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Roadways men beaten up by pvt bus staff
Incomplete flyover resulting in accidents
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7-year-old raped, accused held
Viral fever patients make a beeline to hospitals
Remand of kidnappers extended by 3 days
Category change row
TET teachers protest state government’s inability to provide appointment letters
Shiv Sainiks burn effigy of state govt
campus notes
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Roadways men beaten up by pvt bus staff
Jalandhar, October 26 Later, the Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS Contractor Workers Union observed a bandh for more than three hours in protest against the incident. The union was seeking the registration of an FIR against the crew of the private bus. Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, senior vice-president of the union, Daljit Singh, alleged that the private bus belonged to a political family ruling the state. He said the crew of the private bus was asking for way to take their bus to the Batala counter. Due to congestion at the bus-stand, the Punjab Roadways was unable to do so, which led to the confrontation. Afterwards, members of the private bus, along with some unidentified persons, started using abusive language against the Punjab Roadways conductor and driver. Soon, the same the private bus crew, along with unidentified persons, thrashed the conductor and driver. He alleged that during the incident, the Punjab Roadways conductor lost his bag carrying a sum between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 along with the hand-held ticket-vending machine. Daljit said the crew of the private bus, however, apologised after the matter was taken to police division No. 7. The crew of the private bus has been granted two days to find out and then return the bag along with the ticket-vending machine and the cash. “If they fail to return our money and ticket vending machine within the given period, we will organise a massive protest across the state,” he added.
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Incomplete flyover resulting in accidents
Jalandhar, October 26 Commuters lamented that despite so many mishaps, the authorities concerned had not bothered to construct the elevated road. As the winter season and fog are round the corner, the plight of the commuters is set to increase. A few months ago, traffic from one side had managed to pass through the flyover, while the traffic from the other side, commuting on the service road, increases the risk of accidents. It has been observed that the traffic police has just become a mute spectator instead of managing the traffic. A great deal of traffic here, including buses, trucks, cars and motorbikes, from the Jammu and Amritsar side, has to pass through the same chowk. The lethargic approach of the authorities concerned has been causing traffic chaos in the area. Daily commuters alleged that the construction work of the flyover had been hanging fire for the past more than four years. Only one side of the road has been opened to the traffic so far. A student at the GNDU regional campus, Ladhewali, said, “We have been bearing this situation since I joined the university. Sometimes, it takes half an hour to pass through this road, hardly a 500 m stretch. I have to miss the class sometime.” A dhaba owner on the chowk said he had been losing customers since the work started. The dust often contaminates the food, which is not preferred by many. Many people from the other side of the road have stopped visiting the dhaba. ADCP (Traffic), Dalbir Singh Buttar, said the construction of the flyover had been resumed, while it would be fully functional before November 15.
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7-year-old raped, accused held
Jalandhar, October 26 Sources said the police had referred the case to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The Juvenile Justice Act, 2006, which confers judicial powers on the CWC, mandates that all children in need of care and protection should be produced before the committee within 24 hours whenever any such case occurs. The accused was identified as Azad and was said to be a drug addict. The incident occurred on Saturday night when the accused, found the girl alone at her home. Despite the girl raising a hue and cry over the heinous act, nobody listened to her shrieks. When the girl’s mother arrived home, she found that her daughter was bleeding profusely. The girl was immediately taken to the Civil Hospital, where her condition was said to be normal. After the girl revealed the name of the accused, the locality people nabbed him and severally beat him up. The accused was reportedly in an inebriated state when he committed the crime. The accused was handed over to the police. A case of rape was registered at the Basti Bawa Khel police station. After conducting the medical examination of the girl, she was admitted in the emergency ward.
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Viral fever patients make a beeline to hospitals
Jalandhar, October 26 While experts say that the spread of viral fever at this time is mostly due to air-borne causes, the prevalence of water-borne infections can’t also be ruled out altogether. While post Diwali the reportage of cases has increased, the prevalence of the problem is unlikely to subside before the onset of winter. While the OPD at the Civil Hospital has at least 50 viral patients per day, reports across private hospitals also say everyday, a number of patients with seasonal cough, cold or body aches along with temperatures are being reported in big numbers. In most of these cases, reduced platelet count has also been observed. Dr KS Bawa, SMO, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, said, “This season is typically known for the prevalence of viral fever, but certainly there has been a great rise in the people suffering from the ailment owing to the fickle weather as well. Everyday at least 50 of the patients reporting to the OPD are those suffering from viral fever. In most of the cases, the fever is accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the platelet count of the patient. Of the patients admitted to the hospital wards, any day, at least five to six are viral patients. It is estimated that until November kicks in, the cases are going to pour in.” Dr Bawa added that so far in these particular cases, no patients have tested positive for jaundice or dengue. However, it can’t be ruled out that some of the fever cases have been followed by mosquito bites. A city based expert medical said, “Deteriorating hygiene and consumption of contaminated water is also one of the causes of the spread of fever. Almost every locality has loads of viral patients and in a majority of the cases, it is characterised by decrease in the platelet count. While majority of the people have ROs at their homes, these days the real problem occurs when people used to consuming very pure water at homes, drink contaminated water or drinks outside their homes. The primary requirements are keeping your homes and surroundings clean and maintaining body as well as food hygiene at least as long as winters do not set in.” Precautions
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Remand of kidnappers extended by 3 days
Jalandhar, October 26 The police remand of the trio has been further extended by three days. As per the police, the further remand was sought to inquire the whereabouts of the remaining two accused, namely Kamal and Devaki Nandan. Both are residents of Aligarh in Utter Pardesh. Police teams have been keeping regular tab on their suspected locations. ADCP-II Harpreet Singh Mander said initially it was suspected that the kidnapping was orchestrated by more than a dozen persons but after the arrest of the trio, namely Mahinder Gupta, a resident of Ishar Colony, Suresh and Sanjiv, both from UP and residing at Basti Danishmandan, it had come to light that two more abovesaid accused had orchestrated the crime. They had been demanding Rs 15 lakh ransom for the release of the child. The ADCP said the police was in touch with the Aligarh police to apprehend the remaining accused. It had also conducted repeated raids at the residences of the two accused, but their houses were found locked. On October 12, Gurdeep Singh, aka Gopi, son of a property dealer Satnam Singh was allegedly kidnapped from a locality in the Model Town. The boy, Gurdeep Singh, was playing along with his sister when he was kidnapped by an unidentified car-borne man.
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Jalandhar, October 26 While the day-long spectacle made city residents aware about the mess that the city has been facing for over a decade, poor drainage system, non-implementation of solid waste management system in the city and above all, the lackadaisical attitude of the district administration failed to create a long lasting impact on their minds. Jalandhar Tribune takes a look at various factors that prevented the much hyped campaign in the city from becoming a success. Choked drains, no garbage sites present
In what can be called a major colonial planning flaw, most residential colonies in the city do not have garbage sites of their own. Due to this, huge piles of garbage are seen scattered in the open with stray animals rummaging through them, emanating foul smell that causes problems for people living in the area. Adding to the woes of the residents are the choked drains overflowing in every nook and corner of these colonies. Finding no other place, the residents were forced to throw litter in the vacant plots in these areas mostly bought by the NRIs, creating problems for the people living in adjoining houses. According to Des Raj Jassal, municipal councilor of ward 1, though the city residents may be asked to collect the litter inside their house, there is no place to throw it. "Where would they throw the litter when there is no place earmarked for it? The safai karamcharis in the city play musical chairs with the litter by collecting it from one house and throwing it in front of the other," said Jassal. He also informed that despite several reminders, the ill-equipped MC never bothered to spray the area with insecticides nor did it lift the garbage that was lying scattered on the roads for months. Public apathy adds to the mess
In an unplanned city like Jalandhar, civic apathy adds to the already cluttered surroundings. While taking a walk around the prominent roundabouts and roads in the city, one can easily witness the public apathy evident in the littering of the area openly in front of various enforcement agencies. The Rama Mandi intersection, also known as the gateway to the city of NRIs, depicts the poor state of affairs in the city. As compared to the other cities that boast of a well manicured entry with a beautiful landscape, the entry to the city is full of litter scattered by stray animals roaming freely on the roads. People can be seen throwing out empty bottles of packaged drinking water, used packets of chips and juices at the intersection when buses halt briefly at the venue. Similarly, the PAP intersection, also known as the exit point of the city, failed to achieve the cleanliness level found inside the PAP campus. Nevertheless, the BMC intersection also narrates a horrific tale of dirt. The area just next to the statue of former Chief Minister Beant Singh at the biggest intersection of the city serves as an open garbage dump for the daily commuters. In the absence of any dustbins or garbage area marked here, people could be seen throwing litter while crossing the massive chowk that connects six lanes. Similarly, prominent areas like Ladowaali road, Mahavir Marg, Master Tara Singh Nagar Road, PNT Colony, Plaza Chowk, Garha Raod, 120 feet road and the area opposite the TV station also display a scene of public apathy. Also, public places like railway station, bus stand and city parks display a picture of public apathy and the district administration's failure to maintain cleanliness in the city. "Where should we throw the litter? There are no dustbins here. Although the shopkeepers have dustbins, they have installed them inside their shops only and do not allow us to use it. Also, the open garbage near the police station is causing a lot of inconvenience to the passengers," said Amit Sarna, a passenger at the Shaheed-e-Azam Sardaar Bhagat Singh Inter-State Bus Terminal in the city. He also informed that the administration has made a mockery of the Swachh Bharat Campaign as even after the launch of the campaign in the city, paan-stained walls, paper and plastic litter, smelly corners and dirty platforms refused to leave their mark at various public places. With a large army of 2,600 safai karamcharis, MC failed in the mission
According to environmentalist Gaurav Jain, due to delay in the implementation of the solid waste management system in the city, heaps of garbage with stray animals hovering over it could be seen scattered everywhere in the city. "On the day Swachh Bharat Campaign was launched on October 2, I myself got four truckloads of litter lifted in front of PIMS but to my horror, the situation was the same when I visited it the very next day," said Jain. No monitoring at the dumping site
Also, slamming the district administration, Satish Sharma, AGM, Jindal Infrastructure Limited, said the corporation is not serious on making the city a clean place to live in. "The city has around 2.13 lakh houses that generate around 1.5 kg of litter per house. The city on an average generates around 500 metric tonne of litter daily," revealed Sharma. However, making a startling revelation, he informed that despite this, the MC has not deputed anyone at the Wariana dumping site. "I deputed one person at the Wariana dump for three days and we noticed that only 150 to 170 metric tonnes of litter could reach the dumping site every day. Now, one could well imagine where exactly the rest of the litter goes in the absence of any monitoring by the MC at the official dumping sites," said Sharma. Admn failed to involve NGOs in the mission
While various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are playing an important role across the country in making people aware about maintaining cleanliness around their homes and also in running various motivational programmes in association with the local district administrations in their area, surprisingly the district administration has never bothered to engage them in this much hyped campaign. According to S.Kapoor of Chitra, an NGO, the district administration never approached any NGO to ask them about their suggestions and support to run the campaign successfully in the city. "Why would they ask for our support when they themselves are not serious about running it," said
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Master cadre teachers submit demand letters to MLAs
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, October 26 The union demanded that the status which the government had changed to category A on September 30, 2011, had been changed to category C on September 24 this year. They demanded that the recent change be dismissed and the category of the master cadre be changed to A again. Their other demands included time-bound promotions, granting of the required pay scale, promotion of senior masters on the basis of their seniority, disbursal of pay on a regular basis and the allotment of the annual budget once -which was mentioned in the demand letters. The teachers said they had received assurances from the MLAs that the issues concerning them will be raised with the Chief Minister and the Education Minister and it would be ensured that they get their rights. Leaders of the union like Habans Lal, Harbhajan Singh, Satvir Singh, Bhuinder Singh and Surinder Singh were present on the occasion. As many as 50,000 teachers across the state and 3,000 in the district have been affected by the recent government notification changing the category of the Master Cadre Union from A to C. While their protest is strongest against the demotion of their status, they also oppose the letter which informs them that they shall get only Rs 250 as mobile allowance instead of Rs 500 which they were getting as A category employees of the Education Department. In addition to that, the change in status might also mean less remuneration in the time to come owing to the fact that the pay commission recommendations will be according to their new grade. The union members also burnt copies of the notification on October 13.
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TET teachers protest state government’s inability to provide appointment letters
Jalandhar, October 26 They said the constant breaking of promises made to them by the state government had caused activists of the TET teachers Union to begin a series of protests as per which they will burn effigies of the state government at various places in the state. As per the series, the Jalanhdar unit of the union today held a protest rally from the local Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall, after which they raised slogans against the government in the bazaars of the city. Addressing the rally, district president Manjinder Singh, said the state government, which had been approving and promising the recruitments of over 12,000 teachers every year, could not even provide employment to the first batch of about 8,000 TET teachers, even though they had cleared their TET exam in 2011. They said, so far, TET teachers had given TET tests four times and the government had collected Rs 40 crore from the unemployed teachers by holding the tests. They said of the 5,078 posts of rural assistant teachers, released in 2012, the government is going to fill only 2,469 posts presently, leaving out the rest to languish. Activists said the union demands that there should be an increase in the posts of Punjabi and social studies teachers. They also demanded immediate appointment letters for the remaining 3,800 teachers. The union said if the government did not respond to their demands, they would intensify their agitation. They threatened that the union will hold a permanent dharna at Mohali. Union activists said lack of a response from the state government would give way to an intensified struggle and a hunger strike unto death. District president Manjinder Singh, district vice-president Kiran, press secretary Manjit, among others, were also present on the occasion.
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Shiv Sainiks burn effigy of state govt
Phagwara, October 26 The activists protested against the ban on “Trishul march” and arrest of sena state opresident, Sanjeev Dhanuli, in Ropar recently. Earlier, the acrivists hold a protest march, which started from Hanuman Garhi and concluded at the protest site. — OC
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campus notes The basketball team of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya won the GNDU Basketball Championship defeating BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar, in the final for the 23rd consecutive year. Principal Dr. Rekha Kalia Bhardwaj congratulated the students, coach and members of the Physical Education Deptartment. She also said that KM. Kajal, Navdeep, Surbhi Mohan, Arshdeep, Sonia and Harpreet Kaur had been selected for the GNDU basketball team for the All India Inter-University Championship which is going to be held at Kanpur. Head of the Physical Education Department, Sudarshan Kang, was also present on the occasion. Rangoli competition
An inter-house rangoli competition began in EMM AAR International School under principal Navdeep Vashista. The senior group students of four houses participated in the event. The participants made rangoli on different themes. Director Dr Simmi Tandon, Navdeep Vashistha and Sarabjit were the jury members. They gave their judgment according to the neatness, theme, material used and presentation. The winners were Gandhi House (1st position), Manik, Rattan House (second position) and Patel House (third position). Chief guest, Regional Manager, KG Srikanth and manager Gaurav Malhotra of Syndicate Bank lauded the participants. Director Dr Simmi Tandon and principal Navdeep Vashistha were present. Annual magazine released
Ramgarhia College of Education, Phagwara, released its annual magazine "Giansar". The magazine throws light on the activities held at the college like national conference, seminar, quiz and community service, among others. The magazine was released by the chairman of the Ramgarhia Educational Council, S. Bharpur Singh Bhogal. Surinderjit Kaur, principal Ramgarhia College of Education, Phagwara, chief accountant, Ramgarhia Educational Council, Mukesh Kant, were also among those present. — TNS |
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Due to the incomplete construction of the flyover on the Chugitti chowk, the stretch between the chowk and beyond has witnessed a number of accidents.
Impressive slogans, heart-warming television footage of politicians and their staff wielding the broom and celebrity endorsements - the much hyped Swachh Bharat Campaign initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 has failed to take off in an appealing way in the city.
The district unit of the Master Cadre Union today handed over demand letters to the MLAs associated with Jalandhar district as a mark of protest.
Phagwara, October 26
Surprisingly, the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar has around 2,600 safai karamcharis, higher than any other corporation in Punjab. Despite this, it failed to get the city a new clean look under the Swachh Bharat campaign.