Jalandhar, February 25
Seems like the government has turned obdurate, unless pressurised really hard it fails to deliver even basic duties like distributing salaries to its employees on time. This has been true especially in case of teaching faculty. Whether they are aided schoolteachers or those appointed under special schemes, the employees have suffered non-payment of dues from time to time.

Teachers appointed under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) have not received their salaries for the past 10 months now. No, don’t blame it on the global economic crunch and its effect on Punjab, these unfortunate tutors have not been getting their salaries on time for the last five years.

The Ministry of Labour had started the NCLP under which 27 schools were opened in Jalandhar in 2000 for the rehabilitation of child workers. As many as 108 teachers and 27 class-four employees were appointed for the purpose. Earlier kept for a skimpy monthly salary of Rs 800 and 400 respectively, their wages were increased to Rs 1,500 and 800 some months after the launch of the scheme. But the government is finding it hard to give out even that meager amount.

“As if the government has deliberately decided to distribute the salaries after 10 months. Even that is not being done honestly. After such a long wait, all we get is Rs 9,500 instead of Rs 15,000. In these times of escalating inflation, we are feeling miserably helpless. How do we fend our children?” asked Amarjeet Kaur, member of the NCLP Teacher’s Association.

Projecting as determined to stop child labour, the government policies seem to be doing just the opposite. “If our salaries are not increased, and not paid on time, we will be forced to push our children into labour,” said Gurjeet Kaur, adding that their job hours (from 2:30 to 6:30 pm) are such that they cannot even teach somewhere else for supplementing their income.

These unfortunate teachers are being paid only Rs 14.42 per hour for teaching as many as 50 students. When primary school teachers get five years to help a child pass fifth standard, NCLP teachers get only three. They have no summer or winter vacations and are allowed only 12 holidays a year, barring Sundays. “I spend about Rs 20 per day towards transportation, when my daily income stands at Rs 50. How can I run a family in Rs 900 a month? Cannot even buy a month’s stock of sugar and pulses!” said Kanika, a teacher at Basti Danishmandan School.

“While we work harder than government appointed teachers, we are paid scantily. We demand that keeping our 10 years record in mind, the government should appoint us on a regular basis and should increase our salaries to at least Rs 5,000,” said Iqbal Singh, president of the NCLP Teacher’s Association. “If our demands are not met, we will be forced to stop the children from writing the class 5th exams,” he said.

Jalandhar, February 25
Even after the introduction of the police commissionerate system in the state, the new appointees are yet to receive the detailed guidelines on their powers and functioning.

The Punjab Government has introduced the system in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar to broaden the scope of the police by giving the magisterial powers to try offences under various categories.

Talking to The Tribune, the first Commissioner of Police (CP), Jalandhar, Gaurav Yadav, claimed that under the system new and specialist officers would provide better policing in the city.

Besides deployments of additional police force, an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), industrial security, would be appointed. The officer concerned would take up the cases relating to the industrial sector, the CP revealed.

Talking about the hierarchy of the new police setup, Yadav revealed that there would be a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for six Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police (ADCPs). An ADCP (of the rank of the SP) would also be leading a team of Assistant Police Commissioners of the rank of DSPs, he added.

The CP (of the rank of DIG) would directly be reporting to the DGP, while the SSP (Rural) would report to the DIG, Jalandhar.

Yadav claimed that traffic management was his top priority. For the smooth flow of vehicular traffic, the police officers would educate public, especially students and motorists, by organising seminars at different places, including educational institutions and truck unions.

To bridle the defaulters, the “e-challaning” system would be introduced in the coming days. Under this system, the traffic violators could deposit the penalty amount at the spot.

The police would also rope in the Municipal Corporation and Public Works Department (PWD) for smooth traffic regulations in the city. The possibilities of slip roads and alternative approaches would be chalked to ease traffic congestion at various points, he claimed.

Police officers would be trained to nip the simmering troubles. There would be more public-police meeting to make the new system people friendly. The officer had already been directed to solve public problems on priority basis and transparently, the Commissioner of Police claimed.

To keep a close eye on the criminal elements, in the second phase high-tech close-circuit cameras would be installed with the help of the local civic body at various strategic points with a state-of-the-art control room.The police commissionerate system, however, would work with the cooperation of the civil administration, he added.

Jalandhar, February 25
Commuters between Nakodar and Kapurthala will soon be able to use a new route that will cut short their journey by at least half-an-hour.

They will no longer have to take a longer detour via the busy Mahavir Marg and Kapurthala Chowk.

Instead, the recently re-laid 120-feet road and a new skew bridge coming up on the DAV Canal near Master Gurbanta Singh Marg will help them to take the Kapurthala road directly. Those coming from the Nakodar side will be able to enter Model House from the Ravidass Chowk and move on towards the Babu Jagjeevan Ram Chowk to get to the 120-feet road.

Even those coming from the cantonment side will be able to follow the road via Garha Road, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Basti Sheikh and Babrik Chowk.

The new route will further save time as the commuters will be able to avoid the traffic lights on the BMC Chowk, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, Football Chowk and Kapurthala Chowk.

The Municipal Corporation Jalandhar is already in the process of clearing the blocked passage at the tail end of the otherwise wide road and making it four-lane for the smooth movement of traffic.

The construction of the bridge is expected to begin in April after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will lay a foundation stone at the site. The 120-feet road has recently been spruced up with lakhs of rupees spent on its upkeep.

Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia gave the details, “An amount of Rs 35 lakh has been spent on paver work from Babrik Chowk to Babu Jagjeevan Ram Chowk, Rs 58 lakh on construction of footpath, Rs 17 lakh on fancy street lights, Rs 25 lakh on central verge and Rs 10 lakh on plantation of new phycus trees at the centre verge.”

He added that two parks - Freedom fighter Mahant Agya Singh Park and Children Park alongside the road - had added to the beauty of the road.

The area had been full of filth at one point of time. Garbage dumps lined up the area all along, which discouraged people from taking this route. Water logging in the rainy season had further added to the woes of the passersby, which too is being taken care of now. The site, on the whole, presents an all-new clean look. 

Jalandhar, February 25
Apathetic approach of the district health authorities can be gauzed from the fact that two major inquiries ordered by the district Health Department are still hanging fire without giving any sigh of relief to the affected families. Though the constituted committees have conducted all preliminary inquiries, the health authorities are yet to take any action against the employees at fault.

Two major incidents of alleged gross negligence occurred in the Civil Hospital in the past few months, which forced the district administration and health authorities to constitute medical boards and inquiry committees of experts.

An inquiry report pertaining to one such incident, in which two twins were prematurely declared dead by the hospital staff, has already been submitted to the office of Civil Surgeon. The report, which concluded that negligence occurred not due to mismanagement but “misjudgment” was further submitted to the office of Director of Health Services.

Team of experts, on the basis of conducted inquiry, recommended that a fine should be imposed or stern written warning be issued to involved hospital staff. However nothing “stern” has been done yet. Civil Surgeon Dr C.S. Walia is of the view that it is all up to higher authorities to take any action.

“We have conducted the departmental inquiry in the case and forwarded it to the Director, Health Services. Report is still in the Director’s office. We are waiting for the directions from head office,” said Dr Walia.

Decision pertaining to another case of alleged medical negligence, in which one-and-a-half-year-old baby named Sonu died in the neonatal ward of the hospital after alleged negligence of hospital staff, is still pending in the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate.

The baby died due to choking and family members alleged that nobody from the hospital staff paid any heed to the deteriorating condition of the patient. Magisterial probe was ordered and three-member board was constituted to probe the case. However, even after the passage of nearly four months, the district administration has failed to identify the guilty.

“We personally contacted the SDM-I number of times. We were assured that decision would be given within a month. However, the administration has failed to arrive at any concrete decision in the last four months,” said Dhanik Lal, president of the Navyug Samiti Mithla Bihar, who is pursuing the case.

“We met the SDM-I a few days back and he assured that he will give final decision on March 8,” he added.

Meanwhile, SDM-I A.S. Parbhakar could not be contacted, despite repeated attempts.

Jalandhar, February 25
Farmers of 50 villages of the district will prepare 42,000 quintals of improved wheat seed that will be given to others to improve the yield in the next rabi season.

Deputy Commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu said this while presiding over a meeting of the Agriculture Output Committee here yesterday. The seed would be sold to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy so that the cost of the inputs could be reduced.

He said 1.70 lakh hectares had been brought under the cultivation of wheat and the target of procuring 7.57 lakh tonnes of wheat would be achieved this season.

Rs 42 lakh had been earmarked for providing agricultural implements to potato farmers and those working to prepare wheat chaff in the district. The buyers would be given 50 per cent on the purchase of such implements, he added.

As many as 1,920 farmers would be taken to other states on study tours so that they could learn better agricultural practices there, he said.

The DC appealed to the farmers to shun the traditional crops and go in for growing vegetables, oilseeds and flowers. He said farmers who grew fruits, chilly, garlic and flowers were 
being given a subsidy of Rs 20,000 per hectare and horticulturists Rs 22,500 per hectare, he said.

He said the Agriculture Department should organise more awareness camps and act as a facilitator for those who wanted to avail themselves of the benefit of such schemes by obtaining loans from banks and other financial institutions, he added.

Jalandhar, February 25
He strolls in the heat of the waning sun at his favourite evening hangout. Officially it is the locality’s park but more than that, it’s Ustad Lachman Singh Seen’s garden. Most of his hand-planted trees, the doting neighbours and the honours (award) he won from the locality committee for his service to the environment, bear witness to the fact.

Punjab Gharana’s eldest living scion, tabla and sitar stalwart and teacher, Ustad Seen is soon (March) going to Delhi to collect his Sangeet Natak Akademi award, but it is difficult to tell whether that sparkle in his eye comes from  the apprehension of the award or the early spring breeze which makes his plants laugh.

A conversation, and his very person, make us to believe the latter.

The mood is just right, one delights in his speech laced with the wisdom of shlokas and kafis.

He starts off fondly remembering his ustad, Mian Kadir Baksh.

He remembers how he found Fakhru, an acquaintance from Jammu, at the doorstep of his ustad’s home in Lahore one fine day.

He tells us about his effort to convince Mian Kadir Baksh that he was a Hindu and not a Marasi. “He had found my tabla so good, he just assumed I was a Marasi."

The conversation moves on and the 84-year-old tells us a precious tale about Jalandhar's origin.

The tale of Tulsi Vrinda (presently the Tulsi Vrinda Mandir) - the death of Jalandhar rakshas, the curse of Vrinda and the final forgiveness by Lord Vishnu.

Though he is clearly happier telling us about the vyutpatti (derivation) of the taal dhatu, about how taal is “sangeet ka adhar” and about why Narad always saw Vishnu whenever he struck on the strings, the exchange inevitably wanders to the oft-asked, hence boring, but important question. How did it feel to receive the award?

Good. I haven’t swelled up though (smiles). What’s most important for me is that it would give a lot of encouragement to those presently working hard.

Did it come a bit late?

Oh no. I had to get it according to what God had decided. We don’t do it for the awards anyways. Sometimes I think about the fakirs and ascetics, they have no glamour, but are are happier, better off than us. The trouble with today's generation is they want the awards first.

What do you suggest to the upcoming artistes?

Niswarth bhaav se kaam karo. Numbaron ke liye kaam mat karo.

Your future plans?

Main to vahi karunga jo karta raha hun. Sangeet aur baaghbani.

Classic Ustad Seen trivia: Table ke bolon ke matlab kyon nahi hote? Taki bajane vale matlabi aur sangeet se dur na ho jayen. (Why don't the syllables of the tabla have meaning? Because the players don't get mean and away from music.)

Ustad Seen might soon have a documentary made on him by renowned documenter Om Prakash Sarangal.

Jalandhar, February 25
Under the educational tour and excursion programme activity, MGN College of Education organised a 5-day tour to Jim Corbett National Park and Nainital. As man as 41 students and 7 teachers along with the principal Dr Amit Kauts, visited various places in and around the park vicinity. The trip was aimed at making the students aware about the need of wildlife conservation and to know about biodiversity. The trip was also aimed at spreading awareness about the national project ‘Save Tiger’.

Jalandhar, February 25
HDFC Bank, Model Town, and its manager have been found guilty of cheating, fraud and unfair trade practice by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum which has ordered the payment of punitive charges of Rs 50,000 to an NRI, besides Rs 5,000 as cost of litigation.

Jagtar Singh Sian of the UK, through power of attorney vested with Anuradha Hurria of Jalandhar, had lodged a complaint saying that he was holding a savings bank account with the Bank of Punjab which was later merged with Centurion Bank and then again with HDFC Bank.

He said he visited the bank on March 23, 2008, requesting the branch head to issue an FDR for Rs 10 lakh in his name by withdrawing funds lying deposited in the account and again requested for the FDR for Rs 5 lakh.

He said the two cheques were drawn in favour of the bank on March 12 for the issue of Flexi FD.

He said the manager had told him that the FDRs would be generated from the Gurgaon office and would be sent to him in due course. He said he received the FDR of Rs 10 lakh but was shocked to receive one Aviva policy for 11 years with effect from March 31, 2008, with an annual premium of Rs 5 lakh each instead of an FDR for the same amount.

Sian alleged that he had never requested for investment in Aviva or any other insurance company but had simply wanted to invest funds in the FDR. He said he had neither subscribed nor applied for a grant of the policy and had never signed any proposal forms for issue of the policy.

He alleged that the manager and a representative of Aviva Life Insurance colluded for their unlawful gain and misappropriated his funds towards the issue of an insurance policy.

He said he refused to accept the insurance policy and exercised his right to reconsider it within 15 days with a request to cancel it and refund the money. He said though the company was under legal obligation to cancel the policy, Aviva officials deliberately slept over the matter. He said he wrote to the company many times but to no avail.

The forum served notice on HDFC and its manager, but they failed to appear. They were proceeded against ex parte.

Aviva entered into an amicable settlement and on February 5, 2010, tendered the pay order for Rs 5 lakh and another for Rs 53,754, towards interest and full settlement of the claim.

Phagwara, February 25
Though the advisory committee of the municipal amenities, headed by SDM Amarjit Paul, at its meeting on February 22 had instructed the Tehsildar and the Executive Officer of the Nagar Council to remove the illegal encroachments on municipal land in Phagwara subdivision immediately, nothing could be initiated even two days after the issue of instructions. 

When The Tribune team visited the town yesterday afternoon, the illegal encroachments made by shopkeepers dotted the bazaars as usual, which created hurdles for customers passing through the main bazaars. It was found that several shopkeepers had extended their shops up to the middle of the roads. Executive Officer Paramjit Singh said an NC team headed by him and the Tehsildar went to remove the encroachments on Tuesday afternoon, but they saw road blockade on the national highway by some protesters near Rest House Chowk and the team returned without removing any encroachments. He said he was out of the town today and now the campaign could be initiated on Friday.

Meanwhile, some government employees were seen measuring the width of some main bazaars and encroachments made by the people. The EO said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had instructed the government agencies to submit details of encroachments on the national highways, the Phagwara-Banga road and the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road.

Jalandhar, February 25
Given the inflation and wholesale price index riding high, the aam admi hopes for relief in the upcoming budget. Their expectations include price reduction of essential commodities, increase in income tax slab, cheaper higher education, reduction in entertainment tax and VAT. The Tribune spoke to a cross-section of people to find their views:

Zaheen Khan, student: My expectations are simple, nonetheless important. Higher education is getting costlier by the day while job opportunities are shrinking. I expect the government to introduce a concept of central control over the fees that could be charged by any institution for a specific course. Further, interest rates on educational loans should be reduced so that aspiring youth doesn’t lose out due to paucity of funds. Also, the government should give more subsidies on petroleum.

Rajwinder Kaur, staff nurse: Budget is an important even for me as I am a salaried person belonging to a middle-income group. Budget decides our fate in more than one way. Perhaps, a realistic increase in the tax exemption limit will act as our saviour, when escalating prices of food items and increased VAT have marred the purse of common man. Hysterical inflation and static salaries have resulted in mounting expenses while the savings stand at zilch. Also, I expect the Finance Minister to re-introduce the concept of standard deduction to lower the difference between the poor and rich.

Deen Kumar, rickshaw puller: With the inflation going high, 2009 was a real difficult year and 2010 seems to be equally bad. I request the government to look sympathetically towards the country’s poor and provide them with food-products at cheaper rates. It should provide us with free medical treatment, at least in government hospitals. Reduction in bus-fares and cheaper housing for the poor would be very beneficial.

Sukwinder Kaur, homemaker: Since the last year was a bit difficult on the pocket, we have pinned hopes on Pranab Mukherjee to help us tide over the problems by scrapping VAT on food items. Rising prices of essential commodities hit you where it really hurts. So the government should take stiff measures to control the prices of edible oil, sugar, pulses, vegetables and cooking gas. Decrease in entertainment tax would be welcomed.

Ramesh Anand, convener, Khel Udyog Sangh: Being an industrialist, I am quite disappointed with the government policies and its callous attitude towards the trading community. When we’re requesting the government to scrap the VAT on sports industry, it further increased it to 5 per cent. Once catering to international market, we are today left with just no customers. We have no hopes from this government.