15042024-LT-01.qxd 4/15/2024 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PAWAN TINU’S ENTRY LIKELY TO PEP UP FLAILING AAP VIDYA SHARES MANTRA FOR SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN MAKERS’ TICKET DEAL Gloom within AAP in Jalandhar has been changed to cheer with joining of SAD leader Pawan Tinu into party. P3 Vidya Balan, who is gearing up for her upcoming film Do Aur Do Pyaar, revealed mantra to her successful marriage.P4 To make the film more accessible to larger audience, the makers have come up with a new ticket deal. P4 » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 27°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 20°C SUNSET MONDAY 6:50 PM » SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:54 AM MONDAY | 15 APRIL 2024 | LUDHIANA seek action to prevent sewer Three-year-old girl diesas Residentsin upcoming rainy season overflow fire breaks out in house PANJ PEER ROAD Harshraj Singh Child of labourers, she was alone as parents were away for work Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 14 Despite repeated demands of residents, no permanent solution has been found to deal with overflowing sewers during rainy days on Panj Peer Road, here. The main sewer line overflows frequently on the road during heavy rainfall, moderate showers or even after brief spells of rain, residents said. During the past many rainy seasons, residents had to face difficulties due to rainwater mixed with stinking sewage accumulating on the road for hours. With two-and-a-half months remaining till the upcoming rainy season, residents express frustration that no concrete measures had been taken to prevent the main sewer line from overflowing during rainy days. Currently, a drainage line is being installed on the road to connect dairies with an underconstruction effluent treatment plant at Haibowal. However, residents are also demanding that the Municipal Corporation should take speedy action to prevent sewer overflow during rainy days. A large main sewerage pipeline passing beneath the road carries sewage water Tribune News Service Neetu, the deceased. EXACT CAUSE NOT KNOWN SO FAR A fire official said it was learnt that the girl had a burn injury on her leg while she reportedly died due to suffocation. Firefighters took around two-and-a-half hours to douse the flames. However, the exact cause of the fire was not ascertained so far. rushed to the spot. The victim had already been taken to a hospital before the arrival of the firefighters but she did not survive, he said. The fire official said it was learnt that the girl had a burn injury on her leg while she reportedly died due to suffocation. The firefighters took around two-and-a-half hours to douse the flames. However, the exact cause of the fire was not ascertained so far. Never- A fireman douses the flames at the house where the fire broke out on Pakhowal Road. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN theless, some material was found melted on the top of the gas cylinder, he added. The incident has also left residents staying in the neighbourhood in a state of shock. A resident of the locality said he initially saw the fire brigade passing through their street but was unaware of such a tragedy then. Later, he also rushed to the spot. He said a neighbour of the 14 booked for selling plots ‘fraudulently’ Ludhiana, April 14 A suspected major scam has been uncovered involving the ‘fraudulent’ sale of plots on land belonging to ‘Loh langar’ in the Lohara area of the city. So far, 14 individuals, including a former councillor’s father-inlaw, have been booked for allegedly selling plots by illegally developing a colony on the ‘Loh langar’ land. The complaint was filed by a group of residents of New Mandeep Colony, Lohara, in May last year but the police registered the FIR on Saturday. The suspects have been identified as Iqbal Singh, Avtar Singh, Nirmal Singh SS, Guljinder Singh, Gurnam Singh, Daljit Singh Jhajj, Jasminder Singh, Jasvir Singh, Simranjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Kuljeet Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Parveen Kumar Gupta, and Varinder Kumar Ohri. They have not been arrested so far. Further police investigation in the matter is underway. Kuldeep Kumar Tiwari, along with a group of other residents of New Mandeep Colony, Lohara, alleged that people purchased plots of various sizes, measuring up to 200 sq yards, in the colony developed on 16 acres in 2019. Approximately 150 houses and about 15 shops have been constructed on the land. A scam worth crores of rupees has been committed against the people, as the suspects fraudulently sold them plots, he said. The complainants alleged that people had purchased plots from the suspects, including Avtar and Nirmal. Later, they had received registries in their names. It took nearly 11 months for the registration of the FIR, and even one of the major suspect’s name was not in the FIR. The complainants said they had possession of the plots but the Municipal Corporation and tehsildar concerned displayed a notice board in the area on May 17, 2023, stating that the land belongs to ‘Loh Langar’ and ‘mahants’ and plots on it could not be sold. Questions are also arising that as to why the then government officials did not prevent the suspects from selling plots to the people in 2019. They alleged that the suspects committed a fraud by selling plots on the land, violating rules set by the state government. The residents are demanding justice from the government. Many people belong to UP Bihar, and other states , who purchased plots in the colony developed on the ‘loh langar’ land by the suspects. The affected people are seeking justice as they invested their lifetime savings to purchase plots in the colony. Investigating officer Gurdeep Singh stated that the probe into the matter was ongoing. A case has been filed under various sections of the IPC and the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (PAPR) Act. — TNS victim raised the alarm after seeing flames coming out of the house. The door was then unlocked and the girl was taken out. Unfortunately, she did not survive. ASI Balbir Singh, who reached the spot after receiving information, said the girl was alone at home at the time of the tragedy and she girl died of suffocation. Her parents used to leave the house for work in the morning. The Barewal drain remains clogged due to dumping of cow dung in absence of any checks. ASHWANI DHIMAN UPGRADED MACHINERY TO IMPROVE SITUATION MC sub-divisional officer Arjun Sikka expressed hope that the problem of overflowing sewage during rainy days would decrease this year due to the upgraded machinery at the STP, Balloke. The work was underway to clean the Barewal drain. from areas such as Gill Road, Dugri and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, connecting to the Balloke Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP). During rainy days, the flow of sewage in the main line becomes excessively high, often leading to overflow on Panj Peer Road. Previously, a channel was constructed to drain rainwater and overflowing sewage into the nearby Barewal drain. However, the drain usually remains clogged due to the unchecked dumping of cow dung by several dairy units. Dinesh Kalra of Panj Peer Road said the issue of overflowing sewers during rainy days had not been resolved despite passing of years. He said a super suction machine was deployed a few years ago but the main sewerage line was not adequately cleaned. Though a drainage line and channel were constructed to drain water into the Barewal drain, the problem of overflowing sewers during rainy days remains unresolved. Kalra emphasised the urgent need for thorough cleaning of the main sewer line and necessary measures to pre- Tribune Reporters Ludhiana, April 14 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney said today that exercising right to vote and massive participation in the electoral process would be a real tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar. Paying rich tributes to architect of the Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar, on his birth anniversary, Sawhney said Dr Ambedkar was a great visionary, legendary statesman and social reformer and wanted a democratic India having social and economic equality. She said these principles were associated with the right to vote. “We need to translate his philosophy and ideology into reality and it was our foremost duty to exercise the right to vote ethically and judiciously,” she said. Pays homage to social reformer on his birth anniversary A motorcycle rally being taken out to mark the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar in Ludhiana. While exhorting all sections of society, especially the youth, to exercise their franchise on June 1, Sawhney said the aspirations of the social reformer could only become a reali- ty if we all participate in the democratic process enthusiastically. The Deputy Commissionersaid Baba Saheb was a farsighted leader who worked tirelessly for the well-being of weaker sections of society. Cong remembers architect of Constitution The 134th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar was cele- AAP doesn’t practice what it preaches, says Bittu MCoperationalises static INDIA VOTES 2024 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 14 Calling Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a ‘luxury king’, the BJP candidate for the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, Ravneet Singh Bittu, said today that his party had deviated from every promise it made to the people of the country from Ramlila Maidan during the Anna Hazare movement. Bittu said on the one hand, the party “strongly objected” to the VIP cul- ture, and on the other, Kejriwal led a lavish life. Amenities such as swimming pool, tennis courts, imported curtains and expensive artefacts were available in his ~43-crore bungalow while facilities such as chartered planes, costly revitalising sessions and trips abroad were being availed by the person who claimed to be the “muffler man,” said the BJP leader. Asking for the resignation of Kejriwal from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi, Bittu said he was in Tihar jail and no official file about the working of his government can reach him. In this kind of situation, the people of Delhi will suffer because their projects and ongoing works would be WANTS KEJRIWAL TO RESIGN AS DELHI CM Asking for the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal from the post of Delhi CM, BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu said he was in Tihar jail and no official file about the working of his government can reach the AAP leader. In such a situation, the people of Delhi will suffer because their projects and ongoing works would be stalled, he pointed out. stalled, he pointed out. Bittu said to top all this, the Delhi liquor scam worth Rs 9,000 crore had surfaced. “The ED claimed that the policy caused Rs 2,800 crore loss to the government,” he said. He also pointed out that AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s name also figures in a supplementary charge sheet as he was alleged to have been present in a meeting at Kejriwal’s home along with some officials from vent sewer overflow in the coming rainy season. A shopkeeper on Panj Peer Road said: “Residents and shopkeepers along Panj Peer Road have been suffering for over a decade, yet no permanent solution has been found. On numerous occasions, within minutes of rainfall, the road had transformed into a flooded area with foul-smelling black water. The government must take necessary action to prevent such situations in future.” MC sub-divisional officer Arjun Sikka expressed hope that the problem of overflowing sewage during rainy days would decrease this year due to the upgraded machinery at the STP Balloke. , The official said the work was underway to clean the Barewal drain. Exercising right to vote real tribute to Ambedkar: DC INDERJEET VERMA Ludhiana, April 14 In a tragic fire incident that occurred at a house in Green Avenue near Dad village on Pakhowal Road, here, a three-year-old girl lost her life on Sunday. The actual cause of the fire was yet to be confirmed but it is suspected that the incident might had occurred after an LPG cylinder caught fire. The deceased has been identified as Neetu. According to the police, she died of suffocation. Her parents were not at home when the incident occurred on the first floor of the house. As per information, the girl’s parents are labourers and had gone to their workplace at the time of the incident. The child was inside the house while the door was allegedly locked from outside. After receiving information, a team of fire personnel and police officials reached the spot. An official from the fire station on Gill Road, Ludhiana, said they received information about the incident around 11:51 am after which two fire tenders were Punjab. Today, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, K Kavita and many others are behind the bars. Even Sanjay Singh just came out on bail. Similarly, the Delhi Jal Board scam is also under investigation,” the BJP candidate alleged. Bittu said Punjab had failed in every sphere in the past two years of the AAP rule. Even Rajya Sabha seats were given to ‘money bags’ that funded the elections and foreign c m y b trips, alleged Bittu, saying this was the most corrupt government in Punjab so far. Law and order in the state is worsening, kidnapping, extortion, daylight murders, robberies and snatchings are now the new normal. The Nangal shootout is a glaring example even as the Chief Minister is in Assam, he said. Talking about the condition of trade and industry, the BJP leader said the industry was shifting from Punjab to other states while the Chief Minister was making false claims. After Delhi, now it’s the turn of Punjab as the excise policy has its footprints in the state also, he said while warning that nobody would be spared. compactors at Field Ganj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 14 The Municipal Corporation has operationalised its static compactor site in the Field Ganj area, near Division number 2 police station, on Saturday. MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi inspected the working of the static compactors at the site. He said the Municipal Corporation had already made one static compactor site operational at the rear side of the Civil Hospital, near Christian Dental College, and the second compactor system had been made operational in Field Ganj (opposite the Civil Hospital) on Saturday. Another site at Khwaja Kothi chowk (near Division number 3) would also be made operational on Monday (April 15). He said it would help the Municipal Corporation in removing the open garbage dump site at the rear side of the Civil Hospital as the garbage would now be dumped at the compactor site. After the removal of the open dump from the site, there would be no foul smell in the area and it would also prove beneficial in tackling the rat menace around the hospital, he said. brated by the district wing of the Congress at Ambedkar Chowk, Jalandhar Bypass here on Sunday. Floral tributes were paid and laddoos were distributed to mark the occasion. Sanjay Talwar, president, district Congress committee, speaking on the occasion said: “Dr Ambedkar was an outstanding leader of our freedom struggle and a staunch crusader for the rights of the downtrodden and traditionally disadvantaged sections of our society.” Dr Ambedkar’s philosophy and life were an symbol of courage and conviction and he exhorted the youth to follow the path shown by him, he said. He appealed to the people to contribute to the creation of an ideal society by following principles of equality and freedom, which was Dr Ambedkar’s dream. Activities to mark fire safety week begin in city Ludhiana, April 14 With focus on spreading awareness among residents regarding fire safety, the Fire Brigade wing of the Municipal Corporation commenced a week-long ‘Fire Safety Week’ in the city on Sunday. On the first day, the fire brigade organised an awareness rally in the city. The rally was organised on the theme ‘Ensure Fire Safety, Contribute Towards Nationbuilding’. It covered different parts of the city, including the Railway Station road, Ghumar Mandi, Sarabha Nagar, Gill Road. Fire brigade staffers also paid tribute to fire fighters who lost their lives in the line of duty by observing twominute silence. — TNS