03092025-JTR-01.qxd 9/2/2025 11:39 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune TRACTORS, TROLLEYS SERVE AS RESCUE VEHICLES AMID FLOODS EXPERT WARNS FLOODS AFTEREFFECTS POSE HEALTH RISKS LIFE OUT OF GEAR IN PUNJAB: CELEBS STAND IN SOLIDARITY Tractors and trolleys have emerged as the most reliable lifelines in this time of crisis. P2 Dr Shailesh elaborated on the increased risk of water-borne diseases during and after floods. P3 In the face of devastation across Punjab and northern India, a wave of solidarity and action has emerged. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 27°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.48 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:05 AM » WEDNESDAY | 3 SEPTEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TEENAGER DIES OF ELECTROCUTION Phagwara: A 17-year-old boy electrocuted in Kottrani village on Tuesday. The deceased Sonu Kumar, who ran a grocery shop in the village, was doing tiles fitting work when he accidentally came in contact with an electricity wire. Family members rushed him to hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. The incident cast a pall of gloom over his family and the entire village. OC MAN, WIFE BOOKED FOR ~42L FRAUD Hoshiarpur: The police have registered a case against three persons on the allegation of cheating on the pretext of sending to a man to Australia. Amrik Singh of village Kukar Mazra had lodged a complaint with the SSP that Sanjeev Kumar of village Bhamiyan, along with his wife Megha and Hardeep Singh Poliyan, of Begowal, Kapurthala, had cheated him of Rs 42 lakh in the name of sending him to Australia. oc 3 ARRESTED FOR MURDER BID Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested three persons, including two women, on the charges of murder bid and dowry harassment. The accused have been identified as Harpreet Kaur and Samayal of Danewal village and their brother Aniket Baba Bagu of Gillan village. Prabhjot Kaur of Eeda village had complained to the police that the accused and their accomplices tortured her for dowry. She had said the accused gave her intoxicating tablets and toutored her. OC 2 ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING GIRL Phagwara: The police have arrested two youths for kidnapping a girl. The accused has been identified as Sahil, alias Gaddu, of Padda Colony, Lohian Khas, and Sagar Singh, a resident of Faridkot. The mother of the victim had complained to the police that the accused had kidnapped her daughter from her college on August 10. oc MAN ARRESTED FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit liquor. Fifty bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused Amarjit Singh of Bhode village. A case was registered under Section 61/1/14 of the Punjab Excise Act against the accused. oc 2 WOMEN HELD UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested two women on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. Sixty tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Kanta of Pati Takhar Shankar village and her daughter Gagan. OC MAN NABBED WITH HEROIN Phagwara: The police intercepted a young man attempting to carry narcotics. The incident took place in Kapurthala, where an ASI officer noticed suspicious activity and promptly took action. The officer recovered 6 gram of heroin from the suspect Krishan Vashi. oc Train services take a hit as Sutlej waters inch closer to railway track Embankments largely safe Tribune News Service Jalandhar/Nawanshahr, September 2 Amid anxious moments after reports that the Sutlej was set to get double the amount inflow from Tuesday afternoon, the day passed off largely peacefully with most embankments from Nawanshahr to Phillaur and further towards Shahkot largely remaining safe. By this afternoon, the inflow had touched 1.35 lakh cusecs at Gidderpindi gauge from 70,000 cusecs yesterday. The Sutlej waters had reached the level of Gidderpindi railway track, touching its lower surface. Following the reports, railway officials decided to cancel two trains between Gidderpindi and Makhu, short-terminate five trains and short-originate three passenger trains. The flow of water in the Sutlej remained fast. Residents of Dhingarpur village of Balachaur tehsil in Nawanshahr district had started gathering in large numbers along the dhussi bundh since last night amid reports that the embankment had gone week. They spent the entire night filling sandbags and stacking them into crates, which were then placed along the bundh to prevent any breach. The operation continued till this morning untill the level of river water came down. DC, Nawanshahr, Ankurjeet Singh also visited this spot to oversee the situation and assure people that the situation was largely under control. He also visited Bela Tajowal, another hotspot at the dhussi bundh in Balachaur. He reviewed the water flow in the river and said the water level had receded to 65,000 cusecs, which was nearly 1.25 lakh cusecs last night. Ankurjeet also mentioned that officials and villagers were continuously working to ensure the safety of the bundh. He said the teams were strengthening the embankments on a war-footing at Talwandi Sibu, Dariyapur and Burj Tehal Dass under the supervision of SDMs. Similarly, there were some anxious moments for the residents of Sanghowal village too. Falling between Phillaur and Nurmahal, residents of this village of Nakodar said a temporary embankment that they had constructed to safeguard their village had been washed away. Congress leader Dr Navjot Dahiya and AAP MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann had reached the spot to ensure that work remained on and the village was safe. MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, addressing people gathered at the embankment, said the Sutlej had a carrying capacity of 2,00,000 cusecs. Seechewal warned that if heavy rain continues in Himachal Pradesh and additional water is released from the Bhakra Dam, the situation could worsen. Executive Engineer (XEN) of the Drainage Department Sirtaj Singh stated that the Sutlej water is still flowing below the embankment. Our Correspondent Kapurthala, September 2 The district authorities on Tuesday reported that the flood situation in Kapurthala remains under control despite widespread impact across several villages. DC Amit Kumar Panchal said 123 villages and 5,748 people have been affected in the district. While no deaths have been reported, two persons sustained injuries in floodrelated incidents. According to official estimates, crops on around 36,903 acres have been damaged. Six houses destroyed, seven partially damaged, and 18 kutcha houses collapsed due to waterlogging. The administration has evacuated 1,428 residents. No displacement in Phagwara Meanwhile, in Phagwara, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Akshita Gupta stated that no resident has been displaced so far, and no casualties have been reported. However, agricultural losses have been significant along the Chaheru Drain. AAP LEADERS FACE FARMERS’ WRATH ■ AAP leaders, including Nakodar MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann and Jalandhar Cantt halqa in-charge Rajwinder Thiara, had to face opposition from farmers in their constituencies when they went to meet villagers. ■ Mann had to face questions from farmers at Sanghowal village where a bundh was damaged. She was told that there was no point coming now when the damage had happened. Mann got into arguments with them for 5-10 minutes. Likewise, Thiara was countered by farmers at Kukad village over the land pooling scheme. 123 villages, 5,748 people hit in Kapurthala Beas level rising Sutlej waters near the base of Gidderpindi rail track near Shahkot after the release of water from Ropar. After continuous heavy rainfall and rising water levels in Crops on 36,903 acres damaged the Beas, the Kapurthala administration has issued a flood alert and appealed to residents of low-lying areas to immediately move to safer locations. Akshita Gupta issued an advisory urging people to stay alert, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep away from low-lying areas, temporary pathways, and kutcha roads that are prone to waterlogging. LPU gives ~20 lakh MP and Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU) Dr Ashok Mittal has announced ?20 lakh for relief work in the state. The funds have been specifically earmarked for the procurement of water tankers to provide safe drinking water to displaced families, as officials anticipate a potential shortage once flood waters recede. Many tubewells and other local water sources have been damaged, heightening concerns over access to clean water, he said. Dr Mittal distributed essential commodities to over 600 floodaffected families, ensuring immediate relief reaches those in urgent need. 50 hutments along Chitti Bein marooned at Nakodar Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Nakodar, September 2 The overflowing Chitti Bein and incessant rainfall in Jalandhar has started wreaking havoc all across the areas near Nakodar. The worst affected are about 50 families of migrants and daily workers, who made embankments of the Chitti Bein as their permanent residence for the past nearly two decades. Passersby along the Jalandhar-Nakodar road would often spot their hutments moving past the bridge of the rivulet. But today all their hutments (both in concrete and temporay structures) and their TV dishes were submerged in six to eight feet flood waters. Jyoti, an occupant, said, “It was on Sunday night that the rivulet got flooded all of a sudden. We hardly had any time to take out our belongings to safer locations. While we managed to take away our essentials, a lot of stuff is in waters for the past over 35 hours. It was not easy for us to watch our homes in waters”. The said they had been shifted to safer locations. Some have gone to a relief camp in government school at Muddh village, there are others who are putting up in adjoining grain markets. Pushpa, who too has been displaced, watched her house from the bridge trying to assess how much more water had entered her house. “We came here about two decades ago. We are originally from Pune in Maharashtra. We were residing in Rama Mandi here earlier. It was a Congress leader from Nakodar who suggested us that we could occupy land here and set up our small hutments. Since then we are here earning our daily bread with whatever odd jobs that we get”, she said. Suresh, a local leader from the same community, said, “Our families have remained safe. There have been floods earlier too. But never has there been so much devastation.” Flooded house near the Chitti Bein in Kang Sabu village at Nakodar in Jalandhar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Cracks in Chugitti overbridge on Amritsar highway Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 Following the reports of cracks in the approach road of the Chugitti overbridge from the Jalandhar side towards Amritsar and Pathankot, senior administrative officials today checked the site to ensure the safety of the commuters. Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur and Deputy Commissioner of Police Naresh Dogra along with officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), conducted a joint inspection of the overbridge this morning. They noticed cracks forming on the surface and observed soil seeping out from the edges of the road. The overbridge gets heavy traffic, especially trucks heading towards Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Jammu and parts of HP Upon receiving the . opinion of the NHAI officials, the police deployed at the site and kept traffic cones around the affected area so that it did not receive more vehicular pressure. Aggarwal said owing to heavy rainfall for the past few days, several structures, including overbridges, were partly affected. “Along with the NHAI officials, we assessed the stability of various bridges and overbridges, especially along the highways. We will take all those steps that are required to ensure the smooth traffic movement and public safety during the ongoing monsoon spell”, he said. CP Dhanpreet Kaur said, “We are contemplating on route plans or diversions that can be given to heavy vehicles owing to safety concerns for the next few days. We also 8 Lohara factory workers rescued Tribune News Service Cracks appear in the Chugitti overbridge near Jalandhar. do not want to harass the public. Our teams are work- c m y b ing on it and we shall have some plan for traffic manage- ment for such bridges and intersections soon”. Jalandhar, September 2 Eight workers, who were stranded in a factory at Lohara village following continuous heavy rainfall, were rescued by a team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) under the close watch of the district administration. Acting on reports of the trapped workers, DC Dr Himanshu Aggarwal immediately called a team of the NDRF which was stationed , in Shahkot. The team carried out the rescue operation and brought the workers to safety. The DC said the incessant rain over the past two days had led to the overflowing of drains. Jalandhar-Nakodar high- way inundated Dr Aggarwal also visited several areas along the Jalandhar-Nakodar highway which have faced flooding. The highway was inundated right from Nakodar Chowk to the town. The most-affected area was along Allowal village where there was one-foot deep water even on the highway. This water was flowing towards the road from the village which too had five-eight feet deep water. As the DC went to the site, he was accompanied by Nakodar MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann. Mann said it was owing to engineering defects in the road that the villages along its edges had got flooded. “There is no provision of drainage of rainwater”, she said.