25062026-JTR-01.qxd 6/24/2026 11:20 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FARMERS PROTEST IN K’THALA OVER INDO-US TRADE DEAL CIVIL HOSPITAL NOW OFFERS SPECIALISED SPINE TREATMENT MY WORLD IS VERY RICH AND SATISFYING: SAIF The protesters expressed concern that the proposed agreement could adversely affect the interests of farmers and workers.P2 Instead of referring complex spinal cases to higher centres, Dr Singh focused on building in-house capacity . P3 Saif Ali Khan on his father, legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and the choices he made in life. P4 » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 39°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:23 AM » » FORECAST THURSDAY | 25 JUNE 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 TWO NABBED IN EXTORTION CASE Nakodar: The police here have arrested two persons on charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy. Investigating officer (IO) Sukhwindar Singh said the accused had been identified as Ravindar Singh, a resident of Khan Pur Dhadda village; and Ravindar Singh, alias Bhinda, a resident of Billi Chao village. Manjindar Kaur, a resident of Hardo Farala village, had complained to the Jalandhar (Rural) SSP that the accused had threatened to eliminate her and her family members. They allegedly extorted Rs 10 lakh from her. TWO ARRESTED WITH DRUGS Phagwara: The Mehatpur police here arrested an alleged drug peddler with 38 intoxicating tablets. Station House Officer (SHO) Aman Sainni said the accused was identified as Sahil, a resident of Umre Wal Billa village. Meanwhile, the Nurmahal police arrested an alleged drug peddler, Paramjit Singh, a resident of Bute Dian Chhana village, with 70 intoxicant tablets. ONE HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit country-made liquor. Investigating officer (IO) Sarabjit Singh said that the accused had been identified as Jaspreet Singh, a resident ofNihalu Wal village. Four bottles of hooch were seized fr4om him. A case under the Excise Act has been registered. MYSTERY SHROUDS MAN’S DEATH Phagwara: A Shahkot resident died under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday. Investigating Officer (IO) Tirath Ram said the deceased had been identified as Akash, a resident of Mohalla Bagh Wala. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of the same locality, told the police that Akash had taken poison. Bittu lays stone for two ROB projects worth ~112 crore To be constructed in Guru Nanakpura, Garha areas of city Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 24 Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday laid stone for two railway overbridges (ROBa) to be constructed at Rs 112 crore here. The ROBs will be constructed in Guru Nanakpura and Garha areas. According to the proposal, the Guru Nanakpura crossing, which is a busy railway intersection for the AmritsarJalandhar-Delhi link, will get the ROB at Rs 49 crore. The 346.8-metre-long ROB will be constructed over 20 pillars. It will connect Chugitti on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway with Ladowali Road. The ramp towards Ladowali Road will be 235 metres long while the one towards Chugitti will be shorter. The estimated deadline for the project is 18 months. Before the start of the ROB project, the local administration, through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will have to make alterations in the PAP flyover by having an additional ramp to save Jalandharbased commuters from the inconvenience of traveling Phillaur councillors flash the victory sign before attending the meeting to elect the civic body president. Phillaur civic body president poll deferred amid political deadlock Our Correspondent Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu interacts with an employee during a foundation-laying programme at Guru Nanakpura in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH RELIEF FOR COMMUTERS ■ The 346.8-metre-long Guru ■ The project is likely to be Nanakpura railway overbridge will cost ~49 crore ■ It will connect Chugitti on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway with Ladowali Road completed in 18 months, according to estimates ■ The Garha Road railway overbridge is likely to cost ~63 crore up to Rama Mandi. As many as 110 trains pass through the crossing every day. At times, two or three trains pass in quick succession, forcing commuters have to halt there for 20-30 minutes. The other option for them is to take a longer detour via PAP Chowk-Rama MandiPAP flyover. The cost of the second ROB over the Garha Road crossing is estimated at Rs 63 crore. This crossing remains ■ This ROB will be completed in a year and a half. ■ It will benefit residents of Defence Colony, Chhoti Baradari, Hardyal Nagar and Golden Avenue closed up to eight times a day. This ROB will be completed in a year and a half. This ROB will benefit residents of Defence Colony, Chhoti Baradari, Hardyal Nagar and Golden Avenue. Continued on page 2 Phillaur, June 24 The election to the post of the Phillaur Nagar Council president was deferred on Wednesday after Congress MLA Chaudhary Vikramjit Singh proposed an AAP councillor as the Oppositionbacked candidate for the post, triggering a political row with both camps claiming eight votes each. The Phillaur civic body has 15 councillors, while the MLA has the right to vote in the election as an ex officio member. In the recently concluded civic body elections, AAP had won eight seats and claimed the support of an Independent candidate, taking its tally to a comfortable nine. On the other hand, the state’s main Opposition Con- gress has three councillors and the BSP two. The Congress claimed support of another Independent member, taking their camp’s tally to eight if the party MLA’s vote is counted. The next date for the election is yet to be decided, with the development being seen as a setback for AAP . The meeting to elect the civic body president and vice-president was being held under the supervision of the Phillaur SDM. A row erupted when the MLA declared AAP councillor Shankar Sandhu as\B the Opposition-backed candidate for the post of president. Following the development, both camps claimed equal numerical strength, resulting in a stalemate. The Returning Officer subsequently deferred the election process, while the SDM cited law-and-order considerations and announced that fresh dates for the election would be declared shortly. The MLA criticised the postponement and maintained that his group enjoyed a majority. He expressed confidence that his camp would further strengthen its position before the next election date. The postponement came despite elaborate security arrangements at the venue. Senior police officials, including the SP DSP , and SHOs of two police stations, were presnt on the occasion. When contacted, AAP halka in-charge Harjot Kaur did not comment on the development. Two held in Maqsudan Door-to-door survey for electoral roll revision from today Sabzi Mandi firing case Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Kapurthala, June 24 The Sultanpur Lodhi police on Wednesday arrested two persons allegedly involved in the firing incident at the New Sabzi Mandi in Maqsudan, Jalandhar. The police seized two pistols, 15 live cartridges, 100 gm of heroin and 20 gm of narcotics from them. Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Harinder Singh Gill said that on June 22, the police had received a tip-off that Amandeep Singh, a resident of Mohalla Karadgra in Sultanpur Lodhi, was spotted on Gazipur Road carrying illegal firearms. A police team raided the place and arrested Amandeep. The police seized a .30bore pistol with five live cartridges, besides a .32-bore pistol with a magazine and five live cartridges. During interrogation, Amandeep disclosed that one of the weapons belonged to his associate Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, a resident of Taharpur in Nawanshahr district. He said the .30-bore pistol had been used in the recent firing incident at the New Vegetable Market, in which Monu Puri sustained a bullet injury in his leg. Gill said that acting on Amandeep’s disclosure, the police arrested Gurpreet Singh. Both were produced before a local court, which sent them to two-day police custody. The SP said preliminary investigation revealed that both Amandeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh had been involved in murder cases in the past. Jalandhar, June 24 The door-to-door verification of voters under the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise is set to begin from Thursday. The exercise will continue till July 24, during which booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit each household to collect information. Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia told the media that the BLOs would carry preprinted enumeration forms containing voter details. The forms contain the BLO’s name and contact number. Jalandhar has around 16.4 lakh voters, of whom nearly 82 per cent have already been mapped. Walia said every BLO would visit each household thrice. An adult can fill the form on Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia interacts with the media in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH behalf of other family members. If no one is present during the visit, a slip containing details of the visit and contact information will be left at the residence. The BLOs will assist residents in filling the forms and guide them regarding document requirements. Two signed copies of the form will be prepared, with one retained by the voter and the other submitted to the BLO. Only voters who submit the enumeration forms will be included in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 3. Those who fail to do so will be placed in the absent, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) category. They can subsequently seek inclusion by furnishing the required documents. Claims and objections can be filed from August 3 to September 2, while their disposal will continue till September 28. The final electoral roll will be published on October 1. Explaining the verification process, Walia said voters whose records had been matched with the 2003 electoral roll are classified as “mapped”, while those whose records could not be traced are categorised as “unmapped”. Cases where details in the current and 2003 rolls do not match are being flagged as “voter anomalies” by Election Commission’s software. The Election Commission has identified nine categories of anomalies, including unusual age gaps between voters and parents or grandparents, mismatched age details across rolls, different parent names or relationship types, and cases where a voter is linked to a father in one roll and a husband in another. Such voters, whose details have been flagged as discrepancies by the Election Commission software, can still be a part of electoral roll after producing the required supporting documents during the BLO visit. The district has activated voter helpline 1950 from 8 am to 8 pm throughout the week to address voter concerns. Grievance redressal cells have also been set up at the constituency level, with complaints to be resolved within 48 hours. Sports Dept coach leads drive to fund budding athletes 69 file nominations for create a common pool that can be used to help athletes participate in important competitions without financial stress. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 24 A Sports Department coach, along with 35 current and former athletes, has launched an initiative to financially back the players participating in nationallevel competitions. Athletics coach Sarabjit Singh Happy said the initiative, called the “Shagun Scheme”, seeks to provide financial assistance to deserving athletes who often struggle to bear travel, lodging, and participation expenses associated with major tournaments. “Many athletes are required to cover their own travel and competition expenses, which can be a significant burden on their parents,” said Happy. ‘Encouraging response’ Coach Sarabjit Singh Happy interacts with althletes in Jalandhar. “We do not want talented players to quit sports simply because their families cannot afford the costs involved,” he added. Under the scheme, coach- es, athletes, former trainees, and other supporters will contribute funds to c m y b “The number of tournaments has increased. We have identified three key tournaments — inter-state championships, open national championships and junior national championships — where players should be able to compete without worrying about arranging money,” Happy said. The initiative has already received encouraging support. Through collective efforts, the group recently raised Rs 50,000 to support five athletes — Harjit Singh, Maya, Jashan, Kul- bir Ram, and Ritika — who will take part in the 65th National Inter-State Athletics Championship scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar. To sustain the fund, athletes will contribute Rs 200 each, while interested coaches will contribute Rs 500 before every tournament. Happy expressed hope that more people would come forward to back them. “People here are very generous and I hope the spirit of giving will emerge for sports as well, helping talented youngsters achieve their dreams,” he said. National-level athletes Maya and Harjit Singh expressed their gratitude to their coach for thinking about and supporting players like them. Hoshiarpur MC poll Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 24 Sixty-nine persons have filed nomination papers for the July 5 Hoshiarpur Municipal Corporation elections. While 28 candidates had filed their papers till Tuesday, 41 nominations were received on the third day of filing process. There are 50 wards in Hoshiarpur. Most parties issued their lists of candidates this morning, leading to delays in the filing of nomination papers. June 25 is the last day for filing nomination papers. The Congress had won the MC elections in Hoshiarpur in 2021. Later, several coun- Elections to be held on July 5 cilors, including Mayor Surinder Kumar Shinda, joined AAP in August 2022. Final list of candidates to be out on June 27 The scrutiny of papers would be conducted on June 26. “The final list of eligible candidates will be released on June 27 after the completion of the withdrawal process, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development)-cum-Additional District Election Officer Nikas Kumar”. The election results will be declared on July 5 evening.