31072026-LT-01.qxd 7/31/2026 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune THIEVES STRIKE AGAIN, MUV OF MINISTER’S KIN TARGETED TRAILER OF NITESH TIWARI’S RAMAYANA: PART 1 OUT LOCK THE BOX BOOK FAIR IN SHIMLA FROM AUGUST 2 TO 5 Make off with all tyres, several such incidents have been reported in the past also. P2 Official trailer of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1 was released globally on July 30. P4 The famous Lock The Box Book fair by Bookchor will be held from August 2 to August 5 at Gaiety Theatre. P4 » » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7:18 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:40 AM FRIDAY | 31 JULY 2026 | LUDHIANA Heavy rain exposes civic body’s monsoon preparedness claims Food safety officials crack down on health supplement store Several roads witness waterlogging, cave-ins; traffic disrupted; power supply hit in many areas Tribune News Service Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 30 Ludhiana on Thursday woke up to heavy monsoon showers and with it, city’s shortcomings were laid bare. Till 8:30 am, it received 29 mm of rainfall. From the iconic Clock Tower to Madhopuri, Dhokka Mohalla and Chandigarh Road and even in posh localities such as Sarabha Nagar, BRS Nagar and Gurdev Nagar, waterlogging turned roads into streams while road cave-ins at various places added to the chaos. Traffic movement was also disrupted in many parts of the city. Despite tall claims by the Municipal Corporation, the downpour has exposed cracks in the civic preparedness, leaving residents stranded and questioning the ‘Smart City’ tag of the city. In the Kot Mangal Singh Nagar area, an elderly man on his way to workplace fell into an open sewer along with his bicycle. Fortunately, alert residents managed to rescue him on time, averting what could have been a major tragedy. The worst affected was Model Town where a road cave-in had occurred at Mintgumri Chowk on Monday but it has not been repaired. People were getting stuck at the point due to waterlogging. On Deep Hospital Road, also in Model Town, huge potholes had occurred and the stretch had caved in at two places where four accidents had occurred so far. Three students on their way to their coaching class in Model Town Extension had a diffi- Clockwise from above: Commuters wade through a waterlogged Gill Road; children and other residents pass through a street submerged with water at Shivaji Nagar; and a food delivery boy gets stuck on a road after the downpour in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN cult time when their e-rickshaw overturned on a dug-up stretch and one student suffered injuries in his arm. Social activist Arvind Sharma said he had been requesting the authorities to repair the road cave-ins and clean the sewerage but nothing was done and the result was in front of everyone. At Gurdev Nagar, a road caved in and a car fell into it. “For a long time, I have been raising the issue of road digging. Such excavation is mak- ing our roads hollow from within and severely weakening their structure. We have witnessed only one spell of heavy rainfall so far and the results are already visible,” said social activist and city resident Ravinder Pal Singh Ghai. He said if anyone visits any part of Gurdev Nagar where road digging has occurred, they would find that roads have become hollow and structurally weak, posing a serious risk to public safety. “A few hours of rain led to severe waterlogging and streets are submerged up to the knee level, making it difficult for us to step out of our houses,” said Rajwinder, a resident of BRS Nagar. Harshpreet Singh from the Chandigarh road area questioned the civic preparedness, “Every year the same story repeats. Why can’t the authorities fix this once and for all?” “Driving through waterlogged lanes is risky. Potholes are not visible under the water and one slip can cause a serious accident,” he said. Feroze Gandhi Market, which is considered as the financial hub of Ludhiana, was also flooded with water and while the laying of storm sewerage project remains pending for the past three years. “All major banks and stock exchange is located in the market, yet the situation in the area remains pitiable whenever it rains,” said a shopkeeper at the market. Prabhleen, mother of a 14-year old boy, said it was raining heavily in the morning but still she got out to drop her son to school. “There was massive traffic jams on roads and I got stuck in the same. The school starts at 7:45 am and I was stuck on the road till 8:30 am. Left with no other option, we returned home and my son missed his school. Schools should declared a holiday in such a situation,” she said. Dr PK Kingra, Head, Department of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Change, PAU, said rainfall was predicted in the next two-three days. Many areas in the city faced power outages and residents had to stay without power for four-five hours due to the downpour. Ludhiana, July 30 Intensifying its drive against the sale of unsafe, misbranded and counterfeit food products, the Food Safety Team of the Health Department, Ludhiana, conducted a surprise inspection at a supplement store located on Tibba Road on Thursday. During the raid, the team seized approximately 75 kg of imported empty wrappers of various nutritional supplements, raising serious concerns regarding their possible misuse for repackaging, misbranding and the illegal marketing of food supplements. In addition, around 100 kg of nutritional supplements were seized for further investigation. The inspection also led to the recovery of 36 boxes of artificial flavouring agents, which were found stored on the premises and seized on the spot for further examination and legal action under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. To ascertain the quality and safety of the products being sold, the Food Safety Team collected four samples for laboratory analysis. The samples included Weight Gainer, Isopure Whey Protein, Whey Protein and Ultra Pure Whey Formula. The samples have been forwarded to the State Food Laboratory for detailed analysis and further proceedings will be initiated on the basis of laboratory findings. Dr Ashish Chawla, District Health Officer, Ludhiana, said the Health Department was committed to safeguarding public health by ensuring that only safe, genuine and legally compliant food products were available in the 75 kg of imported wrappers, 100 kg of supplements seized market. He emphasised that, as per the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), every Food Business Operator dealing in health supplements must procure products only from authorised sources and ensure compliance with all statutory requirements, including possession of a valid FSSAI licence, proper labelling, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, ingredient declaration, nutritional information and complete traceability of products. Dr Chawla said the possession or use of unauthorised imported packaging material, empty wrappers or artificial flavouring agents in violation of food safety regulations was a matter of serious concern, as such materials might be misused for repackaging or sale of counterfeit and misbranded food products, thereby posing a significant risk to consumer health. He warned that strict legal action would be taken against any person or establishment found violating provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act. He reiterated that the Food Safety Department would continue surprise inspections. Consumers had also been advised to buy health supplements only from authorised and reputed establishments and to verify the authenticity of products by checking the FSSAI licence number, manufacturing details, batch number, expiry date and other mandatory declarations before making a purchase. Locals submit memo to NHAI City turns ‘trash bin’ as safai sewaks continue protest over poor condition of roads Ludhiana, July 30 A group of residents submitted a memorandum to the NHAI authorities in Ludhiana about various problems faced by commuters on roads and highways built by the NHAI, passing through and around the city in particular. They told them that it seems as if none of the senior officials have ever visited to know about the problems faced by people. “Both sides of the NH-44 is in a sorry state, from Jalandhar to Delhi. Roads are having big potholes. High- speed traffic is resulting in damage to vehicles. There are no proper road markings, either on highway or service roads. Whenever any stretch is repaired, loose gravel remains on roads resulting in accidents.” Industrialists Tajinder Singh Dua and Rajesh Rai Dhandha pointed out that there was an official wrong side movement of heavy vehicles carrying containers from the Dhandari cut towards the Focal Point. Col Jasjit Singh Gill , a member of district DISHA committee, stressed on finding solutions for garbage dumping, water harvesting and requirement of surface smoothening on highways passing through the city, as it was a commercial hub buzzing with activity. Bhushan Goyal, a senior citizen, pointed out in the meeting that the NHAI had to maintain service roads on both sides which open to many colonies in city limits and also beyond the municipal limits, these open to many villages on both sides. These roads are used by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. There are no pedestrian footpaths on service roads. The NHAI should ensure the same for the city for the safety of pedestrians. — TNS Sanitation workers hold a protest; and (right) heaps of garbage lying unattended at Dugri in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Shivani Bhakoo Speeding MUV hits couple, man falls into canal, dies Ludhiana, July 30 A speeding Toyota Innova vehicle struck a couple riding a bike. The impact was so severe that the man was thrown into the nearby Sidhwan Canal, drowning on the spot. His wife fell onto the road and was seriously injured. The deceased has been identified as 46-year-old Harvinder Singh, a resident of Birmi village in Ludhiana. He worked as a labourer and cleaner to support his family. The deceased is survived by his wife Kulwinder Kaur and two sons. In her statement to the police, Kulwinder Kaur said on the evening of July 28, she and her husband were returning to their Birmi village on a motorcycle after finishing their work. When they reached near the canal on the main road, a Toyota Innova vehicle coming from the rear at a high speed hit their motorcycle. She said she fell on the road- side after the collision while her husband fell into the canal. He drowned due to the strong current. After receiving information, local residents and the police pulled him out. But by then he had already died. Harvinder was the sole breadwinner of the family. ASI Ram Kishan said based on the statement of the complainant, a case was registered and raids were on to trace the MUV driver. He would be arrested soon. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, July 30 The statewide Punjab Bandh called by the Safai Sewak Union had a visible impact across the city. Heavy rainfall had already disrupted normal life, with severe waterlogging reported in several low-lying areas areas. The ongoing strike by the sanitation workers further worsened the situation as garbage remained scattered across roads and streets throughout the city due to the suspension of waste collection by safai sewaks. Besides, several major markets, including Chaura Bazaar, Deepak Cinema Road, AC Market and Bhadour House and Ghumar c m y b Mandi also remained closed till the afternoon in response to the bandh call. Shopkeepers and traders initially attempted to open their establishments in the morning. However, protesters reportedly went to markets and forced shops to shut in support of the bandh. A massive major protest rally was also taken out from Ghanta Ghar Chowk towards Chaura Bazaar, drawing a large number of participants. The Safai Sewak Union has put forward two key demands. First, it has sought accountability and apology from the police over the alleged lathicharge on sanitation workers in Barnala. Second, it has demanded regularisation of contractual sanitation workers who have been serving in MCs for several years. There are about 2,000 safai sewaks, whose jobs are to be regularised in the city as they were working for long, said union leaders of safai sewaks. As neither of these demands has been met, sanitation workers continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday in city. The impact of the strike was clearly visible across the city, with heaps of garbage accumulating at several locations due to the suspension of sanitation services. One of the shopkeepers at Bhadaur House said being Thursday, they get plenty of buyers from all across state and other places but since it was bandh, most of the buyers failed to turn up and those who came, had to return disappointed. Garbage heaps could be seen across the city, serving as a visible reminder of the poor sanitation situation. With the ongoing monsoon, the piles of waste are emitting a foul, unbearable stench. More importantly, the garbage on roads is creating ideal conditions for a potential disease outbreak. If the authorities fail to address the issue immediately, the city could face a serious risk of spread of diseases in coming days. As the garbage is not being lifted by the workers, people have started piling up waste on roads and vacant plots. One of the union leaders, DP Khosla, however, said there were a few major demands of sanitary workers. The protest would continue till these were met. The demands include regularisation of contractual and overage workers who are working for decades, suspend the DSP and SHO of Barnala for action against protesting safai sewaks and implementation of the pension scheme. Doraha: A complete bandh was observed in Doraha and Sahnewal on Thursday as safai karamcharis staged a protest to make their voice heard. Local shopkeepers and trade unions extended their support to the protesting workers. With inputs from Lovleen Bains