11042025-ATR-01.qxd 4/10/2025 11:52 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY KARTIK JOINS CHENNAI SUPER KINGS AS IPL INTERN BOWLER GNDU’S ROBUST SHOOTING PROGRAM HITS BULLS’-EYE NUSHRATT: CHHORII CHANGED AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF ME Kartik Chadha (21) has been selected as an intern bowler for the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for the 2025 season. P3 Sift Kaur Samra's winning gold has again put spotlight on the sports programme GNDU, Sift's alma mater, offers. P3 Actor Nushratt Bharuccha says her career took a significant turn with the 2021 horror film Chhorii. P4 » » MAX 37°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.44 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.58 AM » FRIDAY | 11 APRIL 2025 | AMRITSAR Two aides of gangster fire at school owner’s car, booked Slip road near Old Sabzi Mandi cries for immediate attention Tarn Taran, April 10 Two aides of a gangster fired at the car of the owner of a private school in the border area village of Dasuwal here on Wednesday and fled on a motorcycle. In his statement to the Patti Sadar police, the school owner said that he had parked his car outside his school complex. Two masked armed persons came to the spot on a motorcycle, fired at the car and fled the spot. People of the area are fed up with extortion activities being carried out by aides of foreignbased gangster Prabh Dasuwal, who demands extortions in lakhs from businessmen and other persons running their institutions or businesses. On the complaint of an affected person, the police on Wednesday lodged a complaint under Sections 125, 324 (4), 324 (5), and 3 (5) of the BNS and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. Further investigation is being initiated by ASI Gurwinder Singh. — OC Amritsar, April 10 The slip road connecting the GT road and Hall Bazaar near the Old Sabzi Mandi has been in a state of neglect. Commuters are a disturbed lot as the patch, damaged due to being constantly waterlogged in the monsoon season, has not been repaired over the years. The condition of the road is such that most local residents have started avoiding it even as it means taking a long detour via the Bhandari bridge. Residents say that as the monsoon season is around two months away, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation should start repairing the road. As the road stretch remained submerged for months, it had developed large potholes. The road surface is now scattered with debris posing a threat to commuters. While most local residents are aware of the condition of the stretch, those from out- Tribune News Service Special cell of rural police also arrest three drug smugglers PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service The slip road in a pitiable condition near the Hall Gate fruit market in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR side the city have to pass the stretch as the online maps take them via this route to reach areas in the walled city. “It is a killer stretch for the outsiders as they are unaware of its condition,” said Karanveer Singh, a nearby shopkeeper. He said there have been cases of vehicles getting stuck in deep potholes on the road in the past and these had to be towed away. While the local municipal corporation is indifferent towards the condition of the road, residents say officials can at least fix a few warning signs for commuters to alert them of a potential danger ahead. “The MC can at least put up warning boards for commuters so that they can be forewarned of the overflowing sewer manhole that is flooding the road,” said Harnam Singh, a resident. Illegal liquor vend sealed after public outcry over tree chopping in Rani Ka Bagh area Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 10 A recently opened liquor vend in Rani Ka Bagh was sealed following a joint operation by the Municipal Town Planning (MTP) wing and the Estate Department of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation here on Wednesday. The liquor vend, which was set up illegally, came under scrutiny after Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma raised concerns over its unauthorised construction. The issue drew further attention when it was discovered that a tree on the footpath had been illegally chopped to provide more visibility to liquor shop. The incident sparked outrage among local residents and environmental groups, who are calling for accountability and stricter enforcement of laws protecting public spaces and greenery. Despite several complaints of chopping of the tree and the setting up of the liquor vend, no action had been tak- Police seize heroin, arms, ~33 lakh of hawala money Amritsar, April 10 The special cell of Amritsar rural police arrested three cross-border drug smugglers and hawala operators leading to confiscation of 500 gram of heroin, a 9mm Glock pistol with two magazines and Rs 33 lakh of hawala money from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Ranjit Singh alias Rana, Gurdev Singh alias Gedi and Shailendra Singh alias Selu. “In a major crackdown on narco-hawala networks, Amritsar rural police arrested Ranjit Singh alias Rana, Gurdev Singh aka Gedi and Shailendra Singh alias Selu. The accused are involved in cross-border drug trafficking and illegal monetary transactions,” said DGP Gaurav Yadav. A case was registered at After delay, man booked for molesting teenage girl Our Correspondent The axed tree in front of the closed liquor vend at Kachehri Chowk in Amritsar on Thursday. VISHAL KUMAR en initially. Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma visited the site, where she stayed for nearly two hours, demanding to see valid documents such as a licence, permission letter and GST number from the vend operators. However, no documents were reportedly provided. Following this, Sharma apprised the higher authorities of the matter. Later in the evening, social activist Man- deep Singh Manna, along with environmentalists and local supporters, staged a protest at the site, demanding strict action against the illegal establishment. Taking cognizance of the chopping of the tree, MC Joint Commissioner Jai Inder Singh directed the Horticulture Department to file a police complaint in this regard. Subsequently, the Civil Lines Police registered a case against unidentified individuals on charges of tree chopping and theft. Investigation into the matter has been initiated. The sealing was executed by Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Parminder Jeet Singh, Building Inspector Manish Arora, Draftsman Navdeep Kumar from the MTP wing and Estate Officer Dharaminder Jeet Singh along with their team. Edu Minister launches projects worth ~3.07 cr in border district Woman brutally murdered in Kang village Tarn Taran, April 10 Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains inaugurated projects worth Rs 3.07 crore in this border district as part of the ongoing ‘Punjab Sikhia Kranti’ during his visit here on Wednesday. Bains visited schools near the international border in Khemkaran (Tarn Taran), inaugurating Rs 3.07 crore worth of infrastructure projects, including smart classrooms, science labs and boundary walls. After inaugurating facilities in villages like Kals, Mastgarh, Mehndipur, Khemkaran and Wantaara Singh—located just 20 meters from the border—he emphasised that the Punjab Government’s ambitious “Punjab Sikhya Kranti” was launched from the revolutionary land of Khatkar Kalan on April 7. He also announced a Rs 20 lakh grant for the govern- Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 10 After much delay, the Chabal police have booked a man who had allegedly molested a teenage girl at Mianpur village falling under the Chabal police station here. The victim in her statement to Sub-Inspector Kiranpal Kaur stated that on the evening of March 7, she had gone to a chemist’s shop where the accused allegedly molested her. The victim and her family had to make several rounds of the police station to get the case registered against the accused. A case under Section 75 of the BNS and Section 8 of the POCSO Act was registered against the suspect by the police on Wednesday. The victim’s family expressed anguish over the delay in the registration of the case and not arresting the accused as yet. The contraband, pistol and hawala money seized by the Amritsar rural police on Thursday. Lopoke police station here and efforts are underway to trace the forward and backward linkages of this cross-border smuggling network, he said. Meanwhile, the BSF has also Dallewal joins maha panchayat organised by BKU Ekta Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 10 Farmers organised a maha panchayat near Kohali village near here under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta on Thursday. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal who had ended his fast recently also joined the event. Farmer leaders stated that Dallewal had arrived in the panchayat directly from a hospital in Barnala where he was admitted. During his speech at the maha panchayat, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said massive gatherings at protests against the Centre and the state government are a sign that the people are not happy with the governments. Dallewal said thousands of farmers have come to the panchayat even as the wheat harvesting season is just at hand. A series of panchayats would be started again from Haryana after the harvesting is complete. Dallewal said Punjab Chief Jagjit Singh Dallewal at the mahapanchayat in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Minister Bhagwant Mann has stabbed them in the back at the behest of the Central Government. The farmers’ movement will continue until their rightful demands are accepted. “The state government has failed on every front and people will respond in the Ludhiana by-election. No matter how much the government tries, we will fight till our last breath,” he said. The farmer Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains lays the foundation stone of a project in Government Elementary School, Kals, in Tarn Taran. ment school at Mehndipur. Taking on political opponents who questioned the Sikhya Kranti, Bains stated, “When they had power, they did nothing for educational reform, but now they cannot see children from ordinary homes becoming doctors and engineers through good education.” Bains said, “The people of Punjab are feeling the big changes in the education sector, and the people themselves will answer those who raise their fingers at this campaign.” He said Rs 35 crore has been spent on infrastructure development in government schools in the Khemkaran assembly constituency alone. — OC c m y b leader stated that apart from Punjab, large gatherings of farmers are also being held in Haryana and Rajasthan. Dallewal said, “The land is our mother, we will shed even the last drop of our blood to protect it. The government is not ready to listen to us, but we will make it listen to us.” He said thousands of farmers commit suicide every year due to wrong policies of the government. Bio-engineered apple trees planted at GNDU farms start bearing fruit Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, April 10 A woman of Kang village along the Tarn TaranKhadoor Sahib road was brutally murdered by robbers on Wednesday afternoon. The incident came to the notice of the family when her children returned home and saw the body lying in a pool of blood in a room of the house. SSP Abhimanyu Rana said the deceased has been identified as Gurpreet Kaur (35) and further investigation is underway. The SSP did not give detailed information and said the police are investigating the matter. She lived in her parental house and her husband Gurdial Singh too lived with her. The attackers took her to a room and killed with sharp-edged weapons and fled the spot. seized three packets of heroin which were smuggled from Pakistan via drones. The packets contained a total of 1.666 kg of heroin. A spokesman for the BSF said that the troops detected a drone intrusion at Amritsar border last night. The jawans acted swiftly, launching an extensive search operation, leading to the recovery of the contraband. “By 11.10 pm, the troops successfully recovered one packet of suspected heroin. Subsequently, two more packets were recovered in the vicinity of Hashimpura village in Amritsar sector in the morning of April 10. The narcotics was found wrapped in yellow adhesive tape, with one illumination stick and steel ring attached to each packet indicating that they were smuggled via drones,” said BSF authorities. Amritsar, April 10 The apple trees planted at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) agricultural farms have started bearing fruit, marking a significant milestone in the university’s research and innovation efforts. The project, initiated as part of GNDU’s commitment to diversifying crop cultivation in Punjab, is aimed at assessing the feasibility of growing apples in the region’s climatic conditions. Traditionally, apple cultivation has been limited to the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. However, with advancements in horticultural techniques and the introduction of low-chill apple varieties, the experiment at GNDU was ini- The apple trees planted at the GNDU agriculture farms. tiated to introduce apple cultivation in Punjab. Dr PK Pati, head of the Department of Agriculture at GNDU, who led the project, said the apple plants were introduced in field-like conditions to study their adaptability. “We planted varieties that are known to thrive in relatively warmer conditions. The trees have not only sur- vived but have now started producing fruits, which is an encouraging sign for farmers looking to diversify their crops,” he said. The university, focused on agro-technology development as per Punjab's climatic condition and had set up a tissue culture laboratory in 2020 where experts successfully grew plants from different varieties of apple and later, identified the best variety suited for Punjab. The project was later expanded to produce apple variety on a large scale at the university's farms. Praising the research team for their efforts, vice-chancellor Prof Karamjeet Singh said the success could open new opportunities for the state's agriculture sector. "If apple cultivation proves to be viable continued on page 2