02042025-LT-01.qxd 4/2/2025 12:32 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MC FINISHES NOVEL 3D ROAD CORRIDOR SURVEY SHATTERING STEREOTYPES ABOUT AUTISM HOW YOU CAN UP YOUR FASHION GAME THIS SEASON The MC has completed a first-of-itskind 3D Total Station Survey of all major municipal roads in city. P2 Ludhiana NGOs are working towards empowering children with special needs to make them independent.P3 Powder pinks, sunny yellows, striped pants and chunky accessories are all set to rule the roost this season. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 34°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 14°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.42 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:09 AM WEDNESDAY | 2 APRIL 2025 | LUDHIANA Back-to-back fire incidents in city keep firefighters on toes Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 A relentless series of three consecutive fires kept city firefighters battling flames throughout Tuesday, each requiring nearly two hours to subdue. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported. The first fire broke out around 9:50 am in an open lot in Shakti Nagar, filled with discarded hosiery scraps— highly flammable material that ignited rapidly. Though the exact cause remains unknown, firefighters warned of the dangers of storing such waste in open spaces, where even a minor spark can lead to disaster. Five fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze. Mayor Inderjit Kaur, who visited the site, acknowledged the ongoing Firefighters try to douse the flames near the bus stand in Ludhiana on Tuesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN risk posed by exposed hosiery waste and promised increased public awareness efforts. Despite repeated Ramgarh on Chandigarh Road. The fire started when the truck’s high load came in contact with overhead power lines, igniting the straw. The firefighters took two hours to douse the flames. The third fire erupted at 12:25 pm in a warehouse behind Preet Palace market, where plastic waste and other discarded materials were ablaze. Firefighters acted swiftly to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby shops. The operation required five fire tenders and lasted approximately two hours. Sub Fire Officer Aatish Rai confirmed the incidents, crediting the swift response of the Fire Department for preventing any injuries or major property damage. He urged citizens to follow fire safety regulations and avoid storing flammable materials in unsafe conditions. AAP misusing govt machinery to secure Ludhiana West seat:BJP Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has strongly condemned the Punjab Police for allegedly interfering in the party’s functioning, particularly in the Ludhiana West constituency, where by-elections are expected to be announced soon. The BJP leaders alleged that SHOs were calling mandal and booth-level workers and demanding lists, which they claim is beyond the jurisdiction of the police. The BJP leaders gathered outside the office of Police Commissioner and apprised him of the situation. Anil Sarin, Punjab BJP general secretary, said though the byelection has not yet been announced, the AAP is misusing government machinery and administration to influence the outcome. The Punjab Police is intimidating BJP workers by demanding booth workers’ lists and putting undue pressure on them. Cops stop BJP workers from entering the Police Commissionerate premises during a protest in Ludhiana on Tuesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN This is a direct attack on democracy, they alleged. Sarin added, ”We met the Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma and he assured us of transparency.” Meanwhile, Sharma said: “The BJP has no issues with the police. I have recently assurances of regulatory action, the city continues to struggle with frequent hosiery waste fires due to unsafe storage practices. Shortly after, at around 11:45 am, a tractor-trailer carrying dried straw caught fire near No wheat in mandis on Day 1 of procurement Miscreants open fire on property dealer AAP unveils multi-level plan to combat drug menace, launches state-wide drive Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 A property dealer, identified as Jaswinder Singh, was shot in the leg by unidentified assailants late on Monday night. Due to his critical condition, doctors referred him to DMC Hospital for further treatment. According to the information, Jaswinder had gone out for dinner with his friends on Monday night. Around 10:45pm, a group of five to six car-borne miscreants arrived outside Dholewal Gurdwara Feruman Sahib. While Jaswinder was heading home from his office, the assailants deliberately rammed into his car from the side, surrounded the vehicle, and launched an attack. During the altercation, they smashed his car’s glass before one of them opened fire, striking Jaswinder in the leg. Due to the commotion on the road, the attackers fled from the spot. The police have registered a case. SHO Inspector Kulwant Kaur said assailants will be arrested soon. Earlier in January this year also some people had fired at Jaswinder. — TNS Manav Mander Ludhiana, April 1 Though wheat procurement began today in Punjab’s grain market, no arrivals were reported on the first day as the crop in the region is yet to mature. Grain markets in Ludhiana at Jalandhar bypass, Gill Road and at Khanna and Jagraon wore a deserted look on Tuesday. Despite the start of procurement by Food and Civil Supplies Department, Markfed, Punsup, State Warehousing Corporation, and Food Corporation of India, no produce arrived in grain markets. According to an Agriculture Department official, wheat arrivals are expected to pick up in the second week of April. “The crop is yet to be harvested as there was moisture in the air. Crop will be ready by Baisakhi, so harvesting will pick up pace around April 15,” said Mohinder Singh, a farmer from Hedon Bet. Another farmer further added that the standing crop has not dried enough and harvesting has been delayed. A mandi in Ludhiana wears a deserted view. INDERJEET VERMA The wheat crop is likely to start arriving in mandis after April 10. Recent rains have further delayed harvesting as the standing crop has not dried properly, said Gurmail Singh from Samrala. Meanwhile, garbage was littered around in the grain market at Jalandhar bye pass grain market. Heaps of garbage can be seen littered around the market making it impossible to pass near the stretch. The roads here are in bad shape giving a bumpy ride to those coming the grain market. Same is the condition at Jagraon grain market as well. taken charge, and I am not aware of any such issue. However, I assure everyone that the police will remain impartial.” About 300 workers gathered outside the CP office as a protest against the “interference”. Tribune News Service MC achieves record ~153 cr property tax collection Ludhiana, April 1 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab affairs incharge Manish Sisodia, addressed a volunteers’ meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday as the party intensifies its campaign for the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora has been named the party’s candidate for the seat. Addressing AAP’s executive summit, Kejriwal outlined the Aam Aadmi Party’s mission to eliminate drugs from Punjab. AAP leaders and volunteers, along with Kejriwal, took the oath, “I am the true son of Punjab’s sacred soil. I am a true volunteer of AAP . Today, I swear by the soil of Punjab that I will never consume drugs myself and will work tirelessly to keep my friends, family, and society away from drugs. I will report drug sales to the police and will not be afraid. I choose education over drugs, Ludhiana, April 1 Surpassing the annual target of Rs 150 crore, the property tax wing of the Municipal Corporation (MC) has achieved record tax collection of Rs 153 crore during the financial year 2024-25. Mayor Inderjit Kaur and MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal appreciated the efforts of the property tax wing staff and suvidha kendra employees for achieving the feat. This marks a significant increase from the previous year (2023-24), when the civic body collected around Rs 137.70 crore in property tax. MC Commissioner Dachalwal appreciated the staff and motivated them to further improve the recovery of property tax during the financial year (2025-26). The Mayor and MC chief appealed to the residents to pay their taxes on time. The civic body has announced a 10% rebate for property owners who pay their 2025-26 property tax before September 30. — TNS Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, CM Bhagwant Mann, Aman Arora during the executive summit. progress over destruction, and revolution over silence. As a true soldier of AAP I vow , not to rest until Punjab is drug-free.” He announced that AAP’s mass outreach campaign to villages, originally scheduled for April 1, was postponed due to the harvest season but will now begin next month. Starting tomorrow, we will launch citywide ‘padyatras’ with school and college students, where they will take an oath against drugs, he said. He also outlined the future steps in the campaign, stating that from May 1, he, along with the party leaders, CM, cabinet ministers, MLAs, and administrative officers, would visit every village. “Block presidents will visit 10 villages each and spread the message that no drug peddler will be allowed in the village. The government has set up a Village Defence Committee against drugs, and we will work closely with them to ensure the eradication of drugs from our villages,” he added. Addressing the party work- ers, Mann said:“In 2022, public has given the verdict by making us win 92 seats which have now gone to 95. Sarpanch and Mayors have also been elected from AAP . In the past month alone, around 2,500 cases have been registered against drug traffickers, and approximately 4,500 people have been arrested. Addressing a press conference, Manish Sisodia, along with AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, said on April 2, another campaign against drugs will be launched in Ludhiana. 200 TPD cow dung still flowing into Buddha Nullah: MC Police Commissioner enforces Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 At least 200 tonnes per day (TPD) of cow dung was still flowing into the Buddha Nullah while passing through Ludhiana before it confluences with Sutlej and enters Rajasthan, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has admitted. MC Chief Engineer (CE) Ravinder Garg disclosed this issue before the high-level joint group of experts and senior officers from both Centre and Punjab. The group was formed by the Centre for carrying out a time-bound action plan to clean and preserve the Sutlej tributary recently. Submitting the action taken report on cow dung management at dairy complexes and scattered dairies, Garg said 200 TPD of cow dung was now being processed at existing CBG plant of the Haibowal dairy complex. He added that proposed CBG plants at Tajpur Road and Haibowal dairy complexes would take time to become operational. As a temporary arrangements dedicated spaces were earmarked and provided near the dairy complexes. From there, this cow dung was being shifted to a private firm for manure processing. About 90100 TPD of cow dung was being received at these sites, while some is being used by farmers or dairy owners. He maintained that as such, less than 200 TPD of cow dung was now being dumped erroneously into the Buddha Nullah due to non-compliance by the dairy owners. To punish violators, the MC has issued 170 challans in Haibowal and 202 in Tajpur dairy complex. However, a mechanism for the lifting of cow dung from scattered dairies located within the city limits is yet to be devised. He further informed that as a permanent solution for lifting the cow dung from the dairies, the MC has floated a RFP for door-to-door collection, transportation and processing (vermin-composting) of cow dung from Haibowal and Tajpur dairy complexes. Vishal Gandhi, Scientist ‘E’, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) apprised the committee that warned that cow dung waste takes a long time to decompose naturally, and much of it reaches the Sutlej confluence at Walipur village. “Therefore, high BOD and COD is consistently observed even after the conflu- c m y b ence point of Sutlej at Walipur despite the dilution being made by treated effluents from STP in Jamalpur and Balloke and CETPs,” he submitted. The CPCB further observed that the disposal of cow dung in the Buddha Nallah was one of the major sources of pollution. It stressed that the measures taken by the MC should be expedited to completely manage the cow dung presently being discharged into Buddha Nallah. Regarding the issue of cow dung being discharged into Buddha Nallah by dairies falling outside MC limits, the PEDA informed that presently there was no proposal of providing CBG plant for the dairies located outside the MC limits in the catchment area of Buddha Nullah. continued on page 2 strict dress code for office staff Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 1 In a move aimed at upholding discipline and professionalism, a day after joining as Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma has issued a stringent directive regarding the dress code for its office staff. The order, a copy of which is with The Tribune, addresses concerns over employees wearing casual clothing such as jeans, T-shirts, and sports shoes during office hours at the Police Commissionerate. The notice emphasises that police force is a “disciplinary class,” highlighting the need for a formal and uniform appearance. “It has been observed that the policemen/employees post- ed in the office do not dress properly in civil clothes and wear jeans, T-shirts, sports boots etc.,” the official order read. To rectify this, the dress code mandates that male employees must wear formal pant shirts, while female employees must wear salwar suits with a dupatta. The order stresses strict compliance, indicating that non-adherence may lead to disciplinary action. The objective is to ensure that the department projects a professional image, reinforcing public trust. The directive is effective immediately, and all employees are expected to comply from tomorrow onwards. Officials within the police headquarters have declined to comment on the specific reasons behind the directive. However, sources suggest that the order aims to standardise office staff appearances, aligning them with the department’s professional standards. Impact visible on ground After the Police Commissioner’s strict orders, the impact was immediately visible at the Police Commissionerate office on Tuesday. Women cops were seen wearing salwar suit with duppata and male cops came dressed in formal attire, said a senior officer requesting anonymity. “These orders apply only to the Commissionerate office staff,” added a senior police official.