22032026-LT-01.qxd 3/22/2026 12:20 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune STATE BAGS GOLD AT NAT’L VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY PRAYERS MARK EID-UL-FITR CELEBRATIONS IN CITY NIKITA DUTTA’S NAZDEEKIYAN WITH KARAN JOHAR Punjab team bagged gold medal at Youth National Volleyball Championship in Bhubaneswar. P2 Thousands of Muslims offered prayers at the historic Jama Masjid in the city to mark Eid-ul-Fitr. P3 Nikita to headline series Nazdeekiyan, marking her first collaboration with digital content arm backed by Karan. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 25°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 11°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.33 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:25 AM SUNDAY | 22 MARCH 2026 | LUDHIANA Locals block road over LPG delay, Increase in fuel, input expenses say no delivery even after 25 days leaves city industrialists worried Many accuse agency staff of misbehaviour, protest hits traffic Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 21 Residents blocked a road at Sherpur Chowk here on Saturday alleging delay in delivering LPG cylinders and stepmotherly treatment being meted out by staff of a local gas agency with the people. Many of them were carrying cylinders with them during the protest. Traffic movement was also affected due to the protest for sometime. Shiva, a resident, while holding the protest, said he had booked a LPG cylinder around 25 days ago and now, when he went to the agency to take delivery, staff, instead of providing the cylinder, abused him and denied to give any delivery. “I have been visiting the gas agency office for the past over three days but the staff are making excuses. They are resorting to illegal practices and selling cylinders in black market at exorbitant rates. Administration officials Woman’s gold chain snatched in broad daylight Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 21 A housewife was targeted in a incident of chain snatching occurred in broad daylight on Dhandra Road at Jain Mandir Chowk. According to the complaint filed with the Sadar police, Bindu, a resident of GK Vihar, stated that she was going to the market on her Honda Activa scooter. When she reached Jain Mandir Chowk, an unidentified youth on a scooter came in front of her. The suspect snatched the gold chain from her neck and sped away. Before she could react, the snatcher fled the scene. Residents block a road in protest at Sherpur Chowk in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN should take immediate note of the same. On Saturday I, along with other people, facing similar issues blocked the road at Sherpur Chowk,” he said while showing the booking slip. Raman Kumar, another resident who was taking part in the protest, said despite booking of his cylinder, when he visited the agency at Sherpur Chowk, they refused to provide delivery, citing shortage. “The authorities should take immediate action against the agency as cylinders are being sold in black market and common people are made to suffer. A LPG cylinder, which is available at Rs 940, is being sold at Rs 2,500 or more and the practice needs to be stopped,” he said. Meanwhile, agency officials told the media on Friday that stock had not arrived due to which cylinders could not be delivered. Drivers of delivery vehicles were on leave on Saturday due to Eid-ul-Fitr but he promised that soon cylinders would be delivered and everyone who have booked cylinders would get the same. The protest was lifted after police officials reached the scene and they assured to raise the matter before the officials concerned. PSPCL official booked for fraud Ludhiana, March 21 A serious case of financial irregularity involving lakhs of rupees by a Junior Engineer (JE) of the PSPCL has come to light. Following this, a departmental inquiry was initiated and a case of fraud was registered against the official. According to information, the case was registered based on a complaint filed by the Assistant Accounts Officer posted at the Agar Nagar division of the PSPCL. The complainant informed the police that JE Bikkar Singh failed to provide any account or records for an amount totalling around Rs 12,25,669 during the period starting from 2023 to 2024. The JE was asked several times, both through written notices and verbal reminders, to present the accounts, but he repeatedly evaded the requests. Suspecting foul play, a departmental probe was initiated, leading to a formal police complaint. Based on the complaint, the Police Division 5 registered the case and launched a probe. PSPCL officials believe that more revelations might surface as the investigation progresses. — TNS CCTV captures incident; suspect will be nabbed soon, say police After receiving information, a police team reached the place and registered a case against the suspect, based on the victim’s statement. Investigating official in the case Balwinder Singh said they were currently checking footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area. While the movement of a suspect was captured on CCTV, images were blurred making the identification difficult. However, the police probe was on to identify the suspect and soon, the snatcher would be nabbed, Balwinder said. Meanwhile, residents of the area expressed concern over the incident and demanded increased police patrolling. They pointed out that such daring incidents in broad daylight raise questions on city’s security. c m y b the government to intervene to stabilise prices and provide relief, ensuring continuity of operations and safeguarding employment. Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 21 The ongoing war between Israel and Iran has begun to impact the industry, with industrialists expressing serious concern over sharp and continuous rise in fuel prices. Prices of petroleum products such as light diesel oil (LDO), furnace oil and petcoke have surged by nearly 25 per cent over the past 20 days following the ongoing conflict. Industry representatives say the steep hike had severely affected operations, particularly in the forging sector. Pankaj Sharma, president, Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings (ATIU); Capt Rajesh Mittal of Chamunda Forgings; Rahul Gupta of TCG Forgings; and Neeraj Dhamija of SN Bros, executive members of the ATIU, said forging units were finding it difficult to plan production cycles amid such unpredictable hike in fuel costs. Sharma said the situation was likely to disrupt the supply chain of tractor parts, agricultural equipment, bicycle parts and auto components. Raghav Mittal, director, Chamunda Castings Limit- Will put additional burden on MSMEs Industry representatives say steep hike had severely affected operations, particularly in the forging sector. FILE ed, a key supplier to the Indian Railways, said supplies to government departments were already being affected. “Most tenders were finalised based on earlier low costs of raw material and fuel. With the sudden increase, executing orders at contracted rates has become unviable,” he said. Another industrialist, Ayush Gupta, vice-president, ATIU, and owner of Dee Dee Steels Castings Limited, said the steep rise in petcoke prices had emerged as a major concern for energy-intensive industries, further compounding operational challenges. “We are finding it difficult to execute orders in the present scenario,” he said. Rajesh Sachdev of Diana Steel Products said the increase would adversely impact industries related to sewing machines, induction moulds and other castings. He stressed that it was time for the government to step in and support MSMEs, warning that such volatility in input costs could prove disastrous for the sector. Industrialists have urged Meanwhile, the World MSME Forum has opposed the steep increase of Rs 22 per litre in prices of direct bulk diesel supplied to industries by petroleum companies. It said the hike would significantly raise production and transportation costs, placing an additional burden on the MSME sector. Badish Jindal, president of the forum, said the increase in diesel prices was also likely to push electricity generation costs, further impacting industrial operations. As a result, the industries might be forced to shift to retail petrol pumps for diesel, leading to congestion and operational pressure at such outlets. The forum has urged the government to recognise industry as a priority sector, given its crucial role in employment generation and revenue contribution, and to take immediate corrective measures to safeguard MSME interests.