28102025-ATR-01.qxd 10/27/2025 10:41 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 28°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 17°C KALGIDHAR TRUST REBUILDS HOMES FOR FLOOD-HIT FAMILIES GNDU’S ~30,000-LATE FEE RAISES CONCERNS MADHAVAN TRANSFORMS INTO EDISON OF INDIA GD NAIDU The Akal Sewa teams of the Trust have rescued and relocated over 7,500 individuals from 153 villages. P2 Universities have extended the last date of admissions to October 30 for students from flood-hit areas. P3 R Madhavan in his biopic GDN plays the role of Gopalaswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, aka the Edison of India. P4 » » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.39 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:34 AM TUESDAY | 28 OCTOBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Repair work on Sher-e-Punjab’s statue podium to resume today Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 The long-awaited repair work on the podium of the iconic statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Ram Bagh will resume tomorrow following the submission of a structural engineer's report. The famous bronze statue, sculpted by renowned artist Ram Vanji Sutar, had developed major cracks in its base, raising concerns over its stability. The repair work had initially begun last month under the Smart City project, but engineers halted the process after discovering that the condition of the structure was worse than expected. Rajat, an engineer working under the Smart City project, said that when the stone slabs from the podium were removed, it was found that the retaining wall, built with bricks and soil, had weak- NCB arrests health official for illegal supply of tramadol ened significantly over time and developed several cracks. The matter was then referred to senior officials, and a structural engineer's opinion was sought. "During inspection, it appeared that there was a risk of the statue collapsing. As a preventive measure, we requested a structural engineer's report. The report has now been received, recommending that a new steel and concrete (RCC) retaining wall be constructed to strengthen the podium. The RCC wall construction work will begin formally tomorrow," Rajat said. According to information, Rs 70 lakh has been sanctioned under the Smart City project for the repair of the statue's podium and beautification of the surrounding area. Though the inclusion of a new retaining wall will increase the overall cost, Smart City officials and engi- The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Rambagh; (top & below) broken podium structure after removing the tiles. VISHAL KUMAR neers claim the site will be restored as an attraction once the work is completed. It is worth mentioning that earlier, some unidentified individuals had damaged the spear held in the right hand of the statue. Several tiles Despite repeated complaints, the issue had remained unaddressed for months until now. Temporary garbage dump Drug smuggler’s illegal dwelling demolished on Jhabbal Road shut down Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 The city police along with the Municipal Corporation authorities on Monday demolished an illegally constructed house belonging to a notorious drug-smuggling family located in Sandhu Colony area on 88-foot road, falling under the jurisdiction of Sadar police station here. The property belonged to Ranjit Singh alias Rana and Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has reportedly arrested former health official Rakesh Sharma, in connection with the case of illegal supply of tramadol in private hospitals beyond their allotted quota, on Monday. The Enforcement Directorate is also likely to investigate the financial networks in the racket. A senior NCB official has confirmed the development while adding that during the probe, the Central agency stumbled upon a big scandal in which many heads may roll during further course of investigations. In the present case, it has also nominated Aarti Malhotra, wife of Dr Jatinder Malhotra, who was already arrested in the case. Till now, around eight persons have been arrested by the NCB. It has also frozen properties worth Rs 25 crore belonging to Dr Jatinder Malhotra and Aarti Malhotra. around the podium were also found broken, and parts of the platform had sunk due to the weakened foundation. Amritsar, October 27 Acting swiftly after public demonstrations, the Municipal Corporation has ordered the immediate closure of the temporary garbage dump set up along Jhabbal Road. Acting on the directions of Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill, Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh visited the site on Monday and directed that all dumping activities be stopped with immediate effect. The MC Commissioner further instructed the private company responsible for lifting and transporting city waste to resume disposal exclusively at the Bhagtanwala dump site. The move came after local residents raised strong objections over foul smell and unhygienic conditions caused by the temporary dump, which had been established as an emergency measure during the rainy season. Officials explained that during heavy rains earlier MC Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh (centre) visited Jhabbal Road dump in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR this year, the approach road to the Bhagtanwala dump had become severely damaged, making it nearly impossible for garbage-lifting vehicles to reach the main site. To prevent disruption of city sanitation services, a temporary dump yard was created on Jhabbal Road. However, with the approach road now repaired and traffic movement restored, the Municipal Corporation has decided to discontinue the temporary arrangement. During his visit, Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh also directed officials of the RRR Company, which handles waste collection, to ensure regular sprinkling of water on the approach road leading to the Bhagtanwala dump to prevent dust and minimise inconvenience to residents living. "The civic body has reiterated its commitment to maintaining cleanliness and ensuring that waste management operations do not cause hardship to the public," said Singh. Municipal Health Officer Dr Kiran, Chief Sanitary Inspector Sarabjit Singh, and 3R Company representative Rajeev Kumar were also present during the inspection Bribe for dope clean chit, VB nabs guard Amritsar: The Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Monday arrested a security guard posted at the Civil Hospital, Baba Bakala Sahib, here while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 for issuing a negative dope test certificate to facilitate an arms licence. A VB spokesperson said the accused, Jatinder Singh, was caught red-handed following a complaint by a local resident Resham Singh. — TNS his family, who have allegedly been repeatedly involved in drug trafficking activities. The demolition was carried out by the MC, in coordination with the city police as part of the drive to dismantle illegally acquired assets of narcotics offenders, said Police Commissioner Gupreet Singh Bhullar. Bhullar said Ranjit Singh and his family members — including his two sons, Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Gurpartap Singh, and daughter-in-law Priyanka — are facing cases under the NDPS Act. Collectively, the family has over 15 FIRs and several preventive DDRs registered against them at different police stations across Amritsar and SAS Nagar. “Ranjit Singh, who is currently out on bail, faces five FIRs including those under Sections 21, 27-A and 85 of the NDPS Act, with recoveries of heroin and drug money. Similarly, Harpreet Singh, currently lodged in jail, has seven FIRs registered, including one major recovery of 270 grams of heroin and another of 300 grams of heroin by the ANTF SAS Nagar,” said the Police Commissioner. Gurpartap Singh, also in jail, was allegedly involved in two NDPS Act cases while Hapreet’s wife Priyanka was arrested in September 2025 with 260 grams of heroin. Worshipping the setting sun Devotees offer ‘arghya’ to the Sun during the Chhath festival celebrations at Durgiana REPORT ON P2 Temple in Amritsar on Monday evening. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Govt agencies procure over 33% drop in cases of Rural police nab three with 2.63 lakh MT of paddy in dist stubble burning, officials 5 pistols smuggled from Pak hope it will reach 40% Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 The procurement of paddy is going on smoothly in the district, and so far, 2,63,868 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy have been purchased by various government agencies, including Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, Punjab Warehousing Corporation and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Officials said that along with the procurement, payment to farmers and lifting of the purchased crop from mandis is being done simultaneously. The authorities have been instructed to ensure that farmers do not face any kind of problem in the grain markets and to personally monitor the ongoing operations.The government has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy at Tribune News Service Workers dry paddy crop at Bhagtanwala Grain Market in Amritsar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Rs 2,389 per quintal, with a moisture limit of 17 per cent. Farmers have been assured that the government will procure every grain of paddy brought to the mandis. They have been advised to bring properly dried paddy to avoid any delay in procurement. District Food and Supplies Officer (DFSO) Amanjit Singh said that payment to farmers is being made within 48 hours of procurement, and so far, about 98 per cent of farmers have received their payments on time. He appealed to the farmers to bring only dry paddy to the mandis so that their crops can be purchased immediately without any hurdles. Amritsar, October 27 Incidents of stubble burning in the district have dropped by around 33 per cent this year, thanks to the cooperation of farmers and the joint efforts of various departments. As per data from the Agriculture Department, till October 25 last year, 472 farm fire cases were reported in the district, while this year only 154 such incidents have been confirmed. Officials said that around 1,48,738 hectares of paddy, nearly 83 per cent of the total cultivated area, has already been harvested. The decline in stubble burning is being seen as a positive sign of increasing awareness among farmers c m y b about eco-friendly crop residue management. According to the Punjab Pollution Control Board, special teams have inspected every location flagged by satellites for possible fire incidents. Legal action has been taken by the authorities concerned in all 154 confirmed cases. At present, 74 balers are working across the district and have covered more than 50,000 hectares for stubble collection. Similarly, 1,251 in-situ management machines are being used to mix the straw back into the soil, covering nearly 65,878 hectares. Officials expressed the hope that with continued farmer support, Amritsar district will see over a 40 per cent reduction in stubble burning cases this season Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 27 Amritsar rural police have arrested three persons in two separate incidents and recovered five pistols allegedly smuggled from Pakistan. The CIA staff of rural police nabbed Jaswinder Singh of Sarangra village and Jasbir Singh of Pandori village and recovered four China-made pistols with Star mark, which were allegedly smuggled from Pakistan though investigations are in progress to ascertain their source. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh said that Jaswinder and Jasbir were held from near HP Gas Pump in Lopoke police station area. "A case under provisions of the Arms Act was registered against them while investigations are underway to find out their antecedents and the source of weapons which were apparently smuggled from Pakistan via drones," said the SSP while adding that all the four pistols were of .30 bore calibre. Similarly, Ramdass police have arrested Gurbhej Singh of Kot Razada village and recovered a .30 bore pistols with two live bullets. Their backward and forward linkages are being looked into by the police. Man dies after being hit by train Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, October 27 An unidentified person died after being hit by a train near Bhagtanwala railway station on Monday. ASI Manjit Singh, in-charge of the local post of the Government Railway Police (GRP), said that the deceased, aged around 35-40 years, was bald and thin in body. The GRP has registered a case under section 194 of the BNSS. The body of the deceased has been kept in the morgue of the local civil hospital for identification.