28072026-JTR-01.qxd 27-07-2026 22:38 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MINISTER INAUGURATES AAM AADMI CLINIC AT CENTRAL JAIL CLASS XII STUDENT DEVELOPS HEATING SUIT FOR BIKERS JYOTIRMAYEE NAYAK WINS INDIAN IDOL The newly established facility is the 77th Aam Aadmi Clinic in Hoshiarpur district and the 1,090th in Punjab. P2 The suit utilises the heat generated by the motorcycle’s exhaust silencer to keep the rider warm during cold weather.P3 Hailing from Odisha, Jyotirmayee delivered a breathtaking performance on the song Saiyaan O Saiyaan. P4 » » FORECAST CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.26 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:42 AM » TUESDAY | 28 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR Markets, schools shut as bandh cripples life in city Phillaur, Nakodar, Phagwara and Kapurthala also affected Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 27 Normal life remained paralysed as almost all commercial establishments, market places and educational institutions across Jalandhar and Kapurthala remained shut on a call given by the Valmiki community on Monday. Community leaders, including Vipan Sabharwal, had called for the shutdown to protest the alleged lathi charge on safai sewaks by the police in Barnala on July 22. Several private schools, including Cambridge Innovative School, MGN Public School, Seth Hukam Chand School, Innocent Hearts School and Shiv Jyoti Public School, had informed students and parents in advance through mobile applications about the closure. As school transport services remained suspended, a number of other schools also decided to remain closed. Although the bandh was scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm, several grocery shops and departmental stores were opened in the morning but were forced to shut down by 11 am. Youths from the community armed with wooden sticks went across from market to market checking if all shops were shut. They entered the open shops and made the owners pull down shutters. Shops and offices around the bus stand and other commercial hubs also closed during the day. A liquor contractor of the Basti Guzan area also faced the wrath of the protesters. Eventually all markets, Police force deployed during a bandh called by the Valmiki community in Jalandhar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH OWNERS FORCED TO SHUT SHOPS STUDENTS SENT BACK HOME BANDH AGAIN ON JULY 30 Several grocery shops and departmental stores were opened in the morning but were forced to shut down by 11 am. Youths from the community armed with wooden sticks went across from market to market checking if all shops were shut. They entered the shops and made the owners pull down shutters. Some protesters also visited educational institutions that were functioning normally. Classes at a few institutions, including Apeejay School and Apeejay College of Fine Arts, were reportedly called off later in the day. Parents were informed to take their wards home. With bandh call given again for July 30 by some other organisations related to the same incident, city residents will have to brace up for a second bandh this week. Most educational institutes took online classes today and are likely to follow the same mode again on Thursday. including Rainak Bazaar, Sheikhan Bazaar, Atari Bazaar, Phagwara Gate Market, Model Town, Shastri Market, Urban Estate market and Ladowali Road market, were completely shut. Only hospitals and chemist shops were allowed to remain open. Some protesters also visited educational institutions that were functioning normally. Classes at a few institutions, including Apeejay School and Apeejay College of Fine Arts, were reportedly called off later in the day. Parents were informed to take their wards home. While the city roads had normal traffic till 11 am, these got completely deserted by noon as videos of the Valmiki youths forcing shutdown went viral. Almost all intersections in the city, including Valmiki Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, BMC Chowk, BSF Chowk and PAP Chowk, had a heavy posse of police. After 5 pm, several restaurant and cafe owners put out messages on social media that they were open for the evening and had started taking orders. “We had already done some preparation and purchased grocery for the day. Since it is a hot and humid weather and the items are perishable, we decided to open after 5 pm as the bandh call was till that time only”, said a cafe owner of Model Town. With bandh call made again for July 30 by some other organisations related to the same incident, the city residents will have to brace up for a second bandh this week. Most educational institutes took online classes today and are likely to follow the same mode again on Thursday. Phagwara, July 27 The bandh called by various Valmiki community organisations in protest against the alleged police lathicharge on sanitation workers in Barnala witnessed a widespread response across Kapurthala district on Monday. The shutdown had a significant impact in Kapurthala, Phagwara, Nakodar and Phillaur, where most markets remained closed and protest demonstrations were held by members of the Valmiki community. In Kapurthala, the majority of commercial establishments remained shut in support of the bandh, while medical stores and other essential and emergency services continued to function normally to ensure that the public did not face inconvenience. Jyoti Chowk wears a deserted look on Monday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Supporting the statewide bandh, members of the Bhagwan Valmiki Sangharsh Morcha and other Valmiki organisations, led by president Roshan Sabharwal, condemned the Barnala incident. They termed the alleged police action an attack on the dignity of sanitation workers and demanded strict action against the police personnel responsible. Meanwhile, demonstrations, protest marches and dharnas were organised in Phagwara, Nakodar and Phillaur. — OC Valmiki community members during a protest march in Jalandhar on Monday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Model Town construction Two arrested with 1.35 kg heroin in Kapurthala row reaches CM’s office Our Correspondent Parking area outside Shivani Park being ‘encroached’ upon Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 27 Taking strong exception to a construction activity in the parking area adjoining Shivani Park in Model Town here, a city-based environmental activist has lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister, alleging illegal encroachment on public land. Tejasvi Minhas, president of the Punjab Bachao Morcha, has written to the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, the Municipal Commissioner, Jalandhar, the DC and the Commissioner of Police, seeking immediate intervention to halt the alleged unauthorised construction. According to the complaint, unknown persons have excavated a portion of public land outside the park and constructed foundation walls around 2-3 feet high. The site has traditionally served as a public parking area, and any encroachment, Minhas alleged, would further aggravate the parking crunch in Model Town. The complaint noted that Shivani Park already has recently renovated public toilets, raising questions over the need for and legality of the ongoing construction. The complainant requests the MC to immediately stop the construction, verify the ownership and legal status of the land, demolish any unauthorised structure, and initiate legal action against all persons responsible for the encroachment in accordance with the provisions of the Punjab MC Act, 1976, the applicable PHAGWARA , JULY 27 The Kapurthala police arrested two alleged drug peddlers and recovered 1.35 kg of heroin from their possession during a special patrolling and checking operation conducted in the Sheikhupur area of the district. The accused have been identified as Karan Singh, a resident of Nawan Pind Bhathe near Kapurthala, and Sandeep, wife of Randhir Singh, a resident of Lakhan Khole village in Subhanpur, Kapurthala district. According SSP Gaurav Toora , a police party was engaged in routine patrolling, search operations and verification of suspi- cious persons when it received a tip-off. The informer revealed that the two persons were allegedly operating jointly and involved in the illegal trade of supplying heroin in large quantities in different parts of Kapurthala district. Acting promptly on the information, the police intercepted a white car without a registration number. During a thorough search of the vehicle, the police recovered heroin concealed inside the dashboard. The contraband was immediately seized and both were taken into custody. A case under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused, while the car used in the alleged trafficking has also been impounded. Toora said further investigation is in progress to trace the source of the recovered heroin and to identify other persons connected with the alleged drug trafficking network. The police are also examining their to ascertain the extent of their involvement in the narcotics trade. PSPCL strike leaves 49K plaints pending in Doaba Regular staff resume duty after week-long protest | Outsourced, contractual workers stir on Tribune News Service An activist has flagged an alleged illegal construction outside Shivani Park, Jalandhar. Building Bye-Laws, and other relevant laws. Geo-tagged photographs taken at the site on July 24 have also been submitted to the authorities as evidence. The photographs, along with the exact location, have additionally been shared with the Assistant Town Planner and Municipal Town Planner, requesting immediate action before any permanent structure is raised. Minhas has urged the authorities to treat the matter as extremely urgent and ensure that valuable public land meant for the benefit of residents is protected from illegal encroachment. Jalandhar, July 27 Nearly 49,000 power complaints had piled up across PSPCL’s North Zone during the week-long strike by regular employees, who returned to duty on Monday after the government assured them of a time-bound resolution of their long-pending financial demands. According to officials, the backlog had accumulated across Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr as technical staff involved in attending to out- c m y b age-related complaints remained away from work during the protest. As per PSPCL data, Hoshiarpur recorded the highest number of complaints around 19,500, followed by Jalandhar with nearly 17,000. Kapurthala and Nawanshahr recorded around 6,500 and 6,000 complaints. With regular employees returning to duty, officials said efforts had begun to clear the backlog. Gulshan Chutani, Deputy Chief Engineer, Jalandhar Circle, said the situation had improved with the resumption of work by most regular employees. “Most of these complaints have already been resolved, but these are yet to be closed in the system, due to which they are being reflected as pending,” he said. The week-long strike by PSPCL employees was called off early this morning after the government assured them of a time-bound resolution of their long-pending financial demands. Employee representatives said the Finance Minister had assured them that the committee constituted to examine their demands would submit an interim report by July 31 and a final report by August 15. However, the protest by several categories of outsourced and contractual workers continued. Employees working at Nodal Complaint Centres and Suvidha Centres, along with contractual CHB workers, remained on strike. Inderpreet Singh, a local representative of the Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union, which represents CHB workers, said the demands of contractual employees had not been addressed. “The department held a collective meeting with all protesting employees, but the minutes of the meeting only mention the demands of regular employees. Our demands, including the issuance of employee IDs and pending joining letters, have not been considered,” he said. With regular employees back on duty, the PSPCL has started clearing the backlog, while the continuing protest by contractual and outsourced workers remains a challenge for the corporation.