The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Councillor booked for breaking wall of college ground Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Phagwara, January 28 A municipal councillor of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, Beera Ram Baljot, has been booked on the charges of breaking boundary wall of the playground of Guru Ram Dass College for Women, located on the Hoshiarpur road here. A former minister, Chaudhury Jagjit Singh, is the chairman of the managing committee of the college. The FIR was lodged at city police station against Baljot and several others under sections 439, 427, 379, 148 and 149 of the IPC on principal Dr Radhika Rattan’s complaint on Tuesday. Phagwara DSP H.P.S. Khakh said Baljot along with several other persons had trespassed into the college after breaking the wall of its playground. On the contrary, Baljot told The Tribune that the playground was built on a shamlat land where the youths of adjoining locality Dharamkot used to play. Baljot claimed the college management had assured them while constructing the wall a few years back that the ground would remain open for the Dharamkot youths to play. To a query, he said members of the Dharamkot Sports Club had broken the wall. He would not care for the FIR lodged against him, he added. The college management said the playground land belonged to the college itself and the registry of the land was made in the name of the college in 1982.
	Another FIR against him Another FIR under sections 353, 186, 148 and 149 of the IPC was lodged against the councillor and several others for allegedly interfering in the work of the police after a clash between the Dharamkot residents and the police today. DSP Khakh said the councillor along with several Dharamkot residents tried to interfere in the police investigation when the latter reached the spot. They pelted the police with stones when the wall was being rebuilt by the management. On the other hand, Baljot said the police cane-charged the residents in which at least six women were injured. The police also entered several houses and beat the residents, he alleged. He would bring the entire matter to the notice of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, he added.
	Non-payment of sewerage charges MC seals 2 commercial buildings Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 28 The Municipal Corporation today sealed two commercial buildings in the industrial area for non-payment of sewerage bills. The corporation authorities had issued public notices to 15 defaulters to make payment by today or face action. While 11 of them paid the dues amounting to Rs 2,81,269, two of them gave an assurance that they would pay up by tomorrow. The premises of the remaining two defaulters were sealed. Giving details, superintending engineer (O&M) V.P. Singh said the roadways authorities had agreed to make a payment of Rs 11 lakh by tomorrow. PUDA officials had also agreed to make the payment of Rs 30 lakh, he said, adding that the tempo for quick recovery had started building up. Notices to 19 hospitals In another major move, 19 private hospitals falling in Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar were today issued notices for violation of the MC bylaws. The notices cited reasons like change of land use without paying the requisite fee and taking approval from the MC, covering area more than the house line and not making any parking provision. The one-month notices sent through the commissioner have been sent for taking action under sections 269 and 273 of the MC Act. The officials revealed that the hospital premises could be sealed or even demolished if the owners failed to take corrective measures. The action follows the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Rs 1.01 cr for CLU The Ansal group has availed a change of land use (CLU) approval from the MC authorities and the Punjab government after making a payment of Rs 1.01 crore. This is the highest amount that the government has received as CLU charges in Jalandhar so far. The group plans to construct a shopping mall on Mahavir Marg in front of Pruthi Hospital here. The builders, in association with a local MLA, are said to have bought two huge vacant residential plots on the road. No tenders for slum development Even as the MC authorities today started opening tender forms for development works costing Rs 42 crore, including those for roads and streetlights, it failed to receive a single application for the integrated housing slum development scheme. The tenders allotted previously had been cancelled owing to allegations by the local Congress representatives. Most councillors apprehend that the scheme could lapse if there is a further delay.
	MC fails to address woes of ‘dog-tired’ town Ravinder Sud Hoshiarpur, January 28 Ever-increasing stray dogs have become a major problem for the residents of the town. Dozens of dogs roam about freely in almost any street at a given time and cause a huge inconvenience to the people. There have been cases of dogs chasing people, tearing their clothes and even biting them, but the authorities hardly seem to have taken notice of the situation. Hoshiarpur District Congress Committee general secretary Rajnish Tandon expressed his concern over the state of affairs, saying neither health nor municipal authorities had taken any steps to overcome this problem and have only remained mute spectators to it. He urged the district administration to instruct these authorities to take suitable steps to control the ever-increasing population of stray dogs. He said previously the MC used to issue licences for keeping a dog in the house and launch special campaigns for the elimination of stray dogs. But the practice has been stopped since long. Senior medical officer of the civil hospital Dr Gurdev Singh told The Tribune that no anti-rabies vaccine had been supplied to the hospital by the state health department for the past two years for being administered to dog-bite patients. Only first aid was being given to these patients. As a result, only a few cases of stray dog bites were now reported at the hospital. Patients generally get treatment from private doctors. MC executive officer Sandip Tiwari said despite instructions by the state government to sterilise stray dogs, there was no arrangement with the council for its implementation.
	Consumer Forum Trust asked to pay up Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, January 28 Awarding punitive damages to the local improvement trust (IT), the district consumer forum, headed by president P. D. Goel and A.S. Jauhar as member, ordered the former to pay Rs 73,232 to Gobind of the local Phagwara road with 9 per cent interest per annum from the date of filing the compliant till the realisation along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 within one month. Gobind had filed a complaint on the ground that he purchased a shop measuring 35.86 sq yards for Rs 7.34 lakh from the IT. At the time of delivery, the IT authorities gave a possession of 32.27 sq yards instead of 35.86 sq yards leading to difference of 3.59 sq yards. The IT authorities took the plea that the shops were checked and seen by the bidders, including Gobind, at the time of taking possession and the measurement of the area was also made before giving the possession. The consumer forum after going through the evidence and expert opinion held that the promised area of the shop was 35.86 sq yards and Gobind was put in possession of 32.27 sq yards. As such, the IT authorities rendered deficient services.
	LIG flat scheme announced Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 28 The local improvement trust today announced its new LIG flats scheme at Guru Amar Dass Nagar here. Addressing a press conference, chairman of the trust Baljit Singh Neelamahal said 276 two-room flats would be constructed at Bibi Bhani complex in 3.75 acres. He said the price for the ground-floor flat, covering an area of nearly 600 sq feet, would be Rs 6,01,800, first floor for Rs 5,64,800 and second floor for Rs 5,33,000. The chairman said the forms had been made available from today in all branches of Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India in the state. He said the booking would continue for a month till February 28. Neelamahal said banks would also provide finance schemes for the project, which would be completed in one and a half year. He said an earnest money of 10 per cent would be taken at the time of booking.