Jalandhar, September 22
A student of Lovely Profession University, Phagwara, lost his leg when he was allegedly pushed out of a moving train at the city railway station this morning.

A resident of Khajana Gate in Amritsar, Hitesh Sharma, was travelling by the Jansewa Express from Amritsar to Jalandhar to attend classes at the university when the incident occurred.

As the train approached the railway station, passengers jostled each other to get down from the train first. During this Hitesh was allegedly pushed out of the moving train and he fell on the track. His left leg was crushed under the wheels of the train.

Officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said Hitesh was accidentally pushed out of the moving train as passengers jostled each other to get down from the train first.

The boy remained on the railway track for over 30 minutes unattended even after some passengers informed the GRP officials, eyewitnesses said.

Receiving information, a team of the GRP reached the spot and rushed critically injured Hitesh to the Civil Hospital. The doctor amputated his crushed leg at the hospital.

The victim’s relatives from Amritsar reached the hospital and shifted him to the CMC, Ludhiana, after they found his health deteriorating, said Gurbachan Singh, investigating officer (IO).

The IO has recorded the victim’s statement at the CMC, Ludhiana, and initiated investigation in this regard.

Hitesh had been commuting between Amritsar and Jalandhar daily, revealed Chaman Lal, a relative the victim. The condition of Hitish is stable in Ludhiana hpspital.

Jalandhar, September 22
Shocked at the unrealistic theory of Rs 32 expense per day for an urban citizen, the city residents today lambasted the union government and termed it as a cruel joke akin to rubbing salt on someone’s wounds.

This comes at a time when the inflation rate is in double digits and the common man has been hard hit by ever-spiralling prices of essential commodities.

The Planning Commission of India had announced that an expense of Rs 32 and Rs 26 a day was enough for an urban and the rural citizen, respectively. Not only housewives, who execute the monthly budget but even those who are single and the youth were surprised at the policies of economic experts in the country.

Such was the outburst of the city residents against this unrealistic theory that everybody was left counting the innumerable daily expenses of a common man. Santosh Sharma, an elderly lady said, “It seems that the Planning Commission has released old figures by mistake! How can an individual in a city like Jalandhar run the show in a meagre Rs 32 when a litre of milk is available at Rs 30? I don’t understand why the government is hell-bent on propagating anti-people policies”.

Another working woman and a mother of two, Daman Kaur, said that leaving aside life in metros, it is equally difficult to survive on Rs 32 per day in a city like Jalandhar. “In today’s time of peak inflation, an individual requires at least Rs 150 per day for commodities of daily use. With the rising price of essential commodities, now 1 kg of flour is now available at Rs 16, rice is priced at Rs 40 and pulses are not less than Rs 100 per kg. How can one even think of running the show with just Rs 32?” she questioned.

Residents from the rural areas too said the government had gone “berserk” and said that those who have been planning Rs 26 per day expenses for an individual would probably have never known price hike and the ground reality. “It is surprising that despite the fact that the country has two economic experts, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, people are still reeling under the burden of price rise. And to add to it, they are giving tips to the common man to spend Rs 32 and 26 per day. No individual can run the show in Rs 26 even in villages”, said Tarsem Singh Peter from the organisation Pendu Mazdoor Union.

He also said that PMU has been organising mass protests in the city and the villages against the price hike in the past. 

Jalandhar, September 22
It is going to be a long and a tedious job for railway engineers and contractors to fit in eight pre-fabricated structures in the span portion of the Domoria railway overbridge (ROB). As many as 16,000 bolts have to be fixed mechanically to make the two ends of the bridge meet.

Eight iron structures of 9 m length each have been unloaded from huge containers using JCB machines. Since there are two separate arms with a gap of 36 m each, four such structures are to be fitted onto each of the arm. While one arm of the bridge from the old city side will move on towards the railway station entrance, the other arm will go in the opposite direction towards Mai Hiran Gate.

While the whole process is expected to take over one and a half months, railway officials have not yet taken a date for closing of the railway track for the actual launch of the structures. “There still is a long way to go. As and when we reach the completion of the joining of the structures, we will ask for the clearance”, said a railway engineer.

The engineer said,” The launching of the structures will be done in the night so that the road and railway commuters face minimum inconvenience. The contract for the launching of the structures has been recently awarded to a Delhi-based contractor. It still is not clear as to whether the Domoria underpass, which is currently being used as the main connection between the old and the new city, will be closed or not.”

The railway and MC officials have now given a deadline of December for the completion of the work, which has been on for over a decade. The SE (B&R), Kulwinder Singh, said, “It is a very skillful and a laborious job. It surely will take a few months. It certainly will be a historic moment for the city when things get over.”

Jalandhar, September 22
The Government Railway Police (GRP) has been facing an acute shortage of staff for the past sometime. The staff shortage is affecting its normal working, including investigations of various criminal activities.

According to information, the Jalandhar thana of the GRP is working with only 50 police personnel against the sanctioned posts of 82.

Currently one Inspector, one NGO, five head constables, 11 constables and 32 Punjab Police head constables (PPHCs) are working at the GRP Jalandhar thana, having its jurisdiction over Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts.

The 82 sanctioned posts include one Inspector, four NGOs, 12 head constables and 65 constables.

Admitting that the normal working, including investigations of various criminal activities, is being affected, GRP officials said, “The permission of getting new personnel in the GRP is sought both from the state government as well as the Railway Department, as each of them equal share of the salary to a GRP personnel.”

The sources said, “The GRP officials have already written to both the state government and Railway Department for getting a sanction for filling the vacant posts of GRP personnel.”

The sources said the GRP personnel had to move from one place to another place when a criminal activity occurred at any railway station or railway track falling under the jurisdiction of the Jalandhar thana.

Besides, the incidents of natural deaths, suicides or mishaps on unmanned and manned railway crossings were also investigated by the GRP, they said. 

Jalandhar, September 22
The football team of Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, has won the GNDU Inter-College (A Division) football tournament held at the varsity from September 12 to 14.

The Khalsa College team comprising debutants and senior players defeated Sikh National College, Banga, three goals to one, Guru Nanak College, Phagwara, by one goal to nil and played a goalless match with the local DAV College.

Harkomal Singh, a member of the team and a student of BA-III year said this was just a beginning and he wished to join a professional football club some day. “Even my father Kuldeep Singh Jatt played for Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. He inspired me to take up football as a sport and I also want to make it big some day,” he added.

Debutant player, Manpreet Singh from BCA-I says the football team of Khalsa College has been leading in the university and it was his brother who motivated him to join this institution. "My brother, Gurpreet Singh was also a football player from Khalsa College. He plays for the BSF, Jalandhar team," he said.

Debutant Manveer Singh from BA-I was all praise for their coach Tejinder Singh who too is a product of the same institution. "We are getting the best sporting facilities and infrastructure. We are sure that we will emerge with flying colours in the upcoming North Zone and Inter University tournaments," he said.

Professor Jaspal Singh, head of the Department of Physical Education of the college said the college also runs a wing of the Punjab Sports Department. Under this 10 players from the team are provided free diet worth Rs 60 besides other facilities. "Every year the college spends Rs 2 lakh to equip football players with the state-of-the-art facilities and sports kits," he added.

This institution has produced some of the top I-League players who are playing with some of the leading football clubs of the country like Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Air India and the former JCT Club. A former student of the college Harpreet Singh is playing with Mohun Bagan Football Club, Kolkata, while Varundeep plays for Sporting Clube De Goa.

Nine members of the team are undergoing training at a camp being held at GND varsity, the other players are busy practicing for the upcoming North Zone Inter-College tournament and the All India Inter University tournament.