14082026-ATR-01.qxd 8/13/2026 10:06 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C 21-YR-OLD CITY LAD’S FOOD VENTURE EYES ~10-CR PROFIT ~12L OKAYED FOR NEW MATS AT GURDASPUR JUDO CENTRE NOVELIST AMIT KHAN EXPANDS INTO DIGITAL From spices to other food products, Mayank Mehra’s SRM Gold is steadily building its presence. P2 Coaches were shocked to see players train on worn-out surfaces at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Judo Centre. P3 Popular Hindi novelist Amit Khan’s latest web series, Baby Doll Ka Sugar Daddy, is set for release. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.11 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:52 AM » FRIDAY | 14 AUGUST 2026 | AMRITSAR Illegal drug modules busted, 10 pistols, 2 kg heroin seized All smiles Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Punjab Police personnel take a selfie during a full-dress rehearsal ahead of the 80th Independence Day, at Guru Nanak Stadium in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Two held for taking drugs Flag march by police Tribune News Service Our Correspndent Tarn Taran, August 13 A police party led by ASI Jagdish Singh arrested two persons for consuming drugs at Mastgarh village. The accused, Gurdev Singh Debu, a resident of Bhura Kohna, and Sandeep Singh, a resident of Amirke, were caught consuming heroin in the balcony of a deserted house. A silver coin, a lighter and two Rs 10 currency notes were recovered from the accused. Another arrest was made by the Chohla Sahib police. Balraj Singh, alias Balla, a resident of Chohla Sahib, from Fatehabad Road, was caught with heroin. Cases under relevant sections of the NDPS Act have been registered. Amritsar, August 13 The city police on Thursday took out a flag march as part of their drive to strengthen security arrangements ahead of the Independence Day. The march, led by Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill, commenced at Guru Nanak Stadium. Police personnel passed through various roads and chowks. The exercise aimed at reinforcing security arrangements, ensuring heightened vigilance across the city. Gill said officials had been directed to ensure foolproof security arrangements. He added that the areas in focus were public places, vital installations and areas witnessing large gatherings. Night domination operations would also continue, the Police Commissioner said. A flag march by the Amritsar Police. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, August 13 Intensifying their crackdown on illegal arms and drug networks in Amritsar, the police have arrested seven persons and recovered 10 illegal pistols, 2.03 kg heroin, three live cartridges and two motorcycles. A probe is on to trace the source of weapons and narcotics, and identify their intended recipients, officials said. Sharing details, Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill said the city Police Commissionerate had busted two major drug and illegal arms supply networks, arresting five persons and recovering seven illegal pistols, and 2.03 kg of heroin in separate operations, while the Tarasikka police had seized three more pistols and three live cartridges in an LIVE CARTRIDGES TOO RECOVERED ■ Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill said the Police Commissionerate had busted two major drug and illegal arms supply networks, arresting five persons and recovering seven illegal pistols, and 2.03 kg of heroin in separate operations, while the Tarasikka police had seized three more pistols and three live cartridges in an independent operation. ■ In a separate operation in the Sultanwind area, the police arrested Amandeep Singh, alias Aman, of Sarwarpura located on Sultanwind road and Balwinder Singh, alias Kala, of Kot Atma Ram, and recovered 2.030 kg of heroin and a motorcycle. independent operation. In the first case registered at the Islamabad police station, the police arrested Pargat Singh, alias Pagga, Janbar Singh, both residents of Dal village in Tarn Taran, and Balwinder Singh, alias Billa, of Daoke village located near the International Border, and recovered five pistols, including four .30-bore pistols and a 9mm pistol, besides a motorcycle. Two more 9mm pistols SHO, 2 ASIs suspended for ignoring court order Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, August 13 The SHO, Sadar police station, Navdeep Singh Bhatti was placed under suspension for not cooperating with the warrant officer in connection with an illegal detention case. It is learnt that the warrant officer, appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had paid a surprise visit to the police station. When he sought the records of the case from munshi ASI Manjinder Singh and duty officer ASI Inderjit Singh, the latter refused to do the same. They too were suspended. The police had earned the court’s ire after they registered two NDPS cases of against a Rashiana resident, Harjinder Kaur’s husband. To get to the accused, officials are learnt to have detained the woman. Objecting to which, the family had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following this, the court had directed SSP Surendra Lamba to act against the erring SHO. Voters can check electoral roll at polling booths on Aug 16 Tribune News Service Amritsar, August13 Special camps will be held at all polling stations in the district on August 16 to help voters check their names and details in the Draft Electoral Roll-2026 prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The camps will be organised from 10 am to 1 pm on Sunday. The Draft Electoral Camps will be organised from 10 am to 1 pm on Sunday Roll was published on August 13, while claims and objections regarding the draft roll will be accepted from to September 12. Additional District Electoral Officer Pallavi Mishra said booth-level officers (BLOs) would be available at the camps to assist voters in Missing Andhra boy reunited with family Tribune News Service checking their names, addresses and other details in the draft electoral roll. She said eligible voters whose names had not been included in the draft roll, or those who needed to get any details corrected, would be guided on submitting the required forms. She said Form 6 could be used for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll, while Form 6A was meant for overseas Indian voters, and Form 8 for correction or updating details in the electoral roll. Mishra said the BLOs would also assist voters in verifying their details and provide information about the documents and procedure required for submitting the relevant forms. She added that all Electoral Argument over tea turns violent in hospital ward Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 13 A 15-year-old boy from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, missing since August 6 was reunited with his family in the city. The Railway Child Help Desk, Child Protection Department, and Bal Kalyan Samiti, Amritsar, helped trace the boy. Advocate MK Sharma of the Bal Kalyan Samiti, Amritsar, said it was on August 6 that the Amritsar Railway Police received information about the boy. On being alerted about his whereabouts, the Railway Child Help Desk swung into action and and rescued him. “During the boy’s counselling, we found that he belongs to Visakhapatnam. As he spoke Telugu, getting his family’s details was an The 15-year-old went missing on August 6 uphill task,” he said. Sharma said: “To ensure that the boy was safe, they sent him to the Children’s Home for Boys. After getting in touch with the Visakhapatnam administration, help from the police and the Child Welfare Committee was sought. The efforts fructified as his family was traced,” he added. On August 11, the boy’s parents arrived in Amritsar and were reunited with their son. Amritsar, August 13 An argument over hot tea took a violent turn at the Bebe Nanaki ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. Complainant Sarbjit Singh, a resident of Hussainpura, told the police that a person threw tea at his wife in the ward. When he confronted the accused, the latter, along with others, assaulted him. He added that the matter was diffused earlier, but in the evening the accused beat him up. The police said they had initiated action and asked the victim for a medico legal report for further investigation. Sarbjit, who suffered serious injuries, was rushed to hospital. c m y b Registration Officers and other officials had been directed to make necessary arrangements for the special camps. Booth-level agents (BLAs) of political parties had also been informed about the camps to ensure wider public participation. The Additional District Electoral Officer appealed to all eligible voters to visit their respective polling stations on August 16. were recovered following the interrogation of Pargat Singh and Balwinder Singh. The police said the accused were allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and procured firearms through drones. The weapons were allegedly supplied to criminal elements in Amritsar and Tarn Taran. In a separate operation in the Sultanwind area, the police arrested Amandeep Singh, alias Aman, of Sarwarpura located on Sultanwind road and Balwinder Singh, alias Kala, of Kot Atma Ram, and recovered 2.030 kg of heroin and a motorcycle. Amandeep had two criminal cases against him, including that of rape and NDPS. Meanwhile, the Tarasikka police, under the Amritsar rural police jurisdiction, arrested two persons and recovered three illegal pistols and three live cartridges during a checking operation. A third suspect, allegedly involved in supplying the weapons, is absconding. Investigating officer ASI Narinderpal Singh said his team was patrolling and checking suspicious persons when it spotted two youths riding a motorcycle with no number plate near the road leading from the highway towards Mucchal village. The duo allegedly tried to flee, but was intercepted. The accused have been identified as Sikander Singh, a resident of Gehri Mandi, and Avinash Kumar, alias Kalu, a resident of Railway Colony, Gehri Mandi. The police said a pistol without a magazine was recovered from Sikander, while two pistols and three live cartridges continued on page 2 Digital kiosks gather rust; facility victim of poor upkeep, say locals ManmeetSingh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, August13 Self-service tourist information kiosks, installed at key locations in the city under the Smart City project, have been lying defunct for months, raising questions over the upkeep of public infrastructure meant to assist tourists and promote Amritsar as a smart tourism destination. With unusable screens and services inaccessible, tourists say the digital facility had failed to do any good. The “Explore Amritsar” kiosks were introduced as part of a pilot project by Amritsar Smart City Limited (ASCL) in 2022. The plan envisaged kiosks in 20 locations, including the War Memorial, Partition Museum, Jallianwala Bagh, Golden Temple Plaza, Gobindgarh Fort, Lawrence Road and the bus stand. As per the original plan, the kiosks were to provide information about tourist attractions, transport, hotels, bookings and emergency services. They were designed to offer location-based information, The kiosks were to provide information about tourist attractions, transport, hotels, bookings and emergency services. INSTALLED AT 20 LOCATIONS The ‘Explore Amritsar’ kiosks were introduced as part of a pilot project by Amritsar Smart City Limited (ASCL) in 2022. The plan envisaged kiosks in 20 locations, including the War Memorial, Partition Museum, Jallianwala Bagh, Golden Temple Plaza, Gobindgarh Fort, Lawrence Road and the bus stand. driving directions and details of bus, train and BRTS schedules. Facilities such as panic buttons and grievance registration were also envisaged. However, the condition of the kiosks has highlighted the gap between the promises made at the time of installation and their functioning on the ground. “This was supposed to be a useful facility for tourists, especially those visiting the city for the first time. Keeping such a kiosk closed for months for want of maintenance shows the authorities in poor light,” said Ramesh Kumar, a resident who frequently visits Lawrence Road. Another resident said the authorities should either continued on page 2