06092025-LT-01.qxd 9/5/2025 10:06 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune AMRITSAR CRIMINAL HATCHED PLAN TO MURDER KARTIK BAGGAN FAITH CONQUERS FEAR AT MELA CHHAPAR WHEN ACTOR NAWAZUDDIN TOOK ACTING LESSONS Construed as chinks in jail security, the ‘accused’ had open access to cellphones and hatched murder conspiracies. P2 Devotees thronged Guga Mari Mandir at a historic village near here to worship the embodiment of ‘Nag Devta’. P3 Aditya Kripalani’s I’m Not An Actor, starring Nawazuddin, opens the 14th DC South Asian Film Festival. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY, RAIN MAX 30°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.44 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:06 AM » SATURDAY | 6 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Worried, but not shattered Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service As situation turned critical at Sasrali village, Armymen and villagers build a new bundh to prevent Sutlej waters from entering the village on Friday. PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN 2K workers put up sand bags, stones to strengthen Sasrali dhussi bundh Sutlej continues to flow dangerously close to bundh, giving jitters to residents Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 5 Reaffirming that incarceration does not strip a prisoner of the fundamental right to health, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that access to quality medical care is an “inalienable, nonnegotiable” facet of Article 21 of the Constitution. “This court cannot overlook the fundamental principle that every prison inmate, whether an undertrial or a convict, retains the inherent right to life and humane treatment, which necessarily includes access to medical care that adequately addresses their health needs and prevents unnecessary suffering,” Justice Sandeep Moudgil observed. The court added that incar- PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN reluctant. Hundreds of workers are working to stop the water. How can we leave them and go elsewhere?” he asked, while placing sandbags on the river bank. Villagers also appealed to onlookers to stay away from the weak banks, warning that loose sand could slip anytime, endangering lives. DC directs animal care services in 14 villages Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Friday directed the Animal Hus- bandry Department to provide door-to-door animal healthcare services in 14 villages near the Sutlej. Veterinary teams comprising officers, inspectors and support staff will function from 8 am to 8 pm. Animal rescue centres have also been set up at Mattewara Mandi and Khasi Kalan Mandi for additional support. The services will cover Meharban, Mangli Kadar, Mangat, Ravat, Khawjke, Dheri, Boot, Khasi Khurd, Sasrali Colony, Boothgarh, Hawaas, Mattewara, Seerha, and Mangli Tanda. Relief sent to flood-hit dists, support pledged after water recedes Manav Mander Tribune News Service Tribune News Service After the spread of rumours regarding breach at Sasrali, onlookers reach in large numbers, creating hurdles in the ongoing work. through sand banks and inching towards the bundh. Heavy material is being used to divert the flow and prevent a breach. Simultaneously, an akhand path has been organised on the river bank, only a few yards from where the strengthening work was underway. Nek Singh, while serving langar parshad near the trolley where the akhand path was held, said that pan- ic had gripped villagers but “Babaji’s” blessings will save us and the villages. “I have faith in God, and He answers the prayers”, said Nek. Boothgarh village sarpanch Sonu said announcements had been made asking villagers to shift livestock to safer places, but most families were reluctant to leave. “People here suffer greatly during natural calamities, yet they refuse to abandon their vil- lages,” he said. Some farmers, however, held the Central government responsible, alleging that timely and controlled release of dam waters could have prevented the crisis. Meanwhile, rumours of a breach drew large crowds of onlookers to the site, forcing the authorities to install barricades to regulate movement. At the same time, the villagers distributing food, water and fruits made sure HC affirms prisoners’ right to health, grants interim bail on med grounds Saurabh Malik Villagers serve langar at the bandh site in Sasrali village. Farmers demand relief, rehabilitation from Centre, state govt Tribune News Service Sasrali, September 5 Nearly 1,500-2,000 workers, including Army personnel, NGOs, villagers and MNREGA labourers, have been working round the clock at Sasrali village to strengthen the dhussi bundh, which had breached at several points following incessant rains in the region over the past few days. Though the condition at Sasrali Colony remains critical as the Sutlej continues to flow dangerously close to the bundh, villagers remain determined and hopeful that the structure will hold. Sarpanch Surinder Singh Namdhari of Sasrali Colony village said that the work had not stopped even for a few minutes during the past 72 hours. “Villagers from nearby areas are reaching with sandbags, iron nets and food for the workers who are relentlessly engaged in the task. We are confident of overcoming this threat,” he added. The immediate danger comes from the river cutting Ludhiana, September 5 Starting from daily-need items to water tanks, sandbags and a large workforce — help is pouring into Sasrali village from all sides in these testing times. Villagers remain hopeful that they will overcome the flood threat and safeguard their homes. Harjinder Singh, a local resident, said he usually goes to Ludhiana daily to sell vegetables, but has stayed back for over five days. “My conscience doesn’t allow me to leave. The village needs us in this natural calamity, and we are doing our best to overcome it,” he said. The sarpanches of Sasrali and Boothgarh villages shared that they had requested acquaintances from nearby areas to send sand trolleys. “Since filling sandbags here is difficult, we asked them to prepare and send bags from their villages. These are being placed near the bandh to stop water from entering the villages,” said former Sasrali sarpanch Karam Singh. Another villager said Sasrali had a population of about 2,500-3,000. “Whenever needed, we stand together. Though the administration is requesting us to move, we are ceration did not strip an individual of fundamental right to life, which encompassed the right to receive appropriate healthcare. “Like any other member of society, prisoners may suffer from various health conditions, whether pre-existing or arising during their imprisonment. The denial of essential medical treatment not only worsens their condition, but may also lead to avoidable suffering and, in severe cases, even result in loss of life,” Justice Moudgil asserted. Referring to the facts of the case, the court went on to hold: “The petitioner’s medical condition is of such a nature that failure to provide appropriate and quality medical treatment will pose a serious risk to his life, thereby infringing upon his funda- mental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution, which encompasses within its ambit the ‘Right to Health and Medical Care’, a right that is inalienable, non-negotiable and cannot be denied.” Adopting a “humanitarian approach”, the Bench assered that: “Bail, after all, is a solemn affirmation of the humane foundations of the justice system and must extend even to undertrial prisoners, who have been awaiting trial for an extended period.” The ruling came in a case where the court allowed interim bail to an ailing undertrial for four weeks. “Keeping in view human consideration, the wellrecognised fundamental rights of the undertrial to have quality medical aid for serious ailments suffered by him and inadequate facilities at the jail hospital, Ludhiana, with respect to the seriousness of the medical treatment required by the petitioner, I am of the opinion that this is a genuine and fit case to grant relief of interim bail to the petitioner,” Justice Moudgil asserted. The petitioner, in custody since January 28, had contended that he was suffering from heart disease, along with other serious ailments, including diabetes and hypertension, and had repeatedly experienced breathlessness during confinement. His counsel had argued that the treatment facilities at the Ludhiana jail hospital were inadequate to address his deteriorating condition and sought interim bail for one month to enable him to undergo treatment at a private hospital. c m y b that none went without having langar. Himanshu Jain DC, accompanied by the ADC and SDM, has been camping at Sasrali for the past three days to oversee operations and ensure uninterrupted rescue and reinforcement work. Officials said nearly 8001,000 m of the bandh remained highly vulnerable, where massive efforts were on to plug weak spots. Civic body seals five buildings Ludhiana, September 5 After the owners of some buildings failed to submit change of land use (CLU) fee with the civic body, the municipal corporation (MC) sealed five buildings in different parts of the city on Thursday. The officials took action and sealed two buildings in Dugri area while two other were sealed on Malhar road. Another building was sealed in Ghumar Mandi area. Working on the directions of MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, the action has been taken by building branch officials of MC zone D. The officials stated that notices were served on the owners, but they failed to submit the pending fee, following which action was taken. The civic body officials stated that action against illegal construction would continue in the coming days too. — TNS Ludhiana, September 5 In the wake of the catastrophic floods that have ravaged large parts of Punjab, leaving behind a trail of destruction that has devastated lives, livelihoods and entire communities, farmers, among the hardest hit, have suffered extensive losses to crops, land, livestock and homes. In response, they are demanding urgent compensation and rehabilitation from both state and Central governments. Protests led by farmer unions have intensified, with calls to declare the floods a national disaster and release of emergency relief funds. Harinder Singh Lakhowal, state president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), and Avtar Singh Mehlon, patron of BKU Punjab, alleged that the recent floods devastating Punjab were not natural calamities, but the result of a calculated political conspiracy. The leaders claimed that while cloudbursts occurred in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, timely action by the authorities concerned — such as maintaining 25-30% empty capacity in dams — could have prevented the scale of destruction in Punjab. They accused the Central and state governments of deliberately neglecting flood preparedness, asserting that the disaster was orchestrated to punish KEY DEMANDS ■ Full compensation for the loss of human lives, livestock, crops, homes and agricultural land. ■ Financial assistance to bereaved families and those who have lost their livelihood. ■ Restoration of damaged public infrastructure, including roads, schools, hospitals and community spaces. ■ Immediate health interventions to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases due to floodrelated pollution. ■ Accountability for administrative negligence in maintaining rivers, drains, embankments and floodgates prior to the monsoon season. Punjab for its resistance to anti-farmer policies. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest today outside the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner’s office, demanding immediate compensation and rehabilitation for affected farmers and residents. The union submitted a memorandum through the DC to both Punjab and Central governments, urging swift and comprehensive action. “We call for the floods to be officially declared a national disaster, with the immediate release of funds from the NDRF to accelerate largescale relief operations,” said district general secretary Sudagar Singh Ghudani. Farmers on protest outside the DC office. INDERJEET VERMA Manav Mander Ludhiana, September 5 Even as floodwaters continue to engulf vast stretches of farmland across Punjab, farmers from unaffected regions are getting mobilised. From dry ration and medicines to fodder and sanitary supplies, relief material is being dispatched daily to submerged villages, with a promise of deeper support once the floodwaters recede. Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), said, “Right now, our priority is survival. We’re sending food, medicines, fodder and essentials. But once the water recedes, we’ll be there with tractors, ploughs and manpower to help our brothers reclaim their fields.” The floods — triggered by swollen rivers and relentless rainfall — have devastated over 3 lakh acres of farmland across 23 districts. Baldev Singh from Maachiwara, who coordinated a relief convoy to Kapurthala, said, “We’ve sent drinking water, flour, pulses, sanitary supplies and medicines. We’re collecting more every day. Once the land dries, we’ll help plough it, clear the silt and prepare it for the next crop. We won’t let them stand alone.” In Koom Kalan, Kulvir Singh has offered his tractor and rotavator for free use in flood-hit villages. “We’ve made a list of farmers who need help. As soon as the soil is workable, we’ll go district by district. This is our duty.” Farmer groups are also preparing organic manure and compost to restore soil health, anticipating the damage caused by waterlogging and sedimentation. “The floods have stripped the land of nutrients,” said Gurpreet Singh from Khamano. “We’re collecting cow dung and biofertilisers to be sent,” he added.