Jalandhar, March 16
The Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, seems to be preparing for the dry summer season ahead. Coming to the solace of residents who faced a tough time in the previous year, owing to daylong power cuts, the authorities are mulling the idea of buying 150 gensets which may be attached with as many tubewells in the affected areas of the city to ensure sufficient water supply for at least two to three hours a day.

In fact, political leaders and officials are divided on the issue.

While leaders want to see the project getting through quickly to appease their vote bank, officials believe that Rs 7 crore is too big an amount to be invested for combating an adversity which can easily be tided over through some simple arrangements.

They estimate that the overhead expenditure on fuel and maintenance could also go up to Rs 1.5 crore for just two months.

Officials are also mooting the point that people should rather be made habitual of keeping enough water stored, which can last for some hours or be trained to meet their needs, using minimum quantity of water.

They are also of the opinion that the local bodies and PSEB officials should rather sit together to fix up common timings for power and water supply.

They further rued that any pilferage of fuel or fudging of accounts would have to be checked.

Mayor Rakesh Rathour, however, seems to be taking keen interest on the matter and had even made an announcement in the budget meeting last week.

He has said the generators would be attached with those tube wells which cater to a high density population area or in those areas where most of the residents do not have access to proper storage facility.

He said there are certain pockets where even water tankers fail to suffice their needs.

The officials also argue that residents of all areas would start demanding generators with their tube wells, which could rather become a problem for them.

Though the MC Jalandhar is not short of any water requirements, the residents could not get sufficient supply during the last summers as the cuts coincided with the water supply timings.

The city requires 220 MLD (million litres per day) water on an average, said officials, saying that the volume is almost readily available.

The MC is also preparing for the automation of tube wells.

All 325 tube wells in the city will be controlled through computerised panels to be set up in the main MC office. The project, which needs one-time investment of Rs 2.5 crore, will help the MC do away with contractors who have been employed just for switching the tube wells off and on. 

Phillaur, March 16
Even after 48 hours of the mishap, the bodies of two Ludhiana youths, who were drowned in the Sutlej while taking a holy dip on Sunday, could not be traced till this evening.

SDM Pritam Singh and DSP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon said today that the body of their third friend Sandeep Kumar was found on Sunday while those of the other two might have been washed away and could be found floating after a few more days.

Three youths of Ludhiana were reportedly drowned in the Sutlej near the shrine of Jhandi Peer, near here, on Sunday afternoon. The youths, Sandeep Kumar, Ravi Kumar and Prince Kumar, had gone to Jhandi Peer to pay their obeisance during a religious mela held in the shrine. All the three youths were washed away when they were taking a holy dip.

Meanwhile, officials said that the body of another youth, Kulwant Singh (17) of Sangowal village, was found floating yesterday. The youth had drowned in the Sutlej on March 2.

Jalandhar, March 16
In spite of much propagation of various insurance schemes, people still are bound to run from pillar to post to get benefits through them. The case of Sharnjit Kaur of the district is a live example of this.

Instead of being registered as a beneficiary under the Bhai Ghanhiya Sehat Sewa Scheme, Sharanjit Kaur, resident of Raipur Gujraan village, was denied any benefit. According to Sandeep Arora of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha, who is pursuing her case, Sharanjit was admitted to a renowned hospital of the city to undergo major heart surgery.

“The patient has been in the hospital for the last four days. Doctors in the hospital have planned her heart surgery. The hospital management has sent our case for claim under the medical insurance scheme on March 13. Surprisingly, the management told the patient today only that her case was not fit to ask claim under the Bhai Ghanhiya Sehat Sewa Scheme,” said Arora.

He said if not reimbursed, the patient had to pay Rs 1.5 lakh from her own pocket. He said both Sharnajit Kaur and her husband had already been enlisted under the scheme and paid Rs 2,500 each for the purpose.

On the other side, Satvir Tandon, Jalandhar Branch Coordinator of the MDINDIA Healthcare Services, which is providing services as a third party administrator under the scheme, said Sharanjit was denied claim on March 13 as the management of the hospital forwarded here case mentioning wrong diagnosis.

“Doctors in the hospital cited that the patient has to be operated for coronary artery bypass surgery. However, the doctors on our panel found that the case is not of coronary artery bypass surgery, but of replacement of heart valves. The denial of claim to the beneficiary is not our fault. The doctors posted in the hospital are solely responsible for this denial,” added Tandon.

He, however, said the management of the hospital had forwarded a refreshed case of the patient today evening and the processing of the case would take sometime.