09082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/8/2025 11:25 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY NIGHT DOMINATION OP TO CHECK CRIMINAL ELEMENTS PUNJAB ROADWAYS WORKSHOP FLOODED WITH RAINWATER CELEBS WHO SHARE ADORABLE BOND WITH THEIR SIBLINGS Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the city police have tightened the security in the city. P2 The Punjab Roadways workshop in city is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. P2 MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 26°C Raksha Bandhan, also known as Rakhi, commemorates the connection of love and friendship between siblings. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 7.19 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.51 AM » SATURDAY | 9 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR MC to begin detailed checking of unauthorised establishments Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 8 Senior officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) instructed staff of the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) wing to begin a detailed checking campaign in unauthorised colonies and large commercial establishments in the city. The aim of the campaign is to identify and act against illegal water and sewer connections and assess whether large business establishments are being correctly billed for the water they consume. Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh directed the executive engineers of the O&M Cell to ensure that assistant and junior engineers under their supervision carry out a thorough survey of unauthorised colonies in their respective areas. These surveys are meant to identify illegal connections and notices under Section 189 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, are to be issued on the spot wherever such violations are found. Immediate action is also to be taken against violators at the time of notice issuance and detailed written reports are to be submitted in the upcoming weekly review meetings. In addition to colonies, the survey is being extended to all major commercial establishments in the city. This move is aimed at verifying whether the water consumption by these establishments corresponds with the water, sewerage and submersible motor bills issued by the MC. Field officers are required to physically assess the water usage at the site, the capacity of installed motors and the number of hours they are operated daily. The purpose of this campaign is to ensure transparency in billing and to plug any revenue losses due to underre- porting or unauthorised usage. MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh made it clear that each junior engineer must check a fixed number of business premises every week and assistant engineers are expected to carry out a minimum number of surveys each month. All collected data will be compiled into reports and presented during weekly review meetings, after which further action will be taken in accordance with the rules. Officials have also been warned that any negligence in duty or failure to act responsibly during this drive will result in disciplinary action. The municipal corporation aims to bring unauthorised connections under legal regulation while ensuring that all commercial users are billed fairly and according to their actual consumption. Overcharging allegations surface atviral, claims visitors forced to pay money in pick and drop area Amritsar airport parking Video goes Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 8 The issue of overcharging at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport parking area in the city has once again come into focus after the video of a passenger went viral, raising concerns over the airport’s pick & and drop facilities. The passenger, who recorded the video, claimed that visitors are being forced to pay money even in the designated free pick and drop area. Sameep Singh of the FlyAmritsar Initiative tweeted that despite repeated complaints and videos going viral, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has failed to take any concrete action. He alleged that the parking contractor continues to harass passengers by deliberately delaying vehicles in the free A view of Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International airport in Amritsar. FILE zone, causing them to cross the 10-minute limit and then demanding payment. “This isn’t just about a few rupees. It’s about the exploitation of travellers at a major international airport,” Sameep Singh said. “Such actions are tarnishing the airport’s reputation. At other international airports, pick and drop zones are properly managed, moni- tored by security and violators are fined, not extorted. But at Amritsar, there is no such system. Instead, there is exploitation,” he added. Yogesh Kamara, another activist, also pointed out that the problem is not limited to the free zone alone. Even in the paid parking areas, instances of overcharging are rampant. He alleged that staff members sometimes switch off FASTag scanners deliberately to collect cash manually and pocket the difference, bypassing the transparent digital system put in place for ease of access. In the tweets, they questioned the Airports Authority of India directly, asking, “Why no action? Why no system? Is this the image we want to give of Amritsar, a city of such global spiritual and cultural significance?” These posts tagging authori- ties including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar and the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office demanded urgent intervention. The controversy comes at a time when Amritsar airport is seeing a growing number of international and domestic flyers, especially pilgrims, tourists and NRIs, and the continued mismanagement of basic services could severely damage the public perception of the airport. Babu Lal, manager of a private firm managing the parking at airport, said, “We don’t charge for five minutes and sometimes give exemption for 10 minutes for personal vehicles. Then we charge Rs 500 as fine. Similarly, we charge Rs 40 from commercial vehicles for pick and drop facility. FASTag is a machine and sometimes snag may develop. But we cooperate with the passengers.” Review decision to shift 42 villages from Batala: Cong Situation turns grim in Mand area as water Drones to keep eye on flood-like level in Beas rises after Pong dam discharge situation, says Tarn Taran DC Gurbaxpuri Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, August 8 The situation in the Mand area of river Beas turned worse on Thursday with many villages getting affected with the release of more water from the Pong dam. Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Navneet Singh said here today that the water level in Beas had increased to 27,000 cusecs as compared to 23,000 cusecs after the release of water from the Pong dam. Farmers of Mundapind like Harpreet Singh, Satnam Singh and others said that the possibility of salvaging crops from the gushing waters in the Mand area is remote. Farmers in villages of the Mand area like Bhail Dhai Wala, Johal Dhai Wala, Gujjarpura, Kaler and Mundapind submitted a memorandum to the district authorities demanding Tarn Taran, August 8 The district administration has made arrangements to assess the flood-like situation with the help of drones. Deputy Commissioner Rahul stated this at Harike where he reviewed the releasing of water from the headworks to downstream canals at the confluence of the river Beas and Sutlej. Accompa- Batala, August 8 The state government’s decision to shift 42 villages from Batala block to Qadian block smacks of “ulterior motives”. This was asserted by Jaskaran Singh Kahlon, Punjab Congress spokesperson from Batala assembly seat. “The government has shifted these villages under the guise of creating new zones for the impending Zila Parishad and Block samiti elections. However, the government’s motive reeks of cheap politics,” he said. Kahlon said villagers will be facing a lot of problems. “This decision has triggered protests in villages. I demand that the government should immediately revoke its decision,” he said. DC Rahul reviews the flood situation in Mand area of Tarn Taran on Friday. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI action against persons responsible for indulging in illegal land mining in the Mand area which was causing problems for them as the river water was entering their fields. Deputy Commissioner Rahul said that families stranded in the Mand area Cleanliness drive finally reaches Darbar Sahib Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 8 The Municipal Corporation’s ongoing campaign for city beautification and road maintenance finally reached Darbar Sahib today. The drive, which began from the Golden Gate on July 28, has seen consistent action aimed at improving overall cleanliness and infrastructure along key city roads. The campaign includes cleaning of roads, lifting of garbage and debris, removal of illegal encroachments and roadside vendors, taking down unauthorised advertisements and hoardings, as well as civil works besides those related to operations and maintenance (O&M). Today’s leg of the campaign was inaugurated by MLA from Amritsar Central constituency Ajay Gupta and area councillor Jarnail Singh Dhot, who wielded the broom to sweep the Golden Temple plaza. Officials and employees from various departments of the Municipal Corporation were present during the campaign. The participation of have been relocated to safe places. The Deputy Commissioner visited the flood affected areas on Friday and reviewed the situation. Huge quantity of seized drugs destroyed Tribune News Service MLA Ajay Gupta and area councillor Jarnail Singh Dhot sweep the Golden Temple plaza in Amritsar. officials such as Superintending Engineer Sandeep Singh, Health Officer Dr Kiran, Estate Officer Dharminderjeet Singh and Chief Sanitary Officer (CSO) Ranjit Singh highlighted the seriousness with which the drive is being conducted. A large number of local residents also joined in the initiative. Speaking on the occasion, MLA Ajay Gupta praised the Municipal Corporation’s efforts and said the results of the campaign were clearly visible. He noted that the roads were noticeably cleaner and emphasised that Amritsar, being a prominent city visited daily by lakhs of pilgrims and tourists for its religious and historical significance, deserves to be maintained beautifully. He added that the responsibility of keeping the city clean lies not only with the Municipal Corporation but also with the citizens. MLA Gupta urged residents to keep their surroundings clean, dispose of household and commercial waste in dustbins, and hand it over to the corporation’s garbage collection vehicles. He expressed the optimism that if everyone works together, the day is not far when Amritsar will be ranked among the cleanest cities in the country. Councillor Jarnail Singh Dhot also commended the campaign and appreciated the efforts made by the Municipal Corporation. c m y b Amritsar, August 8 The Amritsar police have disposed of a huge quantity of seized drugs, including heroin, ICE (methamphetamine), intoxicants and narcotics powder seized in 182 cases in the past. The seized drugs were destroyed by the incineration method at a local paper mill here on Friday. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the drugs were destroyed after taking due permission from the court and following the legal procedure. Among the narcotics destroyed included 151.5 kg of heroin, 1.3 kg of ICE, 14.4 kg of narcotics powder, 1.4 kg of methaclon powder, over 2 lakh of intoxicants and 1,435 injections. He said the cases were scrutinised by the district drug disposal committee and permission was taken from the local court for disposing of the same. LISTENS TO FARMERS’ PROBLEMS ■ Accompanied by officials of the departments concerned, the Deputy Commissioner listened to the problems of farmers of Hathar area (interior portion of Sutlej river). He also took stock of the water flow in rivers nied by officials of the departments concerned, the Deputy Commissioner listened to the problems of farmers of Hathar area (interior portion of Sutlej river). The Deputy Commissioner got information from officials regarding the releasing of water to downstream canals. He also took stock of the water flow in rivers and assured the people of the area that there was nothing to worry about as the water level was under control and not above the danger mark.