24122024-JTR-01.qxd 12/23/2024 10:47 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AAP SEES HIGHS AND LOWS IN YEAR OF ELECTIONS JINGLE BELLS TO THE BEAT OF DHOL, PAHADI NATI, LANGAR COLD WARMS UP CHANDIGARH'S SPIRITS The year is an election year. Of 366-day year, there were only 166 days when there was no poll code imposed. P2 Come X-mas and the oldest churches in the region become melting pot of eastern and western sensibilities. P4 Even though mercury dipped, human warmth is palpable at Christ The King Cathedral Church, Chandigarh. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 19°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.30 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:24 AM TUESDAY | 24 DECEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR MC COUNCILLOR BHOGAL JOINS AAP Phagwara: Harpreet Singh Bhogal, Councillor from Ward no. 10 in Phagwara, along with his associate Avtar Singh Parmar, joined AAP. On Monday, many newly elected councillors in Jalandhar and Phagwara joined AAP. With this, the number of AAP elected councillors has risen to 13. AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang and Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal officially inducted and welcomed Harpreet Singh Bhogal and Avtar Singh Parmar to AAP. Both leaders assured the AAP leadership of their support. OC HELD FOR SOCIAL MEDIA MISUSE Phagwara: The police have arrested a resident who was charged with misusing social media. The accused has been identified as Sharanjit Singh, a resident of Mohalla Khurampur, Ward no.10, Mehatpur. Lakhwindar Singh had complained to the police that the accused used the objectionable words against him on the Facebook and spoiled his image. The Cyber Crime police station has registered a case against the accused, including two NRIs, on the charge of misusing social media. OC THREE BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked three miscreants on the charge of assault and stealing cash. The accused have been identified as Sunni Thind and Pawan of Nurmahal and Billa of Nangal Ambian village in Shahkot. Ramesh Kumar of Model Town, Nurmahal, complained to the police that they barged into a shop, attacked him and stole Rs 12,000 from the cash box. OC VILLAGER HELD FOR THEFT Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a Moga villager on the charge of stealing a petrol pump part. The accused has been identified as Shamsher Singh, alias Shera, a resident of Longi Wind village in Moga. Sukhwindar Singh of Salaichan village had complained to the police that the accused and his accomplice had stolen the air compressor motor from his petrol pump on December 20. A case was registered against the accused. OC 6 councillors don AAP cap, take party tally to 44 ; Cong, BJP loser Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 23 Having failed to reach the majority mark of 43 in the Municipal Corporation elections held on Saturday, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party has managed to rope in five councillors required to reach the magic figure. In the 85-ward MC House, AAP could win only on 38 wards with the Congress getting 25, BJP 19, BSP one and Independents two wards. In just two days, the party’s leadership, including three Cabinet ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO, Dr Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat, has been able to rope in five councillors to improve the tally to 44 councillors, required to have the AAP Mayor. Those who joined are both Independent councillors Seema Rani (Ward no. 81) and Tarsem Lakhotra (Ward no. 46), two from the Congress Parveen Wason (Ward no. 65) and Manmeet Kaur (Ward no. 47), and two from BJP Sulekha Bhagat (Ward no. 63), and Shabnam Duggal (Ward no. 41). The joinings kept on happening one after the other. The pictures of joinings New entrants are Ind Seema Rani (Ward no. 81) and Tarsem Lakhotra (Ward no. 46), two from the Congress Parveen Wason (Ward no. 65) and Manmeet Kaur (Ward no. 47), and two from BJP Sulekha Bhagat, (Ward no. 63) and Shabnam Duggal (Ward no. 41). MANMEET JUMPS THRICE IN 11 DAYS CONG-AAP-IND-AAP Even as Jalandhar has earned the sobriquet ‘the city of party hoppers’, the biggest of them seems to be councillor Manmeet Kaur. She has beaten the previous record by switching over thrice in just 11 days. Her name figured in the BJP list of candidates on December 12. The same night, she shifted to the Congress and her name appeared in its list on December 13, which was the last day of filing of nomination papers. This afternoon, she chose to join AAP that needed majority to form its Mayor. If Manmeet Kaur has proved to be a big hopper, so is Tarsem Lakhotra, the Independent. He was a Congress councillor in the last elections. He shifted to the AAP ahead of the Jalandhar West bypoll. But he got upset when he was denied ticket. Lakhotra turned rebel and chose to file his papers as Independent. While he polled 1,940 votes, AAP candidate Rajneesh Bhagat had got less than half with 962 votes. As the party asked him to return, he responded quickly. kept flowing the whole day after short gaps with the required mark achieved this afternoon. AAP it is learnt, plans to , ensure that there are not just 44 but 50 councillors on its side to ensure a safer, stable House. It is learnt that many more councillors have shown their interest in joining the ruling AAP so as to ensure free flow of funds, development works in their wards for the next two and a half years and even ease in doing the businesses they are already engaged in. There have been some who have been seeking commitment from the party leaders for getting plum posts like those of Deputy Mayor or Senior Deputy Mayor. Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Kapurthala, December 23 The Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, has been awarded the Best Production Unit Award for outstanding performance in 2023-24 under the 69th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Awards distribution ceremony. The Best Production Unit Shield was presented by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and IT, to SS Mishra, General Manager, RCF, at a felicitation ceremony held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Ravi Kumar, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, RCF, was also present. This shield has been awarded to the RCF jointly with Chittaranjan Locomotive Works,Chittaranjan, another production unit of Indian Railways. In the function, 101 railway officials were awarded the 69th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Awards and shields were given to 22 zones/ production units for best performance in various categories. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Railway Board Satish Kumar, members of Railway Board and General Managers of various Railway Zones and production units were present at the ceremony. RCF Kapurthala has been awarded this shield for the third time. Earlier, the RCF has had the distinction of winning the Best Production Unit Shield in the year 201213 and 2020-21. Jalandhar, December 23 The results of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) elections, declared on Saturday, came as a shocker as no party managed to secure a majority. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been in power in Punjab for over two years, emerged as the frontrunner with 38 seats but fell short of the 43-seat majority mark. This is the first time since the formation of the corporation in 1991 that the ruling party has failed to achieve a majority in the Jalandhar MC elections. The outcome has sent ripples through the city’s political circles as it signals a challenging road ahead for AAP in the 2027 Assembly elections. While the party is now pulling all strings to garner the necessary support to gain majority, CONSTITUENCY-WISE RESULTS Constituency Total Wards AAP Cong BJP Ind BSP Jalandhar Cantt 14 8 4 2 0 0 Jalandhar Central 23 9 10 4 0 0 Jalandhar West 24 10 4 8 1 1 Jalandhar North 24 11 7 5 1 0 Total 85 38 25 19 2 1 the results have exposed vulnerabilities in its strongholds, raising questions about its grip on urban voters. The biggest surprise was the impressive performance of the BJP. Contesting solo this time, the BJP secured 19 wards, marking a strong comeback from its earlier tally of 13 when it was in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The BJP’s NGT tells MC to stop garbage dumping at Model Town Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 23 In a verdict, delivered during a hearing held earlier this month, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation to immediately halt the dumping of waste near the Model Town Cremation Ground. The ruling is being hailed as a major victory for residents, who have waged a sustained war against the unhygienic and hazardous conditions caused by the garbage dump for years. The tribunal ordered the Municipal Corporation to cease all dumping activities at the site, remove the accumulated waste and transport it to designated transfer stations in line with the Solid Waste AAP misuses state machinery: Cong Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 23 As the ruling Aam Aadmi Party managed to rope in five councillors into the party to reach the majority mark, the Congress leadership has alleged that the state machinery had been misused for the purpose. Addressing the media, District Congress Committee chief Rajinder Beri, MLA Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia and Nakodar halqa incharge Dr Navjot Dahiya alleged, “AAP had misused the government machinery at every step. They used it to pressure our party’s ex-councillors to join them. They used it as a measure to suppress our candidates and force them to withdraw their papers. Now that the elections are over and AAP could not gain majority, they are again using pressure tactics to make our councillors join them.” While AAP has got added five councillors, the Congress has lost two of its winning candidates in just two days going down from 25 to 23. Beri said there had been irregularities at every step. “We got voter lists late, which had so many anomalies. Our polling agents did not even get certificates,” he said. Beri said both Congress councillors who chose to MLA Hardev Laddi Sherowalia WASON CLOSE TO AAP MLA The joining of Congress councillor Parveen Wason, who has defeated Anita Raja from Ward no. 65, has not been like by the Raja couple. Wason’s joining was reportedly effected by AAP Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora and party leader Raju Madaan. Madaan, whose son is wedded with Arora’s daughter, was a claimant of the ticket from Ward no. 64. Jagdish Raja’s entry at the last moment had spoiled his plans to contest. Wason is reportedly close to both Arora and Madaan. move to AAP were being expelled. He said, “Our former Mayor Jagdish Raja and his wife and ex-Senior Deputy Mayor Anita Raja too left party and joined AAP. After both have lost, they are realising their mistake”. Shahkot MLA Laddi said Congress workers had been threatened in the Shahkot municipal polls too. Best Production With 8 seats, BJP makes a comeback in West Unit Shield for RCF FILE INBRIEF Management Rules, 2016. It also instructed the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to file a detailed report on the collection and use of environmental compensation imposed on the corporation. Compliance will be reviewed in the next hearing, scheduled for April 1, 2025. Residents of Model Town and Keval Vihar have long aired their grievances, highlighting the dump’s proximity to the cremation ground and the associated risks to public health. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Model Town, under the leadership of Varinder Malik and Jaswinder Singh Sahni, spearheaded efforts to resolve the issue. Their relentless activism included public meetings, legal challenges and engagement with the authorities, ulti- Members of the Joint Action Committee, Model Town, at dumping site in Jalandhar. mately culminating in the NGT’s intervention. The petition was filed by social activist Tejasvi Minhas and JAC president Malik, emphasising the corporation’s failure to comply with waste management norms. c m y b During the hearing, the NGT criticised the Municipal Corporation’s inaction and directed its Commissioner to sub- mit an affidavit detailing compliance measure and appear virtually at the next hearing. “This decision has brought hope to residents, who have endured years of unaddressed complaints and deteriorating living conditions”, said Jaswinder Sahni, adding that while the ruling is seen as a significant step, they have urged the authorities to implement the orders swiftly and establish sustainable waste management practices. The Joint Action Committee have also urged the MC Commissioner to hand over the public the space, previously converted into a dumping zone, to them. They planned to install a statue of Bhagat Singh at the site to inspire the youth while transforming the area into a green space to prevent waste dumping. resurgence was most evident in Jalandhar West, where it won eight wards. This was despite AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat, who won the Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll by defeating his nearest rival and BJP nominee Sheetal Angural by a margin of more than 37,000 votes and holds a cabinet berth now, who was expected to dominate. BJP leaders Sushil Rinku and Sheetal Angural managed to turn the tide in their party’s favour, although Angural’s own brother lost to an AAP candidate in Ward no 58. In Jalandhar Central, the Congress emerged as the top performer, winning 10 out of 23 wards, thanks to the sustained efforts of former MLA Rajinder Beri, say sources. AAP and the BJP secured nine and four wards, respectively, in the constituency, where the Congress’s ground work proved decisive. While Jalandhar West and Central revealed cracks in AAP’s armour, the party performed relatively well in Jalandhar Cantt and Jalandhar North, winning eight and 11 wards. The Congress secured the second-highest tally in both constituencies, but the BJP and Independents also made their presence felt. Despite the efforts of all parties, frustration among voters was evident, with many expressing discontent over unfulfilled promises and the lack of tangible development in their wards. The results reflect not just a fractured mandate, but also a warning signal to all political players in Punjab. As AAP scrambles to consolidate its position, the results have undoubtedly reshaped the political narrative in Jalandhar, setting the stage for a fiercely contested Assembly race in 2027. Elderly woman’s earrings snatched in Phagwara Our Correspondent PHAGWARA, December 23 A distressing incident occurred in Phagwara today when an elderly woman was robbed of her earrings by two motorcycleborne assailants. The victim, a resident of Mohalla Santokhpura, was on her way to work at a nearby house when the incident took place. During the robbery, the victim sustained injuries in her ears. She was subsequently taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment, however, she was turned away due to a lack of necessary medical supplies. The victim was then forced to seek treatment from a private clinic. The victim, Palo, recounted the ordeal, stating that two men on a motorcycle approached her and snatched her earrings. The impact of the robbery resulted in injuries to her ears. Upon reaching the hospital, she was denied treatment by the doctors due to a shortage of medical supplies. Consequently, she was compelled to seek medical attention elsewhere. This incident highlights the growing concerns regarding safety and law and order in the region.