30042024-LT-01.qxd 4/30/2024 12:52 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune CIVIL HOSPITAL’S EMERGENCY WARD GETS NEW STAFF ON IRRFAN KHAN'S FOURTH DEATH ANNIV ON MONDAY ARIJIT SINGH SINGS ZAALIMA, APOLOGISES TO MAHIRA KHAN Efforts are on to improve hospital’s functioning as three new EMOs and 15 interns are deployed. P2 One cannot help but recall not only his immense talent but also the impact he made on the world of cinema. P4 Arijit Singh could be seen apologising to Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, who was seated in the audience in Dubai.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 26.4°C | MIN 24.4°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.59 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:40 AM TUESDAY | 30 APRIL 2024 | LUDHIANA To contest against rebel MP Ravneet Bittu, AAP’s Ashok Parashar INDIA VOTES 2024 Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 29 Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has been fielded by the party against rebel MP Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana. Though the district leadership had earlier requested the party high command to choose from nine party leaders from Ludhiana, their wish has not been accepted. Earlier the names of former ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Manish Tiwari, Jalandhar MLA Over 15 booked on attempt to murder charge Ludhiana, April 29 Following a collision between a car and a motorcycle, over 15 persons have been booked for allegedly attacking the car driver and his brother. An attempt to murder case has been registered against them. They have been identified as Preetam Singh, Harman Singh, Jasdeep, Sagar and 15 unidentified persons. Complainant Gurpreet Singh of Lohara alleged that he, along with Baljeet Singh, had gone to buy something when Preetam and his aide, who were riding a bike, rammed into his car. He had told them to ride the motorcycle carefully and then left the place. “When we returned home, the suspects armed with weapons reached our home and attacked my brother Manpreet. They also thrashed us and fled the scene,” he said. — TNS Pargat Singh, Bittu’s cousin Gurkirat Kotli and DCC president Sanjay Talwar were making rounds. Sanjay Talwar after the announcement of Warring’s name for the Ludhiana seat said they were happy with the decision of the party and wholeheartedly support Warring as its face from Ludhiana. “We had requested party high command to choose from Congress leaders as many leaders were joining the party after deserting their parties. The district leadership is united for a cause to help Warring win from the seat,” Talwar said. Four-time MLA Rakesh Pandey after the announcement of Warring’s name said the party’s wish was their command. “We support the Amrinder Singh Raja Warring decision taken by the party and he is our state chief and all party leaders and workers are with him,” he said. A senior local Congress leader said party workers were enthusiastic after the announcement of his name. “Party workers are united for one cause as they want to defeat Bittu, who deserted the party,” he said. Meanwhile, terming the nomination of Warring as the candidate from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu said it was astonishing on the part of the Congress that it could not find any leader from Ludhiana to fight the Lok Sabha elections. “It’s a setback for the entire Congress cadre of Ludhiana that the party could not find any leader from the commercial capital of the state, hence, declared the party president as the candidate. It seems that the Congress is coming to enjoy their “summer retreat” in these elections in Ludhiana. “How can voters of Ludhiana accept an outsider as their candidate,” Bittu said. City-based activist sent a complaint to NHAI, seeking probe into matter HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Raja Warring is Cong’s choice from Ludhiana Questions arose as MC auctions NHAI’s Elevated Road pillars for ads sans nod Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 29 Questions have arisen as the Municipal Corporation (MC) included pillars of the Elevated Road on Ferozepur Road in the city, constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), for auction to display advertisements on them under the advertisement project tender. However, the NHAI has not yet granted permission for the same. As per information, the MC floated tenders with a reserved price of Rs 6.25 crore for the auction of a number of outdoor media devices. As many as 280 units of Elevated Road pillars on Ferozepur Road and the Pakhowal Road ROB were included in the project, constituting 38.70 per cent of the total reserved price. Expressing concerns about the tendering process, citybased RTI activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira lodged a com- plaint with the regional office of the NHAI, questioning the corporation’s action to include the Elevated Road (Ferozepur Road) pillars in the tender for advertisements. In his complaint, Khaira said Elevated Road was being constructed by the NHAI and the MC action was in alleged violation of statutory provisions of law, especially the letter dated September 7, 2016, which prohibits advertisements on national highways. “There is a need to investigate how the MC could float tenders to auction the advertisement rights on these pillars constructed by the NHAI. Concrete action is solicited at the level of the NHAI,” Khaira said. To generate income of around Rs 27 crore annually, the MC had auctioned many advertisement sites to a private firm around five years ago. However, the firm later surrendered a number of sites during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thereafter, the MC was expecting to generate only around Rs 12 crore in a year. The MC had then planned to auction the surrendered sites at a cost of Rs 11-12 crore but the estimated cost was later reduced. Sources said the Elevated Road pillars on Ferozepur Road were not part of those sites surrendered by the firm, as Elevated Road was under construction by the NHAI at that time. Sources said the firm earlier used to display advertisements on pillars of another Elevated Road (Jagraon Bridge to Chand Cinema). NHAI’s project director Nav Ratan said he had received a proposal from the corporation seeking permission for dis- First randomisation of EVMs conducted in One of 2 occupants’ body recovered Car in which the two victims were travelling in presence of political party representatives fell into Sirhind canal on Sunday night Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 29 The first round of randomisation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) was held in the presence of political representatives at the District Administrative Complex here. The randomisation was conducted in the presence of DC-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Sakshi Sawhney, Additional District Election Officer Major Amit Sareen and others at Bachat Bhawan here. The DEO said a total of 2,921 polling booths would be set up in the Assembly constituencies of the district in which EVMs as well as VVPAT machines would be installed based on the number of the allocation. EVMs and VVPAT machines on a par with the number of polling booths were randomised yesterday. Additional control units, ballot units and VVPATs were also kept on reserve that could be used in case of any machine malfunctions. Sawhney further explained that after today’s randomisation, the EVMs and VVPATs would be shifted to strongrooms in their respective constituencies. The representatives of various political parties were also shown the randomisation process of EVM and VVPAT machines. They were also briefed on the next level of randomisation that would be held under the supervision of the Election Observer. The District Election Officer also informed the parties about the schedule of filing nominations from May 7 to 14. Voter awareness drives Voter awareness drives were organised in various banks situated in different parts of the district on Monday. Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) teams approached bank staff with an appeal to exercise their right to vote for strengthening democracy and for the better future of coming generations. Dif- ferent awareness activities were held and selfie points were also established to encourage the voters. During the awareness drives, voter registration camps were also organised to enrol first-time voters. Eligible first-time voters can use ‘Voter Helpline’ mobile application and National Voter Services Portal (NVSP) for enrolling themselves as electors. Residents can also visit www.nvsp.in to register themselves as voters. Voter registration for Lok Sabha elections can be done till May 4, 2024. Bank employees were also urged to spread awareness among their customers, so that the target of maximum participation can be achieved during the General Election. Doraha, April 29 The Doraha police have succeeded in recovering the body of one of the two occupants of a car that fell into the Sirhind canal late on Sunday night. The victims were going to Ferozepur when the mishap occurred. The reason behind the incident is not known so far. The police are searching for the second occupant. The occupants have been identified as Kalu Ram (48) and Chander Shekhar (45), both residents of Ferozepur. Both were working with the Railway Department. They were travelling in a Toyota Glanza car. Payal DSP Nikhil Garg said while the body of Kalu Ram had been recovered, the other occupant of the car, Chander Shekhar, still remains untraced. “NDRF teams and divers were making efforts to trace The ill-fated car that fell into the Sirhind canal on Sunday night. the second person as well. On Tuesday, the teams will be deployed again. Hopefully we will get success,” he said. “The car was coming from the Rajwant Hospital side and fell straight into the canal. The reason behind the acci- Dist excels in voter awareness, literacy in state, bags 2nd spot in SVEEP Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 29 In what appears to be the outcome of the sustained campaign underway since March 16, Ludhiana district has excelled in voter education, awareness and promotion of voter literacy in the state. The district has bagged the second position in the Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), which is the flagship programme of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in the country. The awards were announced by the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) on the basis of the assessment of SVEEP activities and social media index undertaken by all 23 districts in the state between April 1 and 15. While Amritsar has bagged the first position, Patiala has stood third in the state. Besides, Hoshiarpur and Malerkotla have got special mention for their unique initiatives. While Hoshiarpur was recognised for creating playing advertisements on Elevated Road pillars. It had been sent to the higher authorities. Meanwhile, an official who was earlier posted to look after the Elevated Road project on Ferozepur Road, said advertisements could not be displayed on NHAI’s pillars. MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the civic body had handed over Ferozepur Road to the NHAI for the Elevated Road project, and after its completion, the road was to be handed over to the MC. Now, a proposal had been sent to the NHAI to hand over the Elevated Road pillars to the MC for displaying advertisements. In city areas, the civic body had advertisement rights. He said these pillars were under NHAI’s Elevated Road. Once the proposal was approved by the NHAI, only then, the MC would hand over the pillars to the contractor and charge fees for the same. DC-cum-DEO Sakshi Sawhney during an awareness drive in a low-voter turnout area under the Ludhiana South constituency. RESULT OF TEAM WORK It’s the result of the team work that our SVEEP initiatives have turned out to be the second best in the state. The sustained campaign for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy will continue to achieve voter turnout of over 70 per cent. Sakshi Sawhney, DC-CUM-DEO. ❝ ❞ SUCCESS REPORT ■ Voter outreach ■ Booth-level Awareness Groups ■ Electoral Literacy Clubs ■ Category-wise activities voter awareness at bus stands/ railway stations by playing ‘dafli’ by its SVEEP nodal officer, Malerkotla was lauded for carrying out SVEEP activities during the district-level Eid celebrations. Deputy Commissioner (DC)-cum-District Electoral Officer (DEO) Sakshi Sawhney, who has been leading the special drive to aware, educate and sensitise the electorates in state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, which is spread across 14 Assembly segments falling under two Parliamentary constituencies, told The Tribune, here on Monday that the district SVEEP team had been planning and undertaking a host of activities across various geographies of Ludhiana. “With multiple (general and targeted) and multidimensional nature of such activities, the SVEEP team with the help of departments concerned and fieldlevel functionaries, sector officers and booth level officers, was able to reach out to the last mile voters residing in various geographies of the district,” she said. Lauding the efforts of the outgoing Assistant Commissioner (under training), Krishna Pal Rajput, who had done the groundwork, Sakshi said besides other host of activities and programmes, the SVEEP initiatives specially covered young voters and areas where there was less than 40 per cent voter c m y b turnout during the previous elections through widespread street plays (nukkad nataks) and citizen engagements through quiz and other allied activities in parks, malls and other public places with high footfall. “As a result of our sustained campaign, which is still underway, the number of first time/ new voter registration has swelled exponentially during the past two months,” the DC-cum-DEO revealed while divulging that 43,876 Form 6 (application for new voter registration) had already been approved and updated in e-rolls besides 5,921 more new voter registration forms were in the pipeline of approval and updation ever since the final publication of electoral rolls was made this year. Divulging the activities undertaken in this regard, the ADC (General), Amit Sareen, who is the SVEEP nodal officer for Ludhiana, said ever since the enforcement of the model code of conduct (MCC) following the announcement of the General Election to the 18th Lok Sabha by the ECI on March 16, the district-level SVEEP committee was conducting planning and review meetings at regular intervals to monitor the progress and evaluate the SVEEP activities on the ground. He said the host of SVEEP activities included voter outreach through outdoor hoardings, wall paintings, public announcements, video/ audio messages by the DC-cumDEO, and the pledge by voters to exercise their franchise during the poll. Among the unique initiatives, special voter awareness, education and enrolment camps were held across higher education institutions and universities, on the occasion of annual fests/ celebrations and other functions, posters were displayed at all banks and post offices and one of the SVEEP field officials, Balwant Singh, has recorded a song to spread awareness among the voters to exercise their franchise. Sareen said 540 electoral literacy clubs were constituted at all high/ senior secondary schools and colleges in the district, which conduct daily lectures in their respective institutions to encourage voters to cast their vote and also sensitise their elders to the importance of their vote. Besides, 2,919 booth-level awareness groups (BAGs) were established at all polling stations across the district to encourage the young, specially-abled, aged and women voters to cast their votes and make the dream of above 70 per cent voter turnout become a reality. Under the category-wise activities, all young voters were motivated to cast their votes through various competitions and signature campaigns, senior citizens were informed that they would be provided pick and drop facility, wheelchairs and volunteer support facilities at their polling booths and the aged voters were also supplied Form 12-D to facilitate them to cast their vote through ballot, in case they were unable to do so at their polling booth. To ensure maximum participation of service voters, the electronically transmitted postal ballot system (ETPBS) will be transmitted through electronic means to them. It continued on page 2 dent still remains a mystery. The body of Kalu Ram has been kept in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital at Payal. His kin would arrive tomorrow, following which the body will be handed over to them,” the DSP added. — OC Three arrested for snatchingattempt Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 29 Three persons were caught allegedly attempting to snatch a mobile phone and a chain from a resident of the city. The suspects, Mohammad Anas, Mohammad Kasim, and Mohammad Sahib, of New Puneet Nagar, were later handed over to the police. The complainant, Jai Ram, of Mahatama Colony, Tibba Road, alleged that he was going to his shop when the suspects, who were riding a motorcycle, approached him near a garbage dumpsite on Tibba Road. The trio, by flashing a sharp weapon, attempted to snatch his mobile phone and chain he was wearing. He alleged that the suspects were apprehended with the support of the public and handed over to the police. A case under Sections 379B, 511, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against them at the Tibba police station.
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