08102025-JTR-01.qxd 07-10-2025 22:43 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PADDY PROCUREMENT NEARS 1 LAKH MT IN KAPURTHALA WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT STALLS AGAIN OVER COSTS, STRIKE GIVE IMPORTANCE TO MENTAL HEALTH, SAYS DIVYA DUTTA DC says payments to farmers are being processed promptly, with Rs 186 crore already credited to their accounts. P2 The project was called off following a 10-day strike by safai karamcharis during the festive season. P3 The actress emphasised importance of the mental health and human connection in tech-savvy world. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.04 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:26 AM WEDNESDAY | 8 OCTOBER 2025 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. INBRIEF DONATION BOX OF TEMPLE STOLEN Phagwara: Two youths on a motorcycle have allegedly stolen the donation box from the ancient Shiva temple, known as Nathon Ka Dera, located near the Police Lines in Kapurthala. According to the temple's caretaker Baba Vijay Nath, the incident occurred around 8:20 am yesterday while he was cooking in his room. "It was drizzling slightly when I heard some noise from the temple premises. When I came out, I saw that the donation box placed near the idols was missing. As I stepped outside, I noticed two youths riding away on a motorcycle," he said. Following the call to the 112 emergency helpline, a police team reached the spot and began investigation. OC MAN BOOKED FOR SELLING SMACK Phagwara: The police have booked a man on the charge of selling smack. The accused has been identified as Harmesh Singh of Buta village, Kapurthala. The police have received information that the accused is coming from Mehatpur with the contraband and going to Nakodar. When chased, he stopped his car in Shahkot bazar and fled, and 55 gram of smack were recovered from his vehicle. OC MAN ARRESTED FOR STEALING Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a thief on the charge of stealing Rs 7.40 lakh. The accused has been identified as Mohit, alias Kaddu, a resident of Mullewal Bahamanna village. Tarsem Singh of Mullewal Khehra village had complained to the police that the accused barged into his house and stole Rs 7.40 lakh. OC 4 ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The police have arrested four persons on charge of assaulting a woman. The accused have been identified as Hardeep Singh, alias Bachu, Hari Krishan, Parveen Kumar, and Surjit Kumar, all residents of Mao Sahib village. Parmindar Kaur of the village had complained to the police that the accused and their accomplices had barged into her house on October 4 and assaulted her, and threatened the children. oc SARPANCH BOOKED FOR INTIMIDATION Phagwara: Balvinder of Bakarpur village in Kapurthala district alleged that her family had been facing harassment and intimidation from village sarpanch Sukhdeep Singh, his wife Nirinder Kaur, and several of their relatives, including Kuldeep Singh, Rajinder Kaur, Sukhwinder Singh, Parmjeet Kaur, Sulkhan Singh, Mihnga Singh, and Kapoor Singh, all residents of Bakarpur. A case has been registered against them. oc MP seeks MEA help to repatriate bodies of four youths from Italy Died on Oct 5 in car-truck collision Ashok Kaura Phagwara, October 7 In a tragic road accident in Italy, four Punjabi youths lost lives on October 5. To ensure that their mortal remains are brought back to India, Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal has reached out to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, seeking assistance. A collision between a car and a truck in Italy had claimed the lives of four from Punjab. The deceased have been identified as Harvinder Singh (Ghorabahi), Surjit Singh (Pind Meda), Manoj Kumar (Adampur), and Jaskaran Singh (Ropar). Family members of Harvinder Singh and Surjit Singh contacted Sant Seechewal’s office, requesting help in Family members of victim youths meet MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal. bringing back the mortal remains of their sons. Acting promptly, Sant Seechewal initiated efforts to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies of all four victims to India. Mukhtiar Singh, a resident of Pind Meda, shared that his brother Surjit Singh had gone to Italy in December 2024. Their family owns only three acres of land, which he and his two brothers cultivated together for livelihood. Due to their limited income, Surjit Urban Estate railway crossing reopens Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 7 Coming as a huge relief for residents of Urban Estate, a railway crossing between Urban Estate Phase-1 and 2, which had been closed by the railways authorities reopened on Tuesday evening. The re-opening of C7 railway crossing is being termed historic and an exceptional move as the authorities have almost never re-opened a crossing closed by them under its policy. The authorities are learnt to have budged in this case owing to continuous follow-up on the issue by the management of Mayor World School that falls in the locality. School chairperson Rajesh Mayor had taken a lot of pain in pushing the case with the railways authorities, including with Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, for the convenience of thousands of people, students and their parents crossing the area throughout the day. Other than the school, there are several other schools falling on either side of the railway crossing, including Cambridge Innovative School and MGN Public School. A large number of residents had repeatedly met Rajesh Mayor urging him to intervene and help reopen the crossing. “The closure had caused immense hardships to the public, particularly those without personal transport — daily wage earners, street vendors, and small shopkeepers. The impact extended to nearly 2.5 to 3 lakh residents of Urban Estate Phase 1 and adjoining areas, including students, women, children, and senior citizens. Even access to the cremation ground of a particular community was severely affected, forcing people to take a long, inconvenient detour. The existing Subhana underpass was unsafe for pedestrians, cart owners, cyclists, and twowheelers due to the absence of proper footpaths and protective infrastructure”, he had reported to the railways authorities after a survey. He said the Railways has also sanctioned a brand-new underpass at the same C7 location, with work expecting to commence shortly. The combination of the reopened crossing and the newly approved underpass will transform the connectivity landscape for the entire Urban Estate and neighbouring localities. Parents, students, staff, and residents will now benefit from multiple safe, fast, and convenient access routes, easing congestion and improving safety. It is, in every sense, a gift from the government to the people — one that brings both relief and pride to the community, he commented. had earlier worked in Dubai, but after failing to secure stable employment there, he moved to Italy around nine months ago in search of better opportunities. The brother of Harvinder Singh, a resident of Ghorabahi, revealed that the family had taken a loan of ?4.5 lakh to send him abroad in hopes of overcoming poverty. Harvinder was working on broccoli farms in Italy, but tragically lost his life in the accident. His father has been battling cancer for the past six years and Harvinder was the sole breadwinner of the family. The news of his untimely death has devastated the family. The grieving families contacted Seechewal’s office last night, appealing for help to bring the mortal remains of their loved ones back home. Sant Seechewal has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to take immediate action and arrange for the repatriation of the deceased with honour at government expense. 2 arrested with intoxicants in Kapurthala Phagwara, October 7 The Kapurthala police arrested a woman and a man under the NDPS Act. In the first case, the police were on patrol duty near village Bhattay when an informer told the police that a woman Sumitr Kaur, alias Simmi, was selling narcotics. Acting swiftly, the police reached the indicated location where the suspect was seen awaiting near a vehicle, allegedly for customers to sell drugs. On noticing the police party, the woman reportedly threw a small light-colored wax paper packet into the roadside grass and attempted to flee. She was apprehended. Upon checking the discarded packet, the police recovered 11 gram of heroin wrapped inside the wax paper. In another incident, the police noticed a suspicious youth walking. The suspect identified himself as Sukhchain Singh, alias Chaina, of Ahli Kalan, Kapurthala. During a search, the police recovered 43 intoxicating tablets. — OC The inundated road in Phagwara. Phagwara roads under water after heavy rain Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 7 A few hours of heavy rain early this morning turned Phagwara into a virtual waterlogged city, leaving several key areas submerged and residents struggling to commute through flooded streets. The downpour, which began before dawn, exposed the city’s inadequate drainage system as rainwater remained stagnant for hours, disrupting daily life and causing significant inconvenience. Major localities, including Urban Estate, Prempura, Purana Dak Khana Road, Banga Road, Sarai Road, Gaushala Road, Khera Road, Hadiabad, Subhash Nagar, the area around the Civil Hospital, and Chadda Market, were inundated. In several places, rainwater entered homes and shops, damaging goods and property. The absence of an effective drainage mechanism worsened the situation as water showed no sign of receding even hours after the rain had stopped. Residents expressed frustration over what they described as the municipal corporation’s persistent negligence. Many alleged that despite repeated assurances and long-standing demands, the civic body has failed to clear blocked sewers and drains. Locals pointed out that most drainage channels have been choked for years, yet no serious effort has been made to restore them. “The corporation only makes promises but nothing changes on the ground,” said a shopkeeper in the flooded Chadda Market. “Whenever it rains, we are the ones who suffer while officials simply conduct a formality visit and leave.” The stagnant rainwater has also begun to deteriorate the condition of city roads, many of which were already in disrepair. Residents warned that if immediate maintenance and drainage work are not undertaken, commuting through these damaged and waterlogged roads will become even more difficult. Citizens have urged the Phagwara Municipal Corporation to take swift and concrete action by clearing blocked sewer lines and reopening the city’s closed drains to prevent future flooding and safeguard both property and public safety. Rain disrupts city life JALANDHAR: Heavy rainfall early this morning disrupted the morning routine of the city residents. It started raining around 4 am. The heavy spell lasted for about three hours but the showers continued till 11 am. The rainfall deluged the entire city, especially the lowlying areas, making it difficult for people to get out of their places. Since it was a government holiday owing to Valmiki Jayanti, school students and office-goers were not affected. Those who remained affected the most were shopkeepers, milk vendors, newspaper hawkers and private company employees who had to reach their destinations in time. Almost every locality— Model Town, Adarsh Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, New Jawahar Nagar, Mota Singh Nagar, Master Tara Singh Nagar and Guru Tej Bahadur Nagar — got flooded. — TNS MoS Naik visits flood-hit Hindu-Muslim tension in city eases with peace pact areas, distributes ration Tribune News Service Phagwara, October 7 Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik today visited Bholath and Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district as part of his two-day tour of Punjab to review relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected areas. On the first day of his visit, the minister visited Gurdwara Shri Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, and in the afternoon, he undertook a detailed tour of the flood-hit villages. In the evening, he conducted a review meeting at DC office which was attended by the DC, the SSP and all senior officers and officials of the district administration. The progress of flood relief work and assessment of damaged houses, fields and livestock was reviewed and instructions were given. On second day of his visit, he visited Amritpur, Rajewal and Bhandal Bet villages. In these villages, the Minister met the affected families, farmers, women and vulnerable groups, listened to their concerns, and assured them of sustained relief measures. At Amritpur, he distributed kits containing ration to floodaffected families. At Rajewal, the Minister visited a medical camp run on the premises of Govt Primary School and interacted with volunteers running the camp. — OC Jalandhar, October 7 In a dramatic turn of events, a recent feud that ensued between leaders of the Hindu community and members of the Muslim Sangathan Punjab has apparently come to an end. The matter reportedly got sorted out after Aam Aadmi Party leaders pitched in and made both sides sit together at Mayor House in Model Town. AAP leaders, including minister Mohinder Bhagat, Mayor Vaneet Dhir, Jalandhar Central halqa incharge Nitin Kohli and chairperson of Punjab State Safai Karamchari Commission Chandan Grewal, claimed to have got the matter resolved. While Muslim leaders remained c m y b present in larger number during brokering of peace, only the complainant came in from the Hindu faction. The feud erupted on Friday last when members of the Muslim community were holding a protest outside the District Administrative Complex and had burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the arrests in UP for putting up “I Love Mohammad” posters. During the protest, Hindu man Yogesh Maini, who was passing by on his scooters had raising slogans of “Jai Shree Ram”. The Muslims had stopped him, taken out keys of his scooter and just started to manhandle him when BJP Complainant Yogesh Maini (centre) with Muslim leaders in Jalandhar. leaders had emerged on the scene. They had rushed to his rescue and launched huge protests for two days in the city and even got FIR lodged against the leaders of the Muslim Sangathan Punjab. The issue had sparked ten- sion as the Muslims had termed police action to be one-sided and been demanding registration of a case against the BJP leaders too who they alleged had tried to ignite the matter. At the Mayor House, Maini, an accountant, and Muslim leaders Naem Khan, Ayub Khan and others had turned up. After the meeting, Naem had stated that the misunderstanding had arisen during a peaceful protest but it was resolved. He also said a call given for “Sarva Dharma Sammelan” had been cancelled. Ayub announced that they would celebrate Diwali together at Maini’s house. The BJP leaders, who were part of the protest for two days, were not happy with the move of the AAP leaders. “They said Maini had been pressured for a patch-up so that the AAP leadership could project that it had worked really hard to restore peace in Punjab. But this is not a reality”, said a senior BJP leader.