14112024-ATR-01.qxd 11/13/2024 11:24 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST FOG IN MORNING HUNDREDS JOIN NAGAR KIRTANS AHEAD OF GURPURB CAMPAIGN TO RECONNECT PEOPLE WITH NATURE RASHMIKA REVEALS DETAILS ABOUT PUSHPA: THE RULE Hundreds of devotees, including students, participated in Nagar Kirtans organised in Malerkotla. P3 Tulsi Vivah has been chosen as a tool to raise awareness about the importance of planting trees, plants at home. P3 Actress Rashmika Mandanna has promised that Pushpa: The Rule is going to be an exciting ride. P4 » » MAX 26°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.31 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.58 AM » THURSDAY | 14 NOVEMBER 2024 | AMRITSAR 6.5-kg heroin seized in Gurdaspur, Amritsar areas Amid poor infra, risk of accidents due to fog in rural areas increases Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 13 Acting on reliable information of the BSF intelligence wing, vigilant BSF troops seized a total of six packets of suspected heroin at two different places from the border area of Gurdaspur district and Amritsar (Rural). In the first instance, two large packets of suspected heroin (4.450 kg) were recovered at about 11.30 am and 02.15 pm by BSF troops from a farming field at Agwan village in Gurdaspur district. These heroin packets were found wrapped with yellow adhesive tape and a metallic ring along with illumination strips attached to each. The recovered consignment is presumed to be dropped by a medium-sized drone seized by BSF troops yesterday in the same area. In another incident, four packets of suspected heroin (2.050 kg) were seized by BSF troops at about 02.40 pm from a farming field adjacent to Ghonewal village in Amritsar (Rural) district. These redcoloured poly packets, secured with yellow adhesive tape, were found concealed in a blue colour packing bag. Meeting regarding fog was chaired by DC Sakshi Sawhney PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service A layer of smog hangs over the railway station in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 13 With dense fog engulfing the region, especially rural areas, commuting was a difficult task due to low visibility here on Wednesday. Fog started disappearing from city areas after 10 pm, but it stayed in rural areas till around afternoon causing inconvenience to drivers. Residents are happy that temperature has started to decrease and fog has increased cold. At the same time, it has also raised concerns about road accidents as most of the roads in rural areas are not convenient for driving during fog as white markings on both sides and warning signs are missing. The prevailing foggy condi- 29-year-old sustains bullet injury, serious Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 13 A woman, Varsha Rani (29), suffered a gunshot injury under mysterious circumstances on the Tarn Taran road falling under Division B police station area here on late Tuesday evening. The girl works in a private office near Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh. She was rushed to a hospital where her condition is stated to be serious. The police claimed that the girl shot herself in a suicide bid, but the family members alleged that she was shot at by a youth working in her office. The police have recovered the pistol and a probe was on. The police were yet to register an FIR in this regard as statements of the victim’s family were still to be recorded. Harinder Singh, SHO, Division B police station, said they were working on both theories of suicide bid and murder attempt. Varsha Rani, a resident of Bhai Manjh Singh Road, was employed at a private office near Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Gurdwara. His father Ashwani Kumar was a junk dealer. Saurabh, brother of the victim, said she has been working in the office for the past four years. He continued on page 2 lacking in most safety features. The residents also complained that many vehicles do not have proper lights which makes it difficult to spot them during fog. “Fog lights should be mandatory for all vehicles. Further there should be warning signs to guide drivers about turns and twists in road as it is difficult see,” said Jatinder Singh a resident. As people who need to travel long distance for work are worried, here is an advice from a veteran roadways driver Sukjinder Singh. Singh said, “One should avoid loud music during fog and should use his ears to listen to the sound of vehicles coming from opposite sides. Moreover music distracts one’s mind from road.” Nine arrested with 10 stolen motorcycles from Patti ADA demolishes illegal building Man stabs couple over petty dispute Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 13 The Patti (City) police have arrested nine persons and recovered 10 stolen twowheelers — five motorcycles and five mopeds. Among the nine persons, two are vehicle lifters and the other seven, including a woman, are purchasers of stolen vehicles. SP (Investigation) Ajayraj Singh said here on Wednesday that all the accused are residents of Patti town from different wards. The SP said Uday Singh and Sajanpreet Singh are vehicle lifters who used to steal vehicles from busy areas of Amritsar. They continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Members of the Amritsar Vikas Manch stand near the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Ram Bagh garden in Amritsar. take Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy in every district by organising awareness campaigns throughout Punjab. Gagandeep Singh Virk, Amritsar convener of INTACH, said they got to play a major role in saving this vanishing building related to the rich heritage of the state. He said the best way to save these heritage buildings is to turn these spots Amritsar, November 13 Expressing concern over the sharp rise in the number of road mishaps, officials attending the road safety meeting held here on Wednesday laid stress on identifying black spots and accident-prone areas in order to check rising road accidents and fatalities due to fog. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and MC Commissioner Gupreet Singh Aulakh also attended the meeting. Desraj, Joint Director of the Traffic Cell, Punjab Police, said as many as 6,289 road accidents were reported from across the state in 2023, in which 4,829 people lost their lives and 2,318 were seriously injured. “Unfortunately, 70 per cent of the victims were between 18 and 45 years,” he said. “In order to reduce road accidents in the city, there is also a need to identify accident-prone areas and reasons behind the same,” he added. He laid emphasis on the need to mark the Zebra cross- tions have worried commuters, especially those who need to travel by road to reach their workplaces and home. With the visibility dropping to less than few metres on Thursday, fog has not only increased travel time but also the chances of accidents as most of the roads do not have white markings and other warning signs to guide and alert drivers. The chances of accidents are further increased by not turning on the front and rear lights of vehicles. Besides, fog lights are also required to warn other vehicles coming from the opposite side, but these have not been installed on most of the vehicles. Then come ‘jugaad’ vehicles like ‘gharukas’ or rhehris made by using the front half of bikes which are into tourist places. On the occasion, a booklet prepared by Amritsar INTACH containing the writings of history writers and journalists Surinder Kochhar and Inderjit Singh Harpura, was also presented to the public. Meanwhile, the Amritsar Vikas Manch also celebrated his birth anniversary and gathered near the statue of Mahara- Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney during a meeting with Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar (right) and an MC official in Amritsar on Wednesday. ings and ensure strict compliance of traffic norms. With dense fog engulfing the region for the past few days and severely affecting visibility and raising the chances of road mishaps, DC Sakshi Sawhney directed the MC officials to replace the damaged street lights on the roads in the city and install maximum reflectors. She said speed-breakers should also be constructed in the city as required. She directed the MC to create more parking spaces for local residents. The DC asked officials of the NHAI, the Public Works Department, the Mandi Board and the civic body to ensure adequate arrangements on roads in view of bad weather conditions. She appealed to the Commissioner of Police to streamline the autos and e-rickshaws plying in the city so that the normal traffic is not disrupted. Bhullar said around 299 traffic personnel have been deputed to control traffic rush. He said since January 1 this year, 43,639 challans have been issued by the traffic police. He appealed to the residents of the city to cooperate with the police. He asked them to mind the road clearance while parking their vehicles and drive slowly in the city. “At present, we have opened the lane earmarked for the BRTS project for two wheelers and emergency vehicles. MC Commissioner Aulakh said currently, 1,874 CCTV cameras are working and 85 thousand lights have been installed in the city and a report has also been sought to increase them as per requirement. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 13 The regulatory wing of the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) demolished an under-construction illegal building in Metro City colony near Kale Ghanupur village here on Wednesday. District Town Planner (Regulatory) Gursevak Singh Aulakh said the owners of the building could not produce the no-objection certificate (NOC) and the building map. Aulakh said they had received several complaints from residents of the locality that builders are constructing buildings by altering the boundary of the plots. An ADA official stated that the building owners were sent several notices but they failed to respond. He said residents are required to get permission from the ADA Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s birth anniv celebrated Amritsar, November 13 The Amritsar Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Punjab, celebrated the 244th birth anniversary of the legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Dinanagar Baradri. The organization with the support of heritage-related institutions organized a function at Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Summer Palace, a heritage site, at Dina Nagar where a special memorial service was also held. An essay competitions were organised in various schools across the city. Before the start of the event, students of the school cleaned the Baradri campus. After this, beautiful pandals were decorated on the Baradri campus. Speaking on the occasion, Major General Balwinder Singh, Punjab convener, said INTACH was contemplating to Officials for identifying black spots to check mishaps in city ja Ranjit Singh situated at the historical Ram Bagh garden. The organisation members expressed their dismay over the current dismal conditions at the historic garden. Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, Manmohan Singh Brar and Hardip Singh Chahal, all patrons of the organization, said the floor of the platform on which the staute stands has been broken. The tiles of the platform have come off. The statue may fall and collapse anytime. The custodian of the Ram Bagh has turned a blind eye towards the maintenance of the historic garden. Insiders say that most of the gardeners employed for the maintenance of the garden are deputed with the officers, a big concern to be addressed. AVM members paid rich tributes to the legendary Sher-ePunjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh and demanded from the MC Commissioner to restore the glory of the Ram Bagh. c m y b Tribune News Service An illegal building being demolished by the Amritsar Development Authority near Kale Ghanupur in Amritsar on Wednesday. before starting any construction. He said action is also being taken against other illegal buildings and no one would be spared. The official added that illegal constructions not only cause problems to residents, but violate the law. Amritsar, November 13 A man stabbed his neighbour multiple times over an old dispute in Partap Nagar area falling under the Division B police station here on Tuesday. The accused fled the scene when people started gathering at the spot while the victim was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital for treatment. A CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media following which the police swung into action and registered an FIR against the accused, identified as Hardeep Singh. The victims were identified as Manwinder Singh and his wife Arvinder Kaur, who also sustained injuries when he tried to save her husband. Harinder Singh, SHO, Division B police station, said a case has been registered and efforts were on to nab Hardeep Singh who is absconding. Arwinder Kaur told the police that her husband ran an embroidery shop in Atta Mandi area. She said Hardeep, her neighbour, had a quarrel with her husband in the street over a petty issue. She said yesterday her husband was going to work when the accused came in front of him and stabbed him repeatedly. She said when she tried to save her husband, Hardeep attacked her also. GURU NANAK DEV’S 555TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY Denial of visas by Pak to Sikh pilgrims willing to visit Nankana Sahib resented GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 13 A large number of Indian pilgrims who wanted to visit the Janam Asthan, Sri Nankana Sahib, to celebrate the upcoming 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev were a dejected lot as the Pakistan authorities denied them visas. The occasion falls on November 15 and is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the world at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the Sikhism’s founder. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has expressed resentment over the ‘mass denial’ of visas to pilgrims. The SGPC had sent applications of 2,244 pilgrims for visa to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, out of which 1,481 pilgrims were not granted visas. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it was for the first that such a large number of SGPC-sponsored devotees were denied visas. “The Pakistan government has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community this time without citing any reasons. Even the quota of SGPC’s share was overlooked. We have decided to send a delegation to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to take up the visarelated issues and the criteria of rejection. There has to be clarity on it so that things could be streamlined beforehand,” he said. On the other hand, a post shared by the Pakistan High Commission on X reads, “The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 3,000 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from November 1423, 2024.” As per the bilateral NehruLiaquat Pact signed on April 8, 1950, which was aimed to guarantee the rights of minorities in both the countries, post Partition, about 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit the Sikh shrines in Pakistan on four religious occasions — the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the martyrdom day of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, the foundation day of the Khalsa Panth (Baisakhi) and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. SGPC secretary Partap Singh said as per the norms, the SGPC reserves the maximum quota of sending 1,800 pilgrims and the rest of 1,200 have been divided among other Sikh organisations, including the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (DSGMC). “This time, only 763 visa applications were accepted. This was not justified by any calculation,” he said.