26072025-LT-01.qxd 7/26/2025 12:52 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MIN LEADS DOOR-TO-DOOR LARVAE INSPECTIONS PANTOMATH HOSTS POWER PACKED FORUM NEW WAVE OF ACTION CINEMA ISN’T JUST FLEXING MUSCLES Health Minister Balbir Singh conducted door-to-door inspections to check larvae in parts of Khanna. P2 Pantomath Capital Advisors, in association with The Tribune, hosted the Business Excellence Awards 2025. P2 If you've been anywhere near a cinema lately, you may have noticed one thing, action flicks are having a moment. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.20 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:39 AM SATURDAY | 26 JULY 2025 | LUDHIANA Committee moves tribunal against Minister orders suspension encroachments over green belts of Khanna Civil Hospital doc ‘NEGLIGENCE’ IN WOMAN’S DELIVERY Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 25 The Public Action Committee (PAC) has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against encroachments over green belts and parks done by the Municipal Corporation, the Ludhiana Improvement Trust as well as GLADA with a plea of restitution of all such green lungs of the city. Er Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh from the PAC said after directions of demolition of the MC Extension office, scrapyard and library building by the NGT, they were expecting that the development authorities would act wisely and won’t encroach upon land of parks and green belts. However, despite knowing all facts, the Municipal Commissioner of Ludhiana seems to be adamant to waste the public money. Despite notices being served on the Principal Secretary of the Local Body Department and the MC, construction of the PWD building as well as commercial vending zone are being continued in green belts along old GT Road. Further, the MC has constructed a box cricket by erect- The library building at Vishvakarma Park; and (right) the under-construction vending zone in a green belt on Old GT Road. CONSTRUCTIONS ON DESPITE NOTICES Despite notices being served on the Principal Secretary of the Local Body Department and the MC, construction of the PWD building as well as commercial vending zone are being continued in green belts along old GT Road. ing the MS structure as well as plastic (artificial) grass in the green belt. Further, buildings in Vishvakarma Park and City Enclave at Barewal, Dog Café’ in a green belt at BRS Nagar, etc, have been constructed in the recent past and despite serving notices and filing complaints on mSeva portal, no action is taken by MC officials. Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Gurpreet Singh said besides new constructions, there were a large number of parks and green belts in which the civic body, LIT and GLADA themselves have encroached upon by construction of offices, residences, mohalla clinics and commercial Verka booths. “All such activities are illegal and against the directions of the Supreme Court, NGT and Master Plan of Ludhiana. We had served a notice against Verka booths to all three authorities but GLADA has raised one new Verka booth in a park at Sector 32A Market, a park opposite BJS Dental College at Sector 39 as well as one commercial shop in a park at Jamalpur. Besides, Verka booths are located in a park at Cheema Chowk, Park near 200’ Road, near BCM School, park opposite Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, park in Gurdev Nagar, Rishi Balmiki park at Old GT Road, Mini Rose garden, etc, and all such parks are part of our petition,” Arora said. Dr Amandeep Singh Bains and Gagnish Khurana said the MC was constructing Overhead Water Reservoirs at various locations and one such water tank was going to be constructed in Shahidi Park at Kidwai Nagar. However, the major portion of the park had been encroached by the civic body itself by construction of offices and residences of their staff. Further, there was already one water tank, which was dysfunctional. The PAC members said despite serving notices on the MC, the Municipal Commissioner had continued to construct a structure for a vending zone and he failed to remove the building constructed illegally in parks and green belts. “We have pleaded the NGT to initiate contempt proceedings against the Municipal Commissioner, under which there is a provision of imprisonment of three years or fine up to Rs 10 crore. Besides, we have requested the NGT to issue directions to all respondents for restitution of parks and green belts by demolishing impugned illegal structures,” Arora said. Ludhiana, July 25 Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh on Friday ordered immediate suspension of a gynaecologist at the Khanna Civil Hospital for negligence in a pregnant woman’s delivery case. He warned that the doctor’s medical licence could be revoked and legal action may follow after further investigation. The incident occurred recently when the gynaecologist failed to attend to a critical delivery case despite being informed by the on-duty medical officer. Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Maninder Singh Bhasin stepped in to perform the emergency operation, successfully saving the patient’s life. Dr Balbir Singh emphasised: “Any negligence in patient care is unacceptable and will face strict consequences.” Following the incident, a three-member committee, comprising an SMO and two specialists, was constituted to investigate the matter. The committee’s report found the gynaecologist’s failure to address the case with due seriousness. In response to queries about shortage of doctors in Doraha and Payal govern- ment hospitals, Dr Singh noted that the state had recruited approximately 3,000 healthcare workers recently, with plans to recruit 1,000 additional doctors soon. He outlined plans to ensure 24-hour maternal and child care, emergency services and initial treatment for heart attacks and neurological conditions at the districtlevel and highways adjacent government hospitals. Additionally, he said the government would establish 10-12 advanced hospitals across the state for specialised treatments, including heart surgeries, organ transplants and orthopaedic care. Army man booked for violating minor on pretext of marriage Ludhiana, July 25 The Sadar Jagraon police on Thursday registered a case against an Army jawan on the charge of raping a 16-year-old girl. The suspect sexually assaulted the girl on the pretext of getting married with her. He was identified as Bakhshish Singh of a village in Jagraon, where the victim also resides. The complainant, the girl’s father, told the police that his eldest daughter, a student of Class XII, was raped by a youth of their village last year. Through social media, she became a friend of the suspect, Bakshish Singh, who was working in the Army. “Bakshish kept pressuring my daughter to have physical relations with him on the pretext of marriage. Later, he established sexual relations with the victim against her wishes. When she informed me about the matter, I lodged a complaint,” he said. He demanded strict action against the suspect. — TNS 2-yr-old girl goes missing from rly station House of smuggler facing several cases razed Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 25 A two-year-old girl went missing from the railway station here on Friday under mysterious circumstances. The girl’s family informed the Government Railway Police station after which the police are checking Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to get any clue. The railway police are also suspecting some foul play behind the mysterious disappearance of the child from the platform as the child’s father went to lodge a complaint hours after the incident. The victim’s father, Rajesh, said he had come to the state from Jharkhand long time ago. He boarded a train from Dhuri and reached the Ludhiana railway station on Thursday night. This morning, after having breakfast from a community kitchen near Durga Mata Mandir, he sat down to rest on a platform. After some time, he noticed that his two-year-old daughter Reena was missing. According to Rajesh, he searched for the girl a lot at the railway station and nearby areas but could not find her anywhere. Rajesh suspects that someone might have kidnapped his daughter. Sushila, the victim’s mother, said ragpickers were roaming around on the platform and her daughter was playing with them. After some time, she went missing. A Government Railway Police sub-inspector, Birbal, said the case seems suspicious. The police were investigating from every angle. CCTV cameras installed at the railway station were also being checked. Several hours after the incident, the girl’s father had come to the police station to lodge a complaint. The Child Welfare Committee was also being contacted to check if its members have picked up the child, suspecting her to be a beggar. Ludhiana, July 25 As part of the campaign launched by the state government against drugs, the police while continuing action against its smuggling, demolished the house of a drug smuggler at Malakpur village on Hambran Road here. After reaching the spot, the police also called officials of the Greater Ludhiana Development Area Authority (GLADA) to the spot, who confirmed that the house was built illegally. The smuggler has a criminal past as around eight cases were registered against her for drug smuggling in the past. Cops during the demolition drive at Malakpur village. DCP Harpal Singh was also present on the spot. Police teams from other police stations, including PAU police station, were also deployed at the place to keep law and order situation under control. A senior police official said the house of drug smuggler Amarjit Kaur was demolished at Malakpur village. The house was built at the site of an illegal GLADA which was also declared illegal by the agency. At present, the woman is lodged in a jail. The suspect AAC in a shambles after fire incident, staff, patients bear brunt Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 25 Months after a devastating fire destroyed the Aam Aadmi Clinic at Chawni Mohalla on February 7, 2025, the facility continues to operate in deplorable conditions from a makeshift space provided by a local gurdwara. The authorities have yet to renovate the clinic or relocate it to a suitable site, leaving both staff and patients to face daily hardships. A visit to the original clinic site paints a grim picture — what was once a functional healthcare centre, now lies in ruins, overrun by wild vegetation. Local residents said since the fire incident, the structure had remained abandoned and looted, with miscreants stealing stealing its iron grills, gates, furniture, water tanks, taps and even the signage. In the meantime, the gurdwara committee has stepped forward by offering two lowlying shops to temporarily The old building of the AAC that caught fire in February has not been renovated and (right) an employee removes water from the makeshift clinic after rain in Ludhiana. INDERJEET VERMA Gurdwara steps in to provide space to run clinic; authorities yet to act despite repeated pleas house the clinic. However, the stopgap arrangement is far from ideal. “Every time it rains, sewer water overflows and enter the shops through seepage. Still, blood samples are collected and patients are treated in the unhygienic conditions,” said a local resident whose family frequently visits the clinic. The current set-up is manned by a team of four — a doctor, a lab technician, a pharmacist and a helper — all of whom report extreme difficulties, especially during the monsoon season. “We have sent repeated requests to the authorities since February for basic facilities such as fans, lights, computers, printer, refrigerator, Wi-Fi and AC. Nothing has been done so far,” said a staff member. Staff have been forced to spend from their own c m y b pockets to arrange fans and lighting. With no refrigerator at the site, vaccines are stored at other locations, raising serious concerns about cold chain maintenance. “On an average, about 100 patients visit the clinic daily but the lack of ventilation and cooling makes the environment suffocating,” the lab attendant added. Dr Prashant, the attending doctor at the clinic, confirmed he had raised the issues with the higher authorities but he was yet to receive a response. Senior Medical Officer Kanwaljit Kaur said: “Staff have not informed me about the rainwater seepage. We have sent a letter to the government. These things take time.” Meanwhile, repeated attempts to contact Nodal Officer Seema remained unsuccessful. With no concrete action taken in over five months, the future of the clinic and the health of hundreds of dependent patients continue to hang in uncertainty. has eight cases registered against her for drug smuggling and she was also convicted in some of thee cases. The official said the woman had been smuggling drugs since 2013. The police were also keeping an eye on her family. They had also prepared a list of other drug smugglers against whom action would be taken. Police sources said the list of smugglers who had built houses or done any illegal construction had already been prepared. The SHOs concerned had also been told to tie up with the MC, GLADA or LIT and demolish such illegal structures. — TNS Man nabbed with heroin Ludhiana, July 25 The Basti Jodhewal police station on Friday claimed to have nabbed a drug smuggler and recovered 110 gm of heroin from his possession. The suspect was identified as Sunny, alias Sunny Gill, of Vishal Colony, Kakowal road. ADCP Sameer Verma said Jodhewal SHO inspector Jasvir Singh had received a tip-off that the suspect was on the way to deliver drugs to his clients. The police conducted a raid and nabbed him along with heroin. A case under the NDPS Act was registered. The ADCP revealed that the suspect also had a criminal past as five cases, including a case of murder, drug smuggling, were registered against him in the past. Now, the police would inquire about the big drug smuggler with whom the suspect was in touch and in coming days, big fish involved in the racket would be behind bars. The police will also probe his property details and if during probe any property or asset was found to be made with proceeds of drug money, the same would be attached. — TNS