22072025-LT-01.qxd 7/21/2025 11:11 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ANGANWADI WORKERS HOLD PROTEST ALIA BHATT-BACKED FILM SELECTED FOR BUSAN FILM FEST RAM CHARAN BEGINS ‘CHANGEOVER’ FOR PEDDI Tracking of nutrients distributed among beneficiaries has not gone down well with Anganwadi workers. P2 The film Difficult Daughters is directed by Soni Razdan & produced by Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt & Alan McAlex. P4 Telugu superstar Ram Charan treated fans to a powerful new look for his upcoming film Peddi. P4 » » FORECAST A FEW SPELLS OF RAIN MAX 31°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:38 AM » TUESDAY | 22 JULY 2025 | LUDHIANA Under-construction building of Raghunath Hospital sealed for violation of PMC Act NGT to decide fate of common effluent treatment plants today Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, July 21 The authorities of Raghunath Hospital on Ferozepur Road in the city are in trouble for allegedly ignoring notices issued by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation regarding alleged construction of a multi-storey structure in violation of building bylaws. After sealing an under-construction building, the corporation warned owners that strict action would be taken against anyone who broke the seals. Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Mohan Singh said a building, which was being constructed by owners of the Raghunath Hospital at B 35 Main Ferozepur Road, A notice pasted by officials of the Municipal Corporation for sealing of the hospital building in Ludhiana. DNA sampling of 10 children, parents delayed owing to pending documentation Kids were rescued while they were begging on roads Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 21 Officials of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), who took around 10 children and their parents to the Civil Hospital to conduct their DNA sampling in order to establish their family ties, had to return empty handed due to lack of documentation. These children were rescued by the department yesterday from different places in the city while they were found begging on roads and outside religious places. When contacted, Rashmi Saini, District Child Protection Officer, Ludhiana, said parents and their wards were taken to the Civil Hospital for DNA sampling, but due to some pending documentation, it could not be done today. Rashmi said, “Several permissions are needed to conduct the DNA test. The authorities are completing the required formalities. Today, we had taken children and their parents to the hospital. Children were taken back to the children’s home in Shimlapuri as the test could not be conducted. There is a possibil- A team of the District Child Protection Unit with children at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana on Monday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN ity that DNA sampling could be completed tomorrow.” Rashmi said their department with the help of the police had rescued 18 children found begging on roads. All children were taken to the children's home at Shimlapuri. Parents of 10 children arrived at the home and claimed that they were their kids and asked for their custody. “We will not handover custody of children to their parents till the DNA report is pending. Only the outcome of DNA report will confirm what further action needs to be taken,” asserted Rashmi. Rashmi said out of 18 children, if valid legal documents would confirm their family ties, then department would not go for DNA testing. Children would be handed over to their parents after completing necessary formalities, she said. During verification of documents, if any suspicion arises, DNA testing would definitely be conducted, Rashmi said. Dr Harpreet Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, said samples were not taken as District Child Protection Unit officials came directly for sampling at the hospital. For DNA sampling, the department should come through the police and also ensure registration of the FIR first, he said, while adding that only then sampling could be done as per the laid down guidelines. was sealed for violation of the Punjab Municipal Corporation (PMC) Act 1976. He said violators had not bothered to respond to demolition notices issued in the past. “After receiving a complaint about construction of a multi-storey building on a plot number B 35 on Ferozepur Main Road, we issued two demolition notices on February 21 and March 10 and asked property owners to stop the construction and present an approved draft plan within a stipulated period. But instead of repeated visits and warnings by our authorised personnel they continued construction compelling 19-yr-old youth dies by suicide Our Correspondent Doraha, July 21 A 19-year-old youth of Jaipura village, who left his studies in between, ended his life yesterday evening by hanging himself from ceiling of the room at his home. He took the extreme step due to depression caused by family dispute. No suicide note was recovered from the spot. The deceased was identified as Chand Kumar. He was the youngest of the three siblings. He left his studies in ninth standard and stayed indoors most of the time. Doraha SHO Akash Dutt said the deceased was very sensitive. “The boy seemed to be actually fed up with regular quarrels between his father and mother. His mother lived separately from the family. While one of his brothers went to school, the other was on job. Chand always stayed back as he had dropped his studies in between and did not wish to continue. His body has been handed over to relatives after a postmortem examination. A case under Section 194 of the BNS has been registered in this connection.” PAU puts AI in driver’s seat of tractors Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 21 Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today showcased tractors sans drivers at its research farm, unveiling its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based AutoSteering System. The event marked a major milestone in PAU’s transition from conventional farming to digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-based agriculture. PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal led the proceedings, with senior officials, scientists in attendance. This system is developed by an American company and can be installed on new or old tractor at the cost of Rs 3.5 lakh. Dr Gosal said, “The autosteering system is a satelliteguided, computer-assisted tool designed to automate steering during tractor operations. By combining signals from multiple satellite constellations with sensors and a touchscreen A tractor driven through auto-steering system on the PAU campus in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN control console, the system guides tractors along accurate, predefined paths. It ensures consistent steering even in low-light conditions, reducing fatigue, overlap and missed areas during fieldwork.” “Key components of the system, include a GNSS receiver for accurate positioning, a wheel angle sensor to track steering movement, and a motorised steering unit. The ISOBUS-compliant console allows advanced features such as auto headland turns, skip- row functionality and custom turn patterns. The operator can switch between manual and automatic modes with a single button,” Dr Gosal said. While addressing media, Dr Gosal revealed that field data from PAU trials showed the system’s strong performance. With manual steering, field implements like disc harrow, cultivator, rotavator and PAU-Smart Seeder showed overlaps between three to 12 per cent, he said With the auto-steering sys- tem, these overlaps dropped to around one per cent. Missed areas reduced from two to seven per cent to under one per cent, Dr Gosal said. “Digital tools like auto-steering not only improve productivity but also lighten the physical burden on farmers. Dr Rishi Pal Singh, Registrar, PAU, recalled how the university’s innovations recently received national recognition when Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, remotely operated PAU’s sensor-based paddy transplanter during a demonstration in Patiala. Dr Manjeet Singh, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, focused on the university’s remote-controlled two-wheel paddy transplanter. He explained how the machine allows farmers to operate from shaded areas, drastically reducing exposure to heat and humidity during transplantation. c m y b us to seal the building,” Mohan Singh said. Perusal of records revealed that the building inspector (technical), Zone D, Municipal Corporation, had advised hospital owners to stop construction as it was in violation of the PMC Act with immediate effect through multiple written and verbal notices, but the respondents continued construction for the third floor too. The ATP said an FIR would be lodged against violators in case the official seal of the department was broken. Meanwhile, owners of Raghunath Hospital did not contest the notice for sealing of the building on Monday. Ludhiana, July 21 The fate of the three common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), which clear discharge of the dyeing Industry, will be decided tomorrow by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi. For this important hearing, representatives from the industry and CETPs, officials from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), and members from the Public Action Committee (PAC) will be present during the hearing. The hearing is scheduled at 11 am at the NGT office in Delhi tomorrow. One of the officials with the PPCB wishing not to be quoted said there were different stake-holders, whose representatives would attend the hearing. “Our part was to submit details. A 12-member highlevel committee has been constituted by the state government to look into the matter. Representatives of the industry and CETPs will be present during the hearing and wait for the outcome,” the official said, adding that most of the times, field officials were asked to attend hearings as they were in a better position to answer questions of the NGT. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Punjab Dyers Association also left for Delhi today to attend hearing as their entire future depends on the NGT orders. “In case the NGT asks to shut the CETPs then the dyeing industry will be in real trouble. But we hope that the NGT is satisfied with replies prepared by departments concerned. We have been able to convince the tribunal that state government has the proposal of laying 22 km-sewer lines, but it did not materialise because of which dyeing industry is in tight spot,” said one of the members of the Punjab Dyers Association. Kuldeep Singh Khaira, member of the core committee of Public Action Committee, which has filed the case against the PPCB and the dyeing industry in the NGT, said all four members of the panel had reached Delhi as the hearing was scheduled at 11am. “We hope to get justice,” said Khaira. Youth shot dead in Sham Nagar, one booked for murder Ludhiana, July 21 A 25-year-old youth Rohit was shot dead by some unidentified persons last night in Sham Nagar here. The police registered a murder case against a suspect identified as Manav of Jawahar Camp and some unknown persons in this regard. The police claimed that Manav was a son of Harjinder Singh, alias Jindi, who was shot dead by some assailants in Jawahar Camp in 2020. He allegedly had an old enmity with the deceased. ADCP Kanwalpreet Singh said during investigation, the police found vital clues about involvement of Manav in murder. Manav, along with his aides, cornered Rohit last night and shot him dead. Singh said Rohit was found on a road in Sham Nagar by his two friends, who rushed him to the Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The deceased suffered bullet injury near his chest. Later, both his friends left hospital. However, after some time they returned and told doctors about identity of the deceased. “Both friends of the deceased, who shifted him to hospital are missing. The police are trying to trace them. They must be knowing reason behind murder,” Singh said. — TNS