08092023-LT-01.qxd 9/8/2023 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune WATERLOGGING, CLOGGED SEWERS MAJOR CONCERNS LOOKING FORWARD TO DAHI HANDI EVENT: VICKY KAUSHAL Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal will be participating in Mumbai’s biggest Dahi Handi event. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 24°C BOLLYWOOD ACTOR AMITABH BACHCHAN IS ‘SCARED’ OF AI Residents are grappling with civic issues in Guru Gobind Singh Nagar and other areas of Ward 35. P2 FORECAST Amid massive usage of AI, Amitabh Bachchan said he is scared to get replaced in future because of it. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 6.42 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:06 AM » FRIDAY | 8 SEPTEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA airport at Halwara 90% 42-year-old woman found Upcoming int’l ready by September 30 complete,to be brutally murdered in Payal Project misses sixth deadline, allied works to complete by October 31 She had injury marks on head, one of the fingers was broken by killers Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 7 A woman, wife of an NRI, was found murdered in her house at Ward number 11 in Payal, Khanna district, on Tuesday night. She seemed to be murdered brutally as she had injury marks on her head. Even one of her fingers was also broken by killers. Personal enmity was suspected to be the reason behind the murder but robbery angle is also not being ruled out by police. The deceased has been identified as Ranjit Kaur (42). Her husband lives in Italy while her two sons Sukhbir Singh (23) and Charanjit Singh (19) are settled in Canada and Portugal, respectively. The police registered a murder case today against the unidentified assailants on the statement of her husband Sukhwinder Singh. The woman was staying alone on the first floor of the house while on the ground floor, shops were given on rent. Man nabbed with heroin Ludhiana, September 7 The anti-narcotics cell of the city police yesterday arrested a man and seized 155 gm of heroin from his possession. The suspect has been identified as Akash Kumar, a native of Bihar at present staying in New Madhopuri. ADCP (Crime) Rupinder Kaur Sran said a police party was patrolling in New Madhopuri where on suspicion a motorcycle-borne person was stopped for checking. During the checking, 155 gm of heroin, along with a digital weighing machine, was seized. The suspect was on the way to deliver the drug to his clients. A case had been registered against the suspect. — TNS Cops at the house of victim Ranjit Kaur (below) in Payal. TRIBUNE PHOTO The police suspected that some known persons of the woman might have killed her. Name of Raju Dhamot, a brother-in-law of the deceased, was found written on the wall in the house and the police suspect that the killers could have deliber- ately written the name to divert the police investigation. Still, to ascertain the role of Raju, the police would bring him on production warrant from the Ludhiana jail. Assailants ‘informed’ spouse Sources said after killing the woman, the assailants had reportedly called her husband and informed him that they had killed his wife and now, come to India to cremate her. However, the police were silent on the development on the pretext that the probe was on in the case. Bhajan Singh, another brother-in-law of the deceased, said on September 4 his sister-inlaw was present in the house but on September 5 she did not come out to pick milk packets left by the milkman. Suspecting some foul play, on the same night when he went to enquire, he found Ranjit Kaur lying dead in the bathroom. The police kept the matter away from the media and today when the deceased’s husband came from abroad, the police took his statement and registered a murder case. Sources said the woman was also planning to settle in Canada and her visa had also reportedly arrived. SP (Investigation) Pragya Jain and DSP Nikhil Garg visited the spot and checked CCTV cameras to get any clue in the case. Youth booked for raping minor Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 7 The Sidhwan Bet police yesterday registered a case against a youth on the charges of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl and impregnating her as well. The suspect belongs to Chak Tarewal village in Moga while the victim is a resident of Monthawala village in Kapurthala district. The girl told the police that after completing Class IV from her native place, she was staying with her aunt at Sidhwan Bet. Her aunt got separated from her husband. Later, a nephew of her uncle (aunt’s husband) came to aunt’s house in Sidhwan Bet to stay with her. The victim said due to involvement of her aunt in a drug smuggling case, she went to jail in May this year. She along with her aunt’s two children and her husband’s nephew were staying together in a house. She said one night, when she was sleeping with her aunt’s two children, a boy (7) and a girl (6), in a room, the youth barged into the room and tried to abuse her sexually. “I tried to save myself from the suspect but he slapped me and raped me. The suspect threatened me of dire consequences else he will kill me,” the victim alleged. The suspect was behaving in a proper manner for the initial one month but later he started abusing her sexually, she said. The youth had raped her several times later due to which she got pregnant. In August this year, her aunt came out from jail on bail. One day, when the suspect was threatening her in a room her aunt heard overheard the matter. Following which, she asked the youth the reason behind threatening her. After that he started beating the aunt and fled the place, the victim said. She said later, she told her aunt about the rape and pregnancy. Afterwards, both of them lodged a police complaint and a case was registered against the suspect on Wednesday. DEATH OF ROAD MISHAP VICTIM AFTER FALLING OFF STRETCHER AT CIVIL HOSPITAL Take strict action against careless docs, staff: Chief Secy to Principal Secretary Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 7 Doctors, nurses and other employees of the Civil Hospital, will face strict action in the case of death of a road mishap victim at the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, after he fall off a stretcher on August 27. Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma had shot a letter to the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and directed him to personally visit the Civil Hospital and take strict action by September 13 against all persons concerned, which include doctors, nurses and other staff on whose part lapses/negligence have been found in the inquiry report. He said a precious life had been lost. The Chief Secretary has also asked the Principal Secretary to analyse the complete set up and issue clear-cut guidelines/standard operating procedures so that such an incident should not occur in future at the hospital or any THE CASE On August 27, an unidentified man aged 40-45 years was brought to the Civil Hospital through the 108 ambulance service after he got serious injuries in a road mishap at Sherpur Chowk. He was given first aid but later shifted to a wrong ward. He was lying on a stretcher due to lack of beds from where he fell off and succumbed to his injuries. The Chief Secretary had asked the DC to probe into the matter and submit the report. other government health institutions. He has also written to the President, Punjab Medical Council, and President, Punjab Nurses Registration Council, stating that take strict action against the doctors and staff nurses on whose part lapses/negligence had been found in the inquiry report. Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik had submitted the inquiry report to the Chief Secretary on September 4 in which lapses were found against 11 employees. Four officials were asked to ensure better management of their work. In the report, of the 11 employees, serious lapses were found against six employees, including two staff nurses, two doctors, a Class IV employee and a safai Sewak, and supervisory lapses against five doctors. Committing a serious lapse, a staff nurse verbally directed a Class IV employee to shift the patient to the unidentified male ward without the knowledge of the house surgeon/EMO on duty after which the series of events followed and another staff nurse in the ward left the patient unattended on the stretcher as no bed was available. Her duty was till 8 pm but she left the ward at 7:36 pm. The house surgeon advised CT scan but no effort was made in getting it done nor did he made many attempt to trace the patient after he was shifted to the ward. Surprisingly, the Emergency Medical Officer was not aware about the patient. It was observed that patients are coming in/shifted out without the knowledge of the EMO and, hence, the official had not been monitoring the ward properly. The outsourced safai sewak saw the body of the victim lying on the floor but took no initiative to inform medical staff on duty. Recommendations of inquiry committee Giving recommendations for future, the inquiry committee has recommended regular training regarding SOPs and protocols of patient management to be imparted to medical officers, staff nurses and ward attendants, staff position in hospital as per the IPHS guidelines, strict control over duty roasters and leaves, change in casual latecoming behaviour of staff and doctors and staff should be polite and empathetic towards patients and compulsory sudden/supervisory rounds of administrative doctors. c m y b Nitin Jain TURN OF EVENTS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 7 The upcoming integrated civil enclave and cargo terminal at the Air Force Station in Halwara, which is one of the oldest frontline airbases of the Indian Air Force (IAF), close to Ludhiana, has been completed 90 per cent and will be ready by September 30, the government has confirmed. After missing the sixth deadline of completion, which was fixed as August 30, allied works of the Rs 47-crore civil aviation project are now targeted to be completed by October 31, officials have said. Even as the big ticket project has missed several deadlines, the construction of the interim terminal building has touched 85 per cent completion while the sub-station and toilet block was 90 per cent complete till date. The development assumes significance as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry had recently assured to launch flights from here once the airport gets operational. Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora told The Tribune on Monday that the ongoing construction work had already reached the ■ April 11: Work for allied works allotted ■ November 17, 2022: Work resumes ■ November 9, 2022: Punjab Govt decides RS MP Sanjeev Arora reviews the work on international airport at Halwara in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO TASKS AWAITING AAI APPROVAL PROJECT REPORT ■ Finalisation of airport’s ■ Terminal area: 2,000 peripheral road crust. ■ Approvals for apron and taxiway designs. ■ Submission of specified designs for IAF-governed areas. ■ Administrative approval. ■ Total area: 161.28 acres square meters ■ Awarded cost: ~3,876.65 lakh ■ Boundary wall, approach road cost: ~309.33-crore ■ Missed deadlines: January, June 2022, June, July, August 15 and August 30, 2023 ■ Fresh deadline: September 30 advanced stage of completion with the overall progress of the mega project touching 90per cent mark. Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project, said the recent incessant rains had delayed the ongoing work after the construction site was waterlogged. “Now, the construction firm has sought one more month to to take up project and release ~50 crore for balance work. ■ May 2022: Punjab Govt approached AAI to bear cost of balance work after GLADA failed to release funds. ■ March 2022: Both contractors stopped work for want of payments. ■ December 9, 2021: Work awarded to construct interim airport terminal at ~2,272.5 lakh. ■ November 8, 2021: Work of internal roads and allied infrastructure awarded at ~1,604.15 lakh. ■ Oct 22, 2021: AAI accorded formal nod to construct new interim terminal building at ~4,691.12 lakh. ■ Oct 26, 2021: Punjab Civil Aviation Secretary issued administrative approval for release of ~4,290.42 lakh through GLADA. meet the deadline beyond the earlier fixed target date of August 30,” he revealed. He said the state government had so far released a sum of Rs 30 crore to complete the ongoing balance work of the upcoming international airport and the demand of balance funds had already been forwarded to the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) and the Civil Aviation Department, which had been mandated to jointly bear the financial burden. Divulging the componentwise status, the Rajya Sabha MP said the construction of the interim terminal building had touched 85-per cent mark, sub-station 90 per cent, continued on page 2