14032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/13/2026 11:05 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune TRADERS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER GLOBAL TENSIONS HOSHIARPUR’S DR JASPAL S PUTS STATE ON GLOBAL ART MAP Dr Jaspal was honoured with the Silver Award at "Fresh Wave" All-India Online Art Exhibition 2025. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 27°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 15°C TEASER OF EIDDAN KIDDAN BAI FILM UNVEILED IN MOHALI The industrialists discuss the potential impact of rising geopolitical tensions on the auto components. P2 FORECAST Prinday Films unveiled the teaser of its upcoming Punjabi romantic drama, Eiddan Kiddan Bai, in Mohali. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.34 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:38 AM » SATURDAY | 14 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR plates, Villagers turn to chulhas as LPG Sale of inductionsurges electric cookers crisis deepens in Mehatpur Tribune News Service EATERIES TAKE A HIT Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Mandala(Mehatpur), March 13 Manvir Kaur (24) sits beside her cooking gas stove, anxiously staring at the cylinder that may run dry within hours, or at best, by the end of the day. For several days now, her husband has made repeated trips to the local gas agency, returning empty handed each time. With LPG cylinders unavailable, teacher Rajwinder Kaur has pulled out her twin chulhas (traditional mud stoves) to ensure her children have at least one meal a day. As the LPG shortage deepens, Mandala village in the Mehatpur area finds itself slipping back into the past. With fresh cylinders unavailable and even ‘balan’ (firewood) becoming scarce due to a sudden spike in demand, households are being forced to return to traditional hearths after decades. The crisis has also begun to hit eateries, dhabas and wedding palaces, many of which fear closure if the shortage continues. “What will I cook for my children for school tomorrow?” asks Manvir Kaur, on the verge of tears. “My cylinder is about to finish and even wood fuel is hard to find. Almost every second household is running out of gas at the same time, so everyone has turned to the hearth. That has caused a sudden shortage of balan too. Earlier, the cylinder vehi- severe ❝We face a and if it LPG shortage aggravates, it may eat up many businesses. Our eatery uses four cylinders per day. But currently we are left with only two. None of the gas agencies has cylinders available. I don't know how business will run tomorrow. Vijay Aneja, OWNER OF ANEJA SWEETS A village girl uses a traditional chulha in Mehatpur. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH cle came regularly, but it hasn’t come for days. Even our neighbours returned disappointed after trying to get a cylinder,” she said. Rajwinder Kaur hurriedly lights an old chulha, pulled out from a forgotten corner of the house after years, using bits of wood, paper and pages torn from an old notebook. “The children have to eat something,” she says. “We have a cylinder and a back up but our family is large and the cylinder which used to come in a day earlier, now is taking 25 days. We are using gas sparingly. If this Elderly man killed in bus-scooter mishap Kin block Hoshiarpur–Jalandhar road Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, March 13 An elderly man riding a scooter died on the spot after being hit by a private bus near Chak Gujran petrol pump on the HoshiarpurJalandhar road. After the collision, the bus driver dragged the victim for a distance before the bus finally stopped after moving off the road onto the roadside area. Angered by the incident, the victim’s family members blocked the HoshiarpurJalandhar road and staged a protest against the district administration for nearly four hours. The deceased was identified as Resham Singh (73), a resident of Kirti Nagar, Hoshiarpur. His son Balram Singh, along with Gurpreet Kumar and Anchit Agarwal, said Resham Singh had left home around 8:30 am to perform service at the Radha Soami Satsang Ghar in Chak Gujran, as he did every day. When he reached the accident spot, a speeding bus belonging to Doaba Roadways Private Company, coming from Hoshiarpur, allegedly hit his scooter from behind. Family members alleged that after the accident, the bus driver and conductor were taken away by another driver from the same company in another bus. They also claimed that the victim’s body remained lying on the road for a long time and no administrative official ❞ arranged an ambulance to take him to the hospital. After waiting for about two hours, the family themselves placed the body in their vehicle and transported it. SHO Parvinderjeet Pal Singh of Bullowal Police Station reached the scene. Company inspector Sukhjeet Singh assured the police that the bus driver and conductor would present themselves before the authorities. The bus driver was identified as Tara Chand of village Fambian near Sham Churasi. Following police assurance of strict action against the accused, the family ended the protest and the road was reopened. Traffic had remained blocked during the protest, forcing many travellers to take kucha road or walk to reach their destinations. The police have sent the body to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, for the postmortem examination and started a search for the accused. Jalandhar, March 13 The mandatory 25-day gap for booking LPG refills has forced urban households to look for alternative ways to cook meals at home. Shopkeepers at the Phagwara Gate market, who usually stock fans, coolers and air conditioners ahead of the summer season, are witnessing an unexpected surge in demand for electricity-based cooking appliances. Induction plates are the most sought after items, followed by air fryers, electric cookers and other smart cooking gadgets, as consumers brace for delays in LPG cylinder supply. Baljeet Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Phagwara Gate Market Association, said, “Since the manufacturers of induction plates and other electric items were not ready for this big boom, the shopkeepers have had limited stocks so far which are fast getting exhausted. Now that the manufacturers have expedited production of these items, the supply and price issue is set to get settled soon”. The buyers have said the induction plates with price ranging from Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200 were now available at a premium of Rs 400 to Rs 500 more than the MRP with shopkeepers ruing short supply of the items. On the instructions of Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, teams of the District Food and Civil Supplies Department today Amid reports of LPG cylinder scarcity, customers buy induction plates from a shop in Jalandhar on Friday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH inspected various gas agencies in the district to prevent hoarding of gas cylinders. Under the leadership of District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Narendra Singh, and considering the current situation, the department formed different teams and inspected gas agencies across the district to ensure that people receive gas cylinders smoothly and according to their needs. During the checking, owners of gas agencies were informed that the district administration is closely monitoring the entire situation and, therefore, supply must be ensured according to the rules. Meanwhile, the administration has formed committees to check alleged hoarding and black marketing of the LPG cylinders and warned anyone against indulging in such malpractices. Himanshu Aggarwal said the administration is maintaining continuous contact with the owners of various gas agencies. He stated that strict vigil is being kept on the supply of gas cylinders in the district. He also said people should avoid panic buying. He appealed to the public that if any case of hoarding comes to light anywhere, it should be brought to the notice of the administration. He instructed gas agency owners to ensure timely supply of gas cylinders to the public. He said the committee will also ensure special checks to prevent the use of domestic gas cylinders for commercial purposes and appropriate action will be taken against the individuals or institutions if such cases come to light. cylinder runs out, we will have only one left. And going by the current situation, the problem is going to be aggravated. We have collected some wood but its scarce, so we’re also using paper. We have never faced such an LPG shortage,” she said. Kulwinder Kaur echoes the same concern. “Our cylinder is about to run out and our neighbours’ already ran out last evening. They couldn’t even drink tea. They have been scurrying for a cylinder, but haven’t found one yet,” she said. Vijay Aneja, owner of Mehatpur’s famous Aneja Sweets and president of the association of eatery owners in the town, says, “We face a severe LPG shortage and if it aggravates, it may eat up many businesses. Our eatery uses four cylinders per day. But currently we are left with only two. None of the gas agencies has cylinders available. I don’t know how business will run tomorrow. We have already stopped bulk orders for weddings, parties, etc and may have to discontinue serving tea. I fear what may come next. The situation in Shahkot and Nakodar is Ludhiana STF seizes 388g of heroin from 3 33 vehicles challaned, three impounded for violating traffic rules near Phagwara schools PHAGWARA, MARCH 13 A team of the Special Task Force (STF), Ludhiana, apprehended three individuals from Phagwara and recovered 388 gram of heroin from their possession during a late-night operation. The arrests were made on the intervening night of March 12 and 13 as part of the ongoing drive by law-enforcement agencies to curb the menace of narcotics in the region. The STF team intercepted the suspects while they were travelling in a car. Acting on credible inputs and after a brief surveillance operation, the team stopped the vehicle and conducted a search, during which a 388 gram of heroin was allegedly recovered from the possession of the occupants. The arrested individuals have been identified as Prem of Quarter Government Hospital, Karandeep and Deepak, all of Phagwara. The trio was immediately taken into custody by the STF team following the recovery of the contraband substance. Police sources stated that the accused were detained on the spot and the heroin was seized. The vehicle used by the suspects has also been taken into possession. The three accused have been taken by the STF team for further interrogation and legal proceedings. Officials indicated that investigations are underway to ascertain the source of the narcotics, the intended distribution network and whether the arrested individuals have links with any larger drug trafficking syndicate operating in the region. — OC Our Correspondent also similar as we are getting many calls.” He said there were about 15 eateries in Mehatpur and all face similar shortages with dhabas and little stalls worst hit. An employee of a gas agency in Mehatpur said the situation was beyond control. “The cylinder vehicle, which usually comes daily, arrived today after four days and brought only 25 cylinders. We are serving existing clients on priority. We are flooded with hundreds of calls, but it is impossible to meet the demand,” the employee said. PHAGWARA, MARCH 13 Acting on the directions of the DGP and under the supervision of SSP , Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora, the police have intensified enforcement of traffic regulations, particularly focusing on the safety of school zones and prevention of underage driving. Superintendent of Police Madhvi Sharma stated that the police received information regarding reckless driving and unruly behaviour by students riding vehicles near Kamla Nehru School at Chak Hakim near Phagwara. Taking immediate action, she along with Inspector Aman Kumar, in- charge Traffic/PCR, Phagwara, with a police team, conducted a special checking. During the drive conducted outside the school premises, the police found multiple instances of traffic violations. A total of 33 vehicles were issued challans for violating road safety rules, while three vehicles were impounded. SP Madhvi said the police have also issued a strict advisory to parents, urging them not to allow minors to ride motorcycles, scooters, etc. She emphasised that if any minor student is found commuting to school on a personal vehicle, legal action and penalties may be imposed on the parents under the Motor Vehicles Act. SP Madhvi further highlighted that several vehicles were found operating with illegal modifications such as altered silencers, modified structures and fancy or non-standard number plates, which are prohibited under the law. The SP warned that such vehicles will face challans. If any student is found arriving at the school by a vehicle, citizens and school authorities should report the matter to the Kapurthala police Control Room at 95929-14519 or the Phagwara control number 99150-10200 so that prompt action can be taken. Traffic in-charge Aman Kumar removes a loud horn from a bike in Phagwara on Friday. 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