05012025-LT-01.qxd 1/5/2025 12:50 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PAU GROUNDS IN A MESS AFTER DILJIT’S CONCERT NO NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS SET IN STONE FOR DIVYA Sportspersons and organisers shared their concerns, drawing attention to grounds’ condition after concert. P2 National Award winner is challenging herself to get out of her comfort zone by taking up multiple projects. P4 » » FORECAST MODERATE FOG MAX 18°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 8°C EMILIA PEREZ, CONCLAVE IN BAFTA LONGLIST SUNSET SUNDAY 5.36 PM Both films have secured prominent places, with Emilia Perez claiming a record-equalling 15 longlist nominations.P4 SUNRISE MONDAY 7:19 AM » SUNDAY | 5 JANUARY 2025 | LUDHIANA Paddy yield, production hit 5-year 2 new schools of eminence almost ready to open in city low, down 7-8 per cent from 2023 Tribune News Service 18-LMT arrival, 8% less than 2023; experts cite PR-126 major reason for downfall Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 In what appears to be a disturbing trend, the yield and production of paddy has touched a record five-year low in Ludhiana district this Kharif season, the government has confirmed. While the paddy yield has decreased by over 7 per cent as compared to 2023, the production of rice has gone down by over 8 per cent in 2024 as compared to 2023, the official figures have revealed. The maximum area, almost 46 per cent, sown with PR-126 variety of paddy and insufficient rainfall during the initial sowing time were the main reasons behind the dip in yield and production, experts have cited. The development assumes significance as the area under paddy crop was also the lowest this Kharif season as compared to the previous five years. However, it was merely 0.8 per cent less than 2023. The results of experiments on the paddy crop conducted by the Agriculture Department this season have showed that 7,014 kg rice per hectare yield has been found in Ludhiana in 2024, which was 564 kg per hectare, accounting for 7.44 per cent less than 7,578 kg per hectare of grains yielded from the paddy crop here in 2023. As much as 18 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy has arrived at mandis in the state’s biggest and largest Workers transplant paddy in the fields in Ludhiana. FILE district, in terms of area and population, this season, which was 1.6-LMT, accounting for 8.16 per cent, less than 19.6-LMT of rice that had reached here during the Kharif season in 2023. A senior official told The Tribune here on Saturday that the yield of paddy, as per over 100 experiments conducted this season so far, has gone down to 7,014 kg per hectare, which was 7.44 per cent less than 7,578 kg per hectare of paddy yield recorded in the district during the previous Kharif season 2023-24. It was also lowest in the past five years as compared to 7,127 kg per hectare yield recorded here in 202223, 7,192 kg per hectare in 2021-22, and 7,296 kg per hectare reported in Ludhiana in 2020-21. He said the results of over 100 experiments conducted so far have pegged the total production of 18-LMT of paddy this season, which was 8.16 per cent less than 19.6LMT paddy produced in the district during 2023-24. The production was lowest this season in the past years as compared to 18.45-LMT production reported here in 202223, 18.6-LMT in 2021-22 and 18.86-LMT of paddy produced in the district in 2020-21. This season, the paddy area of 2,56,600 hectares has also gone down by almost 1 per cent (precisely 0.8 per cent) compared to the 2,58,700 hectares of rice cultivation in the district in 2023-24. This was also the lowest in Displaying valour the past seasons as compared to 2,58,800 hectares in 202223, 2,58,700 hectares in 202122, and 2,58,600 hectares of area that was sown under paddy here in 2020-21. Taking into consideration this year’s average yield, the production of 17,99,792.4 tonnes of paddy was 1,60,207.6 tonnes, accounting for 8.17 per cent less than the previous year’s total production of 19.6-LMT rice. The official figures revealed that the area under basmati rice, however, went up from 10,300 hectares, which was 4 per cent of the total area under paddy, in 2023-24, to 12,500 hectares, which was almost 5 per cent of the total paddy area in 2024. The production of basmati rice has also seen an upswing trend with almost 60,000 MT produce already reaching markets as compared to 56,000 MT arrival in 2023 and 34,000 MT arrival recorded in the district during the corresponding period in 2022. According to official data, as much as 1,17,476 hectares, which accounted for 45.8 per cent of total 2,44,000 hectares under paddy (non-basmati), was sown with PR-126 variety of paddy while PR-131 variety was sown on 30,985 hectares, which was 12.1 per cent of the total non-basmati area, PR-121 on 21,479 hectares, 8,4 per cent, PR122 on 8,796 hectares, 3.4 per cent, PUSSA-44 on 20,832 hectares, 8.1 per cent, other PR varieties on 15,469 hectares, 6 per cent, while other varieties were sown on 28,963 hectares, which was 11.3 per cent of the total area under non-basmati rice this season. Comparatively, PR-126 variety was sown on 93,073 hectares, which was 36.2 per cent of the total non-basmati area in the district last year and PUSSA-44 was sown on 85,853 hectares, which accounted for 33.4 per cent of the total non-basmati area in 2023 and PR-121 was sown on 29,584 hectares, 11.5 per cent, while rest of the area was sown with other varieties. Paddy down, basmati up This season, Ludhiana district has seen a new trend of paddy yield, production and area going down while basmati recording an upswing. Ludhiana, January 4 Two new schools of eminence (SoEs) are almost ready to open in the city shortly. These will be located in Kidwai Nagar and Miller Ganj and will begin functioning from the new academic session. The SOEs will be equipped with smart classrooms, modern infrastructure, labs, CCTV surveillance and playgrounds with facilities for various sports. The SOE in Kidwai Nagar is being built by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) while the second school is being constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD). The mission of the School of Eminence programme Two arrested for snatching Tribune News Service THE FACILITIES The schools of eminence (SOEs) will be equipped with smart classrooms, modern infrastructure, labs, CCTV surveillance and playgrounds with facilities for various sports. aims to bring a revolution in the education sector for holistic development and a bright future for students. Reviewing the ongoing work at both sites on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal issued directions to finalise the proposal of revised estimates regarding new works at the earliest. He emphasised that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government was prioritising quality services in the education sector, adding that the SOE was an ambitious programme initiated by the Chief Minister and urged officials to make sincere efforts to complete pending works expeditiously. He also took detailed review of the ongoing works and provided necessary directions to officials during a meeting this afternoon. It was informed that the building works in both schools were almost complete, with only a few pending tasks. ADC (General) Rohit Gupta, Kritika Goyal, IAS (under training) and senior officials from the departments concerned attended the meeting. DC reviews status of development projects Ludhiana, January 4 The Basti Jodhewal police have arrested two persons, Lovpreet Sharma (27) and Taranjit Singh (24), for snatching mobile phones and other valuables from vulnerable targets in the city. The police have recovered three motorcycles and a Honda Activa from the suspects. The duo were arrested near Jain Temple, Noorwala road. Two cases have already been registered against Lovpreet at Daresi and Basti Jodhewal police stations while one DDR is lodged against Taranjit Singh at the Salem Tabri police station. The suspects are taken on police remand and further investigation is on. Ludhiana, January 4 Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal reviewed the progress of ongoing and completed development projects in the district here on Saturday. He directed the officials concerned to submit utilisation certificates (UCs) for all completed works without any further delay. Chairing a meeting with SDMs, executive officers, block development and panchayat officers (BDPOs), and other officials concerned, the DC stressed the importance of initiating work on various development projects for which approvals had already been issued. He emphasised that timely completion of these projects was essential to provide nec- essary facilities to the people. Accompanied by ADC (Development) Amarjit Bains, Jorwal took stock of the ongoing construction works, including libraries, kitchen gardens in rural schools, pond cleaning and projects under MPLAD in various parts of the district. He urged the officials to prioritise the use of quality materials in the construction and ensure timely project completion. He said he would conduct a weekly review of the projects on a regular basis and no lapse by officials would be tolerated at any cost. — TNS Ludhiana, January 4 A girl, who was preparing for the National Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test (NEET), allegedly tried to die by suicide by jumping from a bridge here. The victim’s both legs were broken in the incident. According to information, Anshu fell from the Sherpur bridge under mysterious circumstances. People standing under the bridge took her to the Civil Hospital. Her condition is stated to be critical as she has also suf- fered a fracture in her jaw. Later, the girl was shifted to another hospital by her family. The girl was in no position to say anything. Her family members said they were shocked and did not know what exactly happened. Her father said he was working at a hosiery unit and his 18-year-old daughter was preparing for NEET and took coaching from a private centre near Aarti Chowk. He said he had seven daughters and two sons. The victim was the youngest of all children. The father said late on Friday night, they got a call from the Civil Hospital that their daughter fell off the bridge and was critically injured. The hospital authorities also informed the police about the incident. Rajesh Thakur, SHO, Police Division Number 6, said he got to know about the incident but no complaint was received from her family members. However, the police were investigating the matter. — TNS Asks officials to submit UCs for completed works 10 booked for attacking residents Girl jumps off bridge, suffers serious injuries Youths perform gatka during a nagar kirtan ahead of the Parkash Purb of Guru Gobind Singh in Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN P2 Ludhiana, January 4 The Police Division Number 6 have registered a case under Sections 109, 324 (4), 351 (2), 191 (3) and 190 of the BNS and 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against Jagjot Singh, Navjot Singh, Manjot Singh, Tejinder Singh and Jeewan Saini and around five unidentified persons on the basis of a complaint filed by a resident of Miller Ganj, Honey Chaudhry. According to the complainant, he and his friends were going in two Mahindra Scorpio vehicles. When the vehicles reached near Manju Theatre, a glass bottle was thrown at the vehicle in which he was sitting. Its windowpane was broken. The complainant said when he got down to check, Jajgot, along with a few other persons present at the rooftop of a building, started throwing more bottles at the vehicle. In an attempt to kill, the suspects even fired three shots at them, he said. Honey hurriedly sat in the vehicle and fled the scene with his friends to save their lives. The police are investigating the matter. — TNS Stepfather gets 20-yr Dense fog throws life out of gear in city; road, rail traffic hit jail for raping minor Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 The Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Amarjeet Singh, has sentenced Devraj of Quality Chowk, Shimlapuri, under the POCSO Act to 20 years of imprisonment for raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter. It also imposed a fine of 1.20 lakh on the convict. The court made it clear that out of the fine, Rs 1 lakh would be paid to the victim as compensation. As per the prosecution, the case was registered on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother on September 29, 2023, at the Shimlapuri police station. The complainant told the court that she got married with the convict about 10 years ago, after divorcing her first husband due to his abusive behaviour towards her and their children. She said her second husband initially behaved well but later began to harbour ill-intentions towards her minor daughter. She testified that her daughter informed her about frequent incidents of molestation by her stepfather, culminating in the accused forcibly establishing physical relations with her. Following the complaint, the police conducted a medical examination of the minor, which confirmed the sexual assault. The accused was subsequently arrested. — OC Ludhiana, January 4 Dense fog till 11 am on Saturday morning disrupted life with normal supply of milk, vegetables, newspapers got delayed due to poor visibility accompanied with cold wave. Most of the residents preferred to remain indoors till noon due to which there was lesser movement of traffic on busy roads of the city. Those braving the chill on twowheelers and auto-rickshaws looked fully covered with woolens. With visibility dropping to 100 m, vehicles had to use fog and parking lights. Rail traffic was also hit badly with many trains running late. Sachkhand Express, operating between Nanded and Amritsar, Chhatisgarh Express and Malwa Express were among trains delayed for several hours and passengers, who were not able to trace train movements, had to brave the chill at the railway station due to the dense fog. Those going out of station by road had also face inconvenience due to low visibility in periphery areas. Regular supply of vegetables by vendors was also affected till 11 am due to fog. The minimum temperature in the city hovered around 7°C. Two-wheeler riders were finding it difficult to ride vehicles on roads due to the c m y b extreme weather conditions. Shopkeepers selling heaters and hot-water bottles said there was a huge demand for such products due to the biting cold. The people were seen sitting around bonfires along roadsides to keep themselves warm. Experts have already issued yellow and orange alerts in the region for the next two days and issued advisory to stay indoors as much as possible. Even there was less number of morning and evening walkers at the PAU, Rose Garden, Leisure Valley, and other places due to the prevailing weather conditions. Motorists commute amid dense fog in Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN