10062026-LT-01.qxd 6/10/2026 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PAU, MET INK MOU TO BOOST WEATHER FORECAST INFRA The collaboration was formalised during a high-level meeting chaired by the PAU Vice-Chancellor. P2 » THIS IS MY FAREWELL FILM, SAYS DAVID DHAWAN NORA FATEHI REPRESENTS INDIA IN FIFA ALBUM David Dhawan is saying adieu to filmmaking after Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. P4 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 44°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 43°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7:24 PM The new song from the FIFA World Cup 2026 is finally out, and it features the Bollywood star. P4 » FORECAST SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:21 AM » WEDNESDAY | 10 JUNE 2026 | LUDHIANA MC extends ~1.4K cr waste mgmt project deadline again for bids Ladhowal Toll Plaza made free for 2 hrs as morcha seeks release of prisoners Manav Mander Tribune News Service Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 The Municipal Corporation (MC) has again extended the deadline for bids under its ambitious Integrated Solid Waste Management Project worth Rs 1,408.66 crore. The latest extension has been granted till Friday, highlighting the continued struggle of the civic body to find a private agency for the project. The project, aimed at overhauling the city’s waste management system, has remained stuck for over nine months due to poor response from private firms. Officials are still uncertain whether the extended deadline will attract eligible bidders. The proposed project includes door-to-door collection of household waste, transportation of garbage from secondary collection points and scientific processing of waste at the city’s main dump site. Notably, largescale waste processing at the dump has remained suspended for nearly five years. MC officials have been attempting to award the contract since September 2025. However, the process has faced several hurdles, including opposition from sanitation workers and unions, who Garbage lies unattended along Rahon Road in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Latest extension has been granted till Friday, highlighting continued struggle of MC to find pvt agency for work have been protesting against the proposal to hand over door-to-door garbage collection to a private company. A senior MC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said political uncertainty ahead of the Assembly elections and resistance from ED raids CA Ankur Garg’s house over money laundering Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out a search operation at the residence of chartered accountant (CA) Ankur Garg in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to Hampton Sky Realty Limited. According to sources, the search began early in the morning when around 15 to 20 ED officials reached Garg’s residence. The operation continued throughout the day and was still underway at the time of filing this report. Interestingly, sources in the area said Garg had hosted a gathering at his residence on Monday evening. Relatives, friends and guests reportedly remained at the house till late night before leaving. A few hours later, ED officials arrived to conduct searches. The action is part of coordinated raids being conducted at six locations across Ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, and the Delhi-Noida region under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laun- employee unions were among the factors discouraging major firms from participating in the bidding process. “Companies are hesitant to make such a large investment when there is uncertainty and opposition on the ground,” the official said. The civic body initially floated separate tenders for four city zones in September 2025 at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore, primarily for door-todoor waste collection. Later, the plan was expanded into an integrated waste management project covering collection, transportation and processing of garbage. The estimated cost subsequently increased to Rs 1,100 crore and later to Rs 1,408.66 crore after revisions approved by the Finance and Contracts Committee. The project had also triggered heated discussions during an MC House meeting held on February 9, where it eventually received approval. Despite repeated efforts, the civic body is yet to make headway in implementing the long-pending project. Ludhiana, June 9 The Ladhowal Toll Plaza, one of the busiest in the state, was made free for two hours as part of the statewide protest. The protest was held by the Quami Insaaf Morcha, demanding for the release of Sikh prisoners. The toll was free between 12 noon and 2 pm. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, speaking at the protest site, said she had been supporting the cause from the beginning and had even marched to the Chief Minister’s residence in the past. She rued that the Chief Minister was not coming forward to listen, stressing that the issue was not political but a humanitarian demand raised by the farmers’ and the united front. She said the prisoners had already completed their sentences, their families had endured immense suffering, yet parole was being denied. She emphasised that the individuals were not criminals and there was no threat to society. Sidhu further urged the Chief Minister to raise the issue with the Prime Minister, pointing out that many prisoners remained behind bars simply because no one came forward to seek parole or bail for them. She called for a review of such cases so Members of the Quami Insaaf Morcha hold a protest at the Ladhowal Toll Plaza on Tuesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN that long-confined prisoners could be released and reunited with their families. Members of the morcha said their demands were straightforward and solutions existed. They reminded the government of its earlier assurance that there would be no need to protest as the authorities would listen directly. Yet, they argued, people were being forced to protest on roads in the scorching heat, leaving their houses, only to demand the release of prisoners. They said it was the government’s duty to listen to them. The morcha workers said they had been staging protests for years to press for Heatwave effect Residence of CA Ankur Garg where a raid was conducted in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Rising temperatures create a mirage-like effect over railway tracks during a hot afternoon in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN 24x7 flood control rooms to function in dist from June 15 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain on Tuesday announced that 24x7 flood control rooms in all sub-divisions of the district will start functioning from June 15 to Sep 30 to closely monitor and respond to any flood-like situation during the upcoming monsoon season. The control rooms will function round the clock to ensure prompt reporting and response to flood-related emergencies. The DC said residents could report any flood-like situation through control room numbers. A duty roster for the staff had already been prepared while senior administrative officers had been assigned rotational supervision responsibilities to ensure the effective functioning of the control rooms. “The objective of the control rooms is to facilitate timely receipt and dissemination of information regarding floods, breaches in embankments and other emergency situations,” Jain said. He emphasised that all information received from the public or field staff must be acted upon immediately, with departments ensuring swift coordination and assistance to minimise any loss of life or property. Reviewing flood-prevention works in vulnerable areas, he directed officials to expedite and complete the ongoing strengthening of embankments and other protective infrastructure at flood-prone locations. He stressed that the administration was alert to prevent any untoward incident during the rainy season. The DC said comprehensive arrangements had already been made to c m y b jab Governor’s residence on Independence Day. Commuters a happy lot “I read in the newspaper that the Toll Plaza will be made free for two hours on Tuesday, hence planned my visit to Phillaur. It is just 15 km away but we have to pay a heavy toll fee. Tuesday was the best day as I was relieved from paying the toll fee,” said Narain Aggarwal, a commuter. “It was a pleasant surprise to see vehicles passing by without barricades at the Toll Plaza. I was happy that the toll was made free on Tuesday,” said Manreet, another commuter. Two booked for duping UK woman of ~1.2L The suspect has faced scrutiny from Central agencies in the past dering Act (PMLA). Sources said the searches covered both residential and business premises of persons and entities allegedly linked to the case under investigation. Officials remained tightlipped about the specific findings of the operation. Ankur Garg has earlier faced scrutiny from Central agencies. In November 2020, he was arrested by the Central GST Commissionerate, Ludhiana, in connection with an alleged bogus billing racket involving transactions reportedly worth around Rs 252 crore. Business circles in the city describe Garg as a wellknown chartered accountant with links to several prominent businessmen. However, the ED has not disclosed any specific allegation against him in the present investigation. No official statement had been issued by the agency till late evening. Further investigations are on. the release of the Sikh prisoners but the Central Government had ignored them. They alleged that parole was not even being granted, and to make their voice heard in Delhi, the morcha had decided to intensify the protest. The administration and police remained on a high alert, deploying heavy forces at toll plazas to prevent any untoward incident and maintain peace. The morcha issued a stern warning and said if their demands were not met soon, the agitation would take a more severe form. They announced plans for a statewide “Rail Roko” movement on July 4 and a march to gherao the Pun- tackle potential flood situations. Contingency plans had been prepared by all departments concerned, which had also been equipped with necessary resources to respond effectively to emergencies. He urged residents to promptly report any floodrelated incident and cooperate with officials to ensure public safety during the monsoon season. Contact numbers for emergencies Residents can contact flood control room contact numbers for emergencies. District Flood Control Room, Ludhiana: 0161-2433100, Ludhiana (East): 01612922330, Ludhiana (West): 0161-2412555, Jagraon: 01624-223256, Khanna:01628226091, Samrala: 01628262354, Payal: 01628-276892 and Raikot: 01624-264350. BSNL worker crushed to death by truck Ludhiana, June 9 A 32-year-old worker engaged in the laying of BSNL cables lost his life after being run over by a container truck near Dehlon on Monday. He has been identified as Karna Shankar, a native of Sitapur district in UP . As per the complaint filed by his brother, Deepu, Shankar was resting behind a stationary container truck on a road between Lehra and Ghungrana villages. Later, the driver allegedly reversed the vehicle without noticing him. Its rear wheels ran over the man, causing fatal injuries. He died on the spot. After the mishap, the driver reportedly abandoned the vehicle and escaped from the scene. Based on the statement of the victim’s brother, a case has been registered. ASI Jagjit Singh said an FIR had been lodged. Efforts are on to identify and arrest the suspect. — TNS Ludhiana, June 9 The Jagraon city police have registered a case against two persons for allegedly duping a woman of Rs 1.2 lakh by falsely claiming that they could use their contacts in the Police Department to get action taken on her complaint. The suspects have been identified as Naseeb Singh, and Sonu Sherpuri, residents of Sherpur Kalan village. According to the police, the complainant, a 39-year-old British citizen residing in Nangal village, near Dehlon, was involved in a civil dispute that is currently pending before the Court of the SDM in Jagraon. The woman alleged that after a court hearing on June 3, two men approached her and introduced themselves as mediapersons. They gained her trust by claiming that they could help publicise her issue and assist her in obtaining justice and alleged- ly took Rs 1 lakh from her. Later, she submitted a complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police regarding the matter. The complaint was forwarded to the Jagraon city police station for inquiry. The woman further alleged that the suspects contacted her again on June 8 and demanded Rs 5 lakh, assuring her that they had strong links in the Police Department and could get action taken on her complaint. When she refused to pay such a large amount, they allegedly convinced her to hand over another Rs 20,000. Suspecting foul play, the woman verified their claims and found that the two men were cheating her. She subsequently approached the police and sought legal action. Following a probe of her complaint, the police registered an FIR against both suspects. — TNS 32-yr-old inmate found hanging in Central Jail Ludhiana, June 9 A 32-year-old undertrial prisoner allegedly died by suicide inside the Central Jail here on Tuesday morning. The inmate was found hanging in the bathroom of a barrack during the routine headcount of prisoners. The deceased was identified as Sukhwinder Singh of Qila Lal Singh village in Gurdaspur district’s Batala area. According to the jail authorities, barracks were opened around 6.30 am for the daily counting of inmates. During the process, Sukhwinder was found missing. A search was launched and he was later found hanging in a barrack bathroom. Prison staff shifted him to the jail hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The body was sent to the Civil Hospital for autopsy. Police officials said the autopsy would be conducted by a board of doctors under the supervision of a duty magistrate and the entire process would be videographed. Sukhwinder was lodged in the jail since May 2025 in connection with a criminal case. The police have informed deceased’s kin. Further action will be taken after recording their statements. — TNS