14042026-JTR-01.qxd 4/13/2026 11:16 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune STATE TO DEPLOY TEACHERS TO ADDRESS STAFF SHORTAGE COLLEGE HONOURS STUDENTS FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS The Education Department is making temporary arrangements to appoint teachers based on student strength. P2 A total of 235 prizes and trophies were distributed among students at the Government College, Hoshiarpur. P2 » SWARA BHASKER ON HER COMEBACK Swara Bhasker, who started her acting career with a brief role in Guzaarish, has constantly been a non-conformist. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.55 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.59 AM TUESDAY | 14 APRIL 2026 | JALANDHAR Residents still flag delays as LPG complaints decline in city INBRIEF TWO HELD FOR MURDER BID Lohian Khas: The police have arrested two miscreants on the charge of attempt to murder and firing. Investigating Officer (IO) Harwindar Singh said the accused were identified as Akash Deep Singh, alias Lambi, of Chak Bandala village, and Anmol Singh of Tibbi Ranga village under the Makhu police station in Ferozepur. Paramjit Kaur had complained to the police that the accused barged into her house and assaulted her and her family members. She said Anmol fired at her family members with an intention to kill them. OC Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service A large number of devotees take part in Khalsa March in Jalandhar on Monday. SARABJIT SINGH DRIVER BOOKED FOR NEGLIGENCE Khalsa March taken out on Baisakhi Shahkot: The police have booked an unidentified tractor driver on the charge of causing death by negligence. Gurmej Lal of Ward No. 7, Lohian Khas, complained to the police that the accused was driving his tractor very fast and negligently and crushed his son Rahul and his friend Karan to death. OC Tribune News Service ONE HELD FOR RASH DRIVING Shahkot: The police have arrested a tipper truck driver on charges of rash driving and selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer (IO) Parjindar Kaur said the accused was identified as Amarjit Singh of Bhopur Saidan village. Sarabjit Singh of Nawan Pind Akalian village complained to the police that the accused was driving his truck fast and negligently which hit his car near Chak Bahmannian village toll plaza. The IO said a case was registered against truck driver and 18 intoxicating tablets were recovered from him. OC Jalandhar, April 13 The Sikh Talmel Committee organised a Khalsa March in the city on the occasion of Baisakhi today afternoon. The march started from Gurdwara Nauvi Patshahi Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, where devotees came clad in saffron-colour turbans and dupattas riding on tractor-trailers and other vehicles. They recited hymns of Guru Gobind Singh and recalled his valour. Speeches were delivered at various halt points on the history of foundation of the Khalsa Panth. Stalls of langar were set up at various crossings. Nihang jathas came riding on horses and performed gatka show. The march concluded at Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi in Basti Sheikh. A worker carries an LPG cylinder at a gas agency in Jalandhar. FILE supply, even as official data points to a reduction in registered grievances. Some also claimed that responses on the chatbot helpline were often delayed, limiting its effectiveness as a real time grievance redressal mechanism. A 53-year-old widow Gurjinder Kaur, living in Preet Nagar said, “I booked an LPG cylinder on March 30. It has been more than 13 days, but I still have not got my delivery. When I tried calling the gas agency repeatedly, no one answered my phone. I tried to register my complaint on the helpline as well, but the problem is yet to be resolved.” Echoing similar concerns, Amandeep Singh, another resident said, “I had raised a complaint on the helpline hoping Tributes paid in Lahore to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs Woman’s death sparks protest, Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi Hoshiarpur, April 13 A tribute ceremony was organised by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan at the Democratic Lawn of the Lahore High Court Bar Association to mark the 107th anniversary of the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. Participants lit candles to pay tribute to the martyrs and remembered their sacrifices. The ceremony was presided over by Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, chairman, Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan. Prominent attendees included Raja Zulqarnain, former Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association and patron-inchief of the foundation, senior vice chairman Malik Ehtesham-ul-Hassan, Dr Shahid Naseer, Khalid Zaman Khan Kakar, Mian Nadeem Ahmed, Noor Muhammad Qasuri and Rana Shahid Ali Sabir, along with a large number of participants from different walks of life. Qureshi told this correspondent over phone from Lahore that the speakers paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, calling the incident a dark chapter in the history of the subcontinent. They said the tragedy gave new strength and direction to the freedom movement. They added that even after 107 years, the sacrifices of the martyrs remain alive and continue to inspire future generations. The speakers said the inno- How progress, unity aided fight of village against drugs Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Talwandi Madho, April 13 Talwandi Madho and Latianwal villages, bordering respective districts, separated by a distance of merely 1 km (Talwandi Madho at Shahkot in Jalandhar and Latianwal at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala) seem to belong to two different worlds. Talwandi Madho is a world full of light, greenery and flowers, and Latianwal is marked with grey alleyways, a picture of rampant underdevelopment. Both villages have a populations ranging between 1,200 and 1,500. Both have plenty of NRIs, but one has parks, flowers, clean streets and lovely doorways, while the other has garbage dumps, grey walled homes (many with Italy, EU, US flags), water spilling on streets and unkempt messy electric metres. Progress, a love for ecology and villagers’ unity have become foundations on which Talwandi Madho’s recent decisive fight against drugs is devised. Fed up of a stream of bikers, addicts and peddlers using their village as a transit route for neighbouring identified drug hotspot Latianwal, Talwandi Madho recently initiated a drive aided by the police, to identify 75 addicts and peddlers. The village panchayat now says a precedent has been set and they are flooded with calls from other sarpanches, keen to follow suit. Village sarpanch Amrik Singh said, “The progress of Jalandhar, April 13 Indicating a stable supply of the LPG cylinders across Jalandhar, the number of public grievances registered on the district administration’s dedicated WhatsApp chatbot helpline (964622255) has witnessed a steady downtick in recent days, officials familiar with the matter said. The decline in complaints is being seen by the authorities as a sign of improving service delivery with fewer residents flagging issues such as delayed deliveries, booking glitches and overcharging. Officials attribute the trend to better coordination with distributors, gas agencies and streamlined monitoring through the digital platform. Meanwhile, painting a slightly different picture, several residents noted that they continue to face inconvenience in accessing timely LPG cylinder for a quick resolution, but instead I was asked to visit the gas agency in person. This defeats the entire purpose of having a helpline. If I still have to run from pillar to post for gas cylinder then what is the use of a digital grievance system.” Residents say such experiences not only highlight gaps in the system, but also discourage people from using the helpline. When contacted, Narinder Singh, District Food Supplies Controller, said, “We are relentlessly working to resolve LPG supply related complaints of residents. Since the helpline became live during the first week of March, we received 117 complaints till now, of which 94 have been resolved. We have also seen a sharp decline in regular complaints registered on the helpline in the past few days, signalling a better situation regarding gas cylinder supply.” An owner has installed iron grills on her grocery store premises to prevent theft of goods by drug addicts at Talwandi Madho village in Jalandhar district. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH our village has been pivotal in our fight against drugs. The operation has given people courage. Our hard work can’t be wasted by men on bikes who just pass from here at will at odd hours. At Talwandi Madho, not a drop of water goes waste. We treat and reuse all sewer water under Seechewal (irrigation) Model 2. The village’s former stinking “chappar” (sewage pond) is now a green park. We have streetlights everywhere and a sports stadium. We’ve also reduced our solid waste. You’ll not see any open sewers, drains or garbage dumps here. The village stands together in building all this. We all came together to act against those who threatened our village.” Speaking about impacts of the action, he says, “We’re getting many calls from villages who want to emulate us. The police check on us every day. Compared to before, the traffic of addicts on bikers passing by has reduced greatly.” Ominous signs of the effect of drugs though stay — a grocer sits in a nearly caged shop, its entrance encased with a thick iron grill, only a square hole for an opening — like a prison cell. Atop a plush NRI mansion, high tension wires criss-cross, bearing a sign — “Danger – 11,000 Volts”. The wires and grills are to dissuade addicts who steal from homes and shops. Sukhwant Kaur, the grocer with grills installed at her establishment, says, “Earlier, addicts took away things from my store. We were robbed of money couple of times. A cylinder was also stolen. We’re forced to sell goods from a small opening at my store. That way we’re safe from thefts.” Village resident Dr Gurmukh Singh Sher says, “We’ve been complaining for years. But things got worse since November last year. There were days when a 100 bikes came in. Sometimes plush vehicles like Audis and Fortuners with handsome men also come. Latianwal is the nearest village known for drug activity. Addicts have stolen vases, pots and wires. None of our farmers can afford to keep starters (at motors) for more than a month as these get stolen. In two-three months we end up spending Rs 30,000 or more, just for starters. But our village stands united to act against all this mess.” Latianwal village’s head granthi Lakhvir Singh says, “We are building our village and trying to get rid of the old image. It’s in the interest of some people to repeatedly hammer us about. We don’t think stopping random passersby is a good idea to fight against drugs and cause inconvenience to us. But our new sarpanch Harbans Singh has put up a stern fight against drugs and brought down the menace in the village.” c m y b cent and unarmed people, who lost their lives stood against oppression and injustice, laying the foundation of freedom that can never be forgotten. They stressed on the need to renew the commitment to stand against injustice, oppression and tyranny, and to continue the mission of the martyrs. The ceremony concluded with prayers for the departed souls of the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, as well as for peace, stability and prosperity in the country. road blockade in Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur, April 13 Tension prevailed on the busy Chandigarh Road in Hoshiarpur after death of a woman due to alleged medical negligence triggering protest and road blockade by her angry family members and locals. The incident took place near St Joseph Hospital, located in Ram Colony Camp on Chandigarh Road. According to information, Navpreet Kaur of Mukho Majara village was admitted to the hospital for delivery. Her family members alleged that she underwent a major surgical procedure for childbirth, but her condition did not improve afterwards and she continued to experience severe pain. Despite repeated requests, they claimed, doctors failed to respond adequately to her worsening condition. Woman’s kin alleged that a second surgery was performed, but complications persisted. Subsequently, the hospital staff reportedly advised the family to shift her to PGI, Chandigarh. However, Navpreet Kaur died on the way near Ropar. Enraged over the incident, the grieving family placed the deceased’s body on the road and staged a protest, blocking traffic on Chandigarh Road. The police reached the spot and held discussions with agitating family members. — OC