02092025-LT-01.qxd 9/2/2025 1:01 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune QR CODES TO HELP VISITORS NAVIGATE PAU CAMPUS LAUNCHED SCHOOLS BEGIN ONLINE CLASSES AMID FLOOD-LIKE SITUATION NIKKA ZAILDAR 4 DELAYED AMID PUNJAB FLOOD CRISIS PAU has launched QR codes that offer a virtual tour of university, making it easier to explore it with a mobile. P3 Residents have welcomed decision, saying their children were now engaged at home and staying inside. P3 Makers of the movie, starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa, have decided to postpone the release to Oct 2. P4 » » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 27°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.44 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:00 AM TUESDAY | 2 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Dist on high alert as heavy rains lash region, admn monitoring situation Officials, workers strengthen embankments in villages along Sutlej Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 1 The district, parts of which were mostly remained unaffected so far, was put on high alert on Monday after 90,000 cusecs of water was released from Ropar this morning. The Sutlej, which had been flowing at around 35,000 cusecs, is now expected to touch the 1.25 lakh-cusec mark within hours. Since early morning, officials have been on their toes, with teams and workers engaged in strengthening embankments in villages along the river. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain, who visited areas along the Buddha Nullah and inspected the Dhussi bandh at Talwandi Nayabad, told The Tribune that the city was on a high alert as water levels were likely to rise further. “All possible and necessary measures are being taken to prevent any damage from excessive water and teams are already on the ground,” he said. The DC also inspected a breach in the Buddha Dariya at Talwara Bahanhara village, directing teams to urgently repair the damage. He said at all vulnerable points, including Khaira Bet, Mattewara forest area, Sasrali, Dhullewal, teams from the administration were available round the clock to monitor the situation. Heavy showers lashed Ludhiana since around 5:30 am on Monday, continued non-stop for over seven hours, adding to the woes of flood-hit areas of the state. Panic gripped residents as waterlogged streets and roads and rising water levels at the Buddha Nullah created A view of the overflowing Buddha Nullah after rainfall at Peeru Banda in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN fresh concerns across the city. Areas along the nullah, including Salem Tabri, Chand Cinema road were inundated due to the overflowing nullah. Residents faced tough times as dirty water entered their houses. Though schools remained closed across the state due to floods and incessant rains, on Monday, the state government also announced the closure of colleges as well. As per authorities, 2-3 ft of water was reported in lowlying areas, particularly along Basti Jodhewal, Tajpur Road, Samrala Chowk, Janakpuri areas, the condition in posh areas such as Rani Jhansi Road and near Lodhi Club was also the same as puddles of water could be seen all over, causing difficulty for commuters to move on roads. Locals were seen praying for relief from rains that had already brought widespread misery. In villages along the Sutlej, anxiety mounted as the water level continued to rise. “Water is just a few meters away from entering the fields and villagers are panicked,” said Sonu, sarpanch of Boothgarh village, adding that the administration had sent teams late on Sunday night to assess the situation and put up measures to prevent water from entering the fields. Meanwhile, social media groups were abuzz with Good Samaritans mobilising support for flood-hit areas. Messages were exchanged about sending ration, mosquito nets, water and first-aid kits. Some volunteers were also seen arranging boats to held rescue people. Several trees were uprooted across different areas and relentless rain further disrupted normal life in the city. Dyeing units shut The Deputy Commissionercum-chairman, District Disaster Management Committee, Ludhiana, Himanshu Jain, has ordered the closure of all dyeing units and printing clusters with immediate effect. The orders came following the visit of Jain along with MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal at Chander Nagar pulley and other areas along the Buddha Nullah to assess the flood situation. The officials observed that due to excessive rainfall and water, STPs in the city were overflowing and the water could enter low-lying areas. To avoid any complications and keeping in mind problems of low-lying area residents could face, all dyeing units on Tajpur Road, Bahadurke Road, industrial area, units at Jalandhar Bypass and Samrala Chowk and other printing units were ordered to be shut. “At this time, we cannot afford to relax. To stop the reverse flow of STPs, we have ordered the dyeing industry to close the units till the floodlike situation was improved. Though the situation is under control, if the rains do not stop, the water of the nullah could overflow and enter the low-lying areas,” he said. The DC conducted a late evening inspection of Dhulewal village in the Samrala subdivision on Monday where flood water from the Sutlej have caused damages to several acres of agricultural fields. Jain assured residents that the state government was committed to compensating every individual affected by floods, following a thorough and transparent assessment of losses. Road cave-ins spark safety concerns in SBS Nagar Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 1 Two alarming road cave-ins near the City Centre in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar have again raised serious questions about infrastructure neglect and commuter safety. The affected stretch, which connects the G-block side of the SBS Nagar to the City Centre, has become a hazard zone, with one depression remaining so deep and waterlogged.” A local resident whose car got stuck in a pothole on Monday morning, described the incident as “dangerous”, adding that “It’s not a road issue but a daily risk for anyone commuting through the area”. The cave-ins appear to be the result of recurring soil erosion, a problem that has plagued the area for years. Despite repeated complaints, the authorities have offered only temporary fixes. “Every year they dump mud and leave,” said Arvind Sharma, a resident. “There’s no concrete solution, no retaining wall and no accountability,” he said. What’s more alarming is the Barricading done at a cave-in spot in SBS Nagar. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN complete lack of barricading around the City Centre. With deep depressions and open drops surrounding the structure, pedestrians and vehicles are left vulnerable. “There’s no fencing, no warning signs — just open danger,” he said. The City Centre structure itself, once envisioned as a commercial hub, now stands partially submerged and abandoned. Locals refer to it as a ghost of its intended purpose. “It’s like surroundings are sinking with it,” said Amarjit Singh, another resident. “With no barricading around, roads are sinking and with it even our hopes for development are sinking,” he said. This isn’t the first time the area has faced such issues. In 2011, three roads around the City Centre were washed away after heavy rainfall. The lack of a retaining wall continues to leave the area vulnerable during monsoons. Residents are losing patience. “We’re tired of waiting for the matter to be decided in court as the wait is getting longer while our roads collapse,” said Manjit Singh, another area resident. “The issue is about inconvenience, safety, dignity and the right to live in a city that cares,” he said. Later in the evening, the road was barricaded by the authorities. The portion of the road that caved in near City Centre in SBS Nagar. 8-year-old child Panic grips city as three century-old drowns at house buildings collapse due to downpour Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Police officials help commuters on a waterlogged road in Ludhiana on Monday. ASHWANI DHIMAN Cops in uniform offer yeoman service to commuters amid rain Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 1 Heavy rain lashed the city on Monday throwing life our of gear. Within an hour, roads had turned into ‘streams’. Engines stalled, honking faded and all that remained was the dull hush of tyres dragging through water. Commuters also stuck on waterlogged roads. Even vehicles also developed technical snags, which posed challenges for commuters. However, the men in khakhi couldn’t resist them in extending helping hands to them. Acting on the directions of Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma, senior police officials, including DCP (Law and Order) Parminder Singh Bhandal, DCP (Investigation) Harpal Singh, DCP (Headquarters) Snehdeep Sharma, ADCP Sameer Verma, ADCP (Traffic) Gurpreet Purewal, ADCP Karanvir Singh, ACPs and SHOs, were present at all nook and corners of the city. At Haibowal Chowk amid heavy rain, DCP (Investigation) Harpal Singh stood knee-deep in the mess. His once-crisp uniform clung to him, soaked and heavy. Two scooter-borne persons while trying to wade through the inundated road near Haibowal Chowk suffered jerk from a deep pothole. They were about to fall when the DCP himself with other cops went to their rescue. While saving the duo from falling, their uniform soaked in the rainwater. In Police Zone-1, DCP Bhandal inspected the area with ADCP-1 Sameer Verma, ADCP Gurpreet Purewal where cops also held interactions with the people and told them to stay indoor as heavy rain has lashed the city. An elderly woman, who was crying for help, reached the spot and told the DCP Bhandal that rainwater had entered her house and ravaged everything. The DCP after calming down the woman informed Municipal Corporation officials for immediate help. It had been a long day. A wet, difficult, chaotic day. But they’d stood their ground. And when systems faltered, it was clear — the people in uniform hadn’t. Men in khakhi had proved that disciplined force always remain present for the people in need of the hour,” said a commuter, who was helped by the police while crossing the road on a two-wheeler. CP Swapan Sharma said the Punjab Police in spirit of service had been extending helping hands to the people in need. On Monday, senior police officials were sent in the fields to make sure that commuters remain safe on roads and the former could extend immediate help to the people in need amid rain. Ludhiana, September 1 In a tragic incident, an eightyear-old child, Vikas Jha, drowned at his house in New Puneet Nagar on Monday. The incident occurred when a wall of the house collapsed and rainwater accumulated in the adjoining plot gushed into the house, further collapsing the girder roofs of two rooms. The deceased’s father managed to rescue two children of his sister-in-law while unfortunately when he went to rescue his son, he could not be saved. The deceased was studying in Class II. His father, Shambhu Nath, is a factory worker. Pawan Jha, uncle of the deceased, said the incident occurred around 9 am when Shambu Nath, along with his wife, son, sister-in-law and her two children, was present in the house. Since it was raining heavily, rainwater accumulated in the plot adjoining their house. Later, a wall adjoining to the plot collapsed, leading to further collapse of the roofs of two rooms. Following which, water also entered the house. “As the house was completely inundated and roofs also collapsed, the deceased’s father managed to rescue his wife, sister-in-law and her two children but when he tried to locate his c m y b Incident occurred when a wall of house collapsed and rainwater accumulated in adjoining plot gushed inside own son, he failed to find him initially. Later, I, along with the boy’s father, went inside the Vikas Jha, and the deceased house found the victim lying in the water. He was rushed to the CMCH where the child was declared brought dead by doctors,” he said. Pawan said though roofs of two rooms collapsed, none of the family members got stuck beneath the debris. The boy died due to drowning. ASI Ravinder Kumar said since it was heavily raining, rainwater had already been accumulating inside the house. The collapse of the wall actually caused the tragedy due to which water flowed into the house. “The level of the house was lower than the main road. There are other houses in the lane where rainwater has already accumulated. We have told residents to vacate the houses to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” he said. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 1 Heavy rains caused the collapse of three century-old buildings in Old City areas on Monday. After the incident, panic spread in the area. These buildings, located in Bagh Wali Gali, Raman Market and Baini Ram Street, were already in a dilapidated state. Fortunately, the incident didn’t cause any injury or loss of lives. It is learnt that the Municipal Corporation had also issued notices to the dangerous buildings before the monsoon season but no proper follow-up seemed to have been done for their demolition. Sources said the buildings were lying abandoned and no one was staying in the same for a long time. Residents asserted that the old city area had hundreds of unsafe buildings which need to be demolished immediately to prevent such incidents in the future. Nearby residents rued that it could have proved dangerous for them as the incidents had happened during peak hours. When these incidents occurred, there was not much movement on roads. This is a similar picture every year as in the past also such incidents have occurred during which people got injured. In a separate incident, a wall near Domoria Bridge collapsed and damaged five parked cars. Area residents said the wall was already in a dilapidated state and car owners were also told to avoid parking of vehicles alongside the wall but to no avail. CCTV cameras also captured the incident. One of the structures that collapsed in the Old City area due to rain in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN