Jalandhar, December 17
In an international meet of the religious leaders held at Copenhagen, Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal said in the present scenario, environment was an issue of major concern.

Seechewal was projected as one of the top 30 environment heroes in the 2008 October edition of Times Magazine.

Stressing on the importance of saving the environment, he said religious leaders could and should play an important role in educating the people on the issue.

Polluted environment means polluted minds, diseased bodies and negative thoughts. “If we wanted to lead a healthy life, we must cooperate with nature. We must consider the protection of environment as our religion,” he said.

He further noted the ill-effects caused due to the decrease in the forest cover and level of underground water. “Underground water is getting poisoned, becoming unfit for drinking,” he said. He appealed everybody to contribute, at an individual and collective level, in saving the environment.

Sant Seechewal said he informed the world leaders about the importance laid on environment in Gurbani. Elaborating on the issue, he said Gurbani was the text which gives detailed references of air, water, trees and weathers.

Hoshiarpur, December 17
Providing relief to Charanjit Singh Sra, son of Sucha Singh of the local Guru Nanak Avenue, the District Consumers Forum headed by President P.D. Goel, has ordered Worldwide Immigration Consultancy Services Limited (WWICS), Chandigarh, to pay Rs 65,000 to the former along with an interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing the complaint till realisation. The forum further burdened the WWICS with Rs 10,000 to be paid to Charanjit Singh as litigation expenses within one month.

Charanjit had filed a complaint against the company and its branch at Jalandhar alleging that the WWICS was engaged in the business of providing services of immigration and held free seminar in Hoshiarpur district in 2002 which was attended by him. He approached its Hoshiarpur office in 2002 which said his case would be forwarded to Canada for immigration within two to three years. He got allured and paid Rs 65,000 through demand drafts. Charanjit Singh had been working as CTO in Punjab and Sind Bank and had sufficient experience and requisite qualification to apply for permanent residence in Canada under immigrating skilled 
workers category. The company got signed the agreement from him in 2002. After waiting for about six years Charanjit Singh received a letter from the Canadian High Commission (CHC) to the effect that WWICS was not authorised to represent his case before the CHC.

When he approached the WWICS, he came to know that the company had closed its office at Hoshiarpur and when he approached the regional office, the officials refused to give any satisfactory reply. Charanjit Singh was shocked to receive a letter from the CHC that he did not have sufficient experience under the category as his application had been sent under the wrong category. Now he could not apply for permanent residence under the skilled category.

The WWICS admitted that Charanjit Singh had entered into another contract with Global Strategic Business Consultancy Corporation (MGSBCC), UAE, on July 18, 2002, and had paid Rs 35000. The case of Charanjit Singh was forwarded to the CHC time and again, but it was returned on account of various excuses. After receiving letter from the CHC, Charanjit Singh himself started dealing with the High Commission in breach of terms and conditions of the contract, which resulted in rejection of his case on September 17, 2008.

The consumers forum held that Charanjit Singh Sra had produced on record copies of the demand drafts of Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 drawn in favour of the WWICS, therefore, it concluded that the complainant hadd paid Rs 65,000 to the company. The WWICS failed to honour their commitment as they failed to prepare the case of Charanjit Singh Sra for permanent immigration to Canada. The case was rejected by the CHC, therefore, Charanjit Singh Sra was entitled to the amount of Rs 65,000 along with compensation.

Jalalndhar , December 17
A patient, Debo Rani, who died in the Civil Hospital here yesterday, was found positive for swine flu after her result came out today. Sunita Rani (19) of Bhogpur also died of swine flu at the hospital.

Debo Rani was admitted in the isolated ward of the Civil Hospital with signs and symptoms of swine flu. In addition, one more patient, Dalbir Kaur (40) of Phillaur, with symptoms similar to swine flu was also admitted to the hospital.

Hoshiarpur: The swine flu has claimed one more life in the district. According to District Health Officer Dr Yash Pal Mitra here today, Narinder Singh (42), resident of Kalkat village (Sham Chaurasi), died of swine flu at the DMC, Ludhiana, last night. With the death of Narinder Singh, the death toll due to swine flu has increased to three. Five confirmed cases of swine flu were reported in the district so far of which three had died, one is under treatment at the Civil Hospital and one has been 
discharged after complete recovery from the disease.

Kapurthala, December 17
Just two days after a student of Sainik School committed suicide, a Class IV employee of the Central Jail was found hanging with the ceiling fan of a room on the first floor of the jail, here today.

Kulwant Rai, a sweeper, reportedly committed suicide when he had gone to the room to clean it.

According to the police, Hawaldar Surinder Kumar got suspicious when Rai did not return from the room after a long time. He approached the room and found the body hanging with the ceiling fan. The hawaldar raised an alarm and subsequently Jail Superintendent Sikandar Singh was informed.

Sikandar Singh informed that a resident of Mohalla Malkana, Kulwant Rai had been mentally disturbed for the past couple of days.

The Jail Superintendent called the police and the body was removed. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem examination at the local civil hospital. The police has initiated inquest proceedings in this regard, said Lakhwinder Singh, SHO Sadar police station.

This is the fourth suicide in the city in the last 10 days. Earlier, two students of the Sainik School had also ended their lives by hanging themselves with ceiling fans. 

Hoshiarpur, December 17
To maintain law and order 20 PCR mobile teams are patrolling the city round 
the clock to avert any 
untoward incident.

Disclosing this here at a meeting of the advisory committee of the Police Department this afternoon, SSP Parmod Ban said eight motorcycle PCR patrolling parties would soon be deputed at Mukerian town of the district.

Keeping in view the backlog of complaints, a Pehal programme had been launched under which special camps in all subdivisions of the district had recently been organised. About 3,000 pending complaints of the public had been disposed of on the spot.

Efforts were being made to solve the traffic problem in the city. To control crimes, nakas were being erected at various places in the district and night patrolling had been intensified.

Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj, who presided over the meeting along with the SSP, interacted with the members of the committee to know their views to bring transparency in the working of the Police Department. Members suggested to set up a transport nagar outside the city for heavy vehicles to control rush of traffic.

Discussing with the members of the advisory committee of the Education Department, Megh Raj said stationery goods were being given to the girl students of 100 primary schools. Exposure visits to all girl students of 50 primary and 50 middle schools annually were being organised. Yoga and karate training was being imparted to the girl students of 100 secondary schools.

Members suggested immediate removal of shortage of teaching staff in schools and improve the standard of education.