Does anyone care for the city?

Encroachments dot the city. Garbage lies strewn about in public places. Pollution levels are high and traffic is chaotic. Water scarcity is acute, while stinking drains clog routes all through the year. It seems that rules and regulations are not for implementation even as the city is bursting at its seams. Would it be asphyxiated by its so-called development? Does the administration have the will or the abillity to govern? Minna Zutshi, Deepkamal Kaur and J.S. Malhotra report on the total mess that confronts the city today.

Waste disposal plant spreads waste The solid waste disposal plant that is being run on contract basis by a private firm at Wariana village is in a sorry state. The solid waste from all parts of the city is sent here. The plant is surrounded by huge piles of garbage waste stretching up to a few km on all its sides. Mr Gurbaksh Singh, a resident of the village, rues that the population of mosquitoes and flies has increased manifold ever since the plant came up in the area. The number of pests and scavengers has also increased, and these pests damage the crops in the fields. He says that he has repeatedly complained to the MC authorities to do something about this but to no avail. The solid remains of non-biodegradable material add to the problem. Huge piles of rocks, stones, plastic bags and goods, bone china material and other non-treatable material are thrown out through an outlet of the plant in the very first step of the treatment. Mr Dheeraj Ghai, director of the plant, however, said that the MC had not provided them a "land filling site" for non-treatable material. Neither had it provided them with any means of transport . Under such circumstances, he was helpless and was being forced to use the area around the place for disposal of such non-treatable material, he added. He complained that the MC had also failed to provide streetlights in the area.

Passing the buck Attempts to contact the Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Mr Satwant Singh Johl, in his office proved futile. The reporter was told that he was not available, as he was away to Chandigarh for a meeting. His mobile phone, too, failed to elicit any response. Later Mr Ved Vyas, Assistant Commissioner, when contacted, said that matters pertaining to the condition of roads and garbage accumulation did not come under his purview and that Mr V.K. Talwar, SE (B&R), could be contacted for the purpose. Mr Talwar, when contacted, said that he could not comment on the issue and that Mr Ved Vyas could be contacted for the purpose! A senior MC official, on the condition of anonymity, however, had an interesting comment to offer. "What shall we do? If we try to remove encroachments from government land, a lobby of influential political leaders here swings into action to foil our attempts. Most of the shopkeepers and residents, too, are politically well-connected."

Clean drinking water a luxury The Bhargo Camp incident, in which at least 10 persons died, is still fresh in the memory of city residents. Water contamination was allegedly responsible for this. There are scores of such areas in the city, where clean drinking water is a luxury.

It’s the old part of the city. There are huge piles of rotten matter, polybags, paper bits, broken chinaware and an assortment of odd things. These piles run along the railway line. So, if you happen to commute to old parts of the city, keep your eyes, ears and nose covered! The stink from the garbage dumps assaults your senses. This, however, is not an isolated instance. There are garbage dumps dotting the city. Be it residential quarters or roadsides or simply vacant plots, garbage dumps are a familiar sight here. Garbage containers kept in various localities by the Municipal Corporation are emptied only after days of emitting foul smell in the vicinity.

About the condition of roads here, the less said the better. Dirt lies strewn about. Fruit peels and paper bits litter the roads. Sweepers often do a vanishing act for days together. After the Divali celebrations last Friday, remains of crackers littered the roads and streets for quite a few days, so much so that even the posh colonies, including Model Town, Mota Singh Nagar and Defence Colony, were cleaned more than six days later.

The most ailing road of the city is the one most frequented by bus commuters. This road leads the buses coming from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Pathankot, Patiala and New Delhi to the entry point of the bus stand. While the work of carpeting the one-way of the road was over in the past three months, the work in the other half across the divider has been pending ever since. The road had been closed for some time for repair work, but was re-opened in a month’s time, even though it was not re-carpeted. Every time a bus passes on the road, the air becomes dusty. This reduces the visibility, making the road highly accident-prone.

The condition of Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur Road is no better. The ongoing process of re-laying and widening this road has also been delayed for the past more than two months. A 2.5 km stretch of the road falling in Jandu Sanghian village of Jalandhar district is in worst condition. Pieces of rocks have been spread all over the road and these have not been levelled. It’s a bumpy, dangerous ride for commuters.

The stretches of roads just opposite the offices of the Traffic Police, Commissioner of Jalandhar Division and old courts, the Garha Road starting from the BMC Chowk towards Garha and Urban Estate, are in bad shape.

The city could well be a commuter’s nightmare, with bumper-to-bumper traffic, bad roads, equally bad traffic sense, open flouting of traffic rules and a very few parking spaces. More than 100 persons were killed on the city roads in the past few months. The city, with a population of 8 lakhs, has about 3.5 lakh vehicles. Though off and on, the authorities concerned organise traffic awareness drives, most of these efforts are not-so-concerted and they seldom have the desired outcome.

Yet another serious problem here is that of encroachments. Most of the parts of Bhargo Camp, Gandhi Camp, Boota Mandi, Model House, New Model House, Jallowal Abadi areas around Mithapur Road, Bhagat Singh Colony, Industrial Area, Makhdoompura Mohalla and Dhand Mohalla have been permanently encroached upon by raising “pucca” structures.

Shopkeepers across the city have encroached upon at least some feet of the area in front of their shops. The illegally built booths of taxi owners and the parking of taxis near Namdev Chowk, BMC Chowk, Kapurthala Chowk and Ravidass Chowk are just a few instances of encroachments.

Though the MC authorities had identified more than 7000 encroachment points in the city following an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court about three years back, they failed to remove these encroachments due to alleged political pressure. There are more than 3000 encroachment points in Bhargo Camp alone.

The main bazaars of the city, including Rainak Bazaar, Bansa Wala Bazaar, Phullan Wala Bazaar, Ataari Bazaar, Immanasar, Peer Bodla Bazaar and Bhairon Bazaar, are a story of encroachments thriving, even as authorities turn a blind eye.

As if this were not enough, proliferation of slums near Maqsoodan area, industrial area, leather complex has the city tethering on the edge of a potential disaster. These slums are breeding grounds for crime and disease, keeping in view the chaotic conditions and the absence of civic amenities there.

No check on the effluent discharge from industries into open drains is yet another problem for the city residents. The worst hit are the residents of New Sital Nagar near the GT Road. The colony is located near a stinking drain, and the residents of the area frequently complain of giddiness and diarrhoea problems.

City in bad shape, say residents
J.S. Malhotra

"The main irritants here are traffic congestion and failure of the local MC authorities to construct new parking lots, even as scores of multi-storey buildings have come up in the city during the past one decade. It is very difficult to drive a car on busy lanes, particularly in morning and evening. Besides, the vehicular traffic is not properly regulated. You will never find proper parking facilities at main bazaars of the city, including Model Town and Civil Lines.

The population of the city has witnessed an alarming growth in the past two decades. There is no park or garden for the city residents. Once the city had a nice cover of green belt. But today these areas have been encroached upon."

"Moral degradation and political interference in the functioning of the city police have dealt a blow to the fabric of the society.

The race to achieve more in life has widened communication gap between parents and their wards. Now, the youngsters are more independent and the element of respect for elders has almost vanished. But this is possibly a common problem across all cities.

To be more city-specific, the city police has failed to properly regulate vehicular traffic. Residents here feel proud to flout traffic rules with impunity.

The influx of migrant labourers in the city has been a factor in the increase in crime rate. With the city registering a manifold increase in population, the crime graph has also witnessed an upward trend."

"There is a general moral degradation. Communal harmony, too, has seen a decline. Sanitation is at its nadir. Heaps of garbage can be seen lying in various parts of the city. It's only industrialisation and commercialisation that this city can boast of today. No efforts are being made for the beautification of the city. It is quite painful. The city is a shadow of its earlier glory."

"Pollution has wrecked a havoc here. There was a time when most of the people used to commute on two-wheelers and cycles. But today, vehicular traffic has increased manifold. Industrial pollution, too, is on an increase. There are no checks on this. Something must be done about the city, otherwise a day might come when it would be difficult to redeem its good features."

‘Aryans’ set to rock Jalandhar
Tribune News Service

Strains of music floating through the air…feet jiving to fast numbers…eyes glued to the latest in the fashion scene. It’s a peep into the musical nite to be held in the city.

The pop music group “Aryans” is all set to rock the city on November 20 at Katoch Stadium, Jalandhar Cantonment. The group will perform live for a gathering of about 10,000 persons, mostly officers, JCOs, jawans and families of the Vajra Corps.

The Aryans (DJ Narayan and Sadu) have a rich repertoire of Hindi, English and Punjabi numbers in their oeuvre. Their appeal lies in their ability to strike an instant rapport with youngsters. Their shows are usually marked by verve and spontaneity. Their latest album “Hai Dil” had youngsters charmed by it.

Ranging from R.D. Burman to Kishore Kumar, Beatles to Queens, their music has varied shades to it. They perform in the “garage style”, the way most of the bands in early sixties started in the West.

Other highlights of the musical nite would be a fashion show and a dance performance. Models, who have worked with fashion designers of repute, are participating in the show. The proceeds from the programme would go to the Army Welfare Wives’ Association of the Vajra Corps. The Vajra Corps, in association with Avjohns.inc, has planned the musical show. The event director of the show is Mr Anu Vikas.

Well, the show promises music, dance and fun — all in one go.

Encroachment at National Highway by PAP?
J.S. Malhotra

The men in khaki are in the news again. This time for allegedly encroaching upon a prime piece of land worth lakhs of rupees on the National Highway 1. The alleged encroachment has been done to extend more facilities to the customers, who visit Punjab-Police-run restaurant - Papcos, situated in the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) complex near here.

The idea to set up Papcos was mooted by the then-Additional Director General of Police, PAP, Mr M.S. Bhullar, who formally inaugurated the building of the restaurant on May 17, 1999. The purpose was to provide better facilities to relatives and friends of police personnel.

In addition to Papcos, the building includes a bank, an STD PCO booth, toilets and five rooms for catering facilities. Later, an air-conditioned eating joint - "Q n S" - was also set up and formally opened to the public by Mr Bhullar on August 16, 1999. The entire profit earned from these and the rent deposited by the private bank is being used for welfare activities related to police personnel, PAP sources said.

Though the entire building has been constructed within the premises of the huge PAP complex on Jalandhar-Amritsar Road, the authorities concerned have allegedly encroached upon a prime piece of land in front of the building for setting up impressive sitting arrangements for customers, even as the boundary of the entire area has been covered with trees. Commuters and visitors park their vehicles outside, causing traffic congestion on the busy national highway.

It is learnt that during four-laning of the road from the PAP traffic lights to Amritsar bypass, the authorities concerned refused to vacate the land, despite the repeated requests of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in this regard.

Ironically, the said building had been constructed without getting its plan approved from the local Municipal Corporation authorities. Besides, the building allegedly does not adhere to the mandatory safety norms. Sources in the MC revealed that the PAP authorities were not paying the mandatory house tax to the civic body. "We had earlier attempted to collect house tax from the restaurant people in the past, but failed to do so due to the influence of the higher ups in the police," a senior MC official, requesting anonymity, revealed.

There is another thing that needs to be looked into - the height of the trees, which blocks the view. "It is a serious thing and may lead to accident, particularly at night. The Police authorities should immediately vacate the land and the trees should be cut down to the appropriate height," says Mr Kartar Singh, who travels frequently from Ludhiana to Amritsar by his car.

The Additional Director General of Police (PAP), Mr D.R. Bhatti, however, was not available for comments, even as a senior PAP official maintained, "It is basically a welfare project and the earnings are being used for the welfare of the Punjab Police personnel and their families. Besides, the project has given employment to more than 20 persons." He added, "We will try to reduce the height of the trees very soon."

‘Be techno-savvy’ is CT Institute’s motto
J.S. Malhotra

Inculcating the spirit of confidence among students to enable them to compete in the present liberalised global scenario is the priority of this management institute. The CT Institute of Management and Information Technology here aims to produce capable, committed and innovative human resource. The objective is to provide the benefits of the latest technology at the grassroots level.

The institute has made a mark for itself in the fields of business and information technology by getting most of its students placed with national and multi-national companies, claim the institute's authorities.

The institute, spread over 12 acres of land on Jalandhar-Amritsar bypass here, has been promoted by Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, Chairman of the CT Educational Society. "We not only impart quality education but also lay emphasis on placements. We give equal emphasis to communication skills and personality development, as these qualities matter a lot nowadays," says Mr Channi.

The institute, which is affiliated to Punjab Technical University (PTU), offers a variety of courses, including masters in business administration, masters in computer applications and bachelors degrees in business administration, computer applications, hotel management, aviation, tourism and hospitality.

Besides, the institute has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a US-based company — "Discreet", which offers add-on courses in different streams of multi-media.

"With an aim to forge strong industry-academic partnership for providing low-cost indigenous solutions to industry-related problems, the budding managers regularly visit industrial houses. Through such linkages, the institute not only uses its infrastructure to provide low-cost solutions to technological problems of the industry, but also helps the local industry in increasing productivity, technology adaptation, prototype development, market research and survey," claims Mr Subash Bhutani, Director of the institute.

"Besides, we have introduced knowledge reservoir lecture series, wherein experts from different fields of industry share their experiences with the students, who in turn are free to interact with these experts to get answers to their queries," Mr Bhutani adds.

According to the institute's authorities, they have had tie-ups with Ranbaxy, IDBI Bank, HDFC Bank, Centurian Bank, ICICI Bank, Standard Chartered, GNA Udyog, BSNL, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Quark Media House Limited for the placements of the students.

"Most of our students get jobs in the final year during the campus recruitment," Mr Channi adds.

Three computerised labs, computerised library, spacious playgrounds, gymnasium, swimming pool are some of the facilities available to the students. Holding workshops and seminars on different topics are a common feature at the institute. Most of the extra-curricular activities are being managed by the self-managed students' clubs.

"We bagged one first position and one second position, while 35 students were placed in first division in the January 2004 university exams," says Mr Bhutani.

From the Schools
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

The art and craft teachers of Police DAV Public School participated in a workshop on "The importance and development of child art" conducted by Camlin Ltd on Tuesday.

The workshop laid emphasis on importance of art in the education and growth of children. Dr Rashmi Vij, Principal, said that painting could play an important role in understanding the psychological problems of children.

The resource persons, Mr Surendranath and Ms Shashi Mathur, introduced to the students new art and craft techniques and new painting materials available in the market. The participating teachers enjoyed experimenting with products like ceramic colours and fabric glues.

Mathematics mela

To make mathematics more interesting for students, a mathematics mela was organised at Eklavya School on Wednesday, during which efforts were made to explain practically various concepts of the subject to the students.

For the pre-nursery and nursery classes, various activities like housie game, sorting and teaching rhymes with numbers were performed. The most exciting activity was the maths bazaar during which they put up a sale in the school, and other students and educators purchased the things. This reinforced the concepts like money, addition and subtraction. The students were also taken to a bank to show its working.

Meanwhile, the annual prize distribution function of Eklavya School was held at its new branch at Nakodar Road on last Saturday. The programme began with Saraswati Vandana. This was followed by a musical item "Sa re ga ma" by students of pre-nursery and nursery classes. Little music buff, Arav, enthralled everyone as he played Casio. The concept of parts of a plant was explained in an action song presented by the students of the primary classes. Ms Sapna Bakshi, Principal, and Ms Seema Handa, Director, were also present on the occasion.

Goodwill trip

To inculcate the feelings of communal goodwill and solidarity, students of Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, were taken to a gurdwara and a temple on Wednesday.

The students were told that God is one, but there are many religions in India. Principal R.K. Walia stressed upon the respect for all religions and love for nation. "No society can be successful until strong emphasis is laid on moral and religious values. Children are the future of our country," he said.

Quiz contest

An inter-formation army schools quiz competition was held at the Vajra Central Hall, Jalandhar Cantonment, on Wednesday.

Mr Andrew Scolt, who has been assisting Mr Barry O'Brien in quizzes over the past nine years, was the quizmaster. The contest was jointly conducted by the Army Welfare Education Society and the Oxford University Press. Brigadier Sanjeev Anand, Commander 350 Infantry Brigade, was the chief guest.

Teams from headquarters 11 corps, 2 corps, 10 corps and headquarters Delhi area participated in the competition. After a seven-round contest, the Chetak team walked away with the top honours. Ms Anita Anand, guest of honour, gave away the prizes.

Guinea fowls end up as ‘mouthfuls’; activists mum
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Over 600 guinea fowls or chakors that were brought to the city reportedly from Allahabad were on sale near the Punjab Armed Police Chowk on National Highway Number 1 on Wednesday. The mute birds would end up as delicacies during the ongoing marriage and festive season.

Four caretakers of the birds said that they had brought the chakors here by a truck this morning, as they wanted to sell the birds in the city. The birds were stuffed in cane baskets with mesh of ropes atop the baskets during the transport. This is a gross violation of the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animal Act. The bird-sellers, however, pleaded ignorance of any such act.

It was a sad sight to see these birds with polka dot feathers and pink and white plume. Oblivious of the fate that awaited them, they took their heads out of the mesh as soon as their baskets were kept near the roundabout. Soon the men freed the birds from the rope meshes, and the birds came out to feed on grains that their 'caretakers' had sprinkled around. The men carried long sticks to ensure that the birds remained flocked around the pavement near the roundabout. Even as the flightless birds tried to move around, these men clubbed them all together.

Strangely, it seems that the arrival of the birds was not noticed by the Animal and Husbandry Department. Some of the injured birds were even sold off at throwaway prices by their 'caretakers'. A few of the birds were cooked for food near the roundabout itself. The birds were sold at a price of Rs 200 per pair without obtaining any licence from the department, it is learnt.

As the birds arrived in the city, a number of onlookers and customers gathered at the spot. "Bus ek chotti si kothri mein rakhlo. Bache bhi khush honge inhein deikhkar. Nahin to kaat ke kha lo. Bahut swaad banta hai. Woh dekho bhai bana raha hai (Just make a small shelter for them. Even kids would enjoy gazing at them. Or else slaughter them and eat their meat. Look my brother is cooking them)," the 'caretakers' were telling the onlookers.

One of the 'caretakers' of the birds said that he had sold as many as 1000 birds in the Grain Market of Ludhiana the previous day. He admitted that a few of these birds had died while being transported to different places. The men claimed that their contractor had employed them for selling the birds in different cities of the region and that they were getting Rs 40 per day for this work.

Students excel in Plasma-2004 cultural fest
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

A two-day inter-college technical and cultural panorama, Plasma-2004, organised by Lyallpur Khalsa College, concluded on last Wednesday. Students from various colleges in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nakodar participated in dance, music and information technology events.

Mr Sunil Kumar, State Informatics Officer of National Informatics centre (NIC) was the chief guest on the occasion. Dr Kanwaljeet Singh, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Technology, regional campus of Guru Nanak Dev University, Ladhewali, and Mr Amolak Singh, District Informatics Officer, NIC, were the guests of honour.

Heads of the departments from various colleges and faculty from regional centres of the university announced the judgement. The results of the events were:

Net savvy: Charu from the Apeejay Institute of Management, Jalandhar (1), Prabhkirat from the Apeejay Institute of Management (2) and Ravi Roy from GNN College, Nakodar (3).

Idea snap shot: Gurpreet and Noil of Trinity College (1) Amit Mehta and Aarti of Doaba College (2) and Saranjeet of Guru Nanak Dev University, Basti Nau (3).

Why, what and when: The Punjab College of Technical Education, Ludhiana (1), Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar (2) and KRM DAV College, Nakodar (3).

End of Bugs Life: The Punjab College of Technical Education (1), The Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Ludhiana (2) and regional campus of Guru Nanak Dev University (3).

Scratch your mind: Chetan Jindal of the Punjab College of Technical Education (1), Vineet Jain of Doaba College, Jalandhar (2) and Rajat Kaushal of the Punjab College of Technical Education (3).

Big bang: Gautam Gupta of the Punjab College of Technical Education (1), Sahil Sharma of Doaba College, Jalandhar (2) and Pawan of the Punjab College of Technical Education (3).

Sparkling creations: Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College of Amritsar (1), Sumit Mittu of KRM DAV, Nakodar (2) and Guru Nanak Dev University regional centre of Basti Nau (3).

Just do it: DAV Jalandhar (1), The Punjab College of Technical Education (2) and DAV, Hoshiarpur (3).

Database: DAV College, Hoshairpur (1), Guru Nanak National College (2) and The Apeejay Institute of Management (3).

Core: HMV College, Jalandhar (1) and The Punjab College of Technical Education (2).

Think virtual: The Apeejay College of Fine Arts (1), DAV College, Hoshiarpur (2) and DAV College, Hoshiarpur (3).

Dare play with brain: Guru Nanak Dev University centre at Basti Nau (1), DAV College, Jalandhar (2) and The Punjab College Technical Education (3).

Western group dance: Doaba College, Jalandhar (1) and DAV College, Hoshiarpur (2).

Skit: Doaba College, Jalandhar (1).

Choreography: DAV College, Hoshiarpur (1), KMV, Jalandhar (2) and Doaba College, Jalandhar (3).

Group dance traditional: DAV College, Jalandhar (1), SD College, Jalandhar (2) and Trinity College, Jalandhar (3).

‘Reading’ gives this topper a winning edge
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

What does it take to be the brainiest child? Lots of reading, attending classes attentively and, of course, a thorough understanding of the concepts. That is the mantra of success given by Sidharth, a class VII student of Delhi Public School, who was declared the "Best brain of Jalandhar" during a written quiz competition, the results of which were declared recently.

As many as 7,000 students from classes VII to X from nearly 13 schools of the city participated in the contest. The questions pertained to topics from English language and literature, mathematics and general knowledge. The students were required to answer 60 questions in one-hour time. The students appeared for the test in their own schools. The answer sheets were collected by the organisers and checked over a period of five months before announcing the final judgement. It was no surprise for Sidharth when he came to know about his success. He knew he had done exceedingly well in the test.

But this is not the first time that success has come knocking on the doors of this boy. He had earlier been selected as the only child from Jalandhar to represent the city in India's Child Genius Contest conducted by Sidharth Basu on the Star World.

A written test was held in September last year in various schools and Sidharth for chosen for the purpose. He took part in the quiz and was selected till the fourth round of the north zone competition, after which he could somehow not click. "I took it as a good learning experience," he says.

He had also stood second in the inter-school Britannia Health Quiz Competition held last year in Jalandhar. Unlike his parents, both of whom are doctors, he aims to be a space scientist. "I want to explore the unknown realms," he beams.