17092026-LT-01.qxd 9/17/2026 12:39 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 517 CASES OF TICKETLESS TRAIN TRAVEL DETECTED ANANT NAG TO RECEIVE DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD Veteran actor will receive country’s highest cinema honour at National Film Awards ceremony. P4 During special drive, 517 cases of ticketless and irregular travel detected at city railway station. P2 » CHANDIGARH TO MUMBAI — SUCHI BIRGI CHASES DREAMS From being part of Bareilly Ke Bacchan on Colors TV to working on a SonyLIV series, Suchi has come a long way. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6:25 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:08 AM THURSDAY | 17 SEPTEMBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Workers protest proposed outsourcing of MC’s sanitation-related services Hold gate rally outside Zone A office, march towards MLA’s residence Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 Opposition to the Municipal Corporation’s proposed outsourcing of sanitation-related services intensified on Wednesday, with contractual sanitation employees holding a gate rally outside its Zone A office near Mata Rani Chowk and another group marched towards the residence of MLA Ashok Parashar Pappi with hundreds of protesters. The protesters said the increasing involvement of private agencies in civic services threatened the livelihood of existing sanitation workers. They demanded that the MC scrap the proposed solid waste management and other outsourcing projects and instead strengthen its own workforce. The employees who gathered outside the Zone A office submitted a memorandum to Mayor Inderjit Kaur, listing their demands. Their main objection was to the proposed Rs 1,198-crore solid waste management project under which door-to-door garbage collection, lifting and processing would be handed over to a private agency. Union leaders claimed that hundreds of workers, particularly those from the Dalit community, were engaged in doorto-door garbage collection and Sanitation workers march towards the residence of MLA Ashok Prashar Pappi in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN THEIR KEY DEMANDS The protesting workers demanded that the MC scrap the proposed solid waste management and other outsourcing projects and instead strengthen its own workforce. lifting and could lose their jobs if the work was outsourced. They also opposed the MC’s plan to engage a private company for cleaning major roads, streets and localities for three years at a cost of about Rs 150 crore. Instead, the workers demanded that the amount be used for recruiting sanitation staff and improving the existing system. The union further claimed that outsourced sanitation workers who had been working continuously since 2022 had not received their salaries for nearly six months. They demanded immediate release of the pending wages, saying the delay had created financial difficulties for the workers and their families. At the same time, a group of employees reached the residence of MLA Ashok Parashar Pappi and raised their concerns over assurances given to them after an earlier meeting with Local Bodies Minister Harjot Singh Bains. The MLA came out and listened to the workers. He assured them that neither he nor the government was against the employees. He said Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Parashar, who was his brother and a member of the Finance and Contracts Committee, had walked out of the meeting on the day the door-to-door garbage collection project was discussed. Pappi also assured the workers that he would accompany them to Chandigarh, if required, for discussions with the government on their demands. The union has also renewed its demand for regularisation of over-age and DC-rate sanitation workers. It said the government had given assurances on the issue during a recent meeting with employees. Another demand of the workers is revision of the monthly salary of outsourced sanitation workers from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000, as allegedly promised by the government. The employees said 456 mali beldars, beldars and drivers, who had been working with the MC for years, were still awaiting regularisation. They pointed out that the MC House had approved a proposal on May 9, 2025, sent it to the Local Government Department and sought early approval. The union also demanded withdrawal of the 2025 government notification concerning recruitment of outsourced Class IV sanitation workers, arguing that the Mayor and the Commissioner already have powers to make such appointments. Other demands include creation of 190 sanitary supervisor posts for the Health Department and 95 posts for the Operations and Maintenance cell. The workers also opposed the outsourcing of sewerage work in 26 wards and sought cancellation of the contract. The union further demanded that salaries of all MC employees and officers be credited to their bank accounts by the seventh of every month. Telecom cable chamber under lens after Brown Road portion cave-in Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 Underground telecom work has come under the scanner after a portion of Brown Road near Christian Medical College and Hospital sank on Wednesday, leaving a 1.5 to 2foot-deep damaged patch on the busy road. The affected stretch was located next to a recently constructed underground chamber used for telecom cables. Municipal Corporation officials opened the road to examine the condition beneath the surface and found cable rolls belonging to two or three companies inside the chamber. The officials inspected the road around the chamber to check whether the underground portion had weakened. They repaired the damaged section and restored the surface after finding no major damage to the water supply or sewerage network. An MC official said the chamber belonged to a telecom company and the possibility of the road being weakened during excavation for laying cables was being examined. He also said heavy rain two days earlier could have contributed to the road giving way. “There was no major damage to the sewerage or water supply line. We checked the affected portion and carried out the necessary repair before covering the road,” the official said. The incident, however, prompted elected representatives to question the monitoring of underground cablelaying work across the city. Councillors Arun Sharma and Gauravjit Singh Gora, along with the son of councillor Poonam Ratra, reached the spot and raised concerns over the growing number of underground wires and cables beneath city roads. They alleged that telecom companies were allowed to dig up roads for laying cables but there was not enough monitoring to ensure that excavated portions were properly restored. They demanded that agencies carrying out such work should be held accountable for any damage caused to roads or existing civic infrastructure. The councillors also referred to recent problems reported in Kitchlu Nagar, where they alleged that work related to underground cables had damaged a sewer line and was followed by the collapse of a large portion of the road. They said the MC should maintain proper records of underground utility networks and coordinate with telecom companies before allowing excavation. They also sought timely inspections after such work so that any damage could be detected before it develops into a major road cave-in. The caved-in portion of Brown Road near CMC Chowk in Ludhiana. Two men try to loot cars at Sukhjeet Pal Singh assumes charge as PAU Registrar gunpoint, vehicles fail to start Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 Two consecutive attempts to snatch cars at gunpoint were foiled in the city on Wednesday morning when the vehicles failed to start, forcing armed miscreants to flee on foot. The incident were reported near Rakh Bagh. Police officials from the Police Division 5 reached the scene after receiving information. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras. The police seized the footage and launched an investigation. As per information, the first incident occurred around 7.30 am when a businessman, Nishu, was getting into his car to go to a badminton court. Two masked men approached him on foot, forced him to lower the window and pointed a pistol at him. They demanded to give them the car. Nishu offered his mobile phone, but the suspects insisted on taking away the vehicle. Displaying presence of mind, Nishu removed the key of the vehicle and put it in his pocket. When the miscreants tried to drive away, the steering locked and the car stopped a short distance away. Panicked, they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Afterwards, the suspects targeted Munish Malhotra, who was preparing to drop his children to school. Brandishing a pistol in front of the kids, they forced the family out of the car and attempted to take it away. However, the vehicle also failed to start. Meanwhile, Malhotra’s mother raised the alarm. Listening to her shout, residents of the area gathered, forcing the suspects to flee the scene. While escaping, they collided with dairy operator Ashok Malhotra, injuring him. The police collected the CCTV footage from the vicinity and are checking it to identify the suspects. —TNS Ludhiana, September 16 Sukhjeet Pal Singh (IAS) assumed charge as Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and took over the current duties of the office of the Vice-Chancellor. An IAS officer of the 2018 batch, Punjab cadre, Sukhjeet holds an MA in economics. His administrative career spans key portfolios in the state government, including stints as Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and Additional Secretary, Housing and Urban Development. Addressing PAU officials at an interactive meeting on the occasion, he described Sukhjeet Pal Singh after taking charge as the PAU Registrar. the moment as a honour, calling the university a premier institution built on a legacy of research and dedicated service to the farming community. He commended the contribution of the university’s domain experts and urged the gathering to sustain that momentum as agriculture confronts new and evolving challenges. A student-centric vision ran through his remarks as he spoke of strengthening the university’s teaching, research and extension ecosystem with the learners placed firmly at its centre. Good governance, inclusivity and an innovative spirit, he said, would guide his approach to the responsibilities ahead. Nation-building, he observed, was never the work of one man or woman alone but the outcome of a collective effort. Reinforcing the thought, he invoked Helen Keller’s enduring words: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Deans and Directors of the university used the occasion to brief the new Registrar on PAU’s accomplishments across teaching, research and extension while also outlining the roadmap of initiatives in the pipeline. Dr Vishal Bector, Associate Director (Institution Relations), coordinated the interface, which set an early tone of dialogue between the incoming administration and the university’s academic leadership. Established in 1962, the PAU has been widely credited with anchoring Punjab’s Green Revolution and has since grown into one of the country’s foremost agricultural universities, shaping generations of scientists, extension workers and farm policy through its research and outreach. A first: Khanna police play spiritual melodies outside lock-ups Slapping incident: Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 To fill the void in police lockups, where detainees often spend time burdened by negative thoughts and emotions, the Khanna police district has begun filling that emptiness with soothing and soulful melodies. The aim is to calm minds and encourage reflection among those behind bars. Aim is to calm minds and encourage reflection among those behind bars In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, titled ‘Sound of Hope’, the Khanna police have installed speakers outside all lock-ups in the dis- A speaker installed outside a lock-up at a police station in Khanna for playing music for inmates. trict. Through these speakers, secular bhajans, shabads and hymns are played to create a reflective environment for persons in custody. The emphasis is firmly on humane policing, introspection and reformation. A speaker has also been installed near the lock-up on the CIA premises, where persons accused of heinous crimes are usually kept for interrogation. Revealing details of the initiative, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Khanna, Darpan Ahluwalia, the brain behind ‘Sound of Hope’, told The Tribune on Wednesday that speakers had been installed near nine lock-ups, including those at eight police stations and the CIA unit in Khanna. When asked about the rationale behind playing spiritual melodies for detainees lodged in police station lockups, Dr Ahluwalia said: “Policing is not only about punishment, but also about reform and introspection. Just as there are gurdwaras and temples in jails, persons in police custody, irrespective of allegations against them, should be treated with c m y b human dignity. Efforts need to be made to mould their minds and bring them back into mainstream society.” On the type of music being played, the SSP said she had directed station house officers to play soft, spiritual and introspective vocal music. “Music in Hindi and Punjabi, drawn from different faiths, is being played. Hymns from Gurbani, introspective bhajans and similar compositions form part of the playlist. It has been carefully curated to create an atmosphere of calm, reflection and spiritual connection for those inside the jail,” she asserted. She said the idea came to her during a visit to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh, where she experienced how hymns playing in lifts could instantly create a sense of calm. The thought was that custody might restrict a person’s freedom but it need not take away hope or chance for reformation. The initiative seeks to encourage self-introspection, remorse and the possibility of turning over a new leaf, while also providing a soothing environment for those experiencing emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. “It reflects a larger philosophy of policing, in particular, and Punjab in general, that justice is not only about punishment but also about reformation. The music is deliberately secular and inclusive, drawing from different spiritual traditions to convey one universal message: Pause, reflect and choose a better path,” the SSP added. Cong issues 72-hour ultimatum to file case Ludhiana, September 16 Led by Ishwarjot Singh Cheema, in-charge of the South constituency, Congress leaders and workers held a protest at the Daba police station over the incident of alleged slapping of a truck driver by AAP MLA Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina and demanding that the police should take action in the matter. Congress leaders issued a 72hour ultimatum to the SHO of the Daba police station, stating that if a case was not registered against the MLA, all Congress leaders from the South constituency would intensify their agitation by laying siege to the ACP’s office. Cheema said every citizen was equal in the eyes of the law and no individual’s position places them above the law. He asserted that if an ordinary and hardworking truck driver had allegedly been assaulted or mistreated, an impartial investigation and action must follow his complaint. He clarified that the next phase of the agitation, following the 72hour ultimatum, would involve laying siege to the ACP’s office — a move for which Congress leaders and workers from the South constituency were fully prepared. — TNS