01092026-JTR-01.qxd 8/31/2026 10:57 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune CONG SLAMS FIR AGAINST RAHUL OVER ‘PURIFICATION’ REMARK PUNJAB TO INTRODUCE COMMON ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR CLASS V MANASI REUNITES WITH FAMILY AFTER NEPAL ORDEAL Phagwara MLA termed the action against Rahul an instance of political vendetta and alleged misuse of govt machinery. P2 The move is aimed at ensuring that students studying in different schools are assessed on a uniform framework.P2 Actor safely returned to Mumbai on Sunday after being stranded along the Nepal-China border. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.51 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:04 AM » TUESDAY | 1 SEPTEMBER 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. INBRIEF 3 BOOKED FOR DAMAGING GYM EQUIPMENT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked three members of a family, including a woman, for allegedly vandalising a village gymnasium and damaging equipment in an attempt to encroach upon panchayat land. The accused have been identified as Darshan Singh, his son Dilbag Singh, and daughter Jagdish Kaur, all residents of Dhadda Haripur village. According to the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), the village panchayat had constructed a gymnasium and installed exercise equipment for residents. The accused allegedly ransacked the facility, damaged and uprooted the machines with the intention of encroaching on the panchayat land. OC MAN BOOKED FOR ENCROACHMENT Phagwara: The police have booked a villager on the charge of encroaching panchayat land. The accused has been identified as Sukhdev Singh of Bhardwajian village. Nurmahal Block Development and Panchayat Officer Ashok Kumar complained to the police that the accused encroached on a piece of panchayat land by laying a pipeline. OC Channi pulls up officials over lack of data at DISHA meet Justify your salary, depts’ officials told Phagwara: The police have arrested a villager and booked other miscreants on the charges of robbery and assault. The accused has been identified as Jaskaran Singh of Rayeewal Bet village. Harmandeep Singh of Chak Tibi Ranga village in Ferozepur complained to the police that the accused and his accomplices waylaid him near Rayeewal Bet village on the night of August 28 and robbed him of Rs 6,000 and a phone and assaulted and seriously injured him. oc WOMAN BOOKED FOR EXTORTION Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked a woman 'gangster' on the charge of extortion. The accused has been identified as Harprit Kaur of Lohara village in Jalandhar. Paramjit Kaur of Pati Laksian, Malsian village, complained to the police that the accused and her accomplices threatened to kill her and demanded money. OC 'DRUG ADDICT' ARRESTED Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested a man on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Pawitar Singh of Billi Chaharmi village in Shahkot. A lighter, a silver paper and plastic pipe used for consuming contraband were recovered from his possession. oc Ashok Kaura Tribune News Service Ex-Chief Minister and Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi during a meeting in Jalandhar on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH nesses. You have no basic data related to your departments. There is no data related to health dispensaries functioning in the city and the vacancies of the doctors. The DEO office does not have the figures related to the sanctioned posts of teachers and vacancies in Jalandhar. You do not share the data as you do not want children of poor families to study well and get seated on high chairs like me.” After taking up half of the agenda for nearly two hours, he told the officials, “Consider this meeting as part-1 only. Since the DC has to leave early today, we shall meet again in a week’s time and take up the remaining issues. I want the officials to come up ready with my queries in the part-2 of the meeting”. Post the meeting, the former CM shared a comparative student enrollment data with the media, “When I was the CM till March 2022, there were 29,62,373 students enrolled in government schools of Punjab. By July 2026, this number had fallen to 23,64,076. It means that there is a drop of 5.98 lakh in the number of students studying in our government schools. The reason for this 20 per cent fall is vacancies of 31,000 teachers in the state. This is the data that MLA Bawa Henry has received as reply to his question in the Vidhan Sabha. As many as 10,000 students of Jalandhar alone have not got uniforms. Only seven of 17 posts of Block Education Officers are filled in Jalandhar. Under such circumstances, how can the government make claims of Sikhya Kranti in Punjab”. He went on, “There is no genuine Sehat Kranti either. As many as 16,730 claims were received under the health insurance scheme, of which 15,400 claims came from government hospitals. This scheme was not to repay medical dues to the government hospitals. The patients were to avail treatment from private hospitals, who should have got this reimbursement through the scheme. The whole idea behind the scheme has been trashed”. Channi was accompanied by MLAs Sukhwinder Kotli, Bawa Henry and Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia and halqa in-charges Dr Navjot Dahiya and Rajinder Beri. PHAGWARA, AUGUST 31 A bus was allegedly stolen from the Phagwara bus stand in the early hours of Sunday, even as senior police officers and personnel were extensively deployed in and around Lovely Professional University (LPU) to ensure the smooth conduct of the NEET-UG examination. Although the police recovered the vehicle within a few hours and arrested a suspect, the incident has raised questions about security and surveillance at the centrally located bus stand. According to information available, the bus, owned by a private transport company, had been parked and locked on the bus stand premises after completing its scheduled operations. Despite the bus stand being located in a busy and densely populated part of the city, an unidentified person allegedly gained access to the vehicle and drove it away during the early hours without immediately drawing attention. The theft came to light around 5 am when conductor Pawan Kumar returned to resume duty and found the bus missing. He had reportedly parked the vehicle around 8 pm the previous evening before leaving for home. A driver associated with another bus is said to have noticed suspicious activ- ity and alerted transport staff. According to preliminary investigations, the suspect allegedly entered the bus around 4 am, started the engine and drove away at a high speed. During the escape, the bus reportedly collided with another parked vehicle, damaging its windowpanes. Following a complaint by the bus owner, police teams launched a search operation and examined CCTV footage from the bus stand and surrounding areas. The investigation reportedly led officers towards the GT Road and the Amritsar-bound route. The stolen bus was eventually traced near Hamira on the Amritsar national highway. The police recovered the vehicle and apprehended a suspect who allegedly attempted to flee from the spot. SP Phagwara, Major Singh , told The Tribune late on Sunday evening that the police acted swiftly and recovered the vehicle within a few hours of receiving the complaint. He said the prompt response led to both the recovery of the bus and the arrest of the suspect. The police are investigating how the suspect gained access to the vehicle, whether the ignition key had been left inside the bus or if another method was used to start it. Investigators are also examining the suspect’s background and analysing CCTV footages. 2 tobacco kiosks set ablaze near Phagwara Farmers, workers hold protests, Our Correspondent VILLAGER HELD FOR ROBBERY Suspect arrested near Hamira Deepkamal Kaur Jalandhar, August 31 Not getting conclusive answers to his queries from the staff of the education, health, PWD and rural development departments during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (commonly known as DISHA) meeting, Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi expressed his anger against them. He reminded them to justify the salaries that they had been drawing. Slamming the officials in front of DC Varjeet Singh Walia, ADCs Amaninder Kaur and Divya P and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, Channi said, “Either you do not care to keep any information as ready reckoners with yourself or you are being stopped by the government from sharing any information with me”. Channi reminded them, “You are not sharing any information outside. I am a constitutionally elected MP with a mandate of nearly 20 lakh people. After this meeting, I feel that this government is not able to perform well because of your attitude. Ideally, you should quit and start your own busi- Bus stolen from Phagwara depot, recovered soon Phagwara, August 31 Two roadside kiosks selling bidis, cigarettes and other tobacco-related products were allegedly vandalised and set ablaze by a man dressed in a nihang attire near Kala Sanghia Phatak on Kapurthala–Sultanpur Lodhi Road on Sunday. The incident took place causing substantial damage to both kiosks. According to kiosk owner Rinku Shah, resident of Preet Nagar, he was sitting at his kiosk when a man wearing a nihang attire arrived on a motorcycle carrying a stick and a bottle of petrol. Shah alleged that the man struck the kiosk counter with the stick, breaking the glass and then assaulted him. He further alleged that the man said his son had died due to drugs and warned that he would destroy kiosks selling bidis, cigarettes and other intoxicating substances. Shah said when he suggested closing the kiosk, the man allegedly poured petrol over it and set it on fire. He further alleged that the man threatened people who attempted to record the incident on their mobile phones.The people present reportedly moved away out of fear, following which the fire brigade was informed. A fire service team reached the spot and brought the blaze under control in around 20 minutes. The second kiosk owner, Suraj Kumar, of New Dana Mandi, Kapurthala, also alleged that the same person attacked his kiosk near the railway crossing. Kumar said he had been operating the kiosk for about eight to nine years, selling bidis, cigarettes and food and beverage items. Kumar alleged that the man struck the kiosk with a stick before sprinkling petrol over it and setting it on fire. He said the kiosk was completely destroyed. The kiosk owners have demanded that the police identify and arrest the accused and that the administration provide compensation for their losses. submit memorandum Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 31 Farmers and farm workers staged demonstrations outside Deputy Commissioner offices across Punjab on Monday in response to a call given by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. The protests were jointly supported by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab and the Bharatiya Kisan Union Doaba. Protesters submitted memoranda to the authorities, raising a series of demands concerning farmers, agricultural workers, employees and other sections of society. One of the key demands was the enactment of a law guaranteeing the purchase of farmers’ crops at the minimum support price (MSP). The organisations also demanded an immediate halt to the attachment and auction of property belonging to poor farmers over loan defaults, along with a com- plete waiver of farmers debts. The organisations called upon the government to take responsibility for addressing issues related to air pollution, contaminated water and stubble burning, rather than placing the burden solely on farmers. They also opposed the installation of smart electricity meters, and demanded the cancellation of ‘inflated’ electricity bills issued to consumers. PSPCL orders 50,759 disconnections as dues touch ~332.46 cr Rishika Kriti ACTION AGAINST6-MONTH DEFAULTERS Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 31 In an effort to improve its deteriorating fiscal health amid mounting electricity dues, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has intensified its recovery and disconnection drive against consumers who have failed to pay their bills across the North Zone. As per the latest data, 3.64 lakh defaulting consumers across Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur owed the utility Rs 410.22 crore till July. Against this, the PSPCL managed to recover Rs 77.76 crore from 47,945 cases between July 1 and August 28, leaving nearly Rs 332.46 crore still to be recovered. With a substantial amount still locked in unpaid bills, the utility has stepped up enforcement action. It has issued permanent disconnec- Consumers who fail to pay dues for over six months despite repeated notices face permanent disconnection. Connections are restored only after full payment of pending bills and completion of PSPCL formalities. JALANDHAR TOPS THE LIST Of the total dues, ~268.46 crore was pending in Jalandhar alone, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the North Zone’s arrears. However, only ~33.10 crore had been recovered between July 1 and Aug 28. PSPCL officials disconnect electricity connections of the residents, who have not paid their bills in Jalandhar. FILE tion orders against 50,759 consumers across the four circles. Jalandhar accounts for the largest share of these with 23,595 disconnections, followed by Kapurthala c m y b 14,328, Nawanshahr 6,773 and Hoshiarpur 6,063. The drive, launched on July 1, is expected to continue until further instructions. The circle-wise figures also show that the problem is acute in Jalandhar, which accounts for nearly twothirds of the total outstanding dues in the North Zone. Of Rs 410.22 crore pending across the four circles, Jalandhar alone accounts for Rs 268.46 crore. However, only Rs 33.10 crore had been recovered so far. Kapurthala follows with Rs 83.97 crore in outstanding dues, of which Rs 16.77 crore had been recovered. Hoshiarpur had Rs 45.04 crore pending, against which Rs 20.23 crore had been recovered while Nawanshahr has the lowest outstanding amount at Rs 12.74 crore, of which Rs 7.63 crore had been recovered. At the divisional level, the Model Town office in Jalandhar alone has Rs 105.64 crore in pending electricity dues more than a quarter of the total dues in the North Zone. The PSPCL had recovered only Rs 8.75 crore from the division during the ongoing drive. Jalandhar West has the next highest outstanding amount at Rs 59.28 crore, but only Rs 4.59 crore had been recovered. Jalandhar Cantt has Rs 52.18 crore pending, with Rs 4.01 crore recovered, while Jalandhar East has dues of Rs 26.36 crore, of which Rs 12 crore recovered. Phagwara division has Rs 24.98 crore pending, against which Rs 3.74 crore had been recovered. The figures also highlights the scale of the challenge before the PSPCL where despite recovering nearly Rs 78 crore in less than two months, a much larger amount remains locked in unpaid bills. Explaining the recovery process, a PSPCL official said consumers whose electricity bills remain unpaid for more than 60 days are classified as defaulters. “During the drive, such consumers are served notices and given a 10-day window to clear their outstanding dues. If they fail to comply, their electricity connections are disconnected,” the official said. The utility restores connections only after the consumer clears the pending bills in full, the official added. Chief Engineer Sarabjit Singh said, “The recovery drive is a part of the corporation’s statewide exercise. Consumers are advised to ensure timely payment of their electricity bills so that they do not have to bear additional surcharges on delayed payments. Timely payment not only helps consumers avoid unnecessary financial burden but also enables the corporation to maintain a healthy revenue cycle to ensure stable power supply.”