23042024-LT-01.qxd 4/23/2024 12:56 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PMJAY IMPLEMENTATION BELOW PAR AT CIVIL HOSPITAL TAYLOR SWIFT CELEBRATES SUCCESS OF HER 11TH ALBUM HARINGTON ‘NOT INTERESTED’ IN PLAYING HEROIC ROLES Civil Surgeon’s recent visit to Civil Hospital revealed shortcomings in the implementation of PMJAY. P2 Taylor Swift has all reasons to express excitement over success of The Tortured Poets Department. P4 English actor Kit Harington says he would enact ‘anti-hero-ish’ roles after Game of Thrones. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.55 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:46 AM TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | LUDHIANA Highest number of oldest voters, third lowest first-timers in Ludhiana LS seat Total electorates second highest in state, 438 voters aged above 100 years INDIA VOTES 15,83,971 electorates and 1,688 polling stations at 933 locations, Ferozepur 16,65,712 electors and 1,902 polling stations at 1,180 locations, Bathinda 16,46,142 electorates and 1,814 polling stations at 918 locations, Sangrur 15,53,985 electors and 1,765 polling stations at 1,056 locations, and the Patiala Lok Sabha seat has so far registered the highest count of 17,96,455 voters and 2,077 polling stations at 1,223 locations. 2024 Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 22 The Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency has the highest number of oldest voters in the state while the count of first-time electors was third lowest among all 13 parliamentary seats in the state, official figures have revealed. The total number of electors in Ludhiana, spread across nine Assembly segments in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, was second highest in the state, according to the latest updated electoral rolls. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C told The Tribune on Monday that the total count of electors as on April 19 had touched 2,13,78,369. He said as many as 5,19,286 first-time voters, aged 18 and 19 years, have so far been enrolled in the state. Among other age groups, as many as 40,33,417 electorates were aged between 20 and 29 years, 55,94,507 between 30 and 39 years, 42,05,781 between 40 and 49 years, 31,57,501 between 50 and 59 years, 22,56,453 between 60 and 69 years, 11,59,178 between 70 and 79 years, 3,85,970 between 80 and 89 years, 61,114 between 90 and 99 years, 4,803 between 100 and 109 years, 156 between 110 and 119 years, and 203 electors were aged 120 Ludhiana’s max voters aged 30-39 years In a bid to reach out to all sections of society, especially specially-abled, DC Sakshi Sawhney (extreme right) launches video helpline number for speech and hearing-impaired voters in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO STATE PROFILE VOTERS 2,13,78,369 Total: Service: 1,06,271 NRI: 1,597 Differently abled: 1,57,257 years and above. While there were 1,06,271 service voters across all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the count of differently abled electorates was 1,57,257. Besides, there were 1,597 NRI voters as well, which included 1,213 male and 384 female. The gender ratio, as per the current voters’ lists, has touched 900, which was above 893 gender ratio as per Census, while the electoral population (EP) ratio has reached 682, which was again above 675 EP ratio as per the Census report. AGE COHORT 18-19: 20-29: 30-39: 40-49: 50-59: 60-69: 5,19,286 40,33,417 55,94,507 42,05,781 31,57,501 22,56,453 70-79: 11,59,178 80-89: 3,85,970 90-99: 61,114 100-109: 4,803 110-119: 156 120 & above: 203 Sibin said all electorates registered in the state have been issued election photo identity cards (EPICs) by achieving 100 per cent coverage on this front. There were a total of 24,433 polling stations at 14,674 locations spread across 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state. The data of Lok Sabha segment-wise voters, polling stations and locations showed that Gurdaspur has 16,01,598 electors and 1,895 polling stations at 1,325 locations, Amritsar has 16,04,802 voters and 1,676 Gender ratio: 900 EP ratio: 682 EPIC coverage: 100% Polling stations: 24,433 Polling locations: 14,674 polling stations at 889 locations, Khadoor Sahib 16,61,540 electors and 1,974 polling stations at 1,240 locations, Jalandhar 16,47,705 electorates and 1,951 polling stations at 1,146 locations, Hoshiarpur 15,98,233 voters and 1,963 polling stations at 1,370 locations, Anandpur Sahib 17,22,732 electors and 2,066 polling stations at 1,421 locations, Ludhiana 17,47,383 electorates and 1,842 polling stations at 774 locations, Fatehgarh Sahib 15,48,111 electors and 1,820 polling stations at 1,199 locations, Faridkot The maximum of 4.49,474 voters in the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency were aged between 30 and 39 years. Among other age brackets, as many as 35,052 electors were first-timers aged 18 to 19 years, 2,89,700 aged between 20 and 29 years, 3,76,430 between 40 and 49 years, 2,79,887 between 50 and 59 years, 1,88,821 between 60 and 69 years, 93,441 between 70 and 79 years, 29,440 between 80 and 89 years, 4,700 between 90 and 99 years, 328 between 100 and 109 years, eight between 110 and 119 years, and 102 electorates were aged 120 years and above in Ludhiana. Aim to enrol each eligible: CEO “Our aim is to enrol each and every eligible resident as a voter and to achieve the same, we are continuing with the revision of electoral rolls. The entire election machinery has been asked to ensure that no resident aged 18 years and above should be left out of the voters’ lists,” said Sibin C, CEO, Punjab. Extortion calls: Police seize seven moreguns, SSP’s stamp from duo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 22 Days after the arrest of two suspects for allegedly demanding extortion from a city resident, the police claimed to have seized seven more pistols, another SUV, a stamp of the senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Jagraon (Ludhiana rural), three registration number plates and photos of the suspects wearing the uniform of a DSP . Cops address mediapersons in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Photos of suspects wearing DSP’s uniform, another SUV among other items seized Earlier, a .32 bore pistol, five mobile phones and an SUV were seized from them. The police had earlier arrested two suspects, Tejinderpal Singh (47) of Kotmana near Sidhwan Bet, and Amritpal Singh (32) of Mullanpur village. They were arrested in a case registered at the Sarabha Nagar police station during the investigation of a complaint lodged by industrialist Gaurav Mittal, who alleged that the duo had demanded Rs 3 crore in extortion from him. On Monday, Commissioner of Police (CP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal stated that Tejinderpal is facing six FIRs registered at different police stations, four in Ludhiana district, one each in Barnala and Moga districts. He said the police had recovered two SUVs, eight pistols, cartridges, five mobile phones, photos of the sus- pects wearing the uniform of a Punjab DSP two handcuffs, , a stamp of the SSP Jagraon , police (Ludhiana rural), three number plates, and other documents from the suspects. Further investigation into the matter was underway. The police are investigating the origin of the suspects’ income and how they managed to purchase land, weapons and two SUVs recovered from their possession. During questioning, the police came to know that they had procured eight weapons from Madhya Pradesh. According to the police, their modus operandi involves targeting affluent businessmen, conducting reconnaissance and gathering details about their family members. After collecting all necessary information, including phone numbers, they forward it to an accomplice residing in a foreign country. The person then contacts the target and demand money after threatening. On April 19, the Sarabha Nagar police apprehended two suspects who had demanded Rs 3 crore in extortion from a city-based industrialist, Gaurav Mittal. After questioning, a senior police official had also claimed to have solved another extortion case in which the duo had demanded Rs 1 crore from a city-based doctor, Daman Makkar. An FIR in this regard was registered at the Sarabha Nagar police station. Furthermore, another FIR was lodged against the suspects at Model Town police station under Sections 384, 506 and 34 of the IPC on April 20. Complainant Gaurav Virmani, a resident of Model Town, informed the police that on January 27, he received a call from a foreign number and the caller demanded Rs 2 crore extortion. About two weeks before receiving the call, a Toyota Fortuner had followed him on the road. Later, on April 8, he received another extortion call from the same caller, demanding Rs 2 crore again. He then filed a police complaint. Youngster killed Move door to door to boost elector Ranjit Singh Dhillon over petty dispute turnout, admn tells election officials isSAD candidate Ludhiana, April 22 A youngster was allegedly killed by two persons in the old grain market of Jagraon. The deceased has been identified as Shamsher Singh Gopi (21) of Karnail Gate of Jagraon. It is alleged that the suspects, identified as Lovish Kumar and his father Balram, stabbed Gopi over a dispute involving Rs 200. On receiving information about the incident, the police reached the scene and start- ed an investigation in the case. A case has been registered against the duo. Lovish and Shamsher had allegedly clashed over a dispute yesterday. However, they were reportedly pacified at that time by some people. The suspects attacked the victim with a sharp weapon on Monday. He was rushed to a hospital but did not survive. The police said efforts were being made to arrest them. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 22 In a bid to increase voter turnout in areas witnessing low turnout in past elections, the district administration has directed booth-level officers (BLO), supervisors and other officials concerned to move door-to-door for encouraging residents to exercise their right to vote in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. Assistant Commissioner Krishna Pal Rajpoot conducted a meeting in this regard with the BLOs, supervisors and SVEEP nodal officer on Monday and issued necessary directions to the officials concerned. The officials stated that there were 15 such polling stations in Ludhiana South, North and West, which had witnessed less than 40 per cent voter turnout in the Lok Sabha 2022 elections and Vidhan Sabha elections held in 2022. These included different areas of Sherpur Kalan, Sherpur khurd, Giaspura and areas falling under the polling stations of Government School, near Jagraon bridge, etc. Besides conducting regular SVEEP activities to encourage the residents to cast their votes during the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, the BLOs and supervisors have been directed to conduct door- to-door voter awareness drives in these areas to encourage the voters. Assistant Commissioner Krishna Pal Rajpoot said working on the directions of District Election Officer (DEO)-cum-Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney, the administration had been making all efforts to achieve the target of over 70 per cent voter turnout in the elections (Iss Baar, 70 Paar). Ludhiana, April 22 Putting speculations at rest, the SAD (Badal) today declared its candidate Ranjit Singh Dhillon from Ludhiana for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. After meetings and feedback rounds, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced the candidate from Ludhiana along with Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Chandigarh. Ranjit Singh Dhillon was member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 2012-2017. Where do you stand on pollution, environmentalists ask candidates Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 22 While conveying a message to candidates contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana, environmentalists demanded from them to clarify their stance on environmental protection. They asked the candidates to elucidate their agenda for the prevention of pollution in the Buddha Dariya (commonly known as the Buddha Nullah) and the Sutlej. Despite promises from politicians and officials, pollution in the nullah remains evident. At Walipur Kalan village, where the drain merges into the Sutlej, two distinct water shades persist — one black on the Walipur side and Say polluted Sutlej, Buddha Dariya, other water bodies major concerns for them A part of the Buddha Nullah near Chand Cinema. INDERJEET VERMA the other relatively clear. Notably, the Rejuvenation of Buddha Dariya project, worth Rs 650 crore, was launched in December 2020. Initially scheduled for completion by December 2022, with an extended deadline of March 2024, the pollution problem persists. Environmental activists raised questions over the alleged silence of most candidates on the issue. Environmentalist from Ludhiana, Col JS Gill (retd) stated: “With the approaching Lok Sabha elections, we intend to scrutinise environmental stances of all candidates. We will evaluate their plans for combating air, water and soil pollution and expect full disclosure of their strategies for ensuring the cleanliness of water bodies such as the Sutlej and the Buddha Dariya along with other water bodies. Moreover, we demand clarity on how they propose to ensure breathable air and chemicalfree soil. Additionally, we seek assurances on how they plan to advocate for these environmental concerns in Parliament, if elected.” “Our primary objective is c m y b the restoration of the environment and we advocate for stringent punishment for polluters. Notably, our city suffered a significant gas tragedy in Giaspura last year, resulting in the loss of 11 lives, yet no perpetrators have faced consequences. Candidates who do not prioritise environmental protection will face rejection,” he said. A senior member of the Public Action Committee, established to safeguard the Mattewara Forest and the Sutlej River, Col CM Lakhanpal (retd), said they had been running campaigns to combat pollution in the Buddha Dariya and Sutlej for years. He highlighted the continuous dumping of industrial effluents, untreated sewage and various other types of waste into the dariya, with little to no concrete action taken against the primary polluters. The polluted water not only affects the dariya but also pollutes the Sutlej. Furthermore, he pointed out that the polluted water from the Bhattian drain is also being discharged into the Sutlej. Colonel Lakhanpal emphasised: “Now, it is imperative for all candidates to clarify their stance on preventing pollution in the Sutlej, Buddha Dariya and other drains in the city. We are committed to escalating our awareness campaign to engage the public in environmental protection efforts.” Environmental activists from across the state, along with Balbir Singh Seechewal (now Rajya Sabha MP), also ran a campaign before the previous Assembly elections in the state. They had also distributed ‘green manifesto’ copies among the people during the drive. One of the activists said many politicians usually remain silent on the serious issue of pollution in water bodies as they allegedly have “close links” with polluters. He said all candidates must give in writing their agenda to prevent pollution in water bodies and protection of the environment. He also questioned alleged flaws in the working of existing three common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) of dyeing units and one of a private firm. Instead of releasing water from the CETPs into the Buddha Dariya, it must be reused by the industries, he added. Dhillon was elected as an MLA from Ludhiana East in 2012 and remained in office till 2017. In 2017, he lost to Congress candidate Sanjay Talwar. Now, Ludhiana will see a contest between Ravneeet Bittu from the BJP Ranjit Singh , Dhillon from the SAD (B), Ashok Parashar Pappi from AAP and Amritpal Singh from the SAD (A) while the Congress is yet to declare its candidate. — TNS 2 girls go missing from Model Town Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 22 An unidentified person has been booked for wrongful confinement after two female students went missing from Model Town here. Baldev Singh of Shivaji Nagar complained to the police that his daughter, along with her friend, had gone towards the tuition market in Model Town on a scooter after attending school on April 20. He said both girls, including his daughter and her friend, had been missing since then. He suspects that some unidentified person has wrongfully confined them. A case under Section 346 of the IPC was registered at the Model Town police station. — TNS
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