26062026-JTR-01.qxd 6/25/2026 11:20 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune SIR BEGINS IN K’THALA; 63,652 FORMS DISTRIBUTED ON DAY 1 MANPREET WINS MEDALS AT NAT’L KAYAKING AND CANOEING C’SHIP SINGER-ACTOR DILJIT DOSANJH TO STAR IN RANNA CH DHANNA A total of 791 BLOs will cover all 6,14,981 electors across four Assembly constituencies in Kapurthala district. P2 She secured a silver medal in the 500m event and a bronze medal in the highly competitive 200m race. P3 Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh is set to headline the upcoming Punjabi entertainer Ranna Ch Dhanna. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 39°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:23 AM » FRIDAY | 26 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. BJP, Cong spar over credit for Guru Nanak Pura ROB Day after Bittu lays stone, both parties claim project their brainchild Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service INBRIEF NATH IS NAGAR PANCHAYAT CHIEF Lohian Khas: AAP’s leader and ward no. 4 councillor Som Nath was elected Lohian Khas Nagar Panchayat (NP) president on Thursday, while his party colleague and ward no. 8 councillor Balwinder Singh Chaudary was chosen vice-president. Shahkot SDM Aditya Gupta conducted the proceedings, where all 13 newly elected councillors were sworn. The AAP had won nine seats in the House. OC FIVE BOOKED FOR ASSAULTING MAN Nakodar: The Mehatpur police have booked five persons for assaulting a villager. Investigating officer Davindar Singh said the accused have been identified as Gurwindar Singh, Harjindar Singh, Charanpreet Singh and Labh Singh, all residents of Baghela village. Narindar Pal Singh, a resident of the same village, had complained to the police that the accused attacked him with bricks on June 9 morning. A case has been registered against the accused. OC 5 DRUG PEDDLERS ARRESTED Shahkot: The Shahkot police have arrested a drug peddler for selling heroin. Investigating officer Parjindar Kaur said 10gm heroin was recovered from accused Amandeep Singh, a resident of Firoj Wala Bada, under Dharamkot police station, Moga. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested one Lakhvindar Pal of Pati Takhar Shankar village with 20 intoxicant tablets. The Nakodar City police arrested one Gurpreet Singh of Khurshaid Pur village with 21 intoxicant tablets, said SHO Harmindar Singh. The Lohian Khas police arrested Nishan Singh of Pipply village and his wife Jaswindar Kaur with 33 intoxicant tablets. OC Serving humanity Jalandhar, June 25 A credit war has broken out between the Congress and the BJP over the Rs 48.95crore Guru Nanak Pura railway overbridge (ROB), the foundation stone of which was laid by Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Bittu on Wednesday. Bittu had laid stones of two ROB projects worth Rs 112 crore. After the Union minister said the project had been envisioned by the BJP for people of Jalandhar Central constituency, Congress leader Rajinder Beri claimed that it was a brainchild of his party. Meanwhile, the BJP countered Beri today by saying a proposal for the project was sent by BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia. Ravneet Bittu had said the ROB, which was part of a plan to construct railway bridges worth Rs 1,700 crore across the state, was solely a BJP project under the Narendra Modi government. The project was being built and funded by the railways to ease traffic woes of the area residents, he had added. Bittu had also targeted the previous Congress government and the ruling AAP say, WAR OF WORDS BREAKS OUT is Nanak ❝The Congresspublic ❝The Guruwas Pura trying to mislead ROB project as the proposal was sent by former minister Manoranjan Kalia. approved during the Congress regime in the 2018-19 Budget. Ashok Sareen Hikki, JALANDHAR BJP GEN SECY Rajinder Beri, CONG DISTRICT (URBAN) PRESIDENT ❞ ing they had shown no inclination towards bringing such projects despite traffic issues plaguing the area for long. Countering the Union minister, Congress District (Urban) president and former MLA Rajinder Beri said the Guru Nanak Pura ROB project had been approved during the Congress regime in the 2018-19 Budget. Due to the Covid pandemic the ROB couldn’t be built, Beri said, adding that after the change of guard in 2022, the project was forgotten by successive governments. He accused the BJP of laying the foundation stone months before elections with an intention to claim credit. Beri added that during the Congress rule, he had repeatedly raised the issue of constructing an ROB due to traffic congestion at the Guru Nanak Pura crossing. Countering Beri on the ❞ issue, Jalandhar BJP general secretary Ashok Sareen Hikki today said the Congress leader was reiterating old claims and trying to mislead public, whereas the proposal was sent by former minister and BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia. An approval was given by the Union Ministry of Railways, but from 2017 to 2026 the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party-led Municipal Corporation in Jalandhar and the successive state governments didn’t fulfil the responsibility of releasing their share of funds, Hikki claimed. He further asked the Congress leaders that if files were approved, why the state government and the MC kept the project hanging for eight years. Two key projects Notably, the Rs 48.95-crore ROB at Guru Nanak Pura, to be constructed in place of a level crossing on the Jalandhar City-Jalandhar Cantt section, will be situated on the busy Sahnewal-Amritsar route. It will help ease traffic congestion along the busy stretch, which is known for long waiting time due to the closed crossing. The second project for which Bittu laid the foundation stone yesterday was the two-lane ROB at Garha Road. It will come up at level crossing No. S4 on the Jalandhar City-Nakodar section. The Garha project will cost Rs 63.98 crore and shall ensure better connectivity to Jalandhar City, Jamsher Khas, Nakodar and adjoining areas, significantly improving commuter safety and reducing traffic congestion. What Bittu claimed While laying the foundation stones, Ravneet Bittu had said he hoped for full cooperation from the state government and that no ‘arikka’ (obstruction) would be posed in the construction. “During the Congress and AAP rules, nothing much was done in this sector even as traffic volume increased manifold. Nearly 140 trains cross the Guru Nanak Pura railway crossing daily. continued on page 2 People distribute sweetened water at a ‘chhabeel’ set up on the occasion of Nirjala Ekadashi in Jalandhar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Couple among three booked for cheating NRI Our Correspondent Phagwara, June 25 The Bilga police have booked three persons, including a couple, for allegedly cheating an NRI. Investigating officer Charanjit Singh said the accused have been identified as Paramjit Singh, a resident of Pati Neelowal Bilga village, his wife Jasveer Kaur and Santokh Singh, a resident of Pati Mansoor Bilga village. In his complaint to the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner, NRI Gurmail Singh (78), a resident of Pati Neelowal Bilga village, had said he was living in Canada and had come to India in 2018 to execute his will in favour of his son. The accused — his nephew and daughter-in-law — fraudulently prepared his general power of attorney. The NRI said on the basis of the power of attorney, accused Jasveer Kaur registered sale deeds of his over 2 acres of property in the name Paramjit Singh. The DC forwarded the complaint to Jalandhar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police, who ordered an inquiry. The IO said a case under Section 318(4) (cheating) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS had been registered. 217 file papers for Hoshiarpur MC polls on last day Hoshiarpur, June 25 A total of 217 candidates submitted their papers on Thursday, the last day of filing nominations for the Hoshiarpur Municipal Corporation elections, taking the total number of candidates to 286. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development)cum-Additional District Election Officer Nikas Kumar said the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted by the returning officers concerned on June 26. Nikas Kumar said polling for all 50 wards of the MC will be held on July 5. — OC Accused in abduction, murder case held Jalandhar DC conducts field visit as door-to-door SIR survey starts Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 25 The Kapurthala police have arrested the main accused in a high-profile abduction and murder case. Accused Navjot Singh, alias Mani Baba, a resident of Mushakved, Kapurthala, was arrested from Uttarakhand by a joint team of the CIA staff, city police and the technical cell after an extensive search operation. Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Harinder Singh Gill said the case was registered on April 23 following a complaint by Jaspal Singh. Jaspal had alleged that his son Deepak was at Gillani SP (Investigation) Harinder Singh Gill addresses the media. Gas Agency on Aujla Road, when Navjot Singh, along with Lovepreet Kumar, alias Preet, Rajandeep Singh and their unidentified associates, assaulted him, forcibly abducted him in a Swift car (PB08FM4042) and later murdered him. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Kapurthala City Police Station under Sections 103, 140(1), and 191(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. During the investigation, co-accused Lovepreet Kumar of Dyalpur, Jalandhar, and Lucky of Lakhan Kalan, Kapurthala, were arrested earlier, while prime accused Navjot Singh was absconding. Acting on technical surveillance and sustained intelligence-gathering efforts, the police arrested him from Uttarakhand on June 24. SP Gill said the accused was produced before a local court, which remanded him to three days of police custody for further interrogation. He added that Navjot Singh has a criminal history and is involved in 12 criminal cases previously. Punjab-origin girl to play in Australia’s U-14 hockey meet Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 25 Parineeti Mall, a young goalkeeper of Punjab origin, has made her family and community proud after being selected to represent Southern Sharks in Australia’s Junior Under-14 State Hockey Championship. Born and brought up in Melbourne, the 13-year-old remains deeply connected to her Punjabi roots. Her father, Shinder Pal, hails from Ludhiana, while her mother, Kamaljit Kaur, is originally from Nawanshahr. The family moved to Australia in 2009 in search of better opportunities. “We wanted a better future for ourselves. I work in the NDIS sector, my husband runs his own business and our daughter is making us proud in the sports arena,” said Kamaljit Kaur. Interestingly, neither of Parineeti’s parents has a sporting background. However, her talent and passion for hockey were recognised at an early age. She soon established herself as a promising goalkeeper. Besides hockey, she has excelled in soccer. Sports, however, is not her only passion. Parineeti is also an accomplished bhangra performer whose energetic performances have earned admiration within the local community. “People often ask her to teach them bhangra,” Parineeti’s mother said proudly. “Right now, we want her to focus on her studies and her game,” she added. Parineeti dreams of representing Australia at the international level. Determined to achieve that goal, she continues to train hard while maintaining an impressive academic record. “She is academically very strong and wants to become a neurologist,” mother Kamaljit added. Despite being born in Australia, Parineeti’s connection with her Punjabi heritage remains strong. “You meet her and you will say she is a proper Punjabi,” her mother said. “She speaks Punjabi language fluently, loves bhangra and is deeply connected to her roots.” Back in Nawanshahr, where Parineeti’s maternal uncle Manjit Bali resides, her achievement was celebrated by members of the Daily Morning Football Club, where Bali plays. “My niece, a proud daughter of Punjab, has brought glory to our family and made us all proud,” Bali said. Daily Morning Football Club chairman Tarsem Lal said Parineeti’s accomplishment has brought pride to her parents and international recognition to Punjab. Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Varjeet Walia during a visit to a residential area in Jalandhar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Tribune News Service Goalkeeper Parineeti Mall (13) will represent Southern Sharks. c m y b Jalandhar, June 25 Deputy Commissioner-cumDistrict Election Officer Varjeet Walia on Thursday conducted a field visit to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) today began a monthlong door-to-door survey across the district. Jalandhar1 SDM Shubhi Angra also visited different areas. Walia apprised residents of the purpose and procedure of the exercise, stressing that the SIR is aimed at ensuring accurate, inclusive and updated electoral rolls. He informed voters that the BLOs would provide preprinted enumeration forms, which must be duly-filled and submitted, along with the required documents. He said one signed copy of the form would be collected by the respective BLO. Another copy would be signed by the BLO and retained by the voter as an acknowledgement receipt. The form may be filled and submitted by the voter or any adult member of the household. The BLOs will make at least three visits to homes, which are found locked or where voters are unavailable, he added. The DC held detailed discussions with the BLOs engaged in the survey and directed them to adhere to the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. Appreciating their role in one of the largest electoral roll revision exercises, he said every possi- ble effort must be made to ensure that no eligible voter is left uncovered. The house-to-house survey will be held from June 25 to July 24. Names of voters whose enumeration forms are received will be included in the draft electoral rolls to be published on August 3. Claims and objections may be filed from August 3 to September 2, while their disposal will continue until September 28. The final electoral rolls will be published on October 1. Walia appealed to the voters to verify their particulars, provide documents in time and avoid rumours. For information, citizens may contact the Election Commission’s toll free helpline 1950, which is operational from 8 am to 5 pm daily.