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Killer highway claims 3 lives
Biker’s gang member surrenders
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Paperless caste census a non-starter in city
Too sweet to be true: No sweet seller named after fierce drives
Residents oppose construction of houses for labourers at Guru Nanakpura
Areas notified to set up cracker shops
Diwali: You may shop till you drop but what really matters is the joy of giving and togetherness Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial hockey from today
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Killer highway claims 3 lives
Jalandhar, October 16 The victims were on their way to Dera Radha Soami at Beas in a maruti car to take part in a satsang. According to the eyewitnesses, their maruti car collided with an Army truck near Dayalpur village in Kapurthala district in an attempt to overtake. The deceased have been identified as Surinder Kaur, her daughter Rano and son Pawam Kumar, residents of Pandori Nijjar near Adampur in Jalandhar district. While Surinder Kaur and her daughter Rano died on the spot, a seriously injured Pawan Kumar succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital in Jalandhar later. The condition of two of the other four injured persons is stated to be critical. They have been shifted to a private hospital in Jalandhar. Two Army personnel SK Singh and Ajay Kumar also sustained minor injuries in the collision. Senior Army officials also reached the spot. A first information report (FIR) has been registered in this regard at the police station concerned. Earlier on October 11, three members of a family hailing from Amritsar were killed whereas three others had sustained injuries in a road accident on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway number one.
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Biker’s gang member surrenders
Jalandhar, October 16 In-charge of the CIA Staff, Jalandhar, Sukhjit Singh, said the police had already launched a search operation to nab the accused allegedly involved in various incidents of snatchings and thefts. Singh said the two other accomplices of the accused Maninder, including Rajvir and Monta, were arrested by the police last month. The police had also recovered a Maruti car, two pistols, 16 live cartridges, four motorcycles and 19 mobile phones from the possession of the accused. The police had also claimed that the pistols and cartridges were made in Pakistan and did not rule out the possibility of the gang having links with a certain gang in Pakistan or in the smuggling of arms from Pakistan. Singh said the biker's gang has six members and four of them have been arrested while Chetan and Nana, are still at large.
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Paperless caste census a non-starter in city
Jalandhar, October 16 It has taken as many as 22 days for the Rural Development and Panchayat department, the nodal agency to procure the data of the previous round of Census conducted four months back and send it to the district administration for being fed into the PC tablets to be carried along with during the paperless exercise. The data was received in the offices of MC and district administration much later. While the Municipal Corporation is to undertake the exercise in the urban areas, the district administration has been entrusted the task for the city periphery. Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, DP Bhardwaj, said, "We have obtained the data now. We could not start because we were waiting for the old data which is to form the basis for the second round. This data will be downloaded and fed into PC tablets in the next few days and handed over to the enumerators and technical operators so that they can start the door-to-door operation." All other preparations, which were to be done at the local level, including the purchase of computers, setting up of data collection centre and printing of stickers to be pasted outside houses, had already been done in the first few days, he said. He said 500 enumerators, 100 supervisors and five controllers would be taken for duty in the city area. "Each enumerator would cover four blocks. There are 434 blocks in Jalandhar," he said. Deputy CEO, Zila Parishad, Jalandhar, Amardip Singh Bains said, "There was a demand for 1086 PC tablets which we have already supplied." Since the last date under the project was October 30, the exercise should ideally have been half-way through by now, the enumerators say, who are also expecting the duty for revision of electoral rolls in another few weeks. The data to be collected during the socio-economic survey of households will be taken as an updated record of the BPL families in Jalandhar. It is on the basis of a nine-year-old BPL survey conducted way back in 2002 that the district administration is doling out scores of schemes utilising the Central and state government grants. The Municipal Corporation officials, however, had even got conducted a survey in 2006. As per the latest records of MC, there have been 60,617 BPL families in city, most of who live in 97 slums in the city. There are 10,176 families in semi-urban and rural pockets of Jalandhar as per the data with the district administration. Some important schemes of the Centre for the BPL include doling out monthly pension of Rs 750 under the National Old Age Pension Scheme, Self Help Group movement, Girl Child Protection Scheme, National Rural Health Mission, Janani Suraksha Yojna and free bus passes for expecting mothers for antenatal checkups. Reliance on old data n
The data to be collected during the socio-economic survey of households will be taken as an updated record of BPL families in Jalandhar. It is on the basis of a nine-year-old BPL survey conducted in 2002 that the district administration is doling out scores of schemes using Central and state government grants. Municipal Corporation officials, however, had even got a survey conducted in 2006. n
As per the latest MC records, there are 60,617 BPL families in the city, most of whom live in 97 slum areas in the city. There are 10, 176 families living in semi-urban and rural pockets of Jalandhar as per the data with the district administration. n
Some important Central schemes for the BPL include a monthly pension of Rs 200 under the National Old Age Pension Scheme. Besides, there is the Self Help Group Movement, Girl Child Protection Scheme, National Rural Health Mission and the Janani Suraksha Yojana plus free bus passes for expecting mothers for check-ups. Age lowered
In connection with the state government's decision to extend the old age pension scheme to even those between 60 to 65 years of age, Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti has appealed to the listed BPL families to bring in their BPL number and proof of age to avail benefits under the scheme. For this they should approach the Child Development Project Officer or District Social Welfare Officer within a week. The lowest age limit is 65 years.
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Too sweet to be true: No sweet seller named after fierce drives
Jalandhar, October 16 Even as the District Health Officer declared a few days earlier that there were plans to conduct as many as 60 raids in the days before Diwali, there has been no news of any raids being conducted so far, even as health authorities hold regular meetings with grocers, bakers and sweetmeat sellers (halwais) for the past two days. Out of the 25 samples taken in September, only five had failed and even out of those five, one is a hotel and another a unit where mathris are made. In October, as many as 14 samples have been taken so far, out of which 12 were from sweet shops but the reports on all of these are still awaited. There has been only one seizure so far and the reports on that, too, are still pending. Sources in the Health Department, on condition of anonymity, give the excuse that the health department is having a tough time nabbing offenders this year, because there has been a change in their modus operandi. “Both sweet sellers and transporters of adulterated materials have gotten smarter. They send adulterated food items by train to a railway station in the city’s neighbourhood and from there the spurious food items are transported to the city through the vehicles of sweet sellers themselves. So it is getting difficult to get wind of their movement.” There are others who say the drives are a mere hogwash by the department which is hands-in-glove with the sweet sellers. Sweet sellers were mostly mum on the issue, while some pointed their fingers at big names, others said they had not been transporting any khoya this year and had been making their own.
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Residents oppose construction of houses for labourers at Guru Nanakpura
Jalandhar, October 16 They alleged that area councillor, Manjinder Singh Chatha, had taken sides with the owner of the quarters, Baljinder Gupta, instead of addressing their problem. They said municipal corporation (MC) authorities have demolished this under-construction building earlier also. “Despite action by the MC, the builder, in connivance with the councillor has been going on with the construction of the building during the late night hours, which proves that they were least bothered about any authority,” they added. Rajan Dhiman, a resident of this locality said, “We approached the MC Commissioner, Mayor and the councillor to lodge our protest but all that we got was fake promises. If no action is taken, we will be forced to stage a dharna against the MC authorities.” Another area resident Arpita said Guru Nanak Pura was recently in the grip of gastroenteritis, which claimed two lives. “During those days the Municipal Corporation and the health department teams had conducted surveys, which found that the poor living conditions of migrant labourers who live in dingy, small quarters were the reason behind the contamination of the water supply. Surprisingly, despite knowing such facts the MC authorities are keeping mum on the issue”, she added.
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Areas notified to set up cracker shops
Jalandhar, October 16 Shops can be set up at Burton Park, 120 Feet Road, Partap Bagh, Dasehra ground of Model town and Basti Sheikh, Defence Colony park, Mohalla Sant Nagar, Industrial, park near Ladhewali village, Adarsh Nagar Park, Labh Singh Nagar, Park near Ladowali Road. — OC
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Diwali: You may shop till you drop but what really matters is the joy of giving and togetherness When it comes to celebrating an occasion like Diwali, the festive spirit of the city residents reaches its zenith. Most families don’t mind spending two to three times more than their monthly income to fulfil their desires. Attractive market offers further lure them to loosen their purse strings and go beyond their budget. Rekha Sharma, a teacher at Police DAV Public School , says, “It is quite normal for us to spend Rs 20,000 just on buying gifts for kith and kin on Diwali. This time, I have plans to buy a few gold coins, pearl strings and blankets as gifts. Since these days the school is off, I have plenty of time to go shopping to buy some new bed sheets, cushion covers, sofa backs, paintings and artifacts for the house.” Kulwinder Kaur, a housewife said, “Diwali is one occasion when I have the liberty of exceeding the monthly budget. I have plans to change my upholstery and my kitchenware as well. I make it a point to buy some utensils on Dhanteras as I consider it an auspicious time”. KC Malhotra, an advocate, claims, “Everything has become costlier. The minimum price of good quality sweets is Rs 300 per kg. And a sweet box alone won’t do. Everyone expects expensive gifts and so I too have to follow suit. I would be buying branded outfits for my children and grandchildren. There is no end to expenditure this month.” Market scene Stylish, exclusive and classy. These are the kind of items that residents of Jalandhar are looking for as they go shopping this festival season. Aiming to impart a new look to their houses ahead of Diwali, they are out to buy new furniture, rugs, cushions, draperies, decoration pieces, crockery items and electronic gadgets. It is a big time for traders as well who claim that their sales are already up even as they were expecting more returns post-Karva Chauth. Ajay Kumar, owner of JJ Arcade, a multi-brand showroom for electronic gadgets, said that sales of various appliances including LEDs, LCD TVs, microwave ovens, kitchen chimneys and burner and double-door refrigerators was at an all-time high these days. Atul Sood of Saffron Furniture Mall claimed that the sales were up by 30 to 40 per cent as he was getting customers who were all set for the mahurat of their new houses ahead of Diwali. “There also are customers who want to replace their old furniture of their living rooms, dining area or bed rooms. Since the wedding season is also on, many people are buying furniture for gifting as trousseau,” he added, claiming that his high-end imported furniture was in great demand. Jewellers too have been making a brisk business. Says Ajay of Tanishq, “Most customers are going in for diamond jewellery. We have a new range of 9 karat pendants for Rs 1000 each, which is in the range of most customers wanting to give gold items as gifts on Diwali.” Gurdeep Singh Monga, owner of Hallmark showroom, said that idols of Ganesha-Laxmi, Radha-Krishan in polyresin material was in much demand. “A designer wooden Om hanging, gel candles and designer earthen diyas are also being liked by customers”, he added. Sweet shop owners claim that the sales have been up by 60 to 70 per cent ever since Navratras started. “There have been orders for mathis, fenis, ladoos and khoya sweets. We have come up with a new range of sugar and oil-free sweets which are baked. Instead, we are using honey, glucose and dry fruits for the preparation”, elaborated Suteekshan Samrol of Gokul Sweets. Even those into attractive packaging have been getting good buyers. Gagan Grover of party invites has showcased classy metal platters with stones, nets and flowers for packaging sweets and chocolates. “The new packaging patterns have Mata ki Chowkis, Vrindavan scene and Radha-Krishan idols which are getting a good response”, he showed. Gia and Radha, young entrepreneurs based at Lajpat Nagar, too have been managing a good start of their business. “Our leather runners for dining tables have had a good clientele. Designer torans for entrances and cushion covers too are in demand”, they said. Surprisingly, even the printers are making a good business this Divali. Said Gurdish, an artist who runs the business near Bhagat Singh Chowk, “We are getting orders of printing cards in bulk from business houses. There are companies placing orders for printing 1,000 to 1,500 Diwali greeting cards. The number of individual buyers, however, is quite low”. Dr Sanjiv Sharma & DR Suman Sharma (doctors) n
Approximate monthly family income: Rs 2 lakh n
Crackers: Rs 10,000 n Gift to relatives and friends:
Rs 5,000 n Other miscellaneous expenses:
Rs 15,000 n Total expenditure this festive season: Over
Rs 30,000 During these Navratras, I bought a Mercedes sports model car for the family. On Diwali, we are eagerly awaiting the visit of our son Shreyak, who is doing an MBBS in Chandigarh. We have plans to go to our ancestral village near Nurmahal where my parents and grandmother reside. I am also looking forward to meeting my NRI cousin there. We will do puja there and return home the same night, light up our house and burn crackers with kids. I am not interested in exchanging gifts with friends and
relatives Raju Virk Leather goods manufacturer n
Approximate monthly income: Rs 50,000 plus n
Festive shopping: Rs 5,000 plus n
Crackers: Rs 1,000 plus n Other miscellaneous expenses:
Rs 5,000 plus n
Total expected expenditure this festive season: Rs 11,000 plus I am against spending a large amount on crackers and exchanging gifts. We stopped exchanging gifts three years ago. In fact we realised that exchanging gifts and receiving the same from friends left us with no time at all to spend with our own family, so much so that even on the day of Diwali we remained busy with this job. Diwali for us is also an occasion to reunite as my daughter, who is studying in a boarding school in Shimla, will be home. We prefer to decorate our house and celebrate it with good wishes for
everybody Jaswinder Sangha progressive agriculturist n
Approximate monthly income: Rs 2 lakh n
Festive shopping- Rs 50,000 n Crackers -
Rs 50,000 n Shopping for kids-
Rs 10 lakh (includes a Scorpio for son) n
Other miscellaneous expenses- Rs 50,000 plus n
Total expected expenditure this festive season - ~11.50 lakh As we are a large extended family comprising 30 members settled in Jandu Singha village, our Diwali celebrations are all the more special. On Diwali night, all my relatives gather at our place and we enjoy the festival together by bursting crackers late into the night, distributing sweets and enjoying the evetime together. What matters the most is family bonding, warmth in relations and a caring attitude and not merely gifts, which at the end of the day are confined to an almirah or store
rooms Col. (retd) Balbir Singh Hockey olympian n
Approximate monthly income: ~ 50,000 n
Festive shopping: ~ 10,000 plus n
Crackers: Nil n Gifts to relatives and friends: ~ 5,000 plus n
Other miscellaneous expenses: ~ 5,000 n
Total expected expenditure this festive season: ~ 20,000 plus Diwali for me is an occasion to exchange warm wishes and celebrating it with like-minded people and close friends. I really love organising a good party at my place on this day. I don’t believe in exchanging gifts with anyone, but yes, we do gift something to our servants during the festive
season I have been looking forward to an exclusive shopping of replicas of Khajurao statues for which I won’t mind doling out Rs 10,000 or even more. In fact my trip to Khajurao has been long pending and I would be soon heading to this place. Since I am a voracious reader, I prefer giving books as gift and getting the same in
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Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial hockey from today Jalandhar, October 16 In the seven-day hockey tournament, 15 schools from across the country including leading teams like Government Model School, Jalandhar, BRC Danapur, Government Sports School, Jalandhar, Birsa Munda Vidya Peeth, Rourkela, CRZ Sonepat, BSNV Lucknow, St Paul’s, Mumbai, would take part. The tournament would conclude on October 23. The tournament would be played on a league-cum-knock out basis and the winning teams as well as the best players will receive handsome cash awards. Four top teams from each pool would qualify for the semi-finals while international and national umpires would supervise the tournament. President of the tournament committee, Harbhajan Singh said the winners would get Rs 1 lakh, the runners-up would be given Rs 60,000 while the team finishing third and fourth would receive Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 cash prizes, respectively. “The tourney is aimed at nurturing hockey talent at the grassroots level. Since the tourney is meant for under-17 boys, it is the best platform for budding players to get noticed in the game,” he said. “The prize money for the team finishing fourth was introduced last year on the basis of the feedback received from hockey enthusiasts as well as players,” he added. He also said six best players, best goal keeper, best full back, best half back, best forward, highest scorer and the most promising player of the tournament would be awarded Rs 5,000 as cash prize. “A committee of Olympians, headed by ace hockey player Ajitpal Singh, will select the best players,” he added.
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Jalandhar, October 16
Jalandhar, October 16
Jalandhar, October 16
