Jalandhar, July 26
All those candidates contesting the Municipal Corporation elections from Ward 17 will have to face a tough challenge in the next two weeks. Residents of this ward are irked with all sorts of problems like glaring encroachments, poor drainage system, bad roads, heaps of non-decomposable waste along roadside, unclean water and unhygienic surroundings.

With so many problems, the forthcoming elections have no charm left for over 1,200 voters from Madrasi Mohalla and Qazi Mandi, the two dirtiest colonies of the city. “Councillors come and go, but adequate civic amenities continue to elude us. During their only visits at the time of election, these so-called councillors make tall promises of improving our lot but later they vanish. Even our innumerable complaints to the MC officials have gone futile, the residents said.

One actually needs to take cudgels to reach the two colonies that fall just next to each other. Following a bumpy road underneath Damoria Bridge, one needs to turn right and again cross a 100 metre long passage full of mud and filth to reach the entrance of the colonies.

As one enters Madrasi Mohalla, hordes of plastic bags strewn along the sides and sewage water accords a welcome. Swarms of mosquitoes can be seen on the still water, which emits foul smell too. “A few months ago the MC had laid a new sewerage but the same remains choked too. Water remains clogged on the roads but it appears the officials are least bothered about it. No one from the MC comes to clear the drains. Not only does the dirty water pose a serious health hazard to our children but also causes innumerable problems,” said Madhu, while showing her two-year-old son who had mosquito bites all over his face.

The last lane of the colony connects with a road, which leads to the PSEB office. Almost a 500 metre stretch of this road is completely worn out. “Even the officials coming in their cars or otherwise have to pass through it to reach there. There are pigs rolling about in the smelly, blackish and swampy area. We had planned to make the candidates walk on this stretch during their visit with planks, so that they also get a feel of the place where we have been forced to live like animals”, fumed Natrajan, another resident.

As the name suggests, most residents living here are migrants from Chennai putting up here for the past many years. A majority of the 500 residents from this colony are ragpickers who lift plastic and other recyclable waste and sell it off to people of their own colonies. The temporary sheds or even one-room concrete structures that have been putting up in are actually all encroachments but they all have valid voter cards.

The residents, some of whom even hail from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, said they were born here and their parents too have lived here for years.

“No one has ever tried to remove our structures. This is the only respite for us. Besides this, the officials and all previous councillors have done no justice with us. We have no hope from a new member”, said Shankar, another resident.

Jalandhar, July 26
The list of booths falling in Ward 31 to 60 is as follows:

Ward 31: St Joseph Convent Boys School Defence Colony, Government Ayurvedic Health Centre Ranjit Nagar, Doaba Khalsa Model School Ladowali Road, GSSS Girls Ladowali Road.

Ward no. 32: GPS Girls Garha, Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences Garha.

Ward 33: Government Co-educational Secondary School Garha, Shivalik Hills Public School Urban Estate-I, GPS Boys Garha.

Ward 34: Red Cross, GPS, Radio Colony, Chief Agricultural Officer, Garha Road, PWD (B&R) Old Baradari, DM Pb SC case land development and finance, Gurjaipal Nagar.

Ward 35: Lyallpur Khalsa Primary School Surajganj.

Ward 36: Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar Memorial MC Homoeo Hospital, Adarsh Shiksha Kenra High School Shakti Nagar, office of Civil Surgeon, Superintendent Room, GPS, Ali Mohalla, Parvati Jain Girls High School, GSS Rainak Bazar.

Ward 37: GHS girls Adarsh Nagar, Swami Sant Dass Public School, JP Nagar.

Ward 38: Gandhi Vanita Ashram Government Girls High School, Gandhi Vanita Ashram office.

Ward 39: GHS Maksudpur, GPS Nagra, GPS Lidran, Divine Public School, Shanti Vihar, Maqsudur.

Ward 40: Government dispensary Shaheed Babu Labh Nagar, Assu Model School, Shaheed Babu Labh Nagar, GPS Shaheed Babu Labh Nagar.

Ward 41: GPS Basti Bawa Khel, Montgomery Guru Nanak Khalsa School Basti Bawa Khel, GHS Basti Bawa Khel (north, east sides)

Ward 42: GHS Basti Mithu, GHS Basti Bawa Khel, GPS Basti Bawa Khel (north, south sides).

Ward 43: Guru Nank Dev University College Basti Nau, GPS Basti Mithu (east, west sides), Montgomery Guru Nanak SS School, Adarsh Nagar.

Ward 44: Arya Kanya High School Basti Nau (west side), Arya SS Girls School Basti Gujan, Guru Nanak Dev University College, Basti Nau.

Ward 45: Arya SSS, Basti Gujan, Government SSS Co-ed Basti Danish Mandan, URM Foundation, Dilbagh Nagar.

Ward 46: LS Basti Danish Mandan, GSSS Basti Danish Mandan, GSSS co-ed Basti Danish Mandan, R.B. Arya Model School, Basti Danish Mandan, BSSDLE School, Basti Danish Mandan.

Ward 47: GPS Girls, Basti Sheikh, GSSS Girls, Basti Sheikh, GSSS Co-ed, R.B. Arya Model School, Basti Sheikh, DSST Primary School, Basti Danish Mandan.

Ward 48: Gurgwara Model House near Janjh ghar, National Model School, Model House, Exilate Model School, Model House, GPS Chitta School, Basti Sheikh, Janjh ghar, Basti Sheikh Mohalla Kot, GSSS opposite park.

Ward 49: Arya Senior Secondary School, 120 foot road, Sai Dass AS High School, Guru Nank Dev University College, basti Nau, GPS Chitta School, Basti Sheikh.

Ward 50: Tagore Model High School, Avtar Nagar, GSSS Boys Bhargo Nagar, GSSS Girls Bhargo Nagar, GSSS, opposite old Bhargo Nagar.

Ward 51: Lyallpur Khalsa SSS, Nakodar Road, A.N. Gujral Model High School.

Ward 52: GSSS Boys, Bhargo Nagar, GSSS Girls, Bhargo Nagar

Ward 53: GSSS Girls Abadpura, Government Tanning Institute, Bhargo Nagar, GPS Girls Abadpura.

Ward 54: Guru Amardass Public School, GTB Nagar, GHS, New Building, Boota Mandi, GMS, Boota Mandi.

Ward 55: GSSS Girls Model Town, Guru Amardass Public School, Model Town, GPS Boys, Abadpura, Office Block Samiti, Jalandhar East.

Ward 56: Government model co-education SSS, Urban Estate Phase-2, 3 and 4, GPS, Sabowal, Office Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (enforcement), Model Town.

Ward 57: Innocent Hearts School, Green Model Town, Parkashwati Sarvhitkari Vidyalaya, Keshav Nagar Kingra, GPS, Mithapur.

Ward 58: APS Public SSS, Tower Enclave Phase-2, New National Model School, Aman Nagar, New Model House, GPS Girls, Basti Sheikh, GHS, Kot Sadiq, SSM Public School, New Model House.

Ward 59: Janjh Ghar Model House, GPS, Jallowal, SP Prime Public School, New Deol Nagar.

Ward 60: Office Punjab Pollution Control Board, GTB Nagar, GPS, Khurla, GHS, Kingra, Deep Public School, Khurla.

Phagwara, July 26
The Nagar Council (NC), which is responsible for clearing the encroachments from public property, seems to be battling to get its own land back.

While the council’s guest house, is being used by the police, its land housing the City Club is being used despite expiry of its land lease.

For the past 41 years, the City Club has been holding a major chunk of the council premises and conducting its business from there. Though the lease term for the club expired in 1976, it still continues to work from the place.

The club used to pay Re 1 only as monthly rent. It was just eight years ago that NC chief Kharaiti Lal Gaba hiked the rent to Rs 100 a month.

Interestingly, in a survey conducted by the NC, the market rent for the area works out to be more than  Rs 85,000.

Over the years, the club is generally headed by the Kapurthala deputy commissioner as the president and the Phagwara SDM is its senior vice-president.

On the other hand, the guest house of the council has been illegally occupied by the police for the past  13 years.

Even the DSP office is being run from this guest house for the past several years.

During the investigations it was learnt that the council had passed a resolution and a memorandum was submitted to the Punjab DGP and the secretary of local bodies to get the guest house vacated.

However, nothing could be initiated by the police despite several reminders. 

Jalandhar, July 26
‘Where there is a will there is a way’- this saying appears to be apt for those special children, who despite their disability have chosen to excel in life.

For Abhishek, a deaf, life revolves around his best friend -- a computer, which he knows would help in making his future better. Apart from learning the nitty-gritty about the gadget, Abhishek, a student of class X at Khosla Deaf School, has enrolled in a multimedia course.

Similarly for Amandeep, also a deaf, computer has not only become her world but the most important source from where she derives knowledge. A visit to this school and one would come across a number of such kids who have something unique, which sets them apart from the crowd.

While Randeep is painter who has brought several laurels for his school in various painting competitions, Jaspreet, a keen kabbadi player, is an important player of his village team.

For Sandeep, a deaf and partially mentally retarded, dancing is the profession in which he wants to make a mark. Even though nature has played a cruel joke upon these kids, they have chosen to fight against their disability and make life worth.

“At times even our parents don’t support us. It does become demoralising when we see normal children excel. But, this is what life is all about-fighting the odds,” conveyed Amandeep through her teacher. However, to help these special children in realising their dreams, schools like Khosla Deaf School and Prayas play a pivotal role.

Ravinder Kumar, principal of Prayas, a school being run by the district Red Cross society, said in a country wherein out of the 70 million disabled persons, only two per cent are educated and one per cent employed, the need to provide facilities to make them self sufficient arises even more.

“In our school nearly 130 students from various states including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are undertaking vocational training in courses like duster, paper bag, jute bag and candle making. Though optimistic for his students, Ravinder is concerned about discrimination and unjust social system. “Disability still remains a taboo in our society and when it comes to self-reliance, parents and society don’t take up responsibility,” he said.

“Though education for the disabled is gaining momentum in Punjab now, people still need more awakening to consider investment in education as a non-profitable proposition,” said Baldev Singh Bhatia, principal of the Khosla Deaf School.

“It’s high time to think about giving them an opportunity,” said Geetanjali Khosla, secretary of Khosla Deaf School. 

Jalandhar, July 26
Local Congress leader Vijay Bhatia, whose name has reportedly been cleared for the party ticket from Ward 3 for the forthcoming municipal corporation elections, said the police picked him up from his house at Reru village this morning.

Bhatia alleged that he had been picked up at the behest of SAD MLA from Kartarpur and chief parliamentary secretary for health and family welfare Avinash Chander as he wanted to malign his image a day after his name was cleared for the Congress ticket.

Questioning the timing of his arrest, he said that some policemen came to his house in the wee hours today and arrested him, saying that he had been declared proclaimed offender (PO) in a case filed against him some years back.

Later he was produced in a city court which released him on bail. Meanwhile, the police and the MLA denied his allegations. When contacted, Avinash Chander said he had nothing to do with Bhatia’s arrest. He did not even know him, he added.

Similarly, superintendent of police (city-I) S.K. Kalia said the police had launched a campaign in the district on the directions of DGP N.P.S. Aulakh to nab proclaimed offenders.

The SP said the instructions had been issued to all the SHOs to nab as many POs as they could. So Bhatia’s arrest was a routine and no politician had asked the police to arrest him, he added.

However, Bhatia said he was neither told that any criminal case had been registered against him nor any notice was issued to him in this regard.

He said he came to know only after his arrest that a case had been filed against him some years back for blocking traffic to protest in support of a public cause.

Jalandhar, July 26
Municipal commissioner Chander Shekhar Talwar inaugurated a school for the underprivileged on Thursday at Basti Peer Dad. The school, which is setup under the project Sankalp, would be run by Citizens’ Welfare and Protection Council.