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Train travel to get dearer
673 cases pending in consumer forum
Parking lot owners fleece visitors to DAC
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OIS Scheme’s loopholes need to be plugged
Residents speak
Non-bailable warrant against brothers
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Train travel to get dearer
While there has been a marginal increase in the fare of trains moving from Jalandhar to other destinations of Punjab, passengers travelling from Jalandhar to Delhi in sleeper class, 3 AC and 2 AC would be bearing the brunt. Such passengers would have to pay at least an extra Rs 50 for travelling to Delhi. The passengers travelling to Delhi from Jalandhar in Swarn Shatabdi and Shatabdi Express would be the ones paying the highest increase in fares for enjoying a comfortable journey. Earlier a passenger going to Delhi in Swarn Shatabdi was paying a fare of Rs 580, but he would have to pay an increased fare of Rs 635.50 now. Similarly, for the executive class, earlier the fare was Rs 1,080, which has now gone up to Rs 1,190. A similar hike of Rs 55 and Rs 111 has been made in the fares of Shatabdi Express, which too would burn a hole in the pockets of the passengers. Talking to Jalandhar Tribune, passengers criticised the Union Railway Ministry for the hike in the rail fares in the times of inflation, which would further add to their burden. “The common man is already reeling under the pressure of escalating prices of essential commodities, petrol, LPG and to add upon our problems, even the rail fares have also been increased. The Indian Railways is the largest transport available and the government should think twice before increasing the fares,” said Ramneek Malik, a passenger going to Delhi at the city railway station. Even the increase in the fares of the passenger trains in Punjab also received a mixed response. “I think it is fine if the Railways have introduced a marginal increase in the fares. After all in this time of inflation, it is difficult to match the rising expenses. It seems that not only the common man, but also the government is helpless,” said Sarabjit Singh, a passenger going to Ludhiana. According to the new rail fares, any passenger commuting to Amritsar from Jalandhar would now have to pay Rs 15 instead of Rs 13. Those travelling to Ludhiana would witness a meagre increase of Rs 1. Earlier the fare of Jalandhar to Ludhiana was Rs 10 and now it has been increased to Rs 11. Similarly, the passengers travelling in express trains would shell out an average of Rs 1 to Rs 5 extra to travel to places like Kapurthala, Ambala, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur. |
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673 cases pending in consumer forum
While 486 complaints are being dealt with the permanent Bench, presided over by Jaspal Singh Bhatia, nearly 187 complaints have been listed with the second Bench, chaired by Kapurthala forum president Surinder Mohan, which takes cases thrice a week. Even as the number of pending cases has come down by almost 100 in the past one and a half years, it still is a significant number, which needs to be brought down further. There were 775 cases pending in September, 2010. Bhatia and Mohan claim that they have been disposing of over 100 cases a month, which is helping them reduce the number of pending cases. “The number of cases settled in the last month was 108, much above the directions to dispose of 70 cases a month,” the duo said. Of the total complaints, the maximum are the ones pertaining to insurance companies. Those against PowerComm fall second in line, followed by complaints against banks, medical institutes, retail shops, educational institutes, airlines, postal department, road transport and telephone companies. While earlier, the complaints against telecom companies topped the list, these have come down to just two following a judgement passed by the Supreme Court in this regard about two years back. As per the orders, the telephone subscribers cannot seek remedy pertaining to disconnection or dispute over billing through the consumer forum and instead need to resolve these through arbitration under Section 7B of the Telegraph Act. Consumer Rights Day not observed at forum complex
Even as it was World Consumer Rights Day today, it was not observed at the forum complex. The theme for the day for the year, however, was “Our money, our rights: Campaigning for real choice in financial services”. |
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Parking lot owners fleece visitors to DAC
Jalandhar, March 15 Though the DAC has put up a rate board mentioning the parking charges for vehicles, but one cannot find a single rate mentioned on it visible. Reason: The rate board is completely covered with advertisements and posters, virtually eclipsing the rates mentioned on it. And in the absence of any properly mentioned rates, the people visiting the DAC for various works are left to argue with the employees of parking lots. The DAC has three parking lots, one inside the DAC, the second towards the Suvidha Kendra and the third one towards the tehsil complex. The parking lot employees are charging Rs 5 for cycle, Rs 15 for two-wheeler and Rs 20 for car. Despite having three parking lots, a majority of the visitors end up parking their vehicles near the PUDA complex, Chotti Baradari and even the SCOs near the Suvidha Kendra. “There are no fixed rates charged by the parking lot owners as a result of which we end up paying hefty amounts. At times they charge Rs 15 for scooters and motorcycles and sometime they even charge Rs 20 for the same. This is sheer fleecing of money from the people,” said Balwant Sethi, a local resident. Another person who had come to the DC office said, “Now whenever I visit DAC, I park my car outside near the PUDA complex. The parking lot owner has no rate board mentioning the charges for the convenience of the visitors. And the parking attendants charge the visitors according to their own whims and fancies.” official speak As soon as the auction is done, we will get the new boards erected and mention the parking charges so as to help the daily visitors to the DC office. Priyank Bharti, Deputy Commissioner
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No exam centre sensitive in district: DEO
Jalandhar, March 15 Talking on the issue, District Education Officer Neelam Rani said, “CCTV cameras have been put up in the major areas like Amritsar and Gurdaspur, but in Jalandhar we are already very strict this year and a number of strict observers and controllers have been deployed in the district.” About sensitive examination centres in the district, she said, “none” of
the areas in the district were sensitive. “The border areas and villages like Punia, Nihaluwal, etc, in the Shahkot and Nakodar segments have been labelled as sensitive centres in the past. But this time we have deployed very strict observers in all these areas. Last time I visited many of these schools as part of the flying squad myself and cheating in all these areas had considerably come down as we ourselves experienced. So far, there has been no cheating case in the district and we hope to keep it this way.” In all, 41 observers and 61 controllers have been deployed in the district during these exams. Three flying squads have also been deployed which will visit the various schools of the district. While the DEO clearly hints that things are very much under control, sources in the Education Department, however, say things are easier said than done. Some sources were irked by the fact that the government proposed the idea of installing CCTV cameras very late and hence the move could not be effected. They also said some of the affiliated schools in the city and some government schools in the border areas had been notorious for cheating and non-serious exam staff. So there was no reason why things would be any different this year. Others added, the
government seemed stricter this year. “For example three observers have been recruited at
the Punia school alone. This might help keep a check on unruly elements,” they said. While the exams have only started, it will be clear only in the coming days whether the Education Department has been able to check the menace of cheating. |
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OIS Scheme’s loopholes need to be plugged
Jalandhar, March 15 As per the scheme, which was notified way back in 2004, all those taking submersible connections are not being charged for the water bill, but for the volume of water thrown out in the sewers. Since none of the nearly 650 users of the scheme have installed meters at the disposal, it has been left to the field staff to make the calculation at their own end while levying the charges half yearly. All those who have taken the connection include hotels, hospitals, factories, government and semi-government departments. The Municipal Corporation (MC) is recovering an amount of nearly Rs 2 crore per annum from the OIS connections, which is just 50 per cent of the billing amount. Further, there are several households and factories who have not taken the connection legally and are not paying even a single penny. It is an interesting formula which the O&M field staff applies while making the billing assessment. In fact, there is no formula and billing is largely done on the basis of assumptions. It is assumed that just 20 per cent of the water drawn out is consumed and almost 80 per cent of it is disposed. For those having big lawns, the calculation is done taking the water discharged as 70 to 75 per cent. Further, the owners are required to maintain a logbook regarding the daily use of the motor. On the basis of the hourly use and the power of the motor, the volume of water pumped out is calculated. The MC charges Rs 16.80 for every kilolitre of water drained out. Interestingly, sources in the department said one semi-government department having OIS connection dared to install a meter at his disposal. Realising that it proved too costly, he got it removed. The scheme has left too many loopholes, allowing the user and the field staff to manipulate the figures at their own end. Perhaps for the same reason, the employees on duty under the scheme are considered to privileged ones. Chief Engineer (O&M) AS Dhaliwal, too, agreed that even as the scheme was not bad, it was ridden with certain flaws, which required to be amended. “We are working on it,” he added. |
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Don’t abandon the disabled: NGOs
Jalandhar, March 15 The President, in her address, had said, "A separate department for disability affairs is proposed to be set up for greater focus on addressing issues confronting persons with disabilities. The government is considering a new legislation for persons with disabilities to replace the existing Act." Activists say in Punjab and in the district the situation of mentally and physically disabled is deteriorating. The Punjab Government should take immediate measures to deal with the situation in the state. The Apahaj Ashram and Pingla Ghar are two of the main NGOs which have more than 150 inmates. Outside the city, there are NGOs like the Guru Nanak Ashram, which accept inmates even though they are filled to capacity. The situation is glum when it comes to the rest of the NGOs or rehabilitation measures in these establishments. For most of the government-run or aided organisations, the maximum capacity is 50 inmates. Many non-government organisations don't accept violent people. All these cases hence go to places like the Pingla Ghar and Guru Nanak Ashram. And if things are further narrowed down, the Pingla Ghar is the only state-of-the-art place which is adequately taking care of the disabled in the city. Speaking on the issue, Lt Col Balbir Singh Multani (retd), administrator, Pingla Ghar, says, "We have 400 inmates with us, out of which 250 are women. Eighty per cent of the inmates are mentally disabled and 50-60 per cent among them are physically handicapped." Commenting on the rise in the cases of the disabled and elderly being abandoned, he says, "People are more disconnected and more materialistic these days. They perceive their loved ones not as a responsibility, but a burden." About the increasing number of women being abandoned, he says, "Our own female wards are almost full. Now we are planning to set up another one to deal with the inflow. As compared to previous days, the inflow has certainly increased and especially among the disabled people, the families have a strong tendency to abandon them." Disability activist Amarjit Singh Anand says, "The government's apathy to the disability cause has added to the problem. Stricter government measures would ensure ample places and homes for the rehabilitation of the disabled. Right now a dearth of them is causing the disabled and the homeless to be exploited because the streets are all that gets left for the unluckier ones." Citing examples, he says, "A couple of years ago, PUDA had called for applications to allocate a certain land for a social organisation. Interviews took place, but a private school finally got the land. As long as the government doesn't get strict and implements laws and allocates land and budget by the book, exploitation is bound to happen." Now that the President has also shown an inclination to pay heed to the concerns of the disabled, we hope the Punjab Government will take notice too and finally allocate a disability ministry for the state. It is time they do something to formulate better rehabilitation and welfare plans for the
disabled." Wheelchairs donated y Anil Chopra, head of the St Soldier Group of Institutions, distributed seven wheelchairs among the inmates of Pingla Ghar on Thursday. Students of St Soldier College of Nursing also visited the Pingla Ghar and interacted with the inmates.
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Residents speak
Jalandhar, March 15 “There should be special budgetary allocations for senior citizens. They should have certain exemptions in rail/road transport charges. I have noticed we have we have so many more relaxations while in the job. Rather, the budgetary provisions for ex-servicemen should be increased. Special budgets should be created for the poor and the needy. The current provisions in this area are only on paper. Petrol and cooking gas prices are killing the common man. There would be cheer if these are brought down,” Squadron Leader Kirpal Singh (retd). “The budget should firstly take care of the needs of the common man. The inflation in recent times has robbed the common man of a worry-free life. And it’s high time that the government started a pension for artists. They spend their entire lives making their country proud, culturally enriching it with their talent but as we have seen, many have died in abject penury. The government should now recognise the contribution of this much-ignored group of people,” Ustad BS Narang, classical vocalist. “A fair implementation of the UNCRPD has in fact been agreed upon by the PM himself. The 11th five year plan mandates that every ministry shall reserve not less than three per cent of their annual outlay for the benefit of people with disabilities. It’s been 60 years since Independence, but the disability sector hasn’t seen dedicated budgetary allocations for them ever. It’s high time the government took notice,” said Amarjit Singh Anand, disability rights activist “There needs to be more thrust on budgetary provisions for a fool proof education policy which executes what it promises. The rise in lawlessness, crime and depleting moral values are somewhere a result of a growing thirst for money. The educational pattern is also money oriented. Budgets for traditional educational patterns need to be encouraged for a happier society. Special budgets for the promotion of cultural and linguistic bodies should be made. Right now many bodies are suffering for want of money. Harivallabh is also an example. Supervisory committees in states should ensure the budget money gets to the bodies concerned as promised because that also does not happen often,” said Deepak Bali, secretary, Punjab Jagriti
Manch. |
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Non-bailable warrant against brothers
Phagwara, march 15 They had allegedly grabbed properties of their grandmother by preparing forged will. Their third brother Parmal Kumar had been granted bail in the case. A case under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 and 120B of the IPC. The case was filed by their cousin Amit Kumar.
— OC
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Jalandhar, March 15
Jalandhar, March 15