23022024-LT-01.qxd 2/23/2024 12:52 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PREPARATIONS FOR MC’S FLOWER SHOW IN FULL SWING BISHNOI GROUP MEMBERS HELD AFTER ENCOUNTER HEMKUND SAHIB TO OPEN FOR PILGRIMS ON MAY 25 After eight-year hiatus, MC will host long-anticipated flower show at Nehru Rose Garden on Feb 24 & 25. P2 Delhi Police nabbed two sharpshooters of Lawrence Bishnoi-Hashim Baba gang after an encounter. P3 Portals of Hemkund Sahib, a famous Himalayan Sikh shrine in Uttarakhand, will open on May 25. P3 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 23°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6:19 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:59 AM FRIDAY | 23 FEBRUARY 2024 | LUDHIANA Cyber criminals create fake FB account of cop Ludhiana, February 22 Cyber criminals created a fake Facebook account of Inspector Amritpal Singh Grewal, in-charge of the antinarcotics cell in the Commissionerate Police, here. Friend requests and messages are being sent to Facebook friends of the police official, asking money from them. The inspector said yesterday, an acquaintance called him to confirm that whether he sent any friend request to him from the new Facebook account. When checked, he found that someone created his fake FB account. Amritpal said if people were getting friend requests from the fake account, they should ignore it and if someone had already accepted the request, they should block the same and avoid sending any money to the fraudsters, on their demand. He also posted a message on the social networking site regarding the same. He said an acquaintance also sent him a screenshot in which the swindlers while impersonating him also tried to sell a furniture. He said he had already lodged a police complaint and they would be caught soon. Earlier too, fake FB accounts of Jalandhar CP Swapan Sharma, former Ludhiana CP Kaustubh Sharma and others were created by cyber criminals. — TNS Challenges loom as MC plans ~990-cr income targets for current fiscal, to end on March 31 budget for 2024-25 MC struggles to meet Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 22 In the absence of the Municipal Corporation (MC) General House due to a delay in the civic body elections, MC officials are preparing to present an estimated budget for the upcoming financial year of 2024-25. Work is underway to finalise the estimated budget, which could be around Rs 990 crore for the new fiscal year, according to sources. The budget meeting is likely to be held soon. Notably, the MC’s revised budget income for 2023-24 is around Rs 937.74 crore but it has been struggling to meet revenue targets. Between April 1 and December 31, 2023, the MC had collected Rs 521.51 crore in revenue while it expects to generate an additional Rs 416.23 crore in revenue between the last quarter from January 1 to March 31, 2024. According to information, the MC plans to generate income of Rs 140 crore from property tax in the new financial year (from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025), while it BUDGET MEETING LIKELY TO BE HELD SOON Work is underway to finalise the estimated budget for the next financial year 2024-25, which could be around ~990 crore for the new fiscal year, according to sources. The civic body’s budget meeting is likely to be held soon. According to an official, the finalised estimated budget will be presented in a meeting of the technical advisory committee. was expecting to generate Rs 130 crore in property tax during the ongoing financial year till March 31, 2024. The civic body is planning to generate Rs 60 crore in water supply and sewer charges in the upcoming financial year. However, it is struggling to meet the target for the current fiscal year. Besides, the MC plans to generate a maximum income of Rs 625 crore under the head of the Punjab Municipal Fund during 2024-25. Besides, the MC plans to generate only Rs 12.50 crore from advertisements in the new financial year. Against the revenue target of Rs 10.50 crore during 2023-24, the civic body had generated only Rs 6.40 crore between April 1 and December 31, 2023, and it expects to generate Rs 4.10 crore more between January 1 and March 31, 2024. The corporation is also struggling to meet the revenue target from change of land use (CLU) charges for the current financial year. Against the revenue target of Rs 12 crore for 2023-24, the MC had collected only Rs 2,000 between April 1 and December 31, 2023, but it still expects to generate Rs 11.99 crore from CLU in the ongoing quarter till March 31, 2024. For 202425, the MC plans to generate Rs 15 crore under the revenue head of the CLU. During the next financial year, the MC plans to spend Rs 9 crore on solid waste management, Rs 18 crore on diesel purchase, Rs 22 crore on sewerage, Rs 5.5 crore on parks and gardens, Rs 70 crore on street cement concrete flooring and Rs 10 crore on bitumen roads. However, financial decisions on revenue and expenditure will be made in the upcoming budget meeting. According to an official, the finalised estimated budget will be presented in a meeting of the technical advisory committee. Travel agent dupes 4 nabbed in money exchange man of ~9.88 lakh shop loot case, weapons seized Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 22 The Machhiwara police yesterday registered a case against a travel agent who duped a Machhiwarabased resident of Rs 9.88 lakh on the pretext of sending his son abroad. The suspect has been identified as Mukhtyar Singh, a resident of Hambowal Bet in Machhiwara. He is absconding in the case. Complainant Rajinder Singh said the suspect had demanded Rs 36 lakh to send his son Tushant Malhotra to the USA. He had also taken Rs 16 lakh advance from him. Despite taking the advance money, he failed to send his son to the USA. When he put pressure on the suspect to arrange a visa, he arranged a visa of Dubai and assured to send his son to America from Dubai. Later, when the agent was asked to return the money, he returned only Rs 6.12 lakh and despite repeated requests, he failed to return the remaining amount of Rs 9.88 lakh, the complainant alleged. On October 30, 2023, he lodged a police complaint and a case was registered against the travel agent on Wednesday, he said. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 22 The Sahnewal police claimed to have cracked the money exchange shop loot case and arrested four suspects. The suspects have been identified as Rinku Singh (37) of Giaspura, Pargat Singh (34) of Jaspal Bangar, Durgesh Tiwari (19) of Moti Nagar and Surjit Singh (52) of Jaspal Bangar. The police seized one .32 bore pistol with six cartridges, one 12 bore countrymade pistol with one cartridge, two sharp weapons and two motorcycles from them. JCP JS Teja, ADCP Dev Singh, ACP (South) Ashok Kumar and Sahnewal SHO Inspector Guljinderpal Singh issued a joint statement in this regard. Notably, in broad daylight on Monday, miscreants committed a robbery of around Rs 1.15 lakh at gunpoint at a money transfer and telecom shop, Vikas Telecom, in Makkar Colony of the Giaspura area. Five miscreants came on two motorcycles and two of them, with their faces covered, entered the shop around 11:45 am. Shop owner’s father Surinder Shah (51) and two customers were present at the shop when the duo entered the shop and forcefully cornered the two customers. When Shah objected to the same and attempted to stop them, the miscreants overpowered him. The suspects checked Shah’s pockets and snatched Rs 30,000 from him. Afterwards, they looted around Rs 85,000 from a drawer inside the shop. Teja said Rs 12,000 in cash was also recovered from the suspects and further probe in the case was on so that more recovery of looted cash could be made and more members of the gang be identified. The role of the suspects in past robberies and loot incidents would also be inquired. Farmers block the Ladhowal toll plaza in protest on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Farmers block national highways for 2 hrs, commuters bear brunt Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 22 Protesting farmers today blocked national highways causing much inconvenience to the public. Ladhowal toll plaza located alongside the Sutlej between Phillaur and Ludhiana, Kubbe toll plaza on the Ludhiana-Doraha road, Ghulal toll plaza on Chandigarh Road in Samrala and Gurhe (Chaukimann) toll plaza on the LudhianaJagraon highway were blocked for two hours. People who were commuting through public transport were seen walking towards their destinations. Commuters had to face inconvenience as their vehicles got stuck in traffic jams for hours as no vehicle was allowed to pass through the toll barriers, except ambulances, schoolbuses and vehicles going to the airport. Farmers raised slogans against the Union Government for not allowing them to reach the Delhi border for their agitation. At the Ladhowal toll plaza, farmers observed a twominute silence and prayers were offered to the departed soul of Subhkaran Singh, a farmer from Bathinda, who lost his life on Wednesday following a clash between security personnel and protesting farmers at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. Saudagar Singh, general secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), said BLOCKED ROADS TO PROTEST SUBHKARAN’S DEATH ❝ We have blocked highways to protest Subhkaran Singh’s death. The government has forced us to take the step after the yesterday’s incident. We are not harming anybody but nobody understands the harm and inconvenience caused to us. — Harmeet Singh Kadian, PRESIDENT OF THE BKU (KADIAN) the government was not ready to accept genuine demands of the farmers. Harmeet Singh Kadian, president of the BKU (Kadian), said yesterday’s incident was unfortunate where a farmer lost his life. “We have blocked the highways to protest Subhkaran’s death. The government has forced us to take this step after the yesterday’s incident. We are not harming anybody but nobody understands the harm and inconvenience caused to us,” said the BKU (Kadian) leader. Kadian said he wants to question the government on why farmers were being stopped from entering Delhi to protest in a peaceful manner. “The Supreme Court says FIR will be registered against those who block the GT Road. Here, the government is blocking the road and not allowing us to enter Delhi. Who will take action against it,” he questioned. HS Lakhowal, president of the BKU (Lakhowal), said they want the government to register an FIR against the government. Meanwhile, commuters MC spent ~88.05 cr for environment protection in 3 yrs, pollution levels still high Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 22 The Municipal Corporation (MC) has spent a sum of Rs 88.05 crore for environment protection in the past three years, officials have claimed. The expenditure was made under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the civic body has said. Of the total 85 works of different nature, spread across eight Assembly constituencies under the MC limits, as many as 58 works have already been completed at the cost of Rs 59.08 crore while the rest 27 works were in progress at the cost of Rs 28.97 crore. The development assumes significance as Ludhiana has figured among 20 most polluted cities in the country in a latest national study conducted by Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences recently. Taking serious note of the situation, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora reviewed the current status of funds Of total 85 works initiated under NCAP, 58 completed, 27 underway NCAP EXPENDITURE STATUS YEAR 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Total WORKS 47 19 19 85 COST 5,212.15 1,541.18 2,051.97 8,805.3 COMPLETED 45 9 4 58 ONGOING 2 10 15 27 SEGMENT-WISE ROAD WORKS There is no check on rising pollution levels in city. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN received and spent under the NCAP during a meeting with MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi here recently. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member from Punjab in the Upper House of Parliament told The Tribune on Thursday that the MC had initiated a total of 85 road development and plantation works at the cost of Rs 8,805.3 lakh across 8 Vidhan Sabha segments falling under the MC limits between 2020-21 and 2022-23, of which 58 works had already been completed at the cost of Rs 5,908.29 lakh while the remaining 27 works were in the advanced stage of completion at the cost of Rs 2,897.01 lakh. SEGMENT Atam Nagar Central East North Sahnewal WORKS 5 6 7 9 3 AMOUNT 1,053.1 453.48 959.9 861.5 480.63 Of the total 49 road development works initiated at the cost of Rs 6,195.38 lakh, as many as 39 have already been finished at the cost of Rs 4,490.214 lakh while the rest 10 projects worth Rs 1,705.44 lakh were still in progress. While the Atam Nagar constituency got the maximum share of Rs 1,053.1 lakh, the c m y b SEGMENT South West General Total WORKS 7 4 8 49 AMOUNT 614.95 241.69 1,530.13 6,195.38 (SOURCE: MC, AMOUNT IN LAKH RUPEES) minimum of Rs 241.69 lakh was being spent on road development works in the Ludhiana West segment. Among other constituencies, Ludhiana Central got Rs 453.48 lakh, East Rs 959.9 lakh, North Rs 861.5 lakh, South Rs 614.95 lakh, Sahnewal Rs 480.63 lakh, and a sum of Rs 1,530.13 lakh was being across different parts of the city. Of the 39 completed and 10 ongoing road development works, four have been finished and one was underway in Atam Nagar, five completed and one in progress in Central, three finished and four underway in East, eight completed and one in progress in North, two finished and one underway in Sahnewal, six completed and one in progress in South, all four completed in West, while seven works have been finished and one was underway across different parts of the city. Ludhiana had got a whopping Rs 98 crore for environment protection under the NCAP between 2018 and 2023 but the pollution levels reached an alarming situation during this period, as per the latest report. Of the total allocated funds, Ludhiana utilised Rs 56 crore, which accounted for almost 58 per cent of Rs 98 crore allocation but the most hazardous pollution levels in the city had gone up by almost 24 per cent during the past five years, the NCAP study has pointed out. It showed that PM10 pollutants in Ludhiana rose from 106.4 in 2019 to 131.8 in 2023, which accounted for an increase of 23.9 per cent while the PM2.5 pollution level went up from 53.2 in 2019 to 60.9 in 2023, which was 14.5 per cent increase over the past five years. It had led to Ludhiana becoming the 14th most polluted city in the country. Amritsar and Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab were also listed among the 20 most polluted cities in the country with maximum pollution levels, the study has said. While Ludhiana has been the worst among three most polluted state cities with respect to PM10 pollution level, Mandi Gobindgarh has the maximum PM2.5 pollutants in Punjab. The study revealed that Ludhiana got the maximum continued on page 2 ❞ faced the heat and many were seen walking on foot and marching towards their destinations. Surjit Singh, along with his wife, was coming to Ludhiana from Hoshiarpur and the bus dropped them near Phillaur. “We walked nearly 10 km and after crossing the toll plaza, we will take an auto-rickshaw to reach Ludhiana,” he said. Lalita, who was having difficulty in walking, said she was going to Phillaur from Ludhiana but the bus dropped her before the barrier. “I will not be able to walk for long with my walking stick. Hence, I am going back to Ludhiana now,” she said. Davinder Singh was stuck on Chandigarh road for hours and left with no other option but to wait for the farmers to lift their blockade. “The farmers are fighting for their rights and it is sad that the government is not allowing them to enter Delhi. They are citizens of the country and have every right to put forward their demands. I missed my meeting today but it seems nothing in front of their agitation and demands,” he said. DSP dies of suspected cardiac arrest Ludhiana, February 22 DSP Dilpreet Singh (50) died under mysterious circumstances at a gym near the Bhai Bala chowk on the Ferozepur road on Thursday. He was posted at Malerkotla. He reportedly suffered a heart attack while exercising in the gym. Dilpreet, a resident of Ludhiana, used to go to the gym regularly. Earlier, he was posted as the ACP in Ludhiana. According to his colleagues, he was conscious about his health. He never forgot to go to the gym. Today he reached the gym around 4 pm. While exercising, he complained of chest pain and collapsed. His gunmen, with the help of other gym members, took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. A national level swimmer, Dilpreet joined the police force as an ASI in 1992. He served at various police stations in the state and was later promoted as ASP — TNS .
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