24092025-LT-01.qxd 9/23/2025 10:16 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SARAS MELA TO EMPOWER LOCAL ARTISTES, SAYS ADC AFTER FLOODS, FARMERS PIN HOPES ON MELAS FOR AID ISHAAN CALLS HOMEBOUND RARE FILM IN TODAY’S TIMES The administration is set to celebrate city’s emerging stars and rich cultural heritage during the Saras Mela. P2 Farmers across state are turning to the upcoming Kisan and Pashu Palan Melas with renewed sense of purpose. P3 He was on cloud nine when he heard the news that Homebound is India’s official entry for the Oscars. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.20 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:16 AM » WEDNESDAY | 24 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Farmers in Sasrali, Boothgarh villages Fire in multi-storey building, panic in commercial hub await compensation for flood losses Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Regret that despite dhussi bundh, Sutlej continues to damage their fields Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 23 Even as farmers in Sasrali and Boothgarh villages continue to wait for suitable compensation for flood losses, the Sutlej is continuing to cause fresh damage to agricultural fields on a daily basis. Villagers claim that 1-2 acres of fertile land are being eroded every day as the river cuts into the field edges and deposits sand. Farmers are particularly alarmed as the damage continues despite the strengthening of the dhussi bundh during the recent floods. Speaking to The Tribune, Devinder Singh Nagra of Sasrali village said: “The water has started flowing towards the fields and is daily cutting into the edges to swallow more of our sown land. We are unable to find any solution. The villagers feel the only respite would be to divert the Sutlej flow to the other side, otherwise more fertile land will be lost.” Another farmer, Budh Singh of Raur village, said that of his 25 acres in Sasrali village, over 15 acres have already been destroyed. “Though the Sutlej’s level is low, it is still entering the fields, eroding the edges and damaging our crops. I also own 60 acres in Raur near Mattewara, where I had poplar trees and paddy, but Villagers in Sasrali keep a watch on the Sutlej flow as it is eroding the edges of fields in the village. the entire land stands ruined. Till date, no government official has come to assess the damage,” he rued, adding that excessive water also damaged several tubewells used for irrigation. Villagers pointed out that a stretch of about 1.5 km was allowing the Sutlej’s flow into the village fields. They warned that if more water is released from Bhakra, the situation could worsen drastically. BJP spokesperson Pritpal Servant of fake call centre scam accused held, ~2.05 cr seized Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 23 The Kapurthala police in coordination with the Ludhiana police conducted a raid at Dhoka Mohalla on Tuesday in connection with the fake call centre racket busted recently. A man was arrested from a rented accommodation and Rs 2.05 crore hawala money seized from his possession. The Kapurthala team was led by a DSP rank officer and officials of cyber crime cell, Kapurthala. Additional DCP-1 Sameer Verma said that accused Pawan Kumar, a resident of Berasar, Bikaner district (Rajasthan), was arrested. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla while talking to The Tribune said that role of the abovesaid accused had come to light during the investigation in the fake call centre scam and after the police tracked the location of the accused in Ludhiana, a police party immediately conducted a raid and nabbed him. “One of the key accused in the case was Harvir Singh, who is a resident of Nurpur Bet, Ludhiana, and who has been running the call centre in Phagwara. Harvir is one who has been managing the affairs of Punjab and managing the illegal money through hawala. Accused Harvir might have links with some foreign-based persons, who are part of the busted racket. His arrest will expose more layers of the racket,” added the DIG. The latter revealed that Harvir had kept Rs 2.05 crore with his servant Pawan and it could be possible that Harvir himself might be carrying huge cash. The DIG recalled the recent busting of a largescale cyber fraud racket operating from a rented premises on Palahi Road, Phagwara. This operation led to the arrest of 39 persons and the recovery of 40 laptops, 67 mobile phones and Rs 10 lakh. The group was involved in duping people in the USA and Canada on the pretext of offering software solutions. The transactions were routed primarily through bitcoin, while hawala channels were also used to transfer illicit funds. Total number of arrests 39, says DGP The DGP, Gaurav Yadav, told The Tribune that the police teams had also zeroed-in on a Ludhianabased hawala operator and raids were being conducted to nab him. Hawala money was also seized from his possession, taking the total recovered amount to Rs 2.15 crore and the total number of arrests to 39 in this case. The DGP said that further investigations were on to establish all links in this case to expose the full nexus. Ludhiana, September 23 Fire broke out in a multistorey building of a private bank in Feroze Gandhi Market on Tuesday morning, causing panic in the area. All adjoining and nearby buildings were commercial and timely action by the firemen did not allow the fire to spread further. When the fire broke out, the entire market was close as it usually opens at 9 am. Although no major damage was reported in the fire, yet the front portion of three to four floors of a building were damaged in the fire. One adjacent building also had minor damage. As per information, the fire broke out around 8.30 am. After getting information, three fire tenders immediately reached the spot and started dousing the flame. The fire was completely doused by the firemen in less than an hour and only one fire tender was used. Sub-fire officer Dinesh Kumar said that when the firemen reached the spot to douse the flames, they took almost 40 to 50 minutes to control the fire completely. Interestingly, all the floors had fire safety system installed, but the same was locked and so could not be used. Hence, the firemen had to get water from outside to control the fire. Kumar added that some documents and furniture of a private bank housed in the building was damaged, but no Market association urges MC Commissioner to hold meeting over parking mess Fire which broke out in a multi-storey building on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana on Tuesday being extinguished. ASHWANI DHIMAN major loss had been reported. Meanwhile, the Feroze Gandhi Market Association Traders and Property Owners Association raised concern over the incident. Association president PS Gill in a statement said that despite two orders of the high court in 2010 and 2019 on the need for decongestion of five parking lots of this market, one of the measures was introducing hourly parking. The MC need to mark parking lots, fire lanes, tow-away zones and other basic steps to avoid congestion and facilitate entry of fire tenders, ambulance, etc. Association chairman Col (retd) Harjap Singh stated that the MC had so far installed fire hydrants in each of the parking lots but done nothing to make the markings in the parking lots. He said encroachers also create traffic chaos in the market. Luckily, the fire incident happened in the early hours and not so many vehicles were parked in the parking lots, therefore the fire brigade could reach the spot in time, he added. This association requested the MC Commissioner to call a meeting to discuss the progress made on the solutions to decongest the five parking lots of this market. Singh Balliawal said: “The authorities need to wake up to this reality. The direction of the river’s flow must be altered after consulting experts. I have been getting distress calls from villagers daily with regard to fresh damages.” Taking a dig at the AAP government, BJP spokesperson Punjab Pritpal Singh Baliawal said that Punjab was reeling under devastating floods and the situation in Sahnewal constituency’s flood-hit villages — especially Sasrali and other settlements along the Sutlej — continues to worsen. Punjab’s Minister for Natural Disaster Management and local MLA Hardeep Singh Mundian has failed to protect his own constituency, he said. Baliawal stated that breaches in the dhussi bundh caused by the Sutlej had inflicted heavy losses in Sahnewal area. “Earlier, floods Doraha police arrest 3 with 1.5 kg heroin GST 2.0, Navratris spark auto sales surge in city Our Correspondent Ludhiana, September 23 Ludhiana’s auto dealerships witnessed a festive frenzy as the launch of the revamped Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime — dubbed GST 2.0 — coincided with the Navratris, traditionally considered an auspicious time for new purchases. The dual boost of tax cuts and festive sentiment has sent car buyers flocking to showrooms, particularly for small cars that received the steepest price reductions. At Gulzar Motors, one of Ludhiana’s leading Maruti dealerships, footfall surged dramatically. Managing Director Harkirat Singh reported an 80% spike in bookings. “The 10% GST cut combined with Maruti’s additional festive offers of 78% has created the perfect situation for increase in demand,” he said. “We’re seeing unprecedented interest in models Doraha, September 23 A police party of Doraha have arrested three persons and seized 1.5 kg of heroin from them. A special drive has been initiated to nab criminals supplying drugs under the command of Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains, DSP Payal Hemant Malhotra and SHO Doraha Akash Dutt in Doraha under which the arrests have been made. Doraha police had put up a naka on the GT Road for checking of suspicious persons. The accused, Gurlal Singh of Khalan in Tarn Taran district, was asked to come down from a PRTC bus in which he was travelling. On frisking him, 300 gm of heroin was seized from his possession. Gurlal on interrogation admitted that he had brought the heroin from Devinder Singh of Khemkaran in Tarn Taran district and was supposed to supply the same to Mohammad Irshad of Mohali. The police took both Devinder and Mohammad into custody. On interrogation, 705 gm more heroin was seized from Devinder. Another person Lovepreet Singh too has been named in the case. He is presently in Ropar jail and is suspected to be supplying customers to the three suspects, when not in jail and thereafter. “The investigation is on and Lovepreet too shall be brought for interrogation shortly,” shared DSP Malhotra. The suspects had been booked under Sections 21/61/85 of the NDPS Act. had already swept away nearly crops on 450 acres of farmland, and more land is eroding every day,” he said. Residents have tried to construct a new embankment with the administration’s help, but conditions remain critical. “The Sutlej’s relentless force is eating into farmland daily, yet the MLA-cumminister seems more focussed on covering up his failures than addressing the crisis,” Baliawal added. Manav Mander Tribune News Service Salesmen take queries from prospective buyers regarding the sale of cars at Gulzar Motors. like the Swift, Baleno and SPresso. Looking ahead, we anticipate sustained festive demand,” he said. The dealership also noted a 60% increase in query flow, with customers eager to capitalise on the reduced prices and limited-time offers. “Demand for small cars has been especially strong. Book- ings have grown and inquiries remain so high that we may run out of stock for certain variants,” he added. Volkswagen Ludhiana echoed similar sentiments. General manager of sales Rohit Sharma shared, “We’ve seen a 10% rise in inquiries and delivered 15 cars after the GST cut. The GST reforms have definitely energised the market.” Goyal Hyundai has also seen a sharp rise in activity. General manager (sales) Pankaj Passi reported a 25-30% increase in queries and 52 deliveries in just two days. “With ‘sharadas’ over and Navratri underway, bookings have jumped 25% and are expected to climb further,” he added. Maruti Suzuki’s Ludhiana network has seen a dramatic rise in engagement in Ludhiana. Bookings rose from 906 till August 23 to 1,550 in September so far. Queries jumped from 5,800 to 7,550. In just two days (September 2223), 500 cars were delivered — while last month’s the total was 850 — and the dealership expects to cross 1,500 deliveries by month-end. For many buyers, the timing couldn’t have been better. Rajni Sharma, a homemaker from Model Town, had been planning to buy a car for months. “Navratris are considered lucky for new beginnings,” she said. “When I heard about the GST cut, I knew this was the right time.” Another customer, Harpreet Singh, a young professional, agreed. “I was comparing prices last month, and the difference now is significant. I booked a Baleno today — it’s a great deal.” Halwara airport: Uncertainty continues over operations Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 23 Before the Ludhiana byelection, Halwara airport was a hot political topic, with leaders competing with each other in claiming credit for fulfilling the long-pending demand of the business community. However, once the elections concluded, the project appears to have slipped into the background again, with no clarity on when the airport will finally c m y b become operational. Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu in a tweet yesterday stated that he had reviewed the progress and operational status of Halwara international airport with officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He said the delay was at the local level as the Public Works Department (PWD) was yet to complete certain drainage works. The PWD has reportedly committed to finishing the task within a week. Bittu added that once the airport was handed over, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security would issue the required security clearances. The Punjab Government had already shared a list of 58 security personnel, who would undergo five days of training. “The inauguration is expected soon once all clearances are in place,” Bittu maintained. Meanwhile, reports in some sections of the media suggested that a high-level meeting of AAI officials, district administration authorities and state government representatives would be held in Delhi on September 26 to discuss the issue. However, local officials said they had not received any intimation regarding such a meeting. When asked about the status, Punjab’s Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora said, “The operations are to be decided by the Airport Authority of India. The state government has already done its part, and whatever minor work is left will be expedited in the coming days.” Industrialists, however, remain disappointed. “With much pomp and show, it was promised that the airport would be operational within a few days. It has now been over two months, and there is still no clarity about the exact cause of the delay or the date of its commencement,” said the president of a leading industry association.