Jalandhar, July 30
Even after the City Bus Service becoming a thing of the past from July 30, commuters did not miss the service as they were smartly picked by hundreds of illegal diesel autos plying in the city under the nose of the happy-go-lucky district administration. Although passengers coming from Kartarpur did complain of a little inconvenience, but that was not enough to wake the District Transport Office (DTO) from its sombre sleep.

“I rarely took the city bus while going to my college as its service was too less. The autos are freely available on the route and are more convenient as public transport than the city buses that were in a pathetic shape,” said Rani, a final year student. Another student Kartik also confirmed that the absence of the six- year-old service is not felt as they were never used to it. “There are so many autos available that no one bothers to board a bus nowadays,” said Kartik.

Parveen Olivera, City Bus Service Manager at Jalandhar, while slamming the district administration, said, “It is due to this reason that he had to stop the service in the city. No one was boarding the buses due to the plying of hundreds of illegal autos in the city. Most of the time, the buses were empty with five to seven autos overloaded with passengers crossing them frequently.”

He said after giving so many ultimatums to the district administration before ending the services in the city, none from the district administration approached him to continue it. “It clearly shows that the administration was in no mood to continue the service and their recent behaviour with the auto- rickshaw drivers when they were lathicharged is only an example that will fade away after a few days,” alleged Olivera.

Municipal Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chatwal said since the contract with the bus operators ended much earlier, they cannot force the bus operators to ply the buses. “They have stopped the buses as their insurance was to expire by July 31. They informed me that they will not be able to renew the insurance due to huge loses incurred from the project and hence, will stop the service in the city. I even spoke to the insurance company and made them agree to insure the buses for a period of three months but the bus operators declined the offer,” said Chatwal.

“Presently, the municipal corporation is unable to offer any other public-transport mode to the city residents as the case pertaining to the CNG dealership is pending in the Punjab and High Court for long. Once the state gets its gas supply, we will be able to offer some alternate mode of transport to the Public,” said Chatwal.

He said the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2008 banned diesel transportation in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Haryana. 

Jalandhar, July 30
Even after the High Court has upheld the rights of the SC students to avail the benefits of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, issuing specific instructions to a couple of colleges in the city not to charge admission fee from SC students, students belonging to this category continue to face problems in some colleges of the district.

Initiating serious action in response to the problems faced by some city students who had approached the DC regarding denial of admission (as per the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme) at certain city colleges on Monday, the DC today sent tehsildars to accompany these students to the said colleges where the students had been denied admission.

Tehsildars were sent to accompany Mamta Rani and Devinder Kaur seeking admission in the B.Ed course as well as Ranjana seeking admission to the B.Sc. Computer Science course at two city colleges.

DC KK Yadav said, "The issue of Post Matric Scholarship is not as big as it is being made out to be. Many SC students have already received free admissions in various courses. I am certain many more students still seeking admissions will also get it soon. Initially, we were facing problems with respect to two city colleges, and today, I also sent officials to accompany students to facilitate their admissions. While initially, some colleges were adamant, they have now assured us that admissions will be provided to the students who approach us."

"I had called these colleges on Monday and while initially they hadn't agreed to provide admissions, they are now responding. If there are colleges that still don't agree, we will pursue the case of whichever student is denied admission," he said.

While sources said the DC had also summoned the principals of certain colleges on Thursday to his office, the DC denied the same.

Balwinder Singh, BSP activist who has been pursuing the case of many SC students for the past few days, said, "Not just these students, a number of students in the district are also facing problems with regard to free admissions as per the Post Matric Scholarship Schemes. Many have been turned away from rural colleges as well. If a valid government school is in place, then the students ought to be given admissions. We are also planning to bring these students together on Friday."

While the students said the colleges denied them admission today as well (when they reached there accompanied by the tehsildars), Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said the colleges have agreed to provide admissions to them.

Jalandhar, July 30
The case of a student seeking admission to the MEd course at the Government College of Education, Jalandhar, today, reached the local DC office.

Neha Khullar, a student who had claimed that her name was earlier on the merit list of the Government College of Education, Jalandhar, but was later taken off, today met Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav over the issue.

Neha, her relative Pardeep Khullar, BJP leader Kamal Sharma, among others, today submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner..

Neha and her relatives had also protested against the authorities of the institution last Wednesday demanding admission there. The college authorities have, however, denied all allegations of any special favour being meted out to any student.

College authorities had said all names in the college list had been put on the basis of merit.

Kapurthala, July 30
Tension prevailed in Kapurthala after the members of the Majhabi Sikh Morcha were dispersed by the police. The police resorted to a mild lathicharge after the members, who were demanding the arrest of a granthi for making objectionable remarks on Guru Balmiki, were forcing the shopkeepers to shut their business establishments.

Mahinder Singh Hamira, president of the Morcha, said, a Nadala-based granthi had recently made objectionable remarks on Guru Balmiki and they had also submitted a written complaint with the police, but no action was taken against the granthi.

“Today, we were going to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala for seeking the registration of a case and the arrest of granthi, but were stopped by the police. Later, the police lathicharged us and our members also got injured,” he said.

He said after the incident, they also held a meeting with the DC of Kapurthala, DS Mangat, who assured he would arrange their meeting with the chief minister soon.

SSP of Kapurthala Dhanpreet Kaur said initially, the Morcha members were planning to hold a peaceful demonstration but later they forced the shopkeepers to shut their business establishment. “Sensing a law and order problem, we deployed a huge police force just to prevent the Morcha members,” said Kaur adding that the protestors had also obstructed the police from conducting their duty, so the police was also mulling to register a case under IPC section.

Jalandhar, July 30
Members of the AIE/STR/EGS Teachers Union today held a protest dharna at the DEO (primary) office in Jalandhar to express resentment over non-payment of salaries for the past four months and for having been put on duty at the BPEO office.

Raising slogans outside the DEO office, they later entered the office and raised slogans against the Education Department.

As many as 290 AIE/STR and EGS teachers had been put on duty to conduct a survey of drop-out students in the district and later holding classes for them. While across the state, teachers had been taken off the said duties and deputed back at their respective schools after a huge outcry over the issue, teachers rued in Jalandhar that the orders haven't been revoked and they continue to go on duty at the BPEO office till 5 pm.

While the decision to put these teachers on the survey duty was taken after an order from the DGSE office in May this year, a widespread outcry a couple of months ago by various teachers' unions across the state had resulted in verbal orders issued on June 2 that none of the formerly issued instructions will be implemented and the teachers will continue taking regular classes. 

Apart from this, teachers also said many of them were also being paid Rs 2,500 despite the fact that they had cleared their UGC.

While all the teachers of these unions are being paid Rs 5,000, those who had not yet cleared their ETT/ B.Ed. exams were being paid Rs 2,500. However, they were supposed to be paid Rs 5,000 after they cleared their ETT exam.

Teachers today said despite the fact that many of them cleared the ETT exams years ago; they were still paid Rs 2,500 because their degrees had not been issued yet. All these teachers are yet to get their salaries for four months.

Lamenting that they were being out on very tedious jobs even though their counterparts in other districts had been taken off survey duties, teachers said, "We have to travel BPEO offices 40 km away from out places of posting. We are being made to wait in the offices till 5 pm. While ideally, after the survey, we should be allowed to go home, we have to travel all the way to the BPEO office to report there. Even though other districts have responded to the June 2 orders, even today the district DEO re-released the order which asks us to conduct surveys and teach drop puts at the special centres made for drop outs."

Jalandhar, July 30
Even as the Punjab Government has issued the notification pertaining to the rolling back of hiked rates of blood processing charges, the Civil Hospital seems oblivious of the new development and was found displaying and charging the old hiked rates today.

The hospital authorities initially informed that they had not received any intimation, but later, accepted that they had received the letter and the low rates would be applicable from tomorrow onwards.

“I have received the letter from the Health Department just now and have forwarded it to the district blood transfusion officer. The new rates will be applicable from Thursday onwards,” said Dr. Kailash Kapoor, medical superintendent, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar.

Earlier, before the revision of the charges, patients admitted to the government hospitals were asked to pay Rs 300 per unit of blood and private hospitals charged Rs 750 for the same.

In view of the demand, the state government revised the rates to Rs 500 per unit for government hospitals and Rs 1,450 for private hospitals.

Facing protest across the state, it was forced to roll back the hike in blood processing charges last week.

After the announcement, it took almost two weeks for the department to issue the notification and it was only today that the notification reached government hospitals.

“I was not aware about the rollback in rates. I have come here to buy a bottle of blood and paid the revised amount to the blood bank at the Civil Hospital,” said Kuldep Singh, an attendant of a patient.

He also informed that despite donating a bottle of blood, he was not given any refreshment, as per the health policy of the state government. 

Jalandhar, July 30
After the state government bowed to the demands of traders to annul the controversial Section 13(1) of VAT Act, they are now up in arms against the dilly dallying attitude of the Excise and Taxation Department in releasing VAT refunds.

They will soon call a state-level meeting to discuss the further course of action.

Following a series of protests by Jalandhar traders, the state government had accepted their demands yesterday to withdraw the amendment in the VAT Act.

Ravinder Dhir of the Traders and Industrial Committee, while extending thanks to the government for accepting the demand to annul Section 13(1) of the VAT Act, said certain other demands of traders were yet to be met and they would soon devise a strategy to convince the state government.

“A VAT refund involves a very cumbersome process. When a trader applies for a VAT refund, the Excise and Taxation Department verifies at four stages of trading and if officials are satisfied at every level only, then the process of VAT refund starts,” Dhir said.

“The process of checking at four levels was introduced to harass the traders. It has not only made the entire process of VAT refund complicated, rather it has also become the primary reason for delay in VAT refund,” he said.

The government introduced the four-level checking process following the unearthing of a scam of bogus VAT refunds to the tune of several crore rupees by 32 companies of Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh.

Sources say traders are fumed as the Excise Department had recently rejected the refunds of some companies on account of bogus purchase entries. 

Jalandhar, July 30
Finally, the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) held an auction for super deluxe HIG flats today. The JIT authorities held a draw for one out of the six blocks of flats, which it plans to construct.

Perhaps, this has been the worst-ever response to any government housing project so far in the city, because under this scheme, JIT had invited applications for 119 flats, planned to come up in Surya Enclave, but it had received only 18 applications.

Since the number of applications was only ten per cent of the total flats, so there was no competition among the applicants and everybody got a flat allotted against each application.

Sources said as the applications for the 10-storeyed HIG flats, each costing Rs 67 lakh and covering a floor area of 2,660 sq feet, had been invited on March 3 this year, the response had remained poor.

Jalandhar, July 30
Istri Jagriti Manch held a protest at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall here to protest the violence against women. Hundreds of women gathered and took out a march.

The protesters said there had been a constant increase in violence against women, which was making the country increasingly unsafe for women. They said the government lacked a plan or safety programme to ensure proper security of women.

Leader Anita Sandhu said even after the promises of strictness and stern action following the recent gang rape incident, a large number of rapes and acts of violence were taking place, which had exposed the hollow promises made by the government.

The protestors rued that acid attacks were on the rise.

They said in most cases, the police, rather than lodging an FIR, are keen to impose an out of court settlement on the victims.

Recently, an acid attack victim in Kapurthala got an FIR lodged but no action has been taken till date, they added.

Every day hundreds of cases of domestic violence were being filed, but the strict implementation of the Domestic Violence Act is still a distant dream, they added.

They said the role of the police and the administration was questionable. The administration had failed to launch an effective helpline, which could come to the rescue of women facing difficult situations, they added. 

Kapurthala, July 30
An elderly woman fell off the train into Beas near Dhilwan village and died last night.

The deceased has been identified as Sumitra Devi (62), a resident of Chota Haripur, Amritsar.

A GRP official said the incident occurred at 9.30 pm last night when the woman along with a relative was travelling in the Amritsar-bound Dadar Express. When the train was crossing the overbridge on Beas near Dhilwan village, the woman, who was standing near the door, suddenly fell into the river.

One of the woman’s relatives, who was accompanying her, had witnessed the incident. He immediately raised alarm and informed the police. Meanwhile, divers were called and the woman’s body was taken out of the river.