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3 killed as rain wreaks havoc on
dist
Ludhiana, June 13 The rain, one of the heaviest ever in June in this region, brought life to a standstill as almost all localities in the city were inundated. A dark cover of clouds reduced visibility, forcing motorists to switch on the headlights of their vehicles in the morning. The main Kitchlu Nagar road in front of Dhami Eye Hospital caved in and developed a deep crater on a 60 ft stretch of the road with sewer discharge gushing out of the bowl-like formation. MC officials from the buildings and roads branch went to the spot and put up barricades around the caved-in portion for the diversion of traffic. MC officials said a supporting wall of the manhole chamber of the sewer line fell due to the heavy pressure of sewer discharge and rainwater, causing damage to the road in Kitchlu Nagar. Steps were under way to carry out emergency repair of the road, they said. Accumulated rainwater and overflowing sewer lines entered shops and houses of people in many areas in the old city, including Gokal Road, Rupa Mistry Street, Talab Bazar, Chaura Bazar, Books Market, Partap Bazar, Meena Bazar, Kesar Ganj, Subhani Building, Mochpura, Chhawni Mohalla and several low-lying localities along the GT Road near the Jalandhar bypass. Even posh localities of Sarabha Nagar, BRS Nagar, the Civil Lines, Dugri, Model Town and Domoria Bridge Road, connecting the old city with new localities, remained waterlogged for several hours, creating obstruction in the movement of vehicular traffic till late afternoon. The accumulated rainwater near Dholewal Chowk and all along Gill Road caused major obstruction in the movement of traffic with many cars and other four-wheelers stuck in the middle of the road. A portion of a newly repaired road leading from Gill Road to Daba Road also caved in and an overloaded truck got stuck in it, due to which a part of the road had to be partially closed to vehicular traffic. In Partap Nagar and several other submerged residential and commercial areas, residents and shopkeepers allegedly threw stones at passing vehicles, which were "pushing accumulated rainwater inside their premises", causing damage to merchandise and household items. City Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, accompanied by senior MC officials, visited the site of the road cave-in in Kitchlu Nagar as well as several waterlogged areas to assess the situation. Later, at a meeting of MC officials, both from the buildings and roads branch and the operation and maintenance branch (responsible for sewerage and water supply), the Mayor is reported to have pulled up the staff for their failure to clean up open drains and sewer lines, which were the major cause of the waterlogging. Spokesperson for Congress councillors Parminder Mehta has charged the civic body with negligence in cleaning up open drains in several parts of the city ahead of the rainy season. Two youths electrocuted
Two youths were electrocuted while another one had a miraculous escape after they came in contact with a telephone poll, through which high-voltage power line was running, at the Kot Mangal Singh area here
today. The deceased have been identified as Sahil (22) and Sunny (22), both residents of Gopal Nagar. They were riding a motorcycle along with their friend. Due to waterlogging at Kot Mangal Singh Chowk, their motorcycle skidded while taking a sharp turn. Sunny and Sahil reportedly took the support of a telephone poll to get back on their feet. Residents said high-voltage current was passing through the poll as dangling power cables were touching it. The duo came in contact with the poll and got electrocuted, while their friend had a miraculous escape. Residents rushed to help Sahil and Sunny. They were taken to the Civil Hospital, where they were declared brought dead. ADCP-II Bhupinder Sidhu, ACP-South Mukhtiar Singh and Daba SHO Ashwani Kumar reached the spot.
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PAU Met Dept records 178 mm of rainfall
Ludhiana, June 13
The rain started at around 5.30 am and continued till late in the afternoon.
The agro meteorology department of Punjab Agricultural University recorded 178 mm of rainfall, which is a record.
The department recorded a dip in the minimum as well as the maximum temperature.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 24.4°C, 6°C less than yesterday, and a minimum temperature of 22°C.
The weatherman has predicted rain during the next 24 years. "We are expecting light showers in next 24 hours," said Dr Kulwinder Kaur Gill, agro meteorologist,
PAU.
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Power supply disrupted
Ludhiana, June 13 Disruption in the power supply since early morning was reported from several localities, including the Civil Lines, Haibowal, Daresi Road, BRS Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Model Town, the Industrial Area, Focal Point, Dugri and many residential and commercial areas alongside Ferozepur Road. Most of the affected areas remained without the water supply in the morning as well as in the afternoon due to the power failure, throwing life out of gear. According to KL Sharma, Chief Engineer, Central Zone, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, nearly 100 feeders in the city of the 500-odd feeders, were affected in the morning due to incessant rain and high-velocity winds, which
uprooted trees or caused tree branches to fall on power cables. "As soon as the rain abated, the technical staff swung into action and made feeders operational in a phased manner. In certain areas, cable-end boxes had to be rectified, which needed dry weather conditions. A dozen feeders were still in the process of being made functional," Sharma said. |
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Rain washes away claims of Jagraon admn
Ludhiana, June 13 In fact, the local municipal council had started the work of cleaning the drains only yesterday. The MC staff had cleaned a small part of the drain when the rain started. Though the rain provided much-needed respite to the local residents from the scorching heat, it was a tough time for several others whose houses and shops were inundated. The situation was worst at Old Grain Market where the rainwater entered a majority of the shops. Certain traders claimed they had suffered heavy losses. Similar was the situation on Old Sabzi Mandi Road, Malak Road, at Kamal Chowk, Sadan Market and Rani Jhansi Chowk. The residents have blamed the local Municipal Council for this situation. "The municipal council authorities wake up late every year and till then the rain had already caused a lot of damage. The authorities shall chalk out a plan well in advance to avoid such a situation in the future. The work of cleaning the drains should have started earlier," says Deepak Kumar, a local trader. Municipal Council President Baldev Krishan Dhir said the municipal council had started the work of cleaning the drains to avoid flooding. "We were not expecting such heavy rain at this
stage," added Dhir. Sewage enters houses
in Sahnewal
Many low-lying areas in Sahnewal town were inundated. The drainage got choked as usual. The rainwater and sewage not only flooded the streets but also entered many houses. It was stink and filth all around the whole day. A resident of Sahnewal said: “This is not for the first time that we are encountering such a problem. It has been for years together but now the situation has got out of control. Even mild showers lead to miserable conditions in houses and streets”. The delay in the installation of sewerage in the town has resulted in such a situation. Kulwant Singh Kanti, President of the Sahnewal MC, said: "We will get grant in 10 or 15 days and afterwards we will be able to acquire land for setting up a water treatment plant." The residents of Khanna and Samrala faced a similar situation as the streets were flooded with rainwater. As the work of the widening of the Ludhiana-Ambala highway is under way, the traffic moved at a snail’s pace on the flooded road at Khanna. The other lane of the road has been closed to traffic. Life comes to standstill
in Samrala
At Samrala, most of the areas were inundated with rainwater, bringing life to a standstill. In some areas, including Durlabh Nagar, Khanna road, Chaura Bazar, Dabbi Bazar, Sabzi Mandi Road and Dana Mandi, the rainwater entered houses and shops. As there was no arrangements for pumping the rainwater, the people had to remain indoors for hours. The farmers said this rain was very useful as they were all set to sow paddy. The SDM of Samrala Ghanshiam Thori said though the situation was under control, he had directed the officials concerned to keep a watch on it. He said there was some problem in Sangatpura village but it was taken care of on time. He said the situation at the dhussi bandh was
under control. (With inputs from Jaswant Shetra, Lovleen Bains and Gurminder
Grewal) |
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Officials asked to visit flood-prone areas
Ludhiana, June 13 An official of the Drainage Department said the department officials had been given instructions to visit a 100 km stretch, and file detailed reports after visiting the vulnerable areas. False ceiling comes off at office of Sub-Registrar (W)
Meanwhile, the rain caused damage at several places. At the office of the Sub-Registrar (West), one of the false ceilings collapsed, damaging a few computers. An employee at the office said: "Thank God! There was not much damage as a few tiles of the false ceiling came off. There was a chaos at
the office". The SDM West, KS Mahi, said work to repair the damaged ceiling had been started. "By Monday, the office will function normally". The continuous rain flooded the basement of the Mini-Secretariat. An employee said the basement got flooded every rainy season. "The record has not been damaged, as we keep everything on the upper slabs of almirahs. If it does not rain, water will be pumped out of the basement within a day or two," said the employee. |
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DC tells officials to pull up socks
Ludhiana, June 13 Taking a tough stance against the officials who were absent at the meeting held at Bachat Bhawan, Tiwari asked the Treasury Officer not to release their salaries till further orders. He asked the officials to visit the vulnerable areas, including Gyaspura and Dhandari, and click the pictures of these areas. He also asked them to distribute chlorine tablets among the residents of the area. Tiwari told them that no official would be allowed to leave the station without his permission. A helpline has been launched by the Municipal Corporation and the Health Department. The helpline numbers, 2748412 (MC helpline) and 2444193 (Health dept), will be operational 24 hours for the convenience of the public, said Tiwari. Helpline
A helpline has been launched by the MC and the Health Department. The helpline numbers, 2748412 (MC helpline) and 2444193 (Health dept), will be operational 24 hours for the convenience of the public. |
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Business takes a hit in city
Ludhiana, June 13 Visitors had to face a tough time after the rainwater entered one of the bank branches on Ferozepur Road. "The server of the bank was down on Tuesday, Wednesday was a holiday and today the rainwater played a spoilsport. I had to make an important bank transaction but failed to do so," said a customer at the bank. Ram Parkash, whose shop is located at Basati Bazar, had a tough time as water entered his shop. "It is the problem I face every monsoon as my shop is two feet lower than the road level," he said. Bunty Singla, a shopkeeper at Ghumar Mandi, said customers avoid coming to markets during rain. "It was only in the evening that we had customers otherwise we were sitting idle the whole day watching television," he said. It was the snack and sweetmeat shops that did a good business due to the rain. People were seen making a beeline for samosa and pakora shops in the evening. "It is the best weather to enjoy a hot cup of tea accompanied by hot 'pakoras'. Although I am very particular about my diet, today, I could not help eating pakoras," said Pooja Mahajan. |
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Ludhiana scan Paramjit Singh Gill assumed the charge of Commissioner of Police here today. Gill is the fourth Commissioner of Police of the city ever since the Commissionerate system was introduced here in 2010. Gill's son Param Avtar Singh Gill is serving in the city as Assistant Commissioner Customs and Excise. Review meeting
During the review meeting of the development works, going on in the district, Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tiwari, asked
the officials to finish everything within stipulated time. During a meeting here, Tiwari said employees/officials must adhere to the Right To Service Act and in case of any delay and negligence, the concerned official will be penalised. He said under the MNREGA scheme, employment will be provided to poor
and needy and about Rs 10 crores will be spent. He asked the BDPOs to ensure that unemployed masses got the employment. Besides, he
said on 10,000 hectares of land in the district, maize will be produced instead of wheat and paddy this time. About 80 quintals of seed of
maize had already been distributed till now, he said. Honoured
Ludhiana District Congress Committee (urban) president, Pawan Dewan, was on Wednesday honoured by the Brampton City Centre, Canada. Dewan is currently on a visit to Canada and the United States of America. Dewan said he was quite impressed with the working of the Brampton City Hall which looks after the local government. Appointed
Harish Kairpal, treasurer of the Knitwear Club has
been appointed as District Ambassador- Blood Bank of (Lions Clubs International) District 321-F.
This bank is meant for the needy and poor people. Kairpal has always rendered services in various social activities. Because of his active participation in noble causes he has
been selected for this esteemed post. Turban-tying competition
A turban-tying competitions were organised by Akal Khalsa Welfare
Society on the occasion of Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjun Dev. Manjit Singh stood first in the age group 16-22, Jaskirandeep Singh stood first o the category of 11-16 years while the only participant participated in the age group of 6-10 years
who was declared as winner. — TNS
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PAU Student Home area to be beautified
Ludhiana June 13 Dr Jaskaran Singh, Estate Officer, PAU, and Dr Balwainder Singh, Director Students Welfare, visited Student Home area and ensured PAUSA president that the area would be beautified soon. Sharanbir Singh, president PAUSA, said the officials visited this area and observed the requirement to develop it properly. They have responded to our complaints and suggestions. Dr Balwinder Singh, Director Students Welfare, assured that grills surrounding the cafe and Student Home area would be repaired. Meanwhile, he also assured to install cemented benches. Dr Jaskaran Singh, Estate Officer, PAU, “It has been decided that the area, surrounding Students Home and Cafeteria, would be landscaped. Moreover, as per the demand of students, more dustbins should be provided in the same area.” "We received funds for this purpose some months ago and have asked the students for their suggestions. After getting their feedback from the students, now we are going to beautify the area. The work will be stared soon,” he added. It is worth mentioning here that most of the students are not satisfied with the existing sitting arrangements, fencing and the pathways around the cafe. The cleanliness is also a major issue here. In the absence of proper facilities for disposing off garbage, visitors keep throwing glasses and paper plates in the open.
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Dy DEO conducts inquiry at PAU school
Ludhiana, June 13 An official wishing not to be quoted said the Education Minister, SS
Maluka, had ordered for a fresh probe and statements of the teachers. The words of the student concerned were recorded and detailed report will be submitted to the minister within few days. Meanwhile, the teachers, who recorded the statements and who were asked whether the particular student had attended the classes, were tight-lipped. One of them said, "You know everything. I would not like to comment on anything." It may be mentioned here that there were allegations that the particular student had not attended the classes. Not only were his lectures taken care of by the school but also he was promoted with all the assessment/marks etc. School principal, Sanjiv
Thapar, when asked about the issue, said there was an enquiry regarding some issue. "I do not wish to talk to the media about it," said the principal.
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500 tonnes of wheat found damaged
Our Correspondent
Mandi Gobindgarh, June 13 The wheat had been stored in the open. District manger, Inderpreet Singh, said, “I have joined recently. An inquiry of responsibility will be marked against the officials concerned for their negligence.” He further said, “The wheat was stored in the year 2009-10, 2010-11. The gunny bags of plastic have been used instead of jute bags.” Former minister, Dalip Singh Pandhi, a social worker Dr Raghbir Shukla, who were also present at the site said, “The wheat, which should have been provided to the needy has been causing pollution and has caused a big loss to the government in the shape of rent for storage, the loss should be recovered from the officials responsible for the negligence.
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Most offices flooded in Mandi Ahmedgarh
Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 13 The flooded roads and compounds of the government buildings, including the Town Hall, exposed the ill-preparedness of the civic authorities. However, civic body chief Ravinder Puri claimed they had strengthened the sewerage system to cope with future situations. Life came to a standstill in the morning when the heavy rain flooded the low-lying areas, including the railway road, Jawahar Nagar, Mahavir Road, Dehliz Road, Gandhi Chowk and the Bhagat Singh Chowk areas. Though the civic body staff had been engaged in removing silt from the choked sewers, the residents of the Dhulkot, Mahavir, Amarpura, Dehliz, Bajrang Akhara Roads, Jagera, Jawahar Nagar, Bank Street and the railway station areas had a harrowing time today. Pedestrians, including students, were the worst sufferers. The residents had urged the higher authorities to impress upon the municipal council authorities to expedite the cleaning and strengthening of the sewerage system.
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Boy drowns in rainwater pool at construction site
Jagraon, June 13 The incident took place at around 3:30 pm when Gagandeep was going for some work. When he reached near Swami Roop Chand Jain Senior Secondary School, he fell into a pool of rainwater formed at one of the shop sites. The site had been dug up to 7 or 8 feet for carving out a basement, sources said. Some nearby residents raised an alarm when they saw the boy drowning. Soon, a police team arrived at the scene and the boy was pulled out of the pool with the help of a diver. He was taken to the Civil Hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. Meanwhile, members of the boy's family reached the hospital. They refused to get a post-mortem examination of the body conducted and took the body after little argument with a policeman who tried to stop them. They blamed the local Municipal Council authorities for the boy's death. "I lost my son only because of the negligence on the part of the municipal council authorities who did not take up necessary safety measures while digging up the shop site," alleged Sukhpal Singh, the boy's father. Jagraon SHO Mohamad Jamil said: "We have been holding talks with the boy's family and appropriate action will be taken against the guilty," said Jamil.
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Summer camp
Ludhiana: A 15-day summer camp, organised by Little Steps Preschool, concluded here on Thursday. During the camp, children learnt how to defend themselves during crisis. Besides, children also learned dance, drawing, art & craft, English and enhanced their skills under the professional guidance of trainers. Closing ceremony
Closing ceremony of a summer camp was organised at DRV DAV Public School, Phillaur, here on Wednesday. The camp was held from May 30 to June 12. Students enjoyed craft as well as spoken English classes.
— TNS
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Man crushed to death under truck
Ludhiana, June 13 Kamal Parshad, a resident of Chandigarh, currently residing at Urban Estate, Dugri, said he alongwith his maternal uncle, Bobby, who worked as a class IV employee in the irrigation department, were heading towards Shimlapuri chowk. When they reached at the traffic lights near Pahwa Hospital, a speeding truck over his uncle and crushed him to death. Man robbed of
Rs 2,000
The Salem Tabri police has booked two unidentified youths for attacking a man with a sharp-edged weapon and snatching Rs 2000 cash here yesterday. A case has been registered on the complaint of the victim, Neeraj Kumar Rathore. Vehicle thieves nabbed
The city police has nabbed a five vehicle lifters in two different raids here yesterday. The accused have been identified as Parkash Thapa and Raju, both residents of Dholewal, Satvir and Amandeep of Sahnewal and Harjit Singh, residents of Amritsar. Company booked for not lifting biomedical waste
The local police has booked Sembramby Environment Management Private Limited, of Gulmohar Avenue Raj Bhawan in Hyderabad for criminal breach or trust and cheating. A case has been registered following the complaint of Medical Superintendent of Dayanand Medical & College and Hospital. According to the complainant, the company was given the contract of lifting and disposing he biomedical waste of hospital. The medical superintendent stated the company failed to comply with the terms and condition of he contract. 26-year-old man
commits suicide
A 26-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his house in Preet Nagar near Manakwal village here today. The deceased has been identified as Arvinder Singh. Sources said that he was suffering from depression. Man found dead
A 25-year-old man was found died on a roof of a house in Prabhat Nagar near Vishwa Karma Chowk here today. The deceased has been identified as Jatin. The reason behind the incident was yet to be ascertained. Two booked for
assaulting doctor
The Daresi police has booked two unidentified persons for attacking a medical superintendant of a private hospital. The victim has been identified as Dr Yashpal Mehta. The incident took place here yesterday, when Dr Yashpal Mehta was heading towards the hospital. He said that when he reached near Daresi, two unidentified persons, riding on a scooter hit him with a sharp edged weapon. He got injured and the duo fled the scene. The police has registered a case and started the investigation.
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Man arrested with smack
Jagraon, June 13 Giving details of the drug recovery during a press conference, Jagraon DSP, Surinder Kumar, informed that a police team, led by Jagraon Sadar police station, SHO Rachpal Singh Dhindsa, arrested the accused, Harmesh during a routine patrolling at Sherpur Kalan-Leelan Megh Singh link road today morning. "This is one of the largest consignments of drug seized by the local police in recent years. As per a rough estimate, the market value of the drug seized by SHO Rachpal Singh Dhindsa and his team, stands around Rs 4 lakh," said DSP Surinder Kumar. DSP Surinder Kumar said, a police team, led by SHO Dhindsa, was patrolling on the Sherpur Kalan-Leelan Megh Singh link road, when the police saw a motorcyclist coming from the opposite side. "On seeing the police team, the motorcyclist got afraid and took a U-turn on his mobike, which made us suspicious. We chased and nabbed him at some distance. After searching him, we recovered smack from a bag that he was carrying," said SHO Dhindsa. "Following which we seized the drug and arrested the accused. The police has also impounded the motorcycle (PB 25 E 5976) being used by the accused for drug peddling. The total weight of the seized drug is 960 grams. A case has been registered against the accused at Jagraon Sadar police station under the NDPS Act and police has started the investigation," said the SHO. Dhindsa further informed that during the preliminary investigation, the accused revealed that he had received the drug consignment from his brother-in-law, Tirlok Singh. The efforts to search Tirlok are on,
he added.
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