09082024-LT-01.qxd 8/8/2024 11:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune LUDHIANA, FEROZEPUR EVES SECURE BERTHS IN FINAL CHOKED SEWERAGE POSES RISK OF DISEASE IN FEROZEPUR HINDI REMAKES OF POPULAR FILMS CONTINUE UNABATED Ludhiana score a 20-6 win over Kapurthala in a semi-final match of sub-junior baseball tourney. P2 The choked sewerage system has forced the residents of Ferozepur city to go through ‘nightmarish’ conditions.P3 Despite some not going down well with the audiences, Hindi remakes of popular films continue unabated. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.09 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:47 AM » FRIDAY | 9 AUGUST 2024 | LUDHIANA Working of sweeping machines comes under scanner, city to get 5 more soon Conduct investigation, MLA Gogi asks civic body Commissioner Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 The city is all set to get five more sweeping machines but before these could reach the city (taking the total number of machines to 10 ) the working of the existing machines has hit the rocks. The working of the five sweeping machines have come under scanner and MLA Gurpeeet Gogi has raised questions over the allocation of 100 litres of diesel per day and he said seeing the low usage of these machines, it is estimated that these run for only 20 km a day. Gogi has asked MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi to conduct a probe in this regard. Currently, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has five sweeping machines. One was given under the Mechanical sweeping is being taken up on the directions of the National Green Tribunal to curb air pollution in the city. FILE NOW, MC HAS FIVE MACHINES At present, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has five sweeping machines. One was given under the Swachh Bharat Mission, four under the National Clean Air Programme and five more are expected to reach the city under the clean air programme. Swachh Bharat Mission, four under the National Clean Air Programme and five more are expected to reach the city under the clean air programme. Mechanical sweeping is being taken up on the directions of the National Green Tribunal to curb air pollution in the city. It is done at night around 10 pm-10:30 pm when traffic on roads is less. It is preferred as manual sweeping results in emission of dust particles in the air. Raising questions over the working of the machines, Gogi said he had serious doubts in the functioning of the sweeping machines. “There are five sweeping machines for the city and each machine is allotted a quota of 100 litres of diesel per day while the machine does not even cover 20 km a day. Besides, not all machines are working regularly and doing sweeping work at night as they are required to do,” he said. MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the machines were given diesel LIT removes encroachments on Tajpur Road Encroachments being removed on Tajpur Road. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, August 8 The Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) today carried out a demolition drive on Tajpur Road to clear encroachments done by shopkeepers and jhuggi dwellers. Chairman of the Trust Tarsem Singh Bhinder said earlier also, notices were given to the dwellers and shopkeepers to clear the place but to no avail. Left with no other option, they had to carried a demolition drive today. The demolition drive was carried with the help of different departments such as Police, Health and Fire Brigade. Bhinder said more drives would be carried out in coming days as well to get encroachments removed and action was also being initiated against those who had illegal possession of Trust’s properties. — TNS Minister reviews devp works in dist Ludhiana, August 8 Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak conducted a review of development works and the implementation of various schemes in the district on Thursday. He chaired a meeting with MLAs and heads of government departments here. During the meeting, the minister emphasised sincere efforts being made to make Ludhiana clean, green, and pollution-free. He said 90 per cent of the target of planting 19 lakh saplings in Ludhiana district this monsoon had Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak with MLAs and other officials in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN already been achieved. Kataruchak also encouraged people to plant saplings, stating that it was everyone’s duty to protect the environment. Accompanied by MLAs Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, Daljit Singh Grewal, Madan Lal Bagga, Ashok Parashar Pappi, Hardeep Singh Mundian, Kul- want Singh Sidhu and others, the minister also commended the Education Department for increased admissions in government schools, with nearly 15,000 new admissions witnessed this year in both primary and secondary schools. In addition, Kataruchak, who is also the in-charge of the district, also took stock of the implementation of the Budha Dariya Rejuvenation project, Smart City works, as well as schemes and projects related to health and education, PSPCL, Sewerage Board, Food Supply and the Forest Departments, among others. — TNS on an hourly basis and since it was a powerful machine with two engines, it consumes approximately 10 litres of petrol in a hour. “All these machines are GPS enabled and strict vigil is being maintained on their movement and the area covered by them. I have asked Additional Commissioner to keep a close watch on the machines and the area they covered, so that there is no pilferage of diesel,” the MC Commissioner said. He said soon, five more machines would be bought under the National Clean Air Programme and with that all major city areas would come under mechanical sweeping and it would help bring down the PM10 level. Mechanical sweeping was introduced in the city as manual sweeping leads to heavy dust flow. SGPC poll duty: Teachers meet ADC, DEOs Ludhiana, August 8 Today, a delegation of Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), Ludhiana, led by district president Daljit Singh Samrala and district secretary Harjit Singh Samtar visited the ADC office regarding duty of BLOs. The delegation met Major Amit Sarin, ADC, and he was told that the duty of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections was earlier assigned to patwaris, which is now being tried to be imposed on teachers. Besides, after school duty, teachers are being forced to perform additional burdensome task of updating of voter lists and even they are being forced to accomplish the same on Sunday and holidays. It demanded that the teachers should be freed from all such duties to make quality educational environment in schools. Samrala said they were given a patient hearing and were assured that they would not be put on the election duties. The members also met both DEOs—Secondary and Primary told them problems being faced by the teachers as many of them had not got their salaries. — TNS Contamination of the Buddha Nullah has become a major issue yet again. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Dyeing units shut for two days, industry suffers Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 Dyeing units in Ludhiana are shut for two days — today and tomorrow — on orders issued by the district administration as samples are to be collected from the Buddha Nullah for submitting a report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by August 14. About 320 dyeing units will not be operational for the two days. It has cast a shadow on the ancillary industries as manufacturers feel that if the cloth was not dyed, the orders will be delayed as the entire chain gets disturbed. Talking to The Tribune, Bobby Jindal from the Punjab Dyers Association said Samples to be collected from Buddha Nullah, NGT to get report by Aug 14 the entire dyeing industry had installed Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) to treat water. The scattered dyeing units are the culprit, having no CETP plant, and putting the entire pollutants into the MC sewerage directly. “Action should be taken against the scattered units which may not be over 30-35. But for a few, we all are suffering and bearing losses as today and tomorrow, there will be no work in the factories,” said Jindal. Another dyeing unit owner in Focal Point said samples would be collected from the Buddha Nullah for two days to check if there was any change on days when dyeing units were not discharging waste into sewers or into any CETP plants. “We accommodate every time but because of a few black sheep, we too are made to suffer,” rued an industrialist. Contamination of the Buddha Nullah has become a major issue again as many social organisations, environmentalists and celebrities have joined hands to address the issue. Because of the problem, the entire belt which water bodies pass through, suffers from some disease or the other. 3 minors go missing in two incidents Three held with opium, heroin son(s) under Section 127 (6) of the BNS. In another incident, the mother of a 16-year-old girl complained that her daughter left the house on the intervening night of August 4 and 5 without telling anyone and did not return since then. Her mother suspects that Vivek, alias Vicky, had abducted her daughter on the pretext of getting married to her. The suspect was absconding and the police were looking into the matter. The complainant is a resident of Mohalla Fattehgarh, near Gandhi Market. Ludhiana, August 8 In two incidents, the police have seized drugs from three persons. The Moti Nagar police have arrested Ashok Kumar of Samba, J&K and Rajinder Singh of Kakowal on a tipoff. The police seized 55 kg of opium from their custody along with the truck, in which the suspects were travelling in with the drug to sell it. In the other incident, 15 gm of heroin was seized from Sudhir Kumar of Gurmel Park, Tibba Road. Sudhir was arrested and taken on police remand. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 The Daresi police have registered a missing case on the complaint filed by Rahul Kumar, a resident of Mohalla Sekhewal. The father of 6-year-old Ankush, Rahul Kumar, said his son had gone out with his 10year-old friend Devinder Singh on July 6 but they did not return home. After searching all over, they failed to find them. He alleged that someone might have abducted the children. The case is registered against unidentified per- Tribune News Service Gurman’s kin hope for justice, seek accountability BKU (Kadian) seeks White Paper Seven-year-old boy was killed when his school bus rammed into a tree in Jagraon SAMPLES OF SUB-STANDARD DAP FERTILISER FAILING TEST Tribune News Service Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 Law will take its own course to provide justice to seven-year-old Gurman Singh, who lost his life in a school bus mishap in Jagraon on Tuesday. The Jagraon police had arrested four persons, Supriya Khurana, principal, Sanmati Vimal Jain Senior Secondary School, Jagraon, Ramesh Kumar Jain and Mahavir Jain, members of the management committee, and driver Chamkaur Singh, on Wednesday evening but since charges framed against them were bailable in the case, they were released on bail after some time. FOUR NABBED, RELEASED LATER The Jagraon police had arrested four persons, Supriya Khurana, principal, Sanmati Vimal Jain Senior Secondary School, Jagraon, Ramesh Kumar Jain and Mahavir Jain, members of the management committee, and driver Chamkaur Singh, on Wednesday evening but since charges framed against them were bailable in the case, they were released on bail after some time. Satnam Singh, up, she lose her father of the control and deceased, told The screams. I don’t Tribune that his son know whom I was the apple of his should hold eye. “He was a diaaccountable for mond, loving and the tragedy but I affectionate. My life have lost my is shattered. And you gem,” Satnam cannot imagine what Gurman, the deceased said in a choked his mother is going voice,” he said. through after losing the child. Jagraon SHO Amritpal The woman had been given Singh said in an accident injections as when she gets case, sections are bailable. Hence, all four suspects were released after getting bail. He said blood and urine samples of the driver, Chamkaur Singh, were sent to Kharar for testing and the reports would be available after some time. Only after the arrival of the reports, we will be able to comment whether the driver was intoxicated or not,” the SHO said. However, the victim’s father said: “What kind of system is this. I have lost my child and I cannot hold anyone accountable for it? I can’t imagine sending my child to his school for the last time. The school bus collided with a tree and took the life of my beloved son.” He said he would talk to the c m y b entire family and residents of the village when things will be settled. “My only effort would be to hold someone accountable for the mishap so that no other parents could lose their children in such fatal accidents. The police booked some persons who were released after sometime due to non-bailable charges. Try to be in my shoes for a while, it is a lifelong trauma for my entire family.”, said Satnam. This accident occurred on Tuesday morning when the school bus rammed into a tree. The seven-year-old boy lost his life while five other students, including Gurman’s brother, suffered injuries in the mishap. Ludhiana, August 8 A meeting of Bharti Kisan Union (Kadian) was held here today under the presidentship of Harmeet Singh Kadian. Addressing the meeting, Kadian said substandard diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser given by the government to farmers clearly shows the government’s attitude towards farmers. Addressing the meeting here today, he said 60 per cent of the samples of the fertiliser supplied by two companies in March and April failed the test and the government should release a White Paper on the issue and make things clear before the public. A leader addresses a farmers' meeting in Ludhiana. INDERJEET VERMA “Farmers who have to bear losses due to DAP and attack of pink bollworm on cotton crop should be given Rs 10,000 per acre of compensation,” he said. He said for the past 20 days, the forecast being telecast on television predicts rain but rainfall was not occurring and they doubt, it was also being done in connivance with the government. The PSPCL should issue orders to give 10 hours of uninterrupted power supply till it rains.