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P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7:10 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:47 AM SUNDAY | 9 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA SDM serves show-cause notice on NHAI over fatal pothole accident Shivani Bhakoo WHAT KHANNA SDM SWATI TIWANA SAYS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 Following the death of Amarjit Singh, a resident of Ratanheri village, in a road mishap near Khanna, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Khanna, has served a show-cause notice and recommended legal proceedings against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for alleged negligence. The deceased, Amarjit Singh, the sarpanch of Ratanheri, lost control over his twowheeler due to a large pothole on the carriageway. He fell on the road and was run over by a truck coming from the rear, resulting in his death on the spot on Friday. A police investigation into the incident has already been ordered. Swati Tiwana, SDM, Khanna, said the prima facie cause of the accident was the presence of a deep pothole on a stretch of the national highway, the development, maintenance and management of which Swati Tiwana, SDM, Khanna, said the prima facie cause of the accident was the presence of a deep pothole on a stretch of the national highway, the development, maintenance and management of which stand statutorily vested in the National Highways Authority of India. stand statutorily vested in the NHAI under Section 16 of the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988, read with the National Highways Act, 1956. “The duty to keep the carriageway in a safe and motorable condition, whether discharged directly or through a concessionaire/maintenance contractor, is absolute as liability to road users is concerned. The existence of a hazardous pothole on a toll-bearing/maintained highway stretch, without repair, barricading, signage or warning constitutes gross negligence. We have written to the Project Director regarding the matter as one life is already lost,” she said. The show-cause notice asks why responsibility for death caused by negligence should not be fixed upon the NHAI and its maintenance contractor/concessionaire. Timelines for identification and rectification of potholes and other surface defects are prescribed under the applicable concession/maintenance agreements and periodic road safety inspections are mandated on all NH stretches. The occurrence of a fatality attributable to a basic maintenance failure indicates a serious breach of these obligations by NHAI and/or its agencies. The show-cause notice further states: “In view of the above, you are hereby called upon to show cause, within 24 hours of receipt of the notice, as to why responsibility for the death caused by negligence should not be fixed upon the NHAI and its concessionaire/maintenance contractor for the stretch and the matter referred to the investigating agency for proceedings under Section 106 of the BNS and other applicable provisions of law against officials/agencies found responsible; and why the names and particulars of the officials, engineers and contractor personnel responsible for maintenance and inspection of the stretch should not be conveyed to the police for the purpose of the ongoing investigation and why the matter should not be reported to the Regional Officer, NHAI, and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for appropriate departmental and contractual action, including imposition of penalties under the concession/maintenance agreement”. The SDM has further directed the NHAI to carry out immediate repair of the pothole/defective stretch at Ratanheri and undertake a safety audit of the entire NH stretch falling in the Khanna sub-division and submit the report about the same along with the reply. The SDM further said in case of failure to submit a satisfactory reply within the stipulated period, it shall be presumed that the NHAI had nothing to state in its defence and further action as warranted under law would be taken accordingly, besides recommending action to the competent authorities. The safety of road users was a matter of highest priority for the district administration and lapses resulting in loss of human life would be viewed with utmost seriousness. Youth shot dead over rivalry Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 A youth was gunned down late on Friday night in the Swatantar Nagar locality on Tibba Road here allegedly over an old enmity. The deceased has been identified as Harjinder Singh (24). He was present in the area when members of a rival group came in a car and opened indiscriminate firing. The assailants fired rounds to kill the victim. Some bullets were also fired in the air to create panic in the area. The victim had gone to return a Honda Activa to his friend when he was attacked. Harjinder sustained five bullet injuries in different parts of the body and collapsed on the road, bleeding profusely. He was rushed to the CMCH but succumbed to his injuries on the way. Doctors declared him brought dead. Eyewitnesses said the sound of continuous gunfire left residents scurrying for safety. After the attack, the assailants fled the scene with their weapons. The deceased was also accompanied by his friends but they could not do anything and had to flee to save their lives. One of the friends of the deceased also pelted stones at the assailants but the latter opened fire at him. Fortunately, his friend did not suffer any injury. After getting information, senior police officers and the Station House Officer of the Tibba police station reached the scene. Empty cartridges were also recovered from the spot. CCTV camera footage from nearby cameras is being examined. SHO, Tibba police station, inspector Gagandeep Singh, said two main suspects were identified based on statements given by the victim’s family members. A case of murder was also registered and raids were being conducted to arrest the culprits. “The deceased was a electrician and he had some enmity with two of the suspects due to which he was attacked. Illegal weapons must have been used in the crime,” he said. Cops conduct a probe into the firing case in Ludhiana. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN Technical snag delays Halwara Seechewal slams civic body officials as drain to Delhi flight by four hours pumps remain non-functional for 20 days Shivani Bhakoo Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 Passengers going to Delhi from the Halwara airport in an afternoon flight on Friday had to suffer inconvenience due to some technical issue after the flight was delayed by around four hours. Of the total 57 passengers who boarded the plane, 27 opted to cancel their journey due to the delay. As per information, an Air India flight (AI-484) bound for Delhi from Ludhiana’s Halwara International Airport around 2:40 pm, encountered trouble just before take-off on Friday. As the aircraft was moving towards the runway, a loud noise was heard coming from it by the pilot, who decided not to proceed further. Jagir Singh, Director, Halwara Airport, said on hearing the noise, the pilot decided not to take-off till the issue was resolved. Ludhiana, August 8 During the 41st review meeting on the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Buddha Dariya, Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal reprimanded officials of the Municipal Corporation and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) over their functioning and lack of timely action. During the meeting, it came to light that pumps installed at the pumping station near Gurdwara Gau Ghat Sahib to lift polluted water have remained nonfunctional for the past 20 days. Expressing displeasure over the issue, Seechewal questioned the Municipal Corporation officials for failing to inform him about the malfunctioning pumps. While the issue was being discussed, another serious lapse came to light regarding the temporary pond constructed under the Seechew- As many as 27 of 57 passengers cancel their journey due to the delay. Instead, he returned the aircraft back to the apron. After finding some technical issues, all passengers were deplaned and safely transported to the terminal building by a bus. The aircraft underwent an inspection by a team of experts and after necessary procedures were completed, the flight departed for Delhi with a delay of around four hours. Passengers had to wait for about four hours at the air- port due to the delay. However, officials from Air India and the Airports Authority of India refused to provide any details regarding the technical fault or the loud noise heard from the aircraft. There were 57 passengers on board the Delhi-bound flight. After coming to know about the four-hour delay, 27 passengers cancelled their journey. The flight finally departed for Delhi at 7 PM, which usually takes off from Halwara at 2:40 pm. RS MP Balbir Singh Seechewal and officials during a review meeting on the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Buddha Dariya. al Model near the Tajpur Dairy Complex. Officials informed the meeting that cow dung had not been removed from the pond for nearly three weeks. When questioned about the delay, the corporation officials said the cow dung could not be removed as there was no suitable place available for its disposal. Seechewal expressed surprise at the explanation and said he was available round the clock for the cleaning of the Buddha Dariya, yet the matter was not brought to his attention. Sant Seechewal said around five-and-a-half acres of land was available at Bhukhri Khurd village, where the cow dung could be disposed of appropriately. Sant Seechewal made it clear that no waste or pollution would be allowed to enter the Buddha Dariya under any circumstances. He said there had been a significant improvement in the quality of water in the dariya due to sustained efforts. He also appealed to the people of Ludhiana to come forward and help preserve their natural and historical heritage. He further directed that strict action be taken against the 21 illegal dairies operating in the area. During the meeting, 26 points were discussed in detail, while action taken reports from previous review meetings were also presented. Seechewal expressed displeasure over the lack of appropriate action on decisions taken during earlier meetings. He said regular meetings were being held to make the Buddha Dariya pollution-free but the situation would continue to remain unchanged unless concrete action was taken on the ground. He said if the directions issued during previous meetings were not being implemented, there was lit- tle purpose in holding repeated meetings. He stressed the need to make officials accountable and ensure that all pending works were completed within a fixed timeframe. The meeting also discussed several other important issues, including preventing dairies from discharging cow dung and urine into the river and plantation along the banks of the dariya. Seechewal made it clear that the cleaning of the dariya should not remain confined to review meetings, but must produce visible results on the ground. He directed officials to submit a comprehensive report on the action taken on decisions of previous meetings and to complete all pending works immediately. He said making the Buddha Dariya pollution-free was a collective responsibility and warned that any kind of negligence in the matter would not be tolerated. Centralised malkhana digitisation to become reality soon Bihar man stabbed Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 8 The police will no longer be allowed to keep manual record of case properties as the long-pending digitisation of records at a centralised malkhana is finally set to become a reality. Under the new system, all seized items and case-related materials will be properly catalogued, stored and tracked at a single secure facility through a specially designed software at centralised malkhanas at every police district in the state, improving accountability and ending the practice of keeping evidence manual registers. ADGP , ANTF , Nilabh Kishore, along with SSP , System likely to be launched across state police dists on Aug 15 ADGP (ANTF) Nilabh Kishore inspects the centralised malkhana of the Khanna police district on Saturday. Khanna, Darpan Ahluwalia, and other senior police officials, on Saturday inspected the centralised malkhana of the Khanna police district. During the visit, the Drug Disposal Committee and the centralised malkhana team were briefed on the proper maintenance of all prescribed forms, registers and records in accordance with the standing order and other relevant provisions of the NDPS Rules, 2022. c m y b The inspection was conducted as part of the preparations for the launch of the Malkhana Management and Disposal Tracking System (MMDTS), aimed at ensuring greater transparency, accountability and efficient management of case property. The system will become reality with its official launch on August 15. Dr Ahluwalia said: “Basically no case property is being stored in police stations now. All goes to Centralised Malkhana under double vault sealed system with CCTV coverage. Till now, the centralised malkhanas has been keeping manual record but the new system will digitise the entire record setting and stop the practice of keep- ing manual registers. It prevents pilferage of drugs as every movement is monitored. Now, the system is being upgraded to a software format. It will also aid in pin pointing the responsibility of one person in such a case. The centralised room will be under the supervision of the DSP NDPS.” , The SSP said under the new centralised system within 48 hours, all police stations were bound to deposit the items as much time is required to conduct inventory proceedings and other legal formalities at police stations. In case of any delay beyond that, written reasons have to be given to justify the delay in submitting the case properies. to death in Raikot Ludhiana, August 8 A man was stabbed to death in Kishangarh Chhanna of Raikot ?in ?Ludhiana district. His body was found near the fields. The deceased has been identified as Parkash Kumar, a native of Bihar. He worked as a labourer in the fields. In a complaint to the police, the deceased’s uncle, Kuldev Rishidev, said Parkash had gone to work on Sukhjeevan Singh’s farm as usual. He returned home for lunch every day but he failed to reach home on Friday. Around 3 pm, he and Rajiv Kumar reached the farm. They found Parkash’s body lying near the tubewell room. The body had an injury mark on the back. On receiving information, officials from the Raikot Sadar police station reached the scene. The police took custody of the body and sent it to the mortuary of a government hospital. The body will be handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination on Saturday. The police officials said a murder case was registered against an unidentified suspect. Details of the murder and circumstances surrounding the incident will be revealed after the arrest of the suspect. — TNS