24102025-LT-01.qxd 10/24/2025 12:48 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune GOVT TO BUILD 257 MODEL PLAYGROUNDS IN DIST: MIN CITY OPENS 2ND BOX CRICKET PARK TO BOOST FITNESS JONITA GANDHI TO OPEN FOR ENRIQUE IGLESIAS Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the government will build 257 model playgrounds across district. P2 To boost physical fitness and sports among youth, a box cricket park was inaugurated in city recently. P3 Indo-Canadian singer and Progressive Brothers will open for global artiste in his upcoming Mumbai concert. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 32°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 16°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.43 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:31 AM » FRIDAY | 24 OCTOBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Boiler blast at Verka milk plant claims life of employee, injures four others Incident occurred during a late-night trial run of boiler system at facility Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 23 A boiler explosion at the Verka milk plant in Ludhiana late on Wednesday night has claimed the life of one employee and left four others seriously injured. The deceased, identified as 42year-old Kunal Jain, was a permanent staff member employed as a boiler attendant (grade I) at the plant and a resident of Haibowal. His wife, who also works at the facility on a contractual basis, was not present during the incident. The blast occurred during a late-night trial run of the plant’s boiler system, reportedly involving 450-kg cylinders. According to Sarabha Nagar SHO Aditya Sharma, the explosion originated from the boiler unit, injuring five individuals. One of them, Kunal Jain, succumbed to his injuries shortly after being admitted to the DMCH. The other injured — Kaluwant Singh, Ajit Singh, Davinder Singh and Gurvinder Singh are undergoing treatment at the same facility. Sharma said the police had initiated a probe into sequence of incidents leading to the blast, initially taking the incident as an accident. “Appropriate action would be taken as and when something unusual is observed,” he said. Fire officials examine the boiler where the blast occurred on Wednesday night. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN VICTIM HAD A DAY OFF KUNAL CAME BY HIMSELF, SAYS GM Eyewitness accounts and statements from friends and family paint a grim picture of the circumstances leading to the incident. Kunal Jain was off duty and attending a birthday party when he allegedly received an urgent call from the plant, asking him to check the boiler system. Despite it being his day off, he complied and headed to the facility. Daljeet Singh, GM, Verka Milk Plant, said Kunal Jain came during the day and inspected the boiler as they were starting its operations and he was not called but himself came at night also to check the boiler as he was dedicated towards his work. Eyewitness accounts and statements from friends and family paint a grim picture of the circumstances leading to the incident. Kunal was off duty and attending a birthday celebration when he received an urgent call from the plant, asking him to check the boiler system. Despite it being his day off, he complied and head- ed to the facility. His friend Sudhir Jain said: “We were all present at a birthday party when Kunal got a call from the milk plant. He went there and at 11 pm, we got information that he is dead.” Daljeet Singh, General Manager, Verka Milk Plant, said Kunal came during the day and inspected the boiler as they were starting its operations and he was not called but himself came at night also to check the boiler as he was dedicated towards his work. A committee has been set up to verify the exact cause of the incident. Another friend of the victim, Satbir Garg, expressed concern over the timing of the trial. “Initially, he had refused to conduct the boiler trial at night and suggested doing it in the morning but then he went for the trial,” he said. Garg also confirmed that two of the injured were initially admitted to Raghunath Hospital before being shifted to the DMCH. The blast occurred just a day after Vishwakarma Puja, a festival traditionally associated with machinery and engineering professions. It is believed that the trial was scheduled post-puja, possibly contributing to the urgency of the late-night operation. Community members and plant employees are demanding a thorough probe and full support for Kunal’s family. “The government must ensure accountability and extend all possible help to the bereaved family,” Garg added. Later in the day, the family of the deceased employee staged a dharna outside the milk plant, demanding Rs 2 crore compensation, a higher-grade compensatory job and pension benefits. In response, a meeting was convened between family members and the General Manager to negotiate terms. At the time of filing the report, the meeting was still underway. Sarabha Nagar SHO Aditya Sharma confirmed that his family members had not yet recorded their statements for the FIR, citing ongoing discussions with the plant administration. BLAST IN HOUSE DUE TO ILLEGALLY STORED EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL Explosives Act being violated with impunity in region Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, October 23 Provisions of the Explosives Act, 1884, are violated with impunity, both by big and small players. As no combing operation or intensive search has been conducted to check illegal manufacturing, storage and transportation of explosive materials, including firecrackers, the number of such piles of gunpowder lying around people is beyond comprehension. While illegal activities of big cracker traders and stockists are normally under scanner of the administration, unauthorised ‘manufacturers’ and celebratory firework organisers and ‘retailers’ usually remain unnoticed till their greed for money takes a toll on lives and properties of innocent residents of the region. Besides preparing crude crackers, the illegal manufacturers, mostly migrants from UP and Bihar, store explosives purchased from wholesalers on their illegal premises for making a fast buck by selling it in retail on occasion of festivals and other celebrations. The Indira Colony incident in which about 12 persons, including children, were injured in an explosion of unauthorised stock of fireworks and raw material for preparing crackers, had substantiated the observations made by The Tribune. The police too have taken a Residents gather outside a house where an explosion occurred at Indra Colony in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN serious notice of the hazardous trend of unauthorised storage of explosives as ADCP Sumeer Verma announced that the probe initiated into the Indira Colony blast would be taken to a conclusive end. Observations have revealed that several groups of illegal manufacturers had been violating provisions of the Explosives Act by manufacturing, storing and transporting crackers from discrete places in the city and areas under the jurisdiction of Ludhiana and Malerkotla districts. The Malerkotla police too had seized a rich haul of finished products, raw material of various grades and paraphernalia used in illegal manufacturing of fireworks by arresting about 10 persons involved in separate cases ahead of Diwali. The suspects included three brothers from UP namely Suhel, Sabar and Sawan, and Tasleem Khan of Adampur and Shehnawaj of Chitawi in UP . Probe further revealed that unauthorised manufacturers and sellers of crackers had been conducting illegal businesses under the guise of other activities as in the Indira Colony Blast case, the suspect, Usman Khan, was known as a dealer of condiments and spices. Though illegal activities are reported to be continued during the whole year, on occasions such as Dasehra, Gurpurb and wedding events, they had a brisk business. A new trend of preparing high-power crackers has been observed during the past two decades when groups organising celebratory fireworks use potassium chlorate and sulfur powder for the same. Though it is a major public safety issue leading to accidents, injuries and occasional fatalities too, the administration is yet to take notice of the dangerous and unregulated practice. otassium chlorate and sulfur powder can be stored separately with relatively safety. Illegal waste dumping: Tribunal asks Farmers fear losses as discoloured PPCB to submit report, imposes penalty paddy remains unlifted at mandis Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 22 The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while addressing a petition on illegal solid waste dumping across the city, has issued a dual directive. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) must calculate the appropriate environmental compensation for the pollution and submit a report one week before the next hearing date. Furthermore, the NGT fined the PPCB Rs 10,000 for failing to appear during a previous hearing session. The petition was filed against garbage dumping in areas such as Model Town Extension, near Giaspura Flats, SBS Nagar, Bahadur Ke Road, GT Road and Hambran Road. The NGT is considering the grievance of the applicant in respect of the dumping of solid waste and improper management of solid waste in Ludhiana district on specified locations that had been set out in the order issued on May 2, 2023. The applicant, Kapil Dev, in the case stated that though the matter is pending since long before the NGT, no action has been taken by Municipal Commissioner to clear the waste. However, the learned Court Commissioner had also pointed out that on his visit as per the direction of the Tribunal, he had found the garbage dumped on the given location on October 9. The applicant had once again referred to the complaint of residents from block C of Model Town Extension while raising the grievance that no effective action has been taken to clear the waste. The orders issued by the NGT further mentioned that appropriate punitive action is required to be taken by the Chairman, PPCB. Though the Tribunal while hearing the matter waited for long for the appearance of the counsel for the PPCB to assist the NGT, no one has appeared on his behalf. Hence, the NGT imposed the cost of Rs 10,000 upon the PPCB Chairman. Meanwhile, the PPCB is also directed to ascertain the extent of non-compliance of the Solid Waste Management Rules by the MC, and act and calculate the environmental compensation for damage caused on account of accumulation and non-clearing the solid waste. The PPCB will ascertain since when the solid waste is lying dumped in areas mentioned in the order issued on 2, 2023, and will calculate the environmental compensation considering the entire default period. The PPCB will submit a report along with calculation of environment compensation one week before the next date of hearing that is January 20, 2026. Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 23 Farmers in areas, including Jodhan, Raikot, Narangwal and a few other villages, are a worried lot over the non-lifting of yellow-coloured paddy from mandis. They alleged that government procurement agencies were lifting only the clean produce while the discoloured grain continued to lie unattended. Farmers fear that once the lifting begins, cuts will be imposed by the agencies and arhtiyas, leading to financial losses. Talking to The Tribune, Tarsem Singh Jodhan said in Jodhan Mandi, around 50,000 bags had arrived so far, of Allege that govt procurement agencies lifting only clean produce which 30,000 had been lifted, while nearly 20,000 bags were still lying in the market. “The remaining stock consists mainly of “haldi-rog” affected paddy, which has turned yellow due to excessive rainfall. Everyone knows the kind of havoc the rains created in the region. Instead of creating hurdles, the authorities must ensure that the farmers should not suffer any financial setbacks,” he said. Another farmer leader, Baldev Singh Latala, said farmers in the Latala and Raikot areas were facing similar problems. “If the discoloured grain is not lifted timely, farmers will be forced to sell the same at lower prices. Arhtiyas will act as middlemen and the farmers will bear the brunt,” he said. “Nearly 20–25 per cent of the paddy in the area is discoloured. The government must ensure that such produce is also lifted without discrimination,” he added. One of the officials of the Food and Supplies Department said there was a problem of discolouration in the grain, somewhere it was more and at other parts it is less. Now, the FCI officials and Central Government teams had also visited and checked several mandis for granting relaxation to buy the discolored grains. The visiting teams were already shown the discoloured grains. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, however, said: “We are with the farmers and already sent our report to headquarters regarding the yellow grains. The expert team has also visited and we are pursuing vigorously and awaiting for the final report and relaxations. Meanwhile, the DFSC was directed to ensure smooth purchase at MSP . Post-Diwali, garbage chokes city, satellite towns; exposes gaps in sanitation response Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 23 While Diwali brought a festive glow and economic cheer to Ludhiana, it also left behind a grim trail of uncollected garbage, plastic waste and civic strain. Refuse surge came in form of non-recyclable packaging materials, firecracker residue Over the fortnight of celebrations, the city generated over 1,800 tonnes of additional waste, with 250 tonnes added on the Diwali night alone. This surge came in the form of non-recyclable plastic Heaps of garbage lying unattended in the Civil Lines area of Ludhiana. INDERJEET VERMA gift wraps, packaging materials and firecracker residue — a byproduct of unchecked consumerism and celebratory excess. Despite Municipal Corpora- tion’s efforts, including extra rounds of garbage collection and deployment of additional machinery, many areas remained littered for days. “We’ve asked the contrac- tor to increase the number of rounds at compactor sites and deployed additional machinery to manage the Diwali waste surge more efficiently,” said MC Commis- c m y b sioner Aaditya Dachalwal, emphasising the need for rapid response during highvolume periods. “We’ve instructed sanitation teams to carry out garbage collection both in the morning and evening during the festive season to ensure the city remains clean and welcoming for residents and visitors alike,” said MLA Ashok Prashar. Yet, residents reported a mixed picture. “Garbage in colonies was cleared but city interiors and markets were still strewn with waste,” said a local resident from the Civil Lines. “Not only during Diwali — garbage can be seen littered on various roads throughout the year. The festival just adds to the mess,” added Harshdeep Singh from Ghumar Mandi. In Doraha, the situation was particularly dire. Heaps of garbage lying unattended for four consecutive days after Diwali, with collection resuming only by the afternoon of the first working day. Residents and shopkeepers grappled with foul smells and unsanitary conditions. “The council and its employees need to be given lessons on hygiene so that they may realise it is their duty to ensure cleanliness in the town,” complained a student from the local college, pointing to the deplorable state of College Road, where garbage and grain seemed to be kept side by side. MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura assured: “I will definitely look into the matter and make amends at the earliest.” The strain on secondary and main dump sites was evident, with sanitation workers and private contractors working overtime, often through public holidays. However, the sheer volume of waste overwhelmed the system. In Ahmedgarh, Amargarh, Malerkotla and Raikot, civic bodies claimed to have managed the surge by persuading sanitation staff to work overtime. Chander Parkash Wadhwa, executive officer at Malerkotla and Amargarh, acknowledged the chronic resource crunch but credited staff commitment and longterm efforts such as strength- ening Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for averting a crisis. “Employees working overtime will be compensated,” he added. Harpreet Singh, sanitary superintendent at Ahmedgarh and Raikot, pointed to low public awareness about the ban on singleuse plastics as a major hurdle. “Had our staff not agreed to work on holidays, it would have been impossible to maintain basic cleanliness,” he said. Ahmedgarh MC president Vikas Krishan Sharma echoed this, citing lack of proper dumping space as a persistent challenge. (With inputs from Mahesh Sharma and Lovleen Bains)