24062025-ATR-01.qxd 6/23/2025 11:14 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY ARMY CELEBRATES INT'L OLYMPIC DAY AT TIBRI CANTT SHOLAY TO BE SCREENED AT ITALY FILM FESTIVAL DILJIT FACES BACKLASH OVER SARDAAR JI 3 WITH HANIA The International Olympic Day-2025 was celebrated today by the Army at the Tibri cantonment P2 The Bollywood epic, Sholay, will receive a special 50th anniversary tribute at a festival in Italy. P4 The singer-actor has been receiving backlash ahead of its release, which features Pakistani actor Hania. P4 » » » MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.39 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.26 AM TUESDAY | 24 JUNE 2025 | AMRITSAR Bribe issue: Vigilance Bureau summons Gramin Bank’s records Father, son arrested for cheating Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 23 Two days after an employee of the recovery agency was arrested for demanding Rs 2 lakh bribe, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) has sought the records of the Gramin Bank. The Vigilance Bureau has written to the bank for providing the records pertaining to the case and several officials of the bank would also be involved in investigations. The record is likely to be sent to the Vigilance Bureau in the next couple of days, said Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Lakhbir Singh. He said several bank officials would also be quizzed during the probe. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) had arrested Jatinder Pal Piplani, an employee of a recovery agency, attached with the Punjab Gramin Bank, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. According to vigilance sleuths, the accused had threatened the com- Amritsar, June 23 The Jhander police on Monday arrested two persons for allegedly duping local residents on the pretext of sending them abroad in search of greener pastures. Those arrested were identified as Harpal Singh, alias Laadi Mistry, and his son Harpreet Singh of Pathan Nangal village. The police said Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Chetanpura village, lodged a complaint with the police last year that the duo had taken Rs 3.9 lakh from him for sending him abroad. After a preliminary probe, the police have registered a case under Sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel and Professional Regulation Act against them. Further probe was on to find out whether any other person was involved in the racket and how many persons were cheated by the duo. The recovery agent in custody of the Vigilance Bureau in Amritsar. plainant, who resided in Chheharta area, that they would take possession of his house forcefully with the help of the police and demanded a bribe of Rs 200,000 on behalf of the bank manager for settling the case in his favour. The Punjab Gramin Bank had declared his property a non-performing asset (NPA) due to the non-payment of house loan and the recovery file was assigned to the accused agent for recovery of the pending loan amount. The complainant had alleged that the accused had already taken Rs 50,000 as the first instalment and now put pressure on him to pay the remaining amount of Rs 1,50,000 for the bank manager. Investigations revealed that Piplani used to work with recovery agencies and it is likely that the Vigilance Bureau would probe these two agencies also. Nasha Mukti Morcha steps up battle against drug abuse Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 23 To step up the battle against drug addiction, the Nasha Mukti Morcha, led by coordinator Sonia Mann, has announced the launch of a new phase of its campaign. Addressing a press conference, Mann called upon people in villages and cities to come forward and provide information about drug peddlers to the police. Mann warned that those who try to protect these peddlers or help them get bail would be publicly exposed and their names would be made public to facilitate their social boycott. “We will not tolerate any leniency towards those who fuel this menace,” she said. The actor and activist, who joined the Aam Aadmi Party, expressed gratitude towards the police, common people and the civil administration for their support in the fight against drugs. Praising the government, she emphasized the MC intensifies desilting work to tackle waterlogging Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 23 With the monsoon season almost upon us, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) has stepped up its preparations to tackle sewer blockages and dirty water accumulation in the city’s vulnerable zones. The MC has identified 34 low-lying areas where large-scale desilting operations are underway using high-capacity super sucker machines. Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh has directed the officials of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) wing, including Executive Engineers, to inspect the functioning of sewerage treatment plants (STPs) and disposal points. Simultaneously, in all assembly segments, SDOs and Junior Engineers (JEs) are supervising desilting work, supported by additional machinery. Approximately 70 per cent of the desilting work in the The waterlogged Circular Road in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR identified areas has been completed, claimed the MC Commissioner. Despite this, the MC remains concerned about potential waterlogging during heavy rain, especially in the Central, North, and West Assembly constituencies. To address this, nodal officers have been appointed to monitor 23 major roads. For the first time, roadside drain desilting in chowks and gullies has been initiated, and daily progress reports are being submitted. The list of 34 vulnerable spots includes Putlighar, Beri Gate, auto workshops near Hathi Gate, the bus stand, the railway station, from Government Girls College to Sher Shah Suri Road near the Sadar police station, the Circuit House Road, Town Hall, the Lawrence Road, Batala Road, Court Road to Swani Motors, areas near Gandhi Ground, Madan Mohan Malviya Road, McLeod Road, Maqbool Road, Mahana Singh Road, Chheh Mandi Chowk, Bali Singh Bhavan Road, Chamrang Road, GT Road oppo- site Alpha One, Sultanwind Road, Miglani Road, Lakkar Mandi interior, Dholi Mohalla, Chowk Baba Bohriwala, Rambagh Chowk to GT Road (Bankside Bus Stand and Tyre Market near Mahansingh Gate), Rambagh Chowk to Hall Gate, Majitha Road, Nari Niketan to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Race Course Road to Adlakha Hospital, Cooper Road, Crystal Chowk, Lakshmansar to Viveksar, Chowk Karori to Viveksar, Shiwala Bhaiyan Road to Railway Phatak, Railway Phatak to Hussainpura Chowk, Kitchlu Chowk to Rattan Singh Chowk, Circular Road, and Kitchlu Chowk to Army Canteen Chowk. The machinery deployed includes four super sucker machines, 10 robotic bucket machines, four vehiclemounted mini jetting machines, and 10 jettingcum-suction machines. All equipment is operating under the supervision of designated SDOs and JEs to ensure efficient execution. Nasha Mukti Morcha coordinator Sonia Mann has announced to publicly expose those helping drug peddlers secure bail in Amritsar on Monday. need for a collective effort to eradicate the menace of drugs. “Previous governments did not take this issue seriously, and now it is up to us to work together to solve it,” Mann said. She said under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the government is committed to providing treatment to drug addicts at de-addiction centres and rehabilitation centres. Sonia Mann appealed to the public to treat drug addicts with sympathy, rather than viewing them as criminals. “They are patients who need help and support,” she said. She said, “Our government has made solid arrangements for free treatment, and we invite the public to bring any person suffering from drug addiction to these centers for treatment.” The Nasha Mukti Morcha plans to strengthen its pres- Maternal health care facility launched at Aam Aadmi clinics Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 23 In a significant step towards improving maternal healthcare, the district Health Department formally launched maternal health services at all the Aam Aadmi Clinics from Ranjit Avenue here on Monday. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur formally inaugurated the programme at the Ranjit Avenue clinic and stated that all 72 clinics in the district has started the maternal health care services. She said the step is aimed at checking maternal mortality rate. She said from now on, pregnant women can avail free check-ups, treatment, tests and medicines at the Aam Aadmi Clinics. The clinics will provide antenatal care and patients will not have to travel far for their treatment. Before launching the programme, a special training session was conducted for Aam Aadmi Clinic doctors on mater- Maternal health services were formally launched by the Civil Surgeon at Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar on Monday. nal healthcare. The training focused on high-risk pregnancies, anemia, hypertension, diabetes, previous cesarean sections, twin pregnancies, and other serious conditions. The main objective of this initiative is to reduce maternal deaths. Dr Kaur emphasised that all tests, including ultrasound, and medicines for pregnant women would be provided free of cost at the clinics. This facility will enable pregnant women Newly repaired road caves in MC action against illegal connections soon Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 23 In a shocking incident, a newly repaired road stretch near the Red Cross Bhawan on Old Jail Road caved in within 48 hours of its completion here on Sunday. The road was dug up to fix a sewerage blockage and after the repairs, a new layer of asphalt was laid. However, the road collapsed just a couple of days after the patchwork was done. Locals and hawkers in the area expressed their frustration over the poor quality of work done by the municipal corporation. “The road was given a makeover on Saturday and the very next day, it caved in,” said a resident. It is a clear indication that the substandard work was done by the municipal corporation, complained some residents. The collapsed section of the road has been barricaded with sticks and ropes to prevent any Amritsar, June 23 Officials of the municipal corporation stated that they are going to initiate a crackdown on illegal water and sewerage connections across the city along with the organising special tax and pending bill collection camps. Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh stated that a separate drive would be carried out to disconnect the illegal connections. He advised that they should take advantage of the opportunity for residents to regularise their unauthorised connections and pay pending property tax without any interest or penalty under the state government’s settlement scheme, valid until July 31. MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh has announced a series of camps (from June 23 to 30) to be organised in the city zones — North, South, The sunken road near Red Cross Bhawan in Ranjit Avenue area in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR accidents. However, senior officials of the department explained that the road was dug up to fix the sewerage blockage and temporary patchwork was done seven days ago to allow traffic to move smoothly. They said it takes about 30 days for the soil to settle after digging. They stated that repairs were completed to reduce inconven- ience to commuters. The incident has raised questions about the quality of work being done by the municipal corporation and the need for more robust infrastructure development in the city. The residents are demanding better maintenance of roads and public infrastructure to prevent such incidents in the future. c m y b Officials of the MC’s water and sewerage supply department during a camp at Sultanwind village in Amritsar on Monday. East, and West— where citizens can get their water and sewer connections regularised and clear their outstanding property taxes under relaxed conditions. As part of this initiative, a camp was on Monday held at Sultanwind village in the South Assembly segment. The camp was supervised by ence at the village level by making new appointments soon. Mann thanked the various parties for working together to tackle the issue of drug addiction. “It is heartening to see all parties coming together to fight this menace,” she said. The event was attended by other leaders of the Nasha Mukti Morcha, including Dikshat Dhawan, Kuldeep Singh Mattewal, Hussan Preet, Honey, and Yuvraj. Executive Engineer Manjeet Singh, Assistant Commissioner and Nodal Officer Daljit Singh, Secretary Shushant Bhatia, Property Tax Superintendent Pradeep Kumar, and Water Charges Superintendent Satnam Singh. Local residents turned up to fill out regularisation forms and pay their dues. Each illegal con- nection was regularised for a fee of Rs 1,650 per case. Attendees were also informed about the importance and benefits of regularising their connections. The MC also collected Rs 3 lakh of property tax returns during the camp. Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh said pipelines had been laid in peripheral urban areas under projects like Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), South East Sewerage Project, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to provide clean drinking water and proper sewage systems. However, many residents tapped into these services without the approval from corporation officials. This not only disrupted billing and recovery processes, but also resulted in substantial financial losses for the civic body. to receive treatment close to their homes, reducing the need to travel long distances. District Immunisation Officer Dr Bharti Dhawan, Dr Kuldeep Kaur and other officials were present during the inauguration. The Punjab Government’s initiative is expected to significantly improve maternal healthcare in the state and reduce maternal mortality rates, added the Civil Surgeon. Man arrested with Zigana pistol Tribune news Service Amritsar, June 23 The rural police arrested Satinderpal Singh of Khabbe Rajputa village with a Turkey-made Zigana pistol here today. Apart from the pistol, the police seized four live cartridges and a motorcycle from him. The police said he was arrested from the Dayalgarh drain bridge following a specific input. A case under the Arms Act has been registered against him. He was produced in a court and brought in police remand for further probe. “The weapon was apparently smuggled from Pakistan through a drone though it was yet to be ascertained how he managed to get the same,” said the police. The police expect more recoveries during further quizzing.