20072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/19/2026 10:47 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune DAUGHTER HELPS NURTURE RETD COP’S FISH FARMING DREAMS BAN BACKFIRED, BRINGING ‘SATLUJ’ INTO FOCUS SURPRISE ENTRY OF YASH AT RAMAYANA TRAILER LAUNCH Ahneer enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and began working to bring father’s vision to life. P2 Sensitive issues need balanced dialogue, history deserves open discussion.P3 As the event appeared to be concluding, the auditorium went dark before dramatic lighting revealed Yash on stage. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.31 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:37 AM MONDAY | 20 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR CM sanctions ~2.14 cr for badminton infra Upgraded stadium to host Sub-Junior National C’ship in Dec Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 19 Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday reviewed the preparations for the SubJunior National Badminton Championship scheduled to be held at the historic Raizada Hansraj Stadium in Jalandhar in December this year. During his visit, the Chief Minister announced a special grant of ~2.14 crore for the construction of the state-ofthe-art indoor badminton hall, reaffirming the government’s commitment to strengthening sports infrastructure and promoting sporting excellence across the state. Mann said after nearly 44 years, the National Badminton Championship is returning to the historic Raizada Hansraj Stadium. “The championship for the Under13 category will provide a major boost to badminton in Punjab and further strengthen the sporting culture in the state. The government is committed to promoting sports to channel the boundless energy of the youth in a positive direction,” he added. The Chief Minister handed over a cheque for ~2.14 crore to Jalandhar DC Varjeet Singh Walia and Secretary of the Punjab Badminton Association Ritin Khanna for the construction of the new indoor badminton hall. “It is the first time in nearly CM Bhagwant Mann shakes hand with a badminton player at Raizada Hansraj Stadium in jalandhar. six decades that a Chief Minister has visited this iconic stadium, which has produced several outstanding badminton players,” he noted. Mann stated, “The PWD will execute this project and the tender process will begin shortly. The construction is expected to commence in August. The existing four outdoor multipurpose courts will be converted into a worldclass indoor badminton facility equipped with international-standard infrastructure.” Once completed, the Raizada Hansraj Stadium will have a total of 10 indoor bad- minton courts, making it the only venue in Punjab with such a large indoor badminton complex and one of the premier badminton centres in North India. He said, “This upgraded infrastructure will significantly strengthen Punjab’s capacity to host prestigious national and international badminton tournaments. The stadium has been selected to host the SubJunior National Badminton Championship in December this year, which will be the first National Badminton Championship to be organised here in nearly four decades.” During his visit, Mann interacted with players, coaches and sports officials and reviewed the existing sports infrastructure at the stadium. The Chief Minister said, “The government’s sustained investment in sports infrastructure and athlete development has already started yielding encouraging results, with several players from the state earning places at higher levels of competition.” He reiterated that the government will continue making every effort to promote sports and create worldclass facilities for the youth. Youth arrested with illegal pistol near Lakhan Kalan Our Correspondent City youth gets rare honour of tying PM’s turban again Sumpreet says PM’s only instruction was: ‘Badhiya se bandhna’ Aakanksha N Bhardwaj PHAGWARA,JULY 19 The Kapurthala police have arrested a youth and recovered an illegal .30 bore pistol from his possession during a raid conducted near Lakhan Kalan village. The accused has been identified as Gurmej Singh, alias Ladi, resident of Lakhan Khurd village, near Kapurthala . According to the police, a police team was present near Sri Anandpur Sahib Academy in Lakhan Kalan when it received a tip-off that a man travelling in a car (PB-65-V6637) was standing near Baba Do Rukha Dera with an illegal firearm and was allegedly waiting to commit a crime. Acting swiftly on the information, the police conducted a raid on the spot and arrested Gurmej Singh. An illegal .30 bore pistol was recovered from him. During questioning, the accused allegedly failed to produce any valid arms licence or provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the possession of the weapon. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 19 As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jalandhar on July 17, his green turban drew attention. The turban was tied by 30year-old Jalandhar resident Sumpreet Singh, who says that he has now had the honour of tying the Prime Minister’s turban on three occasions. For Sumpreet Singh, the opportunity came with immense responsibility. Recalling the brief interaction, Singh said, “As we greeted each other, the Prime Minister smiled and told me, ‘Badhiya se bandhna’ (Tie it well).” The entire process lasted only about two minutes, leaving little room for conversation. “My entire focus was on tying it well,” he said. “There isn’t much time to talk because we are given only around two minutes. There is a lot of pressure while tying the Prime Minister’s turban. It is important that it is neither too tight, nor too loose, so it is a huge responsibility,” Singh said. Sumpreet first received the opportunity to tie the PM’s turban in 2022. He was again chosen in 2024, and the recent event marked the third occasion he performed the task. Apart from being a skilled Sumpreet Singh poses for a photograph after tying a turban on PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Jalandhar on July 17. Our Correspondent Phagwara , July 19 A video purportedly showing a policeman being caught by local residents in an allegedly intoxicated condition at Hamira village under Subhanpur police station has gone viral on social media, prompting swift action by the district police. The viral video is accompanied by claims that a syringe was also recovered from the spot. However, the police said these allegations are yet to be verified and are part of the ongoing investigation. SP (Detective) Harinder Singh said as soon as the viral video came to the notice of the Kapurthala SSP immedi, ate directions were issued to the Subhanpur police to take appropriate action. Acting on these instructions, the police rounded up the policeman without delay. The official is identified as Jatinderpal who is posted A viral video shows a policeman in intoxicated state at Hamira. with the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police. He said the policeman has been subjected to a dope test to ascertain whether he had consumed any narcotic substance. Referring to the claims regarding the recovery of a syringe, the SP said the matter is also under investigation. “It is a subject of inquiry whether the individual was consuming drugs or whether the syringe was merely lying near him. All aspects are being examined,” he said. Harinder Singh added that further action will be taken strictly in accordance with the law after the dope test report is received. Meanwhile, the police have initiated a comprehensive investigation into the incident. cations in web designing and digital marketing. “I have displayed photographs of my meetings with the Prime Minister at my shop. Customers often ask whether I really tied his turban and are pleasantly surprised when I tell them that I did,” he said. ‘Affidavit vague’: HC tells MC chief to verify sewer, road claims Leopard enters house, kills calf at Badala Saurabh Malik Cop caught in‘intoxicated’ state, dope test ordered turban tier, Singh also works as a freelance website developer. Apart from running an academy, he also runs a shop in Jalandhar that sells wedding accessories. His educational qualifications include a BSc in economics, a bachelor of vocation (B.Voc.) in printing, and professional certifi- Our Correspondent Tribune News Service DC pushes for more crop residue machines Kapurthala, July 19 DC Akash Bansal directed officials of the Cooperative Department to procure crop residue management machines to ensure that farmers do not face any shortage of machinery during the upcoming paddy harvesting season. Chairing a meeting of the District Cooperative Development Committee to review the implementation of various schemes and development initiatives of the department, the DC asked officials to explore the feasibility of opening petrol and diesel pumps through cooperative societies and expedite the implementation of the world’s largest grain storage project to maximise benefits for farmers and the public. Deputy Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Dr Jagjit Singh said cooperative agricultural societies provide fertilisers, pesticides and agricultural machinery for crop residue management at subsidised rates to the farmers. —OC Chandigarh, July 19 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, to get allegations regarding the condition of the sewerage system and road in Armaan Nagar, Dakoha, Jalandhar district, factually verified and place the findings before the court through his personal affidavit. The direction came on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition in which it has been alleged that there was a complete breakdown of the sewerage system and road in the area. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor observed: “Allegation in this PIL is that there is a complete breakdown of the sewerage system and road in Armaan Nagar, Dakoha, Jalandhar.” The Bench noted that an affidavit had already been filed on behalf of the MC, but found it insufficient to disclose the actual position. “Though an affidavit has been filed on behalf of the Sewage overflows at a locality in Jalandhar. FILE It's alleged there is breakdown of sewerage system, road MC, the same appears to be vague and does not adequately disclose the factual position,” the court observed. The judges also took note of documents placed before the court, observing: “Certain letters have also been sent to the MC, whose copies have been placed on record.” Before taking the matter any further, the Bench directed the civic body’s Commissioner to personally ascertain the factual position in the area. “Before we proceed further in the matter, we call upon the MC through its Commissioner to get the situation in the area factually verified, and file his personal affidavit by the next date of hearing,” the Bench ordered. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 24. Amazon to pay ~12,590 for undelivered PlayStation game Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 19 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Amazon Retail India to pay Rs 12,590 to a city resident after a PlayStation game ordered through its platform was marked as delivered even though it never reached the buyer. The commission ordered Amazon to refund Rs 2,590, the cost of the PlayStation game, and pay Rs 10,000 as compensation, and litigation expenses, after holding that the company failed to establish that the product had actually been delivered. The complaint was filed by Jalandhar resident Vipin Singla, who had ordered the game through the Amazon platform on February 6, 2024. While the parcel was marked as delivered on February 17, Singla maintained that neither he, nor any of his family members had received it. According to the complaint, repeated requests for proof of delivery or a refund were rejected by Amazon. Singla also highlighted discrepancies in the tracking details which showed the parcel reached the delivery station at 2.14 pm, went out for delivery at 2.15 pm and was marked delivered at 2.21 pm, even though the delivery station was around 10 km from his residence. He further alleged that no photograph, c m y b signature or OTP confirmation was provided as proof of delivery. In its defence, Amazon argued that it merely operated an online market place and that the sale was between the buyer and an independent third party seller. It maintained that, as an intermediary, it could not be held liable for the transaction. The commission, however, rejected the argument, observing that Amazon had facilitated the purchase, accepted the payment through its platform and handled the consumer’s grievance. It held that the company could not escape liability simply by calling itself an intermediary when it failed to produce satisfactory proof that the product had been delivered. The commission also noted that Amazon could not explain the discrepancies in the delivery timeline and failed to produce any evidence to rebut the consumer’s allegations. Holding the company guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, it directed Amazon to make the payment within 45 days of receiving the order. Talwara, July 19 Panic spread across Badala village in the Dasuya constituency after a leopard entered a house late Saturday night and killed a calf tied in the cattle shed. The incident occurred at the house of Narinder Kumar Sharma, where the leopard reportedly entered the premises between midnight and 1 am. Family members noticed the wild animal after spotting it on the CCTV cameras. Frightened by the sight, they remained locked inside the house and did not venture out. According to the family, the leopard roamed freely inside the courtyard for nearly an hour. Even the family’s pet dog reportedly hid in fear. The animal later entered the adjoining cattle shed and attacked a calf, killing it on the spot. The family could not intervene due to the risk posed by the predator. The incident triggered panic among residents of Badala and nearby villages. Locals said while sightings of wild animals from the adjoining Shivalik hills are not uncommon, a leopard entering a populated residential area and attacking livestock inside a house is a matter of serious concern. Villagers have urged the Forest Department and the local administration to take immediate steps, including installing a trap cage, increasing night patrolling and deploying wildlife teams to capture the leopard and prevent further incidents. They warned that any delay in action could put human lives at risk. Residents also demanded an awareness campaign and enhanced surveillance in the area to ensure the safety of people and livestock.