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Burlton Park project ‘saved’
Illegal firecracker shops pop up in city markets
An illegal cracker shop in Jalandhar. A Tribune photograph |
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Construction of new building
Ill-equipped health staff struggles to check adulteration
Hoardings appear on national highway, again
Women issues take centre stage at Mela Gadari Babein Da
A student participating in declamation contest on the third day of Mela Gadari Babein Da at Desh Bhagat Yaadgaar Hallin Jalandhar on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
District on top in providing e-service :DC
Travel agents licence counter in a day or two, says ADC (G)
Security beefed up in city
A heavy police force deployed at the BMC Chowk, Jalandhar, after a communal clash was averted in Jalandhar on Wednesday.
Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Seminar on eye care held
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Burlton Park project ‘saved’
Jalandhar, October 30 The court also directed the Municipal Corporation authorities to take due clearances from the departments concerned before proceeding with the project in the 63-acre land. Members of the Save Burlton Park Committee had filed a petition in this regard in April, 2009, which was disposed of in March, 2012. A PIL was filed again by them with members seeking saving of 9-acre greenbelt in the area, which was finally disposed of today. Harish Sharma, a member of the committee, said there were initially 2500 trees which were to be axed for the project. A team of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) visited the site recently after which it was decided that only 116 trees were likely to be uprooted or re-planted after a certain change in plan. "I think we have won half the battle. We will definitely take our case with the Green Tribunal. There was no such tribunal when we had initially taken up the matter," he said. The Municipal Corporation authorities on the other hand are much elated. Commissioner, MC, Manpreet Chhatwal said he would now get the work of project expedited. "We already have Rs 130 crore in our kitty through the HUDCO loan," he added. The project
An initial announcement regarding the project was made by former Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia in 2008. Of the 51.5 acre land to be used for the project, 26 acre land was to be used for cricket stadium having a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators and 2.5 acre for roads. The remaining works included construction of Olympics-level swimming pool in 2.5 acre land, hockey ground in 9 acre, two multi-storey parking lots with a capacity of over 3,000 vehicles and a five-star hotel, which would be carried out in subsequent phase. The parking sites were to come up between the hockey and cricket stadiums. A tennis court was also to come up adjoining the existing hockey stadium. Nearly 70 new shops were to be constructed in the periphery for generating revenue. The MC had then taken more than two years just to get a detailed project report (DPR) of the proposal cleared from the government. While the first phase of the project was to be over by 2011, the estimated cost of the project had already jumped from Rs 174 crore to Rs 201.59 crore then. Chronology
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Illegal firecracker shops pop up in city markets
Jalandhar, October 30 Often at these shops, live electric wires can be noticed hanging over crackers displayed. The absence of fire extinguishing equipment is too evident and most of these shops are located in densely populated residential and market areas. Most of these shops in the city are located in the Sodal area, Doaba Chowk, near Devi Talab Mandir and Sadar Bazaar and have not been granted no-objection certificates (NOCs) by the Fire Department - a pre-requisite for obtaining a temporary licence for selling explosives from the Police Department. Also, small shops displaying crackers are seen in every nook and corner of the city. The lanes are so narrow that taking fire tenders to these shops in case of fire is impossible. When contacted Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, Additional Commissioner of Police, informed that no shop running alongside busy roads or in congested locality had been allotted licence. "If there are any such shops, they are operating illegally. The shops must have fire extinguishing material such as sand bags and fire extinguishers at their disposal. The shops should have legal electricity connections. We have also restricted the sale of certain firecrackers. Moreover, people themselves should prevent opening of any such illegal shop in their localities and inform us immediately as it could prove dangerous to them, he said. However, the district administration is said to have taken certain measures to prevent any mishap during Diwali. "The Electricity Department has been asked to ensure no loose wires are left hanging in the areas where crackers are being sold. The traffic police has been asked to ensure that firecracker shops do not encroach upon pavements or roadsides and special squads have been formed to crack down on illegal firecracker shops," said Parneet Bhardwaj, Additional Deputy Commissioner. Earlier, not caring two hoots about rules of the district administration 96 stall owners of the Burlton Park cracker market opened the shops without taking the licence from the Police Department. Only, after Jalandhar Tribune highlighted the reality that the Police Department came into action and granted them licence without imposing any fine on them. While the administration is still watching from a distance, small-time businessmen continues to risk the lives of many residents, including children, for a small profit by selling crackers in their houses and small shops in the serpentine lanes of the city. |
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Govt Arts and Sports College classes to be shifted to derelict gymnasium
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, October 30 After 15 to 20 days, the 878 students of Government Arts and Sports College will have to languish in the already cramped, dank and derelict gymnasium of the college, which presently houses the athletes of the college in little rooms. As per information, the construction of the special school for meritorious students on the college premises is about to start in 15 to 20 days. The college Principal has received correspondence from the Public Works Department (PWD) asking the staff and students to shift to another location. While the college Principal said she had been assured by the PWD that it won't be before repairs and additions to the gymnasium wing that the classes will be shifted, the project director for the construction of the new building says the present college building might have to be demolished within a span of 15 to 20 days. Meanwhile, the tenders for the construction of the new building have been sent for approval and auction of rubble and trees on the college campus have also already taken place, fetching the PWD authorities Rs 14 lakh for rubble and Rs 12 lakh for trees. As per information, the work on the demolition of the cycle stand and other little fixtures, like the canteen, will be started from tomorrow. Talking to The Tribune, Principal Paramjeet Kaur Jassal said, "We had earlier received a correspondence from the PWD that the college will be shifted to the gymnasium within a month and a half. However, there was a possibility that the time might be extended to six months. But given the plan of school construction, the work might start a bit early. In any case, we have been assured by the PWD that the classes won't be shifted before the gymnasium gets an extension wing to accommodate all the students comfortably." Jassal added that the three hall rooms, a conference room and three rooms at the back of the gymnasium are big enough to accommodate all the classes. She also said a demand had also been made for a toilet for girls. Executive Engineer, PWD, Kapurthala, Bhupinder Singh Tuli, project director of the construction work, said "In about 15 to 20 days, the work on the construction of the merit school shall start. It will be by the main wall (on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road) of the college and will extend all the way to the present college building, so based on alignment and other needs, the college building might have to be demolished within 15-20 days as well," he said. He confirmed that the demolition of the cycle stand and other fixtures on the ground of the college would begin tomorrow. He also confirmed that the auction of tree and rubble had fetched Rs 12 and 14 lakh, respectively. When asked about the need to cut full-grown old trees of the college, he said, "The trees had to be cut given the construction needs." On where the college building will come up, he said, "The college building is still in the planning phase." Meanwhile, staff and students are already sour on the prospect of classes in the gymnasium, which is one of the shabbiest buildings of the college.
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Ill-equipped health staff struggles to check adulteration
Jalandhar, October 30 City is a hub of sweetmeat and used to smuggle adulterated “khoya” from Saharanpur, Gurdaspur and neighbouring states before festive season. The department has filed four cases under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, in the court against defaulters as of now, claimed District Health Officer (DHO), Dr Balwinder Singh. The DHO said the smuggling of adulterated, synthetic and substandard raw and finished commodities had nearly stopped with the Punjab Health Department coming down heavily on such traders, some years ago. He, however, did rule out the possibility if any one smuggles it by using their personal cars and storing it in domestic refrigerators. The DHO revealed that out of the sample collected, 25 were of milk and dairy products, 15 of sweets while rest of other eatables. The violators, if found guilty, has to undergo imprison from three to seven years besides a penalty upto Rs 1 lakh, as per provisions of the Act. The department is cracking down on the violators with skeleton staff of just six employees, including a District Health Officer, two Food Safety Officers, and three class IV employees. Moreover, the report of samples, collected and sent by the department to a Chandigarh based government laboratory, takes over one month to reach Jalandhar and by then a number of violators got scot-free by mounting pressure on the health authorities, a senior officer revealed.
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Hoardings appear on national highway, again
Jalandhar, October 30 The violations have not only been proving a major cause of road accidents besides traffic disruption on this busy highway, but presenting an ugly face of the city to the tourists travelling to religious shrines in this part of the state, and neighbouring states -Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh- for the past couple of years. The High Court has already banned exhibition of glow signs, signboards, hoardings, banners and other advertisements along all major roads in Punjab and Haryana and even had directed the concerned departments to remove them. Following court directions, though a majority of the hoardings and signboards were pulled down, yet as the authorities opted a reluctant attitude towards the violations, the violations mushroomed at a large scale one again. A survey of the GT Road -starting from Phillaur to Dhilwan- by The Tribune team found that the violators have not only erected iron-poles on the government land along the highway for better display of their advertisements, but also defaced public properties at various places. Many hoardings could be seen displaced to the top of the buildings from ground floor where there are flyovers (complete and incomplete) on the GT Road. While attractive and catching signboards and hoardings diverts attention of the motorists in daytime, it is the bright glow-sings and lights at the marriage palaces, hotels, malls, dhabas, hotels and eating joints apart from wine shops, liquor vends and taverns causing a nightmare for the road users. Similar is the situation on the Jalandhar-Jammu Highway. Taking a note of a writ petition filed by a society “Arrive Safe” regarding increasing rate of fatal accidents on the highways, the High Court had issued certain directives and had asked the Punjab government to comply with the same and submit a report in this regard on November 8. Varun Roojam (DC) Jalandhar, after receiving directions from the government, constituted a committee comprising officials from the Excise and Taxation Department, National Highway Authority of India, Municipal Corporation and other related departments, to keep a close watch on the violations and to report the concerned departments.
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Women issues take centre stage at Mela Gadari Babein Da
Jalandhar, October 30 Many girls from various parts of the state also made their voice heard on the issue. In afternoon, seminar on women issues was started with the editor of the Punjabi magazine
"Preetlari" being the first speaker. Speaking on woman-existence and justice, she said many things continue to exist in the present times which set women back. Dr Parminder Singh emphasised on the need for Dalit women in the society to be the harbinger of social change, especially as far as women issues were
concerned. Surinder Kumari Kochar stressed on the need for a women's struggle. Balvir Kaur Bandala and Comrade Ajmer Singh also spoke on the occasion. Late in the evening today, the documentary show organised by The People's Voice " who have been known to spread awareness among the masses across the state with rare and moving documentaries brought to the people of the state" showcased some special and precious films for the fair audience. Rare film footage involving the Komagatamaru ship and the Ghadar Party Spokesperson Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna were presented. Charlie Chaplin's classic and prophetic take on migration, film "he Immigrant" (1917) was also screened. The dark film
"Maut Aur Mayoosi Ke Saaye" highlighting labourers' issues, directed by Charu Chandar Pathak was screened. On Thursday, October 31, the fair will witness painting, quiz contests, kavi darbar and nukkar natak show. |
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District on top in providing e-service :DC
Nawanshahr, October 30 Deputy Commissioner Aninidita Mitra said 47 different services, which included issuance of residence, rural, domicile, caste and birth/death certificates, arm's license related services, old-age pensions /financial aid by the Social Security Department, issuance of marriage certificates, registration of marriage, agricultural seed license, ration card related services, senior citizen cards, seed/fertilizer licenses, countersigning, copying, grievances' redressal, RTI and others. She said all services under e-district falls under RTS Act, so as to ensure the timely delivery of services to the applicants under the programme. The person desirous of availing the facility, just have to apply at Suwidha Centre, then he / she has to collect the desired documents on the stipulated date. The applicant might check the status of the file by logging on the official website http://edistrict.punjabgovt.gov.in said DC while adding that another major distinction of the e-district service was that it was a 'total paperless work' and every comment was given online by the concerned authority. After completing all steps, file would again come back to the Suwidha Kendra bearing digital signature of the final authority for delivering the document to the applicant, she added. |
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Travel agents licence counter in a day or two, says ADC (G)
Jalandhar, October 30 The centre received several queries for the same, but there was no provision for the same today. ADC(G) Praneet Bhardwaj said there were certain formalities pending after clearance of which the counter would be established in a day or two. The Act has been implemented to keep a tab on the illegal activities of many unscrupulous travel agents working unregistered, exploiting many innocent people of the state. The Act and Rules framed have been uploaded on the website www.punjabgovt.gov.in. He also asked the DCs to ensure that each license would have to bear a unique number to be quoted by the licensees. |
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Security beefed up in city
Jalandhar, October 30 Cops armed with tear gas shells and riot-control vehicles were seen parked at various important intersections since morning. The security remained beefed up also in view of the visit of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the wedding of granddaughter of former minister Kuldeep Singh Wadala here, this afternoon. Badal said people of Punjab want peace and do not like controversies. "The harmony in the state has been restored after much problems and should not be allowed to get shaken for any hoardings," he said. There were over a dozen cops deputed at all roundabouts. ADCP-1 Naresh Dogra said security had been beefed up but he cited forthcoming Diwali festival as the reason. |
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Seminar on eye care held
Phagwara, October 30 He further advised to take care of important part of the eye, which is cornea. He said eat healthy vitamin-rich diet to keep good care of eyes. Use proper light while reading or studying books. Use glares while looking at sunlight directly. He motivated the students by saying that the person whose is going to die, should remember that the best chance you have of helping someone is for you and your family to agree to donate your eyes.
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This year when you head to a city market to buy firecrackers, you might be venturing towards a ticking bomb.
The third day of the Mela Gadari Babein Da being held at the local Desh Bhagat Yaadgaar Hall, began with a call for men to play a crucial role in the fight to prevent and stop the increasing violence against women. The day started off with the declamation contest.
Jalandhar, October 30
