29102024-ATR-01.qxd 10/28/2024 11:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune EMPLOYEES HOLD PROTEST OVER UNMET DEMANDS PSPCL HEAD CASHIER HELD FOR TAKING ~50K BRIBE The VB, Punjab, apprehended a head cashierfor demanding and accepting a bribe of ~50K here on Monday. P2 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 19°C BKU (U) CONTINUES STIR AT NIJJERPURA TOLL PLAZA Employees and pensioners of the state burnt an effigy of the government in Tarn Taran on Monday. P2 FORECAST The BKU (U) continued its dharna at Nijjerpura toll plaza near Mannawala for the 12th day on Monday. P2 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.43 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.45 AM » TUESDAY | 29 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR SAD(A) protests against SGPC, seeks early general polls Who will clean Amritsar? GS Paul Tribune News Service Garbage dumped carelessly by the roadside in Islamabad; (right) a heap of garbage lies in Vijay Nagar area on the Batala road in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR/VISHAL KUMAR City-specific plans, accountability may help Civic body must install dustbins at some distance and ensure these are emptied every day Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 28 Residents, environmentalists, activists, social workers and people associated with various NGOs not only criticise but often put pressure on the authorities to ensure effective solid waste management. The locals, organised under various banners, civil society organisations and social forums, stage demonstrations against the government and Municipal Corporation for non-lifting of garbage or other sanitation related issues from time to time. Some individuals and social activists often approach the MC Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner with their suggestions to make city-specific arrangements to manage the garbage. There are some social medial platforms where open discussions are being organised, with common people giving their feedback and suggestions. A team of MLA North Kunwar Vijay Pratap often responds to complaints and suggestions. Voice of Amritsar, a social media platform, makes on the ground efforts to address the complaints. However, most activists are not satisfied with the attitude of officials of the departments concerned and keep raising the issue. Sharing his suggestion, Sheenu Arora, an active member of Voice of Amritsar, said, “An overhaul of the manual cleaning system is required where the Municipal Corporation staff sweep the ISSUE RAISED IN ASSEMBLY MANY TIMES ❝ I have raised the issue in Punjab Assembly several times. Had the government and MC paid attention, they would have been spared a fine of Rs 1,026 crore imposed by the NGT. I have spoken strongly four times in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha about sewage, water and garbage collection. I also gave a demand in writing to the Speaker to convene a special meeting of the Legislative Assembly to debate the issue. — Kunwar Vijay Pratap, MLA NORTH ❞ road and keep piles of garbage on the roadside. The residents start dumping their domestic waste on that garbage heap and it becomes a huge dump soon. If the collection vehicles come as a matter of routine and pick up garbage on time, there will be no garbage heaps lying in the corners and streets. The Municipal Corporation has to install dustbins at some distance and ensure that they are emptied every day, only then will roads become clean. Secondly, the processing of garbage should start. If the processing plant starts working, the issue would be sorted out along with the legacy waste. The authorities should make serious efforts.” Pawan Sharma, a social activist, said, “The political class as well as the administration has completely failed to cope with the garbage issue. Even NH-1 passing alongside the posh Ranjit Avenue is facing garbage problems. A new dump has come up on Ranjit Avenue, which is not far from the residence of Member of Parliament Gurjit Singh Aujla. The MC imposes penalty on the solid waste management firm but no one dares to cancel its tender. No concrete action has been taken against the firm till date. The issue of tipping fee should be resolved and the firm should be made answerable for garbage processing and bio-remediation. The local politicians, includ- ing MP and MLA, should be answerable for the mess. MLA North Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said, “I have raised the sanitation issue in Punjab Assembly several times. Had the government and MC paid attention to the issues raised by me in Vidhan Sabha, the Punjab government would have been spared a fine of Rs 1,026 crore imposed by the National Green Tribunal. I have spoken strongly four times in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha about sewage, water and garbage collection in June 2022, March 2023, November 2023 and March 2024. I had also recently given a demand in writing to the Speaker to convene a special meeting of the Legislative Assembly to debate the issue.” Amritsar, October 28 Sikh activists under the banner of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Amritsar, led by Iman Singh Mann staged a protest outside the Golden Temple complex against what they said was lapses on the part of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and demanded that general elections to the Sikh body be held as soon as possible. Carrying banners, the protestors including Gurdeep Singh Bathinda, Satnam Singh Manawa, Balwinder Singh Kala and Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal alleged the misappropriation of 328 saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from the possession of the SGPC. The protesters also demanded that the SGPC general elections should be conducted and the existing body shunted out. They also resented that justice was not delivered in the case of 2015 sacrilege incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura during the SAD regime, that lead to firing, claiming Members of the SAD (A) during a protest outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday. CPI to hold Majha rally on December 2 Festival grandeur Two arrested for opening fire after tiff over DJ song Tribune News Service People buy artificial flowers ahead of Diwali at a market in Amritsar on Monday. VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, October 28 The Communist Party of India (CPI) has announced that it will hold a Majha rally here on December 2. Party secretary Bant Singh Brar said that people in large numbers would participate in the rally to express their resentment against the BJP-led Central government. Bant Singh accused the BJP of spreading hatred among the communities to push its agenda. The communist leader said that people want employment, good governance and better living conditions. Encroachments on roads multiply Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 28 With the festival of lights just two days apart, residents are on a buying spree for the festivities. That’s why, almost every roadside and footpath in the city has been encroached by vendors and shopkeepers. Even shop owners themselves are indulging in encroachments as they are using the area in front of their shops for displaying their goods. Some of them have even set up beautiful pandals to attract customers. However, this has led to an increased chaos in marketplaces. Even the width of the road has shrunk due to encroachments causing harassment to commuters as traffic moves at a snail’s pace. Frequent traffic jams are being witnessed daily. In the busy markets such as in Putlighar, Chheharta and Hall Bazaar areas, the tents set up by shopkeepers have become a nuisance for both pedestrians and commuters. From selling decorative items to clothes to electronic gadgets, dry fruits, sweets, furniture and many other items, shop- keepers are using footpaths to display all kinds of goods. The situation is even worse in narrow markets near the Golden Temple where even pedestrians are unable to find their way amid a glut of goods displayed in the streets. Residents complain that during the festival season, shopkeepers consider it their right to use public space for commercial activities. Harnam Singh, a local resident, said, “Some encroachments are always there on roads, but near the festival season, shopkeepers further expand their shops by encroaching on government land. In the absence of any check, shopkeepers have shunned obeying the law.” He said that the municipal corporation must rid the footpaths of all kinds of encroachments. Residents complain that action by the MC to remove encroachments is often symbolic as it has so far failed to bring any real change. “If the MC is serious, then these encroachments can be removed overnight,” said Sushant Kumar, another resident, adding that people are afraid of going to markets due to chaos on roads. c m y b two innocent lives. The matter of missing saroops came to light on June 26, 2020, after the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) wrote a letter to the Punjab government and the Akal Takht. The Akal Takhtappointed panel had held SGPC officials and employees responsible for misappropriation of records of not 267 but 328 ‘saroops’. The panel had found embezzlement in case of additional 61 ‘saroops’ after scrutinising the ledgers of 2013-14 and 2014-15. Facing flak from various Sikh organisations, the SGPC had stated that it was a case of misappropriation by some of its employees, whose services were suspended or terminated and their service dues were revoked. They are still fighting a legal battle against the SGPC decision. On the SGPC’s general polls, the process of finalising new electoral rolls is on. The last date for voters’ registration has been fixed for October 31 and the elections may be held next year. Members of the Ministerial Employees’ Union during a protest at Company Bagh in Amritsar on Monday. Ministerial Services Union to go on protest leave on Oct 29-30 Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 28 Miffed over the delay in redressing the demands of government employees such as restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, DA arrears and issuing installments, rectification of Pay Commission errors etc, the state body of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) today held a rally and protest march at Company Bagh against the Punjab government with black flags. The ministerial employees have also announced that they would observe a Black Diwali. PSMSU district general secretary Jagdish Thakur and district finance secretary Mandeep Singh Chauhan said that after the demands were accepted by CM Bhagwant Mann in a meeting held on December 18, 2023, a letter was issued on January 29, 2024. “Due to lack of notification of demands, the struggle has to be started again. As a protest, the ministerial employees of all the departments will go on collective leave on October 2930 and completely stop the work of the government,” said Thakur. He added that if Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann does not hold a meeting with the state committee and if the demands are not notified, the employees will be forced to celebrate Black Diwali and a strict boycott of the government in the four districts will be exercised. A few days back, the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) and other state government teachers’ bodies had also announced to observe a Black Diwali, for delaying relief in matters of importance pertaining to wage hike, teacher transfers, recruitment on vacant posts and revival of 37 allowances. Tarn Taran, October 28 The Chabal police have arrested two of the six accused who opened fire in Sohal village on Sunday after a tiff over a DJ song being played at a marriage function. ASI Sukhdev Singh said that the arrested accused have been identified as Rajbir Singh and Sarpreet Singh, both of Sohal village. The four unidentified accused were yet to be arrested, informed ASI Sukhdev Singh. The complainant Gurbaj Singh told the Chabal police said that there were celebrations regarding a marriage function in the village on Saturday night with people dancing on DJ songs. A verbal duel took place between the accused and the complainant Gurbaj Singh, leading to a scuffle. Bystanders helped bring the situation under control. The accused Rajbir Singh and Sarpreet Singh, along with four other unidentified persons, went to the residence of Gurbaj Singh on Sunday noon and opened fire to terrorise him, also damaging the walls of the house. ASI Sukhdev Singh said that a case under Section 333, 115 (2), 324 (3), 125, 191 (3) and 190 of the BNS and Section 25,54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered in this regard. The arrested accused Rajbir Singh and Saurpreet Singh were produced in court here today which sent them to police remand for three days. — OC