19102024-LT-01.qxd 10/19/2024 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune FESTIVE FERVOUR CREATES CHAOS ON CITY ROADS WOMAN, SON DIE AS CAR HITS ROAD DIVIDER GOOD LOOKS STILL MATTER IN THE INDUSTRY: ACTOR JAIDEEP The onset of festival season resulted in gridlocks on roads causing inconvenience to commuters. P2 A mother and her son were killed when the car in which they were travelling met with an accident. P3 Jaideep Singh has witnessed firsthand the intricate dynamics of the entertainment industry. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 33°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5:48 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:26 AM » SATURDAY | 19 OCTOBER 2024 | LUDHIANA Grain markets filled to the brim, tardy lifting to blame Official cites shortage of storage space; purchase, payments smooth Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 18 Grain markets (mandis) are filled to the brim as paddy glut continues to prevail in the district. With the paddy arrival and procurement picking up pace, almost all 146 grain markets (mandis), including 38 temporary yards, across 13 market committees of Ludhiana are chock-a-block with yet-to-be-milled rice lying in the open as well as filled in gunny bags. However, purchase and payments are going on smoothly with four government agencies – Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) – procuring up to 85 per cent of the arrived stocks and paying 127 per cent of the due amount to the farmers in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population. Neither commission agents (arhtiyas) have yet bought a single grain nor has the Central agency - Food Corporation of India (FCI) - begun the purchase till Friday. With almost 83 per cent of the procured paddy not yet lifted, the mandis are flooded with the purchased as well as the fresh arriving grains. “We are having adequate arrangements for lifting the procured paddy, but the shortage of storage space is responsible for the backlog,” District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Geeta Bishambu told The Tribune this evening. Farmers wait for their produce to be lifted at a grain market in Ludhiana on Friday. INDERJEET VERMA TELLING NUMBERS Arrival Procurement Unsold Lifted Unlifted Payment due within 48 hours Payment made MSP 1,94,957.5 1,69,110.2 25,847.3 32,406 1,36,704.2 OFFICIAL: ADEQUATE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE (SOURCE: DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, ARRIVAL, PROCUREMENT, LIFTING FIGURES IN MT, PAYMENTS IN RUPEES CRORE, FIGURES TILL OCTOBER 18) District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Geeta Bishambu said the district administration and the Food and Civil Supplies Department in collaboration with the government agencies on job had made adequate arrangements to ensure instant purchase and timely payments to the farmers, but the space crunch was hampering the lifting pace. She said the district administration and the Food and Civil Supplies Department in collaboration with the government agencies on job had made adequate arrangements to ensure instant purchase and timely payments to the farmers, but the space crunch was hampering the lifting pace. “We have 497 rice shellers in the district, of which 339 have applied, 282 have been allotted and 202 have already signed the agreements for storage and milling of procured paddy but their godowns are still full with the milled rice of the previous season due to non-clearance by the FCI,” she detailed, while hoping that the lifting will soon pick up pace after the godowns of rice millers are freed of the previous stocks. Sharing daily purchase report, the DFSC said with the fresh arrival of 25,187.8 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy on Friday, the progressive arrival has reached 1,94,957.5 MT, of which 1,69,110.2 MT, accounting for 86.74 per cent of the total arrival, has 295.7 379.7 2,320 already been purchased in the district till this evening. She said the pace of procurement was much faster than the daily arrival. Against the arrival of 25,187.8 MT grains, 25,308 MT was purchased during the day. On the lifting front, as many as 7,785 MT of procured paddy was lifted on Friday, which took the progressive lifting figure to 32,406 MT. This was 19.16 per cent of the total purchased stocks with 1,36,704.2 MT, accounting for 80.84 per cent of the total procurement, yet to be lifted from the mandis. Geeta said the lifting had also picked up gradually with 30 per cent of the total purchase made during the past 72 hours already been lifted. She disclosed that the payments amounting to ~60.5 crore were made to the farmers on Friday, which took the progressive payment tally to ~379.7 crore, accounting for 128 per cent of the total ~295.7 crore payment due within 48 hours of the purchase. The agency-wise procurement data showed that Pungrain was leading the charge with the purchase of maximum 69,857 MT, which accounted for over 41 per cent of the total procurement, followed by Markfed buying 43,614.4 MT, Punsup 29,517.8 MT and PSWC procuring 26,121 MT of the progressive procurement till Friday. However, the FCI and the private traders continue to remain away from the procurement process. Major fire ravages jacket factory on Chandigarh Road Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 18 A major fire broke out at a jacket factory in Satowal Dheri village, Chandigarh Road, on Thursday evening. No one was injured in the incident. After getting information, seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The blaze was brought under control after nearly four hours. Traffic congestion and the remote location of the factory initially delayed the arrival of fire tenders. To optimise their response, firemen utilised a nearby factory for refilling their vehicles. Seven fire tenders made over 30 rounds to control the fire. Seven fire tenders bring blaze under control in 4 hours Eyewitnesses revealed that workers on the first floor noticed the fire and promptly evacuated the premises. The fire spread rapidly due to huge quantity of raw materials stored inside the factory. According to officials, the fire was suspected to be caused by a short-circuit. As the fire spread, nearby buildings were safely evacuated. Fire officials said huge crowd gathered outside the unit hindered the firefighting operations. Moreover, investigations revealed that the factory lacked fire safety measures. c m y b Man nabbed for setting fast food vends on fire Markets abuzz with shoppers HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 18 The Ludhiana police have arrested a person for allegedly setting three fast food vends on fire due to personal enmity. The suspect has been identified as Sarabjit Singh, alias Lavi, a resident of Mohalla Dharampura. The police also recovered a petrol bottle and a car from his possession. While addressing a press conference, Additional DCP Prabhjot Singh Virk said four days ago, a person under the influence of alcohol set three fast food vends on fire in Sector 33, falling under the jurisdiction of the Division No. 7 police station, due to personal enmity. A case was registered against the suspects. The police arrested the suspect today and started further investigations. Notably, a scuffle broke out between two fast food vendors on the night of October 14. After getting information, the police reached the post and pacified them. Sarabjit returned to the spot late at night in an inebriated condition and set three vends on fire. Two LPG cylinders kept in the vends also exploded, following which fire took a terrible form. The fast food vends, along with goods, were reduced to ashes. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident. A woman looks at bangles at a shop ahead of Karva Chauth in Ludhiana on Friday. MC razes 19 illegal structures Ludhiana, October 18 Continuing its drive against illegal constructions, Municipal Corporation (MC) teams demolished 19 illegal constructions in various parts of the city today. The building branch team of the MC Zone-C also sealed around 12 vacant houses and an office in an illegal colony as the coloniser did not pay the regularisation fee to the civic body. The drive against illegal construction was carried out on the directions of MC Com- missioner Aaditya Dachalwal. Illegal constructions are being carried out in Dhandari, Kanganwal and Madhopuri areas, which fall under Zone B and C of the MC. Assistant Town Planner (ATP Zone-C) Jagdeep Singh said the building branch teams demolished 13 illegal shops, two commercial halls and a labour quarter in Dhandari and Kanganwal areas. Around 12 vacant houses and an office were also sealed in an illegal colony. ATP Zone B Davinder Singh said the team, led by Building Inspectors Kirandeep Singh and Randhir Singh, demolished illegal portions of three under-construction commercial buildings in the Madhopuri area. The civic body had received a complaint regarding the illegal constructions. Stating that regular drives would be organised against illegal constructions, MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal appealed to residents to start construction works only after getting the building plan approved from the civic body. — TNS
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).