29122022-LT-01.qxd 12/29/2022 12:59 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana TRIBUNE POLICE ISSUED 1.45L CHALLANS IN 2022, EARNED ~8.26 CRORE In the corresponding period last year, the traffic police had collected ~8.91 crore by issuing 1,22,214 challans. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY Scrap dealer robbed of ~15K at gunpoint Tribune News Service PAGE 2 ACTOR-TURNED-HUMANITARIAN SOMY HAS NO NEW YEAR PLANS PAGE 3 There is no better way to celebrate any occasion than helping someone transform themselves, says Somy Ali. MAX 18°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5:33 PM 70% rejuvenation work of Buddha Nullah completed, ~405 cr spent ~840-cr project to give new lease of life to polluted 47.55-km Sutlej tributary by June next ~68L stolen from bizman’s car at Samrala Chowk Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 Some unidentified miscreants allegedly stole a bag containing Rs 68 lakh from a car at Samrala Chowk here on Wednesday night. The bag was taken away by thieves after breaking the window pane of the side door of the car. The money belongs to a Chandigarh-based businessman, who had sent his driver for collection from clients. After parking the car at Samrala Chowk, the driver went to meet someone. When he came back, he was shocked to see the broken window and immediately raised the alarm. ACP (Central) Ramandeep Bhullar reached the spot and started a probe. The police expressed doubt over the incident and the driver, Gurpreet, was being questioned. The footage of CCTV cameras was being scanned, added the ACP (Central). Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 Over 48 per cent of the total awarded amount has been spent to achieve 70 per cent work for the rejuvenation of the highly-polluted Buddha Nullah, a seasonal tributary of the Sutlej, in Ludhiana, the government has confirmed. Since the ambitious Rs 840crore project had faced teething problems and had got adversely hit due to Covid restrictions during the initial months last year, the deadline to complete the capital work has been further extended from December 1 this year to June 30 next, officials have said. A senior government functionary told The Tribune here on Wednesday that the goal of the project was to give a new lease of life to one of the most polluted nullahs, which runs almost parallel to the Sutlej through most of Ludhiana district, including 14-km in Ludhiana city, by ensuring that only treated domestic wastewater or fresh or storm water may flow in it. She said several components of the project had already been completed while rest of them were in the advanced stage of completion and the pace of the ongoing work has been further accelerated to meet the deadline of June 2023. According to the project progress report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the laying of pipeline along The work of rejuvenating the Buddha Nullah in progress in Ludhiana on Wednesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN PROJECT REPORT DPR amount: Awarded amount: Capital work cost: O&M cost for 21 months: O&M cost for 10 years: Project started: Completion target: Progress till date: Expenditure incurred: ~650 ~839.79 ~519 ~26.79 ~294 Dec 2, 2020 June 30, 2023 70 per cent ~405.79 (SOURCE: MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, FIGURES IN CRORES) the Buddha Nullah banks has already been completed by placing 5,810 m on the west side, 4,850 m on the east side and 650 m from Kundanpuri to Upkar Nagar. Of the two new sewage treatment plants (STPs) being constructed, the work on the 225-MLD capacity STP at Jamalpur was 90 per cent complete with the target to install it within this week Zonal commissioners to hold weekly grievance meetings Ludhiana, December 28 Following the orders issued by the Chief Minister’s office to resolve public grievances, Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner (officiating) Aaditya Dachalwal has directed the MC Zonal commissioners to hold weekly grievance redressal meetings in their respective zones. All four Zonal commissioners of MC have been ordered to hold weekly meetings every Thursday wherein they will hear the grievances of people in their respective zonal offices from 10 am to 2pm. The meetings will be held from next week. Dachalwal said the Zonal commissioners were available for the public every working day. Besides, such meetings would also be held on every Thursday in zonal offices of the MC. Dachalwal said, “Residents can meet the officials with complaints related to any branch of the civic body, including property tax, roads, water-sewer lines, building branch, etc. The officials concerned of different branches of the MC will remain available in the offices of Zonal commissioners to resolve the complaints. Directions have been issued to resolve the complaints at the earliest.” As directed by higher authorities, the reports of these meetings would also be submitted to the office of the Chief Minister, he added. PROJECT A PRIORITY Our aim is to achieve zero discharge of sewage and effluents flowing into the Sutlej tributary since years, the main sources of pollution in the entire Sutlej, following which the nomenclature Buddha Nullah will be replaced with Buddha Dariya (river). The project is a priority and will be completed next year to ensure that only treated or fresh/stormwater flows into the Buddha river. Bhagwant Mann, CHIEF MINISTER ❝ ❞ while 34 per cent work on another 60-MLD capacity STP at Balloke had been completed with the target to make it functional by June 30 next. Under the domestic effluent management of the project, six intermediate pumping stations (IPSs) on the banks of the Buddha Nullah were being installed of which 85 per cent work had been completed on two units, 57 per cent on three units, and the work on remaining IPS near the Gau Ghat gurdwara was yet to start. The project also entails rehabilitation and repair of existing STPs and pumping stations under which the work on two STPs and MPSs, including 105-MLD capacity at Balloke and another 50MLD capacity at Bhattian, had already been completed while 82 per cent work had been completed on another 111-MLD capacity STP and MPS at Bhattian and 24 per cent work had been achieved on another 152-MLD capacity STP and MPS at Balloke. To check the 137-MLD industrial effluent discharge into the nullah, all industrial units have either been connected to the common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) or had installed their own captive effluent treatment plants (ETPs). Of the major effluent discharge contributors, 105-MLD effluent was discharged by three dyeing clusters, 17 MLD by 12 large scale dyeing units, 9 MLD by 16 scattered and 28 dyeing units of Industrial Area A, 0.5 MLD by electroplating units, while 6 MLD industrial effluent was discharged by other industries such as milk plants, garment washing units, breweries, beverages, commercial establishments and service stations. Under industrial waste management, three CETPs had been installed recently, which were being operated by the Punjab Dyeing Association under the supervision of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. These included 50-MLD and 40-MLD capacity two CETPs on Jail Road for Tajpur Road and Focal Point area industries, while another 15-MLD capacity CETP was made functional on Bahadurke Road to cover the industries in that area. continued on page 2 Illicit liquor seized, man held The suspect who was nabbed with illicit liquor in police custody in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO Ludhiana, December 28 The Crime Branch of Ludhiana police nabbed a liquor smuggler and seized 100 cases of illicit liquor from him. The nabbed man has been identified as Chanpreet Singh Maan, alias Ashu (26), of Mohali. He is driver by profession. CIA in-charge Inspector Beant Juneja said acting on a tip-off, a naka was laid on the Cycle Valley road where on suspicion a Skoda car was stopped for checking. During checking of the car, 100 cases of PAGE 4 Jacqueline Fernandez will be playing a significant role opposite the character of Fateh played by Sonu Sood in the film. SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:24 AM Nitin Jain Ludhiana, December 28 A scrap dealer was robbed of Rs 15,000 and a mobile phone by three armed robbers at gunpoint on the Lohara road here on Tuesday. After the incident, the city police identified the robbers as Akash Kumar of Jaspal Bangar, Pardeep Pandey of New Mahadev Nagar and Aman Gupta of Khamano. Complainant Rahul Goyal told the police that he ran a scrap shop on the Lohara road. On December 27, three persons came to his shop for selling some scrap. The moment he took the scrap and put it on the weighing machine, one of the persons pointed a gun at him. The accused then looted the cash and the mobile phone from him. “When the robbers were fleeing I nabbed one of them and told him to reveal their names and addresses. He gave me the information demanded by me. Unfortunately, that robber also pushed me away and fled. I then informed the police,” revealed the complainant. ASI Raghuvir Singh said raids were being conducted to nab the robbers. ACTOR JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ SIGNS NEW FILM FATEH illicit liquor were recovered. Inspector Juneja said the smuggler was on the way to deliver the huge consignment of liquor to his clients. Liquor was reportedly bought by the smuggler from Chandigarh. — TNS THURSDAY | 29 DECEMBER 2022 | LUDHIANA Man posing as saint dupes couple of 28 tola gold in Jagraon Tribune News Service WOMAN AMONG BOOKED Ludhiana, December 28 A man posing as saint has looted a couple of 28 tola gold ornaments at Jagraon. The accused had assured the couple that he could double the gold ornaments and on that pretext he looted the ornaments from them. The Jagraon police on Tuesday registered a case against the unidentified saint and two of his accomplices, including a woman. Complainant Gurnam Singh told the police that on December 18, he along with his wife was on way home on scooter and when they reached near Nanaksar gurdwara, they were stopped by a man looking like a saint along with two other persons, including a woman. The persons accompanying the alleged saint made them believe that he had a superpower and could double the gold ornaments, the complainant said, adding that, “we took the saint and other The Jagraon police on Tuesday registered a case against the unidentified ‘saint’ and two of his accomplices, including a woman. two persons at our home. We handed over all our gold ornaments weighing 28 tola to him. He rolled all ornaments in a piece of cloth and later handed over the same cloth to us. Before leaving, the accused told us to open this cloth after half an hour and gold ornaments would be doubled. Later, when we opened the cloth we were shocked to see that instead of gold ornaments, there were pebbles inside the cloth.” The complainant said later they tried to trace the trio but in vain. Then they lodged a police complaint following which a case was registered against the three unidentified accused. The investigating officer in the case, ASI Atma Singh, said investigation was on to identify the accused. Contempt petition filed against billboards ‘violating’ court orders Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 The Council of Engineers through advocate HC Arora has filed a contempt petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the fixing of advertisement billboards, hoardings, etc, in the city by allegedly violating the court orders. The petitioners filed a contempt petition before the court against the alleged deliberate and wilful violation, allegedly by the respondents (Chief Secretary, State of Punjab and Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana), of the directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in CWP-7639-1995. Arora said the high court had given directions in CWP-7639-1995 that all signboards, hoardings, neon sign boards, and advertisement boards, facing the highway, main road, and the side roads/lanes should be removed within one month from the date of pronouncement of this judgment. During the hearing on December 22, counsel for the petitioners, advocate NEXT HEARING ON FEBRUARY 13, 2023 An advocate, who was present in court on behalf of the MC Ludhiana, requested for an adjournment to obtain instructions and to assist in the matter. The next court hearing is on February 13, 2023. Sunaina on behalf of advocate Arora contended that despite the lapse of about 18 years from the date of rendering of the said judgment, the respondents have never bothered to implement the directions issued by the court in the judgment, with the result that the signboards, hoardings, neon signboards, advertisement boards, which are facing highways as well as main roads, and roadsides/ lanes, were still being installed and not removed, despite protest by the petitioners. An advocate, who was present in court on behalf of the MC Ludhiana, requested for an adjournment to obtain instructions and to assist in the matter. The next court hearing is on February 13, 2023. 16-yr-old raped for Work on ROB at rly crossing near grain market to start soon two days by youth Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 28 A 16-year-old girl was raped by a youth for two days. After committing the crime, the suspect dropped the girl outside the railway station and fled. The Tibba police yesterday registered a rape case against the youth identified as Ashwani Kumar Mishra of Meharban. He is yet to be arrested. The complainant told the police that she had a friendship with the suspect for the past several months. On December 16, he took her along to watch a movie. After watching the movie, he took her to some unknown spots where he raped her. He violated her again on the next day. On December 18, he dropped her at the railway station and also threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone. ASI Baljit Singh said raids were being conducted to nab the suspect. — TNS Ludhiana, December 28 To streamline the movement of traffic by eliminating railway crossings in different parts of the city, Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner (interim) Aaditya Dachalwal conducted a meeting with railway officials on Wednesday. During the meeting held between officials of the MC and the Railways Department at the MC’s Zone D office here, discussions were held regarding possibilities to replace the railway crossings in Giaspura, Sunet, near the Gill Road grain market, etc, with railway overbridges (ROB). The officials also deliberated upon the possibility of constructing an ROB at the railway crossing on a road connecting Gill Road and Dugri, Phase I. Railway officials, including Additional Divisional Engineer Kapil Vats, executive engineer Ratan Singh and senior section engineer (works) Subhash Chandra c m y b participated in the meeting. The Railway Department officials said the project to construct the ROB at the railway crossing near Gill road Dana Mandi (grain market) had already been finalised and the work is expected to begin in the coming few months. Further, it was decided to conduct joint field inspections to look into the possibilities of constructing railway over bridges (ROB) to replace the railway crossings in Giaspura and Sunet among other areas. Taking strict note of dumping construction waste/rubble on roadsides by contractors undertaking development works in the city, The MC Commissioner (interim) directed the civic body officials to get the construction waste removed from the roadsides. The civic body has also taken up the the matter with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for removal of construction waste dumped on Ferozepur road, besides other sites. MC, railway officials during a meeting in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO