01102026-LT-01.qxd 10/1/2026 1:05 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune TOP ENTREPRENEURS FETED AT THE TRIBUNE ACHIEVERS AWARDS WOMEN MORE AT RISK OF HEART ATTACK AFTER MENOPAUSE STALLONE IDENTIFIES HIMSELF WITH CHARACTER IN ROCKY Governor Gulab Chand Kataria lauds the group for raising voice of people since the pre-Independence period. P2 As oestrogen's protective effects on heart diminish in menopausal women, regular check-ups are must. P3 Fifty years after one of Hollywood’s all-time hit Rocky, Sylvester Stallone still identifies himself with character.P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 34°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 21°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6:08 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:16 AM THURSDAY | 1 OCTOBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Dyers assn chief, 250 others booked for blocking na’tl highway over power outages Violatingcompliancenorms,14-km stretch dug up for water project Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Action taken as bizmen, farmers staged a massive protest on Sept 14 Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 30 The Police Commissionerate, Ludhiana, has registered a case against the president of the Punjab Dyers Association, along with 250 unidentified persons. The police took action as industrialists and farmers had blocked the national highway near Vardhman Chowk on September 14 over power outages faced by the industry. The police have “secretly” registered a case against the protesters under Section 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Police Division 7. On September 14, sore over the apathetic attitude of the state government towards the industry, industrialists had blocked the main Ludhiana-Chandigarh National Industrialists hold a demonstration on a national highway in Ludhiana. FILE Highway near Vardhman Chowk for about an hour. The industrialists had maintained that it was the last resort they could think of as the state government had refused to listen to their genuine grievances. Starting from Samrala Chowk, buses and other vehicular traffic were diverted through alternative routes, leaving residents and commuters at the receiving end due to police barricading. All roads leading towards Vardhman Risking lives Chowk were barricaded by the police and serpentine queues were witnessed all over for over an hour. The police were seen making way for ambulances stuck in traffic as roads were blocked. As per the FIR registered Gold chains, purse of Wing Commander’s kin stolen at religious event Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service A child drives a 'jugaad rehri' in violation of the traffic norms in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN Piyusha Burdak joins civic body as OSD Ludhiana, September 30 A 2024-batch IAS officer, Piyusha Burdak, has joined the Municipal Corporation (MC), Ludhiana, as Officer on Special Duty (Urban Affairs). With her administrative role and technical background as an IIT Delhi graduate, Burdak is expected to focus on project monitoring and improving civic service delivery under the overall guidance of MC Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar. Her responsibilities will by the police, it stated that Bobby Jindal, president of the Dyeing Association, along with around 250 persons, had staged a dharna on the highway at Vardhman Chowk, from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, due to which the movement of traffic was disrupted. Bobby Jindal said he was not aware of the FIR as the police had not sent any intimidation about the same. “Though the police have registered a case, after the protest, issue of power outage has been resolved,” he said. Tajpur police post incharge ASI Dinesh Kumar said a case had been registered against Bobby Jindal and others. Now Jindal would be asked to join investigation and his questioning would help the police to identify other suspects. After identifying the suspects, they would also be nominated in the case. Piyusha Burdak include monitoring the implementation of key urban projects, including World Bank and AIIB-funded Canal-Based Water Supply Project, and coordinating with different departments to ensure timely progress. Speaking about her new assignment, Burdak said her focus would be on ensuring that civic facilities and services reach residents at the ground level. She said she would work towards understanding issues faced by people and ensuring that development initiatives translate into visible benefits for residents. Ludhiana, September 30 The mother and mother-inlaw of Air Force Wing Commander SK Jha were allegedly targeted by thieves during a religious congregation at the GLADA Ground near Vardhman factory on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road. Unidentified persons reportedly stole their gold chains and a red purse containing Rs 7,000 in cash. The two women had attended a religious event addressed by Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham on September 26. Wing Commander SK Jha, who is posted at the Air Force Station in Barnala, said the women were entering the venue through the VIP gate when unidentified persons took advantage of the rush, stole their gold chains and purse, and escaped by blending into the crowd inside the pandal. After learning about the incident, the Wing Commander approached the Moti Nagar police station and lodged a complaint. The police said an FIR had been registered and probe was under way to identify the suspects. In another theft in the city, unidentified persons allegedly broke into a paint factory in the Moti Nagar area during the night and decamped with paint and other material worth around Rs 28 lakh. Rajeev Datta, a resident of Sarpanch Colony in Haibowal and associated with Ojal Kunar Limited, whose factory is located in Moti Nagar, lodged a complaint with the police. He alleged that the thieves entered the factory premises at night, stole paint and other items, and fled. A police team visited the spot, inspected the factory and registered a case against unidentified persons. No arrests have been made so far. The police are examining CCTV footage from the factory and nearby areas to trace the suspects and identify any vehicles used in the crime. Ludhiana, September 30 Around 14 km of roads across 11 locations in the city have been dug up for the 24x7 canal-based water supply project, though the project agreement stipulates that the total uncovered wet mix macadam (WMM) road length should not exceed 5 km at any given time. The extensive road cutting has caused inconvenience to commuters, residents and roadside businesses in several parts of the city, raising questions over compliance with project conditions. As per the contractual conditions, the contractor is required to restore a dug-up road up to the WMM stage within 10 days after trenching is completed on a particular street or reach. The agreement also requires the contractor to avoid unnecessary interference with public convenience and access to roads and footpaths. The locations listed for the road-cutting work which have not been restored include Sherpur Road; Focal Point; outside Mundian Kalan; Mundian Kalan near Ram Nagar flats; stretches opposite Bhamian Road; 200-ft Dugri Road; Tajpur Road to Vardhman Road; Sector 32A, GLADA; and Sector Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 30 Bageshwar Dham head Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has landed in controversy over his alleged remarks against a particular religion. Taking strong exception to the statement, Shahi Imam Maulana Mohammad Usman Rehmani Ludhianvi has asked the spiritual leader to apologise for remarks against Islam, saying they had hurt religious sentiments. The Shahi Imam also asked Shastri to withdraw his statement, warning that there would otherwise be retaliation not only against the leader but also against the organisers of the five-day event in Ludhiana. In a statement issued through a social media plat- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri during an event in Ludhiana. form, the Shahi Imam said, “You are more than welcome here in Ludhiana but that doesn’t give you any right to spread hatred among the people of Ludhiana on the basis of caste and creed. The people of Ludhiana belonging to all religions and have always supported one another. Your attempt to divide them on the basis of religion is not acceptable. The Gurus, Muslims sacrificed their lives for Hindus, which conveys how well-knit the social fabric is and how nicely we respect and accept each other.” Maulana Usman also criticised Shastri for speaking against China, saying the microphones used for making the statements were from China. He described China as “the largest democracy in the works”. “He may be saying everything to make the masses laugh, but many of his statements are in bad taste, against the people of Ludhiana, which will not be tolerated,” the Imam said. Albert Dua, president of the Christian United Federation, told The Tribune that Shastri had tried to divide the people of Punjab, but Christians would maintain peace. “The statements show the mentality of the spiritual leader, how he was trying to divide people of Punjab. There is no need to disturb c m y b the peace in the state ahead of the elections and we would like to ignore these leaders who divide us,” said Dua. Meanwhile, in one of his statements to the media, Shastri said he had never spoken against any religion. Appreciating the state government for its efforts to eradicate drugs, he said his only concern was that there should be no drugs or religious conversions. “Hindus and Sikhs must visit temples and gurdwaras, what was the need to visit elsewhere?” he asked, without naming any particular religion. Shastri has been in the city for the past five days for a religious event, which was attended by many leaders, especially those from the BJP . The five-day programme ends on Wednesday. 32A, besides the Focal Point and Bajra village stretches, where works are currently under way. Residents said simultaneous road cutting at several places had made daily commuting difficult. Harmeet Kaur, a resident of BRS Nagar, said: “Roads have been dug up at several places and it has become difficult for residents to move around. We understand that the water project is important but the roads should be restored within the stipulated time so that people do not have to face inconvenience for months.” Roadside vendors said the digging and barricading had also affected their businesses. Laxman, a roadside vendor, said: “When the road is dug up, people avoid stopping near us and there is less space for customers to reach us. We are already facing difficulties due to the road condition. The work should be completed and the road restored at the earliest.” MC Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar said: “I have already issued notices to the contractor for delaying restoration of roads and he has assured to complete the work in coming one month.” About the project The 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water project was conceived in 2021 and is being implemented with financial support from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The World Bank approved $105 million for the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project in March 2021. The overall Ludhiana water-supply scheme has been pegged at Rs 3,394.45 crore while the firstphase civil work was awarded for about Rs 1,305.31 crore; the contract value, including O&M and other provisions, was about Rs 1,546 crore. The project aims to shift the city from groundwater-based supply to treated canal water. Its first phase includes a 580MLD water treatment plant at Bilga village, transmission pipelines and overhead service reservoirs. The project envisages 24x7 water supply and is intended to benefit millions of residents. The ground-level work formally commenced in February 2025 and the first phase is scheduled for completion by February 2028. The project is being implemented by the Municipal Corporation with technical support from the PMIDC. A road dug-up for the 24x7 canal-based water supply project at BRS Nagar in Ludhiana. 3.5 kg heroin seized from car-borne man Tribune News Service Dhirendra Shastri’s remarks spark row, Shahi Imam seeks apology Rules stipulate that total uncovered road length should not exceed 5 km at any given time Ludhiana, September 30 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Ludhiana unit, seized 3.5 kg of heroin from a car-borne person on Tuesday night. Sources said the value of the seized drug was said to be around Rs 7 crore. A tip-off was received that a car-borne person coming from the Amritsar side was going to deliver a huge quantity of heroin to his clients. Accordingly, DRI sleuths laid a trap and after noticing the car on a highway in Phillaur, the vehicle was stopped for checking. During search of the car, 3.5 kg of heroin was seized by the officials. Further investigation was launched by the agency to unearth a major racket of drug smuggling. More recoveries and arrests are likely to be made in coming days. 6 booked for ‘grabbing’ 8,000 square yard plot over ~1.48-crore loan Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 30 A major fraud related to money lending and interest has come to fore in the city. It is alleged that some persons jointly grabbed an 8,000 sqyard plot of a person in lieu of around Rs 1.48 crore given to him on interest. The complainant, Neeraj Kapoor (48), a resident of Durga Puri here, told the police that he used to frequently take money on interest from the suspects. In September 2025, he had taken Rs 1,48,50,000 on interest from them. In return for the heavy amount, the suspects got his signatures on 50 blank papers and a cheque as security. According to Neeraj, later, the suspects got a case registered against him. When he examined the case documents carefully, he found that forged signatures had been affixed on the papers. Using the 50 blank signed papers, they prepared registry documents of the 8,000-sq-yard plot located at Birmi village, opposite Hero Homes, in their favour and made a false claim of ‘full and final’ settlement. Six persons have been named in the case registered at the Sarabha Nagar police station. They are identified as Rajat Gupta, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Ashish Gupta, Arun Kumar Gupta, a resident of Model Town, Ludhiana, Vanita Gupta, Vansh Jain, a resident of Tagore Nagar, and Ravjot Jain.