05092023-LT-01.qxd 9/5/2023 12:59 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune TRANSPORTERS HOLD SIT-IN AT RTA OFFICE FOR 2 HOURS AKSHAY OBEROI SET TO STAR IN THE FILM TU CHAHIYE SACHIN TO RELEASE TRAILER OF BIOPIC MURALITHARAN Protest was held over alleged delays in issuance of RCs for new vehicles and other pending documents. P2 Actor Akshay Oberoi is all set to grace the big screen once again, this time in a romantic drama Tu Chahiye. P4 Sachin Tendulkar will unveil the official trailer of Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan’s biopic. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.45 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:05 AM » TUESDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA Ludhiana, September 4 The police booked a 22-yearold youth for allegedly killing his 12-year-old cousin at Bhai Daya Singh Nagar on Barewal Road here. Sandhya, the victim, was admitted to a nearby private hospital after sustaining a severe head injury but she succumbed later. The suspect has been identified as Rakesh Kumar. Ram Sewak, victim’s father of Bhai Daya Singh Nagar, lodged a complaint with the police, stating that the suspect was his brother’s son and had been residing with their family for the past two years. On September 2, a heated altercation ensued between Rakesh and Sandhya over some matter. Subsequently, the youth, who had a sharp weapon, hit the girl on the head. He said Rakesh also stabbed himself on his throat with a knife. Meanwhile, Sandhya was swiftly taken to a nearby hospital where she breathed her last on September 3. Following the complaint, a case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against the youth. — TNS Civil Hospital running sans fire NOC for past five years Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 4 The Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, which receives approximately 3,000 visitors daily, is functioning without no objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department. The 200bed hospital is putting the lives of the people in danger since 2018. The NOC has to be renewed every year but the hospital is lacking the required fire fighting arrangements on its premises due to which the certificate has not been renewed for the past five years. The project for installing the fire fighting and fire detection system is hanging fire for the past five years and any untoward incident can put the lives of thousands of people in danger. The project that was supposed to be completed in 2019 was left in between by the executing agency. As a result, the hospital has failed to receive the HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Youngster kills 12-yr-old cousin after altercation The Civil Hospital receives approximately 3,000 visitors daily. PROJECT TO INSTALL FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM HANGS FIRE The project for installing fire fighting and fire detection system is hanging fire for the past five years. Supposed to be completed in 2019, it was left in between by the executing agency. As a result, the hospital has failed to receive the NOC so far. Finally, the contractor who was allotted the tender has been brought to book by the Health Department and hopefully, the work to complete the project will start soon. NOC so far. Finally, the contractor who was allotted the tender has been brought to book by the Health Department and hopefully, the work to complete the project will start soon. In 2018, a minor fire incident occurred in the hospital and it took an hour to Good news for pet lovers as city gets Dog Park Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 4 Dog Park of the Municipal Corporation (MC) was opened in Block D of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar here on Monday evening. Officials said the initiative had been taken for the welfare of pet dogs and dog lovers. Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi and MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi inaugurated the park. They claimed that it was North India’s first ‘Dog Park’. It has been established in Block D of Bhai Randhir Singh (BRS) Nagar (rear of Baba Ishar Singh Public School). The civic body officials claimed: “It is the third park in the country and the first in North India. The first two parks douse the flames. But thankfully no major loss was reported. In January 2020, a fire audit was held at the hospital and its management was asked to make a few changes related to fire safety, according to the National Building Code, 2016, but the work remains pending till date. PHSC’s sub-divisional officer Sukhwant Singh said they had contacted the contractor multiple times and also written to him in the past. Recently, he had visited the office and was asked to complete the work. “We are hopeful the work will start soon,” he said. Maninder Singh, sub-fire officer, said the Civil Hospital lacks fire safety licence and the same had to be renewed every year for which they had to seek NOC from the Fire Department. “Earlier, the certificate was applied manually but now, it continued on page 2 DEATH OF PATIENT DC submits report to Chief Secretary Come Sept 11, elevated road to open for traffic from PAU side Project’s first span complete, parts of stretch to be ready by Sept 30 Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 4 Finally, the much-awaited partially-access controlled four-lane elevated highway corridor in Ludhiana has reached the completion stage, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has claimed. While the first span of the Rs 756.27-crore big ticket project would be opened for traffic from September 11 onwards, the rest of the entire 12.95-km-long stretch would be ready for vehicular movement by September 30, officials have revealed. The development assumes significance as the work on one of the busiest arteries of the city had already missed three deadlines of completion in April 2020, June 30 and July 31, 2023. Started in October 2017, the construction of elevated highway between the busy Samrala Chowk and the Ludhiana municipal limits on the National Highway-95 is now scheduled to complete by the month-end. Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project here recently, told The Tribune, here on Monday, that the major part of the PROJECT REPORT Cost ~756.27 crore Length 12.951-km Start date October 10, 2017 Deadlines missed April 7, 2020, June 30 and July 31, 2023 Fresh deadline September 30 project had already been completed with over 98 per cent overall completion so far while the work to finish the remaining work has been put on the fast track to ensure early completion. He said the first span of the elevated highway from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) side would be opened for traffic on September 11 while the remaining three stretches — second span on its opposite side and third towards the Jagraon bridge side and last span towards the ISBT side – would be thrown open by September 30. Arora, who took a test drive on the completed first span of the highway, was apprised by NHAI officials that 220 men, 10 cranes, two overhead gantry, a batch-mix plant, seven hydra and transit mixers had been pressed into service to further escalate the pace of the ongoing work. Constantly pushing for the completion of the ongoing NHAI projects, the Rajya Sabha MP urged the team of the officials concerned, led by the NHAI Project Director, to finish the balance work within the minimum possible time to complete the project. “The NHAI team is working hard and seriously day and night. Even the NHAI has made arrangements for additional machinery to carry on the construction work without any interruption, if any fault occurs in the existing machinery,” he stated. Arora, who had recently called on NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav to press for the early completion of the project, said he had been informed that there would be four slip roads — one each near Verka Plant, PAU, Bhai Bala Chowk and Hotel Park Plaza — on the elevated highway. There would also be a provision for vehicular traffic to move towards the bus stand and Shri Durga Mata Mandir, the MP added. He said the NHAI officials had also made an appeal to the public to follow guidelines of the NHAI and not to exceed speed of their vehicles continued on page 2 Tribune News Service MLA Gurpreet Gogi and MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi inaugurate the MC’s Dog Park at BRS Nagar in Ludhiana on Monday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN are set up in Mumbai and Hyderabad. It is a premier park established to facilitate pet dogs and their owners or dog lovers.” MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said besides agility and training equipment, including hurdles and tunnels, and obedience training areas to help canines develop their skills and stay mentally and physically active, the authorities had established a state-ofthe-art swimming pool. The park will remain open from 6 am to 11 pm and only a nominal fee of Rs 40 would be charged from the pet owners for using the facility. Ludhiana, September 4 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Surabhi Malik today submitted the inquiry report regarding the death of an unidentified road mishap victim after falling off a stretcher at the Civil Hospital on August 27 to the Chief Secretary, Punjab. Earlier in the day, a meeting was held between the DC and Civil Surgeon Hitinder Kaur. The Punjab Chief Secretary, Anurag Verma, had directed Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik to probe into the death after the report filed by the threemember committee formed by the Civil Surgeon was found inadequate. On August 27, an unidentified person aged 40-45 years continued on page 2 The first span of the elevated road will be opened for traffic from next Monday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Residents suffer as corporation fails to address civic issues 9 of robbers’ gang held, Satguru Nagar, Basant Nagar, Mohalla Gobindsar and other areas in ward require authorities’ attention 17 bikes recovered WARD WATCH WHAT RESIDENTS SAY Waterlogging and ❝major issues duringoverflowing sewers are rainy days. Baggi WARD NO 32 LUDHIANA Stand Road has been neglected for a long time, causing inconvenience to the people. During these days, residents are getting contaminated water supply. Tilak Raj, RESIDENT OF BASANT NAGAR There is a big problem of choked sewers in our area. Sewerage lines must be cleaned timely. During rainy days, residents receive contaminated water supply. Safe drinking water supply should be ensured for all. The main road leading to our area should be recarpeted soon. Rajinder Singh, RESIDENT OF SATGURU NAGAR ❝ Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 4 Residents of certain areas in Ward 32 (as per 2018 ward delimitation) are grappling with a host of problems such as poor road conditions, waterlogging, overflowing sewers and contaminated water supply. Another major issue is the lack of green cover. Baggi Stand Road, which divides Satguru Nagar and Basant Nagar areas, is in a dilapidated condition due to potholes and overflowing sewers. During rainy days, water accumulates on this road too. Garbage dumped in the open in a plot at Mohalla Gobindsar in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA Balwant Singh of Satguru Nagar, expressed concern regarding the poor condition of Baggi Stand Road, which has not been repaired for a long time. He also highlighted major issues of choked sewers and waterlogging during rain in their area. “We usually receive contaminated water supplied by the MC and some- times, we face disrupted water supply. Despite repeated demands, cleanliness is not ensured in the area,” he said. Some residents at Basant Nagar also complained about waterlogging and choked sewers. They demanded early resolution of the problems. Gurmukh Singh of Mohalla Nanaksar said waterlogging during rainy days was a routine affair in their street. Besides, the level of the street was not even, causing rainwater accumulation. Another major concern raised by him is that there is no park or green belt in the area. He sought early redressal of the issues. A few residents at Mohalla Gobindsar said sewers usual- c m y b ❞ ❞ ly remain choked in their area and sometimes they get contaminated water supply. Moreover, fogging was not done timely to prevent vector-borne diseases. Meanwhile, residents also complained about potholes appearing on Teddi Road. In some vacant plots in the ward, garbage is being dumped in the open. Sukhvir Singh, former LIP councillor from Ward 32, said many development works were carried out in ward during his term, from March 2018 to March 2023. These mainly included the installation of nine tube wells and the construction or construction of streets in colonies. Ludhiana, September 4 The police arrested nine members of a gang allegedly involved in looting vehicles from residents in the city. Joint Commissioner of Police Saumya Mishra said the police recovered 17 motorcycles, along with two sharp weapons, from the possession of the suspects. The suspects have been identified as Akashdeep Singh (20), alias Kaddu, from Bhundri, Rajinder Singh (24), alias Raju, and Amritpal Singh (24) from Gorsian Khan Mohammad village, Komalpreet Singh (20), alias Bachi, from Jagraon, Akashdeep Singh (23), alias Chikra, from Mohalla Gopal Nagar, near Haibowal, Harpreet Singh (21), alias Singha, from Deharka near Jagraon; Karanveer Singh Virdi (29), alias Akku, from Gopal Nagar, Sandeep Kaur (46) from New Vijay Nagar and Amandeep Singh (52) from Mohalla New Maya Nagar, Ludhiana. The suspects in police custody. Another suspect, identified as Kancha, remains at large. The police said they used to commit crimes in various parts of the city, including Haibowal Kalan areas. Bitten Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO), Haibowal police station, said the suspects armed with sharp weapons used to intimidate commuters and loot motorcycles and other valuables from them. The police said the initial investigation indicated that they were addicted to drugs. The police have recovered 17 motorcycles which the suspects had snatched from various locations. A case under Sections 379-B (2), 411, and 34 of the IPC has been registered. — TNS