11052023-LT-01.qxd 5/11/2023 12:48 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune NO WAITING ROOMS FOR ASHA WORKERS AT GOVT HOSPITALS BERGEN, STEINEM BOARD S2 OF AND JUST LIKE THAT... JANHVI, GULSHAN DEVAIAH & ROSHAN TO HEADLINE ULAJH ASHA workers play an important role in providing healthcare facilities to new mothers & children in rural areas. P2 Candice Bergen and Gloria Steinem are set to star in the second season of And Just Like That.... P3 The film, Ujajh, will be headlined by Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.12 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.33 AM THURSDAY | 11 MAY 2023 | LUDHIANA 6 booked for robbing singer of gold, cash Ludhiana, May 10 A city-based Punjabi singer was looted by six robbers at Shiv Chowk here. Almost two weeks after the incident, the Moti Nagar police yesterday registered a case against the unidentified miscreants. Complainant Manik Jain, a budding singer, said on April 27, after recording his song at some studio in Dhandari, he along with his brother were returning home on their scooter. When they reached Shiv Chowk, six motorcycle-borne robbers stopped them. “Before we could understand anything, they attacked me with a heavy stick on my head. Afterwards, they threatened to kill us with swords. The miscreants asked me to give cash and other valuables to them and when I protested their move, they snatched the key of my scooter. They also took away Rs 15,000, an iphone, a gold ring and a gold bracelet from me,” the victim said. After the incident, the victim informed the police. ASI Sahib Singh said after conducting a preliminary probe, a case was registered and further probe was on to trace them. CCTV cameras of the area were also being scanned to get any details about them. — TNS 2 fresh Covid cases in dist Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 10 Two fresh cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the district on Wednesday. Both patients had influenza-like symptoms. The Department of Health & Family Welfare has confirmed 1,14,493 positive cases and 3,027 deaths due to Covid-19 in the district since March 2020. As per health authorities, there were 53 active cases in the district today. FIGURES Samples Positive Deaths 41,15,437 1,14,493 3,027 Pedestrian bridges along ROB Bus rams into stationary truck on national highway, 15 hurt cry for civic body’s attention Our Correspondent Flooded with waste, pedestrian bridge near night shelter not usable Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 10 The two pedestrian bridges that are part of the Lakkar Bridge (railway overbridge) have been crying for attention. One of the pedestrian bridges near the MC’s night shelter on Clock Tower-Society Cinema Road is in a dilapidated condition for a long time as it remains flooded with waste. As a result of the neglect, pedestrians are left with no other option but to risk their lives by crossing the railway tracks in a wrong manner. Residents are now urging the civic body to hold officials accountable for their responsibilities and ensure routine cleaning of the pedestrian bridges along Lakkar Bridge. Both bridges were constructed for the safety of pedestrians and it is imperative that they are maintained properly. Gaganpreet Singh, a city resident, said the pedestrian bridge starting from the MC’s night shelter side to the old courts side was currently inaccessible due to the presence of waste scat- The pedestrian bridge near the MC’s night shelter is in a pathetic state. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA ACT STRICTLY AGAINST VIOLATORS, SAYS EX-COP “Those who throw waste on the pedestrian bridge, near the MC’s night shelter, should be dealt with strictly. It must take action to prevent people from littering and ensure that the area remains clean,” said a former cop. tered all over the bridge. The stench emanating from the waste makes it difficult for pedestrians even to stand there. It appears that some people were using the bridge for open defecation also. “It seems the other pedestrian bridge leading from the Old Courts side towards the AC market is also not cleaned regularly. It is the responsibility of the civic body to ensure that both pedestrian bridges are maintained and cleaned regularly,” he said. A former police officer expressed concern that the Lakkar bridge pedestrian bridge, near the MC’s night shelter, had been unusable for long. He questioned who was responsible for littering on the bridge and whose duty it was to clean it daily and periodically. The authorities concerned should inspect the bridge to see its condition and take immediate measures to ensure that it was cleaned on a daily basis. “Those who dispose of waste in the pedestrian bridge area should be dealt with strictly. The authorities must take action to prevent people from littering and ensure that the area remains clean,” he said. MC Secretary Tejinderpal Singh Panchhi said the staff concerned would be given instructions to take required measures to resolve the issue. Doraha, May 10 A Punjab Roadways bus, plying from Yamuna Nagar to Amritsar, today rammed into a stationary truck on the National Highway-1, near Doraha, early this morning. A Honda car, which was behind the bus, also crashed into the bus. Fifteen passengers travelling in the bus reportedly sustained injuries in the mishap. The truck and the bus, along with their drivers, have been taken into custody by the Doraha police. However, no case was registered till the filling of the report. A Patti depot roadways bus (bearing registration number PB 02EG 4529) that was coming from the Yamuna Nagar side and heading towards Amritsar, rammed into a stationary truck number (PB 03 X 7675) on the national highway near Doraha at 7.20 am. At the same time, the driver of a Honda car number unaware of the mishap, bumped his vehicle into the bus. The bus driver has been identified as Harjinder Singh of Tarn Taran while the driver of the truck, Harwinder Singh, is a resident of Chak Vasan in Gurdaspur district. The bus that rammed into a stationary truck and the car (below) which bumped into the bus in Doraha on Wednesday morning. According to the onlookers, nearly 15 passengers, who were travelling in the bus, sustained injuries and were rushed to the Civil Hospital in Khanna. The passengers have alleged that the accident occurred due to rash driving by the bus driver. Investigating officer Hardam Singh said by the time the police reached the scene, accident victims had been taken in some private vehicle to the hospital. “We have, however, taken the bus as well as the truck along with their drivers into our custody. The truck had developed a technical snag and was stationed on the national highway when the bus driver rammed the vehicle into it. While around 15 passengers are said to have sustained injuries, we have not received any official statement from any of the passengers on the basis of which a case can be registered. The car driver escaped unhurt,” he said. 10 hotels sealed for violations DIG, SSP lead ‘Operation Vigil’ in Khanna Ludhiana, May 10 Acting against violations, the Municipal Corporation (MC) sealed 10 hotels located in the Jawahar Nagar camp area near the bus stand today. The hotels had been constructed in violation of the building bylaws in the past. Action was taken against the violations today in the presence of police personnel. According to civic body officials, a petition was filed against the illegal hotels in the high court in the past. Following this, the department issued instructions to the officials concerned to take action against the violations. An official said the majority of the hotel owners had failed to provide proper parking Tribune News Service MC staff seal a hotel for violating norms in Ludhiana on Wednesday. space or obtain building plan approval from the civic body. Though notices were issued to the owners in the past, they failed to respond. He said the MC officials noted that more violations had been found in the area and action would be taken against those buildings also in coming days. Meanwhile, questions have been raised why action was not taken by the MC officials when these structures were illegally constructed in the past. The MC officials have been urging residents to obtain building plan approvals from the civic body before beginning any construction work, otherwise strict action would be taken against them. — TNS Ludhiana, May 10 As part of ‘Operation Vigil’, on the second day, Ajay Maluja, DIG, STF, Bathinda, along with the SSP , Khanna, Amneet Kondal, conducted checking at various places in Khanna. The DIG also checked the high-tech naka at Pristine Mall on the Khanna-Ludhiana highway where every vehicle was minutely checked and suspicious persons were questioned. Later, Maluja visited the Khanna railway station for security review. Belongings of a few passengers were also checked. Meanwhile, senior officials of the Khanna police STF DIG, Bathinda, Ajay Maluja and other cops check the luggage of a passenger at the Khanna railway station. TRIBUNE PHOTO visited a church to ensure its security arrangements are in place and also briefed the management to remain vigilant and maintain liaison with the local police. On the other hand, the Lud- hiana police, led by ADGP Nageswara Rao and CP Mandeep Singh Sidhu, remained on the alert mode on the second day of the ‘Operation Vigil’. On Wednesday, the police conducted checks at religious institutions. Early morning, checking of parks was also conducted and interaction with public was done to take feedback about security measures. Other officials who were part of the operation were JCP Saumya Mishra, JCP RS Brar, DCP (Crime) Varinder Singh Brar, ADCP Suhail Qassim Mir, ADCP Sameer Verma, ADCP Rupinder Sran and others. A flag march was also conducted by the city police. “Though the two-day special checking was conducted under the Operation Vigil, the city police will continue to conduct such checking for precautionary purposes. We also seek cooperation of residents to make the city crimefree” the CP said. Despite weather vagaries, wheat arrival beats last year’s record 2 land in police net 8.03 LMT grain purchased so far, ~1,700 crore paid to farmers with 265-gm heroin Nitin Jain OVER 84% LIFTING OF PRODUCE SO FAR Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 10 In what appears to be a record of sorts, the wheat arrival in district’s grain markets has already beaten last year’s figures, the administration has said. The development assumes significance as the weather vagaries, which included intermittent rains coupled with thunderstorm and gusty winds, had hit the standing wheat crop hard at the far end of the ripening stage. Almost the entire stock of grains that had so far arrived across 13 mandis of the district has already been purchased and the payments for the same made to farmers. Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik told The Tribune here on Tuesday that as many as 8,02,917 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat had arrived in the district’s mandis till Monday evening, of which 8,02,759 MT, which accounted for 99.98 per cent of the total arrival, had been purchased and a sum of Rs 1,682.55 crore paid to farmers as per the minimum sup- The swiftness with which the purchased wheat stocks was being lifted from the grain markets was evident from the fact that 6,77,980 MT of the total 8,02,759 MT of the purchased grains had already been lifted by procurement agencies. This accounted for 84.46 per cent of the total purchased wheat. (PSWC) at 1,15,726 MT. The FCI had so far procured 36,685 MT grain. Private agencies had purchased 68,390 MT of wheat across the district so far. Record beaten Wheat being cleaned at a grain market in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN port price (MSP) fixed by the government.She added that five government agencies, including Centre’s Food Corporation of India (FCI), have been roped in to buy wheat stocks from the mandis in the district. Besides, the private agencies are also procuring grains. “We have made elaborate arrangements to facilitate farmers at all purchase centres to ensure early purchase, swift lifting and timely payment for the procured stocks,” Malik said, adding that senior officials of the district administration had been asked to visit mandis on a regular basis to ensure that farmers faced no hardship. Pungrain leads in procurement While Pungrain was leading with the maximum wheat procurement, the FCI remained the laggard with the least purchase of grains in Ludhiana so far. The agency-wise procurement figures revealed that Pungrain had bought 2,16,038 MT wheat, followed by Punsup at 1,83,640 MT, Markfed at 1,82,281 MT, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation c m y b The arrival of 8,02,917 MT wheat this year has beaten the record of last year when 6,90,081 MT of grains had arrived in the district during the corresponding period. This year’s arrivals were already 16.35 per cent more than previous year till date. Total purchase Of the total 8,02,917 MT wheat, as many as 8,02,759 MT had already been purchased, which accounted for almost total procurement, or precisely 99.98 per cent of the total arrival. The swiftness with which the purchased wheat stocks was being lifted from the grain markets was evident from the fact that 6,77,980 MT of the total 8,02,759 MT of the purchased grains had already been lifted by procurement agencies. This accounted for 84.46 per cent of the total purchased wheat. Timely payments The procurement agencies were making timely payments to the farmers for their purchased wheat. According to the agency-wise payment schedule, Pungrain had so far paid Rs 456 crore, Punsup had paid Rs 389.42 crore, Markfed Rs 377.77 crore, PSWC Rs 241.46 crore, FCI Rs 72.52 crore and the private agencies had also made payments worth Rs 145.33 crore to the farmers of the district. Ludhiana, May 10 The Ludhiana police yesterday arrested two persons and seized 265 gm of heroin from their possession. The duo were identified as Lakhwinder Singh, alias Lakha (22), of Sultanpur Lodhi and Gurcharan Singh, alias Jeeta (25), of Chaunta village. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the suspect. DCP (Crime) Harmeet Singh Hundal and ADCP (Crime) Rupinder Kaur issued a joint statement in this regard. Police officials said a tip-off was received that the suspects, who were into the drug smuggling trade, were on the way to deliver heroin to their clients. The police party laid a naka at a strategic place at Chaunta village where the motorcycle-borne duo were stopped for checking. During frisking, 265 gm of heroin was seized from them. The suspects were produced before a court which remanded them in one day police custody. Now further questioning of the smugglers was on to bust the entire drug supply line, added officials. — TNS The suspects in Ludhiana police custody. TRIBUNE PHOTO