13092025-LT-01.qxd 9/13/2025 12:53 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune REVENUE DEPT OFFICIALS CONTRIBUTE ~10L TO CM FUND LOCAL PLAYWRIGHT ON CRUSADE TO PRESERVE MOTHER TONGUE AMANDA’S ‘SACRIFICE’ FOR THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE Revenue officers have announced to support the Punjab Government in continuing rescue operations. P2 Dr Sompal Heera, renowned playwright and theatre artiste, dedicated his life to preserving the Punjabi language.P3 The movie stars Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Christian sect, the Shakers. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.30 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:06 AM SATURDAY | 13 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Heavy rains cause technical snags in 150 Safe City cameras, repair ordered Harvest paddy with super SMS, violators to face fines up to ~1L: ADC Online challaning process also hit to some extent due to fault in CCTVs Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 12 Recent heavy rains in the city have caused technical fault in about 150 Safe City Project cameras which are connected to the police control room (PCR). The Ludhiana police have asked the agency looking after the operation of the cameras to immediately repair and ensure the same in working condition. The cameras are considered as the third eye of the Police Department, keeping watch over places where police offiicials are not present. The online challaning process has also hit to some extent due to the development. As per information, these cameras suffered damages due to the incessant rain in the past weeks. Initially, a few cameras developed technical snags but as the rain continued, the number of cameras which stopped working increased. After the police con- trol room noticed the issue, they raised the matter with senior police officials who further alerted the agency to ensure immediate repair. Interestingly, the Safe City cameras have been helping the police in all respects. Many of the criminals were caught 3 youths booked for gang-raping 15-year-old girl 19-year-old girl jumps into boiler after ‘harassment’ by neighbour, dies Safe City cameras on Hambran Road in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 12 A 15-year-old girl was gangraped by three youths after they took her to a flat in Dugri. A month after the sexual assault, the girl’s mother had lodged a police complaint, which led to the registration of a case in the matter. Case registered after mother filed complaint after month The whereabouts of the suspects are yet to be known. The complainant, the victim’s mother, a local resident, told the police that on August 10, the youths had taken her daughter along to the flat of one of the suspects on some pretext. The suspects kept her daughter in the flat for the whole night and took turns to rape her. ASI Salvinder Pal Singh from the Shimlapuri police station said the victim’s mother had alleged that sexual assault occurred around a month ago. Earlier, she had given an affidavit that no sexual assault took place and now, she again submitted a complaint. Acting on the same, the police registered a case and further investigation would be initiated. Medical examination of the victim would also be conducted. He said the girl only knew the names of the suspects but she was not aware about their whereabouts. The police would identify and arrest them. HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Ludhiana, September 12 A 19-year-old girl, Kajal, from Dhandari Khurd, Jasvir Colony, here ended her life by jumping into a boiler of a factory on Thursday. She was reportedly distressed over continuous harassment by her neighbour. by the police with the help of the cameras as their footage helped the police in tracing routes of criminals. The hi-tech cameras are also being used to monitor traffic situations in the city as on many occasions, control room staff after noticing major traffic jams alert cops to Eyewitnesses said the girl scaled the boundary wall of her house and the factory wall before jumping into the tank. Her dupatta got entangled in barbed wires, drawing people’s attention. Residents informed her family members, who also worked at the factory. Girl’s father Sanjay Mehta visit the particular spot and manage the traffic flow. Talking to The Tribune, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order and Traffic) Parminder Singh Bhandal said continuous rain had caused technical faults in about 150 Safe City cameras and said the suspect, a married man, had been harassing his daughter for several months. "He was pressuring her to marry him despite her repeated refusals. I had warned him many times, but he did not stop,” he alleged, adding that the persistent harassment forced his daughter to take the extreme step. — TNS repair was going on a war footing by an agency looking after the operations of cameras. At present, about 1,550 cameras are already functioning in the city and outer areas. “Some of these have already been repaired. In coming few days, all cameras will be functional and their feed will be available in the PCR,” Bhandal said. Notably the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate has one of the best Police Control Room system. Recently the Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma had introduced the New Emergency Response System (ERS) to significantly improve response times for various incidents, including accident, scuffle, snatching, and traffic jam. By unifying the traffic police, PCR, and city’s control centre under one system, the ERS leverages real-time surveillance from the city’s extensive camera network to ensure a swift and coordinated reaction to emergencies. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 12 Taking action against illegal constructions, the Municipal Corporation (MC) demolished an illegal colony and four other unauthorised buildings on Friday. Firstly, action was taken Manav Mander Tribune News Service Decision to hike GST from 12% to 18% on garments priced above ~2,500 was taken recently. in their struggle to survive. The common domestic manufacturers are facing tough competition from cheap imports from China, Vietnam, etc. Domestic production is costlier due to better quality and higher rental, electric and labour charges. Higher rate of GST slab of 18 per cent will directly impact adversely as cheap imported goods affect domestic products, adds another garment retailer, Vishal Kapoor. The average price of woolen clothing, which are essential in North India, North East and East India, and ethnic wear are priced above Rs 2,500. “Nowhere would a good quality sweater or Jacket, worn as much by the middle class as well as the affluent class, be available for below Rs 2,500, other than second-hand clothing or surreptitiously smuggled imported clothes. All these essential woolen garments will now be hugely costlier to average middle class citizens,” said a woollen garment manufacturer. The textile and apparel sector, country’s secondlargest employer after agriculture, supports over 45 million people directly and nearly 100 million indirectly — many of them women and rural artisans. The GST hike, though aimed at streamlining taxation, is having unintended consequences. Small businesses and MSMEs are feeling the heat, with fears that the added cost will push buyers towards unorganised sellers, who avoid billing and compliance. Industry bodies such as the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) have urged the government to reconsider the decision. “Garments above c m y b Ludhiana, September 12 Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rakesh Kumar on Friday directed all combine owners to harvest paddy only with super straw management system (super SMS) for managing paddy stubble through the in-situ (incorporating paddy stubble in soil) method. He said only harvesters with BIS certification should be used and no combine should be operated without super SMS. Presiding over a meeting, Kumar directed Agriculture Department officials to create awareness among combine owners about benefits of using super SMS. If any combine was found operating without super SMS, it would be seized and appropriate action would be taken. Besides, harvesting with combines had been banned from 6 pm to 10 am. The Additional Deputy Commissioner said the main objective of the meeting was to eradicate the menace of stubble burning in the district and in accordance with directives of the Air Quality Management Commission, New Delhi, ensure proper management of paddy stubble by implementing super SMS on all combine harvesters. The ADC said as per the orders of the PPCB dated September 25, 2020, combine operators who fail to comply with the directives would be imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 50,000 for the first violation, Rs 75,000 for the second and Rs 1,00,000 for the third and subsequent violations. Joint teams of the PPCB, Agriculture Department and police officials would be deployed in fields to enforce the decision and strict legal action, including the seizure of the machinery, would be taken against violators in addition to the environmental compensation. In the meeting, all operators pledged to comply with the administration’s directives and promised to support its efforts to prevent stubble burning and reduce environmental damage during the paddy harvesting season. — TNS MC demolishes under-construction unauthorised colony, four buildings 18 per cent GST on garments leaves textile industry, consumers worried Ludhiana, September 12 As the wedding season draws near, lovers of ready-to-wear traditional Indian attire are bracing for a financial pinch. The recent decision to hike GST from 12 per cent to 18 per cent on garments priced above Rs 2,500 has stirred discontent across the textile industry and among consumers. An increase from 12 per cent to 18 per cent will also increase the retail price of commonly and essentially used garments, thereby reducing affordability for common middle-class consumers. For those who cherish rich embroidery, handloom fabrics and festive wear, Rs 2,500 is hardly extravagant — especially when artisan-crafted lehengas, sarees and sherwanis often start well above that range. “The move feels like a penalty on culture,” said a Ludhiana-based retailer, Kanwaldeep Singh, and President of the Punjab Textile Merchants Association. “Hand embroidery isn’t just decoration but livelihood for thousands of artisans. And now, it’s being taxed like a luxury”? he questions. The Ludhiana-based industry, already reeling under the deluge of cheap Chinese and Bangladesh winter clothing, will face one more mountain to overcome ADC Rakesh Kumar interacts with officals during a meeting in Ludhiana on Friday. Rs 2,500 are not just for the elite,” said CMAI president Santosh Katariya. “They represent our heritage — block printing, weaving and embroidery. Taxing them at 18 per cent risks eroding that legacy,”he added. Families preparing for weddings are now facing emotional and financial strain. “Dressing up your daughter for her big day should not be a burden,” said a parent from Ludhiana, adding “but with this tax, even modest outfits feel out of reach.” Daman, who is set to tie the knot this November, expressed concern over the rising cost of formal wear. “You don’t get anything decent in that price range — Rs 2,500 barely covers daily wear,” she said. “Formal and embroidered outfits are already expensive and now, the government has added an extra burden with 18 per cent GST,” she added. against an under-construction illegal colony on the Lohara road. The Zone C team of the civic body uprooted sewer lines being laid by the coloniser.A ction was also taken against two under-construction illegal residential buildings in the Lohara area. Besides, action was taken against an illegal commercial under-construction building in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, near Sherpur Chowk, and another illegal construction in the Dhandari area. Civic body officials said working on the directions of MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, action was being taken against the illegal constructions on a regular basis. They appealed to the public to commence the construction works only after getting the building plan approved from the civic body, otherwise, strict action would be taken against the illegal constructions.