J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Multi-laned bridge thrown open to public
Amritsar, August 8
Traffic snarls on the Amritsar-Jalandhar-Tarn Taran road would now be a thing of the past. The century-old Taran Wala bridge on Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) has been transformed into an ultra-modern multi-laned bridge. The bridge was thrown open to the public today by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Commuters use the bridge on the Jalandhar-Amritsar track after its inauguration in Amritsar on Wednesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

CCTV surveillance in all major cities soon: Sukhbir
Amritsar, August 8
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said a huge modernisation plan in the police department, including intensive CCTV surveillance, in all the major cities of the state is in the offing and it would be quite helpful in checking the crime and improving traffic scenario.

Students ‘lathicharged’
Jalandhar, August 8
Scores of students of a local college were allegedly lathi charged by the police near Bhagat Singh colony here today. Students were reportedly on their way to attend a function of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) at Vijay resort near Maqsoodan.

Four arrested for smuggling
Amritsar, August 8
The State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, a unit of the counter intelligence wing of the Punjab Police, has arrested four persons for smuggling drugs to Pakistan-based smugglers. The arrested included two agents allegedly involved in smuggling and transaction of money from local smugglers in lieu of drug consignments sent to Pakistan-based smugglers.

Multi-laned bridge thrown open to public
GS Paul/TNS

CCTV surveillance in all major cities soon: Sukhbir
Perneet Singh/TNS

Amritsar, August 8
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said a huge modernisation plan in the police department, including intensive CCTV surveillance, in all the major cities of the state is in the offing and it would be quite helpful in checking the crime and improving traffic scenario.

He was speaking to mediapersons after inaugurating a multi-lane bridge on Amritsar-Jalandhar road here today.

Denying any political interference in the police department, he said whatever transfers have been made it has been done on the basis of the performance. He said strict instructions have already been issued to improve the traffic situation in the state, check wrong parking, red light jumping, besides over speeding and driving after consuming alcohol.

When asked about plans of revenue generation, he said any resource mobilisation plan would be implemented after consultation with the BJP. He rubbished the suggestion that the SAD was giving freebies to rural population and levying taxes on urban population. He said the SAD’s base is not only restricted to the rural areas, adding that the party MLAs have won on 70 per cent urban seats in the state. He said every section of the society, including the rural population, would have to contribute their share in the development of the state.

He said the SAD-BJP government was vigorously implementing the development agenda that it had unfolded before the people. He said during the last three days alone he has personally inaugurated Rs 1,117-crore worth road projects including four-lane highways, ROBs and roads along the canals.

Expressing concern over poor show by Indian hockey team in London Olympics, the Deputy CM said, “We would have to inculcate sports culture in our psyche to upgrade the sports department.” He said they have drawn up an ambitious plan to nurture talent right from early age and have decided to open one sports school in each district of the state. The first such school has already started functioning in Ghudda. He said he has already approved Rs 214 crore ‘Sports Infrastructure Upgradation Plan’, besides ordering to fill the backlog of 3 per cent sports quota in the jobs.

‘Amritsar top priority’

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said Amritsar was his top priority. "The holy city is all set to witness a sea change with the investment of Rs 3,500 crore."

"I myself have decided to head the first-ever 'Metropolitan Council', being constituted for a planned development and growth of the city. The council, including public representatives and experts, would draw up a master plan for Amritsar that would include widening of roads, building futuristic infrastructure for the city, sewerage network upgradation, heritage preservation besides planned traffic management and removal of all encroachments in the city", he said.

Students ‘lathicharged’

Jalandhar, August 8
Scores of students of a local college were allegedly lathi charged by the police near Bhagat Singh colony here today. Students were reportedly on their way to attend a function of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) at Vijay resort near Maqsoodan.

The police denied the lathicharge allegations and said they only tried to question certain suspects who had criminal cases pending against them.

The NSUI had organised the function to announce its team for DAV College, Gobind Khattra. The police registered a case under Sections 353, 186, 283, 148, 149 and 160 of the IPC against Gaurav Sharma of Guru Amardas Colony and Tegvir of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony.

Balbir Singh, SHO of Police Station No 1, said Gaurav and Tegvir had a criminal past and cases under the NDPS Act and IPC were already registered against them. They had also been declared bad characters in their police stations. “When we noticed them moving on the road in a group, we suspected that they might create some nuisance. When we stopped them for questioning, they started pelting us with stones. After that we arrested them,” the SHO said.— OC

Four arrested for smuggling
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 8
The State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, a unit of the counter intelligence wing of the Punjab Police, has arrested four persons for smuggling drugs to Pakistan-based smugglers. The arrested included two agents allegedly involved in smuggling and transaction of money from local smugglers in lieu of drug consignments sent to Pakistan-based smugglers.

Those arrested are identified as Kulwinder Singh of Patti Maneki Sur Singh village in Bhikhiwind, Tarn Taran; Kulwinder Singh of Rouriwal village in Sarhali, Tarn Taran; Naveen Bhatia of Medical Enclave; and Surinder Kumar of Chowk Baba Sahib in Amritsar.

S Bhoopathi, Assistant Inspector General, SSOC, said the four were arrested from near the Guru Nanak Dev University where they had allegedly gathered to strike a deal with local smugglers. They were sitting in the car (PB-46-K-5499) at the time of the raid.

But, local smugglers fled the spot with the consignment of heroin before the police arrived. The police seized only 150 g of heroin besides Rs 42.65 lakh from their possession which they allegedly received in lieu of the contraband smuggled from Pakistan. A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused.

Investigations have revealed that the consignment was a small part of the bigger consignment of the contraband smuggled from Pakistan. “The accused had kept a small portion of heroin to be sold in retail in the local market. The efforts are on to arrest the accused,” said Bhoopathi.

During the probe, Naveen and Surinder claimed that they were agents of local traders and they were involved in the crime for quite some time. They used to give the money to Pakistan-based smugglers through hawala transaction or using their trade connection with Pakistan-based smugglers.