27082025-JTR-01.qxd 26-08-2025 23:00 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune GOVT SANCTIONS ~16 CR FOR NURMAHAL SCHOOL BUILDING WILL MAJITHIA’S DRUG CASE BREAK CYCLE OF IMMUNITY SULTANPUR FLOODS: 800 TREATED AT RELIEF CENTRES Move comes after activist takes up school’s case with state’s human rights commission. P2 Case brings probe full circle to Bhola drug racket of 2013-14, when his name first surfaced. P2 Incessant rain, bundh breaches, roof collapses keep district’s disaster relief teams on toes. P3 » » » FORECAST RAINY MAX 29°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.57 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:00 AM WEDNESDAY | 27 AUGUST 2025 | JALANDHAR 15-ft breach in Beas bundh threatens 35 more villages 30 villages in Sultanpur Lodhi already affected | Water level in Beas rises to 1.57 lakh cusecs | Dhussi bundh vulnerable department’s proactive measures. “As a precautionary step, we are strengthening areas where the river water is impacting the embankments. Round-theclock efforts are underway, including placing sand-filled bags near Peerewal and Kishansinghwala to reinforce vulnerable sections,” he said. Additionally, crates filled with soil bags are being deployed to prevent erosion and enhance embankment resilience. The department is also fortifying a temporary advanced embankment at Chak Patti Baloo Bahadur village. SDO Vijay Kumar, overseeing the operations, affirmed, “There is no immediate threat to the embankments, and all necessary measures are being implemented to ensure their stability.” Aakanksha Bhardwaj/ Ashok Kaura Tribune Reporters Kapurthala, August 26 Adding to the miseries of the villagers of Sultanpur Lodhi, a 15-foot breach occurred in a temporary bundh along the Beas this morning at Ahli Kalan village, affecting 35 more villages in the vicinity. The 18-km bundh had been raised by villagers some years back to protect their standing crop from the river fury. They were already aware that the bundh at the site was getting weak and they had been working day and night trying to repair it, using sacks when the river waters hit the side and breached it, which reportedly kept on getting wider since morning. A breach had previously occurred in the bundh near the same site during the 2023 floods that severely affected the villages in Sultanpur Lodhi. A video of the breach in the bundh went viral. A farmer is seen in the fields cursing the rain god for not coming to his rescue at the time when his paddy crop was getting ripened. AAP MP Balbir Singh Seechewal said the breach could damage crops and houses in over 36,000 acres and 35 villages in the area. Already, more than 30 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi had been affected due to floods. Seechewal had told this correspondent that on Monday that he and his followers along with farmers had been trying to strengthen the weak points, but the swollen river breached the advance bundh and was now threatening the dhussi bundh. The flood situation continues to be grim as the water level in the Beas has risen to 1.57 lakh cusecs as measured near Dhilwan. Drainage Department SDO Khushwinder said the discharge from the Harike headworks had increased to 2.26 lakh cusecs today from 1.88 lakh cusecs earlier. He said 26,000 cusecs of water had been released in the canals. INBRIEF 2 ARRESTED FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested two persons, including a migrant, on charges of brewing and selling illicit liquor. Forty bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Karanjit Singh, a resident of Mohalla Kasba Mehatpur, and Parmod Mandal, a native of Bihar and presently living at Sidham Stationwale village under Nakodar Sadar police station.A case under Sections 61/1.14 of the Punjab Excise Act has been registered against the accused. OC MAN HELD FOR RAPING WOMAN Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a villager on the charge of raping a married woman. Investigating officer (IO) Inspector Seema said the accused has been identified as Paramjit Singh Chandi, a resident of Parjiankhurd village under Shahkot police station. The victim complained to the police that the accused raped her and threatened to kill her. A case had been registered against the accused. OC Rescue ops continue (Clockwise from top) Villagers from flood-affected mand areas evacuated by boat; an administrative team assists a family in preserving their household belongings; AAP MP Balbir Seechewal consoles floods-affected people in a village in Sultanpur Lodhi; and the roof of a flour mill collapsed in Kabirpur village near Kapurthala. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH Many roof collapse cases to fore Continuous rain for the fourth consecutive day worsened the flood situation in Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath as low-lying areas are filled with water. Some trees fell on Kapurthala-Jalandhar national highway disrupting the vehicular traffic for a few hours. The rains have been wreak- ing havoc across the region. The roof of the house of a poor, aged woman fell in Ucha Dhauray due to incessant rain. On receiving information, the district administration immediately gathered details about the victim, identified as Taro. DC Amit Kumar Panchal swiftly arranged for utensils, ration supplies and other essential items to be delivered to her. He also deputed Additional Commissioner General Vishal Vats along with Red Cross Secretary RC Birha to visit the elderly woman, and take stock of her condition. During the interaction, the officials assured Taro that her damaged roof would be repaired at the earliest. In another tragic incident caused by heavy rainfall, the roof of a flour mill had col- Bundh breach has villagers dejected Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Kapurthala, August 26 “We spent the whole night trying to protect the bundh, wearing gunny sacks on our heads to shield ourselves from the rain — but in the end, it was breached,” said Shaminder Singh of Aahli Kalan village, Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala. After nearly a month of relentless effort, the temporary bundh at Aahli Kalan was breached today. Villagers, along with volunteers, local societies and good Samaritans, had been working day and night to protect the fields of more than 25 villages from flooding. The villagers took turns fulfilling their duty to guard the bundh. “This will impact over 40,000 acre of farmland,” Shaminder Singh added. Various disturbing videos of breach in the bundh started circulating on social media in the morning where villagers could be heard saying that it was the end. “What will we do. Our fields are destroyed, what is the point of living,” an elderly villager was heard saying in a video. Rashpal Singh, another vil- A breach in a Beas bundh near Sultanpur Lodhi. lager, shared that he too had stayed up all night in a desperate attempt to fortify the bundh. “We tried everything, but it was beyond our control.” He added that the similar situation was there during 2023. “Marginal farmers will be badly hit, they are devastated,” he said. “Things are gone out of hand. We will now go towards dhussi bundh to ensure that it remains intact. Whatever we can do, we will do,” villagers said. c m y b lapsed in Kabirpur village in Sultanpur Lodhi on Monday morning, trapping an elderly woman and her son under the debris. The victims, identified as Parkash Kaur and her son Harmel Singh, were rescued. Parkash Kaur sustained injuries, including a leg fracture, and was rushed to the hospital. Her son, Harmel Singh, received minor injuries. DC inspects dhussi bundh in Bholath 2 nabbed with 4 kg copper wires, bike Cong’s factions unite ahead of Aug 28 rally Phagwara, August 26 The police have arrested two men and recovered around 4 kg of stolen copper wires along with a motorcycle in connection with multiple thefts of motor wires in Rurki village. Harjeet Singh, a resident of Rurki, had reported that wires from his motor were stolen by unknown persons. During inquiry, it was revealed that the theft was carried out by Pala of village Ghudka and Sunil of Kotrani near Phagwara. The suspects are also accused of stealing motor wires from adjoining fields belonging to farmers Palwinder Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Amarjit Singh, Manga, Baga (all residents of Rurki), and Jaswant Singh of Sunnrakhurd, Jamsher. ASI Amandeep, in-charge of Rurka Khurd police post, registered a case and arrested both Pala and Sunil. From their possession, the police recovered 4 kilogram of copper wires and a motorcycle. Further investigation is underway. — OC Tribune News Service In view of the rising water level in the Beas in Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath, DC Panchal conducted an inspection of the dhussi bundh and advanced embankments on Tuesday to assess the situation. Panchal visited key sites at Kamewal and Baghuwal, where the Drainage Depart- Deepkamal Kaur Jalandhar, August 26 The unity between the two warring factions of the Congress after their meeting with Rahul Gandhi has come as a huge relief for the District Congress Committee which is set to hold a Samvidhan Bachao rally on August 28 here. While the rally has been held in almost all districts of Punjab, it was being delayed in here since the leaders were wary of one faction going missing from the event and causing a dent to party’s image again. The differences between the two factions - with Raja Warring, LoP Partap Bajwa, MP Sukhjinder Randhawa, organisational secretary Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Phillaur MLA VIkramjit Chaudhary and Jalandhar North MLA Bawa Henry on one side, and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Channi, ex-ministers Rana Gurjeet Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Pargat Singh and MLA Hardev Laddi Sherowalia on the other. The DCC was under pressure from Warring’s faction to hold a rally in Jalandhar. The venue for it has been ment is reinforcing the embankments. He reassured the public, stating, “The dhussi embankment is safe, and our teams are maintaining strict vigilance through continuous patrolling to ensure their stability.” Executive Engineer (XEN) Sartaj Singh Randhawa, who accompanied the DC, confirmed the embankments’ safety and outlined the fixed at White Diamond Resort on 66-feet road, which falls in Pargat’s Jalandhar Cantt Assembly seat. All MLAs and halqa incharges from either faction have been directed by the high command to make it to the event. “Earlier, we were not sure who all will turn up. But after we saw a picture of leaders of both sides standing united, we are now clear that things will move on the right track and there shall be no attacks and counter-attacks from either side as had been seen earlier”, said a senior party leader who stands neutral between the two sides. The fissures between the two factions had sharpened during the recent Ludhiana West byelection from where Warring was largely asked to remain away and the charge was handled by the group of Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Pargat Singh. “But now after yesterday’s photo-op, if the Congress is able to maintain its united image only then it shall be able to achieve its Mission 2027”, said a political observer. Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have evacuated more than 45 people, most of them women and children, from Baupur Jadid, Baupur Kadim, Sangra, Rampur Gora, Mand Bhim Kadim, Mand Bandhu Jadid, and Muhammadabad. SDRF Commander Inspector Deepak confirmed that along with rescuing villagers, the teams are also retrieving essential household belongings. To support the affected communities, the administration has established fully equipped relief centres at Lakh Varian Government School and a gurdwara at Mand Kookan, providing shelter, food, and medical facilities. But the villagers have preferred to leave the women and children at their relatives’ places along with necessary belongings while men are staying back in their raised houses within flooded areas. Use helpline, villagers told DC Panchal urged residents to seek assistance through the district-level control room at 01822-231990, the Sultanpur Lodhi flood control room at 01828-222169, or the Bholath helpline at 01822-271829. Gas agency warehouse burgled, ~2.25L stolen Our Correspondent Phagwara, August 26 A burglary was reported at a gas agency warehouse on Aujla Road in Kapurthala where some thieves entered the premises and fled with around Rs 2.25 lakh cash. According to owner Varinder Kumar Gulayani, the warehouse had been locked by the staff on Monday night as usual. When employees arrived the next morning, they discovered the office window smashed and the cash missing. Police officials, led by Kapurthala City Station House Officer (SHO) Amandeep Nahar, reached the spot soon after being informed. The SHO confirmed that CCTV footages from the surrounding area is being examined to trace the suspects. “We are scanning the surveillance cameras nearby and expect to identify the culprits soon,” SHO Nahar said.