02112026-ATR-01.qxd 01-11-2026 22:40 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY KAPURTHALA FARMER, SON CHART SUCCESS STORY EARMARK VENDING ZONES TO EASE CHAOS, SAY LOCALS A LOOK AT SHAH RUKH KHAN’S JOURNEY AS THE STAR TURNS 61 Paramjit Singh of Kapurthala, along with his son, look beyond conventional farming and take to seed production.P2 Measures prioritising pedestrian safety, keeping footpaths free of goods a must, say residents. P3 MAX 28°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C Celebrities share the life lessons they draw from Shah Rukh Khan and their favourite films of the superstar. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.34 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:39 AM » MONDAY | 2 NOVEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Road choked, diversion route damaged; long traffic jams get on motorists’ nerves Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service The damaged auto in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR 22-yr-old woman killed, 2 hurt as car hits auto on GT Road Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 1 A 22-year-old woman was killed and two others seriously injured after a speeding Innova rammed into an auto from the rear near Taranwala Bridge on GT Road late on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Preet Kaur (22), a resident of Maqboolpura. Such was the impact of the collision that the auto split into two. Amandeep Kaur, SHO, Maqboolpura police station, said around 12 persons were in the auto. They were returning home after offering prayers at Rajewal Church when the speeding Inno- FARMER CRUSHED UNDER TRACTOR ■ Afarmer was allegedly crushed to death under a tractor following a dispute over four kanals of land at Kotli Khaira village on Saturday night. ■ The deceased, identified as Harpal Singh, was embroiled in a land dispute with some villagers. ■ The police have registered a murder case against three brothers — Vikram Singh, Kashmiri Singh and Manga Singh — and Surjit Singh, all residents of same village. ■ The accused were on the run and efforts on to trace them, the police said. va hit the auto round 12.30 am. Preet Kaur died on the spot, while two other occupants suffered serious injuries. They were rushedtoanearbyhospital,where they are undergoing treatment. After the accident, the Innova driver allegedly tried to flee, but was caught after a chase. The police reached the scene, took the driver into custody and shifted the victim’s body for autopsy. The driver is suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. His medical examination was conducted and the police are awaiting report. Amritsar, November 1 Long traffic jams on the GT Road near New Amritsar have become a routine affair. Locals say the inconvenience is due to the poor condition of an alternative road being used to divert traffic amid the construction of a bridge outside the New Amritsar residential colony. Traffic is diverted from the service lane to an alternative stretch to facilitate the ongoing bridge construction work. However, the damaged diversion road remains choked during peak hours. The problem has entered the residential colony in New Amritsar too, with commuters usinginternalroadsandstreetsto avoid getting stuck in long jams. This causes inconvenience to residents, who now have to deal with vehicles passing through their neighbourhood. Unauthorised roadside vendors and food eateries near the New Amritsar gate further aggravate the situation. Vehicles often enter the market from the wrong side, disrupting the vehicular movement. In the evening, those visiting these eateries Remembering bravehearts Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on GT Road near New Amritsar. UNAUTHORISED ROADSIDE VENDORS ADD TO CONGESTION ■ Traffic is diverted from the service lane to an alternative stretch to facilitate the ongoing bridge construction work. ■ However, the damaged diversion road remains choked during peak hours. ■ The problem has entered the residential colony in New Amritsar park vehicles on the road, leaving almost no space for the traffic to pass. Residents and commuters now want the roadside market shifted and the area cleared of encroachments. They said the damaged diversion road should be repaired and traffic managed in a better way. Ranjit Singh, a daily commuter, said he had to take the route to reach his office and frequently encountered traffic jams during the morn- too, with commuters using internal roads and streets to avoid getting stuck in long jams. ■ Unauthorised roadside vendors further aggravate the situation. ■Residents and commuters now want the roadside market shifted. ing hours. He said the situation had become troublesome for regular commuters. Raman Kumar, another commuter, said the problem worsened in the evening as people visiting the roadside eateries parked their vehi- cles on the road, which often brought traffic to a standstill. He urged the Municipal Corporation to immediately remove the roadside vendors and clear the passage to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement. Say yes to sports, no to drugs: Playgrounds to come up in place of hotspots, say police Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service The Punjab Police SWAT team organised a mini-marathon, ‘Run for Martyrs, Run for Unity’, from the Police Lines in Amritsar on Sunday. The event was held to pay tributes to those who died in the line of duty. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, November 1 To incline youngsters towards sporting activities, the Amritsar Police, the district administration and civic authorities have joined hands to keep the former off substance abuse. Under the initiative, all places, identified as drug hotspots, will be turned into playgrounds. The objective is to improve the living conditions in vulnerable localities by providing basic sports infrastructure and addressing civic issues faced by residents. Vacant spaces are being cleaned up and made suitable for sporting activities. Equipment, including volleyball nets and other sports material, is being provided to A JCB levels a vacant plot, where a playground is to come up. encourage children and youngsters to take up outdoor games and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said the fight against drugs required a comprehensive approach involving enforcement as well as public participation. “Merely taking action against drug peddlers is not enough. We also need to create a positive environment for youngsters and provide them opportunities to engage in constructive activities. Sports can play an important role in keeping them away from drugs,” he said. DCP Jaskiran Singh Teja said the police were also reaching out to locals to identify problems affecting their respective neighbourhoods. “During an interaction with the residents, we are identifying vacant spaces that can be developed into playgrounds. Our endeavour is to provide basic sports facilities so that children and youngsters can utilise their time in healthy and productive activities,” he said. The initiative seeks to combine policing with community engagement and neighbourhood development. By improving basic facilities and creating recreational spaces, the authorities hope to build public trust and encourage greater participation in the anti-drug campaign. High-decibel firecrackers reach 5 kg heroin seized, Scars of ’84 riots still fresh, justice markets; experts raise concern two held; probe on yet to be delivered: SGPC chief Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 1 It’s Diwali time and the noise pollution is on the higher side as always. One can see variedintensity firecrackers in the market. Although the authorities concerned have cracked down on some illegal cracker manufacturing units, a large number are yet to catch the eye of the former. A firecracker (atom bomb) generates loud impulse noise ranging from 136 decibel to 130 decibel, depending on the distance from which it is being burst. Triple shot and parrot bomb are of 100 decibel. Firecrackers made by untrained artisans using poor quality material exceed the permissible decibel limit. At times, these cause dis- Crackers beyond 85 dB harmful, say experts comfort and permanent hearing damage. An environmental activist, PS Bhatty, said high-intensity firecrackers were being sold in the market. “These can be harmful for children as they burst firecrackers at close range,” he added. Officials of the Punjab Pol- lution Control Board (PPCB) stated that the maximum allowed intensity of a firecracker was 135 decibel. However, the fact that many crackers exceed this limit can’t be denied. Even worse is that these are available in the market, flouting the norms. Medical experts say firecrackers beyond 85 decibel are harmful, but the PPCB officials believe that the permissible decibel limit is 135. Amritpal Singh Chahal, environmental engineer, PPCB, said the board did not have any power to constitute teams to randomly check cracker stalls in various markets. Also, there was no such directive. He shared that they had been asked to monitor noise pollution a day before Diwali, on the festival and the day after. Tribune News Service Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 1 The Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) wing claimed to have busted a narcotics smuggling module with the arrest of two persons and the recovery of 5 kg of heroin near the Mudhal bypass on the Amritsar-Batala road. The accused have been identified as Mahinder Singh and Kulwant Singh, both residents of Mustafabad in Amritsar. Acting on specific intelligence that the duo had recently procured a large consignment of heroin and was heading towards the Amritsar-Batala road to deliver it to another party, a CI Amritsar team laid a trap and arrested them, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. During search, the police recovered 5 kg of heroin from c m y b Duo was on way to deliver consignment their possession. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were allegedly procuring heroin consignments from unidentified associates and supplying them to other parties in Punjab. The DGP said further investigation was underway to establish the complete forward and backward linkages in the case and identify other persons involved. “The probe aims at dismantling the wider narcotics smuggling module,” he said. Amritsar, November 1 Terming the November 1984 anti-Sikh massacre a blot on the world’s largest democracy, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the wounds of the victims and their families remained unhealed even after more than four decades. In a statement issued on the eve of the anniversary of the massacre, Dhami paid tribute to the Sikhs, including men, women and children, who were killed in Delhi and other parts of the country during the violence. He alleged that the massacre was carried out with the patronage of the then Congress government and that Sikhs were subjected to inhuman atrocities for nearly a SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said instead of ensuring justice, the Congress had repeatedly shielded leaders facing allegations. week beginning November 1, 1984. Dhami said those responsible for the killings should have been punished under the law. However, instead of ensuring justice, the Congress had repeatedly shielded leaders facing allegations in connection with the violence and rewarded them with prominent political positions, he alleged. He said the Sikh community had made immense sacrifices for the country’s free- dom, but had repeatedly faced injustice. The arrival of November brought back painful memories for the victim families and the Sikh community, he added. Calling for concrete steps by governments to ensure justice and punishment for those responsible, Dhami said the struggle was not merely about the affected families, but also about human rights, democratic values and public faith in the justice system. He said the Sikh community would never forget the painful events of 1984. As part of the annual remembrance, an Akhand Path would be held at the Golden Temple complex, with its bhog and a prayer in memory of the victims scheduled for November 2.