29082024-LT-01.qxd 8/29/2024 12:06 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PAU TEACHERS’ ASSN WARNS OF INTENSIFYING PROTEST NEW POSTER OF PUSHPA 2: THE RULE UNVEILED Allu Arjun surprised fans by unveiling a new poster of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule on his Instagram account. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C INDIA’S PARALYMPICS TEAM INSPIRING: AYUSHMANN Protest by the Punjab Agricultural University Teachers Association has entered seventh day. P2 FORECAST The actor took to Instagram and shared a video cheering for the Indian contingent for the Games. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6.48 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:58 AM » THURSDAY | 29 AUGUST 2024 | LUDHIANA DELAY IN PLOT ALLOTMENT Man enters bakery, opens fire Conditional penalty of ~5L imposed by HC on LIT chief at owner in Rajguru Nagar Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Accomplice keeps waiting outside; duo rounded up in Moga, say police sources Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 A man barged into Sindhi Bakers in Rajguru Nagar here this afternoon and opened fire at the owner. The victim suffered a bullet injury in the neck. Bleeding profusely, he was taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition is, however, said to be out of danger. After the incident, ADCP (Crime) Amandeep Singh Brar, ACP (Crime) Rajan Sharma and SHO inspector Pawan Kumar along with force reached the scene and started an investigation. As per police sources, both suspects were rounded up in Moga. As per information, around 4.20 pm, two persons came on a Honda Activa scooter and one of them entered the bakery. He asked the bakery owner, Naveen Gangwani, to give him a juice and handed over Rs 100 currency note. When the owner told the suspect that no juice is Cops conduct a probe at the crime scene in Rajguru Nagar on Wednesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN available at this price, the latter pointed a pistol at him and opened fire but missed the target. Afterwards, he fled the scene with his accomplice. After a few minutes, the suspect, along with his accomplice, who keep waiting outside, again came and fired three to four bullets at Gangwani. One of the bullets grazed his neck, causing serious injury to him. The assailant had also fired at a bakery worker, Waiting for tragedy? Sonu, who had suffered a splinter injury. After the attack, the assailant had also fired shots in the air to intimidate other workers. Interestingly, when the suspect fired at the owner on his first visit, the owner did not inform the police. Instead, he went to inform another shopkeeper about the incident and the latter suggested the victim to inform the police. But the shop owner kept waiting for his father. However, after a few minutes, the suspects returned to the scene again and targeted the owner. ADCP Amandeep Brar said the bullet had grazed through the neck of the owner and he was rushed to a hospital. CCTV footage of the suspects was recovered. When asked about the reason behind the attack, Brar said preliminary probe suggested that it was not a robbery attempt as the suspects had come, opened fire and fled the scene without taking anything along with them. Other angles were also being explored by the police in the case. So far, a case was being registered against the suspects. Ludhiana, August 28 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a conditional penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Tarsem Singh Bhinder. The order states that the Chairman had to pay penalty from his own pocket if the Trust fails to allot a plot to a woman in the Local Displaced Person (LDP) category by the next date of hearing. Tejveer Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Local Government, Punjab, along with Tarsem Singh Bhinder, Chairman, Ludhiana Improvement Trust, was present in the court and assured the implementation of the order in letter and in spirit shall be carried out before the next date of hearing, which is August 29. Viren Jai and Komaljit Kaur were the lawyers for the petitioner. The court order copy, which is with The Tribune, also made it clear that in case, undertaking extended before this court is not complied with, the LIT Chairman will be liable to pay a cost of Rs 5 lakh to the petitioner on WHAT THE ORDER SAYS The order states that the Ludhiana Improvement Trust Chairman had to pay penalty of Rs 5 lakh from his own pocket if the LIT fails to allot a plot to a woman in the Local Displaced Person (LDP) category by the next date of hearing, which is August 29. account of inordinate and unexplained delay in compliance with the order. The cost shall be borne from his own pocket and in case of default, the same would be recovered as arrears of land revenue. The court also orders that the Chairman, Ludhiana Improvement Trust, shall remain present in the court on the next date of hearing. However, the presence of Tejveer Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Local Government, Punjab, is dispensed with. Meanwhile, LIT Chairman Bhinder said the penalty had not been levied and the matter would be resolved. Notably in 2001, Pritam Kaur petitioned the High Court to challenge orders issued on December 22, 1999, regarding the allotment of a plot under the LDP category. The final orders, passed on February 10, 2015, dismissed her petition, stating that she had applied for a plot without advertisement in 1984, which was not in line with the procedure at that time. Though Kaur argued that other cosharers received plots without advertisement, the court disagreed. The court noted that while the LIT had not followed law in allotting plots to other co-sharers, Kaur could not claim a plot on the same basis. However, the court ruled that Kaur’s claim could not be ignored indefinitely and that she would be considered for a plot allotment when the LIT decided to allot plots to landowners whose land had been acquired. In 2020, Kaur filed a contempt petition, alleging violation of the HC orders. On August 20, the court initiated contempt proceedings, observing that Kaur’s claim had not been considered despite previous orders, while other local displaced persons had received plots. Bhinder stated that no penalty had been imposed so far and that action would be taken according to law after reviewing documents. MC employees seek fulfilment of demands Tribune News Service A tractor-trailer of the Municipal Corporation stationed in the middle of a road at Krishna Nagar, near Saggu Chowk, for over a month poses threat to commuters. ASHWANI DHIMAN Ludhiana, August 28 The Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee staged a gate rally outside the Zone A office of the Municipal Corporation (MC), near Mata Rani Chowk, here. The protest aimed at bringing attention to pressing issues faced by sanitation workers and sewer cleaners. A memorandum of demands was submitted to MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi. Chandan Grewal, chairman of the Punjab Sanitation Commission, also took part in the rally. The members of the commission demanded that regu- Employees hold a gate rally outside the MC's Zone A office in Ludhiana on Wednesday. INDERJEET VERMA larisation letters for ad hoc, contract and daily wage employees, as notified on August 7, 2023, should be issued as soon as possible. They also demanded perma- nent posting for 456 Class IV employees, including peons, gardeners and drivers, who had been working for the civic body for many years. Their other demands included contractual employment for 110 outsourced employees, such as data entry operators, junior engineers and sub-divisional officers, payment of pending 12 per cent dearness allowance from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021, in line with the Central Government’s pattern, implementation of the unified pension scheme approved by the Cabinet for MC employees, additional demands included cashless health cards, EPF deposits, timely salary payments, direct recruitment for vacant posts, etc. Two fire incidents Civic body demolishes liquor vend, Rape victim reaches reported from dist under-construction illegal colony CP’s office, wants suspect nabbed Ludhiana, August 28 Two fire incidents reported in the district. In the first incident, a fire broke out in a grocery store and in the other, at a fast food shop. In the first incident, a major fire broke out in a grocery store near the Ludhiana highway in Jagraon on Wednesday. After getting information, the shop owner reached the scene and tried to extinguish the fire by pouring water but in vain. Later, the shopkeeper informed the fire brigade. Later, the fire brigade reached the scene and controlled the blaze but by then, the shop and goods kept in it had reduced to ashes. As per information, a passer-by noticed smoke emanating from the shop, Satpal Grocery Store, around 7 am, after which he informed the shop owner who reached the place. Before the arrival of the fire brigade, residents of the area along with the shop owner had tried to douse the flames but due to high intensity flames, it could not be controlled. The fire was so intense that it created a panic among nearby shopkeepers. The losses were said to be in lakhs of rupees as the entire stock lying inside the shop had gutted in the fire. Though exact reason of the fire was not known so far, a short-circuit was suspected to be the cause. In the second incident, a fire broke out at a fast food outlet in Doraha late on Tuesday night. As per information, the fire occurred at Hungry Point. The cause of the blaze could not be determined. A major accident was averted due to the fire in the main market of the city. Even gas cylinders were lying inside the shop itself and the same could have exploded but fortunately before the fire could reach cylinders, it was controlled by firemen. Sources said a short-circuit could be the cause behind the blaze. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 28 Acting tough against illegal constructions, the Municipal Corporation (MC) demolished an under-construction illegal colony and a liquor vend near Kunti Nagar (Zone C) here on Wednesday. Removes around 20 encroachments from green belt, road portion in Salem Tabri A joint team of the building branch and tehbazaari wing also removed around 20 encroachments from the green belt and a road portion in the Salem Tabri area (Zone A). The action against illegal constructions/encroachments has been taken on the directions of MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi. Assistant Town Planner (ATP), Zone C, Jagdeep Singh, said building branch An illegal structure being razed by the MC during a drive in Ludhiana on Wednesday. officials came to know about the illegal constructions during routine inspections. The illegal constructions have been demolished on Wednesday and owners c m y b have been warned of strict action if they indulge in such acts again. Speaking about the drive against encroachments in the Salem Tabri area, civic body officials stated that around 20 kiosks were demolished on Wednesday and the remaining encroachments would be removed in coming days. Ludhiana, August 28 A rape victim, along with Nihangs, reached the office of the Commissioner of Police (CP) to seek arrest of the suspect who was booked in the case. She said if the police would not arrest him, she would reach the DGP’s office on Monday. On August 13, the Ludhiana police had registered a case against a social activist, Chetan Baweja. The complainant, a local resident, alleged that despite registering a case, the police had failed to arrest the suspect. She suspected that due to the political influence of the man, the police were deliberately delaying his arrest. If he was not arrested by Monday, she would approach the DGP Punjab, and would sub, mit a complaint to him to seek arrest of the suspect. The woman in her complaint had told the police that she got married in 2019 but due to a dispute with her husband, she approached social worker Chetan Baweja for achieving a compromise in the matter. In 2020, she got divorce from her husband. Later, Baweja called her to his office on the Chandigarh road where he developed a sexual relationship with her after offering her a cold drink laced with some sedatives. Initially, Baweja had claimed that he was unmarried and on the pretext of solemnising marriage with her, he continued to develop physical relations with her. When the victim turned pregnant and she asked Baweja to marry her, he told her that he was already married and rejected the marriage proposal. A complaint was also lodged against the victim by her former husband, alleging blackmailing and hiding the truth of her pregnancy ar the time of the marriage. She, however, termed the allegations as false. — TNS