27022023-LT-01.qxd 2/26/2023 11:52 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE AWARENESS AGAINST DRUGS INDIAN IDOL-SEASON 13 PAYS TRIBUTE TO BAPPI DA On completion of 50 episodes on Sunday, Indian Idol celebrated it as ‘Bappi Da’ special episode. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 29°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 12°C WAS NEVER IN RELATIONSHIP WITH RAJ KAPOOR: ZEENAT Govt should promote sports, other recreational activities to involve youth, create job opportunities. P2 FORECAST Zeenat Aman recently shared how Dev Anand had assumed that she had a relationship with Raj Kapoor. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.23 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:55 AM » MONDAY | 27 FEBRUARY 2023 | LUDHIANA Khanna BJP leader gets extortion call, complaint filed Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 26 Khanna Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manisha Sood received an extortion call from an unknown person demanding Rs 3 lakh from her. The Khanna city police registered a case of extortion and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code against the unidentified person and launched a probe to identify the caller. The complainant, Manisha Sood, said on February 22, she received a WhatsApp continued on page 2 POWER SHUTDOWN LUDHIANA 10 am to 6 pm: Geeta Nagar, Tajpur Road Near Dashmesh Dairy, Ansal Enclave, Bhammian Road, Preet Nagar, Dairy Complex, Shakti Nagar Street Nos 1, 2, 3, 4, (Near Dada Motors), Sector 32- A Chandigarh Road, SCO Sector 32, Sanjay Gandhi Colony, MIG Flats, Kishore Nagar, Shiva Industries, Bharat Box Industry, Gopal Nagar, Ahluwalia Colony, Mahavir Complex Near Jail Puli. 11 am to 5.30 pm: Saini Feeder. Dairy owner, servanthacked City bizmen raise issues affecting bicycle industry to death at Bulara village Tribune News Service Investigation on, role of another domestic help suspected Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 26 A dairy owner and his servant was hacked to death late night at Bulara village. The bodies of victims were found at separate places on the dairy premises. Throats of both were slit with a sharp weapon. The deceased have been identified as dairy owner Jot Ram (75) and his servant Bhagwant Singh (65). The deceased’s family suspected the role of another servant Girdhari Lal behind the murder who was employed by Ram six months back. After the incident, senior police officials reached the spot and started a probe. Jot Ram’s son Tarsem suspected the role of second servant Girdharilal who reportedly left the place in the wee hours today. The suspect’s movement has been captured in a CCTV footage. The motive of the Cops conduct a probe at a dairy in Bulara village; and (inset) the victims. PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN murder was still not clear. Sources said servant Bhagwant had been working in the dairy for the past over 15 years. Parminder Singh, Bhagwant’s son, said his father had no enmity with anyone and it was yet not clear why he was hacked to death. Winged visitor ACP Vaibhav Sehgal said since the family suspected the role of another servant, who went missing after the incident, police parties were conducting raids to trace him. Some cash was also missing. “Our prime suspect is the another servant. CCTV cameras are being scanned to get further clues,” added ACP Sehgal. Sadar SHO Inspector Gurpreet Singh said a case of murder was registered against the servant of the deceased dairy owner, Girdharilal, and manhunt was launched to nab him. Ludhiana, February 26 A delegation of the bicycle industry under the leadership of Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) president Gurmeet Singh Kular recently met Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal in Punjab and officials at Chandigarh. The delegation raised issues ailing the bicycle industry and stiff competition being faced by local manufacturers from China. Kular briefed the higherups that there is a dire need to save the existing bicycle and bicycle parts manufacturing industry established in Punjab. He added that over 75 % of the total bicycle industry of India, operates from Ludhiana, out of which 90 % operates from the mixed land use areas, with workshops on the ground floor and residence on first floor, who are the suppliers of the mandatory products to large units. “A systematic approach is The cycle industry faces a stiff competition from China. FILE PHOTO SYSTEMATIC APPROACH REQUIRED ❝ A systematic approach is required to shift industries to a designated focal point. There can be a land bank either on the southern bypass or on the Dehlon Road, having an easy approach for the industries in mixed land use areas, as well as for icon units. Gurmeet Singh Kular, HEAD, FICO ❞ required to shift these industries to a designated focal point. There can be a land bank generated either on the southern bypass or on the Dehlon Road, having an easy approach for the industries in mixed No govt school in bad condition: Edu Dept Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Beautiful flameback woodpecker spotted at PAU on Sunday. Interestingly, it is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, February 26 The Education Department has said that no government school is in a dilapidated condition in the district. The department has said no school is being run from an unsafe building in Ludhiana. Recently, the Education Department had asked all district officials to find those schools that were in a bad condition. However, as far as Ludhiana is concerned, the authorities have not been able to locate any such ‘khandahar’ (unsafe) school. Talking to The Tribune, one of the principals at a PRINCIPAL FLAGS OTHER ISSUES One of the principals at a government school, who had been assigned the task of locating ‘unsafe’ schools by the Education Department, said: “At many schools, there are either no boundary walls or they are broken. Some other schools do not have proper gates due to which the safety of students remains at risk. The condition of washrooms is miserable in some schools and stagnant water creates difficulties during the rainy days. A separate list of such schools will be sent to the authorities for consideration.” government school, who had been assigned the task of locating such schools, said: “There is no upper primary school that is in a dilapidated condition in Ludhiana. We have informed the same to the higher authorities. The grants that came for improving school infrastructure were utilised promptly and all schools have been renovated. There was an unsafe school at Barmalipur, but it has been already demolished by the government.” However, there were other problems that needed attention, the principal added. “At many schools, there are either no boundary walls or they are broken. Some other schools do not have proper gates due to which the safety of students remains at risk. The condition of washrooms is miserable in some schools and stagnant water creates difficulties during the rainy days. A separate list of such schools will be sent to the authorities for consideration,” the principal said. A teacher rued that at a government school in Khanna, there was no boundary wall and anyone could enter the campus and it was difficult to keep an eye on everyone’s movements, especially in the absence of peons or other class IV employees. land use areas, as well as for the icon units, and plot allocation should be done to such units at 50 per cent of the reserve price. This new focal point should cater to the bicycle industry only,” he demanded. Cong MP gets death threat Ludhiana, February 26 Congress Member of Parliament from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu received a threat call on Sunday. The caller posed himself as the aide of Waris Punjab De chief and he threatened to kill the MP with bomb. A complaint has been lodged with the police. The call was received on the phone of Bittu’s PA Harjinder Dhindsa. Station House Officer police station 8 SI Vijay Kumar said on the basis of the caller’s number given by the MP’s PA, a probe was launched and detail of the number was being inquired. — TNS ‘Agro-processing centres to boost ‘Illegal’ commercial buildings Awareness rally against dumping farmers’ income, job opportunities’ continue to flourish in city of garbage in Sidhwan Canal Kuldip Bhatia Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 26 Making farmers self-reliant and enhancing their income has been much talked about. A simple solution to this issue is setting up of agro processing which not only helps in enhancing the income of farmers but also provides significant employment opportunities to the rural youth and reduce huge amount of post-harvest losses, especially in cereals, spices, cotton, and oilseeds. In addition to this, it also reduces the urban pull for rural youth and achieve diversification concepts in agriculture. Mohammed Shafiq Alam from the Department of Processing and Food Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, said it was an enterprise where the required facilities for primary and secondary processing, storage, handling and drying of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and spices were made available on either for self-processing or on custom hire basis to rural people. “Presently, more than 300 UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL APC fetching ❝Entrepreneurs who had installed theof up are~1L apart good financial capital with monthly profit to from providing employment. The state has a lot of potential for installing similar units all over Punjab. Mohammed Shafiq Alam, DEPARTMENT OF PROCESSING AND FOOD ENGINEERING, PAU of such APCs have been installed by the farmers/rural youth under the guidance of PAU directly/indirectly and are being running successfully in different parts of the state. Subsidy of 25-35 per cent is provided on machinery by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission/ Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The entrepreneurs who had already installed the APC with our guidance, running it successfully and are fetching good financial capital with monthly profit of approximately up to Rs 1 lakh apart from providing employment to 2-5 persons. The state has a lot of potential for installing similar units all over Punjab,” Alam added. Rohit Sharma from the same department further said that value-added agro- ❞ based products and processed food items were also prepared and marketed by these centres. This type of centre could be managed by individuals/ SHG/FPO/organisations/voluntary organisation at village level. Farmers who have established these complexes have earned to such an extent that they have given up farming and associated their family members in the processing activity. These complexes consist of two or more machines for processing at farm/village level. The machines are mini rice mill, baby oil expeller, small atta chakkies and large atta chakkies with scouring machine, masala grinder, pulse cleaner-cum-grader and feed mill along with construction and installation costing approximate Rs 25-30 lakh. Ludhiana, February 26 A city-based RTI activist, Arvind Sharma, has lodged a complaint with Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, with copies to Chief Vigilance Officer, Local Government and the MC Commissioner over construction of ‘illegal’ commercial building in posh areas of the city, especially in the D-zone. He alleged that at least eight commercial buildings were coming up in blatant violations of building norms. “Illegal construction is continuing without approved building plan, excess coverage, illegal change of land use, misuse of parking area for other purposes, house line violation,” alleged the complainant. Attaching photographic evidence of under-construction commercial buildings in Model Town — opposite Pal Hospital and near Tikona Park, adjoining Indoor Stadium on Pakhowal Road, one shop with basement in main market on Pakhowal c m y b Road and three shops with basements near Pakhowal Road and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar crossing, the complainant added that repeated complaints lodged with MC official concerned, Assistant Town Planner and area building inspectors had failed to evoke any response. Citing provisions of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, Sharma said field staff (building inspectors) were supposed to stop any illegal construction, but they are ignoring the violations. The complainant emphasised that unless the government took stringent action against field staff and their supervisory officials such as fixing their responsibility and taking disciplinary action for delinquency, the menace of illegal construction in the city would continue, or rather proliferate. At the same time, there was a dire need to create fear of law in the minds of offenders by lodging criminal proceedings against them as per provisions of MC Act, he added. Our Correspondent Ludhiana, February 26 With the objective of spreading awareness among the people and to motivate them not to dump waste in the Sidhwan Canal, the Municipal Corporation (MC), in association with the Punjab Jeep Club, organised an awareness rally ‘Sunday City Gehri’ on Sunday for saving the canal from garbage and pollution. The jeep rally was flagged off by Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi and around 100 vehicles were part of the awareness rally. Special arrangements were made and traffic police were also deployed at different points to avoid jams during the rally. Starting from Chahar Toll plaza on Laddowal bypass, the jeep rally covered the entire area on both sides of the canal within the city limits till Lohara canal bridge. “Announcements were also made by MC staffers to make an appeal to the residents to stop dumping waste in the canal and keep the water body clean. The MC has started imposing heavy penalty Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi flags off the awareness jeep rally along Sidhwan Canal in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO on those caught dumping waste material in the canal,” the residents were told. MC Zonal Commissioner Jasdev Singh Sekhon stated that the MC had cleaned a major portion of the canal in the recent past. Working on the directions of MC Commissioner Dr Shena Aggarwal, awareness drives were now being held to stop the residents from dumping waste in the canal. Hefty challans of up to Rs 5,000 are also being issued to the violators and over 230 residents had already been penalised for dumping waste in the canal. MC teams were deployed for surveillance and FIRs were also being recommended against the violators. Gogi said the government was committed to maintain cleanliness of the water bodies across the state. Now that the civic body had cleaned up the major portion of the canal within city limits, it had also become the responsibility of the residents to support the authorities and stop dumping waste in the canal. More awareness drives will be organised in the coming time, he said.