Jalandhar, December 22
The intense cold wave has claimed three lives in the past two days in the city. The bodies of all of the victims are still unidentified and have been sent by the police to the morgue of the local Civil Hospital.

Today, cold wave claimed its third victim. The body of aged man was recovered by the police near the city railway station. The deceased is said to be around 55-year-old but the identity of the deceased is still unknown.

The passersby noticed an aged person lying unconscious near the railway station. They then informed the police. The body was later taken to the local Civil Hospital where doctors claimed that victim might have succumbed to the cold weather.

Extreme cold weather had claimed second life, when the body of 40-year-old was found near the railway tracks of Rama Mandi last night. The deceased was yet to be identified. The Railway Police after taking the body into their custody had initiated the inquest proceedings.

Eye-witnesses claimed that said victim had died due to the cold wave. Witnesses further claimed that they had also seen the victim shivering.

Another man was found dead on Tuesday. The body of the said middle aged man was found under a stage at Devi Talab Temple on Tuesday morning.

The police after taking the body into their custody had already initiated the inquest proceedings.

Sources said that the deceased had died due to the cold weather. Police sources said the deceased appeared to be beggar, who might have taken a shelter below the stage without informing the authority.

Jalandhar, December 22
With hardly days left for the poll code to come into effect, over 10 major local bodies projects conceived and planned by the present government may not see the light of the day.

While the PUDA had planned three mega projects, including setting up Urban Estate, Phase-3, at Pholariwal village, construction of commercial complexes on Central Jail site and at old SSP office, there cannot be any progress on any of these at least for the next three months as work orders on none of these have been passed.

The PUDA officials had managed to get plans cleared for all the three projects from the Local Bodies Department but the tendering for the same has been withheld now. The authorities had even finalised the rate for acquiring the 345 acre land for Rs 1.75 crore per acre. The delay in negotiations with the banks for taking loan for the same perhaps resulted in the project getting held up.

The authorities acquired the jail site from the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB), even got the measurements and assessment for the same done but have not yet issued tenders for its demolition. Likewise, the plan for the old SSP office site was also sent across but the approvals were awaited.

SK Singla, Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, said, “There is no point in proceeding with any of these projects as in any case these are going to be held up at some stage. Even if we issue tenders now, a week’s time has to be given for the same. In any case work orders wont be cleared. So, there cannot be anything on this front till March”.

The Jalandhar Improvement Trust which is proceeding with its super luxury flats at Surya Enclave will also not be able to get the work cleared. As many as 122 flats in six circular blocks with an area of nearly 2210 sq feet each were being planned at the site. While the plans may get through, the construction part will not be able to get started. The draw of nearly 400 plots of other dimensions had been done but the ones for 150 sq feet flats at Surya Enclave Extension is also pending. The physical acquiring of land and development work at the site is also lying pending.

While the project of nearly complete LIG flats Bibi Bhani Complex has been expedited with work orders for roads and power connections done, the possession may not be given before March.

In MC, the mega projects including construction of sports hub at Burlton Park and renovation of Nehru Garden with the setting up of food kiosks could not get started.

Jalandhar, December 22
Life came to a standstill today as fog coupled with cold waves made things miserable for the commuters. Till 10 am people were to tackle thick blanket of fog and freezing cold.

The minimum temperature recorded at Adampur was 2° Celsius while the maximum remained at 21.2°C. Bathinda recorded the lowest temperature in the region with the mercury dipping to a low of 1.2 degrees Celsius.

While majority people avoided commuting in the thick fog, those who had no option were the most affected. Daily wagers sitting on the roadside and kiosks for work; school and college going children and employees had a difficult time in commuting.

Rail and road services were also badly hit due to the fog. Some of the trains were running late. Buses and other vehicles drove very slowly in thick fog cover. A group of students going to Army School on bicycles said, “We stopped en route to warm ourselves near a bonfire. The fog coupled with cold wave have made our miserable.”

As if the fog was not enough, the weather remained partly cloudy throughout the day.

A roadside vendor selling groundnuts and the traditional jaggery products said, “We are having a brisk business.”

Meanwhile, the Met department at Adampur Air Force Station has predicted fog, mist and haze in the morning.

Jalandhar, December 22
Four months after it was passed by the Jalandhar Cantonment Board, the Headquarters Western Command is yet to pass the Rs 35-crore annual budget of the board.

The board passed the budget in August this year.

The delay in the passing of the budget by the Western Command and the further sanction of the amount has in turn brought various development projects of the cantonment to a halt. While new projects could not be started, the under process development works had to be shelved.

This despite the fact that the Chief Executive Officer of Cantonment Board, Vibha Sharma, has taken up this issue with the Principal Director, Western Command, Chandimandir, repeatedly during the four months. Recently, the CEO met the Principal Director on December 16 but no formal approval was given.

Even the special grant-in-aid to the tune of Rs 9.62 lakhs for setting up of effluent treatment plant (ETP) for slaughter houses in the cantonment is also yet to be passed. Owing to this reason the construction of additional block on the premises of cantonment board office and the new classrooms in Cantonment Board Boys School was also put on hold.

The councilors maintained that this year the budget was passed well on time and that the delay was uncalled for. Avinash Sharma, councilor of ward number 3 said, “The funds released under last year’s budget are already over, following which various development works has to be stopped. And this year we are still clueless as to when the budget will be passed?”

The Vice-President of Jalandhar Cantonment Board, Nistha Goel, said the development work of reconstruction of roads, PC flooring in the mohallas of seven wards of cantonments and new trucks for collection of garbage were yet to done.

The councillors said “Even we had raised the budget issue in all the previous house meetings but to no avail,” they added.

S.K.Mathur, Joint CEO, Cantonment Board, said, “The Headquarters Western Command will give us a final date of the presentation of the budget after which it will be presented before the GOC-in-Chief of Headquarters Western Command, Lt Gen S.R. Ghosh. Once the approval is granted, the budget will be passed. We are hopeful that the budget will be passed very soon”. 

Jalandhar December 22
Expressing resentment over the police’s dilly-dallying attitude in taking timely action against the accused in a murder of Harwinder Singh,a 23-year-old boy of village Bagana in Kapurthala district, deceased’s brother Kulwinder Singh today alleged that police has been intentionally providing shelter to the alleged accused.

While talking to the mediapersons, deceased’s brother along with the other relatives categorically blamed police for adopting biased attitude in arresting the accused, who have been freely roaming.

He recalled that his brother had affair with his college mate girl Jaspreet of village Sahni in the same district and duo were planning to marry soon.

He alleged that girl’s parents were against their relations.

“Once girl’s father came to our house and threatened my brother to leave the girl otherwise get prepare to face the worse consequences” he alleged that girl’s father was against their relation because his brother (deceased) belonged to the ‘dalit’ family.

He further alleged that on November 30, girl’s father hatched a conspiracy to kill his brother and called his brother at one specific place, where the victim was shot at by girl’s parents.

He said that police even after the murder had been delaying the registration of First Information Report (FIR), which was later registered after five days of killing.

While terming the murder as ‘honour killing’ deceased’s brother alleged that despite of apprising the police in a written complaint that murder was a ‘honour killing’, police didn’t levied SC/ST act on the accused.

“In a complaint to police, we have mentioned the names of whole family members including a girl but police had registered FIR by name only against two persons including Chanchal Singh and Jaspreet Kaur daughter of Chanchal (the girl with whom deceased had relations).

They have also filed complaint of delaying arrest of accused with the DGP Punjab, DIG Jalandhar, Chief Minister Punjab, SC/ST Commission and Human Rights Commission, Punjab.

“Whenever we ask the police why accused have not been arrested, we always get the same silly reply from the police, “we are investigating the case” deceased’s brother rued.

He rued that police had also seized the mobile phone of the deceased as a part of investigation but has not been divulging the information of last calls details to them.

Now the deceased’s family has given five days ultimatum to the police for arresting the murder accused, otherwise they are mulling strict protest against the police administration. 

With their school situated on the other side of the tracks at the city railway station, schoolchildren put their lives at risk on a regular basis in Jalandhar. Tribune Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Jalandhar, December 22
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) seems to have kept its eyes wide shut over the continuing violations at the city railway station. School children trespasses railway tracks everyday virtually under the nose of railway police. Only a few days ago, in Haryana, children lost their lives when a train ran over them. The children couldn’t see the approaching train due to the heavy fog.

Passengers and food vendors violate railway norms everyday. Instead of using the railway bridge they often take the shortcut.

As per available records, the railway police this year had challaned 574 violators under section 147 (railway tracks trespassing) while the numbers stood at 231 last year. An amounted of Rs 59,900 and Rs 24,400 were collected by the police in the last two years respectively.

Though numbers of people challaned for crossing the railway tracks have increased as compared to the last year, still the numbers is not satisfactory, if consider the number of people cross tracks every day.

Railway police caught 554 illegal vendors and collected Rs 54, 600 as penalty. This is higher than last year when 527 challans were issued and an amount of Rs 70,700 was collected as penalty charges.

The railway officials said they were doing their best to curb the menace but people should also respect laws.

Number of men caught for boarding ladies compartment were 123 and fine levied on them was Rs 12,300. Last year, the number of men challaned were 155 and penalty collected was Rs 15,500.

Number of people caught sitting in the door while travelling were 78 and penalty levied on them was Rs 8,000. Similarly last year, number of people challaned were 55 and penalty levied was Rs 5500.

Jalandhar, December 22
The Department of Posts India has collaborated with VFS Global Services Pvt Ltd, a company that provides visa-related services to various governments/ Embassies/High Commissions, for offering acceptance facility for the Malaysian visa application forms.

Senior Superintendent Posts Avtar Singh Pahuja said that the facility had been started to make visa-related services more accessible to the citizens of India through the vast network of post offices in the country.

Prior to an All-India launch, it has been decided to provide this facility from head postoffices at Jalandhar, Amritsar and Jaipur on pilot basis.

He said that the Department had also introduced new scheme called 10-year National Saving Certificates and revised the interest rates in Post Office Saving Schemes. The service of Kisan Vikas Patra has been discontinued, he added. 

Jalandhar, December 22
The city police held four bookies while betting at Shaheed Baabu Labh Singh Nagar yesterday.

The accused had been identified as Harish Kumar of Avtar Singh Nagar, Johny Kumar of Rattan Nagar, Yashpal Seth of Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar and Sanjeev Kumar of Bansa Wala Bazaar.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ravinder Pal, said following a tip-off the police raided a residence at Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar and found the accused betting on cricket matches.

The police recovered 13 mobile phones, one laptop and some cash from their possession, said ACP. He also said the alleged bookies had taken a house on rent from long time and they might have some connection with international bookies. — TNS