02112024-LT-01.qxd 11/2/2024 12:32 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune BIKE-BORNE YOUTHS SNATCH PHONE FROM DIYA SELLER PROTESTING TEACHERS BURN GOVERNMENT’S EFFIGY Computer teachers in Sangrur have been agitating since Sept 1, with their protest intensifying on Diwali. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 33°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 17°C AKSHAI HAS CREATED WORLD’S LARGEST MUSICAL INSTALLATION The victim said the phone was worth more than the total amount she made by selling diyas. P3 FORECAST Akshai Sarin has etched his name in history by creating world’s largest musical installation — a playable cruise ship! P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 5.35 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:37 AM » SATURDAY | 2 NOVEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA City records 25 fire incidents Cracker ban goes up in smoke in district as enforcement remains on paper Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 1 As devotees made a beeline at temples and gurdwaras to offer prayers, Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with enthusiasm across the district on Thursday and Friday as well. With the uncontrolled and unabated use of firecrackers, pollution levels in the industrial and financial capital of the state also went up during the past 48 hours. There was a festive spirit on both days in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, with people thronging markets for last-minute shopping. Diyas (earthen lamps) and candles dotted houses and people exchanged sweets and gifts on the occasion. The residents, especially children, burst crackers at various places, including Ludhiana, Khanna, Samrala, Raikot, Jagraon, Payal, Doraha, and Mullanpur Dakha. Instructions had been issued to the authorities concerned to maintain strict vigil on Diwali night so that the directions of the Supreme Court regarding bursting of crackers for two hours — 8 pm to 10 pm - were not violated HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Festivities mark Diwali celebrations Clockwise: Residents light crackers; women buy items at a flower market and a gurdwara decked up for Bandi Chhor Diwas in Ludhiana. but the ground reality belied claims of the administration. Security was heightened across the district, especially in and around vital installations, markets and places of worship, officials said. Barring minor scuffles and petty incidents, there was no report of any untoward incident from any place, the police said. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 1 The Ludhiana Fire Department had a chaotic Diwali as they responded to 25 fire incidents on Thursday. Most of the cases were minor. One of the major incidents occurred at the vegetable market near Bahadur Ke Road, where a massive fire engulfed a dump. Seven to eight fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown but officials suspect that crackers may have sparked the blaze. Firemen took hours to control the situation. Another significant incident occurred at a godown on Tibba Road where woollen waste was stored. The fire engulfed the entire material stored in the godown and also caused damage to adjacent buildings. Nearby residents were told to stay away from the area to ensure their safety. In Prem Vihar, a vacant flat caught fire, with flames visible from road. Fortunately, no one was injured as the flat was unoccupied. Some shanties in Focal Point, Jamalpur, and Bahadur Ke Road also caught fire due to crackers. Residents in Jamalpur held a protest, claiming that outsiders had burst crackers near their shanties, leading Most of cases were minor, no casualties reported Firemen douse the flames at a flat that caught fire on Thursday night at Prem Vihar in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN SHANTIES CAUGHT FIRE Some shanties in Focal Point, Jamalpur, and Bahadur Ke Road also caught fire due to crackers. Residents in Jamalpur held a protest, claiming that outsiders had burst crackers near their shanties, leading to the fire. to the fire. However, no casualties were reported in any of the incidents. Fire incidents were also reported from various factories, open plots, houses, dump sites and vehicles. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Maninder Singh said the Fire Department would remain on high alert on Friday as well, anticipating more incidents due to the two-day Diwali celebrations. He said their workload had doubled due to the festivities. “The fire incidents are not that major but we have to be cautious. We have deployed staff strategically to ensure quick response in such circumstances. Even on Friday night, our staff will remain vigilant and will respond to the situation fast,” he said. The Fire Department has urged residents to exercise caution and follow safety guidelines to prevent fires during the festive season. Over 80 cases of burns, other injuries reported at hospitals Tribune News Service The suspect in custody of Vigilance Bureau sleuths in Ludhiana. Ludhiana, November 1 Over 80 cases of burn injuries reported to various hospitals, including Civil Hospital, in the city during the Diwali celebrations on Thursday. The victims had either suffered burn injuries from crackers or faced injuries in minor clashes. As per information, some people indulged in fights after consuming alcohol while others suffered injuries in clashes that occurred during the celebrations. As per the information, five patients reported to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Ludhiana, of which one suffered major eye injuries while the others suffered minor injuries. As per data procured from the DMCH, 11 patients reported to the outpatient department (OPD) with burn injuries while five reported to the in-patient Department (IPD) having serious burn injuries and were still undergoing treatment at the hospital. About 60 patients visited the Civil Hospital who faced burns and other injuries in various incidents. A LPG cylinder blast was also occurred at 12 midnight on the Lohara road in which two persons suffered burn injuries. Rajat Kumar Gupta and 12-yearold Ayush Kumar injured in the incident. The injured were admitted to the CMCH. It was learnt that while bursting crackers, the cylinder caught fire, which caused the blast. The injured suffered injuries on their hands, face and stomach. At Dhola Kakka village, two youths were attacked on their fingers with swords on Thursday night. The car of the victims was also vandalised by unidentified miscreants. The injured youths, Sukhraj and Arsh, were brought to the Civil Hospital in the late hours. Doctors at the hospital referred the duo to a private hospital due to their serious condition. Arsh said when he and Sukhraj were going out of the village in a car for some work, some unidentified people surrounded them at Kakka Dhola village. They attacked them with sharp weapons and injured them. They even damaged their car. Vigilance arrests civic body AQI: City shows improvement at 204 official for taking ~10K bribe Shivani Bhakoo Ludhiana, November 1 The Vigilance Bureau (VB), Ludhiana, caught Gurdeep Singh, alias Sunny, a data entry operator with the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. An official spokesperson for the VB, the arrest followed a formal complaint filed by Amandeep Singh Chandok, a resident of GTB Nagar, here, and a recent candidate for the post of sarpanch from Shanti Vihar village in Bhamian Kalan. He said Chandok, who was a property adviser and builder, had approached the VB and alleged that Gurdeep had demanded bribe in his capac- ity as a nominating officer. The suspect reportedly claimed to be working with the returning officer and asserted that his nomination papers contained deficiencies that could be overlooked for a bribe of Rs 10,000. Following negotiations, Gurdeep agreed to an initial bribe amount of Rs 5,000 for processing his nomination file and subsequently, demanded an additional Rs 10,000 to facilitate the submission of nomination files for his team contesting as panchayat members. The complainant further said Gurdeep had also requested a bribe of Rs 50,000, allegedly to ensure his election victory. Recorded evidence, including calls from the suspect’s mobile phone even after the elections, was provided to the VB, prompting a swift investigation and the formation of a team to lay a trap. The SSP Vigilance Bureau, , Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu, confirmed that the team successfully captured Gurdeep while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A corruption case was also registered against the suspect at the VB police station, Ludhiana Range, and further investigation in the matter was under progress. — TNS 5 hold guard captive, decamp with goods Ludhiana, November 1 Five unidentified persons barged into a factory in Focal Point here and after holding a security guard captive, decamped with goods. The value of the goods taken away by the suspects was said to be in lakhs. The complainant, Manish Kumar, a resident of the Badewal road area, said he owns a factory on the Sah- newal road in Focal Point. On the night of October 30, the security guard at the factory called and told him that some unidentified miscreants had barged into the factory and committed a loot. “The five robbers had entered the factory by scaling the outer wall. They first beaten up the guard and held him captive. Afterwards, they took away 12 quintal of cop- per and 600 kg of aluminium from the factory. I urged the Ludhiana police to identify the suspects and nab them so that the robbed factory goods can be recovered,” the factory owner said. Head constable Avtar Singh said after registering a case against the unidentifed suspects, further investigation was launched and they would be arrested soon. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 1 Despite taking strict measures to save the environment from further degradation by registering FIRs against those responsible for farm fires in the fields in the recent past, not much improvement could be witnessed as far as figures of air quality index (AQI) are concerned. Though the AQI on November 1 showed minor improvement in Ludhiana this year at 204, the city was still in the “poor” category. The bursting of firecrackers on Diwali could be the major reason for the poor air quality. Figures with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) show that the air quality in Amritsar district remained “very poor” on November 1. The AQI in Amritsar was 350 while in Ludhiana, it was 204. Still, it came under the “poor” category as compared to 245 AQI last year in Ludhiana. At the same time, last year on November 1, Amritsar recorded 227 AQI, which was much lesser than 350 recorded this year. The atmosphere was deteriorated in Chandigarh as well. Last year, the AQI was c m y b Smog engulfs Ludhiana on Thursday night. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN AMRITSAR, CHANDIGARH MORE POLLUTED Despite all efforts made by government agencies to curb fire farms, cities, including Amritsar, Chandigarh and Mandi Gobindgarh, witnessed rising levels of air pollution. Thankfully, in Ludhiana there was little respite from the rising level of the AQI. The figure was much less than Amritsar (350) or Chandigarh (302) or even Mandi Gobindgarh (297). 180 on November 1 while this year, it was recorded at 302, which fell under “very poor” quality. Though Chandigarh did not have many industries in comparison to Ludhiana, its AQI was very poor. The air quality in Mandi Gobindgarh has also shown more pollution this time. On November 1, AQI in Mandi Gobindgarh was 297, which was poor. On the same day last year, Mandi Gobindgarh had recorded 259 AQI. Despite all efforts made by government agencies to curb the fire farms, cities, including Amritsar, Chandigarh and Mandi Gobindgarh, witnessed rising levels of air pollution. Thankfully, in Ludhi- ana there was little respite from the rising level of the AQI. The figure was much less than Amritsar or Chandigarh or even Mandi Gobindgarh. Bathinda district has shown improvement in saving the environment. On October 31, 2023, Bathinda had recorded AQI at 277 while this year on Friday, it was 107.