Jalandhar, February 11
What may be shocking for lakhs of electricity consumers in the state is that more than 25 per cent sub-divisions of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) are running sans the Sub-divisional Officers (SDOs).

The consumers may be familiar with what the shortage of power entails, but what is interesting is that the electricity board itself is facing an acute shortage of meter readers, cashiers and electricity bill distributors.

The ‘pitiable’ situation prevailing within the PSEB has also become the centre of concern for the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association (North Zone). The association has expressed its dissatisfaction with the way the situation is being handled by the top authorities.

The issue also surfaced at the emergency meeting of the office-bearers of the association, which was held in Jalandhar on Friday.

“The basic problem is that no direct recruitment was done for the electrical engineering cadre of the PSEB after 1998. Because of this, widespread shortage prevails in all wings of the board. The present situation not only affects the collection of revenue of the board, but also comes in the way of rendering services to customers. It is proving to be a hurdle in the way of ensuring the power supply to the consumers,” said Mr Harjinder Singh Bansal, the zonal secretary of the PSEB Engineers’ Association.

“How can anyone even think of providing better services to customers when there are no SDOs in more than one-fourth sub-divisions of Punjab? It is a different matter that the employees are putting in hard work to ensure that the customers do not suffer. But this is not the way the things should be. So, we have urged the board authorities to fill the vacant posts,” said Mr K.K. Vohra, SE, Jalandhar, and Mr Jagdip Thakur, the joint secretary of the association.

Jalandhar, February 11
Parents of the five suspended students studying in the sixth semester of the three-year LLB course at the Lovely Institute of Law are likely to hold a discussion with the management on Tuesday. Today, the striking students put forth a charter of demands before the institute management.

The suspended students, according to Mr Ashok Mittal, president, Lovely Institutes, have conveyed it to them that their parents would be coming to the campus to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, a police team was deployed on the campus today to maintain law and order in view of the ongoing strike.

The charter of demands put forth by the students sought the inclusion of their representatives in the commission that is likely to be set up by the management to probe into the incident.

The students have also demanded that the management applies norms of Guru Nanak Dev University regarding the marking of subjects with practicals, setting up of a canteen, giving periodic grants (from two to seven days) if a student staying in hostel is suspended due to any reason. They have also demanded that the fine be imposed on the pattern being followed in Guru Nanak Dev University.

Interestingly, the charter of demands also says that students be allowed to keep any type of vehicle in the hostel and girl students be allowed to leave the campus without any prior permission after the noon. There is also a demand that students who attend their classes a bit late should not be marked as absent.

Phagwara, February 11
Shopkeepers of the local Satnampura and the Bhanoki Road Market downed their shutters for two hours today and took out a rally to express solidarity with 64-year-old physically challenged Vipin Kumar Vinayak, who has been on a four-day, ten-hour relay hunger strike in protest against the discontinuation of the construction work of the road over the bridge (ROB) on the Satnampura level crossing.

Led by the wheelchair-borne Vinayak, the shopkeepers, who were also joined by some school and college students, took out a protest rally in Satnampura on the Phagwara-Hadiabdad Road, raising slogans against the Punjab government. The demonstrators demanded the early completion of the ROB, as the narrowed railway crossing, from where over 100 trains passed through, was causing much inconvenience to the residents and travellers.

Several accidents had taken place in the area, Vinayak alleged. Some persons had been killed and many others injured in the past in the accidents caused by the rush-induced stampedes at the barrier site, he further alleged.

On the second day of his fast today, he said that after four days, he would convert his ten-hour fast into an indefinite hunger strike in case nothing was done in connection with the issue.

The area councillor, Mr Iqbal Singh Kundi, and Akali leader, Mr Gurjit Singh Khalsa, were among those who addressed the rally.

Kapurthala, February 11
The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, rolled out 11 AC coaches for the exclusive use of the Army here yesterday.

The RCF had got the order for 32 AC coaches for the Army, out of which 21 coaches were delivered on October 24 last. Mr Yashpal Gupta, General Manager, RCF, after flagging off these coaches, said that the latest facilities like laptop and mobile charging points had been provided in the coaches.

On Thursday, Mr R.R. Bhandari, Member Mechanical, Railway Board, had flagged off the first crash-worthy rake of 29 coaches manufactured by the RCF.

Jalandhar, February 11
Saint-turned-environmentalist, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, has threatened to approach the President of India if the Sultanpur Lodhi administration continued to allow the release of the township’s sewage into the Kali Bein.

Sant Seechewal’s untiring efforts in cleaning the Kali Bein have already fetched commendation from the President of India.

“Devotees have cleaned the rivulet after putting in a great degree of hard work. But the Sultanpur Lodhi administration is releasing the sewage water into the Kali Bein at a point in the backyard of Gurdwara Sahib,” he said, while addressing a press conference here today. — TNS