10092026-LT-01.qxd 9/10/2026 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ‘AWARENESS BEST WEAPON AGAINST H1N1 SPREAD’ MIRZAPUR, FEATURING PANKAJ TRIPATHI, EARNS ~150 CRORE Health Department holds awareness session in Chandar Nagar area regarding the H1N1 influenza. P3 The film marks the first big-screen outing for the Mirzapur universe, which began as a streaming series in 2018. P4 » BHATT TALKS ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH RADICAL ANTI-GURU Premiere of documentary The Natural State about the radical Indian “anti-guru” UG Krishnamurti took place in Colorado. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6:34 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:05 AM THURSDAY | 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Violating RTE norms,125 govt primary schools running with just single teacher Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 9 As many as 125 government primary schools in the district are functioning with just one teacher, raising concerns over teacher availability, classroom management and the quality of learning being provided to young students. The situation assumes significance in view of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which lays down norms for teacher availability in elementary schools. As per the Schedule of the Act, a primary school with up to 60 admitted children should have at least two teachers. The number of teachers is required to increase with enrolment. The Act also Machhiwara, Mangat, Sidhwan Bet blocks account for major share of lone-teacher schools provides for maintaining the prescribed pupilteacher ratio. With 125 schools in the district functioning with only one teacher, the figures point to a gap between the prescribed norms and the availability of teaching staff at the school level. The problem is particularly visible in rural and semi-rural areas of the district. Machhiwara 2 has the highest number of single-teacher schools at 24, followed by Machhiwara 1 with 23. Mangat 3 has 16 such schools while Sidhwan Bet 2 has 13. Together, these four blocks account for 76 of the 125 single-teacher schools, nearly 61 per cent of the total. The issue, however, is not restricted to these blocks. Single-teacher schools are spread across 16 education blocks in the district, including Machhiwara, Mangat, Sidhwan Bet, Samrala, Khanna, Dehlon, Jagraon, Pakhowal and Raikot. For a teacher working alone, managing several classes in a primary school can be particularly demanding. The teacher may have to divide teaching time among different groups of students, prepare separate lessons, check notebooks, conduct assessments and maintain official records. The arrangement can also affect students. Primary school children require regular interaction and individual attention, particularly when their learning levels differ. With one teacher handling students from different grades, it can become difficult to give equal attention to every child and conduct activities suited to different age groups. The shortage also becomes important from the perspective of foundational learning. The primary years form the base for reading, writing, mathematics and other basic skills. Any shortage of teachers at this stage can place additional pressure on both teachers and students. However, the Education Department said steps were being taken to bring down the number of single-teacher schools. Education Secretary Sonali Giri said the department was actively working to reduce such schools and had already brought down their number by 426 in state this year. “Yes, we are actively working to reduce our single-teacher schools. We have reduced the figures by 426 this year and brought down the numbers. New recruitment and rationalisation of teachers will also help,” she said. A class in progress at a single-teacher government primary school in Chaunta village. ASHWANI DHIMAN Commuters harried as protesters block NH over Ambedkar statue desecration Illegal de-addiction centre busted, 55 inmates rescued Nikhil Bhardwaj BJP leader flays act Ludhiana, September 9 In a major crackdown under the ongoing ‘War against Drugs’ campaign, the Khanna police claimed to have busted an illegally run deaddiction centre at Ghungrali Rajputan village. They also seized 15 gm of heroin from the owner of the centre. The centre was sealed and nearly 55 inmates were safely rescued and shifted to government-run de-addiction and rehabilitation centres. Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia said the operation was carried out as part of twin campaigns ‘ War against Drugs’ and ‘Strike against Gangsters’. The inmates were not merely removed from the premises, keeping their health and future in view, they were provided medical care and sent to authorised government facilities for further treatment and rehabilitation. Condemning the desecration of the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, in Ludhiana, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Wednesday termed the incident “deeply unfortunate and serious”. He said such incidents could create tension and disturb social harmony and urged the state government to deal with the matter with seriousness, adding that the law and order situation in the state was becoming increasingly worrisome. Police officials address mediapersons at Ghungrali Rajputan village in Ludhiana on Wednesday. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 9 Traffic on the National Highway-44 came to halt in the city on Wednesday as members of various organisations had announced a complete shutdown barring essential services against the desecration of a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Jalandhar Bypass chowk, blocking the traffic completely for four hours, from 10 am to 2 pm. Even the protesters also sat at entry points of the Jagraon bridge and elevated bridge on the national highway stalling the entry of all vehicles. Only ambulances, school vans and other emergency vehicles were allowed to pass. To keep the traffic movement smooth, the police had provided some diversions but commuters still faced huge inconvenience. The protesters also visited several markets and asked shopkeepers to keep their shops shut as a support to the bandh call. Old city markets such as Chaura Bazaar, Bhadaur House, railway road, Saban Bazaar and Mata Rani Chowk witnessed a complete shutdown. A few shops, which were found open, were forcibly closed by the protesters. Slogans were raised against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for failing to prevent the incident that insulted Dr Ambedkar. They warned that if the police would not nab the cul- Members of various organisations hold a protest on the national highway in Ludhiana on Wednesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN prits who were behind the act, they would again launch an agitation. After four hours, a memorandum was submitted to senior police officials. A meeting of the delegation with senior police and administration officials was fixed to share updates regarding investigation into the incident. The protesters had demanded that the suspects should be nabbed and strict action should be taken against them. They also demanded that a few months ago, some miscreants had also damaged the outer frame of the statue and that case was also lying unsolved. Now, the police should solve both cases in minimum possible time. DCP (City) Alam Vijay Singh, Additional DCP Sameer Verma, along with senior police officials, CIA incharge inspector Avtar Singh and a few SHOs remained at the protest site. The officials were in touch with the leaders of protesting organisations. Meanwhile, ACP Rupinder Singh shared a video in which he assured that the culprits behind the incident would be nabbed soon. Slogans raised against AAP MLA Bagga A signboard of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from the North constituency Madan Lal Bagga was blackened by the protesters. They expressed anger against the MLA for not paying any heed to demand of installation of CCTV cameras near the bypass and ignoring issues of the community. Slogans were also raised against him. People said they would show Bagga his real place in the coming Assembly elections. A commuter said he and his family were going to attend a marriage in Jammu but got stuck in the traffic jam due to the protest. Another person, who was travelling with his pet dog, said: “My pet cannot live without air condition. Since I remained stuck here for a long time, I could not keep my car on. My dog suffered health issues. The government should solve issues of the protesters so that commuters should not face any inconvenience.” Arjun Arora, a commuter, said: “If the government is not able to resolve the issue of the protesters, why commuters are being harassed.” Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES: POLICE The Khanna police have appealed to the public to promptly inform them about any illegal de-addiction centres, drug peddling or other suspicious activities in their vicinity. The action underscored that the objective was not only to shut down the illegal trade but also ensure the safety and reintegration of the drug-dependent persons. Dr Ahluwalia said the police prioritised the safety and treatment of drug victims rather than treating them as criminals. The police made it clear that anyone found exploiting drug-dependent persons or compromising their liberty and safety in the name of de-addiction would face strict action. SP (D) Khanna Rakesh Yadav, who visited the spot, said during the raid by Khanna Sadar police station personnel, 15 gm of heroin was recovered from the centre. A case was registered at the police station. Pawandeep Singh and Jasvinder Singh, brothers and residents of Ghungrali Rajputan, are the suspects named in the case. They were booked under sections of the NDPS Act and the BNS. He said the police were also probing how the illegal centre was being operated and with whose connivance, the treatment meted out to the inmates, and the source of the narcotics recovered. Efforts were on to identify other persons linked to the centre and probe the supply chain of the seized heroin. Meanwhile, the Khanna police have appealed to the public to promptly inform them about any illegal de-addiction centres, drug peddling or other suspicious activities in their vicinity. Halwara-Delhi flight cancelled, 85 Satya Bharti schools serving 21K needy students in state 115 passengers left stranded ondary Schools recording a 99.6 pass percentage in the 2025-26 Class X CBSE examinations, including 100 per cent among girls, and 99.53 pass percentage in Class XII, including 98.6 per cent among girls, said Mittal. He said Ludhiana remains central to this journey, with 42 Satya Bharti Schools serving 10,764 students from 150 villages. Tribune News Service Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 9 On Wednesday, the Air India (AI) flight, which comes from Delhi, was cancelled at the last moment. Passengers who had already reached the Halwara airport in the wee hours to catch the flight around 7 am faced inconvenience as they came to know about the cancellation of the flight only after reaching the airport. It is for the second time in the past three days that the Air India has cancelled its flight due to “operational reasons”. As a result, 115 passengers, who had arrived at the airport, faced trouble on Wednesday. Air India offered passengers the option to travel on the next available flight. While some chose to wait, others were compelled to travel to Delhi through private taxis or other means to attend to their prior commitments. As per airport sources, the Air India flight (AI-481) scheduled to arrive at Halwara from Delhi on Wednesday morning failed to take off on time. The same aircraft, after landing at Halwara, was slated to return to Delhi as flight AI-482. However, since the plane did not arrive at Halwara from Delhi, the airport authorities were forced to cancel the flight (AI-482) as well. Passengers with connecting national and international flights were forced to book cabs or taxis at exorbitant rates to reach Delhi. It was the second time in three days that the morning flight service has been disrupted, causing frustration among business travellers from Ludhiana and surrounding areas. A businessman said the airport must not meet the same fate as Sahnewal where flights were cancelled and passengers had lost trust in the same. Ludhiana, September 9 Punjab is the largest hub of Bharti Airtel Foundation school network with 85 Satya Bharti schools serving 21,000 students belonging to economically weaker sections in the state. It was stated by Rakesh Bharti Mittal, co-chairman, Bharti Airtel foundation, and vice-chairman, Bharti Enterprises, here on Wednesday. Providing insight about the corporate social responsibility move of Bharti Airtel Foundation, Mittal said in Ludhiana alone, 42 Satya Bharti Schools are offering free quality education to over 10,000 students from 150 villages. He said Punjab was the c m y b Rakesh Bharti Mittal, co-chairman, Bharti Airtel foundation, interacts with students in Ludhiana. The Teacher App largest hub of Bharti Airtel Foundation’s school education initiatives accounting to nearly 60 per cent of its Satya Bharti Schools network. The foundation operates 85 schools across the state with 51 per cent girls students TheTeacherApp started by the foundation has reached nearly 3 lakh users across all states and Union Territories, including over 20,000 users in Punjab. Through partnerships with NITI Aayog, state governments and leading education institutions, the platform com- while its quality support programme has over 42,000 students in 105 government schools across many states. The impact of these efforts is reflected in strong academic outcomes, with five Satya Bharti Adarsh Senior Sec- bines AI enabled tools, professional learning resources and peer to peer collaboration to support educators in improving classroom outcomes. Driven by the belief that education is one of the most powerful enablers of social and economic progress, the foundation has built an integrated approach that combines direct interventions with systemic change. Its flagship Satya Bharti Schools provide free quality education to over 35,000 children across 147 schools in rural India, while equipping them with futureready skills through digital learning, robotics, experiential education, career programmes and pre-vocational education, Mittal added.