03082025-LT-01.qxd 8/3/2025 12:34 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune KIDS, PARENTS CONTINUE TO RISK LIVES BY CROSSING RAIL TRACKS CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL FERRYING OF PASSENGERS SHOs and beat officers have been asked to take punitive action against violators in their areas. P3 GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 25°C RANI DEDICATES NATIONAL AWARD TO ALL MOTHERS No effort is being made by railway authorities and school managements to stop the practice. P2 FORECAST The award, for Best Actress, was for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, where she played role of a mother.P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 7:15 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:43 AM » SUNDAY | 3 AUGUST 2025 | LUDHIANA 76 schools declared unsafe in district, Jewellery shop firing casecracked, 2 suspects land in police dragnet threat looms large over students, staff Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Matter has been brought to attention of officials but risk remains till action is taken Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 2 As many as 76 government schools in the district, including 40 primary and 36 middle, high and senior secondary schools, have been declared unsafe. These pose a persistent threat to the lives of thousands of students and teachers across the district due to their weak structures. The matter has been brought to the attention of district education officers (elementary and secondary), but the risk remains till the buildings are either renovated or alternative arrangements are made, a process that may stretch from several weeks to over a year. Sources within the Education Department revealed that despite the urgency of the matter, delays persist not only due to procedural bottlenecks but also due to the reluctance of school heads and faculty members, at times. “Many principals and incharges hesitate to report unsafe structures, fearing additional workload in case of relocation or new construction,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity. The GSSS, Sahibana; and (right) Government Primary School, Hissowal, in Raikot, were among schools that were declared unsafe. According to data from the District Education Office (Elementary), as of July 2025, 66 government primary schools were under observation. Of these, 42 saw some form of intervention — either shifting to new buildings or renovation of unsafe portions — while 24 remained unsafe. Sixteen more schools were added to the list recently, raising the count of unsafe primary schools to 40. Additionally, 36 middle, high and senior secondary schools were declared either wholly or partially unsafe. Beyond these, files concerning 10 more unsafe school buildings are pending with Flesh trade racket busted at spa centres, eight arrested Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 2 The Ludhiana police launched a drive against flesh trade racket running in the garb of spa centres in the city. About eight days ago, the Sadar police raided a spa centre at Phullanwal Chowk and registered a case against the manager and his partner. The latest incidents came to light from Ferozepur Road where the police raided two spa centres and arrested eight persons, including four girls, a manager and an owner. The police investigation has revealed that flesh trade was going on at the spa centres. The suspects used to push girls into the business by luring them with money. The police registered two separate cases and started further probe. As per information, inspector Bikramjit had received information that flesh trade was going on at Six Sense Spa on Ferozepur Road. The police team raided the spa and arrested four girls and two customers. In the other incident, inspector Balvinder Singh arrested the owner and manager of Mantra Spa, opposite Gate No 1, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), here. Both centres were allegedly calling girls from different states and forcing them into prostitution. The police also recovered objectionable items from the centres. the Public Works Department (PWD) and nine others are awaiting action from the respective block committees. “If all pending cases are included, the number of unsafe middle and senior secondary schools will touch 50. But the files keep circulating from one department to the other and by the time any action is taken, the monsoon will be over. This is a yearly ritual, concern peaks during rains, and then everyone forgets. A building can collapse any time — not only in monsoon. Are they waiting for a tragedy to act?” asked the principal of a senior secondary school, part of which has remained unsafe for over six months now. An official at the Education Department explained that while rural schools were generally surveyed and flagged on time by the PWD, urban schools suffered due to delayed inspections, despite repeated reminders and correspondence. Teachers pointed out that getting grants sanctioned for renovation or new construction often required navigating complex procedures under various schemes. DEO (Secondary) Dimple Madan said updated lists of unsafe schools were being prepared and necessary action was being taken for either relocation or fresh construction. DEO (Elementary) Ravinder Kaur said renovation and reconstruction were ongoing and grants were being released in time to schools that submitted proper requisitions. Despite official assurances, the ground reality suggests an urgent need for a coordinated and timebound action plan to ensure the safety of schoolchildren and staff before a potential disaster takes place, as occurred in August 2023 at the GSSS, Baddowal. Ludhiana, August 2 The Ludhiana rural police claimed to have cracked the case in which two motorcyclists had opened fire at a jewellery shop, ‘Kanda Jewellers’, at Kamal Chowk, Jagraon, on July 28. The police arrested the two suspects and recovered a .32 bore revolver, two magazines and four cartridges from them. As per the police, the preliminary questioning of the suspects led to the disclosures that after the targeted shooting, in which nobody suffered any bullet injury, the suspects had arranged a call from a foreign mobile number reportedly from the United Kingdom. The caller while posing himself as some gangster told the shop owner that he had sent his shooters for firing at his shop and if he would not give Rs 30 lakh as extortion money, he would get him killed. The caller even went on to say that he was aware about his house, daily routine and family members to intimidate him. The suspects were identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Ghaddu, a resident of Kothe Baggu, Jagraon, and Layakat Ali, a resident of Agwar Loppo in Jagraon. Senior Superintendent of Police Ankur Gupta while Cops address mediapersons in Jagraon on Saturday. After shooting, jeweller got call from foreign number for ~30L extortion addressing a press conference stated that that the suspects had done a recce before firing and chosen the target. They were not from any organised gang, rather they were petty criminals. Layakat is facing two cases of theft registered in the Nawanshahr police district while Gagandeep is facing a case of drug peddling registered against him at the Jagraon city police station in the past. The SSP said besides the two arrested suspects, three more persons were identified who had connived with the shooters to extort money from the jeweller. The police would also nab them soon. “After the firing incident, the suspects talked to their aide who might be abroad and made an extortion call to the jeweller from the foreign number and asked him to pay the huge amount, else their gang would harm him and his family. Since our teams were already on the job, we nabbed the two suspects and cracked the blind case,” Gupta said. The SSP said now, the police would also inquire about how and from where the shooters managed to get the illegal weapon and cartridges. He said the suspects had committed such an act first time and the police probe found that there was no organised gang behind it. Some miscreants just attempted to extort money. Tensions flare as councillors continue protest against Mayor Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 2 Tensions flared at the Municipal Corporation’s Zone-D office as 18 councillors from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest against Mayor Inderjit Kaur, accusing her of biased behaviour and administrative apathy. The protest gained momentum as councillors from the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal Accuse her of biased behaviour, declare indefinite sit-in till she issues apology (SAD) joined the BJP declar, ing collective discontent over stalled development works in their respective wards. BJP working president Ashwani Sharma also joined the protest late this evening. His arrival would likely sig- Picturesque BJP councillors hold a protest in Ludhiana on Saturday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN nal a further escalation and formal backing of the councillors’ demands, adding weight to the political pressure already mounting from the BJP Congress and SAD , representatives. Sharma said they won’t tolerate the high-headedness of the Mayor and won’t lift the dharna. The councillors alleged that basic civic amenities had deteriorated, with garbage piling up and rising mosquito infestation due to neglected sanitation. “Officials ask which party we’re from before addressing any issue. It is open discrimination,” claimed the councillors, adding that repeated attempts to meet the Mayor resulted in heated exchanges rather than resolution. BJP councillor Gaurav Jeet Gora said: “We approached the Mayor over pending works in our wards but the way she behaved was unacceptable.” The protest took a dramatic turn when, following an alleged verbal spat in the Mayor’s office, security personnel requested the councillors to leave. Enraged by what they called “mistreatment,” the councillors declared an indefinite sit-in till the Mayor issued an apology. District Congress president Sanjay Talwar expressed support to the BJP councillors, stating: “The Mayor cannot bully elected representatives. The people voted for us and mistreating councillors goes against democratic principles. That’s why our members have joined the protest.” Meanwhile, BJP district president Rajnish Dhiman alleged that the Mayor was acting under political influence. “Her behaviour is emboldened by support from ruling MLAs. If she doesn’t apologise, we will continue the protest in full force,” he said. Responding to the allegations, Mayor Inderjit Kaur said the councillors had entered her office claiming to discuss development concerns but the situation escalated due to raised voices. “Security intervened only to calm the situation. No councillor was forced out,” she clarified. “Some councillors came prepared to create disturbance, not to solve issues. Development work hasn’t been halted in any ward. Give me a reason to be apologetic, should I be apologetic for listening to their grievances, should I be apologetic for being polite with them or should I be apologetic for getting their works done. Give me one solid reason and I will apologise,” she said. Khanna police raze Peddler nabbed with heroin smuggler’s property Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Drifting clouds make for a beautiful view in Ludhiana on Saturday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, August 2 Taking action against drug smugglers under the ongoing campaign against drugs, the Khanna police on Saturday bulldozed the illegal property of a drug smuggler in Chakki village of Machhiwara Sahib. SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains, who also reached the spot, said drug smuggler Supreet Singh, alias Laddi, had illegally constructed a building on panchayat land. Two cases of heroin smuggling were registered against him. He was involved in the drug trade for a long time. The SSP revealed that police investigation found c m y b that the smuggler had illegally occupied the village panchayat land and constructed a building on it. The Panchayat Department had sent a letter to the police demanding security to remove the illegal occupation. Afterwards, the police took action along with panchayat officials and demolished the construction. The SSP said the administration had a strict policy against drug dealers. No illegal property built by them would be spared. Meanwhile, sources said the Khanna police had already identified several other illegal properties of smugglers which would be demolished in coming days. Ludhiana, August 2 The Dakha police claimed to have nabbed a drug peddler and recovered 130 gm of heroin from his possession. The suspect was identified as Satnam Singh, alias Kochi, a resident of Kaunke Kalan in Jagraon. The police also seized a Maruti Baleno car (bearing registration number DL 8 CAV 3427) being used by the suspect to deliver drugs. DSP Dakha Varinder Singh Khosa said ASI Gurmeet Singh, along with a police team, was checking suspicious persons and vehicles at a naka in Dakha. On suspicion, a Baleno car, which was coming from the Ludhiana side, was signalled to stop for checking. The suspect in Dakha police custody on Saturday. Instead of stopping the vehicle, the driver reversed the car and tried to flee but the police officials cornered the suspect. Later, during a search, a polythene containing heroin was seized from the vehicle. Following which, the police team arrested the man and a case under the NDPS Act was registered against him. The DSP said now, the police would interrogate the suspect to inquire about big smugglers involved in the drug supply chain.