17112024-ATR-01.qxd 11/16/2024 11:33 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune KAPURTHALA SAINIK SCHOOL OLD BOYS TO MEET ON NOV 23 FARM FIRES LEAD TO RISE IN AIR POLLUTION IN FAZILKA This week, Fazilka district has witnessed a sharp rise in farm fires and stubble burning incidents. P3 MODERATE FOG MAX 20°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 14°C AAMIR KHAN’S SISTER JOINS THE SHOW DEEWANIYAT The Old Boys Association of Sainik School, Kapurthala, is set to meet on November 23. P3 FORECAST Star Plus is ready to bring for its audience one more surprise with the show Deewaniyat. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.30 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7.01 AM » SUNDAY | 17 NOVEMBER 2024 | AMRITSAR BSF on alert as onset of foggy days heightens risk of drone incursion PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 16 With the onset of winter season, the dense fog that engulfed the region lowering visibility, has posed a stiff challenge before the Border Security Force (BSF) as it is likely to increase the frequency of drone intrusions for smuggling drugs and weapons from across the border. The BSF has recovered 219 drones during this year so far, almost double than the previous year. A majority of them were shot down or found in damaged condition in the fields in villages adjoining the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar and Tarn Taran border districts. Keeping this in view, the BSF also took a slew of measures to counter the trans-bor- der smuggling by Pakistanbased anti-national elements. “We have deployed an antidrone system which can detect drones even in low visibility conditions besides installing thermal imagers to check the movement of traffickers near the barbed fence in case they use traditional piped method for sneaking in the contraband,” said IG Punjab Frontier Atul Fulzale. The BSF has also intensified patrolling besides carrying out joint operations with Punjab Police and other allied intelligence and security agencies. The 533 kilometer international border with Pakistan remains a major transit point for smuggling narcotics originating from Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, during the past couple of years, unmanned aerial vehicles are being used by smugglers for drug and weapon smuggling. “Now, smaller drones are the preferred mode by Pakistani smugglers which are a safer module for them as they do not have to take the risk of coming near the border for sneaking in consignments,” said IG Fulzale while adding that these flying machines are not easily detected with naked eye and can fly at very high altitudes. They can carry a payload ranging from 500 gram to 1 kg. Besides using advanced techniques to counter the drone problem, the BSF was also encouraging the border villagers to share information regarding suspicious activities. Also, real-time information is shared with other intelligence agencies for prompt action. Heroin, drone seized from Tarn Taran village Tarn Taran, November 16 The BSF and police, in a joint search operation launched in Dall village of the district, recovered 532 grams of heroin and a DJI Mavic 3 drone from the fields on Saturday. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhimanyu Rana said the police got the information that there was drone activity in the border area and a joint search operation was launched in Dall village in which the heroin and drone was recovered. The SSP said that the drone had brought the consignment from across the border. The Khalra police have registered a case under Section 10,11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act and Section 21-C of the NDPS Act. The SSP said that the police have launched investigations to find out who brought the consignment from Pakistan. — OC On spiritual tour Light showers dispel fog, help improve visibility Amritsar, November 16 Residents heaved a sigh of relief as light showers this noon swept away the dense fog that had crippled life in the morning, restoring visibility and making the city stir back to life. In the morning, a thick blanket of fog had enveloped the city, severely limiting visibility to just a few meters. The fog had disrupted trains, air traffic and daily life. The light showers in the evening brought a welcome respite. Rail and road traffic were severely impacted, with commuters facing significant delays. As per railway officials, the Intercity Express from Chandigarh to Amritsar was delayed by 1.07 hours. The scheduled time was 11.30 am but it arrived at 12.37 pm. Amrapali Express reached at 15.43 pm with a delay of 3.23 hours. Swarna Jayanti Shatabdi Express was also delayed by two hours. “I couldn’t even see the building across the street. The fog was affecting business, and people were getting frustrated. This rain is a blessing,” said Narinder Singh, a resident. — TNS Wheat sowing getting delayed due to weather conditions Excess moisture in paddy fields due to lack of proper sunshine Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 16 Foggy weather conditions have forced farmers to delay the sowing of wheat crop. Due to lack of proper sunshine, there is excess moisture in the paddy fields which has delayed the sowing. Nearly 50 per cent of the fields in Amritsar and Tarn Taran are still lying empty as farmers are waiting for the moisture level to decrease. Most of the farmers had earlier irrigated their fields as the level of moisture was not optimum. However, with less sunshine for the past 10 days, their plans to sow wheat on time has been hit hard. Usually, farmers try to finish sowing of wheat by November 15 due to decrease in temperature later on which is not conducive for germination of seeds. Delay in sowing of wheat by each week would cost a loss of one to 1.5 quintals of yield as with further decrease in temperature, the germination of seeds would be impacted. With less sunshine for the last 10 days, farmers' plan to sow wheat on time has been hit hard. FILE Kuljeet Singh of Malawali village said, “In my village, people have been waiting for fog to clear. We hardly see 1520 minutes of sunshine in a day and it is not helping in drying the fields.” He added that a large number of farmers are yet to sow the crop. Another farmer, Harpal Singh from Chogawan said, “This had been an unusually hard year for farming community. Firstly, we faced problem in selling paddy and then came the shortage of DAP Now the . weather is unfriendly.” He added that two or three sunny days would be required to decrease the moisture content in the soil. Chief Agriculture Officer Tajinder Singh said weather is expected to be clear of fog after today’s mild showers. He said farmers should use plough in the fields to loosen the soil so that evaporation of moisture increases. He added that once the weather would clear, sowing would pick up pace. Hold MC poll as per old wards, LS voters’ list: Local leaders Say elections already delayed by two years, revising list of voters may cause further delay Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 16 Following the announcement regarding revision of voters’ list, local politicians have demanded from the government that elections be conducted as per the old ward demarcation to avoid further delay. A number of activists moved the court against the delimitation exercise in recent days leaving the politicians worried that court cases may cause further delay Supreme Court Judge Justice BR Gavai, along with his family, pays obeisance at the Golden Temple on the occasion of the 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in Amritsar. 2 drug peddlers nabbed with contraband, drug money Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 16 The police have arrested two drug peddlers with 100 gram of heroin along with ~2.6 lakh of drug money from their possession. They were identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Preet (31), and Harlaj Singh, alias Tinku (45), of Patti Bhara in Verka here. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the duo. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alam Vijay Singh said the accused were held from Ajit Nagar area. They were travelling in a car (PB-02-EQ-3032) when they were intercepted for checking. During their search, the police confiscated the contraband and the alleged drug money from their possession. They were produced in a court and brought on police continued on page 2 BSF troops seize three more drones, heroin Amritsar, November 16 Continuing with its relentless hunt for rogue drones and narcotics, the BSF on Saturday seized three more drones with heroin consignments from border areas of Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts. These recoveries could be materialised based on reliable information of BSF intelligence set-up. One DJI AIR 3S drone along with one packet of heroin (gross weight 532 grams) was recovered by BSF troops at about 4.35 pm from a farming field adjacent to Dal village in Tarn Taran district. Similarly, another DJI AIR 3S drone was seized by a joint search party of the BSF and the Punjab Police at about 02.55 pm, from a farming field in the same location. In another instance, one packet of suspected heroin (gross weight 570 grams) was recovered by a joint search party of the BSF and the Punjab Police at about 04.10 pm from a farming field adjacent to T J Singh village in Tarn Taran district. The narcotics were found wrapped with yellow adhesive tape and having a copper wire loop attached to it. Both the drones are presumed to have been knocked down due to timely activation of technical countermeasures deployed on the border. In Amritsar’s Neshta village, the search culminated at about 04.45 pm last evening, with the recovery of one drone (China made DJI AIR 3S) from a farming field. The drone is presumed to have crashed due to activation of technical countermeasures deployed on the border. — TNS in holding the elections. The Municipal Corporation House was dissolved in January 2023 while elections were delayed by around two years. The leaders of political parties have demanded that MC elections be held according to the old wards and as per voter lists prepared during the Lok Sabha elections to prevent further delay. Senior Congress leader and former Senior Deputy Mayor Raman Bakhshi stated that the two-year delay in holding municipal elections has deprived urban area residents of essential services. City dwellers are grappling with various issues, including poor state of cleanliness that has turned the city into heaps of garbage. Bakhshi emphasised the need for holding immediate elections to the Municipal Corporation, considering the problems of the people and suggested holding the elections according to the previous ward demarcations. He also pointed out shortcomings in the newly conducted delimitation exercise as it is currently under the court’s consideration. BJP district president Harwinder Singh Sandhu also stated that residents have been demanding early municipal elections as it has been delayed by two years. The government’s decision to publish new voters’ lists would delay the process for two more months. Sandhu advocated hold- ing the elections using the voters’ list revised before the Lok Sabha elections, citing insufficient time to prepare a new list of voters and the potential objections that could cause further delays. He criticised the government for lack of concern over local issues. It may be mentioned that some local activists have filed writ petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the delimitation which is pending in court. Former SHO Recalling heroic efforts of ‘Capsule Gill’ to Randhawa rescue trapped coal miners in Raniganj died in accidental fire Jaswant Singh Gill from Amritsar had led the operations on Nov 16 Amritsar, November 16 It was an accidental fire that claimed the life of retired inspector and SHO Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa who had died due to a gunshot injury at his house at Ekroop Avenue located on the Majitha road two days ago. Initially, it was being suspected that he died by suicide and the police had started inquest proceedings in the case. He was cremated at his native village Chhichhrewal in Gurdaspur district on Saturday. Randhawa had retired while posted with the city police around four years ago. He remained deputed with the Special Task Force constituted by the Punjab Government headed by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. As per police investigation, he was moving the assault rifle of his gunman aside when it accidentally went off and hit him. He died on the spot. Vinod Kumar, SHO, Sadar police station, said the police had started inquest proceedings. — TNS c m y b GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 16 Thirty-five years back, it was on this day that Amritsarbased engineer Jaswant Singh Gill scripted history by risking his life to miraculously save 65 coal miners trapped in Mahabir Colliery at Burdwan in Raniganj, West Bengal from a depth of 330 feet. Though Gill is no more, yet his extraordinary feat with his professional skills could not be ignored. A chowk on the Majitha Road is named after him. Gill’s son Dr Sarpreet Singh Gill narrated that on November 13, 1989, around 232 miners were employed in the night shift to excavate coal through explosions under the 330-foot deep mine. At around 4 am, there was a sudden influx of water, and the mine got flooded. The 161 miners could be rescued immediately as they were near the lift, but 71 of them who were far off couldn’t reach the lift due to the Er Jaswant Singh Gill with the original capsule kept at Coal India Museum in Ranchi. FILE water. Fortunately, there was a telephone connection between the borehole and the surface, through which a message was sent that 65 miners had taken shelter on a high part of the pit and another lot of six was missing. The local authorities swung into action. Four teams were constituted to rescue them. Three of the teams failed to tackle the rising water level as the submersible pumps proved to be inadequate. The oxygen level too was depleting, leading to the risk of the mine collapsing. Gill, a part of the fourth team, innovated the idea of making a ‘steel capsule’ to pass under the mine through a fresh borehole adjacent to the accident site. The steel capsule was constructed in 72 hours and after a few trial runs up and down the borehole, the rescue of men began on November 16 at 2.30 am. “My father, out of his theoretical idea, fabricated the steel capsule, 7 feet high and 22 inches in diameter, within 72 hours. A trial run was made by inserting the capsule into the new borewell. Despite initial opposition from top officials of Coal India Limited, my father entered the capsule that was lowered down into the mine and all the 65 trapped men were pulled out one by one at around 8.30 am then. A heavy crane was also pressed into service for lowering the capsule and pulling it up. This helped reduce the trip of the capsule from 15 minutes initially to just 3 minutes. It took around six-seven hours to pull out the trapped miners. My father said that over 25,000 people were there waiting for the outcome and when he was successful in his mission, he was lifted on their shoulders with joy,” he said. Had he not shown dauntless courage and prowess, all the 71 miners would have died. It was for the first time in the history of mine explosions that a hole was bored and the miners were rescued. To celebrate Gill’s act of bravery, Coal India Ltd announced November 16 as ‘Rescue Day’. The World Book of Records UK has given it the status of world record and the Limca Book of Records has certified this operation as a national record in the history of coal mining. continued on page 2