Jalandhar, February 4
The agitating employees of the Municipal Corporation thrashed the Senior Deputy Mayor in the Commissioner’s office here today, following allegations by the MC Secretary of being manhandled by him yesterday.

Senior Deputy Mayor of the ruling SAD Kamaljit Singh Bhatia sustained minor injuries in his face. The incident occurred when members of the MC employees’ unions had gathered in the meeting hall of Commissioner Viney Bublani to discuss the yesterday’s incident with him. The Bublani was yet to reach the adjoining hall when Bhatia and Deputy Mayor Parvesh Tangri, SAD councillors and supporters reached the MC’s administrative block.

Union members started raising slogans against Bhatia while the latter’s supporters countered with anti-employee slogans. Both the groups came face to face. Since the employees outnumbered the supporters of SAD leaders, Bhatia got easily rounded up.

In the ensuing melee, windowpanes of the newly set up Commissioner’s office got smashed, earthen flowerpots and dustbins got broken and iron benches meant for visitors were thrown upside down.

Representatives of the various MC employees’ unions alleged that Bhatia’s men had today injured an MC employee at which they got infuriated. “Deputy Mayor Tangri had taken out his pistol and aimed at us,” they further alleged and demanded registration of an FIR against Bhatia and his men.

Superintendent of Police Dr S.K. Kalia and ADC Sarojini Gautam Sharda reached the MC office. Commissioner Bublani said that the incident was unfortunate. “It all happened so suddenly that no preventive measure was possible,” he said.

The reports of the incident spread soon with SAD leaders who expressed shock over it. SAD MLA Sarabjit Makkar vent his ire against the Commissioner as he said, “Bublani had called Bhatia for a compromise with the employees. He is to be blamed for the whole incident. He should have made suitable security arrangements in his office. The employees gheraoed Bhatia and Tangri and they could manage to come out only with the police help.”

He added that the incident was a matter of serious concern for the party leaders. “Our own party man holding position in the office had been attacked when our own party was in power in the state,” he said as he appeared quite disturbed.

Division 4 SHO Surinder Pal said he had not received any complaint from either side. “I think they have reported the matter to senior police officials.” SP Kalia said he was still in the process of getting the statements recorded.

Deputy Mayor Tangri denied the allegation that he was carrying a pistol. “It is a concocted story. I had to protect myself by hiding in the toilets,” he said.

Jalandhar, February 4
Jalandhar is still struggling to recover the amount, which was erroneously allocated to ‘non-existent’ beneficiaries across the district, under different Social Security Schemes.

It is learnt that the office of the District Social Security Officer has recovered only a meager part of this amount, the total of which runs into crores.

According to sources, an amount of nearly Rs 1.4 crore was transferred to the names of those beneficiaries, who died before drawing the amount.

Nearly 4,400 beneficiaries were found ‘non-existent’, under whose names this financial assistance was continually being transferred by the department for months.

Ironically, the department has recovered an amount of only Rs 16 lakh in the recovery campaign, which was started through the channel of Block Development Project Officers across the district.

In September, Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar admitted, in a meeting with the Chief Minister, that a gross error exists in the disbursement of amount under social security schemes in the district.

He admitted in the meeting that nearly 3,500 such cases exist in the Jalandhar district alone.

“It is the duty of the sarpanch of the particular village to inform us about the expired person. We have no such mechanism of our own to single out such cases. However, we can’t say that this amount has been embezzled. It is still in the accounts of sarpanches. The recovery process will take some time to gain momentum. Till now, we have recovered around Rs 16 lakh,” said District Social Security Officer, Karnail Singh.

It is pertinent to mention here that authorities in this office failed to ascertain for how long the transfer, of payment had been taking place, to the names of the deceased persons.

Currently, the Department of Social Security provides financial assistance to aged persons, widows and destitute females, dependent children and disabled persons.

Apart from these schemes, the department also disburses financial assistance under two different national schemes for widows and disabled children. At present there are nearly 1.2 lakh beneficiaries of these schemes in the district.

Gurdaspur, February 4
Notwithstanding tall claims made from time to time by the health authorities, residents of the Sadar police station’s residential colony are irked over the fact that they have to drink contaminated water, following which at least five police employees have been detected with Hepatitis-C.

There are as many as 119 flats in the colony and nearly all occupants complain that they had to do with unhygienic and heavily polluted water due to which their health suffered.

Sources claim that five cops living in the colony have got themselves treated at Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for Hepatitis-C. They are Kultar Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Daljit Singh and Sohan Lal (all head constables) and Joginder Pal (constable). All these employees work at the Sadar Police station.

An inmate revealed that ever since the colony was established in the early eighties, no repair work has ever been ever carried out in the water supply pipes. Many of these pipes, which bring water to flats of the employees, are broken due to which water becomes contaminated. Claimed Ranjeet Kaur, wife of Kultar Singh, “The entire colony is in the grip of water borne diseases. We have stopped complaining to the authorities concerned as they simply refuse to pay heed to our grievances. My husband remained in the hospital for six months and was treated for Hepatitis-C. There is nobody who is willing to give us a hearing. We are at the mercy of insensitive officers of the police and Health Department.” However, the Police and Health Department officials, whom the residents squarely blame for their water-related woes, have a different story to narrate. Gurdaspur SSP Lok Nath Angra claims that he was aware of the problem and had sought funds for the purpose of supplying clean drinking water to the colony’s inmates. He added that he had called a meeting of these police officials’ families last month to discus the issue, but barring two women, no one bothered to attend the meeting.

“I have taken up the issue with the local Water Supply Department and things are being sorted out. I do not know why the residents say that we are not bothered. We are doing everything we can and have also got a new tube-well installed,” he claimed.

The Civil Surgeon could not be contacted but the District Health Officer Dr. Ram Lal said he was not aware of the problem and added that the residents of the colony had contacted neither him or any other officials in his department. He added that he would be sending teams tomorrow to the colony and Health Department officials will also collect water samples, which will be sent for Bacteriological examination. Till the sample reports flow in, harried residents have no option except drinking the unclean water.

Pathankot, February 4
The police has booked three persons in connection with suicide committed by consuming some poisonous substance by a married woman, Vandhna, under section 304-B of the IPC here today.

SP Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said a case was registered on the complaint of Romesh Kumar a resident of Dasuya and father of the deceased.

In his complaint he alleged that his daughter Vandhna was married to Gaurav, a taxi driver, resident of Dheera, near Pathankot, five years ago. He further alleged that Gaurav and his parents were demanding Rs 1 lakh to purchase a car to be used as a taxi.

He said that after he expressed his inability to pay the amount they started harassing his daughter.

Virk said a case had been registered against Gaurav, mother-in-law Sarso Devi and father-in-law Kishori Lal.

The police has handed over the body of Vandhna after conducting a post-mortem examination to her parents, who took it to Dasuya for cremation.