30072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/29/2025 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY PROTEST HELD IN BHIKHIWIND AGAINST ‘POLICE INACTION’ 200 LECTURERS ATTEND CAPACITY-BUILDING WORKSHOP ARJUN RAMPAL LOOKS TO THE SKY IN TRIBUTE TO ROHIT BAL The RMPI staged a dharna on Tuesday at the bus stand in Bhikhiwind against the alleged police inaction. P2 The Education Department organised a capacity-building programme for lecturers from seven districts. P2 MAX 31°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C The actor turned the runway into a heartfelt tribute at the couture week as he walked for his late friend. P4 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.45 AM » WEDNESDAY | 30 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR Brother-in-law of Akal Takht acting Jathedar dies in mishap Amritsar, July 29 Gurvinder Singh, brother-inlaw of the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, died in a tragic road accident on the Tarn Taran road near Gohlwarh on Monday evening. The deceased was an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Punjab Police. According to reports, Gurvinder Singh was returning to Amritsar from his native village Khara in Tarn Taran district when the accident occurred. Eyewitnesses stated that he was riding a motorcycle when a stray cow suddenly collided with his bike, leading to his fall off the bike. He got critical injuries at the back of his head. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Sarabjit Singh Dhotian, head preacher of the SGPC, said, “It is unfortunate that we lost a fine human being in such a road accident.” SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also expressed grief over the untimely demise of Gurvinder. — TNS BSF foils smuggling attempts, nabs two with drones, heroin Amritsar, July 29 The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended two smugglers and seized six high-tech drones carrying narcotics and weapon parts in a series of operations along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. The seizures were made in multiple coordinated operations conducted over the past several hours in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. Acting swiftly on specific intelligence, BSF troops apprehended two smugglers near Dal village in Tarn Taran. The accused, both residents of Bhikhiwind, were caught while attempting to retrieve a drone consignment. The BSF also recovered a motorcycle, two mobile phones and pistol parts along with live ammunition from their possession. Simultaneously, BSF troops launched counter-drone operations along the Amritsar border. During extensive search operations conducted in the villages of Roranwala Khurd, Dhanoe Kalan, Bhaini Rajputana and Daoke, a total of six rogue drones were recov- Illegal parking by auto drivers worsens traffic woes in city Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service The seized drones, parts of a weapon and heroin in custody of the BSF in Amritsar on Tuesday. ered. These include five DJI Mavic 3 Classic drones and one DJI Air 3 S, all of which had illegally entered Indian airspace from across the border. On inspection, the drones were found carrying heroin with an estimated gross weight of 1.73 kg, pistol components and empty magazines, indicating a well-planned smuggling network aimed at supplying both drugs and weapons into Indian territory. “These recoveries reaffirm the BSF’s firm commitment to securing the border and thwarting the nefarious designs of Pakistan-backed smuggling syndicates,” a BSF spokesperson stated. “The use of drones for such activities is a serious concern, but our vigilant troops are fully equipped to counter these emerging threats,” he said. The BSF has intensified aerial surveillance, night patrolling and technical monitoring to detect and neutralise such threats promptly. The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated and further investigations are underway. — TNS Amritsar, July 29 Illegal and unregulated parking of auto-rickshaws at major intersections and roads across the city has been a persistent menace for daily commuters, triggering regular traffic jams and causing widespread inconvenience. Despite repeated complaints from people, the authorities concerned and traffic police appear unable, or unwilling, to take effective action against the offenders, largely due to political patronage enjoyed by auto-rickshaw unions. Rather than penalising drivers for traffic violations, police personnel are often seen urging them to keep moving. The situation is especially dire outside the Amritsar bus stand. During the peak hours, rows of auto-rickshaws block the entire road while waiting for passengers, leading to long queues of vehicles behind them on narrow, unsafe lanes. If a traffic cop is present, at Traffic jam prevails a road near the bus stand in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR most a single lane is cleared, but in their absence, the road becomes virtually impassable. Similar scenes of congestion and chaos unfold daily at key junctions, including Hussainpura Chowk, SSSS Chowk, Civil Hospital Chowk, Sangam Cinema Road, Pingalwara side lane, Putligarh Chowk, Khalsa College intersection, Ram Tirath road turn, Sadar Police Station Chowk and the entire ring road around the walled city. The problem has been compounded by the volume of auto-rickshaws operating in the city, often far beyond the legal or infrastructural capacity. Ravi Kumar, a daily commuter, said, “Traffic jam due to auto rickshaws is routine. The number of vehicles is several times more than needed in the city. They wait for five to 10 passengers to fill the auto and park right in the middle of the road. Cops do not intervene in their matter.” Jaskaran Singh, another local resident, said, “I often get stuck in jams near the bus stand. There should be designated parking spots or strict rules for autos, which create all the mess. Politicians remain silent because they need their votes, but thousands of commuters suffer every day.” Ajnala Civil Hospital oxygen generation Top MC officials, industrial assn join hands plant lying non-operational for a year BEAUTIFICATION DRIVE DAY 2 Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 29 After a tragedy that claimed the lives of three patients due to oxygen supply issue at the Jalandhar’s Civil Hospital, an oxygen generation plant was found non-operational at the Ajnala Civil Hospital. Technically, an oxygen generation plant is called the pressure swing adsorption (PSA), a system that separates gases from a mixture, often air, using pressure differences and the properties of adsorbent materials. It is commonly used to produce high-purity oxygen or nitrogen for various applications, including medical and industrial uses. The Punjab Health Department has three PSA plants for oxygen generation in the district. Other three PSA plants in Amritsar are at Gov- ernment Medical Collegecum-Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, the Jallianwala Bagh Civil Hospital, and sub-divisional hospital at Baba Bakala. The PSA plant at the Jallianwala Bagh Civil Hospital is the biggest with a capacity to generate 960 litres of oxygen per minute. The hospital has a 200-bed intensive care unit (ICU). Notably, all these oxygen generation plants were set up after the Covid-19 when an acute shortage of oxygen for medical purpose was felt in the country. A state-of-the-art unit has been arranged through the DRDO under the PM CARES Fund at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) costing around Rs 1 crore, the unit has a capacity to generate 1,000 litres of medical oxygen per minute Veterinary officers stage dharna, want pay parity with MOs Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 29 The veterinary officers of the district under the banner of Joint Action Committee of Vets for Pay Parity staged a dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry Department on Tuesday. The veterinary officers from different parts of the district participated in the day-long dharna. Leaders of the organisation presented a memorandum of their demands to the Deputy Director. Dr Sukharj Ball, Dr Tejinder Singh, Dr Harman Joshan, Dr Harpreet Singh, Dr Sukhpreet Kaur, Dr Jasdeep Singh and Dr Jatinderbeer Singh were among others who addressed on the Union leaders submit memo of demands to Deputy Director occasion and talked of their current demands. The leaders condemned the pay disparity between their salaries and those of medical officers at the time of the Congress. The leaders demanded to raise their pay scale from Rs 47,600 to Rs 56,100, besides revising the dynamic ACP and other allowances. They said the present state government has done nothing during its rule of more than three years. They warned that in case their genuine demand is not accepted, they would intensify their agitation. from atmospheric air on the hospital premises on May 31, 2021. Same year on August 16, another oxygen plant with a capacity to produce 1,000 litres of oxygen in one minute was inaugurated at GMCH. Oxygen cylinders are mainly used in medical and industrial units. Welders use oxygen while cutting steel and iron. This increase in cylinder prices was passed on to consumers by manufacturers and their users. Apart from the aforementioned government-run units, about five privately owned units are engaged in industrial production of oxygen in the city. After the government intervention during the pandemic period, their owners had doubled plant capacity from 1,000 to 2,000 cylinders per day. The combined manufacturing capacity of the five units in the city is around 7,000 oxygen cylinders per day. Oxygen is required at every step of manufacturing and maintenance of machines. Goldsmiths require oxygen. It is required for patients during an emergency in hospitals. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur said oxygen plant at Ajnala has been lying closed since some unknown persons decamped with its pipes around a year ago. She said a request for its replacement and restoration of the plant has already been made to the head office. She said all PSA units together were generating more than the required limit of oxygen. Major ICUs of the district are at GMCH and at the Jallianwala Bagh Civil Hospital, which have their own oxygen generation plants, she added. Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 29 The ongoing city beautification campaign initiated by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation received a good response on its second day as city officials and stakeholders came together to clean and beautify the Focal Point industrial area. The campaign includes a wide range of activities, such as road sweeping, debris and garbage removal, patchwork on roads, footpath and median repairs, pruning of wild vegetation, watering of plants, streetlight repairs and removal of illegal encroachments and unauthorised hoardings. Led by MC Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Aulakh, the campaign, launched from the city’s iconic Golden Gate, is part of a seven-day special Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia, the MC Commissioner and others take part in the beautification drive in Amritsar on Tuesday. drive aimed at improving urban environment. On Tuesday, activities were carried out in collaboration with the Focal Point Industrial Welfare Association and with support from Dera Baba Bhure Wale. Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia attended the event as the chief guest, while senior officials of the MC and key representatives from the Focal Point Industrial Welfare Association, including its president Sandeep Khosla and Ranjan Aggarwal, played a vital role in organising the day’s efforts. The activities included tree painting and area-wise sanitation along the GT Road. The association also provided food and refreshments to sanitation workers. MC Commissioner Aulakh lauded the support of the association and emphasised that while the campaign may last only seven days, its objective is to instil a sustained commitment to city cleanliness and civic responsibility. He appealed to residents, social organisations, NGOs and all industrial and residential welfare bodies to join hands with the municipal corporation in ongoing developmental initiatives. The MC Commissioner emphasised that the ultimate goal is to transform Amritsar into a clean, green and welcoming destination for both tourists and pilgrims. He reiterated his call for public participation, urging all sections of society to come forward and actively contribute to the city’s progress and beautification. 4th edition of Sur Utsav celebrates Pak-based smuggler’s operative arrested city’s music legends, their legacy Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 29 U N Entertainment Society in collaboration with the Virsa Vihar kicked off the 4th edition of ‘Sur Utsav’, a music festival that features artistes from the region. Curated and directed by Punjabi folk singer Harinder Sohal, the festival, which began on Sunday, featured performances by prominent personalities of classical music, literature, music, Sufi music, folk music and cinema. The third day of the Sur Utsav was dedicated to Bollywood actor Raj Babbar. Babbar, whose maternal family is based in Amritsar and who shares a special connection with the holy city, had been part of the city’s theatre and cultural landscape in the early days of his career as an actor. The 1975 batch alumnus of prestigious National An artiste performs during the festival at Virsa Vihar in Amritsar on Tuesday. School of Drama (NSD), Raj Babbar started his film career with Punjabi film “Chan c m y b Pardesi”. The evening featured songs filmed on him from popular Punjabi as well as Hindi films performed by Jaspinder Singh, Dr Sangeeta Uppal, Bhupinder Singh and other singers. A day was also dedicated to Padma Shri late Punjabi poet Surjit Patar, who passed away last year. Ghazals written by Patar, some of them not performed in the mainstream, including his popular works like “Ghazal ik leher de uchlan da naa he…”, were beautifully presented by renowned singer Ramesh Bhagat. During the discourse, Vishal Beas and satirical poet Raghbir Singh Sohal were honoured with the Sur Utsav Kala Ratna Award. Harinder Sohal, the festival director and music composer, said the purpose of the eightday festival is to connect young generation of Amritsaris with the city’s music legacy while bringing together patrons and music lovers continued on page 2 with five pistols Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 29 The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Amritsar police has arrested an operative linked to a Pakistan-based smuggling network and recovered five sophisticated pistols from his possession. Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said the arrested individual, identified as Bharatpreet Singh, a resident of Marhi Megha village in Tarn Taran district, was working on the directions of a Pakistanbased arms smuggler. The smuggler had been using drones to deliver weapon consignments across the International Border into state areas. The police recovered five pistols from Bharatpreet Singh’s possession, includ- ing two 9 mm, two .30 bore, and one .32 bore pistols, and impounded a Splendor motorcycle used to transport the illegal arms. The DGP said the recovered weapons were meant to be supplied to criminal elements and gangsters, aiming to disturb peace and harmony in the region. Providing further details, the DGP said the CI team had received inputs regarding a drone, delivered consignment near Daliri village in Tarn Taran. The accused was intercepted by police teams on the Ibban-Mulechak road in Amritsar while he was en route to deliver the arms to another contact. An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the State Special Operation Cell police station in Amritsar.