30052023-LT-01.qxd 5/30/2023 12:41 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MEMBERS OF TIPPER UNION BLOCK NH-1 FOR 4 HOURS LONDON-BASED MODEL ISHITA REJECTS BIG BOSS London-based model and designer Ishita Gupta declined the offer to participate in Bigg Boss. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 23°C EDWARD JAMES REVEALS HE HAD THROAT CANCER Protesters shift dharna to alternative site after MLAs Hardeep Mundian and Manwinder Giaspura intervene.P2 FORECAST Veteran actor Edward James Olmos recently revealed that he was diagnosed with throat cancer. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 7.23 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.24 AM » TUESDAY | 30 MAY 2023 | LUDHIANA ASI suspended for ‘assaulting’ woman Tribune News Service Wheat season ends, farm fires Ensure prompt cleaning of road gullies, zonal commissioners told less than last year in district Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 After investigation, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ashwani Kumar has been suspended on the allegation of assaulting a woman. The ASI, who was serving as the in-charge at Maroda Police Chowki, was accused of manhandling and slapping the woman recently. Following his suspension, Ashwani has been shifted to the Cop slapped, arrested woman in absence of any policewoman: Victim's kin Police Lines. High drama was witnessed near GNDE College last week involving ASI Ashwani Kumar and a woman, leading to heated arguments. A video related to the incident had gone viral on social media. The video clearly showed the ASI dragging the woman into a car. The police, instead of conducting any probe, had registered a case against the woman and one of her accomplices on Tuesday and both were arrested. However, the woman and her family alleged that the ASI had manhandled and tortured her. They alleged that the policeman had slapped her and arrested her in the absence of any policewoman. Relatives of the woman approached JCP JS Teja, who marked the inquiry to ADCP Suhail Qassim Mir. Now, ACP Ashok Kumar confirmed that following the inquiry report, Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu has suspended the Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ashwani Kumar. City youngster secures AIR 284 in UPSC Sumer Singh Virk Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 City resident Sumer Singh Virk (24) has secured AllIndia Rank (AIR) 284 rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had recently released the examination results. Sumer, who hails from Avtar Nagar of Ludhiana, said this was his second attempt for the exam. He added that he had studied at DAV Public School up to Class 10 and then attended Sacred Heart Convent School for Class 12. Later, he studied at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh to pursue his BTech degree. His father Harpal Singh is a businessman and mother Jagreet Kaur a retired teacher. Sumer expressed his desire to improve his ranking in the examination in his future attempts. Air quality also improves, city still seventh most polluted in state Nitin Jain MOST POLLUTED CITIES Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 As the current wheat harvesting season, popularly known as Rabi, officially drew to a close on Monday, farm fires remained less than the season’s cumulative count of 2022 in Ludhiana district, official figures have confirmed. However, as many as 889 stubble burning cases recorded during the current year had already surpassed the season’s total count reported in 2021 when 517 stubble burning cases were registered, 2018 when 730 farm fires were recorded and 875 fire events captured in 2017. The higher count of farm fires during previous years included 950 in 2022, 1,019 in 2020, 1,035 in 2019, and 918 in 2016. Even as the fire events this season remained less than 2022, the raging fires in the agriculture fields made Ludhiana the third worst-hit district in the state with a total of 889 cases of crop residue burning recorded in Punjab’s biggest and largest dis- CITY Fazilka Abohar Malout Ferozepur Khem Karan Patti Ludhiana (SOURCE: PPCB) LUDHIANA’S RECORD Crop residue being burnt in Ludhiana on Monday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN WORST THREE EXPERTS RECOMMEND Moga: 1,010 Gurdaspur: 954 Ludhiana: 889 ■ Wear a mask outdoors trict, in terms of area and population, till May 29. While Moga remained the worst-hit with as many as 1,010 farm fires, Gurdaspur reported 954 stubble burning cases, which were second highest in the state. Ludhiana’s 889 fire events Employee ‘flees’ with 3.46-kg gold jewellery Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 An employee at a jewellery shop in Sarafa Bazaar has been accused of absconding with 3.46 kg of gold belonging to the establishment. He was entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the jewellery to other jewellers. However, the suspect allegedly fled with the items. Rakesh Kumar, the shop owner and resident of the Silver Kunj area, near Jalandhar Bypass, has filed a complaint with the police against the employee, Rohit Verma, of Raikot. The Jodhewal Basti police in Ludhiana have registered a case under Sections 408 (Criminal breach Man arrested for molesting minor daughter Ludhiana, May 29 A man has been arrested for allegedly molesting his minor daughter. In her complaint made to the police, the 17year-old victim alleged that her father was alcoholic and he had been molesting her and her sister for a long time. The victim alleged that on May 22, his father came to her room and again molested her. Afterwards, she raised an alarm, following which neighbours came to her aid. Later, she filed a formal complaint with the police. Meanwhile, an FIR was filed against the suspect under Section 354-A (sexual harassment) of the IPC and Section 8 of the POCSO Act. The girl and her elder sister stay with their father. Their mother left the house a decade ago and her current whereabouts are not known. — TNS AQI 152 151 151 147 147 147 142 of trust by clerk or servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against him. According to the complainant, the suspect was employed as a salesman in the shop and was assigned the task of delivering jewellery to various stores on May 25. However, Rohit failed to return till late night, prompting Rakesh to search for him. Eventually, the car provided to him for the delivery was found near the Kailash Nagar junction on the national highway but the suspect and the jewellery were missing from the vehicle. Rakesh accused the employee of stealing the jewellery, following which the police registered a case and started investigation. ■ Run an air purifier ■ Close your windows to avoid dirty outdoor air ■ Avoid outdoor exercise this year were 6.42 per cent less than 950 stubble burning incidents reported during the last Rabi season from April 1 to May 29 last, the data compiled by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) in Ludhiana has revealed. The daily graph of farm YEAR 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 FARM FIRES 889 950 517 1,019 1,035 730 875 918 fires has also seen a major dip in the last week of the current Rabi season in Ludhiana with only 14 cases reported between May 23 and 29. While no case of stubble burning was recorded in the district on four days (May 29, continued on page 2 Ludhiana, May 29 In view of the upcoming monsoon season, Municipal Corporation (MC) officials have claimed to be taking proactive measures to prevent waterlogging. MC Commissioner Shena Aggarwal has issued strict instructions to zonal commissioners to ensure prompt cleaning of road gullies and replacement of any broken manholes in the city, if any. These instructions were given during a meeting held at the MC’s Zone D office on Monday, with officials from the operations and maintenance (O&M) cell also in attendance. The zonal commissioners have also been instructed to identify low-lying areas within their respective zones and assign field staff to ensure timely drainage during the rainy season. According to the civic body officials, there are approximately 38,000 road gullies throughout the city and around 75-80 per cent of them have already been cleaned. Additional directions have been given to the field staff to expedite There are around 38,000 road gullies across the city. the cleaning of the remaining road gullies. The MC Commissioner directed the officials to ensure proper functioning of pumping stations and generator sets should be installed at pumping stations/disposal points to pump out the rainwater, especially from the lowlying areas. The officials said cleaning of Buddha Nullah was an ongoing process and two poclain machines had been deployed by the MC for desilting of the Buddha Nullah. Directions had also been issued for timely cleaning of internal drains in various parts of the city. The zonal commissioners had been directed to maintain a stock of at least 2,500 sandbags in their respective zones to be used in case of emergencies. Dr Aggarwal emphasised the importance of making advanced preparations and directed the zonal commissioners to oversee the ongoing process of cleaning road gullies in their zones. They were also instructed to identify low-lying areas and take necessary measures to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon season. 10 kg of illegally slaughtered meat destroyed Ludhiana, May 29 On Monday, a team from the Municipal Corporation (MC) conducted an inspection of three meat shops on the ESI Hospital road and disposed of 10 kg of meat. The officials accused the shopkeepers of engaging in illegal slaughtering practices, alleging the meat was unhygienic too. As per Gurinder Singh, MC Chief Sanitary Inspector, the traders were found to be involved in unlawful slaughtering activities. One of them was issued a challan for using banned polythene bags. Kulpreet Singh, Joint Commissioner, told them to have their meat slaughtered at the modern slaughterhouse set up by the MC in the Haibowal Dairy Complex on Hambran Road. — TNS Patwari, accomplice get five years in jail in corruption case Ludhiana, May 29 The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Dr Ajit Atri has convicted a patwari, Gurnam Singh (34), a resident of CRPF Colony, Dugri, here, and his accomplice Mandeep Singh, a private representative (karinda), and resident of Nandpur, Sahnewal, in a corruption case. The duo were ordered to undergo five years’ rigorous imprisonment each. A fine of Rs 10,000 each was also imposed upon them. District Attorney Puneet Jaggi apprised that a case against them was registered on April 28, 2018, following the complaint of Gurdip Singh. The complainant had stated to the Vigilance Bureau that he was a property dealer by profession and having a house measuring 200 sq yards at Star Road, Lohara, Aman Nagar, here, which was purchased by him in 2005. However, the mutation of the house was not entered and in this regard, the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 and told them that only then, they would get his mutation sanctioned and issue farad later. But later, they agreed to take Rs 15,000 as bribe from the complainant in lieu of doing his work. He reported the matter to the Vigilance Bureau. After which, a trap was laid and the suspects were caught redhanded while receiving Rs 10,000 as first instalment of the bribe money. — OC c m y b WE’RE THRILLED TO BE IN Ludhiana Meet Us At SCO-6, Sukhmani Enclave Market, South City, Platinum Square, Canal Rd, Prakash Colony, Ludhiana, Punjab – 141012 ludhianastore@whiteteak.com +91 9971 659 797, 8725 000 045