10032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/9/2026 11:24 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune GUJARAT GUV ATTENDS KMV CONVOCATION IN JALANDHAR EDUCATION DEPT TO ROLL OUT MISSION SAMRATH 4.0 Nearly 580 students, who had completed UG and PG level courses, were awarded degrees during the convocation. P2 The Dept is set to launch Mission Samrath 4.0 in 942 government primary schools in Jalandhar from April 1. P3 » » WHEN ALE ALE ALE MEETS OH HO HO HO! FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.32 PM India's T20 World Cup victory sees viral moment as Ricky Martin grooves to Sukhbir's Oh Ho Ho Ho. P4 SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:43 AM » TUESDAY | 10 MARCH 2026 | 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. INBRIEF KAMALJIT PAL IS DISTRICT PRO Hoshiarpur: Kamaljit Pal has taken charge as the District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) here. Pal emphasised that effectively communicating the government's public welfare policies to citizens is the department's primary responsibility and the media support will be leveraged to achieve this goal. Previously, he served as Information and Public Relations Officer at the Chief Minister's Office and has also held DPRO positions in Amritsar, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. oc NEWBORN FOUND IN PARSOTA VILLAGE Hoshiarpur: A newborn girl was found abandoned in Parsota village under the jurisdiction of Chabbewal police yesterday. The child was presented before the Child Welfare Committee at Ram Colony Camp, Hoshiarpur, according to District Child Protection Officer Harpreet Kaur. A report has been filed at Chabbewal police station regarding the incident. The authorities have requested that anyone with information about the child can contact the Child Welfare Committee office in Hoshiarpur. oc Firing outside Banga hospital Nawanshahr, March 9 An incident of firing took place at Mahindra Hospital on the Banga-Mukandpur road on Monday morning. Two armed youths reportedly came on a bike and fired gunshots outside the hospital, perhaps in a bid to intimidate three doctors, who run the private hospital. No one was targeted. No one got injured. Some gunshots were spotted on the hospital wall and a bullet shell was also recovered. The hospital owners had allegedly received an extortion call some days back and the police are exploring that angle too. There also have been reports that this could be the handiwork of some exemployee who wanted to intimidate the doctors. The doctors were reportedly engaged in a surgery when firing took place. The incident led to panic with residents alleging that there were more people who were getting threatening calls in the town. The police have taken CCTV footages from the area to establish the identity of the accused. — TNS Jalandhar authorities fail to learn lessons from fatal pit accident Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 9 Despite a fatal accident that claimed the life of a bikeborne youth Vikas Jassar, who fell into a 20-foot-deep pit dug along the JalandharJandu Singha road on March 2, the authorities continue to turn a blind eye to unmarked civil works across the city. Highlighting the glaring lapses in adherence to basic road safety norms, several stretches across the city remain dug up without signboards, warning notices, proper barricades or reflective tapes, leaving commuters at a grave risk, particularly during night hours when the city roads remain poorly illuminated. Speaking about the incident, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said, “It was found that fluorescent tapes and barricades were installed at the site. In the initial phase of the inquiry, it appears that the incident happened due to overspeeding. Additionally, I have asked the Regional Transport Authority and the Public Works Department to submit a report which will be made public after ensuring a complete investigation.” Aggarwal further added, “We are committed to road safety in Jalandhar. We are one of the few districts where road safety meetings are conducted on a monthly basis. After reviewing certain vulnerable pockets in the city, we have also identified some blackspots and corrective measures are The ongoing construction work on Damoria bridge lacks adequate preventive measures in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH being taken so that such incidents could be curbed.” However, ground realities at several locations continue to raise concerns. One such stretch is Mahavir Marg near the Doordarshan office where the road has been dug up for several months, yet no signboards, barricades or reflective tapes have been installed. Similarly, the construction work underway beneath the Damoria bridge near the Kis- hanpura–railway station road, despite the presence of police barricades, lacks basic safety measures such as warning boards, diversion signage, reflective tapes and crash barriers. Voicing his concerns, Ranjit Singh, a resident of Preet Nagar, said, “These stretches are dangerous. We don’t know when digging of trenches begins, especially after the sunset. The authori- 2 RBL Finserve employees arrested for fake robbery Our Correspondent Kapurthala, March 9 The police have unearthed a case in which two RBL Finserve Limited employees allegedly staged a fake robbery to siphon off the bank’s money. The police have arrested both accused and recovered cash and other equipment from their possession. According to police officials, the action was taken as part of the police’s ongoing drive against criminal elements and snatchers under the directions of SSP Gaurav Toora, and under the supervision of ASP Dharendra Verma. The investigation was conducted by a team led by Harinder Singh, SHO of Sul- tanpur Lodhi police station. SSP Gaurav Toora told this correspondent on Monday evening that the case came to light after a complaint was filed on March 6 by Nirdesh Kumar, Branch Manager of RBL Finserve Limited at Sultanpur Lodhi. In the complaint, he stated that Nishan Singh, who worked in the branch’s collection department, reported that he had been robbed of Rs 2,73,950 on the night of March 5. Nishan had claimed that around 8 pm, while returning on a motorcycle near village Jabbowal, two motorcycleborne assailants allegedly thrashed and pushed him into a wheat field and robbed him before fleeing with the cash. The police registered an FIR. However, during the course of the investigation, the police found that the alleged robbery had been staged. Further inquiry revealed that two bank employees had conspired to embezzle the collected money and fabricated the robbery story to mislead the authorities. The police arrested Nishan Singh and Lovepreet Singh on March 7. Both accused were working in loan recovery operations at RBL Finserve branch in Sultanpur Lodhi. The police have recovered Rs 2.65 lakh from the accused along with a Samsung tablet and a KYC device used in banking operations. The accused were produced before the court and police remand was obtained. ties must act before more lives are lost.” Addressing the issue of unmarked ditches, Aggarwal further emphasised, “Strict instructions have been issued to all executive agencies carrying out such tasks. Every pit must be marked with warning boards and proper barricades. Failing this, action will be taken against both agencies and the departments concerned. If unat- tended, ditches lead to mishaps, FIRs can also be registered against responsible persons.” According to Indian Roads Congress guidelines, open excavations on public roads must be demarcated with reflective barricades, warning boards, diversion signs and adequate lighting while hazardous stretches must be continuously monitored to prevent accidents. Garhshankar, March 9 A major political development was witnessed in the Doaba region as several senior leaders and the Hoshiarpur unit of the SAD (Punar Surjit) rejoined the Shiromani Akali Dal in the presence of party president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday. The return was led by former MLA and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee member Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan who, along with 22 delegates, returned to the Akali fold during a large public gathering at the Saila Khurd grain market in Garhshankar. Welcoming the leaders back into the party, Badal described the development as part of the growing “Akali ghar wapsi” wave. He said many leaders, who had earlier moved away from the party had now realised that weakening their own parent organisation had only harmed the interests of Punjab and the Akali movement. Calling the return of the entire Hoshiarpur unit of the Punar Surjit Dal a significant boost for the party, he said the move reflected the renewed confidence in SAD among grassroots workers in the Doaba region. On the occasion, Surinder Singh was also reappointed as the SAD halka incharge for the constituency. Several other prominent leaders also rejoined the party during the event, including Dal’s Hoshiarpur president Dr Satwinder Singh Dhatt and SGPC executive c m y b Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 9 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its ongoing drive against corruption in the state, has caught Assistant Sub-Inspector Gopal Singh, posted at Police Division No. 2 Commissionerate Jalandhar, red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 8,000. A spokesperson of the state VB said the accused had been arrested on a complaint lodged by a resident of Gandhi Camp. He said the complainant works as an astrologer and the police had arrested his neighbour Vijay Raj, alias Pali. Subsequently, the complainant visited Police Station Division No. 2 along with the sister of Vijay Raj and the locality president where they came to know that a drug case had been registered against Vijay Raj. He further said two days later, the accused ASI called the complainant and warned him that if he did not come to the police station and meet him, his name would also be included in the case. When the complainant’s younger brother Balwant and locality president Amit Kumar met the accused ASI at Police Station Division No. 2, the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 for not implicating the complainant in the case. On the request of Balwant and Amit Kumar, the accused reduced the bribe amount to Rs 20,000. Under compulsion, they paid Rs 10,000 to the accused on the spot. However, the accused was pressuring them to pay the remaining bribe of Rs 10,000. After they expressed their Assistant Sub-Inspector Gopal Singh, posted at Police Station Division No. 2, Commissionerate Jalandhar, in the custody of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. inability to pay the remaining amount, the accused agreed to accept Rs 8,000 at a later stage. The complainant had recorded the conversation regarding the demand for the bribe. Unwilling to pay any illegal gratification, the complainant approached the VB range, Jalandhar. After a preliminary inquiry, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused ASI was caughtd red-handed accepting the bribe money of Rs 8,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station, Jalandhar, and further investigation into this case is under progress. Amid nature’s charm A mother and child enjoy amid colourful flowers at the Annual Flower Show organised by the Cantonment Board in Jalandhar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Hoshiarpur Punar Surjit leaders back in SAD fold Our Correspondent ASI caught taking bribe of ~8,000 member Dr Jang Bahadur Singh. Party leaders said the return of the experienced leaders and workers would strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level and energise party cadres ahead of future political challenges. Addressing a gathering, Badal also spoke about development of the Kandi belt and said once the SAD forms the government in 2027, a special industrial package will be introduced for the region. He announced that power and tax subsidies would be pro- vided to attract industries and new highways connecting Pathankot-Chandigarh and Amritsar-Sri Anandpur Sahib would be developed to improve connectivity. He also promised irrigation support for farmers in the waterscarce Kandi region through government tubewells and promotion of drip irrigation. Senior party leaders at the rally included SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and former minister Sohan Singh Thandal along with several other local leaders. On-duty ASI dies of heart attack Phagwara, March 9 An ASI of the Punjab Police died of heart attack while performing guard duty at Civil Hospital, Phagwara, on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as ASI Jagdish Singh of village Jodhewal in Amritsar district. He was deployed on guard duty at the Civil Hospital, Phagwara. According to police sources, ASI Jagdish Singh was on duty at the hospital guard chowki when he suddenly complained of uneasiness and collapsed, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. Fellow staff members and hospital personnel rushed to assist him, but he could not be revived. ASI Paramjeet Singh from Phagwara City police station reached the spot and confirmed the death of the police officer. — OC