Ludhiana: In a massive security breach, thieves broke into the non-functional municipal corporation carcass utilisation plant in Noorpur Bet and stole high-value machinery parts, electrical panels, and motors worth an estimated Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 crore. The heist has raised serious questions about administrative vigilance, as the civic body had recently deployed security guards at the facility.According to civic body’s superintending engineer Sham Lal Gupta, the planned theft occurred under the cover of darkness on the night of May 14 and 15. The thieves systematically dismantled and hauled away heavy industrial equipment.Following a complaint by Gupta, the Ladhowal police registered a case against unidentified suspects under Sections 331 (4) and 305 of the BNS and initiated an investigation.The incident has sparked severe political backlash regarding public asset safety. Former councillor Mamta Ashu publicly questioned how thieves could execute such a heavy-machinery heist at a guarded govt facility without local connivance. She demanded a high-level inquiry specifically targeting the role of the security personnel stationed at the plant.The theft adds to a long list of troubles for the Noorpur Bet facility, which has turned into a massive white elephant for the civic body. Though ready for inauguration in July 2021, intense protests by locals have prevented it from operating, save for a single week. To protect the idle asset, the Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) had recently sanctioned Rs 6.38 lakh annually to hire three security guards.Civic body officials confirmed that the stolen machinery and valuables were covered under an insurance policy, and the matter is being pursued with the police to apprehend the culprits.The facility is currently the subject of a pending petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Prior to the heist, civic officials were already exploring alternate locations to shift the plant entirely—a relocation project estimated to cost an additional Rs 2 crore.
