30102023-LT-01.qxd 10/30/2023 12:28 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune POTHOLED ROADS GIVE BUMPY RIDE TO COMMUTERS ARBAAZ CALLS SALMAN ‘BEST HOST’ ON BB 17 Actor Arbaaz Khan said his brother Salman Khan is “irreplaceable” as the “best host” of Bigg Boss 17. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 16°C NOSTALGIC SUNDAY FOR ACTOR RONIT ROY Potholed roads in New Deep Nagar, Upkar Nagar and nearby localities in Ward 90 (old) trouble people. P2 FORECAST Ronit wrote on Instagram, “22 years of Kasautii Zindagi Kay. A show that redefined my career & my life”. P3 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5:38 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:35 AM » MONDAY | 30 OCTOBER 2023 | LUDHIANA Ludhiana’s air turns ‘poor’ Mobile phones, intoxicants seized from jail AQI touches 224; smog adds to woes of COPD, asthma patients Tribune News Service Manav Mander Ludhiana, October 29 A surprise checking in the Central Jail here led to the recovery of six mobile phones and 210 intoxicating tablets from jail inmates. Harbans Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Jail, said the checking was conducted in the jail on October 28. As many as 210 intoxicating tablets were recovered from an inmate, identified as Paramjit Singh, alias Bunto. Surinderpal Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Police, said he, along with the jail staff, conducted a search operation in the jail on October 27. Three mobile phones were recovered from jail inmates, identified as Prabhjot Singh, Suraj Singh and Pardeep Kumar during the checking. Gagandeep Sharma, Assistant Superintendent of Jail, said he, along with jail staff, also conducted a surprise checking in the jail on October 27. During the checking, three mobile phones were recovered from jail inmates, identified as Sahil Kanda, Sandeep Kumar and Manish Taneja. Separate cases have been registered against the jail inmates under the Prison Act. Tribune News Service The ill-fated car that met with an accident near the Sherpur chowk in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO Speeding car kills man, injures 2 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 A person died on the spot while two others suffered serious injuries after a speeding car rammed into them near the Sherpur chowk here last night. According to eyewitnesses, the car, which was on the wrong side, was being driven at a high speed. As a result, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a rickshaw, a motorcyclist and a cyclist. The rickshaw driver died on the spot. The cyclist and the biker, who suffered injuries, were taken to the Civil Hospital here. They were referred to a CONDITION OF INJURED PERSONS CRITICAL According to eyewitnesses, the car, which was on the wrong side, was also being driven at a high speed. As a result, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a rickshaw, a motorcyclist and a cyclist. The rickshaw driver died on the spot. Balwinder Kaur, SHO of Police Division 6, said the condition of the injured persons was stated to be critical. as Dilip Shah, a resident of Chhoti Haibowal. After getting information, Rambachan’s family members reached the hospital. The Division No. 6 police reached the spot and seized the car. They initiated further investigations into the matter. According to police officials, the car driver also suffered injuries. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital. The car was badly damaged after the accident. Balwinder Kaur, SHO of Police Division 6, said the condition of the injured persons was stated to be critical. The police took the body into their possession and shifted it to the mortuary of the Civil Hospital. Ludhiana, October 29 The air quality of Ludhiana reached the poor category today. The city’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 224 at 6 pm. According to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Ludhiana deteriorated as the day progressed. At 6 am the AQI was 169. At 9 am, it slipped to 176. At 12 noon, the AQI was recorded at 199, while it was 211 at 2 pm. The figure rose to 217 at 4 pm and it was recorded at 224 at 6 pm. Ludhiana today entered the orange AQI category, which can result in breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure. As the temperature is dipping these days, it is also resulting in the formation of a thin layer of smog during the early morning and late evening hours. The number of patients facing difficulty in breathing and irritation in eyes are increasing in hospitals these days. District TB Officer Dr Ashish Chawla said people suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma were having a difficult time these days. A city-based pulmonologist BURNING ISSUE A thin layer of smog engulfs Ludhiana on Sunday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN POLLUTION BOARD DATA According to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Ludhiana deteriorated as the day progressed. At 6 am the AQI was 169. At 9 am, it slipped to 176. At 12 noon, the AQI was recorded at 199, while it was 211 at 2 pm. The figure rose to 217 at 4 pm and it was recorded at 224 at 6 pm. said there was an almost 50 per cent increase in the footfall of the patients. “Elder persons with comorbid conditions like heart and lung diseases are more susceptible to air pollution. Similarly, children are also at higher risk of 57 STUBBLE BURNING CASES REPORTED Meanwhile, 57 cases of stubble burning were reported from Ludhiana district on Sunday. A total of 167 farm fire incidents have been reported so far. Jagraon recorded a maximum 85 stubble burning cases in the district, followed by 36 in Samrala, 18 in Raikot, 11 each in Ludhiana (West) and Ludhiana (East), five in Payal and one in Khanna. Golden hues lung problems. Their airways are still growing as they breathe more air per pound of their body weight than adults. In addition to this, children frequently engage in physical activity and play outdoors, which also make them more prone to lung problems,” he said. Deepak, who was going back to Jagraon from Ludhiana city after his day’s work on a two-wheeler, said he faced great difficulty in riding his scooter due to smog. His eyes were getting watery while driving. Prime suspect held for duping family of ~12.70L private hospital owing to their critical condition. The injured persons have been identified as Rambachan (30), a resident of Street No. 7, Pratap Nagar, and Premchand. The deceased has been identified J&K police raid smuggler’s house Accomplice still at large, raids on at possible hideouts, say cops Our Correspondent A two-wheeler rider passes through ripe paddy crop at Issewal village in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN Mandi Ahmedgarh, Oct 29 The Ahmedgarh City police have booked two persons for allegedly duping a Maholi Kalan family of ~12.70 lakh on the pretext of depositing its loans and forging documents in lieu of receipts and certificates supposed to be issued by the lending bank and the revenue authorities. The prime suspect, identified as Kiranjit Singh, a resident of Maholi Kalan, was arrested while he was trying to leave the area on Saturday night. His accomplice, Yad- winder Singh of Butahri village, is still at large. On the basis of an inquiry conducted under the supervision of Malerkotla SSP Gursharandeep Singh Grewal, a case was registered against the suspects under Sections 419, 420, 466, 468, 471 and 120B of the IPC on Saturday. A perusal of an FIR registered at the Ahmedgarh City police station revealed that Gurpreet Singh of Maholi Kalan has lodged a complaint against the suspects at the Malerkotla SSP office on April 10, 2023, accusing them of duping his family of ~12.70 lakh by usurping the amount that was to be deposited in the cash credit limit account at the local branch of Union Bank of India on May 11, 2021. “The suspects helped my grandfather Sadhu Singh avail a loan of ~14 lakh from Union Bank of India. Due to some reasons, our family could not repay the loan on time. Threatening my grandfather of auctioning our land by the bank, the duo asked him to deposit ~12.70 lakh as one-time settlement. However, instead of depositing the amount in our account, they usurped it and gave us fake receipts and certificates regarding the removal of lien on the land,” said Gurpreet, adding that the family came to know about the fraud when bank staff told them that no amount had been deposited in the account. Police investigations revealed that the suspects deposited an amount of ~2,000 in the account and forged the receipt to show the payment of ~6 lakh. Sukhwinder Singh, SHO City, said Kiranjit was arrested on Saturday evening, while raids were being conducted at the possible hideouts of Yadwinder. Ludhiana, October 29 The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police, with the help of the Dakha police, raided the house of smuggler Manjit Singh at Dashmesh Nagar here yesterday. The police had brought Manjit along with them during the raid. They took a scooter and a motorcycle, which were parked at his house, into their possession. Dakha SHO Inspector Sikandar Singh said the police conducted a raid at Manjit’s house yesterday afternoon. Two vehicles were seized during the raid. No drug packet was recovered from his house. — TNS Officials trade charges over development work Cops motivate people to take part in BDPO refutes allegations, accuses panchayat secy & sarpanch of wrongdoing Our Correspondent Doraha, October 29 The panchayat secretary along with the sarpanch and lambardar of village Bhathal has levelled allegations against the BDPO of Doraha for accepting bribe from them for the initiation of construction work at the village ground. BDPO Doraha, however, termed the allegations as baseless and rather held the panchayat secretary responsible for meddling with panchayat funds. Panchayat secretary Harminder Singh along with the sarpanch of village Bhathal, Paramjit Kaur, and lambardar Bachittar Singh, levelled allegations against the BDPO of Doraha for accepting bribe for the completion of pending work on the village ground. Panchayat secretary Harminder Singh said that he has four villages including Rampur, Bhathal, Begowal and Ghudani under him and sees to it that the development works in these villages are executed in a systematic manner. “As far as the work of completing a wall on the grounds of village Bhathal was concerned, I along with the sarpanch and lambardar of the village had been asking the BDPO to get the work of constructing the wall initiated at the earliest. They had been requesting the BDPO again and again to get the work started but he failed to listen. They alleged that the BDPO was offered Rs 50,000 as bribe for initiating the work on the village ground which he accepted and the same has been recorded in the cameras. The amount was withdrawn from the grant provided for the development work in village panchayats,” the panchayat secretary added. Lambardar of village Bhathal Bachittar Singh along with his wife and village sarpanch Paramjit Kaur also alleged that despite several rounds of BDPO office, the official was in mood to get the work started in the village grounds. “As I discussed with the panchayat secretary, he said that procrastination on the part of the BDPO is well understood and that he expects something in return for the work to be started. I gave Rs 10,000 from my side to be given to the BDPO. He too alleged that the latter accepted the money and the proof of the same is recorded in camera.” BDPO Doraha Gurpreet Singh, when contacted, said that allegations levelled against him were completely baseless. He, in turn, alleged that panchayat secretary Harminder Singh and sarpanch Paramjit Kaur had illegally withdrawn the panchayat grant many times between April and September 2023 and thus misappropriated funds more than Rs 8 lakh. The sec- retary cannot withdraw more than Rs 25,000 at a time for carrying out any developmental work, so Harminder Singh undertook multiple transactions. Almost 50 per cent of the transactions have been carried out by Harminder Singh, others are by sarpanch of Bhathal village Paramjit Kaur while just two to three are in the names of firms from where the material has been purchased. The panchayat funds cannot be touched without panchayat’s resolution which the two failed to show when asked for twice. On October 3, the two were asked to present their side but they didn’t turn up. A complaint letter was then forwarded from my side to the DDPO on October 6. In order to save his skin, the panchayat secretary is levelling baseless allegations. Moreover, I am honest in my dealings and anyone can check the camera installed in my office,” the BDPO added. c m y b cycle rally against drugs on Nov 16 Distribute flowers, pamphlets among them, organise awareness event Ludhiana, October 29 To make people aware of the country’s biggest cycle rally being organised by the police, senior officials of the Police Commissionerate, Ludhiana, came on city roads. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Rupinder Kaur Sran, ACP Ashok Kumar, ACP Sumit Sood, along with SHOs of various police stations, organised an awareness event on the Railway Station road here yesterday. Cops distributed flowers and pamphlets among people and motivated them to take part in the rally. They also urged people to do on-thespot registration for the rally. ADCP Sran said the rally would start from PAU, Ludhiana. After covering 13 kms, it would culminate at the same point. The police also enrolled several Punjabi singers and artists to spread awareness for ADCP Rupinder Sran gives a flower to a girl during an event to spread awareness about the cycle rally in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO engaged with educators sharing valuable insights on drugprevention strategies. A total of 51 principals from government schools, along with the DEO, Ludhiana, attended the meeting. Officers highlighted the significance of teachers in shaping the minds of the youth and emphasised the need for a collaborative effort to create a drug-free society. To promote the cause, the top cop urged educators to motivate students to participate in the rally. Motorcycle rally the rally and their videos are being shared on social media. IMA’s active participation sought for rally The Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, along with senior officers, also held a meeting with Indi- an Medical Association (IMA) representatives, urging active participation in the cycle rally against drugs on November 16. Educators urged to motivate students Top cop and senior officers Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu led a motorcycle rally organised by Youth Against Drugs. Apart from the top cop, several other police officials and officials from the district administration took part in the rally. — TNS