17092024-LT-01.qxd 9/17/2024 12:12 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune DEVOTEES THRONG GUGA MARI FOR MELA CHHAPAR ON ROADS FOR WEEKS, ABOHAR SAFAI SEWAKS YET TO GET PAY SHOGUN LEADS THE EMMY PACK WITH 18 AWARDS The fair, devoted to Nag Devta — the snake god, is one of the largest rural gathering in North India P2 Thet took out a rally as their strike entered its second week, protesting the non-payment of salaries. P3 The Bear stands second with 11, while Hacks wins Best Comedy Series Award. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.25 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:09 AM » TUESDAY | 17 SEPTEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA PPCB issues notices to 50 industrial units for polluting Buddha Nullah Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 There is no end to pollution in the Buddha Nullah despite the fact that crores of rupees have already been spent on its cleaning in the past over two decades. In a recent development, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has issued about 50 fresh notices to industrial units which have been directly putting untreated water into the nullah through MC’s sewerage lines. Many of these industries will even be facing snapping of power lines in coming days. These notices were issued following alarming reports of samples taken from the nullah from different points. The reports reveal that deadly chemicals were still being discharged into the water body by several industrial units through the sewerage pipes of the civic body. Talking to The Tribune, PPCB Chief Engineer No end to pollution in Buddha Nullah despite spending crores of rupees on its cleaning. INDERJEET VERMA ‘DEADLY CHEMICALS’ STILL BEING DISCHARGED The notices were issued following alarming reports of samples taken from the Buddha Nullah from different points. The reports reveal that deadly chemicals were still being discharged into the water body by several industrial units through the sewerage pipes of the civic body. Pradeep Gupta said many industrial units were found discharging untreated water into the Buddha Nullah and they were sent fresh notices by the department. Even power connections of many violators would be snapped. Mobile tower catches fire Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 A mobile tower caught fire at Partap Chowk here on Monday afternoon. After the blaze started from the transformer, it spread to the entire tower. The incident caused a panic among local residents. After getting information, fire personnel reached the scene and controlled the fire after some time. As per information, a mobile company’s tower was installed on top of a private building. The cause of the fire was stated to be a short-circuit. Ravi, the owner of the building on which the tower was installed, said he informed the Fire Department after he got to know about the incident. Later, two fire brigade vehicles reached the scene and controlled the situation. A short-circuit might be the cause of fire, he said. The building owner said there was no loss of life due Smoke billows out of the mobile tower that caught fire in Ludhiana. to the fire but the tower equipment and the building faced damages. Meanwhile, in another fire incident, a LPG gas cylinder caught fire in Chandar Nagar on Mon- day. The fire brigade was informed, following which a fire tender reached the scene. Fire personnel controlled the blaze and prevented the cylinder from exploding. A Rs 650-crore project also did not help much to clean the nullah. Teams of the Municipal Corporation along with the PPCB had conducted a survey in which it was found that the industry in Ludhiana, big and small ones, were discharging untreated water into the nullah. These mainly included dyeing units, washing units and dry cleaning units. These factories were illegally putting chemical-laced water into the nullah. Many of the industries had been running without any treatment plant. The PPCB and the MC are also collecting their records and in severe violations, it is recommended to cut their sewerage and water connections. The PPCB is also keeping an eye on industries/shops which are degrading the environment by putting pollutants into the water body and action will be taken against them under the Environment Act. Every time when the issue of pollution in the Buddha Nullah is raised, a blame game begins in which industries try to put blame on each other to save their skin. Even after installing CETPs and STPs, there has been no respite from the menace and the nullah continues to flow with polluted water, putting precious lives in danger. Dengue prevention: Mosquito larvae found in two sites in city Ludhiana, September 16 Under the anti-larvae campaign, special inspections were conducted for dengue prevention. A special inspection was carried out by the anti-larvae team at the Railway Diesel Shed and tyre market. During the drive, three larvae were found in the canteen of the Diesel Shed hostel. Of the 20 coolers inspected in the Diesel Shed, larvae were found in 14 coolers. Additionally, 480 containers were inspected and larvae were found in 42 containers. In the tyre market, 1,448 tyres and containers were inspected, with the team visiting 162 shops, and larvae were found in four tyres. Civil Surgeon Pardeep Mohindra said dengue was a viral disease spread by the bite of aedes aegypti mosquito. It breeds in stagnant clean water and bites during morning or evening hours. Symptoms of the disease include high fever, headache, muscle pain and fatigue. To prevent the disease, he advised keeping areas with stagnant clean water clean, avoiding storing water in the Health Department officials during an inspection at the Railway Diesel Shed in Ludhiana. house — in coolers, tanks, flower vases, etc., and regularly cleaning surroundings. He also recommended to wear long-sleeved clothing and use mosquito repellents. If dengue symptoms appear, consult a nearby doctor or hospital. The Civil Surgeon has appealed to the public to ensure a clean environment and contribute to dengue prevention with the support of the anti-larvae team. Epidemiologist Sheetal Narang, assistant malaria officer Dalbir Singh, health inspector Satinder Singh and multipurpose health worker Altaf Suleman were among those present. — TNS Dachalwal assumes charge as MC chief Mystery shrouds migrant worker’s death at bus stand Fixes ‘100-day targets’ for branches to improve sanitation, public services Ludhiana, September 16 A migrant worker died under mysterious circumstances at the bus stand here on Monday. The victim was going to his village. When he reached the bus stand, some employees of a private bus forced him to sit in a particular bus and demanded money for the ticket. When the worker refused, the suspects reportedly indulged in arguments during which the victim fell unconscious and breathed his last. On getting information, the victim’s colleagues reached the spot. They expressed anger and demanded action against the suspects. Meanwhile, the police claimed that his death was caused due to heart attack and they would investigate the matter. A CCTV footage of the incident has also surfaced in which the victim was seen running away in fear from the employees of the private bus but the latter chased him and asked him to get a bus due to which he fell on the road and died. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 Aaditya Dachalwal today took charge as MC Commissioner, Ludhiana. Soon after assuming the charge at the MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar here, the newly appointed MC chief conducted a meeting with officials of various branches of the civic body and directed them to fix ‘100day targets’ to improve sanitation, delivery of public services, recovery of dues, etc. Previously posted as the MC Commissioner in Patiala, Dachalwal said he had also served as Additional Commissioner in the Ludhiana civic body in the past. Hence, he is aware of major issues concerning the city. He reiterated the commitment of the state government for the overall development with transparency and efficiency. The MC chief said solid waste man- MC chief Aaditya Dachalwal being welcomed by officials at Zone D office in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN agement, recovery of dues, improved and hassle-free public services, expediting development works, Buddha Nullah rejuvenation and 24x7 canal-based water supply project were among priority areas and rigorous efforts would be made to improve the situation at the ground level. Meanwhile, Dachalwal appealed to residents to support the authorities in keeping the city clean and improving solid waste management by handing over segregated dry and wet waste to garbage collectors. He also urged them to pay their taxes in time as collected funds were used for providing basic amenities to residents and taking up development works in the city. Earlier, the MC Commissioner was welcomed by senior officials of the civic body, including Additional Com- missioner Paramdeep Singh, Joint Commissioners Inderpal and Chetan Bunger, Assistant Commissioners Neeraj Jain, Jasdev Singh Sekhon and Gurpal Singh, Superintending Engineers (SE) Ravinder Garg, Sanjay Kanwar, Ranjit Singh and Parveen Singla. The MC Employees’ Union and the Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee, led by its chairman Ashwani Sahota, also welcomed him. Retired govt officer looted by man, house break-in at night 2 agents booked for Nikhil Bhardwaj DUPED OF GOLD ORNAMENTS, ATM CARD Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 A retired manager of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, along with his wife, was looted of valuables worth lakhs by an unidentified person. The suspect allegedly made the couple smell something after which they fell unconscious. When the regained his senses, he found that valuables were stolen by the miscreant. The complainant, Inderpal Singh, a resident of the link road area, Mandi Mullanpur, told the police that he stays with his wife Khushwinder Kaur in the house. On September 13 around 10 am, an unidentified person came to their house. He was wearing a cap. He introduced himself as Ashok and said he also worked with him in the same department. When the The suspect allegedly made the couple smell something after which they fell unconscious. When the man regained his senses, he found that valuables were stolen by the miscreant. The complainant said the suspect had ransacked their house. He also took away gold ornaments worn by his wife. He also took away gold earrings, a ring and a bangle of his wife. His ATM card was also taken away by the man, who made an attempt to withdraw money through the same. The ransacked house of the retired government officer at Mullanpur in Ludhiana. suspect was asked to reveal about the exact name of the branch where he worked, instead of replying to his question, the suspect got him busy in other talks and left the place. The complainant said the suspect again came in the evening and after holding an interaction for sometime, left the house. He said on the September 14 morning, when the sus- pect came again, while talking with him, he felt sleepy and went to his room for taking a nap. “In the afternoon when I woke up, I could not walk properly. I was having severe headache. When I c m y b went to the drawing room, I was shocked to see that my wife was lying unconscious on the sofa. Following which, I raised the alarm,” he said. The complainant said the suspect had ransacked their entire house. He also took away gold ornaments worn by his wife. It seemed that he had made them smell something, following which they became unconscious. He also took away gold earrings, a ring and a bangle of his wife. His ATM card was also taken away by the suspect, who made an attempt to withdraw money through the same. House ransacked Surprisingly, on September 14 after the couple was looted of the gold ornaments, suspecting threat to the lives of the duo, their son-in-law took them along to his house in Ludhiana. In the same night, thieves entered the house through a window and ransacked it. ASI Surinder Singh said the same miscreant might have committed the crime or some other miscreant(s) were also involved. The police would soon crack the case. duping man of ~1.8L Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 Two immigration agents, HS Happy and Vijay, have been booked by the Sadar Khanna police for allegedly duping a person of Rs 1.8 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. The victim, Ram Singh, a mason from Khanna, told the police that he had approached the agents to get a job in Kyrgyzstan and the suspects had demanded Rs 1.7 lakh. However, the agents took his original documents and later asked him to pay Rs. 1.8 lakh. They also told him that they could send him to Azerbaijan instead. Ram transferred the money to them on June 28 but the duo neither sent him abroad nor returned his money. The complainant said he had lodged a police complaint on July 2 and the police took over two months for conducting a detailed investigation on his complaint and on Sunday, a case was registered against the suspects. He demanded strict action against the agents so that they should not dare to cheat people wanting to settle abroad. The case was registered under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Immigration Act. The police said the suspects were currently at large and efforts were on to apprehend them.