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P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 29°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 11°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.32 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:29 AM TUESDAY | 18 MARCH 2025 | LUDHIANA Vote for AAP if want to get works done, Kejriwal tells residents Seeks support for Sanjeev Arora for upcoming bypolls in Ludhiana West segment Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 17 If you want to get your works done, you have to vote for Sanjeev Arora, a candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming bypolls from the Ludhiana West constituency and if you would elect candidate of any other political party, your works would not be done as AAP is at the helms of affairs in the state, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal gave this warning, though in a polite way, to the people while addressing a ‘ Lok Milni’ (public meeting) at a gurdwara in Haibowal Kalan here. Kejriwal was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora. “Tell me in the past 75 years, has any Chief Minister came to meet people in Haibowal. This is the first time that the AAP CM came to meet you. He is even allowing random people to ask questions and raise their issues and get immediate solution. We are here for the people and would solve their issues,” Kejriwal said while addressing a gathering. While talking about the drug issue, Kejriwal said AAP was trying to clear the dirt spread by other parties in the state. Other political MAJOR INFRA BOOST FOR POWER: KEJRI HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Nikhil Bhardwaj Arvind Kejriwal said a major infrastructure boost for the power sector was in pipeline as 237 power transformers were being installed in the industrial hub. CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal listen to grievances of traders at Jawahar Nagar Camp; and (below) a cop halts traffic to give way to their cavalcade in Ludhiana on Monday. parties failed to address drug-related issues but AAP has taken strict action against drug smugglers in the past few weeks. Even houses of smugglers are being bulldozed, hence, setting a precedent of sorts. While seeking support for Arora, Kejriwal said Gurpreet Gogi Bassi was like a younger brother to him but his untimely demise had caused a huge loss to the party. Now, our leader Sanjeev Arora is here to serve the West constituency and ensure to elect him for the betterment of the segment. Kejriwal said a major infrastructure boost for the power sector was in pipeline as 237 power transformers were being installed in the industrial hub. Though AAP had already made power free for residents, they will not witness any power cut this summer. Meanwhile, CM Bhagwant Mann said: “Ludhiana is my karam bhumi as I spent considerable time in the city. I came to Ludhiana in 1992 when I was just 17year-old. I used to live in Adarsh Colony near BRS Nagar. All issues of Ludhiana are at my tips and I know each nook and corner of the city. I have many plans for city residents.” Riot victims protest ouside the venue of public meeting of CM Bhagwant Mann at Haibowal on Monday. Not all allowed to ask questions to AAP supremo, CM Mann Danga Peerat Society members taken out of venue Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 17 Despite the Aam Aadmi Party named a public meeting as ‘Lok Milni’ to address issues of people of the West Constituency at a hall in gurdwara, all those who wanted to raise their grievances with AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann could not get chance to take up their issues. Some people were also forcibly taken out of the venue as they spoke loudly when they were not allowed to go near the stage to ask questions. Interestingly, when CM Mann was addressing the gathering and informing the people about ongoing development works and seeking votes for Sanjeev Arora, members of Danga Peerat Society, led by its president Surjit Singh, entered the hall and said: “CM saab, CM saab, listen to them.” Following which, police officials arrived and forcibly took them out of the venue. “We have been trying to meet the Chief Minister to raise long-pending demands of riot victims for the past three years but we could not able to get time for the meeting. On Monday, after we came to know about the CM’s public meeting in the presence of the AAP supremo, we reached the venue. We initially asked police officials to allow them to reach near the stage so that they can meet Mann and Kejriwal but we were not allowed to go near the stage,” alleged Surjit Singh. He alleged that afterwards, members of the society were taken out of the venue by the police. Is this a public meeting, where people were not allowed to speak? They wanted to raise their demands such as allotment of flats and business spaces for 25,000 riot victims in the state. continued on page 2 Cobbler kills friend with scissors Revamped Civil Hospital faces blackout before Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 17 A tragic incident occurred in Khanna where a cobbler allegedly killed his friend with scissors following a heated argument over a minor issue. The suspect, Fauji, a resident of Krishna Nagar in Khanna, and the victim, 50-year-old Manoj Kumar, a resident of the Azad Nagar area in Khanna, had a dispute that escalated into violence, resulting in fatal injury to Manoj. According to reports, Manoj worked as an ear cleaner, sitting outside the Municipal Council Khan- na park, while Fauji worked as a cobbler. On the day of the incident, the two friends got into an argument over a petty issue, which quickly turned violent. Fauji allegedly attacked Manoj with scissors, inflicting a serious injury on his neck. Sources said Manoj was rushed to a government hospital in a critical condition but unfortunately he was declared dead on arrival. Kaddu, Manoj’s brother, revealed that the argument between the two friends was over a minor issue but it escalated into a physical altercation, resulting in the assault. Inspector Jagjivan Ram, SHO, Khanna City police station, confirmed that a murder case was registered against Fauji based on the statement of Manoj’s wife. The police launched a manhunt to arrest the suspect. Inspector Ram assured that Fauji would be apprehended soon. Preliminary investigations suggest that both Fauji and Manoj were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The police were continuing investigation in the matter. inauguration, raises questions over infrastructure Ludhiana, March 17 The revamped Civil Hospital, set to be inaugurated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday morning, suffered a power outage on Monday evening, causing difficulties for hospital staff treating patients in the dark. The incident has exposed infrastructure issues at the hospital, raising questions about the much-publicised renovation. As news of the power failure spread, senior AAP leaders A patient being treated under mobile flashlight during a power outage at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana on Monday. were informed, prompting hospital authorities to call Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials to rectify the fault. Interestingly, ahead of the scheduled inauguration, AAP had put up large posters of Kejriwal and Mann around the hospital to showcase the revamp, but the power outage has instead brought embarrassment to the party leadership. Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu took a jibe at AAP over the incident. He uploaded a video showing patients being treated in the dark and criticised the state government for its failure to provide basic infrastructure. “Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann arrived in Ludhiana with grand promises of development, including the renovation of the Civil Hospital. But today, the hospital faced a complete blackout, exposing the true face of their incompetent governance. Empty publicity stunts cannot hide the suffering of the people. Punjab deserves better,” Bittu tweeted, attacking AAP for focusing on optics rather than real improvements. — TNS Civil Hospital without medicine specialist, patients hit Man held with illegal Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 17 The lone medicine specialist posted at the Civil Hospital here has been promoted as District Health and Family Welfare Officer, which has left all three posts of Medicine Specialist vacant, which, in turn, will give a difficult time to patients. Recently, the only medicine specialist posted at the Civil Hospital, Amanpreet Kaur, was promoted, following which the post fell vacant. Dr Amanpreet Kaur was serving as the Medical Specialist at the Civil Hospital for the past eight years. She had earlier served at the Community Health Centre, Koom Kalan, and Manupur and Medical College, Faridkot. A huge rush of patients at the Civil Hospital OPD in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN For a 200-bed Civil Hospital, which caters to the entire district, there are only three posts of medicine specialist and now, all of them are lying vacant. The hospital has a daily OPD of around 2,000 patients, of which 50-60 per c m y b cent take consultation from the medicine department. Dr Amanpreet was daily seeing OPD of around 300 patients and was serving here for the past eight years. Besides seeing patients in the OPD, she was also responsible for morning and evening rounds for patients admitted to the hospital. There are two medicine specialists who come to the Civil Hospital on deputation. Medicine specialists from Khanna and Macchiwara come to provide their services three days in a week. Gayatri, a patient, was taken aback when she was asked to meet another doctor instead of Dr Amanpreet. “I have been consulting the specialist here for the past one year and now, staff said she has been transferred from here. I am asking them to tell me the hospital where she has been transferred but they are not paying heed,” she rued. Another patient said the rush at the hospital was more than usual when he visited the hospital recently. The doctor whom I used to consult was not available. I will come again another day,” he said. Senior Medical Officer Harpreet Singh said two medicine specialists were already coming to the hospital, and more arrangement would be made so that no patient returns without consulting the doctor. weapon, cartridges Tribune News Service CASE FILED, PROBE ON Ludhiana, March 17 The CIA team of the Ludhiana rural police on Sunday arrested a man and recovered an illegal weapon along with cartridges from his possession. The suspect was identified as Kuldeep, alias Bitta, a resident of Khursaidpura. A .32 bore pistol and two cartridges were seized from him. The investigating officer, ASI Balwinder Singh, said a police team was patrolling in Sidhwan Bet when they got a tip-off that the suspect was possesing an illegal weapon and he might use the same for committing some crime. Accordingly, the After registering a case, further investigation was launched by the police to inquire if the suspect used the weapon in committing some other crime or not. police conducted a raid on the Sidhwan Bet-Nakodar road and nabbed the man with the illegal weapon. After registering a case, further investigation was launched by the police to inquire if the suspect used the weapon in committing some other crime or not. Even the illegal weapon supplier from whom the suspect purchased the weapon would also be identified.