11032025-ATR-01.qxd 10-03-2025 23:15 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune ADMN JOINS HANDS WITH NGO TO CHECK POLLUTION 500 AWARDED DEGREES AT DAV CONVOCATION DAV College hosted convocation on its campus, awarding degrees to nearly 500 students of the 2024 batch. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 16°C PERFECT 10 FOR LAAPATAA LADIES AT IIFA AWARDS Medical and environmental experts will be involved to address environmental concerns. P2 FORECAST Leading the pack of winners was Laapataa Ladies, which captivated audiences and critics alike. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.27 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.34 AM » TUESDAY | 11 MARCH 2025 | AMRITSAR Farmers hold protest outside residences of AAP MLAs, ministers in Amritsar, Tarn Taran districts Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 10 Farmer unions associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday staged dharnas outside the residences of ministers and MLAs of the ruling party to protest against the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their issues. The protests were held outside the residences of Cabinet Ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and MLAs Jaswinder Singh of Attari and Dalbir Singh Tong of Baba Bakala. Farmer leaders stated that several issues of the agrarian community have not been addressed for years and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had the audacity to walk out of the meeting. Rattan Singh Randhawa of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee, who led the protest outside the Attari MLA’s residence, said, “Ensuing supply of the canal water for irrigation and giving rights of the land to tillers is under the preview of the state government.” The farmer leaders raised several other demands, such Farmers during a protest outside the residence of a Cabinet Minister in Amritsar on Monday. VISHAL KUMAR as management of stray animals, and problems faced by land owners at the Patwari and Tehsildar levels too are under the control of the state government. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha leader Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said, “By the time, the CM walked out of the meeting, he had already accepted 12 demands. With the state government head creating unnecessary confrontation, the agrarian sector is not going to benefit.” Dr Ajnala said the CM had assured them of fixing the MSP for basmati and a few other crops, besides setting up a shelter home for stray animals over 1,000 acres in Patiala. He said the CM had also promised to organise special camps to resolve farmers issues related to revenue department offices. Speaking during a protest held outside Harbhajan Singh ETO’s office, Jatinder Singh Chinna of the Kirti Kisan Union said, “The attitude of the CM has revealed the seriousness of the Aam Aadmi Party towards the agrarian crises.” He said soon after the meeting ended, the police started arresting farmer leaders.” Meanwhile, farmers under the banner of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged dharnas in front of the MLAs in Tarn Taran district on Monday. They condemned the attitude of the state government, especially of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, towards the issues of the farming community. Farmers in large numbers staged a dharna in front of the residence of MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal. The leaders in their respective addresses warned the state government against confronting with the farmers. Balkar Singh Valtoha, Nachhattar Singh Pannu, Harjit Singh Ravi and Devinder Sohal were among others who addressed on the occasion. The leaders condemned the arrest of farmer leaders en masse to restrict them from moving to Chandigarh. They said the policies of the AAP state government have been made to appease the corporate sector. The farmers staged dharnas in front of the residences of Patti MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar, Khadoor Sahib MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura in Lalpur village and Khemkaran MLA Sarwan Singh Dhunn in Khemkaran too. Juvenile among four held with 4-kg heroin Amritsar, March 10 The Amritsar Police Commissionerate on Monday busted yet another cross-border drug trafficking cartel with the arrest of four persons, including a juvenile, and recovered 4 kg of heroin, ~20,000 of drug money and three motorcycles from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Tarsem Singh, alias Sema (23), Amrit Singh, alias Abhi (21), both residents of Jalalabad in Fazilka and Ramanjit Singh, alias Raman (19), a resident of Tarn Taran, and a juvenile of Ferozepur. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrested individuals were in constant touch with Pakistanbased smugglers. They were using Ferozepur sector to sneak in narcotic substances from across the border and sharing precise coordinates for dropping drugs via drones. “The juvenile arrested in the case used to cross the Sutlej river using boats in order to retrieve contraband, dropped by Pakistani smugglers, from areas near the International Border fencing,” disclosed the The suspects in the custody of the police in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Police Commissioner. Two separate cases have been registered under the NDPS Act in this connection and further investigations are underway to establish backward and forward links in both cases. More arrests and recoveries are likely to be made during further course of investigations, he added. Sharing details, he said in intelligence-based operation, CIA Staff-1 team in- DGP (Spl) Railways seeks people’s Despite repeated complaints, Wi-Fi at support in checking drug abuse airport remains non-functional for years Tribune News Service Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 10 Continuing with the drive against rampant drug abuse, the Punjab Police organized a police-public meeting ‘Sampark’ with people to aware them about the ill-effects of drug scourge. Special Director General of Police (Railways) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi presided over while Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar along with other senior cops of the city police commissionerate participated in the programme held at Kanwar farms located on the main GT road here on Monday. Police officials interacted with the councillor and representatives of the area and listened to their grievances, besides seeking suggestions for eradicating the drug menace. Speaking on the occasion, she said the state government and the Punjab Police have adopted a zero tolerance policy against drug traffickers and recently launched a crackdown on those involved in the trafficking of narcotics. She said the police were DGP (Special) Railways Shashi Prabha Dwivedi (middle) along with Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar in Amritsar on Monday. also holding awareness drives in this regard. The administration tries to get those, who are stuck in the deadly trap of drug addiction, admitted in drug deaddiction and rehabilitation centres for treatment. She appealed to people to join hands with the police to make the state a drugfree state. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said since the launch of the crackdown on drug peddling on March 1, the city police have registered 53 FIRs and arrested 83 traffickers. The police seized 14.5 kg of heroin, 2.29 kg of opium, ~9.59 lakh of drug money and 10 vehicles used in trafficking of the contraband. Similarly, he said in past two months (January and February), the police confiscated 26.46 kg of heroin, 5.3 kg of opium, 372 gm of ICE (methamphetamine), ~24.66 lakh of drug proceeds and 14 vehicles. Besides, the police also arrested 15 proclaimed offenders of NDPS cases. Amritsar, March 10 The Wi-Fi facility at Shri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport has remained non-functional for years, causing major inconvenience to international passengers. Despite repeated complaints from travellers and local organisations, the issue remains unresolved, prompting fresh demands for an immediate resolution from Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). For international travellers, Wi-Fi access is no longer a luxury but a basic necessity. It allows passengers to communicate with family, access important travel information, conduct business and stay entertained during long transit hours. However, passengers arriving at or departing from Amritsar airport often struggle with connectivity issues, as the airport lacks a functional public Wi-Fi network, an unusual situation for a major international airport. Expressing concern over The Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar. the issue, Yogesh Kamra, secretary of Amritsar Vikas Manch and Convenor (India) of the Fly Amritsar Initiative, wrote an urgent appeal to MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, highlighting how the absence of Wi-Fi tarnishes the airport’s reputation. He emphasised that even during his tenure in the Airport Advisory Committee, the issue was repeatedly raised but remained unresolved. “It is surprising that while most major airports worldwide provide free and seamless Wi-Fi services, Shri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport continues to lag behind. This lack of connectivity not only frustrates passengers but also damages the airport’s image, making it seem outdated and less traveller-friendly,” Kamra stated in his letter. Despite growing passenger traffic and ongoing demands for better airport facilities, the failure to implement even a basic connectivity service raises serious concerns. Many travellers remain unaware of the issue until they reach the airport, adding further to their discomfort and frustration. Local organisations and travellers are now demanding an urgent intervention from MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and the AAI to restore the Wi-Fi service without further delay. They argue that the Amritsar airport, one of the key aviation hubs in Punjab, must meet international standards to enhance passenger experience and maintain its credibility. MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has been urged to take up this matter with the AAI and Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure that the long-overdue Wi-Fi service is restored at the earliest. Passengers and stakeholders now await a prompt response from the authorities, hoping for a swift resolution to this persistent issue. charge Amolkdeep Singh and CIA Staff-2 team incharge Ravi Kumar conducted raids and arrested the suspects from Chheharta and Cantonment areas. The Commissioner of Police said efforts are being made to uncover the entire network of suppliers, dealers and buyers as well as to ascertain the total quantity of drugs purchased by the arrested individuals so far. — TNS Pregabalin capsules worth ~1.25L seized from chemist Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 10 A joint inspection was on Monday conducted by the Drugs Control Office and the police at a chemist shop in Chhehharta area and seized proscribed medicines worth ~1.25 lakh from the shop. Health Department officials stated that 4,500 capsules of five different kinds containing pregabalin 300 were seized from the shop. Drugs Control Officer Sukhdeep Singh said the proprietor of Vicky Medical Store, Vikramjit Singh, failed to produce the purchase bills and required records even as he was given appropriate time to do so. He said the seizure was made due to Vikramjit Singh’s inability to produce purchase bills and his violation of the District Magistrate’s orders, which banned the sale and stocking of pregabalin capsules and tablets in the district since January 7. The official stated that the offence is punishable under Section 223 of the BNS. MC to hire three firms for garbage collection Two robbers nabbed after police encounter Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 10 The Municipal Corporation has decided to hire three private firms for door-to-door collection of garbage, bio-remediation and installation/operation of a waste-to-energy plant in the city. Earlier, the Municipal Corporation had hired one private firm for door-to-door waste collection, bio-remediation and setting up the wasteto-energy plant. Despite tall claims, the private firm failed to initiate work on bio-remediation and the waste-to-energy plant. The company was only collecting garbage from the city but due to inadequate infrastructure, several new dumping grounds have emerged. MC officials claimed that awarding all responsibilities to one company was not a good decision. Learning a lesson from previous experience, the MC would now hire three private firms. Municipal Health Officer Dr Kiran Kumar stated that a request for proposal (RFP) is being prepared to start the process for inviting tenders. “Though the previous firm Averda will continue operations for the next six months, we will try to complete the tender process before its services come to an end. The new companies would start work before Averda leaves the job and residents will not face any inconvenience. We have decided to issue three separate tenders for door-to-door garbage collection, bio-remediation and the installation and operation of a waste-toenergy plant,” he said. It is worth mentioning here that in August 2024, the MC passed a resolution to review the working of the solid waste management firm, Averda. The decision was taken on the instructions of the Chief Secretary, Punjab, in response to the hearing of a case in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). As per the report, a large number of vehicles were worn out and the company was also facing financial issues. Last week, the company gave a notice to the Amritsar Municipal Corporation to quit its services after six months. c m y b PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 10 Amritsar rural police have nabbed two robbers after a brief encounter at Manjh village here today in the evening that left a robber injured with gunshot injury while another sustained a minor fracture in the leg when he tried to escape in the fields. The duo was identified as Harmandeep Singh of Guru Ram Das Avenue in Tarn Taran and Gurpreet Singh alias Anda of Iqbal Avenue in Tarn Taran. They had snatched a Toyota Fortuner SUV from Armandeep Singh of Kotli Gujra village falling under Shahkot police station in Jalandhar. Maninder Singh, SSP (Amritsar rural), said that Armandeep told the police that he along with his cousin and friends had come to Aman Fish Corner in Jandiala Guru for a party in his Fortuner (PB-11-BI-0032) on Saturday night. He said after the party, his friend Sukhmandeep entered the SUV while they went to relieve themselves in the fields. He said in the mean- while, two bike-borne persons came and entered the SUV. They pointed a pistol at Sukhmandeep, asking him to alight from the vehicle. They later sped away in their SUV which also contained his expensive mobile phone and Rs 17,000 in cash. After registering an FIR, the police launched a manhunt to nab the suspects. He said today, the police got a tip-off about their movement near Manjh village. Acting swiftly, the police teams raided that spot but the accused fired at the police team. The police retal- iated to their firing in selfdefence in which Harmandeep suffered a bullet injury in the leg. Gurpreet Singh tried to escape in the fields but fractured his leg. Both of them were held. The police recovered a weapon and the SUV snatched from them. The bike which they had left while snatching the SUV was also found to be a robbed one. SSP Maninder Singh said that both the accused were habitual offenders with three to four criminal cases of a different nature against them.