18012024-LT-01.qxd 1/18/2024 1:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune CITY WEIGHTLIFTER ROMPS HOME IN NATIONAL EVENT KARMMA CALLING PUT ALL HER SKILLS TO TEST: RAVEENA ACTRESS TWINKLE KHANNA GETS HER MASTER’S DEGREE Jivan Lata emerged champion in below 76kg weight category of the national level powerlifting competition. P2 Raveena Tandon said her character of Indrani Kothari in the show put all her skills as an actress to test. P4 Akshay Kumar pens a sweet note for his wife as she completes her master’s degree from University of London.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 12°C | MIN 4°C YESTERDAY MAX 15.5°C | MIN 3.9°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.49 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:24 AM THURSDAY | 18 JANUARY 2024 | LUDHIANA Ludhiana, January 17 In another case of snatching, four miscreants targeted a private security guard by snatching his double-barrel rifle, five live cartridges and a mobile phone. The incident occurred near the traffic lights opposite PAU’s gate number 4 here on Tuesday evening. Balwinder Singh, a 48-yearold resident of Jawahar Nagar Camp, here, said he works as a security guard at a jewellery showroom near Fountain Chowk. When he was returning home on his motorcycle after work, four miscreants snatched his bag containing a double-barrel rifle and a mobile phone. The police have initiated a probe in the case and CCTVs are being checked to trace the suspects. A case under Sections 379-B and 34 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified suspects. — TNS Man ends life; wife, two others booked Ludhiana, January 17 After a 27-year-old man died by suicide, three persons, including his wife and his father-in-law, were booked for alleged abetment to suicide. The deceased was identified as Gurdeep Singh of Sasrali Colony in Ludhiana. Avtar Singh, the father of the deceased, said his son Gurdeep Singh got married with Amanjot Kaur in December 2022. He alleged that Amanjot Kaur, her father Dalwara Singh, along with another person, Lakhvir Singh of Rour village, had beaten Gurdeep on January 11. He alleged that on January 15, Gurdeep died by suicide by consuming some poisonous substance due to the harassment caused by the suspects. — TNS ESIC hospital to get 200 more beds, structural audit proposed Nitin Jain Centre accedes to RS MP’s demand for state-of-the-art 500-bed facilities, revamp of 55-yr-old ailing health facility Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 17 The ESI Corporation (ESIC) Model Hospital in Ludhiana will soon get 200 more beds and will be developed as the state-of-the-art facility with 500-bed capacity, the Centre has announced. An announcement to this effect was made by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav while acceding to the demand raised by Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora. Besides, the minister has held a meeting of officers from his ministry and the state government in Chandigarh to discuss and finalise the plan to establish six new ESIC Hospitals in the state, including another one in Ludhiana district, besides other demands of Punjab pertaining to the welfare of labour and employees. The development assumes significance as the Ludhiana ESIC hospital with 262-bed capacity was not only lacking beds but also other facilities to provide treatment and medical facilities to almost 12 lakh workers employed in various establishments covered under the ESIC, which runs the lone hospital in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, since its inception in 1969. Arora told The Tribune here on Wednesday that Yadav had promised him to almost double the capacity of Ludhiana ESIC Model Hospital and provide state-of-the-art facilities here during a meeting with him in New Delhi recently. “He has promised to upgrade Ludhiana ESIC Model Hospital to the state-ofthe-art facility and increase its bed capacity to 500,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member ASHWANI DHIMAN 4 snatch rifle, mobile from security guard ESIC Hospital is in for first major upgrade since its inception in 1969. HOSPITAL AT A GLANCE Building Old hospital New hospital Hostel Dispensary 89 staff quarters Floors G+2 B+G+4 G+1 G+1 G+1 in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab disclosed. Divulging the proposed upgrade plan and outcome of the survey conducted by the Centre to this effect, Arora said the ESIC hospital was spread over 10.3 acres and at present was catering to 4.3 lakh insured persons. “The hospital building was constructed in two parts. The old block, in which the administrative block and OPD are running, had been declared unsafe, as per the structural audit report conducted by the NIT in Jalandhar. However, during a site visit by the Chief Engineer, it has been observed that the old building was in a good condition and there were no sign of any distress/ deterioration of the building,” he revealed. To get the second opinion from another agency/institute, the proposal for fresh structural audit has been sent to the Plinth Area When Built 4,175 1969 16,679 1995 1,936 1969 1,107 1986 9,681 1969 (Source: ESIC, area in sq metres) IIT, Roorkee, and IIT, Ropar. The RS MP said the new hospital building block was safe as per the structural audit report and all wards, emergency, ICU, operation theatre, labour room, laundry and medical store were running from there. “Since as per the local building by-laws, the whole land is occupied and there is no scope for new construction in the land, the only way of expansion is possible through vertical expansion or demolition of any existing building,” Arora said, adding that the final decision on the expansion of the hospital campus will be taken following the fresh structural audit report. Centre affirmative to demands: MP Arora said the union minister was affirmative to the demands raised by him and assured to take care of all the issues shortly. Arora apprised Yadav that the lone ESIC Model Hospital in Ludhiana was established in 1969 when the number of workers was not even 10 per cent of the present workforce in the district. “Besides progressing in Ludhiana, the industry has also spread to adjoining areas of Khanna, Sahnewal and Samrala, following which there is a dire need to have another ESIC Hospital between Khanna and Sahnewal on the NH-44 or nearby area so that industrial workers and their dependents can be catered to in a better way,” he demanded while hoping that the new hospital, if established, will also be able to cater to the industries of Mandi Gobindgarh and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. On the state front, the parliamentarian told the minister that a proposal from the state government to set up six new ESIC hospitals in the state was pending with the Centre. “Punjab is in dire need of more ESIC hospitals as the state has a single bed for 4,100 insured workers under the ESIC, which is almost double the national average of one bed for 2,300 insured workers,” he pointed out. The state government had proposed to set up ESIC Hospitals at six locations — Doraha in Ludhiana, Sector 66 in Mohali, Lalru in Mohali, Rajpura in Patiala, Malerkotla, and Bathinda. The minister said the setting up of ESIC hospitals was an ongoing process and was based on the number of insured persons in an area in accordance with the norms of the ESIC. The state-wise status of beds at hospitals run by the ESIC showed that the state continued on page 2 Couple found dead at rental house, asphyxiation suspected Autopsy will reveal actual cause of death, say police Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 17 A couple was found dead in their rented room accommodation in Phase V, Focal Point, here, on Tuesday night. It is suspected that they died of asphyxiation, resulting from smoke emitted by burning coal found in a brazier in the room. The couple hailed from Nepal and were currently residing in the Focal Point area. The deceased have been identified as 40-year-old Karan and his wife Kamla (38). On Tuesday night, a coworker of Karan, along with others, found their bodies in the victims’ room. As the couple were not attending phone calls, they went to check on them. Both of them were found dead in the room. They had been staying there for the past around 10 years. After receiving information, the police started investigation. The bodies were sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. According to the police, the actual cause of death would The file photo of the deceased couple; and (below) the brazier found in their room. be ascertained after receiving the autopsy report. Prem Kumar, a colleague, said on Tuesday morning, when Karan did not come to work, they tried calling him many times, but he did not answer. They also tried calling his wife but she did not pick up either. When they went to the victims’ room, they found dead. The police were informed about the incident. A police official said in the room where the couple was sleeping, they found burned coal in a metal container. It was suspected that the couple had burnt coal to warm up the room due to the extreme cold weather conditions and they experienced suffocation due to insufficient ventilation in the room. But the exact cause of death would be known after the arrival of the autopsy report. Foetus found in pvt hospital toilet Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 17 Panic ensued after a foetus was found in the toilet at a private hospital here. Subsequently, the authorities alerted the police about the incident, leading to the initiation of an investigation. The foetus was sent to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, for a postmortem examination. It was recovered from the toilet at Bhagwan Ram Charitable Hospital, near Daresi, Ludhiana. Vikas Gupta, the hospital’s accountant, filed a complaint with the police, stating that he came to know about the incident from a security guard of the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. The foetus was found in the toilet inside the hospital building. The Division Number 4 police station was informed about the incident. The hospital authorities and the police checked CCTV cameras to trace the suspects. However, they are yet to be identified. The role of two women holding a bag near the toilet is also being investigated. The gender of the foetus was yet to be confirmed. Sukhdev Raj from the Division Number 4 police station was investigating the case. An FIR under Section 316 (Causing death of a quick unborn child by an act amounting to culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against an unidentified person. 3 land in police dragnet with 1-kg heroin Prioritise clean air as top agenda amid rising pollution, experts urge govt Ludhiana, January 17 The STF Ludhiana Range, , has arrested three persons from the Moga district for alleged drug peddling. STF officials claimed to have seized 1.07 kg of heroin from their possession. They allegedly seized a pistol and a motorcycle from the trio. The suspects have been identified as Dawinder Singh, alias Lovepreet (22), and Dharminder Singh (28), both residents of Singhpura Munana village in Moga district, and Iqbal Singh, alias Bunty (32), from Khosa Rand- hir village in Moga district. Inspector Harbans Singh, incharge, STF Ludhiana Range, , said they received a tip-off regarding three persons with a history of ‘snatching and drug peddling’. They were allegedly involved in heroin trade. On conducting a raid at a room along the tube well site in a field at Singhpura Munana village, the suspects were apprehended with heroin, he said. Singh claimed that they recovered 515 gm of heroin, along with an electronic scale and 20 transparent pouches, from Dawinder’s possession; At Guru’s abode 290 gm of heroin from Dharminder; and 265-gm heroin, along with a loaded .32 bore pistol, from Bunty. The motorcycle was found outside their room. During interrogation, Dawinder said he runs a grocery shop at his village, while Dharminder used to work at his shop. Bunty was an AC repair mechanic. The suspects said they had been selling heroin for the past two years, Inspector Harbans Singh said. A case under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act was registered against them at the STF Sohana police station in Mohali. INDERJEET VERMA Devotees pay obeisance at a gurdwara on Parkash Purb of Guru Gobind Singh in Ludhiana. The court has granted a threeday police remand for the suspects, as per the STF inspector. In another incident, the police arrested two persons and seized 130 gm of heroin. They have been identified as Chirag Chauhan of Kuldeep Nagar and Ravinder Singh, alias Raju, of Atal Nagar Ludhiana. SI Mohan Singh claimed that the duo were stopped for checking in Atal Nagar and 130 gm of heroin was seized from them. A case under the NDPS Act was registered. —TNS Youth booked for rape, assault Ludhiana, January 17 A 17-year-old youth has been charged with the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman at a village near Malaudh in Ludhiana district. She has accused the youth, who lives in the village, of assaulting her as well. As per a complaint filed with the police, the suspect, who used to buy milk from her, forcibly entered her home on January 4 when her husband was away. She alleged that he raped and kicked her in stomach multiple times. The woman disclosed the traumatic incident to her husband on January 15 when she experienced the abdominal pain. — TNS c m y b Ludhiana, January 17 Clean air should be the foremost resolution for the state in 2024, believe experts to address the pressing issue of deteriorating air quality through immediate and decisive action. Responding to a latest national-level survey report that had figured Ludhiana and another two Punjab cities — Amritsar and Mandi Gobindgarh — among 20 most polluted cities in the country, experts feel the region has been witnessing air pollution reaching alarming levels, posing a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of its residents. The said state’s air quality challenges stems from a complex interplay of factors, including vehicular emissions, industrial activities, construction activities, waste burning and agricultural practices. Experts highlighted that in response to these challenges, Punjab needs a comprehensive strategy for 2024, which includes fortifying air quality monitoring systems, promoting sustainable transportation, implementing stricter emission standards for industries, fostering green cover through afforestation, and encouraging responsible waste management. Call for immediate steps in wake of Ludhiana, Asr, Mandi Gobindgarh among 20 most polluted cities in country Dr Vinayak Sinha, professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, said: “Through a reevaluation of agricultural practices, incorporating irrigation, managing crop residue and ensuring access to cleaner energy sources for heating and cooking to reduce open fires, we hold the potential for a dual triumph, enhancing both air quality and quality of life.” Sinha shared that curbing open fires would mean addressing a critical element in this transformative journey and a smart shift in approach was not just necessary but imperative to mitigate the escalating fog events and their far-reaching consequences. “From January, millions in India’s Ganges plain grapple with a unique challenge as fog blends with smoke from fires and vehicle exhaust, transforming into hazardous smog. Beyond jeopardising air quality, this phenomenon impairs visibility, disrupts travel and trade, and poses threats to life and livelihoods,” he added. At the forefront of advocating for a healthier community, Dr Amrita Rana, a medical practitioner, underscored the pressing need to address and manage air quality in the state. “In the face of deteriorating air quality, it is imperative to prioritise our wellbeing. The state should make a commitment for clean and healthier air by initiating concrete steps to improve air quality. Failure to address the issue could lead to a surge in health issues stemming from adverse effects of air pollution. Neglecting necessary steps now may result in a future marked by increased respiratory ailments, cardiovascular diseases and a compromised quality of life. Let us breathe life into a healthier future by addressing the air we breathe,” she said. As an ardent supporter of a healthier Punjab in 2024, Indu Arora, vice-president of Voice of Amritsar, urged the authorities to prioritise comprehensive measures for mitigating dust recognising its detrimental impact on air quality, emphasising the need for implementation of construction and demolition (C&D) waste guidelines in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Man- di Gobindgarh as well. She advocated for a substantial increase in the adoption of electric rickshaws as a cleaner transportation alternative, aiming to reduce vehicular emissions and contribute to improved air quality. Furthermore, Indu envisioned a future where the integration of more women driving e-auto rickshaws in Amritsar becomes a reality, fostering both environmental sustainability and gender inclusivity for a breathable and equitable atmosphere in the state. Dr Sarath Guttikunda, founder director at Urban Emissions, said: “The diverse mix of emission sources in Punjab cities and rural areas require a high density monitoring network to spatially and temporally represent the pollution trends. ” Dr Supreet Kaur, president of EcoSikh, an NGO for environment protection, while bringing forth a compelling narrative, said: “Planting forests should be the New Year resolution for the state. Our commitment should extend beyond symbolism. Afforestation is pivotal for carbon sequestration, soil enrichment and enhancing biodiversity. Let us all sow the seeds of a greener, more sustainable future for our beloved state in 2024.” — TNS
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