28012026-LT-01.qxd 28-01-2026 00:20 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SIMPLY PUNJAB: AAP GOES ALL OUT TO WOO VOTERS FREQUENT SEWAGE OVERFLOWS A THREAT TO INFRA Ahmedgarh residents allege the Municipal Council is least concerned about resolving issue. P3 As the ruling party gears up for Assembly elections, it has govt resources at its disposal. P2 » LOGGING OUT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS NEW POWER MOVE Celebrities are quietly logging out. Actors are stepping back from social media to protect themselves. P4 » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 19°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 8°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.54 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:16 AM » WEDNESDAY | 28 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Two Schools of Eminence continue to await Farmers make Ladhowal toll plaza free for commuters teachers, infra amid ‘Sikhiya Kranti’ drive Despite repeated claims over past 3 yrs, ‘almost ready’ buildings yet to see light of day Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 27 The AAP-led state government’s much-publicised ‘Sikhiya Kranti’ campaign appears to have taken a back seat as two major Schools of Eminence (SOEs) in the city — both almost ready — continue to await teachers and essential infrastructure such as laboratories and furniture. The school buildings, on which crores of rupees were spent during the tenure of the previous Congress government, were largely completed. Had the present government shown necessary intent to make the schools operational for the welfare of thousands of students, these could have been functional by now. Despite repeated claims over the past three years that the schools would be started at the earliest, they are yet to see the light of day. Senior Congress leader Surinder Dawar, who had won the Assembly elections from the area during the Congress regime, told The Tribune that he had fought to get 5,000 sq yards The building of School of Eminence at Kidwai Nagar in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA of land allotted in Kidwai Nagar for the school, as it was a long-pending demand of local residents. The other SOE is located in Miller Ganj, where the building stands complete but remains non-functional due to the absence of required infrastructure, staff and teachers. “Most residents in areas such as Rajasthan Colony, Islam Ganj and Kidwai Nagar are not well-off or highly educated. They want their children to study but there are no good government schools. That is why we got the land allotted. The building was nearly 70 per cent complete, with only a few works remaining. However, after the government changed, no effort was made in the past four years to make the school Rain woes operational. Neither infrastructure was arranged nor teachers and staff appointed,” Dawar said. He said he still receives calls from residents but feels helpless. “When both buildings are ready, why can they not be made operational?” he questioned. Claiming that education was the AAP government’s main focus under ‘Sikhiya Kranti’, Dawar said these schools could have been a boon for the underprivileged. “Unfortunately, after spending crores of rupees, the buildings are now turning into dilapidated structures due to neglect,” he alleged. Echoing similar concerns, senior BJP leader Parveen Bansal said residents have lost hope of the schools becoming operational. “It has been over three years, yet the state government has failed to arrange teachers, staff, laboratories and other facilities. The poor and needy continue to remain deprived of quality education in the area,” he said. Over the past more thanp three years, as many as four Deputy Commissioners have changed. Several deadlines were announced and visits conducted to the school sites but for reasons best known to the authorities, the schools remain unopened. Despite repeated attempts, neither the AAP MLA Ashok Pappi Parashar nor District Education Officer Dimple Madan responded to calls and messages. Farmers hold a protest at the Ladhowal toll plaza in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 27 As announced, farmer organisations made the Ladhowal toll barrier free for commuters on Monday. Reason, the dillydallying attitude of the administration in starting the work of constructing the Dhussi bandh at Sasrali Colony which was washed away during the floods. Other demand of the farmers was to take action to improve the poor condition of Rahon Road here. Farmer organisations have made it clear that if the administration fails to meet their demands, the Ladhowal toll plaza will be made free indefinitely. During the floods, the Sutlej’s Dhussi bandh in Ludhiana’s Sasrali Colony was breached, causing significant damages to land and crops. After rains Three arrested in cyber fraud case, ~21.41 lakh recovered Commuters wade through a waterlogged road amid rain in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, January 27 The Khanna police claimed to have cracked a major cyber fraud involving a huge sum and arrested the suspects. Vinod Kumar, in-charge, Cyber Crime police station, Khanna, led police teams in arresting three suspects in the cyber fraud and recovered Rs 21.41 lakh from them. Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia, in a statement issued stated that on January 13, the complainant, Dr Gurjeet Singh, a resident of Karamsar Rara Sahib, said unidentified persons fraudulently trans- ferred Rs 21,41,000 from the complainant’s account on the pretext of providing a loan/grant under the MSME innovation scheme, amounting to Rs 5.5 crore. After receiving a complaint, a case was registered against the suspects. Dr Ahluwalia said during the investigation, the suspects, Meghna Pankaj Gala, a native of Mumbai and at present staying in Jaipur; Pushkar, resident of Dholpur, Rajasthan; and Bhupender Sharma of Jhalawar, Rajasthan, were arrested. Now, as per the complaint, the victim has received his full amount of Rs 21.41 lakh. The cyber wing of the Khanna police solved the case in a professional manner. Meanwhile, the Khanna police have appealed to the public that if any unknown person shares suspicious links, asks for OTPs or seeks bank details, such information should never be shared. If any such incident occurs, call the 1930 cyber helpline number and share details promptly so that the fraudulently transferred money could be put on hold and recovered in time. — TNS Warn of making route toll-free indefinitely if demands not met stopped and the water level in the Sutlej receded, the administration stopped paying attention to the Sasrali dhussi bandh and stopped the work. Dilbag Singh, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union, Punjab, said farmers and villagers had been protesting for a long time. They had also submitted a memorandum of demands to the district administration. Despite this, the authorities failed to start the construction of the bandh in Sasrali. Farmers and other residents were angry due to the administration’s attitude. He said Rahon Road was in poor shape and construction work on the stretch was not completed. He had informed the administration several times about the same but the work was not restarted. Dilbag Singh asserted that now, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain had assured that Dhussi bandh construction would start by February 2 as new tenders were already in place but the union had also issued a warning to the administration that if it failed to start the construction work, farmer unions would start protest at the toll barrier from February 8 and the toll company would not be allowed to collect toll fee from commuters. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain told The Tribune that tender was already in place and construction work would be started soon. The administration was also holding talks with farmer unions to resolve the issue. Neeru Gupta takes over as MC Commissioner Ludhiana, January 27 Dr Neeru Katyal Gupta, a 2016 batch IAS officer took over the reins as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation (MC), Ludhiana, on Tuesday. Soon after assuming the charge at MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar, the newly appointed MC Commissioner held a courtesy meeting with Mayor Inderjit Kaur. Dr Gupta also held a review meeting with officials of various branches of the MC. Earlier, the MC Commissioner was welcomed by senior officials of the civic body, including Joint Commissioner Vineet Kumar, Joint Providing hassle-free services, expediting devp works priority, she says Commissioner Abhishek Sharma, Assistant Commissioner Neeraj Jain, Assistant Commissioner Gurpal Singh, Assistant Commissioner Jasdev Sekhon. She was welcomed with a guard of honour by a contingent of the Punjab Police. Dr Gupta stated that expediting development works, providing improved and hassle-free public services would remain among her priority sectors. — TNS Minister ETO recalls state’s sacrifices in freedom struggle on Republic Day Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 27 The city witnessed a vibrant district-level Republic Day celebrations at Punjab Agricultural University’s athletic sports ground, where Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO unfurled the national flag. He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain and Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma while inspecting parade contingents. Extending greetings to residents, he recalled that on January 26, 1950, the Indian Constitution came into force, establishing the Republic of India and giving us pride as the world’s largest democracy. The Minister paid tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. Over 3,000 students from various schools presented colourful cultural performances while police, NCC, Scouts and Guides and Army personnel participated in the march past. The minister, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner and Police Commis- Highlights initiatives in welfare schemes, honours 134 individuals from diverse fields drug campaigns and infrastructure development, including free bus travel for women, free electricity for households and farmers, scholarships for students and the establishment of Aam Aadmi Clinics. The minister stressed on government’s fight against corruption, drug trafficking and gangsters while also focusing on road safety, administrative reforms and citizen-centric services. AAP leaders stage walkout over ‘disrespect’ in Khanna Punjab Police jawans during a parade; and (right) students perform at the Republic Day celebrations at the PAU in Ludhiana on Monday. ASHWANI DHIMAN sioner, inspected the parade and honoured 134 individuals from diverse fields, including senior officials, employees and police personnel. Harbhajan Singh ETO highlighted Punjab’s sacrifices in the country’s freedom struggle, reiterating Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s directive to display martyrs’ portraits in government offices. He announced that Tata’s second-largest steel plant in the country, after Jamshedpur, was being established in Ludhiana, which was a matter of pride for the region. He also pointed out Ludhiana’s major contribution to the state, securing first place in North India for MSME registrations in 2022–23. The minister also emphasised initiatives in health, education, women’s welfare and anti-drug campaigns, citing schemes such as free bus travel for women, free electricity for households and the establishment of ‘Schools of Eminence’. The minister c m y b said the Halwara airport was ready and flights would commence soon, providing convenience to residents. He praised the PAU as a guiding light for farmers, which helped the country achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. He also announced the start of cleaning work on the Buddha Nallah, a long- standing issue for Ludhiana. Highlighting welfare measures, he mentioned enhanced ex-gratia payments for martyrs’ families, pensions for freedom fighters and initiatives to preserve Punjab’s spiritual and cultural heritage. He outlined schemes in education, health, employment, women’s welfare, anti- In contrast, Khanna’s official Republic Day function saw a controversy as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders staged a walkout. They alleged that no seating arrangements were made for key representatives, including Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh’s personal assistant Mahesh Kumar, district council members and local councillors. Calling it a violation of protocol and disrespect to elected representatives, AAP leaders expressed outrage and left the venue in protest. Mayor: Respect Constitution, work efficiently Mayor Inderjit Kaur unfurled the national flag to mark the 77th Republic Day celebrations at MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar on Monday. Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar, Deputy Mayor Prince Johar, Additional Commissioner Paramdeep Singh among other councillors and civic body officials also congratulated residents on the occasion. The Mayor paid tributes to martyrs who laid down their lives for the country and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Constitution and democracy. She appealed to MC officials and staff to respect the Constitution and work with transparency and efficiency for the betterment of society. The Mayor also urged the residents to support the authorities in keeping the city clean and green. more reports on p2