29082026-LT-01.qxd 8/29/2026 12:33 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ROORKEE IIT EXPERTS REVIEW WATER SUPPLY PROJECT VILLAGE BOY TURNS SMALL ROOM AT HOME INTO MUSEUM EVERY FILM REVEALS A NEW ME: SHARVARI A three-member team from IIT, Roorkee, conducts a review of WB-funded water supply scheme. P2 A charkha & a century-old charpai are some of contents that can be found in his room at Harnampura village. P3 The celebrated actor talks about finding her groove with Main Vaapas Aaunga. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6:49 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:58 AM » SATURDAY | 29 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Oppn flags ballot paper concerns a day ahead of F&CC elections On demand of candidates, Mayor agrees to remove serial numbers Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 A day before the elections of the two councillors to the Municipal Corporation’s Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC), opposition councillors on Friday sought changes in ballot papers and greater clarity on voting arrangements, saying the secrecy of the poll should be fully protected. The issue came up during a meeting at the MC’s Zone A office near Mata Rani Chowk, where councillors had been called to understand the voting procedure for Saturday’s elections at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan. Most Congress and BJP councillors attended the meeting while councillors of the ruling AAP were not present. Opposition councillors said MC officials reached the meeting around one hour late and explained the election procedure to members present. After which, the councillors raised questions over the ballot papers prepared for the secret-ballot elections. Their main concern was the presence of serial numbers on the reverse side of ballot papers. They said the numbers could potentially link a particular ballot paper with a councillor and, therefore, compromise the Mayor Inderjit Kaur and other officials during a recent MC General House meeting in Ludhiana. FILE confidentiality of voting. BJP candidate Ruchi Gulati and Congress candidate Gaurav Bhatti demanded that the ballot papers be changed and the serial numbers removed. They said they could seek legal remedy if the concern was not addressed before the elections. Bhatti also questioned the number of ballot papers printed for the elections. He said there were 95 councillors in the corporation but 102 ballot papers had reportedly been prepared. He also raised questions over the participation of MLAs in the voting process. Congress’ Leader of Opposition Shyam Sunder Malhotra said the MC Commission- er had clarified during the General House meeting that the Mayor would preside over the elections. He said the role of the Mayor in the voting process should be clearly defined in accordance with the applicable rules. Following the objections, the councillors met Mayor Inderjit Kaur at the Zone D office and placed their concerns before her. According to the councillors, the Mayor agreed to remove the serial numbers from the rear side of the ballot papers. How secret ballot will work Under the prescribed procedure, each eligible councillor will receive a ballot paper carrying the names of candidates. The voter will mark ‘1’ 407 women celebrate Raksha Bandhan with brothers at jail Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 As many as 407 women met their brothers among 3,690 inmates at the Central Jail, Ludhiana, to celebrate Raksha Bandhan on Friday. The celebrations marked emotional reunions, blessings and a few precious moments together. The jail authorities made special arrangements for the festival, allowing women to meet their brothers from 9.30 am to 4 pm. Each inmate was allowed to spend around five to 10 minutes with his sister. The meeting area saw mixed emotions of smiles and tears as women tied rakhis on the wrists of their brothers, offered sweets and exchanged greetings with them. Many visitors had travelled from nearby towns and villages to mark the occasion. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS MADE The jail authorities made special arrangements for the festival, allowing women to meet their brothers from 9.30 am to 4 pm. Each inmate was allowed to spend around five to 10 minutes with his sister. The jail authorities arranged drinking water and sweets for the visitors. They also made arrangements to manage the rush during the Raksha Bandhan celebrations. One of the most emotional scenes witnessed was that of Ravi, a Tibba Road resident, who was arrested around three months ago in an NDPS case. His wife was six months’ pregnant when he was arrested. On Friday, she brought their 10day-old son to the jail, giving Ravi the first opportunity to see his newborn child. His sister also tied a rakhi on his wrist. For Ravi, the brief meeting became a memorable moment as he met his son for the first time. The jail authorities arranged drinking water and sweets for the visitors. They also made arrangements to manage the rush during the visiting hours. Deputy Superintendent Balvir Singh said 407 women visited the jail to meet their brothers. He said special arrangements had been made from morning till 4 pm to facilitate the meetings. The festival provided inmates an opportunity to spend some time with their sisters and other members of their families while for the visitors, the short meetings offered reassurance and a chance to maintain the family bond despite the separation. Women tie rakhis to their brothers at the Central Jail in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN against the candidate of first preference and may mark further preferences if required. The councillor will mark the ballot in a polling compartment to maintain secrecy, fold it and place it in the ballot box in the presence of the Mayor. After voting, the ballot papers will be scrutinised and counted. Ballots not marked as per the prescribed procedure may be declared invalid. Valid votes will then be counted according to the preferences marked by the councillors. The F&CC consists of the Mayor, two Deputy Mayors, two councillors elected by the House and the Municipal Commissioner. 14-year-old girl alleges sexual assault, probe on Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 The PAU police have started an investigation into allegations of repeated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl after a complaint lodged by her family in Maharashtra was transferred to Ludhiana. The case was registered against unidentified persons under Section 65(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 4 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. According to the police, the girl’s parents had stayed in Ludhiana in the past while she was studying in Pune. Later, she came to Ludhiana to stay with them. During this period, the family became concerned about her alleged drug use and took her back to Pune. The girl told her family that she had allegedly been sexually assaulted by unidentified persons on several occasions near a hotel in the Abbis Market area here. The family members then approached the Pune police. A Zero FIR was registered on the complaint of the girl’s mother and it was later transferred to the PAU police station as the alleged incidents had occurred in Ludhiana. Investigating officer ASI Subegh Singh said the police were verifying the allegations and working to identify the persons named as unidentified suspects in the complaint. The investigators are examining the girl’s statement, the reported location and other available evidence as part of the probe. The police said further action would be taken on the basis of findings of the investigation. c m y b Illegal banners hide traffic signages in city as civic body fails to act Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 What is supposed to guide commuters across the city is increasingly being used for political and religious advertisements. Direction boards and other public signboards at several locations have been covered with political and religious banners and hoardings, leaving commuters struggling to read information meant for them. The illegal political and religious hoardings hide signboards on Pakhowal Road, Preet Palace Road, Haibowal Road, Jagraon bridge, Chandigarh Road, Dugri Road and around Mata Rani Chowk, besides other locations. Under provisions governing advertisements in the city, the civic body has the power to impose penalties amounting up to Rs 50,000 for unauthorised advertisements. The Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Policy also bars advertisements from being put up without the permission of the competent authority. The issue has also been flagged by the district administration in the past. Directions have been issued during earlier drives to remove unauthorised advertisements from public properties. Yet, despite repeated warnings and drives, political and religious hoardings contin- ue to return to public spaces. Jaspal Singh, a resident of the Pakhowal Road area, said: “Signboards on key roads are crucial, hence banners should be removed from them.” The MC itself had issued a public notice in December 2023, asking violators to remove unauthorised political, social and religious banners and hoardings from signages and public properties within 15 days. Neeraj Jain, in-charge of the advertisement wing of the MC, said: “I have already given instructions to superintendents of all zones to remove all illegal political and other hoardings. I will issue directions again and challans will also be imposed.” An illegal banner covers a signage on Pakhowal Road in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Two steal silver chain from jewellery shop Ludhiana, August 28 Two persons posing as customers allegedly stole a silver chain from a jewellery shop near Baba Than Singh Chowk here after spending some time looking at different items. The incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, was captured on the shop’s CCTV camera. According to shop owner Daljit Singh, the suspects entered Amrit Jewellers around 6 pm and asked staff to show silver chains. They saw several items and continued to interact with the staff, apparently giving the impression that they were interested in buying one. The men told the staff that they did not find a suitable design and left the shop. Later, during stock checking the staff noticed that a chain was missing. Afterwards, the owner checked the CCTV footage and allegedly found that one of the men had concealed a silver chain in his hand while seeing the jewellery. Following which, he walked out of the shop along with the other suspect. The stolen chain weighed around 50 gm, the owner said. The victim approached the police and shared the CCTV camera footage with them. — TNS