07032026-ATR-01.qxd 3/6/2026 11:50 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MC CRACKS DOWN ON LITTERING, ILLEGAL STALLS AT RANI KA BAGH YOUNG HANDS SKETCH TOMORROW IN SHADES OF GREEN BOLLYWOOD CELEBRATES TEAM INDIA’S THRILLING VICTORY The Amritsar Municipal Corporation conducted an enforcement and sanitation drive in the Rani Ka Bagh area. P2 The Punjab Art Initiative, supported by the Yuj Foundation, commenced its sixth edition at VR Ambarsar mall. P3 Social media was soon flooded with congratulatory messages from Bollywood celebrities for Team India’s win. P4 » » » MAX 31°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.32 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.49 AM SATURDAY | 7 MARCH 2026 | AMRITSAR Amritsar, March 6 Two youths were injured in a road accident when their car collided with a truck near Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk on the main GT Road late on Thursday night. The victims were identified as Simrandeep Singh, a resident of Goindwal Sahib, and Sukhmanpreet Singh of Fatehabad. They had a narrow escape as the airbags of the car deployed, resulting in minor injuries. Both were taken to a private hospital where they were given first aid and later discharged. The front portion of the car was completely damaged in the incident, while the truck driver fled the spot after the collision. According to the Cantonment police, the i20 car (PB08DJ8190) was coming from the Guru Nanak Dev University side and was reportedly at high speed. The truck (PB13AF3598) was coming from the railway station side and was taking a turn towards Ram Tirath Road at Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk when the accident occurred. The incident reportedly took place around 11.30 pm. Police officials said that no formal complaint had been lodged so far. — TNS Sops as welfare measures for AAP govt in run-up to state polls Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 As the state moves toward the next state Assembly election in 2027, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab led by Bhagwant Mann has rolled out or proposed several welfare schemes (sops) aimed at key voter groups such as women, farmers, senior citizens and poorer households. These initiatives are becoming a major political talking point as AAP MLAs have been promoting these announcements as development. Calling these schemes a “step towards connecting the backward classes with the mainstream of society”, MLA Dalbir Singh Tong, while addressing a gathering at Baba Bakala today, described these development funds for SCdominated villages and intercaste marriage incentives under Aashirwad Scheme, as “welfare measures”. “Punjab Government has released a financial assistance of Rs 24.57 crore to 4,817 eligible beneficiaries for the marriage of daughters belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) dur- MLA Dalbir Singh Tong ing the current financial year under the Aashirwad Scheme. A total of 4,817 applications were received through the Aashirwad portal from the 15 districts of Amritsar, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala, SAS Nagar, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Tarn Taran, covering all of which the amount has been released,” Tong said. As many as 739 beneficiaries from Amritsar and 437 in Gurdaspur and 561 in Tarn Taran (561) have received benefits under the scheme. Under this scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 51,000 is provided for the marriage of girls belonging to low-income families. The applicant must be a permanent resident of Punjab, must be below the poverty line and must belong to a Scheduled Caste, Backward Class or other Economically Weaker Sections. Up to two daughters of families whose annual income is less than Rs 32,790 can avail the benefit of this scheme. While these “sops” continue to be rolled out, the Opposition has termed them a strategy of appeasement before polls. As the state already reels under debt, Congress MP Gurjeet Aujla yesterday had launched an attack saying that the AAP government has merely created an illusion of development through expensive advertisements, while in reality Punjab has plummeted into a vortex of debt and crime. Aujla pointed to the failed promise of AAP government of giving a monthly remuneration of Rs 1,000 to every woman in the state. Six arrested in illegal arms supply chain linked to Pak Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 With the arrest of six youths, including a juvenile, the Amritsar police have busted an arms supply module allegedly linked to Pakistanbased smugglers. The police recovered five sophisticated pistols, 34 live cartridges and a sharp-edged weapon during the operation. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that a case has been registered under Sections 25 (6, 7, 8), 54 and 59 of the Arms Act at the Maqboolpura police station. Sharing details, he said that during routine patrolling and checking of suspicious persons in the Maqboolpura area, a police team apprehended Rohit Kumar (18), a resident of Maqboolpura, along with a juvenile. During their search, the police recovered a .30 bore pistol along with two live cartridges and a sharp-edged weapon (datar). During preliminary inter- PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Two injured in road mishap Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Friday. rogation, Rohit allegedly revealed that the weapon had been supplied by Karanbir Singh, alias Ajay (24), a resident of Kale village in Tarn Taran. Acting on this disclosure, police teams arrested Karanbir Singh the same day. Further questioning of Karanbir Singh led the police to three more suspects — Jashandeep Singh, alias Giani (18), Onkar Singh, alias Vansh (21), and Akashdeep Singh (24), all residents of Khalra in Tarn Taran — who were allegedly part of the District-level boards to examine Officials told to strictly implement labour negligence plaints against docs laws meant for sanitation workers’ welfare Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 In order to examine complaints of alleged medical negligence against government as well as private doctors, the Punjab Department of Health and Family Welfare has directed all Civil Surgeons in the state to constitute district-level medical boards. The initiative aims to ensure impartial scrutiny of cases in which patients or their families accuse doctors of negligence and demand action. The department has also asked the boards to meet as frequently as required and establish a transparent mechanism for receiving and examining complaints from patients and their families. However, Civil Surgeon Dr Satinder Singh said the boards would be constitut- ed as and when required, depending on the seriousness and nature of the complaint. According to a recent notification issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, each district-level board will be chaired by the Civil Surgeon. Other members will include a Medical Superintendent of a government hospital or a Principal Medical Officer, two subject specialists related to the nature of the complaint, and a representative from the district unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA). In cases where the required specialist is not available in the district, the Civil Surgeon has been authorised to invite experts from other districts to be part of the board. The boards have been constituted in compliance with the directions of the Jacob Mathew vs State of Punjab judgment of 2005 by the Supreme Court of India, as well as subsequent orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “The boards will review all complaints of medical negligence and provide an independent and competent medical opinion during investigations. Police officers probing cases against doctors must obtain the board’s opinion before proceeding with criminal action related to alleged rash or negligent medical acts,” the notification stated. Meanwhile, Dr RS Sethi, president of the Indian Medical Association’s Punjab unit, said that Civil Surgeons had not yet approached the IMA to nominate representatives for the district-level boards. Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 The government provides compensation of Rs 30 lakh in case a sanitation worker dies while performing cleaning duties. This was stated by Hardeep Singh Gill, ViceChairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, here on Friday. He said the compensation is applicable to all sanitation workers, whether they are permanent, temporary, contractual or working on an outsourced basis. Gill was speaking during a meeting held at the District Administrative Complex in Amritsar with district officials and representatives of sanitation workers’ unions. Chairing the meeting, he directed officials to strictly implement labour laws and government rules meant for the welfare of sanitation work- Rashtriya Safai Karamchari Commission Vice-Chairman Hardeep Singh Gill (right) pays obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. ers and ensure that they are paid wages as per the rates fixed by the government. He instructed officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation to ensure that no sanitation worker is made to carry out manual scavenging. Gill warned that if any such case comes to the notice of the commission, strict legal action would be taken against the officials concerned. He said the primary objective of the commission is to safeguard the interests of sanitation workers and improve their living standards. The Vice-Chairman further directed officials to ensure that identity cards are issued to all sanitation workers and that the cards clearly mention their blood group. Gill said the commission would address the grievances of sanitation workers on priority and coordinate with the departments concerned for their resolution. Workers facing any difficulty can approach the commission directly, he added. During the meeting, officials of the municipal corporation were asked to immediately fill vacant posts of sanitation workers and ensure the provision of safety kits to all employees. Gill emphasised that sanitation workers should be covered under medical insurance so that they can receive support in case of any untoward incident. Cleaning of sanctum sanctorum’s BJP workers upbeat over Sandhu’s gold plates begins at Golden Temple appointment as Delhi Lt Governor Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 The ‘kar sewa’ (voluntary service) of cleaning the gold plates covering the domes and external walls of the Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, with herbal material commenced on Friday morning after the ‘ardaas’. The gold plates are being washed with a natural concoction of water, lemon juice and boiled ‘reetha’ (soapnut). The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has entrusted Bhai Mohinder Singh, head of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Birmingham, with the responsibility of the ‘kar sewa’. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, Golden Temple additional head granthi Giani Amarjit Singh and Nishkam Sewak Jatha head Bhai Mohin- der Singh were among those present during the commencement of the ‘kar sewa’. Dhami said the gold plates at the Golden Temple were washed annually by volunteers of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha, Birmingham. Volunteers will also clean the gold plates covering the domes of the Akal Takht, Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai and Ghanta Ghar Deori. The SGPC president thanked the volunteers and expressed hope that they would continue to serve the ‘Guru Ghar’ (abode of the lord) similarly in future. Bhai Mohinder Singh said, due to the blessings of the Guru Sahib, the Jatha carried out the work of washing gold every year with support from the SGPC. Volunteers had come specially for the ‘kar sewa’, which would continue for 1012 days, he added. The ‘kar seva’ of cleaning gold plates of the sanctum sanctorum underway at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Friday. VISHAL KUMAR c m y b Amritsar, March 6 A day after India’s former ambassador to the US and BJP candidate for Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, local BJP leaders and workers were upbeat at his elevation. Hailing from Amritsar, Sandhu comes from a prominent Sikh family. BJP leaders were of the view that his appointment will help turn around the fortunes of the party in Punjab in general and the district in particular. His family hails from Rai Buri Ka village of Tarn Taran, which was earlier part of Amritsar district. The 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer started his political debut from Amritsar after joining the BJP . Sandhu is the grandson of Teja Singh Samundri, who played a major role in the Gurdwara Reform Move- Taranjit Singh Sandhu ment and the Civil Disobedience Movement, and served in the Indian Foreign Service for 38 years. His grandfather was a founder-member of the SGPC and in recognition of his services to the Sikh Panth, the SGPC named its headquarters in Amritsar as “Teja Singh Samundri Hall”. “Before Partition, Sandhu’s grandfather Teja Singh’s father Deva Singh served in the armed forces. When he retired, he was awarded around 25 acres of land for his distinguished service in Samundri area located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. In those times, instead of mentioning caste after the name, the introduction was given by adding the area the person belonged to. Thereafter, Teja Singh wrote Samundri after his name. He came into the limelight during the Gurdwara Reform Movement. His son Bishan Singh (Sandhu’s father), also continued to write his name as Bishan Singh Samundri,” informed a source. His father Bishan Singh Samundri was the founding vice-chancellor of Guru Nanak University and also served as the principal of Khalsa College in Amritsar. His mother Jagjit Kaur Sandhu completed her doctorate in the US and returned to serve as the principal of the Government College for Women, Amritsar. — TNS supply chain. The police later arrested the trio and recovered four more pistols, including a Glock 9mm, a PX5 .30 bore pistol, a Taurus 9mm pistol and a Gretta 9mm pistol reportedly made in Pakistan, along with continued on page 2 Four peddlers nabbed with 260 gm of heroin near IB Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 6 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested four alleged drug peddlers and recovered 260 grams of heroin from an area near the International Border with Pakistan. Their preliminary interrogation also led to the seizure of Rs 5.47 lakh suspected to be drug money. The arrested accused have been identified as Deepak Singh (23), a resident of Kothe village under the Ghaniye De Bangar police station; Gurpreet Singh (31), of Talwandi Lal Singh village under the Batala Sadar police station; Parmraj Singh (25), a resident of Aliwal village under the Ghaniye De Bangar police station; and Samir Singh. According to Narcotics Control Bureau officials, 260 grams of the narcotic substance was recovered during the operation. The officials also seized Rs 5,47,700 in cash, which is suspected to be proceeds from drug trafficking. The accused were taken into custody and a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They were produced before a court, which remanded them to threeday police custody. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the contraband and identify other persons involved in the drug trafficking network, officials said.