20112025-JTR-01.qxd 11/19/2025 10:47 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MP CHABBEWAL INAUGURATES ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL CENTRE SPIKE IN ORAL CANCER LINKED TO STRESS, DIET: DENTAL SURGEON PARINEETI, RAGHAV OFFER A GLIMPSE OF SON ‘NEER’ The centre will focus on sterilization procedures and anti-rabies vaccination to control stray dog population.P2 Dr Shiv emphasises that oral cancer is largely preventable and highly curable when detected early. P3 Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha have named their newborn son ‘Neer’ — pure, divine, limitless. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 24°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.26 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:00 AM » THURSDAY | 20 NOVEMBER 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. 3 linked to extortion gang Unclaimed body taken for cremation in garbage vehicle arrested, 9 pistols seized Our Correspondent Tribune News Service INBRIEF NEXT MC MEETING ON DEC 10 Jalandhar: Mayor Vaneet Dhir announced that the next General House meeting will be convened on December 10. The meeting on November 18 marked the first House gathering since March, drawing criticism from the opposition over the prolonged delay. Mayor Dhir, who assumed office in January, had conducted his first General House meeting in March. Since then, Opposition councillors had been targeting him for not holding further sessions. Yesterday, the Mayor said all councillors would soon get an opportunity to speak during the meeting. He added that the decision to convene the next meeting in December had already been finalised. TNS 9 'DRUG ADDICTS' ARRESTED Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested a woman on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Gagan of Bangiwal village. The Nakodar Sadar police arrested Kuldeep Ram of Bhandal Buta village in Nurmahal and Harpreet of Sarihn village colony for consuming heroin. The police arrested drug addicts Dilbag Singh and Manpreet Singh of Bilga village for consuming heroin. The Lohian Khas police arrested four persons, Tajindar Kumar, Suraj, Anmol and Sahil of Lohian Khas for consuming heroin. OC TWO DRUG PEDDLERS HELD Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a person on the charge of selling intoxicant capsules and tablets. As many as 185 intoxicating capsules, 25 tablets, Rs 5,550 drug money were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Ramandeep alias Romi of Mohalla Bawian, Shahkot. The Nakodar police arrested Badshah Khan of Pandori Khas village with 23 tablets. OC MANY BOOKED FOR GRAIN THEFT Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked unidentified persons on the charge of stealing wheat, rice and other items from a government school. Head teacher, Government Elementary School, Shahlapur, complained to the police that thieves barged into the school on the night of November 17 and stole gas cylinder, wheat, rice cooker and other items. oc MAN HELD FOR BREWING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a villager on charge of brewing illicit countrymade liquor. The accused has been identified as Charanjit Singh of Sohal Jagir village. As much as 102 kg lahan and utensils for brewing were recovered from his possession. A case under the Excise Act has been registered against the accused. oc Jalandhar, November 19 The Kapurthala police have arrested three members of the Jagga Fukiwal extortion gang and seized nine country-made pistols along with cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday. Those arrested have been identified as Amandeep, alias Aman, a resident of Tashpur in Sultanpur Lodhi, Harjit Singh, alias Jeeta, a resident of Khanpur Dhadha in Nakodar, Jalandhar, and Lovepreet, alias Baba, a resident of Mohalla Baghichi in Jamsher, Jalandhar. DGP Yadav said the accused Amandeep was the active member of the Jagga Fukiwal Nine country-made pistols seized from the possession of three alleged gangsters in Kapurthala. TRIBUNE PHOTOGRAPH extortion gang in Sultanpur Lodhi and was instrumental in supplying weapons to local gangs to carry out firing and extortion activities. The DGP said further investigation was under way to trace links in this case to dismantle the entire illegal arms network. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora said following reliable inputs, police teams had arrested the key accused Amandeep from link road, Talwandi Mehma in Kapurthala, and seized four pistols from his possession. During investigation, accused Amandeep revealed that he had supplied two pistols to his associates Lovepreet and Harjit Singh, who were also arrested, he said, adding that police teams had recovered one .32 bore country-made pistol and one .315 bore country-made pistol from their possession. The SSP said further interrogation of Amandeep had led to the recovery of three more country-made pistols buried in his house. A probe has revealed that the accused were purchasing the countrymade weapons from Madhya Pradesh to supply these to criminal elements on the direction of their foreignbased handler, he said. Phagwara, November 19 In a shocking incident in Phagwara, an unclaimed body was transported from the Civil Hospital for cremation in a municipal garbagecollection vehicle, triggering widespread outrage. The matter came to light after a video shot by mediapersons went viral on social media, showing the body being carried in the same vehicle used for routine waste collection. When questioned, the driver claimed this practice had been in place for a long time and that municipal officials were aware that unclaimed bodies were routinely taken for last rites in garbage trucks. As the disturbing visuals circulated online, several social welfare organisations condemned the act, calling it a disgrace to humanity and a stark reminder of administra- An unclaimed body being transported in a vehicle in Phagwara. tive insensitivity. They demanded immediate accountability and a complete overhaul of the system for handling unclaimed bodies. Phagwara Mayor Rampal Uppal expressed surprise over the incident, stating he had no prior knowledge of the practice. He assured of strict action and announced an inquiry to fix responsibility. The incident has sparked a debate on the dignity of the dead and the need for the MC to adopt humane, standardized procedures. Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal termed it an inhuman act by the municipal corporation and demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. Congress protests road contract to Delhi firm MC discusses cow Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 19 Congress leaders and workers staged a protest at Dr BR Ambedkar Chowk on Wednesday against the alleged corruption in the MC. Rajinder Beri, who recently got elected for the fourth time as president of the District Congress Committee, blamed AAP for its alleged involvement in corruption in the Local Bodies Department. Party leaders alleged that AAP had spent Rs 1.75 crore on inauguration of the sports hub at Burlton Park. “Such an expenditure is unprecedented and is a sheer wastage of public money”, alleged Beri. Beri said, “The Municipal Congress and BJP councillors raise slogans during General House meeting in Jalandhar. Corporation at its yesterday’s meeting passed works worth Rs 400 crore in just four min- utes without allowing councillors to speak. A private company from Delhi has been given a contract to offer consultancy for roads for Rs 15 lakh per km, which is a mere loot. AAP leaders’ private companies are benefiting from this corruption.” Former Deputy Mayor Surinder Kaur and councillors Sharry Chadha and Balraj Thakur said, “We will not let the AAP loot public money. We have good engineers in Punjab. So why is AAP roping a Delhi-based firm for consultancy purposes. We may even resort to locking of the doors of the MC office. The wasteful expenditure from the tax payers’s money will not be allowed. We appeal to the Director, Local Bodies, and other officials from the department to hold inquiries on the issue and get the approvals for projects stopped at the earliest” Seechewal sows wheat for farmer in Baupur Mand Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 19 Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal is continuously supervising the wheat sowing in Baupur Mand. Today, he initiated the sowing of wheat on 9 acres of Satinder Singh Bagga in Baupur. Before leaving for Srinagar, Seechewal drove a tractor and sowed wheat on one acre. Addressing farmers gathered on the spot, he said since August 10 — the day the floods struck — he has been constantly staying in the area, working to resolve farmers’ problems. After the flood waters receded, levelling the farmlands posed a major challenge. Under the leadership of Seechewal, the work was carried out with the support of volunteers. Sixteen tractors led by Bhai Jaswinder Singh and Baba Jeet Singh from Sirsa served in the area for 15 days. Similarly, people from Rajasthan, UP MP and Delhi , also came forward to support the flood-affected farmers of Baupur. After the fields were levelled, wheat was sown in 100 acres during the first phase. The paddy crop in this region had been destroyed in the floods. Sowing wheat had become a major challenge, but the support from across the country made the task easier. Seechewal shared that the region has a high population of small farmers, most owning between one-and-a-half and five acres of land. Their ripened paddy crops were completely ruined. He thanked the NRIs and people who extended help to the flood victims and stood by farmers during their difficult times. cess, policy on stray dogs in Phagwara Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 19 The Phagwara Municipal Corporation on Wednesday conducted its fifth House meeting — its first to conclude peacefully since the formation of the newly elected civic body. The previous four meetings had ended in uproar amid allegations and counter-allegations exchanged among the ruling party councillors, the Mayor, and the Opposition. In contrast, Wednesday’s session proceeded calmly as the House took up several key proposals. Among the major items were the imposition of a cow cess of 10 paise per litre on petrol and diesel, an increase in cow cess on two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and commercial vehicles, and the issuance of notices to plot owners, including penalties for non-compliance. The corporation also discussed the formulation of a stringent policy to manage stray animals and dogs. Various road repair and upgrade works were listed for review as well. Presiding over the meeting, Mayor Ram Paul Uppal along with Deputy Mayors Tej Pal Basra and Vikki Sood, and councillor Padam Dev Sudhir MORE PROJECTS UNDER DISCUSSION Mayor Ram Paul Uppal shared details of ongoing and planned works, including projects under streetlighting (Rs 1.75 crore), road works (Rs 5 crore), public roads (Rs 5 crore), heritage and park streetlighting (Rs 5.80 crore), and DMPC works (Rs 1.50 crore). assured the House that the civic body would work impartially for the development of all 50 wards. Mayor Uppal shared details of ongoing and planned works, including projects under streetlighting (Rs 1.75 crore), road works (Rs 5 crore), public roads (Rs 5 crore), heritage and park streetlighting (Rs 5.80 crore), and DMPC works (Rs 1.50 crore). Despite these assurances, residents continue to voice concerns, noting that previous commitments have not led to visible improvements on the city’s damaged and uneven roads. Congress councillors Sanjeev Bugga, Jatinder Vermani, Bunty Walia, Munish Parbhakar, and Sushil Maini expressed hope that the meeting’s constructive tone will translate into concrete development efforts on the ground. Residents heave sigh of relief as air quality improves in Jalandhar Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 19 Residents of Jalandhar have heaved a sigh of relief with the AQI staying in the green for almost a week now. For the past five days, Jalandhar’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has hovered between good and moderate categories. On Wednesday, the city recorded a maximum AQI of 139, while the average AQI stood at 118. A day earlier, Tuesday’s readings showed a maximum AQI of 168 and an average of 120. Despite these figures, several busy streets and crowded areas continue to reel under clouds of dust and smoke. Jalandhar’s AQI readings are Records maximum AQI of 139, only 2 farm fires in six days based on a monitor installed at the Circuit House —a relatively cleaner zone with decent tree cover — potentially underrepresenting pollution levels in other parts of the city. The worst AQI in the recent days seen in the city was on November 10 and 13. On November 13, the city had recorded a very poor maximum AQI of 320 while on November 10 the maximum AQI was 328, average 215. Jalandhar did not witness any farm fires today. The reduction in AQI has coincided with the marginal dip in the farm fires. Jalandhar nev- er saw more than seven farm fires on any single day this season. The total farm fires reported in Jalandhar until now are 83. Across Jalandhar and Kapurthala, farm fires have recorded a dramatic dip compared to last year. In the past six days, Jalandhar has also witnessed only two farm fires (one each on November 16 and 18). Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg said air pollution had a negative impact on the health of young children, pregnant women, elderly people above 60 years of age, people suffering from diabetes, respiratory, asthma, c m y b heart diseases, etc. for a long time. He said to reduce air pollution, emphasis should be laid on manual work instead of machinery as much as possible, two-wheelers and four-wheelers should be used less, stubble should not be burnt, and maximum trees should be planted. He said air pollution causes problems like cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, redness in the eyes, itching and nervousness. People make their way in smoggy weather in Jalandhar on Wednesday morning. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH