21012026-ATR-01.qxd 1/20/2026 11:40 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST FOG MIST IN MORNING POTHOLE-RIDDEN ROAD NEAR BUS STAND LEADS TO CHAOS KESHOPUR WETLAND, A TESTAMENT TO NATURE’S RESILIENCE COSTUME DESIGNER SMRITI CHAUHAN HAS DESIGNS ON DILJIT Daily commuters are facing inconvenience due to worsening traffic congestion outside the city bus stand. P2 Keshopur wetland, situated between the Ravi and the Beas, is home to thousands of migratory marvels. P3 Smriti, who is upbeat about Dhurandhar’s success, would like to style Diljit Dosanjh, whom she rates as the most stylish. P4 » » » MAX 20°C | MIN 4°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 3°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.54 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7.28 AM WEDNESDAY | 21 JANUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR KMM leaders set free, call for sit-in at SSP office revoked BSF seizes over 1 kg heroin along border outpost Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 20 Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Border Security Force (BSF) along with members of anti-drug smuggling team has confiscated 1.1 kg of heroin from the Kahangarh border outpost (BoP) area here on Monday. The packet containing the contraband was dropped by a drone on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The BSF lodged a complaint with the Gharinda police in this regard. The BSF told the police that during the search operation, one packet of the heroin was recovered from an agricultural field located near a private school, close to the border fencing. The recovered substance was examined on the spot using a Precursor Chemicals Detection Kit, which confirmed it to be heroin. On verification and weighing, the contraband was found to be 1.118 kg. A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered and further investigation is underway to identify the smugglers. Tribune News Service Farmers burn an effigy of the Punjab Government over the alleged proposal of sale of Cooperative Sugar Mill at Sheron in Tarn Taran on Tuesday. PHOTO BY WRITER Farmers hold protest over govt move to sell co-op sugar mill Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, January 20 Farmer organisations affiliated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha staged a protest demonstration against the state government’s alleged move to sell Co-operative Sugar Mill at Sheron here on Tuesday. On the occasion, the farmer organisations burned an effigy of the state government. The farmers, under the leadership of Nachhattar Singh, district convener of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, were addressed by Pargat Singh Sheron, Daljit Singh Dyalpura, Mahavir Singh Gill, Puran Singh Marimegha, Manjit Singh Baggu, Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, Tarsem Singh Luhar, Tarsem Singh Mahal, Jassa Singh Kadgill and others. Addressing on the occasion, the leaders said that the mill, set up in 1987, was not only providing employment to hundreds of youths of the area but was also working towards the government’s crop diversification programme. The leaders said the mill was crushing sugarcane R-Day rehearsal in full swing of a large number of farmers of the Mand area. They said the farmers of the area will not allow the mill to be sold at any cost. They said that since it is a cooperative sugar mill, it is the property of all farmers of the area and they will not allow it to be sold by the government. The United Kisan Morcha has called upon other organisations to join the proposed meeting being held on January 22 to intensify their struggle over the issue. The mill is spread in an area of over 98 acres. Amritsar, January 20 Leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) were released on Tuesday following strong protests against their alleged illegal and undemocratic arrests by the state government. After their release, the call for a sit-in protest outside the SSP office here was withdrawn, and victory marches were taken out instead. According to a press note issued by the KMM, the arrest of its leaders and workers, along with a police lathi charge on farmers and labourers after the conclusion of a protest in Sangrur district, triggered widespread anger. The KMM held a meeting on Monday with DIG, Amritsar Border Range, Sandeep Goyal; SSP Amritsar Rural, , Sohel Mir Qasim; and other officials. Following the meeting, the process of releasing the arrested leaders began. Leaders detained in Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Sangrur were released. However, senior leader Sar- Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha during a protest march in Amritsar on Tuesday. VISHAL KUMAR wan Singh Pandher and two other leaders — Gurdev Singh Gaggo Mahal and Prabhjot Singh Gujjarpura — were not released during the night. The administration assured their release at 8 am on Tuesday, but the promise was delayed. In response, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, decided to proceed with its emergency protest programme at the SSP offices in Amritsar and San- grur. Large numbers of farmers, labourers and women began marching from villages towards the SSP offices. During this time, the administration announced the release of Sarwan Singh Pandher and his associates. Following the release, farmers and labourers gathered in large numbers and took out marches that culminated in victory rallies. Addressing the gathering, Sarwan Singh Pandher said pressure and repression would not weaken the farmers’ movement but would instead make it stronger. He added that the struggle would continue until justice and democratic rights are restored. Pandher also appealed to people to actively participate in the KMM’s call on January 21 and 22 to remove prepaid electricity meters and deposit them at power offices. Rlys halts demolition of heritage Dera Baba Nanak station Neha Walia Tribune News Service Schoolchildren bask in the sun during the rehearsal for the January 26 Republic Day parade on a cold Tuesday morning in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, January 20 Days after concerns were raised in these columns regarding the proposed demolition of the heritage Dera Baba Nanak railway station, the first formal on-site meeting was held between railway officials and the INTACH Punjab team at the station. The meeting focused on the conservation and development of the railway station as a Post-Partition and PreIndependence Railway Heritage Site, and INTACH Punjab also submitted a detailed report outlining the proposed development. The proposal envisions the Members of the INTACH Gurdaspur team with officials of the Railways at the Dera Baba Nanak railway station. creation of a “Museum of Memories” highlighting themes of separation, hope, loss, freedom and migration, with a special focus on railway history, the Partition era and border narratives. The project also aims to promote border tourism while presenting the site as a symbol of peace, remembrance and shared heritage. Harpreet Singh Bhatti, convener, INTACH Gurdaspur, said that the response from the Railways was positive and encouraging, reflecting a clear willingness to move forward with a formal project proposal. He added that Railway officials informed the team that the demolition of some other railway stations on the Amritsar-Dera Baba Nanak section has been halted, and expressed keen interest in undertaking this joint heritage conservation initiative. During the meeting, the structural stability of the station building was examined and discussed in detail. It was agreed that the Railways would undertake restoration and conservation of the structure in a sensitive manner with technical support from INTACH. Further, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between INTACH Punjab and the Ferozepur continued on page 2 ‘Rustam-e-Hind’ Jassa Patti bids 3 months on, waste MC to identify locations to set up farewell to mud wrestling collection remains feeding points for stray dogs patchy in parts of city Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 20 The renowned traditional wrestler Jassa Patti will no longer be seen competing in dangals, chhinjhs and akharas (mud wrestling arenas). At just 32 years of age, Jassa Patti, whose real name is Jaskanwar Singh, has announced his retirement from wrestling at the peak of his illustrious career. Jassa Patti has been actively involved in mud wrestling (mitti di kushti) for nearly 20 years. He competed not only across Punjab and Haryana but also in various parts of India and abroad. Throughout his career, he faced and defeated many well-known wrestlers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions of the country. At present, he is widely regarded as one of the top-ranked traditional wrestlers in India. His remarkable achievements include prestigious titles such as Rustam-e-Hind, Bharat Kesari, Punjab Kesari and Rustam-e-Punjab. He also won a gold medal at the All India University level. His Wrestler Jassa Patti consistent success in dangals and chhinjhs earned him immense rewards, including 12 cars, 13 tractors, 170 motorcycles, hundreds of buffaloes, gold ornaments and large cash prizes. Earlier this year, Jassa Patti won the most expensive bout of his career, earning a gold bracelet weighing seven tolas, two motorcycles and cash worth approximately Rs 10 lakh from a single match. Over the course of his wrestling journey, Jassa Patti fought nearly 2,000 bouts. He began wrestling in 2006 at the age of 13 and won his first motorcycle prize in 2009. However, frequent injuries forced him to remain away from the wrestling arena for nearly four years. He made a powerful comeback in 2014 by defeating Haryana wrestler Chhota Sonu at Sohana Sahib in Mohali. Following this victory, he continued his winning streak without interruption, earning immense love, admiration and respect from fans across India and abroad. Jassa Patti attributes his success to the guidance and support of his father and his ustad (coach). Speaking about his retirement, he said he wished to follow the Punjabi tradition of leaving the arena while the fair is still crowded. “Leaving a packed fair is never easy,” he said, adding that he did not want to wait until someone forced him out of the ring. Both his father and ustad are satisfied with his wrestling career and fully support his decision to step away. With his retirement, fans will no longer witness the legendary wrestler Jassa Patti battling in mitti, marking the end of an era in traditional Indian wrestling. Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 20 Three months have passed since the new company, 3R, was awarded the work order to make Amritsar a garbagefree city, but several households in the city’s peripheral areas are still not receiving regular door-to-door garbage collection, causing inconvenience to residents. Local residents alleged that while the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) and the private company continue to claim that door-to-door waste collection is functioning smoothly, the service has yet to be fully implemented on the ground. Residents of several localities reported that garbage collection vehicles have not visited their areas for days, forcing them to store waste inside their homes. In recent days, the company claimed that more than 100 mini-tippers and a few compactors had been deployed in the field. However, several areas are still being serviced c m y b using old and worn-out vehicles belonging to the previous contractor. Employees of the former company stated that around 30 old vehicles are still being used for waste lifting. These vehicles frequently break down, leading to irregular garbage collection. In many households along the bypass road, garbage has not been collected for the past three days, resulting in foul smell. Residents said that storing wet and dry waste inside homes for several days has become increasingly difficult and unhygienic. On the other hand, MC officials claimed that the minor issues currently being faced would be resolved soon. Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia urged citizens to report their grievances through the designated helpline numbers. He said that a large number of vehicles have already been deployed by the company for waste collection and assured residents that such problems would not be witnessed in the coming days. Amritsar, January 20 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) will identify suitable locations to establish designated feeding points for stray dogs, following the directions of the Supreme Court. A meeting of senior officials was on Tuesday held at the MC headquarters under the chairmanship of Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh to review compliance with the apex court’s orders on stray dog management and public safety. The meeting was convened in the context of the Supreme Court’s directions, particularly in suo motu writ petition which mandates all urban local bodies to identify and notify feeding points or zones for stray dogs. During the meeting, the Additional Commissioner directed all Medical Officers of Health (MOHs) and field officials to conduct thorough inspections in their respective areas and wards to identify appropriate feeding points. He emphasised that while finalising these locations, priority must be given to public safety, A meeting being held under the chairmanship of MC Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh (C) in Amritsar on Tuesday. sanitation, convenience of children and residents, ensuring that local inhabitants do not face any inconvenience. Surinder Singh instructed that the process of ward-wise identification and finalisation of feeding points should be completed within seven days. He further said that a followup review meeting will be held on Wednesday to assess the progress made in this regard. The meeting was attended by Medical Officer of Health Dr Geetu Sareen, Chief Sanitary Officer Malkiat Singh, Chief Sanitary Inspector Sarabjit Singh, Vijay Gill, along with all Chief Sanitary Inspectors, Sanitary Inspectors and other officials concerned. Dr Geetu Sareen, SMOcum-Nodal Officer, Cattle Pound, was directed to coordinate with all MOHs and prepare a consolidated ward-wise report of the identified feeding points for submission to the Additional Commissioner. It was also informed that a toll-free number for lodging complaints and sharing information related to stray dogs will be launched shortly for the convenience of the general public and it will be widely publicised.