17122025-LT-01.qxd 12/17/2025 12:44 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune NOT BEING PAID ‘RIGHTFUL PRICE’, RUE FARMERS AGRI VARSITY INSPIRES WOMEN TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP Offers hands-on learning, turning aspirations into practical pathways for enterprise creation. P3 Allege large chunk of profit going into pockets of vegetable mafia, involving long chain of people. P2 » BLACK WARRANT SWEEPS TOP HONOURS AT OTT AWARDS Jaideep Ahlawat, Ananya Panday, Vikramaditya Motwane & Abhishek Banerjee win big at the event. P4 » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 23°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 11°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.25 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:13 AM » WEDNESDAY | 17 DECEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA DC orders identification of designated Justice sought for teacherswho lost lives on way to election duty canine feeding points in city, villages If demands not met, protest will be intensified: Assn leaders Directs Health Dept to ensure availability of anti-rabies vaccine, immunoglobulin Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 16 Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Tuesday directed the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats to identify designated feeding points for stray dogs in urban and rural areas, respectively. The initiative aims to reduce aggression among strays by keeping them well-fed, calm and territorial, thereby minimising conflicts with residents. Chairing a meeting with officials from the Municipal Corporation, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Rural Development and Panchayats, Health, Animal Husbandry, Police departments, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and other stakeholders, Jain emphasised compliance with the Supreme Court guidelines. He instructed both depart- Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain with officials during a meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday. ments to map suitable feeding zones, noting that stray dogs live in packs and rarely venture into another pack’s territory for food. Designated spots would help curb hunger-driven aggression, promote a calmer dog popu- lation and prevent unregulated feeding in public spaces that poses safety risks or inconveniences to citizens. He further mandated MC workers to maintain cleanliness at the feeding zones. He also called for detailed reports on dog-catching teams and on-going sterilisation activities under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme at relevant centres. He also asked the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat to hold talks with sarpanches regarding sterilisation of dogs in villages. In addition, Jain directed the Health Department to ensure uninterrupted availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin in all hospitals. Dogbite incidents must be reported to the district administration. A dedicated control room is to be set up soon, along with the launch of a public helpline. Addressing road safety concerns, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the MC, NHAI and Rural Development and Panchayat Departments to relocate stray cattle from highways and roads to the government cattle pound (gaushala) at Burj Powat village, to reduce accidents. The DC announced that progress on these measures would be reviewed every Tuesday, with appropriate action taken based on departmental performance. 20 booked for attacking two houses at night Inmates clash in jail, supdt injured Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, December 16 Panic spread around Central Jail, Ludhiana, following a brawl among a large number of inmates, who later attacked personnel of the central forces deployed at the jail. Though exact information about the sequence of events leading to the brawl is yet to be announced by the authorities, sources confirmed that Jail Superintendent Kulwant Singh received injury on the head when he, along with other security persons, tried to intervene. Kulwant had been shifted to a private hospital. Sources revealed that ASHWANI DHIMAN Cops come out of the Central Jail after a clash broke out among inmates. some inmates had indulged in a clash over some issues during daytime and they also attacked police personnel who came for routine checking around 7 pm. It was followed by a “free for all” fight for a considerable time during which Kulwant was injured with some hard projectile. An inmate who was released on bail said the number of clashing inmates was over 100. Senior functionaries of the Police Commissionerate, Ludhiana, led by Commissioner Police Swapan Sharma, reached the premises after receiving information about longtime running of panic alarm and injury to the superintendent. Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar is known to have sought report on the incident. Ludhiana, December 16 Several teachers’ organisations held a district-level protest to get justice for teachers who lost their lives during the zila parishad election duty and tutors who were injured in accidents at different places. Later, a demonstration was also held against the state government and the state Election Commission and a demand letter was also sent to the Chief Minister. On December 14 morning, Jaskaran Bhullar and his wife Kamaljit Kaur, both teachers, died when their car fell into a water tank while going for election duty in Moga district. At Moonak (Sangrur district), associate teacher Rajveer Kaur also got injuries when a car fell into a well. Another teacher, Paramjit Kaur, met with a mishap at Patran. Teachers have also been subjected to such incidents at many other places in the state due to the negligence of the Election Commission and the state government in the matter of election duties, due to which there was a lot of resentment in the cadre, the teachers alleged. During the protest, district president of Democratic Teachers’ Front Daljit Singh Samrala and general secretary Harjit Singh Sudhar demanded that a compensation of Rs 2 crore each be released for children of teachers Jaskaran Singh and Kamaljit Kaur, who died in the mishap, and the government should also bear education expenses of the kids and a government job should be reserved for them. A compensation of Rs 20 lakh should be given to the injured teachers in Moonak block, Sangrur district, and Patran block, Patiala district, and other places and the cost of treatment should be borne by the government and they should be considered on duty till they recover. Recommendations made were also demanded to be cancelled, and in future, election duties should be assigned to residential/working blocks of the teachers. The leaders demanded that the double burden of BLOs should be stopped by imposing separate election duties. As per the election promise of the government, BLO and other non-educational duties of teachers should be cancelled. Senior vice-president of Ludhiana district Davinder Singh Sidhu, organising secretary Gurpreet Khanna, teacher leader Balvir Singh Basian, Tehil Singh Sarabha, Balwinder Singh Latala, Lt Deepak, Lakhvir Singh Meritorious, Jagjit Singh Sahnewal, Harvinder Bilga BEd Front, Ludhiana, Rupinder Gill, DTF Ludhiana, Jagjit , Singh Mann, GTU, said they had been repeatedly demanding from Punjab Government and the Election Commission to assign all election duties within residential/working blocks during the elections, exempt mothers of small children and teachers suffering from serious illnesses from poll duty, make proper arrangements for staying at booths and provision of food and drink and assign teachers to duties of other departments in a proportional manner but to no avail. Hence, the teachers have become victims of accidents. The leaders further said if the teachers, who were victims of accidents, failed to get justice from the state government, the struggle will be intensified. Teachers burn an effigy of the state government during a protest in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN One killed, 5 hurt in accidents Minimum temp dips to 6°C, experts In one of mishaps, couple have narrow escape as SUV falls into drain Our Correspondent Ludhiana, December 16 One person was killed and five others injured in accidents at four places due to poor visibility. A biker, Sohan Singh of Shimlapuri, was killed when he was run over by a Mahindra Bolero vehicle near Lohara Chowk late on Monday night. Though the driver of the vehicle had fled the scene after the accident, he was identified and nabbed on Tuesday on the basis of a CCTV footage collected by the Merado police chowk in-charge. The police said an FIR was being registered on the statement of deceased’s brother Manjinder Singh and the body would be handed over to the family after conducting a post-mortem examination. In another incident, Gurdeep Singh and his wife had a narrow escape as they were rescued from the Toyota SUV they were travelling in, after it fell into a drain on the outskirts of Jagraon village on the intervening night of Mon- call for special care of children, elderly Tribune News Service ASHWANI DHIMAN Ludhiana, December 16 The Haibowal police have launched a manhunt for about 20 miscreants who had allegedly attacked two houses of a real estate dealer of the Joshi Nagar area repeatedly on the night intervening Sunday and Monday. The incident occurred when Balwinder Kaur, widow of the property dealer, was alone at home. Her both sons were away in connection with business. Old rivalry was cited to be the reason behind the attack. Raja Giri Chhotu, S Gill, Mani Nahar, Bobby Nahar, Garry Nahar, Ashu, Kanu, Rahul Mota, Nepali, Cheeni, Manav Sahota, Rishav, Nitin, Pepi, Mani, Krishana and four unidentified miscreants were booked under Sections 115 (2), 351 (2), 62, 191 (3), 190 and 324 (4) in an FIR registered at the Haibowal police station on Monday afternoon. Balwinder Kaur alleged that the miscreants had attacked her two houses with sharp weapons, axes, rods, bricks and empty bottles when she was alone at home on the night intervening Sunday and Monday. “Having heard noises outside my house, I went to the first floor of my house to check. Seeing me, they started hitting me with bricks and empty bottles,” she told the police, adding that the miscreants came repeatedly to attack during the whole night. Kaur alleged that they also attacked her other house when only two children of tenants were at home. Though the police were yet to ascertain sequence of events leading to the attack, preliminary investigation revealed that they had also beaten up two sons of the complainant about two months ago. Karamjit Singh said the police had launched a manhunt for arresting the suspects and CCTV footage of the region were also being checked to identify unidentified suspects. — TNS Mahesh Sharma Tribune News Service Mangled remains of a car that met with a mishap in Sarabha Nagar. day and Tuesday. Timely and prompt action taken by passers-by saved the car from further drifting in the drain. The couple suffered minor injuries. The rescuers, including residents of the region, alleged that the bridge, on which the mishap occurred, had been known as a death trap among residents as its railing was badly damaged. Poor visibility due to fog was cited to be the reason behind the mishap. Two occupants were injured when the speeding car they were travelling in overturned after hitting a pole near MC Zone D office in the Sarabha Nagar area. An attendant of a mega truck was injured when the driver lost control over the vehicle on the sudden appearance of another vehicle coming from the opposite side and the truck rammed into shops at the Dehlon main market on Monday in another mishap. The impact of the collision was so powerful that three shops and their shutters were damaged. c m y b Ludhiana, December 16 With the minimum temperature dropping to 6°C, illnesses such as cough, cold, fever, flu, pneumonia, asthma and throat infections tend to rise. The drop in temperature and cold winds often lead to a surge in patients, making it essential to take special care of children and the elderly during this season. Civil Surgeon Ramandeep Kaur appealed to residents of the district to adopt necessary precautions to safeguard themselves and their families from winter-related ailments. Dr Kaur highlighted that viral flu and respiratory infections spread more rapidly in cold weather. To prevent these, children and elderly people must wear warm clothing, keeping their head, ears and throat covered. She advised minimising exposure to cold winds, especially during early mornings and evenings and reducing close contact with sick indi- With dip in mercury, illnesses such as cough, cold, flu, throat infections tend to rise. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN viduals. Covering the mouth with a handkerchief or tissue while coughing or sneezing was also emphasised. She further cautioned that patients suffering from pneumonia and asthma need to be extra vigilant. Exposure to smoke, dust and pollution should be avoided. While using fireplaces or traditional heating methods indoors, rooms should not be kept closed to ensure proper ventilation, thereby preventing harmful effects of carbon monoxide on human health. Dr Kaur also stressed the importance of proper nutrition during winter. Warm, fresh, and nutritious food should be consumed, with an increased intake of vegetables, fruits, pulses, and milk. She advised that if symptoms such as fever, persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, or unusual lethargy in children appear, immediate consultation with a doctor at the nearest government health centre or hospital was necessary.