23102025-ATR-01.qxd 10/22/2025 11:46 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune SSP DIRECTS EXTRA COURTESY FOR KIN OF POLICE MARTYRS SGPC CHIEF RELEASES RELIGIOUS BOOK WRITTEN IN PUNJABI SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami released a Punjabi religious book written Dr Rajinder Singh Joga here. P2 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C SHOLAY BELONGS TO EVERY HEART, SAYS RAMESH SIPPY Next of kin of slain cops will be extended extra courtesy during their visits to police stations in Malerkotla subdivisions. P2 FORECAST Sholay wasn’t just a blockbuster — its dialogues, characters and music etched into the cinema lovers. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.49 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.40 AM » THURSDAY | 23 OCTOBER 2025 | AMRITSAR City witnesses over 20 fire cases triggered by cracker bursting Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 22 The city witnessed over 20 fire incidents on Diwali night, triggered by firecrackers bursting across various locations. Fire Brigade teams remained on high alert throughout the night, rushing from one site to another to control the blazes. Firefighters from six fire stations were deployed continuously to douse the flames. Property worth several lakhs was reportedly reduced to ashes in these incidents. According to officials of the Fire Brigade Department, on Tuesday evening a fire broke out in a house on Maqbool Road after a firecracker reportedly fell on clothes lying outside. Eyewitnesses said a burning aerial firecracker landed on the clothes, causing the fire to spread quickly. The fire department was informed immediately, and a fire tender reached the spot within 10 minutes. The blaze was brought under control within a few minutes. A major fire was reported at a plastic shop in the Ram- Slight relief after noxious air engulfs entire city Amritsar, October 22 After a late-night and earlymorning spike in AQI levels, which recorded close to 600, the city witnessed some relief as levels dropped to 250 by evening, though still categorised as “unhealthy.” This marks the third consecutive day that Amritsar has recorded AQI levels above 200, falling within the “poor” to “unhealthy” range. At the time of filing this report, the Ambient Air Quality Index for Amritsar stood at 237. The recent spike is attributed to the unabated burning of firecrackers that continued over two consecutive days — October 20 and 21 — during Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas celebrations. The PM 2.5 levels also remained dangerously high, hovering near 100, far above the WHO’s recommended limits. Despite a slight dip from the hazardous levels witnessed at midnight, the overall air quality remains far from safe. — TNS Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Fire Brigade teams remained on high alert throughout the Diwali night in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR bagh area. It took around 12 Fire Brigade tenders to douse the fire that erupted around 10 pm and continued till the early hours. In another incident, a house in Golden Avenue caught fire due to firecrackers. Three fire tenders rushed to the site, and the flames were extinguished within half an hour. Similarly, garbage heaps in two vacant plots at Lohgarh and Jahajgarh caught fire after being hit by fireworks. Minor fire incidents were also reported from Chheharta, Naraingarh, Airport Road, Verka, and Preet Nagar, all of which were swiftly controlled by Fire Brigade teams. A fire also broke out in a vacant plot at Shastri Nagar on Lawrence Road after a burning firecracker fell onto garbage. Another fire was reported at a house in Medical Enclave on Majitha Road due to firecracker sparks. Two fire tenders reached the site, and the flames were brought under control within half an hour. Amritsar, October 22 A man was killed over an old enmity at Boparai Khurd village here on late Monday night. The incident left several persons injured. The Lopoke police have arrested one person, identified as Kashmir Singh, of the village while nearly a dozen persons were booked on charges of murder and attempt to murder and under the Arms act. The deceased was identified as Hari Singh (65) while the injured included Harjinder Singh, Satwant Singh, Lakhbir Singh and Harpreet Singh. On the statement of vic- Amritsar, October 22 Despite repeated appeals from the administration and environmental authorities, the ban on bursting firecrackers beyond permitted hours went up in smoke this Diwali, as residents across the district continued celebrations well past midnight. The district administration had clearly restricted firecracker bursting to between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali evening, but the sound of explosions and dazzling lights filled the skies for several hours beyond the prescribed limit. On October 17, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney issued detailed directions regarding the sale and bursting of firecrackers during festive occasions, in compliance with Supreme Court orders. The instructions specified the permitted timings for bursting crackers on Diwali, Gurpurb, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Bhag- Residents light up crackers on Diwali night in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR wan Valmiki Jayanti, along with restrictions on the sale of banned crackers. She appealed to people to use only green crackers, which are free from harmful substances such as lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead and barium salts, while warning that the sale or use of prohibited firecrackers would attract strict action. Citing the Supreme Court’s order dated October 13, 2018, she stated that firecrackers may be burst only within prescribed time slots. According to the directive, crackers may be burst on Diwali from 8 pm to 10 pm, on Gurpurb from 4 am to 5 am and again from 9 pm to 10 pm, and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am. Bursting crackers before or after the permitted hours is strictly prohibited, and violators would face legal action, she warned. The instructions were passed to the Municipal Commissioner, SSP SDMs, , and officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to ensure strict enforcement. Despite this, a large number of residents apparently ignored the advisory, treating the restrictions more as suggestions than orders. Police patrolling teams were deployed in various parts of the city, yet enforcement remained weak due to widespread participation in latenight celebrations. Adding to the situation was confusion over the festival’s exact date. “The confusion over Diwali’s exact date only worsened the situation this year. While the main Diwali was officially observed on Monday, many areas in the region marked celebrations on Tuesday, citing different religious calendars and customs. This led to fireworks on both nights, doubling the environmental impact,” said environmentalist Manjit Uppal. Dr Meenakshi, another resident, expressed concern that such violations nullify the purpose of promoting a “Green Diwali”. Cross-border smuggling module Traders jubilant as crackers worth around busted, four nabbed with pistols ~20 cr sold over Bandi Chhor Diwas, Diwali Tribune News Service Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 22 The State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, has successfully busted a crossborder weapon smuggling network with the arrest of four key operatives of the module. The police recovered four sophisticated .30 bore Star mark pistols along with ammunition. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said the arrested smugglers have been identified as Jugraj Singh, alias Chiri, of Bhagwanpura, Kulbir Singh, alias Nannu alias Kalu, and Arshdeep Singh of Daliri and Nachattar Singh of Dialpur — all belonging to Tarn Taran district. Preliminary investigation reveals that the accused were working under the directions of a Pakistanbased smuggler who has been using drones to facilitate the movement of arms The four pistols seized by the State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar. across the border. The DGP said the Punjab Police are committed to exposing and dismantling the entire nexus involved in cross-border smuggling and ensuring strict legal action against those responsible. Sukhminder Singh Mann, AIG, SSOC, Amritsar, said police teams, acting on reliable intelligence inputs, apprehended the suspects and seized arms and ammu- Man killed in clash between two groups over old enmity Tribune News Service Cracker ban ignored as residents celebrate beyond permitted hours tim’s son Jasbir Singh, the police have booked Ranjit Singh, his brother Rachhpal Singh, Ajmer Singh, Gurtaz Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Ajit Singh, Kashmir Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Gurlal Singh and Gurkamal Singh, all residents of Boparai Khurd village. All the accused live in the neighbourhood of the victim. In his complaint to the police, Jasbir stated that at around 9.30 pm on Monday, his two cousins, brother and father were sitting near a flour mill. They were to return home after closing the shop when the accused armed with blunt and sharp- edged weapons arrived on the scene and started abusing them. They shouted not to leave the victims alive. He said the accused surrounded the victims and attacked them with sharpedged weapons leaving his father Hari Singh dead on the spot and others injured. The accused fled the scene after the incident. Satpal Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Lopoke police station, said one of the suspects was arrested while efforts were on to arrest the remaining accused. The body of the victim was handed over to the family after an autopsy yesterday. nition from them. He further disclosed that the prime accused, Jugraj Singh, was previously arrested in a drug-related case in June 2025 and had spent around two months in jail before getting bail. A case has been registered under Section 25 of the Arms Act and Section 61 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the SSOC police station. Amritsar, October 22 With the festivals of Bandi Chorr Diwas and Diwali celebrated over the past two consecutive days, cracker traders are jubilant as green firecrackers worth crores were sold. Piara Lal Seth, president of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, said that after holding talks with traders dealing in crackers, it is believed that crackers worth about Rs 20 crore were burst during the two-day Diwali celebrations. It is said that the sale of crackers touched nearly Rs 20 crore in the district. Though only “green crackers” were permitted by the authorities, this Diwali too saw Rs 20 crore literally go up in smoke over two nights. The festival of lights was celebrated for two days this year, and dealers thrived on brisk business as the cracker market continued to witness a heavy rush of customers last night. While many residents celebrated Diwali on Monday A view of fireworks at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. night, others celebrated on Tuesday. The two-day celebrations certainly brought smiles to the faces of cracker dealers. Similarly, youngsters and children enjoyed the prolonged festivities. Cracker trader Harish Dhawan observed that it has PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR been a really good season for dealers. They anticipated strong sales, and the response from buyers was massive. Though they had only a few days to set up stalls—since the administration made the temporary cracker market operational only on October 17—they managed to sell their stocks. He added that, as Diwali was celebrated over two days, residents bought crackers for both. Keeping this in mind, many buyers purchased crackers for the two celebrations, which could be a reason behind the higher sales, he reflected. How a ‘Foreigner’ is teaching India to clean up its streets Neha Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 22 A day after Diwali, as major Indian cities grapple with choking smog, the streets are littered with toxic waste from burnt crackers and other debris. While Diwali waste may be a matter of a day or two, the larger issue of street littering in India is persistent—driven by high waste generation, poor public habits, and inadequate waste collection and management systems. While many conveniently look away, Lazar Jankovic, a Serbian national, along with volunteers from Timeless Amritsar and Pawsitive Sanctuary—both Amritsar-based non-profits—picked up shovels and brooms to clean the streets around the Durgiana Temple periphery. Lazar first came to India on a modelling contract c m y b Lazar (centre) along with volunteers removes cracker waste from a street in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR and, eight years later, has found purpose in street-cleaning and civic-responsibility campaigns across Indian cities. “I’ve been travelling to various cities over the past year to be part of cleaning campaigns. I love this country, and the peo- ple are wonderful. So it enrages me to see people treat streets like landfills,” Lazar said. Joining him were Amita Seth, founder-patron of Pawsitive Sanctuary (now based in Canada), and Adele, a tourist from Canada, who expressed, “Any- thing to be a part of the change.” Lazar has been unclogging drains, clearing heaps of garbage, and engaging with locals to encourage participation. “I want you to help me clean your street, your country. Instead of taking pictures and being bystanders, I want people to get their hands dirty,” he said. As for his motives? “I’m not running an NGO or seeking funds. I just want communities here to stop waiting for ‘foreigners’ like me to clean up the mess.” Amid recent conversations about the lack of civic sense in India, Lazar believes the issue is a collective failure. “In India, there’s always a lot of noise around an issue, but no one wants to act first. Many times, when I talk to people, they say that if they start cleaning garbage, they’ll be seen as belonging to a certain ‘caste’. For a ‘foreigner’, it’s okay to do that though. I find that appalling,” he said. In Amritsar, however, Lazar was encouraged by the turnout. “I’m grateful to everyone who joined today and helped clean an entire street. But it’s not like this everywhere,” he added, sharing how he once faced hostility in Bengaluru from an auto driver he confronted for littering. “He actually fought with me on the road.” In another incident, Lazar temporarily lost his sense of smell after cleaning a drain choked with rotting garbage. Lazar shares videos of his campaigns on his social media handle @4cleanindia, which has been gaining traction. “I saw his videos and invited him to Amritsar. He’s doing tremendous work, engaging locals personally,” said Gaurav, a volunteer from Timeless Amritsar.