15122025-ATR-01.qxd 12/14/2025 10:51 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 11°C CITY RECORDS AQI AT 316, BREACHES DANGER MARK AUTHORISED PARKING SPACES NEED OF THE HOUR ADITYA DHAR’S DHURANDHAR JOINS ~300-CRORE CLUB The data was sourced from the PPCB air monitoring unit installed at the Golden Temple. P2 Open House: Calls for enforcement come alongside allegations of collusion, demand for set charges.P3 Ranveer Singh’s spy thriller set a ‘new benchmark’ with the highest-ever second Saturday collections in Hindi cinema. P4 » » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.24 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.12 AM MONDAY | 15 DECEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Voter indifference in rural body polls as turnout abysmally low Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 14 Polling for the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections in the district passed off quietly on Saturday, but voter turnout remained alarmingly low, reflecting widespread public apathy toward the rural local body polls. As per the figures released by the district administration, only 35 per cent of the electorate exercised its franchise, a sharp fall from previous elections. A visit to several polling stations across rural areas revealed a subdued atmosphere. Booths that usually witness long queues on the day of election appeared largely deserted, with polling staff waiting for voters who arrived only sporadically. The lack of enthusiasm was visible from the very start of the polling process, which began at 8 am. By noon, voter turnout had touched just 14 per cent, indicating a slow and hesitant response. Although the percentage rose to 26 per cent by 2 pm, the pace of voting remained sluggish throughout the day. Polling concluded at 4 pm, but even during the final hours, there was no significant rush at most polling stations. The turnout marked a steep decline from the 2018 Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections, when the district had recorded a 52 per cent polling. While elections to these local bodies have tradi- Skirmishes reported from Majitha area Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, December 14 Tension prevailed near village Kajikot in Tarn Taran district on Sunday during the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections after a clash broke out between workers of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Bricks and stones were allegedly pelted at each other and there were claims of a gunshot being fired during the incident. In the Kajikot incident, two village women-Gurmeet Kaur and her daughter Kirandeep Kaur-along with two others sustained injuries. Following information about the violence, SDM, Tarn Taran, Gurmeet Singh and DSP Sukhbir Singh rushed to the spot along with heavy police force and brought the situation under control. DSP Sukhbir Singh maintained that while stone-pelting did take place, he denied SPORADIC VIOLENCE any firing during the clash. However, the injured woman, Gurmeet Kaur, claimed that a gunshot was fired at the start of the incident, after which she lost track of how the brick-batting began. SDM Gurmeet Singh stated that the incident occurred away from the polling station. Meanwhile, villagers alleged that the violence erupted after one group allegedly tried to exert pressure on voters to cast votes in their favour, prompting objections from locals and leading to the clash. After the incident at Kajikot, scattered bricks and stones were seen at the spot, while tight police security was deployed near the government elementary school in the village to prevent any further untoward incident. Meanwhile, as per official figures, the district recorded an overall voter turnout of 39.3 per cent, while 2,603 vot- ers were still standing in queues at various polling stations at the time of reporting. Out of a total electorate of 4,57,093 voters in the district, 1,79,904 voters exercised their franchise. Voters in Nagoke block remained ahead throughout the day, recording 32.37 per cent polling by the final round, while Naushehra Pannuan block lagged behind with a turnout of 24.69 per cent. Polling was held for seven out of 20 Zila Parishad zones and for 67 out of 165 zones of nine Block Samitis in the district. Barring Kajikot village incident, the elections largely remained peaceful in Tarn Taran. Meanwhile, the staff at Aladinpur polling station criticised the arrangements made by the administration, alleging that they were neither provided rooms for night stay nor hot water facilities for bathing in the morning. Voters show their Aadhaar card before casting their vote in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections in Amritsar on Sunday. Booths that usually witness long queues on the day of election appeared to be largely deserted. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR FACTORS FOR POOR TURNOUT ■ Boycott announced by the Congress party in three of the five rural Assembly segments of the district. The party later declared that it had stayed away from the elections in protest against what it described as high-handedness by leaders and workers of the ruling AAP. ■ A general disinterest shown by the voters in these elections, when a large number of incidents of misuse of power and government machinery were reported. ■ Out of the total 24 Zila Parishad zones and 195 Block Samiti zones in the district, elections were held in only 21 Zila Parishad zones and 132 Block Samiti zones. The remaining seats had already been decided earlier, with the ruling AAP winning three Zila Parishad and 63 Block Samiti zones unopposed tionally been a low-key affair, the current turnout was strikingly poor and came as a surprise to many officials and observers. Several factors appear to have contributed to the dismal polling percentage. One of the major reasons cited was the boycott announced by the Congress party in three of the five rural Assembly segments of the district. The party later declared that it had stayed away from the elections in protest against what it described as highhandedness by leaders and workers of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. However, a general disinterest shown by the voters in these elections, when a large number of incidents of misuse of power and government machinery were reported, is also reflective of the public's disapproval of these tactics. Out of the total 24 Zila Parishad zones and 195 Block Samiti zones in the district, elections were held in only 21 Zila Parishad zones and 132 Block Samiti zones. The remaining seats had already been decided earlier, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party winning three Zila Parishad and 63 Block Samiti zones unopposed. This followed the rejection of nomination papers of a large number of candidates, which paved the way for uncontested victories. Cops deputed at a polling station in Kajikot village; (right) a video grab of the clash. GURBAXPURI Cong alleges booth capuring by AAP in Patti area Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 14 Except for minor skirmishes, the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections remained largely peaceful with members of the Opposition parties accusing the ruling party of misusing government machinery to intimidate their candidates and supporters. In an incident reported from Talwandi Dasaunda Singh village near Kathunangal in Majitha area, a SAD supporter accused the sarpanch and other Aam Aadmi Party supporters of attacking him and his family as he was going to the polling station. Jugraj Singh said that he was in a vehicle along with his mother and wife when 20-25 people led by Sarpanch Jatinder Singh stopped them. "They thrashed us, removed my turban and took away the gold chain of my wife," said Jugraj who later sped his vehicle towards the police station to save him and his family. BJP leader from Attari constituency, Sushil Devgan, said, "We had given tickets to 35 candidates for Block Samiti elections out of which nominations of 12 were cancelled. Many of the candidate who remained in the fray, were not given party symbols on ballot papers." He said that it was a tactic used by the ruling party to confuse voters. Devgan said that they would write a letter to Election Commission to apprise it of the misuse of government machinery. Clash reported at Kajikot village between AAP, SAD workers Tarn Taran, December 14 The Congress party has demanded re-election in five polling booths in the Zila Parishad zones of Naushehra Pannuan and that of the Kairon zone falling under Patti assembly constituency. Harminder Singh Gill, former << Former MLA Harminder Singh Gill of Congress interacts with the media. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI MLA, while taking to media persons here today, said the armed workers of the ruling AAP captured the polling booths in Barwala, Shaheed, Nabipur, Varana Burj Rai Ke and Kairon and stole the ballot papers and cast the votes of other persons forcibly. Gilla alleged that the polling agents of the Congress party were thrown out after entering the polling booths and poppy husk and opium were openly consumed inside the polling booths. He said that apart from this, an attempt was made by AAP supporters to cast illegal votes in village Kairon and Bahmaniwala villages. He said that the Congress party had informed the district administration and police against this alleged illegal act during the election process but the administration did not take any action under pressure from the government. NCB seals de-addiction centre in city for operating sans licence Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Polling staff arrive to deposit the ballot boxes in Amritsar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR c m y b Amritsar, December 14 Amid allegations of misappropriation and the illegal sale of de-addiction drugs in Punjab, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has intensified its crackdown on de-addiction centres allegedly involved in such practices. Acting on inputs, the NCB on Saturday sealed Barkat Psychiatry Hospital and Drug De-addiction Centre, located on Majitha Road here. The agency has seized the hospital’s records for detailed scrutiny. An official said the centre continued to operate — and allegedly sold de-addiction medicines illegally — despite the expiry of its licence on December 4. Following the violation, the NCB sealed the facility, and summoned the hospital management along with the health officials concerned to produce relevant records before the agency on Monday. “The licence of the institution had lapsed on December 4, yet medical activities, including the sale and purchase of de-addiction medicines, continued unabated,” the official said. According to NCB officials, preliminary scrutiny of records revealed that, although its licence had expired, the hospital management, doctors and staff continued treating patients. The official added that, as per prescribed norms, a deaddiction centre must cease operations immediately after the expiry of its licence unless it is renewed in advance, which the hospital’s management failed to ensure. He added that the hospital authorities were unable to produce documents clarifying under which category they were authorised to sell the medicines. “As per norms, a de-addiction centre must have one doctor for every 10 patients. However, hospital records showed an OPD of at least 100 patients, which would require a minimum of 10 doctors. This norm was clearly not being followed,” he said. Further investigations are underway to determine whether criminal action would be initiated in this regard. Gill said that the police personnel posted on duty helped AAP supporters rig the elections against which they have evidence and the Congress party will take legal recourse in the matter. The Congress leader said that the party has sent complaints to the District Election Officer and the State Election Commission regarding these anomalies and demanded re-polling at these booths. ASI dies of cardiac arrest Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, December 14 An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) posted at the local Police Lines died of cardiac arrest in the early hours on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Mohinderjit Singh (55), a resident of Tarn Taran. Balwinder Kaur, wife of the deceased, said that her husband was admitted to a private hospital in Amritsar for some time. He complained of chest pain today which proved fatal for him. The deceased is survived by his wife and two daughters. The police, on the statement of wife of the deceased, has lodged a report under section 194 of the BNSS.