20072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/19/2025 10:56 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY DIOCESE ENHANCES EFFORTS TO EMPOWER WOMEN SEWERS NOT CLEANED, CITY FACES WATERLOGGING THREAT SONAM: A JOURNEY STITCHED TOGETHER WITH FIRE & FAITH DWFCS reiterated its commitment to reinforce its efforts for marginalised women's empowerment. P2 The MC's claims of having made efforts to resolve the problem of waterlogging in the city seem false. P2 Sonam Bajwa, who made her Hindi debut this year, has completed shooting for her next film Baaghi 4.P4 » » » MAX 33°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.34 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.39 AM SUNDAY | 20 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR Farmers to receive ‘preference cards’ for not burning stubble Garbage collection project tender fails to draw bidders Amritsar, July 19 The district administration here has launched an innovative initiative to recognise and reward farmers who do not burn stubble. Under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, the administration has decided to issue ‘Preference Cards’ to farmers who adopt environmentally friendly practices. The card will enable these farmers to avail priority services at the Seva Kendras, the Fard Kendras and other government offices, said the Deputy Commissioner. Additionally, they will be exempted from parking fees in all government offices. The administration has also decided to provide special financial assistance to villages that have adopted zeroburning practices. The Deputy Commissioner emphasised that the administration is working with private companies to provide dis- counts on agricultural equipment to these farmers. Moreover, they will receive special invitations to governmentorganised events and gifts for participating in these events. The initiative aims to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and reduce stubble burning, which contributes to environmental pollution. By recognising and rewarding environmentally conscious farmers, the administration hopes to promote a culture of sustainability in the agricultural sector. During a meeting with farmers, Chief Agriculture Officer Baljinder Singh Bhullar advised farmers to ignore rumours on social media and follow the instructions of agricultural universities and the welfare department. The administration’s efforts are expected to have a positive impact on the environment and the agricultural community in the district, he said. 6 child beggars rescued, sent to Pingalwara Gang of vehicle-lifters Punga residents accuse cops of busted, two nabbed filing false case against 7 youths Amritsar, July 19 Amidst the heightened security in and around the Golden Temple after the emails threatening to blow up the Golden Temple by mischievous persons, the District Child Protection Unit picked up children and women indulging in begging in the Darbar Sahib complex near the Langar Hall here on Saturday. Six children and a woman was picked by the child protection unit under the action against child begging in the district. District Child Protection Officer Taranjit Singh said SGPC official Rajinder Singh Rubi had complained to the Deputy Commissioner about the begging menace around the shrine, following which this rescue operation was launched today. “We have picked up around six children and a woman under the Jeevanjot programme and sent the children to Pingalwara,” said Taranjit Singh. — TNS Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 19 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation’s plan to restart doorto-door garbage collection in 41 wards has suffered a major setback after no company submitted bids for the new contract. The technical bids, which were scheduled to be opened on Wednesday, saw zero participation from potential contractors. Officials now confirm that the entire tendering process will have to be reinitiated, causing a delay of at least one more month in implementing the project. The tender, covering 41 municipal wards, was originally floated on May 27. During the pre-bid meeting, as many as 12 companies had shown interest and attended discussions with corporation officials, raising various queries. After making certain corrections to the tender terms, the submission deadline was The seized motorcycles in Amritsar. Amritsar, July 19 With the arrest of two persons, the Ranjit Avenue police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle lifters and seized as many as 23 motorcycles and two scooters from them. Both the accused – Harpreet Singh (32) of Baba Deep Singh Colony and Mehnga Singh (32) of Kaonke village in Gharinda – faced several criminal cases. Harpreet Singh was arrested by the Ranjit Avenue police with a stolen bike from near Beant Park on July 10. The police said during preliminary investigations, Harpreet Singh said he, along with Mehnga Singh, used to steal motorcycles and scooters from Ranjit Avenue locality and different parts of the city. Following this, the police nabbed Mehnga Singh on July 15 and both were produced in a court, which sent them to police custody. Their interrogation led to the seizure of 25 motorcycles and scooters from different areas. Mehnga Singh had four criminal cases, including under the NDPS Act, registered against him while Harpreet faced three cases. — TNS The technical bids, which were scheduled to be opened on Wednesday, saw zero participation from potential contractors. extended by 15 days. Despite a 50-day wait, when technical bids were opened this week, no bidder participated. According to officials, changes in the tender structure are being cited as the primary reason behind the lack of interest. Unlike earlier practices, the garbage collection work was divided into two sep- Amritsar, July 19 A meeting of public organisations was held in Punga village in Ajnala, where concerns were raised about a false case registered against seven youth of the village at Ajnala police station. The meeting, chaired by social worker and former Sarpanch, Mahnga Singh Punga, and vice-president of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Naujawan Sabha, Shamsher Singh Dalla, decided that a delegation would meet the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Ajnala, to demand the cancellation of the case. If the DSP fails to take action, a strong protest will be lodged in front of the Ajnala police station on July 28, he said. The attendees, including former panchayat member Dalip Singh Punga, leader of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, Kala Singh, and state president of arate packages. Moreover, the contract duration, previously set at 15 years, was reduced to just eight years, which reportedly discouraged large waste management firms from bidding. Companies are hesitant to invest resources for a comparatively short-term contract. The reserve price for the tender was set at Rs 166.57 crore. The contract, once awarded, would cover door-to-door waste collection across south, central, west and north zones of the city. Specifically, the selected company would be responsible for wards 33 to 42 and 62 to 67 in the south zone, wards 48 to 61 and 68 to 71 in the central zone, wards 72 to 76, along with wards 78, 80, 82, 84 and 56, in the west zone, and ward 52 in the north zone. The setback is significant, as the project had become urgent after six months ago, when Averda, a waste management firm previously responsible for the entire city, served a notice to exit the garbage collection contract. Following that development, the Municipal Corporation decided not to award the citywide collection work to a single firm again. Instead, the city was divided into different clusters, and separate tenders were floated for 41 wards and another for 43 wards. Residents of Punga village during a protest against the police for allegedly falsely implicating seven youths in Ajnala. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, expressed their concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the area. They highlighted issues such as rise in cases of theft, robberies and drug smuggling and criticised the police for filing false cases against innocent people instead of taking action against the real culprits. The speakers also expressed their anger against the state government, alleging that the police action was taken due to political pressure and voter animosity. They warned that if the government fails to address these issues, it will face severe consequences. The meeting ended with a strong resolve to protest against the police action and demand justice for the youths who were falsely accused. Four held with pistols Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 19 The Amritsar Rural Police have arrested four persons in two separate instances and recovered three Glock pistols from their possession. The Gharinda police have nabbed a man with two Glock pistols while his accomplice managed to flee on a motorcycle. In another case, the Bhindi Saida police have arrested three persons and seized one Glock pistol from them. Maninder Singh, SSP , Amritsar (Rural), said a team of the Gharind police found two bike-borne persons while on patrolling duty from Lahori Mal village to Hoshiarnagar village. On seeing the police party, one of them, having a black bag, fled towards the fields while his accomplice fled the scene on his bike. The police team surrounded and arrested the former who was later identified as Anmol Singh of Basarke Bhaini village. During search, the police seized two Glock pistols of 26 Gen4 from his bag. The absconding person was identified as Amritpal Singh of Kakkar village. The weapons were smuggled from Pakistan, though further probe was on to ascertain the source and who got it trafficked from the International Border. Meanwhile, the Bhindi Saida police have arrested three persons and confiscated an Austria-made 9mm Glock pistol and three mobile phones and a car in which they were travelling. They were identified as Akashdeep Singh, Dharminder Singh, alias Sai of Hardo Rattan village, and Prabhjit Singh, alias Happy, of Khurla Kingra in Jalandhar. Giving details, the police said a team of the Rajasansi police was on patrol in the area when they intercepted a suspicious car at Dug Toot village. During search, the police seized a Glock pistol, which was smuggled from Pakistan. The occupants of the car could not give a satisfactory answer to the police queries, therefore they were taken into custody. Apart from the pistol, the police also seized three mobile phones and impounded their car (PB08-ER-2617). Kulwinder Singh, SHO, Bhindi Saida police station, said the pistol was recovered from Akashdeep Singh, who could not produce any documents regarding the weapon. During a preliminary probe, he revealed that he got the pistol from Pakistan and Prabhjit had come to procure the same. Two separate cases under the Arms Act were registered against them at the Gharinda and Bhindi Saida police stations, respectively. Doctors remove plastic whistle stuck in 34 model playgrounds to come up at Ajnala man’s respiratory system for 20 years Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 19 A team of doctors at Sri Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital in Amritsar has successfully removed a plastic whistle stuck in the breathing system of a patient 20 years ago. The 34year-old patient, Jaspal Singh, had swallowed the plastic whistle while playing at the age of 14 years and had been suffering from a chronic cough and breathlessness for 20 years. The doctors at the hospital stated that Jaspal Singh had been misdiagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and treated for the same, but it had worsened his condition. After a thorough medical examination using advanced diagnostic equipment, the doctors discovered a plastic whistle lodged in his lungs, which he had accidentally inhaled at the age of 14. At SGRD hospi- Dr BC Sarin along with patient Jaspal Singh in Amritsar. tal, the patient was operated two days ago by a team of doctors, led by Dr BC Sarin, professor and head, department of respiratory medicine, and performed a groundbreaking procedure using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope to remove the foreign object. The team, consisting of Dr Arvinder Singh Sood, Dr Vanita Sarin and Dr Jaskaran Singh, successfully stabilised the patient’s health almost immediately after the procedure. This remarkable achievement highlights the hospital’s commitment to patient care and showcases the effectiveness of cuttingedge medical technology in addressing complex health issues. The patient’s family, that had been seeking treatment for him for years, is relieved and grateful for the successful outcome. This case serves as a testament to the importance of perseverance and advanced medical technology in treating chronic conditions, said Dr BC Sarin. c m y b Amritsar, July 19 Former cabinet minister and MLA from Ajnala Assembly constituency Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today announced that model playgrounds will be laid across 34 villages in the Ajnala border belt. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has released a grant of Rs 10.34 crore for this purpose and the money will spent on development of sports in these villages. Ajnala, which falls right along the India-Pakistan international border, is among the most underdeveloped constituencies in Punjab. Marred by drug addiction, a direct result of cross-border drug trade prevalent in the area, and lack of basic infrastructure, the villages falling within a radius of 10-20 km of the international border (IB) are the most affected. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, while announcing the development, said that healthy youth are the biggest asset for MLA Kuldeep Dhaliwal at a function in Ajnala on Saturday. a country and the state. Blaming previous governments for lack of vision, he said, “They allegedly patronised drug consumption, which took the youth away from sports and productive engagement. Our government has opened the closed doors of employment for the youth on the basis of merit, by giving them a chance to take up sports. We are focused on all-round development of quality education, including sports. Further development of playgrounds will help the youth take up sports and will also act as nurseries from where big players of the state, national and international level will be born. I am hopeful that they will make their families, state and Ajnala shine at the national and international level.” Out of the amount released for model playgrounds, Rs 33.94 lakh was allocated for village Batth, Rs 23.96 lakh for Bhoewali, Rs 43.43 lakh for Chamiari, Rs 40.14 lakh for Dhariwal Kaler, Rs 33.83 lakh for Gujarpura, Rs 34.88 lakh for Jagdev Khurd, Rs 34.87 lakh for Kamalpura, Rs 36.9 lakh for Kiampura, Rs 17. 96 lakh for Nangal Vanjan Wala, Rs 33.26 lakh for Rokhhe, Rs 28.74 lakh for Sarang Dev, Rs 40.91 lakh for Tera Kala, Rs 30.97 lakh for Tera Khurd, Rs 6.89 lakh for Ramdas near Awan. Rs 35.2 lakh at Chak Sikander, Rs 24.79 lakh at Ghone Wala, Rs 35.52 lakh at Karalayan, Rs 21.96 lakh at Makowal, Rs 26.9 lakh at Mohan Bhandarian, Rs 39.6 lakh at Nasar, Rs 41.44 lakh at Talwandi Nahar, Rs 30.6 lakh at Thoba, Rs 48.7 lakh at Vichhoa, Rs 17.02 lakh at Chetanpura, Rs 33.71 lakh at Dudhrai, Rs 6.6 lakh at Ghukka Wali, Rs 35.46 lakh at Jhander, Rs 15.85 lakh at Kandowali, Rs 23.83 lakh at Khatraekala, Rs 22.26 lakh at Lashkari Nangal, Rs 39.74 lakh at Mahila, Rs 41.1 lakh at Sangatpura and Rs 38.78 lakh at Sensra, Ugar. New playgrounds will be constructed at Aulakh at a cost of Rs 15.43 lakh.