02102024-LT-01.qxd 10/2/2024 12:07 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune REPLACED BY PERMANANT STAFF, GUEST LECTURERS HOLD PROTEST 'PERCEPTIONS BASED ON THE TRAILER': GURU RANDHAWA WOMEN MUST STAND UP FOR THE VULNERABLE: TISCA CHOPRA Guest assistant professors are staging protest against the state government for rendering them ‘jobless’. P2 Singer & actor Guru Randhawa addressed controversy surrounding protesters burning Shahkot film’s posters. P4 Tisca revived the memory of Taare Zameen Par during her interaction with students of Chitkara University. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.10 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:17 AM WEDNESDAY | 2 OCTOBER 2024 | LUDHIANA Building collapses, 2 injured No takers for LIT commercial complex Located in Ghumar Mandi, it has turned out to be white elephant for authorities Manav Mander Tribune News Service The debris of the building; and (below) the injured woman with her child. PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, October 1 Panic gripped residents and passersby after a five-storey building collapsed today in the city. The building, about 100 years old, was located at Bandiya Mohalla, Ucchi Gali. Two persons, a woman and her child, were injured in the mishap and were admitted to a private hospital. The injured have been identified as Khushi Arora and her oneand-a-half-year-old child. While Khushi suffered a head injury, her child sustained minor injuries. They were admitted to a private hospital and their condition is said to be stable. A couple of families used to living in the building, but they had vacated the premises yesterday. The neighbours said that they had complained about the dilapidated condition of the building to the owner in the past, but to no avail. People living in the neighbourhood said the mishap has caused damage to their houses too. The incident took place between 2-3 pm. The police reached the spot and started the investigation. — TNS Jam-packed Ludhiana, October 1 The Ludhiana Improvement Trust’s commercial complex on Rani Jhansi Road, Ghumar Mandi, is turning out to be a white elephant. Built some 18 years ago, this 2.22acre commercial complex, constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 16 crore, has failed to find any takers. As a result, the LIT is now planning to shift its own office in this building. Efforts were made for its auction in November 2009, then again in March 2013 and recently this year, as a single unit for Rs 197 crore, but it has failed to find buyers. In 2019, there was a proposal to use the basement of the building as a parking lot but it could not materialise. Even a proposed 20 per cent reduction in price to Rs 158 crore during the tenure of the previous Congress government failed to attract buyers. Now, left with no other option, the LIT is planning to shift its own office from Feroze Gandhi market to this site. LIT Chairman Tarsem Singh Bhinder said that talks were on to shift the LIT office to this building and if the plan is approved, then they will rent out the building of the SHO ‘rapes’ woman cop Huge rush of contestants to get NOC for forthcoming panchayat elections at the Zila Parishad office in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, October 1 A woman constable has filed a complaint against an SHO for allegedly raping her. She alleged that the SHO had made an obscene video of her and threatened to make it viral if she told anyone about the incident. A case has been registered against the SHO and he is at large. The woman alleged that when she was posted at the Mullanpur Dakha police station, the SHO used to sexually harass her. She alleged that two days back, the SHO took her to a farmhouse in Mohali and raped her. Reportedly, the SHO has been suspected. — TNS MC organises cleanliness drive around religious places Civic body achieves ~111-cr property tax recovery target Ludhiana, October 1 Moving forward under ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ campaign, the municipal corporation (MC) conducted cleanliness drive around historical and religious places last week. The campaign is being carried out across the city on the directions of MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal. The cleanliness drives were organised around Baba Bhan Singh Memorial (Sunet), Krishna Mandir Market, area surrounding Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Ji in Model Town and Shaheed Udham Singh Park near Bhai Bala Chowk among other areas. During the cleanliness drives, the civic body officials also appealed the residents to keep their surroundings clean and stop the use of banned plastic carry bags and singleuse plastic items The MC officials stated that ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ campaign will continue till October 2 (Swachh Bharat Diwas). — TNS Ludhiana, October 1 Appreciating the zonal commissioners and staff for achieving the six-month recovery target of property tax, Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal directed the staff concerned to further expedite the recovery of dues and recover Rs 200 crore property tax in total for the current financial year 2024-25. The directions were issued during the meeting held by MC Commissioner Dachalwal at the MC Zone D office on Tuesday. Against the sixmonth recovery target of Rs 111 crore, the civic body has recovered around Rs 113 crore property tax till September 30. All the four zones have achieved the targets given to them. During the meeting, Dachalwal directed the authorities to tighten noose around defaulters and make rigorous efforts to recover Rs 200 crore property tax in total for the current financial year 2024-25. MC chief Aaditya Dachalwal during a meeting with staff. MC Additional Commissioner Paramdeep Singh, Joint Commissioner Ankur Mahindroo, Assistant Commissioner Neeraj Jain, Assistant Commissioner Jasdev Singh Sekhon, Chief Engineer Ravinder Garg, SEcum-MTP Parveen Singla, Zonal ATPs, zonal superintendents Vivek Verma, Abdul Sattar, Ashwani Kumar, building inspectors, DDF Naman Bhatia among others were present in the meeting. Dachalwal said the proper- ty tax wing has recovered Rs 113 crore till Sep 30, which is appreciable. The officials have been directed to further expedite the recovery drive and recover Rs 200 crore in total till March 31, 2025. Meanwhile, Dachalwal also directed the officials to expedite the recovery of water-sewer bills and disposal charges. Block-wise weekly recovery targets have been fixed and the officials have been directed to move to the field for recovering the dues. — TNS c m y b In 2019, there was a proposal to use the basement of the building as a parking lot but it could not materialise. TRIBUNE PHOTO TALKS ON TO SHIFT LIT OFFICE HERE ■ LIT Chairman Tarsem Singh Bhinder said that talks were on to shift the LIT office to this building and if the plan is approved, then they will rent out the building of the present LIT office at Feroze Gandhi Market which will generate additional income for the Trust. “We will need two floors for our office and the plan is to give the remaining three floors to a private company which can further rent out the shops. The proposal is being prepared and will be soon sent to the government. And if it is approved, the next action will be planned,” he said. present LIT office at Feroze Gandhi Market which will generate additional income for the Trust. “We will need two floors for our office and the plan is to give the remaining three floors to a private company which can further rent out the shops. The proposal is being prepared and will be soon sent to the government. And if it is approved, the next action will be planned,” he said. The paint and plaster on the façade are wearing off, floor tiles on the ground parking are coming off and the vacant area all around the complex has become a safe haven for vendors and anti-social elements. The complex has two-level parking in lower and upper basement, coupled with surface parking on the ground floor. It has space for parking 250 cars and nearly 100 two-wheelers. An LIT official said according to the original plan, there was provision for four banks and 14 showrooms on the ground floor. The plan was to have two food courts, two departmental stores and 11 showrooms on the first floor, 14 offices and two shops each on second, third and fourth floors. The top floor (fifth) was designed as a residential area with 10 apartments, each having three bedrooms and a carpet area of 1,796 square feet.