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Ill equipped MC battles water-borne diseases
Woman, daughter nabbed for kidnapping 2-yr-old
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Travel agent arrested in Rs 65-lakh fraud case
City Bus Service to go off road from July 30
Now, checks on sale of acid
Amidst controversies, new DEO elementary takes charge
Politicians, dist admn now use social media to promote policies, programmes
Two held on murder charge
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Ill equipped MC battles water-borne diseases
Jalandhar, July 23 The Deputy Commissioner has formed a core team, comprising the Health Department and the Municipal Corporation to work in tandem to fight the war against the deadly epidemic in the seven high-risk zones in the city. But in reality, both the departments are severely ill-equipped to face the deadly battle. No advance check on
water quality
Surprisingly, with a population of approximately 8.5 lakh, there is hardly any provision to check the quality of water in the city. Unlike foreign countries where every food outlet automatically comes in rotation to get its water sample tested once in every three months, there is no such facility available to the residents. In the absence of any public laboratory to check the water quality, the residents have to wait for the epidemic like the recent one to ascertain the quality of the potable water coming to their homes. Presently, there are only two laboratories being run by the Municipal Corporation and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) under the Ministry of Health, respectively. Both swing into action mostly when any disease
outbreak is reported in a respective area. MC laboratory ill-equipped
While the core team formed by the Deputy Commissioner is said to have begun working to curb the outbreak reported in the city, the Municipal Corporation is still fighting a severe cash crunch. Its ill equipped laboratory presently does not have the required chemical 'Maconkey' that costs around Rs 2,200 per 500 per gram and performs bacteria culture on 35 to 40 samples only. Sources at the MC have even confirmed that so far, the lab has purchased the chemical only twice since its inception in 2008. Also, running from inside the building of a tube well, the temperature inside the lab is not conducive for bacteria culture and the incubators most of the time get burnt due to the excessive heat inside the room. No testing provision for commercial outlets
The portability of drinking water in commercial food outlets is associated with poor hygiene. Water contamination in these outlets is caused by the incorrect method of collection, storage, serving and handling practices inside the premises. As most of these outlets use containers without taps, ‘rajan’ (earthern ware) drums and ground level tank, the chances of the transmission of diseases caused by the pathogenic micro-organism in the absence of any quality testing increases manifold. Surprisingly, in a city which has most people who daily eat from hundreds of food outlets including hotels, restaurants, roadside dhabas, various government canteens, sweet shops and cold drinks vendors, the Municipal Corporation due to its ill-equipped laboratory has never ever taken water samples to test the quality of water from these outlets. When contacted, most of the food outlet owners have acknowledged the fact that the MC has never visited their premises to check the water quality being offered to the consumers. "Although, we are following international standards of water testing and get our samples tested from various authorized laboratories but MC has never visited the premises to check the water testing reports so far," said Arun Kaul, General Manager, Hotel Radisson. Similarly, Gurmeet Singh of New Manni Dhaba has also confirmed that the MC officials have never taken water samples from any of the dhabas in the city. Revenue loss to MC
In the absence of any rotational water testing process in the city, the district administration is suffering huge revenue losses, to the tune of Rs 25 lakh annually. Presently, the city has been divided into seven water supply zones and the MC charges around Rs 300 per sample to check the quality of water. If the Municipal Corporation, after upgrading its laboratory, starts checking hundreds of commercial outlets on a rotational basis and starts taking around 20 samples per day, it could easily fetch around Rs 25 lakh per annum that could be utilised to improve the water and sanitation services in the city. IDSP a failure
Shockingly, despite the IDSP programme of the Ministry of Health running in the district, Jalandhar city is witnessing a consistent epidemic outbreak that is claiming many lives every year. More shockingly, although four deaths were suspected to have been caused by water contamination in the district as reported last week, no report pertaining to this has been uploaded on the IDSP website along with other reports of an epidemic outbreak from various parts of the country. Dr Satish Sood, District Epidemiologist, said he has sent the report to the state headquarters at Chandigarh on May 30 but did not know as to why the information was
not uploaded on the IDSP’s website till date. |
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Woman, daughter nabbed for kidnapping 2-yr-old
Jalandhar, July 23 SP (Detective) HPS Khakh said the duo, with the help of Harjit and Thakri, had kidnapped the son of a deaf and dumb couple. "The mother-daughter duo had conspired with Harjit of Butran village and Thakri, who was residing near the Shahkot railway station. The accused, on the intervening night of July 16 and July 17, had kidnapped the child, who was sleeping with his parents," said Khakh, adding that after kidnapping the child, Harjit, who played a major role in engineering the crime, charged Rs 22,000 from Sarbati and handed over the child to her. During the investigation, Sarbati told the police that she had kidnapped the child because she wanted a boy. After taking the child, she took the child to her maternal grandparents' house in Badra village in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. Acting on the tip-off, the police raided her maternal grandparents' house and recovered the child. The two accused, Harjit and Thakri, are still at large. |
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Students allege foul play in MEd admissions
Jalandhar, July 23 The college authorities, however, denied all allegations saying they had selected the students only on merit basis. Neha
Khullar, a student from the backward class category, who had pursued her BEd from the Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College,
Dasuya, alleged that she had applied on July 11 and had been attending all the counselling and interview sessions of the college but was abruptly denied admission on Monday — July 21 — the day she had been called to deposit her fee. “All my documents had been deposited. I was informed telephonically that I had been selected for the course on Saturday and asked to deposit my documents on Monday. When I reached the college on Monday, my name was on the list of students selected for the course put on the notice board. But when I went inside to deposit my fee, the authorities told me I hadn’t been selected,” she alleged. “My percentage is 67.72. I met the employees and the principal and was eventually told it must be a technical mistake. A student with 67.9 per cent marks had got the seat instead. Later, I saw the original list had also been torn. The selected student applied after the counselling and within half an hour on Monday, the college included her in the list by removing me. Moreover, students with less marks have also made it to the course. I had come all the way from Dasuya for the admissions,” she alleged. Monica, a girl with 69.2 per cent marks alleged that another student with exactly the same marks as her had been given admission to the college with the authorities citing government rules that the elder student is to be given admission. Jyoti, a student from Rama Mandi, who has bagged 64 per cent marks in BEd, also alleged that her name was on the original list, before it was torn off. Principal Parwinder Sachdeva denied all allegations and said the students were trying to harass the college just because they did not get admission. She said, “Due to less merit, Neha
Khullar, a student with 67.72 per cent — who gave interview for admission to the MEd Course from the backward class category on July 21 couldn’t be selected. Students with more per cent age than her were selected. These facts were conveyed to Neha when she came to the college office on July 23. Despite this the candidate called media and harassed the college authorities.” “The merit list never had the said student’s name. In fact she is the one calling other students and creating problems. When a candidate is not eligible, it is not possible that we out their name of the selection list. As far as the other student Monica is concerned, she is youngest of the two students with same percentage as per the government guidelines, the elder one has to be selected,” she said. Pardeep
Khullar, a relative of Neha, has also complained to the police. “We will be meeting the Deputy Commissioner tomorrow over the issue,” he said. FACTFILE
A student, Neha, alleged that an ex-serviceman’s son with 66.27% was being selected and not her, despite the fact that she has more marks than him. The college MEd course has a total of 35 seats all of which, the principal says, have been filled. Neha and her relatives also claim they possess a copy of the original list dated July 18, which has the signs of Parminder
Kaur, a college staff. The list issued Wednesday doesn’t have Neha’s name on it. |
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Man trapped in lift for 10 min at District Administrative Complex
Jalandhar, July 23 There being no power backup system for the lift, no emergency switch or bell or phone and no fan inside, the man kept making all attempts to alert the staff by banging at the door of the elevator but to no avail. He reportedly came out on his own after 10 minutes as the power supply got restored. The staff in the complex said that he was badly sweating and was seemingly much scared when he came out. The DC said he would ensure that the power back-up system is connected with the elevator too. No drinking water facility
Staff and visitors at the District Administrative Complex went thirsty as all taps remained dry throughout the day. The staff had no option but to fetch drinking water bottles from the canteen to quench their thirst. While the matter was reported to the concerned authorities, the staff of the PUDA and Public Health kept telling one another to do the needful. The supply was to be restored by evening. ADC takes a round
Assessing the needs of the staff of various departments and to ensure that they get a feel good environment, Additional Deputy Commissioner (G) Pritam Singh today took a round of offices in the District Administrative Complex. The staff told him about problems like broken chairs, inadequate number of fans, sanitary conditions and other problems. He noted the issues and assured that that their reasonable demands would be fulfilled at the earliest. |
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Travel agent arrested in Rs 65-lakh fraud case
Jalandhar, July 23 The SHO said seven complainants of Ajror village in Rajpura had filed a complaint that the owner of ‘Graphty Consultant’ Sanjeev, alias Rajeev, alias Sameer, had duped them of Rs 65 lakh on the pretext of sending them abroad. After the complainants forced the agent to arrange a Canadian visa for them, the latter handed them fake visas for Canada. “When the victims went to the Delhi embassy to take a flight to Canada, they were informed by the embassy that the visas were fake,” said the SHO. The police said the accused Sanjeev was nabbed yesterday from his home town Garshankar. A computer and several passports, besides other important documents were recovered from his office. The SHO said a simultaneous raid was also conducted at another office of the accused at Zirakpur, from where the police had also recovered some important documents.
— TNS |
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City Bus Service to go off road from July 30
The bus operators were constantly facing opposition from the auto-rickshaw drivers. According to Praveen Olivera, manager of the City Bus Service at Jalandhar, the administration has failed to check the illegal movement of autos in the city. “These autos are plying openly till Kartarpur, which otherwise cannot take place as the place is beyond city limits ending at Bidhipur railway crossing. These autos are more than 15 years old, do not pay taxes and have no pollution and viable certificates. These are also lacking in safety parameters,” said Olivera. He said recently due to the excessive plying of autos on the railway station route, he has to stop the bus service in the area. “Now, I am left with only one route from Bus Stand to Kartarpur but here also, all the buses are being surrounded by 10 to 15 illegal autos who despite having a contract carriage permit, operate as stage carriers picking up commuters every here and there,” said Olivera. He confirmed that the City Bus Service would cease its operation in the city from August 1 as the operators suffering huge losses for the last few years are unable to continue the service further in the city. District Transport officer Rupinder Pal Singh confirmed having received the ultimatum from the city bus service operators and informed that since the number of autos plying in the city is too high, it will take time to remove them from the city roads. “As most of them are very poor, we have to take them off the road in a very systematic and phased manner. I have called a meeting with the bus operators and the auto drivers on Monday and will try to resolve the issue to prevent any inconvenience to the commuters,” said Singh. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had imposed a ban on the registration of diesel-run autos in the city following a writ petition filed by some activists in 2009. But it was lifted after the state government took the plea that there was no other mode of transportation available in the city and that the facility for the CNG fuel was not available. |
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Now, checks on sale of acid
Jalandhar, July 23 On July 15, Neeta, a government school teacher, and a resident of Talwandi Mehma, in Kapurthala, was injured in an acid attack by Paramjit when Neeta had turned down his marriage proposal. Neeta has sustained 30 per cent burn injuries. The victim was on her way to the school, when the accused, a resident of Khera Dona village in Sultanpur Lodhi, stopped her and threw acid on her near the Markfed Chowk. Paramjit, a father of two, had been putting pressure on Neeta to marry him but she had refused his proposal. “Initially, the location of the mobile used by the accused was traced near Ludhiana but the latest location has been traced in Madya Pradesh,” said sources. Last month, on June 4, in a sensational incident, three motorcycle-borne youth threw acid on 21-year-old Shiv Sena activist Naveen Talwar while he was on way to work. Till date, the police has no clue about the accused in this case. On October 4, 2013, in a bizarre incident, a 50-year-old woman Jatinder Kaur who was returning from gurdwara was attacked with acid by a motorcycle-borne youth at Waryam Nagar. The incident was taken as an act of revenge by the miscreants against whom the victim had raised an alarm in a suspected snatching bid. On August 22, 2011, a middle-aged woman Archana suffered serious burns in the busy Doaba Chowk after her estranged husband had allegedly thrown acid on her. Notably, after the attack, no one came to her rescue for 10 minutes even as the victim screamed with pain and shouted for help. On September 11, 2011, Seema (23) had received burn injuries after two youth had thrown acid on her, badly burning her face and upper part of the body Police to take strict action against shopkeepers selling acid illegally Thye Deputy Commissioner of Police, under powers vested in him under section 144 of the CrPc, issued orders to regulate the sale of acid and to fairly implement these orders. The police officials are also conducting a survey to update its record about the number of acid sellers in the city. On July 18, the DCP issued orders in which it was stated that whosoever wants to sell acid, has to obtain a licence. Orders have also been made mandatory for the sellers to prepare a separate register where sellers have to give details like the name of acid buyers, address, date of purchase, quantity purchased, purpose of buying acid, photo of buyer, mobile number, ID proof etc. Each day, acid seller has to submit complete sale report of acid at the concerned police
station. “All SHOs have been told to inform the acid sellers in their jurisdictions about orders with clear warnings that the violation may lead to the registration of a case against them,” said DCP Naveen Singla. |
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Amidst controversies, new DEO elementary takes charge
Jalandhar, July 23 He is the third person to have been posted as DEO (elementary) in Jalandhar in the past two years. Meanwhile, former DEO (elementary) Anil Awasthi has handed over his charge and taken up the post of Principal In-service Training Centre in Jalandhar. Notably, the post of the principal of the in-service centre is a post senior than the DEO level, often reserved for an official for the CEO level. The posting has raised brows within the education department. The new DEO (elementary) Jaspal Singh has formerly also been district science supervisor at Moga from which post he was promoted to DEO (elementary) Moga. Taking charge in troubled times in the district, he has been appointed DEO at a post which was being held by recently-suspended DEO (secondary) Kuldeep Kumar, who was earlier the DEO (elementary) until march 2013. Kuldeep Kumar had been posted as DEO (elementary) of the district in October 2012 and made DEO (secondary) in March 2014, from which post he was recently suspended. Sources also said the raging controversy on the mid day meal and the recent scandal regarding alleged embezzlement of education department funds by DEO Kuldeep Kumar (during his tenure as DEO) is the prime reason Awasthi has opted out of the controversial post. Awasthi also had a role to play in the (district level) inquiry of the education department into Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar had reportedly also returned to him a certain amount of funds during the course of the inquiry. Speaking to The Tribune, the New DEO Jaspal Singh said, "Working hard and reviving the state of the district education department is topmost on my mind. All aspects of the education department will be minutely observed in the coming days and appropriate measures taken to ensure the provision of quality services to the students. Given the recent controversies surrounding the mid-day meals in the district, special teams will also be constituted to look into the issue. I also sent teams to check the status of mid-day meal arrangements today. Such inspections will be a regular feature." Fact file
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Shopkeepers regret deplorable condition of road
Jalandhar, July 23 The shopkeepers have alleged that the MC had allotted works to contractors at Rs 94 lakh for road from Bhagwan Valmiki Gate to Railway Station and Rs 44 lakh for New Railway Road but the roads had started wearing out just days after they have been laid out. They have said that the roads had not been made as per norms with any space left for road gullies or for new sewage manholes with no system for drainage of rainwater. The representatives of the associations Lalit Mehta, Lajpat Rai Mehta and Sudesh Vij have said that the road had been paved in the night with the use of cold coaltar and they had immediately reported the matter with the MC authorities and Division Number 3 police but to no avail. Vij said that he and Sanjay Sehgal had even asked for the road sample under RTI to send it to Shri Ram Laboratory in Delhi for testing but so far he had not
been provided any road piece. The shopkeepers have alleged that the staff too had colluded with the contractors and had not been taking any action against them. They have said that roads had been lying in a bad condition for the
past 10 years but even after the road had been laid now, the work has not been done properly. The shopkeepers had threatened to boycott the recent Lok Sabha polls but were later cajoled by the politicians not to resort to protest. |
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Politicians, dist admn now use social media to promote policies, programmes
Jalandhar, July 23 There are several instances which give the same indication and prove the point. Even as the Punjab Technical University has a full-fledged Public Relations Department, it has decided not to issue any release to the media. For the same reason even as there have been a spate of activities including signing of MoUs and admission process is on, there has been no press note issued by the university for a month. Even as there have been allegations levelled by the distance education centre owners and Congress MLAs against the PTU, there has been no statement issued on any matter by the university authorities who perhaps do not want to enter into the chain of claims and counter-claims. Vice-Chancellor, PTU, Dr Rajneesh Arora has told PRO Rajneesh Sharma to prepare a report of activities almost on a daily basis and instead use the PTU's official website, Twitter, WhatsApp or Facebook for dissemination of information. The university had yesterday tied up with the AIESEC for collaboration of international internship programmes but the news and pictures were posted only on social media. Another point to the same trend is the functioning of the office of the Mayor. Even as Mayor Sunil Jyoti has been interacting with the media almost on a daily basis, owing to the negative reports that have been appearing in the media about the poor civic facilities and roads, he has not been issuing any press release and has been rather using his Facebook account to tell the residents about the work that he got started. Even yesterday, as the Deputy Commissioner had called a meeting to divulge the details regarding e-sangat darshan programme of Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, ADC (G) Pritam Singh smartly told the media to leave the meeting hall by making an announcement that only the government officials stay back and the rest leave. The Directorate of Public Relations at Chandigarh too reserved the information pertaining to the state budget details only for the media present in the Vidhan Sabha on the budget meeting day. Even as the mediapersons across the state kept calling the officials for a copy of the detailed budget to do some reaction story in their respective districts, no release was issued. The highlights, however, started coming on TV and social media. |
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Historian speaks on Komagata Maru incident
Jalandhar, July 23 He said the Gadar Party members believed that Indians should follow the ideologies and perspective instead of following a particular person. Dr Waraich has authored more than 20 books based on Gadar movement during the freedom struggle. He said the Gadar Party members were known for their dedication, resilience, unity and the feeling of
self-sacrifice. — TNS
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Two held on murder charge
Jalandhar, July 23 A few days later, the body of Rajesh was recovered from Himachal Pradesh which led to the registration of a murder case. After the deceased's wife suspected the role of Thomas of Chomo village, Kulwant Singh, alias Kanta, of Adampur, and Lakhvir, alias Bagga of Adampur, behind her husband's death, the police rounded up Thomas. During questioning, Thomas, who is also a cousin of Rajesh, confessed to have engineered the crime. He along with his two friends engineered the crime to usurp the property of deceased mother of the deceased, who was working at the Air Force Station in Adampur. The police said raids were being conducted to nab the remaining
accused. — TNS |
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Jalandhar, July 23