16062026-ATR-01.qxd 6/16/2026 12:34 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY 5 DAYS AFTER SQUALL, FARMERS AWAIT RESTORATION OF POWER FREE RESIDENTIAL COACHING CAMP FOR JEE, NEET ASPIRANTS SONGS THAT BECAME SOUL OF THE SUNNY DEOL-STARRER Five days after the squall, a number of farmers are still awaiting the restoration of power supply in Amritsar. P2 Free coaching for students preparing for JEE and NEET exams has been launched by the Punjab Government. P3 MAX 38°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 25°C Twenty-five years after Gadar: Ek Prem Kathastormed theatres, its music still holds a special place in hearts of fans. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 7.37 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.24 AM » TUESDAY | 16 JUNE 2026 | AMRITSAR Monsoon round the corner, sewer cleaning at snail’s pace Court grants interim relief to Majithia, two others Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 15 A court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge on Monday granted anticipatory bail to senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, along with his associates Jodh Singh Samra and Jatinder Pal Singh, in connection with a case registered following an alleged confrontation at the Majitha police station on May 31. Earlier, Majithia’s legal adviser, Bikramjit Singh Bath, who was also named in the FIR, was discharged after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the court that his custodial interrogation was not required. Bath, a practicing lawyer, had accompanied Majithia in his professional capacity to obtain a copy of the FIR registered against Akali Dal supporter Jobanpreet Singh. Bath’s implication in the case had sparked protests by the Amritsar Bar Association, which accused the police and the state government of targeting lawyers. Following the protests, senior police officers constituted an SIT, which later concluded that Bath was innocent. Jobanpreet Singh had allegedly been taken into custody in connection with cases linked to the recent municipal council and nagar panchayat elections. Akali Dal leaders claimed that his detention was illegal and continued on page 2 Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Congress workers celebrate the party’s victory in Dinanagar on Monday. Cong wins Ward No. 6 repoll in Dinanagar, gets majority its base in the area, but today’s results prove all its efforts of making a comeback had been negated. Ward No.6 was reserved for women. A difference of 193 votes separated the winner and the second placed candidate. Polling to the ward was stopped on Saturday when an EVM developed a technical snag. Independent candidate Seema Devi had extended support to the Congress candidate. Sitting Congress MLA Aruna Chaudhary attributed her party’s victory to the developmental works undertaken in the area. AAP halqa in-charge Shamsher Singh had tried to induce voters by distributing ration kits at Krishna Nagar Camp, a part of Ward No. 6, on Sunday. However, this move failed to yield results as the Congress candidate romped home with ease. He was asked to leave the ward after some residents protested. He refused to do so and even as the situation seemed to be getting from bad to worse, the cops whisked him away. With the Congress getting a majority, the party gets a shot in the arm keeping in view the Assembly elections, which are just months away. Congress workers attributed their victory to “free and fair polling” as EVMs were used during the elections and CCTVs were installed at all polling stations. Pathankot students turn bicycle into e-bike, earn statewide praise Amritsar, June 15 With the monsoon season fast approaching, concerns are mounting over the slow pace of de-silting work being undertaken by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation. Despite having more than six weeks to prepare for the rainy season, only around 10 to 15 km of the city’s main sewer lines have been de-silted so far, raising fears of widespread waterlogging once heavy rains begin. According to information, the municipal corporation launched its de-silting drive on April 23. However, progress has remained sluggish. Amritsar has nearly 185 km of main sewer lines, but only a small portion has been cleaned so far. At present, the civic body is primarily focusing on identified waterlogging hotspots. Waterlogging has long been a recurring problem in Amritsar during the monsoon. Several low-lying areas, including Heritage Street, Court Road, Batala Road, Taylor Road, Majitha Road, Wadali, Chheharta and Dhapai Road, regularly witness the accumulation of rainwater, causing In Amritsar, several low-lying areas, including Heritage Street, regularly witness the accumulation of rainwater, causing inconvenience to residents, commuters and businesses. FILE PHOTO inconvenience to residents, commuters and businesses. Residents fear the situation may worsen this year as many main sewer lines and road gully chambers have yet to be cleaned. They say that if heavy rainfall occurs before the desilting work is completed, several parts of the city could once again face severe flooding and traffic disruptions. Court Road, once considered one of the city’s major waterlogging points, has seen significant improvement. Local traders said the area used to remain flooded during every spell of rain and repeated complaints had been submitted to the municipal corporation for nearly two decades. Following the construction of road gully chambers and a groundwater recharging well on Court Road, the problem has largely been resolved. Shopkeepers in the area expressed hope that rainwater would not accumulate there this year. However, the situation remains a concern in several other localities. Residents living outside Navan Kot and along Dhapai Road alleged that sewer lines remain choked due to inadequate desilting. They claimed that large sections of the drainage network are blocked and that the municipal corporation has failed to complete the cleaning work before the onset of the monsoon. Many residents questioned the effectiveness of the annual de-silting exercise, saying continued on page 2 Woman dead as tipper, car collide; husband, daughters injured Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Dinanagar, June 15 The Congress candidate won the repoll from Ward No. 6 taking the party’s tally to eight out of the total 15 seats at stake. As things stand, the Congress will form the next House. In the previous municipal elections, the Congress had bagged all 15 seats. A heavy turnout was seen throughout the day as Sneh Lata of the Congress garnered 442 votes while AAP candidate Raman Kumari bagged 249 votes. BJP candidate Kulbir Kaur finished third with 139 votes. Interestingly, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) got just two votes. The party was trying to build Estd. 2008 Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, June 15 A woman was killed on the spot when the car she was travelling in was hit by a tipper truck near Gaggobua village on the ChabalBhikhiwind road here on Monday. Her husband and their two young daughters sustained serious injuries The youngsters are students of the School of Eminence, Lamini, in Pathankot district. Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Pathankot, June 15 In a world increasingly being shaped by science, technology and innovation, young school students are becoming the architects of the future. This has been proved to the hilt by eight students of a government school who have successfully converted a normal bicycle into an electric cycle. These youngsters, studying in the School of Eminence, Lamini, in Pathankot district, were guided by the school’s vocational teacher Lalit Mohan. Incidentally, the students belong to the lower strata of society. Their parents work hard not only to make both ends meet but also to ensure their wards make it big. The Udyam Learning Foundation, a nonprofit organisation enabling youngsters to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, has helped them accomplish the task. The foundation is working in collaboration with the Punjab Government to tap talent in government schools. Mekin Maheshwari, CEO and founder of the foundation, said, “The idea is to help students look at the world around them differently, identify real problems as they see in their homes, schools and communities and build practical solutions rooted in their practical experiences.” The team leader, Arjun Chaudhary, is the son of a labourer. The others are Akshit Chaudhary, Kanav, Narinder Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Rajan, Vijay and Gaurav. All these young entrepreneurs are Class XII students. Positioned at the centre of research, they have shown that they have the potential to shape the future in their adopted field. Several cycle manufacturers have already contacted the team. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains have patted them on the back for their entrepreneurial spirit. So much so, Minister Bains rode one of their electric cycles in the campus of IIT, Ropar, and praised it. The team has already bagged 57 orders. They make a profit of roughly Rs 4,000 from one e-bike, as these cycles are called. The team hopes to reap in huge monetary benefits when cycle manufacturing companies decide to produce these electric cycles on a large scale. The students are also in touch with start-ups to ensure their innovation is picked up by them. The students are in touch with IIT Ropar through online sessions to see if improvements can be made in their innovation. E-bikes are pedal-assisted bicycles that combine the force of humans with that of an electric motor. They are perfect for urban mobility, thus continued on page 2 Family was returning after paying obeisance at a gurdwara in the accident. According to information, the family was returning home after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Bir Baba Buddha Sahib, Thatha, on the occasion of Sangrand and Masya. The deceased was identified as Jaswinder Kaur (40), wife of Angrez Singh, a resident of Behak Gujjran village in Zira tehsil of Ferozepur district. The couple’s two daughters, aged 8 and 12, were also injured in the mishap. Angrez Singh and his daughters were admitted to a private hospital in Bhikhiwind, where their condition is stated to be critical. The Chabal police reached the spot and took the body into custody. A case has been registered against the tipper driver, who fled the scene after the accident. c m y b NEW COURSE - PHARM D ( DOCTOR OF PHARMACY ) MERIT BASED EARLY BIRD B PHARMACY, D PHARMACY ( GNDU ) WINNERS OF 10 INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL AWARDS