01092023-LT-01.qxd 9/1/2023 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ALLIANCE GROUP WINS UCPMA POLL, HARSIMERJIT NEW PREZ RASIKA’S DREAM IS TO PORTRAY AMRITA PRITAM IN A BIOPIC GRAMMY-NOMINATED CAMILO JOINS HANDS WITH DOSANJH A majority of the Alliance Group candidates have been elected for different posts of the UCPMA. P2 Rasika Dugal has expressed her heartfelt wish to portray the iconic wordsmith’s life in a movie. P3 Five-time Latin Grammy-winner Camilo has teamed up with Diljit Dosanjh on a new song Palpita. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.50 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:02 AM » FRIDAY | 1 SEPTEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA ICU non-operational, ventilators gathering City traffic police to go digital dust at Civil Hospital due to want of staff Now, offenders can pay through UPI, credit/debit card Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Patients coming for tertiary care are referred to other govt hospitals outside Ludhiana Manav Mander ICU SET UP DURING PANDEMIC Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 In the absence of trained staff, ventilators at the Civil Hospital here are gathering dust. The intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital also remains non-operational and left with no other option, patients coming for tertiary care are referred to other government hospitals located outside Ludhiana. There are a total of 33 ventilators, which include nine for newborn and the remaining for adults. The cost of one ventilator is around Rs 15 lakh but these could not be put to use due to want of staff. The ICU, along with ventilators, was set up during the Covid-19 pandemic and was made operational by deputing staff here but as the situation normalised, the employees were sent back to their place of postings and the ventilators had been left non-operational for want of The intensive care unit, along with ventilators, was set up during the Covid-19 pandemic and was made operational by deputing staff here but as the situation normalised, the employees were sent back to their place of postings and the ventilators had been left non-operational for want of staff. The Covid isolation ward lying shut at Civil Hospital. ASHWANI DHIMAN staff. On an average, seveneight patients are daily referred to other hospitals by the Civil Hospital. Already reeling under staff shortage, getting trained staff for operating ventilators seems a Herculean task now. In the present circumstances, it is the patients who have to bear the brunt. In the absence of the ICU services, they are referred to other government hospitals in Chandigarh or Patiala. A patient, Kamla Rani, said her husband was brought to the Civil Hospital in an emergency condition but as soon as they reach the place, they were asked to take him to Government Hospital at Patiala due to lack of facilities here. “Ludhiana is such a big district but the district hospital lacks basic care and patients are forced to go to other hospitals,” she said. Another patient rued that his son was in need of ICU care but was referred to Chandigarh by hospital staff. “With great difficulty, we arranged a private ambulance and took him there. The government is opening Aam Aadmi Clinics but the Civil Hospital lacks basic care infrastructure, which is sad,” he said. Dr Harinder Sood, Senior Medical Officer, said the ventilators were lying unused due to lack of trained staff. “We have the infrastructure but employees are required. We need trained staff such as nurses, anaesthetists and medical officers round the clock who can use ventilators,” he said. Civil Surgeon Hitinder Kaur said the ventilators were functional but employees for operating them were not available. “I have already taken up the matter and written to the higher authorities for additional staff for making the ICU operational,” she said. In January this year, 103 patients, in February 107, in March 127, in April 122, in May 172, in June 194 and in July 177 patients were referred from the Civil Hospital to other hospitals due to non-operational ICU facility. Missing youngster found dead in canal Youth damages 6 stationary vehicles Ludhiana, August 31 A 22-year-old youth, Dilpreet Singh, found dead in a canal in Machhiwara Sahib yesterday night. He allegedly committed suicide. As per information, Dilpreet went missing on August 27. There was suspicion that he might have jumped into the canal. The family and villagers were searching for Dilpreet. Meanwhile, on the night of August 30, Dilpreet’s body was found in the canal. It is learnt that Dilpreet was disturbed due to some issue but he did not share the matter with his family. Suspecting no foul play, the police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPc. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 A young car driver allegedly racing with another car caused mayhem on the Bindraban road on Thursday evening. The driver lost control over the vehicle which hit six stationary vehicles and caused substantial damage to them. CCTV footage also captured the incident. After the incident, residents cornered the driver and handed him over to the police. “A speeding and rashly driven Ford Ecosport rammed into six stationary cars on the Bindraban road. All vehicles suffered huge damages. The youth who was driving the car seemed to be a minor. Another speeding A parked vehicle that was damaged by the youth's rashly driven car on the Bindraban road in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN car with which the youth was racing left the scene after the accident. We want police action against the suspect and he should also compensate our loss,” said a resident. The police said legal action would be taken as per law against the errant driver. Ludhiana, August 31 The Ludhiana traffic police will say goodbye to manual challaning of traffic offenders wherein personnel had to issue challan manually. Now, traffic police officials will carry an e-challaning machine where they will punch all details of the offender and the offence committed and the challan will be printed at just one click. In this way, the traffic police challan payment will also go cashless in the industrial hub. However, the facility of paying the same in cash will also be available for the convenience of offenders. The machine will have the feature of swiping credit or debit cards along with the UPI or QR code option. The offenders can pay penalty through either way. ADCP (Traffic) Sameer Verma told The Tribune here on Thursday that the Ludhiana traffic police have got 30 e-challaning machines from the police headquarters. After imparting training to the traffic police personnel, the machines The Ludhiana traffic police have got 30 e-challaning machines from the police headquarters. were distributed among them. “The new initiative will help the traffic police a lot. Earlier, the officials have to issue challans manually. Even challan books were required to be kept for record. Now, with e-challaning, once the challan is issued via this machine, it will be permanently saved in the traffic police server for future reference,” said the ADCP . Verma said the new system would help the offenders to pay penalty by using debit, credit card or by scanning QR codes. This way, police offi- MP Bittu’s aide dies as SUV rams into divider Ludhiana, August 31 In a tragic incident, one person died while another suffered critical injuries after the Toyota Fortuner vehicle they were travelling in rammed into a divider near the Neelon bridge on the Chandigarh road today. The deceased has been identified as Surinder Singh Dhillon (37). The injured, Ravinder Singh Brar (63), was shifted to the DMCH after providing him first aid at the Civil Hospital in Samrala. Both were returning after attending an event commemorating the death anniversary of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, in Chandigarh. Dhillon was said to be a close aide of Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. Sources said the vehicle was being driven at a high speed due to which the driver reportedly lost control and it rammed into the divider. After hitting the divider, the vehicle reportedly overturned on the road. All safety air bags were opened. People who witnessed the accident called the ambulance service and the victims were taken to the Civil Hospital in Smarala where Dhillon was declared brought dead while Brar, who was in a critical condition, was shifted to the DMCH. — TNS cials could not have to keep cash or change with them. If someone still wants to pay in cash, he/she could pay the amount in cash as well. When asked if those challans that were required to be presented before court could also be paid on the spot via these machines, the ADCP said the machine could print the challan but the offender had to make the payment after appearing before the court only. Meanwhile, DCP (Traffic) Varinder Singh Brar said the initiative would go a long way and it would help the offenders to make on-the-spot payment by using digital methods if they were not carrying cash. Once issued, challan can’t be cancelled, amended While issuing challans manually, sometimes traffic police personnel under the pressure of their seniors or politicians cancel or amend the challan but under this digital system, the challan once issued will be saved in the server of the traffic police and could not be cancelled or amended at any cost. As a result, the offender has to make the payment. Auto driver found dead Ludhiana, August 31 An auto-rickshaw driver was found dead under mysterious circumstances here this morning. His body was found lying in his vehicle on the Ferozepur road near a gurdwara. The deceased was identified as Jagdeep Singh, a resident of New Sham Nagar. Some passers-by after noticing the body informed the police control room. After getting information, senior police officials reached the spot and started a probe. The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital for autopsy. The SHO, Police Division 5, inspector Neeraj Chaudhary, said it would be too early to say if the man was murdered or he died a natural death. — TNS Residents face hard time due to poor sanitation conditions Minister visits govt Constructed streets, proper water supply, street lights still a distant dream for people in many colonies schoolatBaddowal WARD WATCH WHAT RESIDENTS SAY is constant risk of ❝Theredueato contaminatedwaterborne diseases water WARD NO 29 supply. We should be provided safe drinking water supply at the earliest. Besides, there is also an urgent need to address the ongoing sewer overflow issue. LUDHIANA ❞ Raghuvir Singh, RESIDENT OF MAKKAR COLONY ❝ The severity of the overflowing sewer problem, especially during rainy days, is a major concern for us. We also face recurring issues of contaminated water supply. Additionally, prolonged power cuts have increased our woes. Air pollution is another big issue here. We want these issues resolved. Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 Residents of Makkar Colony, Samrat Colony, GTB Nagar and nearby areas in Ward number 29, have been facing poor sanitation conditions for a long period. Learning no lessons from an outbreak of diarrhoea that occurred in Makkar Colony in the past, there seems to be no improvement as the sewers are consistently overflowing and residents often receive contaminated water. A group of residents and shopkeepers in Makkar Colony voiced their concerns, highlighting persistent sewer overflows and the Municipal Corporation’s failure to address the issue. ❞ Raju, RESIDENT OF GURU TEG BAHADUR NAGAR A sewer overflows at Makkar Colony of Ward 29 in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA They also expressed anger against civic body officials for turning a blind eye towards contamination of the water supply, which poses a serious health risk to the people. Several streets in the area remain unpaved, and numerous streetlights are non-functional. Naseera, a Makkar Colony resident, said: “The unconstructed street leading to my house remains submerged in sewage. It’s nearly impossible to pass through the stretch. During the rainy season, the situation worsens. We urge the authorities to take the insanitary conditions seriously as we are suffering terribly.” Similar conditions persist in neighbouring areas such as Samrat Colony and GTB Nagar where overflowing sewers and vacant plots turning into garbage dumps are common sights. Residents are demanding prompt solution to these issues and development initiatives in their localities. In New Samrat Colony, residents eagerly await the construction of streets. Sanjay Kumar Singh, a resident, said: “The corporation has assigned property UID c m y b numbers in our area but street construction remains pending. Sewer blockages are frequent and contaminated water supply is a recurring problem. We are seeking comprehensive development of our locality.” Traders on the severely damaged Eastman Chowk Road have demanded that the civic authorities should get the road reconstructed. They said accidents are occurring due to big potholes on the road, especially during the rainy season, with e-rickshaws frequently involving in the mishaps. In Ambedkar Nagar, residents have raised concerns about contaminated water supply, disrupted water services, malfunctioning street lights, poorly constructed continued on page 2 Minister Harjot Bains with kin of deceased teacher Ravinderpal Kaur. BUILDING COLLAPSE Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains today visited Government Senior Secondary School, Baddowal. A portion of the school building collapsed recently, resulting in the death of a teacher, Ravinderpal Kaur. Three others had sustained injuries in the mishap. The minister visited the school and checked the ongoing construction work. The work was being done under the ‘School of Eminence’ project. The minister said he had also visited the family of the teacher who had lost her life in the tragedy. On being asked what compensation was being given to her by the state government, Bains said it was between the family and the government. He said an FIR was already registered against the contractor and those found guilty would be punished. Members of the Sanjha Morcha Punjab have demanded that at least Rs 2 crore as compensation must be provided to the deceased’s family. They said Rs 25 lakh each should be given to injured teachers. “Teachers should not be asked to check construction works at schools as it is not a part of their duty and they also don’t have any technical knowledge about the same,” said a teacher.