J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Limited anti-polio drive raises serious questions
Jalandhar, March 29
As a polio case was detected in a migrant family in Jammu recently, the health authorities have been conducting emergency mop-up rounds in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, which too have high volume of migrant population, along with six districts of Jammu region. Th drive was kicked off on March 28 and would continue till March 30.

4 wanted in criminal cases arrested
Phagwara, March 29
The police has arrested three persons, involved in three different cases of rape, murder, and attempt to murder in Phagwara. Teams of the Sadar police succeeded to nab Vijay Kumar of Soofipind village, who was accused of raping his minor sister-in-law, near Haveli dhabha on national highway on Monday. The rape incident happened in the presence of his wife and a minor son, in a private hotel near Chiherru, on March 25. He was booked under section 376 of the IPC.

Four killed in jeep-bus collision
Nawanshahr, March 29
Four persons, including a minor boy, were killed when a Mahindra jeep, they were traveling in, collided with a private bus at Khamancho village on the Garhshanker-Banga road here on Monday afternoon. Those killed were identified as Kuljit Kaur (28), Prabhjot Kaur (28), Raghuvir (12), residents of Mehndpur village, and Manjit Kaur (35) of Tutomazara village. Other passengers in the jeep, mainly women and children, were injured.

Dhakka Exercise!

Army jawans push their vehicle, which broke down in middle of the road, in Amritsar on Monday. Photo: Vishal kumar

Man held with fake currency
Amritsar: Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed Jaswant Singh of Manna Mallian village in Tarn Taran for possessing fake Indian currency worth Rs 34,000 from the Railway Link Road here on Sunday.

Adulterated bhujia seized from factory
Nawanshahr, March 29
A factory at Fateh Nagar, near Teachers Colony, manufacturing “Bikaneri Bhujia” under different brand names like “Jai Ambey”, “Mohan Ji”, “Shiv Om” , “Om Ji”, etc, was found using sub-standard quality of raw material in preparing the bhujia. Besides, the deplorable sanitation in the factory as well as the unhygienic methods of preparing the product were noticed by some mediapersons and social workers.

350 students awarded degrees
Amritsar, March 29
Justice Swatasnter Kumar of Supreme Court of India conferred upon degrees to as many as 350 graduation students of arts, commerce, sciences and computer science streams of Khalsa College during its 104th convocation here yesterday.


A girl gets her degree during a convocation at Khalsa College in Amritsar on Sunday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Forum asks Tata Motors to replace defective car
Jalandhar, March 29
The District Consumer Disputes Redresal Forum has asked Tata Motors to replace an Indigo car with inherent manufacturing defects and pay Rs 7,000 as compensation. In his complaint, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Green Model Town, said he had purchased a Tata Indigo LS car on June 30, 2006. He alleged that it soon started giving trouble regarding low fuel average, low pick up, heater light not glowing, starting problem and water leakage. Since the vehicle remained under warranty from June 30, 2006 to December 31, 2007, he reported the defects to the company office in Gurgaon.

Say no to politics: Jain sant to religious leaders
Nawanshahr, March 29
A Jain sant has denounced moves by religious leaders, who have or are willing to joining active politics. Rashtriya Jain sant Kamal Muni Kamlesh, who was here to deliver religious discourses on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, said the religious leaders rather they should come together on a common platform to launch a crusade against the social evils by mobilising public opinion.

Limited anti-polio drive raises serious questions
Amaninder Pal
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 29
As a polio case was detected in a migrant family in Jammu recently, the health authorities have been conducting emergency mop-up rounds in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, which too have high volume of migrant population, along with six districts of Jammu region. Th drive was kicked off on March 28 and would continue till March 30.

But surprisingly, the health authorities of Punjab have skipped all nearby districts, including Gurdaspur and Amritsar. Gurdaspur is even more important considering the only road ling between Jammu and Punjab crosses through the district. Terming it a futile exercise, experts were clueless about how the health authorities came to know that the child, who carried polio virus up to Jammu region, did not ever made visit to districts other than Ludhiana and Jalandhar and did not infect children in other districts.

“Polio infected child belonged to a family, which frequently keeps on migrating. On the basis of the fact that newly detected virus is of type-I variety, which is the same type detected in Jalandhar and Ludhiana last year, the authorities selected these districts.

However, eye raiser is a point that how authorities have conceptualised that virus carrying child would not have travelled to Hoshiarpur, Amrtisar, Gurdarpur, Nawanshahr or any other district of the state,” said an immunisation expert.

“Instead of administering single type of vaccine simultaneously in all districts, the authorities are conducting pulse polio rounds by selecting districts in patches and administering different vaccine types,” he added.

Severity of this lacuna can be gauzed from the fact that even a single carrier child (the one who is not affected with disease but carries virus inconspicuously) can infect 100 children in one go.

On the other side, the authorities revealed that they were implementing only those directions, which they have received from the Government of India. Principal Secretary, Health, Satish Chandra said, “The Government of India told us to conduct mop-up rounds only in Jalandhar and Ludhiana. The authorities have their own methods to decide over it according to the type of previously detected virus.”

On the issue of conducting this mop-up round simultaneously in all districts, State Immunization Officer V.K. Goyal said earlier the Government of India had directed us to conduct rounds in all districts of state, but after being intimated regarding the recently conducted rounds in all districts, it agreed to concentrate in these two districts only.

4 wanted in criminal cases arrested
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, March 29
The police has arrested three persons, involved in three different cases of rape, murder, and attempt to murder in Phagwara. Teams of the Sadar police succeeded to nab Vijay Kumar of Soofipind village, who was accused of raping his minor sister-in-law, near Haveli dhabha on national highway on Monday. The rape incident happened in the presence of his wife and a minor son, in a private hotel near Chiherru, on March 25. He was booked under section 376 of the IPC.

In second incident, the police arrested one Soema Singh of Chack Hakim Village under section 307/34 of the IPC on the charges of attempt to murder Nambardar Paramjit Bangar, who was attacked and critically wounded by some armed assailants in the village on March 27.

The police has also arrested Lallan Yadav, a migrant from Bihar, for the murder of another migrant Ravinder Kumar. He was done to death at a kothi in Urban Estate on December 22 last year. Another accused in the case, identified as Surinder Yadav, is still absconding. Lallan has confessed to his crime.

Phillaur: The Phillaur police has arrested Manjit Singh of Chokrra village in the murder of a watchman. The incident happened on March 13 at Chack Sadhu village when Manjit Singh and his accomplice Sunny of Apra village, who is absconding, entered the kothi of Canada-based NRI Amandeep Singh for theft. The thieves attacked the watchman, who had seen them, with iron rods killing him on the spot. 

Four killed in jeep-bus collision

Nawanshahr, March 29
Four persons, including a minor boy, were killed when a Mahindra jeep, they were traveling in, collided with a private bus at Khamancho village on the Garhshanker-Banga road here on Monday afternoon. Those killed were identified as Kuljit Kaur (28), Prabhjot Kaur (28), Raghuvir (12), residents of Mehndpur village, and Manjit Kaur (35) of Tutomazara village. Other passengers in the jeep, mainly women and children, were injured.

As per the information, 16 persons of a family were returning from Amritsar in the jeep after paying obeisance at Harmandir Sahib.

The sound of the collision alerted the villagers, who took the injured at nearby civil hospital at Banga and Guru Nanak Mission Hospital, Dhahan Kaleran. One of the injured has reportedly been referred to Ludhiana. The bus driver managed to flee. The police has registered a case. — OC

Man held with fake currency

Amritsar: Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed Jaswant Singh of Manna Mallian village in Tarn Taran for possessing fake Indian currency worth Rs 34,000 from the Railway Link Road here on Sunday.

Adulterated bhujia seized from factory

Nawanshahr, March 29
A factory at Fateh Nagar, near Teachers Colony, manufacturing “Bikaneri Bhujia” under different brand names like “Jai Ambey”, “Mohan Ji”, “Shiv Om” , “Om Ji”, etc, was found using sub-standard quality of raw material in preparing the bhujia. Besides, the deplorable sanitation in the factory as well as the unhygienic methods of preparing the product were noticed by some mediapersons and social workers.

They informed Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh about it. Taking serious note, the DC, immediately instructed the officials of the district health officials to immediately conduct a raid.

A team of the Health Department, led by District Health Officer Ashok Guru, conducted a raid at the factory and found a number of irregularities in the preparation. There was no batch number, date of manufacturing and expiry or best before dates printed at the bhujia packets. Besides, he also found the information regarding unhygienic conditions in the factory correct. Dr Guru took samples of the different varieties of bhujia as well as the raw material - refined oil, besan, dry coconut being used for preparing bhujia. He also got the old stock of bhujia kept in the factory destroyed in his presence.

The samples of the bhujia and the raw material would be sent to the laboratory and the suitable action would be taken after receiving the report from the laboratory, said the DHO.

Chattar Singh, owner of the factory, who originally belongs to Rajasthan, when asked to comment, confessed in an apologetic tone that he had been using refined oil being brought by him from Ludhiana at the rate of Rs 46 per kg as well as committing some mistakes in the preparation of bhujia. He has been supplying the bhujia in various towns and villages in the surrounding area. He promised to mend his ways. But, the DHO, Dr. Guru said the bhujia manufacturer had already ignored the warning issued to him earlier. — OC

350 students awarded degrees

Amritsar, March 29
Justice Swatasnter Kumar of Supreme Court of India conferred upon degrees to as many as 350 graduation students of arts, commerce, sciences and computer science streams of Khalsa College during its 104th convocation here yesterday.

Addressing the gathering, Justice Kumar pointed out that the true meaning of education was providing an element of confidence, sacrifice and affection. It helps the youth in personality development and bringing out the hidden powers. Principal Daljit Singh said seven major and minor projects worth Rs 25 lakh had been sanctioned to college teachers by UGC. — TNS

Forum asks Tata Motors to replace defective car
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 29
The District Consumer Disputes Redresal Forum has asked Tata Motors to replace an Indigo car with inherent manufacturing defects and pay Rs 7,000 as compensation. In his complaint, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Green Model Town, said he had purchased a Tata Indigo LS car on June 30, 2006. He alleged that it soon started giving trouble regarding low fuel average, low pick up, heater light not glowing, starting problem and water leakage. Since the vehicle remained under warranty from June 30, 2006 to December 31, 2007, he reported the defects to the company office in Gurgaon.

Upon this, he said the vehicle was delivered with temporary adjustments. He said the technician staff did not detect the technical defect and on January 28, 2008, the vehicle stopped working and charging the battery. He said when he contacted the local company dealer at BSF Chowk, he was told that the alternator was not working and it required replacement on payment as warranty period had expired on December 30, 2007.

He said he wondered that the defect persisted from the date of purchase of vehicle but the technician staff did not suggest replacement of alternator during the warranty period. He alleged that this was done with an intention to avoid change of parts free of costs.

The company officials contested the case replying that the complainant had got some extra fitments fitted including a high voltage head light. He said that he was advised to remove it as it was affecting the efficiency of the battery of the car. He said that a request was made to M/s Lucas, suppliers, for replacing a complete alternative assembly which they did.

The forum found that the defect had been proved via job card but these did not indicate that alternator was defective on account of alleged extra fitment and high voltage head lights. It said that it was obligatory on the part of the company under warranty to repair and replace defective car parts free of charge. It said that the parts so repaired should also be warranted for quality and workmanship. It entitled the complainant for replacement of the car on account of inherent manufacturing defects along with a compensation and cost of Rs 7,000.

Say no to politics: Jain sant to religious leaders
Our Correspondent

Nawanshahr, March 29
A Jain sant has denounced moves by religious leaders, who have or are willing to joining active politics. Rashtriya Jain sant Kamal Muni Kamlesh, who was here to deliver religious discourses on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, said the religious leaders rather they should come together on a common platform to launch a crusade against the social evils by mobilising public opinion.

While taking a dig at the recent statement of Swami Ramdev in connection with formation of a new political party, the sant said in our country there had been a tradition of “rajas” (rulers) turning “sanyasis” but now the trend had reversed. Now “sanyasis” have started getting fascinated by power and politics. He said he would write a letter to the Election Commission of India to impose a ban on religious leaders joining politics.