10022026-LT-01.qxd 2/9/2026 10:23 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PRTC-PUNBUS UNION ANNOUNCES ‘CHAKKA JAM’ ON FEB 11 FOLLOW LINCOLN’S ADVICE: PARENTS TO TEACHERS CHANDIGARH TO WITNESS A PLAY-FULL WEEK The Union said that no bus of the PRTC or Punbus will operate that day and 7,200 buses will be off road. P2 Parents want teachers of their wards to follow recommendations given by Abraham Lincoln. P3 Bharat Rang Mahotsav opens in Chandigarh with Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai, directed by Avtar Sahni. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 23°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.09 PM » SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:11 AM TUESDAY | 10 FEBRUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Operation Prahar 2.0: 95 criminals arrested in massive crackdown Police Commissioner with 500 policemen remains in field throughout the day Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Khanna police detain 125, including three gangsters Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 Under Operation Prahar 2.0, a major exercise was carried out in Khanna police district. On the very first day of the campaign, within a few hours various teams of Khanna police detained around 125 suspicious persons, creating panic among criminals. Under this operation, simultaneous raids were conducted at 151 locations across the three sub-divisions of Khanna, Payal and Samrala. Acting on meticulous planning and confidential inputs, multiple police teams targeted gangsters, drug traffickers and other criminal elements. During the operation, three gangsters were arrested, 45 wanted criminals apprehended, 46 persons detained under preventive action, two proclaimed offenders arrested and 29 other suspects detained for questioning, added Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia. He said that the police seized Rs 4 lakh drug money, 321.15 gm of heroin, 60 intoxicant capsules, 1 kg of opium, three cartons of illicit liquor, one vehicle, four cartridges, eight expensive mobile phones, one smart watch and some mobile accessories. Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia monitored the entire action and gave directions to all teams in this regard. The SSP stated that such operations would continue in the future to make Khanna district completely free of crime and drugs. Meanwhile, 400 cops of Ludhiana rural police target- ed gangsters and nabbed 44 in a massive crackdown. The police had deployed 400 cops to carry out raids at the targets. They successfully nabbed 44 criminals, including gangsters and their aides. Khanna SSP Ankur Gupta, along with the senior and lower-rung police officials, conducted this operation. He said 35 raiding parties were formed to nab wanted criminals, proclaimed offenders, thieves, snatchers etc. Area domination exercises were carried out, including intensive and targeted checking of two wheelers, suspicious vehicles. This entire operation will continue for the next 72 hours under the overall umbrella operation ‘Gangsteran te vaar’ and ‘Yudh Nashyian Virudh’ Cops gather at the Guru Nanak Stadium to kickstart Operation Prahar 2.0; and (below) a car being searched in Ludhiana on Monday. precision. S Boopathi IGP (Provisioning), Punjab, briefed the teams on the mission’s objectives, emphasizing zero tolerance for organised crime. A massive force of 500 police personnel and 28 specialised teams, each led by a gazetted officer, conducted 89 simultaneous raids across strategic hideouts. The operation led to the arrest of 95 active gangsters and wanted criminals/ absconders (POs) and seizure of 87 gm of heroin and 92 prohibited tablets, two boxes of illicit liquor, one .32-bore pistol and ammunition and six two- PHOTOS: ASHWANI DHIMAN SSP Darpan Ahluwalia talks to some residents during Operation Prahar in Khanna on Monday. Ludhiana, February 9 Under the ongoing Operation Prahar 2.0, Police Commissioner, Ludhaina, Swapan Sharma, along with 500 policemen, remained in the field throughout the day on Monday. Under this massive crackdown, the commissionerate apprehended 95 criminals, including three accused wanted in murder cases. The Commissioner was accompanied by DCP Rural Jaskiranjit Singh Teja, Additional DCPs Amandeep Singh Brar, Sameer Verma, Karanvir Singh, heads of all police stations, crime wings, etc. Sharing the details about the crackdown, the Commissioner said that following the successful execution of the initial campaign against crime, in which 300 gangsters had been arrested, the police officially launched Operation Prahar 2.0. This second phase, initiated under the guidelines of Gaurav Yadav, DGP marks , an intensified escalation in the pursuit of high-profile criminals and the maintenance of public order. The operation commenced with a high-level briefing to ensure tactical wheelers, added Sharma. “Operation Prahar 2.0 is not a one-day exercise. These surgical strikes and raids will continue system- atically until every highrisk element is behind bars. We had also received vital inputs from the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) about gangsters and other notorious elements. Their places were raided and many of them detained. This operation will run for 72 hours and more arrests will be made,” he added. The Commissioner revealed that the police had gathered vital clues about weapon suppliers and even identified some suspects acting as middleman in this. He also issued warning to arms licence holders that their licences would be cancelled if found misusing the weapons. “List of over 100 persons whose arms licence are to be cancelled has also been prepared,” he further said. 8 proposals passed amid chaos at MC House meet Family of Bath Castle shootout Mayor gives nod to Integrated Solid Waste Management Project despite opposition Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 9 All eight proposals, including the much-debated Integrated Solid Waste Management Project, was passed amid chaos during the General House meeting of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation on Monday. The session, held at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan, was marked by uproar and repeated disruptions as councillors from the Congress, AAP and BJP clashed over the agenda. Despite the chaos, the House eventually cleared routine administrative matters such as clerk transfers, appointments of eight new firemen and the creation of additional supervisor posts. However, the spotlight remained firmly on the solid waste management proposal, which drew sharp protests from opposition parties and sanitation worker unions. The meeting began with an uproar as Congress councillors protested against an FIR lodged against their colleague Gaurav Bhatti. Bhatti arrived dramatically wearing handcuffs and carrying a box of ‘laddoos’, sparking loud sloganeering and challenges to arrest him. AAP councillors, including Ashwani Sharma and Amarjit Singh, criticised Bhatti’s actions, leading to heated exchanges between the two parties, to which the security intervened to pacify them. The Mayor and Commissioner started the meeting. As soon as the MC secretary began reading out the agenda, the Opposition demanded that zero hour be taken up first. The Mayor, however, stated that zero hour would be allowed only after the PROPOSALS PASSED IN MEETING Proposals 1 & 2: Confirmation of resolutions passed in the previous House meeting and F&CC meetings held on February 5 and 6. Proposal 3: Transfer of a clerk within the municipal corporation. Proposal 4: Appointment of eight new firemen. Proposal 5: Another proposal related to the transfer of a clerk. Proposal 6: Increase in the number of supervisor posts across various branches of the Corporation. Proposal 7: Implementation of the integrated solid waste management project under the PPP model. This includes door-todoor collection, transportation, segregation and scientific processing of waste. Proposal 8: Transfer of an IT clerk. victim protest against ‘inaction’ Tribune News Service Congress councillor facing an FIR comes with handcuffs and a box of sweets in the meeting; and (below) sanitation workers protest near Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan on Monday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, February 9 The family of Vasu, a hosiery businessman who lost his life in a gang war between two groups at Bath Castle on Pakhowal Road in November last year, held a protest outside the Police Commissioner’s office. The families of the victim stated that over two months had passed and the key accused wanted in the case were not being arrested by the police. Holding photographs of deceased Vasu, the family members’ eyes were filled with tears and their hearts were filled with a yearning for justice. They said that while the police had made some arrests, the real masterminds and the main shooters were still at large. Relatives of Vasu, who were protesting, became emotional and said, “Since the day our son was shot and killed at a wedding, happiness has vanished from our family. Now, even the sight of a wedding card sends shivers down our spine. We can’t muster the courage to attend any function.” The family alleged that the police were delaying the case and were trying to protect or give leniency to the main accused. Later, the family members held a meeting with Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma. “We have stopped the protest as the Commissioner has assured us that the accused will be arrested in the coming few days. If still the accused are not arrested, then we will sit on protest for an indefinite period,” said the deceased’s kin. It was late on November 30, 2025, when a bloody brawl broke out between Ankur Ludhiana and gangster Shubham Mota at the Bath Castle Marriage Palace on Pakhowal Road. Both groups fired indiscriminately at each other. In the crossfire, Vasu and Jalandhar resident Neeru were killed. INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT Estimated Cost: Rs 140-150 crore annually, amounting to Rs 1,100-1,200 crore over eight years. Area coverage: 95 wards with nearly 20 lakh residents. Legal basis: Designed as per NGT directives and the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules. WHY THE OPPOSITION? Job security concerns: Worker unions fear that outsourcing to private companies will threaten the livelihoods of thousands of sanitation workers. Cost escalation: Opposition leaders allege the cost per tonne has jumped agenda was read. Later, former Senior Deputy Mayor and leader of opposition Sham Sunder Malhotra, along with BJP leader in the House Poonam Ratra, opposed the solid waste management project. They demanded that the proposal be kept pending, alleging that it contained several flaws that could lead to irregularities. While the Opposition continued its protest, the Mayor raised her hand and declared the agenda passed. The Opposition kept objecting, but the Mayor said that the agenda had been passed on the basis of voting, adding that a majority of the councillors had raised their hands in support of the proposals. Opposition councillors alleged irregularities in the proposed project and warned that it would eliminate jobs of sanitation workers. They pointed out that the cost of waste processing had allegedly jumped from Rs 925 per tonne to Rs 3,300 per from Rs 925 to Rs 3,300, raising suspicions of irregularities. Capacity issues: The project reportedly will cover 700 tonnes of waste daily, while Ludhiana generates 1,200 tonnes. tonne. BJP councillor Ruchi Gulati joined the protest by distributing toffees, while BJP leader in the House Poonam Ratra demanded the scrapping of the project, insisting that people’s livelihoods must not be destroyed. Meanwhile, sanitation workers reached outside the meeting venue with their carts protesting against the solid waste management project and argued that they already were managing door- c m y b to-door collection and feared losing their jobs if private firms took over. They have vowed to intensify their agitation. “We have been doing this work for decades and have been demanding regularisation, but instead of giving us job security, the corporation is giving the work to private hands. We won’t allow this to happen,” said a protesting sanitation worker. continued on page 2 Family of the deceased, who died in a shootout between gangsters at the Bath Castle in November last year, hold a protest outside the Police Commissionerate in Ludhiana. They are demanding arrest of those involved without delay. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN