14112023-LT-01.qxd 11/14/2023 1:11 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SERIES KAALA PAANION NETFLIX RENEWED FOR SEASON 2 FROM ANAND TO MASOOM, THESE FILMS INSPIRED CELEBRITIES I love film Anand because I am a fan of Rajesh Khanna. No one could make me cry like he did, says Somy Ali. P3 First season of Kaala Paani on Netflix left a mark with its brilliant writing & superlative performances. P3 SALMAN’S TIGER 3 DOESN’T MEASURE UP TO ITS PREVIOUS OUTINGS Mission Time Pass… no, that’s not our two word summary of the film. This is what one of Sallu Bhai aka Tiger’s mission is named.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.29 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:53 AM TUESDAY | 14 NOVEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA 32 fire incidents occurred on Many burst crackers beyond time slot Diwali, no injuries reported Tribune News Service Harshraj Singh As per information, 35 fire tenders were used on Diwali. A total of 97 staff members, including firefighters, drivers and other personnel, were actively engaged. Of them, 15-20 per cent employees were working during daytime and 80 per cent on the Diwali night. Additionally, 14 drivers from the MC collaborated with the Fire Brigade, a fireman said. eight factories, six shops and nine open plots. It is suspected that a number of fire incidents were a result of crackers being lighted at nearby locations. The information revealed that a factory in Chawani Mohalla experienced a fire in the evening while a plot in the Mayapuri area caught fire around 8:30 pm. Additionally, reports indicate that a house in New Shivaji Nagar and a shop near Samrala Chowk had witnessed fire incidents around 10:30 pm. Around 10:40 pm, the fire brigade was informed about a fire in a shop near Dandi Swami Chowk on Hambran Road. Later, a fire in a house in Model Town around 10:55 pm and another such incident in a building near Krishna Mandir at 11 pm were reported. On Diwali night, fire incidents were also reported at a cycle shop in Hargobind Nagar, a factory on Noorwala Road, a house in Upkar Nagar and a factory at Gopal Nagar on Tajpur Road, according to information. An official said: “On receiving information, vehicles Five vehicles involved in pile-up on highway Our Correspondent Man gets bullet injury after group of persons attack rival party Ludhiana, November 13 Following a heated exchange of words between two salesmen at a clothing store on Rahon Road, one of them, along with 15 supporters, later attacked the residence of his rival in Krishna Colony. The suspects opened fire injuring a man, Vishal Ghai. Vishal sustained a bullet injury on his chest and was admitted to the CMCH. They have been identified as Ashwani, Lucky Ghulla, Mandy, and Lucky. In addition, 10-15 unidentified persons have also been booked. As per the complaint filed by Vipan Ghai of Krishna Colony, he, along with his brother Mani and cousins Akash and Deepak, had gone to a clothing store on Rahon Road to make a purchase. Sumit, another cousin of Vipan, was reported to be working at the shop. Vipan alleged that a dispute arose when Mandy, an employee, began abusing Sumit on observing disarrayed clothes. The suspects later reached their street throwing bricks. They then resorted to firing, specifically targeting his father, Vishal Ghai, and They fled the spot . A case has been registered. — TNS Villagers take out an injured person from a Canter in which he got stuck after the accident near Katani Kalan village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway early on Monday morning. of people from the surrounding villages. Jaspal Singh, a resident of Lal Kalan village, who was among the rescuers, alleged that the role of the administration was negligible in the entire process. “We arranged our own Hydra, cutters, chains, jack etc to separate the vehicles from each other and save the life of the Canter driver. The entire operation lasted for around four hours but sadly enough, we got bare minimum support from the administration. The police arrived when the task was almost accomplished. But we are happy that we could save a precious life through our personal efforts,” he added. Still another villager was of the opinion that any further delay would have cost lives. “The administration should arrange recovery vehicles at carded remnants in such streets. In several streets, a massive waste of burst firecrackers was seen. Nevertheless, certain residents noted a decrease in the number of firecrackers burst this year compared to previous years, attributing it to increased awareness about celebrating a green Diwali. CM Lakhanpal, an environmental activist from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, said he observed a reduced use masked youths. They threatened to kill his father by putting a weapon on his neck. Tribhuvan said when his father tried to oppose their move, the miscreants threatened to slit his throat. The robbers snatched the packet containing cash from him and two mobile phones. He said his father was also carrying a licenced revolver which he took out while trying to chase the suspects but they managed to escape due to darkness. Afterwards, his father borrowed a mobile phone from a truck driver and informed the police about the incident, Tribhuvan added. Later, the police reached the spot and checked CCTV cameras to get any clue about the suspects. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 13 Six motorcycle-borne miscreants looted Rs 4 lakh from Ashok Thapar (65), nephew of martyr Sukhdev Thapar and national president of the Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust. Robbers put a sharp weapon on his neck and took away the cash. He was returning home from wholesale cracker market on the intervening night of November 11-12 when the incident occurred. Victim’s son Tribhuvan Thapar said he had a firecracker shop in the grain market. His father, along with his nephew, was going home on a Honda Activa scooter around 3.10 am on November 12 and he was carrying around Rs 4 lakh cash (proceeds from sale of fircrackers). When the duo reached near the Chand Cinema bridge, they were stopped by six bike-borne ‘If gunmen deployed, loot could have been averted’ Ashok Thapar, who is also the national president of the Shaheed Sukhdev Tha- Paddy harvest almost complete, 1,291 farm fires so far Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 13 The harvesting of paddy has been almost completed in Ludhiana district, officials have claimed. With 143 fresh farm fires, the district’s highest daily count and second highest daily count in the state, on Diwali day, the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, have so far logged 1,291 cases of stubble burning, which were eighth highest in Punjab, but still less than half of that during the corresponding period last year. On Monday, the district witnessed 36 cases of stubble burning, which was the 11th highest daily count in the state. The spike in farm fires coupled with brazen use of firecrackers in gross violation of the ban order turned Ludhiana fourth most polluted city on Monday from the least polluted city in the state on Sunday evening. According to the block-wise report compiled by the Agriculture Department, a copy of which is with The Tribune, as much as 2,36,348 hectares, which accounted for 92 per cent of the total 2,56,900 hectares of the paddy crop, Diwali day sees season’s highest 143 stubble burning cases, AQI turns poor TELLING NUMBERS FARM FIRES EIGHTH HIGHEST CITY Sangrur Ferozepur Mansa Tarn Taran Patiala Bathinda Amritsar Ludhiana Punjab CASES 4,773 2,378 2,001 1,911 1,662 1,803 1,473 1,291 26,341 (SOURCE: PRSC, AS ON NOV 13) Paddy harvesting in full swing in Ludhiana on Monday. 24-HOUR POLLUTION SPIKE CITY Bathinda Patiala Jalandhar Ludhiana AQI Sunday Monday 180 384 88 297 138 292 79 285 CITY AQI Sunday Monday Khanna 93 261 Amritsar 112 253 Mandi Gobindgarh 175 243 Ropar 128 145 AIR QUALITY INDEX 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD PADDY HARVESTING Block Total harvested %AGE Ludhiana 13,400 12,060 90 Mangat 30,700 29,165 95 Pakhowal 22,500 20,700 92 Sudhar 29,050 27,598 95 Jagraon 31,600 28,440 90 Sidhwan Bet 22,450 30,105 90 Khanna 19,650 18,471 94 Doraha 19,100 16,235 85 Dehlon 19,550 17,204 88 Samrala 14,100 13,677 97 Machhiwara 23,800 22,848 96 Total 2,56,900 2,36,348 92 FIVE PER CENT LESS 2023 92% 2022 97% (SOURCE: AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT, FIGURES TILL NOV 13) (SOURCE: CPCB, FIGURES AT 7 PM) has already been harvested across 11 blocks in the district. It was, however, 5 per cent less than 97 per cent harvesting recorded during the corresponding period last year. While Samrala was leading the district with the highest of 97 per cent harvesting (13,677 of 14,100 hectares), the Doraha block was at the bottom with the lowest of 85 per cent (16,235 of 19,100 hectares) paddy harvest so far. Among other blocks, Ludhiana has completed 90 per cent paddy harvesting, Mangat 95 per cent, Pakhowal 92, Sudhar 95, Jagraon 90, Sidhwan Bet 90, Khanna 94, Dehlon 88 and Machhiwara has harvested 96 per cent paddy crop as yet. c m y b of firecrackers in their area on Diwali night. However, he pointed out that some individuals still ignited firecrackers both before and after the designated two-hour time period. see also page 2 Martyr Sukhdev’s kin robbed of ~4L different spots, especially on the highway, so that lives could be saved during the foggy winters,” he said. SHO, Samrala, Rao Varinder Singh said the accident took place at 4 in the morning due to the sudden smog that engulfed the place. “No casualty was reported. An injured, Sandeep Singh, was taken out from the vehicle in which he had got stuck and was admitted to the Civil Hospital at Samrala,” he said. He, however, denied the allegations of police inaction levelled by the villagers and added that the police personnel were there to provide help and assistance. SMO, Civil Hospital, Samrala, Dr Tarikjot Singh said that Sandeep Singh had suffered minor injuries due to the accident. He was given treatment and shifted to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, since he wished to be shifted to his native place. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Doraha, November 13 A total of five vehicles collided near Katani Kalan village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway due to smog that engulfed the region early this morning. A resident of Ludhiana, who got stuck in one of the vehicles, was taken out by the villagers after four hours of intense labour. The occupants of four other vehicles, however, managed to escape unhurt. The injured has been identified as Sandeep Singh, a resident of Ludhiana. He got stuck in one of the Canters after the vehicles, including two Canters of Amul Company, collided with each other at 4 am. He remained stuck for around two hours when the villagers of Lal Kalan spotted him around 6 am and launched rescue operations with the assistance Smoke covers the sky after bursting of crackers on Diwali night in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN ISTOCK Ludhiana, November 13 On Diwali, a total of 32 fire incidents were reported from various parts of the city. Fire Brigade personnel were on a high alert throughout the celebrations to respond to any mishaps. Officials said there were no major fire incidents and fortunately no casualties or injuries were reported in any of the mishaps on day or night of Diwali. The number of fire incidents this Diwali was less as compared to the previous year when around 50 incidents were reported, according to information provided by a Fire Department official. Among the 32 reported incidents during the past 24 hours, fires occurred in nine houses, were promptly dispatched to the incident sites. However, no significant fire incidents were reported.” Notably, four temporary stations were established in anticipation of Diwali at Jalandhar Bypass, Samrala Chowk, near Gill Chowk, and near Bhai Bala Chowk. Fire tenders were strategically positioned at these locations to ensure swift response to any incident. According to information, 35 fire tenders were used on Diwali. A total of 97 staff members, including firefighters, drivers and other personnel, were actively engaged. Of them, 15-20 per cent employees were working during daytime and 80 per cent on the Diwali night. Additionally, 14 drivers from the MC, Ludhiana, collaborated with the Fire Brigade, a fireman said. 97 EMPLOYEES ENGAGED Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 13 Ignoring the administration’s directives, a number of people continued to burst firecrackers well beyond the prescribed two-hour time frame on Diwali night. The sound of firecrackers bursting persisted well past midnight in various areas of the city. In adherence to the guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court, the district administration had previously issued instructions regarding the use of firecrackers during Diwali. The DC-CumDistrict Magistrate, in the orders, specified that the permissible period for fireworks on Diwali was between 8 pm and 10 pm. However, despite these stipulated hours, firecrackers were set off beyond the designated time frame. Many persons chose to burst firecrackers in streets outside their houses, resulting in accumulation of dis- On the farm fire front, Ludhiana recorded 143 crop residue burning incidents on Sunday, which was a major spike after the age-old menace remained under control for the past three days. Sunday’s count for even more than the cumulative figure of the past four days when 119 stubble burn- ing cases had been reported in the district with as high as 96 on November 8 and as low as 2 on November 10. However, it came down considerably to 36 on Monday. With this, the total count of the farm fires has reached 1,291, which was 51.86 per cent less than 2,682 cases logged in the district during the previous Kharif season. Meanwhile, the AQI in Ludhiana had improved unexpectedly and dipped to 79, with PM10 a prominent pollutant, which was considered satisfactory, on Sunday. This was the best rating in Punjab among the eight cities monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, Ludhiana’s air turned fourth most polluted in the state on Monday with AQI again shooting up to 285 with PM2.5 prominent pollutant, which was considered poor. This returned a thick blanket of smog, especially in the morning and evening hours, causing great hardship to commuters, besides leading to health issues, mainly related to respiratory and pulmonary complications. While Bathinda remained the most polluted city in the state with AQI 384, Patiala stood second with AQI 297. Among other cities, Jalandhar recorded AQI 292, Khanna 261, Amritsar 253, Mandi Gobindgarh 243, and Ropar reported AQI of 145 at 7 pm on Monday. As per official information, environmental compensation of Rs 7.35 lakh has been imposed on 286 cases of farm fires in the district so far. par Brigade Anti-Terrorist Front, said some antinational elements had been threatening him to stay away from activities related to honouring martyrs, adding that “I have been receiving threats from Khalistan militants and other terrorists for a long time. I have also sent written representations to the Punjab DGP, Commissioner of Police and other authorities for permanent deployment of security personnel so that anti-national elements should not target me and my family. Even the November 12 loot incident could have been averted if security personnel were deployed with me. Even robbers also threatened to kill me. I request the DGP and the Ludhiana police to ensure proper security. Recently, I had also sent a representation to the Prime Minister, besides others, in this regard”. Elderly man dies as SUV hits two motorcycles Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 13 A 60-year-old man lost his life while three others sustained injuries when a speeding SUV hit two motorcycles near Gill Chowk. The deceased has been identified as Pawan Kumar from Azad Nagar, here. In a complaint filed with the police, victim’s son Rohit Kumar stated that his father Pawan Kumar along with his friend Ranjeev Kumar were passing through the Gill Chowk flyover on a motorcycle when a speeding SUV hit the motorcycle on the night of November 11. They received serious injuries in the mishap. The vehicle then hit another motorcycle, leaving two more persons injured. He said his father was rushed to the CMCH where he succumbed to his injuries. Inderpreet Singh, who was riding the other motorcycle, is under treatment at the DMCH. A case under Sections 279, 337, 388, 427 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered at the Division number 6 police station against the suspect, identified as Jagjeet Singh of Vishwakarma Colony.