02082026-LT-01.qxd 01-08-2026 22:37 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune LUDHIANA ACADEMY SWEEP U-14 BASKETBALL TITLES COMMUNITY HEALTH OFFICERS HOLD PROTEST OVER DEMANDS BOLLYWOOD ACTOR JOHN ABRAHAM IN SHILLONG Ludhiana academy asserted its supremacy by clinching the boys’ and girls’ titles in Basketball C’ship. P2 The Community Health Officers Association staged a protest on Saturday over their pending demands. P2 Northeast United FC owner John Abraham visits Shillong, interacts with locals and engages with tourism stakeholders.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY, RAIN MAX 33°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.21 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:44 AM SUNDAY | 2 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Ludhiana heaves sigh of relief as sanitation staff end six-day strike Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 1 After six days of mounting garbage and worsening civic conditions, sanitation workers on Saturday evening called off their strike following talks with Punjab Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains. The employees announced that sanitation services would gradually resume, bringing relief to residents who had been grappling with overflowing garbage dumps across the city. The strike had severely disrupted waste collection in Ludhiana, with over 6,000 metric tonnes of garbage accumulating across roads, markets and residential areas. Overflowing waste spilled onto the carriageways at several locations, narrowing roads, slowing traffic and creating unhygienic conditions. Major garbage heaps were reported from Dugri Road, Jawahar Nagar Camp, Pratap Chowk, BRS Nagar, Clock Tower and several other parts of the city, prompting residents to describe Ludhiana as a “dumpyard” rather than a smart city. The foul smell, flies and stagnant rainwater around garbage heaps also raised fears of the spread of diseases. Safai karamcharis during their protest at the MC’s zone-A office on Saturday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Municipal Corporation officials said normal garbage collection would begin after sanitation workers resumed duty, though clearing the accumulated waste from across the city would take time. Confirming the decision, sanitation workers’ leader Chaudhary Yashpal said, “The strike has been called off and sanitation workers will resume work from Saturday evening. We hope the assurances given by the government will now be implemented.” The strike had been launched in protest against the alleged police lathicharge on sanitation workers in Barnala. During the agitation, employees demanded registration of a case against the police officials involved in the incident, regularisation of contractual and over-age san- itation workers, implementation of the old pension scheme, compassionate appointments for families of employees who died while on duty and an end to the contractual recruitment system in the sanitation wing. The Punjab Local Government Minister met representatives of the sanitation workers on Saturday and assured them that their demands would be examined. Following the meeting, employee unions decided to withdraw the strike and resume essential sanitation services. Before the strike ended, political leaders also expressed concern over the deteriorating civic conditions. Congress leader Ishwarjot Singh Cheema alleged that garbage accumulation and recent waterlogging had exposed shortcomings in the city’s sanitation and drainage systems. Congress councillor Bhupinder Kaur also wrote to senior Central and Punjab Government authorities, seeking immediate intervention and warning that the prolonged accumulation of garbage could pose a public health concern. Senior citizen Brij Bhushan Goyal said sanitation workers played a vital role in protecting public health and stressed that their concerns should be addressed through dialogue. With the strike now withdrawn, residents hope the Municipal Corporation will clear the massive garbage backlog at the earliest and restore normal sanitation services before the situation leads to further public health problems. Traffic moves slowly due to garbage pile-up at Dugri Chowk in Ludhiana on Saturday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN City’s garbage crisis spills onto roads, derails traffic Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service 5 booked for attacking Waqf Board team Tribune News Service Attempt to murder case filed against two groups in Ludhiana mall firing Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 1 A team that had gone to take possession of Waqf Board land was attacked on Saturday. The accused allegedly kicked and punched the team members, injuring a rent collector. A video of the incident also surfaced later. In the video, people can be seen assaulting the team in the presence of the police. In the melee, one employee of the board was pushed to the ground. When he got up, people grabbed him, beat him up and tore his clothes. The Haibowal police yesterday registered a case against five accused for obstructing government work and assault. Complainant Paramjit Singh of Waqf Board, stated that on July 29, a team of the board, accompanied by police, arrived at Jassian village to take possession of the land in accordance with a warrant of possession issued on July 24. Singh said that as soon as the team arrived at the spot, a large number of people gathered and began protesting against the takeover of the Waqf Board’s land. It is alleged that the protesters in a fit of rage attacked the board’s officials and employees. He further said the attackers assaulted the employees with the intention of killing them, seriously injuring Waqf Board rent collector Mohammad Adnan. As the situation escalated, the board team managed to escape from the scene. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against Manpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh Cheema, Narinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Pawan Maan and some other unidentified individuals. According to the police, evidence was being collected from the crime scene. Ludhiana, August 1 A day after an exchange of fire took place between two groups near MBD Mall on Ferozepur Road, the Sarabha Nagar police registered a case of attempt to murder against the members of both groups, including the nephew of sitting AAP Ludhiana MLA. Initially, the case was reported as involving only one side, but later during police probe, it was found to be a case of cross-firing. Apart from attempt-to-murder charge, the police also added charges of organised crime and Arms Act against the accused from both sides. The police have arrested one accused, while two injured suspects, who are currently undergoing treat- An injured youth undergoes treatment at a Ludhiana hospital. ment at a hospital, will be arrested as soon as they are discharged. Investigating officer ASI Davinder Singh said that he, along with the police party, was on patrolling in the area on July 31 when an informant tipped them off that the two groups had exchanged fire near the traffic lights at Rajguru Nagar, close to MBD Mall in Ludhiana. The accused were in two vehicles, one of which was a Scorpio carrying Aryan Ghuman, Aryan Dhaliwal, Nikhil Ballu and two other unknown persons, and the second was Fortuner, in which Gurshewak Singh, Chan Grewal and two unknown persons were travelling. They allegedly opened fire at each other in public over an old enmity before both groups fled the spot. Sources said Chann Grewal was the nephew of a sitting AAP MLA from Ludhiana. In the incident, Aryan received a bullet injury near the abdomen, while a bullet grazed Aryan’s shoulder. The police have registered a case under Section 109(1) (attempt to murder), 190, 191(2), 191(3) and 111 (organised crime) of the BNS and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Sources said that one side had not reportedly filed a complaint, but the police in its probe found that members of both groups were accused on the basis of preliminary investigation and evidence collected from the spot. Sarabha Nagar SHO Varinderpal Singh Uppal said that police investigation had found that both sides were involved in the firing. He said Nikhil had been arrested while Aryan Ghuman and Aryan Dhaliwal, who were injured in the firing, are undergoing treatment at a hospital and will be arrested after they are discharged. Teaching work hit as lone teacher on SIR duty Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 1 Even as the Punjab Government continues to promote its ‘Sikhya Kranti’ campaign aimed at strengthening government schools, the Government Primary School at Gujjarwal Bet presented a contrasting picture on Saturday, as students spent the day at school without any teaching after the school’s only teacher was away on electionrelated duty. The school, which has 27 students, has been functioning with just one teacher for nearly a decade, according to local sources. On Saturday, the teacher was reportedly engaged in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work after her booth-level officer (BLO) duty was extended by three days, leaving the school without any teaching staff. A a visit to the school showed that students were present on the campus, but no classes were being conducted. The children remained under the supervision of the midday meal worker until the school closed. The mid-day meal worker said she was the only adult present in the school. “No teacher came to the school today and I was looking after the children. Parents also questioned why there was no teacher despite the school being open. It becomes difficult to manage the students alone,” she said. Some students claimed that Saturday was not the first occasion when teaching work had been affected. They alleged that on several occasions, class- es had started late because the teacher allegedly reached the school around noon. The school is also facing infrastructure problems. During a visit to the school, it was observed that the roof of the class had developed major cracks and cement had peeled off at places. During the rains, water leaked through the roof, raising concerns about the safety of students. Parents and local residents urged the authorities concerned to get the building repaired and provide additional teaching staff. When contacted, teacher Gurdarshan Rani said she had been performing BLOrelated duties for the past several months. “I have been appointed as a BLO and was engaged in SIR work. Usually, I attend the school, but I c m y b had official work related to the SIR exercise, due to which I could not attend the school today,” she said. Deputy District Education Officer Manoj Kumar said teachers had been assigned election-related duties till July 31, but the assignment had been extended by three more days. “The teacher did not communicate the situation to the department, because of which no alternate arrangement could be made. We will ensure that such a situation does not arise in future,” he said. Parents said the incident had once again highlighted the difficulties faced by single-teacher government schools. They urged the Education Department to immediately appoint additional teachers and get the school building repaired. Ludhiana, August 1 As the city has almost turned into a dump yard with no visible solution on sight, heaps of garbage have now overflowed onto roads. The scattered garbage on the roads has become a traffic hazard, hindering the smooth flow of traffic. At some places, the littered garbage on the roads is has also become the cause of accidents, especially for twowheeler riders. At some intersections, two-wheeler riders have also fallen after their vehicles slipped due to garbage. If the situation continues, heaps of garbage on roads may cause accidents and serious mishaps. During a survey conducted at various places in the indus- Youth found dead in park Ludhiana, August 1 The body of a youth was found under suspicious circumstances at a park in Banda Bahadur Singh Nagar on Saturday. The deceased, identified as Mani (21), lived with his family in a rented house in Sukhdev Nagar area. The deceased’s family was inconsolable and demanded an investigation into the matter. The deceased’s sister, Monica, said that her brother had left home on Friday morning, telling his mother that he was going to work as a dailywage labourer. When he didn’t return till late in the evening, they became worried. Monica further said that Mani did not have a mobile phone, due to which he could not be contacted. Apart from this, the family did not have any information or contact number about the contractor or person with whom he used to work. On Saturday morning, they got information that Mani’s body was lying in a park. “My brother was not addicted to any kind of drug. He only smoked occasionally and lived a normal life. He neither had friends, nor involved in bad company,” she alleged. — TNS trial town, garbage was found littered on roads at Dugri Chowk and Partap Chowk, Hambran Road, Jawahar Camp, bus stand flyover, etc. Traffic movement has slowed down significantly at these places, causing inconvenience to commuters. Even the traffic police cops deployed at these places appear helpless as heaps of garbage have narrowed the roads, making it difficult for them to regulate traffic. The traffic situation is worse at Dugri Chowk as one side of road is almost occupied by the littered garbage. As traffic converges at the chowk from all sides, it almost comes to a grinding halt. The situation turns alarming during peak hours as commuters remain stuck in the massive traffic jam for hours. Interestingly, during the survey, a two-wheeler rider slipped on a road due to the scattered wet garbage. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any injury, but if this situation persists, roads filled with garbage will become accident-prone and may lead to serious road mishaps. The footfall of customers has also declined at shops located near the heaps of garbage. The foul smell emanating from the garbage dumps has made life miserable for shopkeepers. Shopkeepers at Jawahar Camp claimed that stink of garbage has affected customer footfall. The government should immediately resolve the issue of safai karamcharis, they added. Man bursts crackers on flyover, fined ~6,500 Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 1 After the video of a man celebrating his wife’s birthday by bursting crackers on the Ferozepur road flyover in Ludhiana went viral and the incident drew widespread attention on social media, the Ludhiana police took immediate action. Taking a tough stand, the traffic police today caught the offender and issued a fine of Rs 6,500 for violating traffic rules and endangering the lives of others. The matter came to light after a video of the birthday celebration was uploaded on social media. The video clearly showed a man setting off fireworks on a street. Upon receiving the information, the police reached the spot, stopped the youths and issued them a stern warning. However, the moment the police left, the man, along with his wife and friends, reached the flyover and set off a massive 60-shot firecracker amid heavy traffic. In the video, a man can be heard saying that although the police had stopped them, they would continue to burst the crackers. Sub-Inspector Ashok Chouhan, Traffic Police, Ludhiana, said the offender was fined Rs 6,500 fine for violating traffic rules, including dangerous driving, creating public nuisance and endangering the lives of others on the road. The Ludhiana Police Commissionerate shared details of the action on its official website. The accused admitted his mistake and apologised publicly. He stated that he had made a grave mistake, and appealed to people to refrain from such behaviour and assured them that he would not repeat it in the future. Meanwhile, the Ludhiana police have issued a clear warning that such indiscipline and hooliganism will not be tolerated in the city at any cost. They stated that strict legal action would be taken against anyone endangering public safety through such acts.