07022024-LT-01.qxd 2/7/2024 1:12 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune EXAMS A WEEK AWAY, PUPILS YET TO GET COPIES OF NOTES LOVE STORIYAAN FOLLOWS STORIES OF REAL PEOPLE Producer-director Karan Johar is coming with a new streaming project, titled Love Storiyaan. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 18°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 7°C ANKUR TEWARI TALKS ABOUT THE IDEA BEHIND KHALASI Copies of notes not been provided to students for Board exams preparation by manyschoolsforonereasonorother. P2 FORECAST The viral hit song Khalasi has truly shaped the contours of the soundscape of social media. P3 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.06 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:14 AM » WEDNESDAY | 7 FEBRUARY 2024 | LUDHIANA Energy saver: MC cuts street light electricity bills by ~158 cr Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 6 In what appears to be a way to energy efficiency, which turned out to be a big money saver for the civic body, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has cut down its street light electricity bills by a whopping Rs 158 crore in the past five years, officials have said. It has been achieved through the smart LED street-lighting project under which old ordinary lights on roads and streets spanning over 4,000 km across 159.39 sq km area under the MC limits have been replaced with energy efficient smart LEDs, the civic body has disclosed. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project here recently, was briefed by MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi about the implementation of the smart LED street-lighting project with a centralised control and monitoring system in Ludhiana, which has the biggest and largest civic body in the state, in terms of area and population. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab told The Tribune on Tuesday that the MC had entered into an agreement with a private company in August 2018 to replace all ordinary lights with energy efficient smart LED street- Smart LED street lights replace old ordinary lamps in city PROGRESS REPORT ENERGY EFFICIENCY PERIOD Five years ENERGY SAVED 21,59,64,617 Old lights replaced Old switches replaced New LEDs proposed New LEDs installed MONEY SAVED 1,57,70,62,996 (Source: MC, energy in kWh, money in rupees) 1.05,236 1,474 15,000 5,000 MILLION-PLUS CITY Ludhiana, popularly known as Manchester of India, spread over 159.39 sq km area with a population of 17 lakh as per the 2011 Census, was among 100 cities in the country and three in the state, which was selected under the SCM to be developed as a smart city in the first round of selection by MoHUA in 2015. << Smart LED street lights that have replaced old lights in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN lights across seven Assembly constituencies falling under the MC limits. Under the agreement, centralised control and monitoring system (CCMS) panels were installed for controlling and operating street light fixtures on an energy-saving mechanism. Arora said as many as 1,05,236 luminaries and 1,474 switching points had already been replaced so far following which the MC had been able to save Rs 158 crore on its electricity bill charged on the street lights, which operate 10 hours daily. Besides, there has been a new proposal to add 15,000 new streetlights, of which 5,000 have already been installed across four municipal zones and 95 wards, having over 25 lakh population. The MC chief told the Rajya Sabha MP that the electricity consumption on street lights had come down almost onethird to 12,50,57,461 kWh after the new smart LED lights replaced the old lights, which used to consume 34,10,22,078 kWh of energy. With this, the energy bill on street lights has been cut by a whopping over 63 per cent from Rs 2,49,02,84,326 on old streetlights to Rs 91,32,21,330 paid on smart LED lights. Of the total savings of Rs 1,57,70,62,996 on the street light power bill, the 85 per cent share, as per the agreement, which accounted for Rs 1,34,05,03,547, has been paid to the private company, which has invested on the replacement of old lights with smart LEDs under the ambitious CCMS project. Smart city in making The project was part of the ongoing Smart City Mission (SCM) under which Ludhiana is emerging as the best smart city in Punjab by ranking first in the state and 53rd among 100 cities being developed as smart in the country. The latest rankings were released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recently. While 52 projects worth Rs 219 crore had already been completed, 16 schemes worth Rs 549.1 crore were under execution and four deposit works had been tendered at the cost of Rs 161.9 crore. The total allocated funds of Rs 889.25 crore, comprising Rs 441 crore Centre’s share and Rs 448.25-crore state share had already been received, of which Rs 778.25 crore had continued on page 2 Elderly man dies, four hurt as car involved in ‘race’ hits five After hitting victims, speeding vehicle crashed into a wall Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 6 A tragic incident occurred on Tharike Road near Keys Hotel here on Monday night when a speeding car hit five persons who were sitting around a bonfire to warm themselves near a stall before crashing into a wall. The accident claimed the life of an elderly man while four others were injured. As per information, two cars were reportedly engaged in a race on the road and one lost control, causing the mishap. A woman at the accident scene said a man, along with a girl, were present in the car that hit the group of people. She said a stall was also damaged in the accident. After the incident, onlookers called the police. Meanwhile, residents managed to rescue Man crushed to death by truck Ludhiana, February 6 A 60-year-old man lost his life after allegedly being hit by a speeding truck near the canal bridge in Tibba. He was identified as Harish Chand of Mohalla Ram Nagar. Sanjeev Kumar, son of the victim, said his father was returning home on Monday when the truck hit him. He got critical injuries and was rushed to a private hospital. However, he did not survive. Truck driver Balwinder has been booked. — TNS The car that met with the mishap on Tharike Road. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN the injured persons and admitted them to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, 77-year-old Mohammad Mustqeen succumbed to his injuries, the police said. Besides, Deepak, Lalit and two more persons had received injuries and were hospitalised for treatment. According to passers-by, the impact of the accident was so huge that the car’s front portion was severly damaged after hitting the wall. The car driver and girl came out safely from the vehicle and allegedly escaped from the scene. The police have filed a case against the unidentified car driver and initiated an investigation in the matter. Inspector Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Sadar police station, said one man lost his life in the accident. Of the four injured, Deepak’s leg has been fractured. He said they were probing the case. Miscreants attack youth, snatch mobiles from two Ludhiana, February 6 Five unidentified miscreants targeted two private employees who were waiting for their office bus on Monday morning. They snatched their mobiles and injured one of the victims. The complainant, Abhay Kumar, of Sector 39, Chandigarh Road, said he and a girl, Suneha, were waiting for their company bus near Den- tal College Chowk around 6 am on Monday to go to their workplace. In the meantime, the miscreants on two motorcycles came and attacked him with a rod on his right hand. They snatched their mobiles. The injured youth was admitted to a private hospital. A case has been registered. ASI Ajmer Singh is investigating the matter. — TNS Four land in police net for 3 nabbed for stealing motorcycles, 8 bikes seized snatching mobile phone Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 6 Following a probe into a mobile snatching incident occurred in Rishi Nagar on Monday, the police have arrested four persons. The police have allegedly recovered 14 mobiles, two scooters and a sharp weapon from their possession. The suspects have been identified as Aaditya (22) of Partap Singh Wala, Laveen Kumar (29) of Baggar Mohalla, Shankar Kainth (35) of Rishi Nagar and Pankaj Kumar (36) of Golden Avenue Colony in the Baranhara vil- 14 cell phones, two scooters, one sharp weapon seized lage of Ludhiana district. According to the police, Varinder Sharma, a resident of Rishi Nagar, had complained to the police that he was taking a morning walk on the GST office road in the area on Monday when two persons riding a scooter approached him and attacked him with a sharp weapon. Afterwards, they snatched his mobile phone and fled the spot. Resham Singh said the suspects were arrested during investigation. He said they had recovered 14 mobiles, two Honda Activa scooters and a sharp weapon from them. A case under Sections 379 B (2) and 34 of the IPC) was registered. The police said one of the suspects, Shankar Kainth, had already been facing an FIR under Section 379, IPC, and Aaditya was facing a case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC. — TNS Ludhiana, February 6 With the arrest of three persons and the recovery of eight stolen motorcycles, the police claimed to have busted a gang involved in stealing of vehicles. The suspects have been identified as Surinder Singh (25), Surjit Singh (40), alias Mugri, from Manjh Phaguwal village in Ludhiana district, and Karanpal Singh (31), alias Karan, from Talwan village in Jalandhar district. ACP Akarshi Jain and SHO at Division Number 2 Amritpal Sharma stated that they had recovered eight motorcycles The suspects in Ludhiana police custody. TRIBUNE PHOTO from the suspects so far. Further investigation was underway. Earlier, the police had initi- ated a probe into a motorcycle theft following a complaint from Ram Bhajan Shah, a resident of Seeta Nagar. The complainant had stated that his motorcycle was stolen from Barring Market on January 23. Subsequently, a case under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC was registered at the Division Number 2 police station. ACP Akarshi Jain said teams were constituted to investigate the case, and three persons were arrested. A total of eight motorcycles had been recovered from them so far. The interrogation of the suspects was on. Food delivery man’s two-wheeler stolen Unidentified miscreants stole the motorcycle of a food delivery man in the South City area. On Monday, the police registered a case under Sections 379 and 34 of the IPC at the PAU police station against some unidentified persons. Complainant Mohammad Takir Hussain stated that he was returning home after delivering a food order in the night recently. He said he parked his motorcycle near a store in South City and when returned, 4-5 unidentified persons stole his motorcycle. ASI Harcharan Singh is investigating the case. Farmers begin five-day protest near DC’s office Anganwadi workers hold protest, burn PM’s effigy Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 6 Showing solidarity with constituent outfits of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) for getting their genuine demands accepted from the Centre and state government, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) today started their five-day protest outside the DC’s office here. Farmers reached outside the DC’s office today and will continue to sit here till February 10. After reaching the place, they sit in the middle of the Ferozepur road but when the police asked them to sit on the slip road, the farmers agreed to do the same. Saudagar Singh Ghudani, general secretary of the Ludhiana district committee, said Farmers hold a protest on Ferozepur road in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN the farmers were the backbone of agriculture but no government seems to be bothered about accepting their genuine demands. “The state government promised farm policy but it has failed to announce it. Whenev- er we question the government, the only answer we get is that they are in the process of forming the same. Besides, our long pending demand is that loans of farmers should be waived off and loans with less rate of interest should be intro- duced,” he said. He said the government was promoting diversification and even farmers want the same. But before that the government should announce MSP on all farm produce. Land under paddy c m y b cultivation would be decreased only when MSP would be announced and it would also help address the issue of depleting water. He said successive Central and state governments had failed to work towards the interests of small and marginal farmers, who had been striving hard to run their families with their meagre income from agriculture. Hence, keeping this fact in mind, employment opportunities should be created for family members of the farmers, adding that compensation for damages to crops due to natural calamities, old age pension for farmers, crop insurance and adequate compensation for land being acquired on various pretexts were their major demands. Ludhiana, February 6 Anganwadi workers held a massive protest today outside the residence of MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. The workers, over 1,500 in number, also burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion as they alleged that the Central Government wants closure of anganwadi centres. The workers said for the past one year, the Central Government had failed to provide its share while the state government was regularly providing its dues of Rs 5,500. “Ever since the AAP government came into power in the state, the Centre stopped all financial assistance to anganwadi workers and helpers. Even Anganwadi workers protest in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN owners of rented buildings, where these centres are opened, have not been paid rents for long and on a daily basis we indulge in fights with landlords over non- payment of rents. We are facing difficulties but none is paying heed towards our demands,” said a worker. Since MP Ravneet Bittu was not present at his residence, a memorandum regarding the charter of demands was handed over to his PA by them. They said the objective to start the centres was defeated as the government was not providing any kind of help for nourishment of poor and needy children. — TNS