03062025-LT-01.qxd 6/2/2025 10:28 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune RESIDENTS FUME OVER PROPERTY DEFACEMENT WITH POSTERS STUDENTS PREFER YOUTUBE TO TUITION IN DIGITAL AGE KUSHAL’S WILDCARD COMEBACK SEALS VICTORY IN MTV ROADIES West constituency residents allege that posters are being put on the walls of their properties without approval. P2 In today’s digital age, educational resources have become more accessible due to online platforms. P3 ‘MTV Roadies Double Cross’ hosted by Rannvijay Singha has concluded with Kushal emerging as the winner. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 39°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.26 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:23 AM TUESDAY | 3 JUNE 2025 | LUDHIANA Three killed, 3 injured as car crashes into stationary truck Close aide of Ashu booked for misuse of funds Parking, pollution, garbage top list of residents’ woes Mahesh Sharma Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Mandi Ahmedgarh , June 2 Three persons were killed and three others injured when the car they were travelling in from Ludhiana to Malerkotla late on Sunday rammed into a truck. The deceased have been identified as Mohammad Shahid, Rohit Verma and Kosar (all between 40-42 years of age) of Malerkotla. Two women and a child have been shifted to some multi-specialty hospitals of the region. The victims were returning home after attending a social function at a village in Ludhiana district. SHO Sadar Darshan Singh said that six persons were injured seriously when their car rammed into a loaded truck that was stationed on the road after one of its tyres burst. It was after a joint rescue operation by Sadar police station cops, Sadak Surakhya Force, Malerkotla, and a group of players that the victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital at Malerkotla, where three persons were declared brought Ludhiana, June 2 The city police yesterday registered a case against a close aide of former Cabinet minister of Punjab Bharat Bhushan Ashu and some others for their alleged involvement in irregularities and misappropriation of funds of the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA). An FIR was registered against the dispute period president, general secretary, honorary secretary, treasurer and other members of the LDCA for committing procedural and financial lapses in the past. The police had not mentioned the names of the accused, and only their designations were mentioned. The Ludhiana Old Cricket Players Association had alleged that the Ludhiana District Cricket Association had prepared practice pitches at the SCD Government College ground at a cost of over Rs 14 lakh without signing any agreement with the college authorities. In the absence of any agreement, the Punjab Cricket Association had declined to reimburse the amount. Ludhiana, June 2 Ludhiana (West) bypoll is just around the corner and people of the constituency are hoping that the new MLA will look into the concerns and issues faced by them, while there are still others who are dejected and have no hope left for the political system. One of the major issues that the residents want to be solved is the parking issue. West constituency has some of the posh localities like Sarabha Nagar, BRS Nagar, Gurdev Nagar, etc. but the problem of parking remains consistent throughout the ward. The residents of BRS Nagar and Sarabha Nagar have been demanding that the parking at the markets should be free. After insistence from the residents, the parking at Sarabha Nagar market was made free by late MLA Gurpreet Gogi and residents demand that no parking fee should be charged and the responsibility of managing the parking should be given to the market association. In addition to this, the The mangled remains of the car that rammed into a truck near Kup Khurad village on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla highway near Ahmedgarh late on Sunday. PHOTO BY WRITER dead. “After receiving information about the accident we reached the spot and rescued occupants from the car that was damaged badly. Three of the victims were declared brought dead at the Civil Hospital, Malerkotla, while the three others were shifted to some multi-specialty hospitals at nearby Poll officer issues directives to printing press owners Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 2 In view of the upcoming Ludhiana (West) byelections, Deputy Commissioner-cumDistrict Election Officer Himanshu Jain has issued directives to all printing press owners in Ludhiana to strictly adhere to the Election Commission’s guidelines. Jain emphasised that all election-related materials, including pamphlets, posters and handbills, must prominently display the names of the publisher and printer, the number of copies printed and a signed declaration from the publisher containing comprehensive details about the publication. Prior to printing any campaign material, printers must obtain a declaration specifying the individual or entity commissioning the material and the costs. These details, along with the expenditure incurred, must be reported to the District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner’s office. The DEO said that no objectionable material against any caste, religion, etc. should be printed. Before printing, a declaration should be taken from the publisher about who is getting it printed and it should be certified by two persons who know the publisher well. Two copies of this declaration should be taken. He said that copies of the printed material should be sent to the election expenditure monitoring team after getting it duly signed by the printer, along with details of expenditure incurred. Jain further said that if any poster/pamphlet contains any matter or material which is offending or objectionable, then necessary action would be taken. localities,” said Darshan Singh, maintaining that barricading was later done to prevent any other mishap. Mohammad Qasim of Baurhai Khurad said he, along with some other youths, were at a ground. They reached the spot immediately after hearing a loud bang at about 10 pm on Sunday. “Though the rescue opera- tion had already been started by some passersby, we, being locals, facilitated shifting of the victims to extend support to the cops supervising the rescue operation,” said Qasim. The police have registered an FIR on the statement of Rajinder Kaur, against the absconding unidentified driver of the truck. Manav Mander Traffic situation goes haywire as BJP candidate files paper for bypoll Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 2 As senior BJP leadership, including Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu, BJP state president Sunil Jakhar, Punjab BJP in chargecum-former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and others, arrived for the filing of the nomination papers of Jiwan Gupta for the bypoll in West constituency, the traffic situation on one side of the stretch between Durga Mata Temple and Bharat Nagar Chowk went haywire. Although the stage was installed on a service lane, still the vehicles of security personal and leaders were parked on the main road, which caused the traffic jam. Raman Dhir, a commuter whose car got stuck on the road, said that political func- Traffic jam on Ferozepur Road as BJP leaders and workers gathered in large numbers for the nomination of BJP candidate for the bypoll in Ludhiana on Monday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN tions should be held in some open ground or in those places where there is enough parking space so that traffic remained smooth. “During every election, these political parties cause traffic jams. It is the commuters or local resi- dents who always face the chaos,” added Dhir. Another commuter Abhishek Kumar said that the police should deploy adequate number of cops on the road during such political gatherings so that traffic movement remained smooth and commuters do not face any inconvenience. “We understand that during such political functions, such traffic jams are a usual sight. At least political parties should deploy their own staff to man the traffic,” added Kumar. paucity of parking space is yet another issue in the area. All major markets in the constituency like Feroze Gandhi Market, Ghumar Mandi, Model Town and Pakhowal Road lack enough parking space. In the absence of designated parking spaces, visitors are left with no other choice, but to park their vehicles on the roadside or along narrow roads, leading to congestion. Traffic police tow away the vehicles parked wrongly, which only adds to their woes. But the question being asked repeatedly by the people of the constituency is, “Where is the space to park the vehicles?” “Feroze Gandhi Market is the financial hub of the city, but it lacks adequate parking space. The stock exchange and numerous banks are located here and every day hundreds of people visit, but they have to struggle to find parking space for their vehicles,” said Rakesh Kumar, a bank employee. There was plan for a multi-level parking facility at this market under the Ludhiana Smart City Limited, but it has failed to see the light of the day. A resident of Ludhiana (West) constituency, Kapil Arora, added that he had no expectation from AAP and Congress as both have supported the polluters (dyeing units) at all times. Earlier, the Congress never listened to the voice of the people and continued to intrude in the working of the MC and Smart City projects leading to poor planning, designs and major discrepancies, resulting in further chaos in the posh areas of the constituency. Similar has been the situation under the AAP regime, he added. “Expectation or demands are expected from those who understand the problems of the people at large. No one among the candidates has raised the issue of violations by the dyeing industries and I feel that such candidates when they will win, will do nothing for the environment,” said Arora. Another pressing issue is garbage. “Many times we see garbage littered on the roads and things become difficult during the rainy season as it emits foul smell. This matter should be taken care by the new MLA,” said Gurjeet Kaur, a city resident. Observer, teams to keep tab on poll spendings Ludhiana, June 2 The expenditure observer for Ludhiana (West) byelection, Indana Ashok Kumar, on Monday directed all flying squads, static surveillance, video surveillance, accounting teams and assistant expenditure observers (AEO) to keep a close eye on the expenditure for election publicity and campaigning to be made by the candidates. Presiding over a meeting, the expenditure observer asked the teams to submit the reports on the expenses incurred by the candidates on a daily basis. He said that to keep a close tab over the expenditure incurred by the parties and candidates, 12 FSTs, One VVT, eight VSTs, 9 SSTs, one account team, AEOs and MCMC were working to keep a close tab over the poll expenditure. He asked the flying squads, stat- ic surveillance teams and others to discharge their duties responsibly to ensure free and fair election. He also asked for coordination between the officers and the staff who have been appointed to check the expenses. Moreover, the shadow registers of the candidates, who will be in the poll fray, will be compared with the registers maintained by them. During checking, the contesting candidates will bring their expenditure registers and other records like cash book, bank voucher and bank statements and these will be then matched with the shadow registers. Additional Deputy Commissioner (RD) Amarjit Bains said that the expenditure limit set by the Election Commission of India for a candidate in the upcoming Ludhiana (West) byelection was Rs 40 lakh. — TNS Concrete wall along Buddha Nullah: Notice to four; inspection held Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 2 The Public Action Committee (PAC) has filed a complaint against the Principal Secretary of the Local Government Department, Municipal Corporation (MC) Ludhiana, Irrigation Department as well as the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) against an encroachment over land and building of a concrete wall along with Buddha Nullah by the MC. The committee alleged that the move by the MC was against the directions of the Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal (NGT) and environment laws. The committee has also served a legal notice upon all four in this regard. Er Kapil Arora and Kuldeep Singh Khaira said that the Buddha Nullah was getting The concrete wall coming up on one side of the Buddha Nullah. narrow due to encroachments by private persons along it and the NGT had directed the MC Commissioner to identify all encroachments and remove them as per law. The MC took many years to identify the encroachments and demol- c m y b ished some of these. However, due to some political interference and personal interests, some encroachments were not touched and were still in existence as on date. A green buffer zone was required to be developed along this side after removal of all encroachments, but instead of necessary plantation, the MC removed all vegetation and started constructing the wall, resulting in the obstruction of the flow of the nullah. Jaskirat Singh and Amandeep Singh Bains further added that wild vegetation along natural drains helped better water quality, control flood, prevented erosion and provided habitat for wildlife and acted as a natural filter. Meanwhile, in an effort to assess the deteriorating condition of the Buddha Nullah, the Buddha Dariya Action Front and Public Action Com- mittee under the leadership of social activist Anita Sharma conducted ground inspection near the 5 MLD effluent treatment plant (ETP) at the Tajpur Dairy Complex today. The visit exposed distressing levels of pollution, lawless dumping, illegal encroachments and unhygienic conditions plaguing the nullah and its surroundings. Massive dumping of solid waste, including plastic, animal dung and food remnants, was found throughout the area. The river banks and adjacent lands were found littered with refuse from both households and dairies. Maninderjit Singh Benipal of the front said a nearby fish market was a significant contributor to the pollution as the waste water was being discharged directly into the river from there. “The foul odour and filthy roads ren- der the nearby areas inhabitable. It poses a serious public health risk to both local residents and workers. Two discharge points were found, where untreated waste water flows into the Buddha Nullah — one directly from the ETP and another from dairy operations near the bridge. These are blatant violations of environmental regulations and indicate gross administrative failure,” said Benipal. As part of the inspection, Anita Sharma and the PAC team held a vital discussion with several dairy owners of the Tajpur Dairy Complex. The entire area is categorised into three segments — A, B, and C — for easier planning and implementation by the dairy owners. Besides, entry to the ETP area is hindered by cow dung, filth and unbearable odour. Key suggestions, solutions for dairy owners Enforcement of zero liquid discharge norms: Absolutely no untreated water should reach the Buddha Nullah under any circumstances. Formation of a cooperative society: All dairy units in the complex should unite under a cooperative model for better coordination, profit earning, waste disposal and responsibility-sharing. Segment-wise cow dung collection and disposal points: Establish two centralised collection and disposal point each for cow dung and other miscellaneous waste in each segment (A, B,C) Shared responsibility for cow dung transport: Individual dairy units must transport the cow dung to their segment’s CDP The dairy . cooperative will oversee and ensure compliance.