31072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/30/2026 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune SEECHEWAL LAUNCHES ‘APNA PIND SAMBHALO MUHIM’ CITY VOLLEYBALL COACH TO REPRESENT INDIA AT WORLD C’SHIP LOCK THE BOX BOOK FAIR IN SHIMLA FROM AUGUST 2 TO 5 Rajya Sabha MP urges people to take responsibility for safeguarding their own villages . P2 Hailing from Jalandhar, Amrit Pal Singh comes from a family deeply rooted in volleyball. P3 The famous Lock The Box Book fair by Bookchor will be held from August 2 to August 5 at Gaiety Theatre. P4 » » FORECAST RAINY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.24 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:44 AM » FRIDAY | 31 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR Bandh cripples life in Doaba towns Barnala lathicharge City unaffected by protest | Safai sewaks keep work suspended of several social organisations, held a protest at the old bus stand. Speakers reiterated demands for regularisation of contractual employees, fresh recruitment, higher wages and improved medical facilities, warning of intensified agitation if their demands remain unmet.Similar protests and dharnas were also held at Bilga, Goraya and several other towns in the district. Tribune Reporters Jalandhar/kapurthala, July30 As anticipated, normal life remained largely unaffected in Jalandhar city on Thursday despite the Punjab bandh call given by safai sewaks and members of the Valmiki community across the state. Markets, educational institutions and government offices functioned as usual, although large parts of the Doaba region witnessed a complete shutdown. A complete bandh was observed in Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Phagwara, Kapurthala and the peripheral towns of Jalandhar in protest against the lathicharge on safai sewaks in Barnala on July 22. The community has been seeking the dismissal of DSP Satvir Singh, who has already been placed under suspension. Leaders and members of the Punjab Safai Karamchari Union hold a protest in front of the MC office in Jalandhar. PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Protest march in Jalandhar All unions kept sanitation services suspended as a mark of protest in Jalandhar city. The protest began with members of various Municipal Corporation unions gathering outside the office before taking out a march to Shri Ram Chowk. Addressing protesters, leader Bantu Sabharwal alleged that the government had failed to address the concerns of the community and safai karamcharis. Valmiki Welfare Trust chairman Vipan Sabharwal also joined the protest. Addressing the gathering, Sabharwal condemned the alleged “inhuman” police action against the sanitation workers in Barnala. Sabharwal warned that protests would continue across Punjab until strict legal action is taken against the officials responsible for the alleged lathicharge. The bandh call received a strong response across rural Jalandhar, with 12 Nagar Panchayats, Nagar Councils and Municipal Committees observing a near-total shutdown. Dharnas were held and markets, commercial establishments and rickshaw services remained shut in Kartarpur, Nurmahal, Phillaur, Goraya, Bilga, Mehatpur, Lohian, Nakodar, Shahkot and Alawalpur, among other Protest in Cantt against Army nakas Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 30 Residents of Jalandhar Cantonment and shopkeepers of market areas have been protesting against the Army barricades laid at several intersecting roads blocking their access to several pockets within the area. The residents and shopkeepers held a protest outside the office of the Cantonment Board on Wednesday and gave an ultimatum of two days, failing which they said they would hold a massive protest. SDM Shubhi Angra and Brigadier Kapil Sood tried to pacify the agitating residents and explained to them the various security issues for laying the barricades. They sought time from the protestors to settle the issue. Political leaders supported the residents on the issue. towns, significantly impacting normal life. Kartarpur: Most shops and business establishments remained closed from morning till 4 pm in Kartarpur. Members of the Safai Sewak Union and the Pendu Mazdoor Union Punjab gathered outside the Municipal Council office and staged a protest march before holding a sit-in under the main square bridge. Addressing a gathering, union leaders said sanitation workers had been protesting since July 8 across more than 150 municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab, demanding job security, restoration of the old pension scheme and other benefits. They alleged that civic sanitation services had been affected due to the ongoing agitation. They condemned the use of force by the police against sanitation workers in Barnala. Declaring the bandh a success, Kartarpur leader Kashmir Singh Ghuggshore said the agitation would continue until demands such as regularisation of sanitation and municipal workers, abolition of the contractual system, restoration of the old pension scheme, a minimum monthly wage of Rs 40,000, Garbage lies in front of the closed shops at Kartarpur on Thursday. PHOTO : MALKIAT SINGH CONG MLA JOINS PROTEST AT PHILLAUR ■ Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, accompanied by Municipal Councillor, joined the protest against the alleged police excesses on sanitation workers in Barnala. ■ Addressing a gathering, Chaudhary launched a sharp attack on the government, stating that instead of listening to the genuine grievances of the workers, the government chose to suppress their voice through police force. ■ He termed the alleged lathicharge on protesting sanitation workers in Barnala highly condemnable and unacceptable. ■ Chaudhary called for the immediate dismissal of DSP Satvir Singh and SHO Lakhvir Singh, alleging that the police action was carried out without the directions of the Executive Magistrate. — OC and legal action against officials accused in the Barnala incident are met. Workers also rejected the state government’s recent salary hike, describing it as inadequate. Leaders of the Safai Sewak Union Punjab Vishwas Kumar Gill, Ashwani Sabharwal, Vijay Kumar Gill, state press secretary of the Pendu Mazdoor Union Punjab Kashmir Singh Ghuggshore, tehsil president KS Atwal, Jasvir Kaur Jassi of the Istri Jagriti Manch, Sister Harpreet Kaur Nusi, among others, addressed the gathering. Nurmahal: A similar response was witnessed at Nurmahal, where markets remained shut and sanitation workers, along with members Nakodar: Normal life was affected in almost every town in Nakodar and Shahkot subdivisions as the markets and several business establishments remained closed in response to the bandh call. The bandh received support from trader associations and social organisations, leading to a visible impact on commercial activity. However, some banks, educational institutes, chemists and dairies were found open. The protesting workers appealed to shopkeepers who had kept their shops open to close in response to the ongoing bandh. Phagwara: The bandh witnessed a significant response in Phagwara as members of the Municipal Corporation Phagwara Mazdoor Union and the Bhagwan Valmiki Action Committee organised a motorcycle rally across the city, urging traders and residents to support their ongoing agitation against the government. The rally, held under the leadership of union president Dharamveer Sethi, saw the participation of hundreds of activists and 10 to 15 motorcycles. Beginning from the Municipal Corporation office, the procession passed through key commercial and residential areas, including Gol Chowk, Chatkaiyan Chowk, Gandhi Chowk, Valmiki Chowk and Hargobind Nagar Chowk, before returning to the Municipal Corporation premises. Throughout the rally, protesters raised slogans against the AAP-led government. Following the conclusion of the motorcycle rally, MC employees, along with members of the Bhagwan Valmiki Action Committee, resumed their indefinite dharna outside the MC office. Complete bandh in Nawanshahr Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, July 30 Nawanshahr witnessed a complete shutdown on Thursday in response to a call given by the Punjab Safai Sewak Union, with markets across the town remaining closed in support of the ongoing agitation by sanitation workers. In one area, a few shops that were found to be open were also closed by the protesters. Autorickshaw drivers affiliated with the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) and members of the Rehri Workers’ Union also suspended the activities and joined the protest. Sanitation workers hold a protest march against the Punjab CM and police in Nawanshahr on Thursday. Jalandhar MC Consumer panel orders JIT to execute recovers water, sale deed of Surya Enclave plot in city sewerage dues Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 30 The Jalandhar MC carried out a special drive in Zone 3 on Thursday to recover pending water supply and sewerage charges and take action against defaulters. The drive was conducted under the directions of Mayor Vaneet Dhir, Municipal Commissioner Nikas Kumar and Joint Commissioner Dr Sumandeep Kaur. The operation was supervised by Estate Officer-cumChief Tax Collector Ashwani Gill and Superintendent (Water Rates) Harpreet Walia. During the drive, the civic body recovered outstanding water and sewerage dues from consumers in the area. It also disconnected water and sewerage connections of property owners who failed to clear their pending bills despite repeated notices. Among the major defaulters against whom action was taken included Jalandhar Guest House in Dhobi Mohalla, which had outstanding dues of Rs 6.30 lakh, and the showroom near Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk, which owed Rs 87,751. The MC also issued a final warning to another showroom on Nakodar Road, where water and sewerage dues amounting to Rs 1.15 lakh are pending. The establishment has been granted one week’s time to clear the outstanding amount. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 30 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to register the sale deed of a Surya Enclave plot in favour of its owners, holding that they cannot be made to suffer for alleged irregularities in the original allotment of the property. The commission also ordered the trust to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. The dispute relates to a 356square yard plot in Surya Enclave that was originally allotted under the Local Displaced Persons (LDP) category in 2011. The plot was subsequently transferred to another allottee in 2012, from whom complainants Mandeep Singh c m y b The Jalandhar Improvement Trust office. and Harjinder Kaur had purchased it. Following the purchase, the Jalandhar Improvement Trust accepted the prescribed transfer fee and officially transferred the plot in the couple’s names. After this, the couple later obtained the approval for the building plan and constructed a house on the plot. But when they applied for the comple- tion certificate and registration of the sale deed, the trust put the process on hold, stating that several plots allotted under the LDP category were under scrutiny following a forensic audit. Despite repeatedly approaching the trust and other authorities, the couple could not get the sale deed executed. The trust argued that the The protesters first assembled at Committee Bazaar Mandir before holding a protest. The gathering was addressed by Municipal Employees’ Union district president Sunny Baghanian, IFTU state president Kulwinder Singh Waraich, IFTU state press secretary Jasbir Deep, etc. Addressing the gathering, speakers condemned the alleged use of force by the police against sanitation workers in Barnala while they were opposing attempts to lift garbage during the strike. They alleged that several workers, including women, were assaulted and injured during the incident. original allotment of the plot was under government scrutiny and that it could not proceed with the registration until a final decision was taken. Rejecting the trust’s stand, the commission observed that the complainants were bona fide purchasers and there was no allegation of fraud or misrepresentation against them. It noted that the trust had transferred the plot in their names, accepted all payments and permitted construction. The commission held that any irregularity, if at all, was attributable to the trust or its officials and that the complainants could not be denied their legal rights because of a pending departmental inquiry. It further observed that the trust had failed to produce any court order or legal direction restraining the execution of the sale deed. Girl dies, mother injured as truck hits scooter Phagwara, July 30 A minor girl was killed and her mother injured after a truck allegedly rammed into their scooter from behind near Goraya on Thursday. According to Road Safety Force officials, the accident was reported to the team led by in-charge Sarabjit Singh, which immediately rushed to the spot. Preliminary investigations revealed that Vandana, wife of Rajeev, was travelling from Patara village in Rama Mandi to Ludhiana on a scooter along with her son Aarush and daughter Nitasha. Family members alleged that the truck struck the scooter from behind, causing the twowheeler to lose balance and crash onto the road. Nitasha died on the spot. Vandana was injured in the accident and was provided immediate assistance. Her condition was stated to be stable.— OC