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What ails de-addiction centre
Jhuggi dwellers hold protest
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child labour
Rollback welcomed
Jewellers burn FM’s effigy
Burglars strike at four places
Three arrested with stolen iron material
from colleges
Teenaged girl dies of burns
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What ails de-addiction centre
Jalandhar, March 23 Reason: It is short of staff, funds, medicines and it sans an outreach programme which could help it establish a regular contact with the target group. Even as the staff is doing its best to attend patients properly, they cannot help the situation as they don't have money or the resources to do so. The wards are dark and dingy and without the class four staff. Set up in 2007, the 30-bedded centre was originally meant to work with a regular funding from the District Red Cross Society. While it was smooth sailing and good work for the first two years, the centre has not received funds since December 2009 from the Red Cross. Staff crunch
There is only one psychiatrist and no counsellor at the de-addiction centre. There are four sanctioned posts of staff nurses, four ward attendants, two safai sewaks and two security constables, but the centre currently has only one staff nurse and two ward attendants. The safai sewaks visit the ward occasionally. Psychiatrist Amna Sood said: "When the centre was started, we got some volunteers and multipurpose health workers for it. For the first two years, things were fine. After that, the health workers were repatriated to their original stations and we were left with a very limited staff. Right now, there are times when we have to ask for safai sewaks to clean the wards. The centre is running with a counsellor." No medicines
The patients are also not getting free medicines at the centre. When The Tribune team talked to some patients at the centre, they said they were getting all the medicines from outside as none were available in the hospital. "Besides de-addiction medicines, we have to get medicines for TB, Hepatitis C, seizures and HIV. The medicines for a de-addiction centre are costly," said Dr Sood. Lack of infrastructure
The infrastructure, too, is in tatters. "I have written to the MS, who has further written to the PWD regarding the building of the centre, but to no avail. With Red Cross funds also not coming, the centre's strength and ability to function independently has greatly diminished," said Dr Sood. Only 20 patients
For a 30-bedded centre, it currently has 20 patients admitted and about 50 patients get treated here per month. Given that, it is the only de-addiction centre in the district where the patients are less. |
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Jhuggi dwellers hold protest
Jalandhar, March 23 The jhuggi dwellers said they should be rehabilitated elsewhere. The protesters said that they had been living at the site for the past over 41 years, had ration cards, voter cards and even power connections. The minister was away to attend the martyrdom day function, but his son Mahinder Bhagat tried to pacify the protesters. He said their demand would be taken up with Municipal Corporation at the earliest.
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Scrap dealer challaned
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 23 Labour inspector JP Singh said action against the owner of one establishment has been taken. “While the scrap dealer who had employed a child labourer has been challaned, the case of other two children is unclear. In one case the ‘victim’ was not a minor and the other was working at the shop of his brother,” he added. “The documents of the child and his family, who is working at his brother’s shop, will be checked on Monday,” he added. Notably, the labour inspector has not checked the records of the child who is supposedly a major. “You could say by looking at the child that he was not a minor. He had beard and moustaches. What more proof do we need?” said the labour inspector. The city-based 1098 Childline had sent two complaints to the labour department regarding child labourers working in some stalls and shops of the city. The letters were addressed to the Assistant Labour Commissioner on February 28 and March 7.
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Rollback welcomed
Jalandhar, March 23 It was after nine years that the Ministry of Railways had increased the rail fares across the country, but the decision was met with a stiff opposition not only from the common man, but also from the former Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee. While according to the earlier rail budget recommendations the passengers travelling from Jalandhar to Delhi were supposed to pay an extra Rs 50 to Rs 100 increased fare, now they would be relieved off this burden. Similarly, the train fares for different destinations from Jalandhar to other stations of Punjab had also witnessed a marginal increase, which was indeed not much to the liking of the common man. Jalandhar Tribune spoke to a cross section of city residents about the rollback in fares and learnt about their reactions. Sidharth Sharma, a city resident, said, “It is for the first time in the past so many years that the Congress-led UPA government has proved its stand of a government of common man. At the end of the day, it is the general public which bears the brunt of wrong policies of the government,” he added. Another resident, Dinesh Kumar, thanked the prompt intervention of Mamata Banerjee in the matter and said, “The issue is not that whether the common man is able to pay increased train fares, but that how would he cope up with his already dwindling monthly budget? Sadly, the increase in train fares came at a time when the common man was already reeling under the pressure of sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities.” Residents also appreciated the decision of Mukul Roy on focusing on the need of maintenance, sanitation and security of the railway stations. “India is a fastest growing economy, hence the Railway Ministry should focus on revamping the railway stations across the country. There should be a parallel board in the Railways to ensure round-the-clock sanitation of railway stations, which are a complete picture of neglect”, said Aditya Sharma. |
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Jewellers burn FM’s effigy
Jalandhar, March 23 They were demanding immediate rollback the decision of levying extra taxes on gold. The traffic also remained disrupted on the chowk for a few minutes. “The protest will continue till the government reverts its decision. Imposition of taxes will push the gold trader into huge financial crises and may also lead to permanent closure of jewellery shops,” Rejesh Kapoor, secretary of the Jewellers’ Association, said.
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Burglars strike at four places
Jalandhar, March 23 Unidentified miscreants struck at an ATM but failed lay their hands on cash. They, however, damaged the machine. Varinder Singh, a security guard at the ATM, said he found the ATM damaged in the morning. In another incident, miscreants struck at a eating joint in the locality and attempted to open the dosa maker machine, but failed. They also tried to rob iron rings fitting from outside another food shop. The burglars, however, managed to take away a music player from a parked car after breaking its windowpanes. |
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Three arrested with stolen iron material
Jalandhar, March 23 The accused have been identified as Ramesh, Prabhu, residents of Santoshi Nagar and Money of Kishanpura. The accused had loaded the stolen iron material on a garbage vehicle. A PCR team nabbed the accused on suspicion. The accused confessed to the crime.
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GNA-IMT holds BizFest
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 23 Trophies were given to the winners from various institutes and mementos were given to all the finalist teams. Bank PO exam
Four students of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV) have brought laurels to their institution by qualifying the exam conducted jointly by 19 banks for the posts of Probationary Officer (PO) and clerk. The selected students are Geetika from BBA-III, Maninder Kaur from BSc (Computer Science)-III, Prabhjot Kaur from BCA-III and Ritika from BCom (Professional)-III. The institute had conducted the training classes for the outgoing students on the campus for three months to prepare them for the competition. Global Mela
The CT Group of Institutions organised “Global Mela”, a multi-cultural programme, on its Maqsudan campus. Many international professionals from Tanzania, Columbia, Ukraine, Ivory Coast, Iran and Germany presented culture, national anthem, traditions, traditional dresses, basics of language, special features and special products of their respective countries. The programme was the celebration of cultural diversity and integration. The international professionals held motley stalls of their respective nations and the New Year of Iran was also celebrated with full enthusiasm. DAVIET placements
Three final-year students of the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (DAVIET) bagged placements with Simplex Infrastructure at an annual salary package of Rs 3.68 lakh. The selected civil engineering students are Anish Ohri, Ratul Chopra and Sakshi Gupta. |
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Teenaged girl dies of burns
Phagwara, March 23 Sunita sustained burns as her clothes caught fire. She was immediately brought to the Civil Hospital by her father Brij Lal. In another incident, Ranjit Singh of Khudda Ali Sher reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope from a ceiling fan at his uncle’s house in Guru Nanakpura today. Mental depression was said to be the cause of suicide, the police said. — OC |
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The de-addiction centre at the Civil Hospital here has fallen on bad days.
Reason: It is short of staff, funds, medicines and it sans an outreach programme.
The jhuggi dwellers who were rendered homeless during a demolition drive at Gujral Nagar yesterday held a protest.
