10062024-LT-01.qxd 6/10/2024 1:10 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune WILL BE MORE ACTIVE ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES: SKM PUL MOORAN BECOMES HOT SPOT FOR WEDDING PHOTOSHOOTS ACTORS HRITHIK, ALIA, SONAKSHI, ZOYA BACK POST Punjab SKM holds meeting, it was attended by representatives from 32 state-based organisations. P2 Known as the Taj Mahal of Punjab, Pul Mooran was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a bridge on a canal. P4 Many Bollywood personalities lent their support to Kangana Ranaut, who was slapped by a CISF constable. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 43°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 40°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.24 PM » SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:21 AM MONDAY | 10 JUNE 2024 | LUDHIANA Despite MC’s sterilisation project, no let-up in dog-bite cases in city ment to take urgent measures to control the population of stray dogs. “During election campaigning by leaders of various political parties, we raised the issue with them and now, let’s see if anything will be done to resolve the menace,” she said. Dr Vipul Malhotra from Ludhiana MC’s Veterinary branch said the project for dog sterilisation was on and every dog that was sterilised was also given an antirabies vaccine. “The MC is putting in every effort to control the menace of dog bite in the city,” he said. Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 Despite efforts of the Municipal Corporation (MC) to carry out the dog sterilisation project in the city, there is no letup in dog-bite cases in Ludhiana. This year, from January till now, the Civil Hospital has received 6,599 cases. Keeping in view the high number of dog-bite cases, the Civil Hospital has now started administering tetanus injection at the dog-bite clinic itself to make it convenient for patients coming up for the administration of anti-rabies injection. The victim after dog bite is given tetanus injection within 72 hours of the injury along with antirabies vaccine. On an average, 70-90 persons come for administration of anti-rabies vaccine and of these, 40-50 are new cases, which require tetanus injection as well. “Earlier, a lot of time was wasted as the person had to go to the emergency ward to get tetanus injection and after that he/she used to come to the anti-rabies clinic for getting the anti-rabies injection. It is for the convenience of patients that we Victims to get compensation Patients at the dog-bite clinic at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA CASES REPORTED AT CIVIL HOSPITAL ■ 2020: ■ 2021: ■ 2022: ■ 2023: ■ 2024: 13,265 14,677 19,043 9,461 6,599 (till June 7) have made arrangements of both injections at one place,” said Dr Mandeep Sidhu, Senior Medical Officer at the Civil Hospital. On the other hand, the Municipal Corporation’s dog sterilisation project seems to be a toothless tiger as the dogbite cases continue to be reported in a large number. The stray dog sterilisation project was kick-started in Ludhiana in February 2015 and the corporation claimed to have sterilised nearly one lakh dogs in the city so far and the project was extended for another six months in March. But despite this, incidents of stray dog-bite con- The State Health Department has formed a committee for formulating a policy to quantify dog bites and give compensation thereafter. It comes after the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that it was the primary responsibility of a state to compensate victims of incidents involving stray animals and said in a case of dog bite, the financial assistance would be Rs 10,000 per tooth mark and Rs 20,000 for every 0.2 cm of wound wherein flesh was torn off. tinue to be reported from various parts of the city and huge rush can be witnessed at the dog-bite clinic of the Civil Hospital. Suman, a resident of Ranjit Nagar, said a few months ago, a two-year-girl was badly attacked by a pack of four stray dogs in an adjacent colony on Barewal Road. She was badly injured after she was attacked and dragged by the stray canines. She emphasised that there was an need for the govern- Double murder rocks city Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 The city witnessed a double murder late last night. Pushpa (50) and her son Pradeep Kumar (20) were murdered late on Saturday night in the Dugri area on a footpath. Inspector Gurpreet Singh from the Dugri police station said on the basis of a complaint lodged by the minor daughter of Pushpa, a case was registered against her would-be husband Amardeep from Man kills would-be mother-in-law, her son over altercation Manakwal, near here. He said the family of the deceased were staying on a footpath and preliminary investigation revealed that they were migrants and homeless. The inspector said the minor daughter of Pushpa and Amardeep were planning to get married. An altercation took place between Pushpa and her would-be son-in-law Amardeep on some issue and in a fit of rage, the latter killed the woman and her son late last night on the footpath. Meanwhile, the suspect has been arrested by the police and will be produced before court. “Investigation is on, further details will be divulged later once the accused is taken on police remand,” the Inspector said. Bihar man’s murder case cracked with arrest of two Ludhiana, June 9 The Sarabha Nagar police have solved the murder case of Vikas Kumar, a native of Raopur village in Samastipur, Bihar, with the arrest of two of his friends Suraj, alias Gullu, and Manoj Sahni, both residents of Barewal. Sarabha Nagar SHO Paramvir Singh, said the case was resolved in 48 hours. The suspects were arrested from another state with the help of the local police. Vikas and three other friends, who were working as painters, were staying in Ludhiana. The suspects in police custody in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO Vikas fell in love with a minor girl. The latter was liked by his friends too. Vikas and the girl became friends. His friends did not like their relationship. In a fit of rage, they murdered Vikas. Two of the suspects were held while the third one, a minor, was absconding. The bike, which was used in the crime, and clothes of the deceased were seized.— TNS Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 Keshav Dharni from GGN Public School has bagged All India Rank (AIR) 365 in JEE (Advance), the results of which were declared today. Besides, Akemjot Singh from DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, has secured AIR 482 in the examination. Keshav Dharni has done Class XII from GGN Public School, Rose Garden. His mother Sonika Sharma is a professor at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) while father Khushdeep Dharni is a profes- sor of business management. He wants to pursue computer science Keshav Dharni from IITRoorkee, or IIT-Delhi and is fond of playing cricket. He used to give at least 10-11 hours to studies. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, has announced the results of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2024. Alongside the results, the final answer key has been released. Initially, students and coaching institutes faced issues as the site crashed. After some time, the students were able to check the results. Other students who excelled in the exam include Aditya Sharma with AIR 1,026, Anshita Batra AIR 1,236, Agrim Bhanot AIR 1,405, Akunth Jain AIR 1,495, Tanush Bansal AIR 1,546, Hardik Mahindroo AIR 1,566, Dhruv Aggarwal AIR 1,832, Brahmases Singh Makkar AIR 2,600, Aditya Kalra AIR 2,640, Laksh Goel AIR 3,155, Kanav Jain AIR 3,540 and Pranav Goyal AIR 3,928. Ludhiana, June 9 Local BJP leaders celebrated formation of the NDA-led government at the Centre for the third time. Celebrations were held in the evening at Clock Tower. BJP workers, supporters and local leaders celebrated the occasion with the beats of dhol. Laddoos were distributed and slogans praising the party’s national leadership were raised. The celebrations were organised under the leadership of district president Rajnish Dhiman. The leaders also celebrated the induction of Ravneeet INDERJEET VERMA City’s Keshav Dharni bags BJP workers celebrate Modi 3.0 govt Four youngsters AIR 365 in JEE (Advanced) drown in Sutlej Tribune News Service BJP leaders and supporters during the celebrations in Ludhiana. Singh Bittu in the Cabinet. They said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the third time, the country will pace towards development. Ludhiana, June 9 In a tragic incident, four youths namely Shammi, Mishalu, Ansari and Zaheer were reportedly drowned in the Sutlej this evening. The incident occurred between 5 pm and 5:30 pm when six youths went to the river to bathe. The police got information about the incident around 6 pm. Two of the youths, Samir and Sehbaaz, were, however, saved by onlookers when they raised the alarm. But the other four were not found. The Salem Tabri police reached the scene but since it was dark, the youths could not be found. Preliminary investigation revealed that the youths were aged between 18 and 22 years and had gone to the river to get some respite from the scorching heat. They were residents of Kasabad village. The police are investigating the matter and they would get further details tomorrow when divers search for the drowned victims. Diagnosticcentre’s Bittu becomes second Union Minister from Ludhiana licence suspended In 2012, Cong MP from Ludhiana Manish Tewari was inducted into Manmohan Singh-led UPA govt at Centre Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 A city-based diagnostic centre landed in the soup when a team of the District Health Department reached its premises to unseal an ultrasound machine but things turned topsy-turvy after department officials found an unauthorised person conducting ultrasound on a patient. Following this, the department suspended the license of the diagnostic centre. Civil Surgeon Jasbir Singh Aulakh said they received a request from the centre, following which a team was sent to unseal the ultrasound machine but upon reaching the place, department officials found that an unauthorised person was conducting ultrasound on a patient. “The centre has only three doctors registered for performing ultrasound while the third doctor has tendered his resignation on May 24. Now, the centre is left with only two doctors and the person who was found conducting ultrasound on the spot was not registered,” the Civil Surgeon said. “The PNDT licence of the centre has been suspended and machines have been sealed,” Dr Aulakh said. UNAUTHORISED PERSON FOUND CONDUCTING ULTRASOUND BY HEALTH TEAM Civil Surgeon Jasbir Singh Aulakh said they received a request from the diagnostic centre, following which a team was sent to unseal the ultrasound machine but upon reaching the place, department officials found that an unauthorised person was conducting ultrasound on a patient. “The PNDT licence of the centre has been suspended and machines have been sealed,” he said. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 9 Ravneet Singh Bittu became the second Union Minister from Ludhiana on Sunday. In 2012, the then Congress MP from Ludhiana Manish Tewari was inducted into the then Dr Manmohan Singhled UPA government at the Centre. Tewari was made minister of state (independent charge) of information and broadcasting. While Tewari was an elected MP from Ludhiana, Bittu (48), has lost this parliamentary poll from Ludhiana, which he had fought on the BJP ticket, after winning his previous three consecutive elections – two from Ludhiana in 2019 and 2014 and maiden from Anandpur Sahib in 2009 on the Congress ticket. Sporting a pink turban and clad in white shirt and denims, the Congress-turnedBJP leader took oath as minister of state in English. However, portfolios were yet Ravneet Singh Bittu to be allocated to the 72-member Modi 3.0 Council of Ministers, which was sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi this evening. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who was dubbed as an “outsider” had pipped his friendturned-foe turncoat three-time sitting MP Bittu of the BJP , whom he called as “traitor” to wrest the Ludhiana LS seat. The three-time sitting MLA from Gidderbaha, Warring had polled 3,22,224 votes, which were 20,497 more than 3,01,282 votes polled by his arch rival Bit- c m y b tu, to win Ludhiana for the record fourth time in a row. No other party had represented this predominantly urban general seat four times consecutively since 1952. The surprise and rather unexpected elevation of Bittu, who will be the BJP’s Sikh face from Punjab in the Union Cabinet, is seen as the saffron party’s outreach in the border state ahead of the 2027 Assembly poll. The grandson of slain Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh will be the lone representative from the state in the Union Cabinet after the BJP lost all 13 Lok Sabha seats that it had fought alone for the first time since 1996 after parting ways with it’s age-old ally SAD. From being Rahul Gandhi’s “soldier” to “Modi’s man” in his two-decade political career, this firebrand politician vows to become a bridge between Punjab and Delhi. “I will become a bridge between Punjab and Delhi and will take up all issues, especially that pertaining to farmers, directly with the PM to get them addressed once for all,” Congress-turned-BJP leader told The Tribune over phone from Delhi. “It was an unexpected call which I received this morning following which I rushed to the Prime Minister’s residence, where I was told that I would be part of the Modi 3.0 Cabinet,” the young minister said. He said his nomination to the Cabinet had proved beyond any doubt that Punjab figures on top in Modi’s priority states. “The BJP having lost all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state and still getting a Cabinet berth is nothing less than Modi’s benevolence and gift to Punjab,” Bittu remarked. Bittu’s elevation had become imminent after the BJP stalwart and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing an election rally in Ludhiana on May 26, had promised to make Bittu “big man” if Ludhiana again sent him to Lok Sabha. Urging Ludhiana voters to reelect Bittu, whom he called as his friend of five years, as MP , Shah had promised to make him a big man afterwards. “Yeh Ravneet Bittu mera dost hai, 5 saal se dost bana hai mera, ise Ludhiana se Dilli ki sansad mein bhejiye, isko bada aadmi banane ka kaam main karunga... (This Ravneet Bittu is my friend, has become my friend five years ago, send him from Ludhiana to Delhi’s Parliament, I will make him a big man),” said Shah to the big public applause. On hearing this, Bittu, who had recently quit the Congress to join the BJP had got up from , his seat and bend towards Shah with folded hands. Since Bittu lost the elections, not only Ludhiana but he himself had lost all hopes to get “power” as minister. The three-generation Congress turncoat, who had recently left the party to join the BJP , had contested and won his maiden election from the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in 2009. Then 33, Bittu had become the youngest MP from Punjab. Following his victory in Anandpur Sahib, there was no looking back till 2019 for Bittu, who is a Class XII pass-out and a licensed commercial pilot. He had won the last two Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019 and lost this poll from Ludhiana. “My grandfather had laid down his life for the nation and I have also never shied away from making any sacrifice for my people and the motherland,” he asserted while accusing the Congress and AAP of jointly conspiring against him and posing a serious threat to his life and liberty. Even after he paid Rs 1.83 crore as house rent, the Zplus protectee was, on the day of his filing nomination papers, dislodged from the government house, where he has been putting up since 2016. Rendered homeless in the midst of electioneering, Bittu had then shifted to the BJP office here.