Jalandhar, May 5
It was perhaps a simmering discontent, among the students of Lovely Professional University over implementation of rigid rules and regulations which resulted in a backlash on Saturday evening.

Students revealed that they were dissatisfied over a number of decisions being imposed on them from time to time.

“We had been coming to the campus wearing black T-shirts, in protest, for a fortnight. When the authorities ignored our demands, we had no other way to vent our ire,” they said.

The students said they were feeling upset because of growing financial burden on their parents. “Our fee is being enhanced each semester by 8 per cent. Our annual hostel charges have been raised by Rs 10,000. We have now started getting additional power bills. It has been a problem for most of us who have been relying on education loans from banks to pay the charges,” they rued.

The students said they were also dissatisfied with the examination system. “Over 70 per cent of the students are unable to clear at least one subject each semester. As a result, they have to appear for supplementary examinations. This time each such student has had to attend compulsory extra classes called the ‘summer term’. Each student has been asked to shell out Rs 8,000 for these classes,” they said.

The students also hinted that this could be due to frequent change in the staff.

“Our teachers do not continue here for long. As a result, there is sometimes a vast difference between what we have been taught, what we are asked in the examination paper and how a new examiner evaluates it. This is perhaps reflected in our results. We have a grade point system which when converted into a percentage pattern turns out to be too low and affects our placement,” B. Tech students lamented.

Students of B. Tech and MBA have a number of other complaints as well. “Our uniform changes too often. Some time back we had been asked to put on off-white shirts and green trousers. Now, we have been told to come in brown shirts and trousers. This has come as an additional financial burden,” they said.

The students also complain of getting poor quality food in the hostel canteen. “The vendors outside are our lifeline or else we would not have survived,” they said.

They added that another problem with the hostels was that there were a number of new buildings under construction around. “We get disturbed by the noise. The dust from the concrete comes into our rooms. To add to this, there are swarms of insects around the hostel area because of open fields around,” a student said, showing inflammation at the back of his neck.

The students are also worried that the management would get too strict with them after the three-day off, rusticating a few of them and imposing a heavy fine on all of them. They are said to have decided on boycotting their classes when they meet next on Thursday or Friday.

Ashok Mittal, on being asked for comments, refuted each allegation. “We had invited students for talks today at 2 pm pasting notices on the campus and on site but no one bothered to turn up. The fee hike is not at all an issue with them. Their main demand is power bill waiver which perhaps is not possible because we had notified it earlier even in the prospectus.”

On issues related to the examination system, he said, “Only a few teachers have changed and we are pro-active in appointing a new one. The students should not have a problem with the point system, it is being followed even in the IITs. The summer term is being conducted for the students to help them save a year. It is not compulsory for them.”

Regarding students’ complaint on food, he said, “Many people do not like even the food cooked by their own mothers. I have often been taking the same food for my lunch.”

On uniform, he said it had been changed just once. “The students had been given the time of one year to changeover till their old uniform gets worn out. Jeans, of course, are a taboo,” he added.

Jalandhar, May 5
Fed up with the fake promises of politicians to provide basic facilities at the doorsteps of the common man, residents of the local Guru Nanak Nagar and Sant Nagar localities situated on the Kala Sanghia road here have decided to boycott the Lok Sabha elections. The residents have put black flags outside their homes as a mark of protest.

Even frequent meetings of the residents with Jalandhar (South) MLA Bhagat Chuni Lal also turned futile as the minister never bothered to pay a single visit to this area after winning the assembly elections. Agitated members expressed their resentment by shouting slogans, ‘Gali gali mai gand hai, Pani aana band hai”.

Living under utter filthy conditions the residents have no easy available source of potable water. There is neither any cemented street, nor any sewerage facility. Every morning the residents queue up before a tube-well situated a few yards away from their locality to fetch drinking water.

A random survey of these localities by The Tribune team revealed that almost every mud-laden street was choked with still water. Veena Rani, who was taking out the dirty water from a cemented drain outside her house, said, “Je koi suhulat hi nahi ta vote kadi? Despite being under the municipal corporation limits we are living in hell-like conditions”.

“More than eight years have passed and till date there is not even a single development in our locality. In the absence of any basic facility we are left with no option but to boycott the elections”, she added.

Both localities have approximately 3,000 votes. The area is inhabited by a sizable number of Muslims though there are Hindus, Sikhs and some migrant families from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam as well. Mohammad Rao Ayub, president of the Guru Sant Nagar Welfare Society, said: “The politicians make us fool by showing us dreams but look at the ground reality. Our MLA never came to listen to our woes despite several memorandums and meetings with him. We are not against the system but the corrupt politicians who play with our emotions.”

However, huge posters of SAD-BJP candidate from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat Hans Raj Hans in the interiors of the locality adorn the area. “They reach every nook and corner of the locality. Look they have pasted the posters as well but we will not cast our vote this time,” he added pointing towards the posters of Hans Raj Hans.

Jalandhar, May 5
Doordarshan Kendra has started its firstever in-house Punjabi daily soap “Bhagan Walian” which carried a message of “love thy daughters”. The serial, which is already on air, is receiving a good response.

The serial started on April 14 and was presently being telecast in 52 countries. Earlier, DD used to telecast daily soap operas produced by the private production houses.

Talking to The Tribune, serial producer and director Puneet Sehgal said, “Bringing a change in the stereotyped characters and subject of the serial, we have launched fresh faces in this serial.”

He added that the serial was the brainchild of Senior Director of DDK Dr Daljit Singh, who wanted to start the firstever daily soap for the audience.

The serial revolves round the rise of the lead actors, Navjot Khatkar, Surbhi and Sakshi, who fight various odds in life and make a name in society. “Till date we have shot 32 episodes of the serial. The shooting of the remaining episodes will begin in mid-May,” Sehgal added.

Interestingly, this was the firstever initiative of Puneet Sehgal in directing and producing a serial. However, earlier he had received 14 national awards in the field of radio drama. “This is the firstever attempt of the scriptwriter Amarjit Singh Rhode as well,” he added. The lyrics of the title track of the serial had been penned by Dr Lakhwinder Singh Johal, camera work by K. Ganesh and editing by Pawan Mahinia.

Jalandhar, May 5
While the district administration had refused to issue a legal heir certificate and pay dues of Rs 3.07 lakh which it had received from Saudi Arabia almost two years back to be paid to a widow, whose husband had died in an accident while on duty there, a recent judgment by the court has brought her the much-needed relief.

Civil Judge Rajwant Kaur has directed the deputy commissioner Jalandhar to issue the required certificate to Asha Rani (49), her minor son Puneet (16) and daughter Smita (27), all residents of Sansarpur village here, and to disburse the salary and dues of the deceased sent from Riyadh and lying in DC’s deposits since July 28, 2007.

Asha’s husband Parveen Kumar had passed away on March 25, 2007. A solo bread-earner in the family, Parveen was working as a foreman with a road-construction company in Riyadh. After his death, his widow wanted the legal heirship so that the Indian embassy could pursue the case for obtaining the compensation of accidental death of her husband on her behalf.

She had pressed the district administration for urgency as such cases in Saudi Arabia have to be dealt in a time-bound manner. The Tribune had carried a series of news in February and March last year, highlighting her plight. She had then filed a suit in the civil court in April last year for declaration as legal heirs and entitlement to the amount.

In his response, the DC had stated before the court that he was not competent to issue a legal heir certificate to dependents of persons who died abroad. He said he had advised the widow to get legal heir declared from the civil court.

In the court, three witnesses appeared saying that complainants were the legal heirs of Parveen Kumar. The civil judge observed that since the parents of the deceased had expired during his lifetime, only his widow and children were entitled to the compensation. She found that the revenue authorities had also sanctioned the mutation of property situated in Birring village in the name of complainants, being the only legal heirs.

The judge found that there was no dispute among the legal representatives against the heirship of Parveen Kumar. She said, “If there is a dispute between the legal representatives regarding heirship and shares, it is only then that the civil court will decide as to who are the legal heirs and in what shares they are entitled as per personal law applicable to them.”

Jalandhar, May 5
Basant Stylista, a fashion pageant, was held at Katoch Stadium in Jalandhar cantonment on May 2. The event was held as part of the series of events to celebrate the diamond jubilee year of Vajra Corps. The fashion show was coordinated by the International Institute of Fashion Design, Jalandhar, which showcased more than 100 dresses designed by the budding fashion designers.

There were 13 rounds, including one having exclusive participation by the children of jawans. The major events were mutiar with a Punjabi suit, virsa dedicated to Baisakhi, anti-smoking round for social cause and a round dedicated to the colours of the National Flag. The event was graced by GOC of Vajra Corps, Lieut-Gen V.S. Tonk, and AWWA President Manju, besides army personnel and their families.

Jalandhar, May 5
The election observers took a round of the polling stations in the city and identified 385 sensitive ones out of the total 1,764 booths in the constituency. Observers V.M. Upadhayay and Ishwar Singh along with the Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police took a round of the city.

Earlier, Divisional Commissioner S.R. Ladhar presided over a meeting of the district administration and reviewed the poll arrangements. He impressed upon the police officials to get all firearms in the district deposited with the nearest police station or ammunition dealers.

He said the paramilitary forces coming for duty here would be accommodated in marriage palaces to be hired for the duration of their stay instead of getting schools vacated.

Ladhar instructed the AROs, SDMs and SHOs to make use of the 315 camera teams during rounds of the sensitive areas. Such a team should always accompany them at all times. All incidents that could turn violent should be recorded.

He also asked them to keep watch on the expenditures of the candidates so that they could be credited to their expense accounts. A watch on the smuggling and use of liquor should be kept at all times. If possible, the police and excise departments should seize such consignments before they reached the constituency, he added.

The police should inspect all gun houses in the constituency so that no untoward incident occurred. Watch on criminal and anti-social elements, too, should be maintained, he said. 

Jalandhar, May 5
A municipal councillor, who had got elected to the post during a byelection held in June last year on a Congress ticket, today declared having shifted loyalty to the BJP.

Iqbal Gill had won from ward number 41 defeating the candidate from the party he joined today. He had fought against BJP’s Satwant Takhar, widow of Harbhajan Takhar, whose demise had necessitated the conduct of the byelection.

Today citing the reason for the switchover, he said, “The Congress had not given due representation to the Balmik community. We had asked ticket for Buta Singh and Dr Swaran Singh, former Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner, in the Lok Sabha polls, which were denied.”

It is a sheer irony that while Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia greeted Gill with open arms today, it was the latter’s victory that had left former red-faced last year. The BJP seat had fallen into Congress’ kitty when BJP men were holding the posts of Local Bodies Minister and even that of a Mayor, leaving everyone mocking at the situation. One of the most powerful party man in the alliance government who was then projecting himself as a candidate for the post of Deputy CM, Kalia had found it difficult to digest the defeat in a byelection of the ward in his own constituency.

Kalia had been taking rounds of the ward and canvassing against Gill. But Kalia’s arch opponent Tejinder Bittu, who had lost against him on the Congress ticket in the assembly elections, had left no stone unturned to regain the lost ground and bring a defeat for Kalia’s candidate. A clear-cut battle between the two had ensued in the ward with the elections becoming a prestige issue.

Kalia today refused to take any questions related to the past events. 

Kapurthala, May 5
The 29th birth anniversary of the founder of the erstwhile princely state of Kapurthala, Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, was celebrated here in a traditional way.

A kirtan darbar was organised at the local state gurdwara under the aegis of the Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Trust founded by Tikka Raja Shatrujit Singh, scion of Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.

The kirtan darbar is organised every year in the memory of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia by Shatrujit Singh, while the state government holds the Kapurthala Heritage Festival every year in his memory in October, coinciding with his death anniversary.

Prominent ragis Bhai Balwinder Singh Rangila, Bhai Joginder Singh Riar, Bhai Karam Singh Noorpuri and Bhai Harbans Singh Jagadhariwale recited hymns on the occasion. Tikka Raja Shatrujit honoured prominent residents, including District Bar Association President Karam Singh Ahluwalia, senior advocate Dev Krishan, Posts and Telegraph Deputy Director Jaspal Singh, writer Harphool Singh, international basketball referee Buta Ram, yoga expert Col Sewa Singh (retd), educationist Sadhu Singh Dhillon, advocate Sarabjit Singh Walia, former councillor Manmohan Singh Walia, Dr Avtar Kaur, wife of Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, and SGPC member Bhajan Kaur on the occasion. 

Jalandhar, May 5
Sun Microsystems, pioneer in the open source software, conducted an open software week at Lovely Professional University. A host of tech events from different fields of science and technology were conducted. The event encompassed a range of events contested by more than 200 students, of which the major were discussion sessions, programming event and install fests. 

Jalandhar, May 5
With the harvesting season on and burning of wheat stubble, cases of asthma have gone up in the region. The level of dust particles and smoke goes up in the air that deteriorates the health of asthmatic patients to a large extent during the season.

Talking to The Tribune, city physician Dr H.J. Singh claims that the problem aggravates in the harvesting season in Punjab and Haryana, while the situation is not so bad in Himachal Pradesh due to vegetation.

He claimed that the harvesting season was more dangerous to asthmatic pregnant women. The mortality rate among asthmatic pregnant women also increased. Asthma is further complicated with sinusitis and rhinitis in pregnant women.

During pregnancy it worsened in about one-third of the women, improved in one-third and remained stable in the rest. If not treated properly it could lead to impaired foetal growth. It could cause decrease in amount of oxygen in mother’s blood thus further restricting oxygen in the foetal blood and subsequently limited its supply to the foetus, the doctor said.

The expecting asthmatic mother should take medicines as prescribed by the doctors to reduce risk to the baby. Mothers could continue to breastfeed their babies even if they were on medications, as the medicines had no side effects on the infants, the doctor advised.