistance was provided by Preetam Singh Aujla’s daughters Rajinder Kaur from Canada and Kulwinder Kaur from England and other family members to fulfil her dream,” said Jasvir Singh Rai, president, Shaheed-a-Azam Bhagat Singh Football Club, Garhshankar. He said Priyanka would be returning home on August 19 and they were planning to throw a warm welcome to her. Singh, athletics coach motivated and guided her to continue mountaineering. She scaled many peaks earlier and stayed in touch with the mountaineers of various origins. Now, she’s the first Punjabi to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.” Rai added that Priyanka’s family had been living in the house of my uncle, retired JCO Preetam Singh Aujla and his wife Daso Bua in Moranwali village taking care of them and their house as their daughters have been married abroad. After the death of couple, they have been in regular touch with their sons and daughters in Canada and c m y b England. When Priyanka got an invitation to go for Kilimanjaro expedition, arranging the expenses (around Rs 3 lakh) of the expedition was the biggest hurdle. “Our club came forward to support her and also major assistance was provided by Preetam Singh Aujla’s daughters Rajinder Kaur from Canada and Kulwinder Kaur from England and other family members to fulfil her dream,” said Rai. He said Priyanka would be returning home on August 19 and they were planning to throw a warm welcome to her. “We are proud that an Indian girl has earned such a huge success,” said Rai. protection, says Bal Krishna Born on Aug 15, 1947, bizman goes down memory lane Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 16 He was born with the nation on August 15, 1947 in Sialkot , Pakistan. “I was merely seven days old when we reached Jalandhar. Imagine, I was a part of the ‘kafila’ that moved here,” the 77-year-old Bal Krishna Shoor, a former handtool manufacturer, says. Shoor remembers each detail that his parents shared with him when he was growing up in independent India. His parents had borrowed a rifle from someone to protect themselves and an infant Shoor while they were on their way to find a shelter. “My parents saw people getting murdered as they held me tight. It must have been so tough for them,” said Shoor as he took long pause thinking about his parents. MALKIAT SINGH Jalandhar, August 16 CM Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday, observed the 78th Independence Day at a state level event in Jalandhar. The CM spoke at length on state's water crisis, the government's renewable energy plans and delved in detail on the manifold sacrifices by the martyrs of the state. The CM also stressed on the state government’s policy for drugs. The state CM issued his first-ever Independence Day speech from Jalandhar, speaking from behind a bullet-proof glass module. It is CM's first I-Day address at Doaba after the formation of the AAP government. The CM hoisted Revolution, that in turn had robbed the state of it’s water. He said, “Green revolution proved very expensive for the state. Our water has ended, it has gone down to 600 feet. Named after five rivers, Punjab is in a water crisis of underground, surface as well as drinking water. To address this, a movement will have to be run. The AAP government has begun working on this. Old canals, drains, tributaries, rivulets etc. are being revived so that canal water goes to fields.” He said Gurus have equated air (pawan) with teacher, water (paani) with father and land (dharat) with mother. Now is the time to imbibe the teachings of Gurbani to restore state's environment, to it's erstwhile pristine glory. Weapons, vehicles seized; DGP says gang supplied illegal arms Bal Krishna Shoor spends time with his granddaughter Bhavya and daughter-in-law Megha Shoor at his home in Jalandhar. His father then started life afresh in the city when he opened a handtool unit in 1948. Shoor says he joined his father’s business in 1970. Two years ago, he stopped manufacturing handtools and his son took over. “One thing hasn’t changed all these years. Har cheez vich politics ohdo vi si, te politics hun vi hai (Whatever is happening around us is politics),” he said. Shoor raised another concern about rising superstition among people which has made them ‘dependent’. “An independent mind without any superstition is very important,” he says signing off.