18052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/17/2025 11:08 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 43°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 42°C | MIN 26°C SECURITY BEEFED UP IN WAKE OF BORDER TENSIONS AVOID WATERLOGGING TO PREVENT DENGUE OUTBREAKS ACTRESS ADAH SHARMA OPENS UP ON HER DREAMS The police in Malerkotla has been asked by local authorities to not ease off their vigilance. P3 The Civil Surgeon said even a single spoonful of stagnant water is enough for mosquitoes to breed. P3 Two years after The Kerala Story created waves, she reflects on how the film didn't just change her career. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 7.07 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.28 AM » SUNDAY | 18 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR Drone, pistol seized during search op in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 17 The Khemkaran police and the Border Security Force (BSF) in a joint search operation launched in the BPO Kals area on Friday recovered a broken drone and a pistol with two magazines. Arms may have come from Pakistan: Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Kanwaljit Singh said here on Saturday that the police and the BSF in a search operation in the area recovered the broken drone, two magazines and a pistol. The Sub-Inspector said the consignment might have come from the Pakistan side and the accused behind it must be brought to book. The police have registered a case under Sections 10, 11 and 12, Aircraft Act, and Sections 25 (6) and 25 (7) of the Arms Act. Scare after grenade attack at wine shop in Batala Focal Point area Police downplay attempt, say it was a ‘dummy object’ aimed to create panic Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Batala, May 17 An unsuccessful grenade attack made at a wine shop in the heavily populated Focal Point area of the city last night created a scare among residents even as the police had a hard time in dispelling rumours emanating from the incident. Later, the cops called the grenade a “dummy object” and said that some miscreants were playing mischief and would be arrested soon. The area keeps teeming with migrant labourers working in the industries located nearby. Although the grenade’s pin was removed, it failed to explode. It was hurled at 10.30 pm on Friday at the Rimple wine shop. A ‘grenade’ lies in front of a wine shop in Batala. An FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station. Even as the police downplayed the incident, a social media post released by gangsters Manu Agwan and Gopi Nawashahria pointed fingers at the police version. They said “that anybody playing with the lives of Punjab’s youngsters by selling drugs and other intoxicants would be dealt with severely.” On the other hand, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Suhail Qasim Mir addressed the terrified residents through a social media platform in an attempt to dismiss their fears. “We called in a special team from Amritsar and they confirmed it was a dummy object and not a grenade. We have stumbled upon some clues and will arrest the accused soon,” he said. Sources say the cops called the grenade a ‘dummy object’ to make sure panic does not set among the residents. “The cops’ motive is good but the sinister designs of the gangsters cannot be simply wished away. There should be a proper investigation into the sequence of events leading to the incident,” said an officer not willing to be quoted. The police version does not have a ring of authenticity to it as on previous occasions, the cops have embarrassed themselves by claiming “nothing serious happened”, when in fact, there have been repeated grenade explosions at sensitive places like police stations. In December last year, when a powerful explosion rocked the Majitha police station, senior officers termed it as “tyre burst”. Likewise, on every occasion there has been a blast, the cops have come up with an alibi. Repeated grenade and IED attacks in the border area have forced the cops to take corrective measures like increasing the height of walls of police stations. Such steps, said sources, were designed to act as a deterrent against gangsters and also to restore the confidence of the people in the police force. MC chief holds meet to review projects for city’s beautification Tribune News Service Rural police nab two 3 held with over 1 kg heroin, ~45L drug money with 3 Glock pistols Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 17 In an intelligence-led operation, the Amritsar rural police have arrested two persons and recovered three 9mm Glock pistols along with six live cartridges, a bike and two mobile phones from their possession. They were identified as Amandeep Singh of Kot Mehtab Khan village in Goindwal Sahib in Tarn Taran and Sukhchain Singh of Manawala Khurd village here. Preliminary investigations revealed that Amandeep Singh was also involved in the killing of Sub-Inspector Charanjit Singh on April 9. According to information, the Sub inspector had gone to Kot Mehtab Kha village after the police received a call on 112 helpline about firing between two groups. When he along with his team reached there, he tried to settle the matter. However, the two groups started pelting each other and the police team with stones. In the melee, one of the groups started firing which hit SI Charanjit Singh. ASI Jasbir Singh was also injured in the incident. The police had arrested an AAP Sarpanch among around 20 persons in the case. Accused Amandeep Singh was evading arrest and had been hiding since. He has changed his appearance in order to dodge the police. “We have caught him and his accomplice from Gharinda following intelligence-led operation. We got a tip-off that the duo were involved in the cross-border weapon smuggling,” said Maninder Singh, SSP , Amritsar Rural. Further probe was on to bust the entire nexus, he added. Amritsar, May 17 In a major crackdown on the drug nexus, the Amritsar police busted two separate smuggling networks and arrested three persons in this connection. The police recovered 1.01 kg of heroin, Rs 45.19 lakh of alleged drug money and a cash counting machine from them. Those arrested were identified as Rahul Singh alias Kalu (20) of Thathi Sohal in Tarn Taran, Gurmukh Singh (21) of Sudhar Rajputan village and Varinderpal Singh (32) of Akalgarh Dhaphian village here. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Saturday said two separate FIRs under the NDPS Act have been registered at the Gate Hakima and Verka police stations and further probe was in progress to trace forward and backward linkages to unearth the entire nexus. Police Commissioner Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar along with other police officials addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Saturday. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said CIA staff arrested Rahul alias Kalu and recovered 510 grams of heroin and Rs 30.18 lakh of drug money along with a cash counting machine from his rented house at Anand Vihar here. Initial probe indicated that Rahul was in contact with foreign-based drug smuggler Tony German and was supplying heroin in local areas after receiving the consignments from across the border. In another operation, the Verka police nabbed Gurmukh Singh and Varinder Pal Singh and recovered 500 grams of heroin, Rs 15.19 lakh of drug money and a camera-fitted toy drone from their possession. The accused had made a concealed bed-box (secret locker) at a house located in Akalgarh village from where drug money was recovered, he said, adding that accused persons were using the toy drone for practicing so that later they could use a drone for smuggling purpose. Amritsar, May 17 To enhance the maintenance and management of main roads in Amritsar and improve the city’s overall aesthetics, a high-level meeting of civic body officials was convened under the chairmanship of Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh here yesterday. The meeting focused on reviewing the performance of nodal officers who were recently appointed to coordinate with various departments and ensure timely execution of civil works. These officers were also instructed to submit daily progress reports using a standard format prescribed by the corporation. During the meeting, each nodal officer presented a detailed account of the ongoing and completed works in their respective areas. The session also included discussions on the challenges faced during execution and strategies for resolving them efficiently. MC Commissioner Aulakh stated that 12 nodal officers have been assigned respon- sibility for the city’s major roads. Apart from their departmental duties, these officers are tasked with coordinating inter-departmental efforts to oversee various civic works such as patchwork, footpath and central verge repairs, horticulture, sewerage and manhole cover maintenance, drinking water supply, street lighting, road cleaning, debris removal and the elimination of encroachments. Each officer is required to submit a daily report on the progress of these tasks. The review meeting also addressed the issues highlighted by the officials and practical strategies formulated for timely resolution. The Municipal Commissioner directed all department heads to extend full cooperation to the nodal officers and warned that any negligence in this regard would not be tolerated. He further stated that the Municipal Corporation is already conducting an extensive cleanliness drive across the city and is fully committed to making Amritsar cleaner and more beautiful. Police conduct raids at 23 places, Dhaliwal opens dev AAP leaders lead cleanliness drive arrest 17 with illicit liquor, heroin works in Ajnala areas Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 17 In a crackdown on consumers of drugs and those accused of involvement in drug trade, the district police arrested 17 in raids conducted at 23 different places on Friday. The police informed here on Saturday that three persons were arrested with 26 grams of heroin. They were identified as Kala Singh of Kadgill, Charanjit Singh of Rasulpur and Balwinder Singh Bler. Three others were arrested while consuming heroin and have been identified as Pawandeep Singh, Salman Singh of Chabal Kalan and Harkanwaljit Singh of Bhaini Mattuan. The police added that Satnam Singh of Cheema Khurd village, Satnam Singh of Fatehpur Sugga village and Harpal Singh Thatta were also arrested with 347 intoxicating tablets. In a raid conducted at Sran Talwandi village, the Verowal police and the staff of the Amritsar, May 17 Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Saturday dedicated the development works done by the Punjab Government in schools at three villages in Ajnala constituency, Kamalpura, Mukam and Tera worth lakhs of rupees to children. Dhaliwal said the state government has done what it said. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann paid special attention to education and health. He also announced the construction of a stadium in Kamalpura. He also announced to give Rs 50,000 from his discretionary quota for the maintenance of two heritage big peepals trees in the Kamalpura school. The school teachers apprised the Cabinet Minister of four children of a labourer’s family studying in the school, who are very bright in studies. Dhaliwal met the children and gave them a reward of Rs 2,500 each from his own pocket. He assured them of all kinds of help for their studies in the future as well. — TNS The accused who was arrested while distilling illicit liquor at Sran Talwandi village in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Excise Department arrested Yodhbir Singh Yoda with a working still, 150 litres of lahan and 11,250 ml (15 bottles) of Illicit liquor. Seven others were arrested with 49,500 ml (66 bottles) of Illicit liquor from different places. The police have registered cases under relevant sections of the Excise Act and the NDPS Act. Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal along with students at a school in Ajnala constituency on Saturday. c m y b Amritsar, May 17 Senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday participated in a cleanliness drive aimed at improving the sanitation system of the city. Leading by example, MLAs cleaned various areas of their constituencies and encouraged the public to take responsibility for maintaining a cleaner environment. Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA from Amritsar South, led a cleanliness drive near Sukka Talab and Sultanwind Road. Dr Jeevanjot Kaur, MLA from Amritsar East, took charge of New Amritsar. Dr Ajay Gupta, MLA from Amritsar Central, cleaned the stretch from Hathi Gate to Medicine Market. Dr Jasbir Singh Sandhu, MLA from Amritsar West, led the drive in Kot Khalsa. Meanwhile, Karamjit Singh Rintu, Chairman of the Improvement Trust and a senior AAP leader, conducted a cleanliness drive at the 7-acre park ‘EVERY CITIZEN MUST CONTRIBUTE’ ■ Addressing local residents, Dr Nijjar said Amritsar is a spiritual city visited by lakhs of people every day. If we, the residents, do not take the initiative to keep it clean, then who will? It cannot be the sole responsibility of the municipal corporation. Every citizen must contribute ■ Dr Jeevanjot Kaur appealed to the citizens to support the municipal corporation in waste management. in New Amritsar. Addressing local residents, Dr Nijjar said, “Amritsar is a spiritual city visited by lakhs of people every day. If we, the residents, do not take the initiative to keep it clean, who will? It cannot be the sole responsibility of the municipal corporation. Every citizen must contribute.” Dr Jeevanjot Kaur appealed to the citizens to support the municipal corporation in waste management. Dr Gupta engaged with local shopkeepers to help maintain cleanliness on routes leading to the Golden Temple. Dr Sandhu, along with residents of Kot Khalsa, participated in street cleaning. AIT Chairman Rintu sought public and administrative support to enhance cleanli- ness in colonies under the Improvement Trust. Rintu stated that the yoga shed would promote a healthier and more peaceful lifestyle among residents. He reiterated the Trust’s commitment to developing more such meaningful public spaces across the city. The main aim of the campaign was to raise public awareness about cleanliness and sanitation. He noted that issues related to garbage collection are being actively addressed and that the municipal corporation is in the process of tendering services for door-to-door waste collection. He assured that significant improvements to the city’s sanitation system would be visible in the coming days.