04012026-ATR-01.qxd 1/3/2026 10:25 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY CITY ADMINISTRATION SET TO REVIEW CULTURE AUTHORITY MP CRITICISES STATE GOVT OVER ‘NEGLECT’ OF AIRPORT BAND BAAJA BAARAAT SET FOR RE-RELEASE ON JAN 16 The dist admn is set to review the tourism devp authority, meant to bring all major tourist sites in the city under its control.P2 Move to increase flights from Mohali has made local MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla accuse the state govt of ‘sidelining’ city. P3 Band Baaja Baaraat starring Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma is set for re-release on January 16. P4 » » MAX 16°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 17°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.39 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7:30 AM » SUNDAY | 4 JANUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR MC lags in property tax recovery goal Two killed in accident Against the target of ~55 cr, manages to collects just ~39 cr Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Police officials and BSF personnel with the seized heroin. GURBAXPURI 557 gm heroin seized Tarn Taran, January 3 The Khalra police and the BSF in a joint search operation launched in the fields of Van Tara Singh village on Friday evening seized a packet weighing 557 gm. Sub-Inspector Sahib Singh, Khalra SHO, said here today that the police got a tip-off that there was some suspicious material lying in the field of farmer Sukhpal Singh and in the search operation the joint team seized the packet, which had been thrown there by some drone. The SHO said that a case had been registered in this regard. Sources said that due to the installation of anti-drone systems in the area, smugglers had started using small drones instead of large ones, which the anti-drone cameras could not detect. Amritsar, January 3 The property tax department of the Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, is far away from targets of tax recovery. It had set an annual property tax revenue target of Rs 55 crore. However, so far, the department has managed to collect only Rs 39.20 crore, leaving a substantial gap. Moreover, the MC is facing a significant shortfall in revenue collection due to the failure to initiate action against defaulters. Sources in the department said that more than 10,000 property tax defaulters were currently listed in the city. The shortfall primarily is due to the lack of enforcement measures against defaulting parties. In previous financial years, the department used to initiate sealing drives against defaulters from December onwards, which helped push collections before the end of the financial year. This year, however, no sealing action has reportedly been carried out, adversely impacting revenue generation. Despite having a sizeable staff strength, the department in Amritsar has failed to replicate similar enforcement measures, which they used to adopt in previous years. A large number of scrutiny cases are also pending with the department. The committee constituted to dispose of these cases had not cleared them for a long time, further delaying tax assessments and recoveries. Besides this year, substantial property tax dues from government institutions are also pending, with no effective recovery efforts reportedly underway. Meanwhile, the absence of regular review meetings has further affected revenue collection. Earlier, senior municipal corporation officials and the Mayor used to hold frequent meetings with department heads, assigning clear revenue targets and monitoring progress. This year, no such meetings have reportedly been held, resulting in most civic departments lagging behind in their revenue targets. “The continued revenue shortfall has raised concerns over the municipal corporation’s financial management and its ability to meet development and civic service obligations in the coming months. Adding to the problem, awareness regarding penalties has been lacking. As per rules, property owners who failed to pay property tax for the financial year 2025-26 by December 31 are now liable to a 10 per cent penalty. The department did not adequately inform taxpayers about the deadline or the penalty provisions,” said PK Sharma, a local activist. Tarn Taran, January 3 Two persons died in a road accident that took place yesterday near Ekalgadda village falling under Vairowal police station when a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction collided head on with a moped. The deceased have been identified as Poonam Rani (45), a resident of Nagoke, and the motorcycle driver Sukhpreet Singh (17) was a resident of Mundapind. Ravi, husband of deceased Poonam Rani, who was here to get the body after the postmortem examination, said that they were on way to Amritsar on a moped when their moped was hit by a high-speed motorcycle driver near Ekalgadda. Pooram died on the spot due to serious head injuries. Sukhpreet Singh and (R) Poonam Rani. Resham Singh, an uncle of Sukhpreet, said that they had admitted him to a private hospital in Vallah, where he died soon after. ASI Piara Singh of Vairowal police station said that a report has been registered in this regard. Resham said that Sukhpreet was going to Khadoor Sahib from the village when he met with the accident. Poonam has two sons, aged 12 and 8, and was a teacher at a private school in Vainpuin village. MC team removes encroachments from UT Market Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 3 The municipal corporation here carried out an antiencroachment drive in the UT Market in front of Guru Nanak Dev University, seizing goods and removing temporary structures from roads, pavements and shop-fronts. Challans have been issued for use of single-use plastic goods. Acting on the directions of Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill, the estate/land wing of the municipal corporation carried out an anti-encroachment drive near the UT Market area opposite Guru Nanak Dev University. The operation was conducted under the supervision of secretary Sushant Bhatia. During the drive, officials removed illegal temporary encroachments from streets, lanes, footpaths, verandahs and areas outside shops in the localities near the GNDU. Goods belonging to encroachers were seized and shifted to the municipal corporation’s Bhagtanwala store and premises. Shopkeepers and street vendors in the surrounding areas were also directed to remove unauthorised extensions and strictly confine their goods within the limits of their respective shops. Officials warned that any repetition of illegal encroachment would invite strict action. During the drive, ven- c m y b dors and shopkeepers were instructed to stop using single-use plastic goods. They were also directed to install dustbins near their eateries and carts to ensure proper disposal of waste and prevent littering, with an appeal to cooperate with the municipal corporation in maintaining cleanliness and enhancing the city’s appearance. The Commissioner appealed to city residents to refrain from illegal encroachments, stating that such practices damage the image of the municipal corporation and create inconvenience for the public. He warned that any person found encroaching again would face legal action under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976. A cart being removed from UT Market, Amritsar, on Saturday.