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Irony indeed: Dispensaries ailing in Health Minister's own city
Ludhiana, May 24 While the Health Minister himself says that the entire system in the health department was rotting, a quick survey of these dispensaries by a team of Ludhiana Tribune revealed that these dispensaries were running without permanent medical officers. The list of the dispensaries that were running without medical officers included Kidwai Nagar, that happens to be just 100m from the Health Minister's residence and another one in Field Ganj. Both these dispensaries are incidentally located in an Assembly segment represented by Gosain. While the authorities have deputed a doctor for three days in a week in Area Dispensary in Kidwai Nagar, residents of the area are not happy. The dispensary catering to a population of 47,000 people runs with two Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and a pharmacist. ‘‘The dispensary had one of the best gynaecologists with the health department. She was transferred in 2008. Since then we dont have a permanent doctor here, ’’ said Pawan Bansal, an area resident. Similar grievance was
aired by residents of Field Ganj, where a doctor was recently deputed to visit the place thrice a week. The Civil Dispensary here that runs in the premises of Gurdwara Bhaat Singh Sabha was closed at 12 noon today. The president of Gudwara, thar provided building for the dispensary, Dildar Singh said the ANMs come to the dispensary but leave much early than the closing time. ‘‘It is a bad state of affairs. We are ready to provide better infrastructure for the dispensary. But nobody listens to us. We are now going to meet the Health Minister on Sunday, ’’ said Dildar Singh. The other dispensaries that do not have doctors include New Sabzi Mandi, Salem Tabri, Guru Nanak Pura, Shivpuri, Chet Singh Nagar and Jawahar camp. There are 23 dispensaries in the city. Since people from the lower strata of society depend on these health centres for their health and those from well-to-do families go to private clinics and superspeciality hospitals, the healthcare of poor is affected. The old adage- charity begins at home- does not hold more true for anybody else than the newly sworn in Health Minister, who will have to set his own house in order first.
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2 city teenagers still missing, feared drowned in canal
Ludhiana, May 24 The victims, identified as Gagandeep Singh (18), a resident of Dhandra Road and Siddharth (16), a resident of Model Town, bunked school along with three of their classmates - Sunny, Ishan Monga and Nipundeep Singh - and went to the Karamsar gurudwara in Rara Sahib on Monday. Several students from other schools too accompanied them on their trip. According to Sunny before returning home he and his decided to make a brief halt at the Phlahi Sahib gurudwara. “Siddharth jumped into the canal in order to swim but soon began to drown. Gagandeep then entered the canal water in a bid to save Siddharth and both were swept by the current”, the students said. Ishan, Sunny and Nipun raised an alarm and informed bystanders. The police suspect there were more students swimming in the water when the incident took place. Some people visiting the gurudwara also jumped into the canal water to save the two boys but could not find them. In a new twist to the incident, Siddharth’s father, Bharat Bhushan, 60, claimed “there was more to the
‘drowning incident’ than met the eye”. "If my son had drowned the divers would’ve fished him out of the canal by now. His uniforms and schoolbag has been recovered but not his mobile phone. I fear he might have been abducted. I request those who have taken away my son to free him”, he said. Meanwhile, Rajesh Rudra, director of the chain of Green Land Schools, confirmed the incident, The students were shocked to know about the incident here this morning. The fellow students of the victims were seen consoling each other in the classroom. "It’s getting very difficult for us to boost the moral of students. Most of the students in class 10 didn’t eat food today and are praying for the safety of their two missing classmates," said the school principal. |
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... While parents wait anxiously
Ludhiana, May 24 Siddharth's twin brother, Gautam, is also in a state of shock. "I don’t know why fate could be so cruel for us. We were blessed with twins in 1995, but not before I could cherish the support of my son in the fag end of my life, I was told that Siddharth feared to have been drowned in the canal. My eldest son, Amit, is 16. Siddharth and Gautam were born nearly 18 years after my marriage," said Bhushan. He is no stranger to tragedies - one of his younger sons died after falling from the roof of the
house in 1992. "My wife Sheela was devastated by the tragedy. It took many years for her to come to terms with the reality. And the birth of twins in 1995 came a blessing for us. Siddharth had to pay heavy price for his mistake. He wasn’t disobedient and was doing well in studies”, he added. "Since the time of their mother's death I was cooking food for them. Yesterday, also I was waiting for them for food. While Gautam returned home, Siddharth did not comeback. Later Sunny, Siddharth's classmate, came home along with his father and told me about the incident. I hope and pray for the well-being of my child," said Bhushan. Meanwhile, the condition of Davinder Kaur, mother of Gagandeep, is pitiable. |
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SHO summarily transferred; police chief denies ‘pressure’
Ludhiana, May 24 However senior cops have asserted the action was not taken under any political pressure. The development reportedly took place on Tuesday evening following the visit of the Youth Akali Dal’s ‘patron’, Bikram Singh Majithia, to the city. While police commissioner Ishwar Singh denied there was any political pressure and transfer orders to Wadhera were issued “in routine”, sources said the SHO had refused to “listen” to a local Akali leader on two occasions and the latter had since then been “gunning” for him. “I was transferred out but am yet to join in Bathinda”, said Wadhera. The move has been termed as a “double blow” for the police department, which is already facing a lot of embarrassment following the shooting incident in which assistant subinspector Gurdial Singh was shot at by robbers. “The SHO was issued transfer orders but he hasn’t been relieved from his current post as yet. My office had sent a request to the authorities he should not be relieved as they were already facing a shortage of cops”, said Ishwar. |
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Passengers stranded as buses ‘hijacked’
Ludhiana, May 24 Those heading for nearby villages and towns including Rara, Hambran, Sarabha, Kohara, Mullanpur, Raikot and Jagraon were the worst affected as the regular mini buses never arrives at the city bus station. The hapless passengers including women and children had to wait for hours for other alternatives
to reach their destinations. Said Manjeet Singh, a teacher at a government school near Mullanpur: “Every time there is a rally or any government sponsored function bus passengers have to bear the brunt. Had I known I wouldn’t get a bus to my destination on time I’d have made my own arrangements. It was only after arriving at the bus station in the morning that I got to know the regular buses wouldn’t ply today." About 150 mini and district buses have reportedly been "acquired" by the government (through district transport officials) to get crowds from nearby areas to reach to Sarabha village. The buses were demanded by officials last evening from the bus operators and they have been given Rs 1,000 for each bus. Affected city bus routes
To Rara Sahib
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Meanwhile, MC goes in cleanliness overdrive on Pakhowal Road
Ludhiana, May 24 Since early morning, a large number of MC employees were seen cleaning the Pakhowal road as well as other routes from where Majithia was to pass.
Majithia had crossed the city as he was to go to Sarabha village, where the state government was organising a function to celebrate the birth anniversary of Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha. It was around 11 am when Majithia and his cavalcade of cars and bikes passed through the city. Some of the safai sewaks were also seen holding flags of the Akali Dal, which had been tied with poles on the Pakhowal road since last evening. Some area councillors had also installed banners with photographs of Majithia on them. One such safai sewak said they were told by their senior officials that the road should be cleaned in advance and markings with lime powder should also be properly drawn on the road. |
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City’s national achiever believes in ‘karma’
Ludhiana, May 24 Garima, a student of Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, while sharing her secrets of splendid success with The Tribune, said, “I believe in the concept of ‘karma’ i.e. performing my duty to the best of my abilities and leaving the rest to God. Through self-analysis, I was quite confident about my success and I got it with the grace of almighty.” Garima with 98% marks in class XII scored 100% in mathematics and business studies, 97% in economics, 99% in accountancy and 94% in English. She has maintained her excellent academic career, as she stood fourth in the district and first in her school with 97% marks in class X. “I never went for extra coaching. The school guidance and self-studies were more than enough. Whenever I had any problem, my father Vijay Aneja who is a chartered accountant helped me in solving these at home, while teachers helped at the school.” And choosing commerce as a stream was the collective decision of the family. Her father Vijay Aneja said,”We did not force here to study commerce, but we discussed thoroughly about the pros and cons of different streams with Garima and decided accordingly. She is a child with a clear and focused mind who never quits before understanding a concept. I am proud to be her father.” This national achiever wants to do B.Com from the Sri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi and then compete for the civil services
examination. She said, “Dr APJ Kalam is my role model in the life. He is very simple but a great visionary, who is rightly known as the Missile Man of India. He led the nation with his practical thinking. As I want to be an IAS officer, I want to emulate Dr Kiran Bedi, a retired IPS officer, in my life. She is an honest officer who always performed her duty with utmost efficiency. What hurts me in the country is the corruption and I want to root it out.” On coping with stress, she said, “Whenever I get tired with studies, I either water plants or do some breathing exercises and whenever required, also help my mother in household chores. And sometimes I listen to music and watch TV comedy shows.” “When I have time, I prefer to read books of RK Narayanan and Munshi Prem Chand. They have written deep truths of life in a very simple and refined way.” Her mother Janak Aneja, a lecturer in chemistry, at the Khalsa College for Women, is all praise for her studious daughter. Her message to the youngsters, ”Study with quality and not in quantum.” She never was a bookworm, but when she studied, she studied it by heart, understanding the basics of each subject, says her mother. She has one younger sister Rashim in class X. Her father said, ”I am sure she would also bring laurels to the family like Garima.” |
LPG cylinders hard to come by for residents
As per regular practice, a cylinder cannot be booked before 21 days of the date of delivery. After booking, it usually takes two to three days to get the cylinder. These days consumers have been making rounds to the offices/gas-agencies, but they are told by attendants that due to a shortage, they are unable to supply cylinders. A resident of Sector 32, Chandigarh Road, Rajwant Kumar, said it was difficult to wait for 21 days for getting a cylinder booked, but now gas agencies were not issuing cylinders before 10 to 12 days. “For getting a cylinder refilled, we have to wait for one month. Since we are a working couple, who cannot afford to waste time, cooking food on gas stoves is not viable.” The problem is not only in one or two areas, consumers all over the city, including Civil Lines, Dandi Swami, BRS Nagar, Kailash Chowk, Model Town are Field Ganj are also harried. One of the attendants at Bharat Gas Agency said, “We get our supply from Lalru, but for the past several days, the supply is irregular. If companies are not giving us the supply, what can we do?” Navin Talwar, president of Ludhiana chapter of All-India LPG Distributors Federation, admitted that there was a delay in the supply of cylinders at times. “We are dependant on the supply by oil companies,” said Talwar. Gas agencies recently came to know that there was a move by the government according to which the supply of LPG cylinders (which is approximately 12 in number per year per consumer) was going to be reduced to about six to eight cylinders in near future. “In case, consumers have to get more cylinders, they will not be getting those on subsidised rates,” said owner of a gas agency at Civil Lines. Raw deal Consumers allege that only “common” consumers have to bear the brunt, whereas the “preferential” ones get the supply on time. They also complain that attendants at many gas agencies hang the phone on them.
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‘Shortage only for the common man’
— Chander Maini, a homemaker — Ravinder Walia, a resident — Rajinder Kaur, a homemaker — Amarjit Singh, a resident
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Excise inspectors get more teeth; industry uneasy
Ludhiana, May 24 Industry representatives say even under the manifesto of the state government, “inspector raj” has to be fully abolished. Even in the Industrial Policy of Punjab, 2009, there is no provision for government inspectors and wherever it is necessary, inspections are to be carried out by private inspectors. A meeting of the All-Industries and Trade Forum was held to discuss the issue. Members rued the vesting of powers in the excise inspectors and drew a parallel between making intra-state online filing of transactions optional and giving more powers to the inspectors. “We feel both issues are correlated as more powers are given to the inspectors just because the industry refused to go for the online entry of intra-state invoices. This will enhance the conflict between the department and the industry. The inspectors will do more checking of the assessees who do not opt for online filing and such assessees will be forced to opt for online registration of VAT invoices,” said Badish Jindal, co-convener of the forum. This also shows that bureaucracy is working against the agenda of the government and as Assembly elections are closing in, the SAD-BJP combine will have to face the consequences of such anti-industrial policies in the coming elections, added Narinder Bhamra, convener of the forum. Meanwhile, Excise and Taxation Commissioner A Venu Parsad says they have given more powers to the excise inspectors till December 31, 2011. “As of now, powers under some sections have been given to the inspectors and we will decide later on whether to continue with the same if we get fruitful results or not. The main powers of registration and checking at the ICC will remain with ETOs only,” he adds. Excise and taxation officers will have main powers pertaining to registration, amendment to registration certificate, cancellation of registration certificate and checking at info collection centre. The powers given
Collection of tax, input tax credit, audit of returns, assessment of tax, provisional assessment, tax liability of casual trader, interest for non-payment or delayed payment of tax, arrears recovery, refund, inspection of search and seizure of goods, penalty for failure to registration, penalty to pay tax, penalty for failure to file return, penalty for unauthorised collection, penalty for evasion of tax, penalty for misuse of registration certificate, penalty for non-payment of assessed demand, rectification of mistakes, information to be furnished regarding change of business, transfer of business, liability in case of company or firm in liquidation.
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Power supply to 2 dyeing units disconnected
Ludhiana, May 24 PSPCL deputy chief engineer (city east circle) SK Gupta confirmed that the supply to BL Malhotra Dyeing and Pawan Dyeing, located under Sunder Nagar division, had been disconnected on the directions of the PPCB. Sources in the PPCB office here said effluent treatment plants (ETTs) of some dyeing units on the Rahon Road were inspected on May 12 in the wake of complaints lodged by area residents that untreated effluents were being discharged openly on the road, or ETTs of some factories were non-functional. “While most ETTs were found operational during the inspection of the dyeing factories, in the case of Pawan Dyeing and BL Malhotra Dyeing, their effluents were not being disposed of properly due to disconnection of sewerage lines. The board has decided to take stern action for violation of pollution control norms and the power supply of offenders will remain disconnected till remedial measures are taken and an inspection team of the the PPCB is satisfied about the effluent treatment and disposal as per guidelines laid down for this purpose,” the sources added. In the wake of the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against disposal of sewage and toxic effluents into Budha Nullah, the PPCB is learnt to have formulated a comprehensive plan to check effluent disposal network of the dyeing factories on the Rahon Road and the Tajpur Road here during the next few days, the sources added.
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Rural students outshine urban in Jagraon schools
Jagraon, May 24 The proof of this is the result itself according to which the overall pass percentage of the rural students in all the streams is about 58 per cent as compared to about 42 per cent of the urban students at GHG Academy, the only senior secondary school with the CBSE pattern in Jagraon. Though there is also Sacred Heart Convent School with the CBSE pattern here, but this school was upgraded to senior secondary only last year thus there was no class XII in the past session. More importantly, from total nine meritorious students of GHG Academy, seven students belong to rural areas while only two are from the urban background. In a gender-based comparison, the girls have once again outshone boys in class XII results as top four positions have gone to girl students. But going by the overall pass per centage, the margin of girls’ supremacy over boys is low as compared to the other parts of the state. The pass percentage of girl students is little more than 51 per cent as compared to 49 per cent of the boys. From nine meritorious students, five are girls while remaining four are boys. Also in a rare co-incidence, the top three position -holder girls from Jagraon schools have the same name-Amandeep Kaur.
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Road rage takes ugly turn
Ludhiana, May 24 In no time the driver of the car took out a baseball bat and smashed the windshield of the vehicle. The police soon sprung into action and nabbed the earring driver.
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Patwaris call off strike
Ludhiana, May 24 Union president Gurmel Singh Grewal stated that the police had complied with their demand and booked three persons responsible for damaging revenue records. He said Harjinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Sikandar Singh had allegedly misbehaved with a patwari, Jeet Singh, in 2009, and instead of filing the case the police started dillydallying on the issue.
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Painting competition
Doraha, May 24 The
city SDO, Kuldeep Singh, and the Senior SDO, Shiv Kumar, organised this
programme under the guidance of environment engineer Rajiv Sharma and
guided the students about their roles in controlling the pollution.
All the participants were given refreshment and certificates. Arwinder
Kaur(X-White), Pooja (VII-White) and Prabhjot Kaur (XI-Medical) bagged
the first, second and third prizes respectively.
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From
colleges
Ludhiana: On the third day of seven-day special NSS camp being organised at Guru Nanak Girls College, a declamation contest was held among NSS volunteers. The topics included save environment, global warming and its effects, managing national wealth for a better life, persistence and prevention of xenobiotic compounds.
Volunteers actively participated in the contest. Among the participants Priya Sharma (BCA-II) was declared first, Parineet Kaur (BSc-II) was adjudged second and Balpreet Kaur (BSc-II) was placed third. A mehandi competition was also organised on the occasion. The volunteers framed their innovative styles of mehandi-Arabic, bridal and traditional. A lecture on ‘biofertilisers’ was organised for the NSS volunteers. They were advised to use biofertilisers as they were economical and eco-friendly instead of chemical fertilisers which were harmful for the environment.
Sketching competition
Guru Nanak Institute of Design And Technology, Model Town, organised a sketching competition here today. About 60 students participated in it. They were to design a summer casual wear keeping in mind the colours and cuts of ‘Fashion 2011’. The competition was organised to enhance the designing skills of students and motivate their illustrations. Manjali, Neha, Rajdeep, Narinder, Baljeet and Beant Kaur were declared the winners.
— TNS
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Students of OP Bansal School excel
Mandi Gobindgarh, May 24 School chairman Dr Hukam Chand Bansal said Devyani Gera stood first in the school and secured 94 per cent marks in commerce stream; Amandeep Kaur of science stream stood second and secured 91.2 per cent and Ashwajit Aggarwal of commerce stream secured 90.6 per cent marks.
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Gang of robbers busted, 3 held
Mullanpur Dakha, May 24 Investigations revealed that the miscreants were members of a notorious gang that was involved in waylaying and robberies. The other members of the gang have been identified as Parminder Singh of Changna, Happy and Swaranjit Singh of Waraich village, Gurtej Singh, Manoj Kumar, and Kuldeep Singh of Mullanpur village. The gangsters had robbed a local factory owner after waylaying him five days ago. Most members of the gang were already booked for various offences at police stations of the region. The police had been on the lookout of the suspects following the robbing of factory owner Sikandar Singh of Rs 1.5 lakh on Friday evening. The robbers, armed with pistols and sharp-edged weapons, had come on three motorcycles and intercepted the victim when he was returning home from the factory. On the basis of information received from Sikandar Singh, the police had identified some miscreants and booked them under Section 382 of the IPC.
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2 youths rob businessman
Ludhiana, May 24 Daljit stopped the car at the Old Court Chowk. In the meantime, the youth riding pillion rushed towards the car and requested Avtar Singh to give him some money. As Avtar Singh took out his wallet, the youth pulled out a knife and placed it on the neck of the businessman asking him to hand over the wallet. The youths in their mid-20s snatched the wallet and a mobile phone before fleeing the scene. The wallet contained Rs 4,000 in cash and ATM cards besides other documents, claimed Avtar Singh. The police has registered a case against two unidentified youths and started its investigations.
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Aman to conduct camp for cagers
Ludhiana, May 24 Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police and PBA vice-president Yurinder Singh Hayer said Aman would hold a three-week training camp at Guru Nanak Sports Complex. “Hailing from Neelon village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road, Aman is working in the health
services department in the US. She has rich experience in coaching,” said Teja Singh, honorary general secretary, PBA.
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Ludhiana, May 24
I am being harassed by gas agency employees. Whenever I call them, I merely get words. They assure me of delivery the next day. I have been making calls for the past 10 days, but all in vain. I finally had to borrow a cylinder from one of my relatives. I now have to return it to her as she needs it. Still I don't know when will I get the cylinder. 
If the government wants, things can improve easily. But the policy-makers are acting as puppets in the hands of big oil companies. By giving them (companies) more profit and favours, shortage is created for the common man. I don’t think any politician or influential industrialist or policeman ever faces a problem of LPG shortage. 
If domestic cylinders are available in the black market for Rs 800 or even more and people can get these any time, then why is there a shortage? The shortage is created to harass the common man. 
In the absence of any check, commercial establishments use domestic cylinders for various purposes. Leading hotels, clubs and restaurant owners use domestic cylinders in place of commercial ones as they are available at cheaper prices. There should be a nodal agency and a record should be maintained. Heavy penalty should be imposed on defaulters.