25102024-ATR-01.qxd 25-10-2024 00:10 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY POLICE TEAMS SEIZE, DESTROY 25K LTR OF LAHAN IN ABOHAR FOR ROHIT FITNESS IS NOT A TASK BUT A SOURCE OF JOY AS WELL NEHA THANKS ROHANPREET FOR MAKING HER FEEL LIKE A BABY Bikaner Excise Dept, the Khuian Sarwar police and the Hindumalkot police seized 25K ltrs of lahan in Abohar.P3 Rohit Choudhary, known for his role in Gadar 2, is set to appear in upcoming film Vanvaas, directed by Anil Sharma. P4 Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on October 24. P4 » » MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.47 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.42 AM » FRIDAY | 25 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Who will clean Amritsar? Managing solid waste remains a mammoth task for civic body Domestic, bulk waste generators & industrial waste main source of garbage Charanjit Singh Teja RAISING A STINK Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 24 The holy city which generates around 500 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily is notorious for its stinky streets, filthy roads and littered footpaths in the absence of proper solid waste management. In the name of solid waste management, the Municipal Corporation hired a private firm in 2016 for door-to-door collection of waste and bio-remediation of legacy waste. The MC and the private company both failed to bring about changes during the last eight years. Three governments have changed in the state since then but the city witnessed no remarkable turnaround. For 2.5 lakh households, the solid waste management firm has only 110 mini-trucks. Initially, the number of vehicles was 250 but a large number of vehicles were worn out. The company officials have now claimed that they are increasing the number of garbage collection vehicles by 90. It will raise the total number of vehicles to 200. Similarly, a number of compactors are lying defunct. In the absence of the required number of compactors, the MC developed several dumping sites in the city, where mini-trucks unload the garbage collected from different areas. Such dumping sites make the lives of people miserable. There are three main sources of garbage in the city: domestic, bulk waste genera- ■ There are three main sources of garbage in the city: domestic, bulk waste generators and industrial waste. The city is burdened with 20 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, which is lying at Bhagtanwala dump. According to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) rules, a firm that generates more than 100 kg of waste per day is considered a bulk waste generator. ■ An in-house waste processing unit is mandatory for such bulk waste generators. Out of 150, only 27 major firms in the city have installed the inhouse waste processing units. << Garbage dumped outside ESI Hoapital on Majitha Road in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR tors and industrial waste. Around 2.5 lakh households in the city generate around 500 tonnes per day (TPD) of solid waste that includes 300 TPD of wet and 200 TPD of dry waste. Even after paying heavy penalties imposed by the National Green Tribunal, the Municipal Corporation failed to implement waste segregation at the source level. The garbage collection vehicles don’t have partitions for dry and wet waste. The Municipal Corporation has hired tractor-trolleys to tackle the mismanagement by the solid waste management firm. Around 1,500 sanitation workers clean the city roads and remove the garbage from key points, where private firm are not able to reach. As far as bulk waste generators are concerned, the health wing of MC has identified 150 bulk waste generators, including major hotels and restaurants in the city. According to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) rules, a firm that generates more than 100 kg of waste per day is considered a bulk waste generator. An in-house waste processing unit is mandatory for such bulk waste generators as per the MSW (Management and Han- dling) Rules, 2016. Out of 150, only 27 major firms in the city have installed the in-house waste processing units. The MC doesn’t have any strategy to tackle industrial waste. Most industrial units dump their waste on roadside, in green belts and alongside the railway track. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and MC hardly take any action against the industrialists. Apart from this, the city is burdened with 20 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, which is lying at Bhagtanwala dump. The garbage heaps are regu- larly increasing even though the private firm often sets the garbage on fire. Around 500 MT of garbage adds to legacy waste every day. The solid waste management firm had promised to process the legacy garbage within two years but failed to start the process. Sandeep Sharma, officebearer of Save Amritsar, a local NGO, said, “It is the failure of government, politicians and officials that even after spending funds worth crores, they have failed to manage the garbage. In the name of processing the garbage, they burn it and get funds from the government. The residents have been facing respiratory issues and other diseases due to the filthy environment.” Kiran Kumar, the Municipal Health Officer concerned, did not respond when contacted for his response. MLA West Jasbir Singh Sandhu, who also raised the issue of garbage in Punjab assembly, stated that the government is trying to streamline the solid waste management system. The governments in the past reached faulty agreements with private firms, which made their task difficult, he said. Concern over food safety measuresafter spurious khoya seized in city Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 24 In a shocking revelation, the seizure of over 1,000 kilograms of substandard khoya from a bus arriving from Rajasthan, has worried residents, highlighting at the same time the alarming scale of adulterated milk products flooding the city’s sweet markets. The record-breaking seizure has left food lovers stunned, as khoya is an ingredient used to make various traditional sweets. The discovery also raises concerns about the effectiveness of food safety measures, as this is not the first time that substandard khoya has been seized. According to Health Department sources, the seized khoya was prepared by mixing milk powder with refined oil, a cheap and easy alternative to traditional methods. Genuine khoya production requires heating milk for hours to evaporate water, necessitating significant resources and manpower. “The ease of mixing milk powder with oil makes it an attractive option for unscrupulous manufacturers,” said a Health Department official. Local market prices for substandard khoya range from Rs 350 per kilogram, significantly lower than genuine khoya. Sweet shop owners often opt for this cheaper alternative, compromising consumer health. “We will continue to crack down on adulterated food products,” said Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur, adding that consumers deserve quality food, and the department is committed to ensuring the Health Department officials with seized spurious khoya in Amritsar. same. “This is disturbing. We trust sweet shops with our health, it’s time for stricter regulations,” said Ramesh Kumar, a local resident. As the investigation unfolds, concerns linger over the extent of substandard khoya in circulation and the effectiveness of food safety measures. The residents stated that the administration should make all sweet makers reveal their sources for supply of khoya and initiate further investigation into their supply chains and manufacturers. “There should be an increased inspection of sweet shops and dairy products. People these days do not have any means to know if the food they are buying is of good quality and only the administration can help them,” said another resident Balkar Singh. Two gangsters nabbed after Clean Air Punjab to Kidnapped girl rescued, three encounter near Sultanwind start awarenessdrives women suspects arrested Had fired at residence of soda manufacturer four days ago Amritsar, October 24 Last year, the Clean Air Punjab (CAP), an organisation working to ensure better air quality, had installed a giant lung billboard at Novelty Chowk, one of the busiest routes in city, to check the quality of air with winter approaching. While it took only eight days for the billboard to go all black, thanks to the soot and poor air quality, this year Clean Air Punjab is PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 24 Four days after firing at the residence of a soda manufacturer in Sundar Nagar locality here, the police have cracked the case and arrested two suspects following an encounter near Sultanwind area in the wee hours of Thursday. The duo had come to the spot to exchange weapons. According to information, they were part of the same gang which had gunned down a commission agent at Sathiala village in Baba Bakala subdivision on Wednesday. They were identified as Resham Singh, alias Bau, of Jhabal and Gurwinder Singh, alias Guri, of Bugga village, both in Tarn Taran district. The police confiscated a 9mm Glock pistol with four live cartridges and a pistol of .32 bore with four live bullets and empty shells. While sharing details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Jasdeep Singh, alias Sajan, a resident of Sundar Nagar area, told the police that some armed persons had fired several gunshots at the gate of his house on October 20. Preliminary investigations revealed that four persons were involved in the incident, which was captured on CCTV Tribune News Service One of the accused, involved in firing at a soda manufacturer’s house, in custody of the Amritsa police on Thursday. VISHAL KUMAR cameras. They were later identified and a hunt was launched to nab them. “Last evening, the police got a tip-off about their movements in the area to exchange weapons with members of their gang in Sultanwind area. Police teams under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) City Abhimanyu Rana, DCP (Investigation) Harpreet Singh Mandher and the Assistant Commissioner of Police (East) raided the spot and launched a search operation,” said the Police Commissioner. On seeing the police teams arriving at the scene, they fired at them in their attempt to flee from the spot. The police teams retaliated the firing in which Gurwinder Guri was injured. Both the accused were arrested. “Both Resham and Guri had six and four criminal cases, respectively, of similar nature registered against them,” he said. The police have also identified their third accomplice and raids were on to nab him. Sources in the police said they had committed a dacoity in Focal Point area in Ludhiana two years ago while Gurwinder was involved in two more cases of robbery committed at Amritsar and Tarn Taran. A fresh case of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act was registered against them at the Sultanwind police station here. The Police Commissioner said that a probe was on to establish their backward and forward linkages. looking to collaborate with the district administration for launching awareness and air monitoring campaigns to ensure that the air quality during the season doesn’t turn toxic. As members of the District Environment Committee, the local unit of Clean Air Punjab has previously met with district administration officials to address the issue of monitoring air quality. continued on page 2 3 drug peddlers held with 2.15-kg heroin Amritsar, October 24 In yet another busting of trans-border narcotic smuggling network, the city police have arrested three drug peddlers and seized 2.15 kg of heroin from their possession. They were identified as Jagroop Singh, alias Jupa, of Ranike village, Jagjit Singh and Jashanpreet Singh, both of Rangarh village in Gharinda. “The trio was in touch with Pakistan-based drug smuggler Harbhej Jawed, alias Kaali, who was using drones to sneak in drugs and weapons from across the border,” revealed Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh c m y b Bhullar here on Thursday. The Chheharta police have received a reliable input that they had retrieved a huge consignment of narcotics from across the border recently with the help of drones. They were going to deliver the same to their unknown accomplices in Chheharta bypass area. Following this, a trap was laid and the accused were arrested. A probe was on to find their backward and forward links to bust the entire nexus, said the Police Commissioner. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against them. — TNS PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 24 The city police today claimed to have busted a gang involved in kidnapping a minor girl and later selling her to a youth in Fazilka. The police rescued the 16year-old victim from Fazilka and nominated five persons, including four women, three of whom were arrested, for kidnapping. Two of the women suspects were relatives of the victim. Those arrested in the case included Kiran Devi of Gandhi Nagar, Fazilka, Raj Kaur and her daughter Navjot Kaur of Chhota Haripura locality. Their two accomplices, Divya and Happy of Fazilka, were yet to be arrested. Raj Kaur is the paternal aunt of the victim. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Vishaljit Singh said that the accused had sold the girl to Happy for Rs 1 lakh. Three women in the custody of Amritsar police on Thursday. Sharing details, he said that the victim’s father lodged a complaint with the police in July stating that his wife had died around 10 years ago. His daughter was illiterate and used to work in house. He said on July 13, she went missing from the house and despite several efforts, he could not find her. She suspected that some unknown person might have kidnapped her on the pretext of marriage. The ADCP said that during the probe, police rescued the girl from Fazilka. She spilled the beans and named her aunt and cousin for taking her to Fazilka and handing her over to Kiran Devi and Divya who further sold her to Happy for Rs 1 lakh. Happy and Divya were absconding and raids were on to nab them. Their arrests would further disclose the motive behind the kidnapping, police said. BSF, Punjab Police seize 3 drones Amritsar, October 24 The Border Security Force seized three drones from Amritsar and Tarn Taran border belt on Thursday. BSF authorities in a statement said that their personnel got information from village defence committees about fallen drones at different locations in two border districts. A broken drone was found in a joint operation with Punjab Police from an agricultural land in Bacchiwind and another drone was recovered from Rat- tan Khurd village in Amritsar. Another drone was recovered from Khalra village in Tarn Taran. “All the three drones (China-made DJI Mavic 3 Classic) were used to smuggle 500600 gm of heroin,” said the BSF spokesman. — TNS