27092026-ATR-01.qxd 9/26/2026 10:18 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY FAIR FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS BEGINS TRAVEL DIARIES: NEVER SAY NO, NOT AT 60 OR 90 TRAVEL, CREATE MEMORIES AS THAT’S WHAT STAYS WITH YOU The Punjab Sakhi Shakti Mela, a women-only entrepreneurship fair, begins in Amritsar. P2 In her 60s, an age when most people slow down, the late Ann Mukerjee packed her bags to travel across Ladakh. P3 On World Tourism Day, we asked six celebrities what makes a place worth remembering. P4 » » MAX 31°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.17 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:18 AM » SUNDAY | 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR In Case of An EMERGENCY We are READY FOR YOU! 24*7 Emergency Ready Hospital 9915133330 Missed property assessment deals revenue blow to strained civic body Police comb Angarh, Mule Chak in early morning drive Charanjit Singh Teja Amritsar, September 26 Tightening the noose around street drug peddlers and criminal elements, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police conducted a cordon and search operation (CASO) in several areas of the city in the wee hours on Saturday. Around 150 police personnel were deployed to check hideouts of suspected drug peddlers, anti-social elements and other persons allegedly involved in illegal activities. House were also searched during the drive. Jugraj Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), said the operation was carried out in areas falling under the Central Subdivision, including Angarh, Mule Chak and Fakir Singh Colony. The DCP said action under the NDPS Act and Excise Act was initiated. “Such operations aim at checkingdrug trafficking, drug distribution and other illegal activities in the city and similar operations will continue in future too,” he said, urging residents to share information about suspicious activities in their respective areas with the police. The police took preventive action against six persons apart from registering an NDPS Act case and two cases under the Excise Act. Nine vehicles were also impounded. Scan the QR code to download the MyFortis app Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 In a revenue setback to the civic body, the property tax collection has seen a decline by Rs 2.21 crore. As per data procured by the civic body, the last year’s collection was Rs 23.81 crore, with as many as 1.06 lakh property owners filing the property tax returns by September 25, while this year, only 62,245 have filed their returns and the tax collection stands at Rs 21.60 crore. Civic officials attribute the decline primarily to the nonimplementation of the onetime settlement (OTS) scheme this year. This stopped those with dues from coming forward to clear the outstanding amount, they said. The civic body, however, is offering a 10 per cent rebate on property tax payments made till September 30. On the decline, officials of the property tax wing said as a majority of the employees were busy with the SIR and Census duty, the exercise involving property tax assessment and recovery could not be carried out. The North Zone recorded the lowest property tax collection among the five zones. Meanwhile, 2,153 new As per officials of the property tax wing, most employees remained busy with the SIR, which is why tax assessment could not be done. VISHAL KUMAR properties have been brought under the property tax net since April 1, with 634 — the highest — being registered in the West Zone. Property tax is one of the major sources of revenue for the civic body. The decline in collection comes at a time when the MC is already facing financial pressure, with a GRAPH GOING DOWNWARDS ■ As per data, the last year’s property tax collection was ~23.81 crore, with as many as 1.06 lakh property owners filing returns. ■ This year, only 62,245 filed their property tax returns, with the tax collection this year being pegged at ~21.60 crore. growing salary burden and pending payments to contractors. The officials said with the September-30 deadline for availing the 10 per cent 13-year-old boy goes missing Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 After a 13-year-old boy went missing two days ago, the Kamboh police have registered a kidnapping case. The boy has been identified as Vivek Tiwari, a resident of Thakur Ji Estate located on the Fatehgarh-Churian Stepped out to buy milk around 2.30 pm, sister tells parents Road, Nangali. His father Bharat Tiwari told the police that he, along with his wife Uma Tiwari, was away to work, while his daughter Kajal and two sons Ajay and Vivek were home. When they got back home in the evening, Kajal told them that Vivek stepped out to buy milk at 2.30 pm and had not since returned, following which, the family approached police. The police said efforts were on to trace the missing boy. rebate nearing, around 800 property tax returns were being received every day. Suggesting that the MC needs to strengthen its field-level assess- ment,particularlythatofcommercial properties, experts say officials should ensure that no floor of a multi-storeyed building is left outside the tax net. “Also, the body needs to verify whether rented properties are being incorrectly declared as self-occupied to reduce the tax liability,” they added. Tribune News Service Officials inspect a unit dealing in fertilisers in Amritsar. Plaints over fertiliser shortage prompt inspection, action Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 Officials of the Agriculture Department conducted surprise checks at units dealing in fertilisers across the district. Following complaints regarding unavailability of fertilisers, the Deputy Commissioner, under the supervision of Chief Agriculture Officer Amarjit Singh Dosanjh, instructed officials concerned to inspect the units. Warning dealers of strict legal action if found indulging in black marketing, hoarding, sale without bills or forced tagging of other products, the officials told the former to update their stock boards daily and prominently display the availability of various fertilisers. Dosanjh directed the dealers to issue proper bills for every agricultural input sold to farmers and supply only the material required by ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans scribbled on walls Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 Ahead of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s visit to Amritsar, unknown miscreants wrote “Khalistan Zindabad” slogans on walls along the Bhandari bridge and near the railway station. Swinging into action, the police got the walls painted in black and started a probe. Later, banned organisation SFJ claimed responsibility for the act. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also shared the video of the same on his X account, raising questions over prevailing law and order in Punjab. The incident occurred late on Saturday night. The slogans were noticed by the police in the morning. CCTV grabs are being scanned. The police are also likely to register a case against unidentified persons after establishing their identity and determining the circumstances in which the slogans were written. The incident has raised security concerns in the busy city area. The incident comes at a time when the Opposition is already targeting the ruling dispensation on the deteriorating law and order situation in the wake of targeted attacks on cops and repeated firing instances. Looking at city from a traveller’s perspective on World Tourism Day Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 26 Amritsar is on the bucket list of almost every traveller. Be it the Golden Temple, food, hospitality or the city’s layered history, the deeper you dig, the more you want to explore. Offering a rare rural-urban connect close to the International Border, Amritsar is a city where faith, history, heritage, food and culture come together. Its story stretches from the Sikh Empire and the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the colonial period, the freedom struggle and the trauma of Partition. Yet, much of this rich tourism potential remains underdeveloped. Stakeholders from Amritsar’s tourism and hospitality industry have long been seeking a policy based blueprint on expanding and building on its potential multi-day interna- tional destination on the lines of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. A concrete tourism strategy linking tourism with jobs and economic sustainability has remained elusive for years now. “With the Golden Temple being the centerpiece, visitors can also explore the historic old city, heritage buildings, traditional bazaars and religious sites,” said Gurinder Singh Johal, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators, in Amritsar. “Jallianwala Bagh and the Partition Museum offer powerful windows into India’s modern history, while the city’s food culture provides another unique attraction. Amritsari kulcha, lassi, chole and other Punjabi delicacies have already become famous far beyond Punjab. With organised food walks, culinary experiences and traditional cooking Tourists during a heritage walk in Amritsar. Tour operators have been calling for a policy linking tourism with economic sustainability. programmes, food itself could become an important part of the city’s tourism product. The problem is that tourism should be planned around circuits and experiences rather c m y b than individual monuments,” Johal, said. He has been curating heritage tours in city for international travellers. “Villages around Amritsar can introduce visitors to a very different Punjab — its farms, traditional homes, local cuisine, handicrafts, festivals and rural life. A visitor could begin the morning at the Golden Temple and spend the afternoon experiencing the village life,” he added. “Such experiences will not only enrich a tourist’s journey, but also supplement income of farmers, artisans, guides and small entrepreneurs. International tourists increasingly seek experiences rather than merely sightseeing. They want history, culture, food, authenticity, local interaction and stories. Amritsar possesses all of these,” shares Gagandeep Khairah, who runs farm stays. “What is needed is a sustained tourism strategy. The success of tourism should be measured by the opportunities it creates for locals,” he added. them. He said they won’t be allowed to force farmers to purchase unnecessary products along with fertilisers. The dealers were also instructed to regularly update fertiliser stocks recorded on their point-of-sale (POS) machines and ensure that the digital records matched the physical stock. The department said the measure aimed at ensuring the smooth availability of urea and other fertilisers to farmers. All block agriculture officers in the district have been directed to monitor fertiliser availability in their respective areas and ensure that farmers receive fertilisers at government-prescribed controlled rates without any tagging of additional products. The Chief Agriculture Officer appealed to farmers to insist on getting a proper bill while purchasing fertilisers, Continued on page 2 Doburji attack: Nine booked after backlash Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, September 26 Following massive backlash over the Doburji incident, the police have booked nine persons. On September 18, five members of a family were attacked at their residence. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal too had highlighted the matter on his X account. Accused severed a victim’s hand and injured four others The accused have been identified as Vijay Kumar, Aganpreet Singh, Narinder Singh, Sunny, Gurinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Indira, Harjinder Kaur and Rinku. One of the victims, Rajdeep Singh, told the police that around 7 pm, when the family was having dinner together, the accused barged in, severing his father’s arm and injuring him, his mother, brother and sister. They also took away cash and other valuables from the house, he stated in his complaint. ASI Gurbhej Singh said a case under Sections 115 (2), 118 (1), 118 (2), 190, 191 (3) and 351 (2) of the BNS had been registered against the accused.