13052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/12/2025 11:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY GIANI GARGAJ MEETS SIKHS IN TELANGANA VILLAGE MC ENSURES UNINTERRUPTED SERVICES AMID TENSIONS TOM CRUISE SURPRISES FANS IN LONDON’S ICONIC BUILDING Officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj recently visited a village near Hyderabad. P2 Amid the Indo-Pakistan conflict, the MC ensured uninterrupted civic services for city residents. P2 The Hollywood star was photographed on the roof of one of the city’s most iconic buildings, BFI IMAX. P4 » » » MAX 39°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 21°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.04 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.31 AM TUESDAY | 13 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR 17 peddlers nabbed with intoxicating tablets, heroin Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 12 In a crackdown, the district police on Sunday arrested 17 drug peddlers from different places and recovered 138 grams of heroin and 700 intoxicating tablets from them here on Sunday. The police also seized an XUV, a motorcycle, two mobile sets and Rs 2,750 drug money from their possession. SSP Abhimanyu Rana said a proclaimed offender (PO) too has been arrested during the campaign. The SSP said the local Sadar police arrested Stalinjit Singh of Lauhuka and Varinder Singh, residents of Ward No.15 in Patti, with 46 grams of heroin. The Goindwal Sahib police arrested Satnam Singh Sanmo and Sona Singh of Chandigarh locality at Fatehbad and recovered 235 of intoxicating tablets. Jagjit Singh, a resident of Manochahal Kalan, was arrested with 10 gm continued on page 2 City airport resumes full-fledged ops after temporary suspension Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 12 Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar has officially resumed fullscale operations for all commercial and civil flights, both domestic and international as of 10.18 am on Monday following a temporary suspension of the services in the aftermath of military action last week. Airport authorities have confirmed that all necessary safety checks, security protocols, and technical preparations have been successfully completed. With all systems operational, the airport is now fully functional and equipped to handle regular air traffic. Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for the latest updates on flight schedules. Suman Das, Media Manager at the airport, said, “The airport is now ready and open for all commercial, civil, domestic, and international flight operations.” Among the first airlines to resume services is IndiGo Airlines. The carrier will Narco-Hawala cartel backed by Turkey-based smuggler busted Three held with 1.10 kg heroin, Rs 1.06 crore hawala money Tribune News Service BLACKOUT IN AMRITSAR ■ While sounding an alert, the district administration imposed blackout at 9 pm in the district on Monday. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said it was being observed as a precautionary step and that there was no need to panic. She urged the people to switch off the lights and move away from the windows. restart operations from Amritsar today, with Flight 6E2045 scheduled to depart from Delhi at 8.00 pm and arrive in Amritsar at 9.10 pm. The return leg, Flight 6E5215, will depart from Amritsar at 9.40 pm and is expected to arrive at Delhi’s IGI Airport (Terminal 3) by 10.55 pm. The resumption comes after flight operations at the airport were abruptly halted on May 10 as part of the nationwide airspace restrictions following India’s military operation, ‘Operation Sindoor’, which targeted several locations across Pakistan. Amritsar was among several northern airports affected, with all 22 scheduled flights cancelled on that day, leading to widespread disruption and inconvenience for travellers. Amritsar, May 12 The Amritsar police busted an international narco-hawala racket backed by Turkeybased smuggler Navpreet Singh, alias Nav Bhullar, with the arrest of his three operatives leading to the seizure of narcotics, a huge amount of hawala money and a cash counting machine from them. Those arrested have been identified as Gurdeep Singh, alias Saab (35), a taxi driver from Amritsar, Pardeep Sharma (29), a garment shop worker from Bikaner in Rajasthan, and Mani Sharma (36), a Ludhiana-based garments businessman. The police also recovered 1.10 kg heroin, Rs 1.06 crore hawala money, including Rs 84.02 lakh in cash and Rs 22 lakh frozen in bank accounts, a cash counting machine, besides impounding their car (without registration number), said DGP Gaurav Three accused in custody of the police in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Yadav here on Monday. “Preliminary investigation revealed that Gurdeep was operating the local network of hawala and drugs smuggling at the behest of Nav Bhullar, who had not only provided him a house to use it as a hideout in Amritsar, but also arranged logistic support to run the cartel,” he said, adding that Nav Bhullar was wanted in big hauls of drug and hawala cases by different Central and state agencies. Giving details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said CIA staff received specific intelligence input about the functioning of the hawal cartel and dispatched the teams which arrested Gurdeep from near Lake Heart School located on Ram Tirath Road here. The cops seized the drug consignment along with the drug money from his possession. “During Gurdeep’s interro- gation, names of Pardeep Sharma and Mani Sharma cropped up who had delivered drug money of Rs 5 lakh each. Following their disclosure, the police successfully tracked and arrested both the suspects,” Bhullar said, adding that further investigation was in progress. A case under the NDPS Act was registered and further investigation is underway to expose the entire nexus. Show-cause notice to Trucks parked outside warehouse for hours Declare smuggling MC Commissioner lead to chaos on Chheharta-Dhand road of arms, drugs an act over dereliction of duty of terrorism: Aujla Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 12 The Punjab Government has issued a show-cause notice to the Amritsar MC Commissioner for dereliction of duty. Local Government Minister Dr Ravjot Singh said persistent complaints regarding the city’s poor sanitation had been received over the past few months. He said that the official concerned had demonstrated significant negligence in performing his duties, necessitating this action. The official has been instructed to submit a detailed response within 24 hours, he added. Dr Ravjot Singh said, “We have received numerous complaints from citizens and media regarding sanitation in Amritsar, which cannot be overlooked.” “Taking the matter serious- ly, a show-cause notice has been issued to the Amritsar MC Commissioner with clear instructions to respond within 24 hours,” he added. The Cabinet Minister said Amritsar is a sacred city requiring special attention to cleanliness. He directed all the officials across the state to ensure exceptional sanitation arrangements to protect people from potential diseases. With the summer season on, he stressed the need for comprehensive cleaning to prevent ailments like malaria, dengue and other hygienerelated health risks. Dr Ravjot Singh clarified that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government will not tolerate any negligence or casual approach from any official or employee. — TNS Amritsar, May 12 Hundreds of trucks carrying wheat bags from grain markets are stuck on the Chheharta-Dhand road outside the warehouse, causing a significant traffic congestion in the area. Even the Khasa-Bakna road is facing a similar situation as trucks laden with grains are waiting to enter the Khasa railway station. The trucks, which may remain stranded here for more days, are taking up most of the road space, leaving little room for other vehicles. This has resulted in frequent traffic jams, causing frustration for commuters. Jatinder Singh, a local resident, suggested that trucks should be parked in nearby vacant wheat fields instead of occupying the road. Residents living alongside Trucks laden with grains parked on the road outside the warehouse in Chheharta in Amritsar on Monday. the road are also affected by the dust raised by the movement of heavy vehicles. “We cannot even open the windows facing the road because of the dust,” said Nirmal Kaur, a housewife. Commuters are demanding that the administration should take steps to ensure that trucks are parked at designated areas while waiting for their turn at the warehouse. The lack of traffic management in the area has exacerbated the problem with vehicles from both sides often having to wait for hours or even days. If drivers from both sides do not show patience and let each other pass first, the entire traffic comes to a standstill. Commuters are urging the warehouse management to arrange parking space for trucks. The administration should find a solution to the problem of traffic congestion. Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 12 Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla has urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Central Government should declare drug smuggling from across the International Border as an act of terrorism and take urgent measures for ending the menace. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that narco terrorism has continued in border districts unabated. He claimed that more than two lakh people have lost their lives because of the rampant drug abuse in the region and a majority of them were from the Sikh community underlining the fact that it spares no one. This was a continuous and deliberate attack on the youth, families and future of our state, he said. Aujla said the Indian Government has declared that any terror act would be considered as ‘an act of war’ and cross border smuggling of arms and drugs were no less than terrorism. “It is also an act of war,” he said. He said despite the availability of advanced technology, flying machines were intruding our air space carrying drugs and dangerous weapons. He said the young generation was leaving the country due to lack of employment opportunity and rampant scourge of drugs. He said the illegal trade were continued with the connivance of police and politicians. Always under threat & fear, border village Illegal commercial establishments, banquet halls mushroom near ammunition dump residents demand land for relocation Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, May 12 Residents of Thehkala, Gilpan and some other villages, lying just a few metres away from the border fence with Pakistan, would have to wait for more days to see normalcy in their routine life. And it will take some more time for their families to return to their homes. The residents of the villages have demanded free residential plots in nearby Khalra town to live a peaceful and stress-free life. After the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan last week, most of the residents of these village migrated from their villages to the nearby township of Khalra. The residents are still under terror as they also saw the breach of the ceasefire violation. The villages of Gilpan and Thehkala are situated a few yards away from the border Residents of Gilpan and Thehkala villages during a meeting with Khemkaran MLA Sarwan Singh Dhunn (4th from left) in Tarn Taran. town of Khalra across the first defence drain. The fencing installed on the border is visible from their homes. Residents of the villages also suffered huge losses and lost a peaceful existence during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. Arashdeep Singh, sarpanch of Gilpan, and Yodha Singh, sarpanch of Thehkala, said here on Monday that they have been living under constant fear whether there is war or no war as they often see drone activities and bombshells from across the border. They said during four to five days of escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan last week, most families of the villages used to leave their houses to be at a safer place daily in the evening and return home in the morning. They said the families are yet to return to their homes. They said they have been demand- ing plots in Khalra town to build houses to live a peaceful life as they have suffered a huge financial loss in the wars. Every time there is tension between the two countries, residents of both the villages are forced to send their families to safer places. In their case, the Indian side of the defence drain is safer than the present location of their villages. “We do not feel that the ceasefire would hold for long as Pakistan has a history of breaking promises and patronising terrorists,” said the sarpanches of the villages. Residents of the villages stated that if they are allotted merely four acres of land on the Indian side behind the defence drain, they can build their homes and it would mean a peaceful life for them on the border. “Of course, men would have to go to their fields, but at least our families would be able to continued on page 2 c m y b Construction or commercial activity restricted within 1,000 yards of dump Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 12 A number of marriage palaces and commercial establishments have illegally mushroomed around the sensitive ammunition dump on the Amritsar-Attari bypass road near Vallah village here. During the Indo-Pak conflict, people from some quarters sought a reply regarding the presence of these establishments in the sensitive area from the local administration and the Municipal Town Planning (MTP) wing. On the complaint of Army officers at the ammunition dump, the MTP wing took action against the violators on the Sabji Mandi side, but it ignored the marriage places and other commercial establishments on the main bypass road. As per the Works of Defence Act, 1903, the construction or A large number of marriage palaces have come up near the ammunition dump at Vallah in Amritsar. any other commercial activity is restricted within 1,000 yards of the ammunition dump. Though on February 23, 2019, the MTP wing of the MC sealed four marriage palaces, including Utsav Forest Resort, Lily Resort, Grand Celebration and Western Villa, alleged to be con- structed in violation of rules near the ammunition dump, these marriage palaces broke open the seals and filed lawsuits. Now all the marriage places are functioning. The MC took action as a major fire had broken out in one of the palaces, located a few yards away from the ammu- nition dump. However, the authorities concerned never take action after that. Municipal Town Planner Narinder Sharma said, “One of the marriage palaces has been regularised in 2019 as it existed before the notification issued for the dump under Work Of Defiance Act. Two other marriage places located on the opposite side of the road filed a lawsuit and the case is sub judice. We don’t allow any other constructions in the area and raze illegal structures. The MTP wing does not approve of any building plan in the area.” The ammunition dump is spread over an area of 120 acres. It is divided into two parts, old and new ammunition dumps. The land of old ammunition dump, measuring 66 acres and 2 kanals was requisitioned in 1966 and continued on page 2