18032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/17/2026 11:29 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PASSING OUT PARADE: 74 RECRUITS COMPLETE TRAINING A passing out parade from batch no. 185 was held at the PAP Training Centre, Jalandhar Cantonment. P2 » BEET RESIDENTS REEL UNDER HIMACHAL ENTRY TAX HIKE LAUGHTER, MUSIC & MEMORIES AT CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY Effective from April 1, the cost for private cars registered outside HP to cross the border will jump from ~70 to ~170. P3 Kapil Sharma & his team turn a campus stop into a high-energy spectacle filled with comedy, nostalgia & sing-alongs.P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 25°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.32 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.28 AM WEDNESDAY | 18 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MAN HELD WITH 24 BOTTLES OF LIQUOR Jalandhar: The Excise Department on Tuesday conducted a raid at Transport Nagar and arrested a man with 24 bottles of liquor. Under the directions of Surinder Kumar Garg, Deputy Commissioner (Excise), Jalandhar Zone, a team was formed to curb the illegal transportation of liquor. The team comprising Excise Officer Jaspreet Singh, Circle Jalandhar (North) Excise Inspector Sumant Mahi and Excise Inspector of Jalandhar Central Simranpreet Singh, carried out a raid on a secret information. Cops from the local Police Station Division No. 8 accompanied with the raiding team. TNS TRIO BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Nakodar: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked a fatherson trio on the charges of assaulting a villager. Investigating officer and Shankar police post in-charge Paramjit Singh said the accused had been identified as Surindar Singh, a resident of Tahli village, and his sons Kulwant and Manjindar. Harpreet Singh, a resident of the same village, complained to the police that the accused attacked him with weapons and threatened him with dire consequences. A case has been registered. OC MAN ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Nakodar: The Mehatpur police have arrested a drug peddler for selling intoxicant tablets. Investigating officer Puran Singh said 91 tablets were recovered from the accused identified as Mukhtiar Singh, a resident of Mohalla Kasba, Mehatpur. A case under Sections 22/ 61/ 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. OC JUVENILE HELD FOR ROBBERY Nakodar: The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested a juvenile on the charge of robbery. Investigating officer Rajindar Pal Singh said a case under Sections 309(4) (robbery) and 3(5) (committing a crime with common intention) of the BNS Act was registered against the accused and his two accomplices, who were absconding. Raids are being conducted to nab them. OC Public services hit as DC office MC razes hotel wall; Oppn leaders cry foul, detained staff strike work for second day Union members protest alleged police misconduct with state chief Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 17 Administrative work at the Deputy Commissioner’s office was affected for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as employees continued their pen-down strike, disrupting several key public services. Routine tasks such as issuing certificates, verification works of official documents, public grievance handling and movement of files were largely hit, causing inconvenience to a large number of people who visited the office. A call for the strike was given under the banner of the DC Office Employees’ Union in protest against alleged police misconduct and arrest of senior union leader Tajinder Singh Nangal in Amritsar. He was subsequently released after a protest by the union members. The employees are demanding strict action against the police officials concerned and warn that the protest may be intensified if their demands are not met. In a letter issued by the The DC office wears a deserted look during a pen-down strike in Jalandhar on Tuesday. MALKIAT SINGH union, it was alleged that police personnel from the Jandiala Guru police station entered the house of union’s state president Tajinder Singh Nangal and misbehaved with him. It also claimed that the incident had hurt religious sentiments. As per the union, the incident took place during the prompted the members to block the highway. He was released after four hours of protest. Calling the action unfair and abuse of power, the employees have demanded that a case be registered against the accused police personnel and that they be dismissed from service. Jalandhar, March 17 A team of the Town Planning Department of the Municipal Corporation razed a boundary wall and parapet of a hotel on Police Lines Road for allegedly covering excess area. The hotel, owned by a media house, had been lying shut for the past over a month. The owners had reportedly been contesting the case against the MC. They had obtained a stay from a local court during a previous attempt of demolition. As the MC teams reached the spot today, the officials said they were taking action as the stay had got vacated. As the MC teams reached the site, Congress leaders, including District Congress Committee president Rajinder Beri, Jalandhar West halqa incharge Surinder Kaur, councillors Sherry Chadha, Jasleen Sethi and Gurvinder S Bunty and youth leader Angad Dutta reached the spot. BJP leaders, including former MP Sushil Rinku and ex-MLA Sheetal Angural also made it to the site. Akali leaders from the area, including district president (urban) Iqbal Singh An MC team razes a part of a hotel; and (below) Opposition leaders hold a protest in Jalandhar on Tuesday. MALKIAT SINGH Dhindsa, also joined the protest against the MC and the state government. Terming the action as politically motivated, they demanded an immediate halt to the demolition. Heavy security deployment Industrial units scale down ops amid rising cost of raw material Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 17 Industrial activity has come under a significant strain as the prices of key raw materials have gone up by nearly 50% due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, severely impacting production and operational efficiency. Industrialists report that many manufacturing units have reduced their working hours, while some are operating under extreme constraints. Manufacturers said units with limited raw materials, which were operating on a ‘hand-to-mouth’ basis, were at the risk of shutting down operations if the situation persisted. Punjab Rubber Association president Harvinder Singh Chitkara stated that several unit owners had already dis- continued overtime and were now running their factories barely for some hours a day, that too with difficulty. He warned that if the situation does not improve within the next two months, manufacturing activity could suffer a major setback. “Without adequate raw materials, sustaining operations will become impossible and closures may be inevitable,” he added. Highlighting the steep rise in input costs, Chitkara noted that the price of carbon black has increased from Rs 90 per kg to Rs 130 per kg. Similarly, the price of EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), a key raw material used in footwear, such as chappals, has risen from Rs 120 to Rs 180 per kg. Prices of synthetic rubber and other polymers have also witnessed a sharp hike. Besides, prices of furnace oil Teacher unions burn state govt effigy, allege police repression Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 17 Members of the Joint Teachers’ Front and various teacher unions staged a protest at Gol Chowk here, accusing the Punjab government of ignoring their long-pending demands and resorting to “police repression” instead of ensuring service security to educators. The protesters burnt symbolic effigies of the state government. The union leaders, who led the demonstration, alleged that the imposition of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), through the Supreme Court and at the behest of the Centre, was “unnecessary and unconstitutional”. They criticised the state government for failing to introduce a bill on service security during the intervening night of March 9 and 10 when the Station House Officer, along with a police team, carried out a raid at Tajinder Singh’s residence at Nangal Dayal village without any complaint or prior notice. Following the raid, the police also took the union leader into custody. This Tribune News Service Teachers hold a protest against the state government in Phagwara. ongoing budget session. The leaders expressed resentment over the alleged failure of the government in filing a review petition in the Supreme Court. They also condemned the use of water cannons and tear gas shells during previous protests, alleging that several teachers were injured in police action. The union leaders pointed out that the notification regarding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme remained partially implemented, while pending arrears related to pay revision, dearness allowance instalments and other financial benefits were yet to be cleared. have seen an increase. Industrialists emphasised that sectors dependent on petroleum-based products are among the worst affected. Echoing similar concerns, Gursharan Singh, a senior industrialist in the hand tools sector, said he had reduced factory operations and was now running his unit only till 5 pm, compared to longer working hours earlier. “The situation is grim. As always, industrialists are bearing the brunt. The government must understand the ground reality and step in to provide support,” he added. Industry representatives have urged authorities to take immediate measures to stabilise raw material prices and ensure uninterrupted supply, warning that prolonged disruption could have far-reaching consequences for the manufacturing sector. A worker at an industrial unit in Jalandhar. FILE Staff of DAV institutions protest ‘denial’ of pay panel benefits Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 17 Employees of the DAV institutions on Tuesday staged a dharna outside Mahatma Hans Raj DAV Institute of Nursing here in support of their demands. Staff of DAV Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Dayanand Ayurvedic College and Mahatma Hans Raj DAV Institute of Nursing participated in the protest, which was organised under the aegis of the Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union (Punjab and Chandigarh). The employees from other DAV institutions across Jalandhar also attended in the protest. They addressed the gathering and expressed solidarity with the affected staff. The dharna was organised against the reported decision c m y b of the DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, which has granted the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to DAV colleges across Punjab, except the three institutions. The employees expressed deep concern and anguish over the decision, stating that it has become extremely difficult for them to sustain their livelihood under such conditions. Despite repeated requests and representations, no amicable solution had been reached, compelling the employees to take the step, they added. Following the dharna, a delegation of the DAV Coordination Committee met Anoop Watts, National Coordinator, DAVCMC, New Delhi. Watts assured the committee that of extending the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to the employees of the institutions within a month. was done around the site to control the protesting opposition leaders and carry out the demolition. Some leaders, including Rinku, Angural and Beri, were detained by the police and taken away from dharna site in a bus. Private contractor caught dumping mixed waste Jalandhar, March 17 In a surprise early morning inspection, Mayor Vaneet Dhir uncovered alleged malpractice by a private contractor involved in waste disposal operations at the Waraian dump site. The mayor visited a local dharam kanda (weighing station), where tipper trucks are routinely checked before proceeding to the dump site. During the inspection, it was found that the contractor was illegally mixing construction debris with regular municipal waste and transporting it together for dumping at the Wariana site. The mayor said, “Such negligence will not be tolerated. We are committed to ensuring proper waste management and accountability.” — TNS Housing finance firm penalised over unaccounted loan charges Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 17 In a sharp rebuke to Punjab National Bank Housing Finance Ltd, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held the lender guilty of deficiency in service for failing to account for a borrower’s money for years, flagging serious lapses in accountability. The commission has ordered the company to refund the excess charges with interest and pay compensation to a senior citizen, who was forced to run from pillar to post for years. The case was filed by Molly Rajan, a resident of Urban Estate Phase 2 in Jalandhar, who had availed a home loan of Rs 12 lakh in 2010 on a floating rate of interest. She alleged that despite paying EMIs regularly, the company failed to act PNB Housing Finance told to compensate complainant on a promised interest rate cut, for which she had paid Rs 5,750 in 2017. According to the complaint, Rajan was persuaded by company executives to deposit the amount as a “conversion fee” to avail of a lower interest rate. However, the promised benefit never materialised. Instead, years later, she discovered that she was being charged an interest rate as high as 12.42%, far above the prevailing market rates. The situation worsened when repeated complaints and follow-ups allegedly yielded no resolution. Rajan also accused the company of harassment through repeated calls and threats of additional charges. While the finance company contested the allegations, terming them baseless and time barred, the commission observed that although the interest rate was applied as per the loan agreement’s floating clause, the amount of Rs 5,750 remained unadjusted for years. “The opposite parties have enjoyed this amount since 2017 without any justification,” the order observed, terming it a deficiency in service. Holding the company accountable, the commission chaired by president Harveen Bhardwaj and member Jyotsna directed it to refund Rs 5,750 with 9% annual interest from the date of filing of the complaint. It ordered payment of Rs 25,000 as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses to be paid within 45 days.