22072026-ATR-01.qxd 7/21/2026 10:46 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 26°C SAWAN BRINGS CULTURE AND CULINARY DELIGHTS TO CITY ACTOR ANUPAM KHER TO PLAY JATAYU IN FILM RAMAYANA DILJIT APPEALS TO GOVT TO HEAR STUDENTS’ DEMANDS The arrival of Sawan, the monsoon month, is marked by special customs and traditions in Amritsar. P2 It has been learnt that Anupam Kher has lent his voice to the character Jatayu in the film Ramayana. P4 Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has voiced support for students following the police action during the CJP protest. P4 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.33 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.40 AM » WEDNESDAY | 22 JULY 2026 | AMRITSAR Heavy rain cripples city, inundates low-lying areas Streets, markets worst hit; disposal pumps fail to do any good SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Dera Baba Nanak. Charanjit Singh Teja Sukhbir Badal inspects flood arrangements Amritsar, July 21 Heavy rain on Tuesday crippled the city, inundating several parts of the city, including markets, residential areas and roads leading to the Golden Temple. The rain that started in the morning and continued till 5 pm submerged lowlying localities. Despite the civic body installing disposal pumps in several areas, residents had to go through a tough time. Streets and markets were the worst hit. Although the Heritage Street witnessed comparatively less waterlogging, drainage of rainwater was affected due to improper cleaning of stormwater chambers. Residents said the absence of a separate stormwater sewer network in many markets and the limited capacity of the existing sanitary sewer system resulted in widespread flooding across the inner areas. The lane adjoining the Golden Temple plaza remained completely submerged, forcing devotees to Tribune News Service Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur), July 21 SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal inspected arrangements to check floods in Dera Baba Nanak before heavy rain forced him to cut short his visit. He said the 2025 floods had created havoc in the area. “I have been told by local leaders that the AAP government has done precious little this time to check the floods,” he said. Badal said he was willing to provide free diesel to vehicles engaged in strengthening the embankments of rivers. “At the same time, I expect the district administration to commence work on a war-footing to ensure no damage is done if there is heavy rainfall,” he added. Tribune News Service A waterlogged lane adjoining the Golden Temple plaza in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR wade through water while heading to the shrine. A volunteer, Nihang Singh, was seen using a cart to help pilgrims cross the waterlogged stretches. Reports of waterlogging poured in from upscale neighbourhoods and unplanned colonies, where residents complained of poor drainage infrastructure. They alleged that blocked stormwater chambers and inadequate desilting of sanitary sewers aggravated the situation. Residents of Gali No. 18 in New Dashmesh Nagar near Joda Phatak said each time it rained, the area got submerged as no sewer desilting staff visited the locality. Local resident Raman Kumar alleged that repeated complaints had failed to evoke any response. “Nobody c m y b is willing to take the responsibility. We don’t even know who our councillor is. Four to five lanes are flooded with overflowing sewage and we are repeatedly told that a machine will be put in place, but that never happens,” he said. Despite the disruption, the rain brought the muchneeded relief from the humid continued on page 2 Showers end dry spell, cheer up farmers Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 21 After a long wait, the city and its surrounding areas witnessed 27 mm of rainfall, ending a prolonged dry spell. The showers came as a blessing for paddy growers, particularly those in areas lacking the canal irrigation facilities. With tubewelldependent farmers struggling to keep their fields irrigated amid limited and often disrupted power supply, the rainfall significantly eased their burden. “With only eight hours of electricity, which is often affected by power cuts and technical faults, irrigating paddy fields had become extremely difficult. Today’s rain has fulfilled our immediate requirement and we could finally switch off our tubewells,” said Joginder Singh, a farmer from Mohawa village. The rain also brought respite to residents reeling under hot and humid weather conditions. The maximum temperature in the city dropped to around 30 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, a sharp decline from 37 degrees Celsius recorded just two days earlier. “The weather remained continued on page 2 Harsh Sharma credited his coach with his achievement. VISHAL KUMAR City judoka pockets gold in Asian meet NEWSMAKER OF THE WEEK Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 21 Budding judo player Harsh Sharma, 19, has brought laurels to the city by clinching a bronze medal in the Junior Asian Judo Championship held in Jordan last week. He pocketed the medal during his maiden international appearance after defeating his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Taipei, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. Harsh, at present, is undergoing training at the prestigious Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) in Bengaluru. Before following in his father Pawan Kumar’s footsteps in 2022, Harsh was into wrestling and also participated in a national wrestling championship. Employed with the Punjab Police, Inspector Pawan Kumar, is a veteran judo player who played in over 12 international tournaments. Harsh credited Karamjit Singh with his achievement. He said four years of hard work and eight hours of daily practice under his watchful eyes paid off. Karamjit is a seasoned coach with 30 years of experience. Four of his players have earned laurels internationally for the country.