16012021-LT-01.qxd 1/16/2021 12:47 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana TRIBUNE POOR ROADS, CLOGGED SEWERS RATTLE DUGRI COLONY RESIDENTS PAGE 2 Sukhmani Welfare Society has lodged a complaint with the Principal Secy, Local Government, over the matter. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY INBRIEF MC CHIEF REVIEWS SPORTS PROJECTS Ludhiana: Detailed project reports are ready for upcoming projects such as upgrade of a badminton court, table tennis rooms and development of all-weather swimming pool at the Rakh Bagh sports complex, here. It was stated by MC Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal who conducted a meeting with officials on Friday to discuss proposed projects for improving the sports infrastructure in the city. A discussion was also conducted regarding the upcoming sports park at Jainpur project. These projects are part of the Smart City mission. TNS 5-YEAR-OLD RAPED BY STEPFATHER Ludhiana: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her stepfather in Haibowal. The Haibowal police arrested the accused, Monu, a native of UP, at present staying in Gopal Nagar here. The complainant, the victim’s mother, told the police that she got married to Ravi in 2014 and they had two children, a boy and a girl. Two years ago, her husband died, following which she got married with Monu. After the second marriage, her children continued to stay with them. The woman said on January 13 night, she was shocked to see that the accused was violating her daughter. The woman alleged that she raised an alarm following which people from the area reached the spot. However, the accused fled the spot. Investigating officer ASI Sukhwinder Singh said a case under Sections 376-AB, IPC, and the POCSO Act had been registered against the accused and raids were being conducted to nab the accused. TNS CAST OF KYUN UTTHE DIL CHODD AAYE SHOOTS IN AMRITSAR PAGE 3 Sonakshi will be making her digital debut with web series Fallen and will essay the role of a tough cop in it. MAX 15°C | MIN 7°C | YESTERDAY MAX 14°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5:48 PM Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 15 Samples of all three birds, which were found dead in the city on Sunday, have come negative for avian flu. Dr Paramdeep Singh, Assistant Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department, said samples of all three dead birds — two crows and one partridge — have tested negative. “We are regularly collecting samples of birds from the district and on an average, nearly 50 samples are collected every day,” he said. On Sunday, two crows were found dead at Dhandari and a partridge at Rose Garden here. Meanwhile, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GAD- WHAT IS BIRD FLU HANDLING DEAD BIRDS Bird flu is a disease of birds, caused by avian influenza type A virus, which could affect several kinds of birds, including wild birds, turkeys, quails, chicken and ducks. The virus is shed in faeces, nasal discharges and saliva of infected birds. Healthy birds become sick when they come in contact with the infected/reservoir birds or their secretions or contaminated feed, water or equipment. The disease rarely transmits from birds to humans. However, persons working in close contact with birds must follow proper personnel hygiene and safety measures. ■ Don’t handle dead birds with bare hands. VASU) has issued an advisory for poultry farmers, handlers and consumers. Dr Jasbir Bedi, director, School of Public Health and Zoonoses, GADVASU, said consumers must thoroughly cook poultry and poultry products, including eggs, before ■ Dispose of dead birds cautiously under guidance of local veterinarians, either by burning or burying in a pit. ■ While disposing of dead birds, one should wear mask, gloves and safety goggles. ■ If gloves not available, use inverted polythene bag and wash your hands after disposal. ■ Open water troughs or farm tanks should be covered to avoid faecal contamination by wild or migratory birds. ■ Trees in farm or near its boundary should be pruned. ■ Maintain sanitation of poultry farm and avoid introduction of birds of unknown disease status. consumption. Proper cooking at above 70°C kills influenza viruses. Farmto-farm transmission usually occurs through the movement of live birds, people and contaminated vehicles, equipment, etc. Entry of person or vehicles in the poultry farms should be regulated. “One should inform local veterinarians in case he/she come across something aberrant, for example death of wild or migratory birds in the vicinity of the farm,” said Dr Rajnish Sharma, assistant professor, School of Public Health and Zoonoses.. SATURDAY | 16 JANUARY 2021 | LUDHIANA Bird flu scare: Price, demand for fish, mutton shoot up Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 15 With the decrease in the demand for poultry products such as eggs and chicken, prices and demand for fish and mutton have increased drastically. Shopkeepers believe though there are no bird flu cases, there is apprehension among residents and the demand for poultry products has come to almost nil. Talking to The Tribune, Amandeep Singh from Friends Chicken near Dugri said buyers had stopped purchasing eggs and chicken. A tray of eggs that was selling at Rs 175 is now priced at Rs 130, despite that there are no takers. Similar is the case with chicken. Earlier, it was sold at Rs 280 per kg. Now, the prices are dropped to Rs 200. But nobody is keen to buy it due to the scare of bird flu. Though there are no bird flu cases in this part of the region, culling of chickens is going on unabated, rued Amandeep. Another shopkeeper said ever since the bird flu scare had been increased, sales of fish and mutton have picked up. “There is an increase of approximately Rs 100 each in mutton and fish prices and the demand has increased manifolds. In restaurants and hotels, hardly anyone orders chicken, instead people prefer fish and mutton due to scare of bird flu. There might be a few cases but if you eat properly cooked chicken, it will cause no harm,” said the shopkeeper. Many chicken lovers feel that it is better to avoid poultry products and be safe for a few days till the bird flu comes to an end. Garbage dumped along Three more fall prey, 35 test positive Buddha Nullah again Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 15 Days after Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal laid the foundation stone of the Rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah project, garbage is again being dumped along the Buddha Nullah near Haibowal Chowk, here. Earlier, the area was cleaned before the event for laying the stone. A resident, Vijay Verma, said the area was cleaned before laying the stone of the project. “I was surprised to see yesterday evening that garbage collected from various areas is being dumped again along the Buddha Nullah. It is difficult to pass through the stretch due to foul smell emanating from the garbage dump. The MC must remove the garbage dump from the Garbage being dumped along the Buddha Nullah near Haibowal Chowk in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN site. Moreover, there should be no dump along the nullah.” Notably, when the MC had set up the dump at the point along the nullah in 2019, students of the Lord Mahavira Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Haibowal, had held a protest against the move. The dump is located near the building of a girls’ hostel. Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said a waste compactor had been installed on Hambran Road. “I have asked the superintending engineer concerned to get an electricity connection for the waste compactor system at the earliest. Once the system is made functional, the dump will be eliminated.” — TNS Ludhiana, January 15 Thirtyfive persons tested positive for Covid while three from the district lost their lives to the virus today. Now, the total number of confirmed cases from Ludhiana district are 25,239 while the death toll has reached 980. At present, there are 310 active cases in the district while 48 were home quarantined today. Till now, 55,669 people have been home quarantined. Those who lost their lives today include a 76year-old man from Focal Point, who was admitted to SPS Hospital. He was suffering from hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease. Another person who lost his life to the virus was a This govt dispensary kiosk faces staff crunch POSTS OF CLASS IV STAFF, SWEEPER VACANT There are five staff members at the dispensary which include a medical officer, three ANMs, a pharmacist while the post of Class IV staff and sweeper are vacant. Kulwinderjit Kaur, an auxiliary nurse midwife of the dispensary, said: “The medical officer is there but he has another duty at the Civil Surgeon Office for two days a week and in his absence I attend all patients.” AILING HEALTHCARE FACILITIES PART-I Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 15 Located at Transport Nagar, the government dispensary kiosk mainly caters to truck drivers working in the area. As The Tribune team reached the dispensary at around 1:30 pm on Thursday, it was found locked and a few patients were found waiting outside it but to no avail. Jot Ram, who was waiting near the dispensary, said he was waiting to consult the doctor as he was having fever along with cough and cold. “I had made two rounds of the dispensary but it was lying closed since the morning,” he said. When enquired from a person who owns a shanty near the dispensary, he said staff came in the morning for 30 minutes, cleaned the premises and PAGE 4 The 1st poster of Madam Chief Minister was unveiled recently but it received criticism from netizens over casteism. SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:25 AM Samples of 3 dead birds found negative in city Manav Mander RICHA’S STATEMENT ON MADAM CHIEF MINISTER POSTER ROW The government dispensary kiosk at Transport Nagar. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA then left the place after locking the dispensary. “Usually it is opened but it is closed today,” he said. Kulwinderjit Kaur, an auxiliary nurse midwife of the dispensary, when contacted, said staff of the dispensary had gone to Mother and Child Hospital, Vardham, for a meeting on the Covid-19 vaccine. “The entire staff has been called for the meeting and we all were there. We came in the morning but had to rush back due to the meeting,” she said. There are five staff members at the dispensary which include a medical officer, three ANMs, a pharmacist while the posts of Class IV staff and sweep- er are vacant. “The medical officer is there but he has another duty at the Civil Surgeon Office for two days a week and in his absence I attend all patients,” she said. There is no sweeper and the staff manage themselves for the cleaning of the dispensary. Another patient Seema c m y b Dulari, who was returning without meeting doctor, said she used to meet the ANM for taking medicines as the doctor comes here often. “I will come tomorrow again,” she said, adding that she could not afford to go to a private clinic and would visit the place tomorrow. The timings of this dispensary is 1 pm to 7 pm in summers and 12 noon to 6 pm in winters. Kiosk dispensaries were set up in slums of the district under the National Urban Health Mission to provide healthcare facilities to a large section of migrants and slum dwellers in 2014. COVID-19 CONTROL ROOM ■ For Home Isolation: 78147-64759 COVID-19 FIGURES SAMPLES POSITIVE ACTIVE DEATHS 5,68,874 25,239 310 980 ■ 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 71-year-old man from Mor Karima village who was brought dead to Fortis Hospital. He was also a patient of coronary artery disease. A 34-year-old man also lost his life today. He was a resident of the Tajpur Road area and had a comorbidity of a chronic liver disease. He was admitted to the Dayanand Medical College and Hos- pital. Today, five patients were on ventilator support which include three from Ludhiana district and two from other districts. According to the Health Department, till date, 5,68,874 samples have been taken, of which reports of 5,67,012 have been received. Of these, 5,37,963 samples were found negative while reports of 1,862 were pending. Today, 1,994 samples of suspected patients were sent for testing and their results are expected shortly. What has come as a good news is that over 30,000 doctors and healthcare workers will be administered Covid-19 vaccine from January 16 to 18 in Ludhiana district. The vaccine would not be available off the shelf for the time being and only people who have got themselves registered on the government portal would be covered under it. On registration, beneficiaries would receive an SMS informing the date and place where the vaccine would be administered to them. e-auction of 55 commercial sites of GLADA gets under way Kuldip Bhatia Ludhiana, January 15 The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) has put as many as 55 commercial sites, including one chunk of land for prime hotel-cum-multiplex for sale through an e-auction. The bidding process commenced on January 14 at 9 am and would close on January 27 at 1 pm. Put together, the total reserve price of the commercial sites on the block is nearly Rs 120 crore with the hotel site alone accounting for almost 27 per cent of the total base price of these sites. According to GLADA officials, the hotel-cum-multiplex site in Sector 32-A on main Chandigarh Road with an area of 7,205.85 sq m carries a reserve price tag of Rs 44.78 crore. Among other sites being offered for sale through the eauction are two shop-cumoffices (SCOs) in Dugri, Phase-II, six SCOs in Dugri, Phase II and III, Bypass Road, 14 SCOs in Dhandari Kalan, Phase III and two SCOs in Dhandari Kalan, Phase IV. The SCOs have a floor area, each ranging between 101.21 sq m and 265.29 sq m with a reserve price of Rs 1,13,185 to Rs 1,53,218 per sq m. Further, five shop-cumflats (SCFs) in Dugri, Phase II, with a floor area each of 132.64 sq m and 11 SCFs in Dugri, Phase III, with a floor area of 101.20 sq m each are up for grabs at a reserve price of Rs 1,31,829 and Rs 82,523 per sq m, respectively. For those looking for smaller but affordable commercial sites, 10 booths in Dugri Phase II (floor area 18.98 sq m each) and three booths in Dugri, Phase II and III, Bypass Road (area 27.87 sqm each) are among the lot of commercial sites put up for the auction. One single storey shop (area 101.20 sq m) in Dugri, Phase II, would also be sold at a reserve price of Rs 1,31,829 per sq m. As per standard terms and conditions for the eauction of sites/properties by GLADA and all other urban area development authorities, the eligibility fee for participation in the e-auction has been fixed at two per cent of the reserve price of Rs 3 lakh which ever is more for hotel/multiplex sites, SCOs and SCFs while for single-storey shops and booths, the eligibility fee is Rs 1 lakh. New condition Meanwhile, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has laid down in a recent office order about the terms and conditions of the e-auction that henceforth, in case of all e-auctions conducted by the PUDA authorities, whenever a bid is received in the last 10 minutes, the bidding time will be extended for 10 minutes till the time no bid is received in the extended time. It has also been stipulated that a minimum step up for the bidder will be 0.5 per cent of the reserve price.