03032024-LT-01.qxd 3/3/2024 1:10 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune GOODS, MACHINES GUTTED IN 3 FIRE INCIDENTS IN DIST PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL VARSITY TO HOLD SEVEN KISAN MELAS ACTOR NTR JR MEETS RISHAB SHETTY AND PRASHANTH Two incidents occurred at a godownand a bank in city while third reported at an edible oil factory in Khanna. P2 Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, is gearing up to hold seven ‘kisan melas’ across the state. P3 Telugu actor NTR Jr recently met Kannada star Rishab Shetty and director Prashanth Neel of KGFfame in Bengaluru. P4 » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 16.4°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.26 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:49 AM » SUNDAY | 3 MARCH 2024 | LUDHIANA Rain, high-velocity winds spell chaos LSelections:AAPworkersexpect candidateannouncement soon Trees, power poles uprooted at few places; hailstorm in Jagraon, Sidhwan Bet Harshraj Singh HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 2 The city today received 9.8 mm of rainfall along with high-velocity winds. Jagraon and Sidhwan Bet were hit by hailstorm, which also caused damages to the standing crops. In the city, electricity poles and trees were uprooted at a few places due to highvelocity winds. The maximum temperature today was 23°C while minimum was 16.4°C as recorded by the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, Punjab Agricultural University. Trees and electricity poles were seen uprooted at a few places in the city due to the gusty winds. On South City Road, the railings alongside the road also got uprooted. Pavneet Kaur Kingra, head of the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, PAU, said the forecast includes showers at isolated places and after that the weather would be cleared. Chief Agriculture Officer Narinder Singh said hailstorm at Jagraon and Sidhwan Bet had damaged the mustard and potato crops while wheat crop, which had Tribune News Service Clockwise: Uprooted trees, railings and power poles on the South City road due to high-velocity winds; and commuters brave rain on a city road. ADVISORY ■ Keep harvested crop in a safe place ■ Avoid irrigation and application of fertilisers, pesticides in view of expected rain/thunderstorm ■ Follow detailed agro advisories issued separately ■ During thunderstorm/hailstorm avoid going out and don’t take shelter under trees ■ Drive carefully amid rain been freshly irrigated, had also been harmed. The Agriculture Department is accessing the damages caused to the crops at Man dies by suicide fering from some disease and she was getting treatment for the same here. Late on Friday evening, he was found hanging in his room. His family members had informed the police. The members of the family suspect that Harpreet was under some depression due to which he seemed to have taken the extreme step. Since no suicide note was recovered from the spot and no foul play was suspected behind the death, the police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 2 A man died by suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence at Phullanwal here on Friday night. The incident came to light when someone went to the deceased’s room to give him a cup of tea and saw the hanging body. The deceased has been identified as Harpreet Singh of Phullanwal. His kin said after spending considerable time in Canada, Harpreet had returned India about a few years ago and was staying here with his family. The deceased’s wife was suf- Ludhiana, March 2 Ahead of the imminent Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has increased its activities, with party members eagerly anticipating the announcement of the party’s candidate for the Ludhiana parliamentary seat. Sources in AAP have said some old party members and newcomers who came from different political backgrounds were in the race for the candidacy. On February 10, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced that the party would contest all seats in Punjab and Chandigarh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with announcements of candidates expected in the next 10-15 days. However, so far, no candidates have been announced. Notably, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal are scheduled to meet businessmen in Ludhiana on Sunday. An AAP worker from Ludhiana said: “We anticipate the announcement of the party’s candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections soon. Our opinions are GREWAL: LIKELY TO BE DECLARED IN WEEK AAP Punjab spokesperson Ahbaab Singh Grewal said the announcement of the candidate for the Ludhiana parliamentary seat may occur in a week. being sought regarding the selection of the Ludhiana candidate, with the final decision to be made by the party’s leadership. We eagerly await the announcement.” Another volunteer emphasised the expectation that the candidate chosen would have a strong chance of winning and preferably be from the party. AAP Punjab spokesperson Ahbaab Singh Grewal suggested that the candidate announcement may occur in a week. AAP Ludhiana president Sharanpal Singh Makkar highlighted their efforts in promoting awareness about the state government’s ‘Sarkar Tuhade Dwar’ programme. In the 2014 elections, AAP fielded its candidate for the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency for the first time, with advocate HS Phoolka as its choice. However, Phoolka lost the elections, securing 2,80,750 votes while Congress candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu emerged victorious by securing 3,00,459 votes. However, in 2019, AAP’s performance significantly declined, with their candidate finishing fourth. Ravneet Singh Bittu of the Congress won the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency in 2019, securing 3,83,795 votes. Simarjeet Singh Bains of the Lok Insaaf Party came second with 3,07,423 votes. Maheshinder Singh Grewal of the Shiromani Akali Dal, with 2,99,435 votes, stood third. And AAP’s candidate, Prof Tej Pal Singh Gill, secured 15,945 votes, placing fourth among 22 candidates. In the 2022 state Assembly elections, AAP performed well, winning 13 out of the 14 Assembly seats in the district. The Ludhiana parliamentary constituency comprises nine Assembly constituencies in the district — Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Dakha and Jagraon. Additionally, five Assembly constituencies — Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Payal, and Raikot of Ludhiana district — fall in the Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency. these places. Sukhwant Singh, a farmer from a village near Jagraon, said his potato crop had been damaged. “Stem injury is the main reason for crop loss due to hail,” he said. Another farmer said his wheat crop was freshly irrigated and rain and hailstorm led to lodging Congress leader dies of cardiac arrest at gym Dera head, 2 safai sewaks among 4 held for attacking SMO Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 2 Congress leader Gurminder Singh Lalli (52) died of heart attack while running on the treadmill at a gym in Khanna this morning. People present on the spot took him to a hospital where doctors declared him dead. Lalli was fond of going to the gym and he was not suffering from any disease. Besides politics, he was also into property business. His last rites will be performed after the arrival of his kin from abroad. of the crop. “The weather last year also caused damages to my wheat crop and I have to bear the brunt this year as well,” he said. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 2 The Khanna police claimed to have cracked the case involving attack on the Senior Medical Officer of Samrala with the arrest of four persons. The motive behind the attack was to commit loot. However, the doctor had managed to sped away his SUV. A mahant who runs a dera at Behlolpur village was among the suspects. They have been identified as Renu Mahant (35) and Manpreet Singh (21) from Behlolpur, Machhiwara, Sanjiv Kumar (29) of Chamkaur Sahib and Jagjiwan Singh of Machhiwara. The suspects in custody of the Khanna police on Saturday. The police recovered sharp weapons and a toy pistol from the suspects. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Khanna, Amneet Kondal, while addressing a press conference said on February 24 night when the SMO, Samrala Civil Hospital, Tarikjot Singh, was going home in his Maruti Brezza SUV he was cornered by sus, pects, who were travelling in a Hyundai Verna car. The assailants attacked the doctor, who was sitting in his SUV , and asked him to come out of the vehicle. Sensing threat, the victim sped away his SUV and went to a police station to lodge a police complaint. After registering a case at the Samrala police station on February 25, further investigation was launched, which led to the arrest of the suspects. Kondal said among the suspects, Manpreet and Jagjiwan were sanitation employees of the Civil Hospital, Samrala, and the duo used to visit the dera of Renu Mahant at Behlolpur. Both sanitation employees were aware that the SMO stays alone in his accomodation and he travels through the road in his vehicle. They connived with Renu Mahant and others to loot the medical officer but made a vain attempt. The SSP said Renu and Sanjiv had a criminal history as several cases were registered against them in the past. Now, the police would interrogate the suspects to inquire about their involvement in past loot incidents. Kondal credited SP (Investigation) Sukhamrit Singh, Samrala DSP Tarlochan Singh, Khanna CIA in-charge inspector Amandeep Singh and Samrala SHO inspector Rao Varinder Singh for cracking the case in minimum possible time. All officers worked day and night to get any clue about the suspects. Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 2 Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the highly polluted Buddha Dariya, commonly known as Buddha Nullah due to its foulsmelling and black water, remains a significant concern for residents of various villages located in its vicinity. The situation persists in urban areas along the course of the nullah as well. Environmental activists and nearby residents are still waiting for politicians to fulfill their promises to make the Buddha Dariya pollution-free. The polluted water from the nullah merges into the Sutlej near Walipur Kalan village, displaying stark differences in water quality, with black water on one side and clearer water on the other. As the Lok Sabha elections draw near again, the people say there had been no respite from the severe pollution in nullah. Sukhdev Singh from Gaunspur village expressed dismay that the decades-long issue of pollution in the nullah had not been solved to ASHWANI DHIMAN Polluted Buddha Nullah still key poll issue for residents Life term till death for sexually exploiting, killing 4-yr-old boy Untreated wastewater being released into the Buddha Nullah. REJUVENATION PROJECT TO END SOON: OFFICIALS Officials claimed that the Rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah project will be completed soon. An official from the Municipal Corporation said all sewerage treatment plants constructed or upgraded under the project were functioning properly. date. For villagers, the polluted nullah remains a primary concern even in this election period. Recent sightings of dead animals floating in the water body highlight the absence of effective measures. Furthermore, a number of industries continue to pollute the environment without facing consequences, he said. Residents of Gaunspur village, situated along the nullah in Ludhiana district, have long raised concerns about health issues such as hepatitis and skin problems allegedly due to the polluted water. In the past, the people had also staged protests, blaming successive governments for failing to address the pollution in the dariya in a proper manner. he Rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah project, initiated in December 2020 at a cost of approximately Rs 650 crore, has missed several deadlines. Though it is scheduled to complete by March 2024, environmental activists claim to have observed no significant improvements, with polluted water from industries, dairies, and untreated sewage still entering the nullah. The absence of a crucial sewer link between two intermediate pumping stations (Sundar Nagar and Kundanpuri) exacerbates the issue, due to which untreated sewage is still released into the water body from different outlets. A city resident, Maninderjit Singh Benipal, said pollution in the Buddha Dariya had been a significant issue during past elections and remains unresolved to date. He said: “We have been raising the issue of pollution in the Buddha Dariya and Sutlej for a long time, but no visible results have been observed even after the launch of the Rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah project. Buddha Dariya is still polluted and continues to pollute the river. It will remain a major issue for us in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.” c m y b Colonel CM Lakhanpal (retd), an environmental activist, emphasised that despite the nearing 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Buddha Dariya remains polluted. Pollution in the dariya and Sutlej constitutes a major electoral issue. He urged the government to take concrete steps to curb pollution, particularly from industrial waste and dairy complexes. The polluted waters from the Buddha Dariya and Bhattian drain are still discharged into the Sutlej. He emphasised the pressing necessity to prevent any further pollution of the Sutlej by tackling the pollution sources originating from the Bhattian drain and Buddha Dariya. Officials claimed that the Rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah project will be completed soon. An official from the MC said, all sewerage treatment plants constructed or upgraded under the project were functioning properly. Five intermediate pumping stations were operational, and effluent treatment plants at Haibowal Dairy Complex and Tajpur Road Dairy were nearing completion, he added. Rajneesh Lakhanpal Ludhiana, March 2 The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Amarjeet Singh has sentenced Ajay Kumar, a resident of Rupnathpur, Gosaiganj, in Uttar Pradesh, to undergo rigorous life imprisonment till the remainder period of his life or till death, on accusations of sexual exploitation and murder of a child of fourand-a-half years. The court has made it clear in its judgment that the convict would not be released on parole till he completes 30 years in jail. The accused was also ordered to pay Rs 3 lakh as fine for indulgence in such a heinous crime. It has ordered that out of the recovered fine amount, Rs 2,50,000 would be paid as compensation to the parents of the victim. Pronouncing the verdict, the court held that the prosecution has successfully proved the charges against NO PAROLE TILL COMPLETION OF 30 YRS IN JAIL The court has made it clear in its judgment that the convict would not be released on parole till he completes 30 years in jail. The man was also ordered to pay ~3 lakh as fine for indulgence in such a heinous crime. the accused. The court declined the plea of leniency raised by the accused. Additional public prosecutor BD Gupta apprised that a case was registered against the accused on May 15, 2022, under Sections 302 and 377, IPC, and Section 4 of the POCSO Act. The complainant had told the police that the accused called him and requested to send keys of his factory for taking rest there for some time. Then, he sent his four-and-a-halfyear-old nephew to give the keys to the accused. Earlier also, the accused used to come to rest on the factory premises many times. When the child did not return even after twothree hours, he started searching for the boy. He called the accused but he did not pick up the phone. Hence, he started knocking the door of the factory but no one responded. They entered the factory through another gate, which was lying open. They found that the little child was lying under clothes near machines at the factory. He put the clothes aside and took the little child out from under the clothes. At that time, the child was not breathing and has died. The matter was reported to the police, which arrested the man. However, during the trial the accused pleaded innocence and claimed falsely implication by the police but convinced with prosecution evidence, the court found him guilty.