Jalandhar, October 22
In patients quietly lying in the corridors of the Civil Hospital are countless stories of the hospital administration’s apathy and reluctance to take steps for the betterment for the people it holds critical responsibility of.

While the rising suspected cases of dengue are already busting claims of the authorities, currently as many as 15 cases of HIV positive patients admitted to the hospital indicate another cause for alarm.

The patients, like the rest, have also been kept in poor conditions.

While the staff says all these patients are in their last stages, three of the HIV positive patients are left out in the corridors, along with patients of dengue, jaundice as well as other ailments.

While six of those in the male ward are lodged in a room only for HIV patients, the rest are lodged with patients suffering from different kinds of ailments.

What’s more, the peculiar things about these wards are difficult patients and limited staff.

Except the dengue and HIV positive ones, there are patients who constantly vomit or bleed, also a (mentally challenged) patient who create a ruckus every time a nurse tries to hook him up to an intravenous drip.

The two nurses are handling the impossible task of conducting tests, checking patients and providing whatever else they need.

The only help is by a couple of ANM freshers recruited at the wards during the day.

In such trying circumstances, all kinds of patients are being ignored even as the nurses and doctors, who were nowhere to be seen whenever The Tribune visited, have a very difficult situation on their hands. The beds near the toilets are so smelly that one of the patients voluntarily moved out into the corridor.

Leave alone specialised treatment for the HIV positive cases in such circumstances, patients are also being denied the bare minimum requirements like continuous change of intravenous drips and the provision of an attendant during an emergency.

Talking about the sorry state of affairs, Civil Surgeon HK Singla said, “We have no provision for any other wards for the HIV positive patients. In fact this way they are not being treated any differently than others.”

The Civil Surgeon also did not show any alarm at the number of patients.

“I don’t think the number of patients is alarming. It is normal. In fact the number has steadied.”

Jalandhar, October 22
Suspected dengue cases at the civil hospital are pouring-in and that too in numbers that defy official statistics thereby resulting in an overflow of medical wards. While the number of patients with low platelet count cited yesterday by officials was about 30, at least 15 new suspected dengue patients have been admitted to the civil hospital since yesterday. This was the count until early Saturday evening.

The number of patients admitted in the isolation ward - the female medical ward - has increased to eight which happens to be the bed capacity of the isolation ward. Interestingly, health officials are maintaining that the official number of confirmed patients is currently zero since the only confirmed case of the season has been discharged.

In all, there are a total of 113 patients admitted in both the male (86) and female (27) medical wards (not counting those in the surgical wards) with a majority being dengue suspects.

While beds of about 30 patients are outside, these too, include many dengue patients.

Despite the SMO’s claims that IG Macelisa tests would be conducted when the number of patients in the isolation ward (who had tested positive for the IGGIM anti-bodies test) rises to eight, the said tests have not been conducted so far.

Even as the understaffed wards smell and patients cry hoarse, for lack of care from the hospital staff, the hospital administration has not done anything to provide more care or to shift patients lying out in the open to a more comfortable place.

Standing in a queue to lodge a complaint with staff members, Vinay, a visitor for one of the dengue suspects, said, “The patient’s state has constantly been deteriorating. He has even been coughing out blood, but the staff has been lax. People admitted here are at god’s mercy.”

Reacting to queries, civil surgeon HK Singla still maintained that there were no confirmed dengue patients in the hospital.

When asked why the IG Macelisa tests were still not being carried out, even as the number of dengue patients in the isolation ward had increased to eight, he said, “I will look into it. The tests will be conducted soon.”

Talking about the patients languishing in corridors, he said, “As soon as the new gynae ward is ready, there will be more room for patients. Before that we do not have any extra space available to shift patients, except the corridors.”

Jalandhar, October 22
Terming the allotment of land to the SAD and BJP at one-fourth of the reserve price to be ‘gross misuse of power’, the local Opposition leaders as well as various social welfare bodies have raised the voice of dissent against the move of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT).

They were reacting to a news item “Improvement Trust ‘gifts’ prime land to SAD, BJP” which appeared in Jalandhar Tribune today. The story mentions that both the parties had been allotted four kanal land each at one-fourth the reserve price.

A former Mayor of Municipal Corporation as well as a former trustee of the JIT, Jai Kishan Saini , said he was surprised at the high-handedness of the ruling party leaders who dared to convert the usage of the land allotted meant for affordable housing for setting up their own party offices.

“As a trustee way back in 1973, I too had got the land allotted for the District Congress Committee for setting up Congress Bhawan at Rajinder Nagar but we had paid the full reserve price amount. There is no reason why parties should be discounted up to 75 per cent of the collector rate,” he said.

Former chairman of the JIT and Congress leader Tajinder Bittu too claims that the parties should have at least paid the reserve price. “I will get the matter probed,” he claimed.

RTI activist Sanjay Sehgal, “The political parties are in no way short of funds. So, there is no need to offer them land at subsidised rates. Instead, the land should have preferably been allotted to some more deserving social welfare organisations.”

Lakhbir Singh of NGO Pahal said, “We have been time and again demanding allotment of some land from various local bodies. But no one has paid any heed. Many social bodies like our own are operating from houses and somehow managing the show. I have been really upset with the way the land has been allotted to SAD and BJP.”

Leader of the Opposition in the MC House, Jagdish Raj Raja, too commented. “Allotment of prime land on GT Road near Maqsudan Chowk in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar at Rs 25,000 a marla to SAD is clearly a sheer misuse of authority. While the JIT has been claiming no money to fund the MC, the allotment at 25 per cent of the rates indicates otherwise”.

Counsel Rajinder Bhatia too said that he would get the matter further checked up demanding inspection of the files related to the matter under RTI Act. 

Jalandhar, October 22
Our land was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947. But probably the geographical boundaries of both the countries failed to divide the minds of the people residing in the neighbouring nations.

A majority of our great martyrs are equally respected by residents of both the countries. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is one of them. So much so, there are several groups even in Pakistan which stage plays on Bhagat Singh to spread awareness among the new generation regarding his supreme sacrifice for attaining freedom.

One such Lahore-based group “Ajoka Theatre” will come to India to stage “Rang De Basanti Chola” play on Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall in Jalandhar on November 1.

Interestingly, born in Lyallpur district of Lahore, Shaheed Bhagat Singh had great association with that place. He did not only study at the National College Lahore where he met martyr Sukhdev and Bhagwati Charan Vohra (Durga Bhabhi’s husband) but also founded Naujawan Bharat Sahba there itself. He also staged “Bharat Durdarsha” play during his study at this college.

The 31-member group headed by director Madeeha Gauhar and her writer husband Shahid Nadeem will reach Jalandhar on October 31. The group will stage a play during the “Natakan Bhari Shaam” (Evening of Plays) on November 1, the concluding day of five-day of Mela Gadhari Babeyan Da, said Amolak Singh convener cultural wing of Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Committee.

Amolak Singh said, “The Natankan Bhari Shaam is being dedicated to renowned playwright Gursharan Singh, who passed away recently. His Chandigarh-based group Amrtisar Natak Kala Kendra will also stage play ‘Baba Bolda Hai’ to spread awareness among directionless youth.”

The cultural wing convener further said a total of six plays would be staged from 7 pm on November 1 to 5 am on November 2 during Natakan Bhari Shaam.

Director Kewal Dhaliwal’s Manch Rangmanch Amritsar group will stage ‘Katha Kashmir’ (regarding problem of Kashmir); Prof Ajmer Aulakh’s group Lok Kala Manch Mansa will stage play (name yet to be finalised) on destruction in the name of development during land acquisition; Prof Ankur Sharma’s group Yuva Manch will stage Gulzar’s play Kharashein and Anita Shabdeesh’s Suchetak Rangmanch Mohali will stage Rabindra Nath Tagore’s play “Lal Kaner”.

The 21st mela will be inaugurated on October 29. Singing, debate and painting competitions will be held during the mela to spread awareness especially among the new generation about the unfulfilled relevant dreams of the freedom fighters, said general secretary of the committee Dr Raghubir Kaur, its trustee Gurmeet Singh and its vice president Naunihal Singh. 

Jalandhar, October 22
NRIs settled abroad and farmers in the district would be able to check their land records in Jalandhar from mid-December onwards with the data pertaining to the same to be uploaded on the public domain.

While land records of Kapurthala and Nawanshahr were made online about a month back on the web portal www.plrs.org.in, Jalandhar is likely to be the next in line with more than 70 per cent of the record already digitised.

Once the record gets available on the net, the land owners would be able to have access of the same by simply selecting their district, tehsil, village and then putting in any one of the options including names, khasra number or khewat number. The best part is that the portal is bilingual with information available is English as well as Punjabi.

Divisional Commissioner and former secretary, Revenue, Anurag Verma said mutations of the land in the two districts had become much easier with verification of the same on the web within a few days. “For the same reason, getting authenticated copies of fards from fard kendras has also been made possible in a day. The land owners can even download copies of fards and mutations from the website but it cannot be used for legal purposes”, he explained.

Verma said the website had already started getting a good response with more than 31,000 hits in a month’s time. “We have been daily getting responses from people. We have only got 86 objections so far, mostly regarding minor spelling mistakes in their own names or those of their father or grandfather for which we have been checking original records and verifying the same by tracing old ones”, he claimed.

“We have been responding to all those who have sent feedback to us in a week’s time with a few objections already rectified,” he added.

Verma hopes that the land record of Jalandhar should get computerised in one and a half months. “It could have been done earlier as well had our data entry operators and other contractual staff not gone on strike”, he said.

Jalandhar, October 22
God’s blessings comes in many forms and this is true in the case of Udaan special School, who initially thought that a phone call pertaining to a gift for the special children was a prank!

But, the school authorities were in for a surprise when a good Samaritan- a Sikh gentleman actually dropped in the school along with his family to meet them.

The Samaritan, who does not wished to be named, brought a brand new ‘Photostat machine’ and ‘Printer’ for the special children of this school. The students had organised a ‘Diwali Exhibition’ of various hand made gifts to collect money for buying both the machines.

It is pertinent to mention here that on October 18, Jalandhar Tribune had highlighted the efforts of the special children of this school in organising the exhibition for collecting money to buy the machines. The machines were to be used for providing vocational training to these students so that they could make themselves financially independent.

The school owner-cum-special educator, Meenu Shahi, said they received a phone call, the day the news was printed. “Initially we though that somebody was playing a prank with us but the very next morning, this Samaritan came along with his family to donate the machines. We are waiting for the installation of the machines and to begin the training”, she said.

Thanking the Almighty she said, “Probably this is the way God makes his presence felt. Our special children would have ended up working hard to collect money for these machines but almighty showered his blessings upon them”.

She also said the students would have hardly fetched between Rs 2.50 to Rs 8 per diwali earthen lamp, which was too small an amount. “This is the best Diwali gift these humble souls could have ever got”, she quipped expressing thanks to God.

The school would now organise a function on November 1 to start free of cost vocational training for its special children during which they have decided to honour the Samaritan for this noble cause. 

Jalandhar October 22
Despite issuance of strict instructions by the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner, Priyank Bharti, to not set up cracker selling points outside their shops or in the crowded markets, many cracker sellers are doing just that.

The DC had issued strict instructions to the cracker sellers and also notified the areas and places where cracker traders can or cannot set up their cracker selling stalls.

Ahead of Diwali, as precautionary measures and to prevent any untoward happening, DC has also strictly warned that if any shop keeper found selling crackers at the place which was not notified, strict action would be taken against the errant trader.

Visit to the market revealed that many traders have laid temporary tables outside their shops and have been selling crackers. Basti Sheikh, Khingra Gate and JP Nagar are some places where crackers selling stalls have been reportedly set up flouting instructions.

Sources also revealed that many sellers have also set up crackers stores in the crowded market defying the orders of the district administration.

It was also learnt that place which have been notified by the DC to set up cracker shops, have been least attracting the traders.

One of the cracker trader revealed that they have been selling crackers for the past of many years and their customers are also aware of their specific shop and now if they change location of their selling point, it would dwindle their sale.