21082024-LT-01.qxd 8/21/2024 12:08 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune YEAR ON, BADDOWAL GSSS’ WOES REMAIN UNRESOLVED HAND, FOOT, MOUTH DISEASE SPREADING TENTACLES PHOTO EXHIBITION ON AT PUNJAB KALA BHAWAN Students have to attend classes at 3 different locations, mostly under ‘inhumane’ conditions. P2 Bathinda is seeing an alarming rise in the cases of hand, foot and mouth disease involving children. P3 The three-day exhibition has been organised by The Press Club to mark World Photography Day.P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.57 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:54 AM » WEDNESDAY | 21 AUGUST 2024 | LUDHIANA A-category gangster Sagar Newton arrested from Bijnor Facing 18 cases, he had challenged Ludhiana police on social media Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 20 The Ludhiana police in a joint operation with the Counter Intelligence, Ludhiana, finally arrested A-category gangster Sagar Newton by conducting a raid at Bijnor in UP . The gangster is facing 18 cases, including murder, dacoity, theft and drug smuggling, registered against him in the past. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jaskiranjit Singh, ADCP Amandeep Singh Brar, Inspector, CIA, Rajesh Kumar, Inspector, Counter Intelligence, Bikramjit Singh, and Inspector Davinder Sharma addressed a press conference in this regard at the Police Lines here today. The DCP said in April this year, the gangster, along with his accomplices, had barged into the house of an opponent where they attacked the family, including an elderly woman, Surjit Kaur. She had later died and a murder case was then registered against him and his aides. In the case, the police had arrested the gangster’s wife also. Police personnel address mediapersons in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN JOINED CRIME WORLD AT 17 ■ During interrogation, it has come to light that gangster Sagar Newton, who is 26-year-old, had entered the crime world at the age of 17. From 2017 to 2018, he was lodged at Borstal Jail, here, in two cases of attempt to murder registered against him. ■ After getting bail in 2018, he again sent to the Central Jail, Ludhiana, in a murder case, from where he was shifted to an Amritsar jail. There, he met gangster Butta Khan of Thakkar Khurd village, Sangrur, and joined his gang. ■ After getting bail in March this year, many crimes were committed by Newton in the city. On August 18, the police got a tip-off that Newton was hiding at Bijnor, UP , accordingly, joint teams of the Ludhiana police and Counter Intelligence con- ducted a raid and nabbed the suspect, the DCP said. He also revealed that the gangster had also connection with notorious gangster Butta Khan, alias Bagga Khan, with whom he had been committing heinous crimes. Now, suspects who gave shelter to the gangster are also under scanner of the police and they may face action. During interrogation, it has come to light that Sagar Newton, who is 26-year-old, had entered the crime world at the age of 17. From 2017 to 2018, he was lodged at Borstal Jail, here, in two cases of attempt to murder registered against him. After getting bail in 2018, he again sent to the Central Jail, Ludhiana, in a murder case, from where he was shifted to an Amritsar jail. There, he met another gangster, Butta Khan, alias Bagga Khan, of Thakkar Khurd village, Sangrur district, and joined his gang. After getting bail in March this year, many crimes were carried out in the city by the gangster. He had also challenged the Ludhiana police by posting videos on social media. Though Newton had been playing hide-and-seek with police personnel, he was active on social media. He had several accounts on Instagram where he used to upload videos and photographs frequently. Recently, he posted a video on his social media accounts in which he asked the police to release his wife and he would surrender. He also challenged the Ludhiana police. Taking action against the matter, the then Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal had already alerted the cyber cell to take action against the social media accounts of gangster Newton, following which several social media accounts of the suspect were blocked. IOs should come on time when called, says women panel chief She visits women’s jail, interact with inmates Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 20 Chairperson of the Punjab State Commission for Women Raj Lali Gill presided over a meeting with senior officials of the Police Department at the Police Lines here. She discussed about challenges faced by women and their early resolution with the officials. She said the main objective of the meeting was to protect the rights of women and ensure justice. Talking to mediapersons, Gill said the commission faced some issues from the police side while dealing with cases. In some cases, investigating officers (IOs) of the Punjab Police could not reach the commission on time. They should reach on time and in person so that cases could be disposed of in minimum possible time. She said the matter was also discussed with Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Chahal, who assured full support. She said those cases which could not reach the commission should be counselled here by the police and a complete report should be made and send the same to the commission within the stipulated time period. The chairperson said the Punjab State Women Commission chairperson Raj Lali Gill interacts with cops in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN state government was focused on protecting women’s rights and ensuring justice. During an emergency meeting with police officials here, she said efforts should be made on a large scale to understand challenges faced by women and find effective solutions. Gill said young boys and girls should not be swayed by fake companies which offer hefty salaries to young boys and later make them do illegal work. Recently, the Punjab Police busted fake call centre rackets and many employees of call centres were also arrested. In fact, employees working in these call centres were not aware of the illegal work of the companies as they were not given any job contract or job letter. Later, she visited the women’s jail and interacted with the inmates. Before visiting the prisons, the Chairperson said she would visit women’s jail in the city where she would meet prisoners and enquire if they were getting good medical treatment or not. The commission would also help women inmates who were languishing in jail by putting their cases in the fast track court. She said so far she has visited Amritsar and Ropar women jails and this was her third visit to Ludhiana. Referring to the Amritsar visit, she said there were problems of some elderly women who were under trial for a long time and the commission would provide the required help to them. NGT gives three months’ time to decide about Stray cattle menace continues unabated carcass plant; Cabinet sub-committee formed Authorities cite shortage of space, Manav Mander Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 20 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given three months’ time to the Municipal Corporation and the district administration to decide about the future of the carcass plant located at Rasulpur village, Noorpur Bet. A Cabinet sub-committee has also been formed for the same. Today was the hearing in the NGT regarding the plant. The next hearing is scheduled for November 29 and before that the MC and the administration have to give their final decision about the plant. The three-member sub-committee will now look into the matter to reach upon final conclusion. MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said they were looking for an alternative location and have even visited the industrial hub near Ladhowal where the Punjab Agro Department has about 200 acres. Besides, the dump site on Tajpur Road was another option. The final decision would now be taken by the committee formed by the NGT. Rishi said they had made numerous attempts to start the carcass plant but every time, they faced opposition from villagers. It is the third such plant in the country after Delhi and Jodhpur. While the NGT is pressing upon the MC and the administration to start the plant, they are in a difficult situation due to opposition from the residents. The plant was constructed at a cost of around Rs 7.98 crore under Smart City Project and was supposed to be inaugurated in July 2021 but faced opposition from the residents. However, on January 15 this year, the MC, with the support of administration and police officials, managed to make the plant operational but again faced opposition from the villagers. The plant will help in disposing off/processing cattle carcass to create poultry feed supplements and fertilisers. Balbir Singh, ex-sarpanch of Rasulpur village, said they won’t allow the carcass plant to open here as it poses serious health hazards. “We visited the Jodhpur plant and people staying even 6 km away from it were suffering, though it is a much smaller plant,” he said. It is vital to get the plant operational as the illegal “hadda-rodi” (carcass disposal point) functional on the banks of the Sutlej was polluting the river and had to be closed. Ludhiana, August 20 The problem of stray cattle has been constantly troubling people in the city. Though several drives have been undertaken by the Municipal Corporation (MC) to resolve the issue, it has failed to produce significant results. Cows, bulls and bullocks can be easily seen roaming around on main roads which often lead to accidents. Be it the city side areas like Madhopuri, Shivpuri, Jassian Road or posh localities such as BRS Nagar, Sarabha Nagar or Gurdev Nagar, stray cattle can be seen everywhere. residents raise query over cow cess use Over Rs 20 crore has been collected as cow cess but efforts to solve the problem of stray cattle have proved to be inadequate. Senior officials from the Municipal Corporation cite the shortage of space for sheltering these cows as the main reason why they find themselves helpless in solving the issue. “Shortage of space is a major concern before us. Approximately 2,000 stray cattle have already been relocated to various gaushalas in and around the city and the MC is meeting their daily expenses. We are also planning to construct three more sheds in future and approximately 500 animals will be shifted there,” said an official. “Last year, I met with an accident when a cow came on the road running from nowhere. I fractured my leg and it was a horrific incident. The authorities concerned should do something to locate them as they create a nuisance and pose serious threat to lives,” said Tarun Aggarwal, a city resident. The stray cattle are also a major traffic hazard and ~2.77-crore fine slapped on SPVs running CETPs for violations Action follows reports of effluent discharge into Buddha Nullah, scattered dyeing units to lose MC sewer connections Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 20 In what appears to be the beginning of the sustained campaign against widespread pollution in the Buddha Nullah, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has cracked the whip against the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) running common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) in the city. The state environmental body has slapped a fine of Rs 2.77 crore on the SPVs and has taken a bank guarantee of Rs 1 crore from the company, of which Rs 25 lakh has been encashed for violations. It was submitted by the PPCB before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during the resumed hearing of the ongoing suo motu case pertaining to polluted water running in the Sutlej tributary. In an affidavit submitted before the federal environmen- The CETP on Tajpur Road in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN tal body, a copy of which is with The Tribune, PPCB environmental engineer Kanwaldeep Kaur deposed that the board had imposed environmental compensation of Rs 1.77 crore for violations on the SPV operating the 15-MLD CETP for dyeing units located on Bahadur Ke Road, Rs 75 lakh environmental compensation and secured Rs 1 crore bank guarantee, of which Rs 25 lakh has been encashed from the SPV running 40-MLD CETP for dyeing units located in Focal Point, and another sum of Rs 25 lakh has been imposed as environmental compensation on SPV operating 50-MLD CETP for dyeing units located on Tajpur Road. “For the treatment of wastewater of the dyeing industries, three CETPs with total capacity of 105 MLD have been installed in Ludhiana, with which 211 units have been connected, and the treated wastewater was disposed of in the Buddha Nullah,” she said. Presenting the status of pollution from dyeing units, the PPCB Environmental Engineer revealed that there were about 265 dyeing units operating within the Ludhiana MC limits, which have been broadly categorised into three types — large, scattered, and those connected to CETPs — as per the pollution control standards. Of the total 11 large scale dyeing units, one has adopted zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and one has stopped its wet polluting process while the rest nine units were discharging their treated effluent into the sewer. “The large scale dyeing industries are being monitored by the board regularly and consents up to June 30, 2024, were issued subject to suitable conditions to achieve ZLD,” she revealed while stating that the PPCB has constituted a committee of officers from the board, MC, c m y b PWSSB and CPCB, headed by the Chief Environmental Engineer to examine alternatives available with the industry with regard to allowing discharge into MC sewers. The PPCB affidavit further submitted that 43 scattered dyeing units were of small and medium scale, of which 26 were located in Industrial Area-A, where four units have been permanently closed and two others have been issued directions for closure by the board while the remaining 17 units were operating in various parts of the city. Of these, three units have already adopted ZLD, two have been closed permanently and one unit has shifted to discharge onto land for plantation. “These units have not been granted extension in time beyond March 31, 2023, and directions have been issued by the board to these industries to stop the discharge of effluent into MC sewers,” she said while stating that the MC authorities have also been instructed to disconnect their sewerage connections to prevent illegal effluent discharge into MC sewers. She added that the concept of CETPs was introduced to treat dyeing effluent at single point source resulting in effective treatment and easy regulatory monitoring. “Though CETPs were designed to consolidate and treat dyeing effluent from various dyeing units and have been made operational in the city, many scattered units remain operational that could not connect to CETPs, mainly due to geographic limitations,” the PPCB official said while admitting that though these units were achieving compliance with standards, they were not connected with the centralised treatment system resulting in discharge of treated effluent into MC sewers. “The scattered dyeing units are otherwise achieving the environmental norms and complying with the standards notified by the MoEF&CC. However, the board has issued directions to these units for disconnection with the MC sewers or adoption of ZLD system in the wake of Ludhiana being a critically polluted area,” the PPCB affidavit stated. Pertinently, the PPCB has admitted that the water flowing in the Buddha Nullah was not even fit for irrigation purposes while the CPCB has termed the Sutlej tributary water quality sub-standard. The development assumes significance as the state government has been undertaking an ambitious project to rejuvenate the highly-polluted Buddha Nullah, a seasonal tributary of the Sutlej flowing in Ludhiana, at the cost of whopping Rs 840-crore but the wait to turn the nullah into a clean water body remains unending. this is also posing risk to people driving vehicles, especially two-wheelers. Strict action should be taken against the dairy owners who abandon their cows once they are unable to give milk, said Malliat Singh, a resident of Haibowal. “Microchips should be installed on cows to help identify their owners if they are found abandoned on the roads,” he added. Another resident from Rishi Nagar said the MC had collected huge cow cess but was not using it to handle the menace of stray cattle. It had become a serious concern for people and should be taken care of at the earliest, he added. Man dies of drug overdose, dealer booked Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 20 A man died of drug overdose at Malaud in Khanna. The Malaud police yesterday registered a case against the drug dealer, identified as Jagdeep Singh, alias Jaggu, a resident of Payal. The complainant, Shah Mohd Ali, of Malaud told the police that the deceased, Mohit Goyal, alias Chalie, was his friend whose parents were staying in Canada. Since Mohit was staying along in the house, he started taking drugs. Recently, Mohit took him to Dhamot village where he met a person, Jagdeep Singh, who handed over a pouch of drugs (chitta) to the victim. After consuming the same, he breathed his last, he said. Investigating officer ASI Avatar Singh said after registering a case, further probe was launched in the case.