01012025-ATR-01.qxd 12/31/2024 11:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune COMPUTER TEACHERS BURN STATE GOVT'S EFFIGY 149TH HARIVALLABH SANGEET SAMMELAN ENDS The 149th Shree Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan ended at 3.55 am on a foggy morning. P2 MODERATE FOG MAX 15°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 14°C | MIN 9°C LOW KINNOW YIELD AMID WEATHER CHALLENGES Computer teachers burnt an effigy of the state government in Nawanshahr on Tuesday. P2 FORECAST Kinnow has started arriving in the market, but orchardists are concerned about a dip in yield. P3 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.37 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7.30 AM » WEDNESDAY | 1 JANUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR Four held with stolen cellphones Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 31 The Civil Lines police have busted a gang of robbers operating in the city by arresting four persons and recovering 11 stolen mobile phones. The accused, identified as Harman Singh, alias Hamma, Ladi Singh, alias Laddu, Gurjinder Singh, alias Sonu, and Sunny Singh, were apprehended from a building near Company Bagh. According to the police, the gang was involved in a series of robberies and snatching incidents across the city. The arrested individuals have a history of criminal activity Four snatchers in custody of the Amritsar police on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR with multiple cases registered against them in Amritsar rural and Amritsar city. The police also recovered 11 stolen mobile phones of different brands from the accused and a stolen motorcycle, bearing a fake number plate. The motorcycle was allegedly stolen from Fatehpur area in Amritsar. During interrogation, the accused revealed that they would scout areas before committing robberies and then hide the stolen goods. Sunny Singh, one of the accused, was found to have a history of snatching incidents with multiple cases registered against him. The police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the BNS. Winter break extended till Jan 7 in schools Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 31 In view of cold wave conditions, the Punjab Government has extended the winter break till January 7 in government-aided, recognised and private schools across the state. Announcing the decision on its official X account, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains shared that considering the cold wave conditions, the winter break is being extended till January 7 on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. All schools will open on January 8. Ringing in New Year in style The decision has been taken as the region is witnessing severe cold weather conditions. MC collects ~52L on last day for paying property tax sans penalty Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 31 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation collected ~52 lakh on Tuesday, the final day to pay property tax without incurring a penalty. This surge in payments brought the total collection to 31.65 crore, with over 85,000 property taxpayers contributing to this amount since April 1st. The municipal corporation had set a target of collecting ~50 crore during the ongoing fiscal year, which ends on March 31. While they are yet to achieve this goal, the MC officials are hopeful that the remaining amount will be collected in the coming months. As of today, property owners, who have not paid Revellers celebrate the New Year togather with a bang in Amritsar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Take steps to protect rights of workers, farmers: RMPI, KKU Members of the RMPI and the Kirti Kisan Union during a conference at Attari on Tuesday. Amritsar, December 31 The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI) and Kirti Kisan Union (KKU), Punjab, organised a political conference at Attari near the International Border with Pakistan here on Tuesday to counter the growing fascist ideology and daily attacks on the farmerslabourers’ movement. The conference demanded the reopening of the Wagah border with Pakistan for trade. Leaders Baba Arjan Singh Hushiarnagar, Harpal Singh Chhina, Mukhtiar Singh Muhawa and Amarjeet headed the conference. Mangat Ram Pasla, national general secretary of RMPI, said the Hindutva agenda implemented during the Modi government’s rule is aimed to create a religion-based country, dividing people along religious and caste lines. Pasla empha- sised that this agenda threatens national unity. Pasla further stated that the government’s actions were intended to divert people’s attention from pressing issues like unemployment, inflation and corruption. He criticized the government for promoting backward religious ideas that promote oppression of Dalits and poor people. The conference demanded that the Indian Government must take steps to protect the rights of workers and farmers. Prominent leaders from the Sanyukat Kisan Morcha also addressed the conference. Hardev Singh Sandhu, state president of the Kirti Kisan Union emphasized the need for India and Pakistan to promote love and unity, rather than division. He noted that the people of both countries wanted to reconnect and strengthen their shared cultural heritage which could be done by open- ing trade through Wagah. Farmer leaders Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, and Dhanwant Singh Khatrai Kalan criticised the Modi-led Union Government’s new national agricultural marketing policy, calling it anti-national and anti-farmer. They said the policy would benefit corporate interests, leading to the destruction of the agriculture sector and the economy. The conference concluded urging people to unite against the government’s policies and demand the cancellation of the national agricultural marketing policy. Ratan Singh Randhawa, state president of RMPI and state general secretary of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee, highlighted the problems faced by farmers in border areas. He said the government should provide adequate support to farmers and open the Wagah, Hussainiwala, and Sadiq borders to promote trade and unity. their taxes, will be required to pay a 10 per cent penalty on current tax. Traders and residents have to face additional financial burden for not paying tax on time. “We are already struggling to make ends meet and the added penalty will only make things more difficult. So it was good to pay tax before the end of the year. After standing in the queue for 20 minutes, finally I have paid tax,” said Vikas Khanna, a local trader. MC officials stated that residents have to pay tax to maintain the city’s infrastructure. “We have installed the boards and made announcements to encourage property owners to pay their taxes on time to avoid penalties. A good number of residents and traders paid property tax. We received property tax through the MC’s portal too. The funds collected from property taxes are essential for maintaining the city’s infrastructure and providing basic amenities to residents. So residents should pay it on time,” said Sushant Bhatia, MC Secretary. “I didn’t want to risk paying the penalty, so I made sure to pay my taxes on time. It’s a relief to have it done and I hope the MC uses the funds wisely,” said Ravi Kiran Singh, a taxpayer. Life means doing what one is passionate about, says poet Pratibha Panghal MTP officials told to take action against illegal buildings Neha Walia Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The decision comes as the region experiences severe cold weather conditions, with dense fog and low temperatures disrupting daily life. An orange alert has been issued in the state due to the cold wave and reduced visibility caused by fog. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a further drop in the temperature from the New Year. While the sky will remain clear, strong winds will blow at a speed of 25 to 35 km per hour. The maximum temperature is likely to settle at 6 to 7 degrees below normal, while the minimum may remain around 8 degrees. Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 31 In response to numerous complaints regarding the construction of illegal buildings, the MC Additional Commissioner convened a meeting of officials of the Municipal Town Planning (MTP) wing here on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Municipal Town Planner Narinder Sharma and Assistant Town Planners (ATPs) Parminder Singh, Wazir Raj and Varinder Mohan. The aim was to check the rising cases of violations of building bylaws in the city. During the meeting, the Additional Commissioner directed officials to prepare a comprehensive list of underconstruction illegal buildings in each sector of the city. He said no building should be allowed to be constructed without the sanction of a site plan. The move is expected to curb illegalities and ensure that constructions are carried out adhering to the building bye-laws. However, in the past, senior officials of the MC instructed its officials several times to make a list of illegal buildings, but the MTP officials never made any effort in this regard. Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh stated that he had received numerous complaints. To address the issue, he has given clear continued on page 2 Amritsar, December 31 “The journey from teaching children the nuances of poetry to realising my own dream and getting my first book published has been both interesting as well as a struggle,” says Pratibha Panghal, an English teacher who has recently retired from service and come out with her first book, a collection of poems, titled, ‘Listen to the Thorn Birds’. Published by Delhi and London-based BlueRose One, it is peppered with 60 verses which touch an array of human emotions. While most were freshly written, a few stem from the diary maintained regularly by Pratibha. “There is no specific time conducive to writing. I get ideas which spontaneously get formed into words, anytime and anywhere,” she says when asked about the spirit of poetry in her. “It can be during a simple walk somewhere in the city, while dining at a restaurant or while looking out of the window. All writers would connect with this. Being an emotional person, I have always observed people, places and events with imagination and sensitivity .The storms within and without have enabled me to explore and experience depths of life that only poetry can express effectively,” she continues. Life should continue with what we are passionate about, even after the so-called retirement from any full-time job, she says. c m y b Pratibha Panghal on one of her solo bike expeditions. Panghal’s love for poetry comes from the family environment. Her mother Ranjit Malhotra was a school principal and taught English poetry while her father’s conversation was always embellished with Urdu couplets. During her long career at DAV Public School, Lawrence Road, she also headed the school’s annual magazine besides training students in several extracurricular activities including debates, declamation, photography and poetry recitation. Interestingly, 15 poems in her book also carry artwork (watercolour paintings) by a young Kolkata-based artist, Ankita Ghosh. “I was impressed with her work on Instagram and asked if she could collaborate. Also being a literature lover as most Bengalis are, she under- stood my poems so deeply that her work beautifully matched every feeling of the poems,” informs Panghal. “Art and words are a beautiful combination. You will realise this through my book.”Having been a teacher, she believes that in encouraging the habit of reading, parents can play a big role besides the school as children pick up everything they see around them. “If parents will read, especially in front of their children, they will be naturally encouraged to read. Secondly, children can be gifted books which cater to their interest, from automobiles to aviation, as it can go a long way. Thirdly, every city should have rich libraries where parents feel encouraged to take their children because reading is the best investment for the mind which widens horizons and keeps adding so much new to it that it has the power to enrich one’s life,” Panghal points out. Meanwhile, Pratibha Panghal also adores travelling with focus on adventure. “I have been on many bike trips, riding pillion with my husband. The one from Amritsar to Bhutan in scorching summer heat involved almost 14 hours of riding bike every day. Those trips healed me besides changing perspective on life. Like poetry, solo trips as well as pillion-riding, build self-confidence and are therapeutic. Travelling in general is the best investment for the mind, especially if we stay away from technology during the travels. It has the power to connect us with our true selves including our potential.”