10022024-LT-01.qxd 10-02-2024 01:07 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune STATIC WASTE COMPACTORS SYSTEM INAUGURATED DAKOTA TALKS ABOUT HER CAMEO IN THE OFFICE RICHA CHADHA, ALI FAZAL EXPECTING THEIR FIRST CHILD A newly installed static waste compactor system was inaugurated in Manna Singh Nagar. P2 Actress Dakota Johnson jokingly said it was the ‘worst moment’ of her life to film a cameo for The Office. P3 Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha took to Instagram and shared two pictures as they confirmed the news. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 21.2°C | MIN 4.6°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.09 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:11 AM » SATURDAY | 10 FEBRUARY 2024 | LUDHIANA Thieves decamp with cash, gold from jail complex house Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 Thieves targeted a house in the Central Jail Complex, Ludhiana, on Tajpur road and decamped with cash and gold ornaments worth lakhs of rupees. After the incident came to the fore, the Ludhiana police registered a case against the unidentified thieves and launched a probe to identify them. The complainant in the case, Abdul Gofar, who is staying in the quarters of the jail complex, in a statement to the police stated that he, along with his family, had gone to meet their relatives at a village in Morinda on February 3 and they had locked their house. On February 6 when they returned home, they were shocked to see that the entire house was lying ransacked, he said. The complainant said thieves had entered the house by breaking the lock of the rear door of the house. Thieves ransacked the house and by breaking locks of almirahs, decamped with Rs 7.50 lakh, 8 tola gold ornaments and some silver ornaments. Investigating officer in the case Sub-Inspector Janak Raj said after registering a case on Thursday, further investigation was launched. CCTV cameras were also being checked to get any clue about the suspects. Soon, the police would crack the case and the suspects will be arrested. Finally,elevated highway to open for traffic today Last stretch of 12.95-km NHAI project ready for plying vehicles Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 Finally, the much-awaited partially-access controlled fourlane elevated highway corridor in Ludhiana will be open for traffic on Saturday, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said. The last and final stretch of the Rs 756.27-crore big ticket project has been completed in all respects and has been made ready for plying of vehicles, officials have claimed. The development assumes significance as the bad weather had delayed the opening of the single remaining stretch of the 12.95-km highway for over a month. With all other three stretches already opened for traffic in phases last year, the only remaining portion of the muchdelayed project has also been completed and the final layer of the bitumen premix has been laid after the sun started showing up a few days ago. Even as the NHAI had met the deadline to open the last leg of the elevated highway on Republic Day but the intense cold conditions coupled with dense fog and mist in the absence of sunny days for the past almost a month together had delayed the laying of final bitumen premix layer on the remaining 1.5-km stretch. With the opening of a 2-kmlong stretch from Verka Milk Plant to Jagraon Bridge (near Durga Mata Mandir) on November 12 last, three lanes of the elevated highway have already been put to use so far. The fourth and last stretch of elevated highway is getting ready for opening in Ludhiana on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO BY HIMANSHU MAHAJAN PROJECT REPORT Cost: ~756.27 crore Length: 12.95-km Start date: October 10, 2017 Deadlines missed: April 7, 2020, June 30, July 31, Sept 30, Dec 31, 2023 Completion: First span in Sept, second in Oct, third in Nov 2023, fourth and final stretch on February 9, 2024 MAJOR DEMAND MET: MP With the completion of the elevated highway, one of the major demands of residents has been met. It will give a major reprieve to commuters on one of the busiest arteries in the city. It has been made possible after I took up the issue with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari and NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav. – Sanjeev Arora, RS MP ❝ ❞ While the 7.4-km first span of the big ticket project had been opened in October last, vehicular movement on the remaining 4.05-km stretch of the entire 12.95-km-long highway was allowed in November last, officials have revealed. The work on one of the busiest arteries of the Maximum City had missed five deadlines of completion in April 2020, June 30, July 31, September 30, and December 31, 2023. Started in October 2017, the construction of the elevated highway between the busy Samrala Chowk and Ludhiana MC limits on National Highway95 has completed in all respects. Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project here recently, told The Tribune on Friday that he, along with NHAI project director, Ashok Rolaniya, visited the elevated highway stretch between Bharat Nagar Chowk and the ISBT to see the progress of the ongoing work. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab was briefed by Rolaniya that the pending bituminous work on about 1.5-km remaining stretch has also been completed and signboards have also been erected for information and safety of commuters. Pertinently, the 7.4-km three spans of the elevated highway from Bhaiwal Chowk to the MC limits, Verka Milk Plant to Jagraon Bridge (near Durga Mata Mandir), and its opposite side from Bhaiwal Chowk to Bharat Nagar Chowk (railway station side), were already opened for traffic so far while the remaining fourth span towards the ISBT side was awaiting final touches. Arora was apprised that all finishing touches were being given to remaining portions of the elevated highway. The parliamentarian said local residents, especially commuters, would get a sigh of relief as the project was completed. He said the opening of the complete project would prove a boon for the commuters as it would not only reduce time of travel and fuel cost but also help in minimising pollution levels and rate of accidents in the city. “I’m happy that my efforts continued on page 2 2 die after hit by trains 4-yr-old dies as speeding car hits scooter Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 Two persons, including a minor boy, died after they were hit by trains in separate incidents here on Friday. In the first incident, an eight-year-old child, Budhram, was hit by a train near the city railway station. The boy died on the spot. In the other incident, Nathipal (55) died after being hit by another train. Deceased’s son Mani said his father met with the tragedy when he was crossing the tracks near the railway station. The railway police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Ludhiana, February 9 A four-year-old child died while her grandparents suffered serious injuries after their Honda Activa scooter was hit by a rashly driven Maruti Swift car in Jagraon. They were rushed to a hospital where the girl succumbed to her injuries. Complainant Malkit Singh of Amargarh Kaler, Jagraon, said around 7.30 pm on February 7, he along with his wife Swaranjit Kaur and granddaughter Gurkirat Kaur were going to a hospital on their two-wheeler. They were going to Kalsi Hospital, Jagraon, from the Jagraon road. When they reached the railway bridge, a speeding and rashly driven Maruti Swift car came from the wrong side and rammed into the scooter, he said. All of them suffered serious injuries. The scooter got completely damaged. Passers-by took them to a hospital in Jagraon but due to serious injuries they were referred to the DMCH where the child, Gurkirat, succumbed to her injuries. ASI Inderjit Singh said a case against the unidentified car driver was registered and a probe was launched. — TNS Parents worried over hefty fee structure at schools Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 Getting admission of child in a good school is a dream of every parents. At the same time, when parents are asked to deposit hefty fees by school managements, many of them, especially the working class, start worrying about managing the expenses. But since there is no choice, the parents bow to the pressure of the school managements. Registration fees Earlier, schools used to get prospectus published as per the strength of schools like if there are 150 seats in Nursery, they would get 350-400 prospectuses published and it would cost parents anywhere from Rs 400-Rs 1,000 depending on schools. But now everything is online, even the registration in schools. If one has to apply at a particular school, he has to deposit the registration fees and schools are smart enough as they did not disclose how many registrations they got. “Registration is no guarantee for the admission of a child. It depends on school, whom to call for interviews, etc. Parents will certainly not depend on one school for admission, they deposit registration fees in many schools to secure seat of their ward,” said a senior teacher of a leading school in the city. There is no check on how much money private schools mint by providing the forms. Suruchi, a parent, said last year, she had applied in five leading schools and had to shell out Rs 5,800 to get forms for the same. No school ready to disclose fee structure The Tribune team made calls to many leading schools but none provided details about the fee structure. A principal of a school in Sarabha Nagar said the fee structure was different for various classes. “We have increased fee up to 8 per cent,” the principal said. This time, the CBSE has asked the school managements that they could increase fee upto 8 per cent. For Nursery admissions, fee vary from Rs 35,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh, depending on the school, its social status. Despite repeated attempts by the CBSE, the schools have failed to put the fee structure in a transparent manner. be up to 35-40 students in a class up to the primary level and up to 45 maximum in senior classes but schools are violating these norms. Many of the leading private schools are admitting 50-70 students in each class. Raising funds Many schools hold social security fund raising events at their institutions in which things or money are collected to help the “poor and needy”. But there is no record as to where lakhs of rupees are spent by school managements. No parking facilities The parents rue that schools do not provide parking facilities to students/their vehicles and they park these on roadsides. Most of the schools do not permit vehicles inside. Approaches matter There are few schools in the city, where admissions are not possible unless you come up with ‘references’ from big wigs — leading politicians, VVIPs, Judges, doctors etc. Pressure to buy books Violation of CBSE norms The school managements can ask any price on the pretext of admissions and the parents have to shell out the amounts but many of the leading schools do not even provide proper infrastructure. Teacher-child ratio For example, the CBSE has mentioned that there should Time and again, the parents have brought it to the notice of the authorities concerned and the media that particular addresses are provided by schools to parents to buy books/stationary or even school uniforms. “But when we say that we can arrange old books or get uniforms from outside, it’s not allowed and too pinching,” a parent said. c m y b Political involvement There are schools in the city, which are directly or indirectly linked with political leaders belonging to various political parties such as BJP , Congress, AAP SAD, etc. , Leaders are saviors of schools fleecing parents and no action is taken against any violation and the parents are suffering due to the same. 7 of robbers’ gang arrested, 13 looted vehicles recovered Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 The Ludhiana police claimed to have busted a gang of robbers and arrested seven of its members. The police recovered 13 two-wheelers from their possession. The suspects have been identified as Lovepreet Singh (19) of Shimlapuri, Robin Singh (19 ) of Kwalty chowk, Paramjit Singh (19) of Satguru Nagar, Rajvir Singh (19) of Daba, Milan Kumar (18) of Satguru Nagar, Sidakdeep (19) of Moga and a 16-year-old juvenile. Three identified suspects are at large in the case. JCP Jaskiranjit Singh Teja while addressing the media said on February 6, the suspects had robbed two youths of cash, mobile phones and The seized vehicles in Ludhiana police custody. TRIBUNE PHOTO some other valuables. Later, when the police started a probe, they were identified. Yesterday, after getting a tipoff about their location, special teams were formed and raids were conducted which led to the arrest of the seven suspects. The police recovered 13 vehicles, including 12 motorcycles, one Honda Acti- va scooter, five mobile phones and sharp weapons from them. Recovered vehicles were also looted by them from city residents. The JCP said now, their further questioning would be done to inquire about hideouts of the remaining suspects and to verify their role in pending cases. 12 nabbed in three cases; 227 mobiles, four vehicles seized Ludhiana, February 9 The Ludhiana police today claimed to have arrested 12 suspects in three separate incidents. The police also recovered 227 mobile phones, four vehicles and sharp weapons from their possession. JCP (Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja while addressing a press conference said in the first case, the Police Division 7 yesterday arrested five suspects, including a shopkeeper, who used to buy looted mobiles from the miscreants. They were identified as Rajesh Kumar (40), and Jatinder Kumar (36), both from the Tajpur road area, Manpreet Singh (27) of Manjit Nagar, Gurmeet Singh (40) of Vishawkarma Nagar and Rahul Saini of Amritsar. Gurmeet is the owner of Gulati Telecom, located on the Tajpur road. The police recovered 225 mobiles, two sharp weapons, a scooter and a motorcycle from the suspects. The JCP said the gang members after snatching mobiles used to sell the same to mobile shop owner Gurmeet. The latter then would sell the phones to dealers located in other states and even Nepal. After registering a case against them, question- ing was on to identify and nab other gang members. Teja said in another case, the Jamalpur police yesterday nabbed two robbers, Sumit (19) and Abhishek (19) from Tajpur, and recovered two mobiles, a motorcycle and two sharp weapons from them. Meanwhile, the Jamalpur police nabbed five suspects, including four juveniles, and recovered one sharp weapon and a motorcycle. They had brutally thrashed a youth and also got viral the video of the assault on social media. A case was also registered against them. — TNS
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).