19032025-ATR-01.qxd 3/18/2025 11:01 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 30°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 12°C PANEL MEMBER VISITS SCHOOLS, INSPECTS MID-DAY MEALS SALMAN KHAN, RASHMIKA SET DANCE FLOOR ON FIRE ACTOR PULKIT WRAPS UP PUNJAB SHOOT FOR GLORY Member of Punjab State Food Commission carries out inspection in Nadala and Dhilwan of Kapurthala district. P2 The track of action drama Sikandar, shows Salman and Rashmika dancing to the beats of catchy song. P4 Actor Pulkit Samrat has just wrapped up his shooting in Punjab for his upcoming film Glory. P4 » » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.31 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.25 AM WEDNESDAY | 19 MARCH 2025 | AMRITSAR NHAI to address sewerage issue in Daburji soon, says Dinesh Bassi Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 18 Former chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) and senior Congress leader Dinesh Bassi has said that the sewerage problem in Daburji, persisting for the last three years, will soon be resolved by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He said following the directions of Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla, the area was inspected on Tuesday by National Highway Authority of India incharge Abdullah. Dinesh Bassi highlighted that residents of Ward No.35 in East constituency have been facing sewerage issues for a long time. To address the sewer blockage problem, he met MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Saturday. Despite repeated complaints over the past three years, the issue remains unresolved. He added that during his tenure as the chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, sewerage infrastructure was installed in the area. However, Dinesh Bassi, former chairman of the AIT and senior Congress leader, talks to area residents at Daburji in Amritsar on Tuesday. after that, no officials visited the locality to address public grievances. Sewerage work remains incomplete in many parts of the area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the NHAI. Following MP Aujla’s instructions, Abdullah, incharge of the NHAI, visited the area today and assured that the NHAI would bear all expenses to resolve the problem. Residents can expect relief soon. Bassi reiterated his commitment to resolve the issues faced by the people of the East Constituency. He encouraged residents to reach out to him without hesitation if they face any difficulties. Teacher booked for molesting anganwari centre helper Tarn Taran, March 18 The Sarhali police have booked a teacher of Government Primary School, Warana, for allegedly molesting a helper of the anganwari centre here. The incident occurred two weeks ago (on March 4), but the police registered a case on Monday (yesterday). The 58-year-old victim in her statement recorded with the police said that the accused, Darbara Singh, a teacher of Government Primary School, Warana, had been harassing her for the last few days. She said she was busy in a room of the anganwari centre on March 4 when the accused came near and molested her. She said as she objected to his advances, the accused fled the spot. ASI Satnam Singh of the Sarhali police station said a case under Section 74 of the BNS has been registered against the accused. The accused is absconding and the police have launched a hunt to arrest him. — OC Commercial use of basement parking leading to traffic congestion, residents bear the brunt Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 18 In a blatant disregard of norms, parking lots in the basements of large commercial buildings in Amritsar have been taken over by their owners for shopping and other commercial purposes. This has resulted in visitors being forced to park their vehicles on public spaces outside the buildings, causing traffic congestion and chaos. Several plush buildings have come up in areas like Mall Road and Lawrence Road, but they lack adequate parking facilities. Instead, the spaces meant for parking are being used for commercial activities. This not only causes inconvenience to visitors but also leads to traffic blockades, especially in areas with high volume of vehicular traffic. Residents have expressed frustration over the situation, citing the need for civic authorities to adopt modern concepts of urban planning. Anantpreet Kaur, a resident of New Amritsar, said, “The haphazard parking of vehicles in front of these Decade later, IIM Amritsar gets new campus at Manawala It houses academic, op facilities, library & incubation centre Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 18 After a long wait, the IIM Amritsar has now fully shifted to its new campus at Manawala here. The premier institute has finally moved on from the transit campus at the government polytechnic college and will now be operational from the state-of-the-art permanent campus on 61 acres of land on the AmritsarJalandhar road at Manawala. Built at an estimated cost of over ~600 crore, the new campus is spread in approximately 60,300 sq m. A decade after its inception, the IIM Amritsar currently has a student strength of 700 and the new campus has hostel accommodation for staff and students. Originally, the foundation stone of the permanent campus was laid by former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on June 19, 2016. Since the registration of the IIM, Amritsar society, on Police to put ‘Anti-drone system’ on display today The new campus of the IIM Amritsar at Manawala (in Amritsar), which is now operational. July 27, 2015, it was being run from its temporary campus of the Government polytechnic college near Guru Nanak Dev University. The initial deadline for the completion of the construction of the new campus was set to 2022. But several delays marred the project, including acquisition of a portion of the land for the completion of the construction. The new campus has wellequipped classrooms, library, health centre, incubation centre and a cafeteria. The IIM Amritsar also saw a transition in management with new Director Dr Samir Kumar Srivastav taking over from Prof Dr Nagarajan Ramamoorthy. Cellphones, ~40K cash, other valuables stolen from shop Our Correspondent Haphazardly parked vehicles at the Nehru Shopping Complex in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR modern buildings is not only an eyesore but also causes inconvenience to the public.” The traffic situation is severe in these areas, with vehicles often parked outside hotels and other big establishments, contributing to the chaos. Harish Gandhi, a resident of Ram Bagh, emphasised that the owners of these establishments should have a civic sense and provide adequate parking facilities. The civic authorities have introduced site plans with mandatory parking lots after 1997. Even as most commercial buildings have been constructed or renovated in recent years, these have failed to provide parking facility for their customers. At places, the basements which were meant for parking are being used for storage and even for commercial purposes. While the roads witness frequent traffic jams as a large area is used for parking of vehicles, residents demanded that the local administration must enforce building bylaws. Tarn Taran, March 18 The Punjab Police will put the ‘anti-drone system’ on display in the border village of Naushehra Dhala here on Wednesday. The purpose is to strictly check the illegal drone activity being conducted by Pakistan in Indian territory almost on a daily basis for years. The use of drones for the smuggling of drugs and illegal arms from across the border is considered the best mode of transportation, by the rival country, of the contraband to Indian territory. The district administration said here on Tuesday that Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora (both Cabinet Ministers), Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and other officials would be attending the function to display the system. The district administration is making sure that representatives of the media from Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Chandigarh get first-hand information of the system. The shop (situated along the Jandiala road), which was burgled by an unidentified man in Tarn Taran. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 18 An unidentified masked person stole mobile phones and other valuable articles worth ~7 lakh from a shop, Shan Communication, situated along the Jandiala road here early this morning. Ravinder Singh, proprietor of the shop, said according to information collected by examining the footage of CCTV cameras installed near the crime spot, a masked thief entered the shop at 4.45 am after breaking the locks of the shop. The shopkeeper said 35 new mobile phones, other goods, and ~40,000 cash (kept in cash boxes) were stolen from the shop. He said the value of the stolen goods is estimated to be around ~7 lakh, which he had man- aged by way of personal loan from his relatives. In the footage, the thief was seen keeping the stolen material in a kit bag and left the spot on foot. ASI Gurmeet Singh of the city police visited the spot and registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS. Shopkeepers are perturbed as miscreants are targeting shopkeepers on a regular basis. City Centre Market cries for official attention Spring Festival kicks off with flower exhibits Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 18 The City Centre Market, one of the oldest planned markets in Amritsar, is in dire need of official attention. Established just outside the Inter-State Bus Terminal in 1975, the market has, over the past 50 years, been primarily used for parking buses of private operators. It took years to develop it into a buzzing market as many of the SCOs (shopcum-offices) were occupied by transporters, mechanics, and tyre dealers. Several SCOs remain vacant due to the poor condition of roads and inadequate infrastructure. In 1988, the government relocated traders to green belts of the market after demolishing shops to develop the Galiara around the Golden Temple. However, even after five decades, the market’s roads are in disrepair, sew- The City Centre Market area in a pitiable condition in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR ers are non-functional, and garbage heaps can be seen throughout the area. Private buses continue to occupy parking spaces in the market. During the rainy season, potholes get filled with water leading to water accumulation for days and sewer water accumulates in streets and vacant areas. The presence of stray dogs and cattle adds to the annoyance of people and non-functional streetlights make the area unsafe at night. Bhupinder Singh Walia, chairman of the City Centre Welfare Association, said, “A delegation of traders has met the DC and AIT officials several times to discuss the issues plaguing the market. MLA Jeevan Jyot Kaur has assured us that the problems would be addressed as tenders have been floated for the replacement of sewer lines. We regularly arrange for super suckers to clear the choked sewer lines. Officials had also assured us that the roads would be re-carpeted, but nothing has been implemented on the ground so far.” Gursagar Singh, a trader, said, “Though this is a prominent market in the city, it lacks basic facilities. The government should ensure regular cleaning of the area. The garbage dumps and illegal parking spots should be removed.” c m y b Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 18 The Spring Festival of flowers, plants and rangoli was inaugurated by Prof Karamjeet Singh, ViceChancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, at a ceremony held in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan here on Tuesday. The festival is organised by the Department of Landscape in collaboration with the Dean, College Development Council, and the Department of Botanical & Environmental Sciences. Prof Karamjeet Singh said the festival is sponsored by the Punjab State Council for Science & Technology and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India. This initiative is part of the Eco-system The flower show was the main highlight of the festival at GNDU in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Restoration and Green Innovation Programmes under Mission LiFE (Life Style for Environment) for the academic year 2024-25. The festival features a col- lection of entries from various individuals, institutions, colleges, and schools, highlighting creativity and environmental awareness through floral and plant dis- plays and rangoli art. Prof Karamjeet Singh emphasized the significance of flowers as a gift to humanity, stating, “Flowers are a universal symbol of beauty and harmony. They distribute their fragrance generously, and as human beings, we should learn from them. We should spread goodness as flowers share their essence with everyone.” The festival showcases an impressive collection of entries from various individuals, institutions, colleges, and schools, emphasising creativity and environmental awareness through remarkable floral displays and intricate rangoli art. This event aims not only to celebrate the beauty of nature but also to promote eco-friendly practices among students, participants, and visitors.