06052026-LT-01.qxd 5/6/2026 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune RABBIGUEL NO. 1 IN U-13 BADMINTON RANKINGS FASHION'S BIGGEST NIGHT UNFOLDS IN NEW YORK GOLD SAREE, DIAMOND BLOUSE & A MANGO PURSE Rabbiguel Anji clinches No. 1 position in Mini Punjab State Ranking Badminton Tournament. P2 From the works of Raja Ravi Varma to that ofSubodhGupta,Indianartfindspowerful expression at Met Gala 2026.P4 Created along with Gaurav Gupta, Isha Ambani’s ensemble was inspiredby Ajanta frescoes and pichwai painting. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.02 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:36 AM » WEDNESDAY | 6 MAY 2026 | LUDHIANA City third in state to adopt intelligent system to track traffic violations online DGP opens command centre, says 1,700 high-resolution cameras installed at 259 locations Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 5 In yet another major step towards modernising the Punjab Police, Ludhiana has become the third city in the state, after Jalandhar and Mohali, to implement the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), said Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, while inaugurating the futuristic Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) here on Tuesday. The DGP highlighted that under the ICCC project, as many as 1,700 high-resolution cameras have been installed at 259 locations to strengthen the city’s surveillance grid. The ITMS, which has been installed at 46 locations across the city, can detect up to nine traffic violations — red-light jumping, stop-line violation, driving without helmet, pillion riding without helmet, triple riding, over speeding, zebra crossing violation, wrong side driving and wrong parking. Yadav, who was in Ludhiana as part of the groundzero tour, termed the upgraded state-of-the-art ICCC a major step towards preventive policing. “The newly inaugurated ICCC integrates multiple units under one roof, including traffic, Police Control Room (PCR), Safe City and wireless, which Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, CP Swapan Sharma and other cops at the Police Lines in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN BRAINCHILD OF CP, ACP WORKED FOR ONE YEAR Bringing all units under one roof of the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) was the brainchild and dream project of CP Swapan Sharma while ACP (Traffic) Jatin Bansal looked after the on- ground implementation of the project for almost one year. has significantly enhanced synergy and coordination in the police working and reduced the PCR-response time from 15 minutes to 7/8 minutes,” he said. The DGP accompanied by , Ludhiana Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Ludhiana Range, Satinder Singh, also held a comprehensive meeting with field officers. He said an advanced vehicle tracking system was now operational, significantly boosting the department’s ability to detect and intercept suspicious vehicles in real-time. Meanwhile, the DGP also recognised the exceptional service of the police force and conferred awards upon 51 personnel from constables to ADCP ranks. As many as 36 DGP’s Commendation Discs and 15 Class-1 Certificates were also distributed. Ludhiana (Rural) Ankur Gupta, SBS Nagar SSP Tushar Gupta, Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia and staff officer to the DGP, Punjab, Rishabh Bhola were also present. Bringing all units under one roof of the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) was the brainchild and dream project of CP Swapan Sharma while ACP (Traffic) Jatin Bansal looked after the onground implementation of the project for almost one year. Earlier, all units were lying scattered and coordination was lacking. Now, all of these are sitting under one roof and effective and immediate coordination has improved the response time to distress calls. Sahnewal residents feel ‘neglected’ , claim basic infrastructure lacking Shivani Bhakoo CONSTITUENCY WATCH Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 5 The Sahnewal Assembly constituency with around 2.8 lakh voters comprises nearly 70 per cent rural and 30 per cent urban population. A significant section of voters in the segment claims to feel “neglected”, alleging lack of even basic infrastructure. Many residents said they were currently not aligned with any political party as the government had failed to provide basic amenities such as well-maintained roads to them in the past four-and-ahalf years. “All roads in the segement, Shakti Public School Road, Ramgarh Road and Nawan Pind Road, connecting villages are in a dilapidated condition for the past over four years. Now, as the AAP government nears the end of its tenure, the work on interlocking tiles has begun on the main Shakti Public School Road. While the government may offer free electricity up to certain limits and announce other benefits, the people remain dissatisfied,” said a senior citizen. Another major concern among residents is the alleged monthly extortion faced by rehri vendors. A member of the vendors’ association ■ Poor road infra and neglected public parks ■ Snatching incidents in Focal Point areas ■ Drug addiction ■ ‘Extortion’ from rehri-feri vendors claimed that earlier, middlemen used to demand Rs 300 per rehri on a day, which, after negotiations, has been reduced to Rs 150. “A golgappa or chaat vendor ends up paying around Rs 4,000 per month,” the member said. Gaurav Kalley, a local resident, said: “Voters here are not against any single party, rather, they are confused by the current state of mainstream political outfits.” Following the BJP’s recent poll victories in West Bengal and Assam, local party supporters organised event to celebrate the occasion at Sahnewal. However, it witnessed a low turnout, indicating that the party still needs to strengthen its presence in the area. Cong factionalism resurfaces In Sahnewal, the Congress appears to be grappling again with internal differences, particularly between Bikram Singh Bajwa and the local leadership. Congress’ rural face Lucky Sandhu said the constituency had, over the past 15 years, consistently rejected candidates perceived as “outsiders.” “We want to convey to the party high command that the candidate must be from Sahnewal and should understand the pulse of the people. Past experiments have failed and the party must heed to our voice ahead of the 2027 elections,” Sandhu said. Ticket aspirants include Bikram Singh Bajwa, Pal Grewal, Mewa Singh Chauhan and Lucky Grewal. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) continues to retain some goodwill through the father-son duo of Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Simran Singh Dhillon, who maintains close ties with the public. However, despite the connect, they lost in the 2022 elections, with their vote bank splitting after AAP came to power. Amit Dadwal, a resident staying near Mundian Kalan, said except SAD leaders, representatives of other parties were rarely seen addressing public concerns. “We want leaders who listen to us and provide solutions,” he said. Despite repeated attempts, Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian could not be contacted for his comments. 6 months after youth ended life, note spells trouble for girlfriend Victim was only support of his three sisters; girl booked on charge of abetment to suicide Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 5 A new twist has emerged in the suicide case of a youth who was the only brother and support of his three sisters after their father went missing a few years ago. A suicide note has been recovered from the house six months after the incident. In the note, written in two copies, the youth held his girlfriend responsible for his death. Some photographs of the boy and the girl together have also been found from his mobile phone. On the complaint of Geeta, a resident of Mahmoodpura village, the Sadar police registered a case against the girl from the Dhandra Road area on the charge of abetment to suicide. While lodging the complaint, Geeta told the police that her 19-year-old son Nikhil, who had passed Class X, died by suicide on October 27, 2025, by hanging himself on the first floor of their house. The woman said her husband, Kewal Krishan, went missing from the house a few years ago and did not return. After his disappear- ance, Nikhil became the sole support of his mother and three sisters. Geeta stated in her complaint that the family had performed the last rites of the youth without proper investigation or inquiry. She informed the police that two copies of the suicide note, written by him, have been recovered from the house. In the note, he held a girl responsible for his death and mentioned her name. Some photographs of Nikhil and the girl together were also found in his mobile. Sadar police ASI Dharminder Singh said on the statement of victim’s mother, a case was registered against the girl and a probe had been initiated. The police would ascertain whether the girl was minor or an adult, after which further legal action would be taken accordingly. A road in a dilapidated state in Sahnewal cries for the attention of the authorities. Over 80% extortion calls Open drug abuse in busy stretch exposes ground reality are fake, says DGP Yadav Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service ‘Local criminals posing as gangsters to extort money’ Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 5 Residents of the state, especially businessmen, have been frequently receiving extortion calls from unknown callers and they pose themselves as dreaded gangsters, demand a whopping sum of extortion else threaten to kill the victims and their families. Many people believing on the claims of callers, even give money to the gangsters. The names of gangster Goldy Brar, Lawrence Bishnoi, Goru Bacha and Kaushal Chaudhary are being commonly used by callers to make extortion calls. Some make such calls by posing as members of the gangs of these known gangsters. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav urged residents to immediate- ly inform the police if they ever receive any extortion call. “I can firmly say that 80 to 90 per cent extortion calls are fake which are made by local criminals who either pose themselves as gangsters or members of some notorious gang. People should report such calls on our anti-gangster helpline and the police will take immediate and strict action on every call,” he asserted. He said Punjab had zero tolerance towards organised crime and gangsters. If anyone indulges in crime, the Punjab Police would take stern action against such persons. “Whether these gangsters or miscreants are sitting abroad or anywhere in the country, the police will catch them and send them behind bars. Even the Punjab Police have brought gangsters from abroad who spread crime in the state,” the DGP said. Yadav urged youths that they should not fall prey to such gangsters operating from abroad. Youths should focus on education and employment. DGP solicited public support to end organised crime from the state. A senior police official said the police usually register cases against gangsters and their associates lodged in different jails across the country based on complaints lodged by complainants. The police even bring them on production warrant for questioning but in around 90 per cent cases, role of such criminals behind extortion calls could not be established. However, about 10 per cent calls are being genuinely made by gangsters. Ludhiana, May 5 Vijay can barely stand. His frail body sways as he attempts to cross a narrow lane near the DIG’s office at the old Lakkar Bridge, one of the busiest areas of the city. His each step looks like it might be his last, before he collapses. Passers-by glance at him, some mutter “nashedi”, then move on. Nobody stops. A few moments later, the young man, appearing to be in his early twenties, makes his way towards a huge garbage dump under the overbridge, unfazed by the overpowering stench. He sits down and, in a semi-conscious state, begins eating rice and dal. This is where he stays, where he gets high. Identifying himself only as Vijay, he manages to communicate through gestures that he came to Ludhiana from Bihar three years ago. A short dis- c m y b Addicts in an inebriated state sit in a filthy place under the overbridge near the DIG office in Ludhiana. PHOTOS: INDERJEET VERMA tance away, the reality unravels. Led by a safai sewak, this correspondent found four more men, all appearing to be between 25 and 30 years of age, in a similar state. All were heavily inebriated and difficult to communicate with. Two of them lay asleep on the ground while the others sat staring blankly into the distance, completely unaware that they were surrounded by garbage and filth. Lying scattered around were empty tubes and plastic remnants. “These are used for sniffing. It’s one of the cheapest forms of intoxication, substances meant for fixing cycle punctures. They inhale it to get high,” said a passser-by. The worker points towards a small, dingy enclosure under the bridge, which is filled with garbage, yet functioning as a shelter. “Some good Samaritans provide langar daily. Around 150 persons eat here, including many addicts,” the worker says. “But food alone doesn’t change their condition,” he added. The scene raises questions over the much-publicised campaigns such as “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” and the vision of a “Nasha Mukt Punjab”. Without relying on reports or data, the ground reality in Ludhiana tells its own story. CP Swapan Sharma said police teams regularly monitor such areas. “Since the location has been highlighted, we will send teams to check on both addicts and suppliers,” he said.