12122025-LT-01.qxd 12/12/2025 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ELECTION PARTIES PUSH VEGETABLES PRICES UP GREEN GROVE CHAMPS SHINE AT ZONAL, DIST SPORTS MEETS Prices are expected to continue looking north till the conclusion of the winter festival season. P2 Albail Singh wins multiple medals for shot put, Manpreet Singh in track events. P3 » » ALIA BHATT AWARDED AT RED SEA FILM FESTIVAL She received the Golden Globes Horizon Award.Thefestfeatured aretrospectiveon her remarkable journey in cinema.P4 » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 24°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 24°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.24 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:10 AM FRIDAY | 12 DECEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA One dead, 7 injured as private bus ploughs into pedestrians, vehicles Police suspect break failure to be cause of accident; driver flees scene Incident caught on CCTV, occurred 45 days ago accidentally and he did not lodge any police complaint in this regard. However, after the CCTV footage revealed the truth, the police registered a case against the suspects. Rakesh Mohan, a resident of GK Estate, Tibba Road, said the fire broke out at his home on October 21. It had caused significant damages to his house and the parked vehicle. When he saw the footage of his neighbour’s CCTV camera, it was revealed that two suspects, Gurwant Singh and Kamal Bajaj, had thrown crackers in his house, due to which the house and the car caught fire. According to the victim, the fire caused a loss of over Rs 5 lakh. He demanded that the police should take strict action against the suspects. The police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched further probe. The police said after the arrest of the suspects, the exact reason behind throwing firecrackers inside the house could be ascertained. Sangrur man dupes city resident of ~3L Nikhil Bhardwaj 5 unauthorised buildings sealed Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 11 Almost one-and-a-half month after a house caught fire and a car parked on its premises suffered major damage, footage of closedcircuit television (CCTV) cameras shocked the house owner as it showed that his two neighbours had thrown lit firecrackers inside the house with an intention of mischief that caused fire. Earlier, the victim was considering that the fire might have been caused Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 11 One person was killed while seven others were injured as a private bus belonging to Jujhar Transport rammed into several vehicles and pedestrians near the Ludhiana bus stand on Thursday afternoon after its driver lost control over it. On its way from Nangal to Ludhiana, the bus hit a motorcycle, e-rickshaw, other vehicles and pedestrians before climbing a footpath in front of Hotel Palm Inn outside the bus stand. The deceased was identified as Vinod Paswan (50), a resident of Nirmal Nagar, who was standing on the road when he was hit by the bus, said an official. A preliminary police probe suggested break failure as the cause of the accident. The impact of the collision was so strong that the rear portion of the e-rickshaw was badlymangled damaged while the front parts of the bus and its windshield were shattered. Eyewitnesses said autos were often parked illegally by the roadsides here, creating traffic chaos. The police reached the scene. The bus driver fled the scene after the accident. Both bus and the e-rickshaw were seized with the help of a crane. Police officials said the injured were shifted to ESI Hospital and Civil Hospital. An eyewitness, a traffic policeman, Kulwant Singh, who was on duty near the bus stand said the bus was coming House fire turns out to be mischief by 2 neighbours The bus that rammed into vehicles and people outside the bus station; and (right) an injured being taken to a hospital in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Tribune News Service SIMILAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN PAST On March 12, 2024, a Punjab Police bus crashed into a liquor shop after brakes of the vehicle failed and the driver lost control over it. There were over 13 police personnel in the vehicle when the incident occurred. Four policemen sustained minor injuries in the accident. from Nangal. When it reached outside the bus stand, it first hit a bike. The bike riders fell on the road due to the impact of the collision and the vehicle was also damaged. Afterwards, the bus hit an e-rickshaw, badly hitting the people standing near it and causing serious injuries. After the collision, the bus driver, Jaswant Singh, fled the scene when the vehicle stopped after climbing the footpath. People tried to catch him but he managed to escape. Some passengers in the bus also suffered minor injuries in the mishap. A traffic policeman said: “I was standing right in front of the accident scene. After the collision, I ran to the the place. One girl suffered a serious leg injury. A few others suffered head and arm injuries.” Gurmukh Singh (30) a resident of Sangrur, had come to Ludhiana for some work and was standing on the road when he was hit by the bus. Manjit Kaur, a gym trainer who was accompanying Gurmukh, suffered serious leg General House meeting to go digital, expansion of city limits to top agenda injuries. Mahak (22) and her mother Santosh (48) were going from Shimlapuri to Satsang Ghar, Hambran road. They suffered serious injuries. Darshan, a resident of Gill Road, was also hurt. Rajinder Thakur, whose e-rickshaw was hit by the bus, also suffered minor bruises. Another person from Zira was also injured. Ludhiana, December 11 The Ludhiana police registered a case against a Sangrur-based man who duped a city-based woman of Rs 3 lakh on the pretext of helping her husband, who is facing a criminal case and lodged in a jail. After conducting investigation, a case was registered and further probe was launched by the police. The suspect was identified as Sukhdeep Singh, a resident of Dhuri, Sangrur. The complainant, Rama Kakkar, a resident of Sector 32, here, recently met Sukhdeep Singh outside a court in Ludhiana. The suspect had promised that he had links in various departments and he could easily get her husband Bhuvnesh Kapoor out of jail. The man took Rs 3 lakh from her but he failed to fulfill his promise. Whenever she asked the suspect to return the money if he can’t fulfill his promise, he made hollow excuses. Later, she lodged a complaint following which the police registered a case. Investigating officer ASI Sukhwinder Singh said a case on the charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered. Ludhiana, December 11 Continuing action against illegal constructions, the Municipal Corporation (MC) sealed five illegal buildings on the Malhar road and in Ghumar Mandi on Thursday. Two of the buildings are situated on the Malhar road, one in Mandir Wali Gali, Ghumar Mandi, and two on the main road in Ghumar Mandi. While the buildings on the Ghumar Mandi road were sealed as owners failed to pay the CLU fee, others were sealed where construction works had started without getting building plans approved from the civic body. ATP (Zone D) Harvinder Singh said the owners have been directed to get the building plans approved from the civic body. — TNS Getting poll-ready Likely to be convened after zila parishad, block samiti elections Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 11 The General House meeting of Ludhiana is expected to be convened after the zila parishad and block samiti elections. The agenda is likely to focus on two key issues — the proposed expansion of city limits and the digitalisation of the Municipal Corporation (MC) work. In line with this, councillors are expected to be provided with tablets during the forthcoming meeting. It will be MC’s fourth General House meeting. The plan is to include over 100 surrounding villages, aiming for around 400 sq km of a future-proof urban landscape. The plan was pending for decades and is now back on the table. The expansion will have to be finalised before the upcoming Census and the process will be completed by December 31. Villages proposed for inclusion in the Gill and Dakha constituencies include Birmi, Malakpur, Dakha, Issewal, Bhattian, Ayali Kalan, Ayali Khurd, Pamal, Pamali, Alamgir, Lohara, Bulara, Natt, Bhamian, Khasi Kalan and Tajpur. It will result in increase in municipal wards significantly. Most of the villages are those where large-scale residential projects are coming up. The MC has already written to the district administration and sought detailed land records of the villages, including land use, government properties, village boundaries, GIS maps and ownership details, to finalise the expansion plan. Another new initiative in the General House meeting will be that councillors would be getting the meeting agenda on their WhatsApp which will be password protected and the name of the councillor will be water marked. Preparations for the meeting is on and in line with this development. The MC is in the process of purchasing tablets for the 95 councillors. The agenda will be sent to all councillors and nearly 100 officials. After the digital uphaul, the initiative will help save paper. “It is a welcome step towards modernising our functioning. Receiving the agenda securely on WhatsApp and having tabs for councillors will not only make our work more efficient but also save a significant amount of paper. It shows that the corporation is serious about embracing digitalisation,” a councilllor said. Poll staff attend a training session for the zila parishad and block samiti elections, at KVM school in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Proud owner of 45 Nili-Ravi buffaloes, woman wants daughter to follow path Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service CITY DOC BREAKS ENDURANCE CYCLING RECORDS Dr Pawan Dhingra (56), a renowned orthopaedic surgeon running his own practice at Dev Hospital, began his cycling journey in May 2017 through Audax India Randonneurs in association with the Audax Club Parisian (Paris). P3 Daljit Kaur Toor at her dairy farm. Ludhiana, December 11 Daljit Kaur Toor, a resident of Khosa Kotla village near Moga, is a proud owner of over 45 Nili-Ravi buffaloes — a breed largely found in Pakistan and the bordering villages of Punjab. An entrepreneur in her own right, she is also a recipient of the Chief Minister’s Award for her exceptional work in dairy farming, especially for breeding the Nili-Ravi buffalo. Sharing her journey with The Tribune, Daljit Kaur said with guidance and suggestions from scientists at GAD- c m y b RECIPIENT OF CM’S AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL WORK An entrepreneur in her own right, Daljit Kaur Toor is also a recipient of the Chief Minister’s Award for her exceptional work in dairy farming, especially for breeding the Nili-Ravi buffalo. VASU, she managed to develop 20-25 purebred Nili-Ravi buffaloes. “I had also purchased buffaloes that had one or two teats and were old. But through artificial insemination and crossing them with a young male purebred Nili Rav bull, we were able to get a new flock. This breed is known for a high yield are preferred in rural farming,” Kaur said, adding that she never worries about the quantity of milk. For her, preserving the purity of the breed is the top priority. Daljit Kaur recalled that when she was in Class VII, she would watch her father milking cows and buffaloes, and gradually picked up the skill herself. “There was no looking back,” she said. After marriage, she began taking care of a few buffaloes, eventually deciding to expand the business. She underwent formal training in cattle management from GAD- VASU experts. Today, the approximate value of her dairy farm stands at around Rs 80-90 lakh, as purebred animals are highly expensive. She disapproves of the practice of injecting animals to increase milk yield. “This is absolutely uncalled for. Let the cow or buffalo give milk as per its natural capacity. Injections may increase yield but they cause serious harm to the animal,” Kaur said. Her teenage daughter wholeheartedly supports her mother’s dairy farm. Commenting on Nili Ravi, Dr Ravinder Singh Grewal, Director Extension Education, GADVASU, said the state govern- ment and the vet varsity were working on promoting the breed in Punjab. “If we talk about the purebred, there must be a population of about 80,00090,000 Nili Ravi buffaloes in Punjab. But it is not that only Nili Ravi population is decreasing, buffaloes on the whole are being replaced by cows in commercial farming. As per a census in 2019, there were a total of 40 lakh buffaloes in Punjab which came down to 34 lakh in 2024-25. The Animal Husbandry Department in Tarn Taran and GADVASU are doing regular research giving the breed a much-needed boost,” Dr Grewal said.