15052025-LT-01.qxd 5/14/2025 11:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MAIZE, MOONG EMERGE AS CUSHION CROPS INDIAN STARS ALL SET TO SHINE AT FESTIVAL DE CANNES ROBERT CALLS FOR PROTEST AGAINST ‘PHILISTINE’ TRUMP Maize and moong have emerged as cushion crops being sowed before cultivation of paddy. P3 As Cannes Film Festival unfurls its carpet, our celebrities gear up to represent India at this global extravaganza. P4 Hollywood icon Robert De Niro lambasted ‘philistine’ US Prez Donald Trump and his proposed film tariff. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 42°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 40°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.09 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:29 AM THURSDAY | 15 MAY 2025 | LUDHIANA PSEB Class XII: Nitin, Nilaruma top dist Girls shine on merit list, government schools also perform better Residents spend sleepless night as power snapped for over 9 hours Shivani Bhakoo Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 14 Nitin Bhat from RS Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, of non-medical stream and Nilaruma Dogra from BCM Senior Secondary School, Jamalpur, of humanities stream are the district toppers in the Class XII examinations of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), the results of which were declared this afternoon. Both of them have got 99.4 per cent marks in the exams. They have scored 497 out of 500 marks. In commerce stream, Amandeep Kaur and Rajvir Kaur from the Residential School for Meritorious Students have scored 492 out of 500 marks (98.4 per cent). In medical stream, Niharika Gujral from Shahid-eAzam Sukhdev Thapar Senior Secondary School, Bharat Nagar Chowk, has scored 492 out of 500 marks (98.4 per cent). The results were declared in Mohali this afternoon. Though the top three position holders in the state came from other districts but Ludhiana has also done well in the total merit list of the PSEB. As many as 55 students of the total 290, who secured their names in the merit list, are from the district. Changing the regular trend in which private schools perform much better than government ones, government senior secondary schools in the district have done almost on a par with their private counterparts. In the first 10 positions in the state, 18 students from Ludhiana have registered their names, of which 10 students are from private schools while eight are from government schools. Ludhiana, May 14 Thousands of residents had to spend sleepless night as power was snapped for over nine hours in many city areas, including Civil Lines, Ghumar Mandi, near PAU, Sarabha Nagar, Malhar Road, DC Complex, Fountain Chowk, Dandi Swami, etc. The electricity supply, which snapped around 9:30 pm on Tuesday night, was restored at 7 am on Wednesday. The underground power lines had developed a major technical snag in Sarabha Nagar, which was the reason for the power disruption. To rectify the fault, power lines of the major four sub-stations were snapped on Tuesday night. The Chief Engineer, Jagdev Singh Hans, told The Tribune that they got to know about the Students of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School in a cheerful mood after the declaration of the PSEB Class XII results. NILARUMA DOGRA HUMANITIES 99.4% Though the top three position holders in the state came from other districts but Ludhiana has also done well in the total merit list of the PSEB. As many as 55 students of the total 290, who secured their names in the merit list, are from the district. Of the 55 students, nine are boys and 46 girls. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain while expressing happiness over the exceptional performance by the students, especially in government schools, said: “Education is on the top priority of the state government and the results show the reflection of hard work put by all,” NITIN BHAT NON-MEDICAL 99.4% ASHWANI DHIMAN OF 290, 55 FROM DIST ON MERIT LIST Nilaruma Dogra (in red shirt) celebrates her success with family. the DC said. Of the 55 students from Ludhiana district who have secured their spot in the merit list, nine are boys and remaining 46 are girls. Four students from School of Eminence (SOE), Bharat Nagar Chowk, are in the merit list, three from SOE, Sekhewal, two from the GSSS, Samrala, while others are from different schools in the district. The total pass percentage of students was 91 per cent while the pass percentage of girl students was 94.32 per cent and boys was 88.08 per cent. Nitin Bhat, who is one of High Court verdict on water issue moral victory for state, says Mann Inaugurates high-impact urban projects worth ~13 crore in district Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 14 Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday said the verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the ongoing issue of release of water by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to Haryana was a moral victory for the state. Addressing the gathering here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said the court had sought reply from all stakeholders on May 20. He said Haryana that had already exhausted its share of water for the current year would be eligible for the same by May 21. Mann said: “It was a huge win for the state as we have been able to defend our share of water, despite all the might applied by the Centre, Haryana and the BBMB.” The Chief Minister categorically said the state does not have even a single drop of water to share with other states and his government had saved the water of the state which was being stolen by Haryana. He said as most of the river resources of the state had dried up, it needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs. He said the Union Government, Haryana and BBMB forgot one thing that if the state was capable of protecting the borders of the coun- technical snag around three days ago and it had to be resolved for which power lines were disconnected. “The repair work was done on Tuesday night for over nine hours and for the same, consumers had to face inconvenience. The power lines of the four sub stations — Fountain Chowk, PAU, DC Complex and Sarabha Nagar — was snapped for major repairs,” the Chief Engineer said. He added that thousands of consumers were affected due to the repair work as it was a major fault which needed proper maintenance. At the same time, the same underground lines had devel- oped a technical snag last year also due to which consumers had to bear the brunt. This year also, the lines developed a technical snag in the past. “We are in the process of changing wires. The wires were placed at the time when overbridges were constructed. Earlier, the lines were overhead and the issue used to be resolved easily.We have put tenders for fresh lines and hope that in next few months, the power lines are changed to provide respite to the consumers,” said Hans. Residents rued that they had to face inconvenience during the night in the absence of power. Many of them got panicky, thinking it was another “blackout”. “We came to know in the morning that there was some technical snag,” said Surabhi Kaushal, a resident. CM Bhagwant Mann addresses a gathering during the inauguration of development works in Ludhiana on Wednesday. ASHWANI DHIMAN try, it could save the waters of Punjab too. Meanwhile, while addressing a gathering, he said the state government was going to open eight UPSC centres in the state and Ludhiana would also get one where UPSC aspirants would get help for the preparation of the exam. Mann was here to inaugurate various development works on Wednesday. “The UPSC centre will also provide facility of a hostel, fullfledged library and other necessary help so that aspirants can crack the exam and become IAS/IPS officers. Among the eight proposed centres, Ludhiana has also been chosen as the city has an old association with me,” he said. The CM also inaugurated a bridge on the Buddha Dariya, a box cricket stadium and a newly constructed auditorium in Ambedkar Hall in Salem Tabri in the presence of North MLA Madan Lal Bagga. Slamming Union Minister for State Ravneet Singh Bittu, the Chief Minister on Wednesday said this rejected leader spits venom against him just to appease his political bosses. While taking Bittu to cudgels, he said though the Union Minister hails from Ludhiana but he had done nothing substantial for the development of the city. He said Bittu wakes up in the morning and starts criticising him from that very moment just to make his party bosses happy. In a major step aimed at giving further fillip to the overall development of Ludhiana, the Chief Minister gave a bonanza worth Rs 13 crore in form of various development projects to residents of the district. To promote sports in the state by augmenting sports infrastructure, the Chief Minister dedicated an ultra modern playground at the Salem Tabri locality with a total covered area of 5187.50 sq ft. The playground has been equipped with state-of-the-art sports infrastructure and can be duly used for playing games such as cricket, basketball, handball and badminton and was equipped with facilities of camera recording and flood lights. The ground has been constructed at a cost of Rs 26 lakh and will act as a catalyst to channelise the energy of youth in a positive direction. The Chief Minister also dedicated the newly constructed auditorium-cum-training and research centre at Dr Ambedkar Bhawan near the Jalandhar bypass chowk. The ultramodern auditorium has been constructed at a cost of Rs 4.30 crore and will offer a platform to residents for holding their functions. Meanwhile, in a major relief to commuters, the CM also dedicated the high-level Bridge (72.40m) over the Buddha Nullah near Chand Cinema, here. Constructed over a cost of Rs 8.16 crore, the bridge will play a key role in easing out traffic in the industrial city, besides providing a muchneeded succor to the people. c m y b the toppers in the district, came to know about his result at the PGI, Chandigarh, where his father is undergoing treatment. The authorities of RS Model Senior Secondary School said his father was having some kidney-related ailment and he was getting treatment at the PGI. Filing of FIR: Lawyers across state to observe strike today Ludhiana, May 14 Judicial work across all courts in Ludhiana remained paralysed for the third consecutive day as members of the legal fraternity continued their indefinite strike following a clash between a lawyer and a court employee inside the Ludhiana Judicial Complex. The situation has now escalated beyond Ludhiana, with all Bar Associations in the state announcing a one-day solidarity strike on May 15. The incident, which occurred on May 13, began as a verbal altercation but quickly turned into a physical confrontation. It was alleged that the lawyer was forcibly confined to the Nazar room and manhandled by court staff. Another advocate who tried to intervene was reportedly disrespected. In the immediate aftermath, lawyers staged a sit-in protest outside courtrooms and declared an indefinite boycott of judicial proceedings. To avoid further confrontation, the court employee allegedly involved in the scuffle was discreetly escorted out of the Nazar room through a rear exit. Both lawyer and the court staff member have since filed counter-complaints and undergone MLRs. Sources confirmed that an FIR had been registered against the judicial staff on the basis of the lawyer’s complaint, while cross FIR had been registered against seven lawyers and 150-200 unidentified lawyers. — OC Nine smugglers nabbed in raids Ludhiana, May 14 The Ludhiana police led by the Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma carried out early morning raids at houses of smugglers and nabbed nine of them. The police also recovered a huge quantity of drugs from the suspects. Over 100 police personnel were part of the operation. CP Swapan Sharma, DCP Harpal Singh, ADCPs Amandeep Singh Brar and Sameer Verma and ACP Rajesh Sharma, who led the operation against drugs, addressed a press conference in this regard on Tuesday. The CP said four of the arrested suspects were identified as Sahil of New Ashok Nagar, from whom 40 gm of heroin was seized, Sanjeev Kumar, alias Sonu, of Haibowal Kalan (120-gm heroin), Raju of New Shivpuri (155 gm of ganja) and Mehakpreet, alias Vicky Bath, of Bajigar Der, who was possessing 50 gm of heroin. While proceedings were initiated against the five other smugglers. He said all nine suspects had a criminal history as over 50 drug smuggling cases were registered against them in the past. After coming out on bail, they again start the illegal trade. “It was a kind of another surgical strike on the smugglers. The police had been keeping a tab over activities of the smugglers. They conducted surprise raids on Tuesday around 4.30 am at their houses and all were nabbed from their residences only. The Ludhiana police would continue such strikes on the smugglers in coming days also,” Sharma said. Earlier on April 27, the CP had also led a special operation, which he had then also termed as a ‘surgical strike’, and raided places of 25 drug peddlers in Haibowal and Jawahar Camp. Six smugglers were arrested in the operation and drugs were seized from the houses by the police. The Police Commissionerate had already prepared a list of hundreds of drug peddlers who were out on bail and suspected to be involved in the drug trade. They may face similar action anytime soon. — TNS