20072026-LT-01.qxd 7/20/2026 12:22 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune DAUGHTER HELPS NURTURE RETD COP’S FISH FARMING DREAMS Ahneer enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and began working to bring father’s vision to life. P2 » SHAH RUKH KHAN CELEBRATES LAKR’S WIN SURPRISE ENTRY OF YASH AT RAMAYANA TRAILER LAUNCH Shah Rukh Khan congratulates Los Angeles Knight Riders after their maiden Major League Cricket c’ship win. P4 As event appeared to be concluding, auditorium went dark before dramatic lighting revealed Yash on stage. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:33 AM MONDAY | 20 JULY 2026 | LUDHIANA Road work continues amid downpour, locals question quality of recarpeting Work stopped after matter came to notice of authorities, says LIT Chairman Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 19 Questions have been raised over the quality of a Rs 6.5crore road recarpeting project in the 475-acre Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Scheme after a contractor was allegedly found laying bitumen on a road during heavy rainfall on Sunday. Residents expressed concern that public money was being wasted as the work continued despite adverse weather conditions. The road work is being carried out in G Block of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) colony. According to officials, nearly 40 per cent of the recarpeting work has already been completed. However, residents claimed that the contractor continued laying the road even as it rained heavily, raising doubts over the durability and quality of the project. Residents questioned Hit-&-run victim’s scooter stolen from mishap site Ludhiana, July 19 While a person who got injured in a hit-and-run was rushed to a hospital, miscreants took advantage of the situation and stole his Honda Activa scooter. As per the complaint filed with the police, complainant Jagdish Gupta of Miller Ganj said his brother Parveen Gupta was returning home from the factory on his scooter around 6 pm on July 1. When he reached the Dhandari Kalan railway station flyover, a speeding vehicle hit him. Parveen sustained several injuries. Passers-by and his family members rushed him to Apollo Hospital here, where he is currently undergoing treatment. When his family members returned to the scene to take the scooter, the vehicle was found missing. The police registered a case on Saturday. — TNS ~6.5-cr PROJECT A video grab of the road recarpeting work during heavy rainfall at SBS Nagar in Ludhiana. the absence of officials at the site and alleged that crores of rupees collected through taxpayers’ money were being spent without proper supervision. “Everyone knows that road construction should not be carried out during heavy rainfall. If the road gets damaged within a short time, who will be responsible for the loss of public money?” said a resident. Social activist Arvind Sharma also raised the issue and claimed that Punjab Agricultural University had already forecast heavy rainfall. Despite the weather warning, the contractor continued the work, he alleged. 32-year-old pathi goes missing Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 19 A 32-year-old man, working as a pathi at a gurdwara, went missing. He left his house to perform seva at the gurdwara but did not return. Family members expressed suspicion that an unidentified person might have kidnapped him for personal gains. Based on the complaint, the Sadar police have registered a case and began an investigation. In a complaint to the police, Subeg Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Dhandra Road, stated that his younger son, Harpreet Singh (32), worked as a pathi at Gurdwara Anand Ishwar Darbar in Khanna city. He used to come home once a month. On July 2, Harpreet left home to go to the gurdwara but did not return. When the family spoke to other sevadars at the gurdwara, they said Harpreet did not come to gurdwara. His mobile phone was also missing. The complainant said when the family could not locate Harpreet despite extensive searching, they informed the police. Sources said Harpreet was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. The police registered the case after over two weeks of the incident. The police said CCTV footage from nearby areas was being checked to locate the missing man. His mobile phone location and other technical details are also being examined. Sharma said he brought the matter to the notice of Ludhiana Improvement Trust officials after recording a video of the work being carried out in the rain. He alleged that no senior officer was present at the site to monitor the work or stop the contractor. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter and said if the contractor had violated engineering norms, strict action should be taken. He also demanded that if the road was found to be of poor quality, it should be reconstructed as per approved standards. He further sought action against officials responsible for allowing the work to continue. Responding to the issue, Ludhiana Improvement Trust Chairman Tarsem Bhinder said the work was stopped immediately after the matter came to the notice of the authorities. “When we came to know about the matter, we stopped the work,” Bhinder told The Tribune. Experts in road construction said laying bituminous roads during heavy rainfall can affect proper bonding between layers and might reduce the life of the road if prescribed engineering standards were not followed. Woman’s gold chain snatched Ludhiana, July 19 Incidents of snatching continue to haunt residents as miscreants seem to be on the prowl in the city. Now, snatchers are even targeting people going on morning walks. In the latest case, an unidentified youth targeted a woman walking along a road and snatched the gold chain from her neck before fleeing the scene. The police registered a case on the basis of the victim’s complaint. While reporting the incident at the Jodhewal Basti police station, the victim, a resident of New Hira Nagar on Kakowal Road, said she was out for her daily morning walk from Kakowal village towards Noorwala village. Around 6:15 am on July 12, when she reached near New Vishal Colony, an unidentified miscreant came from the rear, snatched the gold chain (weighing about 1.5 tola) from her neck and escaped from the scene. The woman said she later informed the Jodhewal police, which registered a case. The police are checking CCTV footage from the area to identify the youth and efforts are on to nab him. — TNS Building inspector reinstatedfour days after suspension Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 19 The reinstatement of a building inspector (technical) just four days after his suspension for allegedly shielding an illegal building has raised eyebrows, with opposition leaders claiming the move sends a wrong message and weakens the government’s action against unauthorised constructions. According to the official order, the Director, Local Government, Punjab, suspended the building inspector on July 13 after a report found that he had allegedly failed to take action against an illegal building and had instead protected the construction. The suspension order said the disciplinary action was taken on the basis of a report received during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. However, another order issued on July 17 revoked the suspension and directed the official to resume duty at the MC. The development has Caught unawares Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 19 A city-based businessman was lured with a promise of huge profits in the tractor spare parts business, making him invest a large sum. After initially gaining his trust by paying some profit, suspects allegedly misappropriated nearly Rs 3 crore. Commuters brave heavy rain in Ludhiana on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Issue has become more serious with residents fearing continuous rain can further weaken structure Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Cracks have started appearing in the repaired retaining wall of the Jagraon bridge in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN The issue has become more serious during the ongoing monsoon, with residents fearing that continuous rain could further weaken the structure. They also pointed out that cracks have started appearing in the repaired retaining wall while the problem of burrowing rats, which had earlier been blamed for weakening the soil beneath the structure, has still not been addressed. Thousands of vehicles use raised questions as the suspension lasted only four days. Congress councillor Arun Sharma criticised the decision, saying the government must explain why an official facing such allegations was brought back so quickly. “Revoking the suspension and posting the building inspector back in Ludhiana is giving a boost to alleged corruption and could encourage more illegal buildings in the city. The state government should be answerable for the same,” he said. Opposition leaders also described the move as “shameful” and said it raises serious questions over the government’s commitment to check illegal constructions. They alleged that instead of sending a strong message against violations, the reinstatement could embolden those involved in building violations. 3 booked for duping city bizman of ~3 cr Year later, damaged Jagraon bridge portion awaits major repairs Ludhiana, July 19 Nearly a year after a portion of the retaining wall of the Jagraon bridge caved in, commuters continue to use the flyover amid safety concerns as the Municipal Corporation (MC) is yet to begin major strengthening and widening work on the Vishwakarma Chowk side of the structure. Though the civic body repaired the damaged retaining wall soon after last year’s collapse, residents and commuters say only temporary restoration was carried out while the long-term plan to strengthen and widen the bridge remains confined to official announcements. Move sends a wrong message, say opposition leaders the bridge every day, making it one of the city’s busiest traffic corridors. The civic body had earlier proposed widening of the bridge from Vishwakarma Chowk on both sides up to Jagraon Bridge Chowk and c m y b reconstructing the damaged crash barriers. Officials had also said experts from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College and Thapar University would be consulted before preparing the final design. However, even after several months, no detailed plan had been finalised and no construction work had started. The proposed work was also expected to be taken up under the Municipal Corporation’s much-publicised Rs 165-crore world-class roads project. However, with the project itself yet to take off due to delays in issuing the work order, the bridge improvement plan has also remained on hold. In September last year, the retaining wall of the bridge collapsed at three different locations, prompting a visit by the then Municipal Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, MLA Ashok Prashar and Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar. At that time, the officials had assured residents that a permanent solution would be provided to improve the safety of the flyover. Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar said he would again raise the issue with the Municipal Com- missioner and urge the authorities to take immediate preventive measures before the rainy season causes further damage. “We have already prepared estimates and completed the tender process for work on the Field Ganj side of the bridge. I will ask officials to prepare and execute similar work on the Vishwakarma Chowk side as well,” he said. Dinesh Verma, a resident of Sham Nagar, said the bridge required a dedicated strengthening project instead of being linked with another infrastructure scheme. “It is a major public safety issue. The authorities should prepare a separate design and execute the work without waiting for another project,” he said. Social activist Arvind Sharma has also approached the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, seeking directions for taking immediate steps to ensure the safety of commuters using the flyover. The police on Saturday registered a case against the three suspects based on a complaint by the victim. In his complaint, Gagan Jindal, a resident of Dyal Nagar, Ghumar Mandi, here, alleged that Parveen Dadu, his son Darpan Dadu and Darpan’s wife Pooja Dadu, all residents of Twin Towers on Pakhowal Road, hatched a well-planned conspiracy and cheated him. As per the complainant, the suspects assured him of high profits in the tractor spare parts business and induced him to invest a total of Rs 3.27 crore. To maintain trust, they initially returned Rs 27.50 lakh as profit. However, they later refused to return the remaining amount of nearly Rs 3 crore and allegedly misappropriated the money. Following the complaint, the Police Division 8 registered a case and initiated further investigation. The police are probing financial transactions and other evidence in the case. The incident has highlighted the importance of thoroughly verifying every claim before investing large amounts of money, especially when lured by the promise of high returns. Even the Ludhiana police Commissionerate has been issuing advisory on social media, asking people to avoid investing huge sums without due verification.