02072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/2/2026 12:33 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune US-BASED DOCTOR FLAGS SURGE IN CARDIAC DISEASE CASES IMA MARKS DOCTORS’ DAY WITH ‘RUN FOR HEALTH’ INITIATIVE SUNNY GETS ANOTHER TAREEKH ...THIS TIME ON OTT Punjab’s groundwater is heavily contaminated with toxins and heavy metals such as uranium and lead. P2 The event aimed to promote the importance of regular physical activity and healthy living among the public. P3 Deol says, “IKKAis not just a courtroom drama. It is a story about relationships, and the difficult choices life forces you to make.”P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.36 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:27 AM THURSDAY | 2 JULY 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 WOMAN AMONG 6 PEDDLERS HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a person on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer Paramjit Singh said 19 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Ranjit Singh, alias Laadi, of Uggi village. The police arrested Raj Kumar, alias Raja, of Mohalla Kamalpura with 23 intoxicating tablets. The Shahkot police arrested Indarjit Singh of Manakpur village with 25 intoxicating tablets. The Bilga police arrested Nanako Bai of Meonwal village, Sukha Singh and Kuldeep Singh of the same village with 52 intoxicating tablets. oc MAN HELD FOR BURNING STUBBLE Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a farmer on the charge of burning stubble. The accused has been identified as Darshan Singh of Nangal Ambian village. Nodal officers had sent their reports to the police, which were verified and examined at the place of occurrence. The accused had set afire their stubble in the fields, violating the government order in this regard. OC Plastic granules factory gutted in Hoshiarpur Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 1 Property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed after a fire broke out at Dashmesh Pipe Factory in Nasrala on Wednesday morning. Factory owner Avdesh Kumar said the factory was closed during the night. Around 5 am, factory driver Chandan informed him on the phone that a fire had broken out on the premises. The owner immediately informed the Nasrala police outpost and the Electricity Department. The police then alerted the Fire Brigade, following which four fire tenders reached the spot and brought the blaze under control after a major operation. Tribhawan Prasad, the factory owner, said the fire caused losses running into lakhs of rupees. He said the raw material used for manufacturing plastic granules was completely destroyed, while the machinery installed inside the factory was damaged and reduced to scrap. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The police are looking into the incident. Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked an unidentified youth on the charge of kidnapping a minor girl. Uncle of the victim, a resident of Kamalpur village, complained to the police that the accused kidnapped his niece. OC MAN HELD FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit liquor. As many as 30 bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused Surjit Singh, alias Seetu, a resident of Sindharr village. A case has been registered. oc Inspections to curb illegal diversion of urea Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, July 1 The District Task Force carried out surprise inspections of fertiliser dealers, cooperative societies, and plywood factories in Kataria and Jandiala villages under Banga block to check the illegal diversion and non-agricultural use of subsidised urea. The inspection was conducted on the directions of Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and led by Dr Lekh Raj, Chief Agriculture Officer, Nawanshahr, along with officials of the Agriculture Department. The team examined fertiliser-related records, stock registers, bill books, stock boards, and point of sale machines to ensure compliance with government regulations. Govt releases 3-month financial assistance | 3.27 lakh women registered so far Aparna Banerji Tribune New Service Jalandhar, July 1 With the government formally launching the AAP’s flagship Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana on Wednesday, more than 2.34 lakh women in Jalandhar received the first installment of financial assistance directly into their bank accounts. A total of Rs 88 crore was credited to beneficiaries’ accounts in the district, covering three months of assistance under the scheme. Jalandhar has 3,27,756 registered beneficiaries, though payments were released to 2,34,701 women who had completed registration by June 25. Of the beneficiaries who received the first installment, around 1.17 lakh belong to the general category and an equal number to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. The district authorities said Rs 52.81 crore was released to general category beneficiaries and Rs 35.20 crore to SC beneficiaries. The scheme was initially launched as a pilot project in nine Assembly constituencies across Punjab, with Adampur among the selected segments. Subsequently, four more constituencies in Jalandhar district were brought under the scheme, while the remaining segments were added around a fortnight ago. Of the over 10 lakh female voters in the district, so far only a little over 3 lakh have registered for the scheme. The district officials said further registrations were on. District Programme Officer Gulbahar Singh said the pace of registrations had been affected by heavy traffic on the online portal but was expected to improve. “Since the scheme has just started, registrations are gradually picking up. There was significant traffic on the portal. As the process progresses, many more women are expected to join. The remaining beneficiaries will also receive the AAP leader Pawan Tinu with beneficiaries of the Mawan Dhiyan scheme at Adampur in Jalandhar. amount soon,” he said. Under the scheme, eligible women over 18 years of age (from the general category), will receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000, while women belonging to the Scheduled Castes will be provided Rs 1,500 per month. AAP leader Pawan Tinu termed the launch a land- mark step towards women’s financial empowerment. “This is a pioneering initiative that will strengthen the economic independence of women. For beneficiaries from poor households, even Rs 1,000 a month makes a meaningful difference. Those dismissing it as a freebie fail to understand its significance PSPCL faces double trouble as regular staff go on protest amid outsourced workers’ strike Unions threaten mass casual leave on July 21-22 if demands remain unmet Rishika Kriti YOUTH BOOKED FOR KIDNAPPING ~88 cr paid to 2.34 lakh women in district under Satkar Yojana Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 1 The ongoing strike by outsourced employees has already disrupted consumer services at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) offices. Now, the power utility faces another challenge, with regular employees launching a work-to-rule protest from Wednesday, raising concerns over further delays in grievance redressal and field operations. Under the agitation, employees have announced to work strictly between 9 am and 5 pm, switch off official phones after duty hours, refuse overtime and perform only those duties assigned under existing service rules. The protest has been launched jointly by the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Substation Employees Union, Powercom and Transco Pensioners Union Punjab and the Pensioners Welfare Federation. The unions have accused the government and PSPCL management of failing to honour assurances made during earlier negotiations. According to the unions, their demands include extending PSPCL pay scales to employees recruited after July 17, 2020, restoring pay band benefits to employees promoted after November 17, 2021, revising pension, filling around 45,000 posts, providing better safety equipment to field staff and regularising outsourced employees. The work-to-rule protest comes at a time when outsourced employees, including meter readers, computer operators and staff posted at Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Consumer Relations Centres (CRCs), stores and ME labs, have been on strike, seeking absorption into the A PSPCL Suvidha Centre in Jalandhar. corporation on a direct contract basis. Before the strike, outsourced employees handled several key consumer services at NCCs and CRCs. These included assigning complaints received through the 1912 helpline, updating complaint status after rectification of faults and processing applications for new and tem- porary power connections, load enhancement or reduction, change of name, replacement of faulty meters and other routine services. To keep these services running, the PSPCL has deployed regular technical and clerical staff at NCCs and CRCs. However, senior officials admitted that complaint disposal has slowed as many deputed employees are unfamiliar with the specialised software and consumer service systems. Commercial services are continuing, but processing of applications is taking longer due to limited manpower. Kuljit Singh, state president of the Outsourced Employees Federation Punjab, said the corporation had failed to fulfil its promise of absorbing outsourced workers on a direct contract basis despite regularising CHB workers and workers at thermal power plants. He further alleged that in some parts of Punjab, apprentice linemen, meant for field training, are being assigned office duties at complaint centres, comprising their technical learning. As part of the next phase of the agitation, regular employee unions have announced mass casual leave on July 21 and 22 if their demands remain unresolved. for women struggling to make ends meet,” he said. The launch was marked by meetings and gatherings across the district, where party workers and beneficiaries watched a live telecast of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann disbursing benefits to women at a state-level event in Dhuri. Shahkot woman duped of ~11.59 lakh Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 1 A Shahkot woman has alleged that she was defrauded of Rs 11.59 lakh after an unidentified person fraudulently withdrew money from her bank account through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) over a span of more than four years. The complainant, Sudha Rani, wife of Satvir and resident of Shahkot, stated that a total of Rs 11, 59,050 was illegally withdrawn from her account through AEPS transactions between February 2022 and June 2026 without her knowledge. Acting on her complaint, the Shahkot police have registered a case against an unidentified accused under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police said the alleged fraud came to light following the complainant’s application, after which an FIR was lodged. Investigating officer Inspector Harbir Singh has taken up the case and efforts are underway to identify the accused and trace the fraudulent transactions. Kaler meets Bittu, seeks overbridges at Adampur, Phillaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 1 BJP leader and former MLA from Kartarpur and Phillaur constituencies Avinash Chander Kaler met Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking the construction of underbridges and overbridges at major railway crossings in the Phillaur, Kartarpur, and Adampur Assembly constituencies. Kaler stated that due to railway crossings remaining closed for long durations in these constituencies, local residents face severe traffic congestion, loss of valuable time, and serious difficulties during emergency situations on a daily basis. He demanded that underbridges and overbridges should be constructed on a priority basis at Vidhipur, Goraya, the railway crossing near Baba Sahib Ambedkar Chowk in Phillaur, the Phillaur-Bilga railway crossing, and other major railway crossings, including Khurd in the Adampur Assembly constituency. Bittu assured Kaler that the Central Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, places the highest priority on public convenience and infrastructure development. He said the Ministry of Railways would seriously consider these demands and expedite the procedures so that the people of Kartarpur, Phillaur, and Adampur can receive a permanent solution to the long-standing problem of railway crossings. Kaler acknowledged the infrastructural revamps in the region. He said the Modi government is continuously expanding modern railway infrastructure across Punjab and giving priority to projects that directly benefit the public. Schools reopen to thin attendance as teachers remain on survey, SIR duty Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 1 Government schools across Jalandhar reopened on Wednesday after the summer vacation, but attendance remained sparse as many teachers continued to be engaged in government assignments while confusion over a possible extension of the holidays kept students away from classrooms. School heads cited two major reasons for the poor turnout: large-scale deployment of teachers for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and drug survey, and rumours about an extension of the summer break. Educators said speculation on social media, coupled with last year’s extension of the summer vacation due to extreme weather, led many parents to believe a similar decision would be announced this year. Anticipating staff shortages, the district education authorities on Tuesday directed school heads and Block Nodal Officers to deploy available teachers wherever required to ensure schools reopened on schedule and academic work continued despite the large-scale deployment of teaching staff for government assignments. Despite this, the impact was visible across schools in both urban and rural areas. Maninder Kaur, Principal of Senior Secondary School A few students attend classes at School of Eminence in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH near Ladowali Road said only around 300 of the nearly 1,400 enrolled students attended c m y b classes on the first day. "Many parents were expecting the government to extend the summer vacation. There was also a lot of discussion on social media, which may have contributed to the poor attendance," she said. She added that several members of the teaching staff were assigned to Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties, supervisory responsibilities and technical assistance for the SIR exercise, forcing the school to make alternative arrangements to ensure classes continued smoothly. A similar situation prevailed at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nehru Garden, where Principal Gohrina said,” Only 268 of the nearly 1,900 enrolled students attended the school. Additionally, nearly 90 per cent of the school’s teaching staff was engaged in SIR and drug survey duties, leaving us with skeletal staff,’ she said “Managing the reopening with such limited staff has been challenging, but we ensured that classes continued without disruption,” she added. In Alawalpur block, elementary school head Rampal reported that only 30 of the 66 enrolled students attended classes on the reopening day. The situation was further compounded as one of the school’s two teachers was deputed for drug survey duty, leaving the lone teacher to manage the school’s academic work. School heads expressed hope that attendance would improve over the next few days as parents became aware that schools had resumed functioning and the uncertainty surrounding the summer vacation extension subsided.