19052025-LT-01.qxd 5/18/2025 11:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MAN ARRESTED WITH COUNTRYMADE PISTOL DIE, MY LOVE EARNS SIX-MIN STANDING OVATION Die, My Love earned a six-minute standing ovation following its world premiere at Cannes Film Fest. P4 Crime Branch along with Koom Kalan police nabbed the man with a pistol and a cartridge. P2 » WHEN BOLLYWOOD STARS ALIGN WITH FANDOM FRENZY The Zee Cine Awards didn’t just honour cinematic excellence, they turned the spotlight on the fans too. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 44°C | MIN 30°C YESTERDAY MAX 42.8°C | MIN 28.8°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.12 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:26 AM MONDAY | 19 MAY 2025 | LUDHIANA of water, stay indoors Despite warnings, parents, kids Drink plentyhours, residents urged in afternoon risk lives by crossing rail tracks Maximum temperature reaches 42.8°Celsius in city Tribune News Service Schoolchildren and their parents cross the railway tracks near a school at Sarabha Nagar in Ludhiana. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 18 People along with their children are posing risk to their lives by crossing railway tracks near schools. The practice has been going on for a long time. The parents are resorting to the practice to avoid taking long routes to pick their wards from schools. Railway tracks are located near several city schools where violations can be seen everyday during morning and afternoon hours. VIOLATIONS A ROUTINE AFFAIR Railway tracks are located near several city schools where violations can be seen everyday during morning and afternoon hours. Some of the schools have also sent a circular to parents, asking them to avoid crossing railway tracks but the latter are not paying heed the warnings. A message recently circulated in the parents group of Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, reads: “Dear parents, despite the reminder posted in your class groups, many of the parents and students were seen crossing the unassisted railway tracks. We have received some pictures clicked by traffic police officials which show your negligence towards alerts and requests sent by the school. Also many parents have been seen parking their vehicles on road, feeding breakfast and revising lessons with their wards caus- ing inconvenience to others. This is a final and last reminder to beware of crossing the tracks and causing traffic chaos. The school will not be responsible for any strict or legal action taken against you by the administration. Treat it as urgent”. A similar practice is going on near BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, where parents park their vehicles near railway tracks and then by crossing the tracks, they walk and reach the school to drop and pick up their wards. Sources said the school management had also asked students to avoid crossing the tracks but parents are not adhering to the instructions. “We know crossing the railway tracks is illegal but we are doing the same to save our time and energy. If we do not cross the tracks, we have to cross the ROB or RUB to reach outside the school. We always take due care while crossing the tracks to prevent any mishappening,” said a parent who daily cross the rail tracks to drop his child at a school in Sarabha Nagar. ularly, even if not thirsty; stay indoors during peak hours (12 noon to 4 pm); wear light-coloured, loosefitting clothes and use hats or umbrellas when going outdoors. People should eat hydrating foods such as fruits and vegetables, take cool showers and keep a check on vulnerable individuals such as children and the elderly. At the same time, it is important to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, strenuous physical activity in the heat, tight or dark clothing and consumption of alcohol or caffeine. Children, the elderly, or pets should never be left inside parked vehicles, even for a short time. Any signs of heat stress should not be ignored. ASHWANI DHIMAN Ludhiana, May 18 The maximum temperature recorded on Sunday was 42.8°C while the minimum temperature was 28.8°C. The hot weather conditions have made it difficult for residents to venture out, especially during afternoon hours. Keeping in view the hot and dry temperature, experts from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have advised farmers to provide need-based irrigation to crops. “Fruit drop may increase with further rise in the temperature. Continuously keep the soil moist in orchards. In citrus, pear, litchi and mango, apply light irrigations at regular intervals. White wash mixture can be applied on main trunks of fruit trees to protect them from intense heat,” said an expert from PAU. Meanwhile, Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr Ramandeep Kaur, said high temperatures pose significant health risks, particularly for children, elderly individuals, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses. Timely intervention and proper care were essential to avoid serious conditions such as heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat stroke. To stay safe during the heat wave, citizens have been advised by the Health Department to drink plenty of water reg- Commuters ride two-wheelers with their faces covered to save themselves from the scorching heat. 11 caught gambling Covid-19 volunteers protest, seek regular jobs Congress councillors write to Principal Secy in hotel, ~2L seized Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 18 The Crime Branch team on Saturday raided Hotel Cop International on Ferozepur Road here and arrested 11 persons who were allegedly involved in gambling. The suspects have been identified as Sanjeev Kakkar, Sunit, Sunil Kumar, Lal, Manish Kumar, Rupinder Singh, Amit Kumar, Jaswant Kumar, Jatinder Singh, Shivam Sharma and Amandeep Singh. According to police officials, they received a tip-off about the alleged gambling activity at the hotel. Upon conducting a raid on the third floor of the hotel, specifically in the presidential suite, the police apprehended the 11 individuals and seized cash amounting to Rs 2,19,000 and three bundles of playing cards. A case was registered against the suspects under the Gambling Act and they were presented in a court on Sunday. The police investigation is going on to determine the extent of the alleged gambling activity and the involvement of the suspects. The illegal practice of gambling has been going on in the city unabated. Gamblers book hotel rooms where they call several people for the illegal activity. Earlier, the police used to conduct raids in hotels but now, they are not taking much interest to stop the practice. — TNS Ludhiana, May 18 Covid-19 volunteers who worked with the Health Department during 2020 and 2021 held a protest here on Sunday. The protesters were demanding reinstatement of their jobs with the department. Gurpayar Singh, while addressing the protesters, said during Covid times, 1,200 volunteers were appointed under the National Health Mission (NHM) as Covid volunteers and during the pandemic, they worked without caring about their lives. “After Mission Fateh, all of a sudden, we were relieved from our duties Covid-19 volunteers hold a protest in Ludhiana on Sunday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN without any prior notice or intimation. It has been four years and we are struggling to get our jobs back but nobody is paying heeds to our requests,” he said. “It has been four years that we are holding protests and meeting ofificials but nothing has been done in this regard. Officials and ministers assure us action but the ground reality remains the same,” said another volunteer. Ludhiana, May 18 The issue of the meeting of the Ludhiana MC General House has reached the Principal Secretary, Local Bodies Department, after Congress councillors have shot a letter to him, demanding that resolutions passed during the House meeting held on May 9 should not be considered passed as no discussion was held on that day. Opposition leaders from the Congress Shyam Sunder Malhotra said the resolutions from 1 to 1,054 were passed without the consent of Opposition councillors. “The House meeting ended in 20 minutes and the agenda was not even read. We want these resolutions to be rejected Want resolutions passed during May 9 House meeting be rejected as these were passed without any discussion,” he said. He said the 1,500-page agenda of the meeting was given a day before in the evening and was sent only to the Leader of Opposition, while no councillor was given a copy. “How one can read 1,500 pages in a a few hours,” he questioned. Malhotra said if their complaint was not heard by the Principal Secretary, they would move the HC. — TNS Efforts to popularise DSR on but it faces many challenges Juvenile booked THE ISSUES Manav Mander Tribune News Service ■ The main issue is weeds Ludhiana, May 18 A lot of efforts are being made to popularise the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology but the road to it is not easy and full of challenges. The technology faces various issues, which include weed infestation, potential yield reductions, higher seed requirements, machinery availability and high-input costs. “One of the major constraints in the success of the DSR technology is weeds and they pose to be more problematic in it than in puddled transplanting. In the absence of effective weed control options, yield losses are greater in the DSR than in the transplanted rice. Weed management in the ■ The seed requirement for DSR is also higher than transplanted rice ■ Land levelling is compulsory in DSR, therefore, may increase cost ■ Early sowing is required in the method as plants have to come out properly before start of monsoon ■ It is not suitable on certain types of soil where only transplanting method works Water table in the state is depleting and DSR is one such technology that has water saving potential. DSR is more challenging than in transplanted rice as the initial size difference between rice and weeds is small. Some weed-control methods such as flooding are less effective in the DSR as weeds can grow quickly in initial stages,” says farmer Bhagwant Singh from Maachiwara. Another farmer, Paramjeet Singh, from Ghulal village, said the input costs increase while using the DSR technology. The seed requirement for the DSR was generally higher as compared to transplanted rice as some seeds might not germinate or be consumed by pests, reducing the overall growth of plants. Raj Kumar and Gurpreet Kaur from the Department of Economics and Sociology, c m y b Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said: “Water table in the state is depleting and DSR is one such technology that has water saving potential. Its cultivation is suitable in medium to heavy textured soils but not in light textured soils due to severe iron deficiency and lower crop yields”. They said the field should be properly levelled by using the laser technology to improve the irrigation water use efficiency and seed germination. In the DSR, the cultivation of short and medium duration varieties is best suitable as these mature early and also produce less crop residue. Early maturing varieties provide a longer window after paddy harvest and farmers get sufficient time to manage crop residue. The proper sowing time is first fortnight of June for non-basmati varieties and second fortnight for basmati varieties. for raping minor Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 18 A boy sexually assaulted a minor girl after serving her juice laced with some sedatives in Sidhwan Bet village. The victim, a resident of a village near Sidhwan Bet, had gone to pay obeisance at a religious place in Nakodar with her sister where the victim met the suspect, who had come to the place with his friend. The victim knew the suspect. While going towards the bus stand, the victim’s sister and the suspect’s friend went ahead. During this time, the suspect gave some juice laced with some sedatives to the victim. After the victim fainted, the suspect took her to a secluded place and raped her. When the girl regained consciousness, she was lying on the banks of the Sutlej near the village. Afterwards, the victim informed her family members about the incident, after which she was admitted to a hospital. ASI Sukhmandar Singh, in-charge of the Gidderwindi police post, said the police registered a case against the suspect under Section 64 (1) 4 of the POCSO Act and would soon arrest him.