27062026-JTR-01.qxd 6/26/2026 11:22 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FARMERS REAP RICH HARVEST OF SPRING GROUNDNUT TURNING DAILY MOMENTS INTO THOUGHT-PROVOKING HUMOUR IT’S TIME TO REVISIT JOURNEY THAT UNFOLDED IN BHATHKANDI Kapurthala Krishi Vigyan Kendra showcases results of spring groundnut cultivated over nearly 70 acres . P2 Varinder Jatwani's take on everyday life entertains audiences while leaving them with something to think about. P3 What happens when an overachieving city doctor, armed with a gold medal and zero street sense, lands in a village. P4 » » » FORECAST CLEAR SKY MAX 38°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:24 AM SATURDAY | 27 JUNE 2026 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. 84 teachers face salary freeze for skipping drug survey duties Teachers call move coercive, claim participation was voluntary Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service INBRIEF MAN GIVES COPS THE SLIP Nakodar: A drug case accused escaped from police custody at the courts complex here. He has been identified as Sahil, a resident of Umre Wal Billa village under the Mehatpur police station. Investigating Officer (IO) Amrik Lal said Sahil was arrested on June 23 and was produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Mehma Bhullar, who had sent him to judicial custody. The IO said while he was being shifted to judicial custody, Sahil attacked the police team and fled. OC WOMAN BOOKED FOR CHEATING Phagwara: The Bilga police have booked a woman on the charge of cheating. The accused has been identified as Neelam Kumari, alias Diya Kaur, a native of Manipur. Investigating Officer (IO) Charanjit Singh said Jasbir Kaur, a resident of Partab Pura village, had complained to the police that the accused established a contact with her elder son through social media and encouraged him to invest in a beauty parlour business. Jasbir Kaur said her son invested around Rs 6.40 lakh but the accused did not share the promised profits. OC Jalandhar, June 26 The district administration has ordered the withholding of salaries of at least 84 schoolteachers for skipping assigned tasks under the Drug and Socio-Economic Survey undertaken by the state government across Punjab. According to teachers’ bodies, the district administration was penalising them for refusing duties that were “forcibly imposed” on them without their consent. However, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Divya P said the order would be reviewed and discussions would be held with teachers to encourage participation in the survey. Three letters directing the drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) and heads of schools to withhold the June salaries of the schoolteachers were issued on June 23 and 24. According to the letters, the employees had been appointed as enumerators, and were instructed to report to the election cell office on June 11 and Schoolteachers take part in a training programme. FILE PHOTO again on June 23. Despite orders, show-cause notices and repeated telephone reminders, they did not turn up for duty till June 23, the letters read. Calling the survey an important and timebound government exercise, the authorities said the employees’ absence amounted to negligence and violation of official orders. The district authorities directed that the salaries of the defaulting employees should not be released without the approval of the competent Kapurthala, June 26 Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh on Friday slammed the delay in the Kapurthala mayoral elections, threatening to move the High Court if the process wasn’t completed within a week. He also accused state’s ruling AAP of “deliberately delaying” the poll. “Congress councillors have won 31 of the 50 wards. However hard AAP may try, no councillor will drift towards it,” he said. “If the Punjab Government does not issue a notification for the mayoral poll, I will move the High Court by Tuesday,” he added. The MLA said the delay was The clinic opened at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital on Friday. Jalandhar, June 26 A Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) Clinic was opened on Friday at the de-addiction centre located in the Jalandhar Civil Hospital to prevent drug overdose deaths. An MMT clinic, often referred to as an opioid treatment programme, is a medical facility where daily doses of methadone, a long-acting synthetic opioid, are administered to addicts to eliminate cravings, suppress withdrawal symptoms, and block the euphoric effects of other drugs. The clinic has been opened as part of the state govern- authority and instructed school heads not to allow them to mark attendance or rejoin duties without prior approval. Karnail Singh Phillaur, district president of the Government Teachers’ Union said, “Teachers are not willing to take up these duties because the government had announced that participation would be voluntary. Now, to compel us, the administration is resorting to salary withholding orders.” Avtar Lal, district secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, alleged that immense pressure was being mounted on teachers and school heads to carry out the survey. “The authorities are pressuring us to enrol for the survey. Those who refused are now being threatened, which is unfair,” he said. Swaran Singh, one of the teachers facing the salary freeze, said “I had submitted my medical certificate and was assured that my duty would be waived. However, even after that, I am receiving repeated calls and warnings that my salary will be withheld if I do not report for duty.” Won’t take such harsh measures, says ADC The ADC said such a strict measure “would not be taken”. “Only around 40 per cent of the survey has been completed in Jalandhar and we are still facing a shortage of 300 enumerators, which may have led to these directions. We will deploy staff from schools where no survey duties have yet been assigned to bridge the gap,” she said. Rana seeks Kapurthala mayoral poll within week Civil Hospital gets clinic to stop drug overdose deaths Tribune News Service Sunscreen Daily doses of methadone given to addicts to end craving ment’s anti-drug campaign for the elimination of drug abuse from the state. The inauguration in Jalandhar came after Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh virtually inaugurated a similar facility at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital. Civil Surgeon Rajesh Garg said, “Methadone medicine controls cravings for opioids (heroin or smack) without injecting the drug. Its oral intake will stop the use of needles among patients, which will prevent the spread of life- threatening diseases like AIDS and hepatitis B and C.” Medical Superintendent Namita Ghai said the Jalandhar Civil Hospital had made proper arrangements for the patient care, an uninterrupted supply of medicines and counselling. “The staff at the clinic is fully trained. They will treat patients free of cost by keeping their identity confidential,” she said appealing to people to consider drug addicts as patients instead of criminals and bring them to the clinic for treatment. The Civil Surgeon and the Medical Superintendent inspected a special poster exhibition put up by nursing students on International Drug De-Addiction Day. also leading to public harassment. “The MC polls had concluded on May 29. Since then, no notification has been issued for holding mayoral elections and the oath-taking ceremony. Since the new councillors have not taken the oath, they have still not been authorised to attest any public 123 held under anti-drug drive in Hoshiarpur Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, June 26 The Hoshiarpur district police arrested 123 people in drug cases in May. The arrests were made as part of an anti-drug drive. The information was shared during a meeting to review the National Narcotics Coordination (NCORD) mechanism. The meeting was chaired by SDM Parampreet Singh. Superintendent of Police (PBI) Major Singh and Assistant Commissioner Sumit Mudh were also present. During the meeting, steps taken by the police and other departments to curb drug abuse, rehabilitate addicts and spread awareness were reviewed. The SP said the police seized 878 gm of heroin, more than 1,000 intoxicating capsules and Rs 15,100 drug money in May. He said the district police were continuously taking action against the drug menace by registering NDPS cases, attaching properties of drug smugglers and admitting addicts to de-addiction centres. Major Singh said the police organised 147 public awareness meetings in May to educate people, especially the youth, about the harmful effects of drugs. The SDM directed officials to maintain close coordination with the police and work together to strengthen the anti-drug campaign across the district. c m y b document, because of which people have been unable to obtain various documents, including the domicile certificate,” he said. He said people also needed various documents for submission during the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls that started yesterday. — TNS Girls protect themselves from the scorching sun using umbrellas as the mercury continues to soar in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Technical snags cripple services at Sewa Kendra in Phagwara Ashok Kaura Phagwara, June 26 Essential services at the Phagwara Sewa Kendra have come to a standstill due to technical glitches in the online portal. The problem has persisted for at least 10 days, causing inconvenience to hundreds of people who visit the office every day to obtain certificates and documents related to marriage, domicile, caste, property and economic status. Addressing mediapersons, advocate Rohit Sharma, vicepresident of the Phagwara Bar Association, said he personally witnessed the hardships faced by the public. He said that on June 23, several young women from Punjab, around 18 years of age, were seen in tears after failing to get their essential docu- ments attested by the Phagwara Tehsildar. Despite spending entire days at the centre for nearly a week, they could not complete the formalities as the online system remained non-functional. Consequently, the deadline for submitting their documents expired on June 23. Sharma said he had brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned. Sharma said he informed Vinay Bublani, Divisional Commissioner, Patiala Range, who also holds the additional charge of the Divisional Commissioner, Jalandhar; and Vishesh Sarangal, Special Secretary and Director, Department of Good Governance and Information Technology, Punjab, about the issue. According to Sharma, both officials assured him that the problem would be rectified within a week. He alleged that repeated attempts to contact the Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner and the Phagwara Additional Deputy Commissioner did not receive any response. A memorandum highlighting the difficulties faced by the public was also submitted to the newly appointed Phagwara SDM, Navjot Sharma. The memorandum urged the administration to immediately resume essential services in manual mode until the online portal becomes fully operational. Phagwara SDM Navjot Sharma said the issue had been raised at the appropriate forum. “The timely delivery of citizen-centric services is our priority,” the SDM said. Lyallpur Khalsa College Technical Campus G.T ROAD, JALANDHAR ADMISSIONS 2026-27