28102024-ATR-01.qxd 10/27/2024 11:22 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR NO CHECK ON BANNERS PUT UP ON DIRECTION SIGNBOARDS THE TRAILER OF PUNJABI FILM SECTOR 17 LAUNCHED NANA PATEKAR SAYS VANVAAS IS ONE OF HIS BEST FILMS TILL DATE It has become an annual affair to display publicity material on direction signboards in the city. P2 Prince Kanwaljit Singh and his team revealed how the jubilant spirits on the sets helped them give their best. P4 Veteran star Nana Patekar has said his journey in Vanvaashas been memorable & called the film one of his best till date. P4 » » » MAX 33°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.44 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:44 AM MONDAY | 28 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 Twenty-four mobile phones were recovered from the Amritsar Central Jail premises during a search operation here yesterday. Apart from 24 mobile phones, including five smart phones and 19 keypad phones, the jail authorities also confiscated nine SIM cards, two chargers, a mobile battery and 76 bundles of Bidis which were apparently thrown from outside the jail complex. Following a complaint by Ajmer Singh, Assistant Superintendent, Jail, the Islamabad police have registered an FIR against eight inmates in this connection. Those booked were identified as Digvijay Singh of Phillaur, Anmol Singh of Karampura, Narinder Singh of Ramdas, Rahul Singh of Faridkot, Sukhman Singh of Garki village in Fategarh Churian, Tejpal Singh of Bangali village in Majitha sub-division, Sarwan Singh of Kot Ise Khan, Moga, and Rishav Bhatia of Krishna Nagar. A case under section 42 and 52-A of the Prisons Act was registered against them and further probe initiated to find how they managed to get the prohibited material inside the jail complex. Residents throng market to buy firecrackers on weekend PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR 24 cellphones seized from jail A temporary retail firecracker market; and (right) people purchase firecrackers at the market in New Amritsar on Sunday. Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 A temporary retail firecracker market authorised by the district administration opened for the public in the city on Sunday. Residents bought firecrackers on the weekend for Diwali celebrations. The administration has allowed the sale of only green firecrackers which are approved by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, (CSIR-NEERI) for the festival of lights. Green firecrackers can be identified by the distinctive ‘Roadmishap’deathstakenew turn as police add murder charge in FIR, arrest suspect PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 The mysterious death of three youths near Fatehgarh Churian bypass road three days ago took a new turn today when the police added murder charge in the FIR and arrested one of the suspect. Initially, the police believed it to be a road mishap while the kin of the deceased alleged that they were killed. “The suspect, identified as Tejbir Singh, had intentionally rammed the vehicle in their bike leading to the death of three youths. He has been arrested and Section 103 of BNS was added in the FIR,” said Vinod Sharma, SHO, Sadar police station here. The deceased were identified as Sahil, Tarlochan Singh and Jatinder Singh, all residents of Navi Abadi area on the Fatehgarh Churian road. All of them work for a recovery agency. The family members of the deceased had alleged that the victim had injury marks caused by a sharp weapon. They had gone to meet their friend on the bypass on a motorcycle when the incident took place. Next day in the morning, green colour logo of CSIRNEERI, PESO and a Quick Response (QR) code printed on boxes of firecrackers. Environmentalists said use of green firecrackers would ensure that people, especially children and elderly, do not face breathing problems on the night of Diwali. “Low-emission fireworks free of harmful chemicals and producing minimum sound gradually attract customers,” say traders. They are of the view that a majority of manufacturers prefer to display on packaging the information that these were green firecrackers and contained less pollutants and produced less noise. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney said as per the order passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the sale of banned firecrackers was completely prohibited. Only green firecrackers, which were made without lithium, mercury, arsenic, zinc and barium, could be sold and bursted, the DC said. She said no e-commerce site was permitted to sell firecrackers, she said. She said it was necessary for marriage palace owners to obtain a licence to burst firecrackers during wed- ding ceremonies and ensure compliance with safety rules. She said firecrackers had bad effects on the environment. Firecrackers noise and pollution had a bad effect on humans as well as animals. People should refrain from bursting firecrackers, the DC said. Retail traders were of the view that there was 15 to 20 per cent increase in prices of firecrackers in comparison to the last year. They said today being weekend the response of customers towards purchasing firecrackers was good. 13-year-old boy among two killed, oneinjured asSUVhitsmotorcycle Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 Two persons, including a 13-year-old boy, died while one youth was injured when a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV) rammed into their bike near Kamaska village falling under the Lopoke police station area here on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Viddo Kaur, her grandson Ansh Singh, both residents of Kuttiwal village, and their relative Lovepreet Singh, alias Shera, a resident of Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran, who was injured in the accident. Pabba Singh, a resident of Kuttiwal village, said his mother Viddo Kaur had gone to meet her daughter at Sahura village around a week ago. Yesterday, he along with his son Ansh Singh and cousin Lovepreet Singh had gone to Sahura village to bring her home. He said while returning, he along with his brother-in-law Surjit Singh were riding on the latter’s bike while his mother Viddo and son Ansh were riding pillion on Lovepreet’s motorcycle. He said as they reached near a petrol pump located on the road heading from Vanike village to Kamaska village, a speeding Bolero (bearing registration number CH-01-GA-8481) rammed into Lovepreet’s bike leading to serious injuries to the riders. He said the trio were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared his mother brought dead while Ansh succumbed to injuries later on. The Bolero driver, identified as Roop Singh, a resident of Chandigarh, managed to flee from spot. A case was registered against him. 2 drones, contraband seized in Rajatal Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 In yet another seizure, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized two more drones from the Amritsar border belt here on Sunday. One drone in partial broken condition was recovered from Rajatal village. Another drone along with a packet of heroin with gross weight of 546gm was confiscated near the same village. Both the drones were DJI Mavic 3 Classic, said the Drone recovered by the BSF in Amritsar district on Sunday. BSF authorities. A BSF spokesman said the partial broken drone was recovered around 6.40 am when a villager informed about its presence. Second drone was found at 8.30 am from another field in the village, he said. In another incident the BSF recovered an assembled drone in Ballarwal border village at 1.30 pm on Sunday. The spokesman said counter-drone drill by the BSF personnel had led to successive recoveries of drones and drugs this year. Who will clean Amritsar? Waste disposal remains threat to public health, environment Vehicle intentionally rammed into bike of recovery agents: Cops they came to know about their deaths in an alleged road mishap. While Sahil and Jatinder Singh died on the spot, Tarlochan Singh succumbed to his injuries on way to the hospital. The SHO said the objective behind the murder was yet to be ascertained as a couple of Tejbir Singh’s accomplices were yet to be arrested. He said they had been identified and raids were on to arrest them. Anchal, sister of the deceased Sahil, had alleged that he and his friends had sharp weapon injury marks on bodies. She had clained that they were brutally murdered. Similarly, Preet wife of Tarlochan, had said that he had a quarrel with some people and a case was registered a the Ranjit Avenue police station against the opposite group in this regard after which he was getting threats. “We have been working on different theories including what victims kin have claimed,” the SHO said. Garbage burns on a vacant plot near the Lohgarh gate in Amritsar; and (right) waste set on fire along the 88-foot-road in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 Garbage mismanagement in the holy city has reached an alarming proportion, affecting the lives of residents, businesses and the environment. Due to improper lifting of garbage, residents throw their waste on vacant plots in their localities. These vacant plots and grounds have become a breeding ground for diseases, polluting water bodies and causing deterioration in air quality. Residents often set garbage heaps dumped on vacant plots on fire to clean these areas. However, the burning of waste also creates health hazards in the form of toxic fumes and smoke. “The garbage dumping ground near our locality is a constant source of worry for us. Every rainy season, we have to bear the stench emanating from the rotting waste,” said Roshan Lal, a resident of 88-Foot-Road. “The stench is unbearable, and the flies and mosquitoes are a nuisance. We fear for our health and well-being,” he said. Business in the area is also suffering. “The garbage dump near our market is driving cus- tomers away,” said Gurpreet Singh, a shop owner on Jhabal Road. “The foul smell and ungainly sight are hurting our business interests. We urge the authorities to find a solution,” he said, while adding that due to stench, customers do not come to their area. Pollution from the dumping grounds is also contaminating water bodies, including the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC). “The canal, which supplies water to our farms, is getting polluted due to the garbage,” said Jaswinder Singh, a farmer from a nearby village. “It affects our crops and livelihood,” he pointed out. Air pollution from the dumping grounds is another major concern. “The smoke from the burning garbage is causing respiratory problems for my family,” said Manjit Kaur, a resident of Verka. She said people wanted immediate resolution of the issue from the authorities. Experts warn that the situation woule worsen if left unchecked. “Garbage mismanagement has severe consequences for the public health, environment and economy,” said Parm Ghumman, an environmentalist. “The city needs a comprehensive waste management plan, including segregation, recycling and proper disposal,” she said. Dr Kiran Kumar, Municipal Health Officer, said, “We are working on improving waste management infrastructure and enforcing segregation at source. We will also increase public awareness campaigns.” However, residents and businesses remain sceptical. “We’ve heard promises before, but nothing changes,” said Gurpreet Singh. “We need action, not words,” he said. The practice of setting the garbage on fire is rampant in the city. Not only residents, the government departments including forest and horticulture wing of the municipal corporation, burn plant residue in gardens, parks and green belts. There is a provision to issue challans to violators under the Punjab Municipal Act. However, the municipal corporation hardly issues challans or imposes penalty on anyone for burning garbage or plant residue. In the past few years, the MC has set up a number of garbage dumping sites across the city. Door-todoor collection vehicles dump waste at these sites. Cops crackdown on union leaders agitating to restore pension scheme Man ends life, wife among 4 booked Tarn Taran, October 27 In a crackdown on the activists of “Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee, Punjab”, the district police conducted raids on houses of leaders of the committee and detained their state leader Jarnail Singh Patti last night. Activists of the committee were to take part in a protest march in Dera Baba Nanak on Sunday where the Assembly bypoll is scheduled shortly. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was to address a public gathering at Dera Baba Nanak today. Prabhjot Singh Gohalwar, district leader of the committee, said the police conducted raids at residences of certain leaders and installed nakas at all entry points in the district. Employees, who were on their way to Dera Baba Nanak, were not allowed to go ahead. He said Sant Sewak Singh Sarkaria from Amritsar, state leader of the committee, was detained at his house. Prabhjot said in spite of all restrictions imposed by the police, a large number of employees managed to reach Dera Baba Nanak to express their resentment over the state government not making efforts to restore the old pension scheme. — OC Jarnail Singh Patti (left), state leader of Purani Pension Bahali Scheme, detained at his house in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI c m y b Tarn Taran, October 27 Nitin Kumar, alias Monu (34), a resident of Gali No. 3, Deep Avenue, ended life by hanging himself from a ceiling fan on the first floor of his house. He reportedly had strained relations with his wife. Nitin dealt in the sale and purchase of cars. Sagar, a close relative of the deceased, said Nitin’s wife Gurwinder Kaur, alias Tania called her mother Rajni, father Vikramjit Singh and brothers Vishal and Deep, residents of Krishna Nagar Gali No. 2, Amritsar, here today. They lodged a fake complaint with the city police. The 10-year-old daughter of the deceased said her mother was a drug addict and used to beat her up often. She said when her father came back from police station, he was badly injured. He went upstairs and hanged himself from the ceiling fan. The inci- dent was reported to the police. A police team led by ASI Gurdeep Singh reached the spot and sent body of the deceased to the mortuary of the Civil Hospital. ASI Gurdeep Singh said that a case was registered against Gurwinder Kaur, her mother Rajni, father Vikramjit Singh and her two brothers, Vishal and Deep. The suspects were absconding, the ASI said. — OC