Jalandhar, October 14
Taking cognisance of a news report published in The Tribune on Monday, the Commissioner of Police has ordered an inquiry into the illegal functioning of the cracker market at Burlton Park without a valid licence for selling firecrackers.

A four-member team, headed by SP Naresh Dogra, has been formed to investigate such a big miss by the Police Department when 96 shopkeepers have been running the highly volatile cracker market for the last so many days without a licence, which is issued by the police commissionerate and is a must to sell firecrackers. The Tribune had published a news on Sunday relating to the inadequate arrangements for fire security at the cracker market in Burlton Park, but on detailed investigation done by the police team on Monday revealed that all the 96 shops containing highly explosive crackers have been running without licence since October 1.

The police team went to the cracker market in the evening. The Tribune team also joined it during the investigation. On probing, it was found that all the shops were actually running without a valid licence. Surprisingly, Manmohan Singh, SHO of the Division No 2 police station, informed that the market was opened only one day before the Dasehra, but after checking the duty register of the fire tender installed at the venue by The Tribune team, it was revealed that the market was running since October 9. However, the security guards, who have been hired by the market association, informed The Tribune team that they had been looking after the security of the market since October 1.

"This is something very serious. Nobody is allowed to act above the law. These shopkeepers have been running such a big firecracker market illegally for the last so many days. I have ordered an investigation and asked the probing team to file the report within 24 hours. The role of police officials will also be investigated. The law will definitely follow its due course," said Ram Singh, Commissioner of Police. However, he also said he might register a case against all the 96 shopkeepers for running the shops illegally for the last so many days.

However, following all this, the shopkeepers finally moved an application for licence in the police commissionerate on today. They also assured the visited police officials that they would follow all the fire safety norms in future. "We have applied for the licence today. We are sure of getting it within two to three days. We have also assured the police officials that we would be following all norms pertaining to the fire safety from now onwards," said Rakesh Bahri, president, Crackers Market Association, Burlton Park.

Following all this, the Police Commissioner has also ordered all the SHOs concerned to conduct a thorough check on the illegal running of the cracker shops in their areas. The local police stations will conduct a thorough check in their respective areas from tomorrow.

Jalandhar, October 14
A maths teacher of Government High School, Daroli Khurd, has alleged that the headmaster of the school Rampal Bhanot deliberately kept him ignorant about the reappear exams of 13 students, who had failed in the initial exams, in a bid to favour them.

Math master Anil Kumar has alleged that Bhanot did not inform him that the second re-appear (compartment) examination was being taken by the headmaster himself on September 27, 2013, even as a math master is supposed to take it.

The math exam of the students was taken by Anil Kumar in the first week of July, 2013. In that exam, none of the 13 students passed. All received less than 12 marks (out of 50), with most of them getting six to nine marks and one of them even getting four, Anil alleged.

Anil Kumar also alleged that he had refused the request of the headmaster, along with some other teachers of the school, to grant "agreed-upon" marks to these students. He alleged that he also did not agree to the proposal to conduct the test of these students personally asking their "favoured" questions.

"Since I did not agree to their initial proposals, I was not informed about the re-appear test and I have also been kept in the dark about their actual marks. Till today, the marking of the September 27 test haven't been done. The registers of the school bears no mark details. All this is being done to make sure students pass the final test," Anil Kumar said.

Anil Kumar has alleged that Deputy DEO Harinder Singh is also sheltering the headmaster on the issue. "Deputy District Education Officer Harinder Singh had come to the school on October 3, 2013, with regard to a pending inquiry on another complaint against me made by school students' parents. Along with other inquiry officers, he told the Class X students of the school that I will be transferred from the school soon," Anil Kumar alleged.

But both Harinder Singh and Bhanot deny the claims.

Reacting to allegations, Rampal Bhanot said, "The math teacher has not been teaching properly, due to which the results have been very bad. I had to take the exam on September 27 because he has not taught properly. I had asked him to teach the students who failed and he refused to do so saying it wasn't his job. Instead, I had to teach the students then. The students and their parents have time and again complained against him and even an inquiry is pending against him on the matter. He has just made the complaints to put the blame on others."

"The result of the re-appear exam has not been declared yet," he added.

Deputy DEO Harinder Singh said, "An inquiry is pending against teacher Anil Kumar since students and parents of the school complained against him. I had gone to the school to conduct the inquiry and the result is with me. There is no question of declaring the results to students."

Anil Kumar has also submitted a complaint to the DGSE on the issue.

Jalandhar, October 14
Following the death of a three-year-old girl of Nakodar on Saturday, her mother Neha was today arrested on the charges of her murder by the rural police and sent to judicial custody.

The girl had fought for life for over a month ever since she had been allegedly beaten up by her maternal uncle in September first week. The police had arrested the girl’s uncle Shalu Chohan of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Nakodar, after the girl was reportedly admitted to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, in a critical condition on September 11. The accused was working as a mason and allegedly had illicit relations with the girl’s mother.

The complainant in the case is Sunil, girl’s father, with whom Neha has estranged relations. The girl had since then been shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. The girl reportedly died because of injuries due to severe blows in her lower abdomen.

Shalu Chohan had earlier been arrested by the police and booked under Section 376 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 6 and 16 of the Child Protection Act. However, the rape charges could not be established in the report from the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur. A SIT, headed by DSP, Nakodar, Harminder Pal Singh, too, was formed. The DSP confirmed the arrest of the mother today and her shifting to Modern Jail, Kapurthala. He said both mother and uncle had been booked for murder of the girl after her death.

Jalandhar, October 14
There is a common saying that charity begins at home. But this proverb does not fit on all the ruling Akali-BJP councillors except Mayor Sunil Jyoti and Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia.

Despite asking the public to deposit property tax, none of the 30 ruling party councillors, except Sunil and Bhatia, have deposited even a single paisa under the new tax imposed by the SAD-BJP government.

However, showing the way to others, the first citizen, Mayor Sunil Jyoti (BJP), deposited Rs 16,633 as property tax for his house and factory on October 10.

Despite having differences on certain issues with Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia (SAD) joined the Mayor in depositing the property tax of Rs 570 on his 12-marla house located at Gobind Nagar in the Basti Gujan area.

None of the 19 BJP and 11 Akali councillors in the 60-member Municipal Corporation (MC) House has deposited even a single paisa under the property tax.

However, Mayor Sunil Jyoti and Kamaljit Bhatia are hopeful that their party councillors would soon deposit the property tax.

When contacted on the issue, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said, "Most of the BJP councillors would have deposited the property tax by now, but they could not do so as they were busy with the Dasehra celebrations in their respective areas. Chief Parliamentary Secretary for Cooperation Krishan Dev Bhandari and several BJP councillors will deposit the tax within a next few days."

Similarly Bhatia said, "All the Akali councillors will soon deposit the property tax. We are asking them to do so at the earliest. We are the custodian of the MC. If we do not come forward for depositing the property tax, who other will do that. The MC requires revenue for carrying out various development works. All the councillors, including those of the ruling SAD-BJP and the opposition Congress, as well as the public should come forward for depositing the property tax so that we may carry out different projects hanging fire for past some time due to lack of funds."

On the other hand, none of the 23 opposition Congress councillors is in any mood to deposit the property tax.

Terming the imposing of property tax as an arbitrary decision of the Badal government, the Leader of Opposition Jagdish Raja urged the public not to deposit it at any cost. The ruling SAD-BJP alliance did not take mandate of the public for imposing the property tax during the last Assembly and MC elections.

"If they want to impose the property tax, they should resign and we will also do that. Subsequently fresh Assembly and local bodies elections should be held and the ruling alliance should include in its manifesto that they would impose the property tax and other taxes on public. If they win on this issue, they may impose the property tax and other taxes, otherwise they have no right to do so."

Going one step further, Jagdish Raja said, "The MC has fully failed in providing even basic amenities of smooth roads without potholes, uninterrupted potable water supply, clean and garbage free environment to the residents. On the contrary, it is levying new taxes every other day."

Congress councillors also boycotted a meeting held by the MC on the property tax issues a few days ago.

Meanwhile as many as 26 residents have deposited their property tax till October 14, whereas last date for depositing the same is November 30. The MC authorities are hopeful that a large number of residents would deposit the property tax in the coming days.

Jalandhar, October 14
Following a controversy over a fraud in the mid-day meal of a local government school, the issue has now reached the office of the Director General School Education.

A fraud of over 30 quintal of grain and cooking cost (worth over Rs 1.5 lakh) in the mid-day meal of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nakodar, by principal Raj Singh of the school, had been alleged. The allegations were made on findings based on RTI query filed by activist Kanwaljit Singh.

In a letter issued to the parties concerned (the complainant activist as well as the principal of the school), were summoned for a meeting held at the DGSE’s office on the issue today.

Notably, the preliminary enquiry on the issue, which had been ordered by the DEO (secondary) office in Jalandhar, earlier, had been suspended after the DEO recalled the enquiry officer during a visit to the school.

The enquiry officer had then been asked to suspend the enquiry even before she could submit the findings.

While it is an unprecedented move for the DGSE office to have personally taken up an issue after the district’s Education Department did not address it properly, officials currently remain tight lipped on the future course of the enquiry after the meeting today.

Jalandhar, October 14
Ahead of the festival season, the city police has deployed eight teams of its Anti-Riot Police Force (ARPF) at important intersections of the city with an aim to disperse any protestors or crowds trying to create unrest.

The force that has been specially trained at the Punjab Armed Police headquarters here since last year can be spotted donning the camouflage uniform akin to that worn by the Indian Army. Armed with protecting canes, shields, tear gas shells and water cannons in their vehicles, a team of 23 can be seen deployed at various locations, including busy roads, roundabouts and market places.

The teams, which actually comprise PAP commandos for quick rapid action meant for being sent across for any riotous episode in the state, are basically additional force used by the Punjab Police to keep more vigil till Diwali. “Since the threat perception is usually more around this time, we have deployed them as a show force. More deployment is an indication of high alert giving a clear warning to miscreants and at the same time reinforcing faith regarding police in public,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaspreet Singh Sidhu.

He said, “We keep shuffling the teams between various sites. Yesterday, we deployed them at all Dasehra mela sites. In fact, even our entire administrative staff had also been sent out in field for duty.”

Sajjan Singh Cheema, coordinator for the ARPC, said, “The force will remain deployed from 1 pm to 9 pm when the rush in markets is usually at its peak.” “We may also further dispatch more teams if the demand is raised by the city police in view of increasing rush,” he said

The 23 members of the team headed by an SI or an ASI would not disintegrate as each member of the team is specially trained to handle mobs with various weapons, including canes, gas shells, cannons and even arms. “The teams have young guys to ensure a quick response. There are two DSPs as well who will coordinate with two to three teams,” Cheema said.

Jalandhar, October 14
To train ANMS to conduct vaccination of pregnant and neonatal, district health authorities organised a two-day training camp at its training centre in the Civil Hospital premises, here today.

Dr RL Bassan, civil surgeon, inaugurated the camp and asked the trainees to behave with the patients politely besides educating the rural area women of maintaining personal hygiene.

The trainees were also asked to vaccinate pregnant women for various diseases. They were also asked to get their children properly vaccinated as per the schedule chart and to educate the pregnant women to breast feed their children till the age of six months. — TNS