Every Wednesday and Friday

Global efforts to raise funds for city orphanage
Jalandhar, May 5
An exclusive 007-themed Christmas bash at the luxurious City Rooms Hotel in Leicester, a Punjabi girl’s sky-diving bout in the UK, an enthusiastic run at the Leicester half marathon, dinner parties in Canada, marathons in Glasgow and recreational activities at Greenford - the one common link to all these events is Unique Home, a quaint little orphanage in Jalandhar.

people in the uk, scotland and canada are running, partying, dancing and diving to generate funds for Unique Home

(From left) Tom Harrigon with orphanage kids in Jalandhar, Ranjit Thaliwal and his friend Kashmir Singh participate at the Leicester half marathon to raise funds for Unique Home; With the girls as an inspiration, Sunny Kaur takes to tandem skydiving.

Upcoming Events: The poster of the dinner to be held at Leicester in May. (Right) Poster of the upcoming Bollywood dance event to be held at Wembley, London.

JIT’s Surya Enclave Extension scheme
Owners to get Rs 1,28,128 per marla for land acquisition
Jalandhar, May 5
In a major headway towards the execution of the proposed 94.97 acre Surya Enclave Extension scheme of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT), the price-fixing committee that held a meeting on Monday finalised the award to the land owners for acquisition purpose at Rs 1,28,128 per marla.

NRI Sabha Bhawan’s staff to shift to new building next week Jalandhar, May 5 After spending years working in an old worn-out building of the NRI Sabha, Punjab, its staff is all set to shift to a newly constructed NRI Sabha Bhawan next week. The state-of-the-art building would be formally inaugurated by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal later.

The newly constructed NRI Bhawan in Jalandhar.

Cut fruits cause health problems No stringent measures by Health Department as yet Jalandhar, May 5 With the summer sun getting brighter and hotter with each passing day, the threat of summer diseases has already begun to torment residents. Chopped fruits displayed in the open and sold by vendors across the city are one of the chief reasons for the health problems.

On a protest path

Members of the Rural Health Pharmacists’ Association raise slogans against the government in Jalandhar. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

BJP protests cops’ inaction in curbing crime
Phagwara, May 5
BJP activists, led by Zila Parishad member Avtar Singh Mand, held a demonstration in front of the police station against the city police for its alleged failure to curb crime and book the miscreants.

Custom-fit knee replacement surgery performed in city
Jalandhar, May 5
A local orthopedic surgeon has introduced the custom-fit knee replacement surgery to the city, probably first in the region too, by successfully operating upon a 60-year-old woman from Hoshiarpur.

Savour Arabian food in city Jalandhar, May 5 Bringing a melange of the Arab world to India, Radisson Hotel in the city has started a special Arab Food Festival. From Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Israel, Egypt and Iraq, the hotel has brought the Arabian food, tastes and theme in a delightful way. Staff dressed as sheikhs during the Arab Food Festival at Hotel Radisson in Jalandhar. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Young World Doaba College students shine in examinations
Jalandhar, May 5 The students of Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (Semester 5th) of Doaba College brought laurels to their institution by bagging top positions in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, examinations. Students of Sutlej Public School, Panchkula, watch models at the sports gallery in Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala on Thursday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Ulka is back in Jhansi Ki Rani
The maha-episode of Jhansi Ki Rani on Zee TV, which will be aired this weekend, will see the return of Ulka Gupta in the show. However, this time, Ulka will play the role of Kali who will help Rani Laxmibai (Kratika Sengar) in her fight against the British. An inside source reveals, “Ulka is currently touring Luckow and Indore to promote her comeback in the show. — Agencies

Global efforts to raise funds for city orphanage
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 5
An exclusive 007-themed Christmas bash at the luxurious City Rooms Hotel in Leicester, a Punjabi girl’s sky-diving bout in the UK, an enthusiastic run at the Leicester half marathon, dinner parties in Canada, marathons in Glasgow and recreational activities at Greenford - the one common link to all these events is Unique Home, a quaint little orphanage in Jalandhar.

Fundraising efforts for this three-room orphanage that houses abandoned girls have almost become a global movement.

Thousands of people across the globe are eager to spread awareness and raise funds for it.

Set up in 1993, the home is run by Bibi Parkash Kaur, and is funded by the Bhai Ghanayya Ji Charitable Trust. Parkash Kaur, herself an orphan, who was brought up at the local Nari Niketan, had begun helping young orphan girls since early on. In 1993, she set up the home along with the trust members and today it has 60 girls.

Mumma, as she is called by the little ones, she cooks rotis, washes utensils and sweeps floors for them. They are enrolled in good schools and the elder girls speak English fluently.

The expenditure on studies and living is borne by the trust. Importantly, it’s a strict no-no to put up girls for adoption since Bibi wants to be sure they are “not mistreated or made to work like maids.”

NRIs and westerners paying visit to the home, have been touched by the Bibi’s efforts and “the girls’ smiles” and dedicated organisations have been set up in the UK and Canada to raise funds for the girls' new home (since the current three-room home is too small for 60 girls, a new home is under-construction at the Nakodar Road in Jalandhar) home.

The ‘UK friends of Unique Home (Punjab)’ and the Mamta Foundation in Canada are two such organisations which, though not legally or officially bound with the orphanage, have been set up by volunteers to raise money for it.

The five trustees of the ‘UK friends’ --- Tom Harrigon, Ranjit Thaliwal, his wife Reena Thaliwal, Pam Birdy and Gurmail Singh --- have been working for years to ensure a better living for the girls.

Tom, a retired police official from Scotland, first stumbled upon the home about seven years ago while on a visit to Jalandhar under the first-ever UK-India police conference (at Delhi) as an officer for Strathclyde Police, Scotland. On a visit to the Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, he decided to check out the home and a lasting bond was born.

Tom’s efforts to spread word about the home at the Glasgow Gurdwara got it patrons like the Sangha and Sandhu families who began holding marathons in the city to raise funds. Several years later, Ranjit Thaliwal, a solicitor with Thaliwal Bridges in the UK, got to know about it from his relatives who visited the home on a trip to India. Through the Unique Home staff, he got to know Tom and together they began huge fundraising campaigns.

Pam and Gurmail also joined the gang soon.

Pam’s been spreading word at Greenford and Gurmail in Scotland. Ranjit and wife Reena have been organising classy annual fundraising bashes for the home in Leicester, for the last four years. Their last was on November 28, 2010 when a 100 people joined them. There have been two more earlier, which saw participation by as many as 300 people. The upcoming party is on May 28 in Leicester this year and a lot of funds are expected to be raised.

Ranjit’s efforts also got the home a website (designed for free by the firm LA internet), his friend Kashmir Singh to run at the Leicester half-marathon last year, Miss Dynamite (popular UK hip-hop singer and UK rapper) to generate awareness for the home on the sidelines of her event in Leicester and a Facebook fan page that has over 14,000 members.

The designer for the page UK-based Shovan Surya Sargunam also renders his services free-of-cost.

Talking to The Tribune from Leicester, Ranjit Thaliwal says, “Many people who see the website think we are the ones running the home. We are just helping. Bibi’s doing all the work. Our prime concern is generating enough funds for the smooth construction of the new home.” The ‘UK friends’ also bring out a newsletter for the home every four months.

Ranjit’s guess is that about 2,000 people are involved directly or indirectly in fundraising efforts for the home in the UK alone. UK-based Sunny Kaur also generates funds for the organisation at the website justgiving.com.

Afraid of heights, Sunny recently took “a jump for the girls”, as she calls it on the website. She wrote “I felt the need to do something challenging. As I am afraid of heights, I decided to do a Tandem Skydive from 10,000 feet, which I successfully accomplished October 24, 2010. It was amazing.”

Vancuover-based Mamta Foundation founders Makhan S. Tut and his wife Bibi Jagdish Kaur have also been organising fundraising dinners in Canada. They just held one of these on April 1.

Elsewhere, friends Anan and Aekta from London have been busy rasing funds. This year, a Bollywood dance event has been planned by them in Wembley, London on June 11.

One of the members of the Bhai Ghannaya trust Naunihal Singh says, “We also have held pouring in on an individual basis from America, Australia, Dubai etc. but ironically, help in India is limited to Jalandhar and its neighbouring areas. Most of the NRIs that now about it are also Doaba-based. We have gotten lakhs of rupees through help from our well aishers in all these places.”

Bibi Parkash Kaur, who is wary of the media and despises the idea of being photographed for publicity, believes in the Gurus and says it’s all their blessings. “It’s all Guru Nanak’s grace. We are not as awakened as they are. We do not even believe in excessive publicity. But the girls’ home was important and the help pouring in has been substantial.”

Talking about government help, she says, “Some years ago we used to get Rs 53,000 a year from the government, But the now we don’t since they said they were short of funds.”

Parkash Kaur was recently awarded the Bhartiya Manavta Vikas Puraskar by the IIPM, Delhi, for her service to humanity. The award money of Rs 5 lakh was all given to the orphanage by her.

JIT’s Surya Enclave Extension scheme
Owners to get Rs 1,28,128 per marla for land acquisition
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 5
In a major headway towards the execution of the proposed 94.97 acre Surya Enclave Extension scheme of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT), the price-fixing committee that held a meeting on Monday finalised the award to the land owners for acquisition purpose at Rs 1,28,128 per marla.

While the present collector rate for the site falling at the back of the railway station is Rs 72,000 per marla, the market price according to the assessment of the committee members is close to Rs 80,000 per marla. Keeping the market price as the index, the officials have added 30 per cent on it as farmer compensation raising the price up to Rs 1.04 lakh per marla.

All those occupants giving an affidavit that they would not indulge in any litigation over the award amount, would get an additional benefit of 10 per cent on the amount, which is equivalent to Rs 10,400. This amount will be given by the government as per a new amendment to the Land Acquisition Act. The total now works out to be Rs 1,14,400 per marla.

There are around 450 property owners in the proposed scheme who would get an additional interest of 12 per cent on the amount. The gross money to be paid by the government to each of these land owners comes out to be Rs 1,28,128 per marla. Calculated for each acre, the amount multiplied by 210 will make a compensation of Rs 2.69 crore, which the officials claim to be the highest ever given in the city till now. They claim it to be higher even than the award given in Mohali during the recent acquisition.

Among those who attended the price-fixing committee meeting were Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti, MLA K.D. Bhandari, JIT Chairman Baljeet Singh Neelamahal, District Revenue Officer S.S. Chana, JIT SE Mukul Soni, JIT Executive Engineer Kewal Singh and Executive Engineer Chaman Lal.

The realtors, however, claim that the officials have rather been impractical in making the calculation. Land at such a low market price is available no where in the city.

“The compensation should have been at least 1.8 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per marla, or may be even more especially when you are asking people to relocate themselves. The price in the nearby adjoining JIT developed area is Rs 3.5 lakh per marla,” a renowned property developer pointed out. “The best way out is to give a house in the proposed scheme in lieu of vacating the existing one,” another property dealer opined.

As per the plan, the JIT has proposed to conduct draw for 600 plots and leave some space reserved for flats to be constructed at a later stage. The plots would be of 150, 200, 250, 350 and 500 sq yards.

The proposed scheme also covers Qazi Mandi and Santoshi Nagar, where the occupants, mostly slum dwellers, have been raising much hue and cry. The officials, however, pointed out that the biometric survey of these residents would soon be conducted as the government was planning to compensate them in some way. Superintending Engineer (SE) Soni said tenders were being floated for the purpose of survey.

He added that the land pooling scheme was also being encouraged in the plan under which those contributing an acre of land could either opt for compensation or residential plots in 900 sq yard land in addition to 1 SCF measuring 121 sq yard in the scheme area. The trust was in the process of taking a loan to the tune of Rs 200 crore for making the award for acquisition.

NRI Sabha Bhawan’s staff to shift to new building next week
Kusum Arora/TNS

Jalandhar, May 5
After spending years working in an old worn-out building of the NRI Sabha, Punjab, its staff is all set to shift to a newly constructed NRI Sabha Bhawan next week. The state-of-the-art building would be formally inaugurated by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal later.

While the construction work is over, the workers are busy giving finishing touches to the palatial building. The centrally air-conditioned building, situated at the Commissioner Complex, houses a hi-tech conference hall, waiting hall, separate online portal to readdress the grievances of NRIs worldwide, underground parking facility for 30 cars, spacious rooms for the president, senior vice-president, executive director and other officers.

Talking to The Tribune, NRI Sabha president Kamaljit Hayre said although some of the finishing work was still pending, but they would shift to the new building around May 15. “As it will take around a month for the ongoing finishing work to be over, we will conduct the formal inauguration ceremony of the building later. We have decided to invite Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. NRIs from across the globe will also make it to the grand ceremony,” he said. He added that with the specially designed online portal the NRIs across the world could get timely redressal of their grievances.

Cut fruits cause health problems
No stringent measures by Health Department as yet
Aparna Banerji/TNS

Jalandhar, May 5
With the summer sun getting brighter and hotter with each passing day, the threat of summer diseases has already begun to torment residents. Chopped fruits displayed in the open and sold by vendors across the city are one of the chief reasons for the health problems.

Cut fruits are openly being sold at the Patel Chowk, Ladowali Road, Jyoti Chowk, Tehsil Complex, bus stand and Doaba Chowk areas.

Dr Harish Bhardwaj, who is posted at the Aman Nagar Civil Dispensary, says, “It is a grave problem and many children fall sick due to it. In a day I get five to 10 patients who report of nausea, diarrhoea, fever, etc, and in many of these cases, consumption of unclean fruits and food items being sold by vendors is the problem.”

“If the MC issues formal instructions for the vendors not to sell uncovered fruit, many problems could be solved,” he added.

Dr Rakesh Chawla, who runs a clinic in the Harbans Nagar area, says, “Since the onset of summers, the number of diarrhoea patients is on the rise. Out of the 100 patients that I get, 75 suffer from health problems caused by consuming unhygienic fruits or liquids sold by vendors.”

Dr Kashmiri Lal, medical specialist at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, says, “Unclean and cut fruits which are sold as such or are used to make chaats, etc, are a huge threat to people’s health. The problem is under control right now, but as the summer intensifies, it will get bigger. I already have many diarrhoea patients coming to me.”

Dr R.L. Wassal, District Health Officer, while speaking on the issue, said, “Two months ago we held a seminar on the issue and about 45 vendors were given instructions to keep the place around their stalls or vends clean and keep the fruits covered with clean utensils or clothes.”

When asked whether more stringent measures had been taken recently, he said, “It is difficult to be too harsh with these vendors since they mostly belong to poor families.”

BJP protests cops’ inaction in curbing crime

Phagwara, May 5
BJP activists, led by Zila Parishad member Avtar Singh Mand, held a demonstration in front of the police station against the city police for its alleged failure to curb crime and book the miscreants.

Mand, while talking to mediapersons, alleged that law-and-order situation in the subdivision was deteriorating, but the police officers were not working seriously to control the situation. He said no assailant could be arrested even after eight days of the LPU episode, in which one Mizoram student was killed, one B-Tech student Pushpinderpal Singh was allegedly attacked on April 25.

He said, similarly nothing has been done against the accused in-laws of the dowry victim, Amanpreet, who was allegedly tortured by her in-laws in Phagwara last month and for which the woman had to be hospitalised. Mand threatened to launch an agitation, if the police could not work to provide justice to the innocents. — OC

Custom-fit knee replacement surgery performed in city

Jalandhar, May 5
A local orthopedic surgeon has introduced the custom-fit knee replacement surgery to the city, probably first in the region too, by successfully operating upon a 60-year-old woman from Hoshiarpur.

This advanced form of knee replacement surgery ensures lesser pain, less tissue damage, faster mobilisation and longer lasting implant solution besides greater accuracy with reduction in the operation time by almost 40 per cent, says Dr Harpreet Singh, a consultant at Orthonova Hospital, Jalandhar, who conducted the operation. Gurbachan Kaur, a resident of Jalalpur village in Hoshiarpur, was fitted with Oxinium knee implants.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Harpreet Singh says an Oxinium implant is an unbreakable metal and being ceramic it makes movement smoother. It is almost 4,900 times more abrasion-resistant than the traditional metal implants.

“The traditional implants generally fail because of scratches on the surface and wear and tear from its long-term use. Oxinium implants have zero friction and are highly abrasion-resistant. One of the main advantages of Oxinium implants is its longevity,” he adds. “These implants can be used in people who suffer from arthritis, have complete wear-and tear of joints, damaged cartilage and irreparable bone-to-bone rubbing. In fact these implants are ideal for patients who are sensitive to metal,” says the surgeon. The traditional cobalt and chrome implants have high quantities of nickel, but Oxinium implants contain almost negligible nickel contents. — TNS

Savour Arabian food in city
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 5
Bringing a melange of the Arab world to India, Radisson Hotel in the city has started a special Arab Food Festival. From Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Israel, Egypt and Iraq, the hotel has brought the Arabian food, tastes and theme in a delightful way.

Right from the entrance of “Tiffany’s”, where it is being held in the hotel, one can enjoy the glimpse of the Arabian world. The hotel staff, dressed as sheikhs, has added more charm to the Arabian theme food fest.

Executive Chef Parveen K. Sharma said the Arabian culture is one of the oldest cultures in the world and hence they struck upon the idea of organising an Arabian food fest. “Any description of the Arabian culture is not complete without mentioning about its rich food. At this food festival we have highlighted the Arabian food culture, which comprises dates, wheat, barley, rice and meat,” he said.

Parveen also added that the customers could relish sumptuous Arabian food items, like Charmula Vegetable Kebabs, Lebanese Shawarma Bites, Lebanese Mezze, Samak bi Tahini , Shorbet Aats and Umm Ali to name a few.

Assistant Restaurant Manager Sujit Das said the food festival had also highlighted different types of tea and coffee, which were the famous beverages of the Arabian countries. “Our customers can enjoy authentic Arabian food during lunch with Ala Carte menu and dinner as buffet spread along with complimentary beer, juice and soft drinks. And after food ‘kahwa’ will be served,” he quipped.

Young World
Doaba College students shine in examinations
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 5
The students of Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (Semester 5th) of Doaba College brought laurels to their institution by bagging top positions in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, examinations.

Anuradha Sharma secured 1,760 marks out of 2,750 and bagged first position followed by Summit Singh who secured 1,715 marks. Gagandeep Kaur scored 1,705 marks and stood third in the varsity while Ravneet Kaur secured 1,689 marks and bagged fourth position.

Painting contest

Sanyukta, a student of Class X, and Simranjit Kaur of Class IX bagged first and third prizes, respectively, in the painting competition conducted by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited on the eve of Energy Conservation Fortnight celebrations on May 2 at DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Mega job fair

St Soldier Management and Technical Institute organised a mega job fair during which as many as 87 students bagged placements at an annual package of Rs 2.5 to 3 lakhs. As many as 250 students of BBA, MBA, BCA and MCA were selected by companies like Stan Auto, Brain Equity, Shriram Fortune, Bajaj Life Insurance, Eureka Forbes, Tata Indico and many more.

Students welcomed

Kanya Maha Vidyalaya Collegiate Senior Secondary School organised a programme to welcome the students of Class XI and XII (Commerce, Arts, Medical, Non-Medical).

Annual function

The tiny tots of Innocent Hearts Fields, Loharan, presented a colourful cultural function at Innocent Hearts School, Green Model Town, Jalandhar. Students of Class XII presented a painting made by them to the chief guest Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti.

Workshop on grants

Punjab Technical University held a workshop to create awareness regarding various options for availing grants from the UGC, All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and other education financing bodies on Sunday. Forty college representatives, including PTU dean academics Dr Buta Singh and dean students’ welfare Dr AP Singh, attended the workshop, held in collaboration with Success Mantra, a knowledge-based programmer organisation.