Jalandhar, November 13
In two similar cases, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed New India Assurance Company Ltd to make payment to the claimants of a contributory scheme under a group medical insurance policy. The claimants had earlier been denied the claims on the grounds that they had taken treatment from a hospital that had less than 15 beds.

The cases pertain to complaints of Daljeet Singh Saini and Deepak Sehgal, both development officers with Life Insurance Corporation of India. In their complaints, they said they were employees of LIC that had started a contributory scheme for reimbursement of hospitalisation and maturity expenses to its employees and retired employees under group medical insurance policy. They said premium was being deducted from their salaries and was sent by LIC to The New India Assurance Company.

Saini said his minor daughter Gurpreet Kaur had suffered from abdomen pain and was admitted to BM New Born and Child Care Centre at Guru Ravi Dass Nagar on April 21, 2006. He said his daughter had remained an in-door patient till April 26, 2006 and was under treatment till May 15, 2006. He had submitted a claim of Rs 10,431 to New India Assurance through LIC. He alleged that his claim was rejected on the grounds that the hospital was not 15-bed and was not registered with the local authorities. He was not aware of the exclusion clause 2.1 of the policy as medi-claim policy was not delivered to him either by New India Assurance or LIC.

Similarly, Sehgal had complained that he had sustained injuries and fracture in an accident and was admitted at Mittal Orthopaedic Centre, Patiala, on April 30, 2006. He said he was operated upon on May 1, 2006 and discharged after three days. He too had lodged a claim for Rs 8,208 which was repudiated on the same grounds.

Both Saini and Sehgal claimed that the hospitals they were treated at were fully-equipped with a proper operation theatre, nursing and other required facilities.

However, New India Assurance Company officials claimed that the complainants were made aware of every clause of the policy and terms and conditions were delivered to them. They said the complainants had given undertakings that they agreed to abide by the terms and conditions of the policy.

The forum observed that the document was not a proof that terms and conditions were supplied to the complainants. Both the complaints were allowed and payment of claims with 9 per cent interest from the date of refusal till payment was ordered. The complainants have also been entitled with Rs 2,000 as costs of litigation.

Phagwara, November 13
Claiming that the BJP had succeeded in championing cause of the public by convincing the Chief Minister, Prakash Singh Badal, in accepting its demand to provide additional subsidy of about Rs 292 crore to prevent rural and urban power consumers from an additional burden of hike in power tariff, Punjab local bodies minister, Manoranjan Kalia, thanked the CM for the same while talking to The Tribune here today.

Kalia said a total of 43,79,601 domestic consumers, including 2,35,987 rural and 18,43,914 urban, 7,69,785 traders, 1,08,981 industrialists would be facilitated with the decision. The CM had agreed that an additional burden of hiked power tariff will not be passed on to the consumers and would instead be borne by the state government, Kalia added.

Terming comments by the opposition leader and PPCC president, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal that BJPs action as mere political drama Kalia said the Congress president had never raised such issues. Bhattal had only engaged in saving her chair in the government or in the party, he alleged. Kalia claimed that the BJP was working to protect rights and interests of the people. Kalia denied reports of any differences between SAD and BJP and claimed that the alliance worked like a family. He claimed that BJP will fulfil all its poll promises. He claimed the SAD-BJP government was working for the overall development of the state, while the Congress party was needlessly trying to politicise issues while the BJP had won over hearts of the people.

Kalia said MC elections would be conducted on schedule. State government will soon introduce a unit based taxation system on Gujarat pattern to spruce up the system which will be introduced by next year. He said technical executives have been deputed to prepare a detailed project report which would be ready in six months. Kalia said all sanitation committees would be abolished throughout the state and safai karamcharis would be recruited directly by MC.

Kapurthala, November 13
The Rail Coach Factory is observing vigilance awareness week. The event was inaugurated by RCF general manager S.K. Suri on November 12 and he administered pledge to all the officers on the occasion.

He also released the 8th Vigilance Bulletin published by vigilance organization of RCF. The bulletin would help in educating railway employees in discharging their duties honestly and efficiently.

Addressing the officers, S.K. Suri said corruption is a devil and it should be removed from its roots. Even a single person following the path of honesty can make a difference.

To create vigilance awareness among employees posters on anti-corruption have been displayed on the prominent places of workshop and township premises.

Jalandhar, November 13
It was a unique show of creativity and talent by the students, mostly from government schools in rural and semi-rural areas of the district. Using minimal resources, the students put up an exhibition of low-budget working and non-working science models at Government Senior Secondary School Nehru Garden that concluded here today.

Certain models that drew much appreciation from the participants and visitors included a solar clock by the students of Shaheed Kartar Singh Babar Government Senior Secondary School, Chak Kalan. The clock gave the time on the basis of shadow in water.

Another model on fuel efficient electric, magnetic and hydrostatic crane that can be used for lifting cars and other vehicles by Raminder Singh of class XII aroused the curiosity of visitors. Government school students from Gohawar simplified the calculations involved in trigonometry theorems using a model made out of paper, scale and Ds.

Basti Bawa Khel-based government school student Ashok Kumar demonstrated the use of a simple hydraulic wind mill for digging out water from the earth, wood cutting, extraction of oil from seeds, grinding the grains and power production. Vikarm Pal and Kuldeep Kumar from government school at Bhullar demonstrated the technique of rainwater harvesting.

Models in the theme on disaster management introduced for the first time in the exhibition also won much applause. Dhanraj from DSSD School, Basti Nau, displayed a model that involved the use of four alarms in a building including those for fire, floods, earthquake and security.

Malvika, Harnish and Gursimar from the host school displayed a model on various systems required prior to the disaster and various systems required to prevent disasters. The pre-disaster items included fire alarm, flood alarm, list of contact numbers, maps, fire extinguishers, air tubes and blood banks. The preventive measures included construction of good roads to check accidents, use of safety gloves, helmets and masks by factory labourers to avoid any injuries and burns and construction of houses on raised platforms in flood prone areas.

Prizes were distributed by MLA Rajinder Bhandari. Harjot Singh of Government High School, Kishanpura won the first prize among participants from elementary section. Among participants from secondary section, Ishu won the prize in water management, Jaspinder Singh for agriculture and food, Deekh for energy resources, Dhanraj for disaster management, Satnam Singh in mathematical modeling, Amandeep Singh for educational technology.

Among senior secondary students, Jasvir Singh won the prize in water management, Kailash for agriculture and food, Jasneet for energy resources, Ravi Paul for disaster management, Honey in mathematical modeling and Arshi Chawla for educational technology.

Jalandhar, November 13
A 27-year-old mother of three committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in a locality near Rama Mandi on Tuesday. Identified as Kajal, the deceased committed suicide when her two children had gone to school.

While the investigations were still on, the deceased’s husband Sunil Kumar claimed that his wife committed suicide as she was disturbed by the bad financial conditions of the family.

Meanwhile, Sadar SHO Tarsem Singh said the police was yet to register an FIR.