24082026-JTR-01.qxd 23-08-2026 22:47 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PUNJAB ROADWAYS STAFF TO STAY OFF DUTY ON RAKHI EVE DISPUTES MUST BE SETTLED THROUGH LAW, NOT FORCE TAAPSEE PANNU RETURNS TO ACTION WITH GANDHARI People travelling by government buses on the eve of Raksha Bandhan could face a tough ride. P2 Any attempt to inflict bodily harm on a public figure must be condemned and rule of law must prevail under all circumstances.P3 The actor hopes her latest action outing satisfies fans who have long awaited her return to the genre. P4 » » » FORECAST RAINY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.01 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:59 AM MONDAY | 24 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR Strike over, garbage woes refuse to leave Kapurthala MC officer blames rains | Residents raise concerns over waste management Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 23 While Jalandhar continues to hog the limelight for its civic woes, with garbage spilling onto roads during the recent sanitation workers’ strike, neighbouring Kapurthala, the erstwhile princely city, is facing a similar crisis. Weeks after the strike ended, large heaps of garbage and litter continue to mar several parts of the city, raising concerns among residents over poor waste management. Although a shortage of sanitation staff has been cited as one reason for the delayed lifting of garbage, several other issues are also contributing to the problem. Areas such as Mansoorwal Dona Road, Shalimar Bagh, Amritsar Road, the vicinity of the State Gurdwara, the Municipal Corporation office and the main temple road leading to Brahmkund Mandir, Shani Mandir and Nathan Da Dera continue to witness large, unattended garbage dumps. Residents say the waste remains uncleared for days, creating unhygienic conditions and spoiling the city’s appearance. Senior citizen and resident BN Gupta said, “Kapurthala Woman foils bid to abduct daughter Garbage piles up onto the road at a busy street in Kapurthala. should be renamed ‘ Koorathala’ with the way the garbage problem is being handled. It is difficult to walk on many roads. The city’s heritage charm has been overshadowed by mounting waste. Instead of improving, the situation worsens every year. Residents are suffering because of the ongoing tussle between the Municipal Corporation and sanitation workers.” He added that residents also shared responsibility for Our Correspondent Kapurthala, August 23 Two unidentified men on a motorcycle allegedly tried to abduct a 14-year-old girl while she and her mother, Anita Upadhyay, were returning home late on Saturday night. The woman reportedly resisted the attempt and raised an alarm, prompting the suspects to flee the spot. According to the complaint, the incident occurred near their locality after the woman and her daughter were returning home from a relative’s house. The suspects allegedly approached them on a motorcycle and tried to forcibly take away the girl. However, the mother held on to her daughter and raised an alarm, thwarting the attempt. Residents said the lane has remained poorly lit for several days because of nonfunctional streetlights, raising concerns about night-time security. A complaint has reportedly been submitted to the police, who are investigating the incident and may examine available CCTV footage to identify the suspects. KAPURTHALA, AUGUST 23 One person was killed and three were injured in a headon collision between two motorcycles near Talwandi Kooka Adda on the NadalaBegowal road in Kapurthala late Saturday evening. The deceased has been identified as Jarnail Singh (65), a resident of Talwandi Kooka. According to Amarjit Singh, his uncle Jarnail Singh was travelling towards Nadala on a motorcycle PB09-K-8872 along with his daughter Amanpreet Kaur. When they reached near Tal- HEALTH & WELLNESS have also been demanding additional staff. While there are 98 sanitation workers in Kapurthala, safai sewaks have demanded 450 workers to pick garbage daily. Sources said many permanent safai sewaks have also outsourced their work further to other garbage pickers, even as they draw MC salaries. Gopal Thapar, president of the Safai Sewak Union, Kapurthala, said, “We are severely understaffed. We Man killed, 3 injured as bikes collide head-on in Kapurthala Our Correspondent The Tribune has started 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. the situation. “Earlier, waste was collected door to door by sanitation workers. Now, garbage is often picked up privately or commercially. Even after sanitation workers clear waste from dumping points, many residents, rehri vendors, shopkeepers and even some religious institutions dump fresh waste at the same locations. As a result, the problem reappears throughout the day,” he said. Safai Sewaks in Kapurthala 3 booked for visa fraud Kapurthala, August 23 The police have registered a case against three persons for allegedly taking Rs 15.50 lakh from a Kapurthala resident on the promise of sending his son to Canada, but allegedly failing to honour the agreement and not returning the money. According to a complaint filed by Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Kajli village, the accused have been identified as agent Udit Kumar, Jaswinder Kumar and Jaswinder Singh of Ambala City. The complainant alleged that the accused took Rs 15.50 lakh from him for sending his son Sukhjinder Singh to Canada. Despite the agreement, the accused allegedly failed to send his son abroad and subsequently did not return the money. — OC wandi Kooka Adda, their motorcycle collided head-on with another motorcycle PB21-F-8117, coming from the Nadala side. The second motorcycle was reportedly carrying two youths, identified as Soma and Vansh, both aged between 18 and 20 years and residents of Salempur village in Hoshiarpur district. The impact was so severe that Jarnail Singh died on the spot. His daughter Amanpreet and both riders of the other motorcycle sustained injuries and were shifted to a hospital. Family members of the deceased alleged that the two youths on the other motorcy- cle were under the influence of intoxicants at the time of the accident. The allegation has not been independently confirmed and its veracity will be established only after police investigation. ASI Gurpreet Singh, who is investigating the case, said the injured persons had been admitted to the hospital. The body of the deceased has been kept in the mortuary for the post-mortem examination and will be handed over to the family after the procedure. The police officer said statements of the family members would be recorded and further legal action would be taken accordingly. have neither adequate machinery, nor a properly designated dumping site. The two-kanal dump near Kanjli is already overflowing. JCB machines have to push old waste aside to create space for new garbage and trolleys often cannot enter the site. Without sufficient machinery and manpower, the garbage problem continues to escalate. At least 450 sanitation workers are needed for proper waste collection across the city.” Municipal Commissioner Anupam Kler, however, maintained that the situation was largely under control. “The problem is mainly during the rainy season. At present, waste collection is proceeding smoothly. We recently procured a new tipper to improve garbage collection, and the process to address the shortage of sanitation staff is underway. As far as Shalimar Bagh is concerned, garbage is being regularly cleared and the site is clean. Some issues may have persisted in areas such as Mansoorwal because priority is given to lifting waste from residential localities. The situation is being addressed and all affected sites are being cleared,” he said. 8 booked for ~76.81L plot purchase fraud in Phillaur Our Correspondent Phillaur, August 23 The Phillaur police have registered a case against eight persons following a complaint, alleging that a resident of Phillaur was duped of ~76.81 lakh in connection with a plot transaction. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Rajbir Singh, resident of village Burj Pukhta,near Phillaur. According to the complaint, the persons named as accused are Bhupinder Singh Ginni, resident of New Delhi; Gurcharan Singh, resident of Samana, Manjit Singh Aulakh, resident of New Delhi; Maan Singh, resident of Karnal, Rajni of Panipat, Amarjeet Kaur of Ludhiana; Tarnpal Singh, alias Rimpi; and Mandeep Singh, residents of Jalandhar. The complainant alleged that the accused acted together and showed him a plot which allegedly did not have a genuine or lawful owner, subsequently inducing him to enter into a transaction. He alleged that the entire sequence resulted in him being cheated of ~76,81,000. Following an inquiry into the allegations, the Phillaur police registered a case. No arrest has been made so far. Work on ~8.62 cr road projects to begin next week Around 15 K’thala wards to benefit Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 23 The Municipal Corporation, Kapurthala, has issued a work order worth Rs 8.62 crore for the construction and improvement of roads and streets in various parts of the city. MC Administrator Akash Bansal said an estimate had been prepared under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme for carrying out road and street construction works in different areas of the city. The project has been allotted to the successful bidder and the work is scheduled to commence next week. He said the project would cover road and street construction works in Ward Nos. 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 32 and 34, benefiting residents of these areas with improved road connectivity, smoother movement and better civic infrastructure. He said the project was an important step towards strengthening the city’s basic infrastructure and providing residents with better civic amenities. He said the government was committed to the comprehensive development of urban (A)political run 494 caught sans tickets at rly station, ~4.17L recovered People take part in a marathon organised by AAP in Jalandhar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Seechewal seeks probe into ‘Khan Baba’ network Families allege youths were lured, held captive for extortion Our Correspondent Kapurthala, August 23 Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal has demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged nexus of the “Khan Baba” gang, targeting unemployed and vulnerable youths in Punjab. He said the gang’s role had recently surfaced in a case involving two young men who were allegedly lured with promises of jobs, taken to Thailand, held captive and used to extort ransom from their families. Seechewal met family members who said they had recently fallen victim to the ‘EVERY MOMENT, I FEARED I MIGHT NOT SURVIVE’ INVESTIGATION CAN PROVIDE LEADS Manpreet Singh, who returned to India after allegedly being held captive by the “Khan Baba” gang, became emotional while recounting his ordeal. He said the period he spent in captivity was extremely frightening and he constantly feared for his life. Manpreet said his passport was not returned to him when he was sent back to India. At airports, officials reportedly allowed him to proceed after verifying his photograph on a mobile phone. Meanwhile, Kulraj’s family said their son, whom they described as a victim of torture, remained in police custody in Thailand. The family said those operating behind the scenes continued to play with the lives of youths. MP Balbir Singh Seechewal said the circumstances surrounding Manpreet’s return to India could provide important clues about the extent of the alleged network. He called for the entire process to be thoroughly investigated. Among the questions that need to be answered, he said, are how Manpreet reached an international airport without a passport, who gave him instructions and which individuals or network assisted him during his journey back to India. A detailed investigation into this chain, Seechewal said, could provide crucial leads in uncovering the alleged human trafficking network operating under the name “Khan Baba”. alleged network. He said on July 29, the families of Kulraj Singh of Jalandhar and Manpreet Singh of Kapurthala approached him. According to the families, agents had promised to send the two youths to Spain, but they instead ended up in the alleged custody of the gang. The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of the Ministry of External Affairs. Manpreet returned to India on August 9, while Kulraj’s c m y b family said he was currently in police custody in Thailand. The families alleged that lakhs of rupees were demanded for the youths’ release. Manpreet’s family claimed it paid Rs 22.50 lakh for his return, while Kulraj’s family alleged that after paying Rs 8 lakh, the accused demanded a further Rs 15 lakh. The families also alleged that the youths were tortured and that videos and audio recordings of them were sent areas and strengthening essential infrastructure to improve the quality of life of people. He said special emphasis was being laid on taking up development works in a planned and time-bound manner so that the benefits reach residents at the earliest. He also directed the officials concerned and executing agency to ensure that the construction works are undertaken strictly as per the prescribed specifications. He also directed them to maintain proper supervision at every stage and ensure completion of the project within the stipulated time frame without compromising on quality. He said the timely execution of development works would remain a priority and all officials must avoid unnecessary delays during the construction process. MC Commissioner Anupam Kler said the MC would undertake development projects in a planned and timebound manner with special focus on strengthening basic civic amenities and improving the overall infrastructure of Kapurthala. She said the corporation would ensure proper monitoring of the development works. to their relatives to intimidate them and demand ransom. Seechewal said similar cases involving Iraq, Kenya, Ethiopia and other countries had come to light in the past. He said he had written to the Union Home Minister, Union External Affairs Minister and the Punjab DGP seeking a thorough , investigation into the alleged network and assistance from Interpol. He said investigators should also establish which agencies were allegedly facilitating the movement of young people into such gangs and determine what links, if any, existed between the agents and the alleged network. Seechewal urged people to exercise caution when agents claim that payment would be taken only after they reach a foreign country. He warned that such offers could be a trap. Jalandhar, August 23 As many as 494 passengers were caught travelling without tickets or with irregular tickets during a special checking drive at Jalandhar City railway station, with the Railways recovering around Rs 4.17 lakh in revenue. The drive was conducted by the Ferozepur Division under the Railways’ “Fortress Check” campaign to curb ticketless and irregular travel. The checking was led by Assistant Commercial Manager Raj Kumar, with ticket checking staff and Railway Protection Force personnel conducting checks at the station. Officials also inspected passenger amenities and catering arrangements at the station. — TNS Thieves make off with cash, jewellery Phagwara, August 23 A burglary was reported from Varinder Nagar where unidentified persons allegedly broke the locks of a house and escaped with dollars, a watch, a ring and other valuables. The family has estimated the total loss at around Rs 1.25 lakh. The incident came to light when house owner Parvesh Kumar and his wife returned home after attending to their work at a hospital. They reached the house around 2 pm and found the locks broken and household belongings scattered. Parvesh said $500, a watch, a ring and other valuable articles missing. — OC