07012021-LT-01.qxd 1/7/2021 12:40 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana TRIBUNE GAPING MANHOLES AT JUGIANA VILLAGE THREAT TO MOTORISTS Commuters travelling from Sahnewal to Ludhiana or vice versa face issues due to gaping manholes. FORECAST CLOUDY GLADA razes structures in six illegal colonies Our Correspondent Ludhiana, January 6 Amid reports of illegal colonies coming up all across periphery areas of the city and unscrupulous developers being given a long rope by the regulatory body, a team of officials and field staff of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) carried out a demolition drive in over six illegal colonies in the South City area along the Sidhwan Canal, Humbran Road and Haibowal localities. The GLADA team pulled down structures and dug up ongoing development works at the colonies. The developers were directed not to carry out any further development work and produce necessary documents pertaining to regularisation of the colonies, if they had applied for the same under the (now lapsed) regularisation policy introduced by the state government. Though GLADA officials claimed that the action as per rules and provisions made under PAPRA was being taken suo moto or on the basis of specific complaints, sources maintained that the action against illegal colonies or for that matter against commercial buildings being constructed without change of land use (CLU) or approved building plans outside the city was either ‘selective’ or confined to issuing notices without any further follow-up action as per rules. GLADA Estate Officer Sonam Chaudhry, however, claimed that issuing notices for violations or carving out unlicensed colonies was a continuous process. An action plan had been prepared to carry out area-specific demolition drives against illegal colonies or buildings being constructed without approved building plans or other violations, she added. POWER SHUTDOWN LUDHIANA 10 am to 4 pm: Bhaiwala chowk, Ferozepur road, Krishna Nagar, Nagpal Regency, Circuit House, Madhok Complex and Telephone Exchange, Dyeing Complex, Bahadur Ke Road, Phambra road, RS Grewal Road and farm house, Jamalpur Lilly. PAGE 2 DEBATTAMA SAHA THRILLED TO SHOOT FOR WEDDING SEQUENCE PAGE 3 Newly launched show Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani is focused on a marriage ceremony as of now. MAX 19°C | MIN 10°C | YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 12°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5:40 PM FIR to be registered against violators; sale continues unabated Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 Despite the warning and strictness of the police, the sale of banned Chinese string (Chinese dor) is going unabated in the industrial hub. Now, the police are going the other way to tackle the sale and use of the deadly string. Earlier, cases were registered against people selling the same. Now, its usage will also be a crime. Whoever is found flying kite with the deadly string will face a criminal case. Confirming to The Tribune, Commissioner of Police Rakesh Agrawal said: “Whoever is caught flying kite with it will now face an FIR under Sections 51 and 39 of the Wildlife Act. Sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC will also be added to the case. These are the similar sections the police are registering against sellers of the deadly string. The CP said flying kite was more dangerous as the plastic string injures and kills pedestrians and commuters. Even birds also suffer serious injuries after being hit by it. Sources said the police were also likely to tighten noose around parents of chil- SEND INFO ABOUT SELLERS TO POLICE ■ Take picture and record video of Chinese string seller and send it on WhatsApp number for immediate police action. ■ To further tighten noose around on the sellers of the banned string, the Ludhiana police issued a special WhatsApp number where anyone can send pictures or videos of the seller and after preliminary verification, the police will take immediate action. ■ “People are advised not to use Chinese string for kite flying. It is dangerous as it gives no time to escape and several persons have been injured due to it in the past. Be a good citizen and refrain from using the same. Anybody found selling or using it will be severely punished. If you have any kind of information regarding anybody selling Chinese string online or at shops, take a picture and send information to us at the Ludhiana police WhatsApp number 9115601159. Name of the informer will be kept secret and they will be suitably rewarded,” states the Ludhiana police advisory. dren who were allowing their wards to fly kites with the banned string. Police exploring Aircraft Act, 1934, too A senior police official said negligence while kite flying could lead to criminal prosecution. There is a provision under the Aircraft Act, 1934, that makes the negligent kite flying a crime. If a person harms someone while flying kites, he/she can be booked under Section 11 of the Aircraft Act. He, however, felt that enforcing this law in the city seems impractical as never any case of kite flying with banned string was registered. The CP said the police were studying the Act and it’s implementation was not clear yet. 30 teams formed The Ludhiana police have formed 30 teams, one each at police stations in the Commissionerate. Once the police get any information about the sale of the banned string, the team will reach the spot immediately. It will also conduct patrolling in its respective beats to catch the seller and buyers of the string. Hike in price Chinese string roll (gattu), which was earlier available between Rs 200 and Rs 250, is now being sold at Rs 400 or more. This is due to the strictness of the police. Sources even said some wholesale traders had already brought it’s huge stock a few months ago. Role of police personnel can’t be ruled out Residents alleged that the sale of Chinese string could not be made without the connivance of police personnel at the thana level. “Most SHOs know about its sellers but register small recovery FIRs just to please the top cop, but they never raid their godown. Even when the police nab any notorious seller, a police probe always fails to find the storage of the accused.” Areas known for selling string, no big recovery yet Trunka Wala chowk, Shri Sanglawala Shivala temple road, Haibowal, Daresi road, Janakpuri, Kashmir Nagar, Fieldganj, Shivpuri, Dugri, Ghumar Mandi, etc. Some sellers are even giving home delivery option to buyers. Lohri festival is round the corner but the Ludhiana police are yet to make any big recovery of the banned thread. Storage facility of the sellers is also a mystery for the police. THURSDAY | 7 JANUARY 2021 | LUDHIANA 25 more test positive in dist Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 As many as 25 fresh cases of Covid-19 have been reported from various parts of the district. Of them, eight persons came in contact with positive patients, five visited the OPD and nine patients with influenza like illness visited the Flu Corner. Besides, three others, including a healthcare worker, tested positive for the virus. Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said at present, there were 283 active patients in the district. He said a total of 32 patients, including 25 new patients from Ludhiana district and seven from other states/districts, had tested positive in the past 24 hours. He said till date, a total of 5,49,715 samples were taken, of which reports of 5,48,136 had been received. Of these, 5,19,461 samples were found negative while reports of 1,579 were pending. Sharma said now, the total number of patients related to Ludhiana was 24,941 while 3,734 patients belong to other districts/states. As per information, 23,684 (94.96 per cent) patients from Ludhiana district had recovered so far. He said unfortunately, one patient from Jammu lost his life today. Now, the total number of persons who lost their lives include 969 persons from Ludhiana and 453 from other districts. The DC said till date, 55,246 persons had been kept under home quarantine in the dis- A woman gives her sample for the Covid-19 test in Ludhiana. COVID-19 CONTROL ROOM ■ For Home Isolation: 78147-64759 COVID-19 FIGURES SAMPLES POSITIVE ACTIVE DEATHS 5,49,715 24,941 283 969 ■ 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 trict and at present, the number of such persons was 980. Today, 66 persons were sent for home quarantine. He said 2,468 samples of suspected patients were sent for the testing today and their results were expected shortly. He appealed to residents to adhere to all safety protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently of the state government to not only save themselves but keeping everyone around safe. Micro containment zone After cases of Covid-19 reported, the Health Department has set up a micro-containment zone at the Income Tax Colony in Ludhiana. Sharing this information, District Epidemiologist Ramesh said six Covid-19 cases had been reported from the colony during the past three-four days. Now, a micro-containment zone had been set up there, he said. Explain delay in recording evidence, judicial officer told Family alleges inaction DRUG CASE Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 6 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought an explanation from a judicial officer for a delay of about 11 months in recording evidence of witnesses in a drug case. For the purpose of submitting report, Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan of the high court set a month’s deadline. Justice Sangwan asserted the charges were framed in the matter on April 12, 2019, while the lockdown was imposed following apprehensions of the Covid outbreak in March 2020, after about eleven months. “The trial court is directed to submit a report before the Registrar-General of this court, explaining the reasons for delay in recording the evidence during the period,” Justice Sangwan added. The direction came on a petition filed by Asish Singh against Punjab for grant of regular bail in a first information report (FIR) registered on October 8, 2018, under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the Samrala police station in Ludhiana district. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the police apprehended the petitioner on suspicion and recovered 5,100 tablets of Lomotil as per the allegations in the FIR. The counsel further submitted that the petitioner was not involved in any other case and was in judi- cial custody for over two years and the trial was likely to take a long time in its conclusion. Elaborating, the counsel submitted that the examination-in-chief of only two witnesses had been recorded out of the total 12 prosecution witnesses as the trial had been delayed due to the Covid-19 situation. The state counsel also submitted that the charges were framed in April 2019. But the examination-in-chief of only two prosecution witnesses had been recorded. Without commenting upon the merits of the case and considering the petitioner’s custody period, his non-involvement in any other case and halt in the trial due to the coronavirus situation, Justice Sangwan directed the petitioner’s released on interim bail till May 31, 2021. Justice Sangwan added that the trial court, after assessing the situation may cancel or continue the interim bail granted to the petitioner till further orders. EPFO settles over 1.5 lakh claims worth ~432 crore Of these, 1.23 lakh claims were settled within three days of their receipt in current financial year Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 The Ludhiana regional office of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has settled over 1.5 lakh claims amounting to over Rs 432 crore, this fiscal so far. Of these, over 1.23 lakh claims were settled within three days of their receipt. Stating this here on Wednesday, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I (RPFC), Dheeraj Gupta, said a total of 1,50,414 claims amounting Rs 432.34 crore were settled between April 1 and January 4, of which 1,23,940 claims were settled within three days of their receipt, which was 82 per cent of the total claims settled. The settled claims included 29,773 Covid claims, disbursing a sum of Rs 54.73 crore, while PAGE 4 Filmmaker remembered Om Puri on his death anniversary, saying late actor was one of the heroes of his youth. SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:25 AM Fly kite with Chinese string, be ready to face the music Nikhil Bhardwaj SUDHIR MISHRA REMEMBERS OM PURI ON DEATH ANNIVERSARY RPFC-I Commissioner Dheeraj Gupta felicitates a best worker in Ludhiana on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO the rest were non-Covid claims amounting to Rs 377.61 crore. To recognise the services of staff, a special felicitation event was held here this afternoon. The officials worked tirelessly during the pandemic and attended to members/workers registered under the EPF in Ludhiana for settling their online claims and other griev- ances within three days. “These Covid claim advances and online claim settlement helped many of our members/ migratory workers to fight difficulties during the Covid times. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had declared EPF and pension services under the essential services category during the Covid-induced lockdown with the goal of helping workers in their most difficult times,” Gupta said. He said the officials of the EPFO in Ludhiana worked all seven days to give timely services to subscribers, even on holidays during the lockdown. The Ludhiana EPFO had resumed the PRO services in the first week of May with all safety protocols in place, to help those EPF members/ workers who were in need of money but facing difficulty in getting their claims settled through the online mode. The RPFC-I applauded the work of the 20 officials of the regional office in Ludhiana for their commendable job in the current financial year, especially during the lockdown. ***On corporate lines Since October last year, the practice of felicitating the best c m y b worker of the week on the lines of the corporate sector had been started by the RPFCI in Ludhiana to motivate good workers and develop a healthy competition among all to give their best in providing service to the EPF subscribers to their satisfaction. Under the initiative, the photo of the best worker of the week was pasted on the notice board at the gate to give due recognition. A committee of four officials had been formed to decide the best worker of the week on the basis of a few parameters — total claims settled, rejected, pending beyond seven days in a week. In this category, Sodhi Singh was awarded the best worker of the week for maximum times. Gupta also felicitated Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II Brij Mohan Singh, assistant provident fund commissioner Gurdial Singh and enforcement officers Komal Parkash and Bhupinder Kumar Singh for their remarkable services during the lockdown. Best workers The best workers who were awarded include: Sodhi Singh worker of the week; Vijay Shankar working maximum days; Rajwinder Kaur grievance handling; Deepak Kumar Gupta accountant; Harikesh Lal and Rajiv Kumar Ranjan PROs; Riza coordination and legal work; Anil Puri and Ravindra Mandal enforcement and reports; Ashok Kumar and Anil Kumar caretaker cell workers; Rajesh Kumar Bhargav pension cell worker; Ratan Roshan Lal administration cell worker; Hardeep Singh cash section worker; Tejinder Singh PA cell and coordination worker; and Sukhwinder Singh driver. by cops in suicide case Kin of the deceased man hold a protest outside the Salem Tabri police station in Ludhiana on Wednesday. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 Alleging police inaction in an abetment to suicide case, family of the deceased today gheraoed the Salem Tabri police station. The family alleged the police are working under political influence due to which accused booked in the case were not being arrested by them. Notably on December 24, after facing mental torture for failing to pay Rs 20,000 debt, a 38-year-old fruit seller, Ravinder Singh, had allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at his residence in Chandni Chowk, Salem Tabri. On the basis of a suicide note, the Salem Tabri police had registered an abetment to suicide case against fruit wholesellers Bikram Singh and Kushal Singh. Manjit Singh, deceased’s kin, said despite the fact that the deceased had held Birkam and Kushal responsible for his death in the suicide note, the police were still not arresting the accused. He said many a times, they had met the ACP and SHO of the police station but to no avail. He suspected that the police were being influenced by some political persons in the case. His family also alleged that the deceased had also left behind a diary in which, besides the two accused, name of a third fruit seller was also mentioned but the police were not adding his name to the FIR. Meanwhile, Salem Tabri SHO Gopal Krishan said police raids were on and the accused would be nabbed soon. The SHO said the suicide note recovered from the dairy was sent for forensic examination. Action will be taken against the guilty.