Amritsar, January 7
Friday’s rain showers once again washed away tall claims of development by the successive governments in the state. As the city still survives on the same obsolete sewerage system, residents are peeved at the lack of will on part of the government to ensure hygienic conditions for the residents.

Unhygienic conditions due to roads filled with rain water, which also enters shops and houses adds to the woes of the residents. While shopkeepers resent that such conditions hamper their businesses, residents feel they are exposed to various diseases as well.

In the walled city area, from where over 60 per cent of the total water waste of entire city emerges, has the same obsolete public underground piped sewerage system, which was laid during the colonial rule in India. Few sewer segments are older than 50 years.

Pools of dirty water, which act as the breeding grounds for insects and flies, can be spotted at the entry and exit points near Alpha Mall and in areas like Sultanwind, Jawaharnagar, Mustafabad, Kundian Wala Khuh, Havelian, Karampura, Faizpura, Dhupai, Bhagtanwala (outside), Gilwali gate, Anngarh, Mohkampura, Rasulpur Kallar and Indira Colony on the Batala road near Verka.

Even as the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB), in collaboration with Japan International Corporation Agency (JAICA), has come up with a plan to revamp the existing sewerage system under the JNNURM programme, at an estimated cost of Rs 36.90 crore and a consultation fee of US $7 lakh has already been paid to the firm, yet after over a year, no ‘transformation’ of the sewerage system could be executed on the ground, except digging of roads at several points.

Except for digging edges of the roads to lay sewerage pipes, nothing more was done. Officials claim that after the laying of these new pipelines, major chunk of sullage will be diverted to the main drain and it will relieve the residents from living unhygienic conditions.

Residents complain that slippery roads result in accidents but the authorities pay no heed to their problems.

Irrespective of their party alliance, the residents of Chheharta area comprising Gannupur, Kale and Wadali villages have decided not to support either the ruling alliance or the Congress party. They rue that except making promises, these parties did nothing to provide them hygienic atmosphere to live in.

When it rains, residents have to go through the muddy pools to reach the satellite hospital in their area. The hospital too is surrounded by knee-deep water after the showers.

Jatinder Kumar Pappi, an activist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a resident of Nawankot area said, “What to talk of the common man, due to internal friction within the ruling parties, I have no say in getting the sewerage system rectified here. Our social welfare minister Luxmi Kanta Chawla, who passes through this stretch everyday, too never took the matter up with the corporation.

Amritsar, January 7
A five-year-old boy was allegedly abandoned by his parents at Golden Temple here today. The boy with shorn hair was found near Joda Ghar.

Partap Singh, manager of Golden Temple (Sarai) said the boy has been lodged at Guru Ram Das Sarai for now. If his family members want to take him back, they can contact him, he said. The boy wore a yellow sweater and cream pant.

The shrine authorities fear that the boy has been abandoned here as no one had approached him so far.

Such instances of people abandoning kids, especially girls or handicap children in Darbar Sahib Complex, are increasing.

As many as three such instances have been reported recently, in which children aged between two-five years of age were abandoned in the temple and three out of these four children were girls.

Amritsar, January 7
Move of the election commission to depute teachers at Guru Nanak Dev University on election duty has led to resentment among the faculty.

Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Prof (Dr) AS Brar, said the move will affect the varsity examinations beginning from the first week of February, besides disrupting the study schedule of the students. He has also sought exemption for the teaching staff.

Election Commission, through the Deputy Commissioner, has asked for at least 360 hands from the GNDU for poll duty, which will keep them busy till March 4, the date for the final announcement of the results.

Complying with the orders, the university authorities had to submit the first list of 160 Class 'A' staff members, including teachers.

Another case in point was that some categories of 'A' class university staff, which includes superintendents, programmers, supervisors, assistant registrars and librarians have not been included in the list for reasons not yet known.

Nevertheless, the teachers claim that barring GNDU, no teaching staff member of any other university in the state has been asked to perform poll duties.

Balwinder Singh, president of the GNDU teachers' association, said it was for the first time that teachers have been included in the list of poll duty. “We are not denying the orders of the election commission. Our submission is that when there is adequate Class A staff from the non-teaching wing is available, what compelled them to put the teachers on poll duty especially when tests are to be held in the first week of February and March. Before this, the students will have to submit their practical projects but there will be no one to attend to them. Therefore, these exams, by all means, would have to be conducted thoroughly by the teachers themselves because it is based on the internal assessment of the students", he said.

Prof Davinder Singh Johal, secretary of the association viewed that it was against protocol to depute a university professor-level staff on poll duty.

“It came as a jolt. Our names were included without our knowledge. We should have been kept at the secondary level and the non-teaching staff should have been deputed because it would not have hampered university schedule or students' studies,” Johal said.

He said he had approached the district administration and move is on to submit a fresh list.

“It will hit our schedule as besides poll duty the teachers will have to report for election duty rehearsals too. The matter has been duly discussed with the Deputy Commissioner and I expect that some way out can be found,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Rajat Aggrawal, said the Election Commission had only asked for Class A staff from the university and it was on the part of the university authorities to decide whom to send.

Amritsar, January 7
Complaint boxes put up by the police to lodge complaints against a cop, pass on some information or forward suggestions, are gathering dust in various parts of the city.

These boxes were installed outside various police stations as well as important points in the city five years back by the then senior superintendent of police, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh. These boxes were opened by only a few trusted policemen deputed by the SSP.

The step brought in transparency in the functioning of the police besides bringing crime under control in the city. Many residents had come forward with suggestions to improve the functioning of the police department besides providing vital information about the notorious persons, criminals and fraudsters involved in the petty crimes thus tightening the noose on them.

After the introduction of the police commissionerate system, the officials seem to have forgotten all about them. These can be very handy for senior police officials. These boxes have got damaged and are never opened. Police officials don't even know about them and all they have to say is that they were transferred here recently and will look into this.

RP Mittal, police commissioner, Amritsar, said he will revive this practice. He said the damaged boxes will be replaced besides more boxes will be installed at various points in the city that has come into existence after the introduction of commissionerate system.

Amritsar, January 7
The CIA staff has arrested two persons allegedly involved in stealing autorickshaws from Jalandhar and Ludhiana.

The police has also seized a 3.3-bore pistol with three live cartridges, a .12-bore pistol with two live cartridges, 370 gm narcotic powder besides three stolen three-wheelers from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Jasbir Singh alias Jassa, of Vanike village and a resident of Sultanwind road and Daljit Singh of Tarn Taran who lived at Chheharta.

The CIA staff incharge Vikram Sharma said the accused were arrested at a naka near Mata Kaulan hospital.

During checking the police recovered a three-wheeler (PB-02-AL-9809) from their possession. The police has also seized a pistol and 150 gram intoxicant powder from Jasbir Singh who was driving the vehicle and a .12-bore pistol and 120 gram narcotic powder from Daljit Singh who was sitting behind him.

The police claimed that the accused have admitted that they had stolen five auto-rickshaws from Jalandhar and Ludhiana and also recovered the same.

The accused have been booked under Section 379, 379-B, 411, 472 IPC 21/22/61/85 of the NDPS Act and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act. The accused were taken on police remand, said Sharma.

Amritsar, January 7
All five candidates of the ruling SAD-BJP combine contesting from the holy city’s central, east, north, west and south segments began their election campaigns by paying obeisance at the Golden temple today.

Led by MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Tarun Chugh, Anil Joshi, Rakesh Gill, all BJP candidates and Akali leader Inderbir Singh Bolaria visited the shrine.

Sidhu said today their objective was to seek blessings for the ensuing assembly elections.

Dr Navjot Kaur, pitted against Simarpreet Kaur Bhatia of the Congress from the East segment, said she was aware that it was a leaderless constituency as it had been formed after taking out areas from South, Jandiala, Verka and North segments during the delimitation. She said she had identified major problems of her constituency like sewerage disposal, potable water, setting up of parks and to initiate youth-oriented programmes for drug de-addiction and employment generation to reach out to all sections of the society.

She said a majority of people, especially women were unaware of the social welfare schemes of the government and she will work in this direction by forming self-help groups.

BJP candidate Tarun Chugh, who is fighting against the Congress heavyweight OP Soni, said he had an advantage as his house was inside the constituency whereas his opponents lived outside and thus did not know the assembly segment.

Anil Joshi of the BJP and Inderbir Singh Bolaria of the SAD from North and South constituencies, respectively, count on the development carried out in their areas during the SAD-BJP rule to be in their favour.

Rakesh Gill of the BJP from the Amritsar West assembly segment feels that his mass contact programme will work wonders for him against his opponent Raj Kumar Verka of the Congress.

Amritsar, January 7
Masih Adikar Sangathan, an organisation working for the Christian Community, has decided to support only that political party in the coming assembly elections which promises to end discrimination with dalit Christians in its election manifesto.

Daniel B Dass, a prominent leader of the organisation said, “We will hold a rally at Ajnala on January 14 to put forward our demands.” Dass said though the organisation has a support base in the entire state, it can play a decisive role in nine assembly constituencies in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts.

The organisation members said they have substantial influence in all four constituencies of Tarn Taran district besides Raja Sansi and Ajnala in Amritsar.

Dass said the dalit Christians are discriminated in government schemes as compared to the Dalits belonging to the Hindu and Sikh communities. He said the Christian community will vote for the party which ensures in uplifting the status of labourers in rural areas.

“At least the party should promise to fulfill the demands which are in the state government’s preview. It should also promise to take up other demands with the union government which require certain constitutional amendments,” said Daniel.

Large number of community leaders from the entire state had gathered at Saint Paul Church here today. The organisation plans to hold rallies at Khemkaran and Shahkot too.