06112023-LT-01.qxd 06-11-2023 00:31 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SUSTAINABLE ECO-FRIENDLY MEASURES NEED OF HOUR RADHIKA GUPTA TO BE PART OF SHARK TANK INDIA 3 DALTON GOMEZ SEEN WITH MAIKA MONROE AT CONCERT Govt should work in tandem, educate farmers about alternative to crop residue burning: Residents P2 Sony Liv is gearing up for the return of the business reality show for its third season. P3 Ariana Grande’s ex-husband Dalton Gomez was spotted getting all hot and heavy with Maika Monroe. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 29°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 14°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.34 PM » SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:46 AM MONDAY | 6 NOVEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA 1 dead as fire breaks out in hosiery unit Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 5 One person died while two suffered injuries after a fire broke out in a hosiery unit on Gaushala road last night. The hosiery unit was being run from a residential area with the owner living on the first floor of the double storey building. Two of his tenants were also living on the second floor of the building. As per the information, the incident occurred at around 11.10 pm. One of the residents of the area, after noticing the smoke, had directly informed the fire brigade officials. In no time, fire tenders reached the spot and doused the flames within half an hour. Aatish Rai, Sub-fire Officer, said the fire broke out on the ground floor where the hosiery unit was set up and it was doused by the firemen in no time. However, three people, including the owner of the hosiery unit, were stuck on the first and second floor of the factory. Since the stair- Tribune News Service Firefighters trying to douse the flames at a factory on Gaushala Road in Ludhiana on Saturday; and (R) an injured man being rescued. TRIBUNE PHOTOS case was locked, fire men had to break them open to go upstairs to save the people. Three persons were lying unconscious upstairs and were immediately shifted to the hospital for treatment. Asked about the cause of fire, Sub-fire Officer Aatish Rai said short-circuit seemed to be the cause but the exact cause could be pinpointed only after a probe. Station House Officer (SHO), police division number 3, Kuldeep Singh said that factory owner Mohan Lal Dhiri was asleep on the first floor of the building while two of his tenants, Sabdal Singh Nayak and his brother Mangal Singh, were sleeping on the second floor. When fire broke out, the owner and his tenants felt suffocated and became unconscious as they appeared to have inhaled smoke. The three could not even go on the rooftop because they failed to find the keys to the locked staircase. The SHO added that Sabdal was declared brought dead by the doctors while the two others were critical when 184 stubble burning cases reported in dist ASI suffers bullet injury as Average AQI 243, admn imposes environmental compensation of ~2.82L weapon goes off Manav Mander es, in Ludhiana (West) 10 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 5 The Air Quality Index remained poor in the city on Sunday. The average AQI recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board today was 243. Meanwhile, 184 stubble burning cases were reported in the district. A total of 818 cases have been reported from the district till now. A thick blanket of smog continues to envelop Ludhiana making the visibility low, especially during early morning and late evening, while city residents continue to gasp for fresh air. Adopting a tough stance against the stubble burning practices, the District Administration has imposed an environmental compensation worth Rs 2,82,500 in as many as 118 cases after a confirmation report from the field staff. Deputy Commissioner Three teenagers drown in Sutlej A farmer works in his field as others burn paddy stubble on the outskirts of Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Surbahi Malik said so far environmental compensation has been imposed in 118 cases after field visit, she said adding that the physical verification in 16 cases is pending and environmental compensation would be imposed in case of stubble burning was confirmed in any of the incidents. Malik further appealed to the farmers to not to resort to the stubble burning as the smog aggravate problems for the asthma patients. The DC said in Jagraon environmental compensation was imposed in 94 cas- cases, in Raikot in 12 cases while in Samrala tehsil the environmental compensation has been imposed in two cases. Meanwhile, the administration teams have been on forefront to tackle farm fire incidents with official teams along with fire brigades reached on-the-spot at several places and controlled such incidents. Teams acted swiftly in several villages including Lalori Khurd, Payal, Kuba, Sidhwan Bait, Urna, Mushkabad, Chapra, Mutton, Kotla Bahri, Giddhri, Dhindsa, Dhanda, Nasrali, Bhaini Arabian, Mehpur, Madnipur, Bel Kalan, Sihari, Kuhli Kalan, Hedon, Hissowal, Sudhar, Aligarh, Ghudani Khurd, Doraha, Kakrala Kalan, Dhanda, Bairsal Kalan, Khanpur, Bhamipura, Khanpur, Issru, Bilaspur, Sohian, and Chaunkiman wherein they doused the fire immediately. Ludhiana, November 5 An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) suffered a bullet injury in his jaw after his weapon went off accidentally. He was immediately rushed to the DMC hospital, where his treatment was still going on. The injured ASI has been identified as Balbir Singh, a resident of Victoria Colony, Baddowal. The ASI is posted at the Jamalpur police station. He reached home after completing the night shift yesterday morning. Suddenly, the sound of gunshot came from the room of the cop. His wife was shocked him lying in a pool of blood after the bullet pierced his jaw. Cop’s wife immediately informed his neighbour about the incident who rushed him to the DMC Hospital. Cops suspected that cop might be cleaning his official weapon when it went off unfortunately. — TNS shifted to the hospital. But their condition was stated to be normal now. The SHO said that so far, the kin of the deceased had not lodged any complaint against the factory owner but a police probe is still on in the case. Ludhiana, November 5 Three teenagers drowned in the Sutlej after they went out swimming in the river on Sunday evening. The bodies of the deceased were recovered by the police with the help of the divers. The deceased have been identified as Prince Yadav (16), a resident of Guru Kirpa colony, Bhattian, Rohit Kumar (16) of Guru Harrai Nagar and Anshu Gupta (14) of Geeta Colony. At around 11 am on Sunday, five friends left home telling parents that they were going to play cricket but went to the Sutlej for swimming. The sudden rise in flow of water drowned three of them, however, the other two managed to come back to shore. Two teens who survived immediately rushed back and informed the parents about the missing teens. Later, the Salem Tabri police was bearing the coat of the machinery, he will also have to bear the cost of the diesel and despite putting in so much money, the machine will be used once a year and for the rest of the year it will be standing under the shed. “Is it wise to spend so much money for a small farmer like me,” questions a farmer from Achar Wal village. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 5 Smoke billowing from the fields in the state is a common sight these days as farmers burn their crop waste to clear their fields after the harvest and prepare it for the next sowing. Stubble burning cases are increasing every day deteriorating the Air Quality Index in the state. Though various machines are available which can help in overcoming this problem, farmers fail to adopt these at the larger level and cite various hiccups which prevent them from adopting this route. The most common solution available is the Happy Seeder machine, which helps in sowing wheat in the standing paddy stubble and also helps in improving soil fertility by incorporation of organic matter into the soil. Despite the fact that government is subsiding this machine, not many farmers are coming forward to use this Stubble moisture a hurdle for these machines Stubble burning cases are increasing every day deteriorating the Air Quality Index in the state. ISTOCK machine. The Tribune talked to farmers and they share what is pulling them back from adopting this technology: Out of reach of small farmers Gagandeep Singh, a farmer from Agwar Rahlan village in Jagraon, who owns two acres of land, said, “Machines such as happy seeder need tractor of at least 50 horsepower but my tractor is of lower power. If, I decide using Happy Seeder, I need to first buy a new tractor of at least 45-55 horsepower,” he said. For small farmers like Gagandeep, it is not possible to buy happy seeders even though government is giving subsidy and it still remains out of their reach. Subsidy not enough A Happy Seeder costs between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.75 lakh and government gives subsidy at the rate of 50 per cent of the cost of the equipment or a maximum amount approved by the government. “Even though the government gives 50 per cent subsidy for individuals and 80 per cent for cooperatives but still it remains unaffordable. At 50 per cent subsidy, the farmer is expected to pay at least Rs 75,000 from his pocket, which is a big amount for small farmers. In addition to c m y b This machine cannot be operated early morning and late evening as it fails to pick up on stubble laden with moisture. If one tries to operate the machine on stubble with moisture, it chokes the machine. For this reason sometimes farmers opt for partial burning so that the straw is dry enough and doesn’t get stuck in the machine. An expert in farm machinery from the Agriculture Department agrees with what farmers have to say about this machine and said, moisture also informed. SHO Salem Tabri Sub-inspector Harjit Singh along with the team immediately rushed to the spot and called divers. Teens had drowned at around 3.30 pm and divers also struggled hard to trace the bodies from the river. Bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital for postmortem examination. Inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC would be initiated in the case, the police said. Deeply engrossed Students perform during the youth festival at PAU, Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Chemist shot at by 3 bike-borne assailants Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 5 Three motorcycle-borne miscreants opened a fire on the owner of Sharma Medical Store at Jandiali Chowk on Sunday late evening. The exact reason of attack was yet unclear. The bullet hit the shoulder of the victim. The injured has been identified as Shiv Kumar. Three miscreants had reached outside the med- Happy Seeder unviable investment for paddy farmers as cost outweighs benefits Manav Mander People gather at Sutlej where three teenagers drowned. on the stubble becomes a stumbling block and that is the reason it is operated only during the day time after the dew and moisture is taken away by the heat of the sun. Potato growers need levelled field Potato farmers need a levelled field for their crop which Happy Seeder fails to provide. Farmer Kulwinder Singh from Bir Gagra village is making his field ready for potato crop. “On four acres, I will be sowing potato while on remaining land will be sowing wheat. I am forced to burn the stubble on the land where I will be sowing potatoes as vegetable grow below the land and needs enough space and levelled and plain surface. Any obstruction by remains of paddy straw can be harmful and also make the crop susceptible to attack by pets. We need the straw to be removed completely from the fields,” he said. Renting option not viable “In a single day, Happy Seeder can not till land beyond 10 acres when used for 8-10 hours on a stretch. Machines are generally owned by big farmers and those who intend to rent the machine will have to wait for a long period. “The wait results in late sowing of wheat which in turn leads to in less yield,” said a farmer Santok Singh from Manuke village. No immediate returns Farmers get no immediate returns after adoption of this technology and they think they are just losing money. What they will get after adopting this technology is higher fertility level but only after 3-4 years. They need to be patient and also need to spend money to get higher fertility levels. “It requires rigorous hard work and patience,” said Lakhwinder Singh, a progressive farmer from Hoshiarpur who has adopted this technology. ical shop of Shiv Kumar and started arguments with him. In no time, the arguments turned into scuffle. One of the miscreants suddenly opened fire at the shopkeeper and the bullet hit the shoulder. Ex-councillor attack case: Six booked Ludhiana, November 5 The Ludhiana police yesterday registered an attempt to murder case against six assailants of which three assailants were identified by the police. The assailants have been identified as Pardeep Singh, alias Mattu, a resident of Hawas village, Bhinda and Vicky both residents of Jagatpur village while there are yet to be identified. Investigating officer ASI Karanjit Singh said after registering a case against the assailants, raids were already being conducted to nab them. Once the identified assailants are nabbed, remaining three unknown accomplices would also be identified and would be nabbed. Notably, former Congress councillor Sukhdev Bawa was attacked by six motorcycle-borne assailants outside his office on the Kakowal road on November 3. — TNS