04072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/3/2026 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune K’THALA MLA QUESTIONS DELAY IN MC MAYORAL ELECTIONS MANTO DE AFSANE BRINGS TIMELESS STORIES TO LIFE 51ST STATE — BRYAN ADAMS’ PROTEST SONG Rana Gurjeet Singh has raised questions over inordinate delay in conducting mayoral elections of the Kapurthala MC. P2 CT Group hosts‘Manto De Afsane’, a thought-provoking theatrical production by Mastane Theatre Group.P3 Bryan Adams has released song titled 51st State in what appears to be a response to US President Donald Trump. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.35 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.28 AM SATURDAY | 4 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 THREE HELD WITH ILLEGAL FIREARMS Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested three persons allegedly involved in illegal arms possession. Station House Officer (SHO) Sukhjindar Singh said the accused were identified as Sunil, alias Jiyuanna, and Salim Masih, both residents of Mandala village, and Sukhman, alias Sukha, of Kutbiwal village. The police recovered two .32 bore pistols along with seven live cartridges, and one countrymade pistol (desi katta) with two live cartridges from their possession. A case under Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered. OC FIVE VILLAGERS BOOKED FOR THEFT Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked five villagers on charges of theft and mischief. Investigating Officer Harwindar Singh said the accused were identified as Gurmukh Singh of Ismailpur village; his wife Gurmit Kaur and son Lakhwindar Singh; and Jasveer Singh and his mother Karamjit Kaur, both from the same village. Complainant Jogindar Singh, a resident of Chak Pipply village, alleged that the accused, along with unidentified accomplices, entered his old house armed with sharpedged weapons and illegal arms. They allegedly ransacked the property and stole 22 trees from his fields, a diesel engine, a turri-wala kupp, boundary fencing wires and also damaged standing crops by ploughing the field. The police have registered a case under Sections 303 (theft) and 324 (mischief causing damage) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. OC FOUR ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara:The police in separate cases have arrested four persons under the NDPS Act for possession of intoxicating tablets. In the first case, the Nakodar Sadar police arrested Varindar Singh of Hussainabad village and recovered 26 intoxicating tablets from him, said Investigating Officer Paramjit Singh. In the second case, Jaspreet Singh of Gurra village was arrested with 21 tablets. In the third, the Shahkot police arrested Lovpreet of Pati Bugharr Malsian village with 45 tablets. In the fourth case, the Mehatpur police arrested Major Singh of Bute Dian Chhana village with 33 tablets. Cases under Sections 22/61/85 of the NDPS Act have been registered against all the accused. OC Channi’s show of strength at Morinda meet exposes Cong fissures in Doaba Threatened over outages, PSPCL staff seek police protection at substations Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 3 Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi put up a show of strength by organising a mega meeting of party workers today at his residence in Morinda, Chamkaur Sahib. Among the legislators who attended were at least two sitting MLAs from Doaba, along with several other senior leaders. Rana Gurjeet Singh and Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia were among those present, while prominent absentees included Pargat Singh and Sukhpal Khaira. Channi convened the large gathering in response to the recently released list of Congress office-bearers, amid growing discontent among party workers over recent appointments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Other Doaba leaders present at the meeting included former Nawanshahr MLA Angad Saini, former Jalandhar district urban president Rajinder Beri, Nakodar halqa in-charge Navjot Dahia, and Kartarpur halqa in-charge Rajinder Singh, among others. Among those who skipped the meeting were Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira, Jalandhar North MLA Bawa Henry, Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, and Phillaur MLA Only two MLAs attend, five skip former CM’s meeting Leaders gather at the residence of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Morinda on Friday. Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary. Most of the absentees remained tight-lipped. A senior Jalandhar leader, who did not attend the meeting, said on condition of anonymity, “I don’t have anything to say on the meeting. Only those who attended can say what they had in mind. They may have misgivings which they aired at a platform they deemed fit. These things could have been shared on the party’s internal platforms.” Another Congress MLA said, “Ultimately, the list released by the party high command has undoubtedly sparked discontent. Many have a problem with the list. Party leaders and workers expected a change in the party president’s name. The rest are contributing factors.” Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary said, “I was out playing golf all day. I have no interest in the meeting. The party has chosen some leaders after due diligence. When everyone came to a consensus, the party list was announced. I believe it’s time we abide by the party line and prepare for the elections.” Shahkot MLA Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia said, “Some people are giving negative connotations to the meeting. It was just a meeting of leaders who have been raising various issues with Channi Sahib as campaign committee head for the past few days. Today he gave them time on a common platform so these issues could be aired at the high command level by him. It was an initiative aimed at dissolving ifs and buts and devising a joint strategy to fight the elections strongly. Channi Sahib has listened to us and he will speak to the high command. So, under him we must resolve all our issues.” Congress leaders in Jalandhar believe that since Channi is already an MP and the party has made it clear that MPs will not contest Assembly polls, he should be content with his role as chairman of the campaign committee, which is itself a significant responsibility. They also argue that, as Channi is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate and the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, the party must factor in all such considerations before assigning him a larger role. MLAs are also reportedly unhappy with the limited involvement of the MP in deciding the allocation of funds under MPLADS grants. Jalandhar, July 3 Amid rising incidents of angry consumers forcibly entering electricity substations and threatening employees over prolonged power cuts, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has sought police protection for all 66 kV substations across Jalandhar and Phagwara, citing an alarming increase in threats to staff and critical power infrastructure. In a letter dated June 30 addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, the Senior Superintendent of Police (Jalandhar Rural), and the Superintendent of Police, Phagwara, the PSPCL urged the immediate deployment of police personnel at all 66 kV substations to prevent law-and-order situations and ensure employee safety. According to the utility, the Jalandhar circle has 30 such substations — 16 in Jalandhar city, eight in Jalandhar rural and six in Phagwara. The corporation clarified that these substations operate scheduled power cuts strictly on directions from the Power Controller as part of the state’s power management system. Employees posted at these facilities are responsible only for implementing load-shedding instructions and have no role in deciding the timing or location of outages. Consumers forcibly enter electricity substations and threaten employees over prolonged power cuts in Jalandhar and Phagwara. However, frequent and prolonged power cuts have triggered widespread public anger, with groups of consumers repeatedly entering substation premises, allegedly abusing staff, issuing threats of physical violence and in some cases attempting to damage expensive electrical equipment. Calling the situation “extremely urgent,” the PSPCL urged the police to provide security at all substations to safeguard employees, prevent loss of life and property and protect critical power infrastructure. Earlier this week, residents of Baldev Nagar, Ujjala Nagar, Raja Garden and Anup Nagar in Jalandhar West entered a nearby 66 kV substation after alleging their localities had faced scheduled power cuts from 10 pm to 7 am for four consecutive days. The residents, many of Police book Delhi-based Vigilance Bureau nabs Education Dept official for firm, MARKFED official demanding bribe in psychometric testing contract over ‘substandard urea ’ Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 3 A case has been registered over the alleged supply of substandard urea worth lakhs of rupees to MARKFED. Acting on a complaint from the Agriculture Department, the police have booked a Delhi-based trading company, its owner and a MARKFED official under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. SHO Amandeep Nahar confirmed that the investigation was underway. According to Agriculture Officer Vishal Kaushal, a special team formed to curb the black marketing and diversion of urea inspected MARKFED’s cattle feed plant, where 300 bags of technical-grade urea were found. During the inspection, the urea was allegedly found to be below prescribed quality standards and had reportedly been supplied as industrial-grade material. The complaint further states that the consignment was supplied by Delhi-based Manisha Trading Company and its owner, Ashwani Bhardwaj. The inquiry also indicated the alleged involvement of a MARKFED official. The Agriculture Department alleged that subsidised agricultural urea, meant exclusively for farming use, was falsely billed as industrial-grade urea at a higher price. The stock, valued at several lakhs of rupees, was placed on hold pending further investigation. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against the trading company, its owner and the MARKFED official. Further investigation is in progress. Phagwara, July 3 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Paramjit Singh, a science master-cum-legal advisor at Government Senior Secondary School, Kapurthala, for allegedly demanding a bribe to allot a psychometric testing contract to Satinder Bir Singh’s firm, Euries Enterprise. Disclosing this on Friday, an official spokesperson of the VB said the accused was arrested following a complaint filed by Satinder Bir Singh, a retired District Education Officer, on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line portal. During verification of the complaint, the VB found that after his retirement, the complainant had established Euries Enterprise in Amritsar to conduct psy- The accused in custody of the Vigilance Bureau in Kapurthala. chometric tests for school students. He had submitted his firm’s proposal to the District Education Officer (Secondary), Kapurthala, seeking approval to conduct psychometric testing of 187 girl students studying in 14 government schools under the Bholath block during the 2025-26 academic session. According to the spokesperson, Paramjit Singh, who was posted in the office of the District Education Officer (Secondary), allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 200 per student, which was later reduced to Rs 150 per student, purportedly on behalf of the District Education Officer. The spokesperson said the government pays Rs 700 per girl student to the agency for conducting the psychometric tests. Audio recordings submitted by the complainant allegedly substantiated the bribery allegations during the verification process. Based on the findings, the VB registered a case against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Vigilance Bureau police station in Jalandhar. The spokesperson added that the role of any other officials or employees involved in the matter would be examined during the course of the investigation. GM inspects Cantt rly station redevelopment, pushes for timely completion Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 3 Northern Railway General Manager (GM) Rajesh Kumar Pandey on Friday conducted a detailed inspection of the ongoing redevelopment work at Jalandhar Cantonment railway station and directed officials to complete the remaining work within the stipulated timeline while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and passenger convenience. During the inspection, Pandey reviewed the progress of the redevelopment project, including the construction of new station buildings on both sides, a spacious concourse, cafeteria, parking facilities, platforms, lifts, escalators and foot overbridges being developed as part of the station’s modernisation. He also inspected the waiting hall, booking office, reservation office, circulating area and other passenger amenities to assess the quality and pace of work. The inspection was part of the General Manager’s broader review of the Amritsar–Jalandhar Cantonment–Ludhiana rail section. He examined railway tracks, Officials review redevelopment works at the Jalandhar Cantt railway station on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH overhead equipment (OHE), signalling systems, railway yards and other operational infrastructure, while also c m y b reviewing safety standards, operational efficiency and passenger facilities. According to officials, the redevelopment of Jalandhar Cantonment railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme began in late 2022. Although the project was initially expected to be completed in around two and a half years, it was delayed by nearly 18 months. The station is now almost ready, with only a few finishing works remaining. The revamped station features modern, airport-like interiors with enhanced passenger amenities. It is equipped with 10 lifts and eight escalators to improve accessibility between platforms. It also includes an air- conditioned waiting hall, large digital display screens for real-time train information and improved passenger circulation areas. According to railway sources, the redeveloped station is proposed to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 13, although no official announcement has been made by the Prime Minister’s Office or the Ministry of Railways. Divisional Railway Manager Sanjeev Kumar and senior officials from various departments accompanied the General Manager during the inspection. them daily wage workers, said the extended nighttime outages disrupted sleep, made it difficult to cope with the heat and affected their daily routines, leaving them exhausted before work each morning. Rajiv Sumbra, Superintending Engineer, PSPCL (Protection and Maintenance Wing), said police protection had been requested to safeguard employees and expensive equipment. “We appeal to residents to stage protests outside substation premises, as these are highly sensitive installations. Our staff only implement directions issued by the Power Controller,” he said. Satinder Singh, Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, said police patrolling around substations had been intensified following the PSPCL’s request to prevent any untoward incidents. Five drug peddlers arrested with 200 intoxicating tablets Phillaur, July 3 Intensifying its ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking, the Jalandhar rural police arrested five alleged drug peddlers in separate operations conducted across different parts of the district and recovered a total of 200 intoxicating tablets from their possession. Separate cases have been registered against the accused under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act. In the first case, SHO Baljinder Singh of Mehatpur police station apprehended Major Singh of Boote Diyan Chhanna village,during routine patrolling. A search led to the recovery of 33 intoxicating tablets from his possession. In the second case, ASI Jeevan Kumar, in-charge of the Dusanj Kalan police post, arrested Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha, of Dhuleeta village, during routine patrolling. The police recovered 75 intoxicating tablets from his possession. In the third incident, SHO Harminder Singh of Nakodar Sadar police station was on patrol duty near the Shankar road bridge when he and his team noticed a suspicious youth standing near the canal. The individual was identified as Jaspreet Singh, alias Jassa, of Gura village. During search, the police recovered 21 intoxicating tablets from his possession. In the fourth case, ASI Paramjit Singh arrested Varinder Singh, alias Sonu, of Patti Daffar Ki village after recovering 26 intoxicating tablets from him. In the fifth incident, Inspector Aman Saini of the Shahkot police station arrested Lovepreet, alias Preet, of Patti Akalpur village in Malsian, after recovering 45 intoxicating tablets from him. — OC