05082026-LT-01.qxd 8/5/2026 12:33 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune EIGHT NABBED WITH HEROIN, LIQUOR DURING SEARCH OP RAIN REDUCES PADDY GROWERS’ DEPENDENCE ON TUBEWELLS KABUL TO COPENHAGEN JOURNEY VIA BOLLYWOOD The police seized 6 gm of heroin, 207 bottles of illicit liquor, 10 tablets and two vehicles in seven cases. P2 Farmers are in an upbeat mood after recent spell of rain, which is expected to benefit paddy crop. P3 Bollywood inspired an Afghan refugee to become one of Europe’s celebrated ambassadors of Indian cuisine. P4 » » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7:14 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:44 AM WEDNESDAY | 5 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Downpour disrupts life, leaves city roads, low-lying areas waterlogged Schoolchildren, office-goers face trouble, commuters stranded for hours Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 4 Heavy rain on Tuesday morning brought the city to a standstill, leaving several roads and low-lying areas submerged and causing major inconvenience to residents. Waterlogging was reported from many parts of the city, slowing down traffic and making the morning commute difficult for schoolchildren, office-goers and motorists. The downpour began early in the morning when students were leaving for schools. Many children travelling on foot, bicycles and two-wheelers reached their schools drenched after passing through flooded streets. Parents accompanying their children also faced difficulties as several roads were filled with rainwater. The situation worsened during office hours as another spell of rain added to traffic congestion across the city. Long traffic jams were witnessed near schools as many parents preferred to drop their children by car to protect them from the rain. Two-wheeler riders faced the biggest challenge while passing through waterlogged roads, with many fearing their vehicles Motorists wade through a waterlogged road during rain in Ludhiana on Tuesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN would stall. Motorists moved slowly on several busy roads as potholes remained hidden under the accumulated rainwater. The showers again highlighted the city’s poor storm water drainage system. Rainwater got collected quickly on roads, intersections and lowlying areas, leaving commuters stranded for hours. Though the water level started receding in some localities by the afternoon, many stretches continued to remain waterlogged for a long time. Worst-hit areas The worst-affected areas included Haibowal, Chander Nagar, Chandigarh Road, Janakpuri, Shivaji Nagar, New Shivaji Nagar, Transport Nagar, Hambran Road, Ferozepur Road, Sarabha Nagar, Gurdev Nagar and old city markets around Chaura Bazaar. Residents said the problem had become a regular feature during every monsoon. They alleged that despite repeated assurances from the authorities, the drainage system continues to fail whenever the city receives heavy rainfall. “The rain is not the main problem. The issue is that even a short spell of rain floods roads, making it difficult for children and officegoers to travel,” said Dilip Kumar, a resident of Civil City. Jaspreet Singh, who was travelling on Hambran Road, said he took almost twice the usual time to reach his office. “Driving through waterlogged roads is risky as potholes are not visible,” he said. Deepa Sharma, a resident of the Chandigarh road area, said the city faces the same situation every monsoon. “The authorities promise to improve the drainage system every year but after every heavy rain, roads are flooded and normal life is disrupted,” she said. Man gets life term for killing neighbour over mobile phone Rajneesh Lakhanpal Ludhiana, August 4 The Court of Sessions Judge Harpreet Kaur Randhawa has sentenced Gulam Hussain, a native of Rohtas district in Bihar, at present residing at Rajiv Gandhi Colony, Focal Point, Ludhiana, to life imprisonment for murdering his neighbour with a wooden log over a dispute regarding a mobile phone. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000, with further one year of rigorous imprisonment in case of default of the payment. Additional public prosecutor RS Chahal apprised that a case against the suspect was registered on October 23, 2023, at the Focal Point police station under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The complainant, Banwari Lal, who had been residing in Rajiv Gandhi Colony for the past several years, heard cries coming from the nearby jhuggi of Bharat Lal on the night of October 22, 2023, around 10 pm. On reaching the spot, he allegedly found Gulam Hussain assaulting Bharat Lal with a wooden log. The complainant stated that the suspect delivered blows on Bharat’s head, rendering him unconscious. When questioned about the reason for the assault, Gulam alleged that the victim was not returning his mobile. Afterwards, he fled the scene along with the wooden log. Bharat was initially taken to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, and was later referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. After completion of the investigation, the police presented the challan before the court and the suspect was put on trial for the murder. While hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence, the defence pleaded for leniency, submitting that the convict was a poor person, his wife had died and he had three sons and a daughter who were earning independently. Rejecting the plea, the court observed that the convict had caused fatal injuries to the deceased with a wooden log, resulting in the abrupt termination of a human life. Holding that the gravity of the offence did not warrant any leniency, the court sentenced Gulam to life imprisonment, besides imposing the fine. Violence at Noorwala sub-station, PSPCL staff seek police protection Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 4 Employees of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have sought police protection as the incidents of abuse and vandalism have become regular at grid substations. This summer over 10 such incidents have been reported, most recently being on Sunday. Employees have sought police protection for all 92 sub-stations falling under the Central Zone. Union members have warned that without immediate police action and regular PCR patrols, they might resort to protests and work stoppages to safeguard their safety. Tension flared late on Sunday night at the 66 KV Noorwala sub-station on Kakowal Road when a group of around 20 miscreants forcibly broke through the outer and inner gates of the facility around 11 pm and assaulted employees on duty. The intruders, after creating chaos and issuing threats, fled the scene. Duty staff members Pankaj and Man- preet Singh alerted the Basti Jodhewal police and informed senior officials. A police team, led by ASI Sukhdev, reached the spot during the night, inspected the premises and reviewed videos recorded by employees. Officials confirmed that the incident was also captured on CCTV cameras installed at the grid. By morning, Chief Engineer (P&M Punjab) along with Rajesh Kumar, Executive Engineer Sundar Nagar Division, and Harpreet Singh Sandhu, Executive Engineer O&M, visited the site. Orders were issued to lodge a formal complaint at the police station. Later, SDOs and representatives of the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), including state secretary Gurpreet Singh Mahidudan, engineer Ashok Kumar Bangar (zone co-coordinator), and Dharminder (zone secretary, TSU), met Station House Officer SI Amarjit Singh. They demanded immediate registration of a case and arrests, warning that failure to act would lead to a protest. Union leaders also pressed for increased PCR patrols at the power station to ensure staff safety and prevent further untoward incidents. Several other employees were present during these discussions. The unrest stemmed from prolonged outage of the Azad Nagar feeder, supplied from the Noorwala grid under the North Sub-Division of West Division. Frustrated consumers, angry over the disruption, gathered at the station. Initially unable to enter due to locked gates, they created a ruckus outside. When staff tried to pacify them, the crowd broke the outer gate, smashed the inner glass gate with bricks and kicks and forced their entry. They allegedly threatened employees to restore the feeder immediately and upon refusal, assaulted them before fleeing the scene. The PSPCL officials have written to the Commissioner of Police and sought regular police patrolling near sub-stations. Woman suffers miscarriage after Rape case: Zero spouse gives ‘poisoned’ juice FIR registered in Chandigarh, Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 4 When a woman objected to the illicit relationship of her husband, he, enraged over the matter, forcibly terminated her pregnancy. The man forced his wife to consume juice laced with some poisonous substance, which deteriorated the health of woman and her pregnancy was terminated. The suspect was identified as Sukhwinder Singh of Shimlapuri. The complainant, Harleen Kaur, wife of the suspect, told the police that she was married to Sukhwinder in December 2024. Her husband had an illicit relationship with a woman who was reportedly the wife of his friend and she had come to know about their affair after marriage only. “When I objected to the relationship and urged him to stay away from the woman, my husband refused to budge. He even threatened me that he would not stay with me anymore. As I was pregnant, I told my husband about the news, thinking that he might be happy to hear the same but instead of being happy, he turned angry and said he would soon find a solution as he did not want any child,” the victim said. She said on June 6 her husband mixed some poisonous substance in juice and gave it to her due to which she started bleeding and her pregnancy got terminated. “My husband used to bring juice for me but on that unfortunate day, he forced me to drink juice. As he left the place, my condition deteriorated and pregnancy was also terminated,” she said. ASI Salwinder Singh from the Shimlapuri police station said after registering a case, the police launched further investigation and a raid was being conducted to nab the suspect. transferred to city Ludhiana, August 4 A sexual exploitation case has come to light in which a girl from Chandigarh was allegedly administered an intoxicating substance by her boyfriend’s friend and raped by him. On the basis of the victim’s complaint, the Chandigarh Police initially registered a Zero FIR and transferred the matter for investigation to Police Division 5 in the city. The police registered a case against the suspect, Mehak, and began proceedings to nab him. As per the victim’s statement, she stays in Chandigarh with her family. She had known her boyfriend for nearly two years and they were also planning to get married. Last year, the suspect, Mehak, a friend of her boyfriend, took her to a hotel in Ludhiana where he gave her a cold drink laced with sedatives and later raped her. Ludhiana police officials said a case has been filed. — TNS BJP councillors hold ‘dummy House’ meeting to raise issues Steel firm duped of ~4 cr, Sukhpreet Singh Ttribune News Service Ludhiana, August 4 With the Municipal Corporation (MC) General House not meeting for nearly four months, BJP councillors on Tuesday held a symbolic ‘dummy House’ meeting outside the MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar, accusing the civic administration of ignoring elected representatives and delaying development works across the city. Despite intermittent rain, 17 BJP and supporting councillors assembled outside the MC office and held a ‘dummy General House’ meeting by placing two vacant chairs for the Mayor and the MC Commissioner. Addressing empty chairs, the councillors raised civic issues from their respective wards and passed resolutions, saying it was an attempt to demonstrate how the House should function. The last General House meeting was held on March 24, when the Municipal Cor- The ‘dummy House’ meeting in progress in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN poration’s annual Budget was approved. Since then, no full-fledged meeting has been convened. Police personnel were deployed at the MC office during the protest, while most civic body officials were not present on the premises. The BJP councillors alleged that the prolonged gap between House meetings had brought development works in their wards to a standstill. They claimed that repeated requests regarding damaged roads, overflowing sewerage, poor sanitation, non-functional streetlights and other civic issues have gone unheard. The councillors also raised concerns over the city’s condition during the ongoing monsoon, claiming that even a few minutes of rainfall leave several roads waterlogged, making it difficult for commuters to navigate potholes. They said residents continue to hold councillors responsible for the delay in development works despite the lack of approvals. The opposition councillors further alleged that no major development work had been undertaken in their wards during the past one-and-a-half years. They claimed that councillors had signed approval letters for development works — up to Rs 1 crore for inner wards and Rs 2 crore for outer wards, but the projects were yet to take shape. The BJP leaders also criticised the functioning of previous House meetings, alleging that several sessions were concluded within five to 10 minutes without detailed discussions on public issues. In contrast, they said, the dummy House continued for nearly two hours, allowing councillors to discuss civic problems in detail and adopt resolutions seeking early action. The councillors further c m y b alleged that the Mayor functions under pressure from ruling party MLAs and that House proceedings were often dominated by them, leaving little opportunity for opposition councillors to raise issues. They also claimed that objectionable language was sometimes used during House meetings to silence opposition voices. Addressing the gathering, BJP district president and councillor Sunil Moudgil said the protest was organised to draw the administration’s attention towards pending civic issues. “Our intention through the dummy House was to wake up the authorities. The General House is the highest decisionmaking body of the corporation but it has remained inactive for months. Development works have stalled and public grievances are piling up. If our demands continue to be ignored, we are prepared to intensify our agitation, including protests and a hunger strike, as we are answerable to the people,” he said. Councillor Poonam Ratra said residents approach elected representatives every day with complaints, but councillors have no platform to place these matters before the House. Councillor Bhavneet Kaur said the delay in convening the House was affecting public welfare as important proposals remained pending. Councillor Rohit Sikka said projects requiring approvals had been delayed for months, resulting in little visible development in many wards. The BJP leaders said their symbolic House meeting was not merely a protest but an effort to show how elected representatives should be allowed to debate public issues in a democratic manner. The BJP currently has 18 elected councillors while one Independent councillor has extended support to the party, taking its strength to 19. Of these, 17 councillors participated in Tuesday’s protest while two were out of station. directors of Delhi-based company booked Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 4 The Ludhiana police registered a case against directors of a Delhi-based power trading company for committing a fraud worth about Rs 4 crore with a city-based steel manufacturer. The suspects had persuaded the firm to withdraw insolvency proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on the pretext of a settlement. However, after the firm withdrew insolvency proceedings, the suspects refused to clear dues and committed a fraud. The case was registered against Instinct Infra and Power Limited, its directors Ravi Gupta and Salil Gupta, and former director Swati Mittal on the complaint of Sanchit Arora, authorised signatory of Aarti Steels, a complainant in the case. The preliminary investigation in the case was conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-2, Ludhiana. The official stated in his probe report that during the investigation, after a thorough examination of documentary facts, NCLT proceedings, settlement agreement, bank statements and MCA master data, it had been found that the entire act committed by the opposite party was the result of a well-planned criminal conspiracy. Facts prove prima facie charges of fraud and breach of trust against the opposite party.