Jalandhar, July 2
The centrally-sponsored National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGA) has failed to pick up in Jalandhar on account of low wages under the scheme.

That is why only 16,780 job cards have been made in Jalandhar since 2007-08 when the scheme was launched here. The Centre has already given Rs 12 crore for Jalandhar for the year 2007-08, out of which only Rs 3 crore have been spent till date.

This was disclosed by A.R. Khan, centrally appointed observer for NREGA in the presence of Deputy Commissioner A.S. Pannu here today.

Although the productivity-linked programme is meant for the below poverty line (BPL) families, the above poverty line (APL) families too could avail of the benefits of the scheme in case there were no BPL beneficiaries in a village.

Under the programme, the government will provide 100 days’ guaranteed employment to one person of a family registered under this programme through the village panchayat. As per the revised rates, a labourer will now get Rs 123 per day.

After reviewing the progress of the scheme, Khan said the response in Jalandhar, and for that matter in the whole Punjab, was not as good as in other states due to less remuneration.

In many states like Jammu and Kashmir the wages were only Rs 78 per day while it was Rs 150 in Rajasthan, he said.

As Punjab is a prosperous state, even the labour class is not coming forward to work on this amount.

“In my report to be submitted to the Centre, I have recommended an increase in the wage from Rs 123 to more than Rs 150 per day. This is the only way to popularise the scheme among the people,” he pointed out.

He said the Central government wanted the programme to catch up at the grass-roots level so that every unemployed person could earn decent wages. The crucial factor, ignored by many people, including those implementing the scheme, is that it was not budget oriented but demand oriented.

Khan said another salient feature of the scheme was that it covered hospitalisation charges and ex gratia in case a labourer died during working hours, provided unemployment wages if an applicant did not get a job after 15 days of applying. These wages too would be borne by the government, he revealed.

Funds were not a problem and more money could be given as per the demand of any state, he added.

Hoshiarpur, July 2
To save “abadis” and farm land from the fury of floods in the ensuing monsoon, elaborate flood protection arrangements had been made in the district.

Disclosing this at a press conference here today, Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj said as many as 44 breaches in the protection bundhs on the Nasrala, Mehngrowal, Mehlanwali, Bahowal, Rajni Devi, Gambowal, Chohal and Manhota choes occurred during the previous year floods.

All these breaches had been plugged at a cost of Rs 376 lakh.

Besides, Rs 299 lakh had also been provided to strengthen these protection bundhs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

There were 38 choes (610 km long) crossing through the district, of which channelisation of seven choes (160 km long) had been done. Besides, 58 drains had been dug in Dasuya and Mukerian tehsils for the smooth flow of flood water.

The Deputy Commissioner had instructed all the Municipal Councils to clear all the drains and ensure cleanliness in their respective towns for the smooth flow of rainwater.

He also instructed the health, animal husbandry, water supply and sanitary departments to make arrangements for providing the necessary medicines, fodder, potable water and other required goods to flood-affected people.

Earlier, he convened a meeting of all the heads of government departments to review the ongoing flood protection works.

Jalandhar, July 2
Punjab Technical University has once again extended the date for depositing the online counselling fee up to July 4. While June 19 was earlier fixed as the deadline, the date has been extended for the second time to accommodate more students.

Of the nearly 15,500 students who have deposited fee for online counselling for 17,588 seats in engineering and pharmacy colleges, 13,580 candidates have logged on to the PTU’s website for getting themselves registered.

Of the total registered students, 10,560 students have filled their choices as per their preferences given on the site www.ptuadmissions.nic.in, a press note released by Registrar Sarojini Gautam Sharda read.

A test check, conducted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), on the first 8,033 candidates who have filled their choices, revealed that as many as 953 candidates could not be allotted any seat. A scrutiny of the data found that this had occurred as the students were filling inadequate number of choices. Many candidates had filled just one choice.

Since availability of seats is much higher than the number of candidates who have filled their choices, it has been observed by the NIC that the candidates might not get a seat if they do not fill the maximum number of choices available to them in order of their preferences.

Each student can fill more than 200 seat choices for getting a seat in an engineering college and 33 choices in a pharmacy college. The number of seats in engineering colleges is 16,341 and in pharmacy colleges 1,247.

The Registrar has asked the candidates to go through the user manual, notice board and frequently asked questions (FAQs) as uploaded on the admission website to make full use of the opportunity available to them for getting admission in one of the best colleges of their choice. She said the candidates would be able to fill, add, re-arrange, swap and delete the choices any number of times up to 11.59 pm on July 5.

For the convenience of the students, help desks have been set up at all engineering and pharmacy colleges of the PTU. The PTU helpdesk can be contacted at 0182-2662533, 34, 35, through SMSes on 092166-79506, 092166-79519 or e-mail at registrarptu@yahoo.co.in. 

Amritsar, July 2
A major mishap was averted today at a manned railway crossing at the Tarn Taran road when the gateman allegedly failed to down the gates at a time when the Khemkaran-Amritsar train was fast approaching.

Thanks to some passers-by, who immediately rushed to the cabin of the gateman and asked him to put the barrier down, the tragedy was averted. The eyewitnesses alleged that the gateman was sleeping at a time when they reached his cabin even as the driver of the train was honking the horns continually for any signal. Ram Rattan, the gateman of railway crossing number A-12, said he had not received any information regarding the arrival of train from the stationmaster. He said without any information from the stationmaster, he could not put the barrier down. The driver of the train should have stopped in the outer signal if he had not received green signal, the gateman added. Sarabjit Singh, an eyewitness of the incident, said he was coming from Tarn Taran on his vehicle at that time. He said the people were crossing the railway gate without knowing the train was coming from the other side. 

Hoshiarpur, July 2
The Mehtiana police booked Mangat Ram of Mehmowal, his mother Daro and his sister Babli here yesterday for allegedly harassing, maltreating and attempting to kill Balwinder Kaur (Mangat’s wife) for more dowry.

The case was registered under sections 307, 498 A and 34 of the IPC on the statement of Balwinder.

According to investigating officer Bhupinder Singh, Balwinder alleged that the aforesaid members of her in-laws’ family used to harass and maltreat her for more dowry.

On June 26, 2009, they allegedly sprinkled kerosene on her and set her ablaze due to which she was badly burnt and was admitted to a hospital. She gave her statement yesterday to the Judicial Magistrate following which a case was registered. 

Nawanshahr, July 2
The police has busted an inter-state gang of drug smugglers by arresting four persons, identified as Iqbal Singh, resident of Kanwla village, Ambala, Nem Chand of Abra village in UP, Tejinder Singh of Mukhamazra, Ambala and Charanjit Singh of Motamazra in Ambala. Fifteen kg opium has also been seized from them.

Acting on a tip-off, the police laid a naka at the bus stand in Ballowal village and intercepted an Ascent Car (PB-70B-0864) coming from Phagwara and nabbed the smugglers and seized the contraband.

SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said Tejinder Singh was a civil engineer, working with Nokia and Vodafone, and has been drawing handsome salary, but in avarice of earning a fast buck, he joined the gang. Nem Chand had been procuring opium in huge quantity from one Raja Ram, resident of Nabdiya in Bareli (UP) for supplying the same in Punjab and Haryana for three years.