Jalandhar, February 4
Even as the municipal corporation has launched a drive against the owners and architects of commercial buildings flouting building bylaws, it seems to have simply overlooked some glaring violations in buildings owned by kith and kin of politicians, bureaucrats and sports stars in the city.

In fact, the drive has failed to gain momentum owing to clout thrown by such influential persons on the officials concerned. The officials, who have failed to take any action against buildings owned by such influential person, have not even dared to take any step against other builders in the vicinity who, in turn, point fingers at them.

Most of the violations pertain to less or no parking space in accordance with norms laid down in the MC Act. While most builders have got shops constructed in the basement instead of leaving it for parking lots, the others have left the area vacant without getting any proper ramp constructed for taking vehicles down.

Daljit Singh Gaba, brother of Akali leader Jagjit Singh Gaba, owns two huge commercial complexes in Model Town and near Jyoti Chowk. In both complexes, with nearly four floors, the basements are being used as retail outlets of popular brands and even as a bank branch. Since both buildings are located in congested areas, commuters find it difficult to cross the areas due to irregular parking outside the complexes.

Daljit Singh Gaba, when asked about this, said, “We got the buildings constructed before 1999 and we have been told that the Act does not apply to us.” Asked if he was planning to create a parking lot in the basements in view of the increasing parking problem, he replied, “May be, let’s see.”

Another newly opened shopping complex in Model Town near Ebony Store is said to be partly owned by kin of a senior police officer. The building has been in use for the past several months but the basement has not been finished to make parking available. In fact, a ramp has been constructed for parking but it was not in accordance with the MC norms.

The 16th point in the section 4.7 of the bylaws states, “Ramp in basement for parking purpose shall be of a minimum width of 9 feet with gradient of one in seven.” But an expert pointed out that the gradient was more than one in 15, making it too steep for any vehicle to be driven in and taken out. The owner of the building, when contacted, said he was getting a new ramp constructed.

Similarly, two commercial buildings, one still under construction, that have come up near Sportking showroom in Model Town, are devoid of any parking space. The under-construction building is reportedly partly owned by kin of an Akali MLA. No parking space is being left in the building as no ramp has been constructed and a huge staircase has come up in the centre instead. A brother of one of the owners of the building said, “We have not got shops constructed in the basement as of now. So, we may get a ramp built soon for parking.”

The other two-storeyed commercial building in the area is said to be owned by the mother of a sports star. The only space left vacant in the frontal portion does not have a ramp for vehicles. Ricky, managing the shop, said since it was not a very big showroom, the need to construct a separate parking lot was not being felt.

A 90-foot five-storeyed building constructed by a son of a Congress MLA at BMC Chowk is also devoid of ample parking space. Though the basement has been left for parking lot, the space can perhaps not accommodate more than 10 cars. Amardeep Singh, a real estate developer, said enough parking space was available for them outside as per the old Badridas Town Planning scheme.

Sources in the MC office confirmed that they were under pressure from influential persons for not taking action. MC commissioner C.S. Talwar was not available for comments.

Jalandhar, February 4
Even as it has almost been nine years since Sarwan Kumar lost his right forearm in a dilapidated government primary school building at Abadpura, and recently also won a legal battle for getting Rs 4 lakh as compensation, he and his rickshaw puller father believe that the tirade is not yet over.

Sarwan Kumar, who was a class III student at the time when the mishap had occurred on December 22, 1998, is now studying in a government school at Bhargo Camp in class XII.

While his three other siblings have dropped school education mid-way, this 19-year old boy continued on despite all odds.

After his forehand was amputated a little below the elbow after the 1988 mishap, he started practicing to write with his left hand and even appeared for examination just three months after a cemented pillar in the dilapidated school building fell on him.

Currently preparing for his board examination, Sarwan is eager to start his college studies. But he is a bit worried too, “I will probably not be able to continue on if the government delays the compensation award granted to us by the civil court here almost 20 days back.” Father Yash Pal too wants his son to somehow complete his graduation so that he can at least get some government job and settle down on his own. “Had he not gone to school that day he would have been physically fit to take up any kind of job”, Yash Pal said. “I still find it hard to get the incident off my mind,” he added.

“It had been very tough for Sarwan to get into the same classroom and use the same toilet on the first floor of the building of his school outside which that pillar had been erected. We had to shift him to another school in Bhargo Camp close by, so that he could concentrate more”, Yashpal recalled.

“Had I been informed by the school on time, I would have taken him to a competent surgeon and saved his forearm. Even as my house was barely a kilometer away from the school, no one was informed at home and precious time was lost”, he had taken a plea to the court. Ironically, the officials concerned of the department, in their reply, had said, “It is nothing but an act of God that some bricks of the pillar fell down. The defendants are not at all responsible for the episode.”

Vinay Goel, an advocate, fought the case, free of cost, for Sarwan and did not charge his father even a penny for preparing files and its copies. In the court, Goel had filed the complaint against the state of Punjab through secretary, education department, DEO (primary), school principal and a private doctor. 

Jalandhar, February 4
A clear sky brought little relief from the morning chill as cold winds swept across Punjab today. The holy city of Amritsar which had light showers yesterday was the coldest place in the state recording 3.4°C last night, three degrees below normal.

The night temperature at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Adampur went up by 1°C and was recorded at 4.2°C.

The night temperature at the IAF base at Halwara, however, fell by two degrees and was recorded at 5.8°C. The temperatures in the Malwa belt also showed a marginal decrease with Bathinda recording 5.4°C last night. However, the minimum temperature in the border town of Pathankot showed an upward trend and was registered as 7.2°C, up by four degrees from last night. The met office at Adampur has forecast sunshine during the day with temperature dropping in the night. There will be fog and mist in the morning hours tomorrow with the sky remaining partially cloudy during the day. — UNI 

Amritsar, February 4
Even as November 2005 saw Pakistan becoming the first Islamic country ever to permit Hindus open air funerals, the community has been waging a battle to get the same right in Britain.

This was disclosed by Baba Devinder Kumar Ghai, founder president, Anglo Asia Friendship Society, at the residence of Rai Sahib Mehta here on Monday.

Baba Ghai said when the Hindu community took a bold stand to cremate Raj Pal Mehat six months after his death; the UK government objected to the last rites being conducted as per the traditional way. The body of Mehat remained in the mortuary for a long time, awaiting cremation. Now the case for allowing Hindus to cremate in the open is still pending in the court there, he said.

He alleged that the electric crematorium in Britain charged about Rs 24 lakh, causing great hardship to many families, whereas the Anglo-Asian Society is of the view that natural cremation could be made available for a much lesser rate. The society has also promised that natural cremation would be made available free of cost for widows or low income persons.

Dr Manwar Chand, organising secretary of the Shri Krishan Mandir, Lahore, said pre-partition Hindu land on Lahore’s Bund Road, now held by the Waqf Board, was originally allotted as a shamshaan ghat (Hindu cremation ground) in 1972.

He claimed that Hindus and members of other minority communities had full freedom in Pakistan. He said the government of Pakistan had been spending a lot on the renovation of Hindu shrines in Pakistan.

Answering a question, Dr Munawar said like Muslims, Hindus too want to encourage cross-border marriages. He said many cross-border marriages of Hindus were very successful. Such weddings amounted to promote people-to-people contact between both the countries.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Hindus and Sikhs were compelled to bury their dead according to Islamic customs. However, Baba Ghai and other organisations campaigned vigorously to get the just demand of the Hindu/Sikh community conceded. The land was formally assigned to the community and construction of the shamshaan ghat site commenced with the funding from the Waqf (Evacuee Property Trust) Board.

Amritsar, February 4
Taking serious view of imposing house tax on several schools by the local municipal corporation in violation of the earlier directions of the government, the Recognised and Affiliated Schools Associations (RASA) yesterday urged the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter.

Condemning the notices issued by the corporation to these schools, the RASA, headed by Kulwant Rai Sharma, state general secretary, appealed to the government to immediately withdraw these notices.

In a press note issued here, Sharma said with the efforts of the association, during the Akali-BJP government, the local bodies department had issued directions to all mayors of various districts in the state, presidents of municipal committees, commissioners of corporations, deputy directors of local bodies and executive members of municipal councils and nagar panchayats on February, 2000, in this regard.

In a letter, the local bodies department had exempted all private recognised, affiliated with Punjab School Education Board, CBSE, ICSE and various universities and unaided schools being run exclusively for the purpose of promoting the cause of education without motive of any monetary gains or commercial angle from the house tax, he added.

Citing an example, he said the local D R Modern Senior Secondary School had been asked to deposit Rs 3.52 lakh at the rate of Rs 35,000 annually whereas the school had to pay Rs 1,800 per year from 2004.

Sharma said the corporation had issued notices to several schools asking them to deposit the house tax, including the amount overdue from them since the “exemption period”.

The RASA urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, education minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur, local government minister Manoranjan Kalia and MP Navjot Singh Sidhu to intervene in the matter and direct Shawet Malik, mayor, to withdraw the notices.

Mayor Shawet Malik could not be contacted for comments.