Amritsar

Amritsar explosion caused due to 'tyre blast', not major incident: DSP

Earlier, on Wednesday, the news of tyre blast was reported as 'major bomb blast' incident, according to several media reports

Punjab CM condemns attack on Sukhbir Badal, praises cops for swift action

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was fired at while performing 'sewa' outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday morning, and directed police to investigate the incident. The chief minister also lauded the promptness of the Punjab Police in nabbing the attacker. The man missed Badal as he was overpowered by police. The audacious attack was captured on cameras of media persons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal's penance for "mistakes" committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. "Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today. It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed," Mann said in a post on X. "The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot with their promptness... I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal ji. I have issued

Ex-terrorist opens fire at Sukhbir Singh Badal at Golden Temple, arrested

A man attempted to shoot Sukhbir Singh Badal at Amritsar's Golden Temple as he served his penance under religious punishment

Watch: Devotees visit Amritsar's Golden Temple to offer prayers on Guru Nanak Jayanti

Drone seizures at Punjab border double to 'unprecedented' 200: BSF

Drone seizures along the International Border in Punjab have doubled to 200 as Pakistani syndicates continue to push narcotics and weapons to "destabilise" India by inducing drug addiction in the youth and "disintegrating" social harmony, the BSF said. With the recovery of four more drones in the last 24 hours, over 200 Pakistan-based rouge drones have been seized along this border, it said in a statement issued on Saturday. The BSF guards the 2,290 km of this border running on India's western flank, including 553 km of the front along Punjab. The IB also runs along Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir (LoC in Kashmir), Rajasthan and Gujarat. The force had seized a total of 107 drones at the Punjab border in 2023. The BSF said the almost doubled up drones seizure this year is a "significant landmark" and "remarkable milestone" that "reflects the force's enhanced anti-drone strategies and the deployment of advanced technical counter-measures along the border." BSF troops, as per the force, h

Amritsar has turned into hell: AAP MLA highlights city's poor amenities

AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Tuesday raised the issue of poor civic amenities in Amritsar, such as sewerage, drinking water and garbage collection, claiming the "city has turned into hell". Raising the issue on the second day of the three-day long Punjab Assembly session through a call attention notice, the ruling party legislator also pointed out the "lackadaisical" attitude of the officers concerned, claiming that they were not following the directions of ministers. "I would like to call the attention of the importance which is related to the basic civic amenities like sewerage, drinking water and garbage lifting in Amritsar City. Complete failure of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation in tackling these issues has posed a life threat to the citizens as they have been suffering from waterborne infectious diseases," he said in the House. "People of Amritsar are living in a pitiable condition because of lack of basic civic amenities mentioned above," he said. "Today, this cit

Watch: Women tie rakhis to soldiers at the Attari-Wagah border

Heatwave persists in Punjab, Haryana; Bathinda hits 46.9 degrees Celsius

There was no let up in the ongoing heat wave conditions sweeping Punjab and Haryana for the last several days, with Bathinda reeling at 46.9 degrees Celsius on Monday. While blistering heat swept Bathinda in Punjab, Pindara in Haryana's Jind also recorded a maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest place in the state. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, also sweltered and recorded a maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius, according to the MeT Department. Faridkot in Punjab was also under the grip of severe heat at 46 degrees Celsius while Pathankot recorded a high of 45.8 degrees Celsius. Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur also sweltered under severe heat recording respective maximum temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius, 44.6 degrees Celsius, 45.4 degrees Celsius, 45 degrees Celsius and 44.3 degrees Celsius, respectively. Meanwhile, in Haryana, intense heat conditions prevailed in Faridabad and Sirsa, which recorded ...

LS polls: SAD's Hindu face to take on BJP's Sikh rival in Amritsar

Amritsar has long been a bastion of the Congress, with the grand old party emerging victorious in 13 out of the 20 Lok Sabha polls and bypolls held between 1952 and 2019

LS polls: Trade via Attari-Wagah border now a poll plank in Amritsar

Several candidates, including the BJP's, promising resumption of trade on the route

Religious tourism is spurring real estate growth in India's pilgrim towns

Record tourist influx and government investments drive property prices up in temple cities

Trade with Pak key poll issue; will benefit farmers: Amritsar traders

For the traders and industry in Amritsar, resumption of trade with Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah land route is a key poll issue. They say reviving cross-border trade will also benefit farmers, transporters and labourers. The volume of trade between India and Pakistan through the land route used to be around Rs 5,000 crore per annum before the bilateral trade ties were suspended in 2019. Resuming trade with Pakistan will not only boost the economy of Amritsar but it will also create more employment opportunities, the traders said. The local industry has made it clear to the candidates of all major political parties that the revival of trade was necessary for the betterment and development of Amritsar. Amritsar along with 12 other parliamentary constituencies of Punjab will go to polls in the final round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on June 1. "The government must resume trade with Pakistan because in Amritsar there is no manufacturing industry," said Amritsar-based ..

LS polls 2024: BJP nominee Taranjit Sandhu files nomination from Amrtisar

BJP candidate from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat and former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday filed their nomination papers for the June 1 elections. Sandhu held a roadshow before filing his papers in Amritsar and was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other BJP leaders. Speaking to reporters after Sandhu filed his papers, Jaishankar exuded confidence that the former Indian ambassador to the US would win. "We have full confidence that the people of Amritsar will elect him and send him to Delhi (Parliament). He will be a very good MP in Parliament. He is the most popular ambassador of India," the Union minister said. He served the country a lot and now he will serve Amritsar, he said. "If Punjab's side and Amritsar's interest have to be put forward, you cannot choose a better man than Taranjit Singh Sandhu," Jaishankar said. Sandhu, 61, is the grandson of Teja Singh Samundri, who was one of the founding members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee

Eminent Indian Americans commit $100 million for development of Amritsar

A group of eminent Indian-Americans have come together to announce a commitment of USD100 million for startups towards the socio-economic development of Amritsar, the first of its kind initiative for any Indian city by the diaspora. In collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), a group of eminent Indian-Americans and Indians living in the US had their first meeting in a Maryland suburb of Washington DC to announce the formation of Viksit Amritsar Initiative. The mega initiative, its founding members said, is inspired by former Indian envoy to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who after an illustrious diplomatic service, including the last four years in Washington DC, has returned to his home town with the mission of helping the city develop as one of the best in the world both in terms of economic and industrial growth but also as an attractive tourist destination from across the ...

40 trains on Ambala-Amritsar route cancelled as farmers' stir continues

Rail traffic on the Ambala-Amritsar route was hit as farmers squatted on rail tracks in Shambhu near the Punjab-Haryana border for the third day on Friday, demanding the release of three farmers arrested by the Haryana Police, officials said. About 40 trains have been cancelled, while the routes of 54 trains have been diverted, they said. The farmers have been protesting under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in Patiala district's Shambhu. They squatted on the tracks on the Ambala-Ludhiana-Amritsar route on Wednesday, demanding the release of three fellow farmers who were arrested by the Haryana Police during the ongoing stir. With their protest continuing fir the third day, the railway authorities on Friday said has been hit on the Ambala-Amritsar route, on which some goods trains also run, according to the officials. The disruption in rail movement was causing inconvenience to passengers, they said. Farmer leader Sarwan Sing

Why Amritsar may not be a walk in the park for ex-diplomat Sandhu

As Sandhu takes the plunge into politics, he has made no secret about wanting to contest from Amritsar as a BJP candidate

Flight ops from Dehradun to Ayodhya, Varanasi, Amritsar start today

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the flight operations from Dehradun to these three major citiesThe three services were launched from Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport on Wednesday.CM Dhami inaugurated the event by lighting a lamp and cutting a cake.Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "We endeavour to make moving the people within the entire state of Uttarakhand convenient, simple and easy. For this, we are continuously making efforts and the people of the country are travelling to different places in the state.""Flagged off air services from Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun to Shri Ayodhya Dham, Amritsar, Pantnagar and Varanasi and gave boarding passes to the passengers and wished them a happy journey. As a result of the efforts of the double engine government, the air connectivity of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is continuously getting strengthened. With the start of these air services, while people will get convenience in transportation, tourism in the state will ...

BSF recovers China made Quadcopter Drones used in drug smuggling in Punjab

The CAPF intercepted the movement of a suspected drone near the Village Mianwali District of Tarn Taran, following which the BSF troops immediately reached the spot to intercept the drone.

Stubble burning cases top total of the last two years, shows data

The retreat of the southwest monsoon from northern India and an early harvest have contributed to the rise in instances of stubble burning in the six states

Rahul visits Golden Temple; washes devotees' water bowls as part of 'seva'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at the Golden Temple here on Monday and performed 'seva' (voluntary service) by offering water to devotees and cleaning their bowls. With a blue scarf on his head, the former Congress chief paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple. He also visited the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, and performed 'seva' by cleaning water bowls used by devotees. After spending some time at the shrine, he went to a local hotel and returned around 8 pm and performed 'seva' at 'Chhabeel', where he served water to the visiting devotees. Several devotees were seen clicking pictures and making videos of Gandhi on their mobile phones. One of the women devotees shook hands with Gandhi. After performing 'seva', Gandhi went to the sanctum sanctorum again and listened to the 'Shabad Kirtan' (religious hymns) there. Later, he took part in the traditional ritual of 'palki seva', the closing rite in which the Guru Granth Sahib is t