08082026-LT-01.qxd 07-08-2026 22:58 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 300 DELEGATES JOIN RESEARCH EVENT AT DAYANAND MEDICAL COLLEGE SCREENING CAMPAIGN PRIORITISING HIGH-RISK AREAS: DIST TB OFFICER DISTRICT CAGER GETS INDIA CALL-UP FOR U-18 ASIA CUP At least 300 delegates participate in a research event organised by the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. P2 The district Health Department is targeting high-risk areas in urban & rural localities as part of its TB Mukt Bharat campaign. P2 Ludhiana Basketball Academy trainee Joypreet Singh Sidhu has earned a place in the Indian team for the U-18 Asia Cup. P2 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.16 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.48 AM SATURDAY | 8 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Landdeveloperheld hostageinSahnewal Sahnewal, August 7 The Sahnewal police have registered a case against three persons for allegedly holding a land developer hostage, assaulting his construction workers and vandalising his office at Jaspal Bangar. The accused also allegedly stole important documents before fleeing the spot. Vishal Kumar, a Model Town resident and owner of VRV Land Developers, approached the Sahnewal police, alleging that Paramvir Singh, along with two unidentified accomplices, forcibly entered his firm’s office on Tuesday night while construction work was in progress. The assailants allegedly assaulted two employees, Amandeep Singh and Gaurav Sharma, who were supervising the work, and also attacked labourers at the site before ransacking the office. Vishal Kumar alleged that the attack was linked to an old dispute and was carried out at the behest of Mohinder Kaur and Manjit Singh. He further claimed that the accused damaged office equipment and property, held him hostage and took away important documents along with belongings of labourers before leaving the premises. The police have booked Paramvir Singh and his two unidentified accomplices. Investigating Officer Karnail Singh said that a probe had been initiated. — OC Car set on fire in Dugri Mayor has no power to nominate members of F&CC, govt tells HC Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service The car that was torched outside a house at Himmat Singh Nagar, Dugri, Ludhiana. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 7 A parked Hyundai Verna was allegedly set on fire by unidentified miscreants outside a house in Bhai Himmat Singh Nagar, Dugri, late on Thursday night. The family alleged that the attackers locked the main gate of their house from outside before fleeing, trapping them inside as the vehicle went up in flames. The incident came to light after the family woke up to the sound of a loud explosion. By the time they managed to open the gate and step outside, the fire had engulfed the car, reducing it to a charred shell. According to the car owner, Manpreet Singh, his family had retired for the night when the incident occurred. He alleged that the miscreants first smashed the window of the parked vehicle, poured an inflammable substance inside and then set it ablaze. Before escaping, they allegedly locked the house’s main gate from the outside. “We rushed towards the entrance after hearing the explosion, but found the gate locked from outside. We remained trapped inside while the car continued to burn,” Manpreet said. The family later examined CCTV footage from cameras installed in the locality. According to them, the footage shows two men arriving on a scooter, locking the house gate from the outside and then setting the vehicle on fire before fleeing. The footage has been handed over to the police as part of the investigation. Police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and began collecting evidence. The burnt vehicle was inspected, and CCTV footage from the area is being scrutinised to identify the accused. Inspector Gurmukh Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Dugri police station, said, “We received information about the incident through a phone call from the complainant. We have initiated an investigation and are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the accused. The complainant has been asked to submit a written complaint so that an FIR can be registered.” Family protests outside Dehlon police station over missing woman, seeks probe into husband’s role Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 7 Family members of a 53year-old woman missing for more than two weeks staged a protest outside the Dehlon police station on Friday, accusing the police of failing to make progress in the investigation. The protesters demanded a thorough probe into the alleged role of the woman’s estranged husband and his family in her disappearance. The demonstration, led by the missing woman’s elderly mother, son and daughter, began around 11.30 am and continued for nearly two-and-a-half hours. The protesters dispersed after senior police officials assured them that the investigation would be intensified and all pos- sible leads would be examined. The missing woman, Sim Kaur, a resident of Shankar village, has been untraceable since July 22. According to her family, she left her parental home that afternoon to deposit an instalment for a mobile phone but never returned. After failing to locate her, the family approached the police and submitted a complaint on July 25. The Dehlon police registered a case on July 31 against unidentified persons under provisions related to wrongful confinement. However, the family alleged that despite the passage of more than two weeks, no substantial progress had been made in tracing her. Sim Kaur married a Raikot resident in 1997 and has a 17- year-old daughter and a 16year-old son. Her family claimed that she had been living separately with her children at her parental home in Shankar village since 2016 due to alleged domestic disputes. A maintenance case between the couple is currently pending before a court. Addressing the protesters, Sim Kaur’s 80-year-old mother, Sukhdev Kaur, said the family suspected the involvement of her daughter’s husband and in-laws in the disappearance. “I only want my daughter to be traced safely. We have repeatedly requested the police to investigate every possible angle, including the role of her husband and his family,” she said. Local leader Paramjit Singh Saholi and former MLA Tarsem Jodhan, who joined the protest, alleged that Sim Kaur’s husband had failed to comply with court-directed maintenance payments. They claimed that a court had recently directed him to clear maintenance arrears of around Rs 28 lakh or face legal action. They urged the police to examine whether the ongoing legal and financial dispute had any link to the woman’s disappearance. Responding to the allegations, police officials assured the family that no possibility would be ruled out during the investigation. They said the statements provided by the family and other information received during the probe would be verified. The police also informed protesters that they had sought time until Wednesday to make further progress in the investigation. Ludhiana, August 7 The controversy surrounding the appointment of two councillors to the Municipal Corporation’s Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) took a fresh turn on Friday after the Punjab Government informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the Mayor had no legal authority to nominate the two members. During the hearing of a petition challenging the appointments, the Municipal Corporation placed before the court a letter issued by the Deputy Director, Local Government, Punjab, on August 1. The communication clarified that under Section 42(4) of the Cyclists, passersby thrash robber to death, probe on Sahnewal, August 7 A day after an alleged robber was thrashed to death in Kanganwal, the police have launched an intensive search for two unidentified cyclists and nine to 10 passersby believed to be involved in the crime. According to the police, they are suspected to have killed the pillion rider of a motorcycle as the latter had come with an accomplice to rob the unidentified cyclists near Nanda Chemical Factory in Guru Kirpa Colony of Industrial Area-C, Ludhiana. The police registered a case under Sections 105, 191(3) and 190 of the BNS. The deceased was identified as Rajkumar (32) of Dabba Road, Ludhiana. Investigating officer Karamjit Singh, Kanganwal Chowki incharge, said raids were being conducted to arrest the accused. The case was registered on basis of a complaint by Deepak Kumar of Guru Kripa Colony. He alleged that two persons on a motorcycle had stopped two cyclists with the intention to snatch their belongings. The pillion rider was carrying an iron rod. As the two were still in the process of robbing cyclists, the latter overpowered the pillion rider with help of the passersby and began pelting him with stones. They then tied him to a pole and beat him to death with sticks. The bike rider fled the spot. — OC Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the two councillor members of the Finance and Contracts Committee must be elected by the councillors from among themselves and cannot be nominated by the Mayor. The department stated that it had reviewed its earlier approval granted on April 10 to Resolution No. 106, passed by the Municipal Corporation on March 24, which had authorised the Mayor to appoint two councillors to the committee. Upon re-examining the legal provisions, the department withdrew its approval, holding that the resolution was contrary to the provisions of the Act. The order further declared that the Mayor’s June 24 order nominating two councillors to the F&CC had no legal sanction and would have no legal effect. Consequently, the two nominated councillors ceased to be members of the committee with immediate effect. The department also directed the Municipal Corporation to conduct elections for the two councillor members strictly in accordance with Section 42(4) of the Act and to comply with all directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the pending matter. The government communication was placed before the High Court during Friday’s hearing of CWP No. 20549 of 2026, Gaurav Bhatti vs State of Punjab and Others, in which the validity of the nominations has been challenged. According to official information, the government order withdrawing the Mayor’s power to nominate the two members was issued on August 1, effectively nullifying the appointments. Two days later, on August 3, the two nominated councillors resigned from the committee. Taking note of the developments, the High Court directed the authorities to complete the election process for the two vacant posts before September 11. The court also ordered that the entire election process be videographed to ensure transparency. MC offices wear deserted look as employees go on one-day strike A deserted Zone D office of the Municipal Corporation in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 7 Municipal Corporation (MC) offices across all four zones of the city wore a deserted look on Friday as employees observed a one-day strike in support of a statewide protest demanding implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments and fulfilment of other long-pending demands. Routine work at the civic body’s headquarters and zonal offices remained disrupted throughout the day as employees stayed away from their desks. Several MC employees from Ludhiana also travelled to Chandigarh to participate in the state-lev- el protest organised by various employees’ unions. According to officials, employees reported to their offices in the morning but refused to perform official duties in response to the strike call given by the Chandigarh Ministerial Staff Union. As a result, public dealing remained suspended, forcing residents who had visited the civic offices for various services to return without getting their work done. Municipal Employees Sangharsh Committee leaders Jasdev Singh Sekhon and Ashwani Sahota said the strike was organised to press the government to accept the employees’ long-pending demands. They said civic employees extended com- plete support to the statewide agitation, resulting in a complete halt to official work in MC offices during the day. The protesting employees demanded the full and transparent implementation of the Old Pension Scheme in accordance with the notification already issued by the Punjab Government. They also sought the immediate release of pending arrears arising from the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission and payment of outstanding dearness allowance instalments to serving employees and pensioners. Another key demand was the filling of thousands of vacant posts in government departments and schools through regular recruitment to address persistent staff shortages. Seventh cave-in in 15 years exposes Saggu Chowk’s ageing sewer infra Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 7 The road near Saggu Chowk caved in for the seventh time in the past 15 years, once again exposing the city’s ageing underground sewer infrastructure, as the Municipal Corporation (MC) continued repair work on the collapsed 72-inch brick sewer line near Lions Bhawan in Kitchlu Nagar on Friday. Officials said restoring the damaged sewer, reconstructing the manhole and reopening the affected carriageway would take another 10 to 15 days. Meanwhile, traffic diversions and disruption in water supply continued to inconvenience residents. The latest cave-in has renewed concerns over the condition of the stretch, which has witnessed repeated collapses despite several repair works over the years. According to records, the first major cave-in occurred in 2011, when a truck driver lost his life after the road suddenly gave way beneath his vehicle. Similar incidents were reported in 2019, twice in 2020, in 2022, once earlier this year and now again, making it the seventh collapse on the stretch in the past 15 years. According to civic officials, the road collapsed after the ageing 72-inch brick sewer line, estimated to be nearly four decades old, gave way. The failure created a massive cavity beneath the road, causing a large section of the carriageway to cave in. The MC’s immediate priority was to safeguard a house located close to the edge of the damaged road. Civic teams placed sandbags supported by girders along the property’s boundary to prevent further soil erosion, while the front portion of the house was covered with tarpaulin as an additional safety measure. A large section of the road has been excavated to allow heavy machinery access to the damaged sewer chamber and remove accumulated debris. At the same time, workers are constructing concrete retaining walls before rebuilding the collapsed sewer manhole. The repair work has become more complicated because several underground utility lines pass through the affected site. During excavation, one water supply pipeline was disconnected, while another was accidentally damaged by machinery. To prevent water from entering the excavation pit, nearby tube wells have been temporarily shut. Officials also discovered underground telecom cables Municipal Corporation workers repair a damaged sewer pipe at Kitchlu Nagar in Ludhiana. passing through the damaged sewer line. They said the cables bore no identification marks indicating the company that had laid them. The civic body is now trying to identify the telecom operator responsible so that appropriate action can be initiated. c m y b MC officials said permissions for laying underground cables are now granted through the Invest Punjab portal of the Punjab Government. However, they alleged that local civic authorities are often not informed before companies begin excavation work. The HIMANSHU MAHAJAN matter has been taken up with senior officials in Chandigarh, with the MC urging the government to direct companies to coordinate with local civic teams before undertaking excavation to prevent similar incidents in the future. Assistant Commissioner Jasdev Sekhon said civic teams worked until nearly 3 am on Friday to secure the affected house. “Our first priority was to protect the nearby house from further soil erosion. We were successful in doing that. Repair work is continuing round the clock. One side of the road will be reopened for traffic shortly, but the other side will remain closed as the newly constructed sewer manhole requires time for settling and proper sand compaction. The entire process is expected to take another 10 to 15 days,” he said. Residents gathered at the site and urged the authorities to expedite the repairs. They said the ongoing work had disrupted water supply and also led to intermittent power outages. While appreciating the efforts of workers at the site, they said the civic body must find a permanent solution instead of repeatedly resorting to emergency repairs. Traffic remained affected throughout the day. Vehicles coming from the PAU side were diverted towards Hambran Road through Kitchlu Nagar after turning near Popli Medical Hall. Traffic moving from Hambran Road towards Ferozepur Road was diverted via Dandi Swami Chowk and Bharat Nagar Chowk. The diversions increased congestion on residential streets, particularly in Block B of Kitchlu Nagar, where residents complained of heavy movement of cars, buses and school vans. Residents of Block A said permanent barriers and locked gates had further restricted traffic flow, making daily commuting difficult, especially during school hours.