11092026-LT-01.qxd 9/11/2026 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SSP VISITS DRUG HOTSPOT, INTERACTS WITH RESIDENTS KHEDAN WATAN PUNJAB DIYAN PH 2 CONTINUES IN 5 BLOCKS Competitions provided players from district with an opportunity to showcase sporting talent at grassroots. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 27°C NETAS, ACTORS TURN BACK THE CLOCK TO 80S She sat with locals, heard their concerns and sought support from them to eradicate the menace. P2 FORECAST Ministers and movie stars all had the same idea — rewind the clock and let Internet decide who did it best. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 6:33 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:05 AM » FRIDAY | 11 SEPTEMBER 2026 | LUDHIANA No record of PGs in city, civic body orders survey after Delhi tragedy Another cave-in due to leakage in pipeline raises concerns Officials told to identify such properties, submit report on September 14 Ludhiana, September 10 A damaged underground pipeline has again exposed the vulnerability of city roads to failures beneath the surface, with a portion of the road between Saggu Chowk and Aarti Chowk caving in after water seepage weakened the soil. The incident was reported after residents noticed the damaged stretch and informed area councillor’s husband Inderjit Indi. Following the complaint, Municipal Corporation (MC) officials reached the spot and started digging the road to ascertain the extent of the damage. Officials found that a road gulley pipeline had been damaged. Water from the damaged line had seeped into the soil underneath the road, gradually washing away and weakening the supporting soil. With vehicles continuing to ply over the stretch, the weakened portion eventually gave way. MC workers dug deeper around the affected area to check whether the pipeline had suffered further damage. Repair work was subsequently taken up. Sub-Divisional Officer Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 10 The Municipal Corporation (MC) has no proper record of paying guest (PG) accommodations operating in the city, prompting the civic body to order a city-wide inspection and survey of such properties following the recent deaths of young students at a PG accommodation in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area. Joint Commissioner Tapan Bhanot said the MC had ordered a complete inspection and survey of PGs across the city. Officials had been directed to identify such properties and submit their report on Monday. The move has brought the focus back on mushrooming of PGs and other commercial activities from residential properties in the city. Residents and activists said the civic body should first identify how many such establishments were operating and then verify whether they were complying with the The move has brought the focus back on mushrooming of PGs and other commercial activities from residential properties in the city. FILE building and safety norms. Residents said several residential areas had gradually seen houses being converted or modified for commercial use, including PGs, hostels and other establishments. They said the MC should check whether these properties were being used as per sanctioned building plans and required permissions had been obtained or not. “In many residential areas, houses are being used for commercial purposes. Some properties have also been modified or expanded. The MC should verify whether these changes are as per sanctioned building plans and whether the required permissions have been taken,” said Jasjot Singh, a Model Town resident. Residents also raised concerns over the number of people being accommodated in such properties. They said a single residential building could house a large number of students or working professionals after being converted into a PG, putting additional pressure on water supply, sewerage, parking and waste-management facilities. Rupinder Kaur, a BRS Nagar resident, said the authorities should not only check the use of a building but also its occupancy and safety arrangements. “Safety of the occupants should be the first concern. If a building is housing a large number of people, the authorities must check whether it has proper exits, fire-safety arrangements, parking and other basic facilities,” she said. Several areas, including those around Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Christian Medical College, Ghumar Mandi, Tuition Market in Model Town Extension and the Pakhowal Road area, have a sizeable population of students, ten- ants and working professionals staying in rented accommodation, the residents said. Activist Arvind Sharma of SBS Nagar said he had also urged the MC Commissioner to order a survey of PGs and hostels. “The MC should conduct a proper inspection of PGs and hostels and check occupancy, fire safety, electrical installations and the condition of the structures,” he said. The activist said the Building Branch should identify buildings constructed without approval, properties where construction had gone beyond the sanctioned plan and residential premises being used for commercial purposes without required permissions. The residents also suggested that the survey should cover fire-safety arrangements, electrical connections, water and sewerage facilities, parking space, property-tax records and other mandatory civic requirements. Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service The damaged sewer line near Aarti Chowk in Ludhiana. RECENT INCIDENTS The latest incident is not an isolated case. In recent months, road cave-ins have been reported at several locations in the city. A portion of the road in Kitchlu Nagar near Lyallpur Sweets had caved in, with the condition of the underground sewerage infrastructure and soil erosion being cited among the reasons for the damage. Another road cave-in was reported near Onn Hotel, again raising questions over the condition of underground sewerage structures. Anshul Garcha said the cause of the cave-in had been identified and the damaged portion had been repaired. The incident, however, has again brought the focus on the condition of the underground civic network in the city. Several road cave-ins have been reported in different parts of the city in recent months, with leakage from Two of gang using vehicles with Huge quantity of sauce, vinegar seized illegal beacon lights arrested from home-based unit during raid Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 10 A gang allegedly using luxury vehicles with illegal red beacon lights to pass themselves off as senior government officials has been busted by the city police, with two suspects arrested and two SUVs seized. They have been identified as Harpreet Singh of Dhothar Bet and Gulshan Singh of Subhash Nagar. The police said three other persons named in the case, Arshdeep Singh of Khanna, Davinder Mangat of Begowal, Doraha, and Mohan Singh, were yet to be arrested. Investigating officer Harvinder Singh said the arrests followed a tip-off received by a police team during patrolling. The informer reportedly told the police that some persons were misleading members of the public by hiding their actual identities and claiming to be senior officials. Following the information, a police team carried out a raid near Keys Hotel, close to Wedding Villa on Pakhowal Road. Harpreet and Gulshan were taken into custody during the operation. A Toyota Fortuner allegedly bearing a illegal red beacon was recovered from the suspects. A Mahindra Thar was also seized by the police. The police are now trying to establish the extent of the alleged fraud and identify people who may have been cheated by the group. Investigators are also examining how long the suspects had been operating, whether money was collected from victims and the alleged role of the three persons who are still at large. An FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 61(2) and 205 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The provisions relate to cheating, cheating by personation, criminal conspiracy and fraudulent use of dress or tokens associated with public servants. The police said the suspects allegedly used the illegal beacon lights to give their vehicles and themselves an official appearance while dealing with people. Multi-coloured beacon and strobe lights, including red, blue and white lights, are restricted to vehicles and personnel authorised under the applicable rules, particularly designated emergency services, disaster management teams and specified constitutional authorities. The police said further probe was underway to determine whether the suspects were involved in other similar incidents and trace the remaining suspects. Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 10 As part of the ongoing campaign by the Food Safety Department against adulteration and the preparation of food products under unhygienic conditions, action was taken on Thursday against a home-based unit involved in the preparation and handling of pickles, murabba, vinegar and sauces in the city. During the inspection conducted by the Food Safety Team, unhygienic conditions were found at the unit. Consequently, a challan was issued for unhygienic conditions while three food samples were collected from the premises and sent for laboratory testing. District Health Officer Ashish Chawla said pickles, murabba and sauce found lying in unhygienic conditions were destroyed on the spot. The remaining stock Challan issued for unhygienic conditions, threee samples sent for testing Food items being kept in unhygienic conditions at the unit in Ludhiana. was seized for further probe. According to the department, the seized stock included approximately 150 cases of sauce, two drums of murabba and five gallons of vinegar. During the preliminary probe, it came to light that vine- gar, murabba and other food products being procured from outside states were being packed under the brand name ‘Jai Thakur Ji’. The packed products were being sent to the market for sale and supply under the same brand name. The Food Safety Team is examining labels, branding, packing date and other details mentioned on the packaging. Documents related to the source of procurement of the products, packaging and their supply are also being scrutinised. The probe further revealed that the person concerned had reportedly been carrying out the business for around six months. As per preliminary information, the preparation and handling of the food products were being carried out at the unit while the packaging work was being undertaken at another location. The department is also examining documents related to the unit’s food safety licence and registration. Dr Chawla said the food samples collected from the premises were being subjected to laboratory analysis. Further action would be taken on the basis of laboratory reports and probe. Activists question move to use green belt land for waste facility Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 10 A proposed waste-handling facility on a land claimed to be part of a green belt has come under scrutiny, with activists alleging that the site near the Sidhwan Canal and Baba Isher Singh Public School could create environmental and publichealth concerns for residents of the area. The issue was raised before the Public Action Committee (PAC), which has now sought action over the proposed installation. Activists have urged the Principal Secretary, Local Bodies Department, to stop the proposed facility, claiming that the land had been planned as a greenbelt area and was not suitable for a The proposed site of the waste-handling facility adjoining Baba Isher Singh Senior Secondary Public School, BRS Nagar. waste-handling unit. PAC members Kapil Arora and Jasbir Singh, in a representation to the depart- ment, questioned the decision to use the site for a garbage facility. They maintained that the land reserved for green purposes should not be diverted for activities that could affect its intended use. The activists said the proposed facility was planned as a replacement for the existing compactor at Sunet near the GT Nagar Main Market. They alleged that shifting the facility to the proposed site could benefit commercial activity in the market area but could create additional sanitation and environmental concerns for nearby residents and schoolchildren. The location is surrounded by residential areas and a school, making it important for the authorities to examine the site before allowing any permanent waste-handling infrastructure, they said. c m y b They also questioned the proposed access route for garbage vehicles. As per them, the road was already being used by the Water Resources Department for regular movement of waste vehicles and needed to be examined before additional garbage traffic was allowed. An activist, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, said a static compactor was already operational in Sarabha Nagar and questioned the need for another facility in the area. They claimed the existing facility was located around 70 metres from the proposed site. According to the PAC representation, the new facility was being planned as a replacement for the existing compactor at Sunet. The activists, however, said the civic body should first establish whether the proposed site was legally available for such use and whether its use would affect the green belt. They also raised concerns about the functioning of the waste facility. Garbage often gets scattered on roads whenever collection is affected, they said. If a compactor was installed at the proposed site, any disruption could lead to accumulation of waste around the facility, resulting in foul smell, littering and the presence of flies, mosquitoes and stray animals. The activists further questioned the proposal in view of the nearby school and residential areas. They said movement of heavy garbage vehicles and the handling of waste near an educational institution could affect surroundings if proper safeguards were not put in place. The PAC has also sought clarification from the authorities on the proposed facility and the land on which it is to be installed. The activists have urged the Local Bodies Department to conduct a proper site inspection and verify the land records, land-use status and approvals before proceeding with the project. They said the civic authorities should also examine whether the proposed facility could affect the green belt and whether alternative sites were available away from residential areas and schools. old sewerage and drainage lines and soil erosion emerging as common concerns. Residents said such failures were particularly dangerous as the damage often remained hidden beneath the road for days or even weeks. A continuous leak can weaken the soil supporting the road while the surface may continue to appear normal till it collapses. Youth hit by bullet as birthday party turns violent Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 10 A birthday party near Pakhowal Road took a violent turn after a quarrel between youths allegedly led to an assault and firing, leaving a 21-year-old youth with a bullet injury in his leg. The injured, Jatin of Dr Ambedkar Nagar, approached the police and said he had gone to attend the birthday party of his friend Prince. According to his complaint, a dispute broke out during the party between Prince and some youths. Jatin alleged that the argument soon turned into a physical fight. He told the police that the owner of Veer Chicken, along with Sonu, Guri and some unidentified persons, assaulted him. The situation allegedly worsened when Guri took out a weapon and opened fire. The bullet hit Jatin’s leg, leaving him injured. The suspects allegedly left the scene after the firing. The incident caused panic in the area and the police were informed. A case was subsequently registered and the police began the probe. The police are questioning persons named in the complaint and verifying their individual roles in the alleged assault. They are also trying to ascertain who fired the shot and how the weapon used in the incident was arranged. CCTV cameras installed in and around the area are being examined to establish what happened before and after the firing. The police are also collecting other evidence. ASI Jagjit Singh, who is investigating the case, said an FIR had been registered under Sections 109, 115(2), 118(1), 351(2), 190 and 191(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 25 of the Arms Act.