05072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/4/2026 11:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune OVER 76K ENUMERATION FORMS DIGITISED IN KAPURTHALA PIZZA’S PUNJABI MAKEOVER IN BICKNELL TOWN OF UTAH SONG OHDIYAN KHEDAAN HAS ESSENCE OF LIFE: HANS RAJ Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Akash Bansal said the enumeration campaign will continue until July 24. P2 A Sikh boy from Jalandhar started Curry Pizza in Utah to adapt the American palate to relish flavours of Punjab. P3 Hans Raj Hans says his latest song Ohdiyan Khedaan is an opportunity to express his feelings and thoughts. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.35 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:29 AM » SUNDAY | 5 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR PPCB flags gross violations at Wariana dumpsite before NGT NGT to hear case on July 6 Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 In a significant development in proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has filed a detailed affidavit highlighting serious environmental violations and continued mismanagement at Jalandhar’s Wariana dumpsite. The 40-year-old dumpsite, estimated to contain nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste and rising about 50metre high, has long symbolised the city’s waste management crisis. According to the affidavit, the site continues to violate multiple provisions of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016. Key issues flagged include absence of waste segregation, continued flow of leachate, contamination of ground water, no metering of groundwater pollution, hazardous exposed wires and the Jalandhar MC’s failure to clear environmental com- Seechewal flays demolition of gurdwara in Pak The Wariana garbage dumping site in Jalandhar. FILE pensation dues. The affidavit, filed by Jatinder Soni, Environmental Engineer, PPCB, Regional Office, Kapurthala, presents a serious picture of continued non-compliance by the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, with the SWM Rules, 2016. The PPCB affidavit has been filed in response to the original application filed by Jalandhar-based social and environmental activist Tejasvi Minhas. According to the PPCB, despite repeated regulatory proceedings, notices and hearings since 2019, no visible progress has been achieved by the MC in ensuring the compliance with environmental laws. During an inspection conducted on January 7, PPCB officials recorded several violations at the site, including the absence of segregation of municipal solid waste before dumping, non-compartmentalised waste collection vehicles, multiple fire incidents within the dumpsite, lack of a boundary wall or protective fencing, waste scattered along the approach road, absence of piezometers for groundwater monitoring, and the lack of a leachate treatment facility. The inspection also noted that leachate was stagnating at the site and partially flowing into the sewer network. Continued dumping of waste along the Kala Sanghian Drain was also reported. In one of the most significant observations contained in the affidavit, the PPCB has stated that the Jalandhar MC continues to remain in gross violation of the SWM Rules, 2016, despite repeated opportunities, statutory notices, hearings and directions issued by the board as well as earlier directions of the National Green Tribunal. The affidavit further revealed that environmental compensation of ~9.30 crore has been imposed on the civic body for violations of environmental laws. While ~90 lakh has been deposited, dues amounting to ~8.40 crore remain unpaid. The matter is now scheduled for hearing before the National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi, on July 6, where further directions are expected. Activist Tejasvi Minhas said, “The PPCB affidavit confirms that the concerns raised in my petition were not speculative — they have been independently verified by the state’s own environmental regulator. This isn’t merely an administrative lapse, it reflects a continuing ecological crisis affecting air, water, soil and the lives of thousands of residents and animals living around the dumpsite.” After 3-year wait, PSPCL clears ~4.27-cr overtime dues for technical employees Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Phagwara, July 4 Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal has condemned the demolition of 125-year-old historic Gurdwara Sahib in Pakistan. Describing the incident as an extremely sensitive issue linked to the religious sentiments of millions of Sikhs across the world, he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, urging immediate diplomatic intervention. In his letter, Seechewal appealed to the Centre to take up the matter with the Government of Pakistan to ensure the reconstruction of the demolished Gurdwara Sahib and to seek strict legal action against those responsible for the incident. Jalandhar, July 4 After waiting for nearly three years, technical employees posted at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) substations are finally set to receive over ~4.27 crore in pending overtime payments, bringing relief to hundreds of frontline workers who put in extra hours to keep the state’s power supply running. The approval comes even as PSPCL employees across Punjab continue their workto-rule protest, launched on July 1 over several long-pending service-related demands. The proposal was cleared by the PSPCL’s Committee of Whole-Time Directors at its meeting on June 30, and a formal implementation order was issued on July 3. According to the official communication, the administrative approval has been granted for the payment of ~4.27 crore to eligible technical workers for overtime performed beyond the prescribed quarterly limits. The payment covers overtime worked in excess of 50 hours per person per quarter from April 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, and beyond 115 hours per person per quarter from October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025. The payments will be released after certification by the controlling officers. The decision has brought relief to hundreds of technical employees, including substation assistants, Junior Engineers (Substations) and routine teammates who have been working beyond their scheduled eight-hour shifts to keep the power distribution network operational amid an acute shortage of manpower. “We have been working round the clock, often giving up our weekly offs, emergency leaves and holidays. There aren’t enough hands to operate the substations. My substation requires four staff members but we are managing with three. Whenever one of us takes a dayoff, the remaining employees have to work an additional four hours to cover the eight-hour shift. The management recognised only 50 hours of overtime per quarter and even those payments remained pending for months. It is unfair,” said a substation worker in Jalandhar. Rashpal Singh, deputy general secretary of the PSEB Employees Federation, said, “There are around 850 substations across Punjab, many of these functioning with inadequate staff strength. Most substations require more employees than are currently posted. Whenever a staff member goes on leave, others are compelled to work additional shifts to ensure uninterrupted power supply.” The approval of the pending overtime payments has come after sustained protests and repeated representations by employees before the management. While they welcome the decision, prominent issues such as filling vacant posts and addressing the acute manpower shortage at substations still unresolved, he added. Transfer blues haunt BLO teachers despite CEO’s assurance Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 4 Despite the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) assurance that teachers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will not be deprived of transfer opportunities, uncertainty continues to prevail among teachers working as booth level officers (BLOs). While BLO teachers have been allowed to participate in the ongoing annual transfer process, many say they are still unsure whether they will actually be able to join their new schools because of the existing relieving norms of the School Education Department. Under the department’s annual transfer process, teachers apply through the ePunjab portal, indicate their preferred schools and, after meeting the prescribed criteria and securing approval from the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) concerned, are relieved from their existing schools to join their new postings. However, under the current rules, a teacher can be relieved only if the school continues to retain at least 50 per cent of its sanctioned staff or at least one lecturer in the subject concerned. The BLOs fear that even after completing their election duties and receiving transfer approval, these conditions could delay their relieving, placing them at a disadvantage compared with other teachers. The issue stems from an Election Commission letter issued on June 16 directing that booth level officers, supervisors and other officials engaged in the SIR exercise should not be transferred without its prior approval, as their names had already been finalised and printed on the enumeration forms. However, as the department was simultaneously conducting its annual online transfer process, it requested the Chief Electoral Officer to allow these employees to participate without affecting the election exercise. The department pointed out that more than 25,800 transfer applications had already been received through the online portal and argued that excluding BLO teachers from the process would deny them an opportunity to opt for available vacancies. Accepting the proposal, the Chief Electoral Officer allowed BLOs, supervisors and other officials engaged in the SIR exercise to participate in the transfer process. But, they will not be relieved from their present postings until the SIR exercise concludes on October 1. Till then, any transfer orders issued to them will remain on hold until the SIR exercise concludes. Sonali Sharma, president of the BLO Union Punjab, said, “BLO teachers, who have been transferred to schools within the same Assembly constituency where they are currently performing BLO duties, should be relieved immediately, as such trans- c m y b fers will not affect the ongoing SIR exercise. They should be allowed to join their new schools like other teachers.” Echoing the demand, Sukhwinder Singh Makkar, general secretary of the BLO Union Punjab, said, “The transfer process takes place only once a year and BLO teachers should not be put at a disadvantage for performing election duties. While other teachers will be able to join their new schools after being relieved, we fear that even after completing the SIR exercise, we may still not be relieved because of the existing staffing norms. We urge the School Education Department to relax these norms for BLO teachers whose transfers have been approved.” Lawyers observe ‘No work day’ over power crisis Jalandhar, July 4 The District Bar Association on Saturday observed a ‘No work day’ to protest against the government and PSPCL on the issue of mishandling the power crisis in the state. The decision was unanimously taken during an executive committee meeting chaired by District Bar Association president Aditya Jain and secretary Rohit Gambhir. Jain said court proceedings resumed on July 1 after the summer vacation, but advocates’ chambers in the judicial complex have since been plagued by frequent and prolonged power outages. He said lawyers were unable to work from their chambers due to power cuts lasting several hours, disrupting courtrelated work and causing considerable inconvenience to both advocates and litigants. He further said advocates repeatedly tried to contact the officials and the complaint helpline of the electricity department, but either the phones were switched off, or no one answered the calls. The DBA demanded that a regular and uninterrupted power supply be ensured immediately in the judicial complex so that lawyers and the public do not have to face any inconvenience. Gambhir announced that lawyers across Punjab would remain on strike on Monday following a call by Bar Associations throughout the state. The strike will be held in support of the Bholath Bar Association and the Kapurthala Bar Association. Thereafter, from Tuesday onwards, an indefinite strike will begin against the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System in accordance with the decision of the Joint Action Committee, Punjab. — TNS 3 arrested with intoxicating tablets Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 4 The police have arrested three persons in separate cases under the NDPS Act after recovering intoxicating tablets during patrol and checking operations at different locations in Jalandhar district. In the first case, the police arrested Manjeet Kumari, alias Bholi, resident of Ganna Pind near Phillaur. A patrol team, led by the in-charge of Ganna Pind police post, intercepted the accused during routine patrolling and recovered 18 intoxicating tablets from her possession. A case has been registered under the relevant provi- sions of the NDPS Act. In another operation near the Lohian railway station, the police arrested Ajay Kumar, alias Ajay, of Yakubpur Khurd under Lohian Police Station. During checking, the police allegedly recovered 29 intoxicating tablets from him. A case has been registered under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act, and the accused has been taken into custody for further investigation. In the third case, the police arrested Harpreet of Village Gohir under Nakodar Police Station. During checking, the police recovered 25 intoxicating tablets from his possession.