05022025-ATR-01.qxd 2/4/2025 11:32 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune 6,000 DRUG ADDICTS SKIP TREATMENT AT OOAT CENTRES DROP IN CM CANCER RELIEF FUND REGISTRATIONS IN JALANDHAR The scheme in Jalandhar has seen a significant drop in registrations despite an increase in cancer cases. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 19°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 7°C PRAJAKTA WANTS TO TOUCH HEARTS & CREATE MEMORIES Out of registered 22,484 drug users, only 16,000 addicts are collecting medicine from the centres. P2 FORECAST Catering majorly to Prajakta’s young fan base, Too Good To Be True is witty, warm and deeply relatable. P4 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.08 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7.20 AM » WEDNESDAY | 5 FEBRUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR Verka launches rabri, dahi packets for ~25 Amritsar, February 4 The Verka milk plant on Tuesday launched packets of Rabri (85 gram) and Dahi (curd) 350 gram at 25 to meet the demands of its consumers. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, while launching these two new Verka products, said it was a matter of joy that the cooperative unit was continuously supplying quality milk and milk products to consumers. She felt that the affordable price would bring in more customers, helping Verka to capture the market share further. Harminder Singh Sandhu, manager, Verka, said dairy farmers of Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts are directly connected with Verka which provides hygienic milk with the aid of modern technology. He said recently, Verka had reduced the price of milk by Re 1 per litre and the two new products would be released in the market tomorrow. — TNS Entire fleet of BRTS buses to resume service from March Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 4 Even after two months of conducting the trial run with eight buses of the Metro bus service on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has managed to operate only 15 buses on a single route from the Golden Gate to India Gate till date. However, officials have now assured that additional buses will be introduced on all three routes starting in March. As per the plan, the total fleet of buses will gradually be deployed. The 31-km-long BRTS corridor has 45 stations. Initially, eight BRTS buses were introduced on December 7 on a trial basis before the MC elections. Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had launched the bus service. The election is over, but the govern- Tarn Taran village youth shot dead, accused held by police Our Correspondent The BRTS station in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR ment has failed to fulfil its promise to resume the project within one month as they had promised. Now commuters have been eagerly waiting for plying of all the Metro bus services on all routes. According to MC officials, the maintenance of 15 buses has been completed and these will start providing services from February 10. The MC aims to roll out 60 buses in a phased manner, ensuring all three routes are operational by the second week of March. A total of 72 buses will run daily from 6 am to 9 pm, with services available every 5 to 10 minutes, claimed the officials. Passengers will require to purchase a smart card worth continued on page 2 Tarn Taran, February 4 A 20-year-old youth, resident of nearby Pandori Gola village, was shot dead on Monday night by two persons. The deceased has been identified as Satnam Singh. The Chabal police have nominated Anmoldeep Singh of the same Pandori Gola village and his close relative Sandeep Singh of Kot Dharam Chand Kalan as the accused in the crime. Baljinder Singh, father of the deceased, said in his statement to the police that on Monday evening, the accused took Satnam Singh along on a motorcycle on some pretext and then shot him. They admitted him to a The family of victim Satnam Singh (inset) at the Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI local private hospital where the doctors declared him dead. The accused Anmoldeep Singh informed Gurjit Singh Ladi, Sarpanch of Pandori Gola, about the incident saying that Satnam Singh has been injured in a road accident and was admitted to a private hospi- tal in Tarn Taran. When the parents of Satnam Singh came to the hospital, the doctors informed them that Satnam Singh was brought dead to the hospital. SHO Charanjit Singh said that the accused have been booked under section 103(1) and 3(5) of the BNS and section 25 of the Arms Act. The accused have been detained by the police. Kamalmeet Singh, DSP City, Tarn Taran, said that the revolver used in the crime has also been recovered. The weapon used in the crime is said to be illegal. It is said that there were some issues between the accused Anmoldeep Singh and deceased Satnam Singh which proved dear to both of them. Ferozepur divn earns ~36L from CIA staff arrest man Pingalwara opens Delhi branch ticketless passengers in January with heroin, weapon Amritsar, February 4 The Railways earned a revenue of about ~36 lakh as fine charged from ticketless passengers and those who littered the Amritsar railway station in the month of January. The Ferozepur division earned a revenue of ~2.43 crore in all in the month from ticketless passengers across the division and the local railway station also falls under the division. Appreciating the ticket checking staff of the division, Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway, Sanjay Sahu said they conducted thorough ticket checking in trains to curb ticketless and irregular travel to provide comfortable journey and better services to genuine rail users. A total of 25,390 passengers were found travelling without tickets or travelling irregularly during January. This has increased the income 25,390 FOUND TRAVELLING WITHOUT TICKETS ■ Appreciating the ticket checking staff of the division, Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway, Sanjay Sahu said they conducted thorough ticket checking in trains to curb ticketless and irregular travel to provide comfortable journey and better services to genuine rail users. A total of 25,390 passengers were found travelling without tickets or travelling irregularly during January. of the Ferozepur division. Railway officials also conducted continuous surprise ticket checking campaigns to prevent unauthorised entry of passengers in trains, in which passengers were advised to travel in trains with proper tickets. In order to keep the railway stations of the division clean and to prevent the general public from littering the stations and to make them aware of cleanliness, regular checks are carried out at the main stations. As a result, nearly ~1 lakh was collected from 584 passengers for littering the station premis- es under the Anti-Littering Act. He announced that the ticket-checking campaign would continue at all stations across the division. The main objective is to ensure that no passenger travels without a ticket. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Paramdeep Singh Saini said the ticket checking staff of the Division not only increase the Railways’ revenue, but also perform social duty by returning articles and belongings left by passengers. For this, they are honoured by giving certificates of appreciation from time to time. — TNS Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, February 4 A team of the local CIA staff led by Inspector Amandeep Singh, in charge of the staff, arrested a motorcycle-borne rider with 1.7 kg of heroin and illegal weapon here on Monday. SSP Abhimanyu told newsmen here on Tuesday that the accused has been identified as Baljinder Singh, alias Rambo, a resident of Mohalla Chathuian in Patti. The SSP said the police party was on routine night patrolling on Monday when the accused was seen moving in the area under suspicious circumstances. While frisking the suspect, they recovered 1.7 kg of heroin, a country-made pistol and a cartridge from his possession. A case under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the The suspect in custody of the police in Tarn Taran. GURBAXPURI Arms Act has been registered. The accused was produced in a court, which sent him to police custody for two days. The SSP said more seizures are expected during the interrogation of the suspect. His relations with Pakistan-based smugglers cannot be ruled out, added the SSP . Amritsar, February 4 The All India Pingalwara Charitable Society is set to open a branch in Delhi next week. Dr Inderjit Kaur, Director, Pingalwara, today said that this will be an extension of their philanthropic service across the northern region. Dr Inderjit Kaur informed that encouraged by the support that Pingalwara has been receiving from donors and volunteers, it was decided to expand operations to Delhi. “We will continue our mission to provide a safe and nurturing environment for those in need, offering support to the elderly, differently-abled and those who are destitute. With this expansion, we aim to reach more people and extend our heartfelt services to a wider community,” said Dr Inderjit Kaur. The grand inaugural ceremony will be held in Delhi on February 9 and Dr Gursharan Kaur, wife of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will do Bibi Inderjit Kaur, president, All India Pingalwara Charitable Society, addresses mediamen in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR the honours. “It will be celebration of a milestone and will strengthen our collective commitment to compassion and care for those who need it the most,” said Dr Inderjit Kaur. Founded by eminent philanthropist Bhagat Puran Singh in 1960, the All India Pingalwara Charitable Society has become a safe haven and home for the destitute, abandoned children and elders. Pingalwara has facilities for 1,080 patients, who are fed, housed and looked after, thanks to the generous support of philanthropists. It also runs a school, training sports centre for children with special needs and disabled sports persons besides medical and humanitarian services. Additionally, Pingalwara has signed an MoU with INTACH Punjab to set up a museum at its premises in Manawala, which will have hitech equipment and will also showcase the traditions and culture of Punjab. It will be an inclusive space. — TNS Ashes of 400 Hindus, Sikhs in Pak Day after, drug trail leads police Dhaliwal flays Union brought to India for immersion to Ludhiana-based hawala trader Govt for not meeting farmers’ demands PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service A family from Pakistan brings the mortal remains of a deceased via the Attari-Wagah border to be immersed in the Ganga in Haridwar. GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 4 The mortal remains of over 400 Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs who had passed away were brought to India through the Attari-Wagah joint check-post yesterday. Due to strict visa norms, the family members of the deceased had to wait for long to come to India to immerse the ashes in the Ganga. The six-member delegation, led by Mahant Ramnath of Sri Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Karachi, has brought the ashes packed in separate boxes. These ashes will be immersed in the Ganga as per the rituals of Hindu religion. It is learnt that these families were granted visas after nine years. Of these, 50 boxes of ashes belonged to Sikh families also. Mahant Ramnath, who is also the president of Hindu Cremation Ground Association, has appealed to the Indian and Pakistan governments to be liberal in granting visas at least for the immersion of ashes as per the traditions. Earlier, the organisation had got visas in 2011 and 2016. “It is the strong belief of the Hindus and people following Sanatan Dharma living in Pakistan that the ashes of their near and dear ones should be immersed in the holy Ganga according to religious rituals. We appeal that visas should be granted at least once a year. When the families of the deceased do not get visas, they hand over the ashes to our organisation,” he said. Mahant Ramnath said in 2011, the ashes of about 180 dead persons and in 2016, about 160 dead persons, were immersed in the Ganga. “Now, the ashes of about 400 deceased will be immersed at Sati Ghat in the Ganga in Haridwar at the Nigam Ghat,” he said. Amritsar, February 4 A day after the arrest of a drug peddler with 2.124 kg of heroin, the police have made a significant breakthrough by arresting a Ludhianabased hawala trader in this connection. The police recovered Rs 15 lakh of hawala money from his possession. The man was identified as Gurcharan Singh alias Channa, (62) a resident of Karam Colony located on Tajpur Road in Ludhiana. The police had yesterday nabbed Mantej Singh (27) of Burj village in Tarn Taran. Sharing details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said during an in-depth investigation, police unearthed a connection with drug money to Ludhiana-based hosiery trader Gurcharan Singh. “He was linked to drug smugglers based in Afghanistan. The accused was allegedly involved in exporting hosiery goods to Afghanistan, and in return, was receiving hawala money (drug proceeds) from various parts of Punjab and Delhi,” c m y b The suspect was held with drugs in Amritsar yesterday. FILE PHOTO said the Police Commissioner. He has been nominated in the case, and arrested from bus stand area, he added. The drug proceeds were confiscated upon his disclosure. During interrogation, Bhullar said Gurcharan Singh alias Channa revealed that he established a firm named Micky Traders Company, Ludhiana, in 2021, specialising in exporting women’s hosiery goods to Kabul, Afghanistan. Over time, he developed links with Afghan drug suppliers, and upon their instructions, personally collected drug money from Amritsar, Ludhiana and various locations in Delhi. He said in exchange, he would export women’s hosiery goods to Afghanistan, accepting 10 per cent of the transaction value in his bank account or via Google Pay, while 90 per cent of the money was received through hawala transactions. He said Gurcharan Singh was also using the hawala money (drug proceeds) to facilitate a network of weapons and drugs smuggling by smugglers and gangsters. The police have obtained his remand for further interrogation. His bank accounts would be scrutinised and financial transactions tracked, he said. Amritsar, February 4 Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has lashed out at the Modi-led Union Government for harassing farmers by repeatedly holding meetings and not meeting their demands. After holding a Janata Darbar at Ajnala here on Tuesday, he listened to the problems of people and also reviewed development works of the border subdivision of Ajnala. Dhaliwal said the Union Government should fulfill the farmers’ demands and avoid holding meetings. He said loans of corporate families were waived off without holding any meeting. The farmers were even ignored during the Budget. Meanwhile, listening to people’s problems during the Janata Darbar organized in his office at Ajnala, he instructed the officials to resolve their problems. He said following the instructions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that all the ministers and MLAs should Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (2nd from right) listens to the problems of people at Ajnala on Tuesday. listen to the problems of people of their constituencies and resolve them, this camp was held. Dhaliwal also held a meeting with officials and reviewed development works of Ajnala constituency. Among others, SDM Ravinder Singh, BDPO Sukhjit Singh Bajwa, Tehsildar Akwinder Kaur, Naib Tehsildar Sanjeev Pathaniyan, DSP Gurwinder Singh Aulakh, Executive Engineer Anishdeep Singh were present. — TNS