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Dist transport office apathy to fore
PIMS nurses unsafe without power supply
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Book market observes strike
PIMS staff allege anomalies in salaries
Little monetary help from politicians at Harivallabh Sammelan
Year
2013
ender
Army School organises annual day
One held under Arms Act
Motor cyclist dies in road mishap
Tool kits worth Rs 23 lakh stolen
Watchman attacked
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Dist transport office apathy to fore
Jalandhar, December 27 As a girl sat in an i10 car to take the test, she first bumped into a youth who was thrown up, then barged into a Zen car parked there, which further hit a parked bike and a scooter. The victim, Vikram, of Arjun Nagar had come to get his work done at Suwidha Centre and was walking when the car hit him. He suffered injury in his leg. The onlookers called 108 ambulance, but before it came, a Samaritan took him in his car and got him admitted to a nearby private hospital. All four vehicles got badly damaged. The i10 car, bearing number PB-08-BX-2585, which the girl was driving, belonged to another applicant Ramesh, whose wife, too, had come to take the trial. The left frontal portion of the car too got badly damaged and the owner blamed the motor vehicle inspector (MVI) for asking him to lend his car to the untrained girl. Further, the owner of the Zen car, bearing number PB-08-AF-5305, also blamed the transport office for wrongly using the busy parking lot for trial purposes. The owner of the bike, Pritpal Singh, said he had come to apply for ration card. When he came outside, he was shocked to see the seat of his bike torn, he said. Renu, an employee of Suwidha Centre, too, said that the lights of her scooter parked outside got damaged. MVI Davinder Singh said, "It was the girl's mistake. She was not ready for trial." Asked as to why the trials were being conducted in the busy parking area instead of the open space in the Punjab Roadways workshop or at Paragpur as was earlier done, he said, "It has been just 20 days since I have joined. I have already written that a better open space be provided, but to no avail."
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PIMS nurses unsafe without power supply
Jalandhar, December 27 On strike in the morning, the nurses, who haven’t received their salaries since August, said while the PIMS management vanished without a word to them, since December 21, they have been living in acute crisis with the electricity snapped off and little in the name of security to protect them. “There is no electricity and after 6, the place is ghostly. We live on emergency lights and candles every evening. About 40 of us still stay at the hostel and things are very difficult for us. Even going to the bathroom is a scary ordeal and we go in groups,” they say. While these nurses include girls from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, they rue that no one has bothered to ask or fix these troubles of theirs. “While earlier there used to be many bodyguards, these days, due to very little staff being left, we are left in a big institute with almost no staff or bodyguards. Just a couple of security guards, and it feels very unsafe at night. Despite our repeated requests to change mess timings to 6 pm from 8 pm. That, too, has not been done,” they say. While the nurses stay at the extreme end on the third floor of the institute, the ground floor cafeteria where they have dinner is on the ground floor and they have to walk to it after crossing a maze of unlit, empty corridors of the huge (and now empty) building. They also say for the past many days, their hostel and bathrooms are also not being cleaned. The nurses also allege that they are still being charged Rs 2,200 per month food charges despite the fact that they haven’t received their salaries since August. “The inability to pay the charges leads to further harassment and back when the management was still here, some of us were even called and questioned on why we weren’t paying the charges. Some nurses were even denied food at the café when they didn’t have money to pay the amount,” they said.
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Book market observes strike
Jalandhar, December 27 Shopkeepers of the markets, led by their representatives including Wholesale Paper Merchants president and JAC member Ashwani Mahajan and the market chief Deepak Joshi, Bhupinder Singh Talwar, Kashmirir Lal Grover and Rakesh Gupta, also staged a dharna for an hour from 11 am to 12 noon in the market in support of traders’ demand of reducing the property tax on all commercial buildings and charging it at par with industrial buildings. Addressing the dharna, the representatives of JAC Ravindra Dhir, Gursharan Singh, Raj Kumar Sharma, advocate Ranjeet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Bagga and GS Bittu expressed surprise that none of the four MLAs of the city, belonging to the ruling Akali-BJP alliance, had come forward to listen to the protesting traders whose agitation entered its 15th day today. The JAC representatives threatened that if their demand of reducing property tax on commercial buildings and brining it at par with that on industrial buildings was not met soon, they would start gheraoing the houses of the MLAs one by one and would give a call for Jalandhar bandh. Meanwhile, JAC decided to hold a meeting of JAC at Dolphin hotel tomorrow afternoon to chalk out the future course of action against the commercial property tax and levying new taxes every other day on urbanites. Meanwhile, president of the Wholesale Chemists Organisation Rakesh Gupta and its general secretary Rishu Verma said they would observe a half-day bandh on Monday.
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PIMS staff allege anomalies in salaries
Jalandhar, December 27 While the average salaries of the nurses at the institute have been Rs 5,000 to 8,000, those for the technical staff have been Rs 6,000 to 10,000 and for the GDA staff it was Rs 3,000 (presently they have been asked to work on daily basis). About 21 employees - including nursing staff, operators, clerks, superintendents, managers and professors were given increments this September sidestepping their colleagues. Staff members alleged that some of them were relatives and others were chosen employees of the management. “There are also instances where qualified and experienced persons are getting lesser salaries than diploma holding staff,” sources said. MLA Pargat Singh told The Tribune today that the government would ensure that a legal recourse be taken in the salary anomalies faced by the employees. The Labour Department’s rare initiative in this case involving some grave injustice to the employees has provided a ray of hope to the staff of the tertiary institute. The Labour Department has today guided the employees on the matter and asked them to make claims where they felt law had been compromised. The final move of the department shall be announced after the management meeting on September 30.
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Little monetary help from politicians at Harivallabh Sammelan
Jalandhar, December 27 A few years ago Rs 1 crore aid was promised by the Chief Minister, but only Rs 25 lakh was allocated in the budget in the year 2010 (of which half the amount is still pending). High profile politicians like Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, SAD MLA Pargat Singh, state BJP chief Kamal Sharma, Congress leader Santosh Chaudhary, Jails and Cultural Minster Sarwan Singh Phillaur, CPS KD Bhandari, Vidhan Sabha speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, Nawanshahr MLA Guriqbal Kaur, advisor to the CM Tikshan Sud, MP Avinash Rai Khanna, former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Mayor Sunil Jyoti, former Jalandhar Mayor Rakesh Rathore among others visited the Sammelan this year. But the members rue that the monetary help was not enough to complete the initiated projects. Committee general secretary Purnima Beri said, “We are happy for the help, but have a long way to go to sustain the festival. On a number of occasions, the promised help has been either delayed or hasn’t arrived at all.” While sources in the committee said a generous help from the Chief Minister was being expected this year. The Rs 10 lakh promised aid was considered a disappointment by many. The only hope is the assurance by the Congress that the festival’s cause would be taken up at the Centre. Beri said, “Bajwa and Chaudhary both have promised help from the Centre and have asked to send a formal request for that. Union minister Manish Tewari was also expected this year but he couldn’t come.” The festival got Rs 5 lakh from CPS KD Bhandari, Rs 5 lakh from MP Avinash Rai Khanna, Rs 10 lakh from the CM (announced by Phillaur) and Rs 2 lakh from Phillaur himself. What’s needed: At least Rs 2 crore for the stalled Harivallabh Bhawan and academy and fixed annual grants to sustain the festival. What’s pending: Rs 1 lakh from CPS Pawan Tinu, Rs 5 lakh from Congress leader Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Rs 10 lakh from Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat and Rs 12.5 lakh pending from the budget allocation. Committee members said the amount by Tinu and Kaypee had been said to be released but not yet received. The only hope is the assurance by the Congress that the festival’s cause would be taken up at the Centre. Beri said, “Bajwa and Chaudhary both have promised help from the Centre and have asked to send a formal request for that.”
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2013
ender Fatal accidents, hideous crimes hardly shake authorities from slumber Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 27 The almost ending year will be remembered most for a tragic mishap in which 14 primary school children lost their lives while commuting to their school in an illegally plying van at Nakodar on March 4 morning. The incident shook the administration with the DTO and traffic cops running a challan campaign for a month or two against the owners of such school vehicles, but the situation once again came to square one after some time. No lessons have been learnt and still hundreds of school buses are plying without permits, in violation of the Motor Vehicle Act. Fatal pilgrimage
In yet another fatal accident, a family from Fatehpur village of Bholath lost 11 members while returning from a pilgrimage to Chintpurni temple. As many as 12 members of the same extended family were badly injured in the mishap on October 10. Boat tragedy
The third major tragedy that struck this region in Munda village of Tarn Taran was in which a rickety boat carrying a group of eight young boys and an elderly man, who had set off in the morning for a religious fair at Dalla village of Sultanpur Lodhi across Beas, capsized. The incident took place on October 3. The NDRF teams had to be called in for fishing out the bodies of the deceased. Burglary cases
The year will also be remembered for as many as 10 incidents of bank burglaries in Jalandhar and its periphery, using gas cutters as tools. Despite so many incidents, the cops have failed to make any breakthrough in any of the cases. The biggest loot of the kind was on January 19 when as many as 38 lockers had been broken up at a Punjab and Sind Bank branch at Reru village. ASI’s murder at Phagwara
One of the most sensational murders of this year was of ASI Gurdev Singh outside Haveli theme resort in Phagwara on March 31. The ASI on a night patrol had suspected that a person who too had come to the resort in a group was involved in drug trade. He chased the group and overpowered one out of them but three of his accomplices came in a car and fired indiscriminately killing the ASI on the spot. Three of the accused were later identified and held on the basis of the CCTV footage. Following the incident, the city police conducted one of the biggest crack-downs ever in the state and arrested as many as 155 persons in 48 hours under the NDPS Act. Cops involved in crimes
In this year as many as eight cops were found to be involved in all sorts of crime ranging from murders, sodomy, rape, abetment to suicide, threatening mediapersons and extortion. However, one of the most interesting case was that of SHO Jalandhar Cantonment Dharamvir, who had gone to meet his beloved at Bhargo Camp on March 19 night but was badly beaten up by the area residents who had even torn off his uniform. He was suspended on the charges of barging into another SHO’s territory with a wrong intention and bringing a bad name to khaki. High-profile cases
One of the most high-profile cases of the year has been that of former Congress minister Avtar Henry in which the New Baradari police lodged a criminal complaint against him under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act 1951 for contesting elections while holding a British passport. On December 3, Henry had to appear in the court of Judicial Magistrate Harpreet Singh. The matter is being taken up by RTI activist Ajay Kumar Sehgal, on whose complaint former Police commissioner Gaurav Yadav had got the inquiry done by former ADCP headquarters Navjot Mahal, before taking the case to the court. Another major development in the year was the arrest of two-time SAD councillor Balbir Singh Bittu for the alleged murder of a dalit youth Vijay Kumar in post-Vienna violence in Jalandhar. He was arrested four and a half years after the incident as he had been earlier claiming that he had shot in self-defense. The biggest conviction
The biggest conviction of the year was that of seven youth to 10 years of imprisonment in the case of a murderous attack on African student from Lovely Professional University, Yannick Nihangaza, in April last year. On October 24, the court of Judge Dr Balwinder Kumar Sharma convicted seven boys Sumit Ralhan, Sahildeep, Romy Uppal, Amandeep Singh, Amarbir Singh Bajwa, Harsh Gosain and Jaswant Singh under various Sections including 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC. |
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Army School organises annual day
Jalandhar, December 27 The programme saw various dance performances, enacting of English and Hindi plays, mime and fashion show. Prizes were given away by the guest of honour. Lt Gen AK Bakshi was presented with the academic excellence trophy by the patron of the school Maj Gen Binoy Poonnen, AVSM, VSM. The chief guest felicitated all PGTs with appreciation letters and cash incentives. A cheque for Rs 50,000 was also presented to the principal. Faculty development programme
A 12-day faculty development programme on entrepreneurship is organised by Guru Nanak Dev University College, Ladowali road, Jalandhar from December 27, 2013 to January 7, 2014. Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) has been established under the guidance of Vice Chancellor Dr Ajaib Singh Brar and Dr Jaspal Singh Randhawa (principal GNDU College, Jalandhar). Fifty teachers from different colleges of Punjab are participating in the event. The programme is sponsored by EDII (Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Government of India, Ahmedabad) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). The resource persons for the programme are from IITs, IIMs, state universities and successful entrepreneurs of renowned backgrounds. The chief guest of the day was ADC, Jalandhar, Praneet Bharadwaj. |
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One held under Arms Act
Phagwara, December 27 The arrest was made by the CIA staff near Hadiabad during a nakabandi. The police have registered a case under the Arms Act. — OC
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Motor cyclist dies in road mishap
Phagwara, December 27 The injured woman was admitted to the civil hospital. The police have registered a case against the Bolero driver and sent the dead body for post-mortem examination. |
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Tool kits worth Rs 23 lakh stolen
Jalandhar, December 27 Thieves struck at Pritpal Hardware Store near Police Station Division Number 1 and decamped with expensive tool box kits worth Rs 23 lakh. They also took away Rs 1.5 lakh from the counter there. Gurvinder Singh, one of the three brothers running the shop at Industrial Area, said he got to know about the theft at 10.30 am when he came to open it this morning. He said that locks on either side of the shutter were lying broken and when he went inside, he found all items lying scattered. SHO Balbir Singh said since only the smallest and the most expensive hand tool attachment kits worth Rs 4,000 each had been stolen, it seemed to be the handiwork of some employee or an ex-employee of the shop. He said three to four employees who had left the shop recently had been rounded up for interrogation. "We had also called fingerprint experts, but could hardly get any clues. The prints did not come well on the cardboard boxes. We have also taken mobile phone dump to get more clues," he said. The SHO said since the shop was located at a secluded place, no one including his team could notice any activity in the night. "My ASI had gone near the shop at 2:30 am to get some medicines. Another cop had come to duty from the same side at 5 am, but they said that they did not notice anyone at that time." A case has been registered.
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Jalandhar, December 27 The Lambra police is investigating the matter and working on two theories. The victim, Sewa Singh (55), claimed that the armed robbers attacked him at 10 pm yesterday and confined him in his room with an intent to break open the locker of the society and loot the cash lying there, but they remained unsuccessful in their attempt. He received injuries on his forehead. The cops, however, are also working on the theory that Sewa Singh had been attacked owing to his personal enmity with someone in the village. The victim belongs to the same village where he was working. SHO Lambra Malkiat Singh said, “We have so far registered only a
DDR. I have informed my seniors about the matter who have said that we should first confirm whether there had been any loot attempt and only then register an FIR in the matter. We are investigating the matter.” — TNS
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Medical Sciences (PIMS) is stuck in the midst of an unfortunate shutdown, a bunch of nurses is attending to patients and making do at a hostel which is nothing short of a ghost house in the evening hours at PIMS here.
One of the main book markets of Punjab, Mai Hiran Gate, and its surrounding markets, situated in Adda Hoshiarpur and Ikahari
Pulli, observed a half-day bandh today as part of the ongoing resumed agitation against the commercial property tax by city traders on the call given by the Industrialists and Traders Joint Action Committee
(JAC).
or the first time where its employees alleged that anomalies in their salaries had been there since long. In September this year, increments had been given to 21 employees, sidestepping other members of their categories, they alleged
PIMS presently has 81 nurses, (earlier, there were 200) 30 to 35 GDA employees (helpers and peons) and 86 technical staff members working in it.
Year 2013 witnessed a number of fatal road accidents, burglaries, murders, rapes, drug peddling along with other crimes in the district and its periphery. It seems as if the police officials and other concerned authorities have more or less chosen a position of indifference over stringent action to tackle the situation.
Year 2013 witnessed a number of fatal road accidents, burglaries, murders, rapes, drug peddling along with other crimes in the district and its periphery. It seems as if the police officials and other concerned authorities have more or less chosen a position of indifference over stringent action to tackle the situation.