24012026-LT-01.qxd 1/24/2026 12:25 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune CRACKDOWN ON ‘FAKE’ PESTICIDES SOLD ONLINE MIGRANTS, PREACHERS KEEP WANING TRADITION ALIVE KARAN JOHAR PRAISES HOMEBOUND DIRECTOR Officials say such pesticides are a major threat to the environment as well as crops. P2 Religious leaders say Saraswati puja absent from Basant Panchami celebrations by locals. P3 Pens heartfelt note for director Neeraj Ghaywan after Oscars nomination miss. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 16°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5.52 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:17 AM » SATURDAY | 24 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Rain brings down temperature; waterlogging disrupts life in city Every spell turns into a nightmare for residents staying around Ganda Nullah, Buddha Nullah Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 23 After weeks of dry winter, the city finally received its muchawaited spell of rain, with showers continuing since Thursday night and bringing down the rising temperature. The city recorded 28.4 mm of rainfall till 8:30 am and later during the day, 18.8 mm of rainfall was recorded totalling to 47.2 mm of rainfall during the spell. The maximum temperature recorded was 12.8°C while minimum was 11.4°C. Partly cloudy sky with possibility of rain is expected for Saturday. Rainfall offered residents a welcome respite from the unusually warm January but at the same time also caused inconvenience due to water accumulation and overflowing of water from the Buddha Nullah and Ganda Nullah into nearby localities. Several low-lying areas reported waterlogging, with stretches around the Buddha Nullah, Ganda Nullah, Jalandhar Bypass, Janakpuri, Dholewal Chowk, Chandigarh Road, Shivpuri, and a few blocks of BRS Nagar flooded. The South City underpass was again filled with water, forcing commuters to return. Every spell of rain turns into a nightmare for residents staying around the Ganda Nullah and Buddha Nullah. On Friday, water from the Ganda Nullah entered streets of Ranjit Nagar, leaving residents struggling to keep their WATERLOGGED AREAS Several low-lying areas reported waterlogging, with stretches around the Buddha Nullah, Ganda Nullah, Jalandhar Bypass, Janakpuri, Dholewal Chowk, Chandigarh Road, Shivpuri, and a few blocks of BRS Nagar flooded. The South City underpass was again filled with water, forcing commuters to return. A woman walks amid rain; and (left) water from the Ganda Nullah overflows onto a road in Ranjit Nagar after rain in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN homes dry. Suresh Kumar, a resident of Ranjit Nagar, said the situation had become a routine. “Each time it rains, water from the nullah flows into our streets. We live in constant fear of damage to our belongings,” he remarked. Similar scenes were witnessed in Dhokka Mohalla, where water from the Buddha Nullah overflowed into lanes. Hardeep Singh, a resi- dent, recalled the devastation of last year’s monsoon. “In September, all our home essentials were destroyed. Now again, water has entered our houses. It seems our fate will never change. The com- pensation announced by the administration for monsoon has yet not been received by us,” he said. Residents lamented that despite repeated appeals, continued on page 2 Construction Kila Raipur Rural Olympics from Jan 30; firm defrauded bullock cart race to resume after 11 yrs of material worth ~9 cr Villagers elated over announcement, CM Mann to attend event, says DC Tribune News Service Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 23 An incident has come to light involving the misappropriation of sand, gravel and soil worth Rs 9 crore from a construction company engaged in large-scale projects. According to the complainant, the suspects misappropriated approximately one lakh tonnes of material, equivalent to around 2,000 truckloads. On the complaint of Sanuj Aggarwal, a resident of the Phullanwal area in Ludhiana, the Division Number 8 Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The suspects were identified as Pankaj Garg, Mohan Singh, Navdeep Walia, Saket, Rubal Yadwinder, Ravi, Ankit Tiwari, Ram Bilas Agarwal, Ashwani, Satish, Manoj Rajasthani, Aman Pachar and Munish. Sanuj Aggarwal informed the police that he operates a company, Legal India Limited, in the Tagore Nagar area here. The discrepancy was found during a recent quarterly stock audit of the company. The audit revealed a massive shortage in the stock of sand, gravel and soil. The complainant stated that the suspects embezzled continued on page 2 Ludhiana, January 23 The state government has announced to organise the Rural Olympics at Kila Raipur from January 30 to February 1. A major highlight will be bullock cart races, which will take place on all three days of the event. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will also attend the games. Villagers are elated after the announcement of the bullock cart races, which had been banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 citing cruelty to animals. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain announced the same. He was accompanied by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Amarjit Bains, SDM (Ludhiana East) Jasleen Kaur Bhullar and key members of the Kila Raipur Sports Society (Patti Suhavia), including president Col Surinder Singh Grewal and general secretary Gurwinder Singh. He said to ensure that all rules were being followed for the conduct of bullock cart races, a high-powered committee had also been formed by the district administration. The committee would ensure compliance with instructions issued by the Animal Welfare Board of Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain releases a poster of the Kila Raipur Rural Olympics in Ludhiana on Friday. ASHWANI DHIMAN India and the state government from time to time, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2019. He said for the third consecutive year, the state government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, was organising the Rural Olympics at Kila Raipur village. Jain, while releasing the poster of the famous Kila Raipur Rural Olympics2026, said on the first day of the games, on January 30, the schedule will include hockey match (boys open category), a hockey match (girls open category), 1,500m (boys) final, 1,500m (girls) final, 400m boys heats/final, 400m girls heats/final, 60m race primary school boys, 60m race primary school girls, bullock cart races. There will also be various cultural performances during the opening ceremony. He said that January 31, there will be hockey match (boys open semi-final), hockey match (girls open semi-final), kabaddi circle style (boys), shot put (boys), shot put (girls), kabaddi circle style (girls), kabaddi National style U-17 (girls), 100-m boys heats, 100 meter girls heats, bullock cart races, long jump boys final, long jump girls final, 100M boys final, 100m girls final, tug of war boys and bullock cart races (from 4 pm). He said on February 1, kabaddi national style U-17 girls, bullock cart races (from 10am), kabaddi circle style one village c m y b open (boys), shot put (boys) final, 200m boys heats final, 200m girls heats final, high jump boys final, shot put (girls) final, 800m boys final, 800m girls final, high jump girls final, 2,000 meter cycle race boys, 2,000m cycle race girls, 100m race men (65+ Years), 100m race men (75+Years), 100m race men (80+Years), trolley loading unloading, tricycle race, bullock cart races (from 5 pm). He said famous Punjabi singers would also entertain the audience by performing during the three days of the games. The Deputy Commissioner also urged the people to participate in large numbers in the gamws to take its popularity to new heights. President of Kila Raipur Sports Society (Patti Suhavia) Colonel Surinder Singh Grewal thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, state government and the district administration and said people were happy with the restarting of bullock cart races at Kila Raipur. He also assured that all instructions issued by the Director Animal Husbandry, Punjab, and the district administration during the bullock cart races would be taken care of completely. He said members of Kila Raipur Sports Society had also been included in the continued on page 2 Police attacked during search op at village, four nabbed Ludhiana, January 23 In the Daumajra village, under the jurisdiction of the Payal police station, the police arrested four persons for allegedly attacking a police team during a cordon and search operation (CASO). Additionally, a case was registered against eight unidentified persons. The incident reportedly took place on January 21. A video of the confrontation had gone viral on social media. According to the police, the team was conducting a search operation in the village. When they reached a house to perform a search, family members present there began to protest. The police alleged that the family obstructed them from performing their official duty and engaged in a scuffle. During the altercation, a female senior constable, Baljinder Kaur, was reportedly assaulted. As the situation escalated, the police team had to use force to bring the situation under control. The Payal police arrested four family members, identified as Lali, Pooja, Seerat and Paramjit Singh, alias Pamma. Meanwhile, the family members and local residents staged a protest, raising slogans and levelling serious allegations against the police. They claimed that the youth whom the police came to apprehend was a labourer. When they opened the door in response to the police knocking, the team began beating the youth and his family. The youth was reportedly dragged away. Theysaid the police showed “high-handedness” and unfairly filed a case against them. — TNS Cops during a raid at a hideout in Ludhiana on Friday. Policestep up operations against gangsters in city Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 23 The Ludhiana Commissionerate Police on Friday continued extensive raids at identified hideouts and hotspots in and around the city as part of its sustained crackdown on gangsters and their associates. The operation was carried out under the ongoing campaign ‘Gangstraan te Vaar’, aimed at restricting the movement of criminal elements and preventing the planning or execution of crimes. Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma said the operation focused on checking vulnerable hotspots often used by criminals for hiding after committing crimes or while preparing for illegal activities. To ensure effective implementation, senior police officials personally led the operation, supervising checks at identified locations across the city. As part of the drive, police teams conducted thorough tenant verifications, checked identity documents, and ver- 400 cops deployed in around 50 hotspots: CP ified backgrounds through the police stations concerned. The public was also sensitised and urged not to provide shelter or assistance to criminals under any circumstances. The CP said 50 teams comprising over 400 police personnel were deployed to carry out the operation in around 50 hotspots in a coordinated manner. Over 600 individuals were verified during the drive as part of preventive policing measures. Eight FIRs were registered under relevant provisions of law and arrests were made. The initiative aligns with the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, to ensure a safe, secure and crime-free Punjab. The message is clear- “Any attempt to shelter or support criminals will invite strict legal action.” DCP Rural Jaskiranjit Singh Teja led a special team at hideouts of gangsters and criminal elements.