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This river was extremely polluted.
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Ultra-modern underground parking, footbridges on the anvil Jalandhar’s Republic day ‘Roll of Honour’
City
colleges host science and technology seminars From the Schools
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This river was
extremely polluted.
If you thought that forefront in the environmental brigade were bored, publicity-strapped socialites or foreign-funded NGOs with a distinct prejudice against the third world, it’s time to do a reality check. The historical rivulet of Kali Bein that covers 160 km, right from Mukerian through Dasuya to Sultanpur, is breathing a fresh whiff of life these days. And a multitude of hands are still toiling to get that sparkle of clean water back — the sparkle that had its roots in the days of Guru Nanak Dev, whose association with the rivulet has been recorded in the annals of the Sikh history. A few years ago, the rivulet was a choked, dirt-strewn bed of hyacinth. People lamented about its once-glorious past. But shouldering the gargantuan task of cleaning it was altogether a different (read difficult) proposition. No one wanted to take up the onerous task. A rather routine meeting of intellectuals organised under the aegis of the NGO Dharat Suhavi had from Seechewal village here suggest that it was time to do away with discussion and get going. The very next day, on July 16, 2000, the “cleaning project” was started. The same day, the road from Seechewal, about 40 km from the city, to Sultanpur Lodhi, through Dalla, was constructed. The task was not easy by any means. It involved clearing the rivulet’s bed, preparing roads, planting trees, construction of dykes, and removal of hyacinths and silt-deposits. There were numerous hitches — lack of official records, farmers’ opposition and the constant flow of polluted water. “When the kar seva began at Sultanpur Lodhi, the Bein was nowhere in sight. Instead, there were heaps of garbage and decaying carcasses of cattle. But the sangat did not lose heart. They continued the cleaning work. Their years of toil have borne fruit. Slit-deposits have been cleared. Beautiful ghats have been constructed. Instead of stinking garbage, it’s a riot of colourful flowers on both sides of the Bein,” says Sant Balbir Singh. Old trees, with gnarled roots, have also been preserved. It’s the community participation that is making this task successful, says the sant. When the work was started, there was initial mistrust among people. Many felt that the task of cleaning the rivulet was too difficult to be undertaken at the community level. However, Sant Balbir Singh’s unflinching commitment to the cause soon made kar seva at Bein popular and now it has even become the raison d’etre of many a kar sevak. The number of kar sevaks have swelled to thousands. The project started from Budho Barkat-Gallowal Bridge upward to Mukerian Hydel Channel to Dhanoa. Later, the downward cleaning was initiated. Villagers from many places, including Gallowal, Budho Barkat, Dhanoa, Terkiana, Begpur, Saidowal, Passi Bet, Kaire, Bhushan, Gilzian, Miani, Pul Pukhta, Bahadur Pur Awana villages, participated in the kar seva. The cleaning is still on in full throttle. Men, women of all ages and even children can be seen contributing their bit to the kar seva. There are no glitzy photo-shoots and no armchair theorising. It’s a straight jump into the rivulet whose glorious past may soon catch up with it, if the sant, the sangat and the kar sevaks have their way. “It’s not only the religious significance of the rivulet that prompted us to start the cleaning project. Rivers and water bodies are precious resources that should be preserved at all costs. And community participation counts a lot,” says the sant, who incidentally is also the sarpanch of Seechewal village. At his village, a school-cum-college, a stadium, a computer centre have been set up with the help of the community participation. The village has a well-planned sewage system and well-laid-out roads. Interestingly, in many developmental works, including the building of roads, village women have been the willing participants. At least 11 slum dwellers, who had never been to school, are now computer literate, and they are basking in their new-found tryst with alphabets and cursor! Controversy stalks the project Controversy has not left even the Kali Bein project untouched. Every year, the government has been giving the contract for fish-catching in rivers and rivulets of the state. Till the last few years, there had been no fish in the Kali Bein. But with the cleaning of the rivulet, it has all changed. “We pleaded with the government that it should not allow fish-catching in the Bein. The rivulet needs constant cleaning, and fish clean up the water ,” says the sant, adding that some influential persons have a self-serving interest in this fish-catching business.
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Ultra-modern underground parking, footbridges on the anvil Finally, city residents have a reason to smile. The local municipal corporation has envisaged an ambitious project to construct ultra-modern underground parking lots and footbridges in different parts of the city at an estimated cost of Rs 11.70 crore. The objective is to do away with traffic congestion and help pedestrians cross busy roads without facing any inconvenience. The plan is being carried out on Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The civic body would not invest anything; private contractors would bear the entire project cost to later recover the same in a stipulated period of time ranging from 5 to 10 years through the collection of toll tax. In the first phase, the corporation has removed two main roundabouts - Guru Nanak Mission Chowk and BMC Chowk - and installed automatic traffic signals at a cost of about Rs 80 lakh to ease the existing traffic congestion. But keeping in view the rapid growth of population in the city in the past one decade and to give the city a modern look to match its status of "NRI hub and sports goods manufacturing centre", easing the traffic congestion is a priority. Haphazard parking on roadsides is one of the main reasons for chaotic traffic situation in the city. Mr Satwant Singh Johl, MC Commissioner, maintains, "We have decided to construct an ultra-modern parking lot at the Nehru Gardens at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, which would have the capacity to park 240 cars and 250 two-wheelers. The work on this ambitious project has already been started and is likely to be completed in a year. A Delhi-based construction firm, working on the BOT basis, would collect toll tax for a period of over 10 years to recover the entire project cost." Similarly, another underground parking lot would be constructed in front of the Narendra Cinema on the GT Road (entry point to the city from the Ludhiana side) at a cost of Rs 4.41 crore, which would cater to the needs of more than 400 cars and 400
two-wheelers. The municipal corporation has also planned to build a parking lot near the Jyoti Chowk, one of the most crowded parts of the city.
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Jalandhar’s
Republic day ‘Roll of Honour’
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Eating
out It is a consistent flavour with which he has been preparing mouth-watering snacks, including vadas, samosas and pakoras in the old city area for the past over 40 years. The outlet of Narian Dass Bare Wala near Phagwara Gate here is one of the most popular shops where evening snacks can be savoured. While the original proprietor of the shop is no more, his two sons, Mr Kamal Malhotra and Mr Sham Malhotra, run the business in two separate shops in the same area. Though vadas and samosas are in maximum demand, pakoras with a filling of paneer, cauliflower and potato are also people’s delight. The most interesting aspect about this simple but unique outlet is that every item is served with pindi chanas and tamarind chutney and that every item costs Rs 5 per piece. The batter for vadas and other necessary preparations are made in morning and the sale of the snacks begins at 3 pm. Most of the times, the trays go empty by 7 pm, though sometimes one can manage to get a few items at 8 pm, too. Another interesting aspect about the eatery is that all snacks are prepared fresh and no item is heated in oil again. (The shops are not furnished with any electrical gadgets like ovens and microwaves). Also, there is not a single drop of oil oozing out of the fried snacks. The two shops get all kinds of customers, from the lower middle class to the upper class. Though both shops do not offer any place to sit, most people enjoy the snacks on roadsides, inside their cars or they get the snacks packed. Mr Kamal Malhotra, the older brother, who has his shop on the Shivaji Park Road, said that he had started the shop some 14 years back, while the other shop dated back to more than 40 years. He said that he had customers from all corners of Jalandhar, adding that many people from Amritsar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana, who frequented the city, were also his regular customers. When asked whether he was using some special ingredient in his snacks, Mr Malhotra replied, “Why should I make my trade secret public?” When asked about his sales, he smiled and said, “Whatever little I earn goes into household expenses. This business is not really lucrative.”
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City colleges host science and technology seminars With an aim to impart information about benefits of education satellite, the need to adopt biotechnology for diversification and to ensure better interaction of students with scientists, various colleges of the city organised seminars and conferences this week. DAV College, Jalandhar, organised a two-day national seminar on "E-Contents on Edusat" on Friday and Saturday. During the seminar, Dr U.R. Rao, Chairman of the Research Council of Physical Research Laboratory, ISRO-DOS and Dr G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), shared their experiences with the students. Dr Nair, who is ranked among the top ten space research experts of the world, expressed concerns on commercialisation of education and the subsequent fall out in the shape of deserving students from poor families opting out of higher education. He maintained that the "Edusat" would cater to almost 54 per cent of the illiterate population of the country to provide proper education facilities at grassroots level. Dr Rao maintained that the "Edusat" would help reduce commercialisation of education in the country. "Presently, acquiring higher education, particularly in the fields of engineering, medical and space sciences, costs a student something between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakh per year, which fails to encourage the deserving students from poor families to go in for higher education. With the introduction of "Edusat", the cost would drastically reduce to Rs 1000 per year per student," revealed Dr Rao. Others who spoke included Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, M.L. Aeri, Principal of DAV College, Professor Harsh Sharma, National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Lalit Sain, Jammu University, S.K. Khurana, DAV College, Jasjit Bhatia and Ritu Gupta, HMV College and Ajay Sharma, Amritsar College of Engineering. Meanwhile, a two-day UGC-sponsored conference on need of biotechnology education was organised by the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Lyallpur Khalsa College, on Saturday and Sunday. Dr. R.C. Sobti, Head, Biotechnology Department, Panjab University, in his keynote address, said that India was known for bio-resources and bio-diversity all over the world. and there is great scope for its development. Dr. K.S. Rai, Notredame University, USA, maintained, "Since biotechnology correlates with life sciences, biophysics and bio-chemistry, inter-disciplinary interaction of experts on regular basis would help in improving research work in different aspects of newly-emerged field of biotechnology." Dr S.S. Gosal, Punjab Agricultural University, said, "Tissue culture methods offer a rich scope for creation, conservation and utilisation of genetic variability for the improvement of fruit, vegetables, forest crops, medicinal and aromatic plants.”
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From the Schools As many as 31 students of government, aided and affiliated schools were honoured at a function organised by the District Education Department at the Red Cross Bhavan here on Tuesday. The students, who were in the merit list during middle, matriculation and senior secondary examinations conducted by the Punjab School Education Board, were given certificates by Mr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner. These students included Deep Shikha and Amarbeer, both Plus Two students. Sonia, Nisha, Palvi, Sunil Thakur, Sudanshu and Rubby were also given awards. As many as 23 students of class X had their names in the merit list. Of these, Hiteshi Sharma of Government Model Co-Educational Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, had obtained the 12th rank in the district. Also three outstanding teachers were honoured for producing excellent results in the session 2004-05. Mr Suresh Kumar Gupta, Hindi teacher of Government High School at Seikhe Pind, Mr Dharam Pal, Hindi teacher of Government Senior Secondary School at Lohian Khas and Mr Jasvir Singh, Punjabi teacher of Government Senior Secondary School at Jamsher Khas were also given appreciation certificates. Besides, 12 government middle schools were presented appreciation letters for producing cent per cent results and 16 government high and senior secondary schools were also issued such letters for achieving good results in the previous year. On the occasion, Mr R.R. Baddan, District Education Officer (Secondary), said that the pass percentage of Plus Two classes had gone up by 9.82 per cent and that of matriculation classes had shot up by 5.85 per cent. He said that the enrolment of the students to these classes had also increased by 1287 students this year. Interaction Addressing the parents, Mr Jonathan Anthony Mason, Head of the Asian Schools for Global Education Management Systems, told them about the working and the management of the schools worldwide. He said that the school would aim at bringing a new approach driven by experience, creativity and a far-reaching global outlook. Mr Mason said that the school would offer an extended day-boarding system, wherein students of classes IV to Plus Two would remain after classes to participate in afternoon activities, enabling them to explore a variety of interests and new skills. He said that the school would be operative from April 1 at Phase II of the Urban Estate. Farewell party: The outgoing batch of class X of Delhi Public School was given a warm adieu by their juniors during a farewell party held on Thursday. The students of class X were welcomed warmly with a tikka ceremony performed by the Principal, Ms G. Bindra. Flower petals were showered on them by class IX students.
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Cultural treat at Kartarpur It was a treat for culture aficionados at the All-India Folk Art Contests held at MGSM Janta College, Kartarpur. A host of cultural events, including folk songs, marriage songs (suhag, sithanian and ghorian), dhadi, var gayen and folk dance, were organised there by the Indian Cultural Association recently. Right from vibrant bhangra to rhythmical ludi from Himachal Pradesh and colourful Rajasthani dance, the cultural rendezvous was a peep into the cultural diversity of northern India. More than 1500 participants from 20 colleges of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi took part in the programme that has been organised annually without break for the past 23 years. There were some interesting moments when classical music expert Sant Jagdish "Rafi" from Khanna rendered shabad in his mesmerising style. However, some of the cultural items could not be presented, as rain played the spoilsport. The rain, however, failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants, who performed their parts with verve.
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Eating out
Mr
Tajinder Singh Bittu: Declared as the “best” administrator among
those of the civic bodies and the improvement trusts in the state, he
has been instrumental in mopping Rs 100 crore revenue for the Jalandhar
Improvement Trust (JIT), which had Rs 35 crore as debt prior to his
appointment as its chairman in June 2003.
Col Sandeep Kumar:
Col Sandeep Kumar, Principal, Sainik School, Kapurthala, has been awarded the Chief of Army Staff commendation, as recognition of his distinguished services to the institution. The award was formally presented to the officer by Maj General
B.J. Gupta, Chief of Staff, HQ 11 Corps and chairman of the local board of administration of the school. Colonel Kumar is the only officer of the AEC who has received this coveted award for the year 2004 for his exemplary service and commendable professional competence.
Capt
I.S. Dhami: Capt I.S. Dhami has dedicated himself to the cause of overall personality development of youth, the generation of employment opportunities for women in rural areas and the initiation of several environment related projects in the district. This Assistant Director, Youth Services Department, was felicitated for his contribution to social, cultural and environmental sectors during the Republic Day function.
Dr Satish K. Kapoor:
Historian and literary critic, Dr Satish K. Kapoor, Director, Centre of Historical Studies, Lyallpur Khalsa College, was honoured for his immense contribution in the field of education. Born on June 28, 1951 at Dhilawan in Kapurthala, Dr Kapoor had his education at DAV College and at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
In 1974, he became the only Indian scholar to be selected by the British Council for study and research in history at the University of London.
It was there that he initiated his work on Swami Vivekananda, which subsequently became his doctoral subject. 
Mr Davinder Singh:
Inspector Davinder Singh, presently posted as Staff Officer to Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Zone at Jalandhar, was decorated with the president police medal for meritorious services on the Republic Day. He started his career with the Punjab Police when he got selected as a probationer Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the year 1988. He remained posted in different districts of Punjab during the days of terrorism. He successfully discharged his duties as SHO in as many as 15 police stations falling in Amritsar, Faridkot, Sangrur, Gurdaspur, Ferozepore, Kapurthala and Khanna before joining the present assignment.
Mr Harinderjit Singh:
Mr Harinderjit Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), presently posted at Shahkot sub division, joined the Punjab Police as a probationer Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in 1983. Later, he was promoted to the rank of inspector and he served as the Station House Officer (SHO) at different police stations of Punjab, including Phagwara, Kapurthala and Jalandhar.
He was awarded the president police medal for meritorious services on the occasion of the Republic Day. “I am thankful to my seniors for guiding me in the right direction. Yes, I am very happy on being felicitated with the highest police medal,” he exclaims.
Professor Lakhbir Singh:
Organising save environment campaign, blood donation camps, special camps for differently-abled have been Professor Lakhbir Singh’s forte. This Founder-President of the NGO “Pahal” is a man on mission. A lecturer at DAV College here, he has organised hundreds of blood donation camps to mobilise over 12000 units of blood since the launch of the “Pahal” in 1996. He is also credited with planting over 1.5 lakh plant saplings in different parts of the state through community participation. Professor Lakhbir Singh was awarded the “Best Social Worker” award (a medal and a certificate) during the state-level Republic Day function.