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Water woes
Phagwara slums worst hit
Bouquets and brickbats for
Jalandhar in MRSA
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Goalkeeper Arshdeep Kaur practises fending off the balls at Nehru Gardens in Jalandhar.
— Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma
People’s concern
The rhythm of music takes over as girls enjoy dancing at Vivek
Agarwal’s Institute in Jalandhar. — Photo by S.S. Chopra
Illegal taxi stands dot city
MC’s effort raises stink
Toppers from city
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Come rains, and the water problem in the city and its adjoining areas exacerbates. Clean drinking water is still a distant dream for residents of Jalandhar and its satellite townships, reports Varinder Singh Contaminated water has been one of the biggest problems for residents of Jalandhar, and people living in its satellite townships of Nakodar, Phagwara and Kapurthala. The worst part is that the civic bodies of these townships have hardly been able to cope up with the problem in an effective manner. Temporary corrective measures have become a ritual to be performed by the civic authorities. This is clear from the plight of residents of localities such as Bhargo Camp, Garha, Bastis and Gandhi Camp in Jalandhar, and certain localities of Phagwara and Nakodar. These areas are either devoid of water supply or at the most they get contaminated water supply. Last week, three deaths, suspected to have been caused by contaminated water supply, were reported from “Navin Abaadi” locality of Nakodar. More than twelve persons have fallen ill due to suspected outbreak of gastroenteritis and other maladies caused by contaminated water. In Jalandhar, two out of four water samples taken from Bhargo Camp area by the district health authorities failed and this caused a flutter among the residents. So much so that the flow of dirty and muddy water through the municipal water supply pipes persisted for more than a week in Old Baradari locality of Jalandhar, where the Deputy Commissioner himself and other top officials were putting up. Though the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Verma, pulled up the civic and health authorities, and directed them to initiate a thorough probe to find the root cause of the problem and to ascertain whether the deaths were caused by contaminated water in Nakodar, the incident has led to a fear psychosis among the residents of the entire township. “We feel that the civic authorities have often not been performing their duty with full sincerity and dedication. Otherwise, such problems can be tackled at the very outset. After all, it is a matter of the health of the people. What right do the authorities have to play with the health and life of the people?” questioned Mr Ashok Kumar, a resident of Ward No. 7 of Nakodar. Mr S.S. Johl, Commissioner, Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, was not available for comment as “he was away to undertake some departmental training”. Investigations revealed that apart from the official apathy, in case of most of Doaba cities and townships, the main culprits were old and rusted water supply pipes. Leakage of these pipes, coupled with the prolonged absence of corrective steps, led to the contamination of water — mostly due to the mixing of sewage water with drinking water. Since at most of the places sewage pipes and water supply pipes go side by side for narrow streets and lanes, leakage and mixing often occur. For example, most of the water supply pipes of Bhargo Camp area of Jalandhar city, where the problem resurfaces a number of times in a year, were laid even before 1947. Since hardly any replacement exercise has ever been undertaken, leakage is a regular phenomenon. Not only rust and old age of the pipes were to be blamed, but also illegal digging up of streets and lanes for construction purposes are leading to the leakage of pipes. For this again, the civic authorities have to be held responsible. Sources in the civic body pointed out that a water supply pipe replacement exercise needed to be undertaken so that the issue of the leakage could be settled for once and all. But this needs political will and also motivation of the civic authorities.
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Phagwara slums worst hit
Come rains and the outbreak of water-borne diseases start ringing alarm bells for the residents of Phagwara. As many as three gastroenteritis cases and two confirmed jaundice cases were reported from Hadiabad sub-town alone. The number of patients from the same locality, who are suffering from fever reportedly due to contaminated water, is being put at 11.
But it is not just the residents of Hadiabad locality who have been complaining of no water or contaminated water. There are scores of such areas in the city, where clean water is a luxury. People from Onkar Nagar, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar or Tibbi, Guru Nanak Pura, slum colony near ESI Hospital and Pehchan Nagar, too, have been lodging similar complaints with the civic authorities. The residents of Pehchan Nagar claim that the direct supply of water that they receive is smelly at times, while those from Bhagatpura and Satnampura complain that the water turns frothy on being boiled. Satnampura residents have been coming up with reports pertaining to the presence of slimy creatures flowing out of tap water. Also affected are the residents of Onkar Nagar near the JCT Mills. The locality is situated near the stinking drain and the residents and scores of slum dwellers in the area frequently complain of giddiness and diarrhoea-related problems. But the worst hit are the residents of slum colony near the ESI Hospital and Tibbi localities who allege that they are forced to drink contaminated water due to effluents discharged by industries into the groundwater. This is despite the claims of the management that they are complying with the norms of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The villagers said that even though they had lodged several complaints with the authorities concerned, these complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears. Not only the residents of Panchchat village, even those in its vicinity, including Rawalpindi, Rehana Jattan, Dhadde and Sahni villages, are a harried lot. “The officers come and take the sample from the few deep-bore taps that the management of the industry has installed here for the community. These taps are located far away from our houses and it is very difficult for us to fetch water from there, especially in summers when the demand is more,” the residents said. Despite the fact that the residents were facing much problem, most of them were reluctant to reveal their identity for “fear of action by the authorities.” Regarding the outbreak of water-borne diseases in the city, Dr Maninderjit Singh, Civil Surgeon, Kapurthala, said he had visited affected localities and villages and ordered holding of medical camps. He said his teams had conducted door-to-door surveys to identify more patients. When contacted, Malkiat Singh Ragbotra, Phagwara Nagar Council President, said all the defective water pipelines were being replaced by new ones.
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Bouquets and brickbats for
Jalandhar in MRSA
The announcement of the much-delayed Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards (MRSA) has brought along its share of joy and controversy in this sports capital of Punjab. While a number of players from the city or those posted at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) or the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters here have won the highest state honour in sports, there are a sizeable number of veterans, even Olympians, who have been left out in these awards. As the winners rejoice, the deserving players left out put a question mark on the coveted list. The list of winners from the city includes, Kanwalpreet Singh, Pargat Singh, Gaganajit Singh, Baljit Dhillon, Jugraj Singh and Tejbir Singh in hockey, and star cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Surinder Singh Sodhi, who won the award when it was constituted for the first time, is also one of the players who feel the pinch for those left out in the awards. Baldev Singh, a hockey Olympian, has come out strongly against the injustice done to veterans like him. Going by the numbers, out of the 122 awardees, 49 are from the city. Out of 122, 72 belong to the Punjab Police with the headquarters of the PAP in the city. Among the winners are an elated Ajay Raj Singh from Bhogpur village, a former national record-holder in 100 metres, and 200 metres and shot put champion Bahadur Singh, who says he is happy that after getting this award after the Padma Shri, as his state, too, has recognised his achievements. Asian and Commonwealth Games champion Jagdish Bishnoi posted at the PAP, Jalandhar, who struggled for promotion in his department is overjoyed and relieved that he had been given such a high honour of the state. Manjit Kaur, the star athlete, says that the honour holds great meaning for her although she has much international recognition under her belt. The game of hockey dominates the award list, and rightfully so, with players from Jalandhar part of the team. Out of 10 players, six belong to Punjab Police. Sports Director and winner of the Padma Shri Pargat Singh, who also has the Arjuna Award, is elated at being honoured. He says the award will be special for him as he would be giving away as well as receiving the award at the function. Baljit Dhillon says the award is personally very special for him as he as well as his brother Daljit Dhillon will be receiving the award at the same function. The elder of the two, Baljit, is a three-time Olympian and Arjuna awardee, while his brother is Asian Games medallist and World Cup participant. Basketball Arjuna awardee Parminder Singh senior, the doyen of the game from the state, says the awards add to the honour the city of Jalandhar enjoys as sports capital of the state and this makes the award special for him. Majority of the winners are from hockey — ace drag flicker Jugraj Singh, forward Baljit Dhillon from the Punjab Police, Arjuna awardee Baljit Saini, Sanjiv Kumar and Baljit Singh Chandi from Punjab and Sind Bank and Tejbir Singh from the ONGC. Athletics winners are Paramjit Singh, who broke Milkha Singh’s record in the 400 metres, discus thrower Swaranjti Kaur, pole vaulter Jagdev Warraich and Harjit Kaur of the Railways. In wrestling, five wrestlers from the Punjab Police — Gurvinder Singh, Gursharanpreet Kaur, Krishan Kumar, Ranbir and Sarwar Singh and local wrestler Jagjit Singh figure on the list. In basketball, the honours have gone to Gagnesh Kumar, Gurshranjit and Parminder junior from the PAP, Vipan Kumar from BSF and Pritpal Singh. In judo, all five awardees are from the city, including Commonwealth medallist Bhupinder Singh, Ashwini, Jaipal, Pankaj Sharma, Pawan Kumar. In volleyball, the honours have gone to three players from the PAP, out of the list of five MRSA winners from the city. Jagbir Singh, Manoj Kumar and Ratan Lal are from the PAP, while Roy Joseph from BSF and Surjit Singh, the local lad, has also won the honour. The list of single winners from the city includes cyclist Hitraj Singh from the PAP, equestrian Jagdish Singh PAP, handball player Jaswant Singh PAP, shooter Santokh Singh from Phillaur, weightlifter Dalbir Singh, many-time badminton national champion Sachin Ratti, table tennis player Kanchan Basak Dhawan. The city has only lost out on the awards in boxing and fencing, while out of the 17 disciplines awarded, the players from the city dominate the list of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards, given for the years 1997 to 2004 that have routed 15 disciplines. Meanwhile, sports veterans like Arjuna awardee Baldev Singh have openly opposed the manner in which the awards were given. Baldev Singh said that the achievement of players like him who scored the golden hat-trick win for the state at the national level, but were not included, as if there were no achiever before 1997. The fact that players like him with national and international achievements have been ignored does not bode well for sports, he adds. They rue that veterans like Col Balbir Singh and Lt Surjeet Singh, winners of the Arjuna Awards, Mukhbain Singh, Lt Tarsem Singh have been ignored for the awards. The critics of the awards also rue that the achievements like winning the Arjuna Awards, were ignored in these state awards.
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Defending the posts
With a bandana covering her head and eyes closed to slits in concentration, young Arshdeep Kaur defends her turf at the bare practice field at Nehru Gardens. Hockey coach Baljit Kaur and young players of varying ages feed her the balls, on the ground as well in air. She kicks one off, turns quickly to punch another with her gloved hand, and instantly gets ready for the next. Cumbersome protective gear fails to limit the young goalkeeper’s agility and dexterity.
Punjab doesn’t have a great legacy of goalkeeping in hockey but that is not a deterrent for the Arshdeep and her coach. For a player who started playing just four years ago, Arshdeep has come a long way. When she joined the Nehru Gardens she had no inkling that in a few years she would be a hockey goalkeeper. Study was the motive, when her parents sent her here from Hasanpur Kurd, 5 km from Batala, in Gurdaspur district. Once at school she started playing basketball, more for fun. That is where the hockey coach’s eyes fell on her. According to the coach, Arshdeep has good goalkeeping attributes. A good height and flexibility are her assets. She was drafted into the game and she also proved to be natural between the goalposts. She undertakes specific training and exercises to enhance her reflexes, footwork and agility, the most important skills required for good goalkeeping. Arshdeep started at the under-14 district level and her progression through to the state level has been good. She proved her ability at the National School Games 2004-05. Ludhiana hosted the under-17 hockey matches. Punjab were drawn in the tough pool that also included hockey powerhouses Haryana, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. With excellent performances under her belt, Arshdeep had a clean slate going into the final with Haryana. Punjab had held them to a goal-less draw at the league stage. Eventually, girls from the neighbouring state triumphed 3-1 after a hard-fought match. The scoreline could had been bigger if not for Arshdeep’s heroics under the bar. Arshdeep, a Plus Two student, has now graduated to the under-19 level. Her coach, Baljit, hopes that following like her two schoolmates, she also catches selectors’ eye. With their nod, the talented young player can hope for a place on the probables list for the under-18 India juniors camp. Arshdeep greatest attribute, according to her coach, is her courage and knack of taking on daring saves. With the hard ball traveling at tremendous speed, only the most daring can think of putting themselves in the trajectory of the round leather. “The goalkeeper is the last person standing against 10 players. That is why goalkeeping is vital for a team’s success. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication, besides mental strength,” says Baljit. Arshdeep is dedicated to her sport and has an ability to work hard. She completes all the difficult exercises on time, reveals her coach. Besides, she practises yoga, the secret of her flexibility. Yoga also helps to relieve her of stress. Baljit emphatically adds that there is a dire need for a goalkeeping coach to take the players to the next level. She also rues the absence of selectors during state and national school-level matches. She has done her best with Arshdeep, who now needs specific coaching to improve her skills and shift into the next gear.
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People’s concern
It may be termed as a fine example of apathy on the part of different departments of the government. An electricity transformer has been lying in the middle of the road in thickly-populated Niranjan Nagar, falling under ward number one of Kapurthala Municipal Council. The transformer is an open invitation to mishaps. It poses threat to the lives of hundreds of residents and visitors due to low-lying electric wires and leakage of oil from it. The 22.5-foot wide road has been reduced just to two-foot because of the transformer. This hinders the flow of traffic. An electric pole located in the middle of the road just near the transformer further compounds the problem. Kuldeep Singh, in front of whose house the transformer is placed, tells Jalandhar Plus that the residents of the locality have met the authorities concerned several times to press for the removal of the transformer and the pole, but to no avail. When contacted, Executive Engineer of the PSEB, Mr Sandeep Sood, said the transformer and the pole had been there for the last several years. He said the PSEB was ready to shift the transformer to some other place, provided the Municipal Council deposited the estimated amount required to do so. The PSEB had no provision of funds to shift such transformers and poles, he said. It would cost nearly Rs 30,000 for the shifting of the transformer and the pole, he added. The president of Kapurthala Municipal Council, Mr Sudesh Agarwal, in whose ward number one Niranjan Nagar falls, said he had already taken up the matter of the removal of the transformer and the pole with the PSEB authorities, and they would shift them soon. He said the PSEB authorities had not told him to deposit the estimated cost for the shifting of the transformer and the pole. He added that he would try to get the work done from the funds of the PSEB Department itself. There are yet more problems for 1000 odd residents of Niranjan Nagar, who have been deprived of basic facilities like roads, sewerage system and streetlights for over a decade. While not even a single sewerage pipe had been laid in the locality so far, water supply also had been started just in the recent past after making several representations, said a resident of the area. On the other hand, MC Chief , Mr Sudesh Agarwal, claimed that the work for laying sewerage pipes and making street lights functional would be started within a couple of months. The municipal council had cleared an amount of Rs 22 lakh for laying sewerage pipes and providing street lights in Niranjan Nagar and surrounding localities in its meeting held on May 31, said Mr Agarwal. He added that the proposal had been sent to Director, Punjab Local Bodies, for approval. As soon as the council got the approval, the work for laying sewerage pipes and providing street lights in the locality would start, he added.
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Rhythm sweeps across generations
Dance is no longer the prerogative of the young. The new mantra of dance, sweeping across the city, cuts through generations. If you thought that only kids are taking to dance, you must do a reality check. City residents of all age groups, from teenagers, college students, professionals, doctors, wives of defence officials to housewives are all willing to shake to the rhythm of music. If the talent is not inherent, don’t worry. Take training in the art at one of the local dance schools.
This summer, most dance schools in the city are going full house. Most begin classes at 9 am, different sessions continue through the hot afternoons and eventually wind up late in the evening. With most students enjoying time off from schools and colleges, most people find enough time to hone their dancing talent. The fact that Jalandhar residents are fast becoming party freaks is another reason that is probably bringing them to these dance training centres. While most of the girls and women are learning basic steps for dancing to music by disc jockeys and Bollywood numbers just to carry themselves nicely on the dance floors, youngsters are also opting for Salsa, Latino, Russian ballets, Tequila and Jazz dances. Interestingly, many couples are also joining dance classes so as to learn steps which they can execute together. Probably inspired by tele-serials ‘Boogie
Woogie’ and ‘Nach Baliye’, many newly married couples have got themselves registered with the Indian Institute of Fashion and Creative Dances recently. The owner of the dance school revealed that entire families had got themselves registered, with not just children and parents but also their grandparents joining in an effort to learn to shake a leg. Many trainees also included wives of Army officers from the Vajra Corps, who often had parties in the night with lots of dance and music. Some popular lady doctors are also his students, he said, adding that they were very conscious about their fitness and considered dance to be a de-stressing exercise. Dr Kamal Gupta, a popular gynaecologist, said she too had joined a dance school for she wanted some to learn aerobics and some basic steps that she could do while playing music at home. “Our life is so stressful. I felt like getting some change. I have joined the short-term classes and I am really enjoying this. I feel younger by 10 years”, she laughed. Ms Geeta Vashishta, a housewife, said she used to send her six-year old daughter to a dance school but now she had joined her as a student. “My daughter used to come home and perform in front of me. I started copying her and enjoyed it. Then my husband asked me to join the school since he felt that I was interested. Now we both are students there”, she says.
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Illegal taxi stands dot city
The growing number of snazzy cars and the increasing traffic in Jalandhar have given rise to illegal taxi stands mushrooming along the city roads. The laxity of the authorities and no allotment of lands for taxi stands are other major factors leading to dozens of these illegal structures at any possible corners taking shape.
While the owners of these taxi stands term the practice of allotting separate lands for the purpose like what was done in the past as the need of the hour, the authorities here say that this could not be done to prevent traffic chaos in the city. There are around 100 taxi stands mushrooming along side the Grand Trunk Road forming the heart line of the city. The taxi owners encroach upon any vacant corner or parking space for the purpose. There are as many as 2000 cars being used as taxis standing at various points at the major crossing points in the city. The illegal taxi stands can be seen at all the major chowks in city like the Pathankot Chowk, BMC Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, Namdev Chowk, near the Bus Stand, and many such places. These taxi owners earn lakhs of rupees per month through these illegal taxi stands. The city did have a formal taxi stand near the Sky Lark Hotel till 1978. Earlier, the taxi stands used to stretch from the Sky Lark Hotel to the BMC Chowk, but the scene changed rapidly as the traffic grew on the city roads and the authorities found it hard to allot land for taxi stands.
Harmeek Singh, a taxi owner, rue that the authorities have been providing land for parking to hotels but not for taxi stands. The taxi owners are ready to pay reasonable rent for taxi stands, which could be set up inside the bigger parking spaces, he adds. However, the authorities say that the modalities have to be worked out, as a majority of taxi owners do not approach them for permission for registered taxi stands. On the other hand, taxi stand owners say that the talks with the MC authorities over the demand for land allotment have been going on since 1990, but no headway has been achieved so far. The stands have cars like tempo traveler, Qualis, Scorpio,
Innova, Indica, Sumo, Travera used as taxis. The authorities say that the taxi stand owners do not want to get registered to save paying money. Denying the charges, the owners say it is a matter of survival for them as they have taken loans to run the business. Swarn Singh, a taxi owner, say that they are asked to park taxis at spots outside the city rather than at the major spots in city. On the lines of land allotted to load carriers in Transport Nagar, the same must be done with general taxis too, he demanded.
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MC’s effort raises stink
Contrary to expectations, recent endeavour of the Municipal Corporation to keep the city clean has invited wrath of the local residents. Instead of being praised for constructing permanent waste disposal units and urinals adjoining public parks, the MC faces unbridled criticism. The move has not got down well with daily visitors to these parks, as instead of fresh fragrant air they are greeted with rotting stink from the disposal units. The residents say they go to the parks in the evening to breathe in some fresh air but the stench emanating from the waste dumps and urinals made it unbearable for them to even pass through the area. Most of them have given up on their walks or jogging along the track as the parks have these dumps and urinals as close neighbours. A number of such dumps and urinals adjoin boundaries of parks falling on the Bhagwan Mahavir Marg, including those opposite Doordarshan Kendra and K.L. Saigal Memorial. The idea of constructing waste dump and urinal adjoining the popular Niku Park, just in front of Model Town Market, has been strongly opposed. Ms Sanjana, a mother of two, said the corporation should shift these elsewhere as hundreds of kids coming to the park were being exposed to an unhygienic environment. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation has no plans to pay heed to the residents’ complaints. Mr D.P. Bhardwaj, Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said the dumps and urinals had been constructed for the welfare of the residents and there was no plan to shift them elsewhere.
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Toppers from city
Preetinder Singh topped in the Delhi Public School in the Class X CBSE examinations with 94.6 per cent marks.
Twins, Akshit Gupta and Arnav Gupta, secured the second and the third position with 93.2 per cent and 92 per cent, respectively. Fortytwo students from the school appeared for the exam out of which 39 secured first positions and 22 passed with distinction. The average percentage of the school remained 75 per cent. Meanwhile, Hitesh Sharma of Shastri Memorial College, Jalandhar, tops in B.A. Part II of Guru Nanak Dev University Private Students (Boys). He got 565 marks out of 800 marks. He secured a place in the university BA II merit list this year. He aspires to become a lecturer in English. Principal of Shastri Memorial College, Mr Ram Singh, said that the college had recorded cent per cent result this year in B.A. Part I. Three students of B.A. Part I, four of B.A. Part II, and three of B.A. Part II secured first division, he added.
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Come rains, and the water problem in the city and its adjoining areas exacerbates. Clean drinking water is still a distant dream for residents
of Jalandhar and its satellite townships, reports Varinder Singh
