21082025-JTR-01.qxd 8/20/2025 10:57 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MLA DIRECTS OFFICIALS TO ADDRESS LOCALS’ GRIEVANCES CRITICAL NEGLECT OF CIVIC ISSUES PLAGUES NAWANSHAHR POPULAR CHEF COMES TO TRICITY TO OFFER CHAI MAGIC MLA Bram Shankar Jimpa organised a public hearing at his office in Hoshiarpur. P2 Troubled by crippling civic amenities, residents of Nawanshahr have sought the intervention of the Governor. P3 Sanjeev Kapoor made a quick dash to tricity bringing the latest offering — automatic tea maker Chai Magic. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.04 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:57 AM » THURSDAY | 21 AUGUST 2025 | JALANDHAR Knee-Deep in Trouble Roads flooded, vehicles stuck, businesses hit; 2-hour of heavy rain spells chaos in Jalandhar Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 20 Two hours of intense rainfall that started around 8.30 am today brought normal life to a halt in Jalandhar on Tuesday, submerging roads, disrupting businesses, and causing widespread chaos across the city. Several prominent areas, including Model Town, Jawahar Nagar, and New Jawahar Nagar, were left inundated, with roads resembling rivers. The huge volume of water made commuting a daunting task as many vehicles stalled on the middle of roads due to engine failure or flooded engines. One of the worst-affected areas was the Damoria Underpass, which had to be closed after it was completely submerged. Commuters attempting to cross the underpass were turned away and alternative routes were jammed with diverted traffic. The Tribune team visited various parts of the city and found that most major roads were inundated, leading to severe traffic congestion and long delays. Travelling from one area to another became an ordeal for residents. On Workshop Chowk, the situation was equally grim. Water almost entered shops and commercial establishments, forcing many shopkeepers to shut shops. With no customers able to reach them, the shop owners stood helplessly at the entrances of their flooded shops, waiting for the water to recede. “This is what we face after just two hours of rain,” lamented Rakesh Kumar, a local shopkeeper. “We suffer huge losses on such days. It’s becoming a routine during the monsoon,” he said. Another car was spotted almost entirely submerged in water at the Chandan Nagar railway underbridge (RUB), highlighting the danger. On Ladowali Road, where media houses are situated and also has the District Administration Complex, it was getting Schoolchildren wade through knee-deep water, making their way home amid the downpour in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH difficult for two wheelers to move through deep water. Residents across the city voiced anger and disappointment at the authorities. Many criticised the administration’s failure to prepare for such predictable monsoon conditions, pointing out that similar scenes play out every year with little to no preventive action. “The drainage system is completely shattered,” said a resident. “It’s the same story every monsoon. We are left to suffer every time,” Sakshi, a parent, said as she was on a two wheeler to take her daughter from a private school. Even at Patel Chowk, the water was seen entering schools. Later in the evening, the Municipal Corporation released a statement saying that following the spell of heavy rainfall in the city, the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Cell of the Municipal Corporation managed to dis- SHOPS CLOSED ■ Damoria Underpass, which had to be closed after it was completely submerged. ■ On Workshop Chowk, water almost entered shops, forcing many ■ shopkeepers to shut these. Another car was spotted almost entirely submerged in water at the Chandan Nagar railway underbridge A ROUTINE IN RAINS This is what we face after just two hours of rain. We suffer huge losses on such days. It's becoming a routine during monsoons. — Rakesh Kumar, SHOPKEEPER ❝ Shot fired in his leg, rushed to hospital Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 20 A city-based nephrologist was shot at while he was coming out of a grocery store on Tuesday evening in Urban Estate, Phase-2, here. Dr Rahul Sood (50), who serves at Kidney Hospital here and resides in Jalandhar Heights-2, made purchases for the birthday of his daughter. He was heading towards his car in the parking area when three youths loitering there waylaid him. They attacked him but Dr Sood fought back after which one of them fired a gunshot in his leg and fled the spot. The doctor reportedly called up some acquaintances from the spot after which police teams, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Manpreet S Dhillon and ADCP-2 Harinder Pal S Gill, arrived at the spot. The doctor was rushed back to Kidney Hospital. The police teams culled CCTV footages from the area to gather evidences. It is being perceived that the assailants wanted to snatch his car to which the doctor resisted. The victim has denied having received any extortion call or having enmity with anyone. The police are learnt to have identified the accused on the basis of a bike on which the three youth fled from near the spot. “We should be able to nab the accused shortly”, said a senior cop. Following the attack, sharp reactions came up today. Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh has expressed concern and said it seemed to be an attempt to either kidnap or rob the doctor. “This is the grim reality of collapsing law and order under Bhagwant Mann’s government”, he said. Even the Indian Medical Association has expressed solidarity with Dr Sood. “He is a senior member of our organisation and the attack on him is deeply concerning. All members of the IMA stand in solidarity with him during this challenging time. The IMA had previously demonstrated its ability to mobilise support and push for urgent action in cases involving violence against medical professionals”, the IMA district unit has sent out a message. The message reads, “It is essential to urge the administration to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice promptly. We request the administration to initiate a swift and impartial investigation into the attack on Dr Sood. We advocate for enhanced security measures in hospitals and medical facilities to prevent similar incidents in the future. The IMA always work towards creating a safer environment for medical professionals and ensuring that justice is served in cases of violence against them”. Admn monitoring water level in Pong Dam: DC ❞ pose rain water in Jalandhar West. The issue of waterlogging at 120 Feet Road was addressed promptly with the swift deployment of teams and tankers. “With the effective functioning of the newly laid storm water disposal system, rainwater was cleared within a short span of time, ensuring the smooth movement of traffic on this major road. In the past, before the commissioning of this system, it often Doctor shot at in busy market, 3 youths on the run took 3–4 days for accumulated water to recede from this stretch,” the officials said. “This timely intervention has provided significant relief to commuters and residents, restoring normalcy and improving public convenience. The Municipal Corporation remains committed to further strengthening civic infrastructure and delivering efficient, citizen-centric services,” it said. Hoshiarpur, August 20 DC Ashika Jain said the administration is ensuring continuous and technical monitoring of the water level in the Pong Dam so that any possible flood situation can be dealt with effectively. She said strong mutual coordination has been established between the BBMB, water resources and various other departments of Punjab. A technically cautious plan is being drafted on the volume of water from HP into the dam. The DC said the administration has prepared a plan on the basis of flood-affected villages, in which the affected areas have been divided into sectors and dedicated officers have been appointed in each sector. A control room has been set up to deal with floods in the district.— OC Industrialists got ~222-cr incentive in 5 months: Minister Despite rain, farmers turn up in large numbers at Mahapanchayat Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 20 Industries and Power Minister Sanjeev Arora said the events launched by the government under ‘Rising Punjab: From Suggestions to Solutions’ would prove to be effective in giving a major boost to industries in the state. He attended the event held under the initiative to interact with industrialists in Jalandhar and visited three training centres of the Industries Department — Central Leather Research Institute, Institute of Hand Tools and Northern India Institute of Fashion Design. Arora said last year, the government provided incentives worth Rs 90 crore to industrialists, and now, within just five months, incentives worth Rs 222 crore had already been given. He also said a new portal was being launched for setting up industries in the state, through which all approvals Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora (centre) addresses a press conference in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH would be granted within 45 days under a single-window system. “The industrialists will not even have to wait for 45 days. If at all they have to, the approvals will be deemed to have been granted,” he said. He said the government was providing a conducive environment for industries in the state, due to which industrialists had so far invested Rs 1.14 lakh crore. It had also provided employment to 4.5 lakh people, he added. He said through the One-Time Settlement Scheme, nearly 40-year-old issues had been resolved. An appellate authority has been established for can- celled plots to ensure timely resolution. Furthermore, the clubbing and de-clubbing of industrial plots has been implemented, enabling entrepreneurs to make better use of their land. Industrialists can now also convert leasehold plots or sheds into freehold. The government is also granting ownership of plots allotted on lease, so that entrepreneurs can conduct financial transactions with ease. The Industries Minister further said 24 committees covering different sectors had been constituted to facilitate industrialists. No political members have been included in these committees, and ADCs have been added to ensure regular meetings. He announced that a threeday Punjab Investment Summit would be organised in Mohali from March 13, for which industrialists, traders, NRIs and foreign companies c m y b would be invited to encourage maximum investment in the state. He said a special authority was also being set up to ensure that the taxes paid by industrialists were spent only on their focal points and industrial parks. The state government has floated tenders worth Rs 100 crore to upgrade focal points, ensuring proper sewerage, roads, lighting and other basic facilities. Besides providing security in industrial areas, the government is also taking special initiatives to make healthcare services available to the industrialists. Later, he addressed the press during a press conference. On the occasion, Director Industries Surabhi Malik, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur and Additional CEO (Invest Punjab) Rahul Chaba were also present. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 20 Seeking withdrawal of the land pooling policy in the Vidhan Sabha, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) organised a massive Kisan Mahapanchayat at Kukkad village near Jalandhar Cantonment this afternoon. The venue of the event was the centre of a 1,000acre chunk of land which was being acquired under the policy for developing Urban Estate, Phase-3, in Jalandhar. Despite a heavy rainfall this morning, farmers continued to gather near the grain market of the village for demonstration. The event took off about two hours late but got a massive response with Bharatiya Kisan Union-Doaba president Manjit S Rai, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan S Pandher, activists Lakha Seek withdrawal of land pooling policy via Vidhan Sabha Sidana and Amitoj Mann taking the lead. Slamming the AAP government, the farmer leaders said while the policy had been withdrawn via a notification, it should also be cancelled through the Vidhan Sabha. The mahapanchayat unanimously passed some resolutions which included that no farmer should sell their agricultural land at any price. They demanded the government should immediately provide fair compensation of Rs 70,000 per acre to farmers affected by floods, Rs 7,000 to affected labourers, and adequate compensation for damage to houses, livestock, and property. Lakha Sidana termed the floods man-made instead of any natural calamity as the floods could be managed but the government had no plans. They also threatened that the proposal of installation of pre-paid/smart meters in Punjab would be strongly opposed. “We will not let privatisation plan of the state electricity board to move forward. The pending payments of last year’s sugarcane farmers should be released immediately, and the sugarcane rate should be increased to Rs. 500 per quintal for the new crop. Other leaders who attended the mahapanchayat were Sukhjit Singh Haryana, Inderjit Singh Kotbudha, Baldev Singh Zira, Sukhwinder Kaur, Malkit Singh Aulakh, and many others. All arrangements were handled by Sukhvir Singh, BKU Doaba leader of Kukkad Pind.