29082023-LT-01.qxd 8/29/2023 12:59 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune OTS FOR COMPLETION OF ELECTRICAL WORKS ANJUM GETS ELIMINATED FROM KKK 13 AGAIN ARMAAN MALIK ENGAGED TO GIRLFRIEND AASHNA PSPCL has announced a scheme for completion of pending electrical works in approved colonies. P2 Anjum Fakih, who had re-entered Khatron Ke Khiladi 13, was again eliminated from the show. P3 Bollywood singer Armaan Malik on Monday announced his engagement to girlfriend Aashna Shroff. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 24.6°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.54 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:01 AM TUESDAY | 29 AUGUST 2023 | LUDHIANA ~40-cr boost to health infra, 12 new projects completed Rainfall causes waterlogging, sewer overflow; motorists face traffic snarls 100-bed MCH, three 30-bed hospitals, 8 CHCs come up in dist Tribune News Service Nitin Jain Ludhiana, August 28 The health infrastructure is in for a major upgrade at the cost of over Rs 40 crore in Ludhiana district, the government has said. While 12 projects have already been completed, work on only one is underway, officials have revealed. Civil Surgeon Hitinder Kaur Sohal told The Tribune here on Monday that a 100bed mother and child hospital (MCH) extension, three 30-bed each hospitals, and eight new community health centres (CHCs) have come up in various parts of the district to ramp up the basic infrastructure of the government health facilities. She said a 30-bed MCH building in the Civil Hospital building in Jagraon built at the cost of Rs 7.9 crore and another 30bed CHC building at Doraha raised at the cost of Rs 8.88 crore had already been completed and handed over to the Health Department following which the demand to install requisite equipment and augment manpower had been sent to the state government. A 30-bed MCH wing of the sub-divisional hospital at Raikot built at the cost of Rs 7.12 crore, renovation and repair of sub-divisional hospital at Khanna and eight new CHCs at Machhiwara, Maloud, Sahnewal, Pakhowal, Hanur, Payal, Dehlon and Sudhar have been constructed at the cost of Rs 1.92 crore. “All these projects are awaiting handover to the TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Tribune News Service A 100-bed mother and child wing is coming up at the cost of ~13.4 crore at Civil Hospital in Ludhiana. PROJECT REPORT Project Beds Cost Status MCH, Jagraon 30 7,89,68,000 Handed over CHC, Doraha 30 8,87,55,000 Handed over MCH, Raikot 30 7,11,88,000 Completed SDH Khanna NA 1,02,46,000 Completed MCH, Ludhiana 100 13,40,23,000 In progress CHCs Machhiwara, Maloud, 1,91,84,000 Completed Sahnewal, Pakhowal, Hanur, Payal, Dehlon and Sudhar TOTAL COST 40,23,64,000 (SOURCE: HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AMOUNT IN RUPEES) Health Department following which they will be made operational with the installation of requisite equipment and arrangement of additional staff,” she said. Dr Sohal said the work on the extension of a 100-bed MCH unit at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana at the cost of Rs 13.4 crore was underway and has been completed almost 50 per cent. “The work on the project has been further expedited to finish it at the earliest,” she added. Sukhwant Singh, Sub-Divisional Engineer (SDE) of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC), which carried out the construction of the health infrastructure, said the construction work on 12 of the total 13 projects had already been completed while the work on the lone Ludhiana Civil Hospital MCH wing extension project would be completed soon. He said the new buildings constructed at Jagraon and Doraha had also been handed over to the Health Depart- ment while the process to hand over the remaining 10 completed projects will also be finished shortly. Committed to providing best services: HM “We are committed to providing best healthcare services at government hospitals and dispensaries. The upgraded and revamped health infrastructure will go a long way in improving facilities to treat the ailing community,”said Dr Balbir Singh, Health Minister. Boost to health facilities in dist, says Civil Surgeon “The upgrade and revamp of health infrastructure has come as a major boost to the medical facilities in Ludhiana, which has already been ranked the best district in the state. It will help us to further improve the healthcare services and serve patients in a much better manner,” said Dr Hitinder Kaur Sohal, Civil Surgeon. Gold chain, mobile snatched from man Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 An unidentified miscreant snatched a gold chain and mobile phone from a citybased resident near Bhai Manna Singh Nagar in the wee hours of Sunday. Yashpal, who resides in the Anand Puri area on Noorwala Road in Ludhiana, said he and his friend were going home in his car around 4 am on Sunday. Yashpal stopped the car near slums in the vicinity of Bhai Manna Singh Nagar to answer nature’s call while his friend was sitting in the vehicle. Afterwards, a man appeared. He put a sharp weapon on Yashpal’s neck and snatched his gold chain and mobile phone. Subsequently, the snatcher escaped from the scene. Following the complaint, a case under Section 379-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at the Division Number 4 police station here against the unidentified person. After high-velocity winds, MC got complaints about falling of trees at eight sites Ludhiana, August 28 On Monday morning, rainfall lashed the city, causing waterlogging on different roads in the city. Sewers in various parts of the city, including the stretch between Giaspura and Sherpur Chowk, Giaspura main road, and other areas, overflowed, leaving the public with inconveniences. The situation was worsened by the accumulation of rainwater or sewage mixed with rainwater on different sections of the National Highway-44 near Sherpur Chowk, Giaspura Chowk, Dhandari, Samrala Chowk and other locations. The stormwater drainage system along the national highway appeared to be clogged due to the dumping of garbage. Waterlogging was also reported on some sections of roads, including Chandigarh Road, Ferozepur Road, Hambran Road, Lodhi Club Road underpass, and other areas in the city. A commuter, Gaganpreet Singh, highlighted that water accumulation between Giaspura Chowk and Sher- Commuters navigate a waterlogged Lodhi Club Road underpass in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN TRAFFIC AFFECTED ON SEVERAL ROADS Rain and falling of trees led to traffic jams on various roads in the city on Monday morning. Commuters faced inconveniences on the stretch between Sidhwan Canal Bridge and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar on Pakhowal Road due to a traffic jam. Slow-moving traffic was also reported on Chandigarh Road, Old GT Road, and other roads. pur Chowk was due to overflowing sewers and a poorly functioning drainage system. Additionally, interlocking tiles installed on the stretch had started to deteriorate. Moreover, the Municipal Corporation (MC) failed to address drainage-related issues on Elevated Road, which links Jagraon Bridge with areas near Chand Cinema. Consequently, rainwater from the road continued to fall onto commuters using Clock Tower Road (Old GT Road) even hours after the rain had stopped. In addition to the rainfall, the city experienced high-velocity winds that damaged trees at eight different sites in the city. continued on page 2 Power supply hit in most areas City gets 18.6 mm rainfall ure, said technical staff of the power utility. PSPCL Chief Engineer, Central Zone, Inderpal Singh said in certain localities where greenery was abundant and felling of trees was apprehended, feeders were shut down as a precautionary measure but elsewhere due to high velocity winds, cables had broken down and feeders were rendered non-functional. He claimed that the power supply had commenced by noon and except for areas where cables were broken or line faults had developed, supply was restored in most of the city by 1 pm. In City West Division of PSPCL, at one time till late in the morning, 19 of the total 35 feeders were non-functional. Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Ludhiana, August 28 Light to moderate showers that lashed the city for an hour or two in the morning on Monday led to disruption of power supply in most localities. As a result, residents had not only to deal with waterlogging on roads and streets besides overflowing sewer lines, but also brave extremely hot and humid weather. With almost half the feeders in the power distribution network in the city becoming non-operational, it took the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) something like four to five hours to restore the supply. In some localities, the supply was not restored even by 1.30 pm – more than five hours of fail- In many localities, the inverters also stopped working by noon due to low battery, thereby adding to the misery of the residents. While residents in Civil Lines, Haibowal, Gurunanak Pura, Upkar Nagar, Chhawni Mohalla and most areas in the old city remained without power for four to five hours, the situation in posh localities like Sarabha Nagar, Ghumar Mandi, Cemetery Road, College Road, Maharani Jhansi Road, Tagore Nagar, Kitchlu Nagar and surrounding areas was no better. Residents in the affected localities said due to power failure, municipal water supply was also disrupted while in many other localities, people had to go without water supply even in the afternoon. Ludhiana, August 28 Ludhiana today received 18.6 mm rainfall. The maximum temperature recorded on Monday was 32°C while minimum was 24.6°C. Morning relative humidity recorded was 85 per cent while evening relative humidity was 55 per cent. Pavneet Kaur Kingra, head of the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said the weather was expected to remain clear and dry. The short and sudden spell of rainfall in the morning made the weather pleasant. Thundershowers were so strong that it also led to continued on page 2 Overflowing sewers, lack of development trouble residents 13-yr-old girl alleges WARD WATCH They seek redress of issues in New Guru Nanak Nagar, Partap Colony, other areas of ward rape, four booked WARD NO 26 WHAT RESIDENTS SAY system in ❝The sewerageleading to our area lies clogged, overflowing sewage in the area. It has come to our attention that there is a fault in the sewerage line. The civic body must rectify the issue soon. LUDHIANA ❞ Devan, RESIDENT OF NEW GURU NANAK NAGAR getting water supply ❝We are not our locality. Despite from the MC in Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 Certain areas in Ward number 26 on Chandigarh Road are enduring prolonged delays in addressing issues they are facing. But the Municipal Corporation has not yet taken necessary steps to fix these problems. The affected areas are situated along the 33-ft road, where traffic congestion has become a frequent occurrence. Residents of some streets of New Guru Nanak Nagar installing a water supply line in our area, water is not being provided to houses. We urge the civic body to ensure supply of water to our area. ❞ Lekh Raj, RESIDENT OF PARTAP COLONY Sewage accumulates in a street at New Guru Nanak Nagar in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA have been suffering due to a choked and overflowing sewer for a long period. It has resulted in the accumulation of foul-smelling water in vacant plots and streets. At times, they receive contaminated water or experience disrupted water supply. They have raised the issue on many occasions but to no avail. A resident, Ruby, said: “We previously brought issues such as overflowing sewers and the delayed street con- struction to the attention of the Municipal Corporation but our pleas went unanswered. Insanitary conditions caused by the overflowing sewers pose a health threat to us. The MC must take action to resolve these c m y b problems and ensure development in the area.” Another woman said: “Streets are not being constructed here. When we requested the construction of streets, we were told that the area falls outside the MC’s jurisdiction. If this area isn’t under the MC’s jurisdiction, why sewerage system, water supply lines and street lights installed here in the past?” Meanwhile, some residents of Partap Colony stated that continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 Following alleged kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old girl, the Khanna police have booked four persons, including a woman. The minor girl, who is a Class VII student, alleged that she was raped at the woman’s residence. Following the complaint filed by the girl’s father, an FIR under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 366-A (procuration of minor girl), 376 (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and 4 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered at the City 2 police station, Khanna, against the suspects. They have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Guri, from Uttam Nagar in Khanna, Amandeep Singh, alias Deep, from Salana village, Simran from Uttam Nagar in Khanna and her husband Jelly. According to the complainant, his daughter had been missing since the afternoon of August 24. On August 25, around 3 pm, a woman, Simran, dropped his daughter home and left. He alleged that his daughter, who was extremely anxious, later narrated the incident. According to the allegations levelled by the girl, a man, Amandeep Singh, had provided her with Gurpreet Singh’s contact number, suggesting that he could assist her in finding a job. Amandeep had allegedly instructed her to meet Gurpreet outside a shopping mall in Khanna on the evening of August 24. When Gurpreet met the continued on page 2