Amritsar, August 23
The junior doctors of the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here today resolved to intensify their stir against the government for its failure to fulfil their demands besides taking no action against the Medical Superintendent and police officials responsible for the lathicharge on the doctors on Friday.

The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) has also started a signature campaign among all the residents, interns and undergraduate students for demanding the resignation Dr R.P.S. Boparai and Dr Jagdish Gargi, GNDH Medical Superintendent and Principal, Government Medical College, respectively, for their anti-student and inhumane act during the peaceful demonstration, a copy of which will be sent to Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor and human right commission.

Stating this in a release to the media, JDA president Vishal Garg said as the state government had failed to fulfil their demand of pay hike, they were being forced to intensify their protest.

He said the police and administration have also failed to take any action against DSP Naresh Kumar and SDM II Paramjit Singh who were also involved in directing the police for lathicharge on the very first day of a peaceful protest dharna.

SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh has said the police officials without informing him, decided to lathicharge and that too without assessing the situation properly.

Disciplinary action was likely to be initiated against DSP (Civil Lines) Naresh Kumar, besides SHOs Davinder Singh and Tarsem Lal.

Meanwhile, the medical and dental college students jointly carried out their stir in GNDH raising slogans against the state government and the police.

The patients coming from far flung areas of the border district were a harassed lot as the services at the hospital were badly hit.

PCMS Association flays lathicharge incident

Jalandhar: The district unit of the PCMS Association criticised the police on Friday for lathicharge on junior doctors in Amritsar.

In a meeting held at the Civil Hospital here yesterday, the district president of the association Dr. Harish Bhardwaj said his unit would provide every possible help to the peaceful demonstration of the junior doctors in favour of their genuine demands.

Patron of the association Dr SD Mali, its secretary Dr Vijay Joshi and its organising secretary Dr Gagandeep Singh were also present in the meeting. — TNS

Jalandhar, August 23
As much as 50-acre land will be provided to information technology industries at the proposed new focal point, spread on 250-acre land on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala Road, said Punjab Local Bodies, Industries and Commerce Minister Manoranjan Kalia before inaugurating street lights at industrial focal point, sports and surgical complex and leather complex here on Sunday.

Kalia claimed that not only the land but 24-hour uninterrupted power supply would also be ensured to them.

To a query regarding three-day enforced closure on industries due to power shortage, he said scarcity of electricity was a national problem and the state was doing its best to overcome it by installing new power plants.

The minister said the process of upgradation of infrastructure facilities including roads, sewerage and street lights at different focal points at Jalandhar with a total cost of Rs 12.35 crore had already been started.

While several roads and street lights had already been set up at a number of places at different focal points with the cost of Rs 4.35 crore, the remaining Rs 8 crore would be spent on construction more roads, laying sewerage and installing tubewells, he added.

Mayor Rakesh Rathod, former MLA Raj Kumar Gupta, Mohinder Bhagat Chairman Medium Industries Development Board and district BJP president Ravi Mohindru were present on the occasion.

When asked about his tall claims of giving a new look to Company Bagh during his earlier press conferences, Kalia evaded the question saying, “Today, the press conference is regarding focal points.”

Kapurthala, August 23
Two adolescents studying in a local school here disappeared under mysterious circumstances on Thursday. It is suspected that both Atul Sharma and Lachman Singh, students of XII class at the Anand Public School, had intentionally gone missing as they could not perform well in their house tests.

Confirming this, Principal of the school Arwinder Singh Sekhon told The Tribune that while one of the students failed in one subject, the other failed in two subjects.

Sons of two RCF employees, Atul and Lachman used to board the RCF bus to reach their school but they intentionally did not board the bus on Thursday and boarded an auto rickshaw to go somewhere else, the principal added on the basis of information that he had recieved.

Meanwhile, when the boys did not reach home, Atul’s father Joginder Kumar and Lachman’s father PS Vashisth talked to the school authorities and their classmates. They were told that their children had not attended the school on Thursday.

Joginder and Vashisth reported the matter to the district police only yesterday after searching them from their relatives’ houses for two days.

When contacted, Sadar SHO Sarabjit Rai said a DDR was registered in this regard. To a query, he said an FIR was not registered as the boys had reportedly gone missing intentionally.

Meanwhile, SSP Ram Singh said all police stations in the state had been informed about the disappearance of the two students. Efforts were on to locate them, he added.

40-km-long rail track from Hoshiarpur to Una, raising of Hoshiarpur railway platform proposed

Hoshiarpur, August 23
To expand rail services from the Hoshiarpur Railway Station, a survey for laying rail tracks between Hoshiarpur and Una (Himachal Pradesh) railway stations has recently been conducted by the railway authorities of the Ferozepur division.

Presently, only a Diesel Multipurpose Unit (DMU) is being plied between the Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar railway stations.

Stating this, MP from Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat Santosh Chaudhary today said according to the survey report, a 40 km-long railway track between Hoshiarpur and Una railway stations, with a cost of Rs 480 crore, had been proposed. Minus 6.36 per cent rate of return was estimated on the plying of trains on this route.

Santosh Chaudhary was talking to media persons at the local Railway Station after conducting a meeting with senior officers including technical staff of the Norther Railway, Ferozepur division. Santosh Chaudhary lamented that despite the fact that Hoshiarpur is the gateway of Himachal Pradesh, the railway authorities had completely ignored it in every respect. The authorities had recently got a new building constructed for the office complex including ticket-sale counters.

Besides, it also got repaired the approach roads of the station and got the concrete floor constructed outside the railway station, but it failed in raising the height of the existing platform which was the basic need as it was very difficult for senior citizens and handicapped persons to boarding the train.

She had promised the electorates of this constituency that after becoming the MP, she would leave no stone unturned for the upliftment of the railway station here. She had recently taken up the issue with the Union Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee who had promised her to provide all possible facilities to the passengers at railway station Hoshiarpur in the next year. The Union Railway Minister had already accepted her demand for making Hoshiarpur Railway Station an Adarsh Railway Station. She had demanded introduction of mail trains from Hoshiarpur to Delhi, Amritsar and Ferozepur, claimed Santosh Chaudhary.

The Divisional Railway Manager of Forezepur zone Satish Kumar said the level of the platform at the railway station here would be raised from 45 cm to 84 cm.

Approach roads to the railway station from Phagwara road and old bus stand of Bharwain Road would soon be repaired. Other facilities like retiring and waiting rooms, installation of an ATM machine by any branch of nationalised bank etc. would also be provided to the passengers here very shortly. He would also recommend the introduction of mail trains from Hoshiarpur railway station to Delhi, Amritsar and Ferozepur etc. to the higher authorities. Railway commuters from all over the area were present on the occasion and apprised railway officers of their day to day difficulties.