20012025-LT-01.qxd 1/20/2025 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune POLITICAL LEADERS, RESIDENTS ATTEND GOGI’S BHOG CEREMONY JASLEEN ROYAL PERFORMS AT COLDPLAY’S MUMBAI CONCERT Singer Jasleen Royal brought aspecial touch to Coldplay’s concert at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. P4 DENSE FOG MAX 18°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 8°C ADAH SHARMA GEARS UP FOR 2025 WITH MORE ACTION Political leaders remembered MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi for his lifelong commitment to public service. P2 FORECAST Success of web show Reeta Sanyal has catapulted Adah to new heights, earning her critical acclaim. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.49 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:18 AM » MONDAY | 20 JANUARY 2025 | LUDHIANA IAF works almost complete, runway overlaying by March New upcoming international airport awaits code, operational date to take off Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 19 With the Indian Air Force (IAF) also completing most of the pending works on its premises and putting the runway overlaying work on fast-track, the new international airport coming up at the Halwara air base awaits formal code and operational date to take off, the government has said. While the entire civil work is already done, the majority job on the IAF premises is in the advanced stage of completion and will be ready by January 31 following which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will issue the airport code, which is mandatory for operations, and tentative operational date. With this, the bidding process for the operations of the airlines will also be launched shortly, which will take a couple of months before the commercial flights begin operations from here. Air India has already announced plans to launch flights from Ludhiana once the airport becomes operational. While the overlaying of TaxiA, Taxi-D and New Link Taxi on the IAF premises is 95 to 98 per cent complete, March 31 is the deadline for completing the ongoing overlaying of the runway from where the flights will operate, Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal told The Tribune, here on Saturday. The development assumes significance as the Rs 50crore much-awaited and much-delayed big ticket project took over three years and missed at least 14 deadlines DC Jitendra Jorwal (centre) reviews the works at the upcoming international airport at Halwara in Ludhiana. to see the light of the day. Ludhiana, which is state’s industrial hub with almost 4 million population, is at present serviced by a small airport at Sahnewal. Located at the geographical centre of Punjab, the new airport will serve the entire state as well as neighbouring areas. Jorwal, who reviewed the ongoing work at the site, said the integrated civil enclave and cargo terminal building, sub-station and toilet block at Air Force Station in Halwara, which was one of the oldest frontline airbases of the IAF , close to Ludhiana, had already come up, the allied civil works of the major civil aviation project had also been completed. With all pending nods having been procured, the work on other components, which faced long delays in the past for want of statutory approvals, has also been finished. The DC said the civil construction work had already been completed and the IAF , which owns the airbase on which the airport had been built, had also finished up to 98 per cent work to widen/overlay link taxiways on the Air Force campus, following which the airport will become operational. While the overlaying of Taxi A was done 98 per cent, the overlaying of Taxi D and New Link Taxi on the IAF campus was completed 95 per cent. The AAI and other agencies concerned were in the process of finalising contracts for civil, electrical, environmental support services, help desk, and commercial contracts such as food and beverages, retail, and passenger baggage trolley services, which will be completed by March 31. While security equipment, including X-Ray baggage inspection system, hand-held metal detectors (HHMDs) and door frame metal detectors, being provided by the Airport System Directorate from the corporate headquarters of the AAI will be installed by January 31, the installation of the flight information display system and CCTV network has already been completed. The installation of signage inside the terminal building was almost complete while the signage on city and air sides will be completed by the month end. While the car parking for 75 cars and two buses was ready and the security manpower survey by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) was completed, the final security vetting by the BCAS, fire NOC, and statutory approval from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) will be issued by January 31. Miscellaneous works such as cooling pits, security watchtowers, levelling near apron area and tree cutting will be done by the month end, telephone and internet connections inside the terminal will be operational between January 31 and February 28. Besides, the work on the STP and drinking water facility has been completed. The finishing touches were being given to the interim terminal building, sub-station, toilet block, apron, and taxiway before handing them over to the AAI. Also, the bridge at the entry of the approach road has been fully constructed while the approach road to the airport campus has been almost completed. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora had already urged AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar to issue the airport code and confirming the operational date, as these steps were crucial for the airlines to file the necessary NOC with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and to obtain the requisite permissions from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). “Acting swiftly, the AAI Chairman instructed the officials concerned from the operations team to do the needful at the earliest possible,” Arora said while adding that Air India had already conveyed its decision to launch flights from Ludhiana. AAI Chairman assured Arora that commercial flight operations from Ludhiana would commence soon. Earlier, Arora had met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and had requested for expediting work by the IAF . Recently, the AAI and the IAF had granted in-principle approvals to undertake the balance work at the upcoming airport. Since the new integrated civil enclave and cargo terminal are coming up at Air Force Station, the formal nod of the IAF was mandatory to undertake the work inside IAF-governed areas. Rs 50-cr corpus The state government has already transferred the entire corpus of Rs 50 crore that it had allocated for the project. While the Finance Department (FD) has released a sum of Rs 30 crore, the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) through GLADA has spent Rs 20 crore. Committed to launching flights soon: CM “Once the runway is overlaid and the AAI issues the statutory code and operational goahead, the new airport will take off with the launch of commercial domestic and international flights. We had already completed our work and had provided all requisite support and assistance to finish the pending works at the earliest,” said Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister. Woman brutally attacked by spouse succumbs to injuries Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 19 Two days after a man brutally beaten up his wife at their residence in Alour village here, the woman succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Chandigarh on Saturday. A property-related dispute was said to be the cause behind the incident. After the death of the victim, the police registered a murder case against the suspect and arrested him. As per information, when Paramjit Kaur was alone in the house on Thursday, her husband Kashmira Singh, who runs a tea stall, came home and started arguments with his wife over some issue related with a property. When the dispute escalated, he locked his wife in the room and attacked her SUSPECT ARRESTED A property-related dispute was said to be the cause behind the incident. After the death of the victim, the police registered a murder case against the suspect and arrested him. He was produced before a court, from where he was sent on a two-day police remand. fatally. She suffered fractures on her legs and critical injuries on her other body parts. When residents reached the scene after hearing screams of the victim, the suspect fled the scene. Afterwards, the people took the woman to the Khanna Civil Hospital, from where she was referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, Chandigarh. The deceased’s brother Gurdeep Singh said Kashmira used to beat his sister often since their marriage. On Thursday, he came home drunk and demanded his wife to transfer the plot in his name, which was in the name of Paramjit Kaur. When she refused, the suspect brutally assaulted her. The suspect hit her legs with an iron rod. SHO Sukhwinderpal Singh of the Sadar police station said the police arrested Kashmira and a case of murder was registered against him. He was produced before a court, from where he was sent on a two-day police remand. Meanwhile, family members of the deceased demanded death penalty for the suspect. Man nabbed for setting wife ablaze Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 19 The Sidhwan Bet police on Saturday registered a case against a man and his parents on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The suspect, along with his parents, had set his wife on fire by pouring some inflammable substance on her. The victim identified as Sukhjit Kaur suffered critical burn injuries and was undergoing treatment at the DMCH. The woman was unfit to give any statement to the police. The suspects were identified as victim’s husband Gurpreet Singh, her father-in-law Amarjit Singh and mother-in-law Manjit Kaur, residents of Swaddi Kalan. Gurpreet was arrested by the police. The complainant, Sumanpreet Kaur, a resident of Dharamkot, Moga, told the police that her younger sister got married to Gurpreet Singh about nine years ago. After marriage, her sister gave birth to a girl child. As a daughter was born to her sister, her husband and inlaws were unhappy. They used to harass her as they wanted a boy in the family. “On many occasions, my parents had visited her inlaws to urge them to not torture my sister but they did not budge,” she said. “On January 16, I got a call from a nurse of a hospital in Dakha, who informed me that my sis- ter was set on fire by her husband and in-laws. I rushed to the house of my sister’s in-laws but she was already shifted to a hospital due to her critical condition. The suspects tried to kill her by putting some inflammable substance on her,” the complainant said. Meanwhile, investigating officer ASI Daljit Singh said the suspects had poured diesel on the victim and later shifted her to a hospital. Doctors declared the victim unfit for giving any statement due to her serious condition. So far, the woman’s husband was arrested and raids were being conducted to nab the other suspects. Residents halt construction of biogas plant Man gets 10-year jail for violating minor Ludhiana, January 19 Protesters in Bagga Kalan village, Ludhiana, brought construction of a biogas plant to a grinding halt. The plant, located in the Ladhowal area, had been a bone of contention for villagers, who claim it will pose serious health risks due to potential groundwater pollution from chemical waste. Led by the Sangharsh Committee of Bagga Kalan, the Claim that waste generated by it can cause cancer, other health issues protesters on Sunday set up a permanent morcha outside the construction site. Sukhdev Singh Bhundri, coordinator of the coordination committee against biogas units, said the villagers locked the gate, preventing any further construction material from entering the site. The large number of protesters, including residents from nearby areas, are resolute in their opposition to the plant. They claim that the waste generated by the plant could cause cancer and other health issues. Despite attempts by officials to intervene, the pro- testers stood firm, refusing to allow the plant to operate under any circumstances. The sangharsh committee has issued a statement, signed by spokespersons, reiterating their commitment to shutting down the plant. The villagers are determined to protect their health and environment and the protest is likely to continue till their demands are met. — TNS Legal Correspondent Ludhiana, January 19 The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Amarjit Singh has sentenced Sushil Kumar, a resident of Dhandari Kalan, Sahnewal, to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of raping and abducting a minor girl. It also ordered the convict to pay a fine of ?1.10 lakh. The court further directed that out of the fine, ?1 lakh would be awarded to the victim. The prosecution informed the court that the case was registered at the Focal Point police station on August 26, 2022, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother. The complainant told the court that she was married 20 years ago and her husband passed away nearly 10 years ago. She had a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. The suspect was staying in her vehra, which led to a friendship between them. He used to visit her room frequently. On August 25, 2022, when the complainant returned home, she found her minor daughter missing. After searching, she found that the accused had lured her daughter away on the pretext of marriage. A case of abduction and rape was registered and a probe was launched. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the man and rescued the victim from his custody. In court, the accused pleaded not guilty and requested leniency. However, after hearing arguments from both sides and reviewing the evidence, the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Only a few opt for Moti Nagar shelter due to its distant location Gold, ~6 lakh stolen NIGHT SHELTERS-II Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 19 The night shelter located at Moti Nagar here has all facilities such as beds with mattresses and heaters have also been installed but sadly not many people visit it to stay during the night due to its far-off location. A visit to the place revealed that the night shelter was in a good condition but its location was the main deterrent factor due to which it could not be used in a proper way. With a capacity of nearly 50 beds, only five-six persons turned up to use the facility. It is on one of the extreme cold days recently that around 25 persons came to the shelter. Though the homeless are ferried to night shelters in NO FACILITY TO DROP VISITORS IN MORNING Though the homeless are ferried to night shelters in city buses, they have to return on their own. Occupants at the Moti Nagar shelter said buses drop them at the shelter for free but in the morning they had to return to their destinations on their own. city buses, they have to return on their own. An occupant at the shelter said a bus dropped him at the night shelter for free but in the morning he had to return on his own. “I have to spent Rs 100 to reach the place where I work as a daily labourer and it becomes a costly affair for me. It is only during the extreme weather conditions that I come here. Otherwise, I sleep near Guru Nanak Stadium,” he said. Keshav, who was using the facility, said he usually stays around Durga Mata Mandir and the shelter was approximately 12 kilometres away. “In the morning, I have to shell out money to reach my destination. Sometimes, I take lift but many times I have to take a bus or auto-rickshaw. We are dropped at the shelter, in the same way, we should be dropped back to our destinations as well,” he said. An attendant at the Moti Nagar night shelter said they had beds and heaters but not many people come here. “It is only during extreme weather conditions that the occupancy increases but it was never occupied fully. The far-off location seems to be the main negative point for this shelter,” he said. from marriage palace Tribune News Service The night shelter at Moti Nagar has a capacity of nearly 50 beds. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN c m y b Ludhiana, January 19 A theft occurred during a wedding at a marriage palace near Mullanpur Dakha on Saturday. A thief made off with a bag containing cash, gold jewellery and two mobile phones. A CCTV camera footage of the incident has emerged, showing the suspect roaming around the marriage palace before stealing the bag from a sofa and fleeing the scene. The wedding was being held at the marriage palace on the Ferozepur road and the victim’s family was enjoying the celebrations when the theft occurred. According to Dilpreet Singh, the brother of the bride, the thief struck when everyone was busy in the celebrations. The family realised that the bag was missing when they began searching for the same. A review of the CCTV footage revealed that an unidentified person had stolen the bag. They lodged a complaint with the Dakha police in this regard. The stolen bag contained jewellery worth Rs 4.5 lakh, Rs 6 lakh in cash and two iPhones. Dilpreet said the police assured them that the suspect would be caught soon. The family was hoping for a swift recovery of their stolen belongings. The police were investigating the incident and reviewing the CCTV footage to identify the thief and recover the valuables.