30052024-LT-01.qxd 5/30/2024 1:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PARASHAR, DELHI ASSEMBLY SPEAKER MEET LAWYERS APARSHAKTI TEAMS UP WITH SAVI KAHLON FOR ZAROOR DEEPIKA TOPS IMDB LIST OF MOST VIEWED INDIAN STARS AAP candidate Ashok Parashar and Delhi Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goyal met lawyers in Ludhiana. P2 The song, penned and composed by Savi, is backed by the soothing vocals of Aparkshakti. P4 The Bollywood actress will soon be seen in Singham Again and Kalki 2898 AD. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 47°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 46°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.18 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:22 AM THURSDAY | 30 MAY 2024 | LUDHIANA INBRIEF 3 ROBBERS LOOT MAN, DAUGHTER AAP govt did not take up issues related Victims affected by 1984 riots not allowed to meet Rahul Gandhi to industry with Centre, says Goyal Allege they were abused, manhandled by police In 2 yrs, it never approached Union Govt for grievances: Minister to bizmen Ludhiana: A man and his daughter were looted by three armed robbers at Hargobind Nagar here. The police registered a case against the three unidentified miscreants and launched a probe. The complainant, Sudharshan Shah, said he runs a dhaba at Hargobind Nagar. On May 27, three persons armed with swords and weapons barged into his eating joint and started beating him up. They looted Rs 7,000 in cash and the mangalsutra of his daughter. It was only after he raised the alarm, the suspects fled the spot and left their Honda Activa scooter outside his dhaba. The police said after registering a case, further investigation was launched. TNS ESIC Hospital staffer, one other nabbed for taking ~25,000 bribe INDIA VOTES 2024 Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 “It is unfortunate that the state government never approached me with any of industry-related issues, which are being highlighted by you (industrialists). In the past two years, the AAPled government never approached the Centre for any of the grievances related to the industry.” These views were expressed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal while addressing a meeting of officials from various departments and the industrialists. He said none came for getting any textile park in Punjab. Issues raised today by all of you (industry) are already in the mind of the Centre and it was working on the redressal of many of them. Taking a dig on West Bengal, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal interacts with industrialists in Ludhiana on Wednesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN Goyal said the government in West Bengal was in competition with the AAP government in Punjab on who would not work for the welfare of the state and the people. The way both governments are working, it seems there is a competition on who will reach the bottom first,” Goyal said. “We are resolving litigations and logistic cost of freight should be minimal and dedicated freight corridors are on the priority list of the Union Government,” he said. He said Modi’s double engine government was the only one capable of doing good for the state. A meeting was held with traders under the chairmanship of district BJP president Rajneesh Dhiman by Union Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the Lok Sabha elections to be held on June 1 in the state. Punjab BJP vice-president Jitendra Mittal, general secretary Anil Sareen, former Union Minister Vijay Sampla and Punjab Trade Cell president Dinesh Sarpal were among those present. In the meeting, the traders informed Goyal about problems being faced by them. They said the Halwara airport near Ludhiana was ready but the government was not starting it. If it would be opened soon, the industry would get a major relief. The businessmen said the garment industry was being set up in every city today and we were lagging behind in competing with Bangladesh. continued on page 2 Ludhiana, May 29 Tension prevailed near the Octroi Post, Ferozepur Road, today when 1984 riot victims, members of the Sikh Katleaam Welfare Society, were stopped by the police while they were on their way to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Mullanpur Dakha, where he had come to address a rally in favour of Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Surjit Singh, the president of the society, said they had not gone to create a ruckus but wanted to ask a few questions from the senior Congress leader as he had come to Mullanpur Dakha to support Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. “But we were abused and manhandled by police personnel. Many senior citizens were accompanying us. They had to bear all this in the scorching heat. We were made to suffer badly and were forcefully stopped at the octroi on Ferozpur Road,” he said. Gurdeep Kaur, a member of the body, said they were going to ask Rahul Gandhi that how could he come to the state to seek votes when his family had done so wrong with Sikhs in 1984. “In June that year, we cannot forget what had happened to our families in Delhi and other places. We have the right to ask what had he done for Sikhs but our voice was suppressed,” she said. The members of the society did not bother about the prevailing heatwave and sat on a dharna against the state government and raised slogans against the Punjab Police. They sat in the sun on the road due to which the traffic was badly hit. “The police personnel came and forcefully removed us from the road and did not bother about the elderly also,” Surjit alleged. — TNS Victims of the 1984 riots hold a protest on the Ferozepur road on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested Sukhbir Singh, posted at ESIC Hospital, Ludhiana, and his companion Navneet Kumar, a resident of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, Ludhiana, for accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000. Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson for the state VB said the suspects were arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Phullanwal village in Ludhiana district. He said the complainant had approached the Vigilance Bureau and stated that he had came to know that posts of laboratory technician on a contractual basis were to be filled at ESIC Hospital, Bharat Nagar Chowk, here. In this regard, he met Sukhbir Singh of the HR branch of the hospital, who asked him to send his documents related to educational continued on page 2 Bittu seeks votes for BJP After Congress rally, supporters left to fast-track development venue with boxes of packaged water Says state has lagged behind while others progressed Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 The BJP candidate from Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, Ravneet Bittu, during his high-voltage poll campaign in various areas, today asserted that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can restore the lost glory of Punjab. He said during his 10-year tenure as PM, Modi had taken the country to new heights. “Just look at our road network, highways and railway stations – while the country is moving on the fast track of development, Punjab is unfortunately lagging behind. This election has given a chance to Punjabis to get together to ensure all 13 seats go to Naren- dra Modi. It will open new avenues for people of Punjab,” Bittu said, adding it was unfortunate that the country was moving forward and Punjab was going backwards. He cited the example of UP where Yogi Adityanath has made the state free of crime and gangsters. On the other hand, ‘jungle raj’ is prevalent in the state with gangsters having a free run. He said while unemployment was on the rise in Punjab, the youths are getting addicted to drugs. The curse of drugs has taken an alarming proportion, which needs to be dealt with an iron hand. Pointing out that Punjab industry is migrating to other states, Bittu said, “Apart from UP , Gujarat and some other states, even our neighbouring Haryana has gone way ahead whereas Punjab owes a debt to the tune of Rs 3.5 lakh crore. It could be reversed and Punjab could well be on the path of progress if people support Modi’s idea of India and his thought of Viksit Bharat (allinclusive development).” Bittu said the BJP was getting a tremendous response in villages of Punjab. The state had tried all parties but successive governments had failed to address the problems of the state and only worked for their own betterment. — TNS Ludhiana, May 29 After the massive election rally of the Congress at Mullanpur Dakha in the sizzling heat, which was attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, people who attended the rally took away hundreds of boxes of packaged drinking water with them. When Rahul left the venue, people reached the place where huge stock of water bottles was kept and left after keeping the same on their shoulders. As people were carrying the boxes, it seemed like they were coming out from some retail outlet after buying things. Irrespective of age or gen- Supporters leave Cong rally venue with bottled water. ASHWANI DHIMAN der, all were seen taking away boxes on their shoulders. “Congress di rally te aye si, pani diyan petian log chuk rahe si, te asi ve chuk litian. Garmi bahut hai ghar kam aa jangian” (We came to take part in the Congress rally, people were taking away boxes of bottled water, hence, we also took some of these. Weather is too hot, so we can Election seizures cross ~36 cr in district, seventh highest in state Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 Seizures of illegal and prohibited material during the ongoing model code of conduct (MCC) for the General Election to the 18th Lok Sabha have crossed Rs 36 crore in Ludhiana district, official figures have revealed. Cash, drugs, liquor, metals, freebies worth ~793 cr seized in state, 4th highest in country The recoveries were affected since March 16 when the Election Commission of India (ECI) had imposed the MCC while announcing the poll schedule in the country. The seizures made in Ludhiana were seventh highest in the state, where the recoveries worth a whopping Rs 793 crore have been made during the past two-and-a-half months of the poll code so far. The recoveries included DC-cum-DEO Sakshi Sawhney conducts a surprise night checking in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO unaccounted cash, liquor, drugs, narcotics, precious metals, freebies and other items, which were illegal and prohibited under the MCC guidelines. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C told The Tribune on Wednesday that various state and Central agencies had seized cash and other prohibited items worth Rs 792.71 crore during the interception of vehicles and people at special election nakas (check-posts) set up across the state between March 16 and May 29. He said Punjab had ranked fourth in the country in terms of the seizures while Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan have stood first, second and third, respectively. Punjab’s national ranking has gone up from fifth in April to fourth in May. Sibin said the maximum seizure amounting to Rs 552.28 crore was made by the state c m y b police, followed by Rs 79.28 crore worth recoveries by the Border Security Force (BSF), Rs 21.42 crore by the Income Tax Department, Rs 12.15 crore by the state Excise Department, Rs 5.3 crore by state Goods and Services Tax/ Commercial Tax Department, Rs 5.59 crore by the Customs Department and Rs 15.63 crore by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in different parts of the state. The district-wise seizures showed that Amritsar topped the state with the highest recoveries worth Rs 152.51 crore, followed by Jalandhar Rs 149.18 crore, Gurdaspur Rs 114.28 crore, Tarn Taran Rs 89.27 crore, Fazilka Rs 71.3 crore, Ferozepur Rs 65.7 crore. Among other districts, Ludhiana logged recoveries amounting to Rs 36.28 crore, Kapurthala Rs 8.43 crore, Hoshiarpur Rs 6.18 crore, Nawanshahr Rs 1.67 crore, Ropar Rs 1.98 crore, Mohali Rs 9.08 crore, Fatehgarh Sahib Rs 1.27 crore, Moga Rs 8.1 crore, Muktsar Rs 3.22 crore, Faridkot Rs 1.91 crore, Bathinda Rs 7.36 crore, Mansa Rs 1.82 crore, Sangrur Rs 12.59 crore, Barnala Rs 7.31 crore, Patiala Rs 9.83 crore, Pathankot Rs 21.43 crore and Malerkotla district seized cash and other material amounting to Rs 11.94 crore during the past over two months. “In an endeavour to preserve the sanctity of the poll process, enforcement agencies in the state have conducted extensive operations, resulting in confiscation of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies valued at Rs 604.09 crore since the implementation of the MCC for the LS poll,” the CEO said. He said the seizures comprised cash amounting to Rs 22.71 crore, liquor valued at Rs 26.39 crore, drugs worth Rs 712.48 crore, precious metals amounting to Rs 23.85 crore, different types of freebies valued at Rs 7.17 crore, and other items worth Rs 11.16 lakh. He said 24 enforcement agencies from the Centre and State were actively operating 24x7 in the state to check any illegal activity and smuggling of prohibited commodities during the ongoing poll code. Sibin reiterated the commitment to ensure the conduct of fair, fair, peaceful, smooth, and transparent elections in the state, while strictly adhering to the directives of the ECI. He underscored the tireless efforts of all personnel involved in the election process while upholding democratic principles. Unified dedicated service, says CEO “Our entire electoral staff is putting in unified dedicated service to ensure fair, smooth, peaceful and transparent elections in the state while following directives of the ECI. Besides the critical significance of integrity and transparency throughout the electoral process, we are ensuring unwavering diligence of the entire poll machinery, which remains resolute in their pledge to uphold democratic principles and maintain the electorate’s trust.” Sibin C, CEO, Punjab. use the same at home), said an elderly man, who was taking two boxes of packaged water on his shoulder. Another man said there was no arrangement of tea or lunch in the rally and despite that he came all the way from Jagraon to see Rahul Gandhi. If nothing else, they got free packaged water to take home. A woman, who was carrying one box of packaged water, said: “It was only a box of drinking water not whisky. What’s bad if people are taking the same. The Congress has given us these boxes free of cost. Now, we will vote for the party,” she chuckled while replying to a query.” Boost for Warring as BJP’s Tajpuri joins Cong Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 29 In a further boost to Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s campaign in Ludhiana, BJP leader Satinderpal Singh Tajpuri joined the Congress. He was inducted into the party by the Punjab incharge of the party Devinder Yadav and Warring here today. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Tajpuri, who contested as a BJP candidate from Ludhiana South, was the runnerup who lost to the Aam Aadmi Party candidate. Tajpuri belongs to a prominent political family of Ludhiana. His father Jagdev Singh Tajpuri was a cabinet minister in the Punjab Government. Welcoming him to the party, Yadav said it would further boost party’s prospects in the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency and increase the victory margin.