Jalandhar, December 31
Even as the maternity ward at the Civil Hospital here has given enough stink, dirt and trouble to patients, the situation at the orthopaedic ward is no different.

The dirty orthopaedic ward at the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar. Photos: Sarbjit Singh

A visit to the ward revealed grime and dirty toilets and the unbearable stink. A staircase had paan-stained walls leading to the filthy orthopaedic ward.

The ward floors are loaded with dirt. Both the entrance and the far end are stinky and water is accumulated on the floor. Patients say in the absence of proper toilets, ward floors are used by elderly patients and visitors to relieve themselves in the night.

Dirty linens are stacked and discarded bunks and garbage are other features at the ward. Some patients join in the party, discarding paper wrappers beneath their beds. Curtain rods were also seen falling off the hooks.

The worst part, however, is yet to come. Since the bathrooms at the ward are unusable as they are being renovated, patients have to use those of the empty isolation ward opposite to the orthopaedic ward.

The toilets in the isolation ward have been turned into a pool of stinking water.

There are three toilet seats and one is broken. The unsanitary conditions make the other two almost unusable. The only wash basin is also broken. The lone bulb doesn’t work, making it impossible for patients to use it at night. There is no water supply in the toilet either.

On top of it, there are no wheelchairs available in the ward so patients faced with a dire emergency have to be taken to the toilet on a movable bed.

Hardeep Singh, a relative of a patient, said: “The bathrooms are unusable. The authorities also do not seem to have given a bit of thought to the fact that the ward will be used by patients with broken or ailing bones. Patients who cannot stand up can’t use these bathrooms. We move them on trolleys since there is no wheelchair. The only lift in the building doesn’t work. Thankfully, there is a ramp.”

Surjit Singh, visitor, said: “The condition of the ward is pathetic. Our patient has been here for the past 15 days and the stink is ever increasing. The authorities, it seems, are not bothered.”

Jalandhar, December 31
A farmer was hacked to death at Killi village in Shahkot last night. The body of the farmer was found in a cattle shed.

The 42-year-old farmer has been identified as Amrik Singh, resident of Killi village in Shahkot. SP (Operation) Rajinder Singh, finger print experts along with a dog squad reached the spot to take stock of situation.

Deceased’s mother Mohinder Kaur said his son had left to cattle shed last night. “When I along with my son came to the cattle shed this early morning for milking cows, we were stunned to see Amrik lying in a pool of blood on the cot,” she said.

The bereaved family members claimed that deceased had no enmity with anyone in the village. The deceased, whose wife had just died four months ago, has left behind his 16-year-old daughter.

The farmer, it seems, was murdered with a heavy iron rod. His face was mutilated and there were signs of assault on his head, too, police sources said.

The police said it had gathered some vital clues soon the accused would be behind bars.

After sending body for post-mortem, a case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against unknown person at the Shahkot police station.

Jalandhar, December 31
A five-year-old boy, Nitish, died after a roof caved in at Alawalpur village in the wee hours of Saturday.

Fortunately, five-month-old Vidhya and a month old Mahesh had a miraculous escape with minor bruises on their body while four other women sleeping along with the children also escaped with minor injuries when the roof collapsed. All children were sleeping with their mothers in a room at their residence.

The incident took place around 3 am. Nitish was sleeping with his mother Binder when the roof collapsed and the child got crushed under the concrete. However, his mother escaped unhurt.

After hearing the loud noise, area residents rushed to the spot and rescued the victims. The room was locked from inside and residents used makeshift stairs to rescue the victims.

Nitish was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Jalandhar, December 31
The sangat (devotees) that arrived in cars for attending the gurpurab celebrations in connection with Guru Gobind Singh birth anniversary at Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha at Model Town this morning was greeted to a VIP treatment.

While valet parking service is common at weddings and private functions, it was unique for a gurdwara to hire such a service for the convenience of devotees. While the gurdwara paid for the service, it was free for the sangat and everyone took it happily.

The staff of the private company directed all cars towards the main entrance of the gurdwara, where the devotees alighted from cars and the vehicles were then parked in the yellow line parking area on the road itself by professional drivers. Nearly 100 cars were parked by the company staff.

This gave an added advantage to the commuters along the main Model Town Road as there was no wrong parking and the routine traffic moved swiftly. During peak traffic hours, the police has made the road one-way only with the commuters on the other side directed to take a detour from the backlane of the gurdwara. With a proper management, traffic on both sides functioned smoothly today.

Harpal Singh, a visitor, appreciated the move and said that other gurdwaras on the main road should also provide valet parking which would promote attendance of more sangat, convenience to the elderly and goodwill in general public.

The gurdwara already boasts of top facilities, including use of air-conditioners and wall-to-wall carpets.

Today, professional flower decorators had also been hired for decking up the gate and the main hall. The gurdwara is also popular for its extensive menu in the langar which normally comprises of rumali roti, daal, sabzi and kheer. Kulfi and ice-creams are popularly distributed in summers.

Further, the newly-elected gurdwara management president, Atam Parkash Singh Bablu, was tech-savvy enough to send the programme details and a press note through an email.

The gurdwara president said it was for the first time that the celebrations for the gurpurab went on for over a week. Short skits were enacted to spread the social awareness messages on female foeticide and water conservation.

Jalandhar, December 31
As the whole world was soaked in the New Year celebrations, enjoying a night-out or sitting at home watching TV with family members, two government employees were on poll duty to attend the 24x7 election complaint call centre at Circuit House here.

Inspectors with the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Ashish and Rajbir, readily took to sit for the 12-hour duty between 8 pm on December 31, 2011 to 8 am on January 1, 2012. “Duty is duty and we have to abide by it. There is a roster prepared by the district election office which we have to follow by all means,” the duo said.

It was a chilling night of the peak winter season and they had arranged two blankets on their own. “Two days ago, we found the room heater to be out of order which we got repaired. We also took along a few eatables to munch so that we do not fall asleep as there hardly are any calls in the night,” said Ashish.

He added that the last call comes at around 11 pm and then the phones again starts ringing at 6 am as the early risers start reading newspapers. “In between, there are hardly are any calls. Sometimes, officials, especially district election officer Priyank Bharti himself makes calls to check whether we are up and on duty. He sometimes does it even from certain unknown numbers and we have to be alert,” he said..

Since both Ashish and Rajbir are unmarried, the staff perhaps deliberately chose them for the task. Ashish said: “I have my parents and friends in Ludhiana and could not be there with them celebrating the arrival of the New Year. All these years, I have celebrated New Year with my friends taking geri routes on roads.”

Rajbir added: “Normally, I celebrate New Year in a gurdwara paying obeisance, but it could not be so this time. This despite it was gurpurab today and all gurdwaras are holding late night samagams. Never mind, I will go to a gurdwara on January 1.”

The duo found respite saying: “It’s not just we, there are policemen, excise inspectors and others who are on duty as well.”

Jalandhar, December 31
Twenty-six-year-old Harpal Singh is an auto driver and the sole bread winner in his family. Until two months ago, he was earning Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month to support his family. However, he has been diagnosed with acute renal failure and needs kidney transplant immediately.

Undergoing treatment by borrowing money from people, Harpal's treatment is under a threat as the family has run out of money. A resident of Pathankot, Harpal was admitted to a local hospital earlier this year. While all the money the family had was spent on his treatment, the hospital authorities have also expressed the inability to help them further.

On dialysis for the past two-and-a-half month, Harpal has to undergo the procedure twice a week. He currently needs a kidney transplant, which will cost Rs 4 lakh..

Arun Sharma, a friend of Harpal, who has been helping the family during his treatment, says: "Both his kidneys have failed. He needs a kidney transplant. He has been on dialysis for the past two-and-a-half months. We were so short of money that Harpal even had to give a miss to his dialysis sessions for a month, staying at home for that period. We had to borrow money from many quarters to get the treatment restarted."

"His only sister, who is married, is a potential kidney donor. Now, we are out of money. If only the family gets the required amount, Harpal can survive," Arun added.

The expenses on the medicines afterwards (for 10 years) will also take Rs 30,000 per month, later going down to Rs 10,000 per month as the treatment advances, said doctors.

For the existing treatment, too, Harpal requires Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per dialysis session, which is done twice a month. Injections worth Rs 500 each are administered on a regular basis plus expenses on medicines, filters, pipes etc.

(Those interested to help the family can contact Arun on his cell phone number: 9888271730)

Jalandhar, December 31
It’s a poor driver of a bus of a government-aided college who has been made the scapegoat in the poll code violation episode pertaining to its use for ferrying supporters for the Akali rally at Nakodar on December 26.

Everyone, including the party leaders who used the services of the bus and the college administration that runs the bus has managed to save their skin, while passing on the buck to the softest target.

Ever since the bus of Guru Nanak Khalsa Girls’ College, Sangh Dhesian, Goraya, was used in the Chief Minister’s rally held at Sarin village in support of SAD candidate Gurpartap Singh Wadala, there had been reports in the media regarding the use of the bus. Gurpartap is the son of SGPC member Kuldip Singh Wadala, who also happens to be the president of management committee of the college.

Sumit Kumar, returning officer of Nakodar, had issued a show-cause notice to Gurpartap Wadala. In response to the same, the Wadalas feigned ignorance and said that it was the college administration that needs to be hauled up for the same.

While the college principal is said to be away, a school teacher instead approached the RO office and gave it in writing, “The college had shut down on December 25. Ever since, the bus was in the custody of the college driver. It was the driver who perhaps on his own took out the bus for the SAD rally”.

Since the axe has to fall on someone’s head and the driver was perhaps the easiest of all the targets, the RO has now asked the college administration to respond on what action they had taken against the driver. RO Sumit Kumar has confirmed the development.

District election officer Priyank Bharti said he could not comment on the matter till the inquiry report is out.

Jalandhar, December 31
There is some respite for the businessmen after the enhancement of the cash limit for seizure from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh as there were no seizure reports from the constituencies today.

Ever since the limit was enhanced yesterday afternoon, the reports of cash seizure from all nine constituencies came to a naught. However, the authorities seized liquor, 215 litres from the city constituencies and 59 boxes from Nakodar.

Ever since the model code of conduct came into force, the city is wearing a cleaner look with not even commercial groups putting up hoardings or banners at non-designated sites.

ERO, Jalandhar Central, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, however, today issued a show-cause notice to Rajinder Singh Ramgarhia, a resident of Ladowali Road, for erected a flex board of the BSP on his house without permission.

Sandhu said: “Since no resident could make commercial use of the property, he was supposed to take permission from the MC. Since it was for political promotion, he should have also taken prior permission.” He also claims to have got removed 44 party flags and one small board.

Jalandhar, December 31
The Cantt police has booked three youths for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a community after some miscreants clashed with members of a community during a religious procession last night in the Cantt area.

The community members had organised a ‘nagar kirtan’ in the Cantt area when two motorcycle-borne youths allegedly rammed their bikes into community members. The youths then started heated arguments with community members.

The members alleged that the youths then fled from the scene and a few minutes later they came with their accomplices and started pelting stones at the community members. Three persons were injured in the process.

Meanwhile scores of community members reached the Cantt police station and demanded registration of a case against the accused. The police later registered a case under Section 295-A of IPC against the youths, who have been identified as Laddi, Putti and a few other unidentified miscreants. The police said raids were on to nab the accused.