17072026-LT-01.qxd 7/17/2026 12:34 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SKM TO MAKE 3 TOLL PLAZAS IN DISTRICT FREE ON JULY 22 TRAILER FOR I PLAY ROCKY RELEASED IN INDIA PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS GETS CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS NOD Toll plazas across Punjab will remain toll-free from 12 noon to 3 pm on July 22 as part of a protest. P2 Trailer for I Play Rocky, film based on Sylvester Stallone before making of Rocky, has been released. P4 Priyanka Chopra has been nominated for Best Actress in an Action Movie for her performance in The Bluff. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 30°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:33 AM FRIDAY | 17 JULY 2026 | LUDHIANA Elderly ex-sarpanch mauled to death by stray dogs in Jagraon WB official reviews progress of surface water supply project 80-year-old victim was unable to protect himself from canines, died on spot Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 16 A former sarpanch was mauled to death by stray dogs at Pabbian village in Jagraon here. Late on Wednesday night, he got up to go to the washroom when dogs surrounded the man and mauled him. Since he was alone, his screams were not heard by anyone. Being elderly, he was unable to defend himself and died on the spot. The canines mauled the entire body and had eaten one arm and one leg of the victim, leaving only bones. The deceased was identified as Jagdish Singh (80), a resident of Pabbian village. However, it is not the first case of death due to dog bite in the village, Fifteen days ago, a man was mauled to death by dogs in Jagraon. According to villagers, former sarpanch Jagdish Singh (80) had been staying alone in a motor room on his farm for a long time. He served as a sarpanch for about 40 years. Jagraj Singh Titu, head of the Baba Siddha Sports Club in Pabbian village, said the police were informed. However, the villagers and relatives had already per- Fifteen days ago, a Bihar resident was mauled to death by dogs in Pabbian village of Jagraon. FILE formed the last rites before their arrival. The deceased’s body was deteriorating badly due to the heat as the dogs had already eaten his arm and leg. Villagers alleged that packs of stray dogs had been attacking people and livestock for a long time. They complained to the administration and departments concerned several times but no effective action had been taken to address the issue. The villagers demanded that the administration should launch a special campaign to capture stray dogs and ensure their Man assaulted, robbed of scooter by 3 miscreants Ludhiana, July 16 Three bike-borne miscreants surrounded a man on Star Road here, assaulted him and took away his Honda Activa scooter. The Daba police have registered an FIR and launched a probe. A CCTV camera has captured the entire incident. In the video, a man, Parveen Kumar, wearing a red shirt was seen standing on the roadside at night. His scooter was parked near him. Meanwhile, three miscreants on a motorcycle came and stopped near him. The suspects got into a scuffle with him during which they attacked him. The scooter fell on the road during the incident. The miscreants were seen using abusive language in the video. One of the miscreants threatened the man. Following which, one of the suspects picked up the scooter from the road and took away from the scene. The victim, Parveen Kumar (44), filed a complaint at the Daba police station. He told the police that he was returning home on his new scooter when the three unidentified youths on a Hero Splendor motorcycle, without registration number plate, stopped him. They assaulted him and fled the scene with his scooter. According to the victim, important documents were kept in the dicky of the vehicle. Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR against the unidentified suspects. — TNS proper management. They said if concrete steps were not taken on time, more serious incidents could occur in the future. The residents alleged that the fear of stray dogs had become so severe that people were avoiding going out of their homes after dark. They warned that if the administration fails to address the menace, the villagers would be forced to protest and launch a big struggle. The ongoing incidents have also raised questions about the functioning of the Municipal Council and the administration. Past incidents July 2026: Fifteen days ago in Pabbian village of Jagraon, a resident of Bihar was mauled to death by dogs. Ramesh Mandal, a 35year-old migrant worker from Purnia district of Bihar, was mauled to death. Ramesh had come to transplant paddy in the fields. He was sleeping on the roof of the tubewell room with his fellow labourers in late hours. Late at night, when he received a call on his mobile phone, he went to the fields while talking. He was surrounded by over 12 stray dogs roaming around the nearby hadda rodi (animal carcass dumping ground). The dogs severely mauled his neck, face and body. May: A pack of stray dogs attacked a daily wager in Khanna, Ludhiana district. The labourer tried to defend himself but the dogs’ bit him severely. The deceased was identified as Ram Ishwar (35). April: A suspected rabiesinfected dog attacked a threeyear-old girl, Mandeep Kaur, while she was playing outside in Machhiwara. The dog inflicted deep wounds on the girl’s face and head. December 2025: In Gandhi Colony, Model Gram, a stray dog attacked morning walkers and passers-by. The canine bit around 10 persons, including two children, who were hospitalised. October 2025: Stray dogs carried out a series of attacks in several areas in Khanna. A total of 29 persons, mostly young children, were admitted to the Government Civil Hospital in Khanna between two days with dog bites. The attacks occurred in densely populated areas such as Amloh Road, Dasehra mela ground, Krishna Nagar and Sabzi Mandi. World Bank and MC officials review the progress of Ludhiana Surface Water Supply Project in Ludhiana. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 16 Srinivasa Podipireddy, senior water and sanitation specialist, World Bank, and co-task team leader (co-TTL) of the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP), visited Ludhiana on Thursday to review the progress of the World Bank and AIIB-funded Ludhiana Surface Water Supply Scheme (LSWSS). One of the largest urban infrastructure projects in the state, the project is being implemented by the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, under the leadership of Mayor Inderjit Kaur and Municipal Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar. Sea of faith In the morning, Srinavasa had a meeting with the Joint Commissioner, MC, and CEO of the Ludhiana Urban Water and Wastewater Management Limited, Vineet Kumar, and took the review of the current status of the utility. The review was attended by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) under the leadership of Chief Engineer Ravinder Garg, Superintending Engineer Dr Parul Goyal and Project Manager Er Gurvinder Pal Singh, along with officials of the PIU, consultants, and representatives of the executing agency. During the visit, the delegation inspected the 580 MLD Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at Bilga village, ongoing transmission pipeline corri- dors and multiple Overhead Service Reservoir (OHSR) construction sites. A detailed review of key civil components, construction sequencing, project scheduling and work planning for upcoming milestones were undertaken to ensure timely execution. The PIU presented the latest project status, highlighting the physical progress achieved, pipeline installation works, OHSR construction, rehabilitation of existing reservoirs, procurement status and upcoming construction targets. Discussions also focused on technical and execution-related challenges, including constraints, utility shifting and coordination with various stakeholder departments. 2 juveniles detained for raping 14-yr-old Tribune News Service Devotees take part in a Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN P2 Ludhiana, July 16 The Machhiwara police registered a case and detained two juveniles after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of the boys while his friend made a video of the incident and later used it to threaten her. The victim and suspects are migrants. DSP Samrala, Gabbar , Singh, said the victim’s mother, who works as a domestic help, lodged a complaint with the police. She said her 14-year-old daughter told her that when she went to collect firewood in the fields near their house, a boy met her on the way. He took her to the bushes in the fields, where he allegedly raped her. Another boy present at the scene allegedly made a video of the incident. After making the video, both of them threatened the girl, warning her not to disclose the matter to anyone. On returning home, the victim narrated the entire incident to her mother, who then approached the police and got her statement recorded. On Thursday, the girl was medically examined at the Samrala Civil Hospital. The doctor said the exact nature of the incident would be clear only after the medical report was received. The doctor said the victim was a minor girl and both arrested accused were also juveniles. Health officers protest, want notifications on demands issued Ensure regular Ludhiana, July 16 Community Health Officers (CHOs) staged a district-level protest at Civil Surgeon office against the government’s deceptive policy regarding the resolution of their long-pending legitimate demands. A statewide protest of the Community Health Officers was also on. A memorandum addressed to the Health Secretary, Punjab, was submitted on the occasion. The officials urged the Civil Surgeon to forward the memorandum with their recommendations to the higher authorities so that notifications regarding their demands could be issued without further delay. A CHO, Dr Balvir, said sev- CHOs hold a protest in Ludhiana on Thursday. INDERJEET VERMA eral rounds of meetings had been held with the department concerned and the state government over the past months. On July 1, a meeting was held with the Mission Director, National Health Mission, Punjab, and on July 14, with the Finance Minister, Punjab. In these meetings, detailed discussions were held on CHOs’ financial and service-related demands and assurances were given for timely resolutions. However, no notification has been issued to date, causing widespread resentment among the CHOs. Harpinder Kaur and Jacob highlighted main demands of CHOs which include sanctioning a regular Group-B cadre for the health officers, removing the anomaly of Rs 5,000 lower monthly salary compared to other states and releasing arrears, reinstating the loyalty bonus discontinued since 2018, merging CHOs salaries with incentives and withdrawing the newly introduced unjust incentive format for proper revision. They emphasised that all these demands were entirely legitimate and even the department had shown a positive attitude but unnecessary delays were being made in issuing notifications. Dr Gurvinder and Dr Sarabjeet said while the gov- c m y b ernment repeatedly gives assurances, these were never implemented. “The CHOs will no longer be satisfied with promises alone, they will continue their struggle till written notifications regarding their demands are issued,” they said. They clarified that keeping public interest in mind, CHOs will continue OPD and TBrelated services at Ayushman Arogya Centres while all other activities will remain suspended as part of the protest. Additionally, the CHOs will wear black badges to register their peaceful opposition against the government. The CHO leaders warned that if notifications were not issued soon, on July 20, mem- orandum addressed to the Finance Minister, Punjab, would be submitted to MLAs, Aam Aadmi Party leaders and constituency in-charges across the state. If demands remain unresolved even after that, a massive state-level protest rally would be held near the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur on July 22. “We have always provided essential health services during protests. But if the government fails to fulfil assurances and continues delaying notifications, the struggle will be intensified further, and the Health Department and the state government would be responsible for the same,” the protesters said. — TNS cleaning of sewer lines, officials told Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 16 Moving forward under the ‘Mission Clean Punjab’, Ludhiana South MLA Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina and Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar conducted field inspections in different areas falling under the South constituency on Thursday morning. The inspections were conducted in Sherpur village, Dhandari, Metro road area, Dhandari BSUP flats, 100feet road, besides other areas. Zonal Commissioner Gurpal Singh were among other officials present during the inspection. During the field inspection, MLA Chhina and MC Commissioner Alankar issued strict directions to ensure cleanliness. The officials concerned had also been directed to ensure regular cleaning of sewer lines, especially in low-lying areas.