03092026-JTR-01.qxd 9/3/2026 12:14 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AIDED-SCHOOL TEACHERS TO OBSERVE ‘BLACK DAY’ ON SEPT 5 DON’T MISTAKE H1N1 FOR ROUTINE FLU: DOCTOR A WOMAN’S PURITY MORE VALUABLE THAN HER LIFE? The union said teachers had not received their salaries for months, causing financial hardship to them and their families. P2 An H1N1 infection can cause blood sugar levels to spike and rapidly trigger acute flares of pre-existing illnesses. P3 Actress Swara Bhasker clarifies on ‘X’ that she did not mean that Rani Padmaavati was coward. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.49 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:05 AM » THURSDAY | 3 SEPTEMBER 2026 | JALANDHAR Panel pulls up insurance firm for sitting on approved claim 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. Tribune News Service INBRIEF TWO BOOKED FOR FORGERY Phillaur: The police have booked two persons following a complaint alleging preparation and use of forged documents in connection with the issuance of a marriage registration certificate. The complainant, Krishna Devi Sandhu, resident of Nurmahal, alleged that the documents had been prepared fraudulently and used as genuine for obtaining a marriage registration certificate from the Registrar Office, Phillaur. The police identified the accused as Anchal Sandhu alias Nandini Sandhu, and Ashok Kumar Sandhu, both residents of Nurmahal. No arrest has been made till so far. OC TWO ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY Phagwara: The police have arrested two persons in connection with an alleged robbery in which a man was reportedly stopped and robbed of ~2,000 after being threatened with a weapon. According to a complaint, Jatinder Shah, residing in Kala Sanghian near Kapurthala, reported that the incident took place around 6:10 pm. The accused allegedly approached him on a motorcycle, showed him a weapon and forcibly took ~2,000 from him before fleeing. The police identified the accused as Malkiat Singh of Mahimpur near Nakodar and Manpreet Singh of Billi Chao village near Nakodar. Both accused have been arrested. OC FIVE BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The police have registered a case against five persons following an alleged assault on a 23-year-old man at a bus stop in which he reportedly suffered injuries. According to a complaint, Harvinder Singh of Dham village near Subhanpur said he was travelling home from Jalandhar and reached the bus-stop area at Bhila Mor around 5:30 pm. Five persons carrying weapons attacked him. The police have named the accused as Roop Anmol, Rajesh, Inderjit Singh, residents of Bullowal near Bhogpur; Karan Singh, resident of Kartarpur; and Jaswinder Singh of Rawalpindi. oc PHILLAUR WOMAN GOES MISSING Phagwara: The police have registered a case following a complaint regarding the disappearance of a 25-yearold woman, who allegedly went missing after leaving her home for college. According to the complaint, the daughter of complainant Munni Bai of Phillaur left home for college around 10 am on August 21 but did not return. The complainant expressed suspicion that she might have been kept in confinement by someone. OC Former AAP Jalandhar North halqa in-charge Dinesh Dhall with his supporters join the BJP in the presence of BJP president Kewal Dhillon and BJP Punjab incharge Satish Poonia in Jalandhar on Wednesday.Tribune photo:Malkiat Singh. Removed AAP halqa chief Dhall, supporters join BJP Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 Former Aam Aadmi Party Jalandhar North halqa incharge Dinesh Dhall, who was removed unceremoniously from the post by the ruling party about five weeks ago, joined the BJP on Wednesday. He was also holding the post of Vice-Chairperson of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC). Dhall was inducted into the saffron party in the presence of Punjab BJP chief Kewal Dhillon, BJP state general secretary Anil Sarin, district BJP president Ashok Sareen Hickey, former BJP MLA KD Bhandari and ex-MLA Sheetal Angural. Along with Dinesh Dhall, dozens of his supporters, including his cousin and second-time MC councillor Amit Dhall and son Parth Dhall, also joined the BJP . Dhall was reportedly miffed ever since he was removed from the post of halqa in- WAS SACKED IN JULY Former Aam Aadmi Party Jalandhar North halqa in-charge Dinesh Dhall was removed unceremoniously from the post by the ruling party on July 29. He was also holding the post of Vice-Chairperson of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation. charge on July 29. AAP had handed over his position to Mayor Vaneet Dhir. Dhall and his team was much annoyed at the decision as he kept listing out various development works that he had got initiated in his constituency for the past over 4 years. His supporters had been openly posting messages against the AAP government, accusing it of ignoring him. Dhall had even met Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia and CM’s OSD Rajbir Ghumman in this connection but had not got any satisfactory reply and finally jumped the ship. Dhall had unsuccessfully contested from the Jalandhar North Assembly seat on AAP ticket in 2022. Prior to joining AAP he was a Congress leader. , He had started his career as MC councillor but was never in good terms with ex-minister Avtar Henry. He had contested against Henry as a Congress dissident in 2012. Asked if he would now expect party ticket from Jalandhar North, he said, “I am in the team of KD Bhandari. He will lead us and I will support him”. At this, both the leaders hugged one another. 'Was feeling suffocated in AAP' Dinesh Dhall said he had long been feeling "suffocated" within the Aam Aadmi Party, well before his removal as halqa in-charge."It was much before my removal as halqa in-charge that I started feeling suffocated. It is not just me; several others in the party feel the same way, though they have chosen to remain silent so far," he said. Dhall said, "My first such experience came when I pointed out that drug abuse was increasing in Punjab. All MLAs and halqa in-charges had been called for a discussion at the CM's residence after the elections. Before me, no one dared to raise the issue. Everyone is treated like a slave and is not allowed to express an independent opinion," he alleged. On choosing BJP he said he , felt that this was one party which had a vision for the country's progress. "I want to work with it. I have joined unconditionally. I have come here for sewa and to feel free to express my opinions. KD Bhandari is like my elder brother. I shall back him for everything. I will support him fully," he said. Jalandhar, September 2 Pulling up Oriental Insurance company for sitting on an approved motor insurance claim, the Jalandhar District Consumer Commission has made it clear that an insurer cannot indefinitely withhold a consumer’s money by citing pending formalities. The commission directed the insurer to release the Rs 5.62 lakh approved claim with 6 per cent interest and pay Rs 30,000 towards mental harassment and litigation expenses to the complainant. The case dates back to September 19, 2024, when Jalandhar resident Gagandeep Singh’s car met with an accident on the national highway near Goraya and suffered total loss. The car was insured with Oriental Insurance for a declared value of Rs 7 lakh. Following the accident, the insurer appointed a spot sur- 34.5 kg charas seized from 3 Jalandhar, September 2 The police have unearthed an international drug racket in a major operation and recovered 34.5 kg of charas from three accused. The police arrested Devanand, alias Nanda, of Dakoha and seized 1.5 kg of charas. During interrogation, Devanand disclosed that Buddh Bahadur of Hoshiarpur and Suryarti of Nepal were also involved in the illegal drug trade. Accordingly, Buddh Bahadur and Suryarti were named as accused. Teams were immediately constituted and they were arrested. During their search, 33 kg of charas was recovered from their possession. A total of 34.5 kg of charas has been recovered from the three accused in the operation. OC Insurer told to release ~5.62 lakh claim with 6 per cent interest veyor and later a final surveyor to assess the damage. After inspecting the vehicle, the final surveyor concluded that it was not economical to repair and assessed the loss at Rs 5.62 lakh on a total loss basis. The insurer subsequently approved the same amount. However, the payment remained pending. The company told the commission that it had asked Singh to complete certain formalities and submit some documents before the claim could be released. The commission was not convinced by the insurer’s explanation for keeping the approved amount pending indefinitely. It observed that once a claim had been found payable and a specific amount had been approved, the insurer could not simply retain the money without showing any substantive obstacle to its release. The commission also took note of ICICI Bank’s role, as the vehicle had been financed by the bank and remained under hypothecation until the loan was fully repaid. It directed the insurer to first clear the legally recoverable outstanding loan amount due to the bank and then release the balance from the awarded compensation of Rs 5.62 lakh to Singh. The commission also directed Singh to submit the required documents in his possession within 15 days of receiving a copy of the order, following which the insurer must release the approved claim amount within 15 days of receiving the documents. The compensation and litigation expenses are to be paid within 45 days of receiving the order. Ultimatum to civic body over regular job Mehatpur sanitation staff threaten stir Jalandhar, September 2 The Sanitation Workers Union Punjab, Mehatpur unit, served an ultimatum on the Executive Officer of Nagar Panchayat, Mehatpur, on Wednesday and said if the government and the local administration do not implement their accepted demands, then they will be forced to launch an intense struggle. The union pointed out that following an agreement reached after a strike by sanitation workers, the Punjab Local Government Department had directed Nagar Panchayats and Nagar Councils to insource outsourced sanitation workers and regularise them by passing the required resolutions. However, workers alleged that even after more than a month, officials in Jalandhar district had failed to pass the resolutions, leading to growing distrust among sanitation workers towards the government. The workers also expressed concern over whether they would receive the enhanced monthly salary of Rs 20,500 announced by the government. The district recently witnessed a series of sanitation workers’ protests that left garbage piled up on streets for days. After the strike was called off, the state launched a Punjab-wide cleanliness drive. — TNS Non-academic tasks eating Power shortage triggers evening into teaching hours: Union curbs on Jalandhar industries Assign these duties to dedicated staff members: Union Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 Educators in Jalandhar under the banner of the Government Teachers Union Punjab have raised concerns over being burdened with 65 types of non-academic tasks, saying the growing workload is taking them away from their primary responsibility of teaching students. According to the union, the tasks include BLO and election work, Census-related duties, student health check-ups and medicine distribution, UDISE, APAAR and ABHA registrations, Aadhaar and bank account updates, Mid-Day Meal management, scholarships and uniforms, social audits, water sampling, photography, school cleanliness, kitchen gardens, Eco Clubs, sports activities, Anganwadi data collection, Mission Samarth, PTMs and various meetings and programmes among others. The union further said Teachers stage a protest in Jalandhar. FILE while many of these activities are linked to government schemes or administrative requirements, their sheer number has added significantly to teachers’ workload. As a result, teachers have less time for lesson planning, classroom teaching and giving individual attention to students. Government Teachers Union Punjab state president Sukhwinder Singh Chahal, general secretary Gurbinder Singh Saskour and press secretary Karnail Phillaur said the growing burden of non-academic duties are at odds with the government’s stated objective of improving the quality of education in government schools. They said the teachers were increasingly being made to handle responsibilities that should ideally be assigned to the dedicated staff. “A teacher is meant for teaching, not to be a multi-purpose employee doing every kind of work,” they said. The union has demanded that separate staff be deployed for surveys, data collection and departmental work. It has also sought exemption of teachers from non-academic duties. c m y b Jalandhar, September 2 Industrial consumers in Jalandhar faced back-to-back power cuts on Tuesday and Wednesday evening as Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) moved to manage an emergent power situation amid a widening gap between demand and availability. The power utility ordered Category 2 and Category 3 industrial feeders to remain shut from 7 pm to midnight on both days. In a communication issued on Tuesday evening, the PSPCL had asked industrial units to keep their consumption below 10 per cent of their sanctioned load, saying this would allow basic lighting supply to continue and help prevent outages in residential areas connected to the same feeders. It warned that exceeding the 10 per cent limit would lead to a complete power cut from the substation. On Wednesday, the restrictions were tightened for Category 3 consumers which were directed to restrict consumption to just 2 per cent of their On September 1, the state recorded an electricity demand of 3,416 lakh units (14,233 MW) against availability of 3,385 lakh units, leaving a shortfall of 31 lakh units. sanctioned load, while Category 2 units were allowed to operate at up to 10 per cent. PSPCL officials said Category 2 feeders primarily serve industrial connections, while Category 3 feeders supply a mix of residential and industrial consumers in an area. The cuts come days after rural and urban pockets of Jalandhar witnessed two to three hours of power outages as the Power Controller, Patiala, imposed essential load shed- ding amid a power shortage. The extent of the supply crunch is reflected in PSPCL data. On September 1, the state recorded an electricity demand of 3,416 lakh units (14,233 MW) against availability of 3,385 lakh units, leaving a shortfall of 31 lakh units. The shortage prevailed even when the utility purchased around 2,800 lakh units of power to meet the demand. Additionally, the maximum demand during the day touched 15,928 MW, compared with 6,602 MW on the corresponding day last year. Industrialists said the sudden cuts were causing operational losses, particularly for furnace based units. Narinder Singh Sagoo, president of the Focal Point Extension Association, said industries are complying with the power department’s instructions but needed advance information before curtailment. “On Tuesday, the department informed us about the cuts only when the supply was snapped. For furnace industries, the sudden outage is particularly damaging as molten iron hardens when power is cut. When supply is restored, the units have to consume almost double the electricity to melt it again,” he said. Sagoo further said following these concerns, association was informed around 5.30 pm on Wednesday about the scheduled 7 pm to midnight curtailment. “We need advance information so that industries can plan their operations and safely shut down furnaces instead of suffering losses due to sudden power cuts,” he said.