29122020-LT-01.qxd 12/29/2020 12:27 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana TRIBUNE 782 APPEAR FOR MASTER CADRE EXAMINATION PAGE 2 FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY CRIMINAL JUSTICE HAS MORE THAN PAGE 4 PANKAJ TO CARRY IT THROUGH Shaheer Sheikh recently got married to his girlfriend Ruchikaa Kapoor. The newlyweds are currently in Kashmir. As many as 782 candidates from Ludhiana appeared for the English exam for the posts of master cadre. PAGE 3 SHAHEER, RUCHIKAA SHARE PICTURES OF THEIR HONEYMOON Top performances & relevant subject make the second season of Criminal Justice the right kind of entertainment. MAX 15°C | MIN 3°C | YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 5°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5:33 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:24 AM TUESDAY | 29 DECEMBER 2020 | LUDHIANA Dry run for Covid vaccination begins Test for driver’s skills Two-day mock exercise to check preparedness for the final launch of the vaccine in Ludhiana, besides one in each Raikot, Jagraon, Machhiwara, Khanna and Payal subdivisions, the DC said. The activity was aimed at testing the laid out mechanisms for the Covid vaccination roll out in Ludhiana, the DC added. The dry run would conduct end-to-end testing of the Covid vaccination process while pre-identified beneficiaries from specified groups supported by Co-WIN, an electronic application, would be vaccinated during the drive. The primary objective of the dry run includes assessing the operational feasibility of using Co-WIN application in the field environment and to test linkages between planning. Implementation and reporting mechanisms will identify challenges and guide way forward prior to actual implementation. More than 30,000 healthcare workers (both government and private) of Ludhiana district, who registered themselves on the portal, would be administered the Covid vaccine in the first phase while anganwadi workers, population above 50 years of age, below 50 years with comorbidities, and others, will be covered in the subsequent phases, the DC said. Tribune News Service Commuters drive in dense fog in Ludhiana on Monday morning. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA 4 eatery owners booked for violating prohibitory orders Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 The police have registered cases under Section 188 of the IPC against four eateries located on Humbran Road, opposite DMC Hospital crossing, for the violation of the prohibitory orders promulgated by the Commissioner of Police by keeping their establishments open after 10 pm. Those booked by the police include owners of Preet Dhaba, Al Siddiqui Chicken Corner, Uttam Chicken and Sardarji Malai Chop. No arrest, however, has been made in this regard. Liquor vend employee booked The police have booked an employee of liquor vend of Bajaj Group on Humbran Road. Mohan Lal, alias Monu, of Himachal Pradesh, was booked under Section 188, IPC, (violation of the prohibitory orders) for selling liquor during curfew hours. Ludhiana, December 28 The dry run for the Covid vaccination got underway in the city today. The two-day mock exercise is aimed at preparing the district administration for the final launch of the mass immunisation campaign, which is likely to be undertaken any time soon. Launching the dry run exercise at the Civil Hospital here, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Varinder Kumar Sharma clarified, “The dry run is just a mock exercise to prepare the administration for the final vaccination drive.” “Although the whole 72-hour process, which includes time taken for preparing medicine boxes and sending SMSes to beneficiaries to invite them at vaccine centres will be followed in this dry run, the actual vaccination drive will be carried out after receiving vaccine,” the DC added. Ludhiana, which has assumed the dubious distinction of Covid capital of Punjab with highest number of infections and fatalities, was among two districts – the other being Nawanshahr – selected by the state government for conducting the dry run for the Covid vaccination. A health worker carries a box of Covid vaccine; and (below) Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma interacts with officials during the launch of the dry run in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Accompanied by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Sandeep Kumar, Civil Surgeon Rajesh Bagga and SDM (Ludhiana East) Baljinder Singh Dhillon, the DC inspected the dry run on the first day. As per the protocol, beneficiaries were today informed through SMSes to visit vaccine centres tomorrow, which would be the second day of the mock drill. The dry run was launched simultaneously at seven locations, including Civil Hospital and Dayanand Medical College and Hospital 4 members of snatchers’ gang held, 8 mobiles seized Virus claims life of 78-yr-old man, Our Correspondent Ludhiana, December 28 The police today claimed to have busted a gang of snatchers and looters with the arrest of four persons. Three of them are migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Eight mobile phones of different make and one motor cycle was recovered from the suspects. Giving details in a news conference, the Sarbha Nagar SHO, Madhu Balal, said the nabbed snatchers were identified as Waseem Akram (22), a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Suraj Kumar (19), a resident of Sunet, both migrants from Madhubani and Darbhanga, respectively, in Bihar, Raju Kumar (25), a resident of Sham Nagar, a migrant from Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Four snatchers in the custody of the Sarabha Nagar police in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN and Hardeep Singh (25), a resident of Sunet village. The four members of the snatchers’ gang were nabbed on December 24 on a tip-off near Sua Puli while coming from Magnet Resort side towards Barewal Road to sell stolen mobile phone, the SHO said. Besides snatched mobile phone, a Bajaj Platina motor cycle (bearing registration No. PB-22G-3712) used for committing crimes, was also seized from the four suspects, the SHO added. The suspects were booked under Sections 379-B/411 of the IPC and produced in a local court, which remanded them in police custody for three days. During intensive interrogation, the suspects divulged details of snatchings and other crimes committed in different parts of the city by them. With their arrest, several cases of snatchings and looting are expected to be solved. Out of the four suspects, two had criminal record, the SHO said. Hardeep Singh had a case registered against him under Sections 379, IPC, at the Dugri police station while Raju Kumar was an accused in a case registered under Section 381, IPC, at the Sadar police station, the SHO added. 20 fresh cases reported in district Tribune News Service COVID-19 CONTROL ROOM Ludhiana, December 28 Covid 19 claimed life of one more person while 20 fresh cases were reported in Ludhiana district during the past 24 hours. Out of 20 fresh cases of Ludhiana district, three persons had come in contact with positive patients, one visited OPD and 11 with influenza like illness visited the flu corner. Besides, five other persons also tested positive for the virus today. The Ludhiana Civil Surgeon, Dr Rajesh Bagga, said the report of 30 patients, including 20 from Ludhiana district and 10 from other dis- ■ For Home Isolation: 78147-64759 COVID-19 FIGURES SAMPLES POSITIVE ACTIVE DEATHS 5,31,362 24,669 364 959 ■ For Ambulance Problem: 78143-63850 ■ For Hospital Problem: 62849-12553 ■ For General Problem: 62845-31852 WEBLINK WHERE RESIDENTS CAN CHECK REAL TIME STATUS OF VACANT AND FILLED BEDS IN ALL HOSPITALS: https://ludhiana.nic.in/notice/covid-19-bed-status-in-ludhiana-district tricts or states, had come positive today. He confirmed that two patients, including one each from Ludhiana and Pathankot districts, died due to the virus. As per the information, a 78-year-old man from Daba Colony in Ludhiana succumbed to the virus. He was admitted to the GTB Hospital in the city. The total number of persons, who lost their lives to the virus, includes 959 from Ludhiana and 444 from other districts. LIT to handover water supply, MC to install storm sewer system near Clock Tower sewerage in its colonies to MC Will solve issue of watelogging in the Old GT Road area during the rainy season Kuldip Bhatia Ludhiana, December 28 The die has been cast. In the wake of persistent complaints by residents of colonies developed and maintained by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) over deficient water supply and sewerage facilities, a policy decision has been taken to hand over these services to the Municipal Corporation (MC). The LIT authorities have made a formal request to this effect to the civic body and modalities for the changeover are being worked out. Residents of most Trust colonies, maintained by the LIT, had been complaining about erratic and poor quality water supply, clogged and overflowing sewers. The Trust authorities were helpless to redress their grievances as the work had been outsourced to the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB), which perhaps was unable to provide desirable level of these basic amenities due to its own limitations. For the time being the LIT has asked the MC to take over four colonies – Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Maharishi Valmiki Nagar, Rajguru Nagar and Sant Ishar Nagar – for providing water supply and sewerage facilities. The process of change over, however, would take some time as several statutory provisions have to be cleared to for this purpose. While confirming that the formal request for takeover of these colonies for providing water supply and sewerage had been received from the Trust, senior MC functionaries said the proposal would be cleared by the Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) and might also be tabled in the MC General House as it involved financial liability. While LIT officials were not confirming, but it is learnt that the PWSSB had asked the Trust to make its own arrangements for providing water supply and sewerage facilities to its colonies because of delayed and erratic payments for these services. “The user charges for these amenities are being collected by the LIT at its own level, but monthly payments for maintenance of these services are not being made to the PWSSB on time. Many a times, the PWSSB discontinued water supply by refusing to operate tubewells to press their demand for realisation of overdue payment,” said a PWSSB official requesting anonymity. Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 Finally, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is going to install storm sewer system to address over a decade old waterlogging problem near the iconic Clock Tower in the city. Whenever it rains heavily, commuters as well as shopkeepers have to wade through knee deep water accumulated at this prominent location on the Old GT Road in the city. Notably, the Finance and Contract Committee of the MC has given its nod for installation of the storm sewer system on a stretch near Clock Tower. The storm sewer line is supposed to be connected with an old drain passing through near Bhadaur House Market. As per the information, an old sewer line (to drain out c m y b Water accumulated on a road after rain near Clock Tower in Ludhiana. FILE rainwater) had earlier got damaged when pillars of the Elevated Road were constructed on the Old GT Road. Shopkeepers of markets near Clock Tower had been complaining about massive waterlogging, especially during the rainy season, for a long time. According to some shopkeepers, since the Elevated Road was constructed, waterlogging became a serious problem at Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Market and Old GT Road stretch near the Clock Tower. Many times, rainwater entered shops in the area. Major waterlogging was witnessed in this area during rainy season this year leaving people to suffer. The councillors of the ward concerned have taken up the waterlogging issue with the MC authorities multiple times. The MC executive engineer, Pardeep Saluja, said, “Tenders have been floated for the project. The work to install the storm sewer system near Clock Tower will be completed before the arrival of rainy season next year.” “The rainwater will get drain through the storm sewer line, which will be connected with a drain passing near Bhadaur House Market. Once the storm sewer line is installed, there will be no waterlogging near the Clock Tower area. The estimated cost of the project is around ~35 lakh,” he added.