The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Less than 10-year-old religious structures under govt scanner Amaninder Pal Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 1 The district administration has geared up for a drive to identify the religious structures which are proving to be a hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic both in urban and rural areas. If the administration goes by the policy framed by the Department of Home Affairs of the state, scores of such buildings will definitely be razed in the coming months. The district administration has so far identified 123 such religious structures. It is learnt that the Department of Home Affairs has come up with a policy according to which only those structures which were built more than 10 years back will be spared from demolition. Even those buildings which faced any legal proceedings in the past would be pulled down. On September 29, 2009, the Supreme Court directed all the states to identify those religious structures which, by any means, interfere in the smooth flow of traffic. Initially the case was only between the Government of India and the state of Gujarat. However, taking cognisance of the nationwide level of the problem, the Supreme Court has made all other states a party. While confirming the development, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Gurprit Singh Khaira said every structure would be dealt with on case-to-case basis. “Reports pertaining to the number and location of such structures will be compiled within six months and submitted to the office of the Chief Secretary,” Khaira said. Out of 123 buildings, 77 buildings fall under the corporation limits. Besides, the administration has identified 20 structures in Phillaur, seven in Shahkot and Nakodar and six and four under the jurisdiction of the Subdivisional Magistrate, I and II, respectively. In addition to this, 12 structures fall under the jurisdiction of the Improvement Trust. The number of such structures will definitely increase as offices of the District Development Project Officer, PUDA and Mandi Board have yet to start this exercise. “The district administration is also asked by the higher authorities to constitute a committee with the Deputy Commissioner, the Senior Superintendent of Police, the District Development Project Officer and the Deputy Director of the Local Bodies as its members. This committee will decide the nature of action needed to resolve the issue pertaining to rest of the buildings which are less than 10 years old,” added Khaira.
	Thousands of govt school students drink unfit water Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, April 1 Thousands of students in many government schools, including elementary, middle, high and senior secondary, in the district are still consuming water declared unfit for human consumption by the state laboratory due to the indifferent attitude of government officials to provide safe drinking water to them. This fact came to light when Social Democratic Party of India president Jai Gopal Dhiman recently obtained information under the RTI Act from the District Health Officer, Hoshiarpur. Dhiman said here today that after obtaining the information, he had written to the Punjab Human Rights Commission in this regard and sought its intervention to make available potable water to the students. But instead of taking any action against the defaulters, it had forwarded his representation to the Deputy Commissioner for taking the necessary steps and endorsed a copy of the letter to him. He had now filed a petition before the National Human Rights Commission for making available potable water to all the students. District Health Officer Dr Yash Mitra said as many as 407 water samples were collected from the water supply sources of a number of schools in the district during 2009, of which 103 had been declared non-potable. All the heads of these schools had been instructed to take the necessary steps, including chlorination at the supply source or make deep digging of the hand pumps or tube-wells to improve the quality of water. Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj said there were 99 senior secondary, 137 high, 179 middle and 1,277 elementary government schools in the district. Though drinking water was available in all the schools, 478 elementary schools were without electric connection. To make availability of potable water to all the students, the District Health Society had decided to get installed water purifiers in all the schools. A sum of Rs 5,000 each had been earmarked for installing water purifiers in all the schools. Panchayats which were annually getting Rs 10,000 from the National Rural Health Mission would provide Rs 5,000 each from it. Order for installing 700 purifiers had been placed with the manufacturer.
	Educational institute takes up cancer awareness mission Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, April 1 Taking the initiatives to spread awareness on cancer in rural areas, Doaba Group of Institutes in association with Sahatya Charitable Welfare Society, Chandigarh, organised a cancer awareness programme at its Chhokeran campus, near Rahon in the district. The programme was presided over by S.S Sangha (Managing Director), Manjit Singh (Executive Director), M.S. Batth and Dr H.S. Batth (Trustees). Inderpal Kaur Bains inaugurated the exhibition set with the help of cancer awareness material e.g. charts, posters, statistics etc. contributed by the students. Supandeep Kaur of MBA got the first prize for the best item in the exhibition. Pritpal Singh and Jaspreet got second and third prize, respectively. Throwing light on the importance of cancer awareness, Bains said in the rural areas, increasing number of people suffer from the disease, especially women who just for the lack of awareness have to suffer from breast and cervical cancer that later on spread to the other parts of the body. According to a recent survey, 31 cancer cases per lakh population have been found in Punjab. Therefore, recently the Centre has decided to allow the state’s proposal for setting up a Population Based Cancer Registry to monitor the cancer cases. Kuwant Kaur and Varinder Kaur Bhangu focused on breast cancer and threw light on the causes. They said breast cancer, like all cancers, initially develops because of defects in the genetic material DNA of a single cell. The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender and age. Women are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than men. They added that breast cancer is 400 times more common in women who are 50-year-old as compared to those who are 20-year-old. The welfare society also lends a financial helping hand to those who cannot afford to get expensive treatments.
	Death Sentence in UAE PM urged to help convicted Indians Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, April 1 Commenting on the death sentence given to 17 Indians (Punjabis) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for killing a Pakistani, Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna said it was really shocking to him that all of the convicted Indians did not get any legal aid from the Indian Embassy in the case. It clearly indicated that the UPA government was not serious about the safety of Indians living abroad. In a press release issued by his office here today, Khanna said, according to preliminary information, all the 17 Indians were eligible to get legal aid but they could not get the same. On the one hand the Union Government had failed in protecting its citizens living abroad and, on the other, it had done nothing to get punished the terrorists like Afzal Guru who was convicted by the court long ago. This indicated that the Indian Government was incapable to build any pressure at the international level. He apprehended that the incident was a conspiracy against India to defame it. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Khanna urged him to provide justice to these hapless Indians.
	Water solutions for the wild ones Parmod Bharti Nawanshahr, April 1 With the rise in mercury, the water holes in the forests go dry, consequently causing inconvenience to the wild animals to quench their thirst. In search of water, wild animals have to come out of the natural habitat, which sometimes proves fatal for them. Keeping this in view, the Wild Life Conservative Society, Nawanshahr, in collaboration with the Wild Life Department, has come out with a novel idea of providing drinking water facility to wild animals, birds, reptiles etc. by filling up water-holes in the nearby forests, with the help of water tanks. Nikhil Sanger, Bhuwandeep Sharda, President and active member, respectively, of the NGO - Wild Life Conservative Society - accompanied by Wild Life Guard Ram Sharan, have been going to the forest areas of Singhpur, Tibba, Malewal, Bhaddi, Kukarsuha etc. falling in the Kandia area of the district, for filling up the water-holes for the convenience of wild animals. So far, the society activists have arranged as many as 35 water tanks to provide drinking water for wild animals in the forest area, said Sanger, while giving details.
	SGPC suspends shrine manager Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 1 In a bizarre incident, the manager of a historical gurdwara at Chheharta was allegedly caught in an objectionable position with an employee of the same shrine here last night. The police has registered a case under sections 109 and 41, IPC, on the complaint of residents of Fateh Singh Colony where Pargat Singh, the manager, took the woman to his under-construction house. As soon as both entered the house, residents informed the police which raided the complex, the police authorities said. SHO Sukhwinder Singh of Gate Hakima police station said that medical examination of both the accused had been conducted and reports were awaited. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has suspended both the accused.
	Cash prizes for meritorious students Nawanshahr, April 1 District Education Officer Darshan Kaur distributed cash prizes amounting to Rs 2100, Rs 1500 and Rs 1000, respectively, among the meritorious students of Class 5th and 8th, who excelled in the district-level competitive examination held in the subjects of mathematics and science by the Sarv Shikhiya Abhiyan Authority, Punjab in January this year. Harsimran Kaur (Bharta Khurd), Raman Kumar (Musapur), Ramandeep Singh (Surapur), Amrinder Singh (Chahar Mazara), Damanjit Singh (Bachhauri), Pooja Rani (Khankhana), Daljit Kaur (Bazidpur), were given prizes. — OC
	Diabetes camp Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, April 1 Baldev Nayyar, a veteran social worker, organised a diabetes detection-cum-awareness camp at Rai Hospital, Banga on Thursday. As many as 93 persons were examined, out of which 48 were found diabetic. Nayyar gave valuable tips to them regarding adopting proper diet, exercise and developing habit of morning and evening walk etc. for preventing the disease.