13032024-LT-01.qxd 3/13/2024 1:10 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 5-HR SEARCH CONDUCTED BY NIA SLEUTHS AT YOUTH’S HOUSE HUNDREDS THRONG KISAN MELA AT KVK BATHINDA DISHA PATANI & SIDHARTH BOND OVER GYM SESSIONS NIA team pointed out that search was held to probe possible links of youth with some hardline activists. P2 Huge turnout of farmers was witnessed at a kisan mela held at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bathinda. P3 Disha Patani, who plays an air hostess in Yodha, recalled playing volleyball with Sidharth during shoot breaks.P4 » » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.33 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:37 AM WEDNESDAY | 13 MARCH 2024 | LUDHIANA MP Bittu put under house arrest citing preventive action by police Cong terms it as diktat of AAP, says it’s misusing state police machinery Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 13 Member of Parliament (MP), Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu, was put under house arrest at his official residence near Rose Garden by the Ludhiana police this morning. High drama took place as the Congress leaders in a large number gathered outside his residence. The police cited the reason of the MP’s house arrest as preventive action, suspecting some law and order problem if he moves out of the residence. However, the Congress leadership termed it a diktat of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Heavy police force was deployed outside the MP’s residence. Bittu also lambasted police officials and asked them to explain the reason of putting him under house arrest. ACP Civil Lines, Jatin , Bansal, said it was a preventive action by the police as per directions of senior police officials and after almost four hours, police force was withdrawn from the MP’s house after the issue gets resolved. The state was under emergency-like situation under the regime of the AAP government as the Ludhiana police cordoned off his residence and sealed the complete residential area, MP Ravneet Singh Bittu under house arrest at his official residence near Rose Garden in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN RAVNEET BITTU, TALWAR DENY PROJECT INAUGURATION SPECULATIONS, CONG’S INVITE OTHER WAY AROUND MP Bittu and former Congress MLA Sanjay Talwar had categorically denied that they were not going to inaugurate Shaheed Udhampur Singh community centre near Vardhman Mill rather they were only going to pay a visit. However, a message sent by the media team of District Congress Committee chief Sanjay Talwar clearly states the duo will inaugurate it on Tuesday. BITTU CREATING DRAMA DUE TO ELECTIONS: MLA Paramilitary force deployed outside the MP’s house. restricted his movement, MP Bittu said, adding that the police machinery was being misused for targeting political opponents. It’s undemoc- AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi said MP Ravneet Singh Bittu created a drama because parliament elections are round the corner and he wanted to gain mileage. ratic and against his right to freedom as a citizen of the country. “As a member of Parliament I have right to visit Smart City projects and attend various meetings. How can they stop me using the police force. Why I was put under house arrest and my family members were not allowed to move out? Does law-enforcing agencies of the state consider me as continued on page 2 Sensor-based smart traffic lights to come up at 42 main junctions in city Will adjust timer automatically, help check vehicular pollution Ludhiana, March 12 The Municipal Corporation launched a project to install sensor-based smart traffic lights in the city on Tuesday. The project commenced at Hero Bakery Chowk in Sarabha Nagar. Officials claimed that the project would provide significant relief to the public from traffic jams. The project, known as the Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS), is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 7.48 crore under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Under the project, the existing traffic lights will be replaced by smart traffic lights at 42 main junctions in the city. MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi stated that the sensor- based traffic lights will detect the volume of traffic at the junction and adjust the timer accordingly to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Furthermore, the traffic lights will be connected to an online application and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) of the civic body established in the Zone D office at Sarabha Nagar. The civic body and traffic police will be able to control the lights online during emergencies. The initiative will not only provide relief from traffic jams but also help reduce vehicular pollution as traffic will be regulated properly and no jams will be witnessed at the junctions. An official mentioned that in the event of power cuts, Govt college official booked for sexually harassing asst professor Ludhiana, March 12 The Police Division 8 today registered a case against the junior assistant of SCD Government College on the charge of sexual harassment of assistant professor and for insulting the woman. The suspect has been identified as Neeraj Dutt. A case under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture, act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of the IPC was registered against him. The complainant, who is also performing duties of the Deputy Registrar (Examinations), told the police that Neeraj Dutt, junior assistant, SCD Government College, has created an atmosphere of oppression in the institute for the past many years and he had also been posted on the same seat at the same college for the past 25 years. “The suspect interferes in every work of the college. He uses a threatening tone and foul language with employees Man, 2 sons booked for bid to MCH expansion work to miss another deadline take illegal possession of land Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 12 A man and his two sons were yesterday booked by the Dehlon police for trying to take illegal possession of a land worth crores. They also threatened the complainant outside the police station. The suspects have been identified as Amrik Singh Samra, his sons Kamalpreet Singh Samra and Amanpreet Singh Samra. A case under Sections 447, 511 and 506 of the IPC was registered against them. The complainant, Ranjodh Singh Samra, a resident of Gurdev Nagar, said he was a native of Pohir village, where he owns a land worth crores. In 2003, he had bought the land from his paternal uncle Amrik Samra and afterwards, after taking complete payment, the latter gave possession of the land to him. The complainant said on March 7, he got a call from his partner Mukesh Dhand, who informed that the suspects, along with some unidentified persons, were trying to take illegal possession of his land by erecting iron mesh. He reached the spot and informed the police. Officials from the Dehlon police station reached the spot and asked both parties to reach the police station along with property documents. “When I reached outside the station, the suspects came and told me to not to enter the land else they will kill me,” he told the police. — TNS Ludhiana, March 12 The work for the expansion of the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH), which is underway since April 2022, will again miss the deadline as the work is halted at present. The work was supposed to be completed by July 2023 but as a large amount of work was remaining for completion, the deadline was extended to March 2024. But it will likely to miss the deadline again by a wide margin. Now, it seems that the work will be completed only by the year-end. The 100-bed hospital is WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED BY JULY 2023 The expansion work of the Mother and Child Hospital was supposed to be completed by July 2023, however, as a large amount of work was remaining for completion, the deadline was extended to March 2024. being upgraded to 200-bed hospital. Nearly 40 per cent of the work is still pending. Though the contractor has been asked to speed up the work, seeing its speed, the task seems to be impossible. The project entailed construction of a new block on the ground and first floors, three new labour rooms, a pre-delivery room and an operation theatre. Six general wards and 16 private wards are being constructed on the second floor. Private wards are ready. Works such as installation of the fire system and electrical, flooring and transformerrelated works need to be completed soon. Senior Medical Officer, MCH, Dr Deepika Goyal, said the work was halted now as there was some monetary issue. The Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) would know the exact status of the work. Sukhwant Singh, sub-divisional officer from the PHSC, said the work was halted by the contractor due to some financial issue. “We have called a meeting with him tomorrow to discuss the matter and let’s see what comes out of it,” he said. A doctor from the hospital said the MCH caters to the entire district and daily 100-150 women come for treatment and 8001,000 deliveries were conducted every month and there was a dire need for its expansion. “Many times, there is a scarcity of beds which can be solved only when the hospital is expanded and the work should be completed soon,” said the doctor. A first: Locomotor disabled students get motorised wheelchairs in state Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 12 In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Punjab School Education Department has come to the help of children with special needs (CWSN), especially those suffering from the locomotor disability, studying in government schools of the state. Developed by Madras IIT, country’s first indigenous vehicle to empower users with convenient, safe, lowcost mode of mobility Brainchild of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Secretary, School Education, Kamal Kishor Yadav, the special scheme has been rolled out with the distribu- Locomotor disabled students ride their motorised wheelchairs. tion of first set of 50 motorised wheelchairs to the locomotor disabled students of Classes XI and XII at government schools across 10 districts in the state under the first phase of the project. Developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, these India’s first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicles that can be used not only on roads but even on uneven terrains, have been provided free of cost to the beneficiaries under the CSR (corporate social responsibility) sponsorship. Know the wheelchair Called ‘NeoBolt’, these wheelchairs with a maximum speed of 25 kmph and traveling distance up to 25 km per charge, costs Rs 1 lakh each. Powered by a Lithium-Ion battery that will give 25-km travel time for every charge, these vehicles will empower the users with a convenient, safe and low-cost mode of outdoor mobility when compared to cars, auto-rickshaws or modified scooters. The Special Secretary, School Education, Gauri Parasher Joshi, told The Tribune, on Tuesday that an NGO, Sanjhi Sikhya, working for the CWSN introduced her to NeoMotion, a start-up, incubated at the IIT, Madras, which manufactures these wheelchairs. “I interacted with start-up head Siddharth Daga along with the CWSN officials of our department, who shared his concept of the wheelchair, called Neobolt,” she said while informing that it was already being used by individuals in different states of the country. Joshi, who roped in the CSR sponsors to implement the project, said the battery-oper- c m y b ated wheelchairs run like a bike but at speeds low enough so that it was not classified as a vehicle and, therefore, it does not need a licence. “The makers showed us videos of a person with disability from Chandigarh, who had a more independent life and worked for delivering food, as a result of the greater mobility given through this wheelchair,” she said, adding that the wheelchairs cost around Rs 1 lakh each and a private bank has agreed to sponsor 50 vehicles in the first phase. The School Education Special Secretary divulged that the department has decided to begin the distribution from Classes XI and XII students, who were 16 to 17 years old and chose 50 students in the first round, who were given the wheelchairs last week. “A camp for trials was also the smart traffic lights will have an 8-hour battery backup to ensure smooth traffic movement. The contractor is responsible for maintaining the traffic lights in the first year after installation. The 42 junctions where adaptive traffic lights are to be installed under the project include Jagraon Bridge, Durga Mata Mandir Chowk, Bharat Nagar Chowk, DC Office Chowk, Bhai Bala Chowk, Kaka Marriage Palace, Malhar Chowk, PAU Gate 2, Gurdwara Sarabha Nagar Road, ESI Hospital Chowk, Dugri Chowk, Dugri Urban Estate Phase-1 Chowk, Dana Mandi Chowk, Janta Nagar, Vardhman Chowk and Police Colony Chowk Jamalpur. — TNS held in which the sponsors, parents, beneficiaries and the manufacturer were present. The start-up head showed each child how to use the wheelchair,” she said while mentioning that the trials evoked a positive response from the CWSN, who were overwhelmed to become independent in mobility. Joshi said each wheelchair had been designed as per the requirement of the individual beneficiary. “Another private bank has committed to sponsor 40 more wheelchairs in the second phase,” she added. Beneficiary dists In the first phase, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Bathinda, Ropar, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Faridkot districts have been covered while rest of the 13 districts in the state will be taken up in the second and subsequent phases. Over 62K CWSN As per official records, there were almost 62,000 children with special needs (CWSN) studying in government schools across the state. What is locomotor disability? Locomotor disability means disability of the bones, joints or muscles leading to substantial restriction of the movement of the limbs or any form of cerebral palsy. The developers NeoBolt was developed by a team, led by Prof Sujatha Srinivasan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Madras, and has been commercialised through a start-up called NeoMotion, which has been co-founded by Prof Srinivasan and a Madras IIT alumni Swostik Sourav Dash, who is the CEO of NeoMotion. of the college but no employee raises his voice against him. My case of senior scale had been pending since 2013 about which I had requested several times to the college authorities but my case has been kept pending deliberately by Dutt, who is dealing the matter. When I spoke to him in December last year, he made baseless accusations against me and used vulgar language which I, as a woman, cannot bear, “ the complainant alleged. — TNS LS elections: Buildings of eight polling stations changed Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 12 The district administration has changed buildings of eight polling stations for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections to facilitate voters. The changed buildings of the polling stations fall in Sahnewal and Ludhiana Central Assembly constituencies. Last evening, chairing a meeting with representatives of various political parties, District-Election Officercum-Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said in Sahnewal, polling stations (104,105,106) at Child Heart Day Boarding School had been shifted to Kartar Convent School, Gali 1, Prince Colony, 33-ft road, Mundia Kalan. Polling stations (207, 208) at Ravidas Dharamshala, Nandpur, have been moved to Government Primary School, Nandpur. In the Ludhiana Central Assembly segment, the polling stations (29, 30) at Government Senior Secondary School (Girls) have been shifted to Government Primary School, Division No 3, and polling station (59) at Senior Citizen Home, near Suhani Building Chowk, has been moved to Khalsa National Higher Secondary school. The DC said the district administration was dutybound to ensure that every voter would be able to exercise their franchise freely. She also sought fulsome support of political parties in conducting the elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
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