 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Still uncovered: Manholes at Civil Hospital
Hospital officials play passing the buck When contacted, Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Yashpal Mehta said Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr US Sooch was the right person to contact for a comment. However, despite repeated attempts, Dr Sooch did not respond to telephone calls.
Ludhiana, February 1 One of the employees of the Civil Hospital said the manholes were lying uncovered for months and the hospital authorities were indifferent to the safety of patients, attendants and hospital staff. The manholes near the mortuary are not visible in the dark and can be dangerous for the hospital employees as well as people visiting the hospital. Due to insufficient lighting in some parts of the hospital, the chances of people slipping in the uncovered manhole are more. The Civil Hospital has a monthly collection of Rs 4 to 5 lakh from the OPD fee, medico-legal examination and laboratory investigations and the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) is entitled to use
40 per cent of this amount for purchasing medicines, necessary equipment and maintenance of infrastructure, sources said. Interestingly, the hospital building is renovated from time to time but the hospital authorities have ignored the open manholes. Senior doctors at the hospital said the area adjoining the hospital, including Fieldganj, Kidwai Nagar and PUDA ground are a safe heaven for the drug addicts who frequent the hospital premises to steal the iron lids of manholes. Each cover is sold for Rs 400 to Rs 500, the amount sufficient for them to buy strips of psychotropic drugs. However, another senior official of the hospital said that replacing the iron lids of manholes with the cemented ones could be an ideal answer to the repeated thefts.
|
|
|
MC gets back on its feet, ensures all manholes are covered
Ludhiana, February 1 The Tribune had highlighted the issue of the open manholes by printing pictures of potential deathtraps in these columns today. On Tuesday officials of the MC’s operations & maintenance branch passed strict orders to their staff to ensure all manholes were covered. The MC staff was quick to follow their bosses’ instructions and went around the city to make sure none of the manholes highlighted by the paper was left uncovered. Though the MC officials asserted that they would ensure that no manhole remain uncovered in the coming days however it is yet to be seen that how effectively the MC conducts the drive. In another significant development, VP Singh, superintendent engineer in the operations & maintenance wing, asked all executive engineers in his section to personally monitor manholes in the areas under their jurisdiction at least once every fortnight to ensure all were properly covered. He also asked subdivisional officers to deploy more staff to check whether any manhole cover was broken. “It’s their duty to not only ensure manholes are effectively monitored daily but also report any discrepancy to senior officials’, Singh said. He also warned all officials if any mishap due to open manholes in their area was reported in future they would be “made accountable” for it. |
|
Trees, poles in middle of road deathtraps
Lurking Danger Although casualties resulting from motorists crashing into trees and electricity poles account for only one per cent of the total number of road accidents in the city, they are one of the biggest traffic hazards with about 300 accidents reported in 2010. A young boy died after the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a tree on a street in the Model Town market. Many more incidents like these are not reported. — Kamaljeet Soi, a traffic
expert Killer stretch There are about 150 electricity poles in the middle of a 6 km stretch of Humbran Road,beginning from the old courts chowk to the Haibowal dairy complex. The poles pose a grave risk to the lives of commuters, especially at
night.
Ludhiana, February 1 A survey conducted by municipal corporation additional commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar on this serious traffic menace reveals there are around 2,000 poles and trees that
pose a danger to those travelling on the city’s streets. In her report she stated there were about 1,500 electricity poles, 200 telephone poles and 300 trees in the middle of the roads, which were creating a major traffic hazard. Waking up after the death of a seven-year-old boy who slipped into an open manhole two days ago, the administration is now planning to remove the risky poles and trees, a move they have never thought about all these years. The worst part is that the administration has not even bothered to place warning signboards on these trees and poles, as a result of which is a considerable number of road accidents take place due to it resulting into the death of the residents. Moreover, the administration has never cared to compile separate records of deaths caused trees and poles standing in the middle of roads, which are also a major cause of traffic congestion in the city. When contacted Brar said: “We understand the value of human life and that is why the administration is now keen to find some solution for this major problem. The deputy commissioner will soon convene a meeting to resolve the issue”. |
|
Checking menace of naked wires
According to the data available from the Fire Fighting Staff of the Municipal Corporation (MC), more than 80 per cent incidents of fire reported in the city take place due to the short circuit of electric wires. The result of which is that a big loss of life and property of residents takes place every year. Unfortunately, the administrative authorities have turned a blind eye towards the threat posed to the human life due to the web of loose high-tension wires. Wires with naked joints could be seen in the whole city but there is no remedy for it with the administrative officials. Assuming that no action would take place in this regard, residents have stopped complaining about it to the authorities. Though the problem is persistent in whole of the city and even these type wires could be seen in posh areas like Model Town, Ghumar Mandi, Sarabha Nagar and other areas, the worst affected areas are the inner areas of the city where due to the narrow lanes these wires are posing a serious threat to the life of residents. Apart from short-circuit, cases of deaths due to electric shocks in these areas from these wires have also been reported. But all these incidents have failed to evoke reaction from the authorities, who have never bothered to take action for redressing this grievance of residents. A visit to the inner areas like Pindi Gali, Meena Bazaar, Kitaab Bazaar, Saraafan Bazaar, Talaab Bazaar, Chaura Bazaar, Niggar Mandi and other commercial hubs of the city depicts sheer negligence of the administrative authorities in dealing with this threat to human life. Working under threat, residents of these areas feel that the authorities would only wake up when some serious mishap in their area takes place. An unfortunate thing is that even complaints made by the elected representatives of the areas have failed to evoke any response from the authorities. |
|
Girl abducted by fiancé after wedding called off
Ludhiana, February 1 The two were to get married on February 11. The family members of the girl, a schoolteacher, had snapped the ties following reports that the groom's past was “objectionable”, leaving him angry. Not able to bear the insult at being rebuffed, the groom and his aides allegedly came to her house, picked her up forcibly and sped away. Police sources said when the girl’s family got to know about the groom they told the latter’s relatives they would put the wedding on hold for some time since the girl's brother was coming to the city from Australia. Following this, the groom and his family members came to her home today but the negotiations turned into arguments and finally an altercation. This led to the abduction of the girl, who has MA and BEd degrees, while the members were left to witness the entire scene helplessly. The girl’s family then complained to the Simlapuri police, which filed a case under sections 365, 342, 506 & 427 of the IPC against the kidnappers. Several police teams were dispatched to various areas of the city. However, the cops have not been able to locate the girl till the filing of the report. Two people have been rounded up in the case. Talking to The Tribune, the girl's father, Raghbir Singh, who run a school near ITI, said: “We got suspicious last night when the boy's family members said they had bought a house for Rs 75 lakh yesterday. ‘We couldn’t believe this as they had earlier told us the boy was still a greenhorn in business and wasn’t doing very well. We then decided to call off the relationship to buy some time.” ‘‘The boy's mother and sister came to us in the morning and wanted to know the reason for the delay. They got angry and called their relatives on phone. Their relatives including the groom and his friends came in three cars and three motorbikes, argued with them, injured my elder-son-in-law, abducted the girl and took her away, ’’ he said. The alliance was effected through a matrimonial in a newspaper. |
|
Man stabbed to death
Ludhiana, February 1 Manjinder Singh, SHO of the area, said Gurmeet Singh was a resident of Karnail Singh Nagar and was in property business. His office was near Canal, Rode Phatak here. Last night, the victim told his family members that he was going to meet someone and would be back soon. But he did not return home. "This morning, his body was spotted by the area councillor, who informed the police and later family members were informed. Investigations are on and we are waiting for the post-mortem report," said Manjinder Singh, adding that Gurmeet Singh was under depression. |
Replacement of naked cables
Ludhiana, February 1 According to PSPCL chief engineer (Central zone) PS Gill, the plan, to be executed in phases within next five years, has been chalked out with the help of a consultancy agency after conducting feasibility surveys of the areas to be covered under the plan. “We propose to replace loose HT and LT cables throughout the old city and other congested localities with aerial bunch cables. Approximately 40 per cent of 900 kilometers of HT cables and 33 per cent of 1,500 kilometers of LT cables will be replaced with aerial bunch cables. In addition to this, capital maintenance of dangling cables will be carried out to avert any untoward incident,” he added. The project, Gill added, also envisaged removal of all overhanging cables and those laid underground in several upmarket commercial hubs like Feroze Gandhi market, Sarabha Nagar market, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar market, Model Town market and Dugri market. “Funds for the project will be provided by the Central government as a long-term loan. If PSPCL is able to cut down its transmission and distribution losses to half (from 20 to 10 per cent) on completion of the project, 50 per cent of the funding will be converted into a grant and the balance into a soft loan,” he added. In order to overcome space constraint for putting new transformers to improve the power supply in the anterior areas of the city, PSPCL proposes to make use of package (compact) transformers and 33 KV transmission system, which are relatively new concepts and are yielding better results, the chief engineer said.
|
|
Power corpn to shift 1,000 poles
Ludhiana, February 1 The chief engineer of PSPCL (Central zone) said this issue was discussed at length in a meeting with Deputy Commissioner, Police Commissioner and Municipal Commissioner yesterday. “In a joint survey conducted by the Municipal Corporation and the traffic police, about 1, 000 electric poles, which were obstructing the flow of traffic, have been identified. These have been termed as potential hazards for motorists and other road users. The Municipal Corporation has agreed in principle to pay Rs 50 lakh to PSPCL for shifting the poles,” he added. Attributing the problem of electric poles standing right in the middle of roads at certain places, or else transformers causing hindrance in smooth flow of the traffic in the city, to poor planning or lack of coordination between departments concerned, Gill cited examples of two roads - Gurdev Hospital Road and Magnet resort Road in Barewal- which were widened and carpeted only after the electric poles and transformers were shifted. Although the chief engineer did not say it in so many words, but obviously top brass of the administration had swung into action after the tragic death of a child after he fell into an open manhole on Sunday.
|
|
Mother’s lone battle to find son!
Sunita said her life had never been smooth. She and her husband, who hail from Bihar, came to the city almost three decades ago. Her husband left the family, when her sons were small, to become a saint. He started living alone in temples and footpaths. Sunita raised both of sons on her own. Both of them were working in different hosiery units here. “My elder son and Prabhat (the one who left the house) differed with each other on some issue. The elder one slapped the younger brother. I tried to intervene but both of them refused to listen to me. Prabhat left the house with a pledge never to return. I tried to stop him, waited throughout the night but he never returned,” said Sunita while tears rolled down her cheeks. She visited the police station. There she was told that a case would be registered against her elder son as well. “But I don’t want that. I have already lost one son. I can’t afford to lose another one. For the past one-and-a-half month, I have not slept. I keep on standing at the door hoping that my son will return. At least he should have come once to clear things. Everything happened over a minor issue. No one can imagine my plight,” said Sunita Rani. Since then, she has been visiting Prabhat’s friends with his picture, but nobody has provided any clue. “Maybe Prabhat has stopped them from telling anything about him. But they should realize my pain and tell me where my son is”, she added.
|
|
Torn between teaching and census duty
Ludhiana, February 1 Schoolteachers have been threatened with up to three years of imprisonment in case they failed to report for the Census duty. Such notices have been issued to schools which have been asked to make teachers available for the Census duty. It is also becoming difficult for school managements for spare 15-20 teachers for this duty. Requesting anonymity, a private school principal said she had been asked to spare 15 teachers for the census duty. "It is impossible for us to spare 15 teachers. They already have their hands full as annual examinations are round the corner. Now they have to devote extra hours after for the census work after school," she said. Another government schoolteacher said they leave their homes at 8 am. "Now we will have to collect data for census which means I will get free late in the evening. My home and kids will be neglected. Who will teach my kids back home who will be appearing for their exams in March?" she questioned. She said the census department should outsource the work. Paramjit Kaur, principal, BCM Public School, said the department had asked for 20 teachers. "Our teachers will be rendering their services for Census-2011. It is our national duty and if we fail to do it, someone else will do it. Since we are responsible citizens, we should understand our duty. I accommodate the teachers when they have to go for meetings and workshops for the same. Since the work of collecting data will be carried after school hours, it will not affect students," she said.
|
|
Mystery shrouds doc’s death in Haridwar
Ludhiana, February 1 Giving details about the incident, SHO Division Number 4 Devinder Kumar said the daughter of Dr Ashok Sabharwal had approached the police today and had raised doubt that her step-mother Parveen had killed her father when both had gone to Haridwar recently to attend some religious function. The SHO further added that the body had been sent to Civil Hospital for post-mortem, which will be conducted tomorrow. "The post-mortem report will tell if there is some foul play or it was a natural death. We are waiting for the report. Since the incident took place in Haridwar, case will be registered there only. We will send the necessary documents accordingly," said Devinder Kumar. Parveen, 47, the second wife of Dr Sabharwal, told Ludhiana Tribune that it was a natural death. "My husband was suffering from cold and congestion. In Haridwar, he complained that he did not feel comfortable. I immediately took him to a hospital, where he died a natural death," said Parveen, adding that her husband's daughter Priya, 26, (from his first wife) was a simple girl, but was doing everything at the behest of her maternal grand-parents. "Otherwise, we share a good rapport, there is no problem. She was married before I got married to her father. I fail to understand why she is raising doubts against me," said Parveen. It may be mentioned that Dr Sabharwal had married Parveen on May 31, 2010. Parveen was divorced after her first marriage when Dr Sabharwal married her.
|
|
Cycle prices up by Rs 65
Ludhiana, February 1 “Cycle is the only vehicle we can afford but now it is also getting out of our reach. A few days ago I enquired about the cycle prices but when today I went to buy the same I was told more than what I had enquired earlier,” said Ram Lal, who works as a labourer. With the cost of steel, rubber, nickel, zinc and copper increasing the cycle manufacturers have been left with no other options but to increase the price of bicycles. “The input cost of bicycles has increased by nearly Rs 100. Cycle manufacturing companies have asked us to increase the price by Rs 65 and another increase is expected in 15 days,” said a cycle trader at Gill market. Since the bicycle companies don’t want to put burden on customers so that have planned to increase the price in two shifts. The basic model which costs around Rs 2,400 earlier are now available at Rs 2,475, including VAT, while by February 15 the prices will be increased by another Rs 40 to Rs 50.
|
|
Slow recovery of arrears & taxes
Ludhiana, February 1 To review the collection of taxes and pending arrears according to the budget estimates set by the civic body, MC Commissioner AK Sinha had convened a meeting of all branches to review their recovery. But he was surprised to notice that against their budget target of Rs 90 crore, the House tax branch had collected only Rs 50 crores and the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) branch has collected Rs 10 crore against their set target of Rs 35 crore. Irked over the slow pace of recovery, the MC Commissioner asked his staff to expedite the recovery process but his staff told him that it was helpless due to the undue interference of the politicians. They said every time they go out for recovery, residents having contacts with politicians of both ruling alliance and the opposition create pressure on them to leave the recovery. Even sources revealed that some of the staff members also rued that politicians use rough language against them and warn them of dire consequences if they recover the tax due to which they have to leave the drive. Officials of the O&M branch also rued that they were not having the adequate number of vehicles with them due to which their field staff faced a lot of problems in carrying out the recovery drive. Assuring them that he would look into the matter, the Commissioner asked them to concentrate on the collection of the taxes so that more income could be generated for the civic body.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Ludhiana, February 1
Ludhiana, February 1