14112024-LT-01.qxd 11/14/2024 12:48 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune HUNDREDS JOIN NAGAR KIRTANS AHEAD OF GURPURB CAMPAIGN TO RECONNECT PEOPLE WITH NATURE RASHMIKA REVEALS DETAILS ABOUT PUSHPA: THE RULE Hundreds of devotees, including students, participated in Nagar Kirtans organised in Malerkotla. P3 Tulsi Vivah has been chosen as a tool to raise awareness about importance of planting trees, plants at home. P3 Actress Rashmika Mandanna has promised that Pushpa: The Rule is going to be an exciting ride. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 28°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.27 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:48 AM » THURSDAY | 14 NOVEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA house mother Thick blanket of smog engulfs city, Man setsto give ablaze afterdrugs refuses money for chokes residents, lowers visibility Tribune News Service Ludhiana turns fifth most polluted city in state, AQI remains poor Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Commuters switch on vehicle lights amid dense smog in Ludhiana on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN POLLUTION LEVELS STUBBLE BURNING HOTSPOTS 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. Dr Anjuman Singh, opined. However, no fresh case of farm fire was reported in the district on Wednesday. With six stubble burning cases recorded on Tuesday, as many as 177 farm fires had been recorded in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, this season so far. CITY AQI 372 ■ Mandi Gobindgarh 322 ■ Amritsar 310 ■ Patiala 247 scaling the outer wall of the house. When he asked the girl where she was since Tuesday night, she said she had been sexually harassed by their neighbour. She was forced by the man to meet him and he also threatened her with dire consequences. The victim alleged that the suspect used to threaten her over phone but due to fear, she did not raise her voice. Now, she wanted strict action against him. After registering a case, the police started a probe into the matter. — TNS ■ Jalandhar ■ Ludhiana ■ Ropar ■ Bathinda AQI 220 216 189 150 (SOURCE: CPCB, FIGURES AT 4 PM ON NOVEMBER 13) (AQI CATEGORIES: 0-50 GOOD, 51-100 SATISFACTORY, 101-200 MODERATE, 201-300 POOR, 301-400 VERY POOR, 401-500 SEVERE) It was almost 14 per cent of the 1,255 fire events spotted in the district during the corresponding period in 2023 and around 8 per cent of 2,199 farm fires recorded here till November 13 in 2022. Experts, however, said the incidents of farm fires could still pick up in the district as almost 30 per cent paddy was yet to be harvested. The Agriculture Department said around 70 per cent of the total 2.57 lakh hectares paddy area was yet to be harvested in Ludhiana. Meanwhile, the administration had identified as many as 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in the district this season. Deputy Commissioner Jitendra 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 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, the 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 types had been made available to manage stubble in 969 villages spread across 11 blocks in the district. Accident claims 2 lives Children dressed as Panj Pyaras take part in a nagar kirtan being taken out ahead of Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN 14-year-old girl raped, harassed by neighbour CITY ■ Chandigarh Guru’s beloved Ludhiana, November 13 A shocking incident of rape and harassment has come to light in the Ladhowal area here. A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and threatened by her neighbour, Gagandeep Singh, for several months. The victim’s brother filed a complaint, prompting the police to register an FIR. As per information, the girl went missing on Tuesday night. When her brother was trying to search for the victim, she returned home by action against Dharminder, producing him before the Executive Magistrate. He said further action would be taken if Dharminder’s mother files a complaint. Khosa indicated Dharminder’s addiction, highlighting concerns about drug abuse in the state. Sources said Dharminder was a drug addict and he used to fight with his mother. After the incident, some villagers stressed upon the importance of rehabilitation services for individuals struggling with drug addiction. Two arrested for snatching gold chain from student Ludhiana, November 13 A collision between a car and a truck on the Mullanpur-Raikot road, Jagraon, on Wednesday left two persons dead and one person critically injured. The victims, Amandeep Kaur and Gurminder Singh, both from Bassian village, succumbed to their injuries, while Amandeep’s husband Ajitpal Singh suffered severe injuries. Ajitpal, his wife, and neighbour Gurminder were travelling to Mullanpur Dakha for some urgent work when their car collided head-on with a truck coming from the Mullanpur side. Eyewitnesses said the crash was intense, with the car’s front side completely destroyed. Rescuers struggled to take out the victims from the damaged vehicle. Traffic officials rushed to the scene and took the deceased to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, and the injured to the DMCH. Truck driver Madan Lal from Bikaner claimed that he was driving cautiously. The car tried to overtake another vehicle, which led to the fatal collision with his truck. The tragedy strikes just months before wedding of Gurminder Singh, scheduled in February, leaving the family and community in a state of shock. — TNS Ludhiana, November 13 The Sarabha Nagar police have arrested Daljinder Singh and Karneil Singh for snatching a gold chain of a digital marketing student, Eitisargun Kaur. The suspects’ motorcycle, used in the crime, was seized. According to the victim, she was going to home on her scooter from institute when two youths on a motorcycle snatched her gold chain and dupatta near the underbridge on November 8. The police had registered a case. ACP (East) Gurdev Singh in a statement issued said Daljinder had seven criminal cases pending against him, Man nabbed with heroin Ludhiana, November 13 The Sidhwan Bet police on Tuesday arrested a drug peddler and seized 150 gm of heroin from his possession. The suspect was identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, a resident of Chak Bahmania in Shahkot district, Jalandhar. ASI Sukhdev Singh said he had received a tip-off that Manpreet was into drug smuggling and he was on the way to deliver heroin to his clients, from Mehatpur to Sidhwan Bet. Following which, a police team laid a naka and stopped the motorcycle-borne man for checking. During frisking, 150 gm of heroin and Rs 150 in cash were recovered. The motorcycle used in the crime was also seized by the police. A case under the NDPS Act was registered. — TNS The suspects in Ludhiana police custody on Wednesday. including charges under the NDPS Act, in the past. The ACP said on Wednesday when a Sarabha Nagar police team was chasing the sus- pects, the miscreants lost control over their motorcycle and fell on the road. They suffered leg fractures. Both were admitted to a hospital. — TNS Cleanliness: No laxity to be tolerated, MC officials told Ludhiana, November 13 Issuing strict instructions to civic body officials to ensure cleanliness across the city, Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal has directed zonal commissioners and other senior officials of the civic body to conduct field inspections in their respective areas on a daily basis. He conducted a meeting with senior civic body officials at the MC’s Zone D office on Wednesday and issued necessary directions to them. They have been told that no laxity would be tolerated in this context. MC Additional Commissioner Paramdeep Singh, Joint Commissioners Ankur Mahindroo and Chetan Bunger, Assistant Commissioners Neeraj Jain and Gur- pal Singh, Chief Engineer Ravinder Garg, Superintending Engineers Parveen Singla, Sham Lal Gupta, Ranjit Singh and Health Officer Vipal Malhotra were among civic body officials present in the meeting. During the meeting, hte MC chief also directed the officials to expedite development works and grievances of the public should be resolved at the earliest. He said extensive cleanliness drives were already being taken up in the city. The officials had been directed to conduct field inspections in their respective areas on a daily basis. They have also been directed to check attendance of sweepers on a daily basis. He would also be conducting surprise inspections in coming days. — TNS Stationary vehicles on highways invite fatal mishaps Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 13 With the onset of winter and the already prevailing hazy weather conditions in the region, risk of road accidents has also increased on highways. Adding to the woes, chances of road mishaps get multiplied due to the hazardous parking of vehicles on national highways. Thick smog makes it challenging for drivers to spot stationary vehicles on roads. Hazardously parked vehicles force drivers to navigate through tight spaces and increase INDERJEET VERMA Ludhiana, November 13 The rising pollution levels engulfed the city under a thick blanket of smog, especially during morning and evening hours, on Wednesday. It has led to a sudden spike in cases of respiratory, eye disorders and pulmonary complications. Besides, the visibility was also reduced considerably with motorists facing difficulties in driving vehicles. A visit to a few clinics and hospitals in the district revealed that patients, especially the children and aged, were flocking doctors for treatment of various ailments caused by air pollution. “We have witnessed a surge of almost 50 per cent patients complaining of respiratory, eye disorders and pulmonary complications, mainly caused by the rising pollution levels since the previous week,” a leading paediatrician, AP Singh said. The AQI further shot up from 209 on Tuesday and 202 on Monday to 216 on Wednesday, with PM2.5 remaining the prominent pollutant. The data monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that the AQI levels rose and continued to fall under the “poor” category as the day progressed. It left Ludhiana as the fifth most polluted city in the state on Wednesday. “The trend clearly points towards at stubble burning as farm fires start with the onset of day and increase as the day progresses,” an agronomist, Ludhiana, November 13 A man set his house on fire on Tuesday night after his mother refused to give him ?1,300 for drugs at Akalgarh Kalan village, here. Dharminder Singh (30) allegedly hurled stones and bricks at residents and police officials, threatening self-immolation. The residents informed the police and the Fire Department, following which and a police team from the Sudhar police station, led by SHO sub-inspector Jaswinder Singh, reached the scene. Despite difficulties, they controlled the fire and detained Dharminder. The residents and the police had to make a lot of efforts to take the suspect out of the house. During the incident, panic spread among people in the village. The mother of the suspect, Rajwant Kaur, who also got trapped inside the house, was rescued by the residents. Household items, including a refrigerator, an air conditioner and a LED TV, were destroyed in the fire. Dakha DSP Varinder Singh Khosa confirmed preventive Vehicles parked on a highway in Ludhiana on Wednesday. chances of rear-end collisions. There is also a risk of vehicle pile-ups due to the same. During a survey in the industrial hub, vehicles were found parked hazardously on c m y b national highways, including the Jalandhar-Ludhiana road near the Jalandhar bypass, Ludhiana-Sahnewal road in Dhandari, LudhianaMalerkotla road near Gill vil- lage, Hambran road and Ludhiana-Chandigarh road. No PCR or traffic police official was seen on the roads to discourage the practice. It is learnt that trucks and other commercial vehicles are usually parked opposite dhabas (eating joints) on the highways. During foggy days, such vehicles pose risk of road mishaps as other vehicles may collide with these due to the poor visibility. “Sometimes we park our trucks on highways in a hurry to have food at eating joints and when vehicles develop technical snag. We always try to put reflectors or some other signals near the vehicles so that commuters could notice the stationary vehicles. Many truck drivers intentionally park vehicles on the highway, instead of parking in the service lanes. Now, I will try to follow the norms and encourage my fellow drivers to follow as well to prevent road mishaps,” said a truck driver who had parked his truck on the road near the Jalandhar bypass. In 2017, due to the hazardous parking on the highway, a major road tragedy had occurred in Doraha where a woman and her son were killed when their vehicle rammed into a stationary truck. Afterwards, the then Commissioner of Police RN Dhoke had directed heads of all 28 police stations of the Ludhiana Commissionerate to register immediate FIRs and impound vehicles, twowheelers or four-wheelers, in such cases. Following which, several FIRs were also registered and vehicles were also impounded by the Ludhiana police. Traffic police officials and police personnel were also told to patrol highways during foggy days.