17102024-JTR-01.qxd 10/16/2024 10:36 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PREGABALIN AMONG INTOXICANTS WORTH ~14.80L SEIZED ANKUR RATHEE IS STEADY WITH HIS ACT VARUN DHAWAN, SAMANTHA MAKE FANS DROOL Health Department confiscated a huge quantity of intoxicants that included pregabalin from a medical store. P2 Undekhi, The Tashkent Files to Inside Edge, he believes the universe works on the law of abundance. P4 The actors have teamed up for Raj and DK’s spy action web series Citadel: Honey Bunny. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.53 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:32 AM » THURSDAY | 17 OCTOBER 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TWO BOOKED FOR DUPING Hoshiarpur: The police have booked two persons for cheating in the name of sending a person abroad. Deepak Sharma, a resident of local Mohalla Maharaj Ranjit Singh Nagar, told the police that he and Manish Verma were promised to be sent to New Zealand. On this pretext, accused travel agent Jagveer Singh, a resident of Phagwara, and Aniket Anand, a resident of Chaura Bazar, Ludhiana, allegedly cheated him of Rs 2.10 lakh. The police have started further proceedings after registering the case. OC TWO KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT Hoshiarpur: Two persons died in a road accident on Tuesday on the Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road while a woman along with her two children were injured. Navjot Kaur, wife of Paramjit Singh, a resident of Rahon Road, Ludhiana, told the police that she was going to Anandpur Sahib in an auto along with her husband and two children. Satnam Singh was also with them. She told the police that when they reached near Adda Handowal, a truck hit the autorickshaw. Her husband and Satnam Singh were crushed under the truck while she got injured along with her two children. The police have registered a case against the accused driver Pawan Kumar of Kathua. OC Class VI student run over by truck, dies Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 A boy, identified as Vishal, a Class VI student of Nehru Children Senior Secondary School, lost his life after being struck by a truck on Tuesday night near Ghas Mandi located on Kala Sanghiya Road here. The accident occurred around 9 pm when Vishal, a resident of Ghas Mandi, was riding his bicycle to the market. Vishal, who lost his father Subhash Bajaj a few years ago, lived with his mother Madhubala, who runs Bajaj Sweet Shop to support the family. According to SHO Bhushan Kumar, the inci- dent took place as Vishal was cycling through a crowded market where a truck carrying a generator was exiting. In the chaos, Vishal came under the truck’s wheels, sustaining severe injuries. Family members rushed to the scene and took Vishal to a private hospital for treatment, however, he was declared dead by the attending doctor. In the meantime, the locals present at the market managed to catch the driver who tried to escape. It was learnt that the driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, however, the police claimed that it was yet to be verified if he was drunk. Police officers arrived shortly and took the truck driver into custody. Bhushan Kumar confirmed that Vishal’s body was sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. “CCTV cameras installed at the scene were being scrutinised and further action will be taken after the family’s statement is recorded”, he added. Cops reunite 3 missing kids with families Jalandhar, October 16 The Commissionerate Police, Jalandhar, located and reunited three minor children with their families after they went missing during a Shobha Yatra in the city today. The children, all residents of Mohalla Chaiaam, Basti Sheikh, near Chitta School, had wandered off and got lost amid a large gathering. The police were quickly mobilised and took the children into protective custody. Demonstrating their efficiency, the officers issued a wireless alert to all nearby police stations, expediting the search for the children’s families. Within two hours, the police had successfully traced the parents, verified their identities and safely reunited them with their children. — TNS Soaked in devotion Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 As much as 21,911MT of paddy arrival was recorded in Jalandhar mandis today. There are 79 mandis in the district. The arrival of 1,11,150 MT has been recorded in the district till date. As per information, 1,07,777 MT procurement has been done. But only 580 MT of lifting is done, which is very less. The farmers are waiting for the panchayat elections to get over. The harvesting will now start properly. Gurnam Singh, a farmer from Banga, said he harvested his crop today. “Just have a look at the mandis in the next few days, I don’t know what is going to happen, there will 1,07,777 MT procurement done, only 580 MT lifted be chaos everywhere if no lifting is done. Bhupinder Singh from Sidhupur village said there was a shortage of bardanas as well which was troubling the farmers. “This time, there are several issues which are making farmers fearful,” he added. Villagers also give migrants chance to work as panchs Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Ex-sarpanch, wife booked in stone-pelting incident Garhshankar, October 16 In a stone-pelting case at village Khanpur yesterday, the police have registered a case against eight persons, including a former sarpanch, his wife and one women. Apart from this, 90 more unidentified people have been accused of pelting stones. No one has been arrested yet. According to an FIR filed by police, Rohit Mahimi, a constable, told the police that on October 15 evening, around 6:30 pm, they got information that an argument took place at a polling booth in Khanpur village and an unsuccessful candidate along with her supporters was creating a ruckus and the polling staff were not allowed to come out of the polling booth. The vehicle of SDM was also stopped. After getting information, the police reached Khanpur. DSP Jaspreet Singh was already present there. He alleged that when the polling party was evacuated, former sarpanch Ashok Kumar, his wife who had lost the election for sarpanch, along with Bahadur Singh, Surjit Singh, Balveer Singh, Dr Harbhajan Mahimi, Satnam Master and another woman Jassi, all residents of Khanpur, and eighty-ninety more people started throwing stones on the police. Rohit and SHO Baljinder Singh were injured in it. Meanwhile, SP Major Singh also reached there and people attacked his vehicle with bricks, breaking the windshield of his vehicle. Seeing the situation going out of control, the police had to fire in the air to protect themselves and to drive the people away from there. — TNS 22,000 MT paddy arrives, lifting still at a slow pace Devotees participate in the Bhagwan Valmiki Shobha Yatra held in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH Jalandhar, October 16 Three migrant labourers, who had contested the panchayat poll as panch from Jalandhar, have been elected. While Vinod Muni, who was contesting against another migrant labourer Ranjit Muni from Sanghowal, has been elected panch, from the same village, migrant Pawan Kumar had been elected panch unopposed. Interestingly, from Fazalpur village, Inder, who has been elected as panch, doesn’t even have a pucca house. He wants to dedicate his tenure to the progress of the village. At Sanghowal, the predominant jatt community and the substantial migrant community had fought shoulder to shoulder with each other. Vinod Muni, who was the last panch as well, had promised the village’s progress and ensuring amenities to people. Even as results were declared, migrants panch canddiates and village sapranch Kulwant Singh as well as panchs distributed sweets and celebrated together. Village resident Rajinder Singh said, “There is no difference between the two comnunities. We are all together. The farmer can’t survive without workers. We work together. At fields and at homes, they are our extended family. The village has sizeable population of over 800 migrants and the election of our panchs is a collective victory for all of us.” Vinod Muni, who won as panch, says, “My aim is to work with the people and fulfil the promises which have remained unaddressed.” Pawan Kumar said, “I pursue contract farming and have brought my kids here. I’m thankful to the village and the community for the position.” Inder (35) from Fazalpur village in Kartarpur works at a potato store and has an earning of a mere Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per month. Hailing from Saharsa district in Bihar, Inder says, “I will dedicate my tenure as panch to ensuring that people get all basic amenities.” Renovating school Drive to encourage women to demand bills from shopkeepers is young woman sarpanch’s priority Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 A 31-year-old Baljit Kaur, M.Com and a Deputy Branch Manager in a private bank, is the new sarpanch of Sidhupur village, Lohian. For her, being a sarpanch is not about boasting about the post, but to do works by taking everyone along. “I was never interested in politics, but, my husband was. He only encouraged me to fight for the post,” Baljit, mother of a five-year-old shared. “I believe in unity and want the support of entire village,” she said. “My father is a retired government employee and none of the my family member was into politics. But, here, the inclination has been towards politics. I am happy and will do everything for my village,” she further said. Baljit Kaur MP’s brother is Manjhi sarpanch Hoshiarpur: Member of Parliament Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal's brother Dr Jatinder registered a victory in the election for sarpanch at Manjhi village. The villagers burst firecrackers and distributed laddus to express their joy. The MP expressed the hope that Dr Jatinder's win will spell development for the village. — OC Ex-ZP member elected sarpanch Hoshiarpur: Kiranjit Singh Malhi was felicitated by villagers on becoming Sarpanch of village Bassi Kikran. Kiranjit Singh received 317 votes out of 337. Malhi who has been a member of the Zila Parishad said that he will work hard to develop the village and maintain mutual brotherhood. — OC Jalandhar, October 16 The Punjab Taxation Department has launched a consumer awareness campaign ahead of the Karvachauth festival, urging women to demand proper bills from shopkeepers, particularly at beauty parlours and salons. This initiative aims to ensure that businesses comply with taxation laws and do not take advantage of unsuspect- ing customers during the festive season. The campaign comes in response to rising concerns about tax evasion and inflated prices in these sectors. To support the initiative, the department has introduced a user-friendly app where women can upload bills for verification and stand a chance to win reward. By encouraging women to ask for bills, the department seeks to foster a culture of accountability and transparency in the market. Not only does proper billing protect consumers from overcharging, but it also ensures that businesses contribute fairly to the economy by paying taxes. Financial Commissioner, Taxation, Punjab, Krishan Kumar, clarified that the campaign is not aimed at targeting beauty parlours and salons, as some persons have been spreading misinformation. “There is a misconception that we are singling out these businesses,” said Kumar. “In reality, our goal is to encourage women to form the habit of asking for bills and making them part of this government initiative by rewarding them. It’s about empowering women and ensuring consumer protection”, he added. Kumar further explained that women can easily upload their bills through the department’s app and, after proper verification, lucky winners will be selected and awarded. “This initiative isn’t just about enforcing compliance, it’s about engaging women in a positive and beneficial way,” he said. He said by making women active participants in this campaign, the department hopes to curb tax evasion while ensuring that businesses remain honest in their transactions. Hoshiarpur witnesses the highest 69.78% turnout Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 While Hoshiarpur recorded the highest final voting percentage of 69.78 per cent for the panchayat elections across Doaba, it was followed by Nawanshahr at 69.55 per cent, Kapurthala at 66.14 per cent and Jalandhar at 66.3 per cent. Amid skirmishes and isolated incidents of violence in Doaba, voting in other villages remained largely peaceful. At Hoshiarpur, the police had to fire several rounds into the air in Khanpur village where people were protesting against the election result, threw stones on the vehicles of the SDM and the police in a bid to prevent the polling party from leaving, following which an ex-sarpanch and his relatives were also booked. At Kapurthala, four persons c m y b were injured as two factions clashed near a booth at Swal village over the alleged bogus voting. Members of two groups allegedly attacked each other with a sword and datar (a small sharp-edged machete) when one of the groups alleged that bogus votes were being cast by other group members. Skirmishes were also reported at the Ramnagar village at Kala Sanghian in Kapurthala when a woman candidate’s husband alleged that stones were thrown by the opposite group outside the centre, causing damage to a police vehicle. Meanwhile, at the Gillan village in Kapurthala too, villagers of one of the factions boycotted the poll and staged a protest alleging that bogus votes were polled at ward 4 in the village and Women voters wait for their turn at a polling booth at Bundala village in Jalandhar. PHOTO:MALKIAT demanded a repoll. At Jalandhar, of the total 695 panchayats, 195 panchayats were elected unanimously. The polls were held to elect 1,662 sarpanchs and 5,464 panchs (Jalandhar). At Kapurthala, 376 villages (of total 546) went to the polls while sarpanchs at 190 vil- SINGH. lages were chosen unanimously. The total candidates in the fray at Kapurthala for the posts of sarpanch was 863 and for panch 2,705.