09082026-JTR-01.qxd 8/8/2026 10:14 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HOCKEY C’SHIP: PB LIFT BRONZE AFTER WIN OVER JHARKHAND CIVIL SURGEON CHECKS SITES PRONE TO DENGUE BREEDING SHAH RUKH, DEEPIKA STARRER CHENNAI EXPRESS TURNS 13 Punjab won bronze medal in the 16th India Junior National Hockey Championship by defeating Jharkhand. P2 Dr Rajeev Prashar conducted a field inspection to identify potential mosquito breeding sites in Kapurthala.P2 As Chennai Expressturns 13, we revisit Deepika’s most memorable on-screen saree looks that won hearts. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.17 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.49 AM » SUNDAY | 9 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune has started 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. Ruling AAP colours on road grills draw Opposition flak Tribune News Service INBRIEF ONE ARRESTED FOR CELLPHONE THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have arrested a man on the charge of stealing a smartphone from a house. Investigating Officer (IO) Paramjit Singh said the accused was identified as Surindar Pal, alias Happy, of Chak Khurd village. Gagan Deep Singh of the same village complained to the police that the accused allegedly barged into his house early on August 7 and stole a smartphone. OC ONE BOOKED FOR BIKE THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked an unidentified person on the charge of stealing a motorcycle. Parmod Kalia, a resident of Mohalla Aawa, Sabji Mandi, Nakodar, complained to the police that he had parked his motorcycle (registration number PB-12W-3225) outside the Maalrri village gate on August 5, from where it was stolen. Investigating Officer Sukhdev Singh said a case was registered against an unidentified accused. OC ONE ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a drug peddler on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer (IO) Varun Patiyal said 24 loose intoxicating tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Balwindar Singh, alias Kundi Sarkar, a resident of Pati Sahla Nagar, Malsian village. The IO said a case under Sections 22/61/85 of the NDPS Act was registered against the accused. OC THREE BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have booked three villagers on the charge of assaulting a co-villager. Investigating Officer (IO) Janak Raj said the accused were identified as Sukhchain Singh, Dilbag Singh and Ashani Kumar, all residents of Vehran village. Malkit Singh of the same village, complained to the police that the accused assaulted and seriously injured him. OC Three youths killed as car rams into truck parked on highway A grill painted with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s signature colours in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 8 With the Punjab Assembly elections just months away, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) signature yellowand-blue colour scheme is increasingly making its way onto government assets. The latest to receive the party’s colour palette are the metal grills installed along road dividers in Jalandhar. Local authorities have recently painted the metal grills along the busy Ladowali Road in yellow and blue. The stretch houses the DC Complex, Commissionerate office, PUDA office and offices of several media organisations. Similar painting work is also planned at other locations across the city. The move comes amid growing criticism of the AAPled government’s repeated use of the same yellow-andblue combination on a range of public assets, including government-run schools, hospitals and buses. In July, the Punjab Government faced similar criticism after distributing around four lakh yellow-and-blue school bags bearing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s photograph to Class 11 and 12 students across the state. New PRTC buses added to the existing fleet have also been given a similar colour scheme. The colours have further made their way onto government buildings, with the exterior walls of several civil and sub-divisional hospitals repainted in the same shades. Government schools, too, were painted in the colours earlier this year, making the scheme increasingly visible across public infrastructure. The Opposition has meanwhile objected to public assets being given the ruling party’s colour scheme at taxpayers’ expense. Rajinder Beri, president of the District Congress Com- mittee (Urban), condemned the move as a “waste of public money” and questioned the government’s priorities. “With Independence Day approaching, the grills could have been painted in the tricolour. They could have chosen any other colour such as brown, white or yellow. Why specifically this colour combination? It gives the impression of indirect political advertising, especially when the election is just round the corner,” Beri said. Jalandhar Mayor Vaneet Dhir, however, rejected the political interpretation of the latest painting work, saying the colour choice had nothing to do with politics. “The metal grills have been painted yellow and blue for a specific reason. Earlier, yellow and green shades were used, which made the grills blend with the trees. The idea behind the new colour combination is to ensure that both the grills and trees remain clearly visible,” he said. Jalandhar, August 8 Three youths were killed in a gruesome road accident on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway on Saturday morning after their car rammed into a tipper truck parked on the roadside. The accident took place outside Bal Hospital in the Maqsudan area. According to preliminary information, the speeding car collided with the stationary tipper truck after the driver apparently spotted the vehicle too late. The impact was so severe that the car was completely mangled, with its front portion crushed beyond recognition. One of the deceased has been identified as Ramu. Metal fragments from the wreckage were scattered across the road, while the force of the collision left the car’s front section severely crushed, making it difficult to retrieve the bodies. The mangled remains of the car on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway. Soon after news of the accident spread, people gathered at the spot. An investigating officer said the Swift car rammed into the rear of the parked tipper truck, killing all three occupants on the spot. He said the tipper truck driver was absconding but would be arrested soon. The officer added that the car’s registration number had been traced to the Lam- ma Pind area of Jalandhar and that the registered address was being verified. Further action would be taken after completion of the investigation, he said. Road construction work inaugurated at Police Lines Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 8 Jalandhar Central halqa incharge Nitin Kohli inaugurated the construction of new roads at the Police Lines on Saturday. The project has an estimated cost of around Rs 95 lakh. Jalandhar Police Commis- sioner Satinder Singh thanked Kohli and others for their contribution to the project. He said it was encouraging to see work being undertaken to improve the condition of roads and strengthen the overall infrastructure in the area. Singh appreciated the efforts of Kohli and others involved in the initiative, adding that the development of children’s playgrounds, a badminton court and a walking track would further improve recreational facilities for the families of police personnel residing in the Police Lines. Senior Deputy Mayor Balbir Singh, DCP Parminder Singh Heer, SP Sukhwinder Singh and residents of the Police Lines were also present at the inauguration. Kohli said efforts would continue to ensure that development projects were completed in a timely manner and that residents were provided with improved civic infrastructure. 2 miscreants, cop injured in encounter ~1.27L power bill quashed after forum flags ‘abnormal’ charges Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, August 8 Two alleged miscreants and a policeman were injured in an encounter on Musapur Road near here late Friday evening. All three were admitted to the local Civil Hospital, where their condition was stated to be out of danger. The police recovered two .30-bore pistols along with two magazines, five live rounds and three fired cartridges. One Glock 9mm pistol, along with a magazine, five live rounds and three empty cartridges, was also recovered. The two injured accused were identified as Ajayveer Singh of Aur block in Nawanshahr and Ajay of Jalandhar. Their accomplice, Davinder of Saloh village in Nawanshahr, managed to flee the spot on a motorcycle. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, SSP Tushar Gupta said the Tribune News Service SSP Tushar Gupta briefs media about the firing incident in Nawanshahr. accused had gone to the area to allegedly commit a murder. “The police got information about their plans and intercepted them. However, they opened fire in an attempt to escape, forcing our teams to retaliate. Two of the accused were injured in the exchange of fire, while their accomplice Davinder escaped on a bike. One of our policemen was also injured and is recuperating,” the SSP said. Gupta said the three accused were linked to members of the Sonu Khatri gang, including Sabi Mirpur, Gaggi and Pranav Sehgal, alias Paru, of Nawanshahr. SP Sarabjit Singh Bahia, DSP Jatinder Chauhan and CIA Inspector Neeraj Chaudhary were also present at the encounter spot, the SSP said. An FIR was registered in connection with the incident at Nawanshahr City police station on Saturday under Sections 109, 221, 132, 3(5) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 2554-1959 of the Arms Act. Jalandhar, August 8 In a major billing setback for the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), its Corporate Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum has quashed a Rs 1.27 lakh electricity bill issued to a Mukerian resident, along with other bills raised over nearly 10 months, from March 2024 to January 2025. The forum found that the recorded consumption was abnormally high and inconsistent with the consumer’s sanctioned load and previous usage. The case pertains to Tarsem Masih, who had a sanctioned load of just 0.960 kW. Despite this, the PSPCL issued him a bill of Rs 1,26,760 after recording consumption of 13,238 units. Masih challenged the bill, stating that his normal monthly consumption was only around 100 to 200 units. The forum examined his past consumption, meter records and other documents before concluding that the consumption recorded during the disputed period was abnormally high. The forum noted that Masih’s annual consumption had remained broadly consistent in the preceding years — 1,962 units in 2022, 4,276 units in 2023 and 4,575 units in 2024. However, it suddenly jumped to 14,531 units in 2025, which the forum linked to a possible fault in the electricity meter. Significantly, after Masih requested the department to replace the meter following the receipt of the disputed bills, his recorded consumption fell back to around 120 units a month. The forum also observed that, under the applicable calculation method, the monthly consumption corresponding to his sanctioned load of 0.960 kW worked out to around 108 units. Based on these findings, the forum quashed all bills issued between March 2024 and January 2025, along with the consequential late payment surcharge and interest. It directed the PSPCL to recalculate the consumer’s account in accordance with the defectivemeter provisions of the PSERC Supply Code, 2024. The order means that the disputed bills will not stand in their original form. The PSPCL will now have to issue a fresh bill for the period after recalculating the consumption in accordance with the applicable rules. Khanna slams Punjab Govt over Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Karan Deol enthral LPU freshers delay in issuing essential certificates Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Phagwara , August 8 Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna has criticised the Punjab Government over delays in issuing caste, residence and income certificates, alleging that applications submitted through Suvidha Kendras have remained pending for up to three months. Khanna said that while the state government was talking about providing Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month to women, ordinary citizens were struggling to obtain essential certificates needed to access various government schemes and services. He alleged that Suvidha Kendras established across Punjab were now turning into “duvidha kendras” (centres of difficulty) for the public. According to Khanna, people were being forced to make repeated visits to Suvidha Kendras and government offices to get their documents processed, while caste, income and residence certificates were not being issued within the stipulated time at several places. Khanna warned that if the situation was not resolved promptly, he would raise the issue of difficulties being faced by citizens before the Punjab Governor and the Human Rights Commission. Phagwara, August 8 Cheers, applause and excitement filled Lovely Professional University (LPU) as renowned Bollywood actors Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Karan Deol interacted with students during the Freshers’ Induction 2026. The star-studded event transformed the campus into a lively celebration of entertainment, music and student talent. Sunny Deol enthralled the audience with a perform- c m y b ance on “Main uthe dil chhod aaya” and delighted freshers with live renditions of some of his most iconic film dialogues. Candid exchanges, audience questions and memorable interactions with the celebrated actors added to the excitement. The actors also spoke about and promoted their upcoming film, “Batwara 1947”, giving students an opportunity to hear about the much-anticipated project. Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, along with Bollywood stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Karan Deol at the Lovely Professional University campus. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH LPU Pro Chancellor Dr Rashmi Mittal, welcomed and honoured the guests. A lively question-and-answer session followed, with the actors responding to a wide range of questions from students. Their candid responses drew enthusiastic cheers and applause from the audience. The celebration was further enriched by student-led music, dance and cultural performances, showcasing the creativity and talent of LPU’s young community. The combination of performances, conversations and celebrity interactions created an engaging and memorable beginning to the freshers’ university journey.