25012023-LT-01.qxd 1/25/2023 12:49 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune POLICE USE DRONE TO DETECT USERS OF CHINESE STRING ANIRUDDH DAVE DISCUSSES IMPENDING RECESSION NAATU NAATU SONG MAKES IT TO OSCARS NOMINATIONS A case of attempt to murder can be registered against anyone caught using the banned kite string. P2 Actor Aniruddh Dave recently shared his opinion on impending recession due to global meltdown. P3 SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR has made it to the official Oscars nominations. P4 » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 18°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.55 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7.22 AM » WEDNESDAY | 25 JANUARY 2023 | LUDHIANA 2 held for raping 16-year-old girl Our Correspondent Mandi Ahmedgarh, Jan 24 The Ahmedgarh city police arrested two youths after a 16-year-old minor girl alleged that she was gangraped by them at a deserted place situated along the Bathinda branch of the Sirhind Canal near here on Sunday evening. The police claimed to have nabbed the suspects from different places on Monday evening. The suspects were identified as Gurmukh Singh and Khushdeep Singh of Maholi Kalan village in Malerkotla district. Officials at the city police station said the victim, who works at a ready-made garments showroom on Railway Road, was taken by Gurmukh, her colleague, to a deserted vacant plot near a religious place situated along the Bathinda branch of the canal after she finished her work at 5 pm on Sunday. After some time, Khushdeep also reached the spot and both of them raped her repeatedly. When she reached home and informed her parents about the incident, they took her to the Civil Hospital, Ahmedgarh, from where she was referred to the district-level Civil Hospital at Malerkotla. The police registered an FIR under the POCSO Act and Sections 376, 506 and 34 of the IPC against the suspects on Monday and later in the evening, arrested them when they were trying to escape from the area. MC takes nearly 4 yrs to cancel Fire breaks out in cotton shop smartvending zone project pact Tribune News Service Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 24 The Municipal Corporation took around three years and eleven months to cancel the controversial ‘smart vending zone’ project agreement under which around 250 shops were supposed to be constructed without required permissions under the Southern Bypass ROB near the canal bridge connecting BRS Nagar and Sarabha Nagar. After finding anomalies in the project, the then Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department of Local Government in June 2018 issued directions to the Municipal Corporation to cancel the project agreement with a private firm but the action was allegedly delayed by the MC. The Local Government had also directed the Municipal Corporation to send the names of responsible officials who were involved in the project. A complainant in the case, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, had been writing letters to the department, seeking action in the matter since then. “I was not being provided any document under the RTI Act. After filing a second appeal under RTI Act, I received documents on Jan- Work to construct shops under Southern Bypass ROB was started without approved building plan and permissions in 2018. FILE Complainant had been sending repeated reminders to Local Government Department in the matter as civic body was delaying action uary 20, 2023, and learnt that the project has been cancelled on May 20, 2022, by the MC’s F&CC. The action has been taken only after repeated letters written by me to the Local Government Department. However, names of the officials who were responsible for the anomalies have not been disclosed to date despite the orders of the Local Government,” Khaira said. The work to construct the shops was started without any approved building plan and required permissions in 2018. The Irrigation Department had then also submitted a complaint to the police against the work. Thereafter, it was stalled at the site. “The Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, had allowed the firm to construct shops and halls on a piece of land (Central road portion under the Southern Bypass ROB) at BRS Nagar without getting a ‘no objection certificate’ from the Irrigation Depart- ment, which is the actual owner of the land. Some MC officials wanted to provide financial benefit to a private firm,” the complainant said. As per information, a private firm was empowered to construct buildings at the site and collect up to Rs 10,000 per month per shop from each tenant, and even if the firm wanted to collect more money, they could collect with due permission of the MC Commissioner, Ludhiana. But the civic body had to receive only Rs 500 as a license fee per shop per month from the second year after the construction of shops and Rs 1,000 per shop per month during the third year with a 10 per cent increase in successive years. However, the Irrigation Department was offered only 15 per cent of the income to be incurred by the corporation. When the inquiry was conducted, the then Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department of Local Government had found anomalies in the project. In June 2018, the MC was directed to follow the due process of cancellation of the ‘current contract/agreement’ and take other necessary steps as per the directions of the Department of Local Government. Getting ready for R-Day 4 booked for overcharging at parking lot Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 24 Personal assistant (PA) of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Ludhiana MLA yesterday got registered a case against the contractor of a multi-level parking lot at the DC office here after he was charged more than the fixed parking rate. The Police Division 5 registered a case of fraud and criminal conspiracy against the parking contractor, Krishna Sahni, his employees Deepak, Surinder and Ramanjot. Complainant Manish Kapoor said he had got a tipoff that the contractor at the DC office parking lot was overcharging the people, hence, he decided to expose him. “On January 23, he went to park his car in the lot. He had also set up a camera in the car to record the video of overcharging. When I was going out in the car and gave fixed charges of Rs 23 to the employee of the parking lot. Instead of accepting the amount, the employee torn off the charging slip and forcibly took Rs 40 from me. Later, I lodged a police complaint along with the proof and accordingly, a case was registered, “ the complainant said. ASI Varinder Singh said after registering a case, further probe had been launched. Notably, the AAP MLA had also conducted a surprise checking in the parking lot over complaints of overcharging and had asked officials to suspend the parking contract but the administration had not suspended the contract. Police personnel take part in the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN P2 Ludhiana, January 24 A fire broke out in a cotton shop on Chauri Sadak here on Tuesday. Loss worth several lakhs reported in the incident. Short-circuit was said to be the reason behind the fire. When the incident occurred, nearby shopkeepers, along with the owner of the shop, also tried to douse the flames but in a few minutes, the fire turned intense and destroyed the entire shop. Following which, people informed the fire authorities. Firemen took around one hour to completely control the flames. Shop owner Bharat Bhushan said today morning suddenly a spark was witnessed in electricity cables. Before he could understand Fire personnel try to douse the flames at a cotton shop in Ludhiana on Tuesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN anything, the fire broke out. Some workers were also present in the shop when the fire broke out but they left the place to save their lives. He said the losses could be of around Rs 5 lakh. Since the shop was situated in a crowded market panic spread among nearby shopkeepers after the incident. Firefighters controlled the fire on time and prevented it from spreading to other shops. Fire officer Aatish Rai said three fire tenders were used to douse the flames. Five peddlers held with heroin, ganja 7 trains cancelled, others delayed Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 24 The city police yesterday nabbed five smugglers in separate cases and recovered huge quantity of ganja and heroin from their possession. In the first incident, the Salem Tabri police nabbed Subash Kumar of Noorwala and seized 5 kg of ganja from his possession. Investigating officer ASI Raj Kumar said during a naka at the Jalandhar bypass, on suspicion the suspect was stopped for checking. During the checking, 5 kg of ganja kept in a polythene was seized from him. He was on the way to deliver the contraband to his clients. The Salem Tabri police also nabbed Prince of Guru Nanak Dev Nagar and seized 65 gm of heroin from his possession. Investigating officer ASI Guriqbal Singh said during a routine patrolling, the suspect was stopped for checking near Jalandhar Bypass and heroin was seized from his belongings. The Ladhowal police nabbed Kuldeep Singh of Talwandi Kalan and seized 30 gm of heroin from him. ASI Varinderpal said the suspect was stopped for checking near Talwandi Kalan and HUGE QUANTITY OF GANJA, HEROIN SEIZED The city police seized a huge quantity of ganja and heroin from the suspects. In all incidents, separate cases under the NDPS Act were registered by the police stations concerned. heroin was seized from him. Meanwhile, the Moti Nagar police nabbed Sunny Jaiswal of Balaji Colony and seized 29 gm of heroin. As per ASI Karamjit Singh, the suspect was on the way to deliver the same to his clients. Now, his past criminal record was being checked and further probe will be launched in the case. The Police Division 7 also nabbed Munish and recovered 20 gm of heroin from his possession. ASI Rajinder Singh said the suspect was nabbed near Samrala Chowk during a routine checking. In all incidents, separate cases under the NDPS Act were registered by the police stations concerned against the suspects. Ensure dismantling of old layers before recarpeting: Traders Sharing concern over ‘increased’ level of Link Road, shopkeepers write to Road Transport Minister Gadkari STRETCH UNDER PURVIEW OF NHAI: MC OFFICIAL Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 24 Owners of shops and other establishments are worried as they claim that the level of Link Road (National Highway 5), opposite Preet Palace, had risen due to repeated re-carpeting of the stretch without scrapping the old road layers in the past. Chances of rainwater logging outside their properties remained high due to the increased level of the road surface, they said. The property owners have written a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, requesting him to look into the matter. Arun, the owner of a store located near Hotel Chevron on Link Road, said: “The lev- An MC official said: “Road stretches from the Ferozepur Road octroi to Samrala Chowk, including Link Road, have already been handed over to the NHAI. Now, the NHAI is looking after Link Road.” Traders say chances of waterlogging after rain outside properties remained high due to the increased level of the surface of Link Road. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN el of a stretch between TPoint on Dugri Road to Hotel Parth on Link Road has risen as it has been re-carpeted many times without dismantling the old layers of c m y b the road. We are now also facing the threat of rainwater logging in front of our prop- erties as a result of increased height of road. If the increasing height of the road goes on unchecked, rainwater may also start getting accumulated in shops and premises of other buildings in the coming time. Before carrying out any recarpeting or reconstruction work on the Link Road, old road layers must be removed.” Another shopkeeper said: “The increasing height of the road is clearly visible as the old bituminous layers of the road have not been dismantled. The road slope is not correct at present and it should be examined. Moreover, road safety standards must also be ensured. We request the Union Minister to get the issue resolved at the earliest.” An MC official said: “The road stretches from Ferozepur Road Octroi to Samrala Chowk, including Link Road, have already been handed over to the NHAI. Now, the NHAI looks after the Link Road.” NHAI Project Director KL Sachdeva said the authority had not carried out any recarpeting work there. The NHAI would ensure removal of old road layers before any re-carpeting, he added. Our Correspondent Ludhiana, January 24 With no let-up in weather conditions with a thick blanket of fog enveloping the region along with poor visibility, the railways announced the cancellation of seven long-route trains while many others were running behind schedule, causing inconvenience to the passengers. Railway officials said 12497/98 New Delhi-Amritsar-New Delhi Shan-e-Punjab Express, 18103 TatanagarAmritsar Jallianwala Bagh Express, 14673/74 JaynagarAmritsar-Jaynagar Shaheed Express and 14217/18 Prayagraj-Chandigarh-Prayagraj Unchahar Express trains were cancelled for the day. Among the trains running late by one to over three hours were the 11058 CSR (Mumbai)Amritsar Dadar Express, 12920 Jammu Tawi-Indore Malwa Express, 18101 TatanagarJammu Tawi Express, 15707 Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express and 12331 HowrahJammu Tawi Express. 17-year-old boy dies by suicide Ludhiana, January 24 A 17-year-old boy allegedly died by suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence on Bahadarke road on Tuesday. He was reportedly under depression for the past few days. The deceased has been identified as Nikhil Kumar. After Nikhil’s sister went to college and his parents left home for work, he was alone at home. In the afternoon, when his sister returned home, she was shocked to see his hanging body and informed her parents. The Salem Tabri police took the body to the Civil Hospital for autopsy. No suicide note was recovered from the spot. The deceased’s family told the police that Nikhil was under depression for the past few days. Inquest proceedings under Section 174, CrPC, was initiated in the case. — TNS