03062025-ATR-01.qxd 6/2/2025 11:09 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SARPANCH AMONG 8 RELEASED IN SI'S MURDER CASE DURGIANA TEMPLE STAFF HIGHLIGHT ITS NEGLECT KUSHAL’S WILDCARD COMEBACK SEALS VICTORY IN MTV ROADIES Eight of the 20 persons, arrested for killing sub-inspector Charanjit Singh, have been released from jail. P2 Durgiana Temple staff hope that its management committee will improve their living conditions. P2 Rannvijay Singha-hosted ‘MTV Roadies Double Cross’ has concluded with Kushal emerging as the winner. P4 » » » MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.15 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.23 AM TUESDAY | 3 JUNE 2025 | AMRITSAR KMSC leader Pandher accepts CM Mann’s debate challenge Says farmer unions ready to speak about public issues Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 2 Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has accepted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s recent challenge for an open debate, saying farmer unions are more than ready to speak up about the ground-level problems people are facing. Responding strongly, Pandher accused the government of ignoring real issues and failing to deliver on its promises. Pandher’s reaction came after Chief Minister Mann had asked farmer leaders to a public debate, while also accusing some of them of gaining wealth and land through questionable means. In a video message, Pandher agreed to the debate, saying farmer representatives would go to anywhere the Chief Minister chooses. The farmers believe in a democratic dialogue and are prepared to ask tough but fair questions, but doubt whether the government has any real answers. Raising serious concerns, Pandher accused the Mannled state government of letting down the people of Pun- KMSC leader Sarwan Singh Pandher jab. He pointed to the Chief Minister’s earlier promise of eradicating drug abuse by March 31, a promise, he said, that remains unfulfilled. Pandher claimed that drugs are available in every village. Referring to a disturbing incident in Bathinda where locals, while fighting against drug dealers, were allegedly attacked and had their legs broken, Pandher said such incidents clearly show that the drug menace has not been eradicated from the state. He blamed the government for allowing drugs to spread in villages and said that instead of cracking down on the problem, the supply seems to have increased. Highlighting the state’s failure to act against the sand mafia, despite bold claims, illegal mining continues unchecked. Pandher criticised the lack of new public transport facilities, saying the number of buses is decreasing rather than increasing. On the agriculture front, he pointed out that the government has not provided a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) and has done little to free farmers from debt, both major concerns for Punjab’s rural population. Condemning the government’s crackdown on farmers, Pandher called out the use of police force during the Shambhu and Khadouri protests. He demanded the immediate release of all detained farmers, including BKJU Sidhupur leader Kaka Singh Kotla. He warned that if the government continues to follow a repressive path, Punjabis will give a strong and united response. With this fiery response, Pandher has not only accepted the CM’s challenge but has also thrown the spotlight back on the government’s performance or lack of it over the past months. 6 months on, BRTS trial run confined to single corridor with six buses It was started only to garner votes in civic body elections, says social activist Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 2 The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), which was relaunched in December 2024 with only six Metro buses for a one-week trial run, has seen little progress even after six months. Despite having a fleet of 90 Metro buses at their disposal, the authorities have been operating only six buses, leaving thousands of daily commuters disappointed. When the service was reintroduced on December 6 (last year) by NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal and the then MC Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Aulakh, it was projected as the beginning of a full-scale revival of the Rs 600 crore project. However, six months later, the trial run has not been expanded, and operations remain confined to a single corridor. According to officials and BRTS staff, these six buses make approximately eight to 10 trips per day, catering to nearly 2,000 passengers. Ridership has grown steadily since its relaunch, with about 2,000 people using the service daily. But the number of buses has A BRTS bus passes through the dedicated route in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR not been increased accordingly. Passengers have often to travel while standing due to overcrowding in buses and this always leaves them concerned about their safety. Some of the operating buses have faulty doors that do not close properly, posing a threat to commuters. Meanwhile, two major BRTS corridors in the city remain non-function- al despite being ready. Though the maintenance work on the route from Verka to Kacheri Road has been completed, no buses are running on it. The third corridor – from the railway station to Batala Road — is also not operational. The reason for the delay in expanding bus services is being cited as the shortage of manpower. Officials claim that the hiring process is underway and that more buses and additional routes will be launched in the near future. According to sources, the government is not willing to repair buses to resume service. Rather it is waiting for the launch of e-buses, proposed by the Central Government. Charging stations for e buses are being installed at the BRTS station. The BRTS project, which was originally launched in 2016 by the then SAD-BJP government, received a huge public response. It was later neglected by the Congress government and only partially revived by Navjot Singh Sidhu during his tenure as Local Bodies Minister. In June 2023, the service was suspended altogether after the contract with the operating firm was terminated. As a result, nearly 1,000 employees lost their jobs and over 40,000 regular commuters, primarily students and officegoers, were left without a reliable public transportation. “Despite high expectations from it, the BRTS is still far from fulfilling its purpose. The extended “trial run” and continued under-utilization of resources have become a symbol of administrative delays. With no clear timeline for fullscale service, city residents have no option but to keep their fingers crossed. The trial run was started to garner votes in the MC elections and political leadership is not keen to provide public service in the city,” said Pawan Sharma, a social activist. Weapon smugglers Dog squad, police vehicles with CCTVs stationed near Golden Temple sent to police custody for 5 days OPERATION BLUESTAR ANNIVERSARY Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 2 With several Sikh organisations opposing officiating Akal Takht Jathedar’s address to the community from the Sikh’s temporal seat on the occasion of the 41st Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6, the Punjab Police have been put on alert. Senior police officials have been keeping a close watch on the developments in this connection. Police vehicles, with CCTV cameras atop, have been stationed outside the Golden Temple while the dog squad has also been pressed into service. On Monday, cops searched the area around Darbar Sahib while policemen in civvies were seen deputed inside the shrine to keep an eye on every movement in the temple, it is learnt. “We have been on alert and are taking all the precautions and preventive measures to thwart any untoward incident during the Operation Tribune News Service A police vehicle fitted with CCTVs stationed near the Golden Temple; (right) cops search the area with the help of a dog squad in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Bluestar anniversary,” said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar while talking to The Tribune. Damdami Taksal (Mehta) chief Harnam Singh Dhuma on Saturday asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to not allow officiating Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj from addressing the Sikh community from Akal Takht. He had threatened to protest and oppose him, adding that Gar- gaj was not an accepted Jathedar. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami would be holding a meeting with him on Monday. “We have been keeping a close watch on all developments and appropriate meas- ures would be taken to thwart any law and order problem arising from the current situation,” said a senior police official. Around 6,000 cops would be arriving in the city from Punjab Armed Police and adjoining police districts, including gazetted officials, for the security in the city in the coming days, especially on June 6, while hundreds of Sikhs from various organisations would attend the programme at Akal Takht to mark the occasion. Amritsar, June 2 A local court today sent the three weapon smugglers, arrested by the special cell of the Amritsar rural police, to five days in police custody for further investigations. Fatehbir Singh, alias Gandhi, Jagroop Singh, alias Lalli, and Ranjit Singh, alias Kaka, all residents of Vaniake in Lopoke area, were arrested by the Amritsar rural police from Brar-Kohala link road following an intelligence input. They were part of the trans-national drugs and weapons smuggling network. The police had recovered eight foreign-made sophisticated pistols smuggled from Pakistan from their possession. According to the police, they were in touch with Pakistan-based notorious weapon smuggler identified as Rana. The police had seized three Glock Gen 43 pistols (9mm), one Glock 26 Gen pistol (9mm), a .30 bore pistol, a PX5 .30 bore pistol, a Zigana pistol, 10 live cartridges of .30 bore calibre, a motorcycle used for transportation of smuggled weapons and three mobile phones. Maninder Singh, SSP, Amritsar rural police, said the racket was being operated by Dugh, a resident of Manawala. He said raids were on to nab him. Preliminary investigations revealed that they had picked the consignments of weapons from different parts of the border belt. They were yet to receive directions for supplying the same to other persons. Man arrested with Collecting electronic waste for sustainability through e-Parivartan pistol, two rounds Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 2 The Chheharta police have arrested Vijaypal Singh, a resident of Jagatpura village falling under the Chabal police station in Tarn Taran, and recovered a .32 bore pistol along with two live rounds. According to the police, the accused allegedly had links with gangsters and notorious criminals. Chheharta police station Station House Officer Vijay Sharma said a police party was on patrol at Bhaini Mau village when they got a tip-off that Vijaypal was involved in the trafficking of weapons. He was waiting outside her Miri Piri academy to supply the same to some persons. The police team raided the spot and arrested him with the weapon. He was produced in a court and brought on police remand for further investigations. A case has been registered. Amritsar, June 2 In a significant move aimed at environmental conservation and sustainable development, Phulkari Women of Amritsar (Phulkari WOA), has launched its latest philanthropic initiative – E-Parivartan. The programme marks a major step in the organisation’s expansion of its community outreach verticals and efforts to manage electronic waste responsibly and sustainably. The E-Parivartan E-Waste Collection and Recycling Drive is being held from June 14 at Cambridge Junior Phulkari Women of Amritsar have now collected over 500 kg of e-waste under the e-Parivartan initiative. c m y b School, Maqbool Road, Amritsar, from 12 pm to 5 pm. The collected e-waste will be dispatched on June 5 to mark World Environment Day, aligning with national and global commitments to environmental protection. The initiative is led by National Chairpersons for Environment, Tina Aggarwal, Payal Mehra with Ridhi Khanna, Programme Head, E-Parivartan, in Amritsar. “The initiative builds upon the Phulkari track record of social impact, including its Conquer Cancer programme for cervical cancer awareness and education, and the Phulkari Learning Pro- gramme, which encompasses scholarships for medical students, functional English training and digital literacy efforts. The E-Parivartan programme further extends Phulkari WOA’s commitment to national development, with a focus on environmental sustainability. Tina Aggarwal said that the collaboration with Threco Company, a Mumbai-based ewaste management company, will see Phulkari WOA enter into a five-year exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). “As an authorised e-waste recycling body approved by the Government of Maharashtra, for the safe and effective recycling of collected electronic waste, we will ensure a safe and secure way to dispose of e-waste like hard drives, mobile phones, batteries and all. This programme is also being conducted in collaboration with Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh,” she said. Till date, the initiative has managed to collect over 500 kg of e-waste in collaboration with prominent schools, hospitals and even industries. To recognise contributions, participants and donors contributing 100 kg or more of ewaste will receive certificates continued on page 2