J A L A N D H A R Every Friday

Parched City
Water scarcity, power cuts make summers harrowing for residents

If you thought that it was only in arid lands that you had to trudge for miles to get a jugful of clean drinking water, visit the city. Long queues of women waiting in blistering sun to get their fill of water, and youngsters yearning for a cool dip are sights that would greet you in many localities here. No Respite: Residents of Uchi Khangah Colony in Garha queue up to have their precious fill, as water trickles down the tap. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Authorityspeak
Complaints hold no water
Mr A.K. Prabhakar, SE (O and M) Municipal Corporation, claimed that the water supply in Jalandhar was far better than that in nearby towns. He said that since power supply was very limited, many tube wells could not get started and the water supply fell short.

Death junctions in Kapurthala
Though statistics about accidents may not be available, yet the situation is alarming. Inoperative traffic lights in Kapurthala are making traffic intersections here accident prone areas, where even fatal accidents could take place.

Medicines out of stock in Military Hospital, allege patients

Serving defence officers, ex-servicemen and their dependants visiting the Military Hospital in Jalandhar Cantonment are a harried lot, as they alleged that many of them were not able to get the facilities that they were entitled for. Not in good health: Military Hospital, Cantt, is not measuring up to patients’ expectations. The patients have allegedly to keep waiting for hours before doctors attend them. — Photo by Pawan Sharma

Evening of melody charms music buffs
It was an evening suffused with music and melody. The Sangeet Kala Manch, Jalandhar, organised the Shradhanjali Sandhya at the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology here in the memory of Dr Joginder Singh Bawra, who was a music teacher of repute and whose passion for music was well known in the region.

NRI honoured for charity work
NRIs have been doing their native land proud, if we go by their achievements. In most cases, it is their never-say-die attitude that sees them through. A recent addition to this list of achievers is the name of Mr Michael Sehgal, an NRI from Jalandhar. He has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Go green There is almost a fanatical gleam in his eyes when he talks of eco-preservation. In the past five years, the UK-based NRI, Mr Ram Singh Dhesi, planted 50,000 trees in and around Punjab. “When I migrated to the United Kingdom in 1962, I came across people who had formed pressure groups for cleaning Thames River. It was a revelation to me.  Gardening Glory: Ram Singh Dhesi makes his point about trees while taking a walk in his garden at Lambran village. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Weekly Round-up
The district police has decided to tighten noose around corrupt police officials. In a new initiative, the district police chief, Mr Ishwar Singh, appealed to the people to immediately inform him or a team of senior police officials in case police personnel demanded bribe.

From Schools and Colleges
Over 200 students from different schools are taking part in an 18-day-long summer camp being held at Eklavya School, Model Town. The camp will conclude on June 30. Ms Sapna Bakshi, Principal, said the students would put their work for display on the concluding day when they would also present a cultural show.

Parched City
Water scarcity, power cuts make summers harrowing for residents
Deepkamal Kaur and Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service

If you thought that it was only in arid lands that you had to trudge for miles to get a jugful of clean drinking water, visit the city. Long queues of women waiting in blistering sun to get their fill of water, and youngsters yearning for a cool dip are sights that would greet you in many localities here.

In some areas, power supply is so erratic that the whirring of fans is one of the most endearing sounds to residents.

The city is reeling under water scarcity and power cuts that have thrown life here out of gear.

“Sleepless nights and listless days. We are undergoing a nightmarish experience,” says Ms Kamlesh Kaur, a city resident.

In most areas, water shortage is common, as the pressure in pipes is too low to get a constant supply. Since power remains off mostly during the time of water supply, clean drinking water has become a luxury.

Long queues in front of a single tap or hand pump can be seen in areas near Garha. Residents of Uchi Khangah Colony say they have to stand near low-fitted public taps for hours to fill water into their buckets. Mr Ramesh Lal, a resident, says the pressure of water in the pipes is very low, as there are as many as 20 bends in a 100-foot pipe.

Ms Kamaljit from Chintpurni Mohalla in Garha rues, “We get just one hour’s water supply in the whole day — half an hour early in morning and another half an hour in evening. Besides, water is also smelly at times.” She adds that some residents from the lower income group have, instead of using motors, installed hand pumps over water pipes to draw water at a higher level.

Residents of Ravi Dass Mohalla point out that they do not get water many times, as the corporation employee who has been told to switch on the tube well fails to turn up for duty. They say they have approached the authorities, but so far it has all been futile.

Some like Mr Rajinder Singh, Mr Inder Pal Singh and Mr Ashok Kumar say that due to the scarcity of water they have to send their children to a gurdwara in Urban Estate, Phase I, (almost half a kilometre away) to get clean drinking water.

For residents of Geeta Colony, Sarak Mohalla and Phagwari Mohalla taking recourse to containers (which they get from municipal corporation) during family functions is the only way out. They allege that when the corporation employees refuse to oblige, they have to pay the latter something between Rs 200 and Rs 300 for the purpose.

In Santpura Colony, Abadpura and Bhargo Camp, it is again the same story.

Even posh colonies like Mota Singh Nagar, Defence Colony, Jawahar Nagar and Model Town fare no better.

They get a very limited supply of water. The pressure of water is low and power cuts are frequent. And those residing on first and second floors are the worst affected.

Well, sweltering summers are giving the city residents a tough time, and there is no respite yet in sight!

Insects flow through taps Don’t be surprised if instead of water, a slimy creature flows out of tap! Ms Gita from Santpura Colony says that on a particularly bad day, insects come out of water taps. “It’s strange. Either the taps are dry, or stinking water flows from them. Sometimes, insects also crawl their way through the taps,” she explains. Ms Usha, running a shop in the same colony, says, “When we boil the water for drinking purposes, it becomes frothy, indicating the presence of some contaminants.” Her neighbour, Ms Veena, says that the water, when stored in plastic bottles, leaves deposits, which again is a pointer towards the mixing of some unwanted elements. Ms Kamlesh, Mr Vijay Kumar and Ms Sonia, all residents of Abadpura Colony, say that the water they get is smelly. They say they have complained to the civic authorities, but to no avail.

Authorityspeak
Complaints hold no water

Mr A.K. Prabhakar, SE (O and M) Municipal Corporation, claimed that the water supply in Jalandhar was far better than that in nearby towns. He said that since power supply was very limited, many tube wells could not get started and the water supply fell short.

Regarding the contamination of water, he said he was aware that water pipes were getting corroded at many places. But, he added, there was no plan to replace these, as the cost was too high.

Mr N.K. Arora, Chief Engineer, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), said that since the 1500 MW Naphtha Jakhri Hydel Project in Himachal Pradesh that had been supplying 500 MW power in Punjab had to be shut down on Wednesday, some unscheduled power cuts had been introduced. He said the board was making all efforts to announce the timings of power cuts daily through media, so that residents could plan their work accordingly. 

Death junctions in Kapurthala
Arun Sharma
Tribune News Service

Though statistics about accidents may not be available, yet the situation is alarming. Inoperative traffic lights in Kapurthala are making traffic intersections here accident prone areas, where even fatal accidents could take place.

The traffic lights at the Charbatti Chowk, Sultanpur Road, Kapurthala, have been inoperative for many years. After installation, these traffic lights worked for one or two months only.

Keeping in view the necessity of traffic lights at this point (as the Sultanpur Lodhi Road and the railway station road merge at this point), the municipal committee here had installed these lights after spending thousands of rupees. But after functioning for one or two months, these lights remained out of order. The municipal committee never bothered to get these repaired.

“What is the fun in spending money on installing the traffic lights if these cannot be maintained?” rues Mr Rajnish Mahindra, an advocate. “Even after installing the traffic lights at this point, no one bothered to check the violators of traffic rules,” says Mr Sanjeev Bhalla, a lecturer in a local college. He adds, “At the chowks where traffic lights work, drivers can be seen flouting traffic rules with impunity.”

The condition of traffic lights at the DC Chowk is even worse, as these lights work partially, creating confusion among commuters. There is the risk of collision every time the lights blink.

“Sometimes when I reach the chowk, I get confused. I can’t make out if I should go ahead or wait for the green signal, as the lights show neither red, nor amber nor green colour,” says Ms Monika, a teacher at Christ King Convent School situated near the chowk. Her sentiments are echoed by other commuters also, who say that many times their vehicles hit other vehicles coming from the opposite side.

Agreeing that faulty and inoperative traffic lights were dangerous for commuters, Mr Raj Kumar Mittal, Executive Officer of municipal committee, assured Jalandhar Plus that necessary steps would be taken to solve the problem and make traffic intersections safe junctions. 

Medicines out of stock in Military Hospital, allege patients
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Serving defence officers, ex-servicemen and their dependants visiting the Military Hospital in Jalandhar Cantonment are a harried lot, as they alleged that many of them were not able to get the facilities that they were entitled for.

Patients visiting the hospital alleged that they had to wait for hours in the hospital OPD before they were attended to by doctors of the departments concerned. While the administrative officers claimed that this happened only when the doctors were on a round to attend a serious case, the patients alleged that this had become a routine exercise.

Even on this Wednesday, when Jalandhar Plus team visited the hospital OPD at 10:30 am, many patients were waiting outside the respective departments, as the doctors concerned were yet to come. The ailing little ones, most of who had come with their mothers, were crying uncontrollably even as there was no information about the availability of the paediatrician in the department. There were other patients who had been told by some doctors to consult the medical officer, but his room, too, remained locked without any information.

Another problem being faced by the patients is that the hospital dispensary remains out of stock with regards to even some very commonly used medicines. During a visit, the Jalandhar Plus team found that the majority of the patients did not get at least one of the prescribed medicines. Under such circumstances, the patients who are otherwise entitled for free medicines from the dispensary are forced to shell out money from their own pockets for purchasing medicines from the market without getting any reimbursement for the same.

Mr Piara Singh, a retired havaldar, who had come to the dispensary for getting a gel for pain in vertebral column had to return empty-hand as he was told that it was not available. Similarly, Gurmeet Singh, son of a retired sepoy, who had come to get folic acid tablets for his sister, had to go to the market as he was told that the stocks had been exhausted.

A retired subedar who did not wish to be quoted said that he had been trying to get two medicines, Lozartan-H and Fenofibrate, for high blood pressure and cholesterol for the past two months, but these were not available. He said that since the second medicine did not even have a substitute, he was buying the expensive medicine from outside.

The recently introduced Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) for the welfare of the ex-servicemen and their families has also not received much appreciation, as the building of the polyclinic is yet to come up. For the last over two years, it is being run from a section of the Military Hospital itself. The patients decried that unlike the Command Hospital in Chandigarh that had tied up with many renowned private hospitals for specialised treatment, the members of the scheme in Jalandhar had very limited options, especially in case they were suffering from skin and ENT ailments.

Brig P.K. Bhuyan, Commandant, Military Hospital, said that since the ECHS scheme had just been launched, the members were bound to face some teething troubles. He said he was not aware of the problem that the army officers, ex-servicemen or their kin were facing at the dispensary. He said he would get the medicine stocks checked.

Evening of melody charms music buffs
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service

It was an evening suffused with music and melody. The Sangeet Kala Manch, Jalandhar, organised the Shradhanjali Sandhya at the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology here in the memory of Dr Joginder Singh Bawra, who was a music teacher of repute and whose passion for music was well known in the region.

City-based vocalist Mohan Malsiyani captured the audience’s attention with Raag Madhvanti and Punjabi bandish. Sitarist Manu Kumar Seen played Raag Charukeshi. As the strains of sitar wafted through the hot, humid evening, the gathering experienced joy that only classical music can bring.

Amjad Ali Khan, a vocalist from Delhi, rendered Raag Puriya Kalyan with style. Tabla players Hari Om Srivastava, Ustad Akram Khan and Pt Ramakant accompanied the musicians. It was an evening that warmed the heart of many a music buff.

The rather thin attendance was the only jarring note during the otherwise resonant programme. In fact, the beauty of the sonorous evening could have been rendered even more spellbinding had the audience been in good numbers.

“We need to create awareness about classical music. It’s not that this genre of music is dull or boring. It has a thrilling spiritual edge to it,” said Manu Kumar Seen, while talking to Jalandhar Plus. He added, “We must change the mindset of those in the entertaining business. Why can’t classical music be given the same kind of importance as pop music?” 

NRI honoured for charity work
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service

NRIs have been doing their native land proud, if we go by their achievements. In most cases, it is their never-say-die attitude that sees them through. A recent addition to this list of achievers is the name of Mr Michael Sehgal, an NRI from Jalandhar. He has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Mr Sehgal, who resides at Gosforth, United Kingdom, runs a wholesale and retail business in Newcastle city centre. He migrated to the UK in 1958.

He has received the honour of the MBE on account of his “tireless work in the community”. A governor at Westgate Community College, he also supports a number of charities, including St Oswald’s Hospice and the Percy Hedley Foundation.

An alumnus of Sanatan Dharam School here, he was also a student of DAV College, Jalandhar. He has many sweet and cherished memories of the city, where he spent a good part of his childhood and youth.

Speaking about the honour he has received, he said, “This honour is for my family, friends, and community who have supported me over the past four decades to serve the people.” He added that serving the community was a reward in itself.