30052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/29/2025 10:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY NAGAR KIRTAN MARKS SHAHEEDI DIWAS IN TARN TARAN ANURAG BASU SAYS HE MISSED LATE ACTOR IRRFAN KHAN CHANDIGARH’S CHOLE BHATURE IS TREASURE TROVE OF FLAVOURS Dedicated to the 491th martyrdom day of fifth Sikh Guru Arjun Dev, a colourful Nagar Kirtan was taken out. P2 Konkona started crying while missing Irrfan Khan during Metro...In Dino shoots, shared director Anurag Basu. P4 Chandigarh’s chole bhature scene is a treasure trove of flavours, each spot adding its own secret twist to North Indian stapleP4 » » » MAX 39°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.29 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.26 AM FRIDAY | 30 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR CRPF jawan dies in road accident Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 29 A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan died in a road accident on the Goindwal Sahib bypass here on Wednesday. He was hit by some unknown vehicle on the bypass. The deceased has been identified as Jaspal Singh (40), a resident of Rajatal, Amritsar. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Baldev Singh from the city police said Jaspal Singh was deployed at the Central Jail, Kapurthala. After availing two-day leave, he was on way back to his duty on Wednesday from his home, the ASI said. When Jaspal Singh reached the Goindwal Sahib bypass, he was hit by some unknown vehicle, he said. The victim was rushed to a local private hospital in a serious condition where doctors declared him brought dead, the ASI said. The driver of vehicle which hit the victim sped away from the spot, he said. The ASI said a case under Sections 106 (1), 281, 125A and 125B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against the driver of the vehicle in this connection. MC to link all properties in city with unique identification number The goal is to create unified database, improve tax & trade licence fee collection Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 In a significant move towards enhancing urban governance and increasing efficiency in tax collection, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has announced the initiation of a city-wide project to link all residential, commercial and industrial properties with a unique identification (UID) number. The goal is to create a comprehensive property database that streamlines municipal services and strengthens revenue generation mechanisms. A meeting led by MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh with officials from the Property Tax Department and the Geographic Information System (GIS) Cell of the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) was held here today. The key agenda was the integration of UID numbers with properties to enable more efficient collection of property tax, water and MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh chairs a meeting with officials of the Property Tax Department and the Geographic Information System Cell of the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company in Amritsar. sewerage charges and trade licence fee management. During the meeting, Simarjeet Kaur, in-charge of the IT Cell at the PMIDC, and Anup Kaur, in-charge of the GIS Cell, shared technical insights on the UID integration process through video conferencing. They presented a roadmap on how property data could be digitally mapped and interlinked using the GIS technology, allowing better transparency and accountability. MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh highlighted a crucial concern in the existing system that the civic body was unable to accurately identify defaulters in tax property collection, water and sewerage charges and trade licence fee. He recalled that back in 201314, the Municipal Corporation had conducted a citywide property survey through Map My India, during which UID numbers were initially assigned to properties. However, the integration of these UID numbers into the municipal database was never fully implemented. Now, the MC plans to relink all properties with their assigned UID numbers as per the earlier survey and ensure updated data alignment. The Commissioner instructed the Property Tax Department to complete the UID mapping before initiating the next round of tax recovery. He also emphasised that taxpayers should be informed about their respective UID numbers to ensure clarity and accountability during payment. The UID numbers will also be synchronised with water, sewerage and trade licence records, ensuring that a single, centralised data point is available for all municipal services. This integrated approach is expected to significantly enhance the accuracy of data and increase municipal revenue by curbing tax evasion and identifying unregistered properties. Aulakh also appealed to residents and business owners to cooperate with the Municipal Corporation by ensuring that their properties were linked to UID numbers before making payments for property tax, water and sewerage charges or trade licence fee. He assured full support from MC officials to the PMIDC during the linking process. Youth found dead under mysterious circumstances Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 Panic gripped the Mustafabad area here after a youth was found dead on a vacant plot under mysterious circumstances. The deceased was later identified as Rajat Kumar (30), a resident of Kundiya Wala Khuh, located on the Majitha road, here. Though the police have started inquest proceedings and launched further probe in this connection, family members of the victim alleged that Rajat was apparently murdered in a robbery. Amit Kumar, brother of the deceased, told the police that Rajat used to work as caterer. He had gone to his work yesterday, but did not return home till morning. Amit said around 10 pm, they got a call that his brother’s body was dumped in the Mustafabad locality. The police found strangulation marks around the victim’s neck indicating that he might have been murdered. Gurjit Singh, in-charge, Vijay Nagar police post, said the victim was either murdered or got electrocuted. He said body of the deceased was sent for an autopsy which would ascertain the cause behind his death. He said appropriate action would be taken thereafter in this connection. Police to issue challans for driving Four bike-borne persons two-wheelers with covered faces loot, injure airport worker Man arrested with Contraband seized by the Amritsar (Rural) police on Thursday. Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 Women two-wheeler drivers, who cover their faces to avoid scorching heat and pollution, will have to be watchful. Covering face will now invite penal action by the police. After many anti-social elements managed to give the cops a slip by covering their faces, the police have decided against the practice. It becomes difficult to identify accused despite availability of the CCTV footage of incidents involving crime. Tightening the noose, the traffic police have now decided to challan those driving twowheelers with covered faces. “Not only men, but women and girls riding two-wheelers A woman drives scooter with a covered face in Amritsar. with covered faced will be stopped and challaned,” said Amandeep Kaur, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Traffic. “Except, people having medical issues, all commuters will be on radar. This is a serious problem. No one will be allowed to cover faces while riding two-wheelers,” she said. “This practice of driving with covered faces will be banned. I will take up the issue with senior police officials and get the ban order issued in this connection,” she said. Earlier, similar steps were taken by the city police in 2016-17. The police at that time registered FIRs against offenders who violated the ban orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order. “Unscrupulous elements usually cover their faces while committing crimes in order to avoid their identification. It becomes very difficult for the police to trace them,” the ADCP said, while adding that offenders would face challan in a court or at the Regional Transport Office. Besides, the traffic police, along with the Municipal Corporation, have launched a campaign against encroachments in the city. The ADCP said ban orders would also be issued against encroaching government land, footpaths and roads. Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 A loader identified as Ram Bahadur, who works at Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport, was attacked and robbed by four miscreants here on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday when he was going to his duty. The incident occurred near Jhanjoti village falling under the Rajasansi police station here. According to the police, when the victim reached near Jhanjoti village around 2.30 am, four persons on two motorcycles surrounded him. The miscreants robbed victim of his bike, cash and other valuables. The unknown accused also stabbed the victim leaving him seriously injured. Fellow employees of the victim, who worked at the airport, spotted him and rushed him to a hospital where his condition was stated to be serious. He was admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital. The police said a case had been registered in this connection and efforts were on to identify the four accused. “Footage of the closed circuit television cameras installed near the crime spot is being analysed to find clues about the perpetrators of the crime,” said Maninder Singh, SSP, Amritsar (Rural). 516 grams of heroin Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 The special cell of Amritsar (Rural) police today confiscated 516 grams of heroin from a man identified as Harpal Singh alias, Pala, a resident of Rorawala border village. Satwinder Singh, special cell in-charge, said during patrolling, the police intercepted the drug peddler near Attari drain. He said a case under the NDPS Act was registered against the accused, while further probe was on to ascertain the source of the contraband. He said Harpal’s links with Pakistan-based drug smugglers were being verified. He was new entrant in the illegal drug trade and did not have any previous criminal history, Satwinder said. He would be produced in a court tomorrow to seek police remand for further investigation, Satwinder said. In the second incident, the Narcotics Control Bureau reportedly arrested two drug peddlers identified as Bharpur Singh and Gurkirtan Singh after recovering half kilogram of contraband apart from two pistols from their possession. Further, probe was on in the case. Commissionerwarnshealthwingstaff Frequent traffic snarls outside bus stand add to commuters’ woes after reports of absenteeism emerge Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 29 Laxity among officers and clerks of the health wing has come to the fore, with complaints emerging that officials are often not found on their seats during working hours. The situation has worsened to such an extent that when senior officials summon branch clerks, they are frequently reported absent. This reflects a serious lapse in departmental discipline. Municipal Commissioner has taken serious note of complaints and issued a warning letter to staff concerned following repeated reports of absenteeism. According to the letter, clerks posted in the Health Department are not performing their duties properly during office hours. Whenever they are called for official tasks, they are found missing from their designated seats. CLERKS NOT PERFORMING DUTIES According to the Commissioner’s letter, clerks posted in the Health Department are not performing their duties properly during office hours. Whenever they are called for official tasks, they are found missing from their designated seats. This careless attitude is causing significant inconvenience to retired employees, who have to visit the department for post-retirement formalities and benefits. This careless attitude is causing significant inconvenience to retired employees, who have to visit the department for post-retirement formalities and benefits. The Commissioner stated in the letter that this negligence would not be tolerated any further. Branch clerks in the health wing have been warned and instructed to mark their attendance at the office of the Additional Commissioner. Along with this, leave applications will now require proper signature approvals. Commissioner stated, “It must be ensured that clerks are present at their desks during duty hours.” The MC Commissioner also emphasised that if heads of departments (HODs) had conducted regular checks, such situation could have been averted. The letter also clearly mentions that repeated dereliction of duty would invite strict departmental action. Although officials have been issuing warning and show-cause notices to improve discipline, the lack of concrete action so far has rendered these notices ineffective. As a result, such negligence is taken as normal in the department. Amritsar, May 29 Failure to manage traffic on the stretch of the GT road outside the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra InterState Bus Terminal (ISBT) leads to massive traffic jams every day causing hardships to commuters. Manpreet Singh, a shopkeeper near the bus stand, said, “The authorities concerned should take steps to prevent frequent traffic jams in the morning and evening hours outside bus stand. Serpentine queues of vehicles can be witnessed outside the bus stand. The situation aggravates when heavy vehicle drivers use pressure horns. Besides, smoke emanating from vehicles pollutes environment. Besides, hot weather conditions makes commuting difficult.” “Instead of lush green landscape which should greet devotees coming out of the ISBT, they face traffic nightmares. Since the Golden Temple is easily accessible c m y b Vehicles stuck in a serpentine queue outside the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Inter-State Bus Terminal in Amritsar. from the ISBT, a large number of devotees in Punjab prefer to come to the holy city via buses,” he said. He demanded that the management of the holiest Sikh shrine should spare a thought to make the stretch outside bus stand neat and clean and create a green cov- er for visitors who deboard buses after covering a tiresome journey. Besides pressure horns, loud blast sound emanating from modified silencers of twowheelers, jarring noise of autorickshaws and other obsolete vehicles cause noise pollution and nuisance on the road. Pressure horns are rampantly used by drivers of speeding vehicles like buses, cars and even two-wheelers to create panic among fellow commuters to clear their own path. Despite the fact that all these are in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, the traffic police do not take stern action against violators. Compounding problems are sand-laden open vehicles. Sand from these vehicles flies around which creates dust pollution. One must say that there is no end to woes of commuters who use the road outside bus stand every day, while the authorities look the other way.