28092026-ATR-01.qxd 9/27/2026 11:04 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune UDOWALI FARMER KEEPS CHEMICALS OFF FIELD ‘BUST DRUG SUPPLY SOURCE, MERE SEIZURES WON’T DO’ To curb smuggling, residents call for accurate intelligence inputs, wider anti-drone coverage. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 22°C INTERSTELLAR INSPIRED BY INDIAN EPIC: FILMMAKER At a time when straw burning remains a major challenge in Punjab, Udowali farmer Sukhbir Singh adopts an alternative approach. P2 FORECAST At Shimla Film Fest, filmmaker Amit Rai links Hollywood blockbusters to Ramayana and Mahabharata. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.16 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:18 AM » MONDAY | 28 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Cops barking up wrong tree: Locals on action against minor traffic offences Say no check on serious violations like plying of unregistered trolleys Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service 1 kg heroin, drone seized; probe launched Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 27 The Border Security Force has recovered 1 kg of heroin and a drone from Rajatal village located near the International Border. The seized contraband and the drone were later handed over to the Gharinda police for registration of an FIR and further investigation. Sunil Kumar, Assistant Commandant and Company Commander, D Company, 181 Battalion, subsequently submitted a written complaint to the police. He stated that a suspicious packet was found in the Rajatal area, following which the material was examined with a drug detection kit. The substance was suspected to be heroin. A small drone was also recovered from the spot, strengthening suspicion that the consignment had been delivered through an aerial route from across the border. On the basis of the complaint, a case against an unidentified person was registered on September 26, said Amandeep Singh, SHO Gharinda police station, here. An investigation has been launched, he added. Provocative slogans on walls: Auto driver among two arrested Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 27 Provocative slogans written on walls at various places in the city prompted swift police action, with officials getting hold of two persons, including an auto driver. Those arrested have been identified as Mangal Singh (26), an auto driver, and Arshdeep Singh (23), a labourer. Both are residents of the Waryam Singh Colony area here. The slogans attributed to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikh for Justice, a banned organisation, also made mention of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who is scheduled to visit the city on Monday. The incident came to light after the police received information about the writings on the walls at the railway station, Bhandari bridge and Hall gate areas in the early hours on Saturday. The walls were immediately repainted. Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaskaranjit Singh Teja said a probe followed by technical inputs helped them iden- Amritsar, September 27 Traffic rules seem to have gone for a toss in the city, it seems. Once you hit the road, the ride is risky, say locals, pointing towards the growing number of trucks loaded with construction material plying on busy stretches and highways. With unregistered tractortrailers spotted on city roads during peak hours almost every day, the residents flayed the slack attitude of the traffic police and the regional transport towards the glaring violation. Airing his woes, Ravinder Sultanwind, a local, said: “Challans are issued for minor offences, while those violating the Motor Vehicles Act get away easily. This practice has to stop.” The irony is that the state government had issued orders against the use of tractor-trailers for commercial purposes long back. And years later, its directive has met with non-compliance. A hotelier, Surinder Singh, said the authorities had failed to act against the illegality, ignoring the grave threat these trolleys posed while plying on 17 properties under trust up for e-auction Arms seizure: Third accused nabbed from 10 kg heroin bust: Police suspect trio Mumbai airport while trying to flee country part of larger cross-border module In violation of government’s orders, trolleys loaded with construction material continue to ply on Amritsar roads. VISHAL KUMAR busy roads or highways. MK Sharma, an advocate, said even the death of a 22year-old girls in a tragic road accident at Chheharta on April 28 had failed to move the authorities concerned. After Sharma approached the State Transport Commissioner Parneet Shergill, officials concerned were directed to take immediate measures to check the practice. “The MVA-1988 permits the use of tractor-trailers for the agricultural purposes only. The traffic police and the State Transport Commission should launch a joint campaign to root out this illegal practice,” he added. Amritsar, September 27 The Amritsar Improvement Trust has put up 17 properties with a combined reserve price of Rs 49.05 crore for its fifth e-auction. These include the ones located in the District Shopping Centre on Ajnala Road, Truck Stand Scheme, Mall Mandi Scheme, Ajnala Road Block-B and Nehru Shopping Complex. According to the auction notice, the bidding will be conducted through the tender wizard/DLGP portal. The last date for submission of bids is October 12 till 5 pm, while online bidding will begin at 10 am on October 13 and continue till 5 pm on October 15. The District Shopping Cen- October 12 last date for submission of bids tre, Ajnala road, accounts for the bulk of the high-value properties in the auction. Four properties from the scheme have been included, with reserve prices ranging from around Rs 8 crore to Rs 12.06 crore. The largest property in the auction measures 363 sq yards and carries a reserve price of Rs 12.06 crore. Another 308.44square-yard property has a reserve price of Rs 10.20 crore, while properties measuring 273.16 square yards and 242 square yards have reserve prices of Rs 9.03 crore and Rs 8 crore, respectively. The four District Shopping Centre properties together have reserve prices of around Rs3 9.29 crore, making them the most significant component of the auction. The trust has also included four properties under the Truck Stand Scheme, two under the Mall Mandi Scheme, one under Ajnala Road Block-B and six properties at Nehru Shopping Complex. tify and nab the two suspects within hours. The police claimed that preliminary investigation had indicated that Arshdeep Singh was in contact with a foreignbased handler identified as Gora, whose name has figured in similar instances earlier. He came in contact with Gora through Snapchat and the latter promised them of handsome money and extending help in shifting abroad. A case under Sections 196(1), 197(2) and 61(2) of the BNS was registered at the A-Division police station yesterday. The police said they were working on establishing the complete sequence of events, the motive behind the writings and the possible involvement of other persons. Pawan K Jaiswar Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service The accused in police custody. Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 27 Three alleged smugglers, including a married couple, who were arrested by the Amritsar rural police for allegedly possessing two assault rifles apart from 10 kg of heroin, were today sent to a three-day police remand. The contraband and assault rifles along with three magazines and 10 bullets were allegedly dropped by drones from the Pakistani side in the Gharinda border belt here. Those arrested have been identified as Bikramjeet Singh of Ghumanpura in Chheharta and Sandeep Singh and his wife Kamaljit Kaur of Brar village. The police said they were intercepted while allegedly going to deliver the consignment following specific intelligence inputs. The police suspect that the trio was part of a larger crossborder smuggling module operating in the Amritsar border belt. Forensic examination of their mobile phones would shed a light on their local network, they said. It is learnt that AK-47 and AK-56 rifles seized from the accused were believed to be Amritsar, September 27 The Amritsar rural police have arrested one Ranjan Chauhan, a resident of the Mustafabad area, from the Mumbai airport while trying to flee the country. His name cropped up during the investigation into the seizure of 15 pistols and 5 kg of heroin for which two persons, identified as Deepak Singh of Rorawala Khurd and Subhpreet Singh of Verka, Majitha bypass area, were arrested on September 7. He had been evading arrest after his name figured during the probe which pointed out that Chauhan was allegedly in contact with Pakistanbased handlers through social media platforms and was coordinating the movement of consignments of heroin and weapons through his associates. A police official preferring anonymity said Chauhan allegedly switched off two mobile phones and left Amritsar soon after the arrest of Deepak and Shubham. A look out notice was also issued against him on Sep- Two accused were arrested on September 7. Fifteen pistols and 5 kg heroin were recovered from them. tember 10. Preliminary probe revealed that Chauhan initially stayed in Delhi before shifting to Mumbai, where he had allegedly been hiding for around 15 days. The police were suspecting that he might flee abroad. His attempt to leave the country, however, came to an end at the Mumbai air- port, where the authorities alerted the Maharashtra Police and he was taken into custody. The Punjab Police were then informed. He is being brought to Amritsar for further interrogation. The police have also found that a heroin smuggling case is registered against Chauhan in Gurdaspur. They said Deepak was allegedly one of Chauhan’s closest operatives. The police are now contemplating to seek Deepak’s production warrant for further interrogation in the case. Chauhan’s questioning would help identify his accomplices, officials said. The police say the suspects were in contact with Pakistan smugglers. WANTED TO DISRUPT LAW AND ORDER The police say AK-47 and AK-56 rifles seized from the accused were believed to be part of major consignments smuggled by Pakistan-based anti-national forces. These sophisticated weapons were to be used in the targeted operations and create law and order trouble in the border state. part of major consignments smuggled by Pakistan-based anti-national forces. These sophisticated weapons were to be used in targeted operations and create law and order trouble in the border state. Two bags recovered from their possession contained an AK-47 rifle, an AK-56 rifle, three magazines, 10 live cartridges and over 10 kg of heroin. The police also recovered four mobile phones from them and sent those for forensic examination. IG, Border Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Amritsar Rural SSP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal said preliminary interrogation had revealed that the suspects were allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and involved in supplying narcotics for the past few years. The couple has around three NDPS cases against it, police sources said. The two were out on bail, it is learnt. A case under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the NDPS Act has been registered at the Gharinda police station. 4 days after death of AAP sarpanch’s House sees hot exchange over garbage crisis PAYMENT MADE TO SANITATION FIRM RAISES BROWS husband death, no headway yet Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 27 It’s been four days since the husband of sitting AAP woman sarpanch was found dead and the police are yet to make any headway in the case. With the clamour for justice growing, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla today demanded a CBI probe into the incident. The victim, Kuljit Singh Sandhu, left home on September 21. When he did not return, the family started looking for him. Unable to trace his whereabouts, the latter then approached the police. On September 23, his body MP seeks CBI probe; family says accident theory hard to believe Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla at a press conference. was recovered along a road at Raval village falling under Dera Baba Nanak police jurisdiction. Ashok Kumar, SHO, Dera Baba Nanak police station, said Continued on page 2 c m y b Amritsar, September 27 Irregular door-to-door garbage collection, inadequate deployment of vehicles and various other issues cropped up at a meeting of 16 councillors with Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia and Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill. Councillors alleged that despite the private sanitation company being paid substantially more than the previous agency, garbage lifting remained irregular in several wards. They claimed that the previous agency was paid around Rs 1.25 crore to Rs 1.5 crore a month, while the new Councillors alleged that despite the private sanitation company being paid substantially more than the previous agency, garbage lifting remained irregular in several wards. They claimed that the previous agency was paid around ~1.25 crore to ~1.5 crore a month, while the new company had minted more than ~6 crore in a month. company had minted more than Rs 6 crore in a month, seeking an inquiry into the expenditure. Two representatives from the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi office reportedly attended the meeting. The councillors said most wards had 4,5006,500 households, but the number of vehicles deployed for door-to-door collection was inadequate. They added that company vehicles collected waste from commercial establishments first. The councillors also complained that the company had deployed fewer vehicles than required in several wards, demanding the constitution of a committee to monitor sanitation work at the ward level. Ward 56 councillor Vicky Dutta said door-to-door garbage collection was not happening in parts of the walled city. He also raised questions over the QR code system, saying most stickers had come off, while private handcarts were being used in the ward.Ward 13 representative Gulzar Bittu said garbage was piling up on the 88 Feet Road and that the area required five trolleys, but only one was being sent to the place. Ward 58 councillor Jarnail Singh Dhot said poor garbage lifting could become an issue with the Assembly elections approaching and urged the company to improve its functioning. Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia directed the company to ensure regular garbage lifting and upgrade its infrastructure. He said review meetings on garbage lifting would be held every 15 days.