Jalandhar, September 14
To meet international standards and to serve general public more efficiently, the Arms Licensing Branch of the city police has got the ISO Certificate.

The 9001:2008 Certificate is most known and acceptable standard in more than 200 countries and enables an organisation to develop plans, set goals, make measurable objectives, check and validate its procedures and work in a corporate manner.

The Arms Licensing Branch of the city Police Commissionerate was made operational in a short time and the branch was formally inaugurated by the Director-General of Police, Punjab, on May 26.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Gaurav Yadav, in a press note said in pursuance of this aspiration, the city police had implemented the system to make procedures and plans by way of a comprehensive manual.

The data application software was successfully applied and pilot testing for four months was carried out under the expert and professional guidance of a charted accountant (CA).

Yadav said a team of management experts of International Business Certifications (IBC) was got associated followed by an application to a certifying agency. Two stage inspections were carried out by a team of experts for finding facts as per ISO 9001:2008 standards.

After complete satisfaction as per the laid down standards, further fine-tuning of the procedures was carried out and implemented. After carrying out closure of non-conformance (NC), suggestion for areas for improvement (AFI) and subsequently showing of work culture and transparency, the Arms Licensing Branch of the Commissionerate of Police, Jalandhar, achieved the standards of ISO 9001:2008 certification and was awarded with the certificate, he claimed.

Jalandhar, September 14
Hundreds of Rural Medical Officers (RMO) working in dispensaries run by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj are at loggerheads with the department over the newly introduced mode of payment to the class IV employees of the dispensaries.

As per the orders, it was decided that the department would pay the salary of Rs 2,500 directly to the class IV employees. As of now, doctors are appointing and paying their subordinate staff on their own discretion.

Over 1000 doctors employed in such health centres across the state were ordered to create and provide bank accounts of class IV employees working under them.

However, the doctors are reluctant to open separate accounts for class IV employees and are citing a reason that it was not possible to smoothly run the dispensaries by appointing just a single class IV employee.

Dr Aslam Parvez, State President, Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), said by using this amount, doctors engage the gardener, sweeper, attendant and a messenger on temporary basis and nature of work assigned to them varies.

“Although the authorities want us to appoint a single person as a class IV employee and to open account on his or her name, how far is it possible for a single person to perform all such duties,” said Dr Parvez.

He claimed that the extent of the confrontation can be gauzed from the fact that the department has blocked the latest salary of the doctors in some districts of the state.

“The contract signed between doctors and the department is silent regarding the appointment of class IV employees in the dispensaries.

The contract only stated that the doctor would be responsible for the sanitation, cleanliness and maintenance of the dispensaries,” said Dr Pervinder Kaur, General Secretary, RMSA, Jalandhar unit.

Gurdev Singh Sidhu, Director, Rural Development, was not available for comments. Jatinder Tung, Deputy Director, said the department was firm on its decision and officials would try to persuade the doctors in this regard.

Meanwhile, some of the district units of the RMSA have decided not to pay to any of the subordinate staff until the government revoke the decision.

Jalandhar, September 14
They say how one maintains his office room and gets its interior done up is a reflection of one’s personality and traits.

It actually seems so if we look around and peep into the rooms of various local officers. A feminist by approach, Sarojini Gautam Sharda, ADC (Development), has put up various colourful paintings on women issues such as female foeticide and domestic violence in her office room.

Ask her and the PCS officer will fondly tell you, “I have taken these paintings from an old wall calendar. I found them all very telling and got them framed and put up in my room.” The lady officer is often seen taking a stand on any feminist issue. She tells, “Whenever a lady sarpanch comes to meet me with her husband or father-in-law, I insist that only the lady should speak while others should keep mum. That is a subtle way of promoting women empowerment.”

Kulwinder Singh, SE (B&R), Municipal Corporation, has an aquarium in one of the corners of his office room. In fact, it has been a permanent feature of his room ever since he joined the post some three-four years back. The officer makes it a point to keep on adding new fish in the aquarium since these have a very short life. “Watching the swift, quiet moves of fish has a deep, long-lasting impact on one’s psyche,” he strongly believes.

The office of Rahul Gupta, Joint Commissioner, MC, has put up landscape paintings done up by a local artist. An officer with an aesthetic taste, he has got wooden panelling done, especially for his room. Palm tree pots line up his office balcony.

The spacious office of Parveen Kumar, former Chief Administrator, Jalandhar Development Authority, was packed with the most sophisticated and modern gadgets. His office room had a big plasma screen TV, a fridge stacked with tetrapacks of lassi and juices and a computer system. The officer was so cleanliness savvy that he did not let a speck of dust or biscuit crumbs remain on his table. Ever since he got elevated as an IAS officer and left this office, the room and the gadgets have been lying unattended.

On the contrary, the politicians it seems have their own tastes and intentions. Kamaljit Bhatia, Senior Deputy Mayor, has put up a dozen odd photographs in his room. Majority of these pictures include those in which he is seen garlanded by senior SAD leaders on the first day in his office.

Likewise, people holding various political posts have put up bold photographs of the leaders of their party in their offices. Gurcharan Singh Channi, president, District Planning Committee, and Baljit Singh Neelamahal, Chairman, Jalandhar Improvement Trust, are a few among the lot.

Jalandhar, September 14
The North Zone Insurance Employees Association (NZIEA) has deiced to hold its triennial conference at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall here from September 19 to 21.

More than 600 delegates and observers from across the states of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab will participate. This was informed by Surjit Ram, representative of the association.

Among others, the conference would be addressed by Deepankar Mukherjee, member of Parliament, Amanulla Khan, president, AIIEA, K. Venugopal, secretary, AIIEA, and A.K. Bhatnagar, general secretary of the association.

He said the open session of the conference would commence on September 14, which would be attended by more than 1,200 employees from the insurance as well as other departments.

Besides the issues pertaining to insurance employees, the conference would also hold threadbare deliberations on neo-liberal policies, which are resulting in high inflation, unemployment and social unrest.

The conference would also chalk out the strategies to defeat the moves of the government to dismantle the public insurance sector through the Insurance Law (Amendment) Bill-2008 and LIC (Amendment) Bill-2009, he added.

Kapurthala, September 14
Loans amounting to Rs 16.61 crore sanctioned under different retail schemes of Punjab National Bank (PNB) as well as under agricultural credit schemes sanctioned by 31 branches of the bank in this district were disbursed to nearly 350 beneficiaries on Monday.

The PNB disbursed the loans at a mega retail credit camp at Virsa Vihar here. Retail schemes like housing, education, loans against IP, loan against pensions and agricultural schemes were covered in the function.

Presiding over the function, General Manager S.S. Bhatia said the PNB was presently conducting a business of Rs 4,42,545 crore in nearly 4,800 branches across the country.

PNB circle head DGM R.R.P. Sharda informed the gathering about housing, education and other retail credit schemes of the bank.

Jalandhar, September 14
The pensioners of the Central Government can heave a sigh of relief as the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare has launched a site for quick disposal of their grievances under an e-governance project.

The department has called for support of certain pensioner associations across the country as partners in popularisation of the pensioners’ portal to help them lodge their grievances online and know the status of their complaints.

V.S. Jolly, editor of Pensioner’s Friend, said the journal’s office at Naya Bazaar would offer free service daily for two hours between 11 am and 1 pm. He said even the pensioners of the armed forces would be able to avail themselves of the service.

Jalandhar, September 14
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked WWICS to pay Rs 3,09,900 to a local youth, who had applied for a business visa for Czech Republic through the firm, but with no positive result.

In his complaint, Manpreet Singh, a resident of Sat Kartar Nagar, said he is plus two pass and had contacted the WWICS office for going to the Czech Republic for business purpose on a business visa.

An agreement was signed between him and WWICS and another one with Global Strategic Business Consultancy (GSBC), after which he was allotted a contract number.

He said he paid a sum of Rs 40,000, on September 29, 2008, through cheque. He said he was also asked for a sum of 5,200 US dollars, equivalent to Rs 2,71,900.

He said he was assured that the complete processing for business immigration to Czech would be completed in five to six months.

He said he was told that a company in Czech had been applied to in his name and that he would soon get a business visa. He said WWICS had also undertaken the entire responsibility for the registration of the company, bank accounts etc.

He alleged that instead of giving him a certificate of registration, he was asked to pay up more amount beyond the agreed upon contract amount.

The counsel for WWICS said the complainant was totally uncooperative as he had failed to submit a duly signed and attested power of attorney document for onward submission and a second installment.

“On August 25, 2009, he submitted application for refund, which amounted to voluntary withdrawal. As per a clause of the contract, he was not entitled for any refund, it being a case of a voluntary withdrawal,” the reply was filed.

The forum, presided over by AK Sharma, said the WWICS could not be exonerated of the delay, which entitled the complainant of an amount of Rs 30,000 from the retainer fee of Rs 40,000.

The forum further found that no contract of engagement containing terms and conditions had been produced by the WWICS which projected the GSBC to provide the services to the complainant for settlement of his business venture. “It appears that WWICS had received the amount purporting to be an agent of GSBC under misrepresentation and later on, to avoid his liability, the said company was not made a party. Therefore, we hold WWICS also liable to refund the amount of Rs 2,71,900”, the forum pronounced, also adding up compensation and costs of Rs 8,000 payable in a month’s time.

In another complaint, Amrik Singh and his wife Pritpal Kaur, residents of Basti Danishmandan, said they had contacted the WWICS branch office for applying PR in Canada from August 25 to 27 last year. They said they were advised to apply on the basis of blood relations.

On September 2, 2009, they said they deposited Rs 30,000 in favour of WWICS. They said they were told that since they fulfilled all conditions for application, they would surely get mail. Two days later, they said they were shocked to receive a mail from the branch office of the company saying that they were not eligible and that they should try for student visa application.

The couple said they contacted the Jalandhar office of the company to apply for student visa, which was refused. The counsel for the company said since the complainants failed to fulfill the requirement and furnish the documents, it was a case of voluntary abandonment for which there is no refund. It also found that the company representatives had given very conflicting statements on grant of PR. It has directed WWICS to refund the consultancy fee of Rs 30,000 with compensation and costs of Rs 10,000. 

Jalandhar, September 14
A call from the Chandigarh Police was a major shock to a Model House resident, Sharda Devi, when it asked her to join investigation in a case involving a Zen car.

Shockingly, the Chandigarh Police gave reference of her car (PB-08V-8182), involved in a road accident in Chandigarh, which Sharda Devi had handed over to an insurance company almost nine and a half years ago after it met with an accident on the Kala Sanghia road in December, 2000.

The car was registered with the DTO office in Jalandhar and a case was also registered with Division No 5 police station in this regard.

The car was a total loss and even the owner handed over the salvage (totally damaged vehicle with registration number) to the insurance company, National Insurance Company, at its office located in Patel Chowk.

Talking to the Tribune, Sharda Devi claimed that the car was hit by an unidentified vehicle from behind, following which it rammed into a stationary tractor-trailer, resulting in total damage to the vehicle. She had submitted a claim for the car to the insurance company. An employee of the company prepared a survey report and recommended a claim of Rs 1.20 lakh to Sharda Devi. She claimed that the company paid the claim of the totally damaged car to her.

To prove that she was not having any link with the car (that met with an accident in Chandigarh in June/July, 2010), Sharda Devi approached the company’s office in Jalandhar, but was disappointed when the company Branch Manager replied, “We tried to trace the policy, but could not do so.”

She applied for information under the RTI Act from Punjab National Bank’s circle office at Civil Line about the records of her bank account, No 3511000100102002 (old No 10200), in which the claim money of Rs 1.20 lakh was credited.

While providing information, the information officer of the bank said, “We are to inform you that the requisite record is not available with us as the same has since been destroyed being old record”

Jalandhar, September 14
Members of the JCI Jalandhar Gurlz have decided to observe a “no-horn hour” from 1 pm to 2 pm tomorrow to draw the attention of the general public towards the ill-effects of noise pollution.

The initiative is aimed at encouraging the residents not to honk at least during one hour.

Talking to The Tribune, JCI Jalandhar Gurlz president Kajel Chopra and convener Vandita Jain said they had decided to observe “no-horn hour” on Wednesday as the general public as well as the authorities concerned were least bothered about noise pollution as compared to water and air pollution.

Echoing their sentiments, ENT specialist Dr Sanjeev Sharma said the public was not really aware of the ill-effects of noise pollution, including excessive honking and unnecessary use of horns.

Also, the president of the Jalandhar unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr Sharma told The Tribune, “If a person hears 80 decibel noise almost regularly, he starts suffering from nerve loss in the inner ear and his hearing cells start becoming dead gradually. Initially, the problem is indicated by a continual ringing sensation in the ear which is considered as a warning for permanent loss of hearing.”

Kajel and Vandita said they and members of their team were requesting the people to observe the no-horn hour by meeting them personally, sending them SMSes and putting up hoardings at several public places.

Joyous over the response from the public, the representatives of the JCI Jalandhar Gurlz said the no-horn hour would mark conclusion of the celebrations of JAYCEE Week which they had been observing since September 9.

Dr Sharma further stated “The pressure horn generates as much as 120 decibel noise which may cause immediate temporary hearing loss.” The ENT specialist said, “The people who work in factories where machines make too much noise and people from the younger generation who listen to music with the help of ear phones are vulnerable to hearing loss.”

Excessive noise might also cause regular headache, high blood pressure and, in some cases, heart attack and brain haemorrhage, said experts.

Jalandhar, September 14
A two-day national conference on “Recent advances in green, eco-friendly and sustainable chemistry”, RAGES-2010, was organised by the Department of Chemistry, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, here on September 10 and 11.

The conference was inaugurated by Dr A.S. Brar, Vice-Chancellor, GND University, Amritsar.

Prof Subodh Kumar, Head, Chemistry Department, GND University, Amritsar, was the guest of honour. Dr S. Sarkar of IIT, Kanpur, delivered the keynote address on the first day of the conference. Dr R.K. Mahajan, Dr S.S. Chimni, Dr Satinder Kaur of GND University, Amritsar, and Dr K.A. Suri of IIIM, Jammu, were the other speakers.

On the second day of the conference, Baba Sukhjit Singh, an associate and representative of Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal was the guest of honour. Dr K.N. Kaul, Principal, DAV College, Amritsar, Dr A.P. Vig of the Department of Botanical and Environmental Science, GND University, Amritsar, Dr B.S. Kaith of the NIT, Jalandhar, and Dr A.K. Chakraborty of NIPER, Mohali, were the main speakers.

Thirtyfive contributory papers were presented in the conference in form of oral and poster presentation. Academicians, industrial engineers and research fellows from various institutions attended the conference.

Approximately 200 delegates from different institutes from North India attended the conference. Bhupinder Kaur, Head of Department of Chemistry, thanked the guests resource persons and delegates from different institutions. Dr Rekha Kalia Bhardwaj, Principal, congratulated the Chemistry Department for the success of the conference.

Jalandhar, September 14
In light of incidents of attack on churches in Malerkotla and Srinagar, Bishop of Diocese of Jalandhar Anil Couto today appealed to the people of the minority communities of Christians and Muslims to maintain peace and not resort to any violent protests.

The Bishop said this while addressing a press conference at Bishop House. He said the International Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue at Vatican City had also condemned the communal attacks. He appealed for maintaining a cordial atmosphere while fostering unity and brotherhood among people of various communities.

Security beefed up near churches

Phagwara: Taking preventing measures in view of Malerkotla violence, the Phagwara Police has deputed teams near churches. People have been appealed to maintain peace and communal harmony in the area. — OC

Jalandhar, September 14
The state secretariat of the Communist Party Marxist (CPM) has criticised the repression unleashed by the government on the ETT teachers while they were going to Amritsar to hold a rally for their genuine demands.

State secretary Mangat Ram Pasla in a press note here today said this was a mockery of the slogan “Raj nahin sewa”, the much publicised phrase regarding the governance of the SAD-BJP government.

He pointed out that these repressive measures were natural results of the persuasion of policies of imperialist globalisation being implemented by the SAD-BJP government in the state and UPA government in the Centre.

Pasla called upon various sections of society fighting for their genuine demands to be part of the joint movements being waged by workers, peasants and employees.

Jalandhar, September 14
The department of extramural activities, DAV College, has organised the 10th National Youth Parliament. It was sponsored by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, under the scheme of national youth parliament competition in universities and colleges throughout the country. As many as 19 universities and colleges, including DAV College, participated in the activity.

The aim of the activity was to enable the student community to understand the working of parliamentary institutions.

In the event, 70 students participated and they tried to create the look of the real Parliament. The students themselves played the role of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Secretary-General, etc.

The issues of price rise, corruption and mismanagement in the organisation of the Commonwealth Games remained the hot issues of debate and discussion.

Jalandhar, September 14
Transport Minister of Punjab Master Mohan Lal today said that huge buses being run by the Municipal Corporations would soon be replaced by 40-seat buses to be run by the Punjab Roadways and the PRTC.

The minister said this during his visit to Kanya Maha Vidyalaya on the occasion of Hindi Diwas celebrations. He said that as many as 690 condemned buses would soon be replaced by a new fleet.

He said that ever since the SAD-BJP government had taken the reins, 200 AC and 25 Volvo buses had started running which helped in bringing down the deficit of Rs 162 crore to Rs 62 crore.

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