07112024-JTR-01.qxd 11/6/2024 10:42 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune INDUSTRIALISTS SEEK SECURITY AT FOCAL POINT 'GOOD WORK WILL FIND ITS WAY' I AIM TO EVOLVE WITH EVERY SONG, SAYS KARAN AUJLA Have taken serious note of firing at factory of an entrepreneur by gangsters seeking money. P2 Ritvik Sahore, who is seen in Highway Love 2, says it's the storyline that decides which project he chooses. P4 Singer Karan Aujla has given many hip-swaying numbers, making him one of the best Punjabi singers. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.33 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:49 AM THURSDAY | 7 NOVEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF YOUTH RUN OVER BY TRAIN Phagwara: A 25-year-old youth was run over by Vande Bharat train on the PhagwaraJalandhar rail section on Monday. Government Railway Police in-charge Jodh Singh said the deceased was crossing the railway lines. The GRP has registered a case and kept the body in the mortuary for identification. OC MINOR ABDUCTED BY YOUTH Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Urmila Devi of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Phagwara, the police have registered a case against a youth Mohammad Muzim on the charges of abducting her minor daughter on the pretext of marrying her. Neither the accused could be brought behind bars, nor the minor girl traced even after several days of her missing. OC PREGNANT WOMAN HURT IN ATTACK Phagwara: On a complaint by a woman resident of village Uppal Bhooma, the police have registered a case against six youths on the charge of assaulting a pregnant woman with an intent to outrage her modesty and injuring her. The victim along with her husband was returning to her parental house in village Nangal Majja (Phagwara) after taking medical treatment from a hospital when the youths attacked her. The accused Arshad, Parvesh, Angrez and Lucky along with two unknown youths are yet to be arrested. OC PARKED CAR WINDOWS BROKEN Phagwara: A person allegedly under the influence of liquor reportedly broke the windowpanes and damaged a car (PB-36F-9401) in Phagwara last night. Amrik Singh, car owner, said he parked his car before his shop in Gandhi Chowk near the police station. Though the neighbours caught the accused and handed over him to the police, he managed to escape from the police station. Though the neighbours made a video of the whole episode, the police had not registered a case till Tuesday. OC VILLAGER HELD FOR LIQUOR SALE Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit liquor. Davindar Singh said 20 bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused Balwindar Singh of Vehran village. A case under Sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against the accused. oc MAN ATTACKED BY SON-IN-LAW Phagwara: The police have registered a case against a man on the charge of forcibly entering the in-laws' house and attacking his father-in-law. Ramdas of village Bilaspur told the police that on November 1 around 8:30 pm, his son-in-law Balveer Singh of Bajwara entered their house and attacked him with a knife and injured him. When he raised the alarm, the accused ran away. He told the police that his daughter and his brother admitted him to the hospital. Due to their estranged relations, the accused attacked him. oc Woman killed in accident near Devi Talab Mandir Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 6 Days after a man and his son lost their lives in a hit-andrun accident at Model Town here, another fatal accident has occurred near Devi Talab Mandir late last night. A speeding vehicle ran over a woman Riya, while she was crossing the road in front of the temple. Her eight-year-old son, who was with her at the time, miraculously escaped. The incident, captured on CCTV cameras, shows Riya attempting to cross the road to give alms to a beggar after praying outside the temple, which was closed at the time. Riya Riya, a resident of Neelmahal, had been living in a rented house near Gopal Nagar. She had visited the temple with her children and family members to pray for her husband’s well-being on his birthday. Her husband resides in Poland. The accident occurred around 00:40 am when an SUV, coming from the Doaba Chowk side, struck Riya and fled the scene. She died instantly due to the impact. The CCTV footage, now circulating widely, shows the horrifying moment when the vehicle hit her while narrowly missing her young son. SHO Gurmukh Singh of Division Number 8 confirmed that a case has been registered against the unknown driver. “The vehicle bearing registration number 4559, was traced heading towards Tanda Gate. Raids are being conducted to apprehend the driver,” he said. Riya’s body was taken to the Civil Hospital for a postmortem. While the driver remains at large, police officials claimed that they were actively investigating and the accused would be arrested soon. However, the incident has added to growing concerns over reckless driving in the city, particularly in crowded places, where traffic violations are common. Residents have expressed their anger, calling for stricter enforcement of road safety measures and harsher penalties for offenders. The police check drunken driving at a naka in Jalandhar. Cops tighten noose on drunken driving, issue 57 challans Tribune News Service Cong doors closed for MP, son: Bajwa Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, November 6 “Neither will Dr Raj Kumar return to the Congress, nor will his son be inducted into the party. I am saying this as the Leader of the Opposition and as senior member of the party that he will not be taken back into the Congress at any cost. The entire leadership has taken a decision in this regard and the party high command in Delhi has also been spoken to.” Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said this while addressing a public meeting organised in support of Congress candidate Ranjit Kumar in village Bajravar of the Chabbewal assembly constituency. Bajwa said Dr Raj Kumar betrayed the party and cheated the people by distributing fake approval letters, while the AAP government, CM Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal cheated women voters of the state by making a false promise of giving Rs 1,000 per month. They will have to pay the price for this deception, Bajwa said. The Congress veteran said supporters of the AAP candidate were misleading Congress voters by saying that they would return to Congress after six months, but this will not happen at all. Raising the issue of farmers facing problems in mandis on paddy lifting, Bajwa said during the Congress reign, paddy was purchased from October 1 to 31, but under the AAP government, the crop was still lying in the mandis. A cut of Rs 300 per quintal is being imposed on paddy, which is the incompetence of both the states government and the BJP government at the Centre. Jalandhar, November 6 The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police conducted a special night-time operation to tackle drunken driving and public liquor consumption, issuing 57 challans over a three-day period. The drive, which took place from November 3 to November 5, aimed to enhance public safety and curb illegal activities near liquor outlets. The operation was supervised by ACP North Jaland, har, and covered areas under Police Station Division No 8 and Division No 2. Upset farmers fearful of sowing paddy next year Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 6 There has been a tardy procurement and lifting in the mandis. Even the scenario in the mandis is same, the situation has made farmers fearful of sowing paddy next year. Shekein village farmer Amritpal Singh said he had already started worrying about what will happen next year. “It is so painful this time. My paddy is still lying in mandis. This was the only crop that made us a little relaxed, but now things have changed,” he said. Another farmer from Nakodar said the governments had shaken their belief from paddy also. “Eda sahara si saanu, hor ki laiye hun”, a frustrated farmer said. Farmer Tarsem Singh from Ucha village said his produce was lying in the open in the nearby mandi. “The situation has not improved. It is still grave,” he said. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Doaba) president Manjit Rai made an appeal to farmers that they must record and click the picture of the slip that was given to them. “We have been hearing that farmers are facing several issues. This will not be acceptable and we will ensure that farmers are given the actual price of their crop,” he said. He further added that farmers would hold a dharna if the government does not listen to them. Bhogpur village farmer Hardev Singh also said it was a negative environment for the farmers where they (grow- ers) and their produce were not being respected. “In all these years, we have never faced such scenario. We are being asked to sell our produce with some cuts. Some farmers are agreeing to do this because there is no option or choice left for us,” he added. Frustrated farmers said the festive season also went in tension and now nothing was positive for them. DC Dr Himanshu Aggarwal on Tuesday said the district administration was according top priority to lifting of paddy in grain markets with lifting of 32,629 MT crop in a single day. Reviewing the paddy procurement arrangements, the DC said so far a total of 2,69,520 MT crop has been lifted by the procurement agencies. The drive, carried out between 8pm and 11pm each night, involved teams from the respective police stations, supported by Emergency Response Support (ERS) units. The primary focus of the operation was to prevent the consumption of liquor inside vehicles and outside designated areas, ensuring law and order in the vicinity of wine shops and ahatas. During the operation, 125 vehicles were checked. Breath analysers were used to identify alcohol consumption among suspected drivers. As a result, the police issued 57 challans for various offenses. These included 18 for drunken driving, 10 for two-wheelers without proper number plates, 13 for not wearing helmets and nine for triple riding on motorcycles. Furthermore, seven vehicles were impounded due to a lack of proper documentation. The Commissionerate Police Jalandhar stated that this special drive was part of their ongoing efforts to deter illegal activities and promote road safety. By intensifying checks around wine shops and addressing traffic violations, the police aim to create a safer environment for the residents of Jalandhar. DC: Complete work on Burlton Park by Jan Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 6 Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal has directed the Jalandhar MC, PWD and the Horticulture Department to carry out development work to evolve Burlton Park as a sports hub. He issued directions to complete the construction of pavilion, locker rooms, changing rooms and washrooms at cricket stadium by January 2025. During a site visit on Monday, accompanied by Municipal Commissioner Gautam Jain, Dr Aggarwal reviewed the ongoing Rs 65 lakh development project and instructed the contractor to meet the deadline, stressing that any delays would be unaccept- able. He said he would closely monitor the project’s progress on a daily basis. Dr Aggarwal also instructed the MC to draft a proposal for floodlights at the practice nets, enabling players to train at night. He said the lights would help players to train for a longer period. Talking to female cricketers, he encouraged them to work hard and aspire to represent the nation. During his inspection, Dr Aggarwal noticed a garbage dump near the stadium and instructed the MC to clear it immediately. He also issued directives to maintain cleanliness, manage greenery, remove overgrown bushes, install proper lighting, maintain roads and complete boundary walls within the park. 75 farm fires against 666 last year, yet city air quality worse this time Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 6 Even though the number of farm fires in Jalandhar this year is eight times lesser than last year, the pollution in the district has been consistently much worse. Now, the question arises whether the stubble incidents are the only key culprits behind the ever-worsening AQI in the district. On November 6 again, Jalandhar had very poor levels of AQI - a maximum of 315 (very poor) and average of 168 - with 8 farm fires being recorded. On November 4 too, Jalandhar had very poor levels of AQI - a maximum of 373 (very poor) and average of 203 (poor) - despite the fact that no farm fire was recorded that day. Until November 5 last 7-DAY COMPARISON OF AQI IN JALANDHAR Date Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 4 Avg 147 122 182 186 151 220 273 - 2023 Max 234 271 287 303 266 458 359 - year, 666 cases had been recorded in Jalandhar last year, while until November 6 this year, a mere 75 farm fires had been recorded. Despite this, Jalandhar AQI has gone from bad to worse, especially with the peak air pollution beginning on Diwali. November 2 was the most polluted day on both years 2024 Avg 198 102 112 237 211 275 169 203 Max 315 167 188 500 482 500 354 373 Farm Fires 3 5 0 7 15 8 4 0 with the maximum AQI touching 458 on November 2 in 2023 and the maximum of 500 this year. However, both average and maximum AQI in Jalandhar this year has been consistently worse as compared to last year. This year the maximum AQI reported in Jalandhar was on October 31 (Diwali) c m y b and November 2 - 500 maximum AQI on both days. Last year in the corresponding period, the maximum AQI was 458 on November 2. What is most baffling is that if stubble fires are the prime cause of the pollution, then last year should have been more polluted, which is not the case. When questioned on the high level of pollution in the district despite lesser stubble fires this year, Environmental Engineer, Jalandhar, Sandeep Kumar said, “There was rain these days last year due to which the pollution levels were reduced. Also, much of the smog in the district is due to stubble fires from the neighbouring districts of Kapurthala, Amritsar and Tarn Taran.” Ram Teerath, a Nakodar resident, who complained of breathing difficulties, undergoes treatment at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar.