08032024-LT-01.qxd 3/8/2024 12:19 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PAU ORGANISES KISAN MELA AT BALLOWAL SAUNKHRI RACE FOR ANANDPUR SAHIB SEAT TICKET PICKS UP PACE GAL GADOT WELCOMES 4TH BABY WITH HUSBAND JARON The second in the sequence of kisan melas planned was held at Ballowal Saunkhri Research Station. P3 The race for tickets among parties for the LS poll is picking pace in Anandpur Sahib Constituency. P3 The Wonder Woman actor has welcomed her fourth baby with husband Jaron Varsano. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 24°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 24°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.25 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:44 AM » FRIDAY | 8 MARCH 2024 | LUDHIANA Labour, truckers’ unions lay siege to Ladhowal toll plaza Nikhil Bhardwaj Shiv Sena leader’s son held in ~6 cr gold loot case Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Several detained | Police resort to mild lathicharge to disperse protesters | Passengers stranded Ludhiana, March 7 Members of the All-India Trucker Operators’ Union, five labour organisations along with some farmer unions today laid a siege to the Ladhowal toll plaza. Due to the protest, Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway came to standstill and long queues of vehicles were witnessed on the highway. Commuters heading towards Jalandhar from Ludhiana faced huge inconvenience. Cops led by the Additional DCP Ramandeep Bhullar, along with huge force, resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the protesters. Following the lathicharge, traffic movement was resumed on the highway. As per the information, union members had started gathering at the toll plaza Thursday morning. Union representatives and police officials held several rounds of talks as latter was asking the unions to avoid blocking of highway. In the meantime, police detained the president of All India Truck Operators Union Happy Sandhu. Infuriated over the detention of the union president, they blocked the national highway. Traffic movement was completely stopped by the protesters. INBRIEF WOMAN HELD WITH 100-GM HEROIN Ludhiana: The Ludhiana police yesterday arrested a woman smuggler and recovered 100 gram heroin from her possession. The police said he along with the police party was conducting patrolling on Jassian road to keep over antisocial elements and drug smugglers. During the drive, on suspicion a pedestrian woman was stopped for checking. During frisking of the woman, 100 gram heroin was recovered from her. Apart from this, the police also recovered a mobile phone and Rs 100 from her. The police said now the police remand of the woman would be sought from the court for questioning of the woman smuggler. A case under NDPS Act was registered against the woman and further investigation was launched in the case. TNS MAN ATTEMPTS SELF-IMMOLATION Ludhiana: During a marital counselling at a police station, a man was allegedly slapped by a cop. Angry over the assault, the man immolated himself at the Sadar Jagraon police station on Thursday. The people present on the spot brought the fire under control and shifted the injured to the hospital. Pabian village resident Surinder Kaur, mother of the victim, said her son Daljit Singh had a dispute with his wife and she had left home. To settle the dispute they all had come to the police station for counselling. "When a cop snubbed my son and also slapped him, he felt insulted. He immediately went and brought an inflammable substance and poured on himself and set himself ablaze. He suffered serious burn injuries and was hospitalised"alleged victim's mother. Jarnail Singh former sarpanch of Pabbian village said ASI insulted Daljit due to which he brought petrol and set himself ablaze. TNS Ludhiana, March 7 The Khanna police on Thursday arrested Rajan Giri, son of Shiv Sena leader Kashmir Giri, in the case of looting gold worth Rs 6 crore from a Ludhiana-based jeweller by posing as a fake GST officer in Delhi. After the information was given to Delhi Police, a team of Delhi Police was on the way to Khanna to detain accused who is wanted to Delhi Police. Suspect handed over to Delhi Police Commuters cross the Ladhowal toll plaza on foot; and (R) truck operators union president Happy Sandhu being detained by the police during a protest in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Long queues of vehicles were witnessed on the highway in Ludhiana and Jalandhar side (near Phillaur). Since movement of traffic had come to standstill on the national highway, cops in large numbers suddenly arrived and after giving warning to the protesters, cops resorted to cane-charging and dispersed the protesters. Due to long queues of vehicles, it took around half an hour to completely resume the traffic movement. Union president Happy Sandhu said a few days ago they had served a warning to the government that if government failed to fulfil their demands, they would hold a protest on both sides of the Phillaur highway on March 7. Their demands include tenders to be issued to truck unions, refund of securities paid at the time of tendering for the past 15 years and increase in transport rates citing no increase in rates for the past seven years. Sandhu also demanded that contractor system in food agencies of Punjab should end and direct payment be made to labourers. Even the use of tractor-trailers for commercial works be stopped and HC orders be implemented regarding the same. Sandhu added that there should be an end to overloading of vehicles and 10 times toll tax be charged from any overloaded vehicle at toll plazas. They also demanded streamlining of credentials of truckers and special stickers with all essential information on their vehicles so that drivers don’t face any harassment or loot on the pretext of checking. Northern Railway to build ~71 cr ROB at Doraha-Neelon crossing Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 7 Finally, the Northern Railway has agreed to construct a Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Doraha-Neelon crossing on Ludhiana-Ambala rail line in Ludhiana district, officials have announced. This much-needed and long-awaited four-lane bridge will replace the level crossing 164-A near Doraha at the cost of Rs 71-crore to remove traffic bottlenecks caused due to railway lines, the Northern Railway has said. The development assumes significance as this was one of the few level crossings, which still existed in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, causing major bottlenecks to the vehicular traffic passing through the rail lines besides posing danger to the commuters. Sharing details, the Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, told , The Tribune, on Thursday that the construction to build ROB on Doraha-Neelon level crossing was hanging fire for the past long time as earlier the Public Works Department (PWD) was supposed to take up the project but kept dillydallying the same following which he took up the matter with the senior officials of the Northern Railway and impressed upon them to replace the level crossing with road over bridge in the larger public interest. Expressing happiness over the approval given to the proposal, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab said he has been apprised by the Divisional Railway Manager Ambala, Mandeep Singh Bhatia, that the proposal for four-lane ROB to replace LC-164A, near Doraha, was shortlisted in the Indian Railways Pro- Railway crossing near Doraha in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN MAJOR INFRA PUSH ❝ We are giving a major push to upgrade and uplift the existing railway infrastructure in the state, especially Ludhiana. The work on redevelopment of the Ludhiana railway station, upgrade of Dhandari railway station and augmentation of railway infrastructure has already been approved, awarded and progressing fast. SANJEEV ARORA, MP RAJYA SABHA jects Sanctions and Management (IRPSM) in the year 2023-24 and was sanctioned by the Railway Board on March 1. He said the project will cost a sum of Rs 70.56 crore to the Railway. Arora said initially, a proposal was made to construct ROB at LC-164A in the year 2011 following which in 2016, commercial operation date (COD) was given to a private construction company. Later, the company approved the design for the project under which a single track was to be constructed. But later a proposal came to construct a double track. On this, the private construction company claimed that cost of construction will increase due to increase in length of span. “Subsequently, this proposal went into cold storage and the contract of the construction company was terminated on August 5, 2021,” he revealed. According to the project ❞ approved by the Railway Board, the ROB will be constructed under an Umbrella Scheme by the Railways at LC-164A. Arora said, “I have been apprised by the authorities concerned that the work will commence shortly”. He said the project will provide a great relief to the commuters on the DorahaNeelon stretch. Presently, the commuters on this stretch were suffering a lot because of heavy rail traffic on the Ludhiana-Ambala section as most of the time the railway crossing at LC-164A remains closed for vehicular traffic. The Rajya Sabha MP had been raising the issue since long that the railway crossings were a major hurdle in the free flow of vehicular traffic and had been demanding ROB and RUB at DorahaNeelon crossing and Ishmeet Singh Chowk in Model Town here, respectively. c m y b Over 250 protesters booked Additional DCP Ramandeep Singh Bhullar said the police had initially detained several protesters for blocking the national highway and obstructing the police from discharging duty. Now, detained persons would be formally arrested and a case would be registered against over 250 protesters under Sections 186 (whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. Nobody would be allowed to disturb law and order situation in the city. Commuters harried Commuters faced huge inconvenience due to the blockade on highway for over one hour. Some commuters also held arguments with the protesters and lamented that such blockades should not be held on national highways or roads as it render huge inconven- ience to the people. "Instead of jamming the national highway, protesters should sit outside the residences of chief minister, ministers and MLAs. Police should not allow anyone to block roads. My husband is lying sick and if he face any health issues who will be held responsible"said a woman commuter. Even Gursimran Mand president, International Anti-Khalistani Terrorist Front, who got stuck in the jam lambasted the protesters for blocking the highway. A few months ago, accused Sushil Kumar Topi was arrested from Sirhind in the case of looting gold worth Rs 6 crore of Ludhiana jeweller Ravinder Kumar and 8-kg gold was also recovered from him. The accused Topi with his aided, posing as a CGST officials, had taken 10 kg of gold from two employees of jeweler. Topi is presently lodged in Delhi jail. Rajan Giri is the second arrest in this case whereas Rajan's brother Shivam Giri and another accused Tarlok Singh have been declared absconders by the Delhi court.