07122025-LT-01.qxd 12/7/2025 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune VET COLLEGE BAGS OVERALL TROPHY AT YOUTH FEST KAPIL BRINGS HIS SIGNATURE CHARM TO INDIAN IDOL RAANJHAN SPOTIFY INDIA’S MOST-STREAMED SONG College of Veterinary Science lifted Overall Championship Trophy at vet varsity youth fest ‘YuvTarang’ . P2 In a special appearance in show, Kapil Sharma paid a heartfelt tribute to Bollywood legend Dharmendra. P4 Kanika’s soulful track Raanjhan featuring Parampara Tandon’s voice dominated playlists in 2025. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 23°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.23 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7:06 AM SUNDAY | 7 DECEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Walls, grills damaged, parks turn risky City residents cry hoarse, say poor infra compromises security, poses threat to visitors Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 6 Many city parks are left vulnerable due to damaged boundary walls or grills. In several areas, parks are without protective walls or grills while in some cases the lower wall supporting the grill is missing altogether. Residents say it not only compromises the safety and security of the space but also poses a serious risk as the unsupported grills could collapse any time, endangering visitors and diminishing the sense of care such public spaces deserve. One of the public parks located at Salem Tabri on the National Highway presents a picture of utter neglect. The lower wall supporting the grill has broken, which can lead to the falling of the grill any time. Besides, anti-social elements make way to the park as the sun goes down. Geeta, an area resident, said earlier she used to send her daughter to the park for playing in the evening but of late she noticed that many people sit and consume alcohol in the park after it gets dark. “Now, I do not allow my daughter and other children to play in the park after I saw empty alcohol Speeding Innova crashes into shop near Timber market A broken wall at a park in Salem Tabri; and (right) the boundary wall and grill in a pathetic condition at another park near Jalandhar bypass. INDERJEET VERMA bottles and syringes lying there. Kids cannot play in streets and the parks are in a shambles. The authorities should pay attention towards the issue,” she said. Another park, Guru Ram Das Park, near the Jalandhar bypass, and that too on the national highway pres- ents a picture of apathy. The boundary wall supporting the grill and the grill too is missing at some points in the park. Looking at the park, one does not get the feel that it is a park, instead, it appears like a open space full of bricks and litter. Amarjeet Jeeta, who is Cops launch special drive to check underage driving outside schools Ludhiana, December 6 The Ludhiana traffic police have launched a special drive outside schools to check underage driving. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Jatin Bansal, along with traffic police officials conducted the checking. Several underage drivers were caught by the police and challans were also issued. The police called parents of the underage drivers and told them to ensure compliance in the future, else vehicles will be seized by the police along with levying heavy penalty. Glaring violations by underage students outside the schools were highlighted in these coloumns recently. The ACP said the traffic police had already been carrying out drives to implement the traffic rules in the city and the drive against underage driving was also part of the ini- Traffic cops during the drive against underage driving in Ludhiana. tiative to spread awareness. “Several underage students were caught driving Bullet motorcycles and other twowheelers. The offenders were not only challaned but their parents were also called to hand over vehicles. Some parents were also issued warning that repeated violations may invite heavy penalty and impounding of the vehicles,” Bansal said. He said students who were not eligible to drive vehicles were caught driving modified motorcycles creating excessive noise. This way offenders also resort to sound pollution. “The traffic police will continue the drive outside schools in coming days. To make students aware about traffic rules, the traffic education cell of the Ludhiana police has also been holding awareness sessions in schools. The police also urged parents to stop giving vehicles to their wards,” the ACP said. — TNS staying around the area, said: “There is no security as the boundary wall is missing and after having a look at the park, one does not get a feel of park but of open litter space,” he said. Another city resident said parks should be maintained properly as these act like Youth missing after car falls into canal Mahesh Sharma Payal, December 6 A youth from Dhaul Majra village in Ludhiana district went missing after the car he was driving fell into a canal near Doom Bridge on the Jagera Payal road near here on Friday. Though a pair of shoes worn by the youth, Gurtarandeep Singh, were found lying on the bank of the canal, he could not be located despite a day-long search operation. Divers also tried to find him but to no avail. Gurmel Singh informed the Payal police that his son had left home around 7 pm on Friday and his car (PB 10 DF 6116) was found in the canal. A resident of Rauni village had noticed headlights of a vehicle in the canal waters. On learning about the fallen vehicle, Gurmel’s family contacted the Payal police. The efforts to locate the youth would continue tomorrow. Key suspect who ‘stole’ 33 trees from Mattewara forest traced to Mohali dist Wood smuggled in Feb 2024 | 5 unidentified suspects added to FIR Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 6 The Forest Department has traced the suspect who axed and smuggled 33 Acacia Catechu (khair) trees from the Mattewara forest in Ludhiana. The Forest Department carried out an internal probe and after identifying the key suspect, Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Mullanpur in Mohali district, got registered a case against him under the Indian Forest Act and the BNS. Five unidentified suspects were also added to the FIR. Rajesh Gulati, Divisional Forest Officer, on whose complaint a case was registered against the suspect, said the patrolling team of the Forest Department noticed a theft of 33 Acacia Katechu (khair trees), which were chopped and loaded onto the vehicle. After the theft, the department also initiated investigation and scanned CCTV cameras to identify the suspect. Trees were chopped and stolen on the intervening night of February 8 and 9, 2024. “The Forest Department have scanned many CCTV cameras and after months of investigation, a Tata Canter vehicle (bearing registration HR 68 B 0913) was traced at a toll barrier on the way to Mohali from Ludhiana. THe CCTV captured trees loaded on the vehicle. After taking footage from the toll barrier, a formal complaint was lodged and during probe, Kulwinder was found to be the key suspect and on Friday, a case was registered against the suspect,” the DFO said. He claimed that stolen trees carry medicinal qualities and value of the same could be around Rs 5 lakh. The department probe suggested thieves usually sell these trees to some buyers in Himachal Pradesh. “Once the key suspect is nabbed, the police will find out to whom he had sold the trees and at what price. Buyers of the trees may also face police action,” Gulati said. Investigating officer SI Paramjit Singh from Meharban police station said after registering a case, further investigation was launched by the police and efforts were on to nab the suspects. Once the key suspect was arrested, remaining suspects would be identified and arrested in the case. c m y b green lungs in the congested industrial city. “What to talk about plants in the parks even the basic infrastructure such as boundary wall and benches is missing from the parks, especially those located in old city areas,” he said. Nine-year-old Aradhana, who is stuck inside her house in the evening, said what was the use of parks when we could not go out and play as these were not safe and upkept properly. “I end up watching TV and gets scolded as I am not allowed to go out and play in the park,” she lamented. Ludhiana, December 6 A major incident occurred near the Timber Market here when a speeding Toyota Innova crashed into an electronics shop, causing massive damage. The collision shattered the shop’s shutter and glass panels inside. Around 5 am, the night watchman, during his regular patrol, noticed the shutter broken. He informed the shop owner, who rushed to the scene. CCTV cameras captured the accident, which showed that the high-speed Innova lost control and rammed into the shop. Raj Kumar, owner of Paris Electronics, said four to five counters inside the shop were destroyed. The counters displayed electronic items, leading to losses worth lakhs of rupees. After the incident, the driver fled with the MPV — TNS .