03112024-LT-01.qxd 11/2/2024 11:13 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune POOR AIR QUALITY GIVES RESIDENTS A TOUGH TIME FILMS SINGHAM AGAIN & BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 ROAR AT BO FASHION INDUSTRY, ACTORS MOURN ROHIT BAL’S DEATH The air quality of Ludhiana reached ‘very poor’ category following bursting of crackers on Diwali. P2 This festive season, Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3registered a bumper opening at the box-office. P4 Noted fashion designers and Bollywood celebrities have condoled the death of renowned designer Rohit Bal. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 33°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.36 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:44 AM » SUNDAY | 3 NOVEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA Mandis remain flooded with paddy, but purchase, payments go on smoothly Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 2 Farmers are still facing hardships as paddy pangs continue to grip Ludhiana district. With paddy glut rising by the day, the grain markets (mandis) in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, continue to remain flooded with the foodgrains as only half, precisely 53 per cent of the total 7.82 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of procured paddy has been lifted from the mandis. However, the procurement of arriving stocks and payments to farmers remain smooth across 146 mandis, including 38 temporary yards, under 13 market committees of Ludhiana. Also, the private purchase of paddy has failed to pick up with the commission agents (arhtiyas) not procuring the foodgrains despite the government’s assurance to increase their commission. Claiming that the situation has improved during the past week and will further improve in the days to come, the District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Geeta Bishambu, told The Tribune here on Saturday that lifting had picked up pace with over 63 per cent of the paddy procured during the past 72 hours already been cleared from the mandis. She said the district administration was in close coordination with the Food and Civil Supplies Department and the four stateowned procurement agencies was ensuring swift Arhtiyas not procuring foodgrain despite assurance by govt on commission A farmer rests on sacks of paddy as the foodgrain continues to flood mandis in Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN TELLING NUMBERS PARMAL PADDY ■ Arrival: 8,18,141.3 ■ Procurement: 7,82,221.3 ■ Unsold: 35,920 ■ Lifted: 4,14,017.6 BASMATI RICE STORAGE ■ Unlifted: 3,68,203.7 ■ Arrival: 36,003.74 ■ Procured: 36,003.74 ■ Total rice mills: ■ Payment due within 48 ■ Price range: ~2,670-3,145 ■ Applied for storage: hours: ~1616.7 crore ■ Payment made: ~1,614.7 crore ■ MSP: ~2,320 DATE Nov 1, 2023 Nov 1, 2024 2023 vs 2024 ARRIVAL PURCHASE LIFTED 9,75,964 9,55,960 6,88,302 8,18,141 7,82,221 4,14,017 (SOURCE: DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, ARRIVAL, PROCUREMENT, LIFTING FIGURES IN MT, FIGURES TILL NOVEMBER 1) procurement and early payments to the farmers for their procured stocks. “We have been able to purchase almost 96 per cent of the total paddy that had arrived in our mandis so far and have completely paid the payments due to the farmers,” Geeta shared. She disclosed that 7,82,221.3 MT of the total arrived 8,18,141.3 MT paddy had been procured in the district while Rs 1,614.7 crore had already been paid to the farmers, which was almost 100 per cent of Rs 1,616.7 crore payment due within 48 hours of the purchase. On the lifting front, 4,14,017.6 MT of the pro- ■ Allotted stocks: ■ Agreements done: Area under paddy 2,56,500 hectares ■ Harvested: 1,46,905 hectares ■ Total area: cured 7,82,221.3 MT paddy had been lifted from the mandis, which comprised 63.3 per cent of 6,53,748.1 MT stocks due to be lifted within the last 72 hours of the purchase. On Friday, 40,498.3 MT more paddy arrived in the mandis, while 42,410.3 MT was purchased and 21,662 City records 78 fire incidents in two days Two major fires reported in scrap godown, crockery shop Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 2 The city of Ludhiana witnessed a surge in fire incidents during the Diwali celebrations, with 53 fires reported between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and 25 incidents on Thursday. This exceeds last year’s total of 32 incidents, likely due to the extended celebrations. Two big fires occurred at a scrap godown in Jarkhar and a crockery shop near Maghar di Chakki on ATI Road. The scrap godown fire, located in a remote field area, proved challenging due to limited water availability and accessibility issues. Firefighters took 12 hours and used more than 100 fire tenders to contain the blaze, which produced a massive cloud of black smoke due to explosions in the scrap. Another major fire broke out in Police Lines here, where some vehicles were gutted in the flames. These vehicles had been impounded by the city police in various cases and kept at the Police Lines as case properties. Meanwhile, a family of three narrowly escaped at a crockery shop by jumping to an adjacent building, with one member suffering a leg fracture. Eyewitnesses reported two LPG cylinder blasts and firefighters struggled to control the fire due to the large stock A major fire broke out in a crockery store near Maghar di Chakki area and (below) people gather outside a bakery in Guru Arjan Dev Nagar area, where a fire incident took place on Friday. ASHWANI DHIMAN, HIMANSHU MAHAJAN FIRE INCIDENTS ■ Houses ■ Open plots/grounds ■ Factories/godowns ■ Cars ■ Garbage ■ Motorcycle ■ Shops ■ LPG cylinder ■ Park ■ Shanties ■ Wells of combustible materials. Sub-fire officer Aatish Rai stated that reaching the Jarkhar location was difficult due to narrow roads and complete darkness. The team relied on pipes to control the fire. Poor visibility on Friday night, caused by smog from bursting crackers, hindered the firefighting efforts. Fortunately, lesser traffic facilitated the movement of fire tenders. Fires in garbage dumps near the vegetable market on Bahadurke Road and the main garbage dump in Jamalpur added to the firefighters’ woes. Two fire tenders were deployed to control the blazes. The spate of fires has left residents frightened, with videos of the incidents circulating on social media. The exact causes 17 21 18 3 3 1 8 1 1 3 2 of the fires remain unknown, but the authorities concerned suspect crackers or short circuits to be responsible. In total, 78 fire incidents were reported in the last two days during Diwali celebrations. It is learnt that 115 fire officials were on duty to take emergency fire call. They remained on toes for 24 hours. No injury or casualty was reported. c m y b 497 446 410 370 MT was lifted during the day. Barring 37.5 MT paddy purchased by the arhtiyas, the rest of the stocks had been procured by Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. However, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is yet to begin purchase in the district. Girl found dead under mysterious circumstances Ludhiana, November 2 A girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Azad Nagar here today. The family suspected the role of a neighbour in the ‘murder’ as the police found the body of the deceased girl under the kitchen shelf in his house. The girl was missing since October 30. The family suspected the role of the neighbour because he had not come to the room for the last two days. When the family broke the lock of the room in the presence of the police, everyone was shocked to find the body in the kitchen. The deceased girl was identified as Jyoti, who used to work in a factory. Giving information, the mother of the deceased, Pinky, said that she had gone to drop her daughter to school on October 30 while her other daughter was in the room, but when she returned, she did not find her in the room. She searched a lot for her daughter, but in vain. Vishwanath, who lives in the neighborhood, was the prime suspect because he had not come to the room for two days and had been living alone. The Model Town police was informed and cops took the body in their custody and sent it for postmortem. The police have launched a manhunt to trace Vishwanath, who works in a transport company. — TNS The DFSC gave details that of the total 497 rice shellers in the district, 446 had applied for storage, 410 had been allotted stocks and 370 had already signed the agreements for storage and milling of procured paddy. “Since their godowns are still full with the milled rice of the previous season, which is being cleared by the FCI, we hope that the lifting will soon pick up pace after the godowns of rice millers are freed of the previous stocks,” she added. Besides the parmal variety of paddy, 36,003.74 MT of basmati rice had also arrived and fully procured in the district till Friday. The growers have been able to get as high as Rs 3,145 per quintal and as low as Rs 2,670 per quintal for the basmati so far. On the harvesting front, 1,46,905 hectares, which accounted for 57.3 per cent of the total 2,56,500 hectares of area under paddy in the district, had been harvested so far. According to the data compiled by the Agriculture Department, Ludhiana block had harvested 7,128 of 13,200 hectares of paddy, Mangat 19,776 of 30,900 hectares, Pakhowal 11,150 of 22,300 hectares, Sudhar 13,872 of 28,900 hectares, Jagraon 13,772 of 31,300 hectares, Sidhwan Bet 18,315 of 33,300 hectares, Khanna 14,112 of 19,600 hectares, Doraha 8,694 of 18,900 hectares, Dehlon 9,045 of 20,100 hectares, Samrala 10,998 of 14,100 hectares and Machhiwara had reaped 17,686 of total 23,900 hectares area under paddy till date. Two youths die in road mishaps at Jagraon Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 2 Two road accidents in Jagraon turned the happiness of Diwali festival into mourning for two families which lost two people in these accidents. In the first incident, a truck coming from the wrong side crushed a bike rider near Reliance Petrol Pump at Aligarh village on the LudhianaFerozepur road. The motorcyclist died on the spot while his grandmother riding pillion suffered serious injuries. She was admitted to a hospital with the help of some passersby. The deceased has been identified as Dilpreet Singh (22), a resident of Sidhwan Bet road, Jagraon. Giving information, ASI Shaminderjit Singh said that the deceased motorcyclist was coming from Ludhiana side to Jagraon with his grandmother yesterday. As soon as they reached near the petrol pump, a truck going from Jagraon to Ludhiana from the wrong side hit the bike. The bike rider died on the spot, while his grandmother Jaswant Kaur suffered injuries. On receiving information, the police reached the spot and started investigating the case. A case was registered against the truck driver Jeet Singh of Sehbazpura, Sidhwan Bet. In another accident, a person riding a scooter carrying langar to be delivered at a gurdwara was hit by a trailer laden with straw. Due to the hit, the scooter rider suffered injuries and was admitted to a government hospital but due to his critical condition, Farm leader among twelve booked for murder of youth Mahesh Sharma Raikot , November 2 A youth of Pandori village near Mehal Kalan in Barnala district was shot dead by another youth of Nurpura village following an altercation between two warring groups here late on Friday night. The deceased has been identified as Amandeep Singh Amna of Pandori in Mehal Kalan and the accused have been identified as Daanveer Singh Cheena DC of Nurpura in Raikot and Jaspreet Singh Dhatt, district president, Kisan Union, Doaba, besides their 10 unknown accomplices. An FIR has been registered against them. A dispute over alleged tension between the deceased and his wife, settled in England, due to alleged instigation by the main accused, DC, was cited to be the reason behind the rivalry. Hardeep Singh of Pandori village in Mehal Kalan area informed the Raikot city police that Cheena and Dhatt had allegedly conspired to kill his cousin Amandeep by calling him to his office late on Friday. A perusal of the an FIR registered on the statement of Hardeep Singh at the city police station, Raikot, revealed that the complainant along Amandeep Singh Amna with his cousin Amandeep and some more persons had visited Raikot with intent to lit candles on a plot on Diwali. “Hardly, had we left the plot that we received a call from Cheena who called us to Raikot for some discussions,” said Hardeep, claiming that the accused had also talked to Amandeep on his (complainant’s) phone. Having failed to meet at some places, the Pandori residents reached Cheena’s office near Gurdwara Tahliana Sahib, where more than 10 persons were standing. There was an altercation between Cheena and Amandeep and Dhatt allegedly instigated Cheena to kill Amandeep. Hardeep alleged that Cheena fired at Amandeep, who was hit near his head temple area. When he was being shifted to the Civil Hospital, Raikot, Amandeep was declared dead by the doctors there. TRAILER HIT MY SON’S BIKE ❝ My son Gurpinder was going to Gurdwara Nanaksar. As soon as he reached near the gurdwara, a trailer carrying straw was going ahead of him, which he tried to overtake. But the trailer driver instead of turning his vehicle to the left, turned it to the right side, hitting my son and seriously injuring him. ❞ — Charanjit Singh, VICTIM’S FATHER the doctors referred him to a hospital in Ludhiana, where he died during treatment. The deceased has been identified as Gurpinder Singh, a resident of Kaunke Kalan village. Giving information regarding this matter, SI Angrej Singh, Jagraon police station, said that the deceased’s father Charanjit Singh lodged a complaint with the police in which he stated that his son Gurpinder was going to Gurdwara Nanaksar. As soon as his son reached near the gurdwara, a trailer carrying straw was going ahead of him, which his son tried to overtake by honking, but the trailer driver, instead of turning his vehicle to the left, turned it to the right side, hitting his son and seriously injuring him. He first took him to the government hospital, where the doctor on seeing his critical condition referred him to Ludhiana. When he reached the Ludhiana hospital, his son died during treatment. 47-yr-old woman dies by suicide Ludhiana, November 2 A 47-year-old woman died by suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Sukhmani Enclave today. She was alone at home when she took the extreme step. The deceased has been identified as Shikha. She belongs to the family owning a prominent garment showroom in Ghumar Mandi. As per information, the deceased was in depression for the past some time. She was also on medication due to some health issue. When a family member reached home and found the woman hanging, she was immediately rushed to the nearby private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. — TNS Doctor injured in firing Ludhiana, November 2 A 35-year-old doctor, Ravi Ghai, was injured in a suspected accidental firing incident in Silver Kunj area of Ludhiana. The incident occurred when Dr Ghai, who is licensed to carry a firearm, was celebrating Diwali with his family. His gun accidentally discharged, hitting him in the abdomen. Dr Ghai is the brother of Akali Dal leader Deepu Ghai. He is undergoing treatment at the DMC Hospital. — TNS