Nawanshahr, December 14
Though the district administration is going to soleminse a ‘Shukrana Divas’ to thank god for saving the district from the fury of floods during the monsoon season, when the district had to face serious threats of breach in the Dhussi Bundh at Tajowal and Burj Tehal Dass complex in the months of August and September, respectively, the state government is yet to release any fund or conduct a survey to prepare a comprehensive plan to avert such emergency situations in future.

It is worthwhile to mention here that the district had to face the danger of floods twice in the month of August and September this year as the drainage department had not taken any step to strengthen the sensitive points at bundh along the Satlej before the onset of monsoon despite the repeated requests by panchayats.

It was SSP Narinder Bhargav, who came to the rescue of about 40-50 villages along the Bundh by virtually galvanising the district police force into a ‘Disaster Management Force’ that too in the midnight to avert breach in the Bundh. The entire police force worked manually to save erosion at the bundh.

Later on, the civil administration, panchayats and NGOs also sprung into action and they put in concerted and consistent efforts to save villages from the fury of floods thus ensuring safety for their crops, cattle, property and above all their lives.

With a view to give a boost to the worth emulating work done by the district police and civil administration, village panchayats and NGOs, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also visited Tajowal complex where the rescue operation was going on. While lauding the efforts, Sukhbir assured that a comprehensive plan was prepared for timely undertaking the work to strengthen the bundh so that the people should not face such a critical situation in future.

The district police also organised a tree plantation drive along the Bundh to ensure its strengthening as well as to make up for the felling of trees during the rescue operation.

Gurpreet Deo, DIG, Ropar range, inaugurated the drive and honoured cops and panchayats for the good work. “Every year surveys and estimates are prepared and assurances are given but nothing concrete is done for strengthening the bundh virtually leaving them on the mercy of god,” lamented the panchayats and prominent persons of various villages along the Satlej in the district demanding that some concrete and comprehensive plan should be prepared for saving their life and property.

The senior officials of the drainage deprtment, when contacted, said no funds had been provided for conducting any survey or starting strengthening of dhussi bundh.

Jalandhar, December 14
Scores of lawyers in the district courts today observed a “no-work day” against the proposed Legal Practitioner Act-2010. The Act is being opposed owing to the proposal made in it to constitute an advisory body of legal experts to address the complaints of litigants against the working lawyers.

The protest was a part of the nationwide observance of “no-work day”, observed against the proposed Act by the lawyers across the country.

The lawyers are opposing the proposal by citing the reason that when regulatory bodies in the form of Bar councils already existed, there was no rationale to constitute another such body to entertain litigants’ complaints against working lawyers.

“Such a body, if comes into being, will consist of non-legal experts, who will not have knowledge of the legal complexities. How will such non-legal experts deal with the complaints against lawyers,” questioned Ashok Gandhi, president, District Bar Association.

“Moreover, when the Bar Council of India and respective state bar councils are already working in this arena, there is no justification to constitute another body for the same purpose,” he added.

Rajeev Kohli, secretary of the District Bar Association, said over 600 working lawyers observed “no-work day” and no lawyer participated in the court’s proceedings today.

Nawanshahr: In response to the nationwide call, the District Bar Association observed “no work” here on Tuesday to protest against the Legal Practitioner Act. The association, at an important meeting held under the presidentship of Mehanga Singh Banwait, passed a resolution to endorse the strike call given at the 
all-India level.

Hoshiarpur, December 14
Providing relief to Devo Rani, wife of Harbhajan Singh, the District Consumer Court has ordered HOUSEFED Punjab to return the original sale deed of November 11, 1987, to the former along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 within one month.

Devo Rani filed a complaint against HOUSEFED under the Consumer Protection Act on the ground that she applied loan of Rs 1 lakh, which was sanctioned, but she availed only two installments of loan of Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively, and the balance amount was never availed by her, as such, she had to pay Rs 70,000 along with interest. She pledged the original sale deed with the HOUSEFED.

After paying all the outstanding dues she made a request vide letter of February 27, 2002, to the HOUSEFED to return the original sale deed.

The consumer court, headed by President P D Goel, held that the duty is cast upon HOUSEFED to prove that Devo Rani availed the loan of Rs 1 lakh. It is proved on record that the amount of Rs 30,000 was not received in the office of HOUSEFED, Hoshiarpur, thus, there is no question of making disbursement of payment of Rs 30,000 to the complainant.

It is proved on record that Devo Rani availed the loan of Rs 70,000 and not of Rs 1 lakh, which has been repaid by her along with interest and the HOUSEFED failed to return the documents to the complainant.

Nawanshahr, December 14
Accusing the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab, of denying the teachers serving in the colleges being run by it, the Teachers Union Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Colleges and the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) are going to organise a state-level rally and protest march at Nawanshahr on December 17.

Giving details in a press release, Prof Vinay Sofat, convener, Teachers Union Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Colleges, Punjab , Dr Jagwant Singh and Prof H.S. Walia, president and secretary, respectively of the PCCTU, said the teachers had been compelled to intensify the agitation due to the autocratic attitude of the management committees under the aegis of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab.

The managements of various colleges, including SGGG College, Raikot, DM College, Moga, RK Arya College, BLM Girls College and DAN College of Education for Women, Nawanshahr, had been denying the teachers the new UGC pay scales as per the Punjab Government notification on the pretext that there were no funds in the colleges and the grants-in-aid had not been received.

Teachers of DM College, Moga, had been agitating for the past three months and presently observing relay fast to press the management for the implementation of the Punjab Government notification regarding UGC pay scales. Prof Tarun Ghai of Rajkot was put under suspension for demanding the new UGC pay scales.

“The fact is that crores of rupees are lying in the accounts of these management committees and these committees have been earning lakhs of rupees as interest even then denying its employees their due,”, alleged the union leaders raising the demand of an inquiry into the financial transactions of these management committees. — OC