04092025-LT-01.qxd 9/4/2025 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune FIELD GANJ RESIDENTS RUE LOSSESAS WATER ENTERS HOMES ADMN ON TOES TO SAFEGUARD MALWA'S DRAINAGE NETWORK ALIA, SRK SEND PRAYERS TO PUNJAB FLOOD VICTIMS Five days on, houses and shops remain waterlogged, with garbage floating in streets of Field Ganj. P2 Drains have served as efficient shock absorbers in the face of potential flood risks in the past years. P3 Actress Alia Bhatt has joined several celebrities in sending prayers and support to those affected. P4 » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.41 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:01 AM » THURSDAY | 4 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA 15 families evacuated from Allowal village following leaking house roofs Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 3 Around 15 families were evacuated from Allowal village safely by district administration teams after roofs of their houses started leaking on Tuesday night. The affected residents were shifted to a nearby gurdwara for shelter. Admn continues relief operations in flood-hit villages Dr Punampreet Kaur, SDM (West), told The Tribune that timely evacuation ensured the safety of the families. “We got the families shifted to a safer place at a gurdwara. The teams also visited Allowal and New Khera Bet low-lying areas. More tarpaulins, hygiene kits and cattle fodder were delivered to villagers. A medical team also visited the areas with an ambulance and provided Warring seeks immediate interim relief for affected Ludhiana, September 3 Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring sought immediate interim relief for flood-hit people in the state and pending special ‘girdawari’. The PCC president also announced the setting up of ‘flood relief coordination committees’ for each of the 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state. Addressing a press conference after presiding over a special meeting for reviewing the flood situation here on Wednesday, Warring said: “While the special girdawari will take time, flood-hit people need immediate assistance.” He demanded that as an immediate interim relief the government should provide Rs 51,000 per acre, Rs 50,000 for the loss of one animal and Rs 1.5 lakh for those whose houses have been damaged. He expressed grave concern over the deteriorating flood situation across the state as all districts had been affected in the state. The Cong leader said the current situation in the state demanded that everyone should rise above party politics work unitedly for the relief and rehabilitation of the people. He hoped that PM Narendra Modi and CM Bhagwant Mann would provide adequate relief to the affected people. He said questions would be asked and the responsibility be fixed later. But it was not the time to indulge in any blame game. Warring announced that AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab Bhupesh Bhagel would arrive in Amritsar on a three-day visit on September 5 to have an assessment of the situation at the ground level. — TNS 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. Officials assess damages at a house in a village in Ludhiana on Wednesday. necessary medicines,” she said. Though no heavy rainfall was recorded in the district during the past 24 hours, the administration continued relief operations in floodaffected villages. Essential supplies, including ration, hygiene kits, floodlights, tarpaulins and medicines, are being distributed regularly. In Buddha Nullah, cleaning operations are in progress with machines clearing sewer lines. JCBs have been deployed to lift garbage, weeds and other waste. DC Himanshu Jain said: “The water level in the Sutlej has receded to 65,000 cusecs. Material, including cattle fodder, medicines, tarpaulins, chlorine tablets and hygiene kits, are being sent to villages, as per urgency.” Help pours in for victims Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Wednesday expressed gratitude to Leeford Healthcare for donating 500 ration kits for flood-affected families in Ferozepur. “The district administration is grateful to Leeford Healthcare and its management for their generous support. The ration kits will play a vital role in alleviating hardships faced by those in flood-affected areas,” he said while thanking Sutikshan Kumar, HR head of the firm. In another humanitarian effort, students of Sacred Heart Convent International School, along with Aarth Foundation and Play School, raised Rs 4 lakh and collected essential relief material for flood-hit families. The students handed over contributions to the Deputy Commissioner, who lauded their commitment towards social welfare and assured proper distribution among the needy. Aviraj Sayal, a Class III student, said: “When we saw pictures of people who lost everything in the floods, we knew we had to help them in some way. Though we are young, we believe that small efforts can make a big change. We are happy that we could contribute to the cause.” Day after Mahindra Group owner’s ancestral house portion collapsed, debris still lying on road Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 3 A big portion of the ancestral house of country’s renowned businessman Anand Mahindra, situated in Soodan Mohalla of the old city area, collapsed on Tuesday evening. The multistorey building had been lying in a dilapidated state for the past several decades. Portion of the house collapsed while the remaining portion of the building is still lying hanging in between and can fall anytime. Debris of the building is still lying on the road, haunting area residents. Even broken electricity pole and cables are also lying scattered on the street, causing inconvenience to the residents. Neither the Municipal Corporation nor the PSPCL has taken any step to clear the mess from the road. A notice under Section 273 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, addressed to the building owner, Anand Mahindra, states: “A complaint has been received from residents of the mohalla that a part of the property of Old House No.103/New 1039, Soodan The debris of the collapsed portion of the building lies unattended at Soodan Mohalla in the old city area. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Mohalla, has collapsed from the road side. The remaining parts of the building are also in a dilapidated condition, or might fall at any time due to the rainy season. In view of the above circumstances, the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, in exercise of powers vested under the PMC Act, 1976, directs you to immediately demolish your dilapidated building/part at your own level and submit a compliance report in this regard to the office. If you do not demolish the building immediately without any further delay at your own expense and if due to this any untoward incident or loss of life/property occurs, you will be solely respon- sible for the same and no claim will be accepted by the corporation. Therefore, after receiving the notice, demolish your dilapidated building immediately.” As The Tribune team visited the area to take stock of the situation, residents expressed resentment against the government for not listening to their grievances. “It was the ancestral house of Anand Mahindra, owner of Mahindra Group. Though no one was staying in the building for decades, the structure had been in a poor shape and the owner should have demolished it at his own level to prevent the collapse. Some portion of it was also occupied illegally by residents. Now, almost half of the building has collapsed and the remaining structure is hanging in between and if it’s not immediately demolished, the remaining portion may fall and endanger the lives of area residents,” said Premlata Singla, a resident. The residents said after the incident, MC officials reached the place and put up a notice on the building, asking the owner to demolish the same at his own. “If the MC is really bothered about safety and security of residents, the building needs to be demolished immediately. If no step is taken, its other portions may also fall anytime. If any tragedy happens, who will be responsibile,” she said. Another resident, Raj Kumar, said an old structure near the collapsed building site was also in dilapidated state for the past many years. Even roofs of the building had already collapsed in the past and now, walls are hanging and literally waiting for a tragedy to happen. Unnecessary VIP visits disrupt admn functioning, says Arora Minister, along with DC, assesses situation at Dhussi Bandh Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Sasrali Colony (Ludhiana), September 3 Minister for Industries and NRI Affairs, Punjab, Sanjeev Arora, along with Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, visited Sasrali Colony to assess the situation at the Dhussi Bandh on Tuesday. Arora, however, emphasised that unnecessary VIP visits could disrupt the administration’s functioning in vulnerable areas. He said the leaders could closely monitor the situation and ask about the progress from officials instead of making visits to the affected areas, that may hinder the ongoing efforts of village residents, workers and officials. “The entire focus would be on VIP visits and real issue will take a back seat. This time, the entire focus of the authorities should be on providing a safe environment to the villagers by strengthening the bandhs”, said Arora while appreciating the efforts made by the residents at Sasrali Colony and the district administration in controlling the situation. After inspecting the site, the minister and the DC interacted with residents, assuring them that the Sutlej water level remained well below the Dhussi Bandh’s height. They said the strengthening work was being carried out on a war footing to fortify the structure. The administration has kept one Minister Sanjeev Arora and Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain interact with residents at Sasrali Colony in Ludhiana. lakh sandbags and large quantities of stone sourced from Ropar and Himachal Pradesh to meet any emergency. Teams from multiple departments have been stationed at vulnerable points in the district to maintain round-the-clock monitoring. Officials said the situation was under control and to support farmers, a detailed survey of crop losses had been ordered. Compensation would be provided after the assessment, they added. After visiting and meeting villagers and workers at Sasrali, Arora along with the DC, GLADA Chief Administrator Sandeep Kumar and MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, flagged off seven trucks carrying ration kits and two ambulances with essential medicines and staff to support people in flood-affected districts across the state. The aid has been dispatched to Ferozepur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Fazilka and Gurdaspur districts. Arora stated that the state government had been continually monitoring the flood situation and was prepared to deploy additional resources, as needed. He also urged residents to cooperate with the local authorities and relief teams to ensure efficient distribution of aid. The minister also expressed gratitude to Ludhiana’s industrialists, including Octave Apparels, Happy Steels, Kay Jain Processors, Subhash Polytex, The Bharat Industrial Corporation, Amar Autotech, Raj Superwhite, Ritesh International and Bector Food for their generous support in aiding flood-affected residents. He also thanked DMCH principal GS Wander and DR Bishav Mohan for announcing medical camps in flood-hit areas from Wednesday. On Admn’s request, Army conducts structural assessment of Dhussi Bandh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 3 In response to the recent flood-like situation, the engineering wing of the Indian Army, Western Command, conducted a comprehensive structural assessment of the Dhussi Bandh in the Dhulewal and Mattewara zones on Wednesday. The assessment was carried out on the request of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain to evaluate the structural stability of embankments. Leveraging their techni- cal expertise, the Army’s engineering wing performed a detailed evaluation to ensure the embankments’ integrity, addressing concerns arising from the severe flooding conditions in the region. As per their assessment, there is no immediate cause of concern. However, two points were identified in the Mattewara stretch where additions to measures already taken could further strengthen the bandh for long-term benefit. The Deputy Commissioner said this proactive measure aims to strengthen disaster preparedness and safeguard affected areas. He extended gratitude to the Indian Army for their swift response and technical support in assessing the critical infrastructure. He said the administration had already started work on both identified points, and further actions would be taken based on findings to ensure the safety and resilience of the Dhussi Bandh. Cleanliness drive underway, families mourn in silence amid sludge Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 3 Following intense rainfall, toxic water from the Buddha Nullah overflowed into multiple residential colonies, flooding homes, choking streets and leaving behind a thick layer of chemical-laced sludge on Tuesday. Now, the water has receded from houses but the damage remains etched across roads, drains, and lives. A grim scene has unfolded in colonies such as Dhoka Mohalla, Dharampura, Shivaji Nagar, Kashmir Nagar, Maharaj Nagar and Kundanpuri, where black water surged through narrow lanes, carrying untreated effluents from dyeing and other industries. The colonies turned into black rivers — chemicalladen, foul-smelling and dangerous water. MLA Ashok Prashar interacts with flood-hit residents of Dhoka Mohalla. INDERJEET VERMA Municipal teams are now attempting clean-up, clearing drains and removing sludge off the streets. But the residue remains thick and hazardous. Locals gathered in silence, watching the black water swirl around their homes. Some tried to salvage belongings with the help of buckets and mops. Others simply stood stunned. Residents say their belongings have been ruined beyond repair. Washing machines, refrigerators and other household essentials have gone defunct after c m y b being submerged in toxic floodwater. Families now face the daunting task of starting life afresh — replacing everything from furniture to food supplies, without knowing where the money will come from. For many, the financial burden feels insurmount- able. “We’re not cleaning up sludge but rebuilding from scratch, with empty pockets,” a resident said. The worst kind of suffering was faced by families who lost their loved ones and were unable to reach the cremation ground on the gaushala road. “Around five persons died in the area. Their bodies remained at homes for days as the families couldn’t step out. They were cremated only on Tuesday and Wednesday after the water receded in the area,” said a local potter, adding that pots were bought late for rituals. “My school and college certificates got wet and tore apart. I lost my hard work of years. Duplicate certificates won’t make up for originals,” said Preeti, a resident of Dhoka Mohalla. “Every time it rains heavily, this is what we face,” said Shammi Rani, adding that “We recently got our daughter married. Expensive clothes and dry fruits were lying in the house, everything got damaged.” Jaswinder Singh, who runs a cloth business, said his raw material worth Rs 5 lakh was destroyed. “Who will pay the price? We are living in hell-like conditions due to the Buddha Nullah.” Ludhiana Central MLA Ashok Prashar, who reached Dhoka Mohalla, called it a natural disaster. He was leading the cleaning drive and arranging vegetables for affected families. He assured residents that the nullah would be covered and said the Deputy Commissioner would visit the place on Thursday. Compensation has been promised and the MLA promised to provide a permanent solution to the problem. Residents share plight “There was water till the waist level. It became impossible to stay here. My all cloths got ruined,” said Surjit, a resident. Shanti Devi said: “All our belongings are destroyed. Important papers got soiled. The entire ration and grocery also damaged. Politicians only come to see us, they don’t take action.” “I’ve lived in the area for seven years. Nothing has improved. We don’t belong here but we stay due to work,” says Sujata. Dilshad said: “Politicians come only during elections or after everything is destroyed. We need a proper solution.” “We’ve been hearing for years that the nullah will be covered. But here we are, still standing before the uncovered drain. We’ve lost all hope,” MD Matin said.