05072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/4/2025 11:10 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY TRADE UNIONS CALL FOR NATIONWIDE STRIKE ON JULY 9 CONTAMINATED WATER SPARKS HEALTH SCARE DILJIT RETURNS TO BORDER 2, BUT CONDITIONS APPLY Leaders of trade unions called upon people to take part in the strike against government's anti-people policies. P2 Residents of several localities in Tarn Taran have been forced to consume contaminated water for years. P2 Scrap the film now and it’s not just Diljit who loses — it's the crew, the co-stars & honestly, crores of investment. P4 » » » MAX 34°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.39 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.30 AM SATURDAY | 5 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR Work on Loharka Road flyover resumes after two-year delay After dropping two plans earlier, AIT settles for commercial project now Amritsar, July 4 After a delay of nearly two years, work on the muchawaited Loharka Road flyover has resumed, raising hope of mitigating woes of thousands of daily commuters and residents in the area. Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla visited the construction site on Wednesday to inspect the resumed work and said the resumption of the construction work was the result of years of persistent efforts. The project had been stalled due to a major design concern. The initial plan involved building a mud slope approach, which residents strongly opposed, demanding that the flyover be constructed on concrete pillars instead. According to MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has now approved a new design that includes the construction of the flyover on pillars, a change he attributed to his continued advocacy and intervention with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. “This flyover connects the densely populated Loharka area with Ranjit Avenue and serves over five schools and thousands of daily commuters. A structure on the pillars was essential for the smooth movement of traffic and safety,” said Aujla, adding that the project is now expected to be completed within a year and will serve as a long-term gift for future generations. Speaking on the issue of the city’s Tung Dhab drain, Aujla clarified that while securing funds from the Central Government is his responsibility, the state government and local administration must first 32-year-old labourer dies in Tarn Taran Gurdaspur police boost security Civil Surgeon goes door to door checking for Amarnath Yatra amid threats for dengue larvae, starts awareness drive Our Correspondent Ravi Dhaliwal Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service The construction work on a flyover underway on the Loharka road in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR submit a formal project proposal. “How can I get it approved unless the administration prepares and forwards the project?” he asked. He further suggested that a consultative committee, comprising MPs, ministers, MLAs, and senior administrative officials, be formed to review the nulha and related civic issues on a monthly basis. Such a structured approach, he said, would help develop a comprehensive proposal that can be submitted to the Centre. — TNS Amritsar, July 4 Now, the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has planned again to set up a commercial project at the prime space where previously a multipurpose sports stadium and then Unity Mall were proposed by it. The 27-acre prime site, valued at about Rs 700 crore, was earlier earmarked for a sports complex. Now the AIT has sent a plan to the Local Bodies Department in Chandigarh to ratify it to set up a commercial area with a site earmarked for a hotel. Rakesh Garg, Superintending Engineer of the AIT, confirming the development said only 9.92 acres out of the 27acre land has been proposed to be earmarked for a commercial project. The project is at the planning stage and its details would be worked out once the plan is approved. The prime space is being used as a waste dumping site, The boundary wall being raised around the 27-acre prime land near Amrit Anand Park in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR which becomes a cause for concern for nearby residents during the monsoon season. Garg said to prevent waste dumping, a boundary wall is being raised around the area. In the first quarter of this year, the AIT nixed the plan to come up with a Rs 80-crore commercial project, Unity Mall, on prime land in Ranjit Avenue. Before that, the 27-acre site was earmarked for a sports complex. Last year, around 10 acres were allotted to Unity Mall. The sports complex was a dream project of former Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, but the project was shelved after a change of guard in the state. Earlier, a state-of-the-art sports complex, as promised by several political leaders, could have gone a long way in preparing youngsters for different sports disciplines. Former Chief Ministers Capt Amarinder Singh and Charan- jit Singh Channi along with former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had laid the foundation stones of the sports stadium during their respective tenures, each making public promises to elevate sports infrastructure in the city. In January 2022, Charanjit Singh Channi became the third dignitary to lay the foundation stone of the stadium after Sukhbir Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh, who had done so in 2011. The sports complex was first proposed around 15 years ago, but construction was delayed due to the site falling within a no-construction zone due to its proximity to the bypass. As the bypass was later reclassified as an inner ring road, the land became eligible for development. However, the AIT has now ruled out any future sports infrastructure on the remaining 15 acres of land, which will instead be used for commercial exploitation. Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, July 4 A migrant labourer succumbed to injuries at Aima Kalan village falling under the Chabal police station here on Thursday. A week ago, he reportedly fell off the rooftop. The deceased has been identified as Ramsen (32), son of Gudia of Amva Mohmadpur, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. He had been working as a farm labourer with farmer Raghbir Singh of the village for the last nine years and his wife and two sons, too, were living with him at the residence of the farmer. Geeta, wife of the victim, said her husband Ramsen fell off the rooftop a week ago, but did not see any doctor or visit any hospital for treatment. On Thursday morning, when his wife called him to wake up, he did not respond. On being checked by her, she found him dead. The family reported the matter to the Chabal police and a report under Section 194 of the BNSS was lodged in this regard and the postmortem was done at the local Civil Hospital on Friday. Gurdaspur, July 4 The Gurdaspur police have enhanced security measures in view of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. Notwithstanding threats by anti-national elements, devotees have started taking part in the yatra in a big way. This is one significant reason, say officials, to increase security. SSP Aditya said a special drive had been launched to ensure there was no untoward incident in the jurisdiction of the Gurdaspur police district. A high-level inter-departmental meeting comprising officers of the Army, BSF , Gurdaspur and Pathankot police districts and officials of J&K and HP Police was held in Pathankot last week. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla had presided over the meeting. It was preceded by a similar meeting in Jammu. The Gurdaspur police have set up dozens of check-posts in and around the city. Old timers claimed that the arrangements were unprecedented Gurdaspur police officials while on patrolling duty. and they had not seen such a security mechanism put in place for the last several years. Yesterday, DIG (Border) Satinder Singh and senior officials of the Gurdaspur police district paid a surprise visit to border villages falling in Kalanaur subdivision. Kalanaur shares the international border with Pakistan. An official said the security was unprecedented this year because of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 tourists had been killed. This development had led to Operation Sindoor. The route of the Amarnath Yatra is heavily guarded by BSF CRPF and Indo-Tibetan , , Border Police, with the additional presence of Army men in mountains and jungles. SSP Aditya said he himself had been supervising the arrangements. CID officials in civvies, too, have been put on duty. The Army has also launched a comprehensive security initiative called ‘Operation Shiva’ to provide foolproof security during the yatra. Amritsar, July 4 As per the directions of Health Minister, Punjab, Dr Balbir Singh, a prevention and awareness campaign against dengue has been launched across the state. Civil Surgeon, Amritsar, Dr Kirandeep Kaur, launching the campaign in the district, went for field inspection to detect violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding dengue prevention. During her field visit, teams of the Health Department went door to door in the area near Golden Avenue, Panj Pir, to spread awareness and conducted anti-larvae checking in many houses. Health workers, ASHA workers and nursing students of the government college went door to door in the entire area to detect dengue larvae and fogging and spraying was done in the entire area. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur said during the rainy season, it is natural for water to accumulate in many places, but along with this, Civil Surgeon Kirandeep Kaur during a dengue awareness campaign in Amritsar on Friday. mosquitoes will also breed. “It is the responsibility of all of us to cooperate with the Health Department to prevent mosquito breeding and on every Friday of the week, such surprise inspections and field visits will be conducted for dengue prevention. We should not let water accumulate in coolers, refrigerators, pots, tanks, useless items lying on the roof, etc, in our homes to avoid larvae formation. It is most important to prevent mosquito breeding. Along with this, wearing full-sleeved clothes and using mosquito repellent creams can also save us from dengue.” She said the teams of the Health Department are going door to door to create awareness among people. Giving more information in this regard, District Epidemiologist Dr Harjot Kaur said dengue is a viral fever that is caused by the bite of a mosqui- National Theatre Festival: Play Spartacus Rural police seize over 1.262 kg highlights gladiatorial rise of the oppressed heroin, bike in separate cases Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 4 During the performance of Spartacus, a play directed by Partha Banerjee, one could feel most of these things working. The second day of the National Theatre Festival being organised by the Manch-Rangmanch, Amritsar, and the Virsa Vihar Society, the play originally written by Badal Sircar and directed by Partho Banerjee was staged. Badal Sarcar is a known reformist and dramatist, whose anti-establishment and critically acclaimed works are known during Naxalite movement in the early 1970s. A pioneering figure in Artistes enact a scene during the play at Virsa Vihar in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Bengali street theatre, Sircar’s play Spartacus is an adaptation of Howard Fast’s novel, which focuses on the Roman slave revolt led by Spartacus. Spartacus delves into the themes of slavery, social inequality, and the fight for freedom, making it relevant to contemporary issues of human bondage and social injustice. The setting is quite relevant to India and its many vice, the timeline could not be any more befitting as the rise of capitalism not just in India but across the world is witnessing a revival of socialist ideals once again. While the Howard Fast’s work remained true to its original inspiration, Sircar’s version takes the themes of human bonds beyond the historical context, connecting them to contemporary issues of oppression and exploitation. The play’s five acts – the continued on page 2 c m y b Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 4 The Gharinda police have seized 1.262 kg heroin along with a motorcycle in two separate cases. In the first case, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Attari, Lakhwinder Singh said a police team was on a routine patrolling duty in the area under the jurisdiction of the Gharinda police station. When the police team reached near the Chak Mukand bridge heading towards Rampura village, they spotted a youth approaching on a motorcycle (PB02-BU-2274). On seeing the police, he got panicked and attempted to flee. While driving away, his motorcycle slipped, resulting in his fall off it, but he managed to run away, leaving behind a packet. Upon checking the packet left behind, the police recovered 700 grams of heroin. Investigations led to the identification of the absconding suspect as Jai Vijay, a resident of Basarke Bhaini. An FIR has been registered against him at the Gharinda police station under Sections 21-C, 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act. Efforts are underway to arrest the accused. In another case, the Gharinda police received information about a suspi- cious packet lying near the drain at Bhaini Rajputa village. Acting promptly, a police team searched the location and found a polythene packet containing 562 grams of heroin. An FIR has been registered against unknown persons under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act. The police said investigations are underway in both cases to trace the network behind the smuggling of heroin. The police reaffirmed their commitment to taking strong action against drug trafficking and vowed to continue the crackdown under the state’s anti-drug drive. to called Aedes aegypti. “The symptoms of which are severe headache and high fever, muscle and joint pain, pain behind the eyes, vomiting, bleeding from the nose, mouth and gums are common. In case of suspicion of dengue fever, immediately get free check-up and treatment from the government hospital.” If anyone is found violating these preventive measures, he will be issued challans by the Health Department. 2,600 ltrs lahan seized in Tarn Taran Tarn Taran, July 4 A team of officials of the Excise Department under the supervision of Inderjit Singh Sehjra, Excise and Taxation Officer, conducted a day-long search operation at Khairdinke village here on Friday. During the search operation, they seized 2,600 ltrs of lahan from different places. The Excise and Taxation Department in a press note stated that Excise Officers Karan Sharma and Hitesh Prabhakar along with other staff of the department searched the houses of suspected persons. Cases under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act have been registered against the accused. — OC