01092026-LT-01.qxd 8/31/2026 9:48 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune STATE WATER POLO TEAM CLINCHES NORTH ZONE TITLE ARYA COLLEGE MGMT CHARGESHEETS 6 TEACHERS MANASI REUNITES WITH FAMILY AFTER NEPAL ORDEAL Punjab lift the 8th Captain Kartikeya Hooda Memorial North Zone Water Polo Championship for Men and Women. P2 The standoff between college management and teachers has intensified after 6 faculty members were chargesheeted . P3 Actor safely returned to Mumbai on Sunday after being stranded along the Nepal-China border. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY, RAIN MAX 36°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.50 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:03 AM » TUESDAY | 1 SEPTEMBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Industrial sector cries hoarse over unscheduled power cuts Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 Unscheduled power cuts are giving tough time to the industrial sector in the city. Category-2 feeders are being allowed only 10 per cent load, while category-3 are restricted to just 2 per cent load. The industry has been facing power cuts of nearly five hours in the evening, which has badly affected the production of these units. This has raised concerns among factory owners who rely on uninterrupted power for continuous production. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has extended load management measures, but the industry argue that evening hours are crucial for production, especially during the summer season. Initially, the power cuts were imposed on category-1 feeders, which supply power to residential areas. However, with the electricity crisis deepening, restrictions have now been imposed on categories-2 and 3 feeders, which has directly affected the industrial establishments. The PSPCL is monitoring feeder loads closely and the supply is snapped if limits are exceeded. “The most crucial Employees of the PSPCL repair power cables following an unscheduled power cut in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN is the five-hour evening cut from 7 PM to midnight, which cripples industrial operations. Some machines if switched off take nearly 1.5 hours to re-operate. Machines cannot be switched off and restarted easily. Frequent shutdowns not only delay production, but also increase costs and risk damaging semi-finished goods,” said Vinay Kanal, a small enterprise owner. Owners of small and medium enterprises, particularly textile dyeing units, said that evening hours were the most productive period for workers. “Due to frequent power cuts, production in industries has come to a standstill. Night-shift workers remain idle as work cannot be started without electricity, but we have to pay them the wages. Despite industries paying high industrial power rates, we are not being provided 24hour supply. Our work is getting affected due to this,” said Kamlesh Khanna, owner of a dyeing unit. Running industries on generators is proving too costly. “The production cost increases manifold if we run the unit on generators. Once in a while it is possible to use gen sets, but not every day,” added Gursewak Singh, a cycle parts unit owner. The crisis is compounded by rising technical faults. Overloaded feeders are tripping, wires are snapping and load shifts are creating sudden surges on power lines. Consumers are now facing both scheduled cuts and unscheduled outages. Woman carrying two-year-old daughter crushed to death Ludhiana, August 31 A truck loaded with paper crushed a woman and her daughter to death when they were crossing a road near JMD Mall on Railway Road in Ludhiana on Monday morning. The truck was coming from Garhshankar to Ludhiana and was supposed to unload the stock of paper in the city. The deceased has been identified as Baby Yadav, a native of UP currently living behind the bus stand. She was a ragpicker. According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred around 6.15 am when the woman while carrying her two-year-old daughter in her lap was collecting plastic and other material. The truck was coming from the Clock Tower and heading towards Lakkar Bazaar when the driver failed to notice both and crushed them. Following the accident, a crowd gathered at the spot. Cops shifted the bodies to the Civil Hospital and initiated further legal action against the driver. Kotwali SHO Ashwani Kumar said the police took the bodies into custody and sent them to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The truck and its driver was also taken into custody. The CCTV footage from cameras installed in the vicinity was being examined. — TNS BJP workers stage a protest outside the CP’s office in Ludhiana on Monday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN BJP rural unit protests against increasing incidents of crime Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 The rural unit of the BJP protested outside the office of Commissioner of Police here today on Ferozpur Road against the deteriorating law and order condition in Punjab, especially rural areas. About 50-60 party leaders and their supporters gathered outside the Commissioner’s office to protest against the disturbing law and order situation in the state. The protest that started around 11 am was held under the leadership of Gagandeep Singh Sunny Kainth, president of BJP (rural) Ludhiana. Talking to The Tribune, the president said that the inci- dents of crime had witnessed a sharp increase. “I have been seeking time from the Commissioner Police to give us a hearing as the incidents of snatching and loot had increased to an alarming proportion in Flower Enclave. The most vulnerable victims are the delivery boys of Swiggy and Zomato, whose cash is snatched almost on a daily basis. Today, when I was sitting on a dharna outside the CP Office, I received a call that some snatchers had stabbed a resident of the area. The police continues to be on sleeping mode,” said Kainth. He further alleged that no FIRs had been lodged at police stations. The protesters said that the growing graph of crime inci- dents was a matter of serious concern as people had started feeling insecure. “No place is safe for the public and there is absolutely no fear of law in criminals,” they stated. “Anyone can come, point a gun at you, kill you, extort money and loot or snatch your belongings and you can hardly do anything. Even the police will not listen to your grievances”, added the president of the rural BJP unit. The protesters raised slogans against the police and the government for not giving two hoots for providing safety to the masses in Punjab. The BJP leaders also submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in this regard. Thieves decamp with Mayor, MC Commissioner hold goods worth ~7 lakh surprise inspections, tell officials Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members stage a protest outside the DC’s office in Ludhiana on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Farmers protest outside DC’s office, give memo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 On the call given by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, members of Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union today gathered and protested outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here. They also handed over a memorandum regarding their long-pending demands. Meanwhile, the indefinite sit-in dharna launched by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office entered its second day today. Dilbagh Singh from the Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union said that successive governments had failed to keep the promises made to farmers and workers. “Instead of listening to the problems faced by the cultivators and labourers, the authorities concerned were respond- Ludhiana, August 31 Thieves broke into a textile factory on Kohara road and decamped with more than 30 bags of yarn valued at around Rs 7 lakh in a daring nighttime burglary. The incident occurred in an area under the jurisdiction of Jamalpur police station. The miscreants avoided the main entrance, and made their way from the rear of the premises. They used a fire pipe as a ladder to climb to the first floor, broke open the door and entered the factory. They managed to take away over 30 bags of thread before fleeing. Factory supervisor Pinku told the police that he reached the unit around 8 am today and found the office glass broken. On checking the premises, he discovered that more than 30 bags of yarn were missing. Interestingly, the CCTV cameras installed at the factory had stopped functioning before the burglars entered the premises. Whether this was due to some technical fault or deliberate interference remained unclear and was being probed by the police. The cameras reportedly resumed working on their own around 9 am. Given the large quantity of stolen goods, the police suspect the use of a four-wheeler, mini-truck or tempo. The supervisor pointed out that it would not have been possible to transport more than 30 bags on a two-wheeler. The Jamalpur police reached the spot soon after receiving information and launched an investigation. It said the CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, neighbouring factories and main roads were being examined to identify any suspicious person or vehicle that might have been present there before or after the incident. — TNS Ex-cop consumes celphos tablets outside SSP office Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union members submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner in Ludhiana on Monday. ing with repression,” he said. District general secretary of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) Sudagar Singh while talking about the union’s major demands said that these include cancellation of the Indo-US free trade agreement, withdrawal of the amended land pooling policy, aiving of police cases against farmers and workers and compensation for crop losses due to floods. Farmers further said that they were on a permanent dharna outside the DC office and were not going back until their demands were met. Ludhiana, August 31 A retired ASI of the Chandigarh Police consumed celphos tablets outside the SSP’s office in Khanna on Monday, causing panic in the Police Department. Doctors at the Police Lines immediately gave him firstaid and then shifted him to the Civil Hospital. Retired ASI Amarjit Singh, a resident of Chandigarh, was involved in a dispute with his father, a resident of Khanna, over some property. He had filed several complaints against his father in this regard to seek property c m y b share, but the police found these ingenuine and took no action on these. The police further said that Amarjit had been pressuring and threatening the cops that if action was not taken against his father, he would commit suicide, and consumed celphos tablets while standing outside the SSP office in Khanna. Cops after seeing the condition of Singh, provided him first-aid and then shifted him to the Civil Hospital for further treatment, where his condition was stated to be out of danger. — TNS to step up sanitation work Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 31 The second phase of the ‘Mission Clean Punjab’ campaign saw surprise inspections in several parts of the city on Monday, with Mayor Inderjit Kaur, Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar directing officials to step up sanitation work and warning of action for lapses. The Mayor and MC Commissioner inspected Field Ganj and adjoining areas, including internal streets and main roads. They also checked the attendance of sanitation workers during the inspection. At some locations, the cleanliness condition was found unsatisfactory, following which the officials concerned of the MC health branch were issued strict warnings. The field staff were directed to ensure regular cleaning and prevent garbage from accumulating on roads, streets and other public places. In a separate inspection, Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar and Commissioner Alankar visited Trunk Wala Bazar, Gokul Road, Kesar Ganj Mandi Road, Nava Mohalla and adjoining areas. They reviewed the sanitation arrangements and checked the work being carried out by the health branch. The officials directed the staff to remain present in their respective areas, carry out cleanliness drives regularly and attend to sanitation-related complaints without delay. The inspections also focussed on the disposal of garbage in public places. The officials appealed to residents not to litter or dump waste in the open and said action would be taken against those found violating the rules. The Commissioner said cleanliness could not be ensured by the civic body alone and urged residents to use designated waste collection arrangements and avoid dumping waste on roadsides and in public spaces. Alankar said surprise inspections would continue in different parts of the city. He directed officials to ensure cleanliness in their respective areas and warned that department action would be taken in case of negligence. The Senior Deputy Mayor said the civic body was taking steps to improve sanitation across the city and stressed the need for regular field monitoring. CSI Ravi Sharma and other MC officials accompanied the officers during the inspections. MC officers hold an inspection in an area under ‘Mission Clean Punjab’ on Monday.