22042025-LT-01.qxd 4/22/2025 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 1K TEACHERS YET TO GET MARCH SALARY TWILIGHT STAR KRISTEN STEWART MARRIES DYLAN MEYER This development comes over three years after Stewart confirmed her engagement to Meyer. P4 Government has apparently forgotten to pay attention to teachers, who shape future generations. P3 » CELEBS UNDERLINE THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE WAYS On World Earth Day, they talk about what can be done to save the planet from pollution and plastic. P4 » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 38°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.52 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:50 AM » TUESDAY | 22 APRIL 2025 | LUDHIANA 54 govt depts owe PSPCL ~232 cr MAJOR DEFAULTERS Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 21 Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is always criticised for being in losses. The losses incurred are not due to non-payment of bills by individuals or private firms alone. A big share of these are caused by government departments, which have failed to pay hefty power bills to the PSPCL. If the data with the PSPCL is any indication, the Central Zone, Ludhiana (comprising east, west, suburban and Khanna circles), is facing losses to the tune of over Rs 232 crore due to the non-payment of pending electricity bills by the government departments. There are 54 government departments, which have to clear the pending bills. One of the officials working with the department said the PSPCL was always condemned for being in losses. “But when huge pending As per the data, the Department of Local Bodies owes PSPCL ~12,095.44 lakh, which is pending for several years. Water Supply and Sanitation Department owes ~5,260.32 lakh. Bills worth ~2,016.48 lakh of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat are also pending. The office of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA bills of government offices are lying pending, how can the department handle it? However, the PSPCL faces the wrath always for the same,” the official said. As per the data, the Department of Local Bodies owes Rs 12,095.44 lakh to the PSPCL, which is pending for several years. Water Supply and Sanitation Department owes Rs 5,260.32 lakh. Bills worth Rs 2,016.48 lakh of another department, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, are also pending. The Department of Health and Family Welfare has to pay bills to the tune of Rs 2,012.62 PO held with heroin, weapon Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 21 The Crime Branch-2 on Monday claimed to have nabbed a proclaimed offender (PO) wanted by the police in a criminal intimidation case and seized 100 gm of heroin and a .315 bore pistol along with two cartridges from his possession. The accused was identified as Jasbinder Singh, alias Jassi, a resident of Gobind Nagar mohalla. ADCP (Crime) Amandeep Singh Brar and Crime Branch in-charge Inspector Beant Juneja issued a joint statement in this regard. Brar said inspector Juneja had received a tip-off that Jasbinder, who was into the heroin smuggling trade, was waiting for his clients to deliver heroin at Ishar Nagar. A police team conducted a raid and nabbed the accused. During his frisking, 100 gm of heroin and an illegal weapon were recovered. Even the Maruti Swift Dzire (bearing registration no HR70C3754) was also impounded by the police in the case as the same was being used by the accused to deliver drugs to his clients. The ADCP said the accused had a criminal past as he was facing seven criminal cases, including attempt to murder, Prisons Act and Arms Act, registered against him at different police stations in the past. In one of the cases registered against the accused in 2018 at the Shimlapuri police station, the accused was also declared a proclaimed offender by the court and since then he had been running at large. Now, the police would secure remand of the accused to probe about big drug smugglers involved in the drug racket. The police would also question him whether he had used the illegal weapon in other crime incidents. The accused in police custody in Ludhiana on Monday. lakh. Besides, there are many other departments such as Sewerage Board (Rs 544.40 lakh), Home Affairs and Jails (Rs 469.50 lakh) that owe dues worth crores to the power corporation. The official when asked that why the PSPCL was not able to get the payments on time, said one could get private connections snapped if bills were not paid. “How can we cut power connections of Local Bodies, Water Supply and Sanitation or Health and Family Welfare and other government departments? The matter has to be decided by the government or the PSPCL regulatory committee. If such a huge amount is pending in Ludhiana, bills worth crores must be pending in other districts of the state. The PSPCL would remain in losses if such situation exists,” the official said. Resolve public grievances, expedite development works, MC officials told Zonal Commissioner (Zone D) Jasdev Singh Sekhon interacts with councillors at the MC Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar. Ludhiana, April 21 With an aim to expediting development works and resolving grievances at the earliest, Zonal Commissioner (Zone D) Jasdev Singh Sekhon held a meeting with councillors at the MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar here on Monday. Councillors Gurpreet Singh Babbal, Amrit Varsha Rampal, Davinder Ghuman and Nandini Jairath were among those present in the meeting. Detailed discussions were held regarding ongoing development works and projects to be launched in coming days. Civic body officials of the health branch, B&R branch, O&M cell, horticulture wing, among others, were present in the meeting and necessary directions were issued to them. Sekhon said meetings were being held on the directions of MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal and more such meetings would be held in coming days. The aim was to resolve grievances faced by the public at the ground level and expedite development works. The officials had also been directed to move to the field for taking feedback from the public and take stock of the situation so that the public should not face any trouble, he said. — TNS Top cop inspects upcoming ERV hut to enhance traffic management Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 21 Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma conducted a detailed inspection on Monday of the upcoming emergency response vehicle hut (ERVH) near Verka Milk Plant Chowk. The initiative aims to further streamline the traffic management system of the city. Five officials to be stationed at each of 10 new huts across city During the visit, the CP announced that the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate would establish 10 emergency response vehicle huts (ERVHs) across the city. Each hut would be staffed with five police officials, with at least one official present 24x7 to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow. The city has now been reorganised into eight traffic zones (previously six) to optimise operational efficiency, with a station house officer (SHO)-level official overseeing each zone. Send applications directly to HQs post probe, cops told Ludhiana, April 21 Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma on Monday directed officials that whenever an application was marked to them for investigation, they must promptly probe and return the same directly to the district headquarters. This measure would prevent public inconvenience and ensure that applications were resolved in an efficient and timely manner. He said the Police Commissionerate receives applications from the public, which were assigned to senior officials stationed at the district headquarters for investigation. However, instead of directly returning the same to the headquarters after investigation, the officials forwarded them through their zonal officials to the office, which cause significant inconvenience to the people, who had to visit various offices repeatedly. As a result, the police and the public waste time and the resolution of applications faces unnecessary delays. — TNS DC warns officials of action in case of delay in lifting of wheat Payments worth ~397.30 cr made to farmers Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 21 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain has issued a stern warning to officials regarding strict action in case of any undue delay in lifting wheat from grain markets. He emphasised that any inconvenience caused to farmers in mandis would not be tolerated. While reviewing the ongoing wheat procurement operations, he expressed satisfaction with the progress so far. He urged all officials to ensure seamless and hasslefree operations in markets. The Deputy Commissioner reported that as of April 20, approximately 2,66,350 MT of wheat had arrived in the market, of which 2,23,540 MT had already been purchased. He also mentioned that payments totalling Rs 397.30 crore had already been made to farmers for the procured grains. Jain reiterated that the officials must spend majority of their time in the field to expedite the lifting operations. Furthermore, he instructed them to submit timely reports regarding procurement and lifting operations in their respective areas. The DC said he was personally monitoring the entire procurement process and warned that any delay or laxity in submission of the reports would be dealt with severely. CP Swapan Sharma and other cops at the upcoming ERV hut near Verka Milk plant in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Sharma highlighted that the huts would be equipped with essential amenities, including office furniture, drinking water, fans, urinals and other facilities, to support the welfare of the personnel. Additionally, floodlights would illuminate surroundings of each hut and an emergency response vehicle would be stationed there. The officials at the huts will monitor traffic within their designated zones, make on-the-spot decisions to maintain smooth flow and have the authority to request the police control room (PCR) support or additional personnel from other zones, fostering enhanced coordination across the eight zones. He noted that the existing fleet of 40 PCR motorcycles and 40 PCR vehicles was already operational across these zones. With the addition of 10 new ERVs, the total fleet now comprises 50 vehicles and 40 motorcycles, all deployed 24x7 on city’s busiest roads for continuous traffic patrols. He said over 450 traffic officials and personnel were currently assigned to these zones, with plans to increase the number to 550 in the near future. The initiative would enhance traffic discipline and provide residents with a hassle-free commuting experience across the city. Two get 4-year RI in corruption case Ludhiana, April 21 The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Amrinder Singh Shergill has sentenced Balwinder Kaur (51) and Jagdish Singh (48), both residents of Nichi Mangli, Chandigarh Road, here, to four years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) each in a corruption case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each of the convicts. The prosecution’s case dates back to May 27, 2014, when the complainant, Tejpreet Kaur, alias Ruby, wife of Rahul Kapoor, lodged a complaint. The complainant had alleged that Balwinder Kaur and Jagdish Singh had taken Rs 45,000 from her husband under the pretext of getting a favour done through senior police officials. The money, according to the complainant, was handed over by her husband in the presence of their neighbour Mahesh Arora at the residence of Balwinder Kaur. A crucial piece of evidence in the case was an audio recording in which Bal- winder Kaur allegedly admitted to having received the money for the then Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana. The complaint was initially looked into by ASI Sanjiv Kumar, in-charge, Mundian Kalan Police Post, who recommended registration of an FIR. Subsequently, an FIR was registered on November 2, 2014, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The case saw multiple layers of investigation. ACP Lakhvir Singh Tiwana took up the initial probe, during which the complainant produced a CD containing the voice recording. Balwinder Kaur gave her consent for providing a voice sample, which was later matched with the recording at the CFSL, Chandigarh. The voice was confirmed to be that of her. However, during trial both accused pleaded false implication. The court, after considering the evidence and arguments, held both accused guilty and awarded the sentence accordingly. — OC 2 miscreants booked for stabbing man to death Tribune News Service In the absence of sheds, farmers are forced to cover wheat stock with a tarpaulin at a grain market in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN c m y b Ludhiana, April 21 The Tibba police on Sunday registered a case against two persons who stabbed a man to death on the Kakka Dhola road. The suspects were identified as Ranjit of Bihar and Ujja Ram of Uttar Pradesh. The complainant, Satinder Kumar, of Basti Jodhewal told the police that he was working as a garment washing master on the Kakka Dhola road, Jaspal Complex, near Rama Krishna Dyeing. He also owns a factory that had been lying shut for about six months, where he recruited Vikas Kumar Ram and Abhay as caretakers. “On April 20, Vikas called me and told that Ranjit and Ujja Ram, who came to meet him and Abhay, were drunk and threatening to kill each other with a knife. As I reached the factory, I saw a man lying dead near the factory and there was a large gathering of workers of surrounding factories. Vikas and Abhay were also present at the scene. They told me that Mewa Ram was stabbed to death by Ranjit and Ujja and the reason behind the murder was not known so far,” he said. Sources said the police had rounded up the suspects.