07112024-LT-01.qxd 11/7/2024 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SRIGANGANAGAR MAN HELD IN CYBER FRAUD CASE GOOD WORK WILL FIND ITS WAY, SAYS ACTOR RITVIK I AIM TO EVOLVE WITH EVERY SONG, SAYS KARAN AUJLA Prashant Soni of Guru Nagar was taken into custody while search was on for his brother Manish Soni. P3 Ritvik Sahore, who is seen in Highway Love 2, says it's the storyline that decides which project he chooses. P4 Singer Karan Aujla has given many hip-swaying numbers, making him one of the best Punjabi singers. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 31°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.31 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:42 AM » THURSDAY | 7 NOVEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA Admn initiates prosecution against nodal officer, 47 put on notice 65 FIRs, 42 red entries, ~1.2 lakh fine on farmers for 124 farm fires Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 6 Acting tough not only against violators but also the enforcement machinery, the district administration has initiated prosecution proceedings against a nodal/ supervisory officer while 47 other officials have been put on notice for their failure to check farm fires in different parts of Ludhiana during the current Kharif (paddy harvesting) season. Even as the stubble burning incidents continue to remain lowest so far, the district administration has filed prosecution under Section 14 of the CAQM Act against a nodal/ supervisory officer while 47 other nodal/ supervisory officers have been issued warning/ show-cause notices, Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal told The Tribune on Wednesday. He said Section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act, 2021, addresses penalties for violating the Act, rules, orders or directions issued by the commission. “Any violation of the Act is punishable by a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, imprisonment for up to five years, or both,” Jorwal said while stating that the offence was non-cognisable, which means the jurisdic- Remains of a paddy field after it was set on fire in Ludhiana on Wednesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN 30 HOTSPOTS Administration has identified 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in Ludhiana district this season. These are Rasulpur, Malha, Hathur, Bassian, Manuke, Kaonke Kalan, Dahlla, Chhajjawal, Lohat Baddi, Jalaldiwal, Nathowal, Roomi, Kamal Pura, Jhordan, Swadai Kalan, Hans Kalan, Rashin, Dhoorkot, Galib Kalan, Barde Ke, Lakha, Gobindgarh, Kalsian, Abbupura, Chiman, Akhara, Chak Bhaika, Johlan, Talwandi Rai and Sahouli. tional Judicial Magistrate of the First Class could only take cognisance of the offence if the Commission or FARM FIRES YEAR 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 LUDHIANA 124 1,801 2,682 5,817 4,330 2,532 2,481 3,239 7,697 PUNJAB 4,755 36,663 49,922 71,304 76,590 55,210 50,590 45,384 81,042 (Source: Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana. Figures of 2024 from September 15 to November 5, previous years September 15 to November 30) an authorised officer files a complaint. However, provisions of this section do not apply to farmers, who cause air pollution by stubble burning or mismanagement of agricultural residue. He said besides filing prosecution, departmental action had also been recommended against a nodal/ supervisory officer, who was responsible for enforcing the Act but failed to check the violation of the CAQM Act. Another 47 nodal/ supervisory officers have been warned and asked to show cause on why prosecution proceedings should not be initiated against them as well for failing to check stubble burning incidents in their respective jurisdictions. The DC shared that 65 FIRs under Section 223 of the BNS had been lodged against erring farmers, 42 red entries had been made in the revenue records of the violators and Rs 1.2 lakh environmental compensation had been imposed so far on peasants who had set their farms on fire, of which Rs 1 lakh had already been recovered. With 10 fresh cases of farm fire reported in the district on November 5, as many as 124 stubble burning cases had been recorded in the district this season so far. It was almost 15 per cent of 818 fire events spotted in the district during the correspon- ding period in 2023 and around 9 per cent of 1,357 farm fires recorded here till November 5 in 2022. Experts, however, said the incidents of farm fires were yet to pick up in the district as almost 40 per cent paddy was yet to be harvested. The Agriculture Department said around 60 per cent of the total 2.57 lakh hectares paddy area was yet to be harvested in Ludhiana. Meanwhile, the district administration had identified as many as 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in Ludhiana district this season. Jorwal said the hotspots had been marked on the basis of farm-fire incidents reported during the past year and number of crop residue management machineries available at the identified physical locations in Ludhiana. With 2.57 lakh hectares, which is equivalent to 6.35 lakh acres, under paddy cultivation, the maximum in the state, Ludhiana district will generate 16.53 lakh tonnes of paddy straw at the rate of 6.43 tonne per hectare. The DC said as many as 8,223 machines of 13 different types had been made available to manage stubble in 969 villages spread across 11 blocks in the district. PETROL BOMB ATTACKS ON SHIV SENA LEADERS’ HOUSES BKI creating network of sleeper cells in state: Cop Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 6 After the arrest of four suspects in the cases pertaining to petrol bomb attacks on Ludhiana Shiv Sena leaders Yogesh Bakshi and Harkirat Singh Khurana, the interrogation of the suspects had spilled the beans. The suspects had admitted before the police that they were sleeper cells of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and they carried out tasks assigned to them in lieu of money by the BKI, being operated by foreign-based individuals Harjit Singh, alias Laddi, and Sabi. Those arrested were identified as Jaswinder Singh, alias Binder, a resident of Boothgarh in Ludhiana; Ravinder Pal Singh, alias Ravi (38), Manish Sahid, alias Sanju (30), and Anil Kumar, alias Honey (27), residents of Rahon in Nawanshahr. Police teams also recovered two mobile phones and impounded the red TVS Raider motorcycle (bearing registration no. PB 32 AC 3770) used to commit the crimes. “The suspects are basically the sleeper cells of the banned organisation, BKI. One of them, Manish, is directly connected with Harjit Singh, the foreign-based individual increasing the count of sleeper cells in the state. Besides the four nabbed miscreants, it is The suspects in police custody in Ludhiana. FILE NABBED SUSPECTS WERE PETTY CRIMINALS The nabbed four suspects were petty criminals and they only took a few thousand rupees to carry out the task assigned to them. Some money was also received by them from the BKI and the police were making all efforts to get details about the mode of money transfer and exact amount they got for throwing petrol bombs at houses of Sena leaders. Their bank accounts were also being scanned, said a police official. being suspected that the BKI has already created a large number of sleeper cells in the state to carry out similar attacks on Hindu and other religious leaders and questioning of the suspects have given vital information about the sleeper cell network of the BKI. BKI’s sleeper cell network includes all age group people, mostly youths and petty criminals,” said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity. The police official said all four suspects were petty criminals and they only took a few thousand rupees to carry out the task assigned to them. Some money was also received by them from the BKI and the police were making all efforts to get details about the mode of money transfer and exact amount they got for throwing petrol bombs at houses of Sena leaders. Their bank accounts were also being scanned. “So far, it seems BKI handler Harjit has given the target of petrol bomb attack on houses of two Sena leaders of Ludhiana. It is quite possible after these attacks, the BKI had to give more targets but with the arrests of the suspects those plans have been foiled by the police,” said the official, who is a member of the probe team. Resolve issues in time-bound manner, officials told Fire breaks out in building on Noorwala road Ludhiana, November 6 With an aim to facilitating residents at large and ensure cleanliness across the constituency, Ludhiana East MLA Daljit Singh Bhola Grewal and Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal conducted a meeting with officials of different branches of civic body at the MC Zone B office near Shingar Cinema here on Wednesday. Strict directions were issued to the officials concerned to ensure cleanliness, regular cleaning of sewer lines, replacement of damaged manhole covers, action against illegal constructions and encroachments, fogging, repairing roads, etc. They have been directed to resolve the issues in a timebound manner to avoid departmental action. Joint Commissioner-cumZonal Commissioner (Zone A) Chetan Bunger, Assistant Commissioner-cum-Zonal Commissioner (Zone B) Neeraj Jain, Chief Engineer Ravinder Garg, Corporation Sanitation Officer (CSO) Ashwani Sahota, Superintending Engineer (SE) Sham Lal Gupta, ATP MS Bedi, ATP Davinder Singh were among other officials present in the meeting. Grewal and the MC chief also issued directions to ensure regular lifting of garbage from secondary dump sites and the contrac- tor had been directed to share pictures of cleared dumpsites on a daily basis. Penalties would be imposed if the contractor failed to clear the dump sites on a daily basis. They directed the officials to move to the field and ensure cleanliness in all wards. Attendance of sweepers should be checked to ensure regular sweeping. They stated that surprise inspections would also be conducted by them in coming days. Discussions were also held to construct a road on the other side of the Buddha Nullah and replace old sewer lines in different areas of the constituency for resolving the issue of choking of sewers. Further, the MLA also directed the officials to ensure good quality repair work on damaged roads. They had also been directed to keep a check on the quality of manhole covers so that they should not receive frequent complaints regarding the same. The MLA and MC Commissioner said they would personally monitor the situation to ensure cleanliness and no laxity would be tolerated in terms of works concerning the residents. Dachalwal said a city wide drive had already been launched to ensure cleanliness and the authorities had also been directed to check the attendance of sweepers on a daily basis. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 6 A fire broke out in a threestorey building in Basant Vihar on the Noorwala road here on Wednesday evening. The Fire Department responded promptly, controlling the blaze in around 90 minutes. The building housed a garment factory and the owner’s residence. The structure is located in a densely populated area due to which it posed challenges for the fire personnel. Fire officials said the factory operated in a residential zone, in violation of the norms. The department received a call regarding the incident FACTORY LOCATED IN RESIDENTIAL AREA Fire officials said the factory operated in a residential zone, in violation of the norms. at 6:10 pm and swiftly dispatched tenders. Sub fire-officer Aatish Rai said: “We deployed six to seven tenders to combat the flames on the first and second floors. The narrow lane and crowd control added to our challenges.” Fortunately, evacuating the ground floor ensured no casualties or injuries. Fre engulfs the building on the Noorwala road in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN >> Smuggler wanted in 900-kg poppy 13 mobiles found CM Mann, Kejriwal to administer husk seizure case in police net abandoned in jail oath to new sarpanches tomorrow Ludhiana, November 6 The Ludhiana rural police claimed to have arrested a drug peddler wanted in a 900kg poppy husk recovery case and seized Rs 2.15 lakh drug money and 20 kg of poppy husk from his possession. The suspect was identified as Baljeet Singh, alias Meeta, a resident of Juner village. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Dakha, Varinder Singh Khosa, said under the directions of the SSP Ludhiana, Navneet , Singh Bains, the Dakha police had recently launched a special campaign against drug dealers. During the drive, Baljeet was arrested by the rural police on November 3 and on his disclosures, drug ~2.15L drug money, 20 kg of poppy husk seized from suspect money and more poppy husk were recovered. The DSP said on June 24, the Jodhan police had registered a drug smuggling case against Avtar Singh, alias Resham, a resident of Latala village, and Baljeet Singh of Jhuner village. During investigation, 900 kg of poppy husk was seized from Avtar on the next day. During his interrogation, Lakhwinder Singh, alias Lakhi, of Latala village and Balwinder Kaur, wife of Baljeet, was also booked in the case. The DSP said after bringing Balwinder Kaur on production warrant from Sangrur jail on July 12 and on her disclosures, Karamjit of Latala village was nominated in the case and also arrested on August 1. Now, the key accused, Baljeet, was also arrested. Meanwhile, Khosa issued instructions to the Dakha, Jodhan and Sudhar SHOs to take action against drug smugglers. Residents staying in areas of ??the respective police stations can meet the SHOs directly to give information about drug smugglers and their identity will be kept secret and strict action will be taken against the peddlers. — TNS Ludhiana, November 6 A surprise checking conducted by staff of the Central Jail, Ludhiana, led to the recovery of 13 cell phones. The mobiles were found abandoned on the jail premises. Assistant Superintendent of Jail Hans Raj said on August 5, he, along with the jail staff, conducted a surprise checking. Each nook and corner of the jail premises was searched, during which 13 phones were found abandoned. The Jail Department has launched an investigation to inquire about persons who brought the phones inside the jail. So far, a case under the Prisons Act was registered against the unidentified miscreants and c m y b after identifying them, further action would be taken. Meanwhile, police sources said the police would also conduct further probe into the recovery of cell phones. The phones would be sent for forensic examination and call details of SIM cards used in the mobiles would be scanned to get any clue about the suspects. The police suspected that the mobiles could have been abandoned by inmates after they came to know about the surprise checking. The police would identify the inmates who were possessing the seized phones and if role of any jail official comes to the fore, action would be taken against them as well. — TNS Ludhiana, November 6 Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will administer oath of office and secrecy to newly-elected sarpanches of the state here on Friday. A state-level function will be held at the hi-tech cycle valley in Dhanansu, near here, on November 8 around noon, DC Jitendra Jorwal said here this evening. He along with CP Kuldeep Singh Chahal reviewed arrangements being made for the mega event during the day. Besides over 13,000 newlyelected heads of village panchayats, public and supporters of the ruling party had also been invited to the show of strength by the AAP lead- DC Jitendra Jorwal reviews arrangements for the state-level function to administer oath to newly-elected sarpanches in Ludhiana. ership. Both Mann and Kejriwal will also address a public rally on the occasion. Jorwal and Chahal said elaborate security arrangements were being made for the event. To avoid traffic chaos in and around the venue, the Commissionerate Police had also announced a traffic diversion plan for the busy LudhianaChandigarh highway, on which the rally venue was located. While vehicles coming from Chandigarh towards Ludhiana will be diverted from the Neelon canal bridge towards the Doraha bypass to enter Ludhiana, traffic from Ludhiana towards Chandigarh will be re-routed through Sherpur Chowk towards Doraha to reach the Neelon canal bridge for heading towards Chandigarh. — TNS