02092025-ATR-01.qxd 9/2/2025 12:23 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 23°C COMMUNITY RALLIES TO SUPPORT FLOOD-HIT IN AJNALA AIDED SCHOOLS DROWN IN DOUBLE CRISIS NIKKA ZAILDAR 4 DELAYED AMID PUNJAB FLOOD CRISIS Police and NGOs have dispatched essential relief materials to flood-hit villages in Ramdass and Ajnala. P2 Salary grants for these schools remain unpaid for five months amid worsening flood conditions. P3 Makers of the movie, starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa, have decided to postpone the release to Oct 2. P4 » » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.44 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:00 AM TUESDAY | 2 SEPTEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Lab technician shot Stranded on rooftops, families fear flood dead in restaurant waters may lead to their house collapse Pawan K Jaiswar MURDER MOST FOUL Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 A lab technician at SR Government College for Girls was shot dead by armed assailants on Batala road area here last night. Identified as Ashutosh Mahajan (35), the son of a restaurant owner, he was gunned down when he was sitting in the restaurant. According to information received, Ashutosh Mahajan was gunned down by two bike-borne persons, one of whom entered the restaurant and fired bullets at him, leaving him critically wounded. Immediately after the incident, they fled while the victim was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him dead. Ironically, the residence of Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar is located just 200 meters from the crime scene. The police reached the spot and started investigations. Dr Sheetal Singh, Assistant Commis- ■ Ashutosh Mahajan gunned down by two bike-borne assailants ■ Police Commissioner’s residence barely 200m from sioner of Police, said that CCTV cameras on the road and in adjoining areas were being scanned to find clues about the perpetrators of the crime. The police have recorded the statements of the victim’s family. His call details were also being analysed. Hours after the incident, gangster Hari Boxer of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, took responsibility for the murder on a social media handle by the name Anmol Bishnoi. In the post, they claimed that Ashu Mahajan was an informer of the police. He had leaked information about the whereabouts of their accomplice Nona Harike and was therefore taught the lesson. However, the police said they were verifying facts and crime spot ■ Hari Boxer of Lawrence Bishnoi gang took responsibility for murder on social media that investigations were in progress. “Everything would be clear once the two shooters are arrested,” said the ACP while adding that the shooter who killed him was wearing a black T-shirt and cap. Police have recovered six bullet shells from the spot. Ramesh, an eyewitness, said that two persons had come on a bike one of whom came inside on the pretext of fetching water while the other remained outside on the bike. Rattan, an employee of the restaurant, said that Mahajan was shot thrice while the other bullets hit the fridge and wall. The incident caused panic as customers were also present in the restaurant when the incident took place. A house submerged in flood waters at Hardwal village on Fatehgarh Churian road in Amritsar on Monday; (right) Mahant Manjit Giri showing the portion of the Luv Kush Paathshala that caved in during rains in Ram Tirath Temple, Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Flood water reaches Awan Lakha Singh village in Rajasansi area falling under Lopoke sub-division in Amritsar district on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR COMMITTEE FORMED BY CM ARRIVES TO TAKE STOCK ■ A high-powered committee formed by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to support the rescue and relief work in the flood-affected areas of the district, reached Ajnala on Monday and held a detailed meeting with the teams engaged in relief work. Its members are KK Yadav, Varun Roojam and Basant Garg. ■ The panel members said the government wanted to focus on rehabilitation of the people, so all the departments will plan to work in their respective fields which includes repair of roads, bridges, restoration of power supply, supply of drinking water, medical aid etc. More staff will be deployed if need is felt. ■ The Agriculture Dept has been asked to make arrangements for animal fodder. The Animal Husbandry Department will ensure that cattle do not suffer any harm due to diseases. The Food Supply Department will ensure the supply of diesel, petrol and gas and supply of essential commodities. P2 Amritsar, September 1 For families stranded on rooftops of their houses in flood-hit villages, every passing hour feels like a test of survival as nearly 50 residential complexes in the flood-affected areas have been damaged, with some of them getting completely washed away. Residents fear that the longer it takes for water to recede, thefoundations of their homes will be at risk. The water had first entered the villages on August 27. Ever since then, residents, especially those living on farm land, have been living on the roofs. While some have left the flooded area, others are still living in their houses fearing that abandoning their shelters would put these at the risk of being burgled. “We have been sitting on the roof with our children since yesterday. We do not CRISIS AT HAND ■ The administration has confirmed damage to 50 houses so far ■ The water had first entered the villages on August 27. Ever since then, residents, especially those living on farm land, have been living on the roofs ■ Disruption in electricity supply added to problems ■ With fields submerged and food stocks, cattle feed supply getting exhausted, villagers have little hope left for succour and survival know how long our house will hold,” said Jagtar Singh, a worried villager. The worry is not unfounded as many homes have already collapsed, unable to withstand the pressure of the surging waters. The administration has confirmed damage to at least 50 houses so far. Residents reported that most furniture and elec- Tourist footfall hit due to floods, drops by 30-50% Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 Tourist footfall has dropped between 30 to 50 per cent in the holy city after floods ravaged Punjab as well as other parts of the country. This has turned out to be yet another jolt for the tourism industry here which had incurred heavy losses on account of prolonged border tensions between India and Pakistan, starting from the Pahalgam massacre and culminating in Operation Sindoor. Manager of the Golden Temple Bhagwant Singh said there had been about 30 per cent decline in the arrival of Sangat (devotees) at the holiest Sikh shrine since the floods intensified in the region. Keeping in view the less footfall, he said they pressed into service men and material from the Golden Temple in the flood-affected areas of Punjab, including Sultanpur Lodhi, Dera Baba The railway station in Amritsar wears a deserted look on Monday, indicating the decline in number of visitors to the city. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Nanak and Ajnala. Ration from Golden Temple’s Guru Ramdas Langar Hall is being diverted to the flood victims. Officials and vendors at the Amritsar railway station stated that there was about 40 to 50 per cent decline in the footfall of people in comparison to what it was over a fortnight ago. That marked once again a sharp decline for the hospitality sector, considered backbone of the city’s economy, offering employment to a cross-section of people, from vendors to hoteliers. Jaspreet Singh, a hotelier, said tourists were returning to Amritsar, albeit in smaller numbers, after the city saw a sharp dip in visitors due to border hostilities between c m y b India and Pakistan. Floods in different parts of the country in general, and Punjab in particular, have prompted withdrawal of advance booking by tourists. A majority of the tourists arriving in Amritsar are those who have their itinerary prepared in advance for neighbouring mountainous states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. For instance, there are four trains between Amritsar, Jammu and Katra. Presently, these trains stand cancelled due to heavy rains and flood. A tour and travel operator Sarbjit Singh said that in June, tourists started returning in small numbers as room occupancy at luxury hotels across the city had dropped to around 10 per cent. Tourists are returning but the recovery is extremely slow and they anticipate that the previous levels could only be achieved by the last quarter of this calendar year. tronic items in their homes have already been damaged by the flood waters. With electricity being shut as transmission lines have been damaged, the heavy rain during the night has only deepened the crisis. With their fields submerged and food stocks running out, villagers say they are left with little hope to bank on. “There is water everywhere. Even if we survive today, how will we live without crops, without shelter,” asked another resident. Farmer leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said, “People are also finding it difficult to get feed for their cattle. In villages such as Jasraur, Nepal, Aual and others, where water reached only yesterday in the morning, relief teams are yet to reach.” Farmer leaders visited many of these villages on Monday and found that people were in need of immediate help in form of essentials, he said. Luv Kush Paathshala collapses partially Pawan K Jaisar Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 1 A portion of the Luv Kush Paathshala, located at the Ram Tirath Temple, which is also known as Bhagwan Valmiki Asthan, collapsed following incessant rains that lashed the region in the past two days. Situated around 12 km from Amritsar on the AmritsarChogawan road, Ram Tirath Temple is believed to be the hermitage of Sage Valmiki, the author of Ramayana. According to various historical accounts, Sita, the wife of Lord Ram, took refuge at this site during her exile from Ayodhya. It is believed that she gave birth to her twin sons, Luv and Kush, here. Sage Valmiki not only educated 24x7 special medical camps set up by admn Amritsar, September 1 To help people in flood-affected areas of Ajnala and Ramdass, the district administration has set up 11 special medical camps. These camps will remain open 24 hours and will have professional doctors on duty at all times. ADC Rohit Gupta said the camps have been set up in such a way that people from nearby villages can easily reach them without much delay. He added that all treatment and medicines at these camps will be free of cost. The medical camps have been set up at Ghonewal Machhiwal, Primary Health Centre, Ramdass, Gurdwara Kot Razada, Health and Wellness Clinic, Soofian, Health and Wellness Clinic, Jagdev Khurd, Primary Health Centre, Sudhar, Gurdwara Dhananai, Gurdwara Thoba, Focal Point Chamyari on Harrad Khurd road, Civil Hospital Ajnala, and a camp at Kot Mauli (with the help of the Army for Bauli and Araia villages). The ADC appealed to the people to immediately reach these camps in case of any medical emergency, including snake bites. For assistance, residents can also call the district helpline number 0183-2229125. Health official Dr Sawaranjit Dhawan said that people must avoid contact with flood waters if possible as it can give rise to many skin diseases. He also asked the residents not to ignore insect bites. The district official stated that 35 medical teams are already working in the flood-affected area so far. “It is most important that people drink clean water to protect themselves from water-borne diseases,” he said, adding that chlorine tablets have already been distributed in the area. — TNS the twins at this very place, but is also said to have composed the epic Ramayana here. In an effort to preserve the sanctity of this revered shrine, the then SAD-BJP government constructed a magnificent temple at a cost of Rs 115 crore. However, the Luv Kush Paathshala remained neglected due to an ongoing legal dispute between two groups over ownership and possession of the temple. Temple priest Mahant Manjit Giri said the ancient Paathshala, which was constructed from Nanakshahi bricks and mud, was in urgent need of repair. He added that the government should declare the structure a heritage site and take immediate steps to preserve it in its original form. PCS officers to donate one day’s salary for flood relief Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, September 1 The Punjab Civil Services (PCS) Officers Association (Executive branch) has decided to donate one day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the aid of flood-affected people in the state. Sakatar Singh Bal, president of the Association, said that PCS (Executive branch) cadres had always stood in the service of the people in their time of crisis. “Even now, we are working tirelessly on the ground in flood relief operations. We extend full support beyond our official duty to the government and the people of Punjab to ensure normalcy is restored at the earliest,” he added.