27072025-LT-01.qxd 7/26/2025 10:26 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune RESIDENTS TOLD TO PAY PROPERTY TAX DUES BY JULY 31 SCHOOLS CAUTIONED AGAINST SAFE VEHICLE POLICY VIOLATION TAYLOR SWIFT URGES FANS TO WATCH HAPPY GILMORE 2 MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal has appealed to residents to avail of the benefits of the OTS scheme. P2 Educational institutions have been warned against casual approach towards policy implementation. P3 Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has extended her support to NFL star and boyfriend Travis Kelce. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:41 AM » SUNDAY | 27 JULY 2025 | LUDHIANA Islam Ganj tense after armed youths attack 2 held for raping woman on pretext house over ‘5-yr-old grudge’ with owner of helping her Hurl bottles, bricks and stones; threaten owner; pound gate with weapons Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 26 Armed youths attacked a local’s house in the Islamganj area late on Friday night, reportedly due to an old grudge. Panic spread in the area and people rushed out of their houses to see what was happening. Before the attack, the accused even stood in the alley shouting expletives. Soon after, they started throwing bricks and stones at the house. The accused continued to throw stones and bricks in the area for about half an hour. They also used a sharp-edged weapon and iron rods to pound the front gate of the house. An auto-rickshaw and a car parked outside the house was also damaged as bricks and stones lay scattered in the alley. As per the information, the victim, Pritpal Singh Pala, lives in the house with his family. The reason of the attack was stated to be some enmity, dating back to five years. Pala and some other residents informed the police control room. Upon receiving the information, cops from police division No. 2 reached the spot, but by then the assailants man- (Clockwise) Cops hold investigation at the site; damaged windscreen of an auto-rickshaw; and pieces of broken bottles lying on the road at Islam Ganj in Ludhiana. PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN aged to flee. The police took nearby CCTV footage in possession to identify the assailants and started an investigation. The complainant said that he used to be engaged in some social work, and about four-five years ago he had a dispute with some youths from the same area. However, the matter was later resolved through the intervention of some prominent residents of the area and some friends, leading to a compromise. Pala revealed that he later left social work and started working in Millerganj area. Yesterday night, around 11 pm, some youths in the area started abusing him loudly and later started pelting his house with stones. After that, the accused pounded the house gate with a sharp-edged weapon and threatened him to open the door. The complainant revealed that the accused continued to throw bricks and stones inside the house. He later informed the police. However when police arrived, the accused had fled. On Saturday morning, local residents gathered in the locality amid an atmosphere of fear and tension. BJP leader Gurdev Sharma Debi stated that the government had failed to maintain law and order situation in the state. “Several incidents are occurring daily in the state, but the government is unwilling to do anything,” he said. He added that if these people do not get justice, they would be forced to stage a protest. Meanwhile, Inspector Gur- jit Singh, SHO, police division No. 2 stated that the CCTV footage from the surrounding areas was being checked. Some youths have been taken into custody. The matter is under investigation and a case will be registered, he added. Meanwhile, sources said that the area MLA was trying to reach a compromise between the disputing parties. Health Dept faces heat AAP MLAs, leaders discuss growing overhospital death case discord in municipal corporation Ludhiana, July 26 Two friends have been arrested by the police division No. 7 on the charge of raping a woman in Guru Ram Dass Nagar here. The accused initially took the woman to a room under the guise of offering help, where they threatened her by pointing a knife and raped her. The accused have been identified as Karan Sahota, a resident of Jain Colony, and Ajay Kumar of Tajpur road. Investigating officer ASI Gurdial Singh said that a case had been registered based on the complaint of the 27-year-old woman residing in Jassian road area. In her statement, she alleged that her father had passed away and she was living with her mother. Occasionally, she would have arguments with her mother over some domestic issues. On the night of July 24, she had heated arguments with her mother and a fight broke out between them. Upset with her mother, she left the house in anger and went to the railway station at 10.30 pm to board a train to go to her native village in Uttar Pradesh. At the station, she met the two youths, who had come on a motorcycle. When they inquired from her, the woman told them she needed to go to Varanasi and she was waiting for a train. The two men then told her that there was no train to Varanasi at that time. After gaining her trust, they offered to drop her home. Believing them, she got on their motorcycle. However, instead of taking her home, they took her to a house in the Guru Ramdas Nagar area on Tajpur Road. There, both men raped her and then threatened her with a knife. Later, they fled, leaving her there. Youth booked for ‘raping’ minor Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 26 A youth has been booked by the police for allegedly raping a minor girl for almost seven months. The accused was possessing some obscene videos and pictures of the girl, with which he used to blackmail her and forced her into physical relationship. Whenever the girl refused to maintain physical relationship the accused would threaten to make her videos viral on social media. The Ladhowal police station yesterday registered a case against the accused identified as Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Khaira Bet village near Ladhowal. In a complaint submitted to the Ladhowal police station, the father of the victim said that on July 24, his daughter was alone at home. When he came home and knocked on the bedroom door, Sukhwinder came out and on being asked what he was doing inside, he pushed the victim’s father and ran away from the spot. Later, he found his daughter crying in the room. When he asked her daughter about the reason of her crying, she told him that Sukhvinder had raped her and had been forcing her to have physical relation with him for the last seven months by threatening her with obscene pictures. Ludhiana, July 26 More than a year after the death of a patient at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital, whose body was reportedly left on a bed alongside a patient, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission has sought an explanation from the Health Department regarding the disciplinary action taken against doctors involved in the incident. During a recent hearing, the department sent a senior assistant from the E-2 branch of the office of the Director Health, who failed to provide satisfactory answers to the Commission’s queries. The case was brought to the Commission’s attention by social activist Arvind Sharma. In its initial response, the then Civil Surgeon of Ludhiana acknowledged managerial negligence by the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and the Emergency Medical Officer (EMO). The commission has now given directions that a responsible officer be present at the next hearing. — TNS 60 food samples collected in three days No AAP role in Halwara airport inauguration cancellation: Arora Ludhiana, July 26 The Health Department has intensified food safety inspections across the district. District Health Officer Amarjit Kaur said that in the last three days, the food safety teams had collected a total of 60 food samples from various areas here. She stated that 30 samples of ‘golgappa’ water and 30 samples of desi ghee had been taken from different localities, including Model Town, Ghumar Mandi, Civil Lines, Maloud, Shingar Cinema Road, Payal tehsil, Jalandhar bypass, Salem Tabri, Karabara Road and Seura village. In addition, samples of used cooking oil, ice cream and marinated masala were also collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis. Amarjit further added that challans had been issued to three food business operators found working in unhygienic conditions. — TNS Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 26 A day after the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) meeting of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation was adjourned, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs convened a closed-door meeting today to address the growing unrest within the civic body. The meeting, held at a local party office, was attended by multiple Ludhiana-based MLAs and senior party functionaries. Sources said the agenda focussed on alleged irregularities in the tendering process, administrative lapses and the widening rift between elected representatives and municipal officials. “We cannot allow Rs 10 crore worth of tenders to be passed without scrutiny,” said Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar. The latter had earlier accused officials of using the login credentials of a retired engineer to float Shivani Bhakoo Ludhiana, July 26 On the much-hyped virtual inauguration of the Halwara airport by the Prime Minister on July 27, which stands cancelled, Industries and Commerce Minister, Punjab, Sanjeev Arora said that it was neither his decision, nor AAP’s as the letter of cancellation of the inauguration came to the Deputy Commissioner through the Airport Authority of India (AAI) with no reason for the cancellation stated. “I only conveyed what the letter by the AAI said,” said Arora. On being asked if AAP government made a hasty decision in making the announcement of inauguration of Halwara airport, Arora said that he had no authority to take a decision in this regard. “Announcement of inauguration and cancellation has nothing to do with me, I had just conveyed,” he said. Notifies six more sector-wise committees to tackle industry issues Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora addresses a press conference at Bachat Bhawan in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Meanwhile, six more sectorwise committees have been notified for industrial policy enhancement in Punjab, said the minister. Giving details about these committees, Arora said that in continuation of the Punjab Government’s initiative to gather sugges- tions from industry experts for strengthening the state’s industrial policy and improving ease of doing business, six more sectoral committees had been formed. The chairmen of these committees are as under: Rajesh Kharbanda (Sports Goods c m y b tenders. His concerns were echoed by Deputy Mayor Prince Johar, who cited lack of transparency and accountability in the Mayor’s handling of the F&CC agenda. The MLAs reportedly discussed the possibility of forwarding the matter to the party high command, demanding a probe into the tender process and calling for greater oversight of municipal operations. The meeting also touched upon the broader implica- Manufacturing and Exporters Association & MD, Nivia Sports, Jalandhar) Sports/Leather Goods Committee; Ashwani Kumar (president, FIEO India, Victor Forgings, Jalandhar) Machine/Hands Tools Committee; Ashok Arora (LT Foods (Dawat Rice) - Food Processing & Dairy Committee; Gurjinder Singh (Best Western Hotels) Tourism & Hospitality Committee, AS Mittal (International Tractors Ltd, Hoshiarpur) - Heavy Machinery Committee, Naresh Tiwari (Plywood Manufacturing Industries Association & MD, Virgo Panels, Hoshiarpur) - Furniture & Ply Industry Committee. These committees include members from diverse industrial sectors and will serve as think-tanks to recommend sector-specific policy measures. The new committees are focussed on sports/leather goods, machine/hand tools, food pro- tions of the civic body impasse, with several development proposals now stalled due to the lack of quorum in yesterday’s meeting. Party insiders said the MLAs are keen to resolve the issue internally before it affects public perception, especially in the wake of AAP’s recent victory in the Ludhiana (West) bypoll. A follow-up session with the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner is likely to be scheduled early next week. cessing & dairy, tourism & hospitality, heavy machinery and furniture & ply industry. Arora further said that the core task for each of the committees would be to provide the state government with a structured set of inputs for a customised industrial framework/policy for their specific sectors, keeping in mind Punjab’s unique industrial eco system, along with structural and fiscal context. For this, the committee should examine policies and frameworks of all other relevant states and develop a ‘best-in-class’ policy framework for Punjab. The committees shall submit these recommendations in writing by October 1. Each committee will be having a chairperson and some members from the industry. However, more members may be added at the discretion of the state government. Members will be from diverse areas and geography to ensure that all views are tabled during discussions. Members will also represent different sub-segments of the overall sector. Secretariat support to each committee shall be provided by the member-secretary of the committee, who shall also be in charge of organising the meetings of the committee and preparing the minutes. General Manager, District Industries Centre, from Department of Industries & Commerce and the relevant sector officer from Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion shall assist these committees with relevant administrative support as necessary. Earlier, three committees — Spinning and Weaving Committee, Apparels Committee and Dyeing and Finishing Units Committee had been constituted. Environmentalists had requested Arora to form committees to save environment. Col Jasjit Singh Gill, exmember, State Task Force on Buddha Darya Rejuvenation Project, however suggests that to save the environment, committees to check the pollution levels must be constituted to keep an eye on the various industries. Gill said that these committees should involve environmentalists and other likeminded people to save the city from environmental degradation. He said that the committees that should be formed are committee for stopping air pollution by the industry, committee for stopping water pollution by the industry, committee for stopping discharge of chemicals in CETPs and STPs, etc. “Noted environmentalists and activists be made part of these committees to keep the vision and implementation on track, rather than getting lost in bureaucratic meeting systems of opaqueness, thus ensuring fruitful outcomes,” he added.