01072025-LT-01.qxd 6/30/2025 10:24 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SAFETY ASSESSMENT REPORT OUT, AIMS TO BETTER ROAD INFRA PU GIVES 10% GRACE MARKS AFTER BACKLASH OVER NEP LET’S CELEBRATE HEALERS THROUGH LENS OF CINEMA With the aim to streamlining traffic and reducing accidents, a road safety assessment of city was conducted. P2 After poor results of PU-affiliated colleges in the first semester under NEP, grace marks given to arts students. P3 National Doctors’ Day: Come July 1, India takes a pause to thank the doctors who keep the country going.P4 » » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7:33 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:27 AM TUESDAY | 1 JULY 2025 | LUDHIANA Admn gears up to deal with waterlogging in Ahmedgarh Mahesh Sharma A waterlogged road near the Chand Cinema underbridge; and (right) another one near Jalandhar bypass after Sunday’s rain in Ludhiana. PHOTOS: INDERJEET VERMA Jalandhar bypass, low-lying areas get waterlogged after downpour in city Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 30 The administration here has claimed to be completely ready to deal with any situation in the upcoming rainy season, which usually disrupts routine life in low-lying localities of the town and surrounding habitations. Besides pulling up the human resources, including sewer men and personnel of the Sanitation Department, the authorities have checked the functionality of the paraphernalia required for draining out rainwater and overflowing sewage. Railway Road, Thana Road , Bajrang Akhara Road, Amarpura Mohalla, Batta Bagh locality and Jagera Road have been identified as low-lying areas, where rainwater normally gets accumulated following a short span of heavy rain. President of the municipal council Vikas Krishan Sharma said civic body personnel led by Executive Officer Vikas Uppal and Sanitary Superintendent Harpreet Singh had been advised to ensure that all equipment and machinery required for dealing with the overflowing sewage and flooding of streets with rainwater are kept ready. “Though the personnel concerned in the civic body have assured me that adequate arrangements had been made to tackle any situation arising due to heavy rain during the monsoon, I have cut short my tour abroad and am reaching the town shortly so that arrangements can be supervised per- sonally,” said Sharma. Handling flooding and waterlogging issues during monsoon has remained a challenge for the authorities at the Municipal Council, Ahmedgarh, during the past years. Though an STP (sewage treatment plant) has been installed on the outskirts of the town, it is yet to be formally inaugurated. Residents see a ray of hope in dilution of their problem regarding flooding and waterlogging during the rains, as it is the first monsoon after construction of several new roads and underground drains in the town. Sanitary Superintendent Harpreet Singh claimed that all sanitary workers and sewer men had been cautioned against these recurring problems in the low-lying areas. Commuters face inconvenience as drains overflow, roads get submerged Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 30 A spell of heavy rain on Sunday night caused widespread waterlogging in several parts of Ludhiana, with the Jalandhar bypass and other low-lying areas once again bearing the brunt of the city’s chronic drainage woes. Morning commuters were met with flooded roads, overflowing drains and traffic snarl-ups as key stretches, including Jalandhar bypass, Sabji Mandi area and parts of the old city were partially submerged. The newly-developed vegetable market near Jalandhar bypass turned into a swampy mess, with vendors and buyers navigating through water. “It’s impossible to run business like this. We had asked for proper drainage, but nothing had been done,” said Raju, a vegetable vendor. Residents in other areas also reported similar water- logging, forcing pedestrians to wade through rainwater. The situation was worse near Buddha Nullah and adjoining colonies, where the water remained stagnant till late morning. Despite repeated claims by the municipal corporation about pre-monsoon desilting drives, blocked drains and poor planning led to familiar scenes of chaos. “Every year, we face the same issue. The authorities clean the main drains but ignore branch lines. MLA protests against Railways for delay in overbridge construction Our Correspondent Doraha, June 30 Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura, along with his party workers, today staged a dharna near the railway crossing of Doraha over the inordinate delay in the construction of a railway overbridge (ROB) on the Doraha-Neelon stretch by the Railways, despite the fact that the state government had issued the NOC long time back. Giaspura and his party men raised slogans against the lack of concern of the Railways in this regard. He said that it had been 13 years that the commuters had been facing discomfort due to the absence of the ROB. He slammed the SAD as well as Congress, which had done little to ease the problems of the commuters for the past so many years. He also said that the Punjab government had issued an NOC to the Railways long time back, but the construction could not be started for reasons best known to the Railways. He also criticised the non-functional and unsupportive role of the Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu, despite the fact that he belonged to the area. “A number of times the railway crossing develops technical snags, which leads to long queues of commuters on both sides of the crossing. Big potholes act as a catalyst in aggravating the situation. The jerks suffered by the commuters, especially the sick and the aged, are simply unbearable. But the Railways, despite being given green signal to initiate work, have failed to do so,” expressed the MLA. “The delay in the construction of an ROB and the pitiable condition of the slip road has made the lives of the commuters a virtual hell. The road having fissures, gaps and potholes has worsened to the extent that it is no longer visible now. The stretch is used by thousands of vehicles, but still the condition of the road has only worsened,” expressed the women folk of the surrounding villages who also joined the MLA in his protest. Harpreet Singh of Ghulal village said, “The situation becomes horrible when it pours. Due to the muddy road vehicles get stuck, leading to traffic jams.” Gurpreet Singh of Rampur village said, “The issue of ROB has remained unresolved and none has spared a thought for the commuters.” Senior Estate Divisional Engineer Rajpura Amarjeet reached the spot and assured the protesters that as per information received from the RSP unit, Delhi, the work of floating the tenders shall begin in a month from now. The work of construction will most probably begin by March-April 2026 after approval. Asked about the delay in floating of tenders, he said that some of the parameters of the NOC, provided earlier by the state government, were nonacceptable to the Railways. “But as per the fresh one provided by the state, tenders shall be floated and construction work shall be undertaken accordingly.” The water simply has nowhere to go,” said Manpreet Singh, a city resident. The Ludhiana civic body has been facing criticism for not upgrading stormwater drainage system in rapidly urbanising areas, including the bypass stretch along NH-44. Urban planners have long emphasised the need for modern stormwater management, including rainwater harvesting, emergency pumps and green buffer zones. Civic officials assured that emergency response teams hadbeen deployed and pump sets were being used to clear water in the affected areas. However, residents remain skeptical, citing repeated false promises and lack of long-term solutions. With more rain forecast in the coming days, concerns are rising about further disruption and potential health hazards due to water stagnation and unhygienic conditions in densely populated neighborhoods. Senior functionaries of Ahmedgarh Municipal Council review preparedness of equipment for dealing with flooding and waterlogging during the monsoon. Man sets father-in-law’s car afire, makes extortion call posing as gangster; held Accused had married daughter of complainant against wishes of latter Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 30 The Ludhiana police have claimed to have solved the case in which a man posing as gangster Pandit had made an extortion call to a businessman and demanded Rs 5 lakh. Two days before making a call, the accused had also set a car of the businessman on fire and warned him that if Rs 5 lakh were not given, then the latter would have to face serious consequences. The police today arrested the accused, who is son-inlaw of the complainant. The accused had been making the threatening calls out of greed for becoming rich in a short span of time. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Industrial Area-B, ACP Satwinder Singh addresses a press conference regarding the arrest of an accused in extortion case in Ludhiana on Monday. Satwinder Singh, along with Miller Ganj police post incharge ASI Dharminder Singh, addressed a press conference regarding the matter. Complainant Satish Jain had lodged a complaint that on the night of June 19 his car bearing registration number PB 10 HT 4776 was parked on an empty plot near his house, which was set on fire by some miscreant. When he checked the CCTV cameras the next day, it was found that some unknown persons, whose faces were cov- daughter of complainant Satish Jain had eloped with Tarun in 2022 and married him. The complainant was against the marriage, but his daughter decided to marry Tarun as they were adults. The complainant had stopped talking to his daughter and Tarun. According to the accused, he is a poor migrant while his father-inlaw is rich, so the accused set the car on fire and made extortion call of Rs 5 lakh. Meanwhile, ADCP-2 Karanveer Singh said that when the car was set on fire, the key accused was accompanied by two of his accomplices and raids were already being conducted to nab them. However, the extortion call was only made by son-in-law of the complainant. Another girl files complaint against Bhuriwale Dham head Tribune News Service Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura, along with villagers, holds protest against the Railways for delay in the construction of a railway overbridge on the Doraha-Neelon stretch. ered, had set his car on fire. On June 22, his son received a WhatsApp call and the caller while posing himself as gangster Pandit told his son that he had set their car on fire and demanded Rs 5 lakh or else threatened to harm his son and other family members. On the basis of his complaint, the police started investigation in the matter and identified Tarun Kumar, a resident of Mohalla Nirankari, back side of Sigma Nursing College, Ludhiana, has been named as an accused in the case. ACP Satwinder Singh said that today the police had received a tip-off about the whereabouts of the suspect and immediately conducted a raid and nabbed the accused. ACP Singh revealed that Ludhiana, June 30 After an obscene video of Shankara Nand, chief of Bhuriwale Dham, located in Talwandi Khurd village near Dakha in the district, went viral and a case registered against the dera head, another complaint has been lodged against the dera head by a girl who grew up in the dera’s orphanage. The girl alleged assault and mental torture of children living in the orphanage being run by the dera. The complaint was submitted to Assistant Commissioner c m y b Alleges assault, mental torture; probe ordered Payal Goyal, who marked a probe in the case. The accused baba is absconding since the case came to light. According to information, the girl, along with some people of Talwandi Khurd and nearby villages, met the officer demanding the arrest of the dera head. The girl also met Ludhiana SSP Ankur Gupta to seek a high-level probe in the case. The girl alleged that the children in the orphanage were being treated inhumanly. She herself was exploited and beaten up. She has urged the administration to close the dera and save the children living there. Harbans Singh of Talwandi Kalan village, who accompanied the girl, said that the allegations against the dera were true as children were often beaten up. “Some children used to flee the orphanage and come to our village for shelter, but the dera peo- ple would come looking for them and take them back to the dera by beating them up.” He alleged in the name of donation, the dera head would get FDs issued in the name of the children, but later got these changed and the money transferred to his personal bank accounts. A highlevel inquiry should be done by CBI to unearth the racket, he added. Other villagers accompanying the girl claimed that the accused had been enjoying a special status in society and among those in power by projecting philanthropic work. He had been running an international NGO for orphans, abandoned and differently-abled children, many of whom were adopted by childless couples, including families from foreign countries. Meanwhile, sources said the Child Welfare Society had formed a special committee, including a doctor, to investigate this, and it would submit its report periodically on matters related to the children’s home. About the allegation of money embezzlement by the dera head, the police has started the investigation.