Jalandhar, August 22
The scheme “copy your friend’s caller tune” by Vodafone caused the company dear as the district consumer disputes redressal forum has ordered the former to pay Rs 7,000 along with Rs 1,000 as litigation expenses to a government schoolteacher.

In his complaint, Ajmer Singh said he had two mobile phones (9988254206 and 9888229598). On September 26, 2007, an uncultured tune was installed on his phone number 9988254206 and Rs 40 were deducted from the balance without his consent. He alleged that the same tune was installed on his other phone and that too without his consent.

Ajmer Singh said he had made many requests to the company to remove the tune, “Dil tera vee darda, dil mera vee darda, do gallan pyar dian karne nu jee karda”, but to no avail.

The teacher alleged that his friends and women colleagues started ignoring him and calling him on his phone. “Being president of the Government Maths Teachers Association of Punjab and an Amritdhari Sikh, it caused disgrace to my dignity and honour,” he said in his plea.

The complainant said he had gone to the company office on October 6, 2007, where he was told that he had either pressed the * button or could have copied the tune from any other source. Denying allegations of activating the tune without consumer’s consent, the company officials claimed that the “copy your friend’s caller tune” scheme had been used by Ajmer while making a call and pressing * button for which he had been charged Rs 30 as rent and Rs 15 for selection of tune. The company said a request for deactivation was made on November 20, 2007, after  the customer had enjoyed the tune  fortwo months.

The forum, comprising president A.K. Sharma and member Surinder Mittal, found that the company officials had failed to refute the claim about the phone number 9888229598. The forum said the company realised its mistake and moved an application which was rejected on account of the inordinate delay. It also failed to find any credibility in the defence plea and any evidence in support of the claims.

Hoshiarpur, August 22
After the dissatisfaction expressed by Nawanshahar-based NGO Human Empowerment League of Punjab (HELP) over the report submitted by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has asked the board to submit its detailed comments on a rejoinder by September 7.

In his recent order, PSHRC chairperson Justice R.S. Mongia has instructed the PPCB to send its comments on the rejoinder of August 7, 2008, submitted by an activist of HELP as he was not satisfied with the PPCB report following his complaint. In his complaint to the PSHRC, Parvinder Singh had alleged that a paper unit of Amrit Vanaspati Company Limited located at Saila Khurd in Nawanshahr had been causing air and water pollution in the area. He said the pollution was affecting the health as residents were falling prey to serious skin ailments and the authorities had been taking no action. The PSHRC prima facie took cognizance under section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and called for a report from the PPCB chairman in Patiala, who asked environmental engineer of the Hoshiarpur regional office to conduct an inquiry. In his analysis report, the engineer revealed that concentration of TDS, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, etc. were in more than the desirable limit, but were within the permissible limits at some places as prescribed for drinking water by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). He reported that with the commissioning of the chemical recovery plant, the quality of effluent would improve and the application of treated effluent for irrigation would not alter the quantity of solids in under ground water any further.

Parvinder Singh in his rejoinder expressed dissatisfaction with the report and said that the mill management was draining out its effluent water in the bein at Gazarpur village through underground pipes. The outlet of the pipeline was closed during day hours and opened in the night, he added.

Jalandhar, August 22
Revealing that the functioning of the Punjab Public Relations Department would be strengthen in the days to come, public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia today revealed that the process to recruit more public relations officials to be initiated very soon. “The state cabinet has sanctioned recruitment of 16 information and public relations officers and 24 assistant information and public relations officers and the process for the recruitment will be initiated soon to strengthen PR department,” Majithia told reporters here today.

Highly qualified, experienced and computer literate candidates would be given priority in the recruitment, he said while admitting that the functioning of the PR department was not up to the mark.

Asked whether the idea of forming a media corporation had been dropped, the minister said, “Yes, the idea is dropped as it did not get clearance from the finance department.”

On fulfilling the promises made in the party manifesto for the welfare of the media, the minister said that adequate insurance cover and more transport facility to the scribes was under consideration and cabinet clearance was awaited for constituting housing societies for scribes in every district. — PTI

Jalandhar, August 22
It is a mater of great concern that the Central government has not sent any team to assess the devastation caused by floods in Punjab.

This was expressed by Punjab information and public relations minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia while flagging of trucks carrying relief material to the flood-hit areas. The minister said though the state had been a food bowl for the country no special consideration had been shown for it.

Majithia, who was in city today, said the union finance minister P. Chidambaram had recently praised Punjab farmers for contributing food grain to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore to the Central pool. “This is a big achievement and now when the farmers need help, the Centre should rise to the occasion,” he added.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said even the state leadership of the party didn’t expressed its solidarity. The minister said, “If they wanted they could have persuaded the central government to announce a special grant, but to no avail”.

He said the Punjab government was going to order an enquiry to probe what led to weakening of Dhussi bunds in the state and added that more funds would be released soon to strengthen the bundhs. Majithia lauded the role of public, especially social and religious organisations, which helped in constructing the bundhs.

Commenting on the Budha Nullah in Ludhiana, he said steps had been initiated to ensure that no industrial effluents were released in the drain. Once this was done, the pollution levels in the city would improve, he added.

Amritsar, August 22
Though the government has been organising awareness workshops and seminars on disaster management for its departments, the recent floods raise a question on the efficiency of the government to tackle the situation.

The point came to light during a two-day awareness camp on disaster management which concluded here yesterday. The UN-sponsored programme was organised to apprise the government departments of various steps to be taken for protection of life and property during emergencies.

Speaking on the occasion, convener Anita Salaria said the basic idea behind the workshop was to sensitise the officers and give them practical tips on how to tackle natural calamities and wars.

She said the government was totally taken unawares during the recent floods despite predictions of heavy rainfalls by the meteorological department.

She added that the government departments were totally ill-equipped and ill-manned due to which the Army and followers of Baba Seechewal had to take the rescue operations in flood-hit areas.

Deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu, who too had been personally monitoring the flood and rain situation, said though the national disaster policy had been framed, it required proper implementation. Proper positioning of resources and equipping officers with requisite skills to meet the emergency were required.

He said people should be involved in civil defence so that they could help in evacuation measures during emergencies. He suggested that the residents should come with innovative ideas to help the administration to evolve a better disaster management policy.

SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, who has been appointed a nodal officer to supervise the functioning of the task force, said all the 13 police stations would be networked with fire stations and other departments so that teams could be immediately dispatched in case of emergency.

According to Surjit Sharma, a social activist and member of the disaster management awareness group, NGOs and the government should join hands to set up a well-equipped task force to meet emergencies like fire in building. He said the municipal corporation had identified 121 buildings in Amritsar which required immediate pulling down. 

Amritsar, August 22
The heavy monsoon this year has given boost to the growth of congress grass and weeds along roads, rail lines and canals and on hospital campuses, which has become a major health hazard.

The administration today took a major initiative, along with hundreds of volunteers from different social organisations and government departments, to root out the menace.

Deputy commissioner K.S. Pannu, who had taken the initiative, said he had involved major departments of blocks and panchayats and staff of other departments to root out the grass within the municipal limits.

He said a special work force of more than 4,000 people had been deployed to root out the grass from the areas like Government Medical College and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Verka bypass, Jandiala feeder canal, Diamond Avenue and Batala Road. He said the work was being monitored by a team of senior officers of the administration and the operation would be completed by August-end.

He said congress grass caused many skin and asthmatic problems for the people living in nearby areas. He said it had been noticed that congress grass spread a millibug insects in the cotton belt of Malwa and had destroyed the crop. He said even animals and birds were also afflicted with allergic diseases due to this weed.

Pannu appealed to all the NGOs and residents’ welfare associations to jointly take up the task of removing congress grass from their colonies and save the residents from the resultant diseases.